Now I just have to figure out how to get this sunshiny witch to fall in love with a jaded wretch like myself.
Chapter 11
Isleep way better than I should in Warin’s guest room. I should have been tossing and turning in an unknown bed. Yet, here I am, fresh as a daisy as I wake up with a smile on my face.
Gus doesn’t seem too put out either as he crunches on a piece of bacon, a massive food cart in front of his chair.
“I’m still mad at you, but the room service is incredible,”he grumbles.
I make myself a plate as I sense my wand. My brows furrow as I glance at the nightstand. My wand, phone, and a note sit there and I grab the note first.
Warin’s note is short and I’m even more confused when he mentions practicing, and then I flip open the new grimoire that was just underneath the note. The handwriting is the same as the one with the protection spell.
“What ass backwards spell is he wanting you to learn now?”Gus says as he bites into a pastry.
I clear my throat. “On rendering a vampire immobile,” I rasp out.
Gus moves quickly out of his chair, rounding the food cart, danish still in hand as he glances over my shoulder and confirms what I just said.
“Hmm…this dead man makes no sense.”
“You’re telling me,” I say, reading over the spell and making sure that Gus doesn’t get any crumbs on the book.
“Well, if it takes you a few days to figure it out, it’s not a big deal,”Gus says, moving back to his chair and turning on the TV.
“What happened to me getting us killed and being the stupidest witch on the planet?” I say to my familiar with an arched brow.
He shrugs his furry little shoulders.“That was before I realized the level of our accommodations. You’re still walking around with all your blood, and he’s teaching you how to protect yourself from his kind. Don’t get me wrong, we shouldn’t trust him, but have you tasted the beignets?”
I sigh, tuning Gus out as I read over the spell. This one has a lot more to do with practiced skill versus doing the right incantation and having the right items like the last spell.
To immobilize a vampire, you’re basically sending them a high-pitched frequency into their mind, almost like a dog whistle, rendering them unable to function.
In the margins, the witch mentions what has and hasn’t worked. That the older the vampire, the more difficult it is to use this magic.
How old is old in vampire years, anyway?
“I’m going to go out to the gardens and practice,” I tell Gus, and he waves me off as he slouches, a beignet perched on his stomach as he watches his show.
I get turned around in the house a few times, but finally make it out the back door. The house is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I wonder if Warin and Samantha are resting. Do vampires actually use coffins?
When I get outside, I’m able to appreciate just how beautiful his gardens are. They’re filled with colorful roses, lush bushes, and ancient trees.
There are a few plants that need pruning and a little love. I take care of that easily as I find a small patch of grass that’s covered in shade. I toss the blanket down, resting on my stomach as I read through the entirety of this journal.
I meditate, I practice clearing my mind and being more intentional with my magic. But I realize that there is no practicing this spell without a vampire. The last bit of his note makes sense. However, I don’t really feel like talking to the vampire who is keeping me in this very serene prison.
It’s been a whole day, and I haven’t seen a single soul, besides the chef, Cecile.
So I’m shocked when Conner approaches me in the kitchen as I’m eating dinner.
I glance around. “Uh, isn’t the sun still up?” I ask as he blinks at me.
“It is,” he says simply.
“Doesn’t that mean you should be sleeping or something?”
“Oh, we don’t?—”
