Blood Magic

Prologue

The day of the turning.

"You're the one that I want—the one that I love...

"And you could be so much more, if you want it. One little bite and you could be mine...

"Forever..."

I stand at the edge of the bed—exposed, void of fear, and ready—ready for the beginning of everything.

Astarion approaches from behind. I hang onto every step, matching them to the rhythm of my breath—my final breaths—anticipating the ritual. The turn.

To be his. Finally his.

I can feel her—the naive girl from before—gasp as Astarion places his hands on my hips, pressing himself against my bare back. She can hardly fathom how quickly this very moment came about or how easily she would surrender to another after a lifetime of doling out commands and spells from her family's high tower. Before she can attempt to appeal to my old senses, horribly pleading that she deserves days in the sun, Astarion begins the consummation, taking full control of my past, present, and future.

Sinking his fangs delicately into my neck, he drinks from me lightly, preparing me for what's to come. Any pain once felt by the edge of his teeth has long since been replaced with an intense pleasure that only he could give. Even then, there is something different about this feeding, something far more beautiful and exquisite than before, but whatever it is I cannot place. 

He kisses the tender wound and pulls away, turning me around to face him. He puts his lips to mine and guides me into the celestial heavens with the sweet dance of his tongue against mine. We linger in our paradise as he moves us onto the bed, his hand quick to take a firm hold of my thigh as he positions himself over me. He teases his fingers closer and closer to my lower lips, stopping himself right before he can feel the dripping mess he has made of me.

"Two more bites is all it takes," Astarion says lowly. "And then you are all mine, my sweet pet."

He lowers his fingers over my slick flesh, arousing a whimper from my lips that emboldens his erection to press deeper into my skin.

"My flesh is yours. My blood is yours," I confess.

"Mmm...."

Astarion circles his fingers over his favourite spot and bites my neck again, drinking an ample amount of blood the second time around. Waves of pleasure wash over me ceaselessly, and I hardly know what to do with myself besides squirm helplessly beneath him.

He lifts his head, his lips curling into a salacious smile as my blood trickles down his chin onto my breast. Eagerly, he licks the blood from my soft skin and looks at me with a burning desire.

"Lillith, you taste like salvation."

Drunk with power, Astarion crashes his mouth against mine, inserts himself into me, and rapidly drives his hips against mine, drifting me back into the waves once more. We ride the waves together until our ecstasy reaches its peak—a secret, ethereal place where our love remains forever free—only to send us crashing down soon after into the full weight of our bodies.

The tiniest giggle escapes from my lips as my panting slows to a normal rhythm. Astarion, whose crash has left him unwavering and resolute, lifts me to an upright position with a pleased smile—and then it dawns on me:

He is the key that unlocks my greatest power.

He is the key to every. last. thing.

My entire purpose, the reason for all those wasted years locked away in a decadent cage, is to love him and become his, like a hidden song haunting my heart until his grace reveals the melody.

How could I not see it before? How could I be so blind to his staggering power, what he is meant for? The epiphany takes me away to that perfect place yet again so that all control of my body belongs to him. Entranced, I am brought to my feet, only to drop to my knees the instant he commands it, his glory towering before me like a magnificent altar I must pray to. His words are like ancient hymns; they do not reach me, for my ears have never welcomed divinity like his before.

"Tonight, I shall drink every drop of your blood...

"Own your body, kill your mind...

"It will only hurt a bit, the pleasure will be far greater than the pain..."

He sighs deeply and pushes me to the floor, his eyes cold and cunning as he moves forward to loom directly above me. He lowers himself so that his abdomen presses against mine, pinning me helplessly to the floor, and even in my daze, I can perceive a sudden calculation in his expression, suggesting an inner struggle of whether to act as a merciful god or a wrathful one.

Astarion chooses the latter, but not before imparting his gratitude.

"You have given me everything. Thank you."

Without further hesitation, Astarion grabs the base of my throat tightly and descends his fangs into my neck one final time, determined to take all that I have. Despite his best efforts, the experience brings nothing but absolute, indescribable pleasure; it is nothing like his description of his transformation—that labour of merciless struggle to which he believed had no end—and I thank the gods for it.

No, I thank him for it, and when I do, I begin to slip away serenely into the eternal night...

***

Empty veins are all that remain of the girl.

Nothing left, nothing left at all.

Who will fill this absence? Who will love this starved, pathetic creature?

Aeterna amantes. Lovers forever, until the world falls down.

Yes, this is the one.

Just one—

One drop of his blood is all she needs.

Before the shadows creep, before the madness takes hold...

She lives in death—perfect in her creator's image.

The dark kiss is complete.

She is ready—at long last, she is here.

~~~

Author's Note

Big things are coming for Lillith and company, but for now, I decided to go through with an idea I've been rummaging around with for some time: adding some spice to the beginning of her tale. Expect to see this side of Lillith come out with Geraldus in the upcoming chapters...

Special thanks to Stephen Rooney, Astarion's writer, and Neil Newbon, Astarion's actor, for breathing life (death?) into this one-of-a-kind vamp. Words cannot express what they mean to me.

***Only in this prologue: all fully italicized selections are directly quoted from the game. There are similar direct quotations scattered throughout the rest of Blood Magic without an italicized indication.***