“Because every Dark Fae is different, Ariana.” He spoke as he offered his hand now to escort her, only an echo of his former passion in his eyes and in the slow, dark nimbus that eased around him as he contained it. “Some compel only the weakest Fae and Vampires. And some… only the strongest.”
Though Quinn seemed like he was doing nothing with his magic anymore, his calm presence was still somehow riveting as Ariana was drawn to him. As she placed her hand in his, she felt a thrill of heat and connection surge through her again. But though a crimson ring flared in Quinn’s eyes like the corona of the sun, with a wry smile, he calmed it. Turning, he moved Ariana deftly to his side like a dance partner as they meandered through his antiquities collection. Staring at an enclave of 1600’s harpsichords with fantastic woodwork and mother-of-pearl inlay, Quinn nodded his consent as Ariana reached out towards one. As she touched it, the cool feel of the glossy wood somehow reminded her of touching him.
And another flare of dark-light fire surged through her.
“I compel you?” She asked quietly now as she stroked the harpsichord’s keys, not looking at him for fear of what it might do to them both, how it might make them heat again. As Quinn let her run her fingers over the harpsichord, he did not make eye contact with her either.
“Yes.” He breathed at her side as they stood together, admiring the ornate mother-of-pearl. “A Dark Fae’s power is dangerously alluring to both Vampires and Fae, which is a primary reason they have been hunted by both sides in the past. I feel you like a Siren’s call inside my mind. But it is more than that, Ariana. It is inside my magic and my body as well. Calling me… to come to you.”
“Why you? And why me?” Ariana asked as she admired a gilded rack of ancient music manuscripts beside the harpsichords now. Ariana recognized the melodies on one open tome as Mozart, and was certain by the age of the manuscript and the hand-scripted musical notes that it was original.
“I do not know.” Quinn answered quietly, watching as Ariana carefully turned through the pages of the symphony. “Unique to the person, a Dark Fae’s power depends on what kind of Fae you were, what kind of Vampire turned you, and your inborn personality. Some Dark Fae can sway only young Vampires and Fae, while others only resonate with very powerful Masters in both Lineages. All Dark Fae can generally sway minds and convince hearts, and once your power truly rises, you will becomeundoingto Vampires and Fae who are not strong enough to resist you. I am neither an extremely powerful Master but neither am I an underling, Ariana; and though your power is barely awake, already I feel it calling me. You undo me.” He spoke suddenly then, looking at her at last with his dark onyx gaze. “And I need to find out why I’m being affected so much by it before we can continue.”
“This… strange fire when we’re together.” Ariana understood, turning to him as they stood by the manuscripts. “It’s like the brightness of the sun and the dark depths of the void all at once when we come into contact. The same fire that’s manifesting in your eyes and magic when we interact. And I’m feeling it… deep inside me.”
“Yes.” He spoke as he watched her. “Normally, a Master Vampire’s magic is cold like the grave; it becomes this way over time. But around you… Something about your nature howls to me, sparks inside me and makes me burn. I feel a conviction such as I have not felt in centuries – to come to you, to protect you, to try everything I can to keep you safe. Even when I first saw you in the Summer Fae Palace, I felt this resonance between us. I had no choice but to join Prince Lucca Bellari and battle that Revenant back from you, though the Summer Fae Prince and I are not on good terms. And just now as I raised my magic to push Arturos’ out of you… let’s just say I almost unleashed a very powerful demonstration of magic upon that hall, one I hadn’t intended, because of the resonance I was feeling with you.”
“You’re not like them, the other Masters.” Ariana suddenly knew as she stood with him, feeling Quinn more now as he unleashed even the smallest bit of his passions around her. “Though many of them are stronger than you… you have something they don’t. You can daywalk. You have a caring side I didn’t feel in them. And you… have a heartbeat.”
Something strange came into Quinn’s eyes then as he pinned her with his dark onyx gaze. As he held her gaze, he reached up, his long fingers deftly untying the black bow tie at his collar. Moving down, he undid the buttons of his shirt halfway, his pale chest exposed now. Sculpted with hard muscle, Quinn was like a god of marble as he stared Ariana down from his perfect face with those dark onyx eyes. As she stared at him, a blush flaming in her cheeks to watch him slowly strip, she suddenly felt an enormous draw to move closer.
To touch his beautiful white skin – and let fate do the rest.
“What are you doing?” Ariana asked, swallowing hard as she watched.
“I want you to understand something, Ariana. I want you to feel my truth, and understand how you affect me.” He spoke quietly as he regarded her. He wasn’t using mind-wiles; Ariana could feel how his magic still protected her from being compelled by him. But she found herself allured all the same as he watched her, the dark danger and draw of him asking her to step closer.
He remained perfectly still as she neared. He could not close the distance to her; she had to come to him in this dance. Quinn’s poise and grace was protection for them both as Ariana stepped close, watching his eyes flare with infinite darkness and fire as he held himself in check. Without letting their bodies touch, she found herself staring up into his eyes. As he gazed down at her, a gentleness in him now along with need, Ariana saw he would not let himself break. He contained his ardor as she lifted her hand, brushing her fingers over the smoothness of his chest.
And reaching up, he clasped her hand – pressing her palm to his heart.
Ariana felt it beat beneath her hand. A sigh left Quinn as she felt his heartbeat, and as she glanced up, she saw his long dark eyelashes flicker closed. His chin lifted as she touched him and he swallowed hard, breathing slow and deep as his heart gave another long, slow beat like a person waking from sedation.
As Ariana felt that strange, deep connection pull them close, making his heart beat again, his hand slowly left hers. Reaching out, his hands slipped down over her bare shoulders, cool yet somehow scalding. As they brushed down her back and over her silk dress, he pulled her in until their bodies touched. With a sweet sigh, Quinn shivered; and Ariana echoed it, feeling that dark-bright fire like black suns burn through them both.
As Quinn cradled her waist, Ariana could feel the immense, preternatural power in him. His long hands could have crushed stones; his tall, graceful body could have thrown cars. But the only thing inside him was a deep tenderness as they shared this moment.
The both of them feeling his heart beat as they breathed together in the silence.
CHAPTER 12 – CONTROL
As Quinn opened his eyes in the underground library, their onyx depths were luminous with red-copper fire. Reaching up, he brushed his long fingers over Ariana’s red hair and the intimacy of his touch made her shiver, his other hand still cradling her waist. As he watched his hand’s passage over her red locks, the crimson-copper nimbus around Quinn’s dark eyes flared brighter; for a moment, Ariana saw it sear like a sun’s corona through an infinitely black cosmos. But with his impeccable control, Quinn pulled his power back as his hands released her. Reaching up, he took her hand gently down from his chest also.
Watching her as shivers passed through them both.
“What is this dark fire I feel when we’re together… is it my magic, or yours?” Ariana asked as they stood together, feeling that strange power move through them both in the depths of the night.
“It’s a resonant connection between our energies,” Quinn responded soberly, still cradling her hand and not letting her go. “A tremendously rare phenomenon. You must understand that my heart has not beat in ages, Ariana. Vampires lose their mortal impulses as they age. Breath and heartbeat are often the first to go, and the desire for food and drink wane over the centuries. But you wake a fire in me… one that I have not felt in many a long year. Like my youth is waking back up – and the tempestuous emotions of my heart along with it.”
“What does that mean?” Ariana asked as they stood together, feeling the deep pull between them.
“It means I must be careful around you. An older Vampire regaining the tempestuousness of their youth… is a dangerous thing.” He smiled softly then, wry as he pulled away. Placing her hand back on his arm, he nodded towards an exit to the underground library. Dreamlike, Ariana went as he escorted her through a vaulted hall similar to the back-passages of the palace with their blue-gold torches. Coming to a set of ebony doors inlaid with wrought-iron, Quinn waved a hand over the doors, causing the wrought iron to slither back like snakes from the junction. Once they were clear, he waved his hand again, pushing the doors in with his black nimbus of power.
Admitting them to an elegantly beautiful dining room.
Fountains burbled along the walls; luminous trees and strange vines with white-blue flowers twined up marble columns in the underground space. Clearly a place Quinn came for personal dinners, the ebony table with its elegant white china was only built for eight. A rich Italianate meal waited for them; and as Quinn pulled out one of the carved ebony chairs for Ariana, she admired the octopus crostini and tomato basil mozzarella appetizers, the mini tuna pizzette and a compelling antipasto of cured meats, olives, and anchovies. Reaching to an open bottle, Quinn poured a chianti into two large glasses, and Ariana found herself relieved there was nothing bloody upon the table. Lifting his glass, he nodded at the meal, and they began to eat.
Everything of the spread was decadent yet also comforting, a small bit of normalcy in Ariana’s vastly changed life. Quinn seemed to sense it for he let her eat in silence, simply enjoying the food as if they were in any good trattoria in Florence though the flavors were much more vibrant. And though Quinn ate also, Ariana noticed he did so sparingly. Cuttingly masculine yet romantically perfect as he chewed a bite of pasta, his jaw was defined but elegant, his cheekbones beautifully high. His full lips were made for smiling, and they quirked now as she took him in, one straight dark eyebrow rising with a sexy humor that made Ariana smile despite all the strangeness tonight. His dark auburn hair was perfectly sculpted, yet seemed so soft beneath the chandelier lights, calling her to come run her fingers through it. As his onyx eyes admired her beneath their thick fringe of lashes, Ariana fell into them.
