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Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 01

By: totallyatease



Celia and Joshua are a couple of characters that I like to revisit once in a while, from my Best of Both Worlds Series. 

Although not all of their stories are on this site now, and this is a slow burner with the sex as well; and so really I suppose it has not got much going for it, but I hope that you will enjoy this one anyway x 

***** 

The booming of the ocean waves crashed against the outside walls, with a whoosh and bam sort of sound. 

Joshua had not thought that he would ever get used to that sound, as it echoed around the chamber of their cave; but now he found that he might actually struggle to sleep without its repetitively soothing sound. 

Celia was humming under her breath as she scooped up contents from around the floor and wall, and dropped them into the pot, that she was carrying - almost as though it was a shopping basket. 

She bent to gently pry a root from the rocky cavern floor, and Joshua marvelled over the fact that he had not even noticed it before then, despite their living down here for several weeks now. 

She popped the root into her pot, and moved on again singing as she went, in that same low off key sound. 

She reached up suddenly, as she put the pot against the wall, and then slowly wiped her hand down just above it. 

The slimy liquid substance that she disturbed, tricked down into the pot, and Joshua's nose twitched in revulsion at the stagnant smell that came along with the disturbance. 

"What are you doing?" he demanded impatiently. 

"Hush now; you will disturb my flow of concentration." 

She moved around the cavern slowly, and stopped again at the same spot where she had plucked the root. 

Now there was a bright blue flower sitting there as if waiting, as she bent and scooped it up to drop it gently into the pot. 

"There now," Celia sighed in satisfaction. "I think that should be enough." 

"Enough? Enough for what?" Joshua was feeling bored and restless and more than a little bit grumpy, and even though he could step out into the daytime now; the vampire within him was still reluctant to go up top, when the sun was high in the sky as it was right now. He was not trapped down here, just reluctant to leave; but he was feeling incredibly restless. 

She stepped up to him, and then reached up to tap him on his chin. 

"You should be using this time to practice your spell craft," she admonished him sharply. 

"And how do I do that?" he snapped back. 

Celia turned and snapped her fingers and the kindling in her little fireplace, burst into flames. 

She set her pot over it, to dangle from the tripod and hook, which she had placed there when they had first moved here, and then turned back to Joshua. 

"You have made no preparations since we came here," she lectured sternly. "You need a fireplace of your own, and well out of the range of mine, you need the hook, for the pot, and you will need a pot as well." 

"So where do I start?" 

"With a fireplace, go dig a shallow hole... over there, in that corner," she pointed to the far corner, where the rock seemed a little darker than the rest. 

Joshua looked around for a tool of some kind, and was not too surprised to see a shovel, propped against the wall behind him, a shovel that had not been there a few moments ago. 

His skin was constantly tingling down here, and he knew that, that was down to the magic in the air, the magic that Celia had cast and woven around them when they had first arrived here. 

She had tied of this spell but left it as a living organism which developed and evolved around them, to produce whatever he might need, just a second before he knew that he needed it usually. 

He knew that she had cast this particular one for him, and that it was attached and in tune with him, due to that constant prickling as the spell continuously caressed him to assess any of his needs of the moment. 

Joshua picked up the shovel and walked over to the corner of the cave. Once again, he was not too surprised to see that the hard rock floor had already been broken up into a rubble pile in a square-ish patch, and with a little grunt he put the shovel to the broken rocks, and jiggled them loose. 

"Use the rocks to create a wall around your fireplace," Celia instructed after watching him for a while, and then stepped forward and squatted down beside the hole. 

Joshua dropped the shovel, and hunkered down beside her, and began to wedge the rocks against the inner lip of the hole. 

Celia put her finger to the growing rock wall, and did a low sing song chant, and the rocks began to glow. 

Joshua realised immediately what she was doing, and so he quickly went around the edge, scooping and pressing the rocks to it. 

Celia followed along behind, heating the rocks, to a point where they resembled lava, but as quickly as she heated them, she moved on and they cooled immediately; forming a wall around the edge of the fire pit that was as hard as granite, and that Joshua knew would be able to withstand the heat of regular fires. 

He sat back with a sense of achievement which washed away his earlier restless irritation. 

"Now what?" 

"You will need something to hang your pot from." 

Joshua felt the familiar prickling across his flesh, and looked around the cavern hopefully. 

Sure enough just against the wall, where the shovel had sat, there was a bundle of what looked like metal rods, and some wire like string. 

Joshua picked up the bits, and then glanced at Celia's fire pit. He knew that she had been doing this for centuries, and so he bowed down to her greater experience and simply copied the tripod design, which he bound together with the wire.  

There was a smaller rod, which Celia had picked up and stroked it a couple of times - almost experimentally at first, as though she was trying to gauge the strength of the rod, but then she began to rub up and down it slowly, with that same singsong chant she had used for the rocks. 

The rod began to glow, just as the rocks had, and he watched as her rubbing began to waver slightly, bending the metal as she did so. 

She did it slowly with no hint of pain, even though the rod must have been scolding hot. 

Finally though she was done, and her singing slowed and faded, and the red rod, dimmed back to its dull grey colour as it cooled. 

She held the rod out to him with a little smirk, and Joshua realised that she had turned it into an s like shape. 

He placed the tripod so that it squatted over his empty fireplace, and then Joshua worked the S rod into the wire binding, until it sat securely in the centre, waiting for a kettle or a pot to be hung from it. 

"Now you will need a pot," Celia declared happily as though she had read his mind. 

Again there was that prickling sensation, but stronger this time, in fact it was almost a burning sensation, and it felt more internal than external. Joshua shrugged and looked to the place where the shovel and the rods had appeared. 

Now there was a small sack sitting there. 

Curiously he bent down and opened the small cloth sack, and peered inside. 

"What?" Celia asked at his little grunt of surprise. 

"Nothing, I just thought that I would have to make the pot as well," he pulled out the bright shinny new pot, and held it up by the handle to show her. "I think that this is the first item that you have told me I would need, that I have not had to assemble, create or build." 

"Really?" Celia said with delight. 

He frowned at her twinkling brown eyes, and look of excitement. 

She really was so beautiful now, with her pale flawless complexion, her wealth of jet black hair that hung fine and straight down her back, and her glowing brown eyes that were warm with love and affection. She was stunning, and she always would be, with his vampire blood running through her veins, and constantly rejuvenating her, and redesigning her to fit the mould of the beautiful people, known as vampires. 

She was more stunning than any vampire Joshua had ever met in his long life though. And he knew that it was because of the centuries old witch still alive and kicking inside her. The cackling deformed creature, who had suffered decades of abuse and the rigours of spell craft; of loneliness and often despair. 

He had only known her for a short time really, less than two years, but he had seen the way that she had been treated by 'seekers', those looking to Celia to fulfil their dreams. She had hidden herself away from the world, but the seekers managed to find her, and when they did, then she was obliged to help them - more than obliged, she had no choice in the matter. 

Sometimes the seeker would be truly grateful for the help that she gave, but sometimes the seeker would not; some would see Celia as some sort of tool to be used and abused for their own selfish benefits. 

And Celia would have no choice but to help them all, and suffer whatever their temperament might bring to her, be it gratitude or abuse. 

She reached up suddenly to cup his chin, and gaze into his silver brown eyes. 

"You cast your first spell without even being aware that you had done it," she whispered affectionately. 

"What do you mean?" he demanded, feeling alarmed that he might have done something without being aware that he had done it. 

"It was an instinctive spell; you had a need and the magic inside of you fulfilled it for you." 

"It fulfilled it for me, so I had no real control over it then?" 

"Yes of course you did, in this instance your control was your need - if you had not needed it then the magic could not have fulfilled it." Celia lectured him with obviously forced patience, and Joshua scowled. 

"But what if I had wanted to make the thing myself?" he argued even though he had not particularly relished the idea of having to do more menial tasks. 

"Then you would have felt a sense of purpose, not a need, and my spell would have provided you with the tools." 

"So you are saying that the magic inside of me, overrode your spell - that it was stronger than your spell?" 

"Silly," she clicked her tongue. "Of course present magic is stronger than an established spell - when they are both tied to you... they were both working in your best interests and so the spell cast more recently was the one that took precedence." 

He shrugged his shoulders, and gave a little scowl. His first spell cast, and he had not even registered it happening! 

He had been longing for the time where he could... just snap his fingers and something would happen - the way that Celia always did it. She had such a flare for it, a complacent, casual wave or flick, and magical stuff would happen all around her. 

"Now that you have all your basics," Celia said as she saw the look of despondency in him. "You want to prepare a fire in your pit." 

Joshua looked around the cavern, searching for kindling, but there was nothing that looked suitable. 

He gave a little sigh as he put the pot down next to his empty fire pit. "I guess that I shall go out and get some fresh air then..." he looked at her hopefully. "Would you care to join me?" 

She had a look of pleasure on her exquisite features, and she had her mouth open to say yes even as she nodded. 

But the fire in her own pit suddenly sputtered and her pot let out a loud hiss as some of its contents boiled over. 

"I had better not," she sighed regretfully. "This potion will be at a very delicate point soon, and it will need all of my concentration." 

"I could wait for you?" 

She looked at him almost sadly. "No, you had decided to go up and search for firewood, so do not let me distract you from your fate." 

Joshua leaned closer, and his eyes narrowed. "Do you know something, Celia?" he asked. "If you have seen or sensed something, then do not keep it to yourself - you have no right to do that, not anymore." 

She gave a twisted smile of reassurance. "No, it is nothing like that. I have not heard from them for some time now," she sounded almost bereft, but Joshua merely felt annoyance. 

He grunted impatiently. "I hate this talk of fate and destiny - I prefer to think that I have the freedom to choose, and let the consequences sort themselves!" 

"And yet a moment ago you were prepared to forsake your choice to go outside, in favour of my need to remain inside." 

"But that was still a choice that I was making." He clicked his tongue impatiently as he stepped away from her. "Enough of this talk!" he snapped. "I will go up top and gather wood for my fire, and you can stay down here, and finish your potion in peace." 

"And that is your absolute and final decision?" Celia asked with a little smile. 

Joshua hesitated as he tried to remember the exact moment when he had decided to face his fear of the sunshine, and go up top to gather fire wood. 

"Yes, it is." he snapped defiantly. 

"Well go for it then!" she encouraged brightly, and once again Joshua looked at her suspiciously. 

Her pot began to boil over, and her fire hissed and spat as liquid hit it, and Celia turned her back on Joshua and bent down to attend it. 

"I won't be gone long," Joshua told her, but she glanced over her shoulder at him. 

"There is a leather sling over near the entrance," she told him. "If you take it with you and fill it with drift wood and anything else that you might find, then it will save us making unnecessary trips." 

Joshua grunted irritably. He had hoped to nip up to the surface, and grab a handful of drift wood, and then be back down here before she could even register that he had left. 

"Very well, Celia." 

* 

It was incredibly - painfully bright on the surface. 

The island was a white sandy, sun baked island sat in the middle of a beautifully blue green ocean. 

He walked along the edge, letting his feet get washed by the warm water as it splashed against him. 

It was almost soothing if it wasn't for the brightness, and Joshua put his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes a little. 

"Oh for a little shade," he muttered, and felt the first warm rush of energy in decades. Instinctively he brushed his hand across his eyes, and suddenly the brightness was dimmed - almost to night. 

He grinned smugly as his fingertips ran along the cool edge of the sunglasses that were now sitting on the bridge of his nose, and felt a rush of adrenalin. 

He had done that! From nothing he had used his magical powers to create something. 

A wave of fatigue followed, and as he looked at his hand it puckered and began to wither, his fangs began to slide down in response to his sudden need, as he began to search for a food source. 

Human blood was strongest and most preferred, but in the absence of a human... 

He stepped deeper into the water, wading further out, until he saw what he was looking for. 

The large fish was fast, but not as fast as him, and he lunged suddenly and went beneath the waves, to surface with the fish still wriggling as he sank his fangs in and drew out the pitiful amount of blood. It was barely a mouthful but it was enough as he felt its energy reviving his lost vigour. 

His nose wrinkled as the odour of the fish hit it, and the wriggling and twitching slowly subsided until it was a limp cold carcass in his wet hands. 

He threw it back into the water with a snort of disgust. It had been one of the worst things he had ever had to feed on, almost as bad as the old blood of the witch - almost, but it had achieved its purpose as he felt himself revived and renewed once more. 

He knew that he should begin collecting the wood, but something was calling to him, something out at sea. 

He stood gazing out to the horizon, at the speck just on the edge. 

He scowled at the sight of humans. 

Their most recent encounter with humans had led to his beloved Celia being hurt, and abused; it had almost led to his own death. 

Joshua hated humans now, after what they had done to Celia. 

"But they are not all like that," the musical voice whispered across the breeze, fluttering his hair. 

He scowled again as he trained his eye on the speck. The smoke was clearly visible to him, as he stood there indifferently. 

"Some of them are good... some are deserving of our intervention..." 

"Yours - not mine!" he snapped out loud. 

"You are our tool, our most beloved... you know what you must do... defiance is only delaying what is inevitable." 

Again the breeze fluttered across his flesh and disturbed his hair, and as it drifted lightly away, it took away his animosity with it. 

As his ill will fled him, he suddenly felt full of a sense of purpose, and without being totally aware, he slid beneath the waves again, and his newly made sunglasses fell away unnoticed as the water ripped past him. 

** 

Her pot was boiling dry, as she squatted down, continually stirring. 

Celia's attention was fixed and absolute, as she scraped and turned the last of the contents; the liquid had become a paste which was growing thicker and stiffer with each stir. 

Her fire was almost burnt out too, but it had enough in it to draw out the very last bit of the moisture. 

Until all that she was left with was a very fine powder. 

The fire guttered and then flickered and finally it died, and Celia sat back with a little sigh of satisfaction. 

"T'is done!" she purred happily. 

She kept her attention fixed on the pot still, as she reached behind her blindly, looking for the small velvet pouch. 

Her fingers brushed against it and she snatch it up. 

It was about the size of her hand, and was a bright red in colour, with golden strings to pull it tight. 

She opened it up and began to scrape the powder out of the pot, using her spoon as a shovel. 

The powder was a dark, rich blue in colour, with sparkling mineral bits in it, making it look like some sort of fairy dust. 

She chuckled to herself at her whimsical thoughts, as she kept her concentration on her task, blocking out anything and everything else until she was finished. 

Once the pouch was full, she pulled the strings together and then knotted them tightly. 

"There now!" she sighed again as she sat back to ease her aching joints. 

The potion powder, had taken her life force at a much lesser and slower rate, than spell casting would, and so the aches had crept up on her. 

But now as she finished her task, she became all too aware of the ravages. 

There was nothing like blood in this cavern, nothing that she could drink to give her a quick fix. 

She looked around her hopefully, wondering if her spell, woven for Joshua, would help her out. 

Nothing. 

She gave a little sigh as she crawled across to their bed, and fell into a deep exhausted sleep, oblivious to the world around her.

Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 02



The water was colder as he swam further out, but that did not bother Joshua as he slid with ease between the waves, dropping beneath them so that he could cut through the water even faster. 

He could not hear what was happening on the surface, not with the sound of the ocean roaring in his ears. 

He knew though that he was close to the boat, and so broke to the surface, and looked around him. 

He was right; the boat was just a little ahead of him, a fancy looking yacht it seemed. 

The water poured from him, and he could see, he could hear and he could smell suddenly. 

The yacht was on fire, he could clearly smell the smoke, and of wood burning. 

He could hear someone crying, a child... no, two children, young and frightened. 

He swam closer cautiously. 

There was no sign of movement, and so slowly and silently he pulled himself up onto the boat. 

The fire was at the back, where the engine was, and it was probably where it had started. 

There was a man lying face down, close to it, and if he did not move soon, then he would surely burn. 

Joshua gave a little hiss as he leaped closer to the deadly flames, and grabbed the man by his shoulders, to drag him away. 

Suddenly there was a gasp from behind him, and he turned to see a woman, young and beautiful, even with her face covered with dirt, and her hair in tangles down her back. 

"Who are you!" she shrieked in terror. 

Joshua scowled at her impatiently. "Who I am is unimportant!" he snapped. 

She looked at the slumped figure that he was still gripping on to. "Is he...?" she asked desperately. 

Joshua hesitated long enough to listen to the man. His heart beat was slow and faltering - but it was even now stronger than it had been a moment ago. 

"He is injured - badly I think, but he will live, if you can get him to a hospital." 

Her looked of relief was momentary as she looked around her helplessly. 

"How? This boat is done for, what do we do now?" 

"Do you have a life raft?" 

She looked around, as though searching, and then back at him. 

"Yes it is dragged along near the aft of the yacht." 

"I am not a boat man," Joshua snapped, "it is front and back, and left and right only, otherwise we will be here all day!" 

"The back," she said immediately. "It is tied near the back." 

"Where the fire is?" Joshua demanded with sense of inevitability. 

"Yes, but you can access it from the water... here if you take this you should be able to saw through the rope that fixes it to the yacht," she was holding a long wicked looking knife with a rough serrated edge to it, she held it slightly away from herself as she leaned over the side. "If you can bring it here, than we can get down to it by the ladder." 

"We?" 

She hesitated for a moment. "Me and my husband... and the children!" 

"Where are the children... are they safe?" 

"Yes, for now, they are below deck, in the sleeping quarters." 

"Well, you had better get them up top, before the smoke gets to them... what happened here anyway?" 

"The engine... it exploded, I think!" 

"Yes, well that looks about right." Joshua dropped the man who groaned and whimpered but did not regain consciousness. 

"You need to get the children up top, and get yourself some supplies... you don't know how long you will be in your life boat for." 

"Like what?" she demanded uselessly. 

Joshua gave a little snarl. "Food, water, blankets... whatever you can carry." 

He stepped closer to the rail. "The fire is burning slow, it seems to be contained, but not for long I don't think, and so we need to hurry." 

He gripped the rail and jumped over hitting the water with a splash. 

"You forgot the knife!" The women rushed to look over but Joshua was nowhere to be seen, as he was already at the boat, pulling on the rope with his vampire strength. 

It came loose after the third tug, breaking off part of the yacht too. Joshua shrugged indifferently; the yacht would not survive the day any way. 

He pulled the chunk free, and dropped it into the water, where it bobbed away. 

The boat was a miniature imitation of the yacht, but without most of its comforts. 

There was a large emergency box under one of the seats - which looked padded and comfortable, and there was another box on the other side. 

The back end of the boat was sheltered by a short roofing structure, which covered four rows of seats. 

The children would be able to stretch out there and sleep quite comfortably if they needed to. 

Joshua concluded that with whatever else the woman brought; then they should have enough to get them to safety. 

He had not bothered getting out of the water, had just pulled himself up enough to take a quick look over at the boat, and now that it was free, he grabbed the rope, and began to pull it along as he swam back to the point where the ladder was. 

He wrapped the rope around one of the rungs and then clambered lightly up the ladder, to push open the gate. 

The children were standing huddled together and looking at him with huge terrified eyes. 

He grinned at them cheerfully. "What an adventure - you will be able to tell your friends all about it!" he said in a low voice. 

They both nodded a bit doubtfully, and he saw the woman pop her head up from where she was in the sleeping quarters, and throw up several items. 

"Come on you two," Joshua said firmly. "Let's get you into the boat, and then I will bring your father down to you." 

"And mummy too?" the older of the two children whispered anxiously. 

"You two first, then your father, then your mummy and the stuff," he promised solemnly. 

The children glanced at each other and nodded as though in agreement. 

Then they turned to Joshua and held out their hands, as they placed their trust completely in him. 

His fingers curled around their little hands, and Joshua felt a jolt of warmth, and responsibility rush through him. 

Without him, this family would surely perish. The father very quickly, due to his proximity to the fire, and the others eventually, due to the mother's apparent inability to take any kind of action. 

But Joshua was here, and he would save them all! 

** 

The woman was still pushing things up out of the quarters, when Joshua came back for her. 

"Your family needs you now," he told her hardly. "Whatever you have not got, you will just have to make do without." 

He scooped up the items, using a blanket as a sack, and then dropped the lot over the side. 

"Careful!" she snapped. "Some items are fragile." 

"And not much use on a life boat - I assume." 

She was about to argue with him, when there was a loud bang from the back of the yacht, and a whooshing sound as the fire escaped it confines. 

"Hurry - into the boat!" Joshua grabbed her hand and dragged her along with him. "You must get clear of the yacht before the fire catches hold." 

"But... but..." the woman stammered, as she tried to pull back. 

Joshua gritted his teeth and picked the woman up effortlessly. "You'll kill us all, woman!" he snarled as he leapt over the side, and dropped the woman next to her possessions.

He tugged the rope free of the ladder, and the life boat bobbed away and then bobbed back to hit the yacht, with dull thud. 

"Here, come and see if you know how this boat works," Joshua snapped after he had removed the rope from the ladder, and he pushed at the yacht to set the boat fully free. 

"I know how it works!" she snapped, as she pressed a button, she checked a compass on the dashboard, and then turned the steering wheel to point the boat in a direction away from Joshua and Celia's island; and once she was happy with it all, she pushed a lever forward. 

The boat lurched into motion and Joshua stumbled backwards, and staggered to the side. 

He realised that they would be safe now, that the woman as useless as she had seemed during the crisis, knew enough to handle the boat, and get them to land. 

He gave a loud panicky yell, and allowed himself to topple over the side with a splash. 

He heard the boat's engine cut almost immediately, and allowed himself to sink below the waves. 

He could see the shadow of the boat, and her outline as she peered over anxiously. 

Joshua remained perfectly still, allowing the brightness of the sun, to cast him into shadow. 

The woman remained there for ages, looking and yelling, but in the end the crying of her children, told her that she must concede. She would have to leave, leave the stranger to his fate, if only he had sat down, as she had thought that he had! 

She shook her head regretfully. 

Who he was, and where he had come from, she would never know, but he had saved them all - a true hero. 

As she turned back to the dashboard, her sleeve snagged on a sharp edge, and it tore some of the material, but she turned away impatiently. 

She gave her children a quick - if tearful smile and a reassuring hug each and then returned to the steering wheel and as she set the boat in motion, the wind caught at the torn fragment, and it fluttered down to the water, as the boat shot away. 

A hand came up out of the water, to snatch the fabric, and then took it below the waves again. 

** 

Joshua left the water, to walk up the beach, and bent to pick up his sling, and go and finish what he had come up here for. 

He felt free, and complete. He felt euphoric as he walked around scooping up whatever caught his eye. 

He walked across the sand slowly, allowing his clothes to dry from the heat of the sun. 

He collected as he walked; driftwood, and dry coral pieces, he noticed a sea shell, and a pretty coloured stone, and a dead dried out starfish. 

He picked up them all, humming and whistling as he went, until his sling was heavy and full with all kinds of goodies - enough to keep his Celia entertained for a while and then some. 

* 

He entered the underground cavern with a cheerful grin, only to find the place in total silence. 

He looked to where she had last stood, to see her fire pit now dead, and the pot that had been so enthusiastically boiling when he left, was now still and cold looking. 

He looked to the only other place Celia might be, and sure enough there was a figure huddled on the bed. 

Joshua dropped the leather sling, and went and sat on the edge of the bed. 

He touched her gently, but she did not stir. 

He could see the damages that she had gathered from her potion making, and down here in this cold barren place, she would have found nothing to help revive her. 

He stroked back her thick grey hair, which was slowly regaining its raven colour as she slept. 

Joshua allowed his fangs to slide down to a needle point, and dug one into the tip of his finger. 

A blob of blood appeared, and he leaned over her to gently stroke across her lips. 

Even as she slept, her tongue poked out to touch the liquid, and as she licked it off, her skin smoothed over a little. 

The grey cast to her skin, turned to the luminous white, and her hair ran to its black once more. 

She was stunning once more as she lay there, but still she slept. 

His blood was enough to repair most of the damage, but it was not as powerful as that of a mortal. 

She would still need to rest for a while. 

Joshua leaned over to kiss her lightly on her cold cheek, and then with a gentle sigh he moved away from her. 

He wandered over to his empty fire pit and stood staring at it for a while, wondering what he could do now. 

He dug his hand into his pocket, as he let his mind wander, and his fingers touched something damp, and squashed up tight into the corner. 

He pulled it out to look at it curiously. It was the fabric from the woman's clothing. 

He wondered if they had made it to land yet, and as he thought about it, an image flashed behind his eyes. 

He turned to the leather sling, and began to pull out the driftwood, and stacked it carefully in the pit of his fire. 

He stood some of the sticks up, to create a tent in the middle, and then sat back to admire his handiwork. 

Yes it looked just like Celia's. 

"Burn," he said loudly, expecting it to burst into flames, as Celia's always did. But the pit stayed cold. 

He flicked his fingers the way that Celia often did. "Burn!" he said again, louder this time. 

Still the pit stayed cold. 

He squatted down and touched his finger to the wood. "Please burn for me," he whispered seductively. 

A little trickle of smoke issued from the pit, and the pyramid twitched. 

But still it remained cold. 

Joshua sat back with an air of despondency and sat glaring at his useless fire pit. 

He nudged the pit with his foot, and it shuddered, as another little tuft of smoke whispered up. 

Suddenly another image flashed behind his eyes, and he sat forward eagerly and snatched up the pot. 

He leapt to his feet and looked around the cavern impatiently. 

Sure enough his eyes fell on a small clump of grass, sitting proudly next to the leather sling. Joshua knew that that clump had not been there before, and so he bent down and scooped it up, and dropped it into his pot. 

He strolled around slowly, looking here and then there, seeing if anything could catch his eye. 

He heard a slight ticking sound and looked around and then down, for the source, and sure enough his eyes fell on a small round marble like rock, that was rocking back and forth, and causing the sound - almost as though it was trying to catch his attention, with a, 'here look down here!' 

He bent down and scooped it up, and dropped it into his pot; it hit the bottom with a bit of a thud and a clang. 

He kept his eyes keen as he strolled around again, and his gaze fell on the sling, and then to the pile of sand next to it. 

That sand had not been there before - he was sure of it! 

He knelt down and carefully began to scoop it up and let it fall into his pot. 

He stood up and looked around again but he could see nothing on the ground, suddenly something flickered at the corner of his eye, and he turned to look at the far wall. There was a large damp patch, which glistened as he looked at it. 

Joshua grinned as he strode across and put his pot up against the wall, just below the patch. 

He put the edge of his hand against the patch and wiped down slowly. 

The stench from the disturbed substance was almost overwhelming and his lip curled in disgust as his nostrils flared. 

The gooey substance slid down and most of it went into his pot, filling it up to the brim. 

When it had finished, he turned and looked around again, but nothing else caught his eye. 

He set the pot on its hook over the fire, and then hunkered down beside it. 

He gently stroked the sticks. "Please burn for me," he whispered tenderly. 

The thick smoke was enough of a warning for him to snatch his hand away, just as the flames roared into life. 

The pot shook above the flames, and the little rock marble bounced off the sides with a thud and clang. 

He wondered what the rock would be used for because he was pretty sure that it would not be able to boil away, or liquefy. 

The contents began to simmer, and steam billowed up. 

The fragrance which the pot began to emit was surprisingly pleasant, and Joshua smiled smugly as he enjoyed the aromas. Earthy and light, unlike the stuff that he had put in it. 

He found himself fixated by the smell, as he leaned in closer, to enjoy it more. 

He sat there with his attention caught and held by his little boiling pot. 

He sat for an hour, and then some time more, as slowly the moisture was boiled away. 

The heat was almost unbearable, but still he stayed close, and still he concentrated 

Suddenly there was a loud popping noise, and one final blast of steam, and the fire beneath the pot guttered, and flickered and dimmed. 

As it died off, Joshua found that he could move again, slowly and stiffly he pushed himself to his feet. 

He looked at his hand to see how it shook, and the flesh puckered and wrinkled. 

His joints ached, oh how they ached! 

He staggered across to where Celia still lay sleeping, and fell down beside her. 

He knew that he was paying the price for his magic, but it hurt, it hurt so much, in every cell of his being. Joshua had been a vampire for a very long time, and pain was something that he had only felt once or twice, and usually it had taken a mouth full of blood to chase it away. 

The blood was always on hand, in ample supply and so the pain was short lived. 

Until now; the aches and the pains were deep inside and unrelenting, and he could not lose himself in the ecstasy of the feeding, because there was nothing to feed on! 

He curled up beside his beloved and fell into a pain filled sleep, dreading the moment when he would have to return to the conscious world and endure more of this agony. 

He might have hoped that it would have receded by then, but his mind just could not process the idea that this pain would ever stop!



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 03



The warmth in his mouth, made his dream that much more vivid. 

The young woman, was pretty - almost beautiful, and her look of happiness as he slowly sank his fangs into her flesh... well it made it that much more pleasurable. 

Joshua had never cared for terror in his meals; it spoilt the encounter for him. He had always preferred to seduce his prey, and never to take too much, never take so much that the human could sense their own demise. 

He would leave her a little sore from some bite, maybe an insect bite, and feeling a little light headed. But she would leave him with such a sense of euphoria, that she would never feel afraid in the dark. She would never shy away from a stranger. She would leave him alive and - relatively well, with just a little less blood in her system that her own body would put right, soon enough. 

He could taste her blood, as it washed in his mouth, he could feel the strength that it gave him, as its energy flooded his being. 

He was eternal, enduring; he was all powerful, never would he bow down to the ravages of age, to the weakness and the aches and pains, which growing old would bring to a person. He would never feel those things! 

"Come now, my love, return to me, my beloved..." 

He felt the cold hand on his brow, and more rich warm fluid flooded his mouth. 

He frowned, and his eyelids flickered, the beauty's sweet blood had somehow soured! 

He swallowed it back quickly, hating the taste that it left behind, but loving the energy it gave to him. 

He slowly opened his eyes and as consciousness returned, he braced himself, waiting for the agony of age to return, but as Celia's sweet smile came into view, he knew that she had banished those pains. 

She was holding something in her hand, something small and furry looking, and as she gave it a squeeze, blood pooled and began to drip, down onto his lips. 

He licked them helplessly, and the sour rancid taste filled his mouth. 

He choked it back, and another sizzle of energy zapped through him. 

She squeezed again, but Joshua held up his hand, and tried to sit up. "Enough!" 

Celia pushed him back down though, and he was surprised at how weakly he went. 

"You still have some muscle waste, you have grey in your hair still, and your flesh is still puckered in places." 

She put the rodent to his mouth and squeezed again, and Joshua's mouth filled with its foul blood. 

He gulped it back, and the ripple of energy flooded through him again, snapping at his nerve ends, and tightening up his muscles. 

He could feel the buzz in his head, and behind his eyes, and he knew that they were glowing. 

"Just a little more," Celia coaxed. "You are almost there, almost back to yourself." 

She squeezed again, and this time Joshua drew in the fluid eagerly. He may not like the taste, but the energy was compelling, it was addictive. 

He swallowed it back and wallowed in the strength that it gave to him. 

Celia sat back with a little sigh of satisfaction - and relief. 

She had woken up a short while ago, still feeling a little sore and weak from her own spell work, and had stretched and turned to see a dried out carcass lying next to her. 

She had lain there for a full five minutes staring uncomprehendingly at the mummified presence. 

Why was this here? What was it, who had put it here? 

She wondered briefly what cruel joke, her Joshua was playing on her, and then it had dawned on her. 

"Joshua?" she had whispered as realisation hit. "Oh my poor Joshua... what have you done to yourself?" 

She leapt from the bed, staggering as the weakness enveloped her once more, but her sense of urgency overrode her body's insistence for more rest. 

She fled from the cavern, at a speed that would have shocked her beloved had he been awake to see her. 

She flew to the surface of the island, and straight for the bushes and trees. 

The rat stood no chance. 

She had spotted it and grabbed it before it could even sense her presence, and was already flying back down to the cavern, pausing only long enough to pull the bolder over the entrance and block out the sun light. 

She thought that in Joshua's weakened state, the sunlight was one more thing he would not be able to handle. 

The rat was frantically clawing at her hand, as it wriggled and writhed in her grip, almost as though it could sense its own eminent demise. 

She turned it over in her hand, and her finger nail grew to a point, which she used to stab just below its heart, and split its flesh open. 

The rat made one loud squeaking squeal sound and then froze in her grip. 

She held it over the mouth of the mummified remains, and squeezed until some of the rat's blood dripped down. 

A shuddering sound came from deep within the remains, and a groan echoed through the cavern. 

It had taken nearly an hour of slowly coaxing tiny amounts of the liquid into Joshua, before he began to resemble himself, and stirred from his coma like state. 

Now he was sitting up and looking like his strong, beautiful self once more, and she smiled at him tearfully. 

"My love, do not ever do that to me again," her voice broke on a sob. "For I could not bear it if I lost you now!" 

He reached out to hug her tight. "Nor I, you my beloved," he whispered. "You are my life now; I could not live in this world, without you by my side." 

He kissed her gently on the mouth, and it was not long before their passion for one another took over. 

Their lovemaking was heated and energetic, but very quickly it reached its conclusion and the two of them lay on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms. 

Celia rested her head on Joshua's chest, for a moment, and simply savoured the contact. 

She lay without noticing at first, the faint tugging at her senses. 

Her eyes flickered, her nose twitched, and she rubbed at it impatiently. 

The twitching merely continued though, and there was a mild throbbing at her temple. 

She reached out and gently traced the lines of Joshua's face, reading the journey he had been through today. 

Her eyes narrowed and twitched again. "Three spells," she murmured softly, "You cast three spells today - all consciously done, two without my guidance, and then the one that you did before you left here... no wonder you were so drained!" 

She sat up and peered into his eyes. "What have you been up to, my love?" 

* 

She pulled her robe tighter as she squatted beside his cold pot. 

"What did it become?" he asked from behind her, and she smiled at his nervousness. 

"Come and see, I cannot remove it, I cannot even touch it... this is your creation, Joshua." 

He stepped behind her, and then after a brief hesitation, he hunkered down to peer into his pot. 

"I can't quite..." he dipped his hand in and felt the cold smooth surface, and frowned. "I am not sure..." his fingers curled around the object, it was slightly too big for his hand, and it was so cold. 

He slowly and carefully pulled it out. 

"Careful, my love she chided softly."You would not want to break it after all your hard work, to create it." 

She clicked her fingers in the nonchalant way that Joshua envied so much, and a blue silky cloth appeared in her hands. 

She laid it onto the cold hard floor, with a flick and a flourish and then looked at him with bright eyes. 

"Put it down on that," she whispered huskily. 

He carefully put it onto the silken cloth, and then sat back to look at it in bemusement. 

"What is it?" he finally asked, as he looked at the clear glass orb. 

"It's a crystal ball - a scrying orb, of course." 

He reached out again to run a tentative finger across the cold surface, and as he did so, it seemed to warm to his touch, and the inside filled with a smoke like substance, that came from nowhere. 

He snatched his hand back and the smoke swirled around inside, moving faster and faster as he watched. 

Celia sat watching too, but finally she looked at Joshua. 

"Tell me about your time on surface of the island?" she demanded. 

As she looked at him with dark suspicious eyes, Joshua shrugged defensively. 

"It was not my idea!" he protested heatedly. 

"What? What was not your idea? What caused you to do so much spell casting on your first day of real casting?" 

He shrugged again, and then began to tell her. "After being down here in this constant gloom, it was so bright up there, with almost no shade at all..." 

He told her about his sunglasses, his first real triumph, and how it had made him feel. He smiled and his dark eyes gleamed, and she reached out to pat his hand as she shared in his success. 

But then his smile faded, and his eyes glittered. "They came to me," he whispered bitterly. "They used me as a pawn... as a puppet to do their bidding!" 

"Easy my lovely, do not fret so much," she commiserated. 

"But why?" he complained. "Why do we allow them use us so... why do you let them do this to us?" 

"Because they are our beloveds, they choose us for their tasks, and in return they give us their love." 

"Bah!" he spat out. "What need have I for their love? I only need yours; they can go away and bother us no more, they can let us alone and we would not miss them!" 

"Ah but you have not felt it yet!" she exclaimed as realisation dawned on her. "Your task is not done yet, you have not finished." 

"Finished?" 

"Tell me the rest, Joshua, tell me what happened what else you did today." 

He scowled as he told her of his argument with her, 'beloveds', he told her of their urging and finally his capitulation. He told her of the boat and the people, and his rescue of them all. 

"So you came back here, and seeing me asleep you had nothing to do but to sit and brood... and perhaps to wonder? To ponder over the fate of those who you had rescued?" 

He nodded slowly. "Yes... I suppose I did wonder if they had made it to safety." 

"And that is when the urge to create, began to overwhelm you?" 

"Yes... but first I tried to start a fire in my pit, but it would not ignite, it would not light." 

"Well of course not, not until it had a job to do, it would lie in wait until your pot was full and hanging over it ready to burn, boil and cook." 

"So it wasn't me who got it to burn," he said dejectedly. "I tried flicking my fingers - the way that you do it, and when it did not work I wandered around with my pot, collecting anything that caught my attention. When it was full and heavy and I could not see anything else, then I placed it on its hook over the fire, and tried again to light it with a spell, I thought that it had worked, but now I am not so sure." 

"Oh it did work, it was your magic that completed its purpose; that was the second spell that you consciously cast; with your potion being the third, the greatest and the most draining to you." 

"And it was all for this?" he said pushing at the little smoke filled glass ball. 

The smoke swirled around again, and began to separate, before pulling back together again and puffing out to fill the sphere again. 

"Did you bring anything away with you, from the life boat?" Celia asked as she continued to stare into the ball. 

Joshua scratched his head, and as he dug his other hand into his pocket; his fingers touched the still damp fabric. 

"Yes, this is from the woman's dress," he said pulling out the scrap triumphantly. 

"That is very useful, Joshua... now I want you to picture the woman in your mind, and gently rub the fabric over the ball as you do so." 

The damp material left a smear over the surface of the orb, but it cleared almost immediately, as if the orb had absorbed it, and the swirling smoke began to waver, and thin, and then separate. 

He wiped again and the smear appeared and then disappeared again and the smoke began to evaporate. 

As it did an image began to appear, of blue waters, and a boat being rocked about. 

There was a fuzzy red distortion around the boat, and Joshua felt a sense of alarm. "She's off course; she won't make land if she doesn't get back on course." 

"What do you see, Joshua; show me what you see," she placed her fingers against his temple and closed her eyes. 

"Yes," Celia murmured, "I see what you mean..." 

She frowned, and Joshua felt a warm tingle coming from her fingertips. 

"Push with your thoughts, Joshua, push at that red outline, and try and force it away." 

Joshua put the whole of his concentration on the image in the ball, and willed the red fuzziness to move, he pictured it being blown away, blown ahead of the boat, and leaving it behind. 

The tingling at his temples continued until there was a sudden popping sensation, and his eyes snapped open. 

The image in the orb was a serene image, and the red fuzzy edge had vanished. 

He let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "She is back on course!" he said happily. 

"Yes," Celia let her hands drop away and she smiled back at him, as she tucked a white strand of hair behind her ear. 

"You did very well, my love," she said softly to him, and he grinned back smugly. 

"I think that I might be getting the hang of this casting lark." 

Celia frowned. "Do not let arrogance ruin your progress, Joshua. You are at the very beginning of your apprenticeship, and remember you almost destroyed yourself today, by trying to do too much too soon... by taking on more than you could handle, by not respecting the cost of casting to yourself." 

"No, Celia I won't," he said feeling a little ashamed by her reproach. 

"Good, now how is your fair lady doing, is she still firmly on her course?" she asked lightly. 

"She is not my lady," Joshua growled but he fixed his gaze on the orb and sat watching for a moment. 

"Yes... I think perhaps an hour, and then she will reach land." 

"An hour you say? We could always find something to do for that hour?" Celia said with a bright eyed gaze. 

* 

They sat together with Joshua staring intently into his orb, and Celia with her fingers on his temples so that she could see what he was seeing. 

The boat sailed into the harbour, and people could be seen rushing to the aid of the people on board. 

"Well it looks like they will be okay now," Joshua sighed as he leaned back and the vision in the orb began to waver and fade. 

"Not yet!" Celia snapped. "There is more to this than you know, we much follow the clue to the real problem." 

"Hah!" Joshua grumbled as he automatically leaned closer again and fixed his attention back on the orb. "How do we know that she was not the problem - the only problem, she would have died if I had not happened along, her and her family, they would have all died!" 

"Things are never as simple as they might first seem - I mean it was awfully convenient that their boat engine exploded, just as they were passing our island - and just as you were outside and close by," Celia mumbled. "I have a notion that there is more to this tale than a simple rescue." 

"Very well then, Celia," Joshua sighed as he fixed his attention back on the image, and it sprung back more vividly than before. "Since you insist!" 

They sat watching for most of the day, with Joshua peering into his orb, and Celia peering into his mind; they sat watching the woman as she travelled with her injured husband to the hospital. 

They could see her talking but they could not hear what she said. Celia opened one eye, and gently she rubbed at Joshua's earlobe, causing him to shudder. 

"What?" he mumbled, and then stopped. "I can hear her!" he exclaimed in shock. 

Celia smiled smugly and her fingers went back to his temple as her eyes closed again. 

"Yes doctor, thank you so much for your help." the voice was echoey and distant at first, but as they listened and watched, the people could gradually be heard more clearly, almost as though someone was turning up the volume. 

The doctor patted her arm as he smiled down at her. "You have had a traumatic few days - or so I hear, perhaps you should go home and rest for a while?" 

The woman shook her head. "No I wish to be here when my husband wakes up, once he is awake and knows that we are all safe, and I am sure that he will be okay; then I will return to my home and my children - and only then." 

"Well the nurse has just administered a sedative, so that we can dress his wounds properly, and so that means that he will definitely be out for a few hours or more..." 

"I will wait," she insisted stubbornly. 

The doctor smiled consolingly. "I guessed that you would, and so I was merely going to suggest, that you go to the canteen and get a cooked meal inside you. You will feel so much the better for it - I am sure of that." 

"Yes, doctor, I suppose that you are right," the woman sighed and her unseen watchers saw the tired droop to her shoulders. 

They ghosted along behind her as she walked down the length of the corridor, and into a large canteen area. 

It was buzzing with people, with hospital staff, and visitors alike, and the woman went to the counter, and moments later was carrying a tray and looking for somewhere to sit. 

There was a table in the corner, with just a woman sitting at it, nursing a cup of tea. 

"Would you mind if I joined you?" the woman asked cautiously. 

The person sitting at the table looked up in surprise, and the image wavered for a moment. 

"What? Yes of course - please do." 

As Joshua's lady sat down she held out a hand to the other woman. "My name is Laura Brown, by the way." 

"Oh, hello, I am Ruby, it's very nice to meet you." 

As the two of them locked hands in a formal handshake, the image shimmered. 

Celia frowned, and leaned closer to Joshua, who in turned leaned closer to the orb. 

"The woman," she murmured. "Ruby, can you close in on her?" 

She felt Joshua tense, as though in concentration, and suddenly she could see in her mind's eye the woman - Ruby. 

"Do you see," Celia whispered huskily. "Do you see how weak her aura is, how pale she looks?" 

"I see a blurring reddish line surrounding her... is that what that is - her aura? How should it look, and what is it anyway - what does is signify?" 

Celia sat back with a sigh, and let her hands fell away from Joshua. 

"I think that we have seen enough, we know now what we must do."



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 04



They touched the mainland just before sunrise, at a point when there was no one around. 

"We need to find somewhere to stay, and then I have a couple of errands to run," Celia said softly. 

"That's all very well, but these things will need money." Joshua looked down at her, and smiled tightly. "Before I met you, I always had money I always made sure that I had plenty of money on me - in case I had to make a quick exit." He was still peeved at her refusal to explain anything to him yet, and so he was being as unhelpful and belligerent as he could. 

"Yes, well..." Celia stood tapping her foot as she thought for a moment. "That's it!" she exclaimed snapping her fingers. 

There was a blurring around her hand, and then a little bag appeared. 

Celia brushed back several silver strands of hair, and as her fingers ran the length of them, the silver coated strands turned black again. 

She stood once more as the perfectly, beautiful, young woman, although she had tired circles around her eyes, tired circles that had not been there a moment ago. 

"You will have to be careful with your magic, if the price for casting is always so visible." Joshua observed, as his concern for her safety overrode his irritation with her. 

She scowled up at him. "I have been doing this for so much longer than you, Joshua..." 

"But never as a beautiful woman - you will draw attention wherever you walk now." 

Her eyes glittered but she just held out the little bag. "This will provide for most of our needs, for the moment... and I shall have other means for achieving anything else, so long as I have a moment or two to prepare for it." 

His eyes narrowed on her, but he took the bag from her and peered into it. The first thing his saw was a wad of what looked like ten and twenty pound notes, and then what he thought to be a wallet, and a purse. 

Joshua felt a little sense of nostalgia as he put the wad of notes into the inside pocket of his long black coat. It felt almost good to know that he could walk through a town and shop as any other person would, and he would not even have to wait for nightfall to do it - thanks to Celia and her magic. 

He felt a rush of affection for her as he remembered how much she had changed his life. 

He took the purse out and handed it to Celia. "A lady should always keep her purse with her," he grinned. 

He put the wallet into his own pocket and then closed the bag. 

"Shall we then, my lovely lady?" he asked holding his hand out to her. 

Celia hesitated for a moment, and frowned. "I think perhaps Joshua - that for this trip we should tell people that we are brother and sister." 

He looked taken aback by her suggestion. "Why," he scowled at her suspiciously. 

"I'm not sure... it is just a sense - a notion that I had, that we can maybe draw people in, if they see us both as free agents... you said yourself that I will draw attention wherever I go - and the same will be for you too. Maybe we should use that attraction to help fulfil our quest here?" 

* 

They stopped at a hotel just down the road, a nice looking place, with an air of quality to it, and as they stopped in front of it, a door man half bowed at them. 

"Sir, Madam... if you are wishing refreshments, our restaurant is just about to begin serving breakfast, and visitors are just as welcome as our guests." 

Celia was not used to being greeted so courteously, and she practically beamed at the poor man. "I think that would be a simply wonderful idea!" she gushed. 

The colour rushed up to his cheeks, and his blue eyes glazed over, as he fell under her spell of kindness, enthusiasm; and her beauty. 

"If you would like to step this way then, Miss... and you too sir." 

* 

The food that was served was a problem to the both of them, since being vampires meant that they did not eat anymore. 

But a little whispered word from Celia, and several grey hairs later, Joshua suddenly felt the grumble of his stomach, and looked at her in surprise. 

She smiled lightly and even though she suddenly looked tired, and drawn, her eyes held warmth and even a sense of mischief. 

"I have put our vampire egos to sleep for a while, so that we can be as normal people, and eat and drink. 

"What will it do to us though?" 

"Nothing, it will not nourish us - well not very much, but it will not harm us either... to fulfil our quest here, we must be as much like everyone else as we can - I believe." 

Joshua ate the food, tentatively at first, but then he ate slowly simply to savour the experience; it had been so long since he had been able to enjoy a good meal. 

"You should book rooms for us here," Celia said, looking around her happily as she placed her knife and folk down on to her empty plate. "I like it here - very much." 

"Yes, I agree..." 

"Good!" she drained her coffee cup, and then sat forward as though preparing to get up and leave. 

"I will trust you to sort that out for us, whilst I run a couple of errands." 

"You said that before," he grumbled. "What errands - exactly?" 

"Well I must find the woman - Ruby, and I must make contact with her." 

"You still have not explained, and I feel that I should know - even if it is just something... for politeness sake if nothing else." he complained resentfully. 

Celia sighed as she sat back in her chair. 

"Very well, I will tell you a little - quickly though... you remember how pale she looked?" 

He nodded slowly. "I could not tell through the orb, but she did seem... less than the woman I had saved." 

"Yes, and her aura, we should not have been able to see it, and it most certainly should not have looked the way that it did!" 

"What is her aura?" 

Celia hesitated, how best to explain? 

"It is linked to her soul, a woman of her age and probable fitness, her aura should have been strong and vibrant, and invisible... but it was not - and I believe that was why we were allowed to see it... why we were led to her in the first place... there is something very wrong here, Joshua - and Ruby is a crucial key in that - I think that she is not the only one though, that there may be more like her!" 

"You think that it could be the beginning of a sickness - or poisoning?" 

Celia shrugged. "I do not know, I would have to meet her face to face, to see her in the flesh to see what I can see." 

"And you do not want me to come along with you?" 

She smiled and patted his hand. "You are to be my secret weapon, but I must bond with her first, before her attraction to you blinds her to all else." 

* 

She walked down streets, and over a bridge, and she strolled through shops, filled with clothing. 

Celia had never in her long life shopped for clothing, and as she wandered around handling the soft materials, she gave in to temptation and purchased several items of clothing, she started in one shop, but moved happily to the next, and then the next - and then the next. 

A few hours later, she walked from a shop with two bags and a big happy grin on her face, as the warmth of the shop assistant filled her being. 

"This dress would suit your colouring beautifully," the woman had gushed. "And you have such a delightfully petite figure; you cannot go wrong with pretty dresses." 

The woman had helped Celia pick out several of those 'pretty dresses' and then had insisted on having all of Celia's bags delivered to the hotel where she was to be staying. Celia sincerely hoped that Joshua had managed to book them some rooms at the hotel, as the woman took her money and prepared to note her name and address. 

"My brother and I have just arrived in town, and I left him booking us into a hotel," she explained as she sought for the name he might have used. "Just address them to Celia," she smiled brightly. "I do so hate all the formalities that we must live by these days - don't you?" 

"Oh I do agree with you there!" the shop assistant gushed as she jotted down the hotel right under Celia's name. 

Celia left the shop a little while later having purchased more items, but leaving with less than she went in with. 

She could not bear to part with all of her new things though, and so had hung on to two of her bags - the very first purchases that she had ever made, in her long and lonely life. 

She strolled down the street with the glow of happiness still with her, and her two precious bags held tight in her fist. 

She walked along casually, until a blurring caught her eye. 

It was surrounding a woman who was walking slowly towards Celia, and Celia knew instantly who she was. 

Ruby. 

She had to make contact with this woman, had to gain her trust, and form a connection with her, but she knew that she could not use magic, not here in public in the full light of day - with people everywhere. 

She felt the nudge of the little pouch which banged against her thigh, almost as if it was shouting, 'hey remember me!' and then she remembered the powder that she had created - just before Joshua had started this quest by rescuing that woman and her family. 

Celia dipped her finger into her pouch of blue powder and rubbed it quickly into the palm of her hand. As the woman drew closer, she smiled widely at her, as though recognizing her. 

The woman blinked as she came to a halt in front of her and Celia stuck out her still glittering hand. 

"Do I know you...?" The woman asked her vaguely as she automatically put her hand into Celia's 

"Of course; I am Celia and you are Ruby..." 

"Celia?" the woman repeated dimly as Celia's palm moulded to Ruby's palm, and her fingers curled around to keep the grip tight. 

"Yes, Ruby... We met years ago... At that finishing school..." 

"Watson's, yes... Of course, we met..." 

"We met, we were friends..." 

"We were friends..?" Ruby echoed vaguely. 

Celia gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Good friends," she whispered leaning forwards, and then stepped back and released Ruby's hand. 

Ruby blinked and then a huge smile split her pretty, pale face. 

"Celia!" She exclaimed in delighted recognition. 

As Celia studied her she could see how drained she looked, as though something was slowly sucking the life right out of her. 

"We really must catch up," Celia gushed. "Let me buy you lunch?" 

Ruby smiled regretfully. "I would really have liked that but I am on my way to the hospital - to fetch my brother, who has been undergoing some tests..." 

"Well no lunch then - but certainly you have time for a cup of coffee!" 

Ruby hesitated wearily, but then she shrugged. 

"Oh why not... but it must be a quick one!" 

Celia placed the two steaming mugs down on the table, and sat down across from Ruby. 

The woman's shoulders were drooping and she looked tired out. 

"Are you ill, Ruby?" she asked not even faking her concern. 

Ruby shrugged. "I think that I've caught what my brother - Robbie had... they aren't sure what it was but I think it must be some sort of virus." 

"And how is your brother?" 

"He is okay, he was feeling better, he said yesterday, and now that he's had some rest." she smiled a little smile. "The hospital decided to keep him in for a few days whilst they ran some tests. But they all came back clear yesterday, just a little anaemia they said, and since he was feeling and looking so much better, they said that he could come home today." 

"But what about you?" Celia leaned forward and her eyes narrowed with real concern for the pale and drawn woman. 

Ruby smiled again, and a little colour came to her cheeks. "Oh I think that if I take it easy for a few days, then I will probably be fine too... and once Robbie is home - I won't have to keep rushing to and from the hospital." She patted Celia's hand. "We have staff who take care of us very well indeed, and so we are more fortunate than most - and I will be able to rest," she reassured Celia. 

"Hmm well, okay then, Ruby; but I insist on visiting you... tomorrow, to see for myself that you are being cared for." 

Again Ruby looked pleased at Celia's genuine concern for her, and more than a little surprised by it too. 

"That would be most pleasant, my dear good friend, Celia," she said warmly. 

She glanced at her watch and then sighed apologetically. "It has been lovely to see you again, and I shall look forward to you visit tomorrow - more than you can know..." She paused as she rummaged around in her handbag, and then held out a little card to Celia. "My address is on there, I hope you can call in at say... two ish - if that is convenient to you?" 

"That would be perfect." 

* 

Celia strolled back to the hotel, feeling very pleased with herself, and eager to be with Joshua again, to tell him of her morning, and explain what they needed to do... well explain most of it. 

"There you are!" he growled as he looked up and saw her standing there. 

She looked absolutely breath taking, with the sun shining on her jet black hair, adding to its lustrous glow. 

Her brown eyes were actually sparkling with excitement and there was a rosy blush to her cheeks. 

"Have you been feeding?" he demanded in a low shocked voice. 

"What?" she blinked and the sparkle left her eyes, as she sat down across from him. "Of course I have not been feeding! What on earth makes you think that?" 

Joshua scowled as he sat beck on the seat. 

He had been sitting here for more than an hour now, having booked rooms for them in this hotel, he had gone upstairs for a couple of hours, but when Celia did not return he began to fret, maybe she did not know where he would be, maybe something had happened to her? 

He came back down to the lobby area, and had purchased several newspapers to while away the time, and make him look less suspicious. 

"You look positively radiant," he accused in a low voice. 

Celia pouted, but he could see that she was pleased by his compliment too. 

But then she had spent centuries as a decrepit old hag, being shunned by everyone, and so of course she would feel flattered by any unaccustomed compliment - however unintentional it might have been. 

He realised that since they had been together, he had rarely told her how beautiful she was. 

Joshua vowed silently to himself that from now on, he would not let a day go by where he would not tell her how truly lovely she is. 

"Where have you been?" he asked now, but his tone was more curious that accusing and she responded with a little smile. 

"I needed to find the woman, to see her for myself and judge her." 

"And did you find her?" 

"Yes, eventually... it took a while though and then I had to create a bond of trust with her." 

"Is she the one then? This quest is for her?" 

Celia hesitated. "I... think that she is at the heart of it... but I sense that there are more who suffer here?" 

Joshua looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "When you say suffer - what do you mean?" 

"There is something wrong here, Joshua. Ruby, and her brother they appear to have an ailment, it is nothing severe - nothing to rouse too major a concern, but she is... out of sync with herself, her body, with her aura?" Celia shrugged her shoulders as she tried to explain. "It is not a typical illness; nor the virus which she thinks that she is suffering, it is not poisoning either... it is something else. Something almost familiar, but not quite..." she frowned in confusion of her own thoughts. 

"So what do we do now?" 

"Did you manage to book rooms for us here?" 

His lips twisted into a semblance of a smile. "Yes, that was not so difficult a task, and the rooms are more than adequate for our stay here - our separate rooms." 

She smiled gently and her eyes met his. "Good, then let me see my room, and we can talk a little freer there." 

She glanced around her casually but her sharp eyes picked out the man standing in the shadows easily enough. 

Joshua helped her out of her seat, and as he bent closer he murmured softly. "An admirer, my dear?" 

She shook her head, but did not elaborate. 

This man had been following Ruby, and after the two of them and parted, he had followed Celia back to this hotel. She did not think it was her beauty though which brought him here. 

As they were about to head for the elevators, there was a sudden commotion at the lobby desk. 

"Parcels for a Miss Celia," the heavy set man said looking at his delivery sheet. 

"They are for me!" Celia exclaimed excitedly as she remembered all the pretty clothing that she had purchased that day. 

The man turned to look at her, and his eyes dilated as he fell under her spell. 

"Well then, miss; we'll just bring them in for you," he said gruffly, as he smiled at her. 

"Oh yes, please do!" she had almost forgotten about the man in the shadows, but as she watched the delivery man march out to his van, she saw the slightest of movements in the shadows by the doors. 

Celia allowed her smile to become a little wider, and her eyes became round with vacant excitement as she gushed at the two men who came in carrying her bags. 

One was the original delivery man - who was already enthralled by her, and the other younger man quickly succumbed to the same state. 

"Oh thank you both - so much... Joshua - my dear brother, please can you give these fine gentleman a token of our gratitude." 

Joshua stepped in front of her, and held out a couple of notes. 

"Thank you both for taking such good care of my sister's things... I will take them from you now." 

As the two of them walked towards the elevator, Celia could feel the cold malevolent eyes boring a hole in between her shoulder blades. 

She did not know who he might be, but he did not mean her well - of that she was sure!



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 05



"What are all these?" Joshua snapped as he dropped the bags and parcels down onto her bed. 

"Well I had to do something, whilst I was waiting to run into Ruby," she pouted defensively. 

"Yes? Well it certainly looks like you did it – enthusiastically." 

"Yes, I did... oh Joshua I have never had so much fun in all of my long life!" her eyes shone as she looked at him, and he could see the wonder that she had felt, at such a simple pleasure. 

He smiled indulgently. "Well then you have certainly waited long enough, and I am sure that you deserved every last bit – of whatever it is that you bought... what is it?" 

She giggled like a young girl. "Clothes, Joshua. Dresses and skirts and tops, and oh pretty shoes, and the women who sold them to me were so nice, so kind and complimentary of my figure and my face." 

"Yes, I bet they were," Joshua muttered under his breath, but he would not spoil her mood for her, and so he grinned. "So do I get to see any of your purchases... preferably with you inside them!" 

** 

Celia's room was more of a suite of rooms, with a small living type area. 

She made Joshua sit on the little sofa, as she skipped into the bedroom, to fling on dresses and skirts and tops, and shoes, and then skipped back out trying to look as elegant, and mysterious as possible, but only managing to look innocent and endearing to Joshua, as her joy and excitement bubbled out of her with each new outfit. 

"Isn't this so lovely," she sighed as she stroked the light fabric of the summer dress. "The shop lady assured me that this deep blue colour would do wonders for my eyes..." she blinked uncertainly, "Although since my eyes are brown I am not sure..." 

"Oh but she was so right, Celia!" Joshua leaned forward so that he could see her better still. "That dress – that colour, it is as if it was made especially for you!" 

Of course such flattery was indeed deserving of a reward, but even as she stepped closer to Joshua, he held up his hand. 

"No," he said softly. "if we are to pass as brother and sister, then there must be no hint of intimacy between us." 

She glanced around her pointedly, and held out her hands. "but who could see us here? Who would know, Joshua?" she ached for him at that moment as she felt for the first time in her long and lonely life that she could actually be attractive, be loveable – not the blind adoration of their sire – apprentice, bond; but something on a purely physical level as well, it called out to the long dormant feminine side of her nature. 

"We must live as you have described us – if we are to make others believe it," Joshua insisted stubbornly. 

Celia narrowed her eyes, as she stepped closer, and her hand came up to the straps of her dress, slowly she allowed them to slide down her arms. 

"Maybe I could change your mind?" she challenged huskily. 

Joshua's eyes glazed over silver, and she saw how his nostrils flared, and his lips parted. 

He was half way to standing, and she could not resist her little growl of satisfaction as she saw him surrendering to her allure. 

Suddenly his blinked, and fell back with a shake of his head. "Witch!" he snapped as he held out his hand in a defensive manner. "I said no, we cannot do this – not until our quest is fulfilled!" 

"But why!" she cried out as the dull ache of unfulfilled lust settled low in her stomach. 

Joshua stood up and turned away so that he would not have to look at her. "Because soon, you may belong to another, and I will not be able to bear it, if I feel that you are mine still." 

His gravelly voice was thick with suppressed emotion, and with a little start, Celia realised that Joshua understood, he knew what would be required of them both, and although he was resigned to it, she could see that it cut him deep too. 

"Oh my poor Joshua," she crooned as she reached up to cup his face and stare deep into his silver coloured eyes. "I will always be yours in the end, my love... whatever we do – either of us, I will always leave with you!" 

Joshua sighed and slowly the silver began to break up and fade. He blinked and his blue eyes stared down at her. 

"Then I suppose that will have to be enough... for now." 

The note of warning was loud and clear, but Celia guessed that it was not for her benefit, but for those unseen watchers who nudged them along on these quests, of their choosing. 

She understood and sympathised with Joshua's frustration that their life could not be their own, but she knew that her power was gifted to her, and that with that power came conditions, and responsibility. 

"But why is it always us who has to do these things?" Joshua demanded suddenly as though reading her thoughts. 

She smiled gently up at him. "Because who else could do them, my dearest?" 

** 

The next day Celia prepared herself for her visit with Ruby. 

She slipped on another of the pretty dresses, and because the afternoon had clouded over, she draped a gossamer thin shawl across her shoulders, the silver colour of the shawl offset the deep rosy pink of the dress beautifully, and of course the shimmery silver colour reminded her of Joshua's eyes, whenever he looked at her. 

She hugged the fabric closer, and closed her own eyes, as she imagined it was Joshua's arms around her, and then opened them and turned to look into the full length mirror. 

Of course a vampire casts no reflection, not even the clothes that she wore, and so she could not admire her beauty in them, only saw them in her mind's eye, as she had laid them out on her bed. 

She curled a lip, and then in a little burst of defiance she muttered a few words. 

The mirror misted over, and then slowly cleared, and there stood Celia, in all her finery. 

She smiled dreamily as she saw for the first time, the beautiful woman that she had become. 

Even the white swathe of hair seemed to contrast delightfully with the jet black of her hair, and her eyes were a soft dreamy brown, that were enhanced by the beauty of her outfit. 

She stood smiling at her own refection, and waited for the wave of fatigue to fade, along with those white strands. 

The door behind her opened, and she turned to smile at Joshua as he stepped into her room. 

"Celia..." 

He stood perfectly still for a moment, as he gazed at her sheer perfection, and Celia waited impatiently, anticipating his glowing testaments of her sheer beauty. 

Finally it seemed that he had gazed enough, and he blinked suddenly and the silver cast to his eyes slowly diminished. 

He gazed at her, and then he registered the secondary Celia, gazing back at him from the mirror. 

"How?" he stammered. "How are you able to appear there?" 

She smiled guardedly at him. "I wanted to see, even if just the once," she whispered. 

Joshua reached out a hand and slowly slid it down the mirror, as if he was stroking Celia herself, and she shuddered in response. 

"Can you do it for us both?" he asked absently. "Can you tie it off so that it will always be like it?" 

Celia hesitated. If they were to act as humans, then surely it would be useful to be as much like humans as they could – complete with reflections? 

She lifted her hand and muttered her spell again, but this time she tapped Joshua's arm as she recited, and finished with a fist snapped shut, as her fingers pulled tight into the palm of her hand. 

The mirror misted over, then cleared again, and there she stood beside her beloved, handsome Joshua. Her eyes were brown and her hair was sheer black. 

There were not shadows beneath her eyes, no grey strands, and no feelings of fatigue. 

It seemed that 'they' agreed too, that reflections could prove useful; since they had not demanded a payment for her use of magic. 

But she knew that it was a one off, that they would not let her go around casting whenever she felt like it. 

"My powder," Celia exclaimed as the thought came to her. She spun around to find her purse, and then shifted the contents from it to her new purse, one that matched exactly, the pale colour of her shoes. 

The little velvet pouch was the first item she put in it, and so it now nestled at the bottom of her bag, buried by her coin purse, and a comb; and she felt complete and ready to face the world again. 

She knew that if anyone was to look closely at her, then all that they would see an ordinary young woman, true a beautiful woman, but mortal and unthreatening and so easily dismissed. 

"I have to go out, my dear; but I will be back soon enough." 

Joshua scowled. "And where are you going now?" he snapped. 

"I have a date... with Ruby." she smiled playfully as he tensed and then relaxed; and she reached up to pat his cheek gently. "I have to deepen the bond I created yesterday, I have to get close, and then closer still." 

"And where do I come in to all of this?" 

"I shall tell her about you this afternoon, I shall try to arrange for the two of you to meet." 

"Very well," he nodded in resignation. "Let's get started with this quest, and get it fulfilled as quickly as possible." 

He glanced around at the masses of parcels and bags and clothes. 

"I guess I could do with a change or two of clothing as well," he murmured absently. 

"Yes, and see if you can pick up some luggage as well while you are at it." 

"Very well, Celia; but be careful with your tongue my dear for you are in danger of turning into a bit of an old nag!" 

They walked together from the rooms and across to the elevator, and although she was a little peeved at his comment, and would have liked to indulged in a little hostile silence; she was not sure how to get to Ruby in the real world. 

"I only have one more problem," Celia suddenly said doubtfully as the little tin box carried them down to the ground floor. 

"Oh, what's that?" 

She held out the small embossed card that Ruby had given to her. "I don't know how to get here." 

Joshua read the card quickly and then handed it back as the doors opened to the elevator. 

He took her elbow and let her out to the pavement, and then he waved at a passing taxi. 

The taxi pulled in and then backed up so that it was right beside them, and Joshua opened the door to help her inside. "Just ask Ruby to call for a taxi to bring you back, and tell them the name of this hotel," he whispered to her. 

Then he stepped up to the driver and handed him a couple of notes. 

He told him the address that Celia wanted to go to, and the driver grinned through the mirror at her. 

"Right you are love, we'll be there in about twenty minutes." he told her with cheerful wink. 

She could see Joshua watching her as the car carried her away, and she turned back to wave to him. 

He was so careful of her, so thoughtful and caring, and just like Joshua, she would be glad when this quest was over, so that they could go back to their life together. 

* 

The drive was a pleasant drive, the first of Celia's life if the truth was known, but she could not shake the sense of unease at she looked up at the clouds boiling across the sky, and joining together, to blot out any blue; there was just something about it that was not right, something about it that set Celia's nerves on edge? 

The house that the taxi took her to was set in its own grounds, which was accessed by going through two high and spiked metal gates. 

A short drive down a tree lined driveway, and the house came into view. 

It was a large sprawling affair with windows everywhere, glistening darkly in the muted afternoon sunlight, and with an air of sleepy austerity to it; a house that had once known grandeur and splendour but was now falling into decline. 

It was like a great big bug, squatting in the grounds, and with a million black eyes glaring out at anyone who thought to trespass. 

Celia could almost feel the slow loss of hope in this place; it was almost as if it coated everything, the walls, the windows, the roof. 

It would have crept up on the inhabitants, so that they would not even have been aware of it, slowly draining away their hope, and their fight. 

She did not see how anyone could live in such a tragic building and remain positive. 

It was its own trap, making it so that the people would never want to leave... for what would be the point, there was nowhere else for them to go. 

Her mouth dropped open slightly, as she allowed the sense of despair to wash over her, and tears welled up into her eyes, even as her had slipped into her bag, and her fingers dipped into the velvet pouch. 

"Are you sure this is the place that you want to be, love?" the taxi driver muttered suddenly. 

Celia could see his shoulders drooping and his friendly smile had been wiped away, as she caught his eye in his rear view mirror. 

"It's going to be all right," Celia rubbed some of the blue power between her fingers, as she fixed onto his eyes and whispered again. "It's going to be all right." 

His pupils dilated, and then snapped back to reveal a clear blue gaze, and his shoulders went back, and he gave a little sigh of relief, but then his brow furrowed slightly in confusion over his unexpected shift in emotions. 

He frowned and then grinned with a little confused shake of his head. 

"Here you are then, love," he said cheerfully as he pulled the car to a halt in front of the large heavy doors. 

He climbed out of the car and opened her door, to help her out of his taxi. 

The doors to the house opened and a plain suited man stepped out onto the cobbled driveway. 

"Thank you," Celia smiled up at the taxi driver, as the servant, butler – whoever, waited patiently for her to identify herself. 

"Shall I wait for you, love?" the driver asked in low almost anxious voice. 

"No, thank you, but could you come back for me at say four o'clock?" 

He grinned in delight. "It'll be my pleasure, my love." 

Celia smiled up at him, and then stepped back, to turn to the waiting man. 

"I am here to see, Miss Ruby Carnegie - my name is Celia Stevens, and she is expecting me," Celia told him calmly. 

The man began to give a half bow, but froze as Celia's brown eyes latched on to his. 

"Miss Celia, to see Miss Ruby" he said absently. 

"Yes, that's right, she rubbed the residue of blue powder between her fingers again, "Is that all right, is it going to be all right..." she smiled again. "Will it be all right... It will be all right?" 

He blinked, and his stiff shoulders seemed to relax a little. "Yes, miss I believe that it will be all right." 

His words simply said, suddenly held a note of such hope, and the clouds that had been boiling up all morning, seemed to suddenly part, and a ray of sunshine found its way down to shine upon the driveway where they stood. 

** 

Celia heard the taxi driving away as she stepped into the house. 

"If you would like to wait here, I will tell Miss Ruby that you are here." 

"Thank you," Celia smiled gratefully, and the man's lips tilted at the corners, ever so slightly, but it was almost a smile back. 

While she waited, Celia stood looking around her casually, and drawing in the cold sense of doom. The hallway was a large semi circle with a grand looking stairway directly in front of her. 

It swept up to a small landing area, where it branched off, with one set of stairs heading up to the left, and the other to the right. 

It was a big house with signs of the living coming back to her with the sound of voices, muted and whispering, and the tread of footsteps, or the thud of a door, or furniture being moved about. 

The disembodied noises could have seemed ghostly, and had Celia been a normal mortal woman, she would have felt the shiver of fear down her spine. 

But she was not normal nor was she mortal, and as she closed her eyes and rubbed the last specks of the blue powder between her fingers, she allowed her other senses to pick out the natural from the supernatural... and there was an abundance of both in this old house.



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 06



"Miss Ruby is waiting to greet you in the drawing room, Miss - if you would just like to follow me," he gave a polite little bow as he spoke. 

"Yes, of course, thank you... but do you have a name?" Celia asked in a light casual tone. 

"Yes, miss; I'm called Thom by all and everyone, and I am Miss Ruby and Master Robert's butler... and head of their household," he added a little proudly. 

"Very well then, lead on please, Thom," she laughed in the same light tone that she spoke with, and was pleased with his response to the vibes that she was sending out. 

His lips twitched as he turned to escort her to his mistress's presence and his shoulders went back a little as though some sort of weight had been lifted from him. 

* 

Ruby was sitting in a big overstuffed armchair, with one leg curled beneath her and the other dangling down. 

She was leafing through a magazine, and her ankle was twirling as she flicked the page. 

She threw it down though and came to her feet as Celia stepped into the room. 

"Celia!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to her. "My dear good friend, how kind of you to visit me!" 

Her eyes still looked tired with deep shadows beneath them, and although her action of rushing across the room had brought some colour to her cheeks, it was already fading, and leaving a sickly pallor to her complexion. 

Celia frowned in concern as Ruby's thin arms engulfed her in a warm hug. 

"How are you, Ruby?" Celia asked softly. "You still look so pale, my dear." 

Ruby looked across at Thom. "Please could you arrange some refreshments for us?" 

"Of course, miss Ruby," Thom half bowed and left the room quietly. 

"Come and sit down, Celia, and then we can have a nice long chat!" 

** 

At some prompting from Ruby, Celia reluctantly began to tell her of her life... a life that was entirely fictional, but as she rubbed her fingers, the images and words came to her easily enough. 

"And so my brother - Joshua, and I have come to stay," she said as she sipped at the tea, which Thom has poured for them both. "Although since we are not sure how long we will be here for, we thought it better to stay at a hotel, rather than search for a place to rent." She allowed her nose to wrinkle at the thought, and Ruby leaned forward. 

"But you cannot live in a hotel!" she protested. "You may find yourself staying here for months, and a hotel could never be a home for anyone." 

"No, I do agree with you," Celia sighed. "But then I do not wish to go to the trouble of moving in to a place, and turning it into a home, only to have to leave it again." 

"Yes, I see what you mean there, moving can be truly exhausting, so to go through all that, only to have to move again..." 

Ruby sat sipping at her own tea thoughtfully, and Celia decided to leave the conversation there for now, and move on to other topics. 

"How is your brother - Robert doing?" she asked. "Is he home from the hospital?" 

"What? Oh yes, he came home yesterday, and after a full night's sleep he got up early this morning and went out." Ruby sounded almost forlorn, and Celia wondered if she was feeling lonely. 

She smiled across at Ruby, and leaned forward to pat her hand. 

"I am sure that everything will turn out all right in the end," she whispered confidently. 

Ruby's eyes filled with tears. "Do you? Oh I wish that I could feel that way!" 

Suddenly there was the sound of voices somewhere close by, and Ruby shot to her feet. 

"Oh please excuse me for a moment, Celia." 

Left alone in the room, Celia, took the opportunity to open her bag, and quickly dipped her fingers in to the velvet pouch. 

She rubbed the powder into her fingertips, and felt the tingling of its energy, and as she rubbed her fingers together, she whispered. "Bring sunshine to this room, always sunshine in this room, golden happiness and safety to this room." 

She felt some of the powder evaporate, and as the door opened she rubbed the last residues into her palm. 

"Robbie, do come and say hello to my good friend, Celia!" Ruby was saying energetically. 

The man, who entered, was tall with broad shoulders, and very good looking. 

But he looked bad tempered and a little intimidating. 

"Oh very well, Ruby; but it must be quick - I have no time for your socialising." 

He seemed to hesitate as he stepped over the threshold and into the room fully, but only for a moment, as he strode forcefully across to where Celia sat. 

She felt a little rush of fear as a memory of another big man standing over her, stirred in her mind. 

"Hello, I'm Ruby's brother, Robert - how do you do." he was all polite impatience, as he held out his hand to her, and as Celia's hand disappeared into his, she looked up at him for the first time. 

Their eyes met and locked and she heard his quick indrawn breath as her powder coated palm touched and welded to his palm. 

"Hello, I am Celia, it is very nice to meet you," she said softly - almost shyly. 

He slowly sank down onto the sofa beside her, but he still kept his hand wrapped around hers. 

"I think that I can stay for a cup of coffee, Ruby." he said pointedly to his sister without even bothering to look at her. 

"Very well, Robbie; I'll ask Thom to organise a fresh tray for us." 

Robert's eyes were still fixed on Celia's, and Celia could feel the powder transferring from her palm, into his. 

She smiled at him suddenly, and tugged at her hand, and Robert blinked. 

"Could I have my hand back, please?" she said with a teasing little smile. 

"What? Oh yes, of course, I'm so sorry." he stuttered and stammered in confusion, as he released her hand and sat back a little. 

Ruby came back into the room, and with a happy sigh she sat down in her chair again. 

"I am so happy that you two are getting on so well!" she exclaimed. 

Robert looked across at her with a little scowl. "I wouldn't go that far exactly, we have after all, only just this second met!" 

"But sometimes it only takes a second," Ruby murmured lightly. 

Celia was aware of Robert continually wiping his hand down his trouser leg, as though he could feel something on it. 

She hid a little smile of satisfaction; the powder was deep within his pores, and already surging through his system, and so no amount of rubbing or washing would be able to erase it now. 

She picked up the fresh cup of tea which Thom had brought in a moment ago, and as she held the cup to her lips, she felt the last essence of the powder in the palm of her free hand, and clenched her fingers into a fist around it. 

"You are at peace with the world, you are open to all good things, and any happiness that might come along... for you or your sister, you shall grasp it with firm hands." 

She whispered the words so softly from behind her cup, that there was no possibility of either of them hearing her. 

But it was as though they both froze for a moment, and she saw the way their shoulders relaxed almost in unison. 

Ruby gave a little sigh, almost of relief, and Robert sat back in his chair and crossed one long leg over the other. 

"You know, Ruby," Robert said thoughtfully. "This place seems to have been stuck in the dark ages... maybe we should try changing that...We could think about having a party, Ruby... do something to brighten this place up maybe?" 

"Oh, Robbie; I think that would be a simply wonderful idea!" Ruby was sitting forward in her chair, and her pale blue eyes were alive with excitement. 

Celia smiled behind her cup. The spell she had cast upon this room was doing its job, and she just knew that Ruby would feel drawn here, and that would give her time to absorb its strength. And the spell which she had woven around Robert was just as subtle but life changing as well. 

She felt almost as though she could leave this place and these people to pick up the pieces of their lives without further interference from her and Joshua. 

The image of a cloud, dark and menacing flashed through her mind, and a shadow came to the room, causing them all to shiver - even Celia gave a little shudder even though she was not susceptible to temperature changes. 

No, whatever the cause of the problems here, Celia had not resolved that, she had merely patched over some of their hurts. 

Ruby turned to look at her now, almost as though Celia had spoken. 

"Celia, do you think that you could come and help me with organising things?" she asked almost wistfully. 

Celia blinked at her. What on earth did she know about parties? About socialising and organising? 

"Yes, of course, anything that I can do to help." 

Robert was staring at her and Celia felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach. She knew that he desired her, that with very little encouragement they could become lovers, but aside from Joshua, Celia had no experience of men, and courtships. 

She was a centuries old witch, and newly created vampire, but at this moment she felt just like the thing she that was trying to portray; an innocent young woman. 

"I am not sure what your plans are for the immediate future," he said slowly, speculatively. "But maybe you could come and stay here for a while, so that you are conveniently on hand... for Ruby of course." 

Celia had an unsettling notion that that was not exactly what he meant, but this was the aim of their plan after all - to get closer to these people, and it was almost being handed to her on a plate. 

She shook her head regretfully. "I am here with my brother - and I could not just abandon him." 

"Your brother you say... well he could come too - if he pleases; this place is more than big enough to accommodate the two of you." 

"Oh I say; what a simply wonderful idea!" Ruby exclaimed in delight. She leaned forward to clutch at Celia's hands. "Oh do say that you will... we could have such fun together - like sisters!" 

** 

"We now have a place to stay!" Celia announced triumphantly. 

Joshua looked at her smug smile, and raised his brow. "I thought that we were staying at this hotel?" 

"Yes we were going to, but I went to visit with my dear friend Ruby, who insisted that we stay with her and her brother... We are welcome to stay for as long as we like, she said." 

Joshua stared into her golden eyes. "And of course there is no other reason for us to stay with them?" 

She looked away almost awkwardly. "You know that there is..." her eyes met his again and she was begging him to understand. "You should see them, Joshua! Their home, their staff, they're all trapped!" 

It took some more explaining and begging, but in the end, Joshua - reluctantly agreed. 

"Did you manage to acquire us some luggage?" Celia asked, and was pleased when he nodded. 

"Of course it was a fairly simple task, and well within my abilities. I even managed to find some clothing for myself and toiletries too." 

"Toiletries? What are those?" Celia asked curiously. 

Joshua looked at her in surprise for a moment, and then he tipped back his head and laughed. 

"Oh my dear love!" he exclaimed. "We do really need to complete your human education - before we can let you loose on them." 

** 

"I told her that we would arrive by eight - ish," Celia said as she sniffed at her wrist again, and her nose wrinkled. 

"Well, we are all packed up, and if you can stop with the sniffing of your perfume, then we are ready to go." 

"It tingles," she complained. "I just want to wipe it off." 

"It should be dry by now, and you will get used to it - if you try not to think about it too much." 

"But what about these other things?" she held up the cosmetic bag, which contained things called, eye shadow, and mascara, and blusher? 

Joshua sighed as he sat down beside her. "The modern woman likes to make the very best of herself, she wants to look as beautiful as she can, and so she uses these things - or things like these, to help accentuate her features." 

"But how, what do they do?" 

"Here, come and sit in front of the mirror, and I will show you." 

He tipped the contents of the bag, onto the dressing table, and then squatted down next to her, as Celia looked at her reflection. 

"It's useful that you gave us reflections," he muttered, as he picked up a little container called blusher and gave it to her. 

"Now you dip the brush into the powder... yes like that, and then dab it up and across your cheekbones... yes that's right, just like that..." 

Celia sat looking at her colourful reflection, and then her eyes slid across to Joshua's reflection. 

"I do look rather nice - don't I?" 

He smiled at her. "Yes, you look lovely, Celia." 

She frowned curiously. "How do you know so much about this?" 

His smile turned almost apologetic. "I had a penchant for lovely young women. I would watch as they prepared for an evening out, and how they would spend time in front of mirrors, doing their hair and their... 'make up', they called it." 

He stood up suddenly and turned away from her. "I would imagine that they were making themselves beautiful for me, and that they would welcome my attentions." 

"And did they? Did they welcome your attentions?" 

Joshua sighed. "Oh yes, they were so eager, so willing, it was almost impossible to resist, and so I did not even try." 

"But you did not hurt them... not too much? You did not kill them - did you, Joshua?" 

Celia was looking at him with suspicion on her exquisite features, and Joshua found himself stepping back. 

"No, of course I didn't," he protested. "There are rules about things like that, even though some choose to ignore it. I never cared for that sort of thing; I never cared for terror and gore." 

She smiled in relief, and she opened up her fists which Joshua suddenly realised she had clenched into tight balls. 

"No, of course you would not have," she smiled gently and stepped towards him. 

"Remember we are brother and sister," he said warningly and held up a hand as though to stop her. 

She stopped and then sighed. "Yes, we are, aren't we?" 

Joshua leaned forward "I am not going anywhere though, until you tell me our purpose in going." 

Celia pouted and he could almost hear her thought process. What to tell him? Not everything - not yet, but enough to convince him to comply. Suddenly she fixed her golden eyed stare onto him, and he felt his willpower begin to dissolve. 

"You have come with me this far, my love. Please will you just trust me to go a little further... to see this thing through with them?" 

He sat down but continued to watch her thoughtfully. 

"We are brother and sister - they are sister and brother... are we to become lovers to these people?" 

She pouted again. "It is a lot to ask and they many not even want us in that way..." she could not meet his eye on that point since she knew that she had already succeeded with Robert. 

Joshua cut off her thoughts with a sharp laugh, as he leaned closer again, and spoke in a low voice. 

"We are vampires; seductive and irresistible come with the package." 

"That is the hope," Celia replied. "We need them to open up to us, to trust us implicitly; we must become intimate with them. But we cannot reveal ourselves, my love; we cannot risk exposure!" 

"If I am to take this woman as my lover, I will not be able to resist feeding, and you will discover this too - if you take this man to your bed."



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 07



Celia stood tapping her foot as she thought about their instincts. Whilst she had always been a master at self control -- no matter what the provocation, she knew that the vampire inside her was not so passive, and she remembered a time when it had taken control of her in its need to feed, when she had almost caused the death of an innocent... 

"I have already put our alter egos to sleep for short periods," she said thoughtfully, "and the sunshine threat has been neutralised..." 

She snapped her fingers and then began to chant. 

"We are peaceful humans, we are flesh and blood, we live we breath, we laugh we weep." 

Joshua saw the white appearing in Celia's hair, and felt a strange swelling sensation deep inside him, and his eyes filled with tears, and the colour rushed to his cheeks. 

Suddenly the urge became just too much to bear, and he took a deep shuddering breath of air, into his now functioning lungs. 

Celia fell to her knees as she also drew in deep shuddering breaths, and the tears streamed down her own red cheeks. 

For long moments all the two of them could do was to take long deep gasps of air, until their bodies adjusted and slowly calmed. 

Celia was still relatively new to the vampire world, and so her body adjusted back to the living, faster than Joshua's. 

She slowly stood up and staggered across the room to him, and then sank down beside him, and began to slowly and gently rub his back. 

"There my lovely," she crooned softly, "Easy my love, breathe easy." 

Joshua could feel the heat from her hand as it sank through his clothes and into his flesh. The heat soothed and relaxed his muscles immediately, and his laboured breathing finally began to ease. 

He slowly pulled himself to his feet, and staggered across the room, to gaze into the mirror. 

"What have you done to us?" he whispered huskily as he studied his flushed face, and watched the reflexive rise and fall of his chest. It was a strange thing for him, almost as though that person in the mirror was someone else entirely; that what was happening to the person standing in front of him was not actually happening to him. 

Celia came and stood beside him, and smiled at his reflection. 

"I have put our vampire beings into a deep slumber," she told the man in the mirror. "They will sleep long and deep and not tempt us with their vampire urges. 

"And so we have become human again?" 

He sounded almost hopeful, and Celia sighed regretfully. "No we can never be human again; our bodies have gone through too much to ever be able to go back. But for a little while we can live and be as human as the next person. 

He took a last lingering look at his reflection. As a vampire he had always known that he was handsome -- or beautiful, and seductive to his prey. But as a vampire he had never been able to see his own reflection, so he never knew exactly what he looked like. 

His medium length, jet black hair was swept back and pressed to his scalp, to hang down almost to his shoulders. His grey eyes were a striking contrast to that black hair, but without the metallic silver blue of the vampire, he looked more -- human. 

His dead pale skin was now a pinkish colour, and his face was not quite so hollow looking, almost as though his cheeks had filled out a little. 

He looked healthy, he looked like a man -- a normal handsome man, standing tall and proud beside a beautiful -- but petite woman. 

Celia had long -- very long black hair, pretty much the exact shade of his, but her eyes were brown, and she was so tiny against him. 

Superficially they looked nothing alike. But the vampire and witch in each of them gave the two of them a bearing; a similarity in the way that they acted and reacted, the way that they looked out at the world; that could be mistaken for genetic likeness. 

Yes they would pass as brother and sister, and Joshua would seduce this Ruby woman, and her brother would take Celia as his lover... 

"Shall we get this over with then," he said brusquely. 

Celia nodded. "Yes, let us go and stay with Ruby and her brother, and let us see what fate has in store for all of us." 

** 

It was the same taxi which took them both back to Ruby's home, and it was the same taxi driver. 

"Well good evening to you folks!" he grinned as he climbed behind the steering wheel, after helping Joshua to load their luggage into the boot of the car. "So where will I be taking you this time?" 

Celia smiled into his rear view mirror and their eyes met for a moment. "Back to my friends house again, if you would be so kind." 

His narrowed momentarily as though he was worried. "Right you are miss," he sighed and switched on the engine. 

Celia sat back beside Joshua in the back of the taxi and the two of them enjoyed the ride -- if not the reasons for doing it. 

** 

The taxi came to halt on the driveway in front of the house, and as Joshua helped Celia out of the car the double front door opened and a young woman came rushing out. 

"I've been watching out for you!" she cried out excitedly as she dashed across to Celia. 

Celia smiled at Ruby. "I am here, just as I said that I would, and now, Ruby I should like to introduce you to my brother, Joshua." 

Ruby had kept her eyes on Celia, but now she shyly looked behind her to the man standing tall and silent, and Celia watched with satisfaction, as Ruby's eyes dilated, and her mouth fell open a little. 

"And Joshua, this is my very good friend -- Ruby." 

Joshua hesitated only briefly, before smiling at Ruby. "I am very pleased to meet -- at last, such a good friend of my sister," he said lightly. 

Ruby blushed under his bright eyed gaze, and Celia knew that she was already succumbing to his charm and seduction -- to his very physical attraction. 

She smiled slightly, if things continued in this way, they could be done and finished within a few days! 

** 

"These are to be your rooms, whilst you stay with us," Ruby showed Celia into a large bedroom, with an adjoining bathroom, and it's own small sitting room, as well as what looked like a small balcony, which could be reached via a pair of large glass doors. "I hope that you will be comfortable here, and that you will treat this place as your home," she said warmly. 

"Oh I am sure that I will be quite happy here, Ruby and thank you so much for your kindness to me and my brother... and speaking of Joshua, where will he be staying?" 

Thom had been instructed to show Joshua to his room, whilst Ruby took care of Celia. Of Robert, there was no sign of him at the moment. 

Ruby blushed a rosy red, and her eyes fell away from Celia as though she was feeling awkward about something. 

"We wanted you both to have the best guest rooms here, but to do that we had to put you on opposite sides of the house." 

"Oh," Celia nodded. 

She strolled around the room and then turned to look at Ruby. 

"Where is your room, Ruby," she asked casually, and then smiled playfully. "In case I fancy a girly chat or something!" 

Ruby looked even more awkward for a moment, and then she laughed. "I am afraid that I am on the other side of the house, but you are more than welcome to visit... although if it is just something that you might need, then my brother, Robert is closer at hand -- since his room is just down this corridor." 

Celia did not want Ruby to feel too awkward, she certainly did not want her to change the situation, since it seemed to be perfect for their plans, and so she simply smiled at the woman, and then deftly changed the topic of conversation, to the weather -- the unseasonable chill, which seemed to be creeping around, just waiting to embrace a person. 

"Yes those clouds too, they seemed to want to suck all the joy out of life," Ruby gave a little shiver, as they stood on Celia's little balcony and they both looked up at the dull grey sky as the clouds boiled together to blot out any blue at all. 

"Oh well, I am sure that it won't last," Celia said brightly as she led the other woman back inside. "And now I think that I should start to unpack," she said lightly as she chased away those sombre feelings that seemed to threatened to overwhelm the other woman on occasion. 

Ruby helped her to put away her clothing, but left her shortly after, with the promise to come back in an hour and take her down to dinner. 

"You'll want to freshen up first and settle in," she smiled. 

Left alone, Celia wandered around the room, before stepping out onto the balcony again, she frowned at the trees just below her windows, for a moment there she could have sworn that someone had stirred, a figure who twitched out of sight as her eyes fell on the space. 

She sighed as she stared hard but saw nothing, and then looked away, looked up to the clouds. 

The sun was low in the sky by now, and those clouds that had been forming all day, actually seemed to be thinning a little, although not by much. 

Celia scowled up at those grey clouds; there was just something -- off about them, something not quite natural. 

She leaned against the rail, and closed her eyes. 

"Joshua," she called out silently. 

There was a moment of deathly silence a hollow emptiness, and then she felt a rushing sensation and then a presence. 

"I'm here." 

It was almost as though he was standing in front of her, although she knew that if she opened her eyes he would not be there. 

"What do you want?" 

She scowled. "I just wanted to check that everything was alright for you," she said a little petulantly. 

He was silent for a moment. 

"Joshua?" 

"Celia, there is someone at the door; it's your woman Ruby... I have to see her -- to begin what we have come here for." 

Celia sighed. "Very well, Joshua; but go easy with her, I think that she is most fragile right now." 

There was a rushing sound in her ears, and she knew that Joshua had closed himself off to her. 

"Oh well," she sighed in resignation. He was right of course, this was why they were here at all, but still it grated that this woman was alone with her Joshua, and she did not even have to guess at what they might be doing, because she actually knew. 

She gave a discontented little shrug and stepped back into her room. 

Robert was in the main doorway, lounging against it as though he had been there for some time. 

"I came to ensure that you had everything that you might need, but you looked so lost out there... so earnest, almost as though you were communicating with someone?" 

Celia smiled awkwardly. 

"It's a form of mental yoga, I do it to rid myself of the day's events; so that they do not come back to haunt my dreams." 

Robert stepped into the room and his brown eyes lit up with interest. "Is that something that you could teach to me, do you think?" 

He sounded almost desperate, and as Celia studied him, she saw the shadows beneath his eyes. She had supposed that it had been a result of his illness, but now she wondered if perhaps... 

"Do you suffer bad dreams, Robert?" she asked gently. 

He blinked and his lids dropped over his eyes, as if he sought to shield his thoughts. 

"Not bad... damn right evil," he said lightly, almost whimsically, as though he was joking. 

Celia was not fooled though, she had seen his pain now, and like a bloodhound she was on the scent of her prey. 

She stepped closer to him, and held out a hand. 

"I was once told that my hands could be therapeutic -- I used to massage a friend who suffered back and neck problems," she explained, as the images ran through her mind, producing a story before she was even aware that she needed one. "Gavin suffered such headaches, and I sought to help by easing some of the tensions..." she smiled. "He said that he thought that my hands were that of an angel." 

Robert frowned. "I don't think a massage would rid me of my demons," he muttered sourly. 

Celia shrugged, and a feeling of warmth swelled inside her. "It might not help, but it certainly would not harm you in any way... it might not help, but you might actually enjoy the experience... it might not help but would could it hurt you to try?" 

Her voice was soft and rhythmic, as she repeated herself several times, and she saw as his jaw slackened and his shoulders slumped. 

She brushed her fingers through her mass of black hair, and wiped away the white that had appeared. She had not got her blue powder on her at the moment, and since they were alone, then she could risk a little magic, he would not have seen, and by the time that she was done he would hardly remember... well not the details anyway -- just a few sensations, an emotion or two perhaps.



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 08



"Why don't you take off your shirt, and come and sit in this chair?" Celia suggested huskily. 

Robert blinked a couple of times, and then he blinked quickly several more times - as though he was trying to clear something out of his eyes. 

"Yes..." he said slowly, "that sounds like a very - sensible idea..." 

"Yes it does, doesn't it," Celia soothed as she stretched up to begin unfastening the buttons on his shirt. 

Robert shrugged his broad shoulders and the shirt slid from his frame, and Celia stepped back clutching at the garment. 

"You just sit in that chair, and I will be right with you," she instructed him firmly, and she was pleased when he sank wearily down into the chair without any further comment or thought it seemed. 

It seemed as though he was in some sort of a trance, as he simply allowed her to think for him, and was prepared to just follow her instructions. 

She went and stood behind him, and her head was only a little higher than his, even though he was sitting and she was standing. 

She raised her hands and let them hover over his shoulders for a moment, as she closed her eyes, and allowed the warmth to flood her being once more. 

She did not release the energy though, because she needed to be gentle and discreet. 

She allowed the heat to warm her hands, and then very slowly dropped them onto his shoulders. 

Robert groaned, and he sagged in the chair. 

Ever so slowly, she released the power, allowing it to caress the man in front her, rather than flooding him. 

"Tell me of your dreams," she whispered huskily as she gently dug her fingers into his flesh. 

"I... I... don't want to think of them right now," he stuttered. 

She allowed her fingers to dig a little deeper. 

"Tell me of your dreams," she said again in a firmer tone. 

"I... I... should not... I... am not... I cannot tell you," he stuttered again. 

Her fingers dug deeper and she released more of the energy, as she leaned closer and whispered in his ear. 

"Tell me of your dreams... please." 

His shoulders sagged further, and his head hung as though he was weary. 

"They visit me some times... they come to me at night..." 

She released a little more power. "Who? Who comes to you?" 

He was silent and so she released some more of the power into him. 

"Tell me." 

"They come in the darkness... the monsters come... they surround me, they hold me down, and they wait until he comes, the evil one, the one whom I belong to." 

"And what does he want with you?" Celia asked as her fingers kneaded at the knots in his shoulders. 

"He... he said that I am his, that he had waited a long time for me," he gave a hoarse little groan and then a whimper. "He... had long sharp teeth... the biggest teeth that I have ever seen; he dug them into my flesh..." 

He rubbed absently at a spot just behind his ear, and Celia pressed her fingertips to that spot. She could feel a cold evilness there, pure and malignant. 

"He drank a little from me, but then he spat it out, he said that I was not the one, that I was not ready... not ripe enough yet... he said that he would come back, when the sun was buried for good then he would come back and he would make me ready!" 

Robert was literally shaking with terror. 

"He will come back and he will finish me!" 

Celia walked around to stand in front of him, and he looked up at her with eyes that were bulging with terror. 

She bent forward, and her lips brushed against his. 

"You are mine now, my love, I will always fight for what is mine, I will always protect what is mine... and you are now mine!" 

Her hair was almost white, but Robert could not see that. He could not see the deep wrinkles around her mouth and her eyes. All he could see was the warmth and the love, and he sighed as he smiled. "I am yours," he said in a voice that was husky with relief. 

* 

She helped Robert to button up his shirt and then led him to the door. 

"You will spend your nights with me now, my love," she told him firmly, and he nodded almost eagerly. 

"Yes, I shall come to you later tonight," 

She closed the door on him and then leaned against it tiredly. Her hair was white with dark streaks in it, and her puckered, wrinkled skin was slowly beginning to snap back. 

Her vampire ego may have been slumbering, but the vampire blood was still pumping through her veins, and redesigning her appearance to make her once more the beautiful creature, meant to attract and seduce. 

It would have happened faster if she had been able to feed on human blood, but she could not, and would not risk awakening the beast within. 

She knew that she should rest, and help the rejuvenation process, but there was something else that she had to do first, and this involved more magic. 

She could have saved herself the rigours by using the blue powder, but Celia realised that she would be relying on that a lot over the next days and weeks. 

She held her slightly shaking hand up in front of the door, and wove the symbol of a five pointed star, muttering under her breath as she did so. 

The sparkling lines followed her hand movement but faded almost immediately. 

She repeated the design again, and then again, and then again, her hand moving faster and faster, as she muttered, faster and faster, until the lines that followed her hand began to overlap and became a solid glowing star, painted on the door. 

"Protect and shield all who shelter beyond this symbol, let no hurt visit any here... Let it be this way, let it be so!" she croaked out as she snapped her hand shut into a tight fist, which ached with arthritis and shook with fatigue. 

She staggered over to the bed, and collapsed onto it. 

"Joshua... I need you!" she called out silently before losing consciousness. 

** 

"Oh... please, please don't stop!" Ruby cried out as Joshua continued to lick at her juicy wet pussy. 

She had not needed much coaxing, a couple of words of flattery, and a stroke of his hand on her shoulder. 

Ruby had given a sigh and her brown eyes had widened on him, as she silently begged him to continue, to follow up on those looks of seduction and promise. 

Joshua blocked out all thoughts of Celia, and took this gentle warm woman into his arms, to kiss her passionately on the lips. 

She was so grateful of his attentions, and so surprised by his compliments, it seemed to him that in her life few people if any had ever been kind to Ruby. 

She reminded him of Celia and that life that his beloved had been forced to endure, and as reluctant as Joshua had been to play a role in this quest - especially this particular role, it seemed to him suddenly that he was not betraying Celia but somehow making some things right for her, by giving this woman some happiness now, a woman he did not know and who he would walk away from soon enough... 

Maybe if just once in Celia's life, someone had done this for her, maybe then her life would not have been quite so wretched. 

Ruby arched up suddenly, and her fingers dug in his hair to pin him deeper into her groin. "Yes... oh yes - right there!" 

He thrust his tongue into her, and his thumb rubbed on her clitoris as she arched up into an intense orgasm. 

Joshua buried his face further into her, and held her tight as she shook with pleasure and release. 

And when it was over, and Ruby curled up sleepily, Joshua moved up next to her on the bed. 

He cupped her breast and rubbed his hard cock against her, letting her know that he was aroused too. 

Ruby blushed as she turned over. "I am afraid that we cannot... we cannot indulge in too deep an intimacy," she said awkwardly. "I must remain intact..." 

He leaned up to stroke her cheek, and masked the feelings of relief that he felt, even as his hardness began to lesson, and he allowed the arousal to subside with relative ease. 

"If you do not wish to, then I would never force you... nor would I hold it against you." he smiled gently into her eyes. 

She frowned in confusion, and a tear trickled down her cheek. "Oh but I do wish it!" she whispered. "With all my heart I wish that I could surrender myself to you... but I am promised to another..." 

Joshua frowned as well, as a sense of suspicion began to blossom in him. "This should be your choice, always your choice who you give your body too!" he felt the stirrings of anger that someone thought to own another. "Who has this right - the power over you to dictate your choices in that way?" 

Her lids flickered down to shield her eyes and she tensed as though some pain was ripping through her. 

"I... I... cannot say... I must not tell..." 

She sat up suddenly and pulled her dress straight as she scrambled from the bed. 

"I... I... hope that you will feel most comfortable here... but now I must leave you... now I must go!" she pulled the door open and shot through it faster than Joshua would have thought possible. 

He lay back with a sigh as the door closed with a heavy thud, and allowed the last of the feelings of lust to dissipate. 

It had always been an easy one for him to control, since the urges of a vampire were first and foremost that of blood. The sexual need had always been more of a weapon, one that he had used on more than one occasion, to seduce a victim. 

His vampire ego though, would always call for blood louder than his own body could cry for sexual release. 

He lay with his eyes closed and let his thoughts drift, not hearing nor feeling anything around him, but simply existing for a moment on the edge of consciousness. 

"Joshua... I need you!" 

He was up in a heartbeat, and had ghosted through the house in less than a heartbeat. 

He knew where his Celia was, could always feel exactly where she was - even if he could not see her. 

He entered her room, and closed the door behind him, and only then did he allow himself to actually see her. 

The withered old witch curled up on the bed. 

He sat down beside her, and gently scooped her up into his arms. 

"My love... what have you done to yourself!" he asked as he held up his wrist to his mouth, intent on tearing into a vein. 

"No!" Celia croaked. "No blood, Joshua; lest it awakens that which slumbers inside of me!" 

"What then my love, what can I do?" 

He could feel her life force faltering, for without the aid of the vampire, nor the replenishment of the blood, her body could find no way fast enough to invigorate it once more. 

"You will die if I don't give you something!" 

She shuddered in his arms. "Then that will be my fate!" she gurgled. 

Joshua held her tight and rocked her in his arms, trying to keep some motion going, trying to transfer his energy - any energy to her failing body. 

"Do something!" he cried out silently. "She is here on your quest - at your bidding... do something before she is lost to us all!" 

He buried his face into her neck, trying to bring heat to her cold body, and listening helplessly to her faltering system. 

"Do something!" he wept silently. 

The symbol which Celia had placed on the door, had long since faded into the wood, but as Celia slowly died, the outline of her star began to seep out again, to find its way back to the surface of the door, first as a fine line, then a thicker line, and then it began to glow. Particles of the glow began to break away, to flutter gently to the ground, but before they could reach it, a slight breeze, no more than a tiny movement of air, caught up the sparkling particles and blew them across to the figures on the bed. 

"Do something!" he cried out loud. 

Joshua felt a faint prickling on his scalp, a static prickling that caused his head to shoot up. 

He looked around with a desperate hope, and then frowned as the glowing particles - the pixie dust drifted slowly across to them. 

He laid Celia back down on the bed, and moved a little away from her. 

"Help her!" he begged the dust. 

The sparkling dust drifted across and seemed to just hover over the withered creature for a moment. 

Then it was as though it had been suddenly released from some invisible fist, as it shuddered and then it gently sprinkled down onto her cheek, and her arm, and her hand, and her leg, and her foot. 

The speckles settled onto her skin, and then slowly began to sink in, to be absorbed by Celia's flesh. 

As Joshua watched anxiously, he saw the colour slowly come to her flesh. at all the points where the dust had settled, red patches began to form, and then grow and spread, across the dead white and wrinkled flesh, it spread, pulling it tight as it went, and giving it a healthy rosy glow, complete with a sheen of perspiration, as her skin was thoroughly rehydrated. 

Celia suddenly gave a loud gasp, and she flopped over onto her back. 

She lay perfectly still for a moment, and then she sat up and looked across at Joshua with dark glowing eyes. 

"I am renewed," she said joyfully. "I am whole again!"



Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 09



"I believe that the two of them are under some sort of enchantment, or compulsion... or something which is forcing them to do certain things," Celia frowned thoughtfully and her brown eyes glittered with emotion. "Robert was so afraid!" she whispered suddenly. 

She was absolutely stunning, had been beautiful ever since Joshua had turned her into a vampire, but now she was something even more than that. 

There was a glow to her now that she had not had before - maybe the glow was from that sparkling dust that had come to revive her? 

Maybe that glow would diminish in time, and Joshua thought that perhaps that would be a good thing. 

She had been beautiful before and worthy of a second glance, but now... 

"I have placed a solid spell on this room, and I have taken steps to ensure that Robert will spend his nights in this room." 

Joshua felt a rush of jealousy that almost robbed him of speech, almost but not quite. 

"What steps?" he demanded through gritted teeth. 

She cast him a quick glance before shrugging her shoulders. "He believes that we are lovers, he thinks that he is falling in love with me." 

"And are you lovers? Is he falling in love with you?" 

She shrugged her shoulders again. "He believes that it is like that, and so that is all that matters at the moment." 

She fixed her glittering eyes on him. "I have done what I can for the moment to protect Robert, now what have you done about Ruby?" 

Joshua turned away from her penetrating gaze - it was just too distracting, too all seeing, all knowing for his comfort. 

"We were... intimate," he said evasively. 

"Oh?" 

Her tone was curious, but not in the least jealous and so Joshua scowled at her defensively. "We did not have full on sex, but we were intimate!" he snapped. 

"But you stopped before things could go... all the way?" she asked. 

Joshua sighed. "No, I would have quite happily done so - I would have taken great pleasure in it... but she would not, she said that she could not," he frowned in concern for Ruby. "She said that she was promised to another!" 

"Promised?" Celia stepped closer to him, and her eyes mirrored his concern. "Who has the right to promise another human?" 

"That was exactly what I asked her!" Joshua exclaimed. 

"And what did she say?" 

"It was as though she was in some sort of pain, she tensed right up, and then... she said she had to go, and she literally ran from the room." 

"Yes, it was the same for Robert; I had to work really hard to break through the shield that had been placed on him." 

"I did not understand what it was, I would not have known where to begin to remove such a thing," Joshua said mournfully. 

Celia reached up to cup his face. "Of course you could not." she reassured him affectionately. "You would need years... decades - centuries even of spell craft to be able to recognise such a spell." 

"So it is a spell then?" 

She nodded slowly. "Whatever you want to call it, an enchantment, compulsion, spell; this one comes from spell craft, rather than mind manipulation, I could taste the ingredients used to pull it together." 

Celia went over to her bed and picked up the bag lying beside it on the dresser. 

She dug into the handbag, and pulled out her little velvet pouch. 

"I do not have an infinite amount of powder," she murmured to herself. "But it should be enough... there are only so many protective charms that I can place on this house..." 

She dipped her fingers into the pouch, and then beckoned to Joshua. 

"Give me your hand," she ordered distractedly, as she rubbed the powder between her fingers and her thumb. 

Joshua stepped closer and held out his hand only to have Celia grasp it tightly. 

"Open you palm." 

He uncurled his fingers, and Celia began to draw a circle in the palm of his hand. 

She slowly stroked her blue powdered finger, around and around in his palm. 

"See all that she hides, and make it all right," she whispered huskily. "See all of her pain, and heal her hurts," 

She bent her head closer, and as the powder sank into his palm, Joshua felt a warm rush. 

"Be all that she needs, be open, be brave, and let her into your heart. She will love you, she will trust you, she will come to you!" 

She closed her eyes, and pressed her finger into his palm. 

"See all that she hides, and make it all right," she whispered again. "See all of her pain, and heal her hurts. Be all that she needs, be open be brave, and let her into your heart. She will love you, she will trust you, she will come to you!" 

She curled her hand around his, and gripped it tight. "Be all that she needs, protect and conceal her!" 

Joshua closed his eyes tight, and felt the energy surging through him. 

He opened his eyes and looked down at Celia. Her hair was still jet black, and her skin was still flawless, but a little of the glow seemed to have faded. 

She smiled up at him. 

"I cannot chase her around without arousing suspicion, but an ardent suitor, a lover, you will spend every chance you get with Ruby, a little touch here and a caress there - every chance that you get, Joshua. I have placed such a spell that you will be able to protect her from whatever comes." 

"You think that something is coming?" he demanded sharply. 

She nodded her head slowly. "Aye, something is coming... something bad is coming to this house!" 

** 

As they sat down to dinner, later that day, Celia noticed how Ruby kept her gaze away from Joshua; in fact Ruby seemed to be struggling to make eye contact with anyone at the dinner table, and instead kept her gaze firmly on the plate in front of her. 

Robert seemed much more relaxed however, and he kept the conversation going, in a light and witty way, even as his eyes constantly rested on Celia, who responded with coy looks and flirtatious smiles. His look was warm and affectionate - loving even, and Joshua had to bite down on the jealousy that kept wanting to rear up and bite off the other man's head - literally! 

The meal was a typical fare for their host and hostess it seemed, but to Joshua and Celia, it was another special treat for them, one that they would enjoy to the fullest whilst they could, since they knew they would have to relinquish it - once this task was complete. 

It was the only redeeming factor for Joshua as he sat at the table being ignored by one woman and watching the woman that he loved, flirting with another man. 

"Shall we retire to the main drawing room?" Robert said as they finished their meals and drained their wine glasses. 

"Oh no, no, Robert... could we not sit in the back room?" Ruby asked timidly. "It seems so much warmer and brighter in there these days, and the sun will be setting that way soon, now and that is always a gorgeous view." 

"Oh I should like to see that!" Celia said in a deliberately soft and provocative way, but loud enough for Robert to hear her. 

Robert looked at her almost in surprise, and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, before nodding. "If that is what you would prefer," he said in an easy going way. 

Celia knew why Ruby preferred that room, she had cast that spell in there to protect Ruby and Robert, and to make them feel safe and happy in there. It would draw Ruby to it mostly and even Robert - with just a little coaxing. 

As the four of them stepped into the room, Joshua felt a warm reassurance flood through him, he smiled as a memory of Celia hugging him tight flitted though his mind, and he held his hands up almost expect to touch her arms, it felt so real. 

He knew then that Celia had cast a protective spell on this room, could sense her touch, and smell her scent - it hung so heavy on his senses. 

He half closed his eyes, and the air in the room shifted, and became slightly thicker, and Joshua realised that everyone who entered this room would leave it feeling like they had just been given a warm affectionate hug, even if they did not recognise Celia in it. 

Ruby sat down on a small sofa with a happy little sigh and he saw her shoulders drop as she relaxed. 

"Now isn't this much nicer!" she exclaimed as she curled a leg under her and gazed out of the windows. 

Celia sat down on the sofa across from her, and Robert moved past Joshua quickly so that he could sit beside her. 

Joshua hid his little scowl of annoyance, this worked perfectly for him, since it left him with the only option of sitting next to Ruby, but it still grated. 

He sank down beside her and smiled warmly as she glanced quickly at him. 

She was nervous of him, he could see that clearly, and so he allowed his eyes to linger on her for a moment longer, warm and reassuring before sliding past to gaze out of the double window. 

"You were so right, Ruby - that is a beautiful sunset... most beautiful indeed." 

He fixed his eyes back on her quickly before she could turn away, and his eyes locked and gripped hers. 

"See me," his vampire compulsion demanded silently. "See only me... let me in... trust in me." 

Ruby's eyes dilated and her lips parted on a soft sigh, even as she leaned in closer to him. 

Whether it was his dormant vampire compulsion, or Celia's earlier spell work on him, Joshua was sure that he would never quite know, but even as she fell under his spell, Joshua felt that none of it had come from within him. 

Ruby looked down at her hand and slowly moved across to his. 

She had broken the eye contact, and even though he knew that Celia was busy keeping Robert occupied and diverted, Joshua used the brief opportunity to look across at her. 

She was in mid conversation, speaking in a bright witty tone that Joshua had never heard from her. 

Robert smiled, and lifted his hand, and it was as though he had suddenly gone into ultra slow motion - so slow that it was as if he was frozen, and Ruby's hand hovered inches over his, moving still to his keen vampire sight but so slow as to be imperceptible to normal view. 

Celia looked across at him, and smiled even as her lips continued that brainless monologue that so enthralled Robert. 

"Finish what you have started with her, consolidate your relationship with her," her mind put the words directly into his head, and he could see Celia in his mind's eye, standing in front of him, with her hands on her hips and lecturing him, even as she tapped her foot impatiently. 

"Just do it, Joshua," he could hear her say, and he was not sure if it was her mind talk who said it - or his own imagination of her. 

Ruby's hand hovered over that back of his, and just as she was about to rest it - to make contact, Joshua turned his hand over so that her hand landed on his palm. 

"DONE!" 

It was a silent thunderclap, a dull percussive sound beyond normal hearing but which vibrated through Joshua's being, jarring every single one of his bones, in what should have been an agonising way, but which was rather euphoric. 

His fingers curled around Ruby's hand, instinctively - helplessly, and he squeezed tight, pressing his palm against hers. 

"See me," he thought the words again and threw them out to her. "See only me... let me in... trust in me." 

Ruby's eyes fixed on to his. "I see you," she whispered timidly. "I... I trust you... oh yes, please; yes I trust you... save me!" 

Celia's brainless nattering faded away, as Joshua's eyes locked on, and Ruby allowed him to see her pain - her secrets - her terrors. 

** 

It was her eighteenth birthday, and she was to have her friends round - there was to be a party, a celebration and loud music and dancing and laughter, and she was to be the centre of it. 

"Oh Robert!" she exclaimed. "I'm soooo excited!" 

She danced around the brightly lit sitting room, unable to keep still because the energy surging through her plump frame. 

She was so busy moving that she did not see the tear on her brother's cheek, she did not see the sick horror on his face as he looked at his innocent younger sister, knowing that this evening would see that wiped away forever. 

He mourned her passing, and longed to tell her - to yell at her, "Run!" he wanted to shout, "Get out now, before it's too late! Run and never look back!" 

But he was bound and closed to the working world, unable to speak of what happened in the darkness. 

"Enjoy it while you can, little sister," was the only message he could give, and that came out as nothing more than a surly, sarcastic jibe. 

Ruby turned and blinked her bright eyes at her brother, and the pain and confusion was there for him to see. 

They used to be so close the two of them, they were the best of friends and confidants. Their parents had died five years ago when Robert was just seventeen, and even though they had close friends and relatives, and a houseful of staff to run their estate, it had been with each other that they had mourned their loss, and cried their pain, and then slowly learned to smile and laugh and again. 

For a whole year they were virtually inseparable, and then Robert had turned eighteen, and they had thrown a massive party and drunk far too much alcohol, and they had danced and laughed until after midnight. 

Ruby had always supposed that in her drunken state she had done something unforgivable, because the next day, Robert had actively avoided her, for a week she never spent enough time with him to even say hello. 

And then one morning she had chased him down. "What did I do?" she cried out. "Why won't you speak to me anymore?" 

Robert had been about to leave the room, the same way he had been doing every time she entered it. 

He stopped though and looked back at her. "It's not you," he said simply, and then he turned and left the room, and for the next two years that was how they co existed, until the day of Ruby's eighteenth. 

Robert spent the day shadowing her. Following her around the house as she made sure everything was ready for her party. She was still shocked that Robert had not only allowed her this party - he had actually encouraged it... from a distance. 

He followed her around, and on more than one occasion she had thought that he wanted to say something to her, say something important. 

But when she looked at him questioningly, he would simply clench his teeth, as though forcing the words back in and then turn away. 

"Oh Robert!" she whispered tearfully as he stalked out the room. "What is it... why won't you tell me what's wrong?" 

The party though was everything that she could have wished for - although Robert as he had been would have been the icing on the cake. 

As it was though, he played the perfect older brother, and the perfect host for the evening, and the party was a roaring success, leaving Ruby bubbling over with happiness and a little too much alcohol in her system. 

"Well I think that I shall go to bed," Ruby said tiredly as the last guest departed and house fell into silence. 

"Not just yet, Ruby," Robert said quietly. "Come and share a drink with me - a nightcap with me." 

Ruby looked at the clock on the wall in surprise. 

"It nearly one o'clock in the morning, Robert... and I rather think that I have had too much to drink already!" she laughed lightly. 

"Please, Ruby," his voice was deep and husky and pleading and she looked at her brother. 

He was stone cold sober, she realised, and now that she thought about it, she could not even remember the last time she had seen him drink alcohol. 

"Please," he said again, and he smiled at her. 

For a moment it was as if Robert her brother was back with her, and ruby stepped forward, eagerly. 

"Oh Robert!" she exclaimed tearfully. 

But then he looked away and the moment passed. 

He smiled again but tightly this time. "It's your eighteenth birthday - my dear, and I should enjoy toasting it with you - just the two of us." 

She nodded sadly as the invisible barrier came back between them. 

"Very well, Robert." 

He poured them each a large whisky - a drink that Ruby had never cared for, and really did not think it would mix with the wine that was already in her system. 

But when she looked up at him doubtfully he simply held it out to her. "Drink it slowly," 

She sank down on to one of the sofas and curled a leg under her, leaving the other one dangling down. 

She cupped her hand around cold glass, and took a small hesitant sip. 

"Urg!" she spluttered and went to put the glass on the table in front of her. 

Robert sat down next to her though and stopped her. 

"Drink it slowly," he said again, and it felt like an order to her. 

She looked over her shoulder as she leaned forward, and scowled at him. 

"I don't like it... I don't want to drink it - neither fast nor slowly!" she snapped. 

Robert sighed sadly. "You are so young still," he said. "A child really!" 

She sniffed indignantly. "I was eighteen today - in case you have forgotten, and the law says that I am an adult now!" 

"Then act like one, and do as I say," 

"That's a grown up argument for a child, I will not do as you say - just because you tell me to!" 

He smiled a crooked sort of smile that looked more like a sneer. "And that is a child's argument... you sound petulant like you are about to start shaking your fists and stamping your feet!" 

She narrowed her eyes and opened her moth to snap at him, but something in his expression stopped her short as she saw a hint of desperation in him. 

"Drink it slowly," he said again. "But for me - just this once, please do as I ask." 

There was a distinct edge to him, and so with another little sniff she sat back and took another sip. 

The clock in the corner chimed the hour, one o'clock. 

Robert tilted his own glass and drained the contents and as Ruby put her glass to her lips he turned and tilted her glass too, and the content rushed into her mouth, and out again at the corners as she coughed and spluttered and tried to spit it out again. 

Most of the liquid ran down her throat though, leaving a fiery trail as it hit her belly and sat there burning almost painfully. 

"Why did you do that?" she demanded hoarsely as she coughed again. 

Robert though had stood up, as a dull thud vibrated through the house. 

Ruby shot up too but the alcohol was surging through her system and the room spun causing her to sink back down weakly onto the sofa. 

"I think that I am going to be sick," she whimpered. 

Robert turned back to her as a thudding began as though someone was stamping their way down the stairs, and his expression was tortured. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I tried to make it so it would be easier for you... but I am so sorry!" 

The door flew open and a dark cloaked figure stood there. 

"At last!" it purred. "At last my vintage is ready, my years of brewing have come to fruition, my feast is ready and I shall drown in her delights!" 

He glided across the room towards her, and Ruby had a hazy memory of cold stark terror, as those clawed hands reached towards her, and snatched her up from the sofa as though she was nothing more than a pillow. 

As Joshua watched the expressions flowing across her pretty face, a tear ran down Ruby's cheek, followed by another and then another. 

"He hurt me!" she whimpered. "He hurt me so much!" 

Ruby began to cry and tried to pull her hand from Joshua's grip, but Joshua's fingers tightened, and refused to release her. 

As she cried he could feel the cold dark energy that was being drawn from her, drawn from her heart, and across her shoulder, down her arm, and into her hand, where Joshua sucked it into the pores of his own skin. 

Joshua had been a vampire for a long, long time, for centuries he had walked the world with a cold malevolence eating away at his insides, driving his hunger for blood and destruction. 




Brewing a Bloodline Ch. 09



But he had never felt a coldness such as this, an evilness that seemed to despise life in all of its form. 

He could read its nature even as the blue powder that Celia had rubbed into his palm seemed to absorb that dark energy, and he heaved a sigh of pure relief that it had not been allowed to stay in him for very long. 

It left a bitter aftertaste though, and Joshua caught himself smacking his lips together in a bid to erase the bitterness. 

He had not been aware of Celia for some time now, did not register the moment when her brainless nattering had stopped, but suddenly he felt the brush of her arm as she came and knelt in front of Ruby. 

Joshua looked at her in surprise, and then quickly across at Robert. 

That man seemed to be frozen as he sat side on, gazing adoringly at the space where Celia had just been sitting. 

"Ruby, you are safe now," Celia's husky voice sounded loud in the sudden silence, and Joshua realised that Ruby was also frozen in place. 

"Joshua will protect you, if you surrender to him, and pledge yourself to him, then Joshua will fight for what is his!" 

Ruby did not move, could not move in her frozen state, but there was something about her that suddenly changed. 

Joshua could not quite perceive it but he just knew that Ruby had heard Celia, had listened to Celia and had done what Celia had told her. 

He felt a bond with the woman, a sense of duty and protectiveness towards her that was something more than what he had felt before. 

Ruby had surrendered to him, had given her trust and herself to him, had bonded with him. 

And Celia's magic now gave him the power to do whatever he needed to do - to protect her!