BLAKE

Blake, his brothers and Daniel found their way into the parlor room, but Blake pushed through them and ran inside first. His mother jumped from her seat with her arms wide open. "Blake!"

The moment he saw his mother Emma, Blake's eyes filled with tears. They looked alike in so many ways from their drooping eyes, pale skin, and slender limbs, but she was so much soft like powdered snow. It was as if a soft filter encased his mother that made some people catch their breaths. She wore a nice black dress, something nicer than usual with Etienne, the king sitting at her side.

If Blake could fly, he would've done it. He rushed into her arms and held her so tight he thought he may never let go. She stroked the back of his head, brushing her fingers through the curls they shared. She felt so warm, so incredibly warm.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered, rocking him a little.

"Not as much as I've missed you." Blake laughed through his tears. He tried wiping them away, but he wasn't quick enough. Behind him, he could feel someone approach and his mother gushed.

"Oh, my Daniel. It's so good to see you..."

Blake glanced around just as Daniel appeared by his side with a smile. He placed his arm around Blake, rubbing his shoulder. They locked eyes and Blake nodded, reassuring Daniel that he was really alright and wiped away the last of his tears.

Blake's mother tilted her head. "You know, now that I see you together, you two do make a handsome couple."

"Thank you." Daniel grinned, glancing at Blake as if saying "Isn't that interesting?"

Damien groaned from the door. "I'm getting a drink."

#

DANIEL

Daniel took a crystal glass from Damien that was full of a dark liquid. He took a quick whiff, surmising the blood type and took a drink. The thick liquid coated his throat and spilled into his stomach, making a warm sensation ripple through his body. There was a flavor he didn't recognize, but from Daniel recalled Damien always played with mixes to make drinks more interesting. The Winslows were potion makers.

It took a while to round up his mother and Clay Winslow, Blake's father. They had wandered into a far away wing of the castle. Blake's mother had joked, "They probably haven't taken a breath between them since we arrived, which may not be amazing because Adele is a vampire, but for my husband, it's quite a feat."

Daniel's mother and Clay had always had a great friendship. Now that they were both losing what made them magical beings, they really had something to bond over. Daniel kept that comment to himself, not wanting to bring down the mood.

They hadn't quite made it out of the lounge, when Frances and Ignacio came stumbling into the hall, breathless and flushed. Daniel almost didn't recognize Frances... he had never made that face before. His smile seemed so genuine. Even his eyes sparkled as they looked at Ignacio, who was laughing harder than Daniel had ever seen either.

Alone together made them look different. Daniel could relate.

Maybe Blake was onto something.

He took another sip and pulled on Blake's sleeve. Blake jumped a little but fell back from the crowd to join him in the back. Daniel whispered, "I think we've matched our matchmaker."

"If that can't reverse the curse, I don't know what will," Blake said as if that was his plan all along. "Maybe Ignacio will push back the deadline, if we manage to hook him up with Frances."

"Are we still trying to break the curse?" Daniel asked aloud when he hadn't meant to. The words just flew out of his mouth and he couldn't take them back.

Blake stopped in his tracks, his porcelain complexion burning a nice red color. "I... I thought... I don't... Do you not want to break the curse anymore?"

He asked the exact question that resonated in Daniel's soul.

Before he could answer, Link jumped for joy and waved his arms out. "Holy shit! Is that Frances? What's up?"

"Link! If it isn't the rest of the Winslow clan? I think Christmas has come early this year!" Link barreled into Frances and they shared a stumbling, clumsy hug. They were bursting with things to catch up on, but Ignacio couldn't take a step forward.

Ignacio looked up at Link, his brown eyes as big as dinner plates. "You're... a Winslow?" He clutched his hands close to his chest like a nervous child. It was as if Link were a celebrity and Ignacio didn't know if he could muster up the courage to ask for a picture.

"Uh, yeah?" Link awkwardly let go of Frances, quirking his brow. He glanced back at the group, checking to see if Ignacio was being for real.

"Do you like it?"

"Like what?"

"Being a Winslow? Having magic?"

"Um... yeah? I'm pretty happy about it."

Ignacio smiled, the corner of his eyes glistening with tears. "You're happy? And—" An excitement burst through him. He grabbed Link's arm, "What about your grandparents? Did they enjoy being witches?"

"I'm pretty sure they did."

"Good. That's so good." Ignacio let out a relieved breath.

The dinner bells chimed, bringing a laugh out of Daniel's fathers. "I think that's our cue. Sorry, sorry," Eitienne waved to a few nervous looking maids. "We're going to be harder to wrangle with all of us together." The party of Winslow and Bellerose families were put back on course to the dining room, but Blake began to break away.

Without thinking, Daniel grabbed his hand. "Wait, where are you going?"

Blake's back straightened as if someone stuck a ruler up his shirt. He looked at Daniel's hand first and then his face. Daniel didn't think it was that weird, but Blake's quizzical look argued something else.

"I'm going to the bathroom first." Blake tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great."

Blake hummed, slipping out of Daniel's hold. "Just save me a seat and I'll be there soon."

"It'll be the seat next to me," Daniel promised. He waited for Blake to make his way to Ignacio and ask him for his time. Until the two disappeared around the corner, Daniel didn't move. He glanced at his drink, swirling the little cubes of ice inside before he took another sip.

#

BLAKE

Blake knew Ignacio would join them for dinner and Blake had to know how the ride with Frances went. He sat wedged between the demon that cursed him and the vampire he was still scheduled to wed at the end of the month. Blake glanced at Daniel with the intention to be subtle, but Daniel was already staring at him.

Blake's face exploded in a blush and he whipped around to face Ignacio.

Something was strange with Daniel.

Blake could tell.

But this strangeness was way too embarrassing for him to investigate. He decided being nosy about Ignacio was safer for his mental health. "So?" Blake nudged him. "How was the ride?"

Daniel tugged on Blake's sleeve. Blake's burning blush crept past his jaw, spilling into his neck and setting over half his body on fire. Blake swatted Daniel's hand away so maybe the wildfire in his veins could finally cool.

"Thrilling!" Ignacio grinned, a spark dancing behind his eyes. He held onto Blake's shoulder as if he could melt into a puddle any moment. "Frances was not lying when he said he road fast. It reminded me that I have a heart with how fast it was beating."

"And Frances?" Blake asked, peering at Frances at the end of the table. He sat with Link to catch up and probably think of ways to tease Blake to death. "Did he say anything?"

"Hm?" Ignacio hummed, caught up in the memory. "No. He didn't say anything. It's too loud for that, even when we were stopped... but he'd look back at me. Just look. Every now and then." He stopped, his breath caught in his throat and he couldn't let it go.

"It definitely sounds like there's a heart in there." Blake seemed to laugh with only himself, seeing as Ignacio was time traveling back to only an hour ago. Blake shook his head and glanced at Daniel, their last conversation replaying in his head. He couldn't help but smile.

At first when he arrived at Sagewick, he assumed it was going to be impossible for them to get along... but Blake felt compelled to Daniel the way bees explored flowers to pollinate. It was a hunger. It felt like being near him was necessary to survival. He smelled good too.

"So, Daniel? How have things been going between you and Blake—?"

Without a second thought, Blake slid down his chair so he could kick his brother in the knee. Of course, Damien knew it was coming and grabbed Blake's shoe and yanked him further down. No one seemed at all phased by it, but their mother did decide this was a good time to take a drink.

Daniel still answered. "We're doing well, at least I think so."

He looked down at Blake for clarification, but Blake was too busy trying to stop his brother with a few swift kicks. It was never just one question. Never just one innocent question like that. Damien asked, "Were you happy to see Blake after all this time?"

"Of course!" Blake tried to answer, but Daniel cut him off.

"Not really."

"Danny," Blake hissed and smacked Daniel's arm.

"What? You weren't happy to see me either."

"But for different reasons and they don't need to know—"

Damien leapt at the opportunity. "What were the reasons?"

"Well..." Daniel thought about it for a moment and Blake's brow narrowed. Something was wrong, Blake could feel his gut warn him. Without asking, Blake grabbed Daniel's chin. It felt as stiff and cold as a windowpane in winter, but Daniel folded to his touch. His eyes weren't as dark as they normally were. In fact... Blake peered closer. There were flecks of green in his eyes.

However, Daniel's attention was on Damien as he explained. "I completely avoided Blake. I was sort of rejecting my responsibility out of my own cowardice. I'm not exactly the romantic type. My mother had to give Blake his engagement ring."

"You don't have to tell them everything!" Blake insisted, smacking Daniel more. Blake glared at Damien, who looked so smug his head might inflate so big and blow up, sitting back in his chair and smirking. Blake's temper flared, scorching the last few threads of his patience.

Clearing her throat, Daniel's mother said, "I think we should switch topics."

"Yes," Blake's father agreed. "They seem to be getting along now, so what does it matter?"

Daniel started nodding and took a sip of his drink before a thought dawned on him and for whatever reason, he just had to share it with the dinner party. "Getting along very well. I almost kissed him today."

Frances snorted into his whine glass and the table was suddenly in a flurry of surprised responses, but Blake drowned them out. He stared at Daniel harder who was ever so subtly tilting back and froth in his chair. It finally dawned on Blake and he could kick himself for not noticing sooner. Blake shot up in his seat and snatched Daniel's glass from him.

"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day." Link blinked. "You guys came a long way. How'd you make up with each other?"

"Link! Shut up!" Blake snapped and sniffed the drink. It smelled vaguely of cinnamon and something with a kick of spice. It made Blake's mouth water. It made Blake want to loosen his lips. The anger that festered in the back of Blake's head was enough for his ears to steam. "Damien! This is low, even for you!"

"What?" Damien was smiling too wide to look at all innocent.

Daniel shrugged. "We just bonded over some music and a little drinking and—"

Blake slapped his hands over Daniel's mouth. "Danny, stop talking. Damien poisoned you with a Truth Potion. It makes you speak the truth but doesn't force you talk or spontaneously start telling the truth, so just shut up until I can make you an antidote."

"Damien!" Their mother gawked. "You didn't!"

"Really?!" Frances' eyes lit up. He started snapping his fingers to grab his friend's attention. "Daniel! Daniel! Is it really a Sagewick custom to kiss the butt of every horse you meet? And did you really name a whole ass town Somewhere as a joke? Oh—! Conner Hewitt! Conner Hewitt! Did you two really hook up in the conservatory while everyone was taking their exam?"

"I have a headache," Daniel's mother sighed.

"Wait. You got drunk?" Link was still stuck on the subject. "I couldn't even get you to drink in college and you're telling me Blake got you wasted?"

Daniel laughed drunkenly. "He did. Literally. I bit him—"

"OKAY!" Blake shouted. He got up so fast, he kicked his chair back. He yanked Daniel out of his seat, dragging him towards the door. "This is so fun, but we're leaving!" There was a chorus of voices behind them as the boys hurried into hallway, hearing their names called, Blake's mother berating Damien and Frances trying to ask more nosy questions.

Blake huffed, muttering under his breath. He could taste copper he was so angry. Damien would be lucky if Blake ever spoke to him again. "They're all so immature. They get a little inch and decide to immediately take advantage of you. Unlike Frances and my brothers, I don't think it's very funny at all. They wouldn't like it if someone did that to them, you know—"

Blake whipped around to check on Daniel who had suddenly become strangely quiet. Daniel was smiling, which only deepened Blake's frown. "This isn't funny." 

"I'm just enjoying myself. You're being unbearably cute."

If Daniel could only speak the truth, Blake wasn't able to speak at all. He just stood there in the middle of the hallway bursting into flames. Blake wasn't sure how he was going to be able to face anyone, including Daniel after tonight. What's worse was that this potion didn't alter memory. Daniel was going to wake up tomorrow with a terrible headache and a lot of regret. 

#

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay! I had to rewrite this chapter so many times. I just couldn't get it right. Sometimes the best thing to do when writing is just to start over. Get ready for the cheese in the next chapter. 

Don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you think! Did you expect Damien to pull off such a stunt? And what did you think of the painfully honest Daniel? Is Blake going to survive all this chaos? And how much more honest do you think Daniel can get? Lol.  

If you haven't checked it out, I have another paranormal story circulating called "My Mate, His Mate and Me" between a werewolf, a vampire and a human (?).