Things Get Hot (?)
Alice and Vlad pick up where they left off after the kiss, Akira wakes up in the Realm of the Fae, and the Queen of the Fae is displeased (which may, or may not be putting it mildly).
Welcome back to myself! I’m finally adjusting to remote work. Chapters are basically gonna show up whenever I finish them because writing this helps stave off my existential dread and overwhelming anxiety about the world! Enjoy! (also take care of yourselves, be kind to yourselves, wash your hands, stay home if you can)
Also, things get a lil NSFW. I restrained myself, so don’t panic.
Oh and no, I cannot figure out how to fix the buttons on that hero image, so they go nowhere. Sorry.
Vlad
Downtown Windenburg
Delay, Vlad told himself. Repeated it as one would a prayer. A prayer that vacated his mind every time Alice dug her nails into his back.
A flash of skin.
A small sigh.
And his hands were everywhere.
To be a vampire was an exercise in patience. Vlad could be patient. He knew that. And yet—
And yet.
There was not a thing involving Alice that he could be patient about.
He could pretend because there was no stutter of his heart to give him away, but he wanted, wanted, wanted.
Now, now, now.
Hissing, he lifted her and pulled her hips into him, focused on that fluttering pulse in her neck. Do not bite her, he instructed himself, fighting not to get lost in the white hot pleasure of it all.
When had he last felt like this?
Decades.
Centuries, even.
Kaylnn.
He tried to pull Alice in for another kiss. Clasping her thighs, he turned intending to set her on the counter. But she scrambled out of his grip, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
What had he—?
He couldn’t have—?
“Who is Kaylnn?” she asked quietly.
Oh.
So, he did say it out loud.
FARM
FRESH
eggs
I was going to comment on Vlad’s bougie digs even before Alice pointed it out, tbh. But I don’t understand her breakdown over realizing it’s not his house—aside from her projecting her own baggage—isn’t she herself staying in an inn right now? Is Vampire AirB&B really that inconceivable?
The immortal beings in this chapter seem hell-bent on disproving that maturity is proportional to age. Especially a fan of Vlad’s oh-shit-did-I-say-the-quiet-part-out-loud bit. I’ll admit here to wandering around the living room or kitchen wondering “what’s Ferosh going to do with Bernard?!” and this chapter made it worse. I’m guessing hypocritical codger who hopes it flies over the the non-Victorian participants’ heads that you don’t go super arranged-marriage-or-you-lose-your-house broke by ordering too many pastries for afternoon tea.
farm fresh eggs indeed hahaha. If I can prove that being around for hundreds of years is no guarantee that you’ll be able to conduct yourself with an ounce of maturity (or common sense? lol) then I’ve done my job. TBH I don’t think any of my supernatural characters is well-adjusted, and Vlad (who is in his feelings for the first time in centuries) 100% has no idea how to deal with emotions like an adult.
Alice is definitely projecting. She gets a flashback in Chapter 27 that makes clear why. I mean, also she is full of shit. She can’t be chill about this thing between them anymore than Vlad can.
I will confess to having already written Bernard’s arrival, he doesn’t show up for a few more chapters but I think it will be worth it. He is actually the worst. The 19th century is actually my era so that should clue you in to what kind of nerdery is going to go down.
Whew. Your Bernard is going to hatttteeeeeee him.
I can’t wait! I’m considering putting feelers in the community to see what other people have done with him.
Ooh, I’ll be taking notes on your 19th-century approach, then. Word choice especially. I spent *way* too long trying to come up with some antiquated usage that a native Spanish speaker would misinterpret, you know, the lowest form of humor, and then gave up. Bernard is throwing some vibes I picked up from Dostoyevsky, and that’s not even the right language, or country, or era.
The 19th century is Simister’s century and I’m sure only about 80% of that is wanting to bone Percy Shelley.
I feel like 80% of the 19th century in general was about wanting to bone Percy Shelley. Or Byron. Hahaha.
Lowest form of humor? I call that commitment! I mean, the thing I know the most about is Victorian mourning culture and sex so the form of humor can get lower, trust me.
I would love a collection of every version of Bernard. I would read the hell out of that.
Count me in the other 20%. Ada Lovelace or bust.
Umm her mother was a boss and if I could have a dream dinner of dead people, she’d be there right along with Madame Lavoisier (yeah yeah I know, wrong century, but still. The drama. THE AUDACITY. She cannot be beat).
I was gonna say that it was awfuly considerate of Ben to stay out of that whole thing! Good on him.
There was ‘t much salvaging once the moment bad gone, though I do hope Alice will cool off, she wasn’t being very fair with Vlad there. At least hear the poor guy out before storming off.
I keep thinking that I couldn’t possibly get invested in more characters, but of course I’m now really liking Titania as well. Her conversation with Akira was a great way to show off several of her layers. So that’s what he’s up to. I wonder though, is that what Miko is trying to achieve as well, actually undoing it all? I’m still hesitant about whether they’re actually striving for the same thing. Also, if even if Akira succeeds in undoing his mistakes, he’ll just make himself bound to repeat them, because he’ll forget the worth of what he has (something I’d guess Miko would understand, with all the different timelines she’s dealing with). I guess the trouble with Akira is that since he basically lives forever, he’s completely underestimating the importance of learning.
Okay I have a conference call in like 5 minutes and I saw this pop up and I had to respond (sorry conference call).
“the trouble with Akira is that since he basically lives forever, he’s completely underestimating the importance of learning.” — DING DING DING DING! This is like my thesis statement. Every single one of these characters struggles with this. You’d think because they have infinite they’d learn and improve, but in fact, infinite time makes it easier for them to wallow in their mistakes. In fact, sometimes they even struggle to actually see their mistakes since they can outlive most of the things they do wrong—except when it comes to other creatures like them.
Oh, honey, do Akira and Miko want the same thing? Astute question. More will be revealed but good eye…
God, Titania was such a blast to write! I’ve struggled with how to include more side characters without making the point of view shifts too jarring. I’m glad you got a sense of her even though the chapter wasn’t from her perspective!
Umm yeah, Alice has some baggage she is carrying around!
Yeah it’s an interesting premise, I think it makes a lot of sense. A) we try to improve ourselves because we have a finite time we have. if there is no finish line, who’d be racing? b) These guys will have experienced their best and their worst so many times over and over I can see how it would become meaningless in their life spans. I’d imagine if you first got immortality you’d go through a wave of being high on it all, but then eventually nothing would matter, the good or the bad. and for someone that’s always been immortal like Akira, it must be even harder to keep a grip on things. Of course he’d think undoing all that went down would resolve things, because to him, time is irrelevant. But he’d just get himself stuck in a loop.
I get it, though. If you live forever, you’re destined to fail.
Ouch, that was painful. I feel bad for both of them – Vlad for her not even hearing him out and being reminded of his dead wife, and Alice for him bringing her to a random house and constantly treating her like she needs “shielding”. Ouch, that is a blow for both. I love how the King of all vampires is so easily scolded by an angry Alice, though 😂
Ooooh, Titania! And that’s sad – Akira is looking for the owl of undoing to erase his mistakes with Miko and start over, but I honestly wonder if that will even work in the long run. If you broke apart because of bad habits, then undoing your past actions won’t help get rid of those habits. Unless the owl can somehow undo his bad habits as well…
Man, if only these characters had you to tell them what’s up: yeah dude, undoing your past actions won’t actually change you. Immortality does not grant you wisdom, sigh.
I had so much fun writing this scene because they both feel so strongly and they aren’t trying to hurt each other, but man are they being unfair lol. I did want to establish from Day One that Alice is not intimated by Vlad IN THE LEAST.
Okay, okay, but please raise your hand if you never called someone you were with by another-lover’s name. Shit, that was me at 20, and Vlad has been around for more than two decades :-p At least Alice took it well (she did realize it was his wife after all), and is it weird that I thought it was sweet that Vlad associated a person who he loved deeply when he was with Alice? I’m a sucker for romance and people getting warm cozy feels, so I’m rooting for Alice/Vlad (I don’t think I have to root too hard b/c I know they’re end game, but you know… you got me in the feels, Ferosh).
The Fae Kingdom is beautiful. I don’t want to touch too long on Titania/Akira because I don’t really like seeing them interact. Their sibling behavior makes me uncomfortable, like I’m watching some family dysfunction in real time and I just want to leave that drama to someone else. Titania clearly loves her brother, but …. dysfunction. LOTS of dysfunction. Akira seems to get emotional/dramatic in an emotional way… (ex. you might as well kill me if you don’t xyz). Yeah… I just can’t. It just bothers me too greatly.
Wasn’t he in control?
^^ When Vlad has to ask himself THAT question you know things have gone in a direction.
I love that Alice thinks that the house isn’t Vlad’s b/c he wouldn’t decorate the place the way it’s decorated. I also love that this AU Alice is upset at Vlad for allegedly breaking into the place. LOL Alice in The Strauds would give this Vlad a high-five… which makes me wonder, if The Strauds AU Alice and BBD Vlad ever met… well…. would they be *more* compatible? I’m just theorizing. Don’t mind me. Going to the punishment corner now.
“And she wasn’t stupid, she knew for him this was temporary. It was temporary for her too. She couldn’t be in a relationship with someone who was going to outlive her by…well…forever.” But… BUT …. if she were The God of Death… she COULD live forever. So yeah that’s a thought. Maybe the Owl of Undoing isn’t what Alice wants after all… It certainly isn’t something Vlad is *as* interested in these days.
““Well, at least you didn’t set the place on fire. Progress right?” LMAO you weren’t kidding. This is going to be an ongoing joke and I’m here for it every step of the way 😀 😀 😀 C’mon baby, light my fire!