Hidden In Shadows, A Fae and Vampire Romance: Shadow Court Chronicles, Book 1

Chapter 6.2: Blood Magic

She peppered question after question at him. She had always had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, but now she was being provided the chance to learn about who she truly was. She had always felt a little odd within the Unseelie Court. Her only true talent that they acknowledge was that of illusions. She could fool even the most seasoned of mind warriors, and that had earned her at least some wary respect from others. Most of the time, people were polite and respectful of her only because of who her foster parents had been.

Laughing in delight, he sat in a chair opposite of her. "Slow down a little. You have plenty of time to learn, but I will fill you in on some of the basics. Your tree tattoo? That is a mark of the Royal House, and it links us to our magic. You notice your raven had the ability to peck at your fingers?" She nodded in agreement. "That is because our tattoos are living things. Your tree will start to blossom once you visit the Shadow Court. Think of your tree as a storage device for your magic. The more vibrant it is, the more magic you have on reserve."

"Our magic is a little, different, though. Here is the point where we go into our darker side. Our magic is not like that of the Unseelie or Seelie Courts. We don't access the energy of the planet because technically, we are not part of the planet. We are part of the shadows and the things in between, like our grandmother. A gift that everyone has, down to the smallest child, is the ability to move through the shadows and to manipulate them in varying degrees."

"Now for stronger magic, that is going to require blood. It doesn't matter if it is your blood or if someone else's blood. In the beginning, we stole humans, just as the other courts did, for our blood magic. We would keep them for years on end as we harvested their blood to make us stronger until they were no longer useable."

The blood magic was an interesting change from what she was used to. She pondered if she would use a human or her blood. Both options had potential. Human hunting didn't shock her, and it was something she had done in her past. It was mostly a thing of the past now that they had gone public. Now humans competed for a Fae's attention to be taken.

"Did you kill the humans?"

"Not exactly. The humans we use become something different. They are shadow walkers who are neither dead nor alive. They need blood from a living host to replenish what we have taken from them. Long-term exposure to our magic seems to damage their ability to replenish their blood, and now they have more magic than blood coursing through their veins. The humans call them vampires but we call them Nightwalkers and for a long time, they were our slaves. Most of the older Nightwalkers despise us with a passion despite still having a bond with us."

It finally made sense why Vincent despised her. He must have known what she was, even with the binding, at some level. When her grandmother had announced what she was and taken off the binding, it would have been extremely apparent. She wasn't sure how old he was, but he was obviously old enough to despise her court with a passion. She couldn't fully blame him his dislike.

"So Vincent and I will never be friends?"

"Oh, you mean the Nightwalker who is currently pacing back and forth outside the library, trying to break down the barrier I erected? I can't say for sure. It depends on how old he is, who his previous owner was, and how badly he wishes to hold a grudge against a woman who had nothing to do with his current situation. He will have to get over his attitude as he will be sharing sleeping space with you."

"Um, come again? I don't believe I heard you right. What do you mean sharing sleeping space?"

She did not like the sound of that at all. Sure, Vincent was a good looking man, but he also had a bad attitude and apparently, a reason to hate her. She was not comfortable sharing space with someone who had a reason to kill her when she was vulnerable.

Her brother's eyes crinkled with amusement, and she contemplated throwing something at his head. "Your body has changed slightly. It is part of the reason the removal of the binding hurt so badly. Grandmother had to change your physical makeup back to that of Shadow Court. We are a little heartier than the normal Fae you see walking around, but we also have a vulnerable time. Two hours before noon and two hours after noon, you will basically be dead to the world. It's our way of protecting ourselves."

"We are part of the shadows and between these times, we are at our weakest, as in we are almost dead. An hour or two before and after our sleeping time, we are fatigued but overall, we can still function without too much trouble. You may have some trouble because you have just been reintroduced to our world. The sun at noon is deadly to us though. Under no circumstance do you want the noon sun to touch any part of your skin. The two hours before and after singe us slightly, but the noon sun will roast us crispy. Hence why I require that you sleep with the Nightwalker. They are vulnerable to the sun period, a side effect they got from us, unfortunately. He will have an appropriate space for you to sleep in."

"That's one hell of a weakness. Anyone can exploit it. How the hell do we keep the Shadow Court safe with something like that working against us?"

"Creatures like the Redcaps. They are one of our most loyal and fearsome allies. Let's be honest, who wants to mess with a creature who dips their caps in the blood of their enemies and can unhinge the jaw wide enough to eat a full grown troll?"

"Is that why I have Kieran?"

"Yes, Father sent him to you after the first attempt on your life when you were 2. It was one of his ways to make sure that you would stay safe because your adoptive parents seemed to have trouble keeping you out of trouble."

"Why was I sent away?"

"I don't know that answer, Lyssandra. You are going to have to ask Father."

The library door swung open violently, causing her to jump in surprise. Beyond the door was a furious Vincent. His hands were clenched in tight fists, and his onyx eyes were hard as granite as he stared at her brother. Fury radiated from him, and it looked like he wanted to rush over the threshold to attack Quinton, but something was holding him back.  

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