Cassius Valentine

Cassius Valentine ♦ Original “See I’ve come to burn your kingdom down”

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Ask yourself Will i burn in Hell? Then write it down & cast it in the well There they are The mob it cries for blood To twist the tale Into fore wood Fan the flames With a little lie Then turn your cheek Until the fire dies The skin it peels Like the truth, away What it was I will never say...

Burn the Witch (Queens of the Stone Age)

@mclvchi

[22psyduck]

get to know me meme: [1/10] favourite male characters ↳ tyrell wellick

I thought I’d feel guilty for being a murderer, but… I don’t. I feel wonder.

[katherinebishop-archive-deactiv]

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Malachi’s threat has Cassius on edge. The presence of the warlock in general has Cassius concerned. He’s already halfway across town by the end of their conversation, letting himself into Rory’s apartment with absolutely no movements to check to see if she’s home before doing so. She’s not, so he paces. He decides that since he’s here, he might as well wait. The alternative is to physically hunt down wherever his baby sister is in Salem’s Point just to ensure she is okay. Which, to be fair, is a reaction Cassius is completely capable of in that moment. The Original has the sudden need to hold his Rory, to hold her so that he can convince himself that she is a thing he can protect. If Cassius could, he’d lock her away in some ivory tower till at least the storm had past.Till Malachi was 6 feet under -- right next to all of the Gautiers.

When he finally sits, he’s collected himself so that he is once more the pristine image of an Original; unaffected by emotion. When the door opens, he’s already waiting for an answer as to where she’s been. She’s been in the habit of dipping in and out of Salem’s Point as of recent and Cassius realizes that this would be their first one on one interaction since her return.

“Evening Rory.” He says as if he hasn’t just broken into her place and made himself at home. He is certain she will understand once the circumstances are clear. And, if she didn’t, well -- he’d call upon his rank as the older brother if it came to that.

@roryvalentine

[clydexvalentine-deactivated2022]

“Two different thought processes. You seem to see me as this bad guy who isn’t aware of what has happened to us or suffered like you guys.”

He turned towards his brother. “By consequences I mean everything, Cassius.” He sighed and folded his arm. Shifting awkwardly on his feet, looking down at the floor or a moment then back at his brother. “You remember by wife when we were still human?” He paused. Not having told his siblings about why he left.

Keep reading

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

“I don’t see you as a bad guy Clyde.” Cassius snapped. “That would put us on opposite ends of the battlefield and that in no way the case. I see you as a soldier that is trying to fire at the enemy but keeps hitting his comrades instead. If you’d just explain - “

Clyde explained and it’s not quite what Cassius expected. Finally, the Original was receiving an explanation as to why Clyde abandoned them all those years ago. This wife of his that he murdered, this was the first Cassius was hearing of it and this bit about the witch, this was the first Cassius was hearing an apology for it. It’s not much, but it was something.

Cassius shook his head, before exhaling. “We’ve got to watch each other’s backs. I have yours if you have mine.”

A beat. 

“There are times when I worry though that we’re not aiming for the same goal.”

He locked eyes with his brother. He was pure dead serious about this next part.

“Here we are 1000 years later, still living in the shadows of Salem’s Point fighting against the fucking Gautiers, trying to protect ourselves from hunters, getting curses by witches, dying in fires. I’m sick of it and I’m ready to find a way to end it.”

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

A humorless chuckle echoes, as the warlock shakes his head. ❝Believe me, Cassie, I haven’t. You have no idea how annoying that is.❞ He nods his head to his side. ❝But being unkillabledoesn’t mean un-torture-able. I kinda like that. It forces me to get creative.❞ Just then, the flames get a bit closer to the vampire inside of the ring.

Malachi realizes what he is doing. Belittling his son, as if his death had no significance. He knows these are fabricated fibs. Yet, these lies do their job, and they get a rise out of him. So, his reaction is to rise the flames higher.

❝You don’t know shit. You think you do. You act cocky. Put on a fucking show. But you don’t know a goddamn thing.❞ Clicking his tongue, as he shakes his head. The warlock takes in a deep breath.

❝God, who knows anymore,❞ he begins to answer the question, ❝Maybe it’s A, I’m here to start a new coven. Get the magic flowing a bit more recklessly around here.❞ He pauses, releasing his breath, and he thinks this all over.

❝Or❞, he starts up again, ❝It could be B. Maybe, I’m here to finally figure out how to kill an original. And what’s done in magic can always be undone, somehow. I’m thinking of starting with that weak, little sister of yours. Rory? She’s as cute as a fucking button, it couldn’t be that hard to coax her in. And hey, even if I can’t figure out a way to kill her, I’ll still get to becreative.❞

He shrugs.

❝Or C. Maybe, I’m just here to start over since you ruined my life.❞

For Malachi to think that any of this would be done on his terms is ridiculous and Cassius won’t entertain the notion longer.

It's at the mention of Rory that The fangs come out and gleam something dangerous. These flames will not stop him from getting to this man and eviscerating him.

“Three options. Cute. Do you want to know what’s changed for me in the last three seconds?” Cassius says as he eyes the ring of fire. “Three seconds ago, here’s what I was planning to do to you: I was planning on making every sleeping moment of yours hell. My favorite part of being one of the Gifted, other than being the unconquerable, is my ability to enter your dreams. I wanted to keep you awake for the next year for simply daring to show your face in my town. Make it so that each time you closed your eyes, you’d see me - murdering your son over and over again until sleep became unbearable. I wanted to burn the memory to the insides of your eyelids. And when that truth no longer kept you up at night, I'd move on to visions of all your other loved ones. I wouldn't have to kill you cause the exhaustion would. And with any luck you'd be bat-shit insane before you got there. Like a protracted disease, I wanted to hurt you over an period of time.”

Cassius paused, tongue running over his sharp, sharp teeth. 

“That was three seconds. Now - ”

He’s striding through the fire. It burns, but it’s quick and besides - all he is now is a one man hurricane, advancing forward with supernatural speed and a kind of ruthlessness that shows he is completely devoid of remorse in the moment. He cares not for any of the embers that smolder on his clothes. He climbs straight up and over the bar keeping him from Malachi, leaping to the other side.

“- now I’m just going to hurt you right here” He has Malachi by the hair with inhuman stealth, cleaving him once, twice, thrice to the counter of the bar before taking him by the throat. holding I’m there with impossible strength.  His other hand is already wielding the a pen Malachi had been writing with. Honestly, people need to understand that Cassius is prone to both violence and stabbing and that it's best not to provoke him when he's around such things. Cassius readies the pen. He wants this man to hurt before the reaper comes for him. 

The first place the pen goes is Malachi's  arm, embedded. It won't be the last. “That won't kill you." Cassius says almost as an aside. “Your first mistake Malachi, was thinking you can shift the status quo of Salem's point.” He aims for his collarbone next. Stabs. Feels the pen hit bone. “Neither will that one. Your second mistake was threatening my family.”

The next goes for ribs. Cassius twists it.

“Nor that one. Want to know your third mistake? Thinking I would let you start over.” He makes one more stab, this time for the lower abdomen. Kidney. "That one will though. Kill you that is. Thats the thing about kidney wounds. So here’s the name of this game: it’s called, ‘Listen the fuck up you've got about 20 minutes till you have to see that attended too or you will die.’ I have no plans of letting you go until my ends of the conversation are met are we fucking clear? " Time is ticking away. Cassius wants him to die right there between his fingers in the next 20 minutes.

“I am here to say that should any of my other siblings or myself fall into any sort of peril because of - you so much as trip and fall into them - I will cleave your head in with a brick. Touch Rory and I will start killing humans and warlocks - innocent ones - and throwing bodies out the door. You are about to find out I'm a very persistent man with little tolerance for those who threaten my family.”

His voice has dropped to a monotone, the rage too explosive to make it anything else. The pen hovers and Cassius decides it’s time for Malachi to loose an eye.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

The silver clanged against the tile of the floor. The sound was sharp against Gwendolyn’s ears, but she didn’t look to see the aftermath of the discarded utensil. Gwen was too busy trying to reach for her pocket. She watched in abject horror as the wound she’d just created began to close in front of her, like some ticking clock. She could literally see her window of time closing.Fuck fuck fuck.

Were you hiding this in your pocket?

No; she was hiding this. With some struggle, up came a crumpled packet of vervain tea. Gwen had no reason to believe this would work other than the way she’d seen Cassius to react to it earlier in the evening. Without not a second more to spare, Gwendolyn crushed the leaves into quickly healing wound.

Take that motherfucker.

It didn’t feel as monumental as she’d hoped but that was it, she had no more cards to play and she was just about out of breath. Was this her last hurrah before death? Possibly. Head still pounding, heart still thumping, Gwendolyn felt like a small boat tossed about a tumultuous ocean as she barely clung to consciousness.

There was a sudden stinging in his neck and the lighting bolt of pain shot through the ancient vampire. Cassius hissed, fangs baring themselves like he was some wild animal. Vervain burned in a way that fire never had. The butterknife, now this? He’d continue on, but that - that was going to scar. It’d would leave the smallest of marks, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but to the immortal it was like a mouse had chipped away at a mountain.

“You fucking cunt.” Cassius growled. 

He’d give her a sizable mark on her own neck to match. Cassius was done playing with his food. He lunged forward once more, this time unsparingly. Cold hands had her by the hair suddenly, fingers gripping her mercilessly. Cassius yanked back Gwendolyn and slammed her head into the counter sans hesitation. Beneath his palms, he felt her go limp with unconsciousness. It was all struggle -

And then, just like that -

stillness.  

Fina-fucking-lly, some peace and quiet. He’d feed on her in silence and wait for Damien to return.

END. 

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Between it all, Gwendolyn was given so little time to react. Cassius closed in with aggressive force and before she knew it, his hand had found its way around her throat, wielding it like some sword. How well his grip fit her neck, the way a noose would. There was a burst of light behind her eyelids as her head was slammed back into the cupboard and she heard the crack! of her own skull upon impact. The pain was instantaneous, seeping through every crack of consciousness she could imagine. To see stars - she understood that saying now. Lights danced in front of her eyes and Gwen struggled to stay conscious. Like thunder, the pain that followed roared through her head with a fierce rumble. Gwen couldn’t breathe; she was rattled right down to her core.

Hands had managed to just miss the cellphone - instead landing on a butter knife. She doubted that the knife on its own would do anything, but perhaps combined with something else she still had that thing in her pocket it would give her enough time to make a mad dash for her cellphone and speed dial Damien. Refusing to hesitate any longer, Gwendolyn took the knife and stabbed - aiming for whatever she could reach. She landed the tip of the steel right in the curve of Cassius’ neck and she felt the metal sink into skin.

He had her there, clasped between his claws and he would take his time devouring her. To her credit, she barely screamed -- though he had every intention of changing that.

The butterknife was a surprise that came from nowhere, perhaps it spoke to Cassius’ own hubris that he had put such an act of violence past her. He let out a sharp sound when the knife sunk into him. But any moment of surprise or pain passed quickly. Immortality. In perspective, pain was fleeting and so were wounds. The hand that wasn’t clamped around her throat reached up and dislodge the utensil. With a small grunt Cassius pulled it free.

Cassius looked from the knife to Gwendolyn and then back to the knife again. He raised an eyebrow.

“Were you hiding this in your pocket?” Cassius chuckled at the reference to their earlier conversation. “Cute. Aren’t you just a militant radicalist?”

He let the utensil clatter to the floor. His eyes darkened and he moved to sink his teeth into her.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

She wanted to answer, but found she couldn’t. There were teeth - fangs - that shone in the light of her dining room and Gwendolyn could have sworn she caught a glimpse of the grim reaper in the way they shone. Her chest constricted and her pulse skyrocketed. All of sudden, it felt like she was some young tender thing that had made the mistake of stumbling into the path of some intelligent killer. Eyes hunting her through the tall blades of glass.

Gwendolyn however, was no tender young thing. Or, if, in the face this creature she most definitely was, she would not let him believe it.

She took a step back as he circled her. And then another. There was a moment where she was certain she was trapped. If he was what she thought he was, was there any point in retaliation? Perhaps not. Was she as good as dead? Even there in the face of danger Gwendolyn could convince herself to go quietly into the night. She took one more step back before simply turning around and making a break for the kitchen. She turned on her heel and ran, heart thudding in the cage of her chest as she make an attempt to get to her cellphone.

Cassius was tempted to laugh. She ran. She actually ran. 

Cassius caught up in long, languid strides. He found her in the kitchen scrambling for her phone. With practiced ease, he gripped her by the collar of her shirt, like she was some small animal that  needed to picked up by the nape of her neck and shaken. No more than 120 pounds soaking wet, she was little more than said animal. 

Releasing his grip, he spun her around, his hand now going for her neck. Fingers shot forward and wrapped themselves around her throat, making sure to squeeze. The sudden force of the move caused Gwendolyn’s head to slam back into the cupboards. There was a sort of sickening crack as her head made contact with the wood - he was done being gentle - but Cassius knew he had tempered himself enough not to knock her out. He was reminded of this by the way her fucking eyes and their torrent of green broke through the dim light of the kitchen as she blinked through the pain. He hated a lot of things about Gwendolyn; her defiant posture, her stupid attempts to run even in the face of undeniable defeat, but mostly Cassius hated the humanity in her eyes. From the second he’d locked gazes with her, Cassius had wanted to do nothing more than black her eyes out entirely. It looked like he was finally getting around to doing that. 

He loomed over her. He could feel the fragile beat of her pulse right beneath his fingertips, quick like a rabbit. He noticed little if she had trouble breathing. Her neck wouldn’t be the first thing he’d snapped.

He drew closer to the human and practically cackled.

“I can’t believe you just tried to run. What made you think that was a good idea?”

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Hazel eyes continued to carefully watch the vampire, taking in every motion with the utmost caution should Bentley need to run or fight. It was confusing why the other was so trying so hard to get what the young wolf assumed was a confession. You could be blind and still tell what he was aiming at. For what ever reason the man didn’t care to believe Bentley didn’t matter, he literally only entered the woods ten or so minutes ago, but whatever; he’ll continue to play along.

It was only when the vampire took a step closer that Bentley instinctively took on step back, positioning himself in a way to defend himself because things were starting to not look good, unfortunately. “If, uh…I have to, yes.” Now was certainly not the time for the confidence in his voice to waiver, though the intimidating nature of the other filled the room like a thick haze, for it startled Bentley more than it should. He felt at this point in his life he should be used to threats from various sources, yet here he was trying to not look like he had his tail between his legs.

“—Lift the board up.” He whispered when the other hushed him, signaling down at the floor. He was getting at something that Bentley wasn’t clearly following, but if scary movies said anything, had any truths to them, it was that scary things like to hide under the floor. He didn’t want to be the one to get jump if something or someone did happen to be beneath them.

At the demand to lift the board up Cassius actually had to roll his eyes.

 “Of course I’m going to lift the board up,” Cassius snapped. “Do you have any other helpful suggestions pup?” 

His eyes scanned the boards before finding a particularly worn down spot that looked like it had been palmed more than once. Leaning forward, Cassius gave a sharp tug to the wood. The board came away easily, like this was not the first time it had been used as such. Sure enough, there was a large hollow space underneath the shed. It was, what looked like, a long underground tunnel. Damp and Dark. From his belt Cassius unclasped a flashlight and shone it down into the abyss. It did little to light the darkness. If anything was going to jump out at them, it had yet to do so.

For a moment, Cassius considered what to do. 

“Alright then. I could just cuff you and leave you in the car but where’s the fun in that?” Cassius said, turning to the wolf. “So you first.” He gestured down the rabbit hole with his flashlight.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

There’s a twitch in his expression, as these words pass through his ears. How dare he even implies to bring any harm to his child. He only has one now. Malachi has never been the type of man that plays into pleasantries. Politeness has always been beneath him. But it doesn’t take much to set him off.

With some concentration from Malachi, a ring of flames appear around the original, burning in place. The warlock clears his throat. ❝Okay, here’s what we’re not gonna do,❞ he begins, letting the flames start growing a tad closer to the vampire. ❝We’re not gonna waltz in here, acting like we own the goddamn place. Like you own me.❞ He raises his eyebrow at the vampire. ❝Cause whatever loyalty I had to you is gone. Poof. Anything I owed you was paidwith my son’s blood. You remember him, right? Dorian?❞

He takes a deep breath. ❝I don’t owe you shit, Valentine. Not an answer, nothing. Nada, zip. So, I suggest you get the fuck out of my club, before I let these flames burn you to a crisp.❞ Of course, the vampire would heal, but Malachi has no issue with repeating the motion until his point came across.

The flames won’t hurt him, but that doesn’t make the heat any less real in the moment. Cassius will not let this be a win for Malachi though. He sneers at the fire.

“Your age is showing old man, have your forgotten that I’m unkillable? Is it infuriating to know that I’m unstoppable?”

The vampire taunts. But then - there’s that name. Cassius sees red. He keeps his cool, but he’s standing on the razor’s edge.

“Dorian? Rings a bell. Blonde hair? Blue eyes? No wait, I’m thinking of someone else. It’s hard to remember when it all meant so little to me. Why don’t you remind me what he was like?”

All of sudden, he’s spitting venom. Because of course he remembers, clear as day. Dark hair, dark eyes, wicked smile. How young warlock held Cassius in the palm of his hand - it was the exact reason Cassius had to turn around and eviscerate him. But when Malachi says his name, well, Cassius wants to destroy the warlock all the same for simply being a living memory of the man.

“But at the end of the day, his blood meant nothing. The hierarchy stays the same in Salem’s Point and the last time I checked you were no Delore. I know you Malachi and I am certain your claims of being here are not wholly innocent. So as long as my family is in this town, I will be suspicious as fuck of everything and anything you do.”  

After all, there’s these fires. Cassius can’t help but wonder if there’s a correlation between Malachi being here, the ring of fire that surrounds him, and the way Salem’s Point is burning.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

As a matter of fact, there was something in her pocket, but it wasn’t her cellphone. She’d left that on the counter when making her tea. Gwendolyn cursed herself in that that moment, suddenly held hostage by the feeling that she had to get back to it. The air in the room had shifted and so had Gwendolyn. It was the way Cassius answered the question, like it was a big inside joke rather than a a genuine answer.

“Oh nothing.” She lied. A feeling of unease gripped her. It’s ridiculous she thought. She couldn’t judge him off the tone of his voice. There was no reason for the sudden knots in her stomach or the way her pulse accelerated. Except, there was -

“You haven’t touched your tea.” Gwendolyn commented quietly. She didn’t want to draw attention to it, but she couldn’t help it. It was her litmus test and he hadn’t passed it. He had one shot and – he’d failed. By calling it out she hoped that she’d at least get some sort of alibi from the man.

‘Oh, I’m just waiting for it to cool down’; ‘Oh, I’m more of a coffee guy’; ‘Oh, it completely slipped my mind that you’d made me a cuppa - I’m just a forgetful person.’

And yet, the past few days had been so outrageous for Gwendolyn, that she wasn’t sure she would believe any of it at this point. It all seemed so incriminating all of a sudden.

It was time for Cassius to leave. Gwendolyn finished off the rest of her cup ( a clear indication that she was wrapping up ) and stood up to clear the table.

“You know what, now that you mention it. He did say he was going to be back pretty late. Perhaps you’d be better off meeting with him another time. I do have some work I need to finish up anyway.”

She faked a yawn. A definite would-you-look-at-the-time. For the second time that night she registered the location of her cellphone, pocketknife and pepper spray. Kitchen counter, kitchen counter, purse.  

There it was, the look in her eye that he was so familiar with. She’d noticed the tea. Clever. It seemed that was enough to set off warning signs for the girl and so it looked like Cassius would be eating sooner than he thought.

“Gwendolyn.” Cassius drawled, for the first time that evening dropping the saintly facade he had put on. It hadn’t last long, it rarely did with Cassius, but he’d enjoyed it while it had lasted. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re lying to me?”

He stood up too lazily, to match her movement. He was like a predator now, making languid movements, circling his prey. When he grinned, he shone his teeth. Out came his fangs. Once more, Cassius was that shark, swimming, looking for blood. He’d find that blood in the flush pink skin of this human.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were scared of me.”

Cassius stepped closer and closer. 

“Wonderful trick with the tea there. Do you think you know what I am? Go on, guess.”

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

This sea of uncertainty she was made to cross every day and then to suddenly find this man quite literally on her doorstep? It really felt to Gwen that she’d just embarked on some sort of odyssey and had finally managed to make it to the other side. Here was Cassius - that was his name - to answer all her questions. Sure, she knew that she could not peg that sort of responsibility on him, but there was a part of her heart that hoped.

“Gwendolyn.” She said in return. The kettle went off and Gwen attended to it. “Please, make yourself at home.”

The young woman pulled two mugs from the cupboard. Salem’s Point and all it’s curiosities.That was an understatement. Over the couple weeks she’d been here, Gwendolyn had seen things she’d thought she’d never see and considered possibilities that she’d never thought plausible. Too many late nights had she opened a tab in Google typed in something like ‘How do you kill a vampire’, ‘Traits of a witch’, before realizing how utterly ridiculous it sounded and Control-Shift-Q-ing out of the browser immediately. Her lips kept a pleasant smile as she answered the question.

“Salem’s Point has been lovely so far. I’ve been mostly occupied with setting up a new branch of my father’s firm and an old friend of mine is here town to help. So that’s nice”

Not exactly a lie. Gisele was there to help and also to try and comprehend the odd goings on of the town but that was neither here nor there.

“It’s kept my hands full for the last few days so I can’t say I’ve had the opportunity to explore the town too much. I did manage to drop by the library and take a peek at a book about the French Revolution over the weekend though.”

The tea bags came next. She’d always been a earl grey kind of girl, but her significant other had managed to convert her to something a bit lighter, almost citrusy. Vervain.

(And here was the thing that she would not admit to anyone but herself. There was something about this man that did not feel right. Gwendolyn could not put her finger on it call it survival instinct but she swiftly decided not ask what kind of tea he wanted. Simply hand him the vervain. She’d read enough before Control-Shift-Q-ing that Google page to know just what vervain meant for the strange things that might lurk in the shadows of Salem’s Point. Was that ridiculous? It was ridiculous. But it was the smallest of tests to ease her gut.)  

“Here’s a funny thing.” Gwendolyn said. “Did you know most women’s dresses don’t have pockets because they were considered too dangerous?”

She gestured as she spoke.

“I mean, it goes back to the French Revolution and you really have to understand the mindset of the time to get this. Pre-Revolution, women weren’t really considered full citizens. They couldn’t hold office or participate. A lot of men even used Marie Antoinette’s actions as justification for why women shouldn’t be in politics. So in the midst of this full blown revolution, women saw an opportunity to rally for the same rights as men and one of the things they rallied for was the right to bear arms. They did and they were quickly labeled as militant radicals. Women’s clubs were established and almost immediately they were made illegal. Worse - as a result, women were completely shut out of the French government and required to stay at home as a sort of punishment for pushing back against the controls that were imposed on them. And here’s the fucking cherry on top - pockets were part of this. Women could carry weapons and pamphlets in their pockets. They could hide things in pockets. And the men of France were absolutely terrified of women roaming the public sphere with the ability to hide such weaponry on their person. And that’s what brought about the rise of pocketless dresses.”

Such spiels were not unusual for the woman. By this time the tea was seeped and she set the drink down.

“How about them apples huh? Anyway,” Gwen said sitting in the seat opposite Cassius at the dining table. “It’s wonderful to finally meet one of Damien’s friends. I think this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to meet anyone close to him. Did the two of you meet at college? Or did you know each other before that?”  

She was still fluttering and he was still thinking of ways on how to kill her.

Maybe he’d whisk her away and devour her in the forest, so Damien would come back to an empty home.  

Maybe he’d have her right here at the table, make it a dinner so that when Damien did come back he’d have no choice but to laugh at the irony of it.

Maybe he’d lead her to her bed and leave her cold corpse there for his fledging to find.

No. None of those would do. Cassius would have a bite, but he’d wait to end her at least until Damien got back. And then maybe he’d make him do it. Did Cassius even hold such a sway over his fledgling anymore? Only one way to find out.

“How about them apples.” Cassius repeated. He’d have found the tidbit fascinating if it weren’t offset by the entire ‘human’ thing. Nevertheless, Cassius played along. “Are you hiding anything in your pockets that I should be worried about Gwendolyn?” The vampire asked with a tone that was slightly amused. He doubted there was anything this human could have on her that would cause him danger.

However - 

Cassius flinched when the tea was set in front of him and he realized just what she had poured him. His eyes snapped up to the woman to examine her. Did she know? Was this innocence some sort of ploy? For what end? Eyes locked on her, focusing on the curve of her neck, Cassius wondered if he’d misjudged her. 

No, this woman knew nothing. If anything, she was grasping at straws with only a vague understanding of what she was dealing with. She was smart, if she was dealing with the resources given to her paired with her mortal understanding, but still it was nothing compared to the sensibilities of the supernatural. He could have fun with this.

Cassius smiled. 

“Oh no, Damien and I go back way before college. Sometimes it feels like centuries. We were a bit of a fatal duo. Stirring up trouble and wreaking havoc. Though I must say, he was always the kinder of the lot. Me on the other hand…” Cassius let out a low laugh. “If this was the old days, I wouldn’t have even let me into the house.”

Still wouldn’t. His tea went untouched. He was watching her intently now, not caring if the gesture was unsettling. He hoped it was. He liked his prey to have a little chase to them before he took them down. The beating of her heart was tempting, but more than that, there was something powerful in taking what someone else wanted so badly. God-like even. It was just them in this small house and Cassius was certain he could shut her up before she screamed. And, even if she did scream, well -- this was Salem’s Point. 

In that moment, Cassius decided two things. One - Damien had fucked up. Two - he was hungry.

“When did you say Damien would be back?”

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

{ 3 Spells and Potions To Protect Myself From The Boy I Love }

Torn pages from the grimoire of Dorian Deidrich kept in the back of Cassius Valentine’s closet.

TO BOTTLE A SMILE 

NOTE: This is not actually a spell. This is a procurement.

The aforementioned procured smile can be used in a more advanced spell or cast on a deserving individual. Be careful in the smiles you pursue; smiles can be deceiving. Some are false, some are sad, some are not really smiles but actually grimaces of pain. Do not use the first smile The Boy You Love offers you, this is the perfect example of a smile that can hide things.  

This spell is to be used for the moments you are convinced that The Boy You Love is incapable of smiles. It may also be used to in times of household tension. Simply cast the smile upon your your berating mother in the midst of a fight and it will soften the exchanges between her and your father even though their marriage is a loveless one.

In order to bottle a smile, a witch will need:

A smile you wish to capture

A smile all your own

A glass jar to keep the smile in

The proper incantation

Now, step by step:

1. Smile. You will be exchanging your smile for the smile you are taking. Remember, the cornerstones of all magic are balance and equivalent exchange.

2. Focus on the person wearing the smile you wish to capture.  

3. Utter the incantation.

4. Continue to focus as as their smile is enclosed in your jar. This will only be visible to you - the spellcaster. 

Simple as that! Be warned though young witch, should you happen to bottle a faulty smile and cast it on another, prepare yourself for a relationship built on lies.

TO REPLACE A MEMORY

To replace a memory, a witch will need the following ingredients:

13 grains of sand from an expended hourglass

One truth from a Liar

One lie from a Soothsayer  

One matchstick or other fire starting implement. A BIC lighter from the corner store where you held hands for the first time will do.

A Safe Space

The proper incantation 

Remember, the bigger the memory being replaced, the bigger the lie and the truth must be. For example, replacing the memory where The Boy You Love moves and buries the body of a close friend in the dark woods requires much more effort than the memory of The Boy You Love climbing through your window in the quiet night to slip between your sheets.

Now, step by step:

1. Begin with an account of the memory while in The Safe Space.

2. Have the Liar write their truth on a piece of paper in big block letters as such: “I LOVE YOU DORIAN.”

3. Burn the paper without anyone else seeing the truth using the fire-starting implement. It is important that no one see this truth, especially not power-hungry fathers who would use this against the Liar in order to rob them of their humanity.

4. Collect the smoke in between the palm of your hands. Hold it there carefully.  

5. Have the Soothsayer prepare their Truth. Have them repeat it to themselves and only themselves one time for each grain of sand from the expended hourglass. 

NOTE: If you find yourself, the spell caster, having to fill the role of the Soothsayer please see to it that your lie is up to standard to make up for the adjustment in the spell. Truths and lies require tougher scrutiny when they are your own.

6. Say the lie loud and clear for the Liar to hear: “I would never hurt you Cassius.” 

NOTE: If tears are shed at all during this process, bottle them and save them. They can be quite useful in other spells of the manipulative nature. But be quick! Tears must be sealed in an airtight container before three breaths are up lest their potency seep away. No one wants impotent tears.

7. Utter the proper incantation and blow the smoke you hold over the Liar and Soothsayer. 

The memory is now erased.

TO AIL AN ACHING HEART 

The potion to ail an aching heart is one of the most precise and particular potions. Though witches have found their own versions of this brew over time Mieko Shiomi’s <star piece> from 1963 is still considered to produce one of the highest quality potions. 

NOTE: Under no circumstances should blood be spilt during this process to subdue the pain. However, if the Boy You Love is prone to violence, use the following steps to ease the process.

In order to brew a proper potion to ail an aching heart, a witch will need:

A dark but clear night and a place where you can see the stars. Shiomi’s potion requests the roof of a building or a park. Any place where you can see the stars will do just fine 

Three medium sized jericho flowers

A cigarette and a lighter

A gun

A cat

A telescope

A watch

A glass of water

A candle

A letter sent to you recently

A copper cauldron

A glass jar to store the potion in afterwards if you wish

The proper incantation 

1. Under a dark but clear night sky, bring two cups of water to a soft simmer in the copper cauldron. Make sure to keep it a temperature where the bubbles don’t break the surface.

2. Add the medium sized jericho flowers. Wait the amount of time it takes to write out an apology and then immediately redact it.

3. Look at the reflection of the stars in the cauldron. Find the 11 biggest stars.

4. Find the biggest star. Look at it while you like. Stir the brew counter-clockwise three times.

5. Look at the second biggest star: obscure it with smoke of a cigarette. Even better, share the cigarette with a loved one. Though, I suppose, you wouldn’t be brewing this potion in the first place if you had a loved one to share a cigarette with. Ash the lonely cigarette into the fire heating the cauldron and say the first incantation. The fire should spark blue.

6. Look at the third biggest star: shoot it with a gun. One bullet is recommended lest your potion session is interrupted by someone and that someone tries to use the gun against you.

7. Look at the fourth biggest star: hold a cat in your arms. Careful to make sure the cat does not knock over the cauldron.  

8. Find the fifth biggest star. Look at it through a telescope. Stir the cauldron 7 times clockwise.

9. Find the sixth biggest star. When you find it, look at your watch.

10. Look at the seventh biggest star: reflect it in the water of a glass and drink it. Take 3 sips. Pour the rest into the cauldron. The brew should turn a healthy green that reminds you of the hike you went on one summer’s day where The Boy You Love told you he didn’t mean to hurt you even though his constantly did.    

11. Look at the eight biggest star: obscure it with the flame a candle. Transfer this flame to the fire heating the cauldron.  

12. Look at the ninth biggest star: draw a deep breath. Exhale over the contents of the cauldron like you blowing out the candles of a birthday cake you had to buy yourself.  Blow out the candle from step 11.

13. Look at the tenth biggest star: lie down and look it through a loop of your fingers. Try not to think of the last time you were lying like this in the clear, crushed snow and the sounds you made when his cold lips met the crook of your hips. As difficult as it sounds, the ritual that comes with brewing this potion requires a clear mind.  

14.  Look at the eleventh biggest star: read a letter sent to you recently out loud over the cauldron. Don’t believe a word of it. Stir clockwise for each capital letter and counterclockwise for each punctuation mark.

14. The potion should have turned from a healthy green to your favorite color. Have a sip and feel it mend your broken heart. Store any excess in the glass jar. The shelf-life for this potion is about 72 hours.

15. Enjoy the company of your cat.

NOTE: Your chest may constrict as you look at the fifth biggest star and again when you look at the eleventh. If you so choose, add a grating of Calcium immediately after step 10 to harden the heart. If you are a frequent brewer of the potion, this is will ensure that you require a smaller a dosage the next time.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Fifty years old and the warlock still couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the original. Whether it’s because Malachi lacks respect for him or because he’s got a pending death wish is unclear. He releases a scoff.  ❝If you think that my being here has anything to do with you, it doesn’t. Believe it or not, the world does not revolve around Cassius Valentine. Certainly, not myworld.❞ It’s only a partial lie. He stopped plotting the vampire’s death years ago. How does one destroy something that cannot be killed? You don’t, but with enough creativity, one can make their eternity, a miserable one.

❝If you must know, I have other business to deal with in Salem’s Point. You being here is just happenstance. ❞

“I don’t think it has anything to do with me but, I’ll admit, that’s a good thing. Because, quite frankly, you’re running out of children for me to kill.”

Cassius says with a kind of cruelty that, for once, he doesn’t want to think about. To really think about it would be to raise memories and ghosts he has no intentions of revisiting.

“Either way Malachi, that doesn’t answer my question. Something is always business depending on who you ask.”  

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

Grinning as she finally reached him, Catherine looped her arm with his and slipped herother manicured hand into the pocket of her tan  trench coat.  

“I can, though up against a group even I can admit I might have to take my heels off to get a little dirty.” She admitted quietly, not wishing to dwell on it. She had been fortunate up until now, groups of supernaturals hadn’t taken her but that didn’t mean it would never happen.

Glancing over at Cassius, who seemed just so sure he could keep them safe made her hopeful but time would tell.“I’m not sure even you could protect us if it were appear in broad daylight, especially given the seemingly random points of attack…”

Palming the earring fondly, Catherine elaborated her story.  “My husband John gave me these, I can’t replace them..” She chided softly with a teasing tone in her voice, squeezing his arm gently. “The company hasn’t been in business in more than a century and they were one of my wedding presents - I can’t lose these, he might come back as a ghost and haunt me over it.”

“You know, I can’t remember the last time you took your heels off for anything,” Cassius said with a hint of amusement, “So if that’s what it takes it might just be worth it.”

He said this to ignore the fact that Catherine was absolutely right. If something did choose to attack all out during high noon, Cassius wouldn’t have the manpower to stop it. But Cassius did not like to think of his shortcomings. He instead focused on the earrings she seemed so fond of.

“Then I’m impressed you’ve kept them.” He wasn’t impressed. Even before Cassius had been cursed by Malachi to be incapable of love, his heart had been a sort of dead zone. For as long as he could remember - a millennia if you wanted to get specific - he’d drifted through life with a cold understanding of most things. As Catherine talked about her husband and the sentimentality she’d attached to something as simple as earrings, Cassius nodded along in a polite fashion without an ounce of empathy. His well of empathy ran bone dry and his well of sympathy had been boarded up a couple of decades ago.  

“I don’t believe I’ve attached such emotion to things before ….” He said in the perfect mimicry of contemplation. “But maybe I haven’t met someone worthy of such a gesture yet.”

No, love was a disease Cassius had no intention of caching again.

[cassiusvalentine-blog]

“And to think you’d actually find another partner in crime that would sink their teeth into a few helpless victims with you by their side.” She tossed out, her eyes somewhat closed as she pushed herself to sit up on the bed. She rubbed them, only to beam at the male that stood by her doorway. Somehow those flashbacks came to mind of when her brother would wait by her door until she got out of bed for them to go out and feed, killing people relentlessly. Well, at that time it was more him then her, she just fed to survive. But after her show down with her brother Jeremiah, and for the first time she slaughtered a room full of people running and screaming she felt alive, and the thrill of it. But after that day, she did her best to remind herself that she wasn’t a monster, upon meeting Cassius. The original vampire who enjoyed that thrill she once had. It was hard for Emily to deny the fact that she liked to play with her food from time to time.

“Oh and why is that? You planning on coming in here and suffocating me with a pillow if I don’t get up?” She teased, now jumping off the bed she approached the male, pulling the tie that she had in her hair out. “You know what, maybe I need a little convincing to get out this room today. After all, aside from the kill and blood……I think you owe me that much.”

And to think you’d actually find another partner in crime that would sink their teeth into a few helpless victims with you by their side.

Cassius liked to think he could. After all, there were plenty of vampires that embraced themselves as gods and those were the kinds Cassius liked to surround himself with. It was a kind of ruthlessness he liked to instill into his fledglings. But Emily’s words struck a chord that harmonized with Damien’s return. Perhaps Cassius was so insistent on this hunt because the fact was this: his fledgling had returned to him 300 years later with a new found sympathy for the lesser species. Damien, a vampire that Cassius had hunted with for 400 years, was now infatuated with a human. Damien, who was made of the same cloth as Cassius. Damien, whom he’d seen slaughter towns. It left a bitter taste on the Original’s tongue and he only knew of one thing that would wash away the flavor.

Cassius needed to feel some semblance of control. He needed to remind himself of the status quo of the world and on a night like tonight - Emily was the perfect partner in crime.

“I’m quite certain I don’t owe you anything.” He said, the corner of his lips quirking up into the smallest of smirks. “If anything you owe me for keeping me waiting.”

He watched as she slunk towards him, eyebrow raising at her. She could be such a brat couldn’t she? Then again, Cassius wasn’t really the one to talk.

“But look at that, you’re out of bed. Let’s go.”

In one fluid swoop, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. If she protested, it mattered little. Cassius was already striding out of the room with Emiy quite literally in tow.

“Oh please, I would never suffocate you with a pillow it’s far too obtuse.”