“Hi – hi?” Sam gulped down the lump in her throat and wondered about the strange tightness in her chest then reached out to grasp the hand extended to her in greeting. “I’m Samantha Wattkins.” The very athletic and muscular looking vampire took Samantha’s hand in both of his and brushed his lips against the back of it. A hot blush suffused her face.

“Enchante mademoiselle.” His eyes were locked on hers, bright and earnest if maybe a bit too eager seeming to impress her. Sam was stunned and silent. Reality narrowed down to that soft touch. Maybe time stopped for a second while Adrian Arcas stared into her eyes? All she knew was that her sister, the Magicorps soldier, and the entirety of the room disappeared for a few heartbeats. Had anyone, anyone ever, kissed her hand before? She had no idea. Then he blushed and laughed self-deprecatingly at his own behavior before running a hand shyly through his hair. What?!

What?!

What?!

The world expanded again as the rest of the couch, the three other people in the room, and indeed, the entire room returned to normal. Time began moving again.

Samantha Wattkins giggled.

Not a normal giggle. Not a we’re-buddies-having-fun kind of giggle. It was…

Anna’s whole body stiffened at that, a sound because she had never heard it come from her older sister’s throat. Both younger sister and Gleipnir turned to stare at the prickly warlock who had scared off most of the men who had ever been interested in her. A white-haired head and a googly-eyed pact item blinked incredulously, first at Sam, then at each other, then at the director who blushed a bright scarlet.

“I’m sorry. I must apologize. You probably shouldn’t look into my eyes right now. My magic’s a bit out of sorts while I’m recovering.” He glanced away with a morbidly shameful expression. Closing his eyes, Adrian scrubbed a hand over his face and through his dark hair.

“Wa-What?” Sam prompted with a stutter. But Gleipnir got it.

“Vampiric mesmerism.” He swooped close to Sam and wrapped his ribbon protectively around her waist. Perhaps he would have said more but at that moment, a commotion came from Kyle’s room. Kyle’s voice, distraught and angry, came through the walls followed by Camina’s low soothing tones.

His door opened to reveal Kyle in a pair of boxers, bandaged and burned. He was pointing angrily at the director and trying to hobble past his mother. She easily restrained him.

“Will you calm down?” Camina admonished. “It’s just a giggle. Sam’s a grown adult. I’m sure she’s fine.” She forced Kyle – still grumbling about vampires – back to his bed. “You sound racist right now.”

“I’m not racist, I’m a brother. She’s not allowed to date. It’s bad enough I have to share my older sister with Gleipnir. That rat bastard.” A surprised Sam gave a short bark of laughter before stifling it at Gleipnir’s protest.

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“I’m not a rat bastard. And I was here first.” He shook a roll of his ribbon at the closed door.

“Being older doesn’t count. Gleipnir.” The pact item blinked his googly eyes at Anna’s correction. “Kyle was part of the family first.”

“What?” He made a pair of arms out of his ribbon and threw them up in the air before shouting “Why does no one tell me these things?” He then stormed away from Sam only to curve around and hug Camina. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Gleipnir.” Her low voice was indulgent and amused at her children. Them being possessive of each other was certainly better than if they all hated one another so she must have done at least something right in that department. Gleipnir blew a raspberry at Anna as their ‘mom’ acknowledged him as one of her children. “Now what’s going on out here that made Kyle want to kick his boss out of his apartment in his fireball-and-magical-drain-induced delirium?”

“It was my fault.” The tall athletic vampire rose to his feet letting the cooling blanket and herd of prism crawling over him fall much to Anna’s dismay as she rushed to catch her ‘prism babies’.

“Seriously? You are the worst patient.” The teen bemoaned as she gathered her pets and began consoling them in baby talk. “Did the big mean vampire drop you? Yes, he did. He just dropped you on the ground like he forgot you were even there trying to help him cool down.”

“I was lax in restraining my powers and may have um… accidentally, of course…” Camina waved impatiently at him to continue his explanation.

“Of course,” she prompted drily and rolled her eyes that he was so nervous.

“Used the tiniest bit of Vampiric Mesmerism on… Samantha.” He sighed her name and Camina’s eyes narrowed and hardened.

“I see.” Not being a fool, Adrian immediately sensed the coolness of Camina’s mood.

“I… should… I should go.” He grabbed a singed jacket and dress shirt from the coffee table. “Thank you, all. It was a pleasure meeting you ladies.” He nodded at Anna and slightly longer at Samantha before ducking swiftly out the door. By the time Camina had crossed the room to lock the door, Director Adrian Arcas had disappeared from the hall. She closed it and locked it before leaning against it.

“That was interesting.” Jones broke the silence. Listening from the stairwell, Adrian Arcas leaned against a wall and banged the back of his head gently into it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He had very much embarrassed himself by losing control of his powers. Worse yet, he’d come on way too strong at the same time. Which made his slip-up seem deliberate. But it was Samantha Wattkins. He’d had a celebrity crush on her for years, years.

And no, Samantha wasn’t as famous as her younger sister. But she’d gotten her fair share of press time. The vampire would be lying if he didn’t spend the first three months Kyle had worked for him dressing extra debonair and hoping the mage’s older sister might drop in to visit him at work or pick him up, giving Adrian the opportunity to meet someone he’d admired for a while.

Despite Kyle being his employe, Adrian had never had the chance to meet his sister. Of course, it was going to be something like this for their first encounter. There had been no meet cute like he’d half imagined. No chance for him to say something charming, make her laugh and invite her to lunch at the museum restaurant.

His one chance to make a good first impression and he’d well and truly fucked it up while pissing off one of his employees and The Last Line in the process. It wasn’t even like he’d been caught off guard. Enhanced vampire senses had let Adrian know way back before she and Gleipnir had even started climbing up the stairs that she was on her way up. Plus the security Golem enchantments had sent a notification to his scroll when they’d come through the gates. This was all on him.

Damnit!