The Red Wing Mansion

The Pearl Wing Mansion : Chapter Twenty-Three

Alix's POV

Perhaps Aelia had been a bit of a tyrant for the club because no one is bothered by the takeover. Sitting on stools by the kitchen, Pearly and Isela share drinks while Dagger pulls Pearly onto his lap, kissing her neck openly as Tiffany turns on some ambient background music.

"Hey. Welcome to the club, Alix. Now that you're Turning Witch, I'll need your approval for a new candidate," Cece calls to me after I've stuffed my face full of finger foods. I was hungry. I cover my mouth and move to her side to listen, Claudius drinks wine and shadows me, listening in, "This is Harper, she'd like to be a vampire. She's had a tough life."

"Hey, Cece," I smile only a little, she was more intimidating now. From sweet shy young lady to a straight up leather clad badass. She's softened with her frightened mortal still clutching onto her, though. Harper is avoiding making eye contact with me. Probably because I committed murder a couple of minutes ago.

"What do I need to do?" I ask Harper but she refuses to look past Cece.

"I'm not sure how Aelia did it. But you'll need to confirm to me if Harper is ready for it, because there's a difference between wanting something now, in the moment... and really knowing if it's the right path. I'm biased, I want her to Turn," Cece is honest, "Hey, Harper. Say something, babe."

"I'm deathly anxious," Harper whispers, looking at me only briefly, her eyes are sharp and light blue, flicking everywhere, like she's been on the run and still is, "Cece says if I Turn, being a vampire helps calm the mind. Makes you stronger. And we can drink from each other."

"How long have you been dating?" Claudius asks, giving me a fright. I forgot he was standing behind me, he was so still, so silent.

"One and a half weeks," Harper admits and Cece blushes, looking at Claudius with some guilt. They glare at one another, while Claudius makes a judgemental sigh.

"What's that look for, sir?" Cece growls, "I know what you're going to say, but it's not the same."

"Don't give permission for the Turning, Alix," Claudius taps his hand over my ass, "Cece is a serial dater, she falls in love every other moon. You and Harper should date a little longer."

"It's different this time. And she needs this, she can't handle her anxiety," Cece tries to explain.

"An anxious vampire is something we don't need in Clue," Claudius interjects.

"I am still waiting for Alix's opinion," Cece looks at me, crossing her arms, "Your honest opinion... especially since you can sense energies beyond the veil. You should know what's best."

I try pulling down the veil of reality to see into Harper and Cece's minds... and what's strange is I can see in the grey veil that Cece omits a steady red aura of a vampire. Harper is pulsing with purple, pink, and blue, it doesn't buzz but warps in and out of her, like her energy is hiding too. It makes me teary eyed, even without experience and only intuition from taking Aelia's power... I feel like Harper has been abused frequently. I can agree with Claudius on one thing, they should wait. But I don't want to tell Harper how screwed up her aura is. I try a different approach.

"Cece, you said mortals can't come to these meetings and you brought one in, you broke the rules, which tells me you aren't being logical," I don't want to be that person, but Cece did have an issue with me being present last time for the exact same reason, "I think you're rushing, just take things slow. Be patient with Harper."

"I know a week might sound silly, but I swear I love her, truly, she has the best heart," Cece whines off at the end when Claudius chuckles. Harper just ends up caught in Cece's promise of love and snags Cece's lip between her teeth and starts making out with her on the spot. I blush as they both lock lips and the discussion is cut short. Cece definitely had a saviour complex, and I think I know why. She herself was so lost and terrified back in the past, now she wants to help others who were like her.