by Maya DeLeina
Brynne joined her in her examination. “He still needs a little something.”
“A new hairstyle, maybe?” Eilian suggested.
“New hairstyle? Women never complained about my hair before,” Steffan said hesitantly.
“I know…they liked the ponytail action you got going on here,” Eilian said as he tossed Steffan’s hair around.
Steffan’s hair sat just below his shoulders. Around his face, long layers fell in varying lengths between his cheekbones and chin. He would vary his look, letting his jet-black hair flow freely or sleeking it back in a ponytail, allowing the scraps of layers to fall where they may.
“But this is Anya you’re meeting today. Maybe something more sophisticated?” Eilian said as he winked at Brynne.
Brynne nodded in response.
* * * *
“What do you think?” Brynne asked.
She styled Steffan’s luscious locks in multilayers just above his shoulders. Long, sweeping bangs completed the look. It was a perfect highlight to his rugged features and a suited change.
“Actually, I like it,” replied Steffan as he used the handheld mirror to examine the cut from multiple angles and slowly ran his hands through his hair.
“Okay, wardrobe time,” said Catrin.
Everyone poured into the dressing room.
Steffan tried on several outfits and carefully weighed the responses from his audience. After dwindling down the choices, he settled on black trousers and a gray, button-down dress shirt. Catrin had suggested the colors since the gray shirt brought out the silver in his eyes.
Steffan dressed, and the girls helped with the finishing touches.
Brynne applied dabs of cologne on his neck and chest, while Catrin fixed a brushed silver watch on his wrist.
“What about my bracelet?” Steffan inquired.
The girls nodded in unison, agreeing that his leather bracelet that bore the eternal love knot would compliment his look.
The bracelet was a gift from Idris, right before he passed. The symbol had become part of Steffan, his amulet, a reminder of his desire, his hope for the future.
Steffan made his way through his master bedroom, down the catwalk and to the top of the grand staircase with Eilian, Catrin, and Brynne following closely behind. Below, Rhys waited, leaning up against the stately, iron newel post. Behind Rhys stood the remaining family, Griffin, Gwynn, Aeron, Haydn, and Ryan.
Playfully, Rhys gasped at the sight of Steffan’s new manicured look. “It’s alive! It’s alive!”
“Lay off of the movies for awhile, will you?” Steffan stared down at Rhys.
Rhys smiled and clapped as Steffan made his way down the staircase. The rest of the family followed his lead. Ryan joined in, looking awkward in the gesture.
“Thank you,” Steffan replied as he blushed from the unwarranted attention.
“Before you go, let’s take a walk in the gardens,” Rhys whispered in his ear as he drew him close by the arm.
“How did I ever guess you would suggest this,” Steffan said sarcastically.
The two men made their way outside and walked past the stone-tiered fountain to the entrance of the garden labyrinth. They walked side by side, in a leisurely gait.
“Steffan, you did it. You discovered your mate. But remember all of the advice you gave me when I was courting my mate? Chuck that all out of the window.”
“Why? I’ve read all about human mates. I feel ready. I feel prepared.” Steffan’s brow scrunched as he responded to Rhys.
“No amount of studying vampire-human mates in the bloodline reports will ever prepare you for this. Anya is your mate and she’s human, pure and natural. All of your instincts will be heightened when you’re around her. You will have these insane urges to have a sexual encounter with her, feed from her and have total dominance over her. You have to find a way to control yourself.”
“Control. I get it.”
“Steffan, it’s control like you’ve never experienced. It’s control that downright hurts.” Rhys slipped his hands in his pocket and took a seat on the iron bench they came upon.
Steffan took a seat next to him.
“What’s the claim ritual like Rhys?”
“The second phase is the hardest. Sex will be primal and very animalistic. You will have the strong urge to take her wildly and drink from her completely. For me, it felt like this phase was meant to test your love for your human mate against your own need for gratification and sating innate impulses.”
“I’ve read where many mate matches didn’t make it past this point,” Steffan said as he gazed into the distance, recalling his readings. Then he turned back to Rhys. “You did it, though.”
“Yes. But remember, I was careless. I completed the first two phases without Brynne even knowing it. And when I drank from her the second time, I was wild. Steffan, I thought about drinking her dry…to death.”
“What? You never said anything to us about that!”
“Not something I like to recall.” Rhys looked down and shook off the memory.
“I assumed that her accepting me as a vampire was the part that was going to be the most difficult.”
Rhys chuckled. “Oh, it’ll still be tricky. Now, the way I had to do it was not very ideal. My woman was stubborn. I think it will be easier on both of you if it’s not thrown at her all at once. Allow clues to pass in a progression. Don’t rush it. She’ll start questioning things in her mind. Main thing to understand here is that a strong bond can overcome any fear of the unknown she has in you. I didn’t know that back then, but I know it now. Once you see it in her eyes, when love outweighs the doubt—you spring it on her.”
“What do you think I should let her see first?” Steffan asked with a childlike enthusiasm.
Rhys deliberated for a moment. “The black blood.” Rhys nodded emphatically. “Definitely the black blood. Cut yourself ‘accidentally.’ Let her somehow see the different blood you carry in your veins. Don’t be gushing out blood or anything. You don’t want her to be disgusted by it. Again, just do enough, a hint, just a little for her to question it in her mind.”
“All right. What else?” Steffan asked.
“Well, even though this will hurt, you should eat something without being on Consumption. Try something like pudding or crème brulee, something that’s a soft consistency. Don’t eat meat or anything like that, or your body will no doubt expel it. A violent bout of hurling will be a definite turnoff.”
“I’m thinking the convulsions from not being on Consumption will not be very appealing either,” Steffan said, “and will probably scare her to death.”
Rhys shrugged. “Well of course you don’t want to do this until you’ve bonded for awhile with her, till you think you have her. Look, this way, you let another clue pass that something is definitely not quite right with you, and you can test the whole Florence Nightingale effect—see if she takes care of you even while being scared out of her wits. Then you know, without a doubt, that you have her.”
Steffan scrunched his face and shook his head. “I don’t know. I may skip that one. I just don’t think I would want to put her through that. What about the sun? Would I need to show a hint of that?”
“Are you kidding? You know what our burnt skin smells like. Talk about ruining the moment with that stench!”
“True,” Steffan commented. “Well, I’ll think of other subtle things I can do. Hopefully it won’t be as hard as it was with Brynne. Someday, I want Anya to know about what happened with the two of you.”
Rhys rolled his eyes. “Indeed a story for another time.”
Steffan squinted mischievously. “You know, in all this time, I never asked how you exactly revealed yourself as a vampire to Brynne.”
“I had to resort to the scary stuff to convince her. You know how stubborn she was.”
“Ah yes, hence her bestowed name.” Steffan chuckled.
Rhys smiled in reflection.
“Though I must admit, I loved her huma
n name. Rain. It was so simple. Beautiful. I wonder what Anya’s name will be?” Steffan remarked, his last expression sounding like reflection rather than a statement. “So when you say the scary stuff, how scary are we talking?”
“I manifested in front of her. It would’ve scared the crap out of anyone else, but no…” Rhys drew out and emphasized his last word before continuing. “She thought it was an optical illusion. Then I drove down the mountain with no lights one night. Brynne? She didn’t flinch a muscle in the passenger seat. She said that I must’ve installed an infrared camera in my dash to see.” Rhys smiled. “That woman made me work so hard to prove I was a vampire.”
“So what was it that convinced her?” Steffan asked.
“I had to resort to the special stuff.”
“No, you didn’t!”
Rhys nodded slyly in confirmation. “I sure did. I dreamscaped with her and did cloaked manifestations in her bedroom. But trust me, I didn’t break any of our laws and creeds during this. I never touched her inappropriately while I was invisible to her human eyes.” Rhys paused and raised an eyebrow. “Of course, I waited till I had consent.”
“Good. But how did that convince her?”
“She had this security camera in the dog’s bedroom. I knew she would be watching the camera at work, so I did a cloaked manifestation in the room and kept letting my image be revealed here and there.”
“My word! You could’ve given her a heart attack!”
“Of course not! Not my Brynne. But I know she started to believe me, just a little bit, at that point. But honestly, it was the dreamscapes that finally did it for her.”
Steffan smiled. “Looks as if I have a lot to face.”
“What happened between Brynne and I may not happen with you and Anya. All I can say is to listen to what your heart is telling you and look into hers for the answers.”
Steffan nodded in understanding. “Thanks, Rhys. I appreciate this.”
Steffan and Rhys rose from the bench and made their way out of the maze in silence, contemplating the moment.
“There is one last thing.” Rhys stopped for moment.
“There will be no question about the immediate attraction you both will have for each other. Your connection will unfold and continue to be stronger the longer you two are with each other. Both of you, your predetermined path, it’s already been paved. It is all up to you Steffan, as the maker of the claim, to steer the two of you down this road, no deviation from the path.”
As Steffan and Rhys emerged from the gardens, Steffan was shocked to see Rhys’s vehicle in the driveway with the driver’s side door wide open. The entire family stood around the vehicle to see Steffan off on his quest to find Anya.
Steffan looked at Rhys in astonishment.
Rhys dangled the keys in front of him as he nodded in confirmation.
“Really? But you won’t let anyone near this thing. Why?”
“Well, I can’t see you taking Anya out on any one of your crotch rockets. I hear she’s partial to skirts.”
Steffan walked over to Rhys and hugged him. “Thanks, I’ll take care of her, not a scratch.”
“I hope that’s a reference to my vehicle and not just Anya,” said Rhys as he placed the keys in Steffan’s hands. “People in this town, they don’t particularly appreciate the exquisiteness of this masterpiece or the bling I put into it. And it is not a she, by the way. Please be mindful of where you park Humphrey.”
Steffan looked back at Rhys as he held open the door. “Shit, tell me you didn’t name this thing. That’s disturbing!”
Steffan climbed into the vehicle and turned the key.
The engine roared as if releasing a cage of wild animals.
He reached inside his coat pocket and retrieved his black sunglasses. As he slid the shades over his eyes, he engaged the sunroof, allowing the wind and sun to spill all around him. Steffan looked over his shoulder and smiled at the contents the family packed in the backseat, his violin and an extra pair of clothes.
Steffan released the break and maneuvered the Hummer down the driveway. The unyielding tires were heavy on the pavement, echoing a scrunching vibrato as the low growl of the engine pierced the tranquility of the gardens.
As Steffan made his way to the street, he stopped. He looked in the rearview mirror and waved to his family that stood outside the castle.
Steffan traveled down the road, sheathed in the indulgence of pure masculinity. The vehicle had an assuming presence to it, a bravado that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Typically, his instincts had always led him to be rather inconspicuous, careful to only leave a faintness of his presence wherever he went in public.
This would present him with the complete opposite.
But the thought of providing Anya the necessary protection that his array of motorcycles couldn’t afford was an overriding comfort.
“Humphrey the Hummer,” Steffan thought to himself as he chuckled at Rhys’s obsession with the tanklike vehicle.
* * * *
“Where is he going? Why all the hoopla?” Ryan finally asked Eilian and Rhys as Steffan made his way from the driveway to the crescent-shaped road.
“OMG! Really?” Rhys barked in a perturbed tone.
Curiously, Ryan assessed Rhys.
Ryan knew Rhys was over a century old, yet his way of speaking didn’t quite fit his expectation, nor did it suit the romantic innuendo his heavy Greek accent flared off. His dialogue was all modern, a tad vogue and trendy for his taste. But it sparked youthfulness that transcended his years and did wonders in softening his brooding features.
Rhys continued in a perturbed tone, “Haven’t you heard about the mate match Steffan made with the human who moved in down the road? He’s going off to finally meet her.”
“I’ve been busy with my house and entertaining women. It’s amazing. Woman can’t seem to say no to me,” said Ryan.
“Wow, if something doesn’t involve you, you really aren’t interested,” said Rhys, his expression riddled with an obvious distaste for Ryan.
“Basically, yeah. I mean, why should I be interested in Steffan’s mate?” Ryan shot back at Rhys.
Rhys angrily shouted, “As a general part of caring about someone else other than you, that’s why! Steffan has waited a long time to find his mate. We’re all happy for him. Ryan, we’re family here, we take care of each other. One for all and all for one.”
Ryan looked at Rhys, baffled. “Where did I hear that before?”
Anger boiled in the two men with their heated exchange. Eilian spoke, easing the tension in his tone, “Ryan, tomorrow will be your day. In fact, when Vaughn gets here with the limousine, the entire family will be getting down to business, just for you.”
“Limousine? What’s going on?” asked Ryan.
“You’ll see. It’s all for your reintroduction tomorrow,” replied Eilian.
“I still don’t know why it has to be this way. I’ll be careful. Why do I have to spend most of my time working from home and only doing occasional visits to the new Denver office? I loved my office in the Springs,” Ryan said roughly.
“We’ve gone over this. While we’re taking care of the people we knew you came in contact with, there may be some people that we don’t know of around your office and here that you will not remember. We just want you to limit the chances of being unprepared and running into someone we didn’t enthrall,” said Eilian.
“Look, when you were turned, we feared the family was going to have to move since you were so familiar in your community. Steffan has worked hard in executing this plan to make you happy and keep the family intact. With what we’re about to do, you can go out there and be reintroduced. And the family can remain here for the next few years. In return, Steffan imposed a few limitations to make sure we’re all safe from being discovered. Seems like we have to go over everything with you once again to assure you don’t fuck things up,” Rhys added.
Ryan shot Rhys an angry glance. “You really don’t like
me, do you?”
“Let’s put it this way. Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while that you shouldn’t have fucked with? That’s me,” Rhys said as he stepped closer to Ryan, breaking the barrier of his personal space.
“Okay, that! I know I heard that line before!” Ryan said in agitation.
“And be glad I wasn’t the one who got to you first,” Rhys added. He looked down at Ryan, chock-full of annoyance.
Rhys stood completely menacing and intimidating.
Ryan retreated from his brute rival, turning his back to Rhys and Eilian.
Sighing, Eilian changed the subject as the last glimpse of the Hummer faded out of sight. “I wonder how long it will take for Steffan to claim Anya.”
Ryan turned around and shot a puzzled look at Eilian and Rhys. “Did you just say Anya?”
* * * *
Steffan continued to make his way down the mountain with the sunroof completely drawn, taking pleasure in the sensation the warm sunshine and the crisp mountain air fusion created on his skin. His bangs swept freely around his face as his black wrap shades safely shielded his eyes.
It was a beautiful spring day.
The snow-peaked mountains radiated off the backdrop of the deep-turquoise sky. With each turn, changes in the landscape amazed Steffan. Vibrant color palettes in the earth, foliage, and sky unleashed their splendor just for his eyes. He wondered what the change in scenery would bring by mid-July, when the snow would completely melt from the peaks.
In complete astonishment, he wondered how many different spectrums of the same color existed. He wanted to experience it all. He ran through landscape visions of different seasons in his mind and caught his breath.
Autumn. His pulse quickened. I’ve ever seen fall before.
Up until the moment he’d found Anya, he’d existed only within the confines of shadows and darkness. In his human existence, the fleeting recollections of color were the shades of death and destruction. The darkened trenches, the black mud of the marshlands, the gray ash, and blood were the only landscape of shades that suspended in his mind. Even the vibrancy of blood was muted. There was no striking red. The blood he knew spilled in hues of black and gray.
