The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 43

Cam was looking nervous as Missy rooted around in a hand bag. She pulled out several things and put them into a little stone bowl. She ground the things up while chanting something. "I need a glass of water." She said, turning to Trent.

He went to the table in the corner of the room and poured water from a pitcher into a glass before taking it back to Missy. She poured the powdered things into the glass and stirred them up.

"I know this doesn't look appealing and it doesn't taste the greatest, but it will release the suppression spell from your aura so I can finish removing it. I need to do this to make it easier on you." Missy told Harmony. Without even blinking, Harmony took the glass and downed it. She was always bold like that. I envied Cam a little. He looked shocked.

"That was terrible. What next?" Harmony asked scrunching her nose.

Missy laughed. It was a bright and cheerful sound. She took the glass back and settled it on the table before going back to Harmony and chanting under her breath as she seemed to be unhooking something from the air around Harmony. She got it off and chanted some more words while making a motion like she was molding something into a ball.

It got smaller and smaller until she was flattening it into the center of her left palm. I wished I understood witchcraft more. I didn't understand what she was doing.

"It may take a little while, but you should start hearing your wolf soon. Last one. Valor, are you ready?" Missy asked.

"More than ready." He answered.

Cam brought Harmony over to the couch and settled her beside Echo. She was staring around like she'd never been able to see before. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "What is that smell? It's like something old and musty and... bloody." Harmony said, looking around.

"That's Echo. She smells like vampires." Cam replied.

I growled a little. How dare he say that! She didn't smell like vampires. She smelled like lemon drops and sunshine. There was now a warm, rich undertone to her scent that reminded me of napping in a meadow in the summer. "She doesn't smell like vampires." I told him sternly.

"Yes, she does, Gray." Trent answered. "She just doesn't to you because you smell her mate scent. She has your scent on her as well, I'm sure Victor loved that, but she smells like vampire."

"Even after spending the day with humans and wolves at school, she smells like vampire." Cam insisted.

"I'll get used to it. I won't let that keep me from being around my sister." Harmony murmured to Echo and grasped her hand.

"You're warmer than you used to be, Harmony." Echo whispered.

"I was just going to say that you feel colder than normal."

"We have higher body temperatures. Vampires have lower temperatures. Let's let Missy focus on Val, children." Trent said sternly.

We quieted down and watched what was going on with Val. Missy had her right hand on him. Her palm over the center of his forehead. Her left was held away and she was chanting quietly.

She drew her hand down to his heart and pressed it firmly over it while continuing her chant. It was like the air was starting to get thicker and heavier as she went. Suddenly, it all cleared and she stopped chanting.

"There. All clear. How does that feel?" Missy asked.

"Like I can breathe. That's amazing." Val grinned.

"Let's get the tests set up so we can get your elements and I can start finding you a mentor." She smiled.

Missy set about working on the table. She set out a rock, a candle, and a small bowl she had Trent fill with water. The final piece was an empty jar. I looked over the selection quizzically.

"It's a jar of wind. A little magic given to me from an air witch. She gave me the instructions. The wind will stay in there unless he's an air witch." Missy explained. "Now, Valor, I need your hand we're going to use a drop of your blood on each of these."

Val held out his hand and Missy pulled out a pin. She held his hand over the rock and pricked his finger, then squeezed a drop of blood onto it. Nothing happened.

"It was worth a shot. Next." Missy smiled.

She held his finger over the candle and dropped some blood onto the burned wick. A flame sparked to life. I'd never seen anything like it.

"Just as I thought. All done." She said.

"No. I want to try the others." Val replied.

"Witches only have one element, Valor."

"Please?" He asked giving her an innocent, pleading look that worked on pretty much every girl I'd seen him with.

She sighed and shrugged, then moved his hand over the bowl of water and let a drop of blood fall. The water rippled, then swirled and Missy gasped.

"Dear Goddess. Those are opposite elements. I've never seen a fire/water witch." Missy whispered before opening the jar and dropping some blood in there.

There was no reaction. I was a little disappointed. I wanted to see her face if he had three.

Missy started rummaging in her purse and pulled out a packet of seeds. She put one on the table and dropped some of Val's blood on it. The seed quivered, then sprouted.

"I can't believe it. Only fae witches have plant magic. I wasn't even going to test it, but I brought the seeds along for some reason. The goddess must have guided me." She murmured before digging through her bag again. "I want to test how light or dark your magic is."

She pulled out a small bundle and unwrapped it, revealing a large cloudy looking crystal. Missy settled it on the table and took Val's other hand.

"I need you to touch this with your unbloodied hand. Think of calming images. That will bring your true nature closer to the surface."

Val took a deep breath and touched the crystal. Almost instantly, it glowed with the brightest light I'd ever seen. I had to cover my eyes. "My head hurts." Harmony whimpered.

"Try talking to it. That could be your wolf. She might be agitated. Ask her what her name is and tell her to calm down." Cam said soothingly.

A movement from Echo drew my attention. She was rubbing her teeth with her fingers. I tried touching her, but she pulled away and started rubbing harder.

I was worried. I'd never seen her like that before.

"Echo, are you alright?" I asked.

Val pulled his hand off the crystal and hurried around the table. He knelt in front of his sisters and put his hand over their clasped hands. Both girls relaxed and seemed to calm.

"Her name is Mercy." Harmony grinned at Val, then at Cam.

"I'm hungry." Echo mumbled.

"Let's call that good. Gray, you were taking your friends out for pizza, right?" Trent asked.

I nodded.

"Afterward, you should take them up to our quarters for a movie. We have the little theater room up there and the kids are at mom and dad's tonight. I'm taking Lily out for the evening and we won't be back until eleven. That give you kids plenty of time for a movie." He offered.

I considered what he was offering. It seemed suspicious, somehow. I wasn't going to fight it, though. Sitting in a dark room with my mate sounded amazing.

"Echo? Would you like to watch a movie tonight?" I asked.

"If we can eat first. I don't know why I'm so hungry, but I need to eat something." She replied.

"Sure. We can go get something to eat. Are you guys ready to eat?" I inquired to the room.

"Gray, two of us are werewolves and the other is a teen male. We're always ready to eat." Cam chuckled.

I laughed. We stood. Val let go of his sisters' hands and we all started heading out.

"Gray, can I talk to you for a moment?" Trent said.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Valor, wait up, I need your information for getting you with your mentors." Missy called out.

She blew out the flame, poured the water into the empty glass, and loaded up her bag. When they were all gone, the room seemed empty. My brother moved to his desk and started straightening up.

He and his mate had a standing date night every Saturday. He was never late. Sometimes I would watch the kids for them, I loved my niece and nephew, but they would stay with my parents or Lily's parents a lot, too. "What's up, Trent?" I asked.

"I know you're hopeful, since Echo can feel the bond now, but I want you to still consider letting her stay with the vampires. It's just safer for her there. Victor really cares for her and I know he'll protect her. We can stand up to younger vampires okay, but older ones may be a problem. They would be the ones coming after her." Trent said.

"Thanks for your opinion, but I'm not giving up on Echo. She'll still have his name. If I have to, I'll petition to move packs to one better equipped to fight older vampires. I could probably get into one of the stronger ones. I'd be a good pack warrior." I replied. "Mom and dad would kill me if I chased you out of the pack for this. Just... just think about her and what she needs. I know you're trying to be more soft and understanding, but I don't think this is a healthy choice for you or for us." He sighed.

"I'll give her up if she doesn't want me once she's gotten to know me. I can't force her to love me. I could just mark her and let the bond do the work, but I'm not that kind of asshole. Even if she grew to love me, I don't think I could handle the resentment she would hold until then. I don't want her to ever hate me. Until I know she's making a decision because it's how she really feels and not some residual thing from her childhood and being save by Victor, I'm not giving up. I'll grow our bond the slow way." I told him. "You're going to do what you're going to do. You're like an Alpha in that. Try to stay safe. Read some of these books I have on dealing with vampires, it might save your life sometime. You're gonna deal with a lot of them if you keep after this girl." Trent said, waving me off.

I headed out to find everyone else. I linked Cam when I was outside Trent's office and he told me they were in the kitchens so Echo could ask her questions. I walked down the stairs as quickly as I could.

When I arrived at the kitchen, I saw Echo getting a folder from Frieda, the head chef, and munching on a cookie. I smiled. Frieda was always ready with a snack for anyone who wandered into her kitchen. "There you are. Why are you going out for dinner when I have a perfectly good meal planned?" Frieda scolded.

"Echo's never had fresh pizza. I wanted her to try it. We're going to your son's place." I offered.

"That's good. He learned well in my kitchens. Next time she comes, I'll cook for her." "Thank you." Echo smiled.

"You're such a sweet girl. It's a shame you're not a wolf like your sister." Frieda said softly.

"Frieda!" I gasped.

"It's okay, Gray. I'm used to people saying it's a shame I'm not like my sister. It just means that my sister is as amazing as I think she is. Not that there's anything wrong with me. At least, not when Miss Frieda says it. Thank you for your help. These recipes will come in handy. Have a good evening." Echo replied in a sweet voice.

"Let's go. I'm sure everyone could use a break after the witchy thing." Cam said and we left the kitchen.