Chapter Eighteen: Cristian Balescu
Three and a half years ago
Mystic Falls, VA
New Year's Day, 12:55am
Cristian didn't like being kept waiting. He wouldn't even need to be here if it weren't for Winifred finding out he'd taken photos from her grimoire. For crying out loud, why did she behave like she invented the damn spell? She had come straight to the hospital to try to put a stop to it. Luckily Lyle had already messaged him that he'd arrived here first, so hopefully everything went through as planned. Not that he'd heard from Lyle since.
He remained in the car, parked outside the hospital, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel rhythmically. Once again, he did not like waiting. How many of them were in the hospital? Stef, Adam, Raid, Lyle and Winifred. But not a damn one had left yet. He'd left Ava in charge of wrapping up the party. His infatuated little step-sister, always good at doing what he told her to do. Once upon a time, Stef was like that: devoted, attentive, and eager to please. What had gotten into her tonight? The transition was already changing her, turning her into one of those fucking monsters. There was no way he could continue loving her like that. A vampire didn't deserve his love. This was completely messing with his plans for his future with her. Of course, if he managed to kill the vampire who fed her their blood, then his future could be even better than he'd planned. She would become a witch. She could be part of the Coven.
There were a few things he had to do to ensure that would happen. First, he'd have to detox that stupid shit, Lyle. Looking back, he probably wasn't the best witch to take part in this ritual considering it was a miracle he hadn't overdosed on his own supply yet. But he was convenient because he was the weakest witch he knew, he lived in a complete shithole, and his foster parents didn't give a damn about him. Nobody would care if Cristian kept him warded in a room for the few weeks or months it would take to find this vampire. He wasn't a strong enough witch to break down the wards and he'd probably appreciate sleeping on a bed that wasn't infested with bed bugs for once. The next thing he'd have to do is make sure whatever Vaziri acted as the human in the ritual was kept safe. It was unfortunate they were Stef's friends. Unlike Lyle, she would be protective of her friends; she wouldn't allow him to control them, and he couldn't risk pissing her off. There was the compulsion he had to think about: her ability to compel witches as a vampire-witch. He bet Winifred didn't like that at all. No doubt she was going to inform his father of it before the night was over.
Speak of the devil. Winifred was now leaving the hospital, wrapping her long coat around her as she stepped outside into the cold. She stopped when she spotted Cristian's car. His headlights were on, so she could only see his outline inside the car, but she still shook her head at him in disappointment and then carried on towards her own vehicle, which she then drove away.
Soon afterwards, he noticed Stef.
About fucking time.
He sounded the horn aggressively to get her attention. She didn't flinch like he'd expected. He felt mildly disappointed by that. Sometimes it was amusing to frighten her.
As she opened the door and sat down in the passenger seat next to him, Cristian felt a sudden headrush. He put his fingers to his temples. Her presence caused a wave of magic to infect him, a power far greater than his own, making him feel like he was about to enter a dreamlike state. But it lasted only a second before that sensation was gone and he was left extremely uncomfortable with the unwelcome introduction to her new capabilities.
He didn't need to ask her if the ritual had been completed: he already knew. "Where's Lyle?" he asked, irritated. If he had to track down that stupid piece of shit, there would be hell to pay.
"He wasn't needed," Stef informed him. "The ritual was completed without him."
"How?" He didn't like others screwing with his plan.
"The Vaziris did the spell with me. One witch, one human. That's all that was needed, right?" Stef asked, before adding, "Oh, besides a talisman that I didn't fucking have."
Cristian was surprised at the news, but it was the inconvenience that infuriated him. Both of her friends taking part in the ritual was something that left him with even less control. "Your vampirism has given you a foul mouth, Stefanie, it doesn't suit you," he commented. "Which one of them is the witch?"
Stef ignored his question. "Why didn't you come to the hospital earlier? Why didn't you offer me your blood for the spell?"
Cristian sighed in frustration, resting back against the headrest. Why couldn't she just appreciate what he'd done for her? Why did she always have to question why he didn't do just that little bit more for her? He lifted his head, and began to explain, knowing that she'd be ungrateful whatever answer he gave. "If I offered you my blood, Stefanie, then my life would be linked to yours. If something happened to you, I'd be dead too, and I know that's not what you want for me. I need you to stop thinking about yourself for a second, and consider the impact this has all had on me. I am now dating a vampire. I now have to find and kill a vampire to reverse this spell. I'm in complete and utter shit with Winifred for taking that spell. Not to mention, my party was a complete flop because of you. Do you realize how embarrassing it was not to have my girlfriend at the New Year's Eve party that I was hosting?"
"I fucking died, Cristian!" she screamed at him.
He clenched his jaw, the skin around his eyes tightening in anger, and thrust a finger into her face. "You will not raise your voice at me!" he screamed back. Normally, Stef would have shrunk down into her seat the moment he shouted at her, but this time she didn't, and that made it a lot harder for Cristian to calm down. He no longer had the power over her he once had. Did he really even want her as a witch with this new attitude? He could just kill both the vampire and the witch and turn her back into a fragile, docile little human. He would certainly prefer her that way. But he intended to marry this girl – though at the moment, for the life of him, he couldn't remember why – and the status and respect that would come from marrying another witch was too tempting to pass on.
Stef didn't cower, but she also didn't respond to his outburst. That was good enough for him for now. He managed to compose himself, reminding himself that this wasn't her. This was the disease – the heightened emotions – the vampire within her making her act this way. She wouldn't remain this way. "Look, just give me the name of the vampire who fed you their blood and then this will all be over. We can go back to being happy together."
Stef scoffed. "I was never happy with you."
The words stung Cristian briefly, before realizing it wasn't real. "That's the vampire within you talking, Stef. You know you don't mean that."
"I do," she confirmed, taking a deep breath to say what she'd come here to say. "I'm breaking up with you, Cristian."
He laughed. He didn't expect himself to react that way, but he actually laughed. A laugh that grew louder and louder each time he repeated her words in his head. The complete nonsense this disease was causing her to say. She was descending into madness; it was like a hysterical contagion. It was like watching a drug user jump from a building, their psychedelic state leading them to believe they can fly. She was delusional. She didn't know what she was saying. She didn't know what she was giving up. She needed to be cured of this terrible affliction, but she was too far gone to give him the answers he needed right now. Her mind was warped; she thought this was what she wanted. Perhaps she just needed a while to learn how to control the beast within her. He would get the information he needed eventually. But if he couldn't, there were always ways he could find out himself.
Cristian was still smiling in amusement the moment his laughing subsided. "Oh, my love, I get it, I really do! There's not a single part of me that wants to be in a relationship with a vampire. Quite frankly, it disgusts me. I'm sure you realize that, which is why you decided to make the first move and dump me before I did it to you." His expression turned condescending and he ran his fingers along her cheek – a movement that finally made her flinch. "There's no end for us, Stefanie. You will come back to me once you're cured of this sickness, I will make sure of that." He leaned across her body, opening the door on her side, pushing it wide open. "In the meantime, get the fuck out of my car, and go back to your pathetic life with your pathetic family."
Stef's anger surged and then her hand struck him hard across the face. She was so fast, so strong. For a second, Cristian almost feared her, but, no, he could never let that show. Instead, his face tensed, his lips curled into a snarl. He needed to tame the beast within her. He needed to show it who was more powerful. He reached a hand out, intending to grab her by the throat, the most painful of magic he could generate within him now fully charged to release into her. He would have her begging for mercy.
Then suddenly, her wave of power returned and he instantly recoiled. This was no longer a dreamlike state he was experiencing. It was flashes of excruciating bright light, running in quick succession through his mind. There was anger, there was pain, there was blood. He felt helpless, he felt out of control, he felt her clawing into his skin, into his mind, then he felt... suddenly at peace. No, not at peace: he was feeling defeat. Here she was, this new and unpractised witch, with just as much power as he had. She'd had no training and yet her powers matched his own. She matched him. She was his perfect match. So he could accept this for now, he decided. She didn't know it yet but she needed him and he would help her, then when her feelings for him finally returned, they could be the most powerful couple in the Coven. That was the new plan.
Stef's final look towards him wasn't one of hatred, it was one of sympathy. "Goodbye, Cristian," she said gently as she stepped out of his car and closed the door behind her.
