Chapter 39
Collum threw on a pair of black silk shorts and stormed out of his room. His long strides chewed up the hallway. Moments later, he pounded on Mars’ door.
“What?” she yelled while opening the door and pulling together the edges of a burgundy robe. “It's four in the morning and I'm not a morning person.”
Ignoring the complaint, he pushed past her into the room. “I screwed up. Yelled at her to leave before I asked for some of her blood.”
“Seriously? Why are guys so hot headed?” She sighed while shutting the door. She fished an elastic band out of her robe pocket and used it to pull her hair off her face.
“You compelled her to come to you once, do it again.”
“It won't work. I said some shitty things then told her not to come back until she was ready to apologize . . . or something like that.”
“For realz? I thought you knew women. You never tell a woman she has to apologize to you. You excel at fitting the stereotype of big, dumb beast, you know?”
“I don't need more attitude from you, Mar. What do you ladies want? I pour my heart out to the girl. I tell her she’s mine and we belong together. I let her see my dragon and we claim each other and it still isn't enough.”
“Ummm, I may not be up completely on dragon history, but remind me again of what’s involved in a dragon claiming please.”
“That's a bit personal.”
“I don't want a play by play, thank you very much. Is there biting involved?”
He stopped pacing and stared at her. “Yes.”
“Is there the ingestion of blood involved?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, Slayer, I'd say you have your blood. It's in you.” She jumped up from the bed. “Whoop, whoop. Let's go. No time to waste. We need to get a move on before it dissolves in your system. Let’s hope you took enough.”
“Fuck. She's gonna be livid.”
“You can make it up to her after you see her. You could start by telling her you love her, instead of using your archaic, you’re mine line.”
He tried to interrupt her to defend himself but she covered his mouth with her hand.
“Honestly, I don't want to hear about it. You might know business and war and running the world, but I know women. Now, we have work to do. Go get dressed. I can barely stand looking at you—marble muscles.”
Collum hadn't thought about what he was wearing (or not) before he ran out of his room. He never had cause to think about covering himself in his home.
“Right. Sorry about that.”
“Hey, I'm not complaining too much. I mean, Alex is a lucky girl. But since she and I are going to be best friends, I probably shouldn't see her guy mostly naked.”
“You're strange,” he said over his shoulder as he left the room. “By the way you look gorgeous at four in the morning.” He winked at her astounded look and blushing cheeks. “I know women darling, I just forget all that when I'm around Alex.” He shrugged. “I'll meet you in ten minutes.”
~ ~ ~
Eight minutes later Collum met her back in the den. Mar changed into leather leggings, a bustier and stilettos. Collum stood in his standard uniform of black jeans and T-shirt.
He helped her move all the furniture out of the way. Then stood in the center of the room. She slowly traced a circle with beeswax around the two of them while chanting what he assumed was a Wiccan incantation. After ten minutes of constant chanting, the beeswax circle began to glow. Next, she poured a sea salt and herb mixture on to the glowing circle. The glow rose to their waists and the floor beneath them began to fluctuate. She reached out to Collum and took his hands in hers. Energy electrified him as she held on with impossible strength.
“This is going to hurt,” she warned, slicing his wrist open before he had a chance to react.
He barely noticed the knife. Watched as his blood poured directly in the center of the circle. He sensed the presence of others in the room as she chanted, calling out to her ancestors, asking for permission to break the fabric of place and time. He wondered if she realized those same ancestors stood beside her.
She was a site to behold. Her skin glistened. Her hair lay thick, curled up at the ends, sweating around her shoulders. Gone was the little flirting Italian girl. In her place stood a being of immense power. No wonder Domhall had sought her out.
The chanting lasted for minutes, for hours. They held hands. He waited. His blood soaked into the carpet. Time became irrelevant. Beneath his feet, the floor began the shimmer.
“Hold tight, Dragon. Here we go.”
The visions in the room disappeared as the floor vanished beneath them. Hand in hand they crossed the threshold into Neeren's hidden kingdom, and Alex's bedroom.