by Dara Nelson
I tensed up again - my panicking mind thinking, “this must mean more pain” but Victor turned to me, with kind eyes (kind eyes?? Where did those come from?). “No child,” he said, “No more pain for you. At least not today.” Sarcasm welled up in me. I sooo wanted to say “gee, does that mean the pain comes tomorrow?” but I held my tongue, drawing strength from Matthew’s hand, which I was squeezing so hard that I saw him wince next to me. I relaxed my grip a little and waited. Victor continued, turning the sarcasm he must have seen in my head back onto me, “Well, I suppose I could let you experience the pain of what you will face, if you’d prefer, or I could just show you images without the pain.”
“Ummm, just images please,” I squeaked.
He reached out and touched his bony fingers to our temples - and the images flashed in my head - Matthew andI being ripped apart and our limbs being crushed into dust. Both of us tied to a stake, burning in the fire. Tied together and left in the middle of the desert, the sun making our skin bubble and blister until we both burst into flames. Horrible, awful punishments, I thought, but all something I could deal with because we would die together. I was thinking: I can handle this - and then the final vision nearly ripped me apart. Both of us chained to a stone wall, in separate cells, the hands with our scars cut off, and we were utterly alone. My eyes flew open. I looked at Matt and his face looked crushed, defeated. He was unable to speak. I turned to Victor, “No!” I couldn’t stop myself from saying. “Please not that, anything but that.” That wasn’t punishment. That was worse than death. It tore me up inside just to think about it - dying of a broken heart, yet unable to die.
“Ahhhh,” Victor said as he nodded his head, “So now you know the punishment that is chosen for you. A shiver went through me. I moved closer to Matt and felt him move closer to me. We both knew that this could never happen, ever. Neither of us could survive just thinking about it.
Victor broke us out of our horror, “Now, you will see what will happen to incorrectly chosen mates.” And the images that flashed then - young vampires, like myself, scared, surrounded, torn apart, scattered, burned, starved - made me more determined to get this right.
We strolled hand in hand back to our room at the end of the day, exhausted from all of the images that had been forced into our heads. I was leaning my head against Matthew’s arm, when he suddenly stopped and I felt tension fill his body.
“What? What is it?” I said. Looking around, I saw what had stopped him… and I hissed.
Our door was open.
We ran the rest of the way, and came to a dead stop in the doorway. The same young male vampire from this morning was bent over quickly sweeping up the remaining table pieces - and everything in the room had been replaced. New sofa, new table, new bed. I squeezed Matt’s hand and smiled. Still bent over the young vampire said, “Look, I chose to do this for you for a reason - I have two favors to ask of you.”
I stepped forward and said, “Of course, ask us anything. But first, what’s your name?”
“Andrew,” he said and he dropped his hood. He was young, or had to have been when he was turned. 21 or 22, very handsome with wavy light brown hair, and beautiful ice blue eyes. “Go ahead, Andrew, what are your requests?” Matt said from behind me.
“My first request is…”he hesitated.
“It’s alright, Andrew,” I said and I placed my hand on his arm.
He squeezed his eyes shut. Then he opened them, took a deep breath and continued. “Well, it’s kind of embarrassing. But my first request is that you please, please, please don’t break anything else. We’re getting dangerously low on our supplies because of your… ummm… rough play,” his eyes fell to the floor and I had to stifle a giggle. I reached my hand back to Matthew, who eagerly joined me. “We’ll try our hardest not to break anything,” I said, “that’s really the best we can offer, Andrew. Now, what is your second request?”
He looked up at us with pleading, longing eyes. “Well,” he began, “I’ve heard what the two of you will be doing now… and I want to ask if I can please be your first customer.”
“Well, I don’t see why not Andrew,” Matthew said, “what type of human attracts you? What are you looking for?”
“Ummm,” he said, “what I want, what I REALLY want… is what you have. I want someone that it hurts to be away from.”
I blew the air out of my lips, “Whew,” I said, “Well, then we’ll have to spend a lot of time together, getting to know you. It will help us determine exactly who it is that you need.”
“Yes,” Matt said, moving forward and placing his arm on Andrew’s shoulder, “that’s exactly what we need to do… starting tomorrow,” and he gently led him to the door as Andrew slowly understood what Matt was telling him.
“Oh! Well, of course we can start tomorrow. Have a pleasant evening,” and he hurriedly closed the door.
Matt turned and leered at me and said,“I think his first request is going to be a lot more difficult to honor.” I barely had a moment to take a quick breath before his lips crushed onto mine, his tongue found mine, his breath found mine, his everything found all of me.
Our training continued for the next few months. Our days filled with more of the same lessons, our nights filled with loving each other. And we spent many evenings with Andrew. Getting to know him and his personality. Finding out about his past loves. I really liked him and I knew I had to get this right for him… even if it did seem like a tall order. What I had with Matt felt so unique, so overpowering, so special, it was hard for me to realize that there had to be others out there who could feel the same way. I know it seemed selfish, but I really couldn’t help it. I’d been loved before. Before he died, Rob really loved me. But did I feel that he was completely devoted to me? Did I know without a doubt that he would do anything for me? Did I know that he would die to protect me? No. He loved me, but not like this. I’ve never felt anything like this before. It was, to say the least, frightening, overwhelming, thrilling and completely satisfying all at the same time. But for Andrew’s sake, I had to believe that there were others out there who could be as lucky as I was. There had to be.
They gave me a laptop so I could keep notes and start a database… Andrew had been the first, but he was definitely not the only vampire looking for a mate. Word was spreading quickly. We started to think it might be a little too much for just the two of us. Well, I smiled as I thought:at least none of us have a time limit.
I knew our training here was reaching its conclusion. I was excited and anxious to get started on our new adventure, but also incredibly nervous too.
I was sitting with Andrew at the little table, asking questions, taking notes, and watching Matt out of the corner of my eye. He was lounging on the sofa, just watching us. He seemed to be studying me. I was trying to figure out what he was doing, while also concentrating on Andrew, when Matt suddenly stood up and walked over to me. He kissed my cheek and said, “I’ll be right back.”
We hadn’t been apart, ever, in weeks. I tried to hide the worry and sadness in my voice, “Okay, sweetheart. I love you,” I managed to say.
“I love you, too,” he said and he was gone. I continued with Andrew as best as I could, but he saw right through me. “You’re in pain right now, aren’t you?” he said.
I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I replied, “I really am trying to focus on you, but, yes, it hurts, it physically hurts when we’re apart. I know we can’t always be together, I know I’ll have to learn to be apart from him sometimes… but I will never be okay with it. It will always hurt.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, “Seeing the two of you together, and what happens when you’re apart, helps me to see more clearly what I want.” I smiled and did my best to go back to work. But my ears were listening for the only sound I wanted to hear.
I heard that sound, his footsteps, a few minutes later and he silently swept into the room, kissed the top of my head, and returned to his place on the sofa. The look on his face was different now
though. It was peaceful, relaxed… and playful. I could tell he had a secret that he was bursting to tell me. I silently plotted how I would get it out of him later.
And I tried. Oh boy, did I try. I wasn’t successful, but it didn’t matter because I sure had fun, and so did he.
Chapter Twelve
We took a midnight stroll through the courtyard on our final night there. The moon was full. The stars were out. The jungle around us was alive with sounds. “Do you think we’re ready for this?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he softly replied, “I hope so, but there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”
“I guess you’re right,” I replied, “I only hope that they will allow us the time we need to do it right.”
We had reached my favorite spot then. A waterfall cascaded off the mountain-side, over the wall and into a pool in the back corner of the courtyard. Two small marble benches sat on either side of the pool. We sat down on one, holding hands. I looked up just in time to see a shooting star streak across the sky. “A shooting star! Did you see that one?” I said to Matt, but when I turned to look at him, he wasn’t next to me. He was on the ground in front of me, on one knee. My heart jumped into my throat.
“Sarah Marie Stafford Jensen,” he began, as he pulled something out of his pocket, “I’m already the happiest vampire in history. You have already saved me in more ways than I ever thought possible. For the first time since I was turned I feel alive, I feel hope, I feel happiness, I feel love. But I strongly feel the need for us to be tied together in every way possible. Will you help perfect my life even more by doing me the honor of becoming my wife?” Then he slid a beautiful, silver, antique diamond ring onto my finger.
I swallowed hard, tried to find my voice and managed to squeak out, “Oh God, yes. A thousand times, yes.” Then I threw my arms around his neck. His mouth found mine and I vaguely hoped we were alone in the courtyard, because nothing could have stopped us then. I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist. He fell to his knees and shrugged his arms out of his overcoat, and pulledit over both of us as he pushed me back on the grass. I tried not to groan as his hands moved up under my shirt, but one escaped anyways.
“Shhh, Sarah,” he grinned.
I raised my eyebrow at him and said, “Yeah, right, Matt. This is me we’re talking about. There is no quiet when it comes to me, you should know that by now.”
“Try? Please?” he whispered.
I rolled my eyes, “Fine. I’ll try. Just don’t even think about taking your mouth off of mine, okay?”
“Mmmm, never,” he mumbled as his lips pressed down hard onto mine.
We lay in the grass later with his coat draped across both of us. I was trying to catch my breath.
“Wait!” I gasped.
“What?” he replied.
“Can we even get married? Is that even allowed?” I asked.
He grinned at me. “It is now,” he said.
“That’s what you did the other day when you left?” I whispered. “You went to the Elders to ask for permission? Matthew Michael Pearl!”
“What?” he said.
“That could have been dangerous! What if they said no? What if it made them angry? They’ve already bent their rules by allowing us to live, and to stay together. Was it really wise to push our luck that way?”
He looked down, obviously a little sad at my reaction. “It was important to me to try, Sarah,” he whispered.
My heart melted instantly. Of course it was. That’s who he is. “I’m glad you did,” I said as I rolled towards him. I began kissing him hard and once again hoped that we were alone.
We finally managed to stop long enough to make it back to our room at around three a.m., but just barely. And sleep didn’t happen until much later.
When I finally woke at around ten a.m., I spent a few minutes just staring at Matt. He was still sleeping next to me, and I felt little overwhelmed at the love I felt for him. I worried just slightly that it might be too much for my heart to handle. But I relaxed a little when he opened his eyes and smiled at me. No, there is no such thing as too much with him, I thought.
He had a playful twinkle in his eyes though. “What?” I said. He turned to look at the end of the bed. My gaze followed his. Hanging at the end of the bed was the most beautiful wedding dress I had ever seen. I stared at it for a minute. It was empire-style. It was breathtaking. I studied the beautiful neckline, the hundreds of pearls delicately placed throughout the dress and down the sleeves. Suddenly something clicked in my mind. “Wait,” I sputtered looking at Matt. He was smiling as he watched me begin to figure things out. “No way. Today? Not today. Today? It can’t be today. Today? You didn’t. Not today. How can we? Today? Matt, there’s no way, is there? Today? Really?”
I stared at him as he laughed. “Finished?” he said.
“Probably not,” I replied.
He laughed again and said, “Yes, then. Yes, today.”
“But, why so soon?” I asked.
“I wanted to do this before we left, before we start our new adventure. And honestly, I couldn’t wait another minute. Today isn’t soon enough for me, Sarah,” he said as his finger brushed down my cheek. I nodded my head as I leaned over to kiss him… that dress would have to wait a bit.
I stared at myself in the mirror as Penelope fastened the dozens of tiny of pearl buttons up my back. My pale skin balanced nicely with the ivory white dress, which fit perfectly, of course. I thought about putting my long hair in a bun or pulling it back, but then decided against it. Matt really liked it down, with it flowing down my back and framing my face. Penelope placed the orchid & lace head piece and veil on my head and then she stood back. I took one long, last look. “Ready?” she said
I turned to her and nodded. “Ready,” I said. As I picked up my orchid bouquet, I kept waiting for the nerves to kick in, but I was so calm and relaxed. I knew without a doubt that this was exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I followed her out to the courtyard, my eyes searching, then quickly finding, Matthew. He was in our corner, near the waterfall, waiting for me. I smiled at Carlos standing by his side. Carlos grinned his huge grin and winked at me. I turned my focus back to Matt. As I approached the spot on the grass where we had been last night, I looked down at it, then looked back at Matt and winked. His cheeks turned slightly bluish as he blushed, then he smiled. He reached out his hand to me as I neared him and I happily took it in mine. Penelope took her spot next to me and I smiled at Andrew standing in front of me, who, it turns out, was also a licensed minister. I turned back to meet Matt’s eyes and they took my breath away. What did I do to deserve this amazing gift? Someone who loved me more each time he looked at me. He frowned slightly at the panic that started to creep into my face. I forced it back and smiled at him. In my head I was saying, ‘Look at it this way, Sarah. Loving him is the ONLY thing you have to do now. That’s easy.’ It was September 2, which, ironically, just happened to be my birthday, and this was by far the best birthday present I could ever imagine. I turned to him and faced my future without a speck of doubt and with an overwhelmingly happy heart.
We were going to have to wait to take our honeymoon (and wedding night, damn it!) later though. We had to get to work right away, beginning our lives as Recruiters. A few hours later we were flying with Stefan on his private jet to his apartment in New York City. “What better place to learn to blend in than the most crowded city in the world?”he had told us.
I snuggled closely into Matt on the plane and felt complete as he leaned down and whispered “I love you Mrs. Pearl,” and kissed my forehead. ‘Yes,’ I thought, ‘this is EXACTLY where I am supposed to be.’
The End
Sneak Peak of:
The Recruiters
The Pearl Vampire Chronicles
Volume Two
Prologue
It was dark, well after midnight, and I was clinging tightly to Matt’s hand as we ran. And running we were, as fast as we could. The wind whipped
through my hair and my bare feet pounded on the pavement. The few people who were out this late never saw us. We were only a blur and a gust of wind as we sped past them. Through dark alleys, jumping over walls and fences, we ran. We turned quickly and headed into the park. Ducking into the greenbelt that was at the back side of the park. We ran around the trees, changing our direction every thirty feet or so. Matt pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around my waist. He picked me up and then flew just a few feet off the ground so we wouldn’t disturb any more pine needles or dirt. We emerged out the other side and found ourselves in the dirty, abandoned slums that seemed to be part of every large city these days. Up the city streets, through abandoned buildings, over rooftops, wherever we could go, we ran and flew without stopping. I never looked back but I knew they were close; I could feel them. And they were gaining on us. I glanced at Matt and saw the panicked look on his face. Why couldn’t we be somewhere familiar? We’d never been here. Everything seemed sinister, luring us into dead ends. Flying higher wasn’t an option;they were much faster than we were in the air. “In here,” Matt whispered and we ducked into an empty warehouse. We raced from one end of the building to a set of stairs at the other end. Taking them three at a time, we shoved through the locked door to the roof without breaking our stride. We ran the length of the building and jumped down to the street at the far end. We ran to the end of the row of abandoned warehouses and turned up the next street. ‘This can’t be happening, somebody please tell me this isn’t real,’ my mind screamed. We rounded another corner.
