It was the scent of iron that wake me up.
It wasn't iron per se, but the scent was all too familiar to me. My eyes snapped open and I turned over to see Drake next to me in my bed, on his back and staring hard up at the ceiling. His body felt rigid as he gritted his teeth. His skin glowed with sweat and I saw the muscles in his jaw jut out against the skin. His wings folded underneath him, but they twitched and fluttered as if trying to get off his body.
"Drake, what's wrong?" I said, flinging the blanket off and seeing blood seeping out of the wound on his arm. It looked like someone cut into it and now the blood around it was bubbling. The veins around the area were jet black. Around the edges of the cut oozed green. "Drake, what is this?"
"Magic," he hissed.
"Is this supposed to happen?" I asked as I put a pillow under his head. He groaned.
"Yes, unfortunately." He said, "it's working and the damn dwarf will give me my money's worth."
Dwarves? Dwarves hated working with the courts. They have egos and believe that their work was uniquely theres. Dwarves were also one of the few faeries that couldn't handle iron for short periods of time without dying.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him as I folded my knees under me. Drake closed his eyes. He tried repressing the pain and steam came out of the wound.
"Water," he gasped as his eyes opened and stared into mine. The pupils grew huge as I got up and ran to the kitchen. I got a glass and filled it with water. What was going on? I tried searching my brain for this, but I didn't know. I really didn't know. I ran back into the room and pressed his lips to the water and he took large gulps.
"Gods, I forgot how disgusting your water is," Drake said gagging.
"Sorry I don't live by Fiji," I said as I put a wet cloth over his forehead. He sighed as he closed his eyes. He relaxed a little bit as I leaned back. Maybe I could sew it back up? The thought made my stomach twist. Maybe I couldn't get Lowell to come here? That might work, but how would I explain everything? And would Lowell be able to see Drake now? I looked through my good eye and didn't see Drake. As much pain as Drake was, he still put up a wall of glamour around him to protect himself.
"Hmm, Matty?"
I looked down at him to see him smirking. I wasn't sure how he could be in such a cocky mood when his arm was starting to smell vaguely like a dead cat on the highway.
"What?"
His smirk deepened, but he winced suddenly. A muscle in his jaw popped out. "I have an odd request for you."
"What? Do I need to go find the queen of the faeries? Or do I need to find a magic man in the highest mountain? Or-"
"Touch me."
I stopped and looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
I kind of hoped I misheard him, but it's only my eyesight that's off in the real world. Not my hearing.
"What do you mean by 'touch you'?"
"Touch me like you would Lowell."
"Hell no!" I jumped away from him.
"Correction," Drake said, eying me, "the way you want to touch Lowell."
"Go to hell."
He winced a bit and I kind of thought he deserved it. What the hell was he doing messing with magic anyway? Magic always has a price. Or at least, that's how I understood it. Drake sighed as he sat up or at least tried to. "Matty, don't make me ask again."
"Lowell is different and why do I have to do it?" Drake leaned back in the pillow, shutting his eyes tightly.
"The spell was for you."
I stared at him for awhile. He hissed in pain. He didn't let me wither in pain even when it meant healing my neck. Yeah, but I didn't ask him to do the blood magic. What does that even mean? I mean, besides the obvious.
With a shaking hand, I pressed my hand over his hurt arm. The skin beneath my palm felt hot like it was boiling. Drake sighed as his eyes fluttered open. "Like this?" I asked, scared that I was hurting him.
He nodded as he breathed. His breath came out in a low groan as his hand reached out for me. I leaned away from him. I didn't want him to touch me like he might one of those faerie women who flirted with him. It didn't sound as pain filled as I tried running my fingers up his arm. I felt goosebumps rise on his skin. I almost laughed at the feel of them. The muscle in his shoulder tensed as I put my hands on his shoulder. I wondered if this was how I would touch Lowell.
I didn't know. It was a strange realization. I didn't know how I would touch him if I was allowed to. Well, I'd kiss him, probably, but what else? Hug him around his shoulders a lot. I always liked his shoulders a lot.
Drake made another incoherent sound as my fingers traced his shoulders.
Drake's shoulders were made of solid muscle. I could feel the muscles relax beneath my hand as I pressed the palm of my hands to them. Drake grunted, but it sounded slightly different.
"I don't know what I'm doing."
Drake opened one eye and looked at me. "You're doing fine." He said. "Follow your instincts. There's nothing to think here." He gripped the wrist that touch his shoulder and pressed my hand a bit more firmly. His skin grew wet with sweat and I wondered if he had a fever. Can faeries get sick like humans?
"But it's you."
Drake looked over his shoulder, eying me. "I'm beginning to feel a bit insulted that you don't want to touch me. Do you know how many in Fey would have been delighted?"
Probably a lot, but I didn't feel that inclination.
"Careful, you're starting to sound like Eloy."
"I wouldn't have consequences." He hissed as he clenched his haw suddenly.
Drake looked up, trying to smirk, but the pain stopped him.
"What's wrong, Drake?"
He grabbed my hand around my wrist. He pressed my hand to his cheek. His face felt a little cooler. He relaxed.
"Just pretend I'm Lowell."
What was he asking? I...What did he want exactly?
"Nope." I looked away, pulling my hand away from him.
"That's right, you're pure."
"So?"
"You've never touched anyone."
I felt my cheeks turn red as I thought about purple hair and big warm hands.
"Well, I mean, technically..."
He rolled his eyes.
I glared. "What spell were you trying to do anyway ?"
"It's called a blood spell. They're complicated and mostly dwarves can create it."
"Blood spells?" I asked as Drake turned his back to me. He winced and tried to relax again I suspected. I didn't know anything about it. I tried thinking of some faerie tale or something, but the only thing I knew was that it was a last thing faeries do when things got dire. Like in Camelot was falling apart and King Arthur called on Faeries to help.
"Fine, I'll ask questions later. Just turn around you big baby so I can help you."
Drake pulled on my covers.
I reached out and message his shoulders. He sighed. I felt for the knots in the muscles.
"You have a lot of knots in your back." I said.
"Ah, I wonder what stressor has come into my life recently."
Don't know why I asked. I dug the palm of my hand into his back and shoulders. He grunted, but it didn't sound like he was in a lot of pain.
"Is this enough? I think I should get Keeva."
"Matty."
"What?"
"Don't leave right now."
It was such a strange thing to say that I kind of just nodded. He was in pain so maybe that's why he was saying such weird stuff. I mean, people say a lot of weird things when they're in pain.
"I need to check on Wolfie and Keeva probably needs to know about this." I
"No she doesn't."
I looked at him. "She might be a bit more useful at helping this than me," I said as I sat up and looked down at him. Drake groaned.
"She'll never let me hear the end of it." Drake pulled the blanket over his head. "Can't you just stay here? You're really all I need."
I tensed at this. It's Drake so what he's saying doesn't have the same meaning that it would be from someone else.
"Uhm, I have work and..." Jorge would almost jump up and down in delight for me to take a day off since to him, I always worked. "Uhm, okay."
Drake tugged on my hand and I was laying on my side. He turned around and wrapped his arms around me as I heard the radio turning on, telling me that it was nine in the morning, but the bed was warm. He felt warm and I realized his chest pressed to my back. It was a bit strange for someone to be this close to me.
There are no princes
with beautiful faces.
Remember my warning, little girl
__________
"He'll be fine." Antonio said, sipping blood out of a medical bag from a hospital. He sat on my kitchen counter after sunset with his legs crossed, studying me.
"Where did you get that?"
He pulled his lips away from a straw that was sticking out of the bag. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers too."
"It's not legal is it?"
"Technically no."
I sighed and grabbed my camera bag. "Are you sure? His skin still feels hot."
"He's being a big baby because he wants your attention." Antonio continued to sip his blood bag.
I looked up at him. "What?"
"He'll be fine. He inflicted this on himself and since you were kind enough to help him most of the day, he should be feeling better."
"I don't even know why my boss wants me in tonight." I said, double checking my reflection in the mirror in the bathroom for a second. Nothing was wrong with the jeans and shirt. I looked pretty good considering everything.
"How are you feeling?" Antonio asked, smiling. Vampires really shouldn't smile since the blood stained his fangs.
"Pretty good." I admitted, "who knew a walking corpse could be useful?"
"A life saving living corpse," he corrected before going back to sucking the bag.
"How many people have you killed?" I said to counter the point.
"What did I tell you about asking questions you don't want answers to?" He warned me. "Now go and talk to your boss. Every faerie and creature will smell the dragon on you so they won't touch you. Well, maybe a jealous lover."
"I don't have those."
Did Drake... I don't want to know. I sighed as I grabbed a jacket and walked out the door. I was tempted to look back because Drake had been in a lot of pain. Why was that blood magic so painful?
The night felt cold and people quickly walked passed me. Faeries hung around though. A pixie sat in the tree singing some silly song about the dead dancing with their mothers. I stopped and stared. The faerie looked at me, grinning, but then frowned as if catching a horrible scent. Maybe Antonio was right about Drake's sent. Which sound totally weird.
"So the dragon has finally claimed you, has he?"
I wasn't sure what to say. I shrugged. The voice sounded more feminine when the pixie talked.
"You're a bit small for him, don't you think?" She asked. "Hmm, that's a first."
"I have to get going, you better leave. There's a vampire in my apartment." I said and someone walking by me stopped for a moment as if they heard me. I smiled and they quickly turned away from me. I deflated, sighing as I continued walking.
So the dragon has claimed you?
Is Drake really hot shit back home? I went up to magazine's building and pushed opened the doors, deciding to take the elevators since I finally got a chance to use them. What the hell did they see in him? He was kind of an asshole. The doors dinged open when I reached the top.
"What is going on?" I asked, but no one replied.
Instead of getting ready, models were ooing and awing at something or someone. Jorge was sighing and looking slightly homicidal as he gripped his chin and closed his eyes in deep thought. Music blared and I felt the hair on the back of my neck starting to stand on end. I smelled something sweet and it made my mouth water. I know this feeling and I didn't like it the last time I had to deal with it. My skin felt hot. Swallowing, I blinked away the feelings. I pushed through the crowd and stood stone still as I saw who was in the middle of the circle of lights.
Eloy.
He gave me a slow easy smile before winking at me.
"There she is," Eloy announced as models turned to look at me and Jorge visibly sighed. Eloy looked way too fucking happy to see me. He walked over to me and he was standing so close I could feel the warmth of his body wanted to envelope me. I swallowed as he looked down at me. My knees shook and my eyes landed on his mouth. I like his mouth. I like the shape and the curve of it as he smiled at me.
"No dragon to protect you."
"I don't need a dragon to protect me," I said, stepping back fro him. The image of Drake laying in my bed, sleeping softly came up to my mind.
He leaned down, pressing his mouth to my ear. "I can hear your legs shaking, my little photographer."
His breath felt warm and I thought about taking him by the hand, showing him where the dressing room was
"Oh can you?" I asked. "Well, can you feel this?"
I kneed him right in the junk. Eloy looked surprised and I heard a low murmur of pain escape him before he fell forward a bit. Jorge yelled my name while other people swarmed him, explaining that I was a nut job, a bitch, some newbie who didn't know better. I pulled back.
"Jesus, I have better things to do than play games with you," I said as I grabbed my bag. I went toward the elevator. The moment those doors closed, my legs gave out on me and I pressed my back to the cold metal of the elevator's wall. I closed my eyes as the dizziness and heat left me. The doors dinged and I got up again.
Probably just lost my job.
I try not to think about this too much and decided to go to the forest to check on Wolfie. I had some lunch meat on me anyway and it wasn't that late.
______
You smell like magic.
Wolfie looked at me from where he sat. He still stank of blood, but it wasn't as bad. The moonlight almost made him look healthy as I opened the lunch meat and gave it to him. His long, pink tongue grabbed it and brought it to his mouth. He chewed slowly as I sat on one of the boulders near him.
"Drake did some blood magic thing and he was in a lot of pain."
And the scent of a love talker?
"Just kneed him."
He swallowed, raising an eyebrow at me. Most would want to sleep with him.
I shrugged. "I guess the sight helps."
Even women with sight slept with love talkers.
I crossed my legs and leaned forward a bit. "I didn't say I didn't want to. I just didn't."
Wolfie didn't look all that convinced, but didn't say anything. He studied me, looking at me and I wondered if he wanted to eat me. Maybe he didn't because of Drake. I looked at the stitches on his side. He leaned forward and I tensed as he rested his head on my lap. His wet nose nuzzled my stomach. I ran my hand over his head. I scratched behind his ears and he growled happily.
How does a child in this age get sight?
"Magic."
He raised his eye brows at me.
Honestly, no one ever asked. Most faeries just knew I had it and wanted to use it in some way or another. Not even my prince asked me that.
"It's kind of complicated."
I like a good story.
I sighed.
"Uhm, where do I begin? Well, mom was sick when I was a kid. She wasn't right in the head. Drank too much and didn't think a lot about consequences after dad divorced her." I didn't blame her. Dad wasn't great and she became a not great person to get back at him. It was just her reacting in anger. "She decided to take off into the night with me on a stormy night." The wolf's ears twitched as I scratched under his chin. "It was raining real bad. Thunder in the sky and I remembering thinking, 'I can't see the road', you know the type, right?"
"Those are the days that even we wolves don't hunt." He agreed.
"We got into a crash. I was only eight at the time and was thrown out of the car after it rolled over down a few times. God, I remember everything so clearly." The rain froze against my skin and made my body go numb. It was kind of a blessing then because something was sticking out of my stomach that wasn't supposed to. Even now, I won't look too closely at this memory. The rain had been so cold it had felt like razor blades. The lighting danced in the sky. The ground smelled like metal, earth, and blood. Mom was screaming for me when she crawled out of the car.
"Go on."
"Oh right, sorry." I apologized as I resumed to petting him, "I was dying, but then this man...err, well faerie with wild white hair and dark brown sagging skin was standing above me. He asked me, what do you want from this world, little one? I told him I wanted to live."
He looked sort of scary with that wild snow white hair and his scary mouth with sharp teeth and long, long nails that the poison dripped out of; the potion that made me see his world.
"Then there was this intense pain like I was melting on the right side of my body when he leaned over me and touched me. When I woke up in the hospital-you know what those are, right?-anyway, I woke up and looked like...this." I laughed slightly, "No one wanted to touch me except for Lowell."
"Your mother lived?" He asked with his eyes closed.
"Yeah, but she doesn't... I don't know, she kind of blocks me out. She'll focus on me if she thinks I'm not taking my medicine."
"You must've been lonely."
I shrugged. I didn't know what to say to him at that moment. Yes, those first few years were lonely, but I had my prince and Lowell so it was okay.
"I'm okay."
I scratched under his chin as I remembered the song that Drake sang to me in my dream. That strange little lullaby.
"How do you know that song?"
"A very weird dream," I admitted as the wolf lifted his head. "What? Do you know it?"
"It's a song from the Lunae Lux court. It's a song specifically about that region."
So Drake did...
"I thought I was going crazy. It was...it wasn't a dream then! Goddamn that bastard!"
Why would Drake say nothing about it? I thought I had a really vivid dream, but that had been real?
________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note
Ah, I know this was a short chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed the surprise!
I've been watching an old anime called Kamisama Kiss. I think it's early 2000s. Or that's the feel I get from the tropes in the anime. It's not necessarily a "good anime", but it gave me some fun inspiration while writing Purple Roses this weekend. It's fun to see what influenced me when I first wrote the Rose Series. It's painfully obvious to me sometimes.
I should note that this song I used in the chapter is Matty's theme in my head. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it.