Claire suddenly pounced on Daniel, arms flailing as she hit him in the face and chest. She was screaming about him being a murderer and how evil he was.
It didn’t last long because he soon caught her flying fists and held a tight grip on her wrists, holding them away from him. His grip was beyond solid, like a steel machine, and his eyes were hollow with rage. For a moment, she thought he was going to attack her again. No, he was going to kill her. She dared to hit him, dared to defy him and now she would pay the price.
He held her in his harsh eyes for a moment, and then shoved her hands away, practically pushing her away from him. “Honestly, who else would’ve done it?”
Unable to express her anger, she felt tears come to her eyes. Blinking them back, she blurted out, “Why? Why did you do it?”
“Why not? Our kind has to do what we can to protect ourselves,” he said as he went over to one of the dining room chairs and pulled one out. He gestured her to sit.
But she was too stunned to do so. Staring at him with her jaw hanging open, she said, “Colin Willis knew what you were?” She never heard about her dear professor having any interest in the paranormal.
“Yes, that surprised me as well,” he said, not moving from the side of the chair. Claire flinched, but Daniel didn’t seem to notice and went on talking. “I heard his thoughts the few times I was around him. I must’ve been the one person he was never particularly friendly to. He wasn’t rude, but he kept his distance. I don’t know what he saw in me, but I ignored it. That is, until he started to glare at me.” He gestured again to Claire to sit in the chair he had pulled out, and reluctantly she went over and sat down.
He walked a few paces in front of her and continued. “I got suspicious, so I started to read his thoughts. Turns out, some years ago, his sister was killed by one of our own. Even though he was told she was stabbed, he heard stories to the contrary. Like you, he began doing his research. As he got to know me a little more, Colin began putting two and two together.”
He narrowed his eyes and his voice turned sinister. “He was plotting to kill me because he believed I was the one who got his sister. He planned to become more friendly to me in order to convince me to hang out with him. It would’ve been a trap, but he probably forgot or never knew that those like me can read minds. I was two moves ahead of him and boy, was he surprised.”
Claire shivered when a triumphant smile spread across Daniel’s face. He noticed and turned his head to look at her. He dropped the smile and looked concerned. “I don’t mean to scare you with that story, but I was letting you know what will happen if you don’t agree to being like me and spending eternity with me.”
Seeing she was confused by the sudden topic change, he walked over and squatted down to be at her level. “You can’t run away from this. The secrecy of what I am will start to destroy you and you’ll do something irrationally, just like Willis. I hope you understand.”
She started to nod, and then stopped. What was she doing? Here she was just inches away from someone who was an actual vampire, and just described why he killed someone without remorse, and she was accepting it? She couldn’t. How could she get out this situation? She had to leave and never return to Daniel, ever. He would hurt her, and she would be hurting herself by protecting a murderer.
She stopped thinking and fixed her stare on him. He was reading her thoughts, no doubt about that, and would use them against her.
He was looking right back at her, a calm expression on his face, but his eyes were the opposite.
“Claire, what can you tell the police?” he said softly.
“Everything. That you killed Willis.”
“And what would you tell the police?” He stood up sharply; his ferociousness returned. “What would you tell them? That a vampire did the work? They’ll think you’re insane.”
“I can always be an anonymous caller. I won’t mention the vampire part.”
He shook his head. “You have no idea what you are dealing with, Claire. Absolutely no idea.”
“Then what am I dealing with, Dan?” As soon as she spoke those words, she knew she made a mistake.
He leaned down to be inches away from her face and hissed, “There are many of us. More than you can count. We’ve eluded mortals for centuries, even the police. There’s no way you can fight us. No way.”
Claire wanted to speak but she knew it wouldn’t work. Instead, she looked down and found the words to say. “What happened to the man I used to know? You were so caring and gentle towards me. Now you’re threatening me.”
“I would be caring and gentle if you stop fighting me.” He was now in the kitchen, getting wine. “Like I told you last week, this is another side to me you’re getting to know.”
“But what if I don’t like this side? I mean, you’re a murderer.”
“I’m only doing what I need to protect myself and my kind. And also, it is in my nature.” Daniel came back to the dining room with the bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She watched as he poured the wine.
“If you’re a vampire, how can you eat and drink?”
He shrugged. “We can do that, but we don’t rely on it. I once went fifty years without eating or drinking regular food.” He handed her a glass. She took and sniffed the wine, but didn’t drink it.
“Claire, don’t think I put anything in it,” he fought not to snap at her.
Choosing not to protest, she began sipping the wine. Daniel walked over to her, leaned on the table and drank from his glass. “Besides,” he went on. “I rather like wine. It reminds of me of the centuries spent drinking this. One constant in Western European life.”
“Did you always live there?”
“No. I lived in the Middle East and Eastern Europe from time to time. I began spending time in the Western Hemisphere starting in the early 19th century, though I would travel back to Europe where most of us are.”
Claire hesitated and then asked in a quiet voice. “How many are there of you?”
“Hundreds. Scattered all over the world.”
“Where did you all come from?”
“It’s a long story, one that would take all night to explain. Maybe someday you’ll learn everything.”
“What’s everything?”
“As in, who we are and why.” Daniel put down his glass and rubbed her arm without the slightest affection. “You can learn, if you want.”
She knew what he would say if she asked, so she didn’t speak it out loud. She just accepted his touch as she drank more wine. She had an unusual thirst for the drink that night.
He didn’t seem to be bothered. Instead, Daniel turned on the TV to watch a British period drama series both he and Claire liked to watch and sat on the couch.
Reluctantly, she joined him there and sat stiffly. After a few minutes, Daniel put his arm around her, though not as empty and cold as before. They sat that way for a long while, silently watching the show. It wasn’t a loud silence, but one that appeared to be the kind that exists between a couple. It was like the way things were before the last week.
Towards the end, the program showed the characters at a ball. Since the show took place at the turn of the 20th century, the characters wore costumes from that era. The women in particular wore luscious silk dresses highlighted by every type of gem imaginable on their necklaces, earrings and so forth.
He leaned over and said to her, “You know, you can have jewelry just like those women.” When she frowned, he explained, “I’ve been around for centuries, therefore I was able to gain a modest fortune. That is how I got a TriBeCa apartment, rich wine and old paintings.”
“I’m not really into that,” she lied.
He laughed quietly and went back watching the program.
As the episode finished up, Daniel broke the silence. “After this, I am going out with Michel. I should be back in about an hour.”
“Where are you going?” Claire tried to control her eyes from widening.
“You get only one guess,�
�� he said matter-of-factly. He reached up to pat the back of her neck. “I would prefer it if you stayed here until tomorrow morning. Just like before.”
She drew in a breath. “I would like to go home though.”
Shaking his head, he said, “You haven’t been here long enough to spend another hour going back to the Island. What’s the point?”
“Can…can you go out later?” she stuttered.
“No,” he said coolly. “You really need to stop being in denial.” The hand on the back of her neck seemed to tighten its grip. “And when I get back, we can discuss our future more.” Using that same hand he reached up to the back of her head and made her turn to face him. “Hilde will be here until I get back. Just to keep an eye on you.”
Claire slowly nodded, and the two went back finishing up their show. Once the credits started rolling, Daniel got up and put his coat on. A few minutes later he buzzed in Hilde and Michel, who knocked on the door minutes later. Again they gave friendly kisses to Daniel on the cheek and mouth.
“Hello Claire!” Michel reached over and gave her a hug. “How was your Thanksgiving?”
“Good, how was yours?” Claire felt like a robot.
“Great, great.” He moved away to let Hilde kiss her on the cheek.
“How are you, dear?” she said to her.
“I’m fine,” Claire answered.
“Fantastic.” Turning to the other two, Hilde said, “All right, are you boys ready to go?”
They both gestured that they were. Daniel nodded at Claire and left the apartment with Michel, leaving Hilde to shut the door behind them. She turned to Claire. “So, just you and me, mademoiselle. Need more wine?”
Claire agreed, and Hilde refilled her glass while taking Daniel’s and poured herself some. She joined Claire on the couch and grabbed the remote control from the coffee table. As she went to the channel guide, Hilde asked her, “Anything in mind? News? A talk show? Porn?”
Claire coughed into her glass. Not that she had anything against porn; she wasn’t the type to sit around and watch it, let alone with a vampire who was only starting to be nice toward her now.
“No,” she cleared her throat. “I guess channel forty-eight is good.”
“Ah, comedy. Can’t go wrong with that.”
The two women sat and watched a stand-up comedy show, laughing at first occasionally, then frequently. They finished off the bottle of wine and went through another one. It was Claire who got that bottle after Hilde told her to check out Daniel’s refrigerator. It was empty save for several wine bottles. That made her crack up laughing in her drunken state.
Claire filled her glass to its brim while Hilde was more conservative with her intake. The two finished the first show and then began watching an animated show on the same station. Claire found herself laughing at every incident on the show, despite not being a fan of raunchy humor. Hilde had to prevent her from spilling her wine glass a few times.
The night wore on and Claire forgot that Daniel and Michel were not back within the time Daniel said they would. Hilde didn’t bring it up and instead allowed Claire to drink more wine, laugh uproariously, blast the MP3 player, and dance around like a crazed woman. While she was dancing at one point, Hilde got up and started dancing with her. The songs playing were from the 1970s, so the other woman showed her dance moves from that era.
While showing her some of the moves, Hilde put her arms around Claire and planted her lips against hers. That made Claire burst out in giggles, and then kiss the other woman back. She didn’t know when exactly the two men returned, but when the MP3 player was shut off, it was obvious Daniel and Michel hadn’t just got back.
Claire pulled away and started giggling uncontrollably. Hilde shrugged at the other two and sat back down on the couch to finish off her wine. Michel started to laugh too, and joined his partner on the couch to watch Claire laugh up a storm. Daniel looked amused as well.
Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders and quietly told her to calm down.
“Calm down?” Claire blurted out. “After all this, you want me to calm down?!”
He smiled and tried to direct to her to one of the dining room chairs but she jerked away. “Oh no! You’re not going to control me now!”
“Claire, you had too much tonight -”
“I had too much of you tonight!” she said loudly. “And the night before that, and the night before that.”
Daniel frowned and glanced at the other two who were watching with confusion.
Claire let out a laugh again. “You actually think I’m going to stay with you? That I’ll forget what you did? What you are? Ha!”
Now Daniel was annoyed. He said her name in an attempt to stop her.
“No!” she shouted, putting her hand up. “No, you will listen. We are over, Daniel! No more of you and your bullshit. No more of you killing people that I know! No more of your lies and games! We’re done!” She turned to head for the door.
He then grabbed her by the arm. She cried out for him to stop and from the pain of his tight grip. It was as if he was pulling her arm out of its socket.
He forced her to kneel from the pain. Once on the floor, he continued to pull at her arm as he hissed into her ear, “I know you are drunk. But I will not tolerate what’s coming out of your mouth. You will be quiet and remain so for the rest of the night.”
She was gasping, but she was able to turn her head and spit into his face. Hilde and Michel’s jaws dropped in disgust.
Daniel took one look at her and slapped her clear across the face, so hard he knocked her to the floor.
Wiping his face, he asked Hilde to get her a glass of water. While she did, Michel stood up and suggested he and his partner leave. “This isn’t a good night. Apparently leaving her alone with all the wine bottles was not a good idea.”
“Yes, I see that,” Daniel grunted. “Not that she was the type to get wasted; she always controlled herself.”
Michel shrugged. “She’ll get back to her old ways. She’ll have to.” Hilde came around with the glass of water and made Claire sip it. The three vampires watched her carefully to make sure she wouldn’t lash out again.
After a few minutes, Hilde and Michel decided to leave. They kissed Daniel good night and headed home. After locking up, Daniel went over to Claire, who lied motionless on the floor. He squatted down and peered at her. She refused to meet his eyes.
“Look at me,” he snapped.
At first she hesitated, but then she obliged.
“I left you alone because I trusted you. I figured you could use some female company so you could discuss what you wanted to about us, but that was foolish.” He paused then continued. “Tomorrow morning, we will go over everything.”
“What time tomorrow?” she asked.
“Whenever you get up. I’m free tomorrow, no classes to teach or articles to do right away. But you have to go to work, so you’re the one who’ll have the massive headache tomorrow.” He then put his arms under her neck and hips, picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. He put her on the bed before turning down one half of it and told her to climb in between the blankets. Once she did and laid her head against a pillow, the room appeared to spin. Maybe it was out of drunkenness or fright. But the one way to stop the spinning was to close her eyes for a few hours.
Claire couldn’t tell if a few or several hours had passed when she finally opened her eyes. There was no way of knowing because of Daniel’s thick curtains had blocked out the sunlight from entering through the window. Either or, she was awake and clearly remembered what had happened last night. The throbbing ache not in her head, but in her arm socket made all the memories come back.
She lay awake on her side, not moving. She knew Daniel was beside of her, grading papers. She had woken up this way before, only with the excitement at seeing him again. But now, she was filled with dread.
What could she do? She was the one who last night wanted to dull the pain of being mistreated by someone she had de
arly trusted. She wanted to dull the fear of being trapped in a situation that seemed to have no good solution. She had stupidly thought she confront and could talk sense into him, but she forgot he was a centuries-old creature who knew all the tricks of getting what he wanted.
Claire closed her eyes as if escaping from reality one last time. Opening them again, she stretched and turned onto her back. Daniel was writing a note on a student’s essay which was probably not a friendly one judging by his stern facial expression.
“Good morning,” he said, not looking at her.
“Morning,” she said. “Another bad paper?”
“By someone who does not know how to follow directions.” He finished the note and tossed the essay aside. He sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll give him a C. He comes to class on time, but he rarely participates and doesn’t put much effort into his work. But anyway.” He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “It’s eight in the morning. Guess you’ve got time before you can go to work.”
“I think I’ll call out sick. I’m not feeling so great today.”
“Well, we both know why, don’t we?”
She nodded. “I guess I got carried away.”
“You guess.” He climbed out of bed. He was still wearing his khaki pants and blue sweater from last night. “Come on, get up. No use lying there.”
She got up and followed him to the living room, where he turned the TV on to the morning news program. She leaned against the wall as she watched him watching the TV. They were both silent before Claire mastered the courage to speak first. “You hit me last night.”
“I know,” he said. “I wasn’t going to put up with your disobedience.”
“Disobedience? Since when was I to obey you?”
“You never had to. But since you know so much about me, you’re going to.” He turned to face her. “And if you agree to follow me, you will have to.”
“Follow you?” Claire got off the wall. “What makes you think I would want anything to do with you? After the way you’ve been treating me!”
“It will stop if you decide to follow me.”
“But how can I trust you after all you’ve been hiding from me?”
The Dark Proposal (The Claire McCormick Trilogy) Page 10
