TRIGGER WARNING: SELF-HARM (CHAPTER EXPLANATION DOWN BELOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SKIP)

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BLAKE

His face down, Blake rubbed his engagement ring.

Four more days.

He had four days until the wedding.

The breakfast table was full of chatter. Only Blake wasn't talking. He'd acknowledge it when someone would say his name or ask him something, but he kept quiet. Opening his mouth risked everything. Blake didn't think he could hide the horror of the situation from his expression. Beside him, Edward pretending to be Daniel laughed at something Link said. Edward had been holding Blake's leg since the beginning of breakfast.

As soon as Blake spoke, Edward squeezed his leg and drove his nails into Blake's skin. A valley of bruises were blooming across his thigh. It was already sore and struggling just made it worse, made it hurt more. That hand might as well be around his throat.

"Are you not hungry?" Damien asked Blake.

"Um," Blake needed to take a breath and this time, he expected Edward's hand to tighten. "Um, not really. I think the wedding nerves are finally getting to me."

That made Adele chuckle. "I hardly remember mine..." she reached across the table for Etienne's hand. He scooped hers up and pressed a kiss to her knuckle. "Etienne's mother was pretty sure I was going to make a run for it."

Blake forced a laugh when Frances swept into the dining room. He came in hot, and his eyes searched the table. His brows narrowed. "Where's Ignacio?"

"We're at breakfast," Edward said, using Daniel's voice. Blake couldn't stand it. He couldn't look at him. "Why would the assistants be here for breakfast? Michael isn't here either."

"But..." Frances chewed on his thoughts.

Blake opened his mouth to try to say he was fine, but Edward gripped him again. This time so hard, Blake could feel his bones crushing. He hid the pain by taking a sip of his water. Edward spoke up instead. "Actually, Ignacio has been let go."

"What?" Frances's eyes widen. The entire table was flooded with surprised reactions.

Michael had a similar reaction earlier and started asking questions. He'd spent enough time with Blake and the group to know how close they all were. Edward silenced him, which gave Michael another surprised reaction. Edward told Michael, "We're not friends, Michael. If I needed someone's opinion, I'd ask my father. Not the help."

Those words cut Michael deep, Blake could tell and it took everything Blake had not to try to take it back. Michael just gathered himself up, fixed his suit, and apologized. Shame ran through Blake as he watched Michael bow.

He still flinched at the memory.

"I realized his presence wasn't necessary." Edward shrugged. "He didn't do much. Michael is more than capable of handling mine and Blake's schedule. He was practically do it anyways."

"And he left? Just like that?" Frances asked.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked through the pain.

"I'm..." Frances started to say but remembered where he was and who his audience was. "I'm going out."

"Frances?" Link called after him. "Hey, wait up!" Quickly wiping off his mouth, Link jumped up and ran after Frances. He came back a second later to grab his coffee and then, he was off running again.

"I hope everything's alright," Adele said, her eyes trained on the door.

"To be young," Clay whispered as he grabbed what was left of Link's plate, shoveling the food onto his.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom," Blake said, trying to stand but getting caught in Edward's resistance. Blake tried to play it up as something cute, while he smiled and stroked Edward's cheek. "I'll be right back. While I'm gone, you can tell Damien how well we're doing sharing a bedroom before the wedding."

"You're doing what?!" Damien jumped up and while everyone was distracted, racing as fast as his legs could take him up the stairs, searching rooms and doors, cursing when every single one was locked.

"Your highness?" A maid called out. "Can I help you?"

"Y-yes," Blake stammered, his heart thumping faster than hummingbird wings. "Can you tell me where Josephine's room is? And quickly? It's urgent."

"Oh, well this way," the maid perked up. She sat down her load of laundry and they fast walked through the halls to a corner Blake had never reached before. "Right here-"

Blake was already through the door. "Josephine!"

"Blake?" Josephine did a double take from her perch by the window. She had a tray of breakfast on the side while she was sipping blood and scrolling through her phone. "What are you doing..."

"This is going to sound crazy. It's not going to make sense, but it's why I'm asking you." Blake fished out a small empty bottle. He had to clean out the anti-migraine potion this morning while he was showering. "I need a little bit of your blood. It's for a potion," Blake quickly added. Not that it made it sound any better.

Josephine stood up, passing right by him. Blake's chest tightened. He chased after her, close on her heels and tried begging. "I can't explain to you what's going on or why I need it, other than it'll help me and Danny and I will literally owe you my life. Just a drop. I promise it's not something hurtful or dangerous and-"

Josephine walked to her desk, took out a letter opener, and then pricked her finger. "Hand it over." Her free hand motioned for the bottle. Blake practically threw it at her, and she smiled, pressing her finger over the lip. Her dark, nearly black blood sluggishly spilled down the side. "I trust you. Now that we're family, Blake, you need to learn that I'm ride or die. You ask for blood? I ask how much. That is how the Bellerose family operates, okay?"

"Okay." Blake nodded and tried not to cry. "And can we keep this between us?"

"I didn't even see you this morning."

"Thank you." Blake took the bottle back and kissed Josephine's cheek before taking off once again. He ran as fast as he possibly could back to the breakfast table, a small jar of Josephine's blood burning a hole in his pocket.

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"We're going to visit town," Blake's mother, Emma, told him as the families were ambling towards the day's activities. "I'm second guessing my dress for the wedding. Would you like to come? Adele and I were thinking about ice-skating."

"Um," Blake started, wiping the emotions from his face. It was much harder to lie to his mother than anyone. "I'm not feeling great, so I'm just going to rest for the rest of the day."

"Well..." Emma said, stroking Blake's hair. "I did think you looked a little pale at breakfast." She brought him into a hug. He let himself be held, wishing she'd squeeze him even tighter. Breathing in the smell of tea leaves and honey, Blake whole holding her, he could also hold onto a piece of himself and home. "Take care of yourself. I know you're under a lot of pressure," she said, stroking the back of his head. "But remember there's a whole lot of people who love you and will do anything for you."

"I know," Blake could barely get out.

Emma kissed his cheek, giving him another tight squeeze.

"Is everything alright?" Daniel's voice cut in. Edward put his arm around Blake, taking his mother's warmth away and replacing it with frost.

"I'm not feeling well," Blake said.

"Then, let's get you back to bed. I'll have Adrian bring you some medicine."

Blake nodded, letting himself be dragged back to his room. Knocking his arm away, Blake retreated into the room with his guards up high. He glared at Edward, wearing his lover's face still. Edward rolled his eyes. "So dramatic."

"You've got me back in my room," Blake said. "Happy?"

"Completely." His smile as sharp as rose thorns.

Edward left, locking the door behind him. Letting go of his tension, Blake had to catch himself on the bed. He touched the bottle of Josephine's blood in his pocket and thanking his ancestors that it stayed in there.

From underneath the bed, red smoke rose and billowed to bring Ignacio into the world. He grabbed Blake's face, checking for signs of life. "What are you planning?" He asked. "I know you left the table. Good move to sick Damien on Edward. That man could keep the devil cornered if it involved you."

"Did you see Frances too?" Blake asked.

Ignacio's face fell. "Yes, but I can't focus on him now. Why did you leave the table?"

"I needed one last ingredient, well one of the last ones."

"What else do you need?"

"Candles."

"Coming up."

Blake nodded and Ignacio disappeared again. Rushing around the room, Blake grabbed the knife he hid underneath the bed, the radio, and brought it all to the bathroom that was just as big as his bedroom back home. There were more cabinets and counter space than Blake could ever need with a useless vanity. Everything red from towels to the curtains hanging over the bath, Blake threw out. Ignacio appeared and had to duck out of a flaying pair of red socks.

"What on Earth—"

"I'm going to bring Henry and Nicholas back," Blake explained and grabbed the candle from Ignacio. He started setting them up around the marble counter that surrounded the huge bathtub.

"You're what?"

"The same way I summoned you. They're the only ones that know about Edward and I can send them to Danny, wherever Edward has him held up. They're the last people Edward will suspect to come back too." Between blowing on candles and causing them to ignite, Blake tried to explain the spell and he was losing his breath. "I got rid of all the red and I'm going to play music to lure Nicholas, but most importantly, Josephine gave me her blood."

Blake took out the small vile. "He'll come for his family and Henry will come for his too..." Blake's stomach twisted. The nerves settling in. He thought about this spell so much in theory that he forgot he needed to actually pull it off. "I'm going to warn you. This is going to take a lot of blood."

Shaking his head, Ignacio whispered, "Is there no other way?"

Blake took his hand and squeezed. "Henry will come for you too."

Ignacio refused to let go, ending up helping Blake into the tub. He closed the drain and poured Josephine's blood out in front of him, staining the white. Closing his eyes, Blake reached his fingers out into the world and extending the magic from within his body like flowers opening their buds in the spring. The magic tickled the top of his skin, making him squirm and smile. He was back and the magic was excited to go for a walk.

Taking a deep breath, Blake just did it in one rush, slicing his arm and dropping the knife. He cursed, slapping his hand over the cut. Falling backwards, his back arching as he clenched his jaw and took the pain. He called the ghosts of Henry Winslow and Nicholas Bellerose back to the world of the living with an opened door. "Please, come."

"Didn't you lose enough blood from those vampires?" Ignacio asked.

"It's fine," Blake lied.

His head was swimmy, and his worries bubbled to the very top as his brain was screaming that maybe he cut too deep that it might be impossible for Henry to come back when Blake was still alive, and Edward could storm inside and stop the spell just before Henry and Nicholas could walk through to this side. A cool sweat laced Blake's body and he closed his eyes, feeding all his strength into the magic.

"Hurry, hurry," Ignacio whispered, resting his forehead on Blake's shoulder.

In the very back of Blake's head, he could hear a door crack.

And another slammed open, scaring Ignacio and he poofed out of existence. Dressed as Adrian, Edward stormed into the bathroom, a look of anger that was powerful enough to rock the castle. "You stupid bastard," Edward growled, grabbing Blake's arm roughly as he tried forcing him onto his feet. "You're not going to ruin this for me again."

Blake's body went ice cold and the darkness hit him harder than a baseball bat to the back of the head. He lost the feeling in his legs, landing in Edward's arms and getting dragged out of the bathroom and thrown on the bed. The last few things he remembered was Edward's mouth over Blake's wound, trying to close it up, and Ignacio floating close to the ceiling to watch over Blake like always. More angel than demon.

But Blake did all he could do.

And let himself finally rest, praying that Daniel would be found.

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CHAPTER SUMMARY:

Edward is now pretending to be Daniel in front of the family. He seems to be getting away with it, which makes Blake sick. Blake loathes the way Edward puts Michael down and then, announces to everyone and Frances that Ignacio has been fired. Heartbroken, Frances leaves.

After managing to sneak away and get Josephine's blood, Blake uses the same summoning spell he used to bring Ignacio back to try to bring Henry and Nicholas back to find Daniel. His ingredients includes Josephine's and his own blood... he hears a door open on the other side just as Edward storms in. Edward thinks Blake tried to kill himself like Henry, not suspecting anything.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

When you think Edward can't get worse he's horrible to poor baby Frances and Michael. But Blake's got a plan! Will it work? Are Henry and Nicholas really going to be able to come back?? And if they can, will they be able to help?? 

This late late update is brought to you by my soul sucking job. Lol. I haven't had time to do anything fun the last couple of weeks, but thankfully I had a little time this morning. Another chapter is on its way too!! <3

June 30th I have a special announcement!! So, look out for that 🐸💋