Novel Hearts

by Rebecca Boucher

  Nisha had been a cobbler’s daughter. Her hair was closer to silver than gold, and she was nothing but skin and bone, but exceedingly smart. Being smart wasn’t enough for a single, young woman in the early days, but it was enough of a hindrance to make her wish to travel the world and leave behind the family business. She had left home at fourteen, refusing to learn the family trade, and spent the next year with a travelling physician, learning all she could. By the age of twenty, she had returned home to show her father her progression in the world, only to discover that her father had died two years before, having drank himself to death, heartbroken at the loss of his only daughter.

  Nisha was beside herself with grief, but then she was saved. A young man had ventured into the tavern and asked the barman if there was anyone he knew who could teach children. The barman told him of Nisha, one of the best teachers in the land. The next night, Nisha came to the tavern and presented herself. Almost immediately, Samuel found himself captivated by her wit and good looks. Nisha was such a beautiful young woman, talented and intellectual. They had spent the next four days discussing the extent of her knowledge in the tavern, meeting every evening for a meal and a discussion. Before the week was out, Samuel invited Nisha to live at the clan house. Samuel told her the truth of his people; they were vampires. Nisha hadn’t believed it at first, but after she discovered the truth for herself, she had no other choice. So, she accepted the truth and decided to stay. That was when the trouble started.

  That was why Samuel choked another three more times on Nisha’s blood before reluctantly pulling away. He coughed violently for a few seconds as Nisha barely managed to stumble back into a waiting chair. The experience was heady for them both, but it was worse for Nisha. She couldn’t continue feeding Samuel as he needed, but neither could quite force themselves into the next step. She was yet only twenty-two years old. How could Samuel ask such a thing of her?

  Nisha closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest of the chair, dizzy and weak, but more so than usual. She could feel her heart beating. It no longer hammered against her chest as it used to, but instead, just flitted around and then stopped for long seconds before beginning its dance again. The more Samuel fed from her, the stranger and more distant it felt. She knew that it couldn’t go on much longer. When she opened her eyes, Samuel was standing over her with a wet cloth in his hand. He placed it onto her brow and Nisha closed her eyes, feeling is cool relief, but she didn’t want to see those eyes … not now. Not looking so hurt, so disappointed. Samuel knew that the charade would have to end soon.

  There had been talk in both the clan house and the human village the moment Nisha began spending long hours with Samuel in the study, just days after she had moved into the house. The talk from town wasn’t worth hearing—though Nisha knew what they were saying—but the talk from the clan members was more difficult to ignore. Samuel was an elder, the master of the clan. In that respect, he could do as he wished, but in another respect, he should never have left the safety of the clan, nor should he have opened his heart and mind to a human, but neither saw any harm in discussing literature and the world together. Samuel told her of vampires and their history, while she shared what she knew of humans. It had been a strange relationship, but the first real one Nisha had ever experienced. Two weeks after her arrival, things had become worse.

  Now, Nisha opened her eyes and forced herself to look at Samuel, and she really couldn’t imagine spending Valentine’s Day with anyone else. The day had existed before, but it was only then, during the fifteenth century, that it became about love and romance. Who knew how many decades and centuries he had lived through, and yet she hadn’t the courage to ask. Nor did Samuel look a day over twenty-three. He had the most shiny golden hair and green eyes she had ever seen, and his six feet held him a good foot taller than Nisha. His shoulders were broad and the scars on them proved he had seen a few battles in his time. Who would have thought? The warrior and the scholar. It almost pained her to see Samuel turning away from her with that look in his eyes. She held the cloth to her own head, closed her eyes and allowed Samuel his moment of torment.

  Samuel could remember the very moment things had become intolerable. At the end of Nisha’s second week in the house, the council had called a meeting to discuss and compare human and vampire medicines and he had not been included. Samuel had never told her what had transpired then, nor would he wish to hurt her delicate human emotions by admitting so now, but he knew that something had to be done. The council had accused him of losing his head and had called for his relinquishment of power, but he would never do so freely, and he told them so, yet that didn’t stop them from wanting his resignation. He fought with them for three hours until they reached an agreement; if Nisha were to remain within the clan house and in Samuel’s confidence, he either had to turn her or claim her. He had stormed out of his own council room and retreated to his chambers for no more than ten minutes before Nisha came to speak with him, concerned and worried.

  Samuel did what was necessary; he claimed Nisha as his own with a kiss. That afternoon they became lovers and Nisha had offered her blood to Samuel for the first time, in a final expression of her love. That night, Samuel fed and nearly drained Nisha of every ounce of her blood.

  Afterward, he refused to look at the young woman for two weeks out of shame. He would never have forgiven himself if he had killed her.

  Then one day, Nisha broke the silence between them rather craftily. They had agreed that they needed to discuss the children’s progress with their learning, so Samuel met her in the library and listened as Nisha talked of the children, and accepted an empty glass, then filled it from a pitcher on the table. The moment the blood hit his lips, he was consumed. He emptied the glass in one go, and then refilled it immediately from the pitcher. Nisha silently sat across from him, watching him drain three, four and then six full glasses of blood without so much as batting an eyelash. It was her blood, collected over long days. When the pitcher was empty, Samuel came back to his senses, staring across at his willing victim, confused.

  “Now, you must accept that you can never again refuse me. From this moment forth, if you do not feed from me, I shall feed you against your will. Can we come to an agreement?” Nisha asked. Samuel walked out of the room, only to return after a long, thoughtful walk in the gardens … and agreed.

  From that moment on, Samuel fed from Nisha almost daily. With each time, the need grew stronger. Each time, the hunger could not be satisfied; each time he came closer and closer to killing her. The more Nisha tolerated his vampire nature, the more Samuel loved her for it. They quickly fell in love, but they both knew that Nisha’s life would be vastly shorter than any amount of time Samuel would live through. Samuel never suggested the alternative for fear that the idea would be rejected, and Nisha didn’t suggest it because she knew Samuel would regret it the moment it was done.

  Samuel turned back to Nisha, and saw that she still had her eyes closed. The cloth still lay on her forehead and he almost didn’t wish to disturb her, but he knew he must. After being fed from, Nisha needed to sleep and eat … and not in a chair. Samuel approached his love and gently removed the cloth from her forehead. It was only then that he saw her lifeless arm hanging at the side of the chair. Samuel came to his senses and found that no heartbeat assailed his ears. He knew what must be done. He must make his choice now, whether he wished to or not. Should he allow Nisha to die a human, or should he make her a vampire? As they had never talked of it, he had no idea as to how Nisha would feel if she woke and found herself a vampire. Would she feel disgust, hatred or betrayal? Or would she rejoice and thank him? Samuel hadn’t enough time to think it over logically. Emotion won out.

  Biting into his own flesh, he let the blood flow from the wound and held it over Nisha’s parched lips, hoping. Long moments passed as the blood tricked down her chin and onto her clothes, but Samuel didn’t care. All he cared about was Nisha. His stupid thoughts had distracted him from the danger a
nd he lost track of time as he allowed his blood to flow into Nisha, until the loss grew too much and loss of blood and heartache sent him to his knees. Samuel despaired as he sat by the rocking chair, his eyes closed in prayer, unmindful of the continual pour of blood from his self-inflicted wound.

  It felt like hours, sitting and praying for time to reverse before a soft creak and the light touch on his arm awoke him from his thoughts. Samuel raised his head and believed himself suffering the hallucinations of starvation, as he gazed into Nisha’s bright blue eyes. “You claimed me for your own one last time, Samuel. Now it is my turn,” she said softly as light fingers traced the wounds on his bleeding wrist. Samuel looked down at the same spot where Nisha’s eyes were focused and noticed that he had torn the flesh of his wrist badly in his attempt to feed his companion. Nisha frowned disapprovingly before she lifted Samuel’s wrist to her lips, and kissed the wound gently. Within seconds, the shredded skin healed. “Feed from me, my love. Then you shall be well again, and we may live out our lives as we have done so far. We shall share our lives, our food and our hunger as we have always done,” Nisha said with the lightest spark of emotion in her voice. Samuel was flooded with relief that not only was his Nisha saved, but he relished the opportunity of spending a lifetime with her, as well. It had been a whirlwind of a Valentine’s Day, but it had all come together in the end. Samuel did as he was asked and fed from his love, safe in the knowledge that his life was now complete.

  Valentine’s Day 1630

  After losing Angela, Valentine’s Day had always been difficult for Damian. Amelia had been in confinement to her bedroom chambers for a full century already, and it wasn’t a good phase in their relationship, especially since Damian was her guard and the one to keep her in confinement, no matter what she said or did.

  “I cannot understand why my father will not allow me my freedom. I have been incarcerated long enough. Tell him that I will not suffer it any longer!” Amelia shouted at him … again. She had always been difficult and aggressive, and even a century alone in her chambers, with only Damian as her guard to talk to and spend time with, hadn’t improved her disposition.

  “You know that you will not be free until you can show your father you are responsible enough not to run away. If you wish to have your freedom, you know what you must do,” he reminded her again. She needed to apologize to both himself and her father. It was the only way she would be allowed out of her rooms again, but she didn’t seem to understand that. She huffed and sniffed, pretending to cry, but nothing moved him from his post. He stood inside her bedroom door, watching over her to make sure she behaved.

  Amelia had no idea that Damian loved her. He never had the strength to tell her, but he hoped to do so that day. It was Valentine’s Day, and he didn’t know a more appropriate day to say it, but not until she calmed down. Not while she screamed at him and ordered him around like a servant. He had loved her for so long, and it had been a long time since Angela’s death. He had finally come to terms with the fact that he must move on with his life if he was ever to be happy again. His best friend, Trey, had finally managed to drill that into him. Now, he was determined to do as he was told and live his life.

  “Please, Damian, I beg you. Speak to my father … ask him to release me … even if just for this one day. I need to see the sunshine and smell fresh air. I need to live. He cannot keep me prisoner forever,” Amelia said, turning her big brown eyes upon him with that pouty, pleading smile of hers and Damian could feel himself melting. He hated himself for it. After all, he was a vampire … a soldier. He shouldn’t melt at anything, least of all an unruly girl fluttering her eyelashes at him, whilst trying to manipulate him. To show her that he was resisting her attempt to wrap him around her finger, he stayed silent, staring straight ahead. “Well, if you do not care about me or my feelings, then stay silent. Keep your distance. But if you must do so, do so on the other side of the door where I do not have to see your steel eyes and your harsh mouth. If you do not care then spare me the torment.”

  Damian was so surprised at the apparent anguish in her voice and the tears in her eyes that for a full moment he stared at her, confused. It almost sounded as if … it couldn’t be, could it? Did she have feelings for him? Or was this just another attempt to wrap him around her finger to do her bidding? The moment she began to cry, hiding her face in her hands and throwing herself down upon her bed, Damian let out a deep sigh of hope. He couldn’t bear to see her so sad. As quietly as he could, he left the room and stood on the other side of her door as she had asked, contemplating what to do.

  For a full two hours, he stood at the door, as a cloud of uncertainty ruled his mind, feeling as if his heart was about to burst. Could she love him? Was it really true? He knew that if he went to her father, Lucius, and told him that Amelia loved him, her incarceration would be over. They would be united as a pair before the sun came down. Married … but did he want to get married again? It was such a big step, especially for a vampire. Only elders and masters were allowed to unite, under vampire law. It was a method of control that Damian didn’t approve of, as only united couples could have children. Considering how few of their people were left in the world and that they were forced to turn humans in order to gain more vampires in times of war, it seemed a ludicrous law, but it was the law all the same. Damian shook his head. He hadn’t even told Amelia that he loved her yet. It was not the time to be thinking of unions and children, but it was Valentine’s Day and it always did some unpleasant, strange things to his brain. “It turns to mush, that is what it does,” he scolded himself under his breath, as he made his way downstairs toward the council room where he hoped to find Lucius. He was in luck. The master sat reading a book at his desk. “Master, may I have a word?” Damian asked, silently walking into the room before capturing his sire’s attention.

  “Damian, come in. Have a seat,” Lucius offered with a smile. He was battling his mind and heart, trying to decide if he was glad to see the young soldier, as Damian was like a son to him already, or if he dreaded speaking with him because it meant Amelia had done something terrible again. “What can I do for you, my boy?”

  “I would like to ask if you would remove Amelia’s sentence of confinement for one day … today,” he asked, wanting to get the words out before he changed his mind. Lucius raised an eyebrow, sitting silently, waiting for him to continue. “I have decided to tell her how I feel. With your permission, I will take Amelia out of the house for one day, tell her of my feelings and then return her to her period of confinement before midnight.” Damian held his breath for a full two minutes as Lucius stared at him, contemplating whether or not he approved. Lucius had always known of Damian’s feelings for his daughter. He already loved Damian like a son and had turned him into a vampire. He knew there was no other he would wish her to unite with, but it was complicated. He was her guard. She deserved, and needed, to be in confinement.

  Allowing her one day of freedom seemed innocent enough, but once Damian told her of his feelings, she might return them. If her feelings were real, then it would warrant the end of her confinement. If not, she may claim they were in order to be set free. Could he trust her to be honest? Thinking it over, he knew he couldn’t; she had done too much over the years for that to happen. She lied freely to anyone and everyone she could in order to get her own way or to keep herself out of trouble. And being her father seemed to make him a prime target for those lies. She didn’t care who she hurt, or how much they loved her. It couldn’t be allowed.

  “I will grant you this one day, Damian; however, I must insist that Amelia not be set free of her confinement, even if she returns your affection. She cannot be trusted and I would like you to remember that. I do not want her to hurt you again.” Lucius spoke solemnly, scared that his soldier would have his heart broken once again by the deceitful girl he loved. She had taken his human wife from him; she had ruined his life entirely, and whether or not he loved her, she was still dangerous and was never to be trusted u
ntil she could prove herself worthy.

  “Thank you, sire. I understand. May I also ask that another be put on guard for the next hour? I have some arrangements to make.” Damian asked one more favor of the man who had saved his life and it was granted. He was so happy and relieved, that he actually smiled for the first time in many, many years.

  Lucius’ heart turned over at the sight and sunk to the pits of his soul as the young soldier left the room to begin his preparations. As he watched him go, he had an awful feeling that things were not going to work out well. Would Damian forever be alone in the world?

  Amelia was confused by the change of guards. When she had opened her door to plead with Damian one more time, she found Chandler in his place. Although she was confused, she was not ungrateful. The way Damian looked at her was bordering on scandalous, so she invited Chandler into her room—despite his protests—and sat him down in a chair. Then she began her pleas all over again. “I must escape this prison, Chandler. I truly must. I feel as if I cannot breathe here … and Damian … he looks at me so …” she prattled then, seeing the flash of jealousy in his eyes, making her smile. He really was very sweet. He had guarded her often when Damian’s particular talents were needed elsewhere, but she had never really paid him much attention … until now.

  Amelia was about to open her mouth and say more to encourage his jealousy when the door opened and Damian walked in. “Thank you, Chandler. You may return to your duties,” Damian said calmly, as he always did after he had disappeared for God knows how long. Amelia didn’t understand. Damian could be gone for minutes, hours, even days or weeks when Chandler took over his guard duties, but never once had he displayed any kind of emotion toward her. She never knew what he disappeared off to do, and no one was likely to tell her.