Aster: Over the next two months, her nights blended together into a predictable pattern. Declan came by every evening with a blood bag, they’d sit and talk for a few hours, then he’d leave. She didn’t ask him for physical affection again, nor did he offer it. The only reason she did it that once was because her ancestor, Deborah, insisted that it would awaken her powers – and she was right. When Aster kissed Declan and the love she felt for him destroyed the ever-present anger, the plant bloomed…it took no effort at all, as long as she redirected her love to the seed. The vampires that tried to teach her didn’t fully understand – it wasn’t about commanding the seed to bloom, it was about loving it to life. Likewise, she could literally hate the plants to death. At some point, she lost track of when, Eros returned. He’d come by every so often and take her out – why Declan couldn’t do it, she never asked, nor did she particularly care. She enjo

Declan – Part two:Declan stared at her, his mouth open, for the moment unable to speak. He turned to Rowan who asked, “Did you know she could do that?” He heard the panic in his father’s voice.“No.”Aster turned to them, her face calm. “It’s because I’m a vampire. I’m stronger than a human elemental.”“It makes sense,” Rowan said.Hm-hm,” Declan said, wiping blood out of his eyes. “Samuel,” he called down the passage. His brother reappeared, the grief laid bare on his face. “How is Matthew?”Samuel looked around the passage, his mouth agape, apparently unaware of the Armand blood rain. “He’s barely alive. What happened?” he asked.“Aster vaporised Armand,” Declan said, and slowly the panic that gripped him right after she killed the ancient vampire started to evaporate, replaced b

Declan: In the back of the house were a bar and restaurant that was now going unused. Like the rest of the mansion, it was rustic yet tasteful, with heavy wooden furniture and hidden lights bathing the whole place in a warm glow. Declan stepped behind the bar and started lining up glasses while Matthew disappeared to fetch his brides. Aster sat to the side on a barstool, observing them, her back straight, hands neatly folded in her lap. He remembered the day she pulled her clothes from the closet and declared she didn’t want to look like an heiress anymore – but it wasn’t the clothes that gave her that appearance, it was in the way she carried herself. “Do you want a drink?” She shook her head. “I think it would be best if I stay sober, so I can keep a clear mind.” Declan lifted himself up and leaned over the bar so he could kiss her. “We really never had time to explore any of this, did we?” he asked, somewhat breathless after their

Aster: Aster sat on the edge of the bed, holding her head. The last thing she remembered was blasting a vampire with a hate wave, as she liked to call it, and then nothing. She woke up all alone in a strange room with an aching head, and the worst thirst she ever felt. Finally, after sitting like that for more than an hour, the pounding in her head eased enough so that she could drag herself to the shower. The vampire blood that splattered on her last night as Matthew decapitated one after the other dried during the day, and the smell alone was slowly driving her insane. As she stood under the warm spray of the shower, she heard the door to the bedroom open and close, but assuming it was Declan didn’t think anything of it. She finished her shower, wrapping a fluffy towel around herself and returned to the beautiful room. It was clearly meant for tourists: from the expensive handmade furniture, to the abstract paintings on the wall. Everything

Declan: “Are you done defiling my elemental?” A dark, calm voice asked from the darkness. Declan’s blood ran cold. He knew that voice. He hadn’t heard it for many years, but as long as he lived, he’d never forget it. “Cyrus,” he said and jumped up, buttoning his trousers at the same time. He was unarmed, but it didn’t matter, Cyrus was far too powerful a vampire for him to fight on his own. Aster very calmly got to her feet, while doing up her jeans. “Actually, your elemental would like to be defiled a few more times before sunrise. Why don’t you show yourself?” “Aster,” he hissed, but she just shrugged and smiled at him. Putting a finger to her mouth, she shook her head. The white-haired vampire stepped into the little clearing where Declan touched down just over an hour ago. “Oh don’t be so worried. I’ve been watching you all this time, and you weren’t aware of my presence. I could have killed you a hundred times over, yet h