The Lost Elixir

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Hold still!"

"I'm trying!"

"No, you aren't. You're restless."

"Well, what do you expect? I know nothing about being a vampire!" Rayne growled, trying and failing not to topple over as she adjusted the black and crimson corset laced over her midsection. She righted herself up with a hand against the wall and tried her best to inhale as best as she could in the contraption. Annoyed that she still couldn't breathe, she went to work on her hair.

Though she was stuck wearing a much outdated corset, she was at least thankful she could find a long skirt with a slit at the top of her thigh to help with combat if it came down to it. Tripping on her face was definitely not on the agenda. And she supposed she was lucky enough to find clothes around the boutique at all, but it didn't stop her from wishing there were more modern outfits left behind. But the vampires loved dressing in their time periods anyway, so Rayne and Jarrah would blend in much better that way.

"You'll be fine," Jarrah reassured her, though that was easy for him to say considering he has powers and can maneuver around in a suit.

"Sure," Rayne huffed, moving her fingers away from her curls. She put her hands on her hips instead, rolled her shoulders back, and gave him an expectant eyebrow raise. If she had to wear the damn garment, she had to at least know if she could pass for a vampire in it. Otherwise, the whole corset operation would be all for nothing. "How does it look?"

Jarrah looked at her long and hard, his eyes marveling over her from head to toe. Much to her surprise, a dark rose color unfurled across his bronze cheeks and a splash of crimson touched the tips of his ears. "You," he breathed, then blinked and cleared his hoarse throat. "Beautiful. You look beautiful."

Rayne's bottom lip slithered between her clenched teeth. "I do?"

He took a determined step closer to her. "You do. Now hold still."

His fingers waved in time with the movement of his spell. Inside the stretch of her gums, a burning tingle wrapped itself around the ache of two teeth on either side of her mouth. She opened her mouth to relieve the fast building pressure and hissed, nicking her bottom lip in the process of her aching canines elongating.

That's why those fuckers hiss so much, she thought sourly.

Before she could complete a full complaint out loud, Jarrah was right there with his rough hands cradling her soft cheeks. He tilted her head back a little further and ran his thumb along her bottom lip, healing the puncture.

"Careful," he warned, and that was when she noticed the faux fangs glistening in his own mouth. Rayne didn't miss the way his gaze lingered curiously, hungrily, over her lips that were barely nudged open now as he soothed her flesh with a spell. "You'll get used to them."

Rayne's breathing faltered, her eyes blinking up at him long and slow. Him touching her wasn't good. It left her mind frazzled and her soul aching for him to keep his hands on her face with his thumb stroking her healed bottom lip just a little while longer.

But unfortunately . . . and thankfully, he moved backwards, dropping his hands from her cheeks. In fact, he cleared his throat and swiped a hand through his slicked back hair. "We should uh—go to the translator now."

That sucked her back into the present in an instant. "The? You figured out who they are?" she asked, carefully moving her mouth to prevent another injury.

Jarrah nodded. "It took awhile, but I searched through the archives and the vital records to double check the deaths. I found an enchanted book and found one possible translator, if she really is still alive. The magic to find the book was . . . draining, but I think I know where to find her now."