"You look good in a smile," he teased. "You should wear it more often."
When we arrived at Ms. Wilson's house people were already flocking toward the back yard. She has a huge antebellum style house on the opposite end of town. As we approached the front door where she was busy greeting other guests she stopped in mid sentence to stare at Dracula. I must admit, even with half his face covered, he was quite the sight.
"Betty," he purred as he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. "How have you been?"
"Oh," she said, fanning herself profusely. "I'm just fine, just fine. I'm so glad you could come," she said, beaming at us both.
We followed the rest of the crowd through the house. Small white tables were sprinkled about the large back yard with matching wicker chairs and white tablecloths. There was a lovely tea set on each table, all with different expensive looking patterns and a small bouquet of fresh wildflowers. It was pretty much like her usual spring tea party set up, except for the rows and rows of lanterns strung through the large oak trees. There were also white candles lit on each table.
Dracula and I found a nice spot underneath the same tree where Richard and I had sat with Elijah last year. Ms. Wilson stood up to give her usual welcome speech, and while he watched her, I took the opportunity to get a good look at him. His left side was turned to me, and underneath the glow of the lanterns circles were visible underneath his eyes. His skin seemed paler than usual, and I was afraid. Dracula had never had the ghastly parlor of death, no matter what the legends say, but he did tonight. He was still heartbreakingly gorgeous, but having seen him at his best, I noticed the difference.
"His life is in your hands," Mathias had said. His voice kept playing over and over again in my mind. "Not without a price," I kept hearing. I looked down at my hands. Life or death, why couldn't it be as simple as left or right? But why was he dying? Holy water burns wouldn't kill him. As I sat there wracking my brain for answers Kat, Judas, and Elijah all stopped by to say hello. Dracula spoke, but I could barely manage a smile.
When it was time to go, after a lengthy conversation with Ms. Wilson he led me to the car and said, "Tell me what is wrong with you, or we are not leaving this spot."
When I didn't immediately respond he crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I have all night."
If I lied he would know it, but I couldn't tell him the truth. I took several deep breaths before saying, "I've reconsidered."
"Reconsidered what?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Remember when you told me that you and Marco had made a deal? You said that you had agreed not to touch me as long as I was his, but if I went to you willingly, he wouldn't seek revenge."
"Yes," he said quietly, "I remember."
"Well, what if I've reconsidered?"
"I am sorry, my angel, but I do not follow."
"I've given it a lot of thought, and I love Marco," I nearly choked, but made myself say, "But, I can't live without you either."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if I decide to spend the night with you sometime, I hope the offer still stands."
"Of course."
He cranked the car, and we were several minutes away from the party before he asked, "Why would you make this decision now? Are you not happy with the werewolf?"
"Yes," I said. "But … something's still missing."
That wasn't entirely a lie, and whether or not he believed it, Dracula didn't ask any more questions. He didn't ask if I was still seeing Marco, or any other questions I wouldn't have been able to contain if I were him. He just sat there, so still he didn't even blink. When he took me home, he walked me to the front door and didn't even try to kiss me goodnight.
He was halfway down the steps before he turned back and said, "Do you pity me?"
"No."
And that was the end of the conversation. He got in the car and drove away.
* * * *
We didn't speak after that except for rehearsal, and that's where we were a week later when Kat came running up the center aisle. She looked pale, and I saw Alek stop her. She was telling him something, and she was frantic, but I couldn't hear.
In the scene we had been rehearsing Dracula was wearing a tight red suit with long coattails and a flowing red cape. He leapt over the lights on the front of the stage and I watched as the cape billowed behind him. He took Kat by the hand and sat down with her on the front row. The mask he was wearing for this scene was a skull, but even through that I could see he wanted me to join them. I took the stairs at the side of the stage, walking quickly to them, but being careful not to trip on my dress.
Alek yelled for everyone to rehearse the ballet from act three.
As I approached I heard Kat saying, "It was just laying there in front of the shop. I called Marco, but he wasn't there. I didn't know what else to do. I knew you were both here, so I just came as quick as I could."
"What was laying there?" Dracula asked.
"A dead deer," she said, nearly gagging. "But it wasn't just dead; its guts were ripped out."
Kat made a face and I wondered if I should fetch her something to be sick in besides the front row.
"Like something had been eating it?" Alek asked.
"No, like someone disemboweled it on my doorstep," she said.
Kat started crying and Dracula put his arm around her. He rubbed her back a few times, murmuring words of comfort before turning back to me and Alek. "This is a message," he said to me. I knew without more of an explanation he meant it could have been Kat. They knew who I was, and they knew who my friends were. I was torn between relief that it hadn't been her and anger that anyone would dare threaten my friend.
"Who would deliver a fucking sick ass message like that?" Kat said, her voice muffled by Dracula's collar.
"Not here," the vampire cautioned.
He helped Kat to her feet and with a hand on her elbow, began guiding us toward his office. Alek spread his arms behind me as if to usher us more quickly through the hall. He acted like he was afraid the dressing rooms had ears, and maybe they did.
Once we were inside and the lock secured behind us, Dracula explained to Kat what was going on. He paced as he spoke, his long red cape dragging the floor behind him.
"Were you alone?" he asked.
"Yes, I was alone all day. Katie and Mary both took the day off. It was just me inside," Kat explained.
"You were inside while they did this?"
"Yes," she said, shuddering like she had a chill. "And I didn't hear a thing."
Dracula listened while Kat told him how her day had gone. Nothing sounded suspicious. He propped against the desk with his arms crossed, one hand underneath his chin. Considering the skull mask he was wearing, the sight was quite imposing.
When she was finished he said, "Do not go back there for any reason."
Kat didn't like to be ordered around. The fact that she didn't argue said volumes about how scared she was.
"Call your employees; tell them to take the week off." He knelt down and took Kat's hands in his. She was shaking. "I will pay you to not go back there," he said with a smile, attempting to lighten her mood.
"Thanks," she said, "but I'd stay at home for free."
"I insist," he said. "I will pay Katie and Mary too, just keep them away from the shop. I believe this was only a message to me, but I will take no chances."
I sat on the sofa with Kat, and she sipped the drink Alek made for her. We waited in silence while Dracula called Marco. He put the call on speaker so everyone could hear. Marco answered on the second ring. He had been in the shower when Kat called. When Dracula explained the situation to him they made arrangements for Kat's protection. Judas would stay with her, and several werewolf guards would take turns watching her house until the situation with the vampires could be resolved. Marco also arranged for Elijah to stay with him and Luther. Since Elijah was a new werewolf he wasn't sure he could handle himself well enough to survive an attack, and he was convinced tha
t if they had seen Kat, they had seen Elijah. Marco asked for a private word with him and Dracula picked up the receiver.
After he hung up the phone he turned to us and said, "That only leaves you, my angel."
"Me?"
"If they know who your friends are, then they know where you live. You cannot go back there," he said reasonably.
"I'll go to club Red."
"That is the next place they would look."
"Then where am I supposed to go?"
?
Chapter Nine
I couldn't go home with Kat since that would just put her in more danger.
"Can't I just hide in the dungeon with Alek?" I asked.
"The wizard has been seen alone these past weeks, so I do not think they have associated him with you yet."
"It would stand to reason," Alek agreed. "I go out during the day, and return in the early morning. They wouldn't be able to watch me."
Dracula nodded his agreement as he said, "According to Mason they have no daytime spies."
He turned back to me then and his cape made a soft swishing sound as he took a step forward. "Stay with me, my angel. There is no safer place."
I believed him.
"But what about Marco?" I asked softly.
"It was his suggestion."
I raised an eyebrow as I asked, "Can I at least pack some clothes?"
"I will take you in the morning."
When I looked confused he explained, "It is supposed to rain. I can go out around noon and be fine. They cannot. We will need to hurry."
After rehearsal that night, Alek drove Kat home and I went back down to Dracula's castle. I had changed back into my jeans and t-shirt, and I was cold. He hadn't changed yet and I watched his back with the long red cape spilling about him. There was no safer place on earth than with Dracula. No one else knew where he slept, and the entrance was blood-coded. If I ever left, I couldn't get back in without him. Marco loved me and would fight to the death to protect me, but even the wolf king could not offer this kind of security.
Once we were safely inside I followed the vampire to his bedroom. I took a seat on the massive bed and watched from the back as he walked over to a small table with a white marble top. Here he removed his mask and cufflinks, as well as a long black scarf. On his way past me he flung the cape across the foot of the bed and walked into a large closet on the opposite end of the room. Dracula's bedroom was big enough to fit an entire one and a half story house. I hadn't even noticed the two connecting doors on the left until then.
For the next several minutes I sat staring numbly into the empty fireplace. I couldn't believe someone had threatened Kat's life and I couldn't even run to Marco for comfort. We were still seeing each other. He had still been spending the night at my house. Why would he suggest I come to Dracula? Then I remembered I had my cell phone in my pocket and I called and asked him.
"Why here?" I said after he asked if I was alright.
"Because I can't offer his kind of security."
"But he's the one they're out to get," I insisted.
"Can you think of a safer place?"
"No." I couldn't.
"Then try to relax. We'll handle this. Neither one of us is taking any chances with you, nor can I think of anything safer than an underground fortress."
As usual, Marco made a lot of sense. He told me he loved me and we said goodnight. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable with Dracula. It didn't even bother me that I was in his bedroom. However, the fact that these things didn't bother me made me question whether or not I had any business there.
When he walked back out of the closet Dracula was dressed once again in black silk pajama pants and a long flowing robe. I also noticed he had completely covered the right side of his face with a black mask. It fit around his head with a band, like an eye patch, but the material was soft to the touch and had an opening for his eye. While I reached out to touch the mask he handed me a matching silk robe.
"You can sleep in this," he said softly. "Unless you prefer your own skin."
"I prefer a bath," I said, offering him a weary smile.
"Right this way."
Dracula's bathroom was as big as my bedroom and bathroom combined. Along one wall was a vanity with white marble counter tops and two sinks which were also marble. All of the fixtures were made of gold. There was one long mirror which ran the length of the counter top. The lighting strip above the mirror had bulbs like you'd expect to see in a dressing room, but they were much softer. Even the toilet was marble, with a golden handle.
At the back of the room against the wall was the biggest tub I had ever seen. It was in the shape of an oval. The tub was also white marble. It sat on a platform which elevated it from the floor enough to require two steps up. The area all around the tub was tiled, including a section to the left that was sort of like a tiled shelf. It was large enough that you could sit on it, but not stretch out completely. Dracula had many candles scattered over the tiles here, and he lit them while he turned to me and said, "The towels are in the linen cabinet behind you, my angel."
When I opened the linen cabinet I found his towels neatly stacked into sections of black and white. I would have arranged them the same way and it made me smile. I selected a black towel and washcloth and put them on the closed toilet seat. Dracula began filling the tub as he turned to me and said, "Would you like something to drink? I am unaccustomed to guests. We will have to shop for food tomorrow."
"That's alright. I couldn't eat anyway, but a drink would be nice."
He bowed slightly and left me to undress.
I stripped down and got in the tub while it finished filling. The water was warm, and I could smell that he had added vanilla bath oil while I wasn't looking. The candles gave the room a soft inviting glow and I decided to turn off the lights in order to enjoy it more fully. I stepped back out of the tub and padded over to flip the switch. I felt a little calmer, standing there in the dim light.
I climbed back into the tub and watched the reflection of the small flames dance across the water. Yes, the scenery was very pleasant, but I was worried about Dracula. He looked awful. He was paler than I had ever seen him and it scared the shit out of me. When the water reached my shoulders I shut it off, took the extra towel Dracula had put by the tub and folded it underneath my neck.
I had to know what was wrong. If Dracula wouldn't just come out and tell me, that left me only one other choice. I closed my eyes and began to breathe deeply. The scented bath oil helped to soothe me further. And the semi-darkness of the room worked to my advantage as well.
Within a matter of minutes I had fallen into a trance.
"Mathias?"
"Yes, child?"
"What's wrong with him? And don't give me any bullshit. Dracula looks awful. You said his life was in my hands. What were you talking about? What do I have to do?"
"I see," he said after several minutes. "The vampire grows more and more pale?" he asked.
"Yes."
"He has lost his appetite," he said simply.
"For blood? But he can feed from people's desires," I insisted.
"For blood and indeed for the desires of others." He sighed. "He pines for you, but it is more than your desire he craves."
"Are you telling me Dracula is dying for lack of love?"
"Your love," he corrected. "Even the strongest cannot live without nourishment, my child … and you are his."
"But I do love him," I said softly. "Do I just need to tell him?"
"Show him," Mathias said. "No amount of words will give him what he needs."
"How did he survive without me?"
"Miserably," he answered. "A dream of you has kept him alive since I first mentioned you to him many years ago." When I didn't speak for several heartbeats Mathias explained, "A part of you belongs with him, just as a part belongs with the werewolf. It is not a matter of decision," he said patiently, "it is a matter of the heart."
"What the hell does that mean?"
>
"Can you go somewhere and leave your heart behind?" he asked.
"No."
"Then you cannot live without him. Do not wait too long to act, my dear. Eternal love is something you can never get back. The vampire himself can testify that no amount of longing will raise the dead."
I was snapped out of my trance by Dracula's cold hand against my face. I jumped.
"Sorry," he said. "I thought you might have fainted."
"It's alright," I said, sitting up to take the glass of red wine he offered.
When he turned to leave I reached out to stop him, but stopped just short of contact.
"Please, don't go. Whatever this awkwardness is between us let's end it now. I have never pitied you, nor am I repulsed by the sight of you. Whatever you're thinking, it's wrong."
"I think I hold you prisoner."
"Then I am a willing captive," I whispered fervently.
"Then why did you call the werewolf?" he asked sadly.
"Because I love him and I miss him." I wasn't going to lie to Dracula.
He turned to leave again and I stood up and reached for him. When I touched his shoulder he froze, but he didn't face me.
"If you suffer for my love, then you suffer needlessly. I have loved you long before I ever saw your face. You can hide it from me all you like, but you're still the man of my dreams, no matter what you look like." He glanced over his shoulder and I continued, "I couldn't tell you before because I was scared to death. I'm afraid of loving you."
"Afraid that you do, or that you might?"
"Both," I answered.
"Ah," he said, moving closer. It was damn hard to think with him this close. "If you think you could love me, then by all means do not hold back."
I must have looked surprised.
"I am a grown man, remember? I can take it. The worst thing that you could do would be to stop yourself now. Think of all of the people you have loved and how it has changed you. For good or bad, it has made you the woman you are today. As you have said to me, you may be bent a little, but you have not yet broken."
A Dream Forbidden (Lillith Mercury ) Page 7