BLAKE

Blake sucked in a cool breath that spilled like ice water down his throat to fill his chest. Time changed as Daniel stood in Blake's space. It slowed to a crawl. The air stirred around Blake, changing the tilt of the earth, but that could always be the copious amounts of booze. Everything still felt a little fuzzy and dreamy as they stood in the warm library.

His heart thrummed as if it could wave its hands and try to warn Blake that Daniel was coming for him as if he wasn't already painfully aware how close Daniel Bellerose stood to him. His endlessly dark eyes bore right through Blake's skull. Like this, it felt like he could read Blake's mind as if he could hear Blake's thought run wild about the shape of his mouth and the cut of his face and the burning look in those eyes. This look gave Blake chills.

He can safely say Daniel never looked at him like this before.

A strange new feeling emerged inside of Blake, one he didn't know how to hold, so he lost it. Maybe with more practice, he'd know what to do with it next time. Tonight, he laughed nervously and made a small request. "Just be gentle with me, Danny."

"I'm insulted you even have to ask," Daniel smirked, leaning just a little closer. If Blake just stretched a tad higher on his toes, they'd kiss. The space between them would vanish and it'd just be lips gently pressed against lips. Blake couldn't escape the pull of that heated look. Daniel sighed, growing a little more serious. "It won't hurt. I already promise not to hurt you again."

"Let's see if you're a liar," Blake whispered and for courage, took another drink of whatever this liquor was. Whatever it was went down his throat like burning hot coals.

"Just close your eyes and relax," Daniel said and then, muttered something Blake probably wasn't supposed to hear. "Can't believe you talked me into this..."

At first, Blake closed his eyes like he was told, but he couldn't help himself. He peeked just as Daniel's fangs extended, before they disappeared inside Blake's skin. Daniel was only a liar for a split second, a horrible needle like pain piercing through his entire arm. That pain melted suddenly, replaced by a warm sensation like liquid sunshine that spread to the tips of his fingers and to the bottom of his toes. His knees melted, turning all warm and gooey.

Daniel reached out, sliding his arm around Blake's back to keep him steady, but Daniel stumbled. He stopped drinking suddenly, his body trembling as a snort jumped past his lips. He slipped his mouth back over the wound, messily drinking. Some of Blake's blood leaked from the side of his mouth as he tried desperately to hold in his laughter.

Blake chuckled, his smile unwavering as his delight fluttered like wild hummingbirds inside his chest. With his free hand, he found the courage to reach out and caress the back of Daniel's head. His fingers dipped lower, just past his collar. Daniel shivered between Blake's hands and that ignited another flash of chaotic laughter as wild as the first spark of a forest fire. He started laughing so hard, he had to use Blake to stand up as he pressed his head against Blake's chest. Blake laughed, continuing to stroke the back of Daniel's head to make sure no screws had gotten loose.

"Oh, shit—I mean, shoot," Daniel blurted, quickly licking up the blood dripping from Blake's arm. It was too late for Blake's shirt as a crimson stain bloomed up the white cotton. Somehow, this was the funniest thing in the world to him.

"Wow, that was quick." It made Blake smile so hard, his cheeks hurt. He gripped Daniel's shoulders, pulling back to admire the hazy look in his eyes and his veil of amusement. "That was quick. You don't drink very often, do you? I mean, drink to get drunk. You seem like a lightweight."

"Shut up," Daniel muttered and licked up the bite wound, causing Blake to shiver. It was enough to keep the wound from bleeding anymore. "You're just really drunk."

"You're drunk!"

"Because of you!" Daniel released him, but Blake grabbed his arm. He pulled Daniel into the middle of the spacious study, among the worn leather and the huge unraveling ornate rug. Letting go, Blake hurried to the farthest wall where an old radio was busy collecting dust.

He fiddled with it, shouting loud enough for Daniel to hear, "Okay! Okay! So, this date thing...." Flipping random switches eventually awakened the little machine and suddenly, light and music poured from the speakers. "Yes! Okay, what should we do?"

The music crackled as it desperately searched for a signal underneath all the stonework of the castle and from the top of a snowy mountain in the woods. Daniel squinted, shedding his jacket and blazer. "I don't know. I haven't been on a date since college."

"What? Am I supposed to plan it?" Blake scrunched his brow, stumbling back towards the coffee table. He took one last swig of whatever that demonic little bottle held. It burned the way down and melted the rest of braincells into a mushy puddle at the bottom of his skull. "I mean, I've never planned a date before."

"Really? Um, well uh..." He cocked his head, annoyingly standing perfectly still. Blake danced towards him, grabbing his wrists and pulling him closer. "We could do something for the wedding?"

A lightbulb flashed over Blake's head. "Or Christmas? We could uh- go Christmas shopping for your mom!"

"Yeah, yeah." Daniel nodded and his little bobbing turned into dancing.

"Or!" Blake piped up. He shoved Daniel a little. "Ornament shopping for our first Christmas together!"

"Yes!" Daniel smiled nice and wide, blinding Blake. "You're a genius," he said sweetly, pulling Blake in from around his waist.

He spun Blake around, but Blake didn't want him to feel left out. He grabbed both of Daniel's hands and started whirling around, until they were both dizzy and falling to the floor in a heap of laughter and breathless gasps. They met each other's eyes and for no reason at all, they were thrown into another fit of laughter. Slowly, their cackling died out and only a mellow rock song played. The rest of the castle sat still as if they were the only people in the entire world.

Blake rested on his back, admiring the ceiling and even the smallest details there. Every corner of this palace felt hand crafted with the upmost care. If he tried to find every special little design, it'd take his entire life to discover it all. And yet, it was still all so familiar. He could close his eyes and remember these rooms, how they all played as children and ran wild. Every winter, when the Winslow kids descended upon Sagewick, the children ran the palace.

Blake decided to ask, "When we were kids, why were you so mean to me?"

"I don't know..." Daniel admitted. He closed his eyes, unconsciously tapping the beat to the song with her hands crossed across his chest. For the first time since Blake saw him, the prince seemed perfectly at ease. "I mean," he shrugged. "You were the youngest. I wanted Link to like me, so I teased you. Plus..." He peeked around, opening one of his beautiful hazel eyes. "You were super annoying."

"Hey!" Blake gawked, shoving Daniel hard before he sat back up. He clumsily moved his curls out of his face with the heal of his palm. A part of him wished he didn't even ask. He kind of got the impression from the boys back then that he was the third wheel... but it still wasn't very nice to hear it confirmed.

"I'm sorry," Danny grunted, pushing himself up too. He reached into his pocket and took out the engagement ring. It seemed so much smaller in the palm of his wide hand. Still, the sapphire eye in the middle of the ring glared at Blake. "I'd warn you that I can be a bit of an ass, but you already know that." He motioned Blake, who understood. Blake lifted his hand, using his other to keep himself from falling back to the floor. Daniel slipped the engagement ring across Blake's ring finger, but without letting go.

"It's a nice ring," Blake remarked, admiring the gem. "Really nice. Are you sure I should be wearing it? It's so fancy."

Daniel chuckled. "If you don't wear it, who's gonna wear it?"

"Why don't you wear it?"

"Me? No way, it's too fancy."

"Shut up!" What started off as a grin turned into laughter. Blake laughed so hard, he ended up falling onto his side. "You're so dumb." Daniel looked down at him with a soft sort of smile. Shaking his head, Blake held his engagement ring up, fanning his fingers out against the light of the chandelier. "It's still so weird. I feel like none of this is really happening. If I close my eyes, I'm back at college..."

"I know. One second our life is going as planned and then..." Daniel snapped his fingers and wobbled. "Poof! That's it. Our parents finally tell us the truth." He finally admitted defeat and laid flat on the floor.

"Yeah, we didn't have much of a choice. We're just doing what we're told. I mean, what gives?" Blake started talking, he went off and now, he couldn't stop the more he thought about it. "Our ancestors five hundred years ago just decide that we have to get married, that we're the ones that have to pay the debts they made? I mean, what gives?"

"Yeah," Daniel nodded. "Who gave them the right to decide our fates? We didn't get a say at all. We didn't talk to that demon. We weren't the ones that made a deal with it. They should've paid the price, not us."

"You're right." The idea struck Blake like lightening, illuminating the solution so plainly to him. Everything brightened in that split second and he snapped upright, dizzily forced to find his balance on the nearest armrest. Daniel laid his hand on Blake's back to assist. "We didn't speak to the demon, but we can."

"Excuse me?"

Blake jumped to his feet and hoisted Daniel back up, but without stopping. He gripped Daniel's hand tighter as he dragged the vampire out of the study. Blake rushed down the halls, his heart thrumming through every vein. The excitement was too much to contain. He was a genius. He couldn't believe he hadn't come up with this idea before now. "We can call the demon! It was uh, Craig or whatever. I don't remember, but I have the agreement!"

"You have it?" Daniel started to yell but threw his hand over his mouth. He eyed the doors around them and hurried to catch up with Blake's pace to speak closer to his ear. "You have it? Just with you? Just like that?"

"My mother gave it to me," Blake explained, running up the stairs to reach his room. "I think it was supposed to be symbolic or something, but I can use it to summon the demon."

"Can you do that? Summon it?" Daniel's said, really giving Blake the confidence boost he needed. "That sounds like intense magic."

"I think so. I mean, we're technically the holders of the deal. If we call this demon, it should answer. Besides! It's just a little summoning magic. I used to summon cats and dogs all the time if I got a little lonely at home."

Daniel winced. "Hm. Don't think that's the equivalent."

"Have a little faith," Blake scowled at him as he pushed through his guest bedroom door. His face warm as he remembered the horrible state of his room: the piles of clothes wrinkling by the second, the decorative pillows and bed sheets thrown in disarray. There was still his dinner tray from the previous night and a tray of snacks Adrian brought him to help him relax.

"How old are you again?" Daniel asked.

Blake chucked the nearest pillow at him. Daniel caught it without even looking and laughed. "I mean, are you going to be able to find the Deal in all this?" As he asked, he raised one of Blake's boxers from the floor, his favorite pair that was covered in little polka dots. Blake snatched it out of his hands, his face totally scorched and maybe even scarred forever.

"Quit it! If you're not gonna help, stay out of my way."

Daniel raised his hands in surrender and Blake huffed, pocketing his underwear. Still, his skin itched as Daniel wandered around the corner of Blake's vision. He'd glanced through one suitcase, open a drawer and even pick through his clothes in the closet. "I don't understand your clothes. This is not an adult man's wardrobe."

"Danny, I swear to God..." Blake started to say when he found the envelope that held most of his important documents like his passport, the first picture his parents showed him of Danny and the original itinerary for his flight to the country.

"What on earth are you going to wear for our date? You have to be presentable to the press, you know? I don't even see your shoes. I need you to tell me you brought more shoes than the converses on your feet. Tell me before I have an aneurism, Blake Winslow."

"Danny," Blake stressed, lifting the scroll his mother gave him, the same scroll he tried to forget even existed. Daniel walked across the room, grabbing the bed frame, swinging around with it to look over Blake's shoulder as he unrolled the scroll.

At the bottom was the same blistering name:

Ignacio.

Blake dragged his hand down the old parchment and sparks jumped from his fingertips. "The magic is still surprisingly strong for being so old."

The light shimmered across Daniel's face, making his eyes sparkle. He grinned. "Just tell me what you need."

Blake mirrored the same mischievous grin, the excitement dancing through him. "Find me some chalk and as many candles as you can find."

Almost as soon as he left, Daniel returned with the chalk, a few worn out crumbling pieces and a laundry hamper full of candles.

"Forgot some matches—" Daniel started to say, but the words faded away as Blake took one of the long skinny candles, blowing air at its wick and a small flame blinked awake. It continued to blaze without Blake's help. He glanced up, noticing Daniel's stare and when he wouldn't stop staring, Blake sheepishly explained, "Candles are good for a lot of spells, but especially for summoning. They'll be able to light our guest's way. Could you um, help me move the rug and I'll put the candles out?"

"Oh- uh, of course," Daniel nodded, snapping out of his dreamy daze. He bent down and easily rolled up the rug that wouldn't even budge when Blake nudged it with his foot. Daniel rolled it and threw it over his shoulder like it was a feathered pillow and tossed it out into the hallway. Once the floor was bare, he drew a large pentagram in the middle.

"Now what?" Daniel asked as he helped move some of the candles to the star's points. Like this, being surrounded by candlelight, Blake felt like they were swallowed by a bonfire. They were the hot coals wrapped up in the flames. It was so cozy, Blake might just fall asleep standing up.

"We need more..." Blake crossed his arms. "Something that might drawl the demon. Maybe music. Five hundred years ago what was hot?" On his own, Blake took out his phone and looked up a random video of 16th century music. "Our presence might be enough, but still..."

"You really know what you're talking about, huh?"

"Are you that surprised? I am a Winslow."

"I just don't remember you being so..."

"So what?"

"Magical," Daniel spoke softly, right into Blake's eyes.

Thank God there was a cage around Blake's heart or it might have punched through his chest. Warmth flooded Blake's face, creeping towards his ears and his neck. He felt too hot to touch. Even standing so near, Daniel was in danger of burning to a crisp.

"Th-thank you," Blake whispered, suddenly feeling shy. He ran his hand through his curls and ducked his head, quickly settling the scroll in the middle of the pentagram. Quickly, he hoped out of the wider circle he drew around the floor.

Tomorrow, the maids were going to be so confused and maybe a little pissed.

Blake instructed Daniel to stand outside the circle. Daniel took the place right across from him, double-checking his footing before looking up and catching Blake's eyes. He smiled a little, making Blake's chest tight and his knees wobbly. Blake couldn't tell what was worse for his health, the alcohol or that smile.

Taking a deep breath, Blake closed his eyes as he raised his hands towards the ritual circle. Magic could feel like static. It could feel like the fizzy bubbles from a tall glass of soda, tickling his face, but all over. Those little sparks had the tendency to escape on their own, but the magic stirred and bristled with joy if Blake was the one that opened the door.

Magic warmed his veins, heating up as the magic rushed through his fingertips. He reached through the veil of this world, moving the curtain to let the demon, Ignacio inside. Just for a visit. Blake repeated that name over and over in his mind, calling to him.

Ignacio. Ignacio. Ignacio.

That really is a mouthful, Blake thought. I wonder if he'd go by Iggy.

A chill trickled down Blake's back as he could hear the creek of a door, cringing at the high whining noise it made inside his mind. The heat in the room spiked as fire licked the side of Blake's face, nipping at his exposed skin. Blake's eyes popped opened, but he immediately winced against the bright light. The freckle of fire from each candle suddenly burst and launched into brilliant blazing pillars. The power, the magic that was not his own and rush of heat suddenly shoved Blake backwards, tossing him into the air. His back slammed into the wall and he crumbled into the bed, causing the old springs to squeak as he bobbed upon landing.

The world felt off-kilter and unbalanced. Everything was tilting upside down, or maybe it was just Blake falling off his bed as he watched the fire dim and a tall figure step outside of the circle. All the candles went out at once and Blake's world was consumed by darkness.

#

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait! When I first wrote this chapter (like over a month ago), I wasn't feeling too good, so her "sick" brain and then, her "less sick" brain was forced to rewrite it and then, my now normal brain had to do a LOT more revisions. It also ended up so much longer than anticipated, but what can you do?

It's so sad we're towards the end of our drunken shenanigans, but there's still more fun to come ;) Who's excited to meet a demon? Lol.  

I hope you enjoy the update! And I'm SO excited about what's to come >.<