Enchanting Winter
CHAPTER NINE

W

illow is sporting what feels like the worst hangover when Annabelle wakes her the next morning.

That is what I get for going to bed a two.

“I have drawn you a bath m’lady.”

“Thank you Annabelle.”

“Breakfast will be ready for you when you return.”

Willow drags herself from her bed and into the bathroom. On her way she steps on something and curses under her breathe as it digs into the foot. She kneels down to examine what she stepped on to replace purple shards. When she looks at them more closely she realises the purple shards are, or were, pieces of her pendant.

I thought it was a dream.

Willow hurries into the bathroom ignoring Annabelle’s curious stares and slamming the door behind her. She lifts the hair from her neck desperate to replace any clue to know if she is going insane. Her hands run up and down the skin on her neck when finally she comes across two tiny bumps. In the mirror she can see nothing but she can most definitely feel them on her skin.

Bitten?

Her mind is racing as she finishes her bath and allows Anna to dress her. Willow doesn’t eat much of her breakfast, too distracted to eat.

Before her mind has caught up Willow is sitting in her second class of the day when Nicholas walks in looking a little disheveled. Willow eyes him curiously as he sits down next to her. The professor continues prattling on about whatever it is to do with Magic realm history but Willow turns to Nicholas.

“Are you ok?”

“Fine m’lady.” Nicholas replies without looking at her.

“That’s a lie.”

“I’d rather not talk about it Lady Willow.”

“Fine.” Willow rolls her eyes and faces the board, moments later she feels Nicholas’s eyes on her but ignores him.

“Bastard.” He mutters under his breath and Willow turns to him shocked that he even knows such a word. Nicholas stands and walks towards the professor. Willow strains to hear as the professor hands Nicholas a hall pass and he leaves the room. Willow glances back at Jonathan who is staring at her stoically as if waiting for an order.

Willow is too distracted to hear the Professor’s next instruction. It isn’t until Joshua Mills is standing in her personal space that she wishes she had paid attention.

“Lady Willow, might you do me the honour of being my study partner for the assignment?”

“Assignment?”

“The assignment Professor Jones just spoke of.” Joshua gives Willow a curious look.

“Of course.” Willow says in her politest voice. Joshua smiles taking her hand, he presses a kiss to the back of it and Willow hears growling in her ear.

She gasps pulling her hand out of Joshua’s grasp.

“Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“I’m so sorry m’lord. I’m not feeling particularly well.”

“Oh? Can I walk you to your room?”

“I’d hate for you to catch it. Maybe we could meet tomorrow in the library?”

“Mine!”

Willow jumps as she hears another growl.

“Of course Lady Willow. Feel better.”

Willow offers Joshua a small curtsey as she heads to the front of the room to the professor. He excuses her from class and Willow darts out of the room with Jonathan hurrying behind her. She can hear Jonathan talking to her but struggles to pay attention as the growling continues in her head. Once back in her dorm she practically slams the door in the confused faces of Jonathan and Annabelle and hurries to the bathroom. She splashes some water on her face before sinking down onto the bathroom floor.

“Cass?” Her voice is barely a whisper as she calls to him.

“Mine!” Comes the same possessive growl as before.

“Cassius if that you, you need to calm down.”

“Say it.”

“Say what?”

“MINE!”

“Cass, you are scaring me.” Willow wraps her arms around her shaky body. Talking to the voice in her head. Willow can honestly say she never thought it would come to this. It almost seems like the norm now talking to Cassius when he isn’t even in the room.

The growling begins to subside and Willow takes a deep breathe.

“Cassius, can I come to you?”

After a few moments of radio silence Willow tries again.

“Cassius?”

Thinking that he may just not be talking to her, after all it wouldn’t be the first time she stands slowly and looks at her reflection in the mirror. Other than being a bit blotchy and looking at bit shaken she is fine. Almost tempted to go back to class Willow moves out of the bathroom just as flashes of Cassius’s office appear in her head. She falls to the floor the images too much for her mind to handle. It is like she is seeing the world from Cassius’s point of view. The view moves and she sees his legs and arms tied to a chair.

“Help!”

…

Willow paces her dorm for a good fifteen minutes. She can’t exactly walk out and ask Jonathan and Annabelle for help the pair would think she is insane communicating telepathically to Lord Black. She could ask Luke knowing he would help her in a instant but that would just open up another can of worms with Cassius. Her pacing takes her back into bathroom and she stops in front of the mirror. Taking one more look at her reflection she gasps.

“Reflections!”

Having no idea how magic works or even how to channel her magic Willow places her ring hand on the mirror hoping she doesn’t simply freeze and shatter the mirror. She thinks of how Jessica appeared to her before and calls to her, wishing and hoping that this is some sort of magic she can do.

“Willow?” A shocked Jessica appears in front of her. “How did you…no forget that, you just pulled me from class and you better have a bloody good reason cause I’m probably going to get yet another detention.”

“Cassius. He needs help.” Willow says quickly and Jessica’s eyes crinkle.

“Lord Black?” She clarifies and Willow nods. “Have you used the compact I gave you?”

“I don’t need to I know where he is I just need to get there.”

“You need a crash course in reflection magic but god Willow if you get stuck it is not my fault. You bought this on yourself.”

“Please Jess.”

Jess talks Willow through first replaceing a mirror in Cassius’s office using her compact and then reflecting into it.

“I owe you.”

“Yeah, you do. Owe me later. Go help Lord Black.” Jessica’s reflection fades and Willow races into her bedroom to replace the compact. It doesn’t take her long to replace the mirror of choice in the office, a full-length one sitting in the corner.

Focusing just how Jessica taught her Willow uses all her magic to reflect herself onto the mirror’s surface.

“Lady Willow?” Willow is greeted by Nicholas’s surprised voice. “How did you-”

“Where is he?” Willow cuts him off stepping out of the mirror’s frame and Nicholas’s expression changes.

“You shouldn’t be here m’lady. It isn’t safe.” His eyes dart to the god like man strapped to his desk chair.

“He called for my help.” Willow says trying her best to ignore the fact that his button down shirt is open revealing a very toned chest.

“Bastard!” Nicholas marches across the room backhanding his brother across the face. “I told you to stay out of her head!”

“Don’t!” Willow cries as he hits Cassius again. She steps closer but Nicholas stops her, holding her back.

“No Lady Willow!”

“Mine!” Cassius looks up suddenly his eyes locking with Willow’s. He growls angrily and that is when Willow observes the differences.

“W-What?” Willow stutters as she takes in his now red eyes and ridiculously pronounced canines.

“He isn’t thinking straight at the moment Lady Willow. He lost control last night. It seems to be happening more often now you are back.”

“Back?”

“In the magic realm. You lived here with your mum until you were two. You know that right?”

“Yes.”

“Well my brother always had a connection with you even then and when he started to transition he would lose control just like now.”

“Transition?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We are vampires Willow.”

“N-No that is impossible.”

“As impossible as witches and werewolves? I’m telling the truth m’lady. We are young vampires all things considered. We have thousands of years left. But being born vampires instead of turned by a maker means our transitions are harder. My witch side seems to help me manage it, control it even whereas Cassius’s seems to make him more volatile.”

Willow drops to the floor her head in her hands.

“This is crazy.” She whispers rubbing her temples in hopes this is all a dream.

She sighs before looking up at Nicholas.

“What does he need?”

“I’m simple terms, blood. He needs to quench his thirst. Our stock here at school is low so I have restrained him until I can get more.”

Willow subconsciously rubs the small mark on her neck.

“Last night...he...”

“Yes I think that is how this particular episode started. What happened after your tutor session?”

“I went to Luke.”

“The bloody wolf.” Nicholas mutters.

“And I put on an amulet to block Cassius from my mind.”

“Oh god.” It is Nicholas’s turn to drop his head in his hands. “That explains it. He got so jealous he marked you.”

“Marked me?”

“Marked you as his mate.” Nicholas points to the two little bumps on Willow’s neck.

“B-But he is e-engaged.” Willow stutters and Nicholas rolls his eyes ignoring her comment.

“You need to leave m’lady. You need stay in you dorm room until this is over. I can have Mr Clark magically barricade-”

“No.”

“No?”

“He called for my help Nicholas. I’m here to help.”

“M’lady...”

Willow undoes a few buttons on her cuff and rolls up her sleeve.

“Will the wrist work?”

“Work for what?”

“For him to drink from.”

“Willow.” Nicholas eyes her cautiously. “I can’t let you do that.”

“I didn’t ask for your permission.” Willow snaps. She steps closer to Cassius and before Nicholas has a chance to object she offers him her wrist.

Cassius smirks as he looks up at Willow. She watches as he licks his lips his eyes darting from hers to the prominent vein on her wrist. Willow inches closer and Cassius leans his head forward, desperate. His tongue licks the spot on Willow’s wrist and she gasps at the action. She barely has time to process as Cass sinks his teeth into her radial artery. Willow’s knees go weak instantly and she isn’t sure if it is from the pain or the weirdly pleasant feeling that pulses through her stomach. Nicholas steps forward to catch her gently lowering her into a chair.

“The Duke is going to kill me.” Nicholas mutters under his breath as he crosses the room. Nicholas does his best not to look at the trail of ‘spare’ blood leaking out of his brother’s mouth and down his chin. His witch side holds him together, but only just. He knows that even he shouldn’t be tempted.

Willow starts to droop from the blood loss and it doesn’t feel like Cassius’s is slowly down, unsure how to stop him she tries talking to him in her mind.

Cassius, you need to stop.

“Mine!”

Cassius, it is Willow. I’m here but please you need to…

Willow’s brain gets foggy and her magic begins to take over. Nicholas’s eyes go wide as he sees a snowstorm form around Willow. Her magic pushes Cassius away pulling him from his subconscious. Willow’s wrist heals also most instantaneously as Willow falls from her chair passing out.

“Willow!” Cassius struggles against his restraints and Nicholas looks over at his brother. Canine teeth still protruding further but his eyes are back to their bright blue selves.

“Stop Cass.”

“Let me go I have to help her.”

“You had another episode. You did this to her.”

Willow’s snowstorm begins to take over the room and Cassius tries to put himself in her mind.

“M’lady you need to calm down. Willow, breathe. Trust the magic.”

Nicholas watches as Willow opens her clenched fists and the storm start to dissipate.

“You need to stay out of her head.”

“It is working, isn’t it?”

“The connection is making it harder to control your urges. You marked her Cass.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean you know?”

“I’m remembering.”

“How is that possible? Our episodes have always been blank spots in our memory.”

“Maybe they don’t have to be.”

“You’re acting crazy. We can’t let these episodes keep happening. Suppress remember, that is what you taught me.”

Cassius looks over at Willow and thinks about all the times she suppressed her magic and how it backfired.

“Maybe we have been taking the wrong approach.” Cassius says softly and his brother’s eyes widen. Nicholas doesn’t get a chance to respond as Willow wakes.

Nicholas helps her stand and Cassius growls.

“Nope!” Willow snaps glaring at him. “Don’t start this shit again that is what got us into this mess.”

“I marked her for a reason brother.” Cassius says narrowing his eyes as his brother and ignoring Willow’s comment.

“Oh and we will talk about that later too.” Willow grits. Nicholas lets Willow stand on her own feet and moves to untie his brother.

“Do you need assistance getting back to your dorm m’lady?” Nicholas asks.

“No I’ll take the mirror. Annabelle and Jonathan will flip out otherwise.”

“Brother, would you give us a moment?” Cassius asks and Nicholas looks to Willow for approval.

“Go back to class Nicholas.” Willow says a small smile. Nicholas kisses the back of Willow’s hand before making his way out of Cassius’s office. “Now, you.”

Willow glares at Cassius and he smirks wide enough for Willow to see the fangs that had recently broken the skin on her wrist.

“Yes love?”

“You marked me?”

“Yes.”

“Can I ask why?”

“It is necessary to keep the filthy wolf away from you.”

“One, Luke is my friend and two, you are engaged Cassius!”

“I already told you my betrothal is unimportant.”

“No.”

“No what?”

’’I can’t let you play with my feelings.”

“Are you saying you have feelings for me?”

Willow falters knowing he has already heard the true thoughts rolling around her head.

“Until your betrothal is non existent you are my tutor and that is all. I don’t give a crap about the stupid mark. I won’t let you toy with me.” As she talks Willow steps towards the mirror testing out her reflection magic by pressing her hand against the glass.

“Willow, please.”

Willow looks back at him feeling his sadness pulse through her. She steps back in the frame of the mirror and sighs.

“I’m sorry Cassius, I can’t.”