I gave a quick shiver, imagining the scene from the perspective of a young child. It must have provoked such horrifying terror in her.
Amrita leaned back again and looking thoughtful she said, “I remember hiding behind Emrys and hanging onto his shirt while squeezing my eyes shut tight whenever Ambrose entered a room we were in, just wishing he would go away. And then when I was about ten or eleven, he left. I have to admit, as sad as it made Emrys, I felt nothing but relief. It wasn’t long after that when I made up my mind to never let myself fall in love. I didn’t want to end up losing my mind if I’d ever lose that love. I made sure no one would even look twice at me, by not only looking bizarre, but as much as was possible, I kept to myself and turned inward.”
“How did you ever end up meeting Larkin then?”
Her eyes lit up at the mention of his name, and she smiled as she remembered back.
“It was just after Emrys had turned me. I believe I was about twenty-seven or so. Larkin had come here as a donor, staying on after one of the gatherings. His half-brother, Rufus invited him, which I am so grateful for!” With a dreamy look in her eyes, she added, “It was love at first sight. Well, to be honest, I first fell in love with his blood.” She chuckled. “I couldn’t believe how his scent drew me in. It was like some kind of animal instinct or something.”
“So he was your personal donor for a while?” I asked.
“Sort of. I mean, back then we still did things the old-fashioned way, and not everyone had a personal donor. It was after he’d professed his love to me and asked me to turn him that I even allowed myself to express my feelings for him. But it took me a long time to come to terms with letting him drink my blood. I was so scared he’d hate me. And then, after he dreamed my memories, and still loved me, that was it! I knew he’d be mine forever. I was amazed that anyone could know and understand me so deeply, and without judgment, still love me. He’s the only one who really knows the real me.”
“Wow. Now that’s a great love story, Amrita!”
She nodded and grinned sheepishly. “He can be a little clingy at times. As I said earlier, he’s always been worried that eventually I’ll fall out of love with him. But nothing short of a sharp blade to my neck will ever keep me away from him. Just don’t tell him I said that,” she added, raising an eyebrow. “Being a tad insecure keeps him on his toes.” She let out a big laugh. “Not really. I love everything about him, Lizzy. I think I have since the day he walked through those big old wooden doors downstairs.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. It was great getting to know my sister-in-law like this, and I knew this was just the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
“I’m so glad you decided to hang out with me tonight, Amrita. I always knew we’d be great friends.”
Amrita wrinkled her forehead and with a surprised look, said, “You did?”
“Well, at least I hoped we would be,” I said, nodding. “I love your brother with my whole heart. He is by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And regardless of your silly insecurities, thinking that it would be impossible for anyone to love you, hiding your real self from everyone you meet; it has to go without saying, that any child who Emrys raised had to turn out to be equally as loveable as he is. He emits so much integrity, so much grace, and strength. Surely he’s been a huge influence in your life, hasn’t he?”
“Of course he has,” she said quickly.
“Well then, look at all the positive things you’ve learned from him. I just don’t get why you would think you’re so unlovable. It must be due to growing up, and not only being ignored by Ambrose, but also being deathly afraid of him. I mean, think about it. First he killed your biological father. Then he sent your mother away. And then he goes completely insane! Shall I go on?” I asked rolling my eyes.
Her head bobbed up and down and she gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling. “I guess you’re right. I always tried to not think about it too much. I knew Emrys loved me, but I also knew he was only my brother, not my parent. We were really close too, but once Ambrose left, which was a great relief for me, not only was Emrys devastated at the loss of his father, but he suddenly became so busy being the new Regent, he simply didn’t have as much time for me anymore. I sure could have used a mother. Hell, even having a sister would have been nice.”
“You’re so right. I’m sure I’d be a different person altogether if I hadn’t been fortunate enough to have Lindy. We were always inseparable.”
I went on to tell her some of our crazy stories, and how we’d scream bloody murder when anyone tried to separate us. Amrita laughed aloud at that one. And then I told her how we’d met Fiona when we were kids, and how she swore the Raven legends were true. I even told her all about the wretched fear I had about leaving Melinda behind once I’d decided to be turned.
“You’re one lucky lady, Lizzy.”
Just then we heard the door close and Emrys’ voice boomed down the hallway. “What was that? My sister is giving me a compliment?” He turned the corner into the living room and had a huge grin on his face. “You think Elizabeth is lucky? Surely you meant because she has such a charming husband!”
“Don’t get a big head there, Brub,” she chuckled. “I was talking about her twin!”
It was cute to watch the siblings joke around with each other like this. I’d only seen them in mixed company or out in public, and they always remained cool and unemotional, certainly never jesting like this. It made me laugh out loud and reminded me of my relationship with Lindy.
Emrys made his way over to me, and bent down to give me a kiss. “Hello wife.”
His sweet lips warmed mine before I had a chance to answer. Pulling back with a sigh, I smiled.
“Hi husband. And yes, you are my lucky charm!”
“Oh, Crikey! Tell him the truth, Lizzy. He’s the lucky one to have you!” Amrita laughed again.
Emrys took a closer look at his sister then, realizing her lack of normal attire and makeup. He faced her directly and said, “My, my, Amrita! You look simply stunning tonight. I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.” He straightened up and cleared his throat, suddenly looking like he wished he could take it back.
“Oh shut it. Don’t be such a wanker!” She rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her un-slicked hair, and added, “I know I look beastly.”
“He’s right, Amrita, and I have to agree. We would never lie to you either. You are beautiful, and I for one, think it’s time you quit hiding behind the masks. You should let everyone else see your true beauty, your real self.”
Amrita gave us both a smirk and rolled her eyeballs again. “Whatever. You guys need your eyes examined.” And under her breath, I heard her mumble something about ‘getting stuffed’.
And there it was. No self-esteem at all. She jumped up, still clutching the old envelope, and said, “Time to go! It’s been great hanging with you, Lizzy. See you guys tomorrow.” And just like that, she flew out the door. No hugs, no goodbyes, nothing emotional at all.
“What was that all about?” Emrys asked, wrinkling his forehead.
“I’m not sure. We were in the middle of a great chat, and it seemed she was even opening up to me. But once we started talking about her looks, it really seemed to agitate her. I wonder if she’s angry now.”
“We have been going around and around about her appearance ever since she was twelve,” he said, shaking his head. “I simply do not understand her need to dress herself up as she does. She is hiding from the world, and it is ridiculous.”
I stood up and put my arms around him. “Well, my husband. I think you hit the nail right on the head. She actually admitted that she’s been hiding. I’m sure it has to do with the loss she feels. And perhaps she’s also attempted to become - and remain unapproachable. I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s just the feeling I get. It would be awesome if she’d come out of hiding more often, that’s for sure. I got a tiny glimpse of the real Amrita tonight though, and it was nice.”
&n
bsp; “Well, perhaps in time she will, Elizabeth. It was good of you to make her feel welcome enough to give you a glimpse. I must admit, I have not seen it in years.”
We spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about our trip to The Hebrides, going over Sibelle’s prophecy, and how much Emrys was looking forward to getting back to our fencing lessons after our brief holiday from them. I wasn’t all that excited myself, but he kept encouraging me to keep up with my practicing and explained once again how important these lessons were - for both of us.
* * *
Even though we hadn’t talked any more about Amrita, later on while I was washing up for bed, I found myself thinking back on my whole evening with her, and about how glad I was that I’d gotten this chance to get to know her better. As I was just about to brush my teeth, the familiar dizziness that always seemed to come right before another vision, swept over me. I closed my eyes and waited: A moment later I saw Amrita descending the main stairway. The scene came as a complete shock: she was wearing a pastel flowery dress. The neckline was scooped but showed no cleavage; the length was just to her knees. She wore her hair down and it was soft looking, rather than the usual slicked back, stark, wet look and it even appeared to be a lighter shade; it framed her face like a beautiful picture. Her eye makeup was light with very little mascara, and her eyes were like two pale blue pools of water. Her lips were glossy pink – and there weren’t any studs or hoops of silver poking out of her face. She looked amazing. As she came down the steps, a bright smile appeared and she glanced toward the main door in the foyer. I couldn’t see who or what her gaze was aimed at, but I knew I’d never seen her looking quite so happy before. And then all of a sudden, the vision snapped off.
All the while I continued my bedtime preparations; I went over the vision in my mind, hoping to remember the details so I could tell Emrys. But by the time I’d finished up, he was half-asleep. I tried to ease into bed, but soon found out that he had other ideas - and the vision of Amrita became the farthest thing from my mind.
As a matter of fact, I didn’t remember to tell Emrys about the vision at all - until the next morning when we were sitting at the breakfast table and Amrita strolled into the room. I wasn’t sure, but it appeared as though she had a bit less makeup on that morning. Her eyes were still lined in black, but not as thickly, and her lipstick appeared to be a lighter shade of red. I didn’t say anything to her, but gave her a warm smile as I waved hello, still chewing my toast. It didn’t matter to me what she looked like or how she dressed, I knew the real Amrita, and I hoped that perhaps one day the rest of our family would get to meet her too. I turned just in time to catch the look on Emrys’ face when he saw her. As subtle as the changes in Amrita were, he’d noticed it too.
“That reminds me, Emrys,” I whispered leaning close to him. “I had another vision last night. This one was about Amrita.”
He nodded thoughtfully as I went over it in my mind. Without saying a word; his expression told me how thankful he was for my presence. I wondered if he thought I had somehow been a positive influence on his sister, and as he reached for the plate of toast, he paused a moment and put his hand on mine, acknowledging my silent question with a quick gentle squeeze.
“Thank-you, my love,” I whispered.
“No. Thank you, my wife.”
CHAPTER 7
HIDE AND SEEK
For the next several months Emrys and I managed to get in four or five fencing lessons per week, and always outdoors during fair weather. Once spring arrived, my preference was to practice where we could feel the sunshine in our faces, the wind in our hair, and the smell of flowers all around, rather than be stuck in the stuffy indoor arena.
We were fortunate to have two gorgeous days in a row, which seemed to be rare in these parts, and we aimed to take full advantage of it. Breathing in the fresh morning air as we stepped outside, I became acutely aware of the heaviness of the new sword that Emrys had recently bought for me. He made a concerned face, frowned, and asked, “Is it too heavy, my love?”
“Not at all,” I said, switching it back and forth from hand to hand. “I’ll get used to it.”
As we made our way to the open area near the pond, Emrys smiled back at me when I lifted my face to him, grinning cheerfully, so happy to be out in the sunshine again. Gazing at the pond, watching the black swans paddling about lazily, I now understood why Amrita felt so inclined to bring these beautiful creatures home. Every now and then one of the birds would rise up and spread his or her wings, displaying the stark white flight feathers that were hidden beneath the pitch-black ones. The stately birds had brilliant red beaks, and when they called to one another their bugle-like sound was most musical.
“You know, my love, the Black Swan is quite monogamous,” Emrys said with a twinkle in his eye. “They mate for life.”
“So I’ve heard - several times now,” I said nodding, still watching and studying them. I spotted three grayish-brown cygnets following close behind one of their parents. Every so often the parent would turn their familiar “S” shaped neck around to check on the young ones. The scene was adorable, and it made me think about the vision I’d had about Melinda. I gave a loud sigh, wishing that it would hurry up and happen soon, and she too, would have three little ones padding about behind her. And as strange as it sounds, it never once occurred to me that anyone else might perceive the adding of three innocent children into the mix with a family of vampires, might, in fact, be a tad dangerous. Except for the fact that we were immortal and had an occasional meal of human blood, we appeared, for the most part anyway, just like any human family on earth.
When we arrived at our favorite fencing area, Emrys instructed me to begin by holding the sword up high over my head to feel the weight of it. Then he had me doing some crazy chopping motions, sometimes stopping halfway down. The monotony set in after a dozen repeats of the same movements, and I became anxious to do something more. When he saw the bored look on my face, he was inclined to explain.
“You must strengthen your arms, Elizabeth. And the only way to learn is to continue to repeat each step. I am quite sure you know what they say about practice.”
“Yeah, yeah. But somehow I doubt I’ll ever be perfect at this. There’s so much to remember.”
“Trust me, my lovely wife. If the need should ever arise, you will remember those things that are the most important. They will be like second nature to you.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned.
Emrys ignored my complaining attitude and just kept teaching. He really had the patience of a saint.
Eventually, we worked on my stance: where to put my feet, when to bend my knees and such. Although it didn’t take long before this too became boring, and I let my arms drop to my sides in frustration.
“Can’t we just have a duel, Emrys?” I asked, feeling fretful and antsy. “I’m so sick and tired of the routine already.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and back again.
“Soon,” he said with a frown. “A bit more training first, then I promise you, we shall duel.”
After several more grueling minutes, we started to practice the blocking of slashes and thrusts and several other basic defensive moves. Finally and not at all surprising to me, the thing that became my favorite part of the duel: offence, or as I like to call it - attack.
I felt exhilarated and in control as I lunged at Emrys, and he simply guarded and blocked my sword, never attacking back.
Now this is fun!
A few times, he seemed to let me get closer to him than I thought necessary, almost as though he wanted me to see what it would feel like to cut into flesh, and when my sword actually did slice into his thigh, he sprang backwards with a jerk.
“What the flaming hell, Emrys! Did you let me cut you on purpose?” I shouted.
“Of course I did.” He grinned mischievously. “You really do not think you can beat me, do you?”
“Probably… not.” I said with a wicked grin. “But I have to adm
it. That felt fantastic!”
Even though I knew he had allowed me to feel the excitement of getting the better of him, I still basked in the thrill of my new skills; I was learning quickly and finally having fun, and my self-esteem continued growing by leaps and bounds.
And, more leaping and bounding we did as we carried on in our duel. I never even got out of breath with all the running and jumping. But I did get even more excited as our duel progressed. I jumped up onto the short brick wall and then, just as quickly, leaped toward him, my sword out ahead of me, blazing vividly in the sunlight. My sword clanged heavy on his and he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his surprise and then he actually started retreating from me.
This is new!
The longer we went on, the more I enjoyed my newfound aggressiveness. Suddenly, by all appearances, it felt like I really did have the upper hand! As I slashed down and inched toward Emrys several times, it caused him to take on an even more serious defensive stance. He blocked all of my advances, of course, but it was unbelievable to see him back away while I continued to advance forward. I didn’t realize how far we had strayed away from the pond and the open area where we had been practicing. Not until I had driven so forcefully at him that he backed himself into a large tree. The look on his face emitted both surprise and pain when his hand smashed up against the thick trunk. He managed to maintain the grip on his sword, although it seemed obvious that letting it drop would have been easier. I had to keep myself from laughing out loud. Not that I enjoyed seeing him hurt or humiliated, but it felt so damn good to finally be the one winning. And by his stunned expression, I was almost positive that this time, it hadn’t been his plan to let me win.
The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set Page 60