by Lily Luchesi
He gave me a love potion, she thought, hurt tears coming to her eyes. He tricked me. That bloody bastard!
Angry, she shoved the books away from her, sending them all careening to the floor. She shot up from the chair and that, too, fell back with a crash. It was as if she was seeing black at the edges of her vision as rage consumed her. As well as hurt. She knew Michael wasn’t a prince, but she had never, ever thought him capable of such vileness.
Daphne began to walk aimlessly around the house, trying to calm herself down, but it was proving to be impossible. She needed to do something, tell someone. But who? Caelum would take Michael’s side, and so would Robert. Draven? Possibly, but he was engaged to Caelum. Too risky to confide in him. No way was she going to tell Kimberly. It would be all over the Coven by tea time.
As she turned, her eyes fell on the calendar, and she remembered what day it was. Salem’s birthday.
Without a second thought, she knew exactly where she was going, in whom she could confide. The one person she had always been able to trust.
In honour of Salem’s twentieth birthday, he had been given the day off from his Elder duties. And he was under strict orders to, “Get out of the Coven and have some fun,” from Edelstone and Donahue.
He had never done much for his birthday. His mother would send him a card, and no one else ever cared about it except for Daphne. Now Evelyn Sinclair was dead, and Daphne probably wished that he was dead.
Perhaps he could have gone to visit the Ainsleys, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to be around Fiona. The witch scared him. She seemed a bit unstable and untrustworthy. So his only option was to go home and spend his birthday just as he had spent most of his other days: alone.
Mid-afternoon, he was lying on his couch, trying to read a book with no concentration. Songs of Faith and Devotion was on the record player, turned loud enough to mingle perfectly with the crackling of the fireplace.
Just as one song ended and there was a beat of silence between tracks, a quick, light knock came at his door.
He never had visitors, and was somewhere between amused and concerned as he went to answer it. As soon as he touched the knob, he felt the familiar tingle of magic on his skin. As he wrenched open the door, he was nearly speechless as he came face to face with Daphne.
She looked horrible, with dark circles beneath her eyes and arms crossed uncomfortably across her middle.
“What are you doing here?” Salem said, and he immediately wanted to kick himself. That was no way to greet the woman you loved. However, he was curious. She had told him in no uncertain circumstances that she never wanted to see him again. Yet there she was, on his doorstep.
She looked up at him with reddened eyes and opened her mouth as if to speak. However, what came out instead was a mournful wail as tears began to fall from her eyes.
Salem was more confused than ever, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Daphne was in trouble: she needed him, and he was going to take care of her.
He wrapped his arms around her and led her into his house and out of the cold. Once the door was shut behind them, he gathered her to him. One hand held onto the back of her head, fingers weaving through her coppery locks, and the other held the middle of her back.
Her tearfulness frightened him. She was so strong, he had never seen her like this before.
“Daphne. Daphne, you must calm down,” he said worriedly. “Please … you are trembling.” In fact, she was shaking so hard, she shook him as well.
She nodded, but the tears didn’t subside. Salem figured he needed to take matters into his own hands and led her into the house, into his living room-cum-library. Gingerly, he disentangled her from his embrace and bade her sit on the couch.
“I will be right back,” he promised. Unsure of what to do, he simply went to find something he could get her. Now living in the Coven there was little to offer, not even tea. He found two unexpired bottles of beer and grabbed a box of tissues on his way back to the living room.
Daphne had calmed down some, though she was still sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks. Without thinking, he held her hand as she wiped at her tearstained face. With a shaking voice, she finally began to speak.
“I — I did not know where to go. I made a mistake, Sal, a big mistake, and I don’t know how to undo it. You probably hate me, and I’m sorry I had to come and bother you, but —”
Salem cleared his throat, hating to interrupt her but needing to. She stopped speaking and looked at him. He hoped she could see from his gaze that he didn’t hate her, had never hated her, and never could hate her, no matter what.
“I could never hate you. I was furious, I was hurt, I am hurt … but never could I hate you. Not you. Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong,” he implored.
Daphne took a shaky breath and said, “I think … I know I was given a love potion.” She then began to explain what had started happening to her ever since she and Salem had broken up in their final year of school.
He was usually so good at schooling his expression, but this time it had to be plain to see the shock and anger he had toward Michael. He was far too stunned, too furious, to hide his emotions.
How could he? Salem knew he was a vile cretin, not deserving of the title of ‘human’, but he hadn’t thought Michael was capable of that.
“I just wish I knew for sure, so I could go to the PID, or Edelstone. Right now, you were the only person I could think of who would listen to and believe me,” she finished.
“I will find out if he gave you a potion,” he said. “Where is he? I’ll make him talk whether he wants to or not.”
“No, Salem, don’t. You don’t want to wind up in hot water with the PID because of him,” she said, instinctively grabbing his hand in hers.
At her touch, Salem felt her magic through his skin and he began to lose the tension in his body.
“What can I do, Daphne?” he asked quietly. “Tell me and I will.”
“Talk to me,” she said softly, still holding his hand. “Make me forget for a little while. I don’t want to be alone.”
Her words surprised Salem, but he would be lying if he denied that he was happy. Not that she was hurt, but that he was the one she came to. He was the one her heart reached out to in its time of need.
And so he talked to her. They talked about the time that had passed since they had left school. They spoke with familiarity about studying for the Elder exam. Salem told her he passed, but not what he was doing for the Coven. And he left out most everything else, considering some of it had been confidential for the Coven and PID, and the rest was rooted in Darkness.
Her mother had been angry with her for not wanting to be a Medic, but everyone else had supported her decision to become an Elder. She didn't talk about her wedding or her husband any longer.
Before they knew it, hours had passed and it was starting to snow. He had forgotten how time did this whenever they were together. It was a pleasant feeling.
“It is late,” he said when the clock struck nine.
“I can’t go back, Sal,” she said. “I don’t want to be with someone like Michael anymore.” She stood before Salem in the foyer, warm eyes imploring with him to hear her, to understand her plight.
“If you do not want to go back permanently, you must go back tonight. Do not allow him to get suspicious. He knows I am the only person you would run to,” he reminded her. “You do need to get away from him, but to simply leave... I fear he could harm you if you do so without planning.
“You must be sure he gave you a potion without your knowledge and bring the evidence to the PID. I love you, Daphne. I cannot see anything stand between you and happiness.”
Daphne stepped closer to him. “The only thing that makes me happy is you.”
His heart stuttered in his chest at her words. Could she really, truly have meant that? Her magic reached out, seeming to pull at his, and he knew, he could feel, that that was the truest thing she had ever said.
As i
f those words had been a spell, it was like something was unlocked inside of Salem and he grabbed her around the waist, one hand tangling in her hair, and pulled her to him in a heated kiss. She fell into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back as if she were drowning and he was the only thing that would save her.
He felt how soft and pliant she was against him. How warm, how sweet. It made him dizzy with a love so pure, he wasn’t sure if it was real. All he could think of was that he loved and needed her in a way he didn’t fully understand.
“Sal, please,” she whispered against his lips, startling him.
“Are you sure?” he asked quietly.
“As sure as I was the first time I asked you,” she replied.
Without thinking — thinking would ruin everything — he picked her up in his arms, bridal style. He had filled out considerably since they had left school. He was thin, but no longer looked scrawny and weak. He could easily carry her without using magic, and did so, depositing her on his bed.
She reached up to kiss him again, pulling him down by his shirt collar as “In Your Room” began to play from the living room, the dulcet tones adding to the romance that was heavy in the air.
Nothing more was said between them for quite some time that night.
And after it was over, they lay together, cuddled and safe and warm beneath the comforter. Magic surrounded them both, a mingling of green and pink sparkles. Daphne lay with her head on Salem’s chest, and he held her tightly. If he never had to let go again, he wouldn’t.
Eventually, Daphne did move, languidly sitting up in bed next to him. She turned to look down at him and her eyes widened.
Unsure at first of why she was so startled, Salem looked to where her eyes lay and spotted the amulet. Hastily, he covered his chest with the black duvet. “Daphne…”
“No, Sal, don’t. Don’t ruin tonight, please. This is the happiest I have been in years.”
He nodded. “I know. I have wanted this for so long, Daphne.” He kissed her again, but it was not feverish. This was soft, sweet. The kiss of a true love. “But you and I know this is not meant to be. Not as long as this is such a reminder of who I am. Of what I am.” He gestured to the amulet, still hidden.
“I don’t care anymore,” she insisted, surprising him.
He smiled lightly, but this one was tinged with sadness. “You always made me happy. Since we were children. All I ever wanted was to be able to make you just as happy as you make me, but I cannot do that. It used to make me angry, but now I’m resigned to that fact. You’re a Fraser, directly descended. I have Munro blood, I am inherently Dark. There haven’t been such star-crossed lovers since Romeo and Juliet.”
His heart gave a pang as he said it. It was true, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Despair settled over him as it sank in: they could still never be together. He could never leave The Company now, and she could never accept his role there were he to tell her. They were on opposite sides now, forever sundered.
“Daphne, I am happy we shared tonight. And I so badly want to take you up on what you’re offering me for the rest of our lives. It is all I ever wanted. But I will not hurt you. You need to go. Please, while you still love me.” He looked away from her, his dark eyes filling with tears. “If you stay, you would not love me for long, and I can’t have that.” He sent a silent spell and Daphne’s clothes piled up beside her. He couldn’t look at her.
Daphne got dressed quickly and quietly, seeming to take in the truth of what he said. She turned to him, watching him for a moment before she knelt over him, suspending herself on the mattress. She turned him to face her and kissed him. He kissed her back with equal fervour, so hard he was sure that both their lips would be bruised.
She pulled away and looked at him with eyes that hinted of hope. “I know. I know we can’t be together right now. One day, that will be gone. The past will be erased,” she said, gesturing to his amulet. “Until then, I will wait for you. I will never stop loving you, Salem Sinclair.”
“Forever?” he asked her, a secret smile on his lips, which she returned.
“’Til the end of the world.” Daphne stood up, ready to get out of there, when she turned back, a playful smile on her face. “By the way, happy birthday.”
He laughed, and so did she, despite the tears in both their eyes. “I love you, Daphne. And that will never change.”
Chapter 23
When Daphne woke up the next day, she knew something was wrong. Her Fraser senses were going haywire. There was a new energy signature that hadn’t been there before.
Was there an intruder in their house? She sat still and silent, searching for anyone who might possibly be around. Michael’s energy wafted into the bedroom from the living room. He must have come home and gone to sleep on the couch out there. Smart man. Then where was this energy coming from?
It was giving Daphne so many mixed signals. It was amazingly powerful, that of a strong magician, yet it was so weak at the same time. To continue the paradox, it was at once filled with Light and shrouded in Darkness. She had never felt anything like it.
And where was it coming from? It felt like it was right there next to her, but unless someone had created a Cloak of Invisibility, there was no one in the room.
Panic pricked her heart, and sweat beaded at her brow. She knew she needed to remain calm, but it was proving to be difficult. Had someone seen her at Salem’s the day before and sent someone to spy on her? Or do something much worse?
It had to be someone from Clan Munro, to feel an energy this Dark. But yet … there was so much Light in it, too. It felt impossible.
Perhaps I’ve lost my mind, she thought, smiling ruefully. Being with Salem last night took the last vestige of my sanity.
Gingerly, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She looked the same as she always did, but somehow there was something different. If only she could put her finger on what it was.
“Daph?” Michael called through the door. “You forgive me?”
Never, you vile pig, she thought. Remembering what Salem had told her, however, she said, “Of course.”
“Okay… I was with the guys yesterday, Robert asked if we wanted to double date with them. His wife wants to try a little place in the Magical District that a witch from Thailand opened,” he said.
The last thing she wanted to do was double date with this monster she had been hoodwinked into marrying, but she sighed. “Sure, what time?”
“I’ll give him a ring and ask.”
They wanted to do lunch, so Daphne forced herself to act normally. Not like her husband had drugged her for the entirety of their relationship.
It wasn’t until she tried to have breakfast that her body began to betray her well thought out act. She felt queasy, tried to drink some tea, and wound up clutching the toilet bowl. When she vomited, she felt the strange energy strengthen. And it was at that moment her mother’s forced Medic studies came back to her.
“Witches are, essentially, human but they have a slightly different gestation period. Due to the magic within them, pregnancies typically are detected sooner, as the energy within the foetus can be felt by the mother almost instantly, even before humans declare it a ‘living being’. Pregnancy symptoms also start sooner than they do in average human women.”
“Gaia help me,” she gasped, without realising she was speaking aloud. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?”
Michael’s cry made her jump. She truly had no idea she said that out loud, and now her mind was racing. She couldn’t grasp a single coherent thought. Meanwhile, Michael was overjoyed. He knelt down beside her and wrapped her in a tight hug.
“This is amazing! Daph, I’m so happy!” He kissed the side of her face.
Meanwhile, she was still in shock, though now her mind was beginning to work. She knew she hadn’t been pregnant before the previous day. She knew because it was only today that she had woken up with a strange energy around her. One that was both Lig
ht and Dark. Part Fraser … and part Sinclair.
Michael called every single one of his friends over instead of doing lunch with just the Ainsleys. He was ecstatic, and so was Daphne. Now that she had got over her shock, of course.
She was having a baby with the man she loved. And as soon as she could get some proof that she had been given a love potion, they could be together. Amulet or no amulet. But first, she had to play this pantomime to not rouse anyone’s suspicions. Especially not Robert, whom she never really trusted.
What she really wanted was to get them all out of the house and make an excuse to leave so that she could tell Salem.
But first, she had to play nice. Daphne despised playing nice. She had to do it her entire life because of her family’s status, and she never wanted to do it again. Hopefully soon, she never would.
Caelum woke up that morning with the brightest smile he had ever felt on his face. Lying next to him was his fiancé, not boyfriend, not mate: his fiancé. Just the thought made him smile even wider.
Draven rolled over and rubbed sleep-bleared eyes. “Oi, are you plotting my murder?”
Caelum nudged him. “I’m happy. You said yes last night, don’t you remember?”
Draven nodded, holding out his left hand which had a simple platinum band on it. “I do. And I’m happy too. But it’s too bloody early for this sort of cheerfulness.”
Caelum chuckled and kissed Draven’s face. “Come on, grumpy. It’s late. I want to go and tell everyone.”
“It’s only two in the afternoon,” Draven challenged. “Wait till the sun is down. Two more hours.”
Caelum pretended to huff. “This is what I get for falling in love with a vampire.”
At that moment, the landline in the flat began to ring. Draven groaned and put his pillow over his head while Caelum got up with a laugh.
