Chapter 11 ~ Betrayal

I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Lilia Blake, descendant of Magdalena Clarke, whose magic I owe to be here with you today in this very form.

Hearing his words, her brain must have shut down. Otherwise Lilia couldn't explain why she was staring at Godric with her mouth half open and covered by her hand, incapable of any competent thought. With all her strength she tried anyway, and after what felt like an eternity - during which Godric obviously waited patiently until she had digested this news, because he did nothing but look at her with a gentle gaze - the very old tale came back to her mind. The tale that all mothers had passed on to their children in their bloodline since their ancestor Magdalena had encountered the two vampires.

All at once her cheeks warmed and her eyes widened.

Lilia? she heard Godric ask and he suddenly looked worried.

With pinched lips, she shook her head, trying to banish the thought that it had been Godric who, through the physical union with her ancestor Magdalena, had helped break the bonds that had held her magic in check. Because with this thought, a strange feeling settled in her.

"On behalf of my ancestor, I thank you," Lilia whispered, barely able to look Godric in the eye. "She never saw you again, but you two made a positive difference in her life back then."

Yet even as she spoke these words, that feeling took roots and grew within her. And she knew that emotion. And she hated it. Jealousy. Why was she suddenly jealous of her ancestor? It was absolutely irrational and childish and detracted from the gratitude she felt at the same time. And it hurt her heart more than anything else!

Ashamed of herself, she turned away from Godric and tried to hold back the tears that were forming against her will.

Look at me. What is going on inside you right now, Lilia? I can do many things, but reading minds is not one of them, she heard his amused tone.

And Lilia appreciated that he obviously wanted to cheer her up. But that only made the situation worse for her. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes dry and crossed her arms. If Godric hadn't been sitting on her lap, she would have fled the room by now, but she didn't dare touch him then and there and lift him off her.

Godric didn't seem to feel this compulsion of restraint, because when Lilia closed her eyes, she felt him move and a moment later he cupped her face with his paws and with a gentle but unyielding movement forced her to look at him again.

Whatever is going on inside you right now, I want you to tell me. Did I not want to trust you and did you not want to help me? We won't get anywhere if you do not talk to me, Lilia.

And something in his tone made her smile despite that downward spiraling in her chest.

"Former sheriff, huh? I bet you're not used to talking to an emotionally driven person who doesn't want to give you answers, are you?"

Correct. And I could glamour you with no problem to get the answer, but I do not want to. But I can see that something is hurting you right now, and I want to help you. But I cannot do that if you do not tell me what is going on.

Only, how could she tell him what was going on inside her? He was a centuries-old vampire and she? He would think she was an immature schoolgirl!

"I can't, okay? Trust has nothing to do with it, just- shame," it burst out of her, only to whisper the last word. "I- argh! I can't! Sometimes people can't put their feelings into words that well."

I see... May I offer a solution?

And as surreal as this whole situation was, talking about feelings to a vampire who was a cat sitting on her lap, a crazy thought occurred to her. Maybe she should write a book about it - the story would never be believed anyway (except by her family, maybe) and she might make some money from it to finally buy herself and Leo a new washing machine.

But this thought wasn't important right now. She had other worries and really really wanted to talk about them with Godric. But she had never been the type of person who could talk about everything openly and freely. So she nodded, eager to hear what Godric would say.

"What do you suggest?"

I could really glamour you, Lilia.

Whereby he particularly emphasized the word could.

Just slightly. Just enough to make it easy for you to tell me what's going on. And if it makes you uncomfortable, I can make you forget afterwards that we had this conversation. And I tell you about it so you know I truly trust you. Our ability to glamour humans is a well-kept secret within vampire society that we normally do not share with the outside world. But I want you to know that you have the opportunity to forget things with me.

"No," Lilia said softly. Hearing his words, her instinct for self-preservation jumped and kicked her adrenalin level up and she could almost hear a red warning light in her head emitting a shrill warning tone. But surprisingly, her body didn't respond to it. Because instead of immediately averting her gaze from him and jumping up in horror, she rather leaned toward him. She wanted to trust him as well, and courageously, she gathered all the confidence she could muster at that moment and looked at him seriously.

"Maybe that's not a bad idea. Glamouring me into talking about it, I mean. But making me forget about it? I don't want that. That would be out of the question for me in a relation-" Her eyes widened as the word slipped past her lips and now she quickly but gently pushed him off of her and fled to her window, where she clung to the sill, staring out of the window as if her life depended on it. "I mean friendship! That would be out of the question for me in a friendship."

Lilia would have preferred to sink into the ground at that moment, and with an inward exhausted sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window pane.

Come to me, she heard Godric's voice in her mind a few moments later. But somehow his voice was different. Softer, with a melody like flowing water. Definitely lulling, and Lilia wondered if vampires could also glamour humans with their voices.

Nevertheless, she turned to him and when he tapped the bed beside him with one paw, she started to move. He slid a little to the side, and after a moment's thought, she sat down cross-legged with him. Lying down would feel too much like being with a psychiatrist... And she had put those years behind her long ago and didn't really want to go back there once more.

I will not abuse your trust, Lilia. No letting you forget, just a light glamouring so you can talk, I promise, Godric interrupted her thoughts.

When she nodded and he looked her straight in the eye, she felt it a second later.

'Woah...' she could just think as she felt her room seem to dissolve around her and everything but her body became unimportant. The feeling was slightly familiar to her; after all, Godric had said that he had already glamoured her. Only this time it was different. Stronger, but at the same time more gentle. She would have liked to think about it longer to be able to identify and describe it exactly, but it was as if her thoughts were magically drawn away from it. From her face the tension disappeared and her shoulders slumped. In the process she felt calm all around and very very relaxed.

That's it, my Lilia. Now, would you like to tell me what's bothering you?

"Did you have sex with Magdalena?" she asked straight away, and Lilia thought she could tell from his surprised expression that he hadn't expected this question.

And, apparently, he didn't really know what to say either, because for several breaths he just sat there and merely blinked at her.

"I know that one of you two has had sex with her. She has been helped by this physical union to cast off the shackles that had bound her magic. But it also occurred in her tale that the vampire had lain with her to satisfy his lust. So, was it you or had Eric done it?"

Does it really matter?

Did it matter, he asked? Really? "Yes!" it burst out of Lilia, and the calm inside her dissolved and jealousy threatened to drift into resignation. With a deep sigh, she wanted to turn away from him, but when he placed a paw on her knee, the movement no longer seemed so important.

I will answer your question, Lilia, if you tell me why the answer is so important to you.

Alas, where should she begin...? As talkative as Godric's glamour made her, it didn't exactly seem to put her thoughts in order. With a pleading expression, she looked at him, trying to let him know with her gaze what her problem was.

And obviously he understood, because the pressure of his paw increased and his gaze became infinitely gentle.

You said you saw me in my vampire form and you almost said relationship instead of friendship. You also said that you do not lack trust, but you cannot talk about it because of shame.

With slow movements he came a little closer to her, and Lilia would have liked to bury her fingers in his soft fur. But his glamour didn't allow that at the moment.

Can it be, his voice took on a whispering tone in her head, that you wish to have a relationship with me? And the thought of what happened to your ancestor back then makes you react jealously?

His voice did not contain any undertone of amusement and she was very grateful to him for that. With a nod, she answered his question in the affirmative.

But you are ashamed that there is a feeling of jealousy in you?

"Yes," she managed to answer verbally this time.

Why?

Why? she repeated, wondering if this time she would find the right words to explain it.

"You currently have a cat body, Godric. But I... like you," she stammered, feeling herself blush. "Yes, I've seen your other form and I don't know yet why you shifted or if it will even happen again or not, but I find you handsome and and... I am attracted to you. But I barely know you and this whole situation is so out of my league. And I'm not usually one to be attracted to a guy I've only known for a few days. I don't doubt that such a thing doesn't exist, but it hasn't happened to me yet. Everything is new and unfamiliar and then these feelings and you're your own person and you're who knows how old and it's great! You've certainly experienced a lot in the many long years of your life that I can't grasp with my mortal mind. But I can't turn off the feeling that I get when I think about you having... with her... And I know I shouldn't feel it, but-"

All at once her rambling was interrupted when Godric straightened up and closed her lips with one paw.

If I were not in this shape right now, I would have sealed your lips with a kiss, she heard his thoughts purr and blushed to the tips of her hair as her eyes widened.

But alas, that is not possible at this time. And thank you, Lilia, for your answer. To answer your question, my child Eric had lain with Magdalena. I was present and if you want detailed answers, I will give them to you willingly. But what I do not want is for you to feel ashamed of the emotions you have. They are a part of you and believe me when I tell you that suppressing them won't do you any good.

She felt his second paw on her cheek then and heard the soothing purr in her thoughts again. And now it was Lilia's turn to stare at him, blinking. The only thing she felt right now was relief and joy. For she had certainly heard his words, but her brain had stopped working after his first sentence so that its ability to formulate a coherent sentence suffered.

"You would… Do you... Do you mean...?"

An amused spark appeared in his eyes and his little mouth twisted into a smile as she heard his smirk parallel in her mind. And as if it were like urgently needed machine oil, her mental gears started up again.

I also still do not have an explanation of what is happening here or what is going to happen next, but yes, I too am attracted to you, my Lilia.

And at that moment Lilia didn't care what shape Godric was. She tilted her head and leaned her forehead against his while closing her eyes with a heart leaping with happiness.

"We're going to figure all this out. We-"

She fell silent when she heard the soft rattle of keys and the front door of the apartment opened a moment later.

Only reluctantly did she break away from Godric's touch, but he too let go of her face and sat back down completely on the bed.

We'll talk more later, I promise, my Godric, she copied his choice of words and was pleased to see how his face lit up.

"Lilia? Are you there?" her brother called her right that moment, and with a sigh, Lilia pushed the thoughts that not only she found him attractive, but that Godric also found her attractive, far into a the back of her mind and got up from the bed.

"I'm here, Leo."

But before she could open the door, Leo had already opened it and stepped inside.

"Here." He held out a leather-bound book to her. "Put it aside for now. Caleb will be here in a minute. I met him downstairs, he's just hooking up his bike."

"Okay? Then am I correct in assuming that Caleb isn't supposed to see the grimoire?"

"Ugh... You can't phrase it like that, sis. He knows we have one, of course. Nearly every family as old as ours owns one. His family also has one. But only the head of the family is allowed to show it to people of other blood. So, theoretically, he may see it, but he may not touch it or even leaf through it. And Aunty Rosemary made me promise not to show it to anyone." With a shrug, he looked past her and let his gaze rest on Godric. "If you ask me, she's become even more eccentric in recent years, but a promise is a promise. Have you been able to find out more about Schnuffi here?"

For a brief second Lilia snorted in amusement before clearing her throat and then turning to Godric as well.

With my family's grimoire I wanted to look for possible curses that might have been responsible for your condition. That's moot now, but maybe we can find a counterspell? Leo also knows about you, that you aren't just an animal. He's willing to help us. May I tell him your name?

Godric's gaze slid from her to her brother, and after staring intently at Leo for endless moments, he nodded.

My name, yes, but I do not want your brother to know what I was before. After all, he has come into contact with V and I do not want him to do anything against you to get to me if it occurs to him that he can use my blood in any way.

Lilia felt a strong impulse to immediately come to her brother's defense. But she also understood her new friend's point of view.

Agreed, she therefore let her thoughts speak and smiled reassuringly at Godric.

"Eh, can you really communicate telepathically now?" Leo asked after watching the two, pointing his hand alternately at her and her little friend.

"Uh, yup," Lilia replied. "Also, his name isn't Schnuffi, it's Godric!"

With that, she turned and went to her closet, where she hid the book under some shirts.

"Godric," she heard her brother say slowly, as if he suspected some hidden meaning behind the name. Then he looked at him seriously and Lilia could guess in which direction her brother's thoughts were wandering. But before he could give his I'm-watching-you speech, so that Godric would know what her brother thought about him being alone in a room with his sister at night, the doorbell rang and with a sigh Leo went to open it.

Alone again, Lilia smirked. That definitely is handy, isn't it?

Hearing his purring reply, she had to stifle a laugh. "Hey, do you like pizza? Caleb and Leo wanted to bring some. Come," she invited Godric, and they both left the room with happy thoughts.

An hour later, Lilia's brother and his friend had already eaten their pizzas and where talking and laughing in the open kitchen while Lilia, sitting on the couch, watched Godric just chewing his last slice of their pizza with gusto.

This is your very first one, isn't it?

Yes, his answer sounded a bit inarticulate on the edge, because he was concentrating on the food with all his heart and soul. And Lilia didn't need to ask if he liked it. The gleam in his eyes after he had taken the first bite had been more than clear.

When I was a human, my people did not know this particular food. Thank you, Lilia, for sharing yours with me, he chomped cheerfully. This is a thousand times better than eating a mouse!

Eww, a mouse? When did you eat a mouse?

With an appraising glance at her, Godric paused briefly and then quickly continued chewing.

I would prefer not to answer in detail. I do not want to be responsible for making you sick.

All right, Lilia laughed inwardly. But normally my stomach is tough. Just in case you ever want to get not-so-nice things off your chest, she assured him, stroking his back lovingly with her hand.

After swallowing his bite, Godric licked his mouth clean with his tongue and leaned into her hand, purring. Smiling blissfully to herself, Lilia leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. They had quickly agreed that they would only discuss light topics mentally in the presence of Caleb, so as not to give themselves away through facial expressions and gestures.

But that was exactly how Lilia imagined an evening with a human friend - eating together and sharing inanities and anecdotes from life. And even if she hadn't been told any ultra-secret vampire secrets in the last hour, she was still satisfied. Because she really hadn't expected that. Instead, Godric had told her about his human life, how the people of his tribe had lived socially, what role he had played and what he had liked best to eat and drink before he could only consume blood due to his transformation into a vampire.

You look tired, my Lilia, Godric purred into her thoughts, and with a sigh, she turned her head and looked at him.

A little? she admitted, and then looked around for her brother and their guest, wanting to tell them both that she was going to retire for the night.

But just at that moment a glass shattered on the floor and she saw Leo propping himself up at the dining table while rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"Leo?" Lilia exclaimed, frowning. "Is everything okay?"

"Hey man, I don't think you should drink anymore," she heard Caleb say, and wondered what exactly they had been drinking.

"Uhhh yeah," Leo mumbled indistinctly, making a motion like he was going to bend over to pick up the broken shards.

"It's fine, Leo, I'll handle it. Go lie down if you're not feeling well."

She quickly fetched the hand brush and shovel from the bathroom and swept up the first shards of glass while Leo made it to his room with what looked like most needed help from his friend.

When she noticed a movement next to her, Lilia quickly turned to the cat and made a shooing motion with the shovel.

Stay away, Godric. Some shards are so small you might miss them. I don't want you to hurt yourself again.

Okay, he replied. I will therefore go to the bathroom, since it is not occupied by you right now.

Yes, do that. She smiled after him and swept up the last remains of the glass, which she then dumped into the trash can. Just as she stood up, Caleb quietly closed Leo's door and stepped toward her.

"I put him to bed as comfortably as I could. He's out like a light." Pointing to his own glass where there was still a bit of translucent liquid inside, he raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Doesn't he usually drink wine, Lilia? I'm surprised he can't hold anything."

"At least not here at home," she shrugged. "He often does go out with you coven members though. But what he drinks there he doesn't tell me. You know more about that than I do, if I'm honest. Anyway, thanks for helping him to bed." With a smile for him, she cleared her plate and Godric's water bowl from the couch and put them in the sink. "And I'm sorry your video night is over early. I'm about to turn in too, it's been a long day."

But as she was about to walk past him to accompany him to the door, he suddenly grabbed her arm.

"I'd like to talk to you, Lilia. I-"

"Really, Caleb, I'm tired," she interrupted him with a frown, looking down at his hand that held her upper arm in a firm grip. "And you've apparently had too much wine, too. Let go of me right now and I'll forget this slip."

And to her relief, Caleb did indeed let go of her immediately. But as she was about to turn away, she saw his hand out of the corner of her eye and then felt a pulling pressure in the back of her head that snaked down her spine like an electric charge in seconds. Annoyed, she wanted to confront Caleb about what actually his problem was, but panic exploded inside her the next second when she realized she couldn't move! And then her field of vision blurred at the edges, while she perceived his voice very close to her ear.

"Oh believe me, my Lilia, I definitely didn't have too much wine. But because you didn't want to drink anything with us at all and so got around the drops that I had gotten especially for this evening and which are now giving Leo a wonderfully long and dreamless sleep, you now have to cope with this paralysis spell. And instead of sleeping, well..." he chuckled darkly and with every word he had said, Lilia's panic increased tenfold. But except for wide-open eyes and quick, shallow breaths, her body didn't respond to it. She couldn't even open her mouth to cry for help!

Then she felt his hands on her body and a moment later she was in his arms, being carried like a bride towards her room.

"But this is even the better course, don't you think? This way you'll feel every touch of mine and won't sleep through the pleasure I'm going to give you. Oh my Lilia, I will show you how much I pine for you. Now you have no choice but to notice my heart desiring you and can't ignore me anymore..."

As he laid her on her bed, her throat was already hurting from the silent sobs, but Caleb saw none of it except for the tears running down her cheeks.

"No no, darling, don't cry. Believe me, you'll like it. I'll give you everything you crave!"

But when he leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers, Lilia just wanted to throw up. How could she not have predicted his behavior? Was he really going to rape her? How could he hope to get away with it?

Oblivion spell… whispered a soft but concerned sounding voice in her head, and when Caleb straddled her hips at that moment, Lilia's mind reflexively withdrew. She closed her eyes and prepared to block out anything her brother's so-called friend might do to her.

Only through a dense fog did she hear the barely perceptible sound of the faucet in the bathroom through her open door, and before her mind withdrew completely into the protective fog, she desperately sent out the only cry for help she was able to.

GODRIC…