Daniel stayed by my side all afternoon. I wanted to think it was because he wanted to ensure my safety. But part of me wondered if it was because he didn’t want Lucy telling me anything similar to what she’d already let slip.
As the afternoon drew to a close and the shadows started to creep across the lake, he got up saying it was time to take me back to campus.
“Yes, go feed her!” Lucy said. “Her stomach has been growling for some time now and she’s too polite to say anything.”
Daniel shot her a dirty look while Professor Walker turned his head so as not to let me see his smile. Of course I blushed as usual, embarrassed at being the only human in the room.
I started towards the garage door with Daniel behind me or so I thought, but when I put my hand on the door knob, I glanced over my shoulder to see Lucy with her arms around Daniel’s neck. She lingered, whispering something in his ear. When she let go, she gave him a peck on the lips. Professor Walker casually walked by with no reaction as if this was something he saw every day and thought nothing of it. I’m not sure if it was shock, embarrassment or awe, but I quickly turned back to the door and opened it before Daniel had a chance to see that I’d been watching.
As I entered the garage, I heard the faint sounds of a car making its way down the gravel drive. A moment later a silver BMW convertible appeared making its way down the drive way. Daniel strode past me into the middle of the drive as the car came to a stop next to him. I watched as a tall handsome man got out of the drivers’ door, then quickly ran around to open the passenger door for a lovely Asian woman with long jet black hair. They both looked to be in their mid-thirties and affectionately hugged Daniel hello as he walked over to greet them. Even as they greeted Daniel, they seemed to keep one suspicious eye trained on me over his shoulder the whole time.
The man was very tall with golden blonde hair that was cut short, but shined in the fading sunlight like spun gold. He had intense green eyes and a kind face with the appearance of a person who’d never looked at someone in hate. The woman had long flowing black hair, a china doll complexion and flawless Asian features.
“Is that her?” the woman asked.
“Yes, this is Sara,” Daniel said, as he waved for me to join him.
“Sara, this is Thomas and Lily. More old friends.”
Unlike Lucy, they greeted me warmly if not a little uneasily.
A moment later, the Professor came out through the garage also happily surprised to see them and welcomed them with open arms. As he did, I heard Thomas quietly ask “Is mother here? I was hoping she would be. It’s been so long.”
The Professor shook his head no; a shadow crossed his eyes as he did. Disappointment I think it was. He quickly erased the look and enthusiastically waved them inside.
There was a strange formality to the Professor that intrigued me. At first I’d thought it was just some façade he put on for the humans, and to a certain extent that was true. But even as I watched him greet these new arrivals he was warm and welcoming yet still seemed to retain a certain uprightness in his demeanor.
Watching him, I wondered if it had anything to do with how old he was. Daniel had said he was the oldest of them all. How old was the Professor anyway? Maybe his prim and proper manners were a reflection of the times he’d grown up in. Watching him interact with his fellow vampires, I began to think I’d find myself churning these thoughts over more and more as the semester wore on. In many ways, the Professor was more of a mystery to me than Daniel was. There was just something about him that was so strangely familiar. It was like a song you’re sure you’ve heard long ago, and hard as you try you can’t remember quite how it went.
We drove back down the mountain without much conversation. He apologized for Lucy’s behavior and said she’d always been a handful as long as he’d known her. But I couldn’t help but notice how he smiled when he talked of her, so I guess he didn’t mind handling her.
Part of me wanted to think it was a good sign that he was introducing me to his “family”, but another part thought he was more convinced than ever that it would never work between us. It seemed obvious to me that our two worlds could never coexist in harmony.
Instead of turning toward campus, he proceeded up Main Street, then pulled over and parked in front of the Italian restaurant he’d promised to take me to before he’d disappeared. One of the things that always made me stop out front of the old red brick building was their sign. I loved the way La Strada D’Oro was chiseled in the wood and painted with intricate gold lettering in the sign that hung above the door. Whoever made it, took a simple sign and managed to make it a work of art.
A minute later we were seated at a secluded corner table. At its center sat a Chianti bottle with a lit candle coming out the top, layers of wax dripping down its sides. It was cheesy, but I liked it anyway. After looking over the menu, I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs and nibbled on garlic bread while we waited for my food. At first, our conversation was just polite small talk, as if we were avoiding any meaningful discussion. But then I found myself laughing at something he said.
As the discomfort of the afternoon faded away, I began to watch the way the candlelight sparkled in his eyes when he smiled or laughed at something I said. He told me funny stories about growing up on a farm and I listened as best I could through my continual laughter. In return, I told him all about my family and growing up on the beach in Wading River with my parents and brother. He listened with rapt attention to my every word which in turn made me feel bad that I was skimming over such large parts of my childhood. Not that I’d ever consider telling him, but he probably didn’t want that stuff in his head anyway. Besides, he’d never look at me so adorningly again if he knew the real me. Maybe that was why the Professor didn’t want us together. Surely if he could read my mind, he’d seen some of my darker recesses.
When the food finally came, I was too happy to eat, but he insisted. With his own brand of fascination, he observed me as I carefully wound the pasta around my fork then ate it, bite by delicious bite. He watched me like I was the most captivating thing he’d ever seen. Unnerving? Maybe, but also flattering. Whether they are or aren’t, everyone wants to think they’re fascinating in one way or another.
After I finished, he insisted on dessert so I indulged in a piece of tiramisu that had to be one of the best desserts I’d ever had in my life. The way it almost melted in my mouth was heavenly, causing me to sigh as I swallowed my first bite. I think Daniel enjoyed it more than anything he’d ever watched me eat, or so he commented as I put the fork down after my last bite.
When he dropped some bills on the check and pulled back my chair, he smiled and said the evening was worth every penny. As I rose, he took my hand and we walked out the door onto the evening streets of New Paltz. I wish I didn’t feel that now familiar tingle when he touched me. I looked down at his hand holding mine for a moment and when my eyes travelled up to his, I saw he was watching me. Giving my hand a gentle squeeze, he smiled.
“My girl,” he said just above a whisper. “I really like holding your hand.”
I blushed.
“I really like it when you blush too,” he said with a shy smile as his other hand came up to caress my rosy cheek.
When we got back to campus, he walked me up to the back of Capen Hall and lingered, asking me more questions about my life before him. I answered, but all the while I was looking at his perfect lips as he spoke, watching them curve and move with his expressions. I wanted to feel them on me, to feel that he loved me with more than words.
I was momentarily lost in the distraction of this thought when he suddenly pulled me to him and did just that. His strong hands traveled down my back and came to rest at the base of my spine as they pulled me gently toward him. I felt the velvet of his lips on my own and the sweetness of his breath as it mingled with mine. His lips travelled down my neck slowly as his hand came up to gently caress the other side of it.
I sighed at the sheer pleasure of
it, but it came out as more of a moan. Leaning back he took my face in his hands and after staring deeply into my eyes for a moment, he kissed my lips both tenderly and with force. Caught up in his spell, my hands pulled him closer wanting more while my fingers found their way up to fist in his silky hair.
Then all too soon, he let me go and took a deep breath as if to re-center himself. I looked up at him as best I could through the swirly haze of hormones that had settled on me. His eyes were a shade darker I thought, or it could have been the shadows from the street lamp. Smiling, he squeezed my hand and said good night. After giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead, I watched as he strode back to his car leaving me to collapse onto the stairs in a puddle of happiness. How could I ever have doubted him?
Chapter Fifteen
DANIEL
As I started down the driveway to the house, I was grateful the only sound I heard within its walls was silence. I wasn’t in the mood to hear what they had to say. I knew they weren’t happy that I’d brought Sara to meet them, but they had to accept her. If they didn’t, – well, if they didn’t I was considering leaving and taking Sara with me.
When I got out of the car, I heard them a few miles off in the woods to the north, probably looking for dinner. They’d probably find a deer. It wasn’t their normal routine, but I had to assume they were treating themselves, or perhaps consoling themselves for having to be subjected to Sara’s presence. I still wasn’t sure how they could do that even as sparingly as they did. I’d never killed an animal before. I’d never wanted to tempt fate that I wouldn’t be able to go back to intravenous once I knew what it was like to actually drink blood.
I walked in the house and as usual the living room was filled with the glow of candles and a roaring fire. Randall was seated on the sofa reading a book. Without a word, I dropped down into the seat across from him. A few minutes later he put down his book and looked up at me.
“Say it,” I couldn’t stop myself from saying.
“What were you thinking bringing her up here like that? Lucy is a loose cannon. Who knows what might have happened. I thought you cared about Sara.”
“I love her, Randall. And you know she loves me. You knew it the minute she looked at me in the lecture hall.”
“Yes well, I saw a lot of things. That was only one of them. I see a few things have changed since she came to school here. I seem to have neglected her, thinking she was too close to me here on campus to be in any danger I wouldn’t see coming.”
He spoke calmly. Randall rarely raised his voice. He glanced down at the pages of his book and then back up to me.
“If you really loved her, you wouldn’t want all this for her,” and he waved his hand around. “She wasn’t meant for our world. I know this isn’t something you want to hear, but I think you know it’s true. If you really loved her, you wouldn’t force her to choose you over the life she was meant to live, a life with a husband, children, grandchildren. What can you offer her?” He paused waiting for a response.
“I can make her happy.”
“Today? Yes. But what about tomorrow or twenty years from now? She needs a human, someone she can grow old with, someone she isn’t secretly worried will kill her in the middle of the night.”
I stared at him, unable to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He was right. I’d thought them all before and knew there was truth in them, but I was in love and love is, I was finding out just as blind as I’d heard it was.
“I love you, Daniel. You’re as much a son to me as my own boys were. I want you to be happy that’s all. Believe me when I say that, in the end, this isn’t going to make you happy. It’s best to end it before it’s too late. End it now, while you can still get out. If you don’t, you’re going to have to watch her die someday and I don’t want you to have to endure that. Love makes you do stupid things; I know that more than anyone. Things that you can regret for eternity.”
He sighed as he got to his feet and went over to stand by the fire.
I couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to admit there was even a hint of a possibility he was right.
“I know you, son. You know she’s better off with him.” His words shook me out of my trance. “That’s why you don’t like him. You know there’s something different about him – and you’re right. I knew it last year when I first spotted him. I hadn’t seen one of his kind for over a hundred years. They’re rare. He’s what she needs, and she – well, I’m sorry to have to tell you, Daniel, but she has feelings for him too.”
“No,” I said quietly.
“I’m afraid so. Yes, she loves you – the human you at least, but part of her also looks at him and wonders.”
He walked over and picked up his book.
“You love her, of this I’m sure. I have faith that in the end, you’ll do the right thing by her. – Well, I think you’ve got a lot to think about.”
Without another word, he walked out of the room leaving me to wonder if he was telling me the truth, or if I’d somehow inconvenienced some intricate plan of his.
Chapter Sixteen
SARA
To say it had been an overly emotional weekend for me would be the understatement of the century. My emotional highs and lows over the past forty-eight hours had been head spinning. As soon as my head hit the pillow that night I instantly fell asleep. I’d felt emotionally exhausted, drained. Too tired to even dream, I only woke when my alarm sounded with the morning.
I next saw Daniel in Art History Monday morning. In actuality, we stared at each other throughout the entire course of the Professor’s lecture. Was it strange that each time I looked into his eyes; it felt as if I’d never truly looked into their blue depths before, and that I could stare into them for such extended periods with no feelings of awkwardness? I couldn’t read his mind, but somehow we felt connected, of one mind I suppose you could say. Or one heart. As I stared down from my seat midway up the lecture hall and met his gaze from his desk off to the front of the hall, I knew what I felt was truly amazing and somehow different from normal human relationships. Perhaps naively, I hoped it would never end.
With a disapproving expression, Tabitha had leaned over and nudged me a few times in a vain attempt to get me to pay attention to the lecture. But it did no good. I knew if I missed anything, Daniel would fill me in later anyway.
When class ended Daniel promised to take me to dinner again, and kissing me goodbye said he’d pick me up promptly at seven at our usual spot behind the dorm.
The rest of the day was restless torture. Every class seemed five hours long, every professor reciting exactly what I’d read in my text books the day before. When my last class of the day finally ended, I ran back to the dorm to pick out something nice to wear to dinner. Of course, I didn’t really have anything I would classify as nice in my wardrobe. I’d have to force myself to take a trip into Poughkeepsie next weekend and do some shopping. Daniel deserved to look at better clothes than he’d been seeing on me, a better variety of them at least. Maybe Darcy would come with me if I asked. She had much better taste than I did and I had a feeling she’d jump at the chance to make me over.
When I walked into my room, Darcy wasn’t around, but I didn’t think she’d mind if I borrowed something from her closet. After rummaging around in it for a few minutes, I found a blouse that I hadn’t seen her wear before. I changed into my good jeans and shoes and tried it on. It was a little tight, but it would do. Needing to keep my mind occupied until seven, I sat down at my desk with some homework and tried to study. It was a fruitless effort. I couldn’t concentrate to save my life. Eventually giving up the pretense, I got up to look out the window then roamed around the room filled with nervous energy I couldn’t find an outlet for. As I watched the hands on my clock, I began to pace the room anxiously.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
When I looked again, it was nearly seven. My pent up energy causing my fingers to fidget, I stared the second hand down and I felt my heart begin
to race. I needed to see him, needed to touch him and hear his voice.
At seven, I double timed it down the stairs to wait on the steps by the back door.
At seven fifteen, I wandered around the building to check if he was waiting for me at the front door. Maybe he’d walked over from his office instead of driven.
At seven twenty, I called him, but it went straight to voicemail.
After that I started to circle around the building again. He was probably just running late. After all, he wasn’t perfect. True, he’d never been late before, but there’s a first time for everything. Half way back to the parking lot I stopped in my tracks. If I wasn’t mistaken, I’d have sworn I heard his voice off in the distance. After I’d walked a little ways into the quad, I froze in shock. I’d been right. Daniel was sitting on a picnic table along with Lucy on the far side of the large quad. They were laughing.
Under the cover of a tree on the opposite side of the quad, neither could see me standing in the shadows behind them. I strained my ears to make out what they were saying but it was difficult. I was downwind of them and had the wind in my ears, scattering the sound of their voices. I had to imagine this wind was what was masking my scent to them as well.
Suddenly, she laughed again and I watched as he put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him only for him to pull her closer. Then the wind died down some and I could begin to make out their words. She said something like ‘Of course you do and I want you to …’ Then the downward wind started up again. I pulled the collar up on my jacket and braced myself against the chill both physical and emotional. When I looked back up, Lucy reached over, pulled his head towards hers and kissed him on the lips.
The Purity of Blood: Volume I Page 34
