She glanced up at him and saw the amusement in his eyes even as his hands remained on her shoulders. “I was just admiring this woman. Who was she?”
Bastian gently took the picture from her and Catherine saw a sudden wave of sadness pass over his face. “That is the next part of our story tonight. Did you sleep well,” he asked as he replaced the picture on the table.
“I did,” she said and felt her hand go once again to her lips.
He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her up against his body. “Good. I am glad to hear it,” he whispered just as his lips met hers once again. He moved his mouth against hers and Catherine sighed, leaning into his touch. His grip tightened around her body and he lifted her a bit as his tongue gently brushed her lips, wanting to be closer. Catherine had never been kissed like this, but she let her heart guide her.
Slowly she reached a hand up and cupped his cheek as the kiss intensified even more until she wanted nothing more than for him to hold her forever. To never leave the library again.
Then just as the night before, he pulled away first and gently set her away from him.
“We should begin,” he said, words coming out hoarse. “Before the night gets away from us.”
Catherine frowned and averted her gaze as she headed to the desk. “Of course. That’s why I’m here after all.”
She hadn’t even sat down before he was beside her once again, holding her hands in his. “My sweet Catherine, do not think I do not want you,” he said, looking her right in the eye. “But I want you to know all of me before you make a mistake and regret whatever we might do.”
“I could never regret anything with you. I know what type of man you are.”
His brow furrowed at her words, but he kissed one hand then the other. “Still, let us continue.”
Smiling now, she nodded and he let her sit down at the desk. She dipped the quill in the ink, turned to the next blank page and waited. “Tonight is about Victoria, then?”
His smile fell and his eyes darkened. “Yes, Victoria. My second love.”
***
The plantation had turned profitable once Kitt was gone and Tula was my most trusted Overseer and ally next to Bernard. It had been ten years since I’d been turned and come to this place and I tried to convince myself that I was happy and this was what my life would remain forever. But I was only lying to myself.
Ten years. It had been ten years since I held a woman I loved in my arms and I finally had to admit it to myself: I was lonely.
Not only that, but for the past ten years I had resigned myself to feeding only on animal blood. It sustained me, but I lost much of the vigor I had initially enjoyed so fully. Bernard worried about my health and what might become of me. Even Tula voiced his concern that my weakness put myself and the entire plantation at risk. There were always criminals around looking to make a profit and rob men blind. If I was not careful, I would lose money and put everything I’d worked so hard to build at risk.
The sun had just set and I was taking in a breath of night air when Tula and Bernard both came to me. Their heads were not bowed as was per usual. Instead both men stared me right in the eye, arms crossed over their chests.
“What is this?” I asked with a laugh. “Are you starting that revolt after all, Tula?”
“No, sir,” he said. “We are coming to save your life.”
“I did not realize we were in danger.”
“We are not,” Bernard said. “You are, from yourself.”
I stared between the two and tried to keep smiling. I was not about to come out and say they were right. “I am fine, gentlemen. The peak of health. Haven’t aged a day.”
Bernard didn’t even crack a smile, but Tula frowned. “I have noticed that, sir. You are not a normal man.” I waited for him to confront me, demand to know what I really was, but instead he sighed and unfolded his arms. “I do not care. You saved my life and I owe you a debt. It is high time you find another like you and sate your needs.”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “And what needs might those be?”
“Those of any common man, and the beast that resides within you, sir,” Tula said. “Go to Jamaica. Find someone, anyone, before you fall any further into darkness.”
I glanced at Bernard, but my friend I had made in a tavern so long ago only stared right back at me. Neither one was going to back down until I gave in. I could tell by their faces. After a few tense moments I sighed and slumped my shoulders. “You are right. It has been hard this past decade. Perhaps you are right.”
“Of course we are,” Bernard said and I glanced at him, my brow raised. “Sir,” he added with a smirk. “We shall see to the plantation. A boat leaves on the morrow for the island. Go, please.”
Once I agreed I would and headed to my rooms to gather my cloak for the journey, I had to admit how touched I was at these two men stepping forward as they did. I would tell them maybe one day what their loyalty meant to me, but right then, I became too focused on my task to do so. I would go to Jamaica and I would find another vampire.
Filled with excitement, I boarded the ship the following evening and found a room at a tavern near the port. The sun would rise soon, so I stayed indoors, resting as much as I could so the following night I could begin my search. The first night, I found no trace of any vampires. The second and third were just as fruitless and by the fourth, my frustration had boiled up to the point where I was ready to tear someone’s throat out to sate my sudden thirst and rage. But I kept myself in control. I didn’t want to give up, but there was simply nowhere else to look. I had scoured the island from one side to the other and found nothing to keep me there.
Once my voyage home was booked, I wandered aimlessly through the town, listening to the people drink and be merry. I so much wanted to find a reason to do the same and suddenly I no longer wanted to hear them speaking so happily with each other. I turned from the lights and the sounds and found myself down near the beach, listening to the peaceful rhythm of waves crashing in.
My heart was heavy with loneliness and longing for Antoinette. For my family. I felt a single tear slip down my cheek and as I started to wipe it away, a new sound caught my ear. Sobbing. Very close by. I turned to the left and right trying to focus on it before I took off in a blur.
As my feet slid to a stop in the sand, I glanced around and found an outcropping of rocks jutting out into the waves. There atop of them, head in her hands, was a woman crying to the night. The moon was full and lit her perfectly, letting me see the dark red dress she wore, wet nearly all the way up from the water. If she cared she did not show it. Sadness held her too deeply in its clutches. Unsure of what I was doing, I went towards her slowly, taking in her long black hair that trailed down her back and her tan skin.
So entranced was I by her beauty that I hadn’t realized how close I stood until she lifted her head, spotted me and screamed.
“No! I’m sorry,” I said quickly and backed away. “I did not mean to frighten you.”
“Who are you, what do you want,” she yelled, getting to her feet. The rocks were slippery and not wanting her to fall, I quickly backed up more and held up my empty hands.
“I heard you crying, that is all. I swear it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can I trust you?”
“You can’t,” I said with a shrug. I glanced down at her feet and tried not to rush forward to grab her. “Please, I do not wish to have to save you this night from a watery death.”
Her face paled instantly and she slowly glanced at where she stood. No longer concerned with me, she carefully made her way back across the outcropping before her feet finally touched down in the sand. She pushed the hair from her face, hands shaking, and the fear gone. Once again, there was an overwhelming sadness that seemed to hang over her.
“I must be going,” she said quietly then started back down the beach.
Not certain why…I followed.
She glanced over her shoulder frowning. “What a
re you doing?”
“I don’t know,” I said as we both came to a stop. “You are so sad. I just can’t leave you alone in such a state. It would be careless of any gentleman to do so to a lady.”
“I am certainly no lady,” she said quietly and gripped her dress. Now that I stood so close I could see the patches and tears in it from days and years of use. “Please, I am not deserving of your attentions.”
I moved closer and reached out gently taking her hand and kissed the back of it. “Every woman is deserving of a man who cares,” I said quietly. “Please, will you allow me to walk with you? Perhaps I can ease your sadness.”
Her lips lifted in a smile, but it only lasted a moment before she carefully pulled her hand back. “I am afraid no one can remove that from me.” She turned and stared out into the ocean. “My parents were taken from me a few years ago. Their boat was sunk off the coast. I miss them so much. I’m so alone now, so utterly alone.”
Her words reflected exactly what I had been feeling for years and I felt a sudden connection to this woman. “I too understand the pang of loss,” I said. I had never told anyone this, not even Bernard, but for some reason the words would not stop. “Many years ago, I had a wife. I loved her with everything I had. One night, shortly after we wed…she was taken from me.”
I felt my chest tighten in pain. Antoinette was most likely still living, but I could never see her again. Knew I never would. It was nearly as bad as her dying. I didn’t realize my cheeks were wet until the woman reached out a hand and gently brushed away the tears with her thumb as her hand held my face.
“I guess we are just a pair of lonely souls, lost in the night,” she said.
I smiled and bowed my head to her. “Bastian Lavelle, at your service Madam.”
“Victoria,” she whispered as we moved closer to one another. I felt an overwhelming need to reach out to this woman and bent low to kiss her. Our lips met and I waited, not wanting to ruin what I had thought I’d found. But then Victoria sighed and leaned against me, returning the kiss.
My arms found their way around her waist, holding her tightly as the kiss deepened and the waves continued to crash close by. As long as the kiss lasted, I felt like I hadn’t felt in years. As if I had a purpose again. A reason to be here in the Caribbean so far from everything I once knew.
Then it ended and she slowly pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Would you like a drink?” she asked quietly. “My home is not much, but it’s quiet.”
“Lead the way.”
She smiled and some of the sadness vanished from her face as her hand slipped into mine. I watched her brow furrow at my cold touch, but if it bothered her, she didn’t say so. Instead we made our way back towards town, through it, and headed to a small home on the outskirts of the jungle. It certainly wasn’t much compared to the plantation home I was now living in, but I could tell from the way she carefully opened the front door that her heart was in this place.
“I have lived here all my life,” she said as she lit several candles. “Rum?”
“Yes, please,” I said and she fetched a bottle from the windowsill. “What do you do?”
Her smile was a bit sheepish as she grabbed two dulled cups and set them on the rickety table between us. “Some nights I work at the tavern. Days, I find what work I can at the port. It’s a rough life, but I make do.”
She held up her cup and tried to smile before she shot all the liquor back.
“And then some nights I simply drink away my sorrow and wonder if another day is worth living.”
I drank mine as well and she quickly refilled our cups. Before long, Victoria was telling me about her life in Jamaica. Her father had been a fisherman all his life, alongside his wife. They had been quite successful and everyone loved them dearly. Until the storm hit and they were taken far too soon. As she told Bastian about her childhood and how her father first taught her to fish, he found himself smiling and laughing along with her. This woman, she had a fire in her that had dulled, but suddenly he was determined to bring it back to life.
Once the bottle was empty and he felt the first rays of the sun start to rise, he rose and told her he must leave. “But,” he said when he reached the door, “may I call on you tomorrow night?”
Victoria’s face lit up with her smile. “Yes. I look forward to seeing you again, Bastian.”
I turned and left knowing that Bernard and Tula had been right. I may not have found another like me in the vampire sense, but this woman had done something to me. I couldn’t wait to see her the following night.
***
Bastian’s final words hung in the air and his face fell.
“Bastian? Are you well,” Catherine asked quietly from the desk. He heard the chair scoot back and her quiet steps move towards him. “Bastian?”
He didn’t turn to face her. The next part of the story wasn’t easy to tell, but she wanted to know who he was and this was a major part of how he came to be whom he was. “I am sorry.” He turned to her with a gentle smile and took her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers as he lifted them to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand.
“We can stop for the night if you wish,” she said and he heard her heart flutter in her chest.
“No.” He let go of her hand slowly and motioned for her to head back to the desk. “I wish to tell you everything that happened that following night. I can only hope you will not judge me too harshly for what I have done.”
From the look in her eyes, he knew she wanted to tell him she would never do such a thing, but he knew the horrific act he had done to end his loneliness. Catherine sat back down and picked up the quill once again, ready to write down his words.
***
The following night, the moment the sun set below the horizon, I donned my cloak and headed out to Victoria’s home on the outskirts of town. I hadn’t been this excited in a very long time and wanted nothing more than to see her beautiful face and speak with her again, perhaps all night. I wondered if there might be a chance I’d be able to kiss her again…and my steps slowed.
I never wanted to replace Antoinette in my heart, but this woman had done something to me last night. For a moment, I felt as if my heart would beat again in my chest with just the thought of seeing Victoria and holding her in my arms.
My steps resumed as a smile came to my face. That wasn’t possible, but the feelings that welled within me were impossible to stop as I drew closer to her home. It was completely and utterly dark inside. No candles were lit and no fire that I could see light from or smell. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I glanced quickly around. This was wrong.
“Victoria?”
I called her name out to the night, but nothing answered me. There were no sounds, no chirping insects and no animals. It was too quiet. I took a deep breath then froze when I smelt it.
“Blood. No…Victoria!”
I raced to the front door and threw it open so hard it came off the hinges. My eyes searched around the room and finally found her lying on the floor, eyes open and glassy as she stared up at the ceiling in horror. Blood trailed from a wound at her neck down to the floor. Before I could go to her, something shifted from the shadows in the corner and I growled as a man emerged. He was not a regular man, but a vampire.
“You,” I said, the words coming out in a hiss. “What did you do?”
This vampire looked nothing like the one that changed me. He appeared sophisticated, like any regular gentleman walking home from the tavern. His eyes narrowed on my face as a dark grin stretched his lips. “I fed as I presume you were going to do. Apologies, I did not know there was another who had staked their claim to her blood.”
“I didn’t,” I snapped, glancing down at Victoria’s limp body.
The vampire smiled even wider as he tilted his head and studied me. “Ah, I see. She was your lover.”
“No. She was just…an innocent woman,” I said quietly. “And now she
’s dead.”
“You must be quite young still to not know that if you truly want her back, you can have her.”
I stared at him. “What do you speak of? She’s dead! You killed her!”
“Are we not both dead ourselves?” He moved forward and bent down to brush the hair from Victoria’s neck and face. “If you do what I say, she will return to you and be like one of us. Forever.” His fingers felt around her neck. “She clings to life by a thread. If you would turn her, you must do so now.”
I didn’t even stop to think of the consequences. I asked him what to do and followed his directions. Using my fangs, I bit into my wrist, drawing blood, and put it to her upturned mouth. I willed her to drink it, needing her to show me she was still there. I used my free hand to massage her throat and try to get her to swallow.
The other vampire stood by the front door and nodded. “That will do. Her body will convulse and die. Then, when she opens her eyes, she will be like us and she will need to feed.”
I turned to ask his name, but the vampire had vanished into the darkness. Strange how I’d spent days searching for any sign of my own kind with no luck, only to find that a vampire had killed the woman I had been interested in. Maybe one day I would return and search again, but right then I felt Victoria’s body twitch in my arms and I turned back to stare at her.
Her body convulsed in my arms. I had to set her down; I was unable to hold onto her for very long and feared I might hurt her further. Then her mouth dropped open and she let out a terrifying scream that made even my blood run cold before everything stilled.
“Victoria?” I whispered. “Victoria, can you hear me?”
Nothing happened and as the silence stretched on I hung my head, wondering if I had just simply killed her more painfully. I turned towards the darkened doorway, ready to bolt into the night when a delicate hand appeared on my shoulder.
“Bastian.”
My mind must have been playing a trick on me. I was almost too scared to turn fearing that I would still see her cold body lying on the floor of her home. Instead, I came face to face with an undead Victoria. Her hair was darker and fuller against her pale skin and her lips were blood red. She was beautiful before, but now she looked like a siren pulled from the sea.
SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire Page 5
