~

I took a sip

From my devil's cup

Slowly, it's taking over me

~

I kept my eyes glued to the pages of the book I snatched from Tempest. It was full of intricate spells and filled with Latin. I couldn't interpret much from it. I kept skimming as I walked down the street to a Starbucks. This idiot had Apple Pay on his phone so once I charged up at the internet cafe, I was ready to splurge on food. 

I kept my order to just a tomato and mozzarella pesto sandwich and a small caramel macchiato. I didn't need to blow off everything just yet. He hadn't canceled any of his cards yet, which was a blessing. But that also meant that the moment I was done with the book, I needed to go shopping and find a place to stay. The worn and bloody look wasn't doing me favors.

Finally, I reached a page that was vaguely familiar. It had the same circle of runes that Tempest had drawn on the floor. I read the inscription piece that was in English. 

"A servant will follow the Inscriber's orders. Deviation will lead to death." I laughed wryly and chugged my coffee. "Well, fuck me."

There was no mention of how to free oneself from the spell. But I kept pawing through the later pages, hoping that something would call out to me.

A certain page had me do a double-take when I read the inscription. "How to bind a Reaper to your will."

I grinned at that, a plan forming in my head. I snatched up the sandwich and walked into a department store to purchase everything I needed.

After my trip, I got a hotel room at the Hotel de Crillon. Thank mankind's God for Apple Pay. I dumped the contents of my bag on the bed.

I scored a deluge of thin Henley sweaters for the chilly France weather. I also had the chance to pick up a fresh pair of black jeans that didn't have tears from glass. 

But what I was most prepared for was the knife I had bought from the kitchenware section. It was a pairing knife, small enough that I could make detailed carvings into the palms of my hands. 

The magic circle of runes served as an amplifier for my powers. One was for the vines from Mom. Another was the magic circle for the power of my choosing, like Mom's soul-detaching punch.

I didn't need to look deep down in me to know what power I wanted. It was the ability to create Lycans out of werewolves. But for now I'd have to settle on something else. While my first ability was meant to be my strongest, I could always create more to pass on to my male offspring. Only the firstborn female would get my first power and the ability to ascend werewolves into Lycans.

So instead I sat down and thought of all the aspects of my plan and what it would entail. What power would be most beneficial to me? To make sure everyone was safe and sound? 

I scribbled a list down that I knew would help me before I slipped into a bubble bath, with knife in hand to carved the details of the magic circles into my palms. And then I became the creature I fear the most. 

Blood dripped into my bath, staining the bubbles pink against my skin that paled as I grew fangs and eyes.

I wrote the dreamer spell and painted it on naked chest with my blood. Hopefully this would work, otherwise I would've fucked myself over times 1000...

I slipped under the water and called him forth.

The dreamscape was seductive to say the least. My form solidified in the maze, moving forward deeper into the winding green walls until they gave way to a giant tree with a pool of silvery liquid. I looked down at the semi-transparent fluid and smiled before pushing forward more opaqueness in the dreamscape I created.

I changed my form's wear into a familiar shirt- the one that Tempest let me borrow when we slept together in Kristos' house. 

Now I just had to wait.

I dipped myself to the collarbone into the silver liquid, noticing how strange that the fluid made me feel rejuvenated and alive. It reminded me of what Stark spoke of when he first met Mom- a rush of dragonflies and starry eyes. I made myself fall into that role, as if I was discovering the love of my life for the first time.

"Aren't you a sight to see?"

I did my best to not jerk my head up at the sound of him. He was leaning with his arms crossed against the dark tree, wavy black hair messily pushed back but a few rebel strands hanging down in front of his face. I didn't realize it till then, how angular and sharp his features were in contrast to the softness of his cloud eyes. 

I said nothing, only kicking off the bank to move deeper into the sauna of silver liquid, a tilt of my head serving as an invitation.

"A dream spell, huh? Playing with things you shouldn't." he murmured low, eyes going dark as I lifted myself slightly out of the water. "Is that my shirt?"

"I just want to talk." I kept my voice soft, compliant.

"We're past that, Princess." Tempest stepped forward, dropping down to slip his legs into liquid over the edge of the pool. 

I made the risky move of turning my back to wade deeper into the water. The slight splash told me the risk was worth it. 

"Vampire-Werewolf Lux is the new defense, I see." 

I turned to see him directly in front of me. "What do you mean?"

He tapped his temple near his eyes. "Webbing on the cheeks, eyes red. Your canines have dropped but so have your incisors. I'm pretty sure if I pulled your hands out your claws would be out. Still think you just want to talk?"

I didn't want him to be alarmed or alert. I needed him relaxed.

"What big eyes you have, Lux." he gave a chuckle as the red bleed away from my eyes. 

"All the better to see you with, my Prince." I replied coyly, circling him.

His eyes narrowed. "What big teeth you have, Lux." 

"All the better to devour you with, my Prince." 

I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Shock reverberated through me when his hand slipped down to my thighs and pulled my legs around his waist. And I hated every fiber in my being that melted into a quivering mess when our mouths parted against each other.

"This changes nothing," he said between kisses on my throat. "I will bring you in, Lux. It's only a matter of time."

"Oh no," claws began to grow. "This changes everything."

And I dug them into his shoulders and lurched backward to drag us both into the liquid that glowed an eerie green as a certain spell took place.

I came emerged first, gasping for air on the side of the banks. 

I laid flat on my back. Struggling to take in air, I didn't realize that Tempest came out as well.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" he looked down to see green rings searing his skin at the wrist until a tattoo imprinted.

"Promittam tibi servit, asshole." I laughed dryly. "I had the spell etched at the bottom of the dreamscape pool. So you either follow what I tell you, or die."

He growled and lashed a hand around my neck. "I will kill you for this. You have no idea what's at stake for me."

"I'm going to do you what bros call a solid." I sat up straight. "If I remove the spell causing the memory blocks, you switch to helping me and I'll remove the Servant spell."

He scowled pulling me towards him. "So that kiss meant nothing?"

Anger flared in my chest. "So our friendship meant nothing?"

He shoved me back and let go of my neck. "I want more than that with you. If I made you my Servant you would've been safe from Anya, no longer a threat."

I conjured the book into the dreamscape, pulling up the page of the spell that I had memorized. "This is a Servant Reaper spell. You would've had my power tied to yours, and considering how I nearly killed a werewolf girl trying to turn her into a Lycan it may not have been one of your best or brightest ideas."

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "I had the option of binding your powers. You wouldn't be able to use it on living beings, like all other Servant Reapers."

"That would only protect you." I met his stance. "Anya is dead."

He looked away. 

"What? Are you hiding something?" I ducked my head to meet his eyes. "Stop averting and tell me." 

"My mom isn't dead." he bit out, turning to glare at me. 

"Francesca is alive? I thought you said she was...gone."

"Auguste promised he would bring her out of her comatose state after her star-reading went awry. I just need to collect 999 souls for him to give to Grimm."

"Oh my Goddess." I stepped back. "He's trying to buy himself out of the Servant Reaper contract. How many souls does he have now?"

"Not a lot. Getting 999 regular souls is a lot to achieve, but each Royal is worth 100 souls alone. If he trades all the Royals he'll get reach it in no time."

"That includes you, idiot." I cried out as I shook him by the shoulders. "How can you be so blind? He's playing you!"

"No, Lux. I'm the one who's playing you."

I gasped as the Tempest in front of me turned to dust. The voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Tempest, but a different version of him, one with windswept curls and stormy eyes that rest ontop of dark circles. 

"What the hell-"

"Stop talking."

My mouth zipped shut. I tried to speak but it was as if my lips had been sewn shut. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-

"Come here." he encouraged.

My legs moved me forward until I was standing in front of him. His hand slipped under the shirt to rub circles into my hip.

"This may be your dreamscape, but I know my way around a dream." he said wryly, no doubt a reference to his night terrors. "All I had to do was create a version of myself you could interact with and see what you were up to. I saw your spell at the bottom of the pool. I'm not the idiot here. You're the one who said the words when I prompted you."

Shit shit shit shit-

"Now, tell me your location." his hand raised higher, past my abdomen.

A pressure released from my mouth and the words were ripped from me. "Hotel de Crillon, room 601."

"I'll be there soon. Make sure to dream a little dream of me, Princess." 

I looked down to see his thumb stroke the lines of my dreamer spell through the thin shirt, effectively cutting off the connection.

~

I emerged gasping out of the water. Fuck, I really did an Uncle Castor on this one. Worst case scenario, I was going to be caught trying to make him my Servant and I could check out of the dream by disrupting the circle. Instead, I'd somehow become the Servant.

I needed to leave fast. As long as I didn't hear him, he couldn't command me to do anything, right? I'd never seen my grandmother Devanna try to give orders to Evgeny telepathically.

Changing into the set of clothes I left on the bathroom sink, I swung open the door just to see Tempest standing there with a smile on his face. "Premier room, huh?"

"How did you get in?" I growled.

"I just had to say I forgot my keycard to my room and they gave me a spare." he said with a sly grin. "Now, let's head back to Maison de Loups."

"Why are you being so friendly towards me?" I asked cautiously.

"Because Princess, I have full trust that you can't do anything to me. Servant Reaper spells are quite unbreakable- and no, I will not tell you how the spell will be broken, stop looking at me light that."

He grabbed my hand and locked a handcuff on it, then another around his wrist. He reached down to pick up the department shopping bag that now had all my clothes in.

"Nice, you've already packed for the sleepover."

He used the same powder that teleported us to France to take us to Maison de Loups.

I gripped the sleeve of Tempest jacket to not fall over the broken railing when I had run and swung from the chandelier. 

His hand slipped around to steady my waist. I swallowed the ball of exposed nerves that he seemed to hit with his gentle touch.

I hated this. I didn't want to view him this way. What if I had a mate, like my mother? I couldn't feel this way about him!

...

What if I didn't though? What is this was some part of the Servant spell?

"Did you make me like you?" I blurted out.

He turned his head sharply, analyzing me. "...What?"

"Did you make me like you?" I repeated, realizing how dumb I probably sounded. "You know, make me think there's something between us."

He reached out with the uncuffed hand to tip my head up with his fingers. "We don't need a spell to see that there's been something between us since we first met, Lux."