by J. C. Wilder
“Aye.”
“I spoke to Jennifer last night and she told me everything.” Her gaze slid away to fix upon the bloody mess in the doorway. “How am I supposed to comprehend all of this?” She shook her head slowly. “How am I supposed to react when a v-v-vampire tells me that I was just arguing with a w-w-werewolf?” She ran her hand through her tumbled curls and he saw she was trembling. His heart broke for her. “I just—”
“Vivian?”
“I can’t even begin—”
“VIVIAN.”
She jerked at his raised voice, her gaze swung around to meet his. “What?”
“Can I say something?”
Mute, she nodded.
Sinjin approached, stopping when she straightened. She was on the defensive and he couldn’t blame her one bit. He sank to the carpet, arranging himself Indian-style. By putting himself in a subordinate position, hopefully he could alleviate some of her unease.
“I’m sorry ye were caught in this. I’m sorry that someone was trying to kill ye. I’m sorry that ye were frightened and ye got hurt.” He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “But do ye know about what I’m sorry about the most?”
She shook her head.
“That I lied to ye. I know better than to involve a human on any level other than in a completely superficial relationship. But the first time I saw ye, I was drawn to ye. I think I just might have fallen in love with ye that first night when ye told me ye came to New Orleans to find yerself.” He smiled at the memory. “I’ve never felt anything like it. Before I knew what had happened, ye were in my arms and it all felt so right.” He shook his head. “Then along came Elena with the diary and things fell apart before I knew it.”
“What’s in the diary? Why does everyone want it?”
“It has information vital to the existence of the preternaturals. Do ye know what that means?”
Vivian nodded. “Jennifer explained a little…”
“There’s a vampire who seeks to destroy the Council of Elders—that is our ruling body—our congress if ye will. The book contains historical information about the various races, the origins and, we believe, information about how to engineer their downfall.”
“So the diary is very important.”
He nodded.
“And there are still people who are still looking for it?”
“Aye, probably thousands. Many would return the book to the council, some would give it to Mikhail, and others still who would use it for their own purposes. The book might hold the keys to the kingdom or only recipes, we dinna know for sure.”
“And you have a copy of it?”
“Aye. I made a copy.” With your taste lingering in my mouth as you lay sleeping in my bed.
“Does this put you in danger?”
He shrugged. “Other than the council, no one knows I have it. I’d say I’m not in any more danger than I was before.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist, clearly uncomfortable. “What is it like being a vampire?”
Sinjin settled his back against his desk and stretched out his long legs. He had the feeling he was going to be here for a while. “Not much different than being human. I eat, I sleep, I feel pain and I love.”
Her gaze shifted away. “But you drink blood.”
“Aye.”
“From humans?”
“Not always. There are those who donate.”
Her gaze slid back to his, her expression curious. “Like a vampire blood bank?”
He nodded. “Ye could say that.”
“And you sleep during the day?”
“For the most part. A young vampire sleeps from the moment the sun rises until it sets again. I’m seven hundred years old. As long as I’m underground, I can stay awake for an hour or so after the sunrise.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Being human?” He nodded. “Sure. I miss eating food, drinking wine. I miss the feeling of sunlight on my skin. But do ye want to know what the hardest part is?”
She nodded, her gaze wary.
“Losing those I love. If they’re mortal, they’re destined to die before me. That’s the hardest part, when they leave and I’m alone.”
Vivian swallowed hard, her eyes turning glossy with unshed tears. “What about a reve…” She stumbled over the world.
“Revenant? They’re immortal. They will live fore’er as long as someone doesn’t separate their head from their body or remove their heart. They’re pretty hard to kill and they can easily live as long as a vampire.”
“How are they created?”
“In most cases, they’re fashioned by a vampire, though some have been born from two immortal parents.”
She frowned. “How does a vampire create them?”
“It’s actually quite easy. The vampire chooses a willing subject and drinks from them three times. It’s the first steps of the vampire transformation ritual, but the process isn’t completed. This transformation was discovered by accident over a thousand years ago.”
“An incomplete transformation?”
“Aye.”
“That’s it?”
He nodded.
“Have you transformed anyone?”
“Only one.”
“Bliss,” she said.
“Aye. She’d decided to become a revenant and stay with me.”
“But she didn’t?”
“Nae.”
“She left because she loved you and wished to spare your life.”
Sinjin’s throat tightened and he nodded, mute.
Vivian was silent for a moment. He could sense that she had a million questions running through her head and was struggling to decide which to ask him next.
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Nae, not from feeding. Being a vampire isn’t like the movies. It doesn’t hurt the donor if it’s done right and we dinna kill indiscriminately.”
“But have you killed someone?”
“Aye.”
“Do I have anything to fear from you?”
“Nae.” He shook his head. “I’d die before I’d e’er hurt ye, ye have to believe that. The reality is that the preternaturals live in a dangerous world, my love.” He looked down at the palms of his hands, hands that had killed humans and preternaturals alike. “For us, it isn’t always a question of right and wrong. Sometimes it’s a question of life and death, and we have to fight for the survival of the whole group.”
She shivered. “It sounds like a brutal world.”
“Aye, ‘tis true, but no more than yers. The Crusades, modern terrorism, serial killers, they kill thousands of innocents who only want to work and raise their families and enjoy their lives. Women die in the marketplace in the Middle East because they’ve left their homes to buy food for their families. And for what?” His gaze pierced hers. “The difference in our world is that, most of the time, we know what we’re fighting for and against. The bad guys may not wear black hats, but they come close enough.”
“It still sounds so frightening.”
“Think about this, Vivian. As a vampire or immortal, ye can live forever. Ye watch time pass, and you can participate in it as it happens. Ye have a front seat to history.”
“And what about us?” Her arms tightened around her waist. “What happens to us, Sinjin?”
“We go forward into the great unknown as all living beings do. Where do ye want us to go?” He held his breath as he prayed for the answer he most wanted to hear.
“I don’t know, Sinjin.” She pushed away from the window and approached, dropping into a crouch in front of him. She shook her head. “I don’t know where we go from here.”
“I canna make the decision for ye, it is yers and yers alone. Know that ye dinna have to make any decisions today.” His hands ached to reach for her, to hold her in his arms. “For now, I’ll be content to hear that ye love me. If ye can go that far, everything else can be decided in the future.”
She bit her lip. “And you’ll a
bide by my decision, no matter what?”
His gut tightened. “Aye.”
“I love you, Sinjin, but I’m just not sure about this whole vampire thing—”
Sinjin gave a yelp as triumph rushed through him. She loved him and that was all that mattered. He grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her off balance until she landed in his lap. Sliding his arms around her, he buried his nose in her fragrant hair.
“What’s not to like about being a vampire?” his words were muffled against her skin.
“The whole blood thing sort of nauseates me.” She slid her arm around his neck.
He nodded. “I understand.”
“I need to think about this,” she said.
“Think hard and long, but not too long. I dinna want to take the chance of losing ye.”
She laid her head on his shoulder. “And I, you.” They sat quietly for a few moments, enjoying the stillness of the evening in the remains of his library. Outside the cicadas sang their night song as the house settled around them.
Vivian stirred. “How about a revenant? Are they strong?”
“Physically? Depends upon yer body structure.” He kissed her forehead. “Ye’re pretty sturdy, so I’d say you’d manage fine.”
“Would I be strong enough to kick Elena’s ass?”
Sinjin tipped his head back and laughed, his arms nearly as full as his heart.
Epilogue
Los Angeles, CA
Three months later
After tonight, all will be different. She would be different.
Vivian tipped her head back, allowing the golden light to wash over her skin. Tonight, she would receive the dark kiss from Sinjin. She’d thought long and hard about this decision over the past few months. Becoming a vampire was out of the question as she enjoyed her wine too much to be forced to give it up for all eternity. So instead, she was to become a revenant. How better to prove her love for Sinjin than to become the gatekeeper, the person who guarded his lair while he slept?
A shiver of reaction whispered down her spine. Who would have thought that at the age of forty-four she’d give up her mortal life for an immortal one with the lover of her dreams?
She smiled and picked up the large bouquet of yellow roses from the backseat of the limousine. Life definitely had taken some fascinating twists and turns lately. She could hardly wait to see what came next.
The gravel crunched under her sandals as she approached the burial chamber where Melanie and Ray rested for eternity. On each side of the doorway was a series of step-like shelves specifically built for floral tributes. Every inch was crammed full from admirers from all over the world. She smiled as she scanned the handwritten notes, most in English, though one looked like Farsi and another was Chinese. Several candles burned, their feeble light dimmed by the brilliance of the sun overhead.
Near the door was a marble bench engraved with Melanie’s and Ray’s names. She sank onto the hard stone surface, resting the flowers on her knees. Her gaze flickered across the multitude of flowers, teddy bears, candles and letters scattered near the miniscule building.
Did Melanie know how much she was loved by the world?
Yes…
Did it mean as much to her as the love of one man, her husband Ray?
Not on your life…
Vivian smiled. Now she, too, understood what Mel had talked about all the years she’d been married to Ray. How it felt to know that her man would always be there, waiting for her, loving her in spite of anything she did or any mistakes she might make. True love was unconditional.
The last few months had proven that to her. The police had determined that it was her stepmother, Felicity, who’d hired the gunman to kill her. While there’d been no love lost between Felicity and herself, it still had come as a shock to realize that the woman had wanted her dead. Her children had been devastated at their mother’s actions and Vivian felt sorry for them. Felicity may not have been much of a parent, but she was all they knew. At least Vivian had some good memories of her own mother to cling to. They had nothing. Felicity now sat in prison, stripped of her worldly possessions.
So long, stepmonster.
For the past few months, Sinjin and his assistant had spent most of their time poring over the copied diary pages, trying to make sense of them. Progress was slow, but they all had high hopes that the secret of the diary could be gleaned with time and effort.
Only the time was in short supply.
The longer it took to decode the diary, the better chance that Mikhail would succeed in his plans. She shook her head. In her mind, it was all madness. She knew well the havoc money and power wrought on someone and it simply wasn’t worth it. The price was too high.
And she wanted to join with her lover as a preternatural when their world was on the verge of collapse? Vivian fingered the two-carat Burmese ruby necklace Sinjin had presented her with last night.
Yes
She, Vivian Carrington, was head over heels, stupidly in love with a man several hundred years her senior. The best part about it was that he was in love with her too. Soft warmth moved through her chest at the thought of Sinjin. She was truly blessed and, this time, she’d had sense enough to realize it before it was too late. Poor Marc. She hoped he knew that she’d loved him as best she could. Maybe it wasn’t enough, but it was all she’d known twenty years ago. Thanks to Mel and Sinjin, she now knew how to love and be loved in return.
Vivian rose from her perch and approached the sealed entrance to the mausoleum. Moving aside the dead flowers and other wilted offerings, she arranged her flowers on the top step.
“Thank you Mel for being my friend and showing me the way.” She wiped the tear that ran down her cheek. “I will always miss you and love you from the bottom of my heart.”
A soft breeze whispered over her skin, cooling her damp cheeks and ruffling her hair. Vivian gave a shaky laugh as the warmth wrapped around her like a hug. It was almost as if Mel were saying goodbye to her as well. Her heart light, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose as she walked toward the limousine.
It was time to prepare for the evening ahead. What did one wear when they turned into an immortal? Was this a casual occasion or more formal in tone? Whatever it was, she wanted a little something new to spice up the occasion.
The driver opened the door of the car and Vivian slipped into the plush leather interior. She kicked off her heels as she reached for the minibar.
“Where to next, Ms. Carrington?” her driver asked.
“Victoria’s Secret in Beverly Hills.” She pulled a Spanish cigarillo from her bag and lit it, inhaling the fragrant smoke deep into her lungs. Exhaling, she picked up her glass of champagne.
Yes, Victoria’s Secret would do nicely for what she had in mind for one vampire named Damien St. James…
About the Author
J.C. Wilder left the world of big business to carry on conversations with the people who live in her mind, fictional characters that is. In her past she has worked as a software tester, traveled with an alternative rock band and currently volunteers for her local police department as a photographer. She lives in Central Ohio with 6,000 books and an impressive collection of dust bunnies.
The award-winning author also writes as Dominique Adair.
J.C. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Also by J.C. Wilder
Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales From the Temple II anthology
In Moonlight anthology
Men of SWAT: Tactical Maneuver
Men of SWAT: Tactical Pleasure
Shadow Dwellers 1: One With the Hunger
Shadow Dwellers 2: Retribution
Shadow Dwellers 3: Tempt Not the Cat
Shadow Dwellers 4: Atonement
Shadow Dwellers 5: Sins of the Flesh
Tactical Pleasure
Things That Go Bump in the Night 2004 anthology
‘Twas the K
night Before Christmas
Writing as Dominique Adair
Holly
Last Kiss
Party Favors anthology
R.S.V.P. anthology
Tied With a Bow anthology
Xanthra Chronicles: Blood Law
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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