by Bea Paige
“Yes, you must. Please, take it,” Florence insists. She is looking at Rhain warily. He nods in her direction, places his hand on the small of my back and guides me away from the stall. I glance back at Florence, who is watching us both with interest. Once we are out of earshot and in a quieter section of the hamlet, Rhain pulls me over to a bench where we take a seat.
“If you wanted to take a look around the hamlet, I would have gladly escorted you,” he says.
“I didn’t need an escort…” My voice trails off as I fiddle with the fabric of my skirt.
“I meant what I said before,” Rhain starts. “I cannot deny I am already finding it difficult to be apart from you, but I will stay away if that is what you wish.”
I glance at Rhain, at the frown that creases his forehead, and at the tension in his jaw. “I just need time. A little space.”
“I understand. Then I shall leave you in peace,” he says. I grab his hand before he is able to walk away.
“This is no reflection on you, or Ezra and Devin. All of this is hard to deal with, not just you three vampires,” I say with a small smile so he knows I mean no disrespect.
“I have waited a thousand years, I can wait a few more weeks, I suppose,” Rhain says, returning my smile. He places a soft kiss against my lips, then stands.
“Goodnight to you, Cia.”
“Goodnight, Rhain,” I whisper back.
As I watch him walk away, I feel the importance of my situation keenly. This isn’t just about me anymore, this is as much about the people of Clan Lux, of Ever Vale. The weight of that responsibility sits heavy on my shoulders.
Chapter Twenty-One
For two weeks the brothers have kept their word and left me to settle into my new home. Giving me the time to acclimatise, allowing me the space to breathe, to think, to consider what I truly want. Time has told me one thing that is abundantly clear, I miss all of them.
This evening, I hear a light knock at the door. It is Devin. I know this already, because we are still connected through the Binding. For some reason, this time the Binding has lasted far longer than either of us expected. It doesn’t worry me, I like Devin being there, hovering inside my head. Although over the last few days I haven’t felt him as often as I’d have liked.
“Come in,” I say, feeling nervous. He’d reached out to me earlier in the day, explaining that the three of them wanted to see me, that there were things they needed to say. For better or worse, I decided it was time I heard them.
“Hello, Red,” Devin says, smiling that easy smile of his. “Ezra is waiting with Rhain at the Light Fields. Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I say, gathering my leather coat and pulling it over my long dress.
Devin looks me over, a sparkle in his dark eyes. Nice outfit, Red. You certainly have a unique style.
I roll my eyes. “Dresses aren’t really my thing, but I get that I need to blend in a bit better.”
“And you think that jacket worn with that dress will help you blend in?”
“Perhaps not,” I grin, “but it’s the best I can do.”
“I warn you now though, I’m not sure how Rhain and Ezra will react when they see you looking so beautiful,” Devin says, taking my hand and pressing a gentle kiss against my knuckles.
“I’m sure they’ll cope,” I say, flustered. Compliments make me uncomfortable, to say the least.
Devin laughs. “It’s been two weeks. I think Rhain is about to combust and you look good enough to eat.” Devin steps forward, his eyes suddenly darkening. The expression on his face changes from friendly to… dangerous.
“Devin?” I say, frowning. “Devin, are you okay?” He doesn’t answer, but continues to move towards me. His teeth drop from his mouth, and this time the sight of them scares me.
“Devin, why are you looking at me like that?” Devin! I shout through our connection.
He blinks, shaking his head. His teeth pull back up into his gums. “Apologies, Red, I don’t know what came over me.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, of course. I am sorry.” He breathes out slowly. “How Rhain managed to control himself, I’ll never know. You look so damn beautiful.”
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“Shall we?” Devin asks. He holds his hand out and I take it, shaking the feeling of disquiet free.
We leave my cottage. Outside, Phantom is waiting patiently. Devin climbs up onto the horse’s back, pulling me up behind him. I settle behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist as Phantom starts to trot through the hamlet. For obvious reasons, night-time is the busiest period. Over the past few days I have got to know some of the members of Clan Lux who live here. When Queen Adrielle cast the spell, some members of Clan Lux were caught outside. Fortunately for them, Nostra was around to assist. He protected them with his magic and they have lived in the hamlet ever since that day. Queen Adrielle had given them up as casualties of the curse the day it was cast. Most have accepted that I am a member of Clan Lux who has escaped from Queen Adrielle’s castle and left it at that. Nostra holds much sway in the hamlet, given he has protected all the occupants for a thousand years, so when a few started asking questions he was able to squash them before any rumours began.
We pass by Ilana, the same woman who offered Rhain her services the first time I entered the hamlet. According to Nostra, she comes from a long line of one of a handful of trusted families that reside in the village alongside Clan Lux. They feed the vampires their blood willingly, and in return get protection from the rest of Clan Lux who reside at the castle and are, perhaps, not so civilised. Not to mention protection from the queen.
She looks up at me and Devin. “My lord, my lady,” she says, curtseying. It feels strange to be treated like I’m some kind of royalty, but it is the same for all the vampires who live here. Devin pulls on the reins so Phantom stops walking.
“Ilana, good evening to you,” he says politely.
“Shall I call upon you later so you can receive your blood?”
What? You take blood from Ilana too? Do you all share food? I can’t help the note of sarcasm in my voice. Ilana is attractive and I’m pretty certain that she enjoys being bitten by the vampires, given the way she is looking at Devin. A streak of jealousy carves through me. Devin’s chuckle reaches me through our connection, although he is perfectly straight-faced on the outside.
“Not this night.”
“I see, my lord.” Her cheeks are flushing. She narrows her eyes at me, anger lighting behind her eyes before she quickly covers it with a polite smile. “As you wish.”
“Good night to you,” Devin says, gently pressing his feet into Phantom’s flank. I look over my shoulder at Ilana and the anger is back this time. There is no mistaking it. I frown, turning around.
“You’re not taking blood from Ilana?” I ask, once we are out of earshot.
“No. I haven’t since our return from the Forbidden forest.”
“But you must take blood. Won’t you get sick if you don’t?” I am equally happy at his response and worried. I know to survive they must feed regularly.
“I am feeding. Just not directly from anyone. Ilana brings me blood in a bottle,” Devin says.
“I think she’d rather give you blood from her vein, though.”
“I have no desire to take blood from her. I haven’t for some time now.”
My heart lifts a little at that. I know the members of Clan Lux have to feed, that it is a necessity. I also know that none of the vampires within the hamlet will ever take blood without consent from the person they feed from. I suspect that many of the common folk get a thrill out of it. I certainly remember how it felt when Ezra had taken mine. The thought makes me tremble. Devin places a hand over mine.
“The feeling people get when we feed off them is simply a side-effect of the bloodletting. A fortunate one, if you ask me. It would be much harder for our people to feed if it hurt the common folk we fed from.”
“I suppose.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I do not wish to feed from anyone that way ever again. Rhain and Ezra have decided the same.”
“They have?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because we know how much it troubles you. The only blood that passes our lips comes from a bottle and not directly from a vein.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Yes, we all would. We all have.”
It is an honest answer, one that promises so much more than Devin is willing to elaborate upon right now.
“Thank you,” I say. The enormity of such a decision is not lost on me.
We pass through Nostra’s magic that hides the hamlet, and along the same path we took over two weeks ago. Devin gently kicks Phantom’s flank and he picks up speed. I hold on to him tightly, resting my head against his shoulders. Beside us the Forbidden forest rushes past, and I send a silent message to Clover hoping that, somehow, she can hear it. Every night I hope I will see her in my dreams, but so far, she hasn’t come. I try not to worry about what that could mean.
Before long, Phantom is slowing down and I can see Ezra and Rhain standing by the Light fields. My heart does an unexpected flip at the sight of them both. Flinging my leg over, I jump down and find myself in Rhain’s arms.
“Lights damn it, Cia. It has been too long,” he growls into my hair.
“I’ve missed you too,” I say, turning around so I can face him. In the starlight he is even more handsome. My body reacts instantly, and without thinking I press myself against him.
He trails his hand down my back, then slides his mouth over mine, groaning into my lips. I can feel his desire, it is pretty hard to miss.
The sound of someone clearing their throat has us pulling apart. It’s Ezra.
“It’s good to see you, Accacia,” Ezra says gently. “Rhain has missed you.”
I brush a gentle kiss against Rhain’s cheek and move towards Ezra. “What about you, Ezra. Have you missed me?” I’m not sure why I ask the question, and I certainly don’t expect him to respond. In the moonlight it’s hard to gauge what he’s thinking because I cannot see his eyes clearly from this distance. They are most definitely the windows to his soul. I’ve missed the expressiveness of them these past couple weeks.
“Yes,” he says simply. Ezra holds himself back, he is more reserved, and I respect that. Below us the moonlight catches the cylindrical shapes casting tall shadows across the field. It is beautiful even when it isn’t lit by the sun.
“So, why am I here?” I ask, looking between the men.
Ezra takes a deep steadying breath and I try not to be worried about what he is about to say. I’ve never seen him look so nervous.
“Being unable to walk amongst the light has cast a shadow over all our souls, Accacia. A shadow that has been darkening day by day for a thousand years. Rhain, Devin, me, we have lived a long time in the darkness. It has not been easy. We are not the men we once were.”
He walks towards me and grazes the tips of his fingers against my cheek. I am rooted to the spot as Ezra leans down and brushes a kiss across my forehead. When he pulls back, I notice more than starlight reflected in his eyes.
“Then we met you and our world wasn’t so dark anymore. Queen Adrielle stole a great deal from all of us, including you, Accacia. She took your parents, she cast you into a life of darkness and forced you to grow up in a world so very different from our own. I have been selfish, too caught up in my own grief to truly appreciate just what you have lost and for that I am sorry. I am sorry for how I treated you. I am sorry for making you feel less than you ever should, and most of all I am sorry for not realising sooner what I know now. I can see so much clearer. It is as though a little bit of the darkness that has shrouded me, shrouded all of us, has been lifted. Because of you, I have found a peace that I haven’t felt in a very long time. It is the same for Rhain and Devin.”
I look at them all in turn, having no idea what to say. A strange feeling in my chest is expanding, stretching out. A feeling that is so unfamiliar I don’t know what to make of it.
“Will you take my hand, Accacia? There is something I wish to show you,” Ezra says, holding his hand out towards me.
“Okay,” I whisper, sliding my hand into his, surprised to find it trembling slightly. I look up at his face, but he continues to stare ahead of us.
We head down the sloping verge and walk towards the Light fields, Rhain and Devin close behind us. Devin is quiet within my head, but I feel him there still. He is making a conscious effort not to infiltrate my thoughts and I wonder why.
We reach the very same spot Rhain had come to give himself up to the Light. The same spot Thalia and Roseanna had died a thousand years before, their screams no more than an echo in the wind now. Ezra’s hand tightens around mine and I feel his distress through our touch.
“Ezra…” I begin. It must be incredibly hard for him to be standing here. I want to comfort him.
“It’s okay, Accacia,” he says, turning to face me. Either side Rhain and Devin flank him as he takes my other hand in his. All their eyes are on me; the stormy grey of Ezra, the indigo ocean that are Rhain’s, the dark pool of Devin’s. I open my mouth to speak, but find that my words are lost as the air about us becomes electric.
“I wanted you to be here because if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
“Do what?” I say softly.
“Let go.”
He raises his hand and as he does hundreds of paper lanterns lift into the air about us. I breathe in sharply as the lanterns catch the air, lifting up into the night sky. It is beautiful. The feeling of Nostra’s magic zips across my skin as Ezra drops to his knee on the floor in front of me. Rhain and Devin follow suit.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
Ezra looks up at me. “This is for all the loved ones we have lost, for the years of darkness we have endured. We may never stand in the light again, Accacia. But together, the four of us can strive to live a life that’s filled with more than just darkness. I know you are afraid, that you feel this is all too much, too soon. But know this, we will protect you with our lives, we will worship you with our bodies and we will love you, if you’ll let us.”
My eyes fill with tears as the strange feeling inside my chest lifts, just like the lanterns in the sky above us. In its place I feel a sense of belonging. I feel safe, but most of all I feel loved, even if that love is only just blossoming like the red rose tattooed on my arm.
Do you doubt us? Devin asks silently. I look at him, at Rhain, and finally my eyes rest on Ezra.
I don’t doubt you.
“Accacia, you have brought light into my life once again. Something I never dreamed could be possible,” Ezra begins, stroking his thumbs across the back of my hands.
“Cia, you have Claimed my body, and now my heart,” Rhain adds, the fire in his eyes unmistakable.
And you have touched my soul, Red. I would be lost without you, Devin whispers through our connection.
“With each of us you have shared a piece of yourself willingly and in return we are willing to share you, to protect you, to love you. I am here now, with my brothers’ consent, to ask whether you will seal our bond in the manner accustomed to our people? Will you join with me officially, Accacia? Will you be my wife?”
For long moments I stare at the men before me. My heart constricts inside my chest as the ring on my finger burns white-hot. I look down to find the same red cursive writing illuminate across the surface. This time three names appear; Rhain, Devin and Ezra. I look back at the men before me. They are vampires, they are cursed, they were once lost. But in this moment as the night sky dances with a thousand flickering flames, I realise one very simple fact. As much as I am theirs, they too are mine.
“Yes, I shall be your wife.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
A week later, Devin places his hands on my shoulders, try
ing to calm the nerves that are racing through my body.
“You’ll be fine. There is nothing to be worried about,” he says.
“But what if I do something wrong?”
“Red, there is only us four and Nostra in attendance. Please try to be calm, okay.” Devin pulls me into his arms. He holds me tight. I feel his lips press against the pulse in my neck, his fingers digging slightly into the bare flesh of my arms. A strange noise releases from his mouth. The connection between us seems odd. I can’t explain it. I still feel him there, can hear him, it’s just different, murky. Not so defined. I guess the Binding is finally wearing off.
“Devin? Are you okay?”
His fingers release their grip on me and the sudden tension between us is released. “Sorry, Red.”
“Hey, don’t be. I guess we’re all feeling the importance of today. I’m so nervous.”
“I will be there every step of the way. We all will. Now, let me look at you properly,” he says, that easy smile back again. I step out of his arms and slide my hands over the red dress I am wearing. It is tradition for the women of Clan Lux to wear red for the Joining ceremony. Nostra brought the dress to me earlier in the day and when I put it on half an hour ago I wasn’t at all surprised to find that it fit me perfectly. It is a strapless dress made of a fine chiffon material with a fitted bodice that laces together at the back with red ribbon. The dress flares out slightly at my hips and swirls at my feet when I move. There is no make-up here in Ever Vale, and nothing even remotely like it so my face is bare, natural. My hair is freshly washed and hanging loosely down my back.
“You look breathtaking,” Devin says.
“Thank you.” The way he looks at me makes my voice catch. Since the proposal we’ve not had chance to be alone together, any of us. Apparently, though it is just a small, private ceremony, there was much to do to get it organised. I haven’t seen Rhain, Ezra or Devin at all over the last few days. I’ve missed them.
Devin’s eyes linger on the rose tattoo on my arm. “This tattoo, Solomon carved it into your skin, didn’t he?”