Page 19 of Dark Reckoning
“That part,” I said, pointing at her.
“Exactly,” Adrian said, then he placed a magical chalice on the dining table. It was one that we had used before, as it was common for such spells. “I hate having to cut myself,” he complained as he held the knife in his hand. He cut himself and let the blood flow into the chalice.
I chuckled as I walked over to the chalice. I took the knife from him and did the same, then watched as our blood combined in the spelled chalice that seemed to make it sparkle in the light from the overhead chandelier.
“It's kind of pretty, isn't it?” Adrian asked, then pulled his hand back.
My wound had already healed, stopping the blood flow. I watched as Adrian's wound began to heal.
“Holy shit,” he gasped as he marveled at the skin knitting back together.
“You recover almost as quickly as I do, now.” He really was immortal and his healing was even faster and I guessed it was because he'd fed from Salino earlier.
“And that's a good thing,” Adrian said, and I agreed.
“That is so weird,” Xavier said. “You've changed completely,” he said to Adrian.
“And are you okay with that?” Adrian asked him.
Xavier ran his fingers through his hair and nodded. “You're my best friend, my brother. And you're still you. Yeah, amigo, I'm okay with that.”
I watched them converse, but said nothing. Personally, I didn't think Adrian needed Xavier's approval. He was stronger, better, and he was mine forever. Even if Xavier wasn't “okay” with it, none of that would have mattered to me.
“Let's get this barrier in place,” Adrian said.
We spoke an incantation over the chalice to enchant the blood, then drew the sigil on the floor in the blood. He did his half and I did mine and we both chanted our own incantation to channel our magic into the sigil. Next, we sprinkled the Dobinger Ash inside the sigil, then on top of it as we repeated one incantation together. There was a spark of white flames that blared from the sigil and I felt the power of the spell flow through me and I shook a little from the sensation. The smell of burnt sugar and charcoal wafted from the sigil as it seared itself into the floor, then disappeared.
“Did you feel it too? The power?” Adrian asked.
I nodded. 'Yeah, it's serious business, this spell.”
“It is. I feel so safe now that we have it on our home, especially with so many people here,” Adrian said, then began packing away all of the ingredients.
“So, how does this spell work?” Xavier asked.
“It keeps you safe,” I said. “That's all you need to know.”
“Sage,” Adrian said as he gave me a look. I guess he’d had it up to here with my attitude.
I chuckled and shrugged.
“Sage,” Adrian said again, and yeah, he was mad at me.
I sighed and nodded apologetically. Humans annoyed me to a point, especially ones who looked down on me. I was being petty, but I was also in a foul mood and taking it out on the only human in the room. “You're right, baby. I'm sorry. I'll let you explain it to him.”
“It's almost like a Smart Barrier. When it's activated, it constantly analyzes the danger element and will respond based on the threat level. It may lock down the place altogether if the threat level within fifty feet requires that level of protection, then nothing can get in. Or it may simply create a revulsion aura that turns the threat away. Or it can kill the threat, or incapacitate it. If someone is inside and they become a threat, it will determine what actions to take,” Adrian said.
“That's actually pretty scary, Adrian. Like what does it constitute as a threat?” Xavier asked.
“Harm with malicious intent,” Adrian said.
“Don't worry, if you're lucky enough to get into Jewel's pants and she tosses you around a bit, you'll be safe,” I added.
Jewel smirked. “He might get that lucky.”
Xavier, who was rolling his eyes at me, turned to her. “Really?” he asked, with some hope in his voice.
“Jury is still out,” she replied.
