Marked

by A.N. Meade

deeper thought. It seemed to often take those kind of questions to get her to reveal her true thoughts about things, even with literature.

  “No, of course not, but you can’t simultaneously guard yourself and love openly. There is vulnerability in love.” So there it was, Aimee wanted the kind of love that made her feel safe showing some vulnerability. She wanted an all-encompassing kind of love.

  “Yes, there is.” Marc knew that when she loved him again, fully committed to loving him again that he would have her whole heart, just like she had his. He smiled, full and real. The moment could not come soon enough.

  Aimee understood the point that he was making. He always seemed to do that. Rather than tell her something outright, he would guide her into her sort of self-realization of it. He knew just what to say to provoke her thoughts. She was growing tired after so many hours without sleeping, so she pulled out a blanket and leaned over against Marc to rest. They slept there leaned into one another for the next few hours until the plane landed.

  After the plane landed, they gathered their things and went outside to find Liam. He was their ride to the hotel. The air was cool and crisp. It was evening, so the sun had begun to dim, hovering just above the horizon.

  “So, what’s he like?” Aimee wasn’t worried about meeting Liam. She knew from meeting Enric and Natasha that Marc was a pretty good judge of character. She was very curious though about what Liam would be like, and if he would like her.

  “I’ve known him for some time. He is very smart, and he cares a lot about other people. I trust him.” Mark paused for just a second, lost in memory. “He has been a good friend to me over the years.”

  “Is he like us?” She wondered if Liam was a vampire, or if he were human.

  “No.” His answer was short and incomplete. It was obvious from the look in his eyes that there was more to that story. Aimee decided not to press him about it right then, she was too excited about being there finally in Paris.

  A tall man with brown hair and bright green eyes pressed himself through the crowd and stood right in front of them. Aimee had noticed him from a few feet off. He was tall, and stood well above the crowd he moved through. He didn’t meet their eyes until he got close. Right away he was speaking to Marc. “Marc, bonjour! Ca va?”

  “Oui ca va, et toi?”

  Marc was so glad to see his friend again that he forgot for just a second to introduce Aimee who was peering out from behind his left shoulder. “Oh, I'm sorry. Liam, this is Aimee.”

  “Nice to meet you, Aimee.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “Nice to meet you.” Aimee took a moment to look him over. He was calm and collected. He seemed pleasant enough in that first impression. He was a doctor, so his social skills were alright, but there was a raw edge to his conversation that she could not manage to put her finger on. He spoke quickly, challenging Aimee to improve on her French language skills. He drove a nice car, and of course was living in Paris, so she knew he must make an okay living. He was handsome and tall, but much leaner and lankier than Marc. He was almost too thin. His charisma made up for what he lacked in conventional handsomeness. He had a very strong presence. It was clear why he was one of Marc's closest friends.

  “I appreciate you picking us up.” Marc moved to lift their suitcases from the ground so they could leave.

  “Anything for an old friend.” Liam took Aimee's bag and carried it for her. He had a chivalrous side.

  It took some time in traffic, but finally they arrived at the hotel. It was beautiful, situated in the middle of a row of high end stores. Busy city life was all round, but inside the hotel it was charming and serene. Right when you entered the corridor there was a front desk. Behind the desk was a large chandelier hanging over the winding staircase. What a beautiful building. You could tell that it had a story. The stones on the outside were thick and gray. Ornate woodwork and murals decorated the inside. Aimee was in awe. “It's breathtaking. It doesn't feel like a hotel.”

  “Very intriguing isn't it?” She knew that Marc would appreciate the architecture. “You can feel the effort and thought that was put into it.”

  “When was it built?” She knew that he would know. He had seen Paris spring up from nothing. He took special interest in each building as if it were a piece of art.

  “It was built at the turn of this century. Come on, our room is this way.” How strange it was that he said “at the turn of this century” instead of “at the turn of the century.” Sometimes Aimee could easily forget the age difference between them, except in moments like these. He led her up one flight of stairs and into a hall. “Our room is 107. Here it is three doors on the left.”

  He didn't make her wait, he slipped the key into the door and it was open as she rounded the corner. The room was so beautiful, absolutely amazing, just like the rest of the hotel had been. The draperies were heavy, with a fine shimmering silk top fabric. There was a sitting area with two clawed feet chairs as you entered, and a kitchenette off to the right. The bedroom was serene, dressed in the finest white linen. There on the nightstand she saw a bouquet of pink roses and a message tied with a red ribbon. Aimee walked over and picked up a single rose. She loved the scent of roses. They had the softest, most elegant bloom. She had always been drawn to them, especially pink roses. She pulled loose the ribbon and opened her letter:

  “My Love,

  I will see to it that all your dreams come true. Meet me outside at 7:00pm tonight. There is a dress in your armoire.

  Forever yours,

  Marc”

  He had put so much effort into planning this trip. She was excited for tonight, but she also knew that this meant he would be leaving her for a while.

  “What is that?” Liam tried to act like he didn't know what was going on. Judging from his smile, he had been a trusted accomplice in not only throwing together the trip, but in placing her beautiful surprise. He had a friendly smile. It was one of those smiles that was infectious to anyone around.

  “Apparently I'm going out tonight.” Aimee let the happiness show in her face. They had put a lot of effort into pleasing her with this surprise, so she wanted to let her pleasure in it show. It was hard for her, even now to express positive emotions. She made up her mind to make more of an effort.

  Marc came over and kissed her on the cheek. “I have to take care of some things, but I’ll be back at 7:00 sharp. Just ring the front desk if you need anything.”

  Part of her wanted to beg him to stay with her. She didn't want to be separated from him, especially so soon after arriving in France. She felt vulnerable still in so many ways, and so much more afraid when he wasn't near her. Still, she knew that he wouldn't do this unless he had to, and clearly he wanted to protect her by keeping the reason to himself. It might not even be something negative. She tried hard to remind herself. She replied with a simple, “okay,” trying to be as alright with it as she could. In a way, it was nice to have some time alone to take things in. Just being there was overwhelming on its own. Aimee fell back onto the bed, letting herself sink into it. He was already making her dreams come true in so many ways. She tried to focus on her anticipation. She couldn't wait to see what he had planned.

 

  Blood Red

  Aimee stood outside rocking heel to toe, heel to toe. It was three minutes until seven. The dress that he had chosen for her was a black vintage Valentino dress. It was sleeveless, but since the night air was cool, she wore a shawl. Her shoes were a deep red. They had a heel, but it wasn't too high. They looked expensive, she thought looking down at them. She would have never chosen such an outfit for herself, but it did make her feel quite good. The way that the fabric hugged her body was very sensual. She left her hair down. It fell by her shoulders in cascading blonde waves. She felt pretty. It had been a while since she had been able to say that.

  Marc pulled up in Liam's car one minute before seven. He looked very handsome in his suit. As inviting as his smile was, she could tell by the blank pause
that preceded it that the dress may have looked even better on her than it had on the rack. She had a quick moment of worry and insecurity. She fought the urge to wrap the shawl around her more tightly, but instead she smiled back and tried to enjoy the obvious effect that she had on him. He appreciated her appearance, just as he appreciated her spirit, and there was nothing wrong with that.

  “Come on.” He extended his hand to her like a gentleman.

  She paused for just a second before taking his hand. “Where are we going?”

  “Now, I can't tell that. Can I?” Marc loved seeing this light hearted side of her. It had been in short rare glimpses that she had let down her guard as much as she had since arriving in Paris. This trip meant as much to him as it did to her. He wanted to draw out and relish each moment.

  “You could.” Aimee had never been one for surprises. She tried to focus on the fact that she always enjoyed Marc's surprises, instead of on the anticipation. That internal feeling had never in the past been a signal of anything good. It was almost like she was having to rewire herself to react to things differently.

  “Oh, but it would ruin the surprise.” Marc was not about to give in to her on this. They drove a short distance and then Marc pulled over.

  “Why are we stopping?” She tried to look around and get a feel for where