Warning... *sighs* Can I just say warning: from now on there could be some things unsuitable for minors and stuff? Done.
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Days went by in a slow succession. Whatever spell Darsana was planning, she was keeping to herself, so my time became a routine of frustration. It began at the end of the day, when I tried to sleep. At first, I was confused as to where I should situate my belongings and my being. I decided, now that I was Jacobi's, to stay in his room. Annoyingly, lying in his bed only stood as a very irritating reminder that he wasn't here. Needless to say, I had become too accustomed to having company in my bed and ended up crawling between the sheets of the Eastmunds who seemed all too happy to take me in their warm arms again.
Then came the mundane cycle of bathing, eating, and waiting for news from him...
While Jacobi was absent, Wyatt had apparently taken his place as the head of the Coterie, though he was far from being Master. Still, matters of their businesses and relationships with other Coteries had to be addressed. It was clear now, where it wasn't before, that Wyatt was Jacobi's right hand man. Perhaps that was why the Coterie was won over to my side once he had offered protection.
From what I could discern, nobody was receiving any information on Jacobi or his whereabouts, but at the same time nobody appeared concerned for his wellbeing. I knew as clear as his spirit which was settled within me that he was still alive. I couldn't be sure if I would feel if he was in danger or otherwise hurt, but I felt like I would. This made me feel more assured, despite the situation.
Besides waiting, I was left to what I called meditation lessons with Darsana Thron while simultaneously being stared at by the strange teen-child twins. It appeared Darsana took it to heart that she was protecting those Royal twins. Wherever she was, they were within eyesight. The twins themselves were near-mute. Darsana had told me they could understand and speak English, though not fluently, but they rarely spoke to anyone other than each other. Sometimes it was quite distracting...
My "meditation" lessons were really Darsana's idea of getting me more in touch with my "sight". She told me more about how the clairvoyance worked. The sight was one of the gifts of the spirits, originally given to witches and their descendants. When Royal vampires were created through the witches' cure, some of their gifts mixed in with the demon's curse, which is what allowed vampires to have such a deep connection to the spirits. While most vampires, turned or Royal, had abilities to an extent such as bonding spiritually, typically only the Royals had the more advanced gifts.
These gifts included a variety of things. Darsana was one of the select few with the sight; the ability to see things past, present, and future through the spirits of the living and the dead. She told me my sight was similar to hers, which explained why I dreamed of the dead so often. The whispers were spirits, all on the same channel, trying to tell me things. It took training and control, understanding and bravery, to ultimately be able to wield the sight. And Darsana was adamant on teaching me those things.
She told me of other gifts, such as being able to manipulate others spirits rather than your own. All Royals could, up to a degree. That was how they were able to make and break bonds between others without including themselves. The more advanced manipulation included controlling a person's mind and/or body through their spirit. Katja Diederich had this particular skill, which was how she seemed to fade my world away and cause me to move without remembering moving myself. She was surprisingly skilled at this, considering her age, but tended to use it without meaning to.
It was interesting to hear the level of gifts the Royals had between them, though it concerned me knowing I was apparently a carrier of a gift myself. You must be descended from a witch, Darsana insisted, though I couldn't recall my mother ever showing any signs of demonstrating any type of magic. But the more I thought about my mother being of a witch bloodline, the more it seemed to make sense. She hadn't been concerned about my abnormal dreams or sleepwalking. And it always seemed like before she left my father she must have been from a more social atmosphere. Perhaps she had her own coven even... maybe she wasn't even moving to avoid my father, but to avoid another supernatural past... It left me oh so confused just thinking about it.
It was on my fourth day of meditation that things began to feel different in my lessons.
Darsana's lessons were simple so far. She'd bring me to a dim lit room, where she'd have me sit on the floor cross-legged with her sitting across from me. The twins typically were nearby doing some form of activity; drawing, playing with figurines, or just whispering to each other. When Deacon was present, he'd typically sit in the distance in a chair looking rather comfortable if not bored.
The goal was to learn focus. Darsana told me the stronger connection a person has to the spirits, the more jumbled the whispers are. The spirits are eager to speak, to inform, and to warn. They yearned for attention and the wider the channel, the more spirits could connect to it. So I'd sit in silence with my eyes closed waiting to pull forth that heavy film over my mind and focus out those whispers. I couldn't call the film myself... I wasn't sure how to open the connection, but something in Darsana's touch pulled it forward for me. It was enough for her just to help open it and over time I could keep the connection by myself.
"Focus on a specific question, Elysia. If you leave your mind open for anything, you will hear everything, and ultimately nothing," Darsana once again warned me as I frowned at the flood of whispers around me. I held my eyes closed, trying to ignore the flashes of color that crossed my vision each time a spirit attempted to show me something rather than tell me.
"What do I ask?" I was confused. "What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?"
Darsana laughed. "Sure, as long as you learn to focus."
For a moment, my mind was blank... or rather filled with too many questions. The whispers were loud and obnoxious, confusing me further. I tried to focus on one train of whispers, but it would only be drowned out by others. Then I dug around my own thoughts to figure out what exactly I wanted to focus on.
She's waiting.
I heard her voice ring out from the others, solid and strong in response to the focus my mind had targeted. I wanted to know what she wanted. I wanted to know if she knew what my birthmark meant. I blinked open my eyes, looking around the blurry room as though Adelaide would be there in front of me. Then I closed my eyes and focused on my birthmark once again.
The whispers had gone silent. I was suddenly next to the lake beside Jacobi's statues of the dead, touching the surface carefully. Without hesitation, I turned to look at Adelaide, who was pointing in the direction of a random set of statues. I watched her for a moment, but then turned to walk towards where she indicated. The statues were strangers, faces upon faces of the dead. Something told me what I was looking for was beyond them.
An unrelated whisper slid through my mind so quietly that it felt as though I had thought it myself. I gasped, opening my eyes sharply as the film faded around me. For a moment, I hesitated as Darsana watched me with her head tilted. Then I leapt to my feet as I felt that familiar tingling sensation over my skin, a sensation that made me want to purr in pleasure. Still, I didn't move from my spot where I stood. An anxiety tore me from the inside, causing me to hesitate.
"You've been in contact with a specific spirit," Darsana told me then, watching me with curiosity, "Why didn't you tell me?" My mind was distracted by the pull I felt in my soul and the chills crossing over my flesh. I almost didn't notice that Darsana had asked me anything.
"I kind of forgot," I responded simply, running my hands over my arms nervously, "It's Adelaide; Jacobi's sister. She tries to tell me things, but none of them make sense..."
"Hmmm... something distracted you," Darsana turned her ear towards the door of the room as though she heard something in the distance. I nodded slowly.
"Jacobi's back," I breathed. My nerves were on fire. It had been just over four days and nights since I'd seen or heard from him. Would he have changed his mind about me by now? I'd become accustomed to not having him around. Would his presence send me back into that cowardly trembling mess of a girl? I felt like a little girl about to go on her first date, wondering if her crush was going to even like her...
Darsana stood and looked to the twins. "Children. Kommt bitte hierher," she called in a quiet and soothing voice. Karsten and Katja abruptly shifted from their position in the room and moved to stand in front of Darsana. Without hesitation, Darsana lifted her arms around each of their shoulders, planting an affectionate kiss atop Katja's forehead and running her hand through Karsten's hair.
"We've got to go greet the Master of the territory," Darsana said lightly, throwing a sly smile in my direction before leading them from the room. She left the door purposely open behind her. I hesitated, now standing alone in a dim room and fighting that pull inside that told me Jacobi was nearby. Then I slowly walked towards the open door. When I reached the threshold, I carefully stepped into the hallway and made my way slowly towards the front lobby area.
As I walked, I could hear Darsana's voice ringing happily in the distance. She was introducing the children and gushing about her trip to Germany. Other voices weaved around hers. I could identify Wyatt... Aveline... I was sure Xander would be there as well. When I reached the climax of their volume, I grasped the edge of the opening, peeking around to look into the lobby almost curiously. I felt almost like a small child, peeking from atop of stairway balcony through the bars unseen.
There was a small group gathered in the lobby, consisting completely of all I had guessed before except with the addition of Deacon and one other. The unmistakable form of Jacobi towered dangerously in the center of attention, back turned on me, as the group around him bombarded him with discussions of what he had missed since he'd been gone. Xander asked about Corentine between the updates.
"I was unable to find-," Jacobi began darkly before pausing. His voice was like music to my ears. I felt as though I hadn't heard that moody tune in centuries, playing through my soul. I held my breath in response, feeling completely on fire as Jacobi turned his head to the side. His eyes landed heatedly on mine in the distance as he continued, "-her... Let's discuss what I've missed elsewhere."
With that dark tone, Jacobi led the small gathering from the lobby and to another room unknown. For some reason, I knew he didn't want me to follow, but I wasn't sure why. My uncertainty caused turmoil of dark feelings in my chest. He hadn't wanted to see me just then. Was it because I was the reason Corentine was lost? Was his desire for me lost, too?
I felt a pang of... anguish, imagining that I had actually given myself to this man only to have him throw me out so soon. Perhaps it would be for the better. This would mean I could leave even sooner. So why did I feel so... I couldn't even properly describe it. Hurt.
I threw myself from my not-so-hidden area and up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Once I reached the top levels, I paused, unsure of which room I belonged to. Should I go to Jacobi's room? I had put some of my things there, assuming that now that I had been claimed by him, I belonged there instead. But now? Should I just stow myself away in Xander and Aveline's room until Jacobi gave word of my dismissal? Or would he change his mind about my execution... After all, my presence did nothing but cause trouble in his Coterie.
I decided the best thing to do would be to remove my things from Jacobi's room and then hide away under the Eastmund's bed until the end of time to save myself from the embarrassment of living here. With that in mind, I quickly moved to Jacobi's room and began throwing the wardrobe Aveline had gotten me into the same bags I had used to visit the McElroy coterie.
I didn't really have a lot of "things" per se. Besides some clothing, including shoes, my entire existence consisted of just myself. It wasn't as though I had been allowed to go out much. Even when Xander or Aveline went out, they didn't typically think of getting me any type of accessory. Not that I wanted any... I was rather happy not being tied down to so many things in a world I didn't expect to stay in for too long.
I missed my things, from my life. I missed my blue and green lava lamp, my ivory music box which played a tune to "You Are My Sunshine", and especially my vibrant, multicolored hoodie my mother had given to me as a practical joke.
Before I finished throwing my things together in great haste, I felt that familiar tingling sensation over my skin that told me I was too late to avoid any embarrassment. Even alone in Jacobi's room, my skin flushed red as I abandoned hope of packing all my current things. I quickly shut a single bag and made to leave, opening the door almost angrily.
My breath was lost once again as I stood in Jacobi's full gaze, his entire body blocking the threshold of the doorway. My eyes trailed almost painstakingly slow over his chest, noting his rugged attire as though he had been undressing himself on the way here, before landing on the dark, angry features of his face. I could feel his rage pulsing through his soul, almost setting my own veins on fire.
"Where do you think you're going, Lysa?" I was having trouble breathing around his fierce words. I swallowed carefully, tightening my grip on my bag as though reminding myself of what I had been doing in the first place. Only now I wasn't so sure what I was doing or exactly why...
"I was... going back to... the Eastmu-" I began, but lost my voice as he took a deliberate step towards me, his anger finding a new peak.
"Did you forget the part where I said you're mine?" Jacobi growled darkly, shutting the door behind him before taking another step. I dropped my bag abruptly, stumbling away from his menacing form uncertainly. I shook my head in response to his question quickly.
"I thought... I thought maybe you'd changed your mind," I whispered quietly and this time when he stepped closer, I didn't move away. "You didn't want to be around me just a second ago..." I held my breath as he moved impossibly close to me. He lifted his hand abruptly, something that would have frightened me if I hadn't felt his anger ebb away quite suddenly. Instead, I watched openly as he moved his fingertips to brush against my cheek with utmost care.
"I couldn't hear a word they were trying to say with you so close, dove," He told me, his voice low and husky. My body was sent alight almost immediately before he even finished, "These past nights... it took every ounce of control not to drop everything and come for you."
I sighed in relief, despite myself. Then I carefully reached out, touching his firm chest as though reassuring myself that he was actually here. When this wasn't enough, I stepped forward and pressed myself against his body, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face into his chest despite his suddenly tense form.
"I thought you were going to get yourself killed," I muttered into his chest, my eyes tightly closed. His scent was heavenly, so addictive and intoxicating around me. I felt his body relax slowly before his hand grasped below my chin, lifting my face to his.
"Your faith in me is astounding, Elysia," He responded humorously, before his lips were claiming mine. It was as though a well-restrained dam had finally cracked. I pressed myself against him almost desperately, gasping as his lips released mine to devour the flesh along my jaw and then my neck. I grasped at his chest, feeling along his back up to his shoulders almost greedily, reveling in the fact that this was all mine.
Jacobi's hands trailed down my sides and over my upper-thighs just before abruptly lifting me up against him. I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to his bed determinedly. With amazing restraint, he lowered me onto the bed and began slowly undressing me while caressing my skin with light kisses, nibbling on my flesh in intervals that sent shocking sensations across my body. I panted as his teasing escalated, his hand moving between my thighs rhythmically.
"Mmm, my beautiful Lysa," Jacobi murmured as I moaned against him. His words startled me. He'd never called me beautiful before, besides the time when he had referred to me as stunning during his fake re-meeting. As though sensing my thoughts, Jacobi aimed to distract me by moving between my thighs gracefully. He moved against me suggestively, causing me to moan in pleasure. "My beautiful Elysia."
I arched my back as he entered me slowly, gasping at how tenderly he held me to him. When I reached to grasp at him, he ran his hands over my arms and pressed them carefully against the bed, pushing into me deeply in response. Oh how I had missed this, having him feed a flame inside of me that I had long ignored. It had been pain, giving myself to him only for him to have to leave a day later. Now I lifted myself to match his rhythm as he took what was his and I hoped this wouldn't end anytime soon.
Perhaps I'd want to leave his arms one day, but that day wasn't today.
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Music: Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde
Kommt bitte hierher- Means along the lines of "come here, please".