Rikkon chuckles, which earns him a scowl from Vaughn.
“What are you laughing at? You look scrawnier than a scarecrow.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Ronan stares at the ceiling, resting his hands on his hips. “I must have pissed off some angry deity in my previous life to deserve you two.”
I’m about to give Ronan one of my trademark smartass comments when my spine goes rigid, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Aurora is in distress. I can pick up the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat through the bond. She needs my help. With red tinging my gaze, and my fangs fully exposed, I zoom out of my apartment in a flash, ready for battle.
17
Aurora
I feel drained after my conversation with Vivienne. She agreed to help me with my problem, but until then, I have to deal with all the changes in my body. It seems like I’m suffering from an ice-cold fever. I’ve got the aches and the shakes. But the worst part is the throbbing between my legs, the urge to fuck Saxon nonstop, that’s making everything ten billion times worse. I can’t walk around the institute all hot and bothered all the time. Thanks to vampires’ enhanced senses, everybody will know about my condition. How mortifying is that?
As soon as I enter my apartment, I know something is different. I’m not sure what’s going on, but Saxon feels closer to me somehow. Either he’s coming here or the bond is getting stronger. If so, how long until both of us break down and make a huge mistake?
Come on, Aurora. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you slept with Saxon again.
Ugh. Shut up, demon! Where’s the fucking angel on my right shoulder telling me to remain strong?
I don’t move for a minute, waiting for the knock on the door. When it doesn’t come, I can only come to one conclusion. The mating bond magic is increasing by leaps and bounds. Is it because I’m now aware of its presence? Vivienne told me how much Rikkon suffered in the first years of their banishment. He would have high fevers and sometimes not be able to move at all. I definitely don’t want to wait until things get that bad. I have to do something to alleviate my craving.
I pull my personal grimoire from my bag. It’s not as thick as some of the older ones, and definitely not as valuable to others. But to me, it’s precious, almost like an extension of myself. Every witch receives a blank grimoire when they turn six and start to learn how to harness their powers. The leather is plain when gifted; it’s up to the owner to customize the cover as they please. Mine depicts a phoenix rising from the ashes. I did the carving and painting of the leather by hand without the use of magic, and I’m extremely proud of it.
I’ve been recording every new spell and potion I learned throughout the years. And one of them is the antidote against a siren’s thrall. That’s not something I would ever search for out of the blue. Saxon came to me and begged for it.
I get mad all over again. The stupid male should have told me about our bond sooner.
The potion I made for Saxon was specific to vampires, but I can modify it to work for me. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than this feeling of wrongness within me.
The page is already marked. I just hope I have all the ingredients I need. Since I’m the only witch living at the institute, it’s not like I can get more ingredients easily. If Solomon doesn’t have it, then I have to order online or head into town. I begin to open cupboards at random, wishing I were more organized and kept my potion-making ingredients separate from my food.
I’m in the middle of the task when there’s a knock on my door. It’s not Saxon, I know that much. Maybe Vivienne has news. With a simple spell, I open the door from where I stand, and my mood immediately plummets when Calvin walks in.
“Hello, darling.” He smiles in a phony way.
My skin crawls just by staring at him, and I feel sick. It’s like my entire body is rejecting his presence.
“What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”
“It’s not like I have a choice. You’re living here now, and thus, on the bloodsuckers’ schedule.”