Prologue
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Dionsus slipped out of Ragana’s warm embrace as he whispered in her ear; "I will get us the wine." He stopped walking away when she didn't let go of him. Her delicate hand held his in an iron grip.
She was beautiful, especially now that the candlelight was playing in her wild mane of curly honeydew hair. It made her normal bluish silver eyes look a flame, and her light complexion look a fire. He yearned for her.
She wore a simple white dress that hung off her curves perfectly. Her pink shawl had been discarded on the back of the sofa. I do not think I will be able to do this, he silently told himself, feeling his resolve start to fade.
Uncertainty filled her blue eyes as she gently bit her bottom lip. "Dionsus," she whispered softly, as if she were too scared to speak her words out loud. "I have not had many people in my life whom I could trust. They were all using me, or worst; working for Mandrake." She didn't notice that he looked away at the mention of her nemesis’s name. Her eyes narrowed on the far wall as she envisioned his smug face. The strength she had always displayed in the hard times was now replaced with raw dread. “I must know; can I trust you with my secrets, my love, and my life?”
He met her wide eyes as he spoke his lie. "Yes; you can trust me." With that said, he made his escape to get their wine.
Out of the room, and her presences, he felt the pain in his heart start to decrease. Am I really going to do this? he wondered. Could he really do this should have been the question.
Reluctantly, he walked to the cabinet to get the wine. He slowly placed two glasses on the table and poured it into them. He saw her trusting face and heard her loving voice ask again: "Can I trust you?” The wine hit his shoe, bringing him back to reality.
He cursed himself for his foolishness. Damn it. You have to pull yourself together, he mentally ordered. He was careful to keep his mental walls up so she wouldn’t hear his thoughts. Just put the spell Rusalka made into her wine and be done with it. Think of the power that is promised to you for doing this.
He longed for power, and finally he had a chance at it. He was promised he would be the head of the west coast vampires, a job he knew he would be excellent at. The Wild West intrigued him. The humans here were bold, and the vampires were violent. He knew he could tame them, and make this coast his own paradise. To achieve this beautiful dream all he had to do was pour the spell into Ragana’s drink.
He pulled the cloth bag out of his pocket and untied it. The fine powder within it smelled awful. He hesitated one last time before pouring it all into her glass. Here goes, he thought as he picked up their glasses.
She rose to greet him. He held her eye contact as he handed her the glass. Love shined in her eyes. "Let us toast to our love.” She held up her glass.
"To our love," he repeated, feeling empty inside. He tapped his glass to hers before taking a sip. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched hers quickly disappear.
She licked the sweet liquid off his lips. “Delicious,” she purred. The joy she felt faded as a nerve numbing pain coursed through her body. Clenching her fingers, she shattered her glass. Her stomach knotted as her knees went weak. A thick fog filled her mind and chased away her thoughts. She doubled over as her hands shot to her stomach. He saw her eyes widen with realization to what was in her wine. She stared up at him with eyes burning with blame and disbelief.
Emotionlessly, he watched as she fell to her knees. Tears clung to her lashes as her body started to shut down. Her eyelids were becoming heavy. She barely felt her body hit the floor. How could he? she thought, as she felt herself sinking into the longest sleep she would ever have. How could... Just then the answer walked into the room.
Mandrake came in, grinning at her. He had two of his followers with him. She recognized one and her anger flared. Mahr’s face held a blank expression as he stared at her.
Mahr had once been the love of her life, and now he was just one of Mandrake’s puppets. Both men she had given her heart to had betrayed her for the man who killed her parents. A hiss escaped her. If she had the strength she would have ripped their throats out, and painted this room with their blood. But instead, thanks to this spell, she was their prey.
Dionsus didn't acknowledge Mandrake. He couldn't take his eyes off of Ragana as she tried to stay awake, and fight the magic of the spell. Hatred colored her face now. There was no longer a hint of the love that had been there a moment ago.
"Good job, and now you shall have all the power I promised you. You will be the head of the west coast," Mandrake assured him with a pat on the back. He noticed Dionsus wouldn’t take his eyes off of her. "She is a beautiful sight." He smiled at the truth of those words. His face sobered as he knelt beside her. "Do not worry; I will take care of you. You can trust me with your secrets, your love, your life." Her clouded eyes followed his movements as he stood up laughing.
The tears in Dionsus's eyes dried up as hatred covered his face and soul. The hatred he would feel for Mandrake replaced all of the pain and tears he felt for betraying Ragana.
She looked at him, and with the last of her strength she breathed; "I loved you." No longer able to withstand the magic of the spell she gave into the sleep that took over her body.
"Oh," Mandrake gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. It slid to rest on his chest, as he tauntingly looked at her. "That was really just so...sweet." The tone of his voice turned serious as he looked at his puppies. "Let's get her and go."
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