Chapter 32: What Does She Want to Do?
“Celeste… you can… come closer.”
Celeste, her cheeks burning with shame, hesitated. But she couldn’t refuse Adele’s request. She slowly climbed onto the bed, her movements hesitant, awkward.
She was a Sequence Two vampire, a member of a wealthy, influential family. But in Adele’s presence, she felt… small. Unworthy.
Because she had seen true beauty, true purity, in Adele’s heart. And compared to that… her own body, her own soul, felt… tarnished.
She had been so foolish, so arrogant, believing that bloodline, that power, that wealth… that those things mattered.
True nobility, she realized, had nothing to do with lineage.
It was a lesson learned late, but… not too late.
“Closer,” Adele urged, sensing Celeste’s hesitation. They were still too far apart. And wouldn’t Celeste fall off the bed if she sat like that?
“…”
Celeste wanted to protest, to say that she didn’t deserve to be near Adele, that she was unworthy of her touch. But her body, betraying her heart, moved closer, inching towards Adele until their shoulders were almost touching.
She could smell Adele’s scent, a faint, sweet fragrance that calmed her racing heart.
Her long, golden hair swayed gently as she settled into a more comfortable position.
Adele’s eyes sparkled, her fingers reaching out to brush against Celeste’s hair, her touch as light and gentle as a summer breeze.
Celeste’s shoulders trembled slightly, her eyes closing as she savored the sensation of Adele’s fingers threading through her hair.
“Your hair is so beautiful, Celeste,” Adele murmured, her voice soft and appreciative. “You should just… sit beside me like this. I won’t run away.”
Celeste’s hand, gripping the bedsheet, tightened, then relaxed, her expression a mixture of gratitude and regret. She didn’t need to apologize. Her remorse was evident in her every gesture, in the way her eyes, usually so bright and confident, were now downcast, filled with a deep sadness.
She regretted everything. Why couldn’t she have been like this before, content to simply sit beside Adele, to enjoy her company? Why had she been so impulsive, so…
“It’s okay,” Adele said, her voice soothing, as if she were comforting a puppy who had misbehaved. She reached up, her fingers gently stroking Celeste’s hair, her touch a balm for Celeste’s wounded soul.
The puppy had bitten its owner. But now… it was remorseful, wasn’t it?
It would learn to be better.
Adele had experience with training pets. Forgiveness, she had learned, was a far more effective tool than punishment. As long as it was a loyal dog… not a wild, untamed wolf that might turn on its master.
Celeste whimpered softly, her heart filled with a mixture of relief and gratitude. Adele had forgiven her… It was a miracle…
She lowered her head, her posture submissive, her body relaxing under Adele’s gentle touch. Even the pain from her wounds seemed to fade.
Being near Adele… it was like a magic spell, chasing away the darkness, filling her with a sense of peace.
Adele, her fingers still tangled in Celeste’s hair, her touch lingering, slowly moved her hand down to Celeste’s face, her fingers tracing the contours of her jawline, her cheekbones, her… scars.
Celeste’s eyes flew open, her body tensing as she instinctively pulled away. She met Adele’s gaze, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and… fear?
“Don’t hide, Celeste,” Adele said, her voice soft yet firm. “Just… trust me, okay?”
“…”
Against her better judgment, Celeste nodded. But she couldn’t help but add a warning.
“Be careful of her magic,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “It… It’ll fade in a few days. It… It doesn’t hurt.”
But as Adele’s fingers brushed against the wound on her cheek, she couldn’t help but gasp, a sharp intake of breath that betrayed her words.
“See? You lied to me,” Adele said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Celeste’s heart clenched.
“I’m sorry! I… I won’t do it again,” she blurted out, her voice thick with remorse.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Your hand… Adele, are you okay?” she asked, her gaze fixed on Adele’s fingers, which were now glowing with a faint, icy blue light.
Adele had been prepared to endure the pain, to use it as a way to gain Celeste’s sympathy. But as her fingers touched the wound, something unexpected happened.
The magic, instead of lashing out, seemed to… respond to her touch. It swirled around her fingers, dancing playfully, like… faeries.
Is this… ice magic?
Adele flexed her fingers, savoring the sensation. It was cold, yes, but not unpleasant. And it was fading, slowly dissipating into the air.
She wasn’t an Elemental, after all. She couldn’t hold onto this magic for long.
But what intrigued her… was why it hadn’t harmed her. Why it had seemed to… welcome her touch.
Is it because it’s Hermione’s magic…?
Her expression softened.
Celeste, noticing the change in Adele’s demeanor, her fingers glowing with Hermione’s magic, froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Adele, realizing that Celeste had misinterpreted the situation, her cheeks flushing, quickly explained, “Hermione… she’s not a bad person. She… she didn’t hurt me.”
“Not a bad person?” Celeste’s voice was barely a whisper, her heart aching with a pain that was both physical and emotional.
“…Not… not entirely,” Adele said, her voice softening. “I… I give her my blood, and she… protects me. She gives me a place to stay, food to eat…”
Celeste’s body trembled. She knew she had no right to judge Adele’s relationship with Hermione. But it was hard to accept, to see the person who had hurt her, who had humiliated her… being so close to the person she loved most.
And Hermione’s magic… it had responded to Adele’s touch with a gentleness, a familiarity, that spoke of a bond far deeper than Celeste could ever hope to achieve.
As an Elemental herself, she understood what that meant. It meant that Hermione had accepted Adele, had lowered her defenses, had allowed her magic, her very essence, to… embrace her.
It was a level of intimacy that transcended the physical, a connection that spoke of trust, of… love?
If Hermione wished, she could even temporarily lend Adele her magic circuits.
Magic circuits… well, they were the pathways through which magic flowed. If magic was a bullet, then magic circuits were the gun, providing the initial force, the pressure, that propelled the bullet forward.
Magic, channeled through magic circuits, was amplified, transformed into powerful spells and abilities.
The strength of a vampire’s magic was directly proportional to the strength of their magic circuits. It was a simple equation: Magic x Magic Circuits = Magical Power.
A weakness in either element would result in a decrease in power. But even the weakest of magic, channeled through powerful circuits, could achieve incredible feats.
Adele’s magic might be weak, but if she could borrow Hermione’s circuits… the possibilities were endless.
And there was a high probability that… their minds would become linked, their thoughts and emotions intertwined.
That was the secret to the Black and White Twins’ power. Individually, they weren’t that much stronger than Celeste, considered to be among the weaker Sequence Ones. But together… their combined magic, their synchronized circuits, their innate telepathic connection… they were practically invincible.
They could fight as one, their movements perfectly coordinated, their thoughts aligned, their power amplified tenfold.
Even two Sequence Ones, fighting together, often struggled to defeat them.
Adele seemed oblivious to the implications of her connection to Hermione, to the depth of Hermione’s feelings for her. She was clearly more than just a… blood bag.
Celeste’s eyes, which had dimmed with despair, suddenly brightened, a spark of determination igniting within them.
What was she planning?