her breath.
“Don’t look, Les. It’s probably going to get very ugly.” Ian pulled out a glass vial from under his jacket and told her, “This is Zalmerin—a healing potion. Wait and watch,” he said with a smile. He opened the vial and dropped a little of the silvery liquid directly on Brad’s bite marks. The fluid gradually ran down his neck after covering the marks, and for a while, Leslie thought nothing was going to happen.
However, when she looked closely, she could see the skin healing itself. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed, not being able to believe it.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” She looked up to find Ian smiling at her. “Dhampirs have invented some pretty cool stuff, you know.”
Leslie realized she couldn’t hear Volund’s screams anymore. The only thing she heard was Ronan yelling at the top of his voice, swearing and hitting his father. “Ronan, he’s dead.” Bo and Kol let the limp body drop on the floor and held Ronan back.
With a sharp intake of breath, Brad suddenly came into consciousness and choked. “Oh God. Brad!” Leslie sat up straight, cupping his face, then looked to Ian for some explanation.
“Of course!” Ian grinned. “Volund died, and the effect of his glamour has now worn off him. I have heard of it but never saw it happen before. This is so cool!”
“Les!” Brad’s voice sounded groggy. It caught Ronan’s attention, though, and he was by his side in no time.
He held Brad’s face between his hands, so Leslie had to let go. “Brad, hey!” There was no trace of the previous anger on his face anymore. Instead, what Leslie saw was sheer happiness and contentment.
“It’s you.” Brad’s eyes widened a bit.
“Yes, Brad. It’s me. I was so worried about you,” Ronan said.
“Oh my God, it’s you!” Brad yelled suddenly, looking revolted at the sight. He tried to sit up, getting a hold on Leslie’s hand. “You are a vampire!”
“What?” Ian, Ronan, and Leslie exclaimed in unison.
“Les, he is a vampire, and he wants to kill me,” he told Les in a shaky voice. “He wants to kill us all.”
“I am not a vampire, Brad. I swear.”
“No, no! You have been stalking me all along. And last night… you tried to kill me.” Brad was shivering badly in Leslie’s embrace, and she looked at the dhampirs for some possible explanations to this.
“Damn it!” Ian swore, looking intently at Brad. “He must have manipulated his memories,” he whispered, before looking at Ronan. “Volund has done this to him; I am sure of it.”
“But isn’t it supposed to wear off, like you said?” Leslie asked.
“No, memory alteration is more complicated than a simple glamour,” Bo replied, standing behind Ronan.
“What are you guys going on about?” Brad frowned, looking at each one of them. “Why aren’t you freaking out? He could kill us all. We need to get out of here.”
Leslie held him down as he tried to get up. “Nothing is going to happen to us, I promise,” she said.
Ronan tried to take hold of Brad’s hand, but Brad wouldn’t let the dhampir touch him. The hurt on his face broke Leslie’s heart. “Look at me, Brad.”
“Volund is dead. Your glamour won’t work anymore, Ronan,” Kol pointed out.
“I don’t care,” Ronan snapped, looking at him over his shoulders and faced Brad once again. “I don’t need any magical abilities to get him out of this. He will remember me, just the way he remembered that night even after I compelled him into forgetting.” He whispered, “Brad, please. You have to remember me. I am not a vampire, and I am not trying to kill you. I love you, Brad. I love you so freaking much that it hurt every time I saw you and you never remembered me. And it hurts now that you don’t remember me either.”
“You aren’t a vampire?” Brad cautiously asked.
“No, Brad.” Ronan slowly tried to take his hand once again and this time, Brad didn’t cower away. The dhampir grinned and kissed his held hand.
“Don’t look, Les. It’s probably going to get very ugly.” Ian pulled out a glass vial from under his jacket and told her, “This is Zalmerin—a healing potion. Wait and watch,” he said with a smile. He opened the vial and dropped a little of the silvery liquid directly on Brad’s bite marks. The fluid gradually ran down his neck after covering the marks, and for a while, Leslie thought nothing was going to happen.
However, when she looked closely, she could see the skin healing itself. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed, not being able to believe it.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” She looked up to find Ian smiling at her. “Dhampirs have invented some pretty cool stuff, you know.”
Leslie realized she couldn’t hear Volund’s screams anymore. The only thing she heard was Ronan yelling at the top of his voice, swearing and hitting his father. “Ronan, he’s dead.” Bo and Kol let the limp body drop on the floor and held Ronan back.
With a sharp intake of breath, Brad suddenly came into consciousness and choked. “Oh God. Brad!” Leslie sat up straight, cupping his face, then looked to Ian for some explanation.
“Of course!” Ian grinned. “Volund died, and the effect of his glamour has now worn off him. I have heard of it but never saw it happen before. This is so cool!”
“Les!” Brad’s voice sounded groggy. It caught Ronan’s attention, though, and he was by his side in no time.
He held Brad’s face between his hands, so Leslie had to let go. “Brad, hey!” There was no trace of the previous anger on his face anymore. Instead, what Leslie saw was sheer happiness and contentment.
“It’s you.” Brad’s eyes widened a bit.
“Yes, Brad. It’s me. I was so worried about you,” Ronan said.
“Oh my God, it’s you!” Brad yelled suddenly, looking revolted at the sight. He tried to sit up, getting a hold on Leslie’s hand. “You are a vampire!”
“What?” Ian, Ronan, and Leslie exclaimed in unison.
“Les, he is a vampire, and he wants to kill me,” he told Les in a shaky voice. “He wants to kill us all.”
“I am not a vampire, Brad. I swear.”
“No, no! You have been stalking me all along. And last night… you tried to kill me.” Brad was shivering badly in Leslie’s embrace, and she looked at the dhampirs for some possible explanations to this.
“Damn it!” Ian swore, looking intently at Brad. “He must have manipulated his memories,” he whispered, before looking at Ronan. “Volund has done this to him; I am sure of it.”
“But isn’t it supposed to wear off, like you said?” Leslie asked.
“No, memory alteration is more complicated than a simple glamour,” Bo replied, standing behind Ronan.
“What are you guys going on about?” Brad frowned, looking at each one of them. “Why aren’t you freaking out? He could kill us all. We need to get out of here.”
Leslie held him down as he tried to get up. “Nothing is going to happen to us, I promise,” she said.
Ronan tried to take hold of Brad’s hand, but Brad wouldn’t let the dhampir touch him. The hurt on his face broke Leslie’s heart. “Look at me, Brad.”
“Volund is dead. Your glamour won’t work anymore, Ronan,” Kol pointed out.
“I don’t care,” Ronan snapped, looking at him over his shoulders and faced Brad once again. “I don’t need any magical abilities to get him out of this. He will remember me, just the way he remembered that night even after I compelled him into forgetting.” He whispered, “Brad, please. You have to remember me. I am not a vampire, and I am not trying to kill you. I love you, Brad. I love you so freaking much that it hurt every time I saw you and you never remembered me. And it hurts now that you don’t remember me either.”
“You aren’t a vampire?” Brad cautiously asked.
“No, Brad.” Ronan slowly tried to take his hand once again and this time, Brad didn’t cower away. The dhampir grinned and kissed his held hand.
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