by Gayla Twist
“Because.” He tried to squirm out of my grasp. “It wouldn’t be the honorable thing to do.”
“What are you talking about?” I was too filled with desire to be thinking clearly.
“Aurora,” he said, taking me squarely by the shoulders and straightening his arms to put some distance between us. “If you were drunk and passed out in a room and I came in and started touching you, would you think that was honorable?”
“No,” I told him. “I would think that was rape.”
“And if someone slipped a drug into your drink at a party and you were staggering around, not in your right senses?”
“Still rape,” I said. My mother had taught me right from wrong.
“Well, this is kind of the same thing,” he explained.
“No it’s not.” I felt immediately defensive on his behalf. “I am completely conscious and completely sober. Your examples have nothing to do with this.”
“Okay,” he relented, “those were a bit extreme, but you’re so new to being a vampire and your emotions are running very hot.”
“Jessie?” I gave him a steady look. “Do you really think I didn’t desire you when I was a mortal? Because I did. Desperately so. And now I still want you,” I told him, snaking my arms through his, “even more desperately. Why is that so difficult to understand?”
“Damn it, Aurora,” he said, pulling abruptly away from me. “I just think we should wait until we’re married.” And then he stormed off, disappearing into the night.
For a moment I was hurt; he’d rejected me. But then I had to laugh. Jessie was a true gentleman, even if I wasn’t acting like a lady. Part of me knew I was being a little too lascivious, but the rest of me didn’t care. I knew Jessie wanted me. I especially knew it when he was pressed up against me. He wasn’t that much of a gentleman. I figured there had to be a way to bend his steely resolve, if I put my mind to it. Heading into the castle, I immediately set about looking for Gloria.
First I went to the kitchen, but it was devoid of people. Then I poked my head in the small sitting room toward the back of the castle, where the senior staff spent their leisure time. This time I did find someone. “Can I help you, Miss Aurora?” Viggo said, looking up from his book. He was sitting in a massive chair that Jessie had custom made for the giant.
“Hi Viggo. Do you know where Gloria is?” I asked.
“I think she must be in our chambers,” he told me. “She had a small headache and wanted to lie down. Is there something I can get for you?” he asked, half rising from his chair.
“Oh, no… It’s nothing,” I said, raising a hand to prevent him from hauling his massive frame out of such a comfortable position.
“It is not a problem,” he insisted. “Gloria is not feeling vell and you know I would do anything for you,” he said with a grave nod. Viggo and Gloria were madly in love but had been separated due to circumstances I didn’t fully understand. But I had been instrumental in reuniting them and it was a favor that Viggo assured me he would never forget.
“No, that’s perfectly alright,” I said, wishing he would go back to his book. “It’s a girl thing,” I explained.
“Oh.” Viggo nodded, looking a bit pink under the collar.
“So, um… Thank you,” I said, quickly ducking out the door. I liked Viggo and trusted him with my life, but that didn’t exactly mean I wanted to confide in him about my sex life.
I pressed my hand to my cheek and thought about Gloria’s headache as I walked back up the hall, exiting the servant’s portion of the castle. I didn’t like to disturb her, but Viggo had said it was only a small headache.
After a few moments of deliberation, my hormones won out and I headed for Viggo and Gloria’s bedroom. I knew I was being a bit selfish, but I just needed one quick favor. After tapping at the door to the room as quietly as possible while still actually knocking, I waited. If Gloria was asleep, my knock probably hadn’t disturbed her.
It was only a few moments before the door was pulled open. There stood Gloria, the bangs of her dark bob sticking to her forehead. She looked like she was on a boat that was rocking vigorously back and forth and she wasn’t enjoying the motion. “Yes, Colette?” she asked, then quickly corrected herself. “I mean, Aurora?”
“Never mind,” I said, putting up both my hands and shaking my head. “Viggo said you had a headache. I didn’t realize you were actually ill or I would have never disturbed you.”
“It’s okay,” she assured me. “It’s nothing, really.” But then her face turned pale and she quickly grabbed the wastepaper basket by the door and heaved into it.
“You obviously have the flu,” I said. “Should I get Viggo? Or maybe some tea or something? Saltines?”
“It’s not the flu,” Gloria said, setting down her makeshift bucket and then sinking into a rocking chair that was near the door. “It is the best kind of illness.”
“You mean…?” The obvious clues came together in my head. “Gloria, that’s wonderful! I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby.”
“Neither can I,” she told me, one hand on her stomach.
“Viggo must be thrilled.” I wanted to hug her, but didn’t want to risk it. My stomach was starting to growl.
“He is,” she said, closing her eyes for a moment and resting her head on the back of the chair. “We both are. I’m just having some morning sickness.”
I wondered what would happen once they were three. Would they both continue working for the Vanderlinds? It was hard to imagine Viggo leaving Jessie. But that would mean a baby at the castle… Would that be a good thing? It would breathe some new life into the medieval structure. But would it be healthy for the child?
“Well, I’m sorry I disturbed you,” I said, backing away as I spoke.
“No, please do not worry about it. You must tell me how I can be of assistance.” When I still looked hesitant, she said, “I insist.”
“Well…” I suddenly felt very foolish with my plans for seduction, but Gloria was looking at me with very understanding eyes. “It’s just that, now that I’m a vampire, I want to be with Jessie.” I knew that if I wasn’t a member of the undead, my cheeks would be bright red. “And he’s insisting that we should wait until marriage. But I don’t think I can wait that long. And I don’t know what the future holds…”
Gloria’s eyes were impassive, but she gave me an encouraging nod.
“So I thought that maybe if I could…” Here came the super embarrassing part. “I thought maybe if I could find some sexy lingerie or something, then maybe…”
“Maybe you could win him over to your point of view?” Gloria suggested.
“Yes. Exactly.” We were obviously on the same page.
“Oh.” Gloria’s Cupid’s bow mouth pulled down into a small frown. “Under any other circumstances I would say no,” she said, her voice matter-of-fact. “I would encourage a young lady to wait and get to know the gentleman better. And definitely seek a reliable source of birth control. But given your situation…” She lifted her slim shoulders. “I do not see the harm.”
“So is there a way you can maybe go to the mall tomorrow or something? I don’t want to wait, and ordering online usually takes a few days.”
Gloria thought it over. “I may have just the thing.” She opened the door a little wider. “Come in.”
The room was much larger than you see in the movies when you get to see into the servants’ quarters. And the furnishings were quite pretty. There was a large bed, extra-long, which was obviously another custom piece. Plus there was all the usual furnishings of bedside tables, bureaus and dressing tables, all done in an attractive reddish wood. I didn’t know the names of many of many of the woods used in furniture building, but I was willing to bet it was mahogany. The walls were painted in a pretty pale rose and there was three different light fixtures, but no windows. The castle was seriously lacking in windows, but I guess that was how they built them back in the day.
I was curious to see th
at there were pocket doors leading to another room. The doors were closed, but I had to assume they led to some type of living room. I doubted it was a kitchen. I had to wonder why they chose to make the room closest to the door the bedroom and put the sitting room further back. I probably would have done the opposite, but I guess they had their reasons.
Gloria went over to a large armoire and started rooting around inside. “I have the loveliest nightgown that is way too long for me,” she said, her voice half muffled. “I’m sure it will look lovely on you.” She straightened up and unfurled a delicate piece of cream silk and froth. “I ordered it online, but never got around to returning it. I’ve never even worn it.”
“It’s lovely,” I exclaimed. I had half thought I needed some garters and a push up bra, but I instantly realized that was all wrong for Jessie. He was a little old fashioned and I was sure he would prefer lingerie that was more traditional. The fabric was gossamer thin and the lace work around the bodice seemed impossibly fine.
“Then I insist you take it,” Gloria said, holding it out to me.
“Can I at least repay you for what it cost?” I asked, reaching for the fabric.
Gloria shook her head, her mouth firm, conveying that she would tolerate no protests. “It’s the least I can do after all you done for Viggo and me.”
I held the gown up to the front of me and looked down. The thing would have been like a tent on the petite Gloria, but it would hug me in all the right places. “It’s perfect,” I whispered. Jessie wasn’t going to know what had hit him.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better,” Gloria said while she moved across the room to perch on the edge of the bed. I could tell she was still feeling queasy. “Viggo told me about… He told me about Daniel and Mr. Vanderlind. It sounds so terrifying. I’m so glad you survived.”
“Well, I didn’t really survive,” I said and we exchanged a look.
“Yes, that is a shame, but at least you will be able to spend eternity with the man you love. That is no small gift,” she said, rubbing her hands over her still flat stomach.
“Yes. That’s something I know very well.” I could still remember the anguish Colette felt; that I felt, knowing I would be separated from Jessie forever. I was so lucky that Alice had turned me, even if she hated me for being the cause of the loss of her eldest son.
Alice shifted uncomfortably and I could see her eyes seeking the wastepaper basket.
“Here,” I said, snatching it up from the floor and thrusting it toward her.
“Thank you,” she said in a clenched voice.
I knew I shouldn’t stay any longer. She needed her rest. And I had a vampire to seduce. “Thank you for this lovely negligee,” I told her. “Can I get you anything before I go?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Just the quiet helps.” At least that explained why Viggo was nowhere nearby while his wife was battling nausea.
I slipped out the door and hurried back to my room. The negligee was so pretty. It looked like something Guinevere would have worn when she snuck away to meet Lancelot. — If she had been very, very immodest. — I didn’t dare put it on without bathing first, so I filled the bath and added plenty of bubbles.
Most perfumes churn my stomach, so I didn’t bother with a lot of fragrance. I did enjoy a lovely twenty minutes in the tub, fantasizing just how delicious it was going to be when Jessie and I were together. I knew that seducing him was not a very mortal Aurora thing to do. But I wasn’t that person anymore. And if my newly discovered vampire hormones were what was driving my actions, then I was happy to let them take control for a while.
It wasn’t just that I was horny; I was a teenager, I knew what it was to be all worked up over some guy. It was also that I craved the intimacy. Jessie and I were soul mates. That had been proven to me without a shadow of a doubt. And I didn’t think it was that bizarre to want a little tangible proof of our connection. Especially with the threat of the Bishops looming over our heads. What if they locked us both in coffins for a hundred years? Didn’t we deserve a few pleasurable memories to survive on?
By the time I was fully ready to seduce my boyfriend, the sun was starting to rise. That suited my plans perfectly. I knew that Jessie would be headed to his room for the day. Selecting my terry cloth robe to disguise my negligee, I wrapped it around me and slipped out into the hall.
“Come in,” Jessie called after I tapped at his door. I entered his room to discover him in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit which fit him to perfection, a gray-blue shirt and the tie had dashes of blue and aquamarine ingeniously blended into a traditional diagonal stripe. “Did you find my grandfather’s cufflinks?” he asked without looking around.
“No,” was my reply. Why was he asking about cufflinks?
“Oh,” he said in surprise after catching sight of me in the reflection. “Aurora.” He frowned for a moment and then said, “I was expecting Viggo.”
Taking heed of how Viggo arriving would interfere with my plans, I turned and quickly locked the door.
“Why did you do that?” Jessie wanted to know.
I turned back to him, feeling nervous and excited and embarrassed and incredibly lustful, all at the same time. I knew I was behaving in a very un-Aurora way, but that was the mortal Aurora. “Because I don’t want us to be disturbed,” I told him. With that, I let the robe drop to the floor.
“Oh,” Jessie said, the word catching in his throat. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were riveted to my body.
I knew the negligee was the perfect choice. It hugged my breasts and then skimmed over my tummy to cling to my hips. I knew Jessie was a strong man. And I knew he was a brave man. But I was pretty sure I could break his resolve.
“I wanted to speak to you,” I said, taking a step closer to him.
“About what?” he asked, his voice breaking. He took a tentative step toward me.
“About us being together,” I said moving to stand right in front of him.
“What about it?” he gulped.
“Jessie, I know you’ll just say I’m acting this way because I’m a fledgling vampire but…” I leaned forward just enough so that the tips of my breasts were touching his chest. Then I involuntarily sucked in a little gasp. That small amount of contact sent lightning bolts of pleasure shooting straight to the core of me.
“Aurora,” Jessie whispered, looking down at me. He was just so handsome with his dark hair and his full lips. I couldn’t wait to feel them pressing against me.
“Yes,” I said, turning up my face, waiting to be kissed.
But instead he took a step back. Reaching into the breast pocket of his suit jacket, he pulled out a small box. Then he dropped to one knee, flipped open the box and held it out to me. Looking up at me with his fathomless gray eyes he said, “Miss Aurora Keys, will you marry me?”
Chapter 9
“I… You… I…” I stammered. I’d been completely caught off-guard and my emotions were flying every which way.
“Is that a yes?” Jessie asked, with an amused grin playing about his lips. “Or a no?”
“Of course it’s a yes,” I said, flinging myself into his arms. He obviously wasn't prepared because he tumbled over backward and I landed on top of him.
“Oh Jessie,” I said, tears springing to my eyes. “I just love you so much.” And then we were kissing and it was wonderful.
“Do you like the ring?” Jessie asked when we finally broke our embrace. “I had it designed for you, especially. It was a rush order, though, so if you don’t like it, we can always get you something else.”
I took a moment to actually look at the ring. There was a large center stone that twinkled brilliantly, so I assumed it was a diamond. Around that was a ring of smaller stones that gave off a warm glow of changing colors as they were illuminated by the light off diamond. “It’s so beautiful,” I gasped. “What are the smaller stones? Pools of light?” I asked. The first piece of jewelry Jessie ha
d ever given me was a pools of light pendant. It was a piece of crystal so perfect that it glowed in the sunshine and refracted every image if you held it up to your eye.
“Actually, they’re moonstones,” Jessie said, propping himself up on an elbow to join me in looking at the ring. “Flawless ones, of course, that’s how you get that iridescent glow. It’s all set in platinum. I spoke to the jeweler about possibly incorporating pools of light in the ring, but he said it would be virtually impossible to cut the crystals down to the right size and shape. He suggested that very high quality moonstones would give the glow that I was looking for.”
It’s like the Aurora Borealis,” I said, admiring the dancing colors.
“Yes,” he said with a nod. “Aurora. Like you.”
I slipped the ring on my finger and it fit perfectly. More tears started welling in my eyes. “It’s the most wonderful thing in the world,” I told him. “I would have said yes if you’d proposed with a cigar band, but this is just so beautiful.”
“It’s not nearly as beautiful as you,” Jessie said, kissing me softly. “I just wanted to propose with something very special, so that you would know how much I love you.”
We kissed again and as the kiss deepened, I started tugging at Jessie’s tie to loosen it. “Why are you wearing a suit?” I wanted to know.
Jessie looked surprised, his dark eyebrows lifting high on his forehead. “Isn’t that what a man usually wears when he proposes?”
I fell into his arms and we kissed some more. I knew that he probably had something very romantic planned, as far as the proposal, and I’d ruined it by trying to seduce him in his room, but lying on the rug with our bodies entwined still felt like the perfect moment anyway.
Another thought occurred to me. “If you were going to propose, why did you want to wear your grandfather’s cufflinks?” Jessie’s grandfather had been a sociopath who had murdered numerous people. He’d also turned all of his offspring into vampires so that he wouldn’t have to be alone, which was about the most selfish thing I could imagine any human being doing.