"Hey," he said sweetly in my ear as the cold night air blew through my hair. "Are you okay? Seriously, you need to give me a verbal confirmation on this."
I shook my head; it was all I could do. He held me closer to him, like a baby, and I buried my face in his iron chest. I felt safe here, considering that I was about a hundred feet in the air and moving faster than a speeding vehicle; I still couldn't wrap my mind around what was happening.
We landed on the rooftop of the house he and his sister shared. Jack set me down cautiously and quickly backed away. I looked into the eyes of my hero, but he appeared ashamed or something.
"What's wrong?" I choked out. My throat was like a desert. I reached out to him and put my hand on his arm. I noticed that the wound on my wrist was still bleeding; the blood that had dripped down my arm was now dried and crusted to my skin.
"Aren’t you wondering what I am?" he asked bluntly.
"Sort of, I'm figuring some kind of weird fairy," I answered and sighed as I leaned against the railing. My legs felt as if they would collapse from underneath me at any given moment. “They seem to be everywhere these days.”
He cocked a curious eyebrow. "Explain why you think that."
"Well, you are unnaturally beautiful and now apparently you can fly," I explained. “I mean, unless this is all a hallucination.” Wouldn’t that be nice?
He seemed amused by my conclusion. "Yes, those things are true, minus the hallucination, but a fairy I am not."
"Then...what are you?" I asked, hesitantly now.
"You’re smart, think about it Avery. Have you ever seen me in the daytime or Celadine for that matter? Were you not instinctively scared the first time you met us? I do not have sparkly wings, and right now the blood dripping from your arm has my...attention," he said, laying everything down for me to figure out while he leaned against the brick wall beside me.
I thought about these things for a second with the information I had so far gathered. Then the realization swept over me like a cold shiver. This was ridiculous.
"Oh god, you're a vampire?" I asked as I burst out laughing hysterically. Jack seemed really upset and annoyed by my reaction.
"Why is this so funny to you? Are you not scared?" he asked angrily.
I just kept laughing. I was definitely in shock. I had to be. My mentor was a vampire art dealer; my best friend is an orphan fairy as well as my new friend and roommate. Evil fairies are out to get me or kill me or whatever, and now the guy that I have a thing for (but is the bane of my existence) is also a vampire.
"It's just too much. What else can I do but laugh Jack?" I asked. "My life is a scary fairy tale horror movie. All I need are some witches and a couple of werewolves!"
He stared at me thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose it does seem that way," he agreed. “But, still, having vampires in your life is no laughing matter, Avery. Celadine and I may seem nice enough, but…” he trailed off.
“But what?” I asked.
“Never mind, come, let’s get you inside. You'll be safer here." I noted how he said ‘safer’ instead of ‘safe’, but I didn’t say anything. He took my hand and led me to the large patio doors on the roof. The doors led us down a long stairway and into the top level of the gigantic house. I looked around; this must be Jack's part of the house. It was very masculine, furnished in black leather pieces, dark wooden floors and stone facings. No windows, of course.
There was a fireplace lit on the back wall. I headed over to it, sat down, and shivered when I realized how cold I was. Jack noticed the involuntary reaction and grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa. He came over and sat down directly in front of me, wrapping my body in the warm blanket.
"I'm okay, really. I think the shock is just starting to wear off," I said calmly. "Jack, I probably would have died tonight it wasn't for you. That lady definitely had bad intentions for me." I shivered again at the thought of her face. Jack wrapped his arms around me then, to comfort me I guess.
"Yes I know," he said flatly. I still don't think Jack knew how he felt about me. "I'm glad I was nearby. I'm sure Celadine would be devastated if anything were to happen to you."
I looked up into his face. He was putting up a front again. I took his cold hand in mine and smiled.
"Thank you for saving me."
This brought a shy grin to his face and made his blue eyes glisten. "You're most welcome Avery."
He then, slowly, took my free hand in his and stared into my eyes. The distance between us was lessening inch by inch to the point where our chests were touching. I had a million questions that I wanted answered, but I couldn't think of a single one at this moment. All I wanted was to be right here, with him holding me and looking at me this way, as if he would crumble to pieces if I were to move away. He took my hands and rested them around his neck. Then he leaned in to gently caress my neck and face with his lips. I wondered if he was going to bite me. Fear struck through my body like a sudden chill. But that wasn’t the scary part, not having a clue what I’m doing was more terrifying.
"You smell like honey and strawberries," he quietly pointed out. Probably from the summer wine, I thought, but didn’t say. Jack then reached my lips and parted them with his own. My entire body was on fire. I let him kiss me, and when I kissed him back everything suddenly changed.
We weren’t slow and careful anymore, we were pleasantly aggressive. I had absolutely no control over my limbs; they wrapped themselves around his body like a vice, eager and passionate. Jack swept me up into his arms like a little doll and carried me into his bedroom. He gently laid me on his enormous bed and crawled in beside me. His hands were all over me, discovering every inch of my body as he kissed me. I had no idea what to do with my hands so I kept them around his neck to save myself the embarrassment.
That night Jack made love to me, almost endlessly, until we found ourselves cradled in each other’s arms on the edge of sleep, so much for taking a nap.
"Jack?" I asked. I wanted some answers. Right now may not have been the best time, but it may be the only time.
And, as if he read my mind, he looked at me and said, "Ask away, I have nothing to hide from you now." He smiled and began to smooth my hair away from my face.
"Tell me about you and Celadine. Where did you come from? What should I expect with my new found, um, information about you two?"
“Well, that is a very long and disturbing story, I’m not sure you want to hear it,” Jack replied apprehensively.
“I don’t care, I want to know,” I insisted. “It may be long but I’m betting it’s interesting.”
He grinned. “Speaking of interesting stories, why don’t you tell me about that fairy?”
“No, not now, I don’t want to think about that,” I replied quickly. I wasn’t going to let him deter me. “Just tell me about you.”
“Fine,” he gave in. "Well, Celi and I were born in Australia a very long time ago," he began. His eyes were already far away with the story as he brushed my arm with his fingers. "We had a wonderful mother. She was beautiful, smart and loving. Our father on the other hand, was not so great. He was basically the village drunk, always out at all hours of the night. He would come home and beat my mother and then Celi, as well, when she got older. One night, he left and never returned for days. We were hopeful that maybe he would never come back, but he did. He came back a changed man, so to speak." He glanced at me to see if I understood.
I thought for a second. "Oh, he was a vampire?” I gasped.
"Yes, he was a vampire. He came to rid himself of the family he never loved and get a meal out of it at the same time. Only, by now, Celi and I were not children anymore. He attacked our mother first and that set us off. We both jumped on him and managed to drag him outside while we screamed for her to run. It happened quite fast after that. I felt the burning wound in my neck as I saw Celi already on the ground, practically dead. My fa
ther was about to finish me off when he suddenly jerked and collapsed at my feet. I looked up to see my mother standing there with a broken wooden table leg, dripping with his blood." He stopped there, as if remembering all too clearly the memory of his mother.
I took Jacks hand in mine to comfort him. "Your mother saved you. She was a very brave woman to be able to do that. How did she know to use a wooden stake?"
"Oh, there had been stories and legends of vampire type demons in our village for years. Naturally, you hear of ways to rid yourself of them."
"So what happened then? Well I know that you survived, obviously, because you're here. But how did you...you know?"
Jack grinned as he leaned in and rested his forehead on mine to look into my eyes. "How did we become what we are?"
I just nodded. Having him so close to me made me lose all coherent thoughts.
"Well, just like my mother had heard of how to stop a vampire, she also had heard how they are created. She couldn't bear to lose her two children at the hands of her murderous husband, so she decided that she would rather have damned us to save us. She managed to get both Celi and I into the house and my father as well. She drained what she could of his blood and buried him in the back yard under an unmarked grave; she figured he didn’t deserve to be remembered."
I just slowly nodded again in agreement. I can't believe that this beautiful man lying here next to me had been through so much and had lived life times before I was even born. It made me begin to admire him.
"She then continued to perform a process that she was unsure of but determined to make work. She fed us our fathers’ blood and then just waited. She monitored us every minute of every day, but as three days went by and we still had not even so much as taken a breath, she began to worry that she had failed. I awoke on the third day, as well as Celadine, and went to the backyard to find our mother digging our graves and crying silently to herself." Jack stopped there for a moment and looked at me.
"Are you sure this okay for you to hear, is it too much for you to handle?"
It was, I’m sure, but I didn't care. I wanted to hear his story; I wanted to know as much about him as I could. I basically knew nothing about him or Celadine up to this point.
"No, I want to hear the story. It's sad, but I know it has a good ending." I smiled and tightened the grip our hands held. He gently kissed my forehead and continued the story.
"Well, it turned out that she wasn't just digging our graves, there were three deep holes dug. She thought she had failed to save us and refused to live without the children that she loved so much, the children that saved her life in so many ways." I could tell from the way Jack explained this part, that it was his mother speaking and not him.
"When she turned to see us both standing there, she collapsed on the ground with cries of happiness. Celi and I both went to her and sat on the ground, for what seemed like minutes, hugging and holding each other as we cried. But then, suddenly, the sun began to rise, and she quickly got us inside. She explained everything that happened and why she did it. She begged for our forgiveness, but an angry thought had never crossed our minds towards her. Our mother could have ran and saved herself but she stayed and saved us instead. It's because of that love bond that Celi and I believe we are the way we are."
"What do you mean, 'the way you are'?" I asked. "What's wrong with the way you are?"
"Oh, nothing, to you, but to another vampire we’re different. It's very rare for vampires to develop bonds of love or even friendship of any kind. Usually we just remain a solitary bunch, pairing up only for convenience and protection but not for companionship or love." He held me as close to him as he could get me, in an embrace that I never wanted to end. I loved the smell of the night air on his skin and the safe feeling of his arms around me. I could lose myself in him, and never come back.
"That was an intense story,” I replied in almost a whisper. "What happened to your mother?"
"We lived with her in Australia for her lifetime. Once she died of old age, Celi and I left. We couldn't stay there, we never aged and people would begin to notice. We had already begun to call ourselves her grandchildren. The two of us lived in Europe for a while and then came here."
"Jack, how old are you?" I asked. I wasn't sure if it was an appropriate question, but I figured he's told me so much that telling me his age wouldn't hurt.
He laughed. "Are you sure you want to know?"
I nodded. "Yes, only if you don't mind telling me."
"Celi and I are a two hundred and ninety years old. Actually our birthdays are approaching, in December," he answered.
I was confused. They have the same birthday?
"Are you and Celadine twins?" I asked.
"Yes, I thought you knew that. Isn’t it obvious?"
I should have known. They were both so unnaturally beautiful. They both had the silky black hair, creamy skin and stunning eyes. But, it never occurred to me that they were twins.
"Well, I guess there's a lot to learn about you guys," I replied through a yawn. I was tired, but I didn't want to go to sleep. I didn't want to have to leave him. But, my human weakness got the best of me, and I soon fell into a deep and comfortable sleep in his arms.
Chapter Twenty Three-Matter of Opinion
I awoke in my own bed with the sun blaring in through my window. Lattie was pulling on my hair to wake me. When I opened my eyes she jumped back.
"I'm so sorry Avery, it's just so late in the day and you weren’t waking. I thought something was wrong with you," she apologized in her high pitched voice.
"Oh, that’s okay Lattie, I’m just tired I guess," I said with another yawn and stretched. Oh, I was aching all over, but in a good way, the most amazing way. I smiled blissfully as I remembered my wonderful and sensual night. Lattie then huddled into my arm and hugged it tightly. She was so tiny that it felt like someone’s hand wrapped around it, but the feeling didn’t sit well with me.
"Lattie, what’s wrong? I'm okay really," I assured her.
"I’m just so happy you’re safe. I'm sorry I ran away like a coward last night. But I didn't know what to do, I couldn't go back there. I just couldn't!" She was so scared. What was she talking about? Then I remembered the earlier part of my night, the not so great part, and panic set in fast.
"Lattie what happened? Did you get a look at that lady?" I asked, suddenly very awake.
"Yes, I hid in the trees nearby. That was Evaine. She's one of Queen Mabry’s fairies. Evaine is very bad Avery; if you are ever to see her again you need to run…I fear that your life is truly in danger," Lattie warned.
"Oh Lattie, I'm so glad you got away safely, don't feel bad for running. If that ever happens again, you do the same thing. Just run! I don't even want to think what would have happened if she caught you. Come on, we need to talk to Julie," I announced as I hopped out of bed. I realized then, that I was only wearing a blue men’s t-shirt and my underwear. I smiled as the bliss washed over me again and headed out towards Julies room. She was awake but still in bed, reading.
"Hey, what’s up?" she asked absently, not looking up from her book. I crawled in bed beside her and Lattie planted herself on the top of her book, letting her little legs hang down over the pages. With a quick glance, it only took her a second to notice that something was up once she saw my bandaged arm.
"What the hell happened to you!?" she asked in alarm.
"That same fairy from the gallery attacked me last night Jules," I started. "I think she was out for blood this time."
"What?" she sat up straight in bed and put her book down, almost squishing Lattie. "Who was she? Why was she after you?"
"Her name was Evaine," Lattie chipped in. "She tried to force Avery to see the Queen."
"That’s weird. Why, because you know too much about our world? No, she wouldn't send Evaine for that," she talked to herself as she stared off thoug
htfully.
"You know her?" I asked.
"Well, I know of her. It's Evaine. From what I’ve read, she's older than the Queen herself, probably even older than Orion. She's hell bent on death and destruction, thrives on it actually. The myths say that she was some sort of fallen hell god before she belonged to the Dark Court. But, after Evaine lost her mind, she caused too much chaos among them so they banned her. Evaine was a solitary fey for the longest time until Mabry became Queen of the Seelie Court," Julie explained.
My throat suddenly felt very dry. I had some kind of insane ex-hell god, who was too evil for the Dark Court to handle, after me? Was there even any hope? "She said something about a painting. I think she might be talking about the one I sold at that art fair," I said.
"The one in sixth grade?" she asked sceptically.
"Yeah, isn’t that weird?"
"Yes, really weird. Do you still have a copy of it?"
I thought for a second. "Yes, I do, in my portfolio somewhere. Do you want me to get it?" I asked, already heading for the door.
"Wait," she called after me. I turned to her grinning face. "What’s with the shirt?"
I smiled, bliss taking me over again. "I'll explain later. It's a long story."
I rummaged through my closet for my old portfolio. Once I found it, I headed out to the kitchen where Julie was making coffee and rolled out the copy of the painting on the island where Lattie flew over to take a look. She gasped in surprise.
"Avery, have you ever been to this place?" she asked.
"Of course not," I laughed. "It's a scene from a made up place that Tess told me about when I was a kid." But, as I spoke the words, I realized that it wasn't a made up place at all. It was the magical land that a fairy king had ruled once upon a time.
Iron & Wine (The Iron World Series) Page 15