Page 2 of Azure Mania

She pauses, her hand hovering over the plate of cookies. Hesitantly, she pulls it back, placing both hands in her lap. The softness in her eyes is still there, but something far more serious appears and makes me pause. She’s never the one to worry. In fact, she’s the most easy-going person I have ever met, and that’s saying something, considering how long I’ve been alive.

Octavia’s eyes search mine, almost like she’s desperately trying to read into my soul. My heart skips a beat, and I don’t like the sensation that’s building in the pit of my stomach. The last time I felt anxiety like this was when my coven was murdered, when I was left waiting for them to return, and they never did.

“You know how sometimes… I can simply feel things, and can’t really explain them?”

“Yes,” I nod. “Your intuition is extremely strong, and it’s never been wrong. What are you feeling, Octavia?”

Her eyes close briefly, hands fisting on her lap. She swallows, before opening eyes, and looking straight at me. Something about the way she’s looking at me, makes my stomach churn and for a moment, I could swear time stops.

Her eyes drop lower.

“That locket,” she pauses, looking back at me. “The curse you put on that D’Achille vampire… it was wrong.”

I blink. “Wrong?”

“Well, it did what it was supposed to do. But someone managed to clear his blood… and that means that the blood inside of that locket doesn’t match the one in his body… so…”

“What are you trying to say, Octavia?” I straighten up, eyes narrowing. My shoulders go rigid, my heart hammering against my ribcage, all but leaping straight out. “Is the bastard awake?”

Octavia swallows, then nods.

“He’s been awake for quite some time. I saw him a couple of days ago. It’s only after I was able to confirm it was him, that I came to you.”

“Fucking hell,” I stand up abruptly, pacing back and forth, biting the nail of my thumb. “Who would do something like that?”

“I don’t know,” Octavia responds. “The only reason I even looked in his direction was because I could smell your power off him. Your magic has a unique smell, Yvonne. But since this was a curse, it was at least seven times stronger. That’s how I connected the dots.”

“Fuck,” I breathe out, closing my eyes for a moment. “Where did you see him, Octavia?”

“New York,” she says.

“So, he’s no longer in Transylvania,” I look outside of the window.

The land I bought many, many years ago is beautiful. The cottage is rather small, but it has everything I need. The rest of the land is filled with flowers, a small lake, and even a forest to match. The sun is high in the sky, the soft wind blowing through the trees.

I saw Lucifer when I went to see Faith. Well, I went to see him, and met up with her, too. I knew then that the curse was going lift soon, the magic had started to fade. I only thought I’d have more time, to prepare for what came next.

The potion is nearly done — all I need is to find a sacrifice. Once I force-feed him the potion, every person who shares his blood will die. That means that six out of seven, oldest vampires of all time, will die at once. The seventh one isn’t blood related to them, but she’s the easiest target, anyway. The weakest link, too.

I pull the curtains shut, darkness falling inside of the cottage. Then, I turn to look at Octavia, as serious as ever.

“If you saw him a few days ago, that means that he’s close. He’ll be tracing my smell since it’s likely still on him. I did leave him a message of where to find me, though. I just thought it’d be in a few years’ time.”

Octavia jolts, standing up, eyes widening. “You gave him your location?! Have you lost your mind, Yvonne?! That man is dangerous! You might as well have put up a sign saying, ‘Hey, I’m here, kill me!’”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” I roll my eyes, sitting back down. “Sure, it all happened a little earlier than I anticipated, but it doesn’t mean I’m not prepared. I’ll stall, buy myself some time until the potion is ready.”

“You are insane,” Octavia laughs — the nervous, disbelieving type. “Do you honestly believe there’s a way for you to stay alive, without that potion in his presence?!”

“Yes, of course I do,” I blink. “He’ll want to return the favor, so he’ll likely torture me. He won’t outright kill me, and I have another ace up my sleeve.”

Octavia pauses, eyes narrowing at me skeptically. “Dare I ask?”

I chuckle. “Do you know how his wife died?”

A frown etches onto her face. “Uh, she accidentally cut herself, and he went berserk?”

“Sure, that happened,” I shrug. “But she didn’t cut herself accidentally. I may or may not have been involved.”