Three.
He tastes like Heaven, I thought, sucking harder. Dorian's fingers brushed my cheeks.
Four.
Five.
Six.
He tastes like... magic.
Seven.
Eight.
A cracking noise sounded from the dresser near the bathroom. It was loud, like the sound of a boulder being split. I pulled away from Dorian's throat. My blood haze had me feeling beyond euphoric. Dorian's face looked the way mine felt.
But I twisted my head so I could see the dresser. I'd placed the black gem there, after Cindy left, so I could get the dress on.
A surprised gasp escaped my throat. The gem was double its original size.
Dorian looked up.
"What is that?" he asked, his features crushed in curiosity.
I struggled to move from under him. Abernathy said not to tell anyone, but I knew Dorian would be okay. "It came from our blood, from the altar, after you vanished."
Dorian stood, and pulled me with him. My red lipstick was smeared on his gorgeous lips.
"It's a gem of some kind, and has something to do with the seven magics."
"It's the same color as our eyes," he said, reaching out a finger to touch it. "It's warm."
"Is it?" I placed a finger on the gem, beside his. "It is warm."
The top half of the gem crackled, leaving a zigzagged line. Dorian and I pulled our fingers back at the same time. Then we turned to each other.
"I love you, Snow. But I'm not gonna lie, you're a wreck," Dorian said, playfully, running his thumb across my bottom lip.
I gave myself a once over in the mirror. He was right. My hair had fallen from the pins Cindy placed around the crown. The crown itself was tilted to the side. Almost dangling. My lipstick was smeared along both sides of my cheeks. I let out an embarrassed laugh. "Cindy's going to kill me," I said, grabbing a tissue and wiping at the red lipstick.
Dorian took the tissue from me, and licked it.
"You're gross," I whispered, but was mesmerized by him.
He rubbed the wet end of the tissue against my cheek softly. His eyes danced with such happiness. "You're beautiful." He licked a new part of the tissue. I focused on the way his mouth moved. His succulent bottom lip. The tongue that had just been in my mouth, making me feel things-love, desire-stronger than I'd ever felt before.
A loud pop from the dresser distracted us.
A piece of the gem fell, and I gasped. I bent closer, and Dorian followed. "There's something inside," I said, and heard the wonder in my voice.
"It's a-"
"Vampire," I finished, as the most adorable pair of emerald green eyes fluttered open. "I think."
The face of an angel, I thought, moving closer, remembering the depictions I'd seen in the Museum of the Supernatural.
More pieces of the flecked ebony gem broke away, making it easy to see all of her.
"It's a girl," Dorian stated.
She was the size of Dorian's fist. Black wings were tucked into a human body-a girl's body. A shuck of silky black hair covered her head. She had ten fingers and ten toes, I noticed.
"Did you know about this?" he asked, scooping her into his hand. She shivered. I ran into the bathroom, trying to keep my dress up with one hand. With the other, I pulled a hand towel from the counter, and rushed back to the miniature vampire and Dorian.
"No," I finally answered, shaking my head violently.
Dorian took the towel, and carefully wrapped it around her.
She sighed.
I placed the tip of my finger out, and she grabbed hold with one tiny hand. My heart melted.
"A baby," he whispered. He was in shock, and I completely understood.
"A baby vampire," I added.
"How are we going to explain this?" he asked, a glint of humor in his eyes.
"I think this might be the Unknowns new plan?" I shrugged. "Maybe we don't tell anyone. Maybe we keep this between you, me, and..." I smacked my forehead. "I believe Abernathy can tell us what to do. That sneaky dragon probably knew what the gem was all along."
Dorian stroked her hair with one of his fingers. The vampire appeared to be sleeping. She looked cozy.
"What should we name her?" he asked quietly.
A name popped into my head. And I knew it was to be her name. "Jasmine," I answered.
Dorian chuckled softly. "I like it."
"It's strange. Her body isn't covered in hair, like the original vampires were. It's more like ours than theirs."
"She's a new kind of vampire. Not exactly the same as the first, but similar," Dorian said.
"I think so."
Dorian's gaze caught mine. "Is this where I say, 'And they lived happily ever after?'" He grinned.
I snickered. "No, this is where we say, and they lived... triumphantly." I leaned in, careful of the vampire, unable to help but see a little of Silindra in her. She had wings. Silindra had loved her wings. And she'd died believing she was the last of her kind. The baby vampire Dorian held in his hands would be Silindra's legacy. Though Jasmine was slightly different, she was also the same.
A vampire with wings, I thought excitedly. I knew that would've made Silindra happy.
"Were you going to kiss me, or did you change your mind?" Dorian's amazing face moved closer, his lips inches from mine.
I pressed my lips to his.
The End...