by J Wells
“Do you fancy joining me?” I ask. “I’m going to grab a couple of hours shuteye.”
“I’d love to, but I must stay here and keep the sun hidden well behind the clouds.”
“Why?” I ask, squinting up at the sky.
“Daylight yes, sunlight no.”
“Tristan, I don’t understand.”
“For now the vampires have a reprieve from darkness, but they can’t stay out in the sunlight, for her brilliance shines down from the heavens. They will turn to ashes, die and burn in hell.”
I gasp, and my mouth falls open.
“I will tell them, Rose, just not today. Let Lucian and Jazlynn have their night, their masquerade, their dream. What’s say we leave Lucian and his family to enjoy their afternoon? My power can maintain the cloud cover and keep the sun at bay.”
I hear his long breath as his gaze falls into my eyes.
“There is a lot that needs to be said, but not now, not today.”
I nod in agreement.
“Tomorrow?” he murmurs.
I nod again and smile. He lifts my hands to his lips, and still looking into my eyes he places the softest of kisses on my cheek. He lowers my hand to my side and turns.
“See you later,” he calls over his shoulder.
I watch in awe as his wings extend, pristine and white as they flutter in the breeze. I can’t help but laugh as he takes Lucian completely off guard. Clasping him under his arm, he runs a few steps and takes flight. I can hear Lucian’s cries, but they are cries of elation. Clutched beneath Tristan’s arm, like a shooting star they rise and then disappear. The clouds close behind them and they are gone.
I toss and turn beneath the bedcovers. I can hear loud voices and squeals of laughter coming from below, and through the flickering candlelight I can just make out a face.
“Tristan,” I whisper.
He lies at my side.
“I’m beat,” he grumbles between yawns, rubbing his hand over his eyes. “I’ve taken Lucian on the ride of his life. If he doesn’t have long left to live, at least he’s seen the wonders of the world. We sat chatting, scoffing sandwiches on the Great Wall of China…”
He opens his mouth to continue, but sleep gets in the way. Being careful not to wake him, I pull up the covers around his shoulders, slip out of bed and tiptoe away, though the creaks of the wooden floorboards give me away. I see Tristan jump and he sits up.
“Yes? What?” he babbles.
Offering no reply, I walk towards the door. On leaving the Iris bedchamber, I turn and smile to myself, for he is sleeping once more.
“Sweet dreams,” I whisper as I close the door.
I follow the high-pitched voices that lead me to the dining room, where six beautiful ladies sit at the table between men dressed in black and grey tuxedos. The women wear gowns in every imaginable colour, and I scan the electric blues, dusty pinks and scarlets in crushed satin. Jazlynn’s dress is breathtaking, high necked and fastened with the tiniest of buttons. My eyes lower and see that the bodice is overlaid with patterned white lace. My gaze follows the length of her sleeve, her wrist, her hand. I smile, for it is clasped within Lucian’s as they sit side by side.
Her eyes almost leap upon seeing me, and she springs to her feet. Her fingers grasp the plush material of her dress, which she lifts from the floor. I can’t help but admire her dainty white shoes as she runs to greet me. My body almost folds as she jumps up, clasping her arms around my neck.
“I brought you a gown and Tristan a tux; they’re perfect. They’re in the Honeysuckle room, laid out on the bed,” she babbles.
Releasing my neck, she grabs my hands and it seems that the room transforms into a colourful kaleidoscope as with lengthening arms we spin round and round.
“Rose, you must join us.”
My feet falter as she drags me towards the diners. Grinning up at me from the table, Caspar pulls out a chair and beckons me to sit down. The table is dressed perfectly, with flickering candlelight and only the best silverware.
Clearing his throat, Lucian stands at the head of the table. All heads turn as he straightens his cravat and sips wine from his glass. Placing its wide stem down, he addresses the room.
“Family, we have but an hour to eat, and then…”
I see his eye move to Jazlynn, who has re-seated herself to his side.
“Then … let the masquerade begin.”
For a split second he appears unsteady on his feet, and I see his hand reach down and rest on the cap of Jazlynn’s shoulder. She passes him a sideward glance and places her hand over his.
“Spring roll?” Caspar pipes up, catching my attention.
He lays a foil tray before my plate and passes me a fork. I peer into his eyes and pause for a moment. I can hardly believe this is the same man who only hours ago had dragged me by the hair, yet now is acting like the perfect gentleman, all smiles and politeness.
“Thank you,” I utter as he places a couple of spring rolls onto my plate.
“I want to thank you, Rose, for it was because of you that I went into the forest and felt able to stand in the daylight.” His smile stretches almost from ear to ear.
Between bites I listen and try to piece together their conversations. Reggie’s voice booms out above them all as he tells Harrold of the trees he climbed and the Chinese lanterns he placed between branches before lighting their candles. Jazlynn is like a ball of excitement; rocking on her chair, she titters on about the nearby town and Francesca’s Boutique with its rails and rails of prom dresses and tuxedos to choose from. Not quite nineteenth century, I think to myself, but she doesn’t seem to care. In fact, none of them seems to care; tonight is the night the vampires will party.
My teeth crunch as I bite into a crispy batter ball. It appears they like their Chinese cuisine as I gaze around the table into near-empty foil trays. I sit with my hands in my lap; for about half an hour I lose myself in their conversations. As one by one they leave the table, I stand, excuse myself and head back to the bedchamber where I left Tristan to sleep. So as not to wake him, I tiptoe through the door. But the bed lies empty.
“Tristan! Tristan!” I call out.
I leave the empty room behind me, knowing I haven’t long to dress. I read the plaque stating the names of pretty flowers on every door I pass. It would have been so much easier if they had been alphabetical, and it must have taken me ten minutes of searching before I finally reach the Honeysuckle bedchamber. I turn the handle and walk inside.
A bright glare of candlelight forces me to close my eyes, and I squint through my lashes.
“Tristan…”
He stands before me, naked, every rippling muscle, every chiselled edge of his face and body on show. To his side sits a copper bath from which steam rises.
“Close the door, why don’t you?” He laughs, rolling his eyes.
Hurriedly I step back, closing the wooden door. The floor, the four-poster bed and all of the other furniture are lavished with the most beautiful crimson rose petals, and with every breath I take I inhale their sweet fragrance.
“Come here…” His voice is but a whisper as he beckons me with his finger.
I can feel my heart pounding. With each tiny footstep I close the gap between us. All six of the pearl buttons on my dress fall to the floor as his fingers rip the material, tearing it from my body as if it is no more than paper. He crouches before me and I place my hands on his head, which he lowers between my breasts before unclipping the metal hooks of my bra. His tongue leaves a trail of moist patterns as his kisses make their way from my waist to my groin. He inserts his fingers into each side of my lace panties, and I wriggle my ass until they fall to the floor. I feel the firmness of his arms as he places them beneath me. I glance down into the copper bath, its waters masked by a collage of petals. I close my eyes against his chest. My breaths are taken and I gasp as I feel him lower me into the hot scented water.
I sink down so that my shoulders are submerged. The vibrant petals cove
r my curves, leaving Tristan’s eyes the task of using their imagination. His mind has the artistic flair to draw me, and his body the hard edge and desire to take me. The waters rise as he lowers himself behind me. I can feel his hardening penis rubbing against the inside of my thigh. Gently lifted by his hands, I cry out as he lowers and places me onto his erection. He lifts my ass, sliding me up and down his length. My groans rise and mingle with the warm steam. We are as one. My shoulders relax upon feeling his kisses, which he leaves to linger against the nape of my neck. He pinches my hips softly between the tips of his fingers. Water swills over the edge of the bath as his thrusts become more demanding. I gaze down at the waves we make together, the rise and fall of the water and the pretty patterns of the rose petals decorating its surface. His open-mouthed kisses quieten my orgasmic cries as the water cools around us. As I lie back in his arms, we reflect on our love for each other.
The delicate candlelight from the Chinese lanterns highlights each step we take as we head towards the riverbank. I take Jazlynn’s hand as I seek out the perfection of her profile and the beautiful black locks that decorate it. We have an hour until the masquerade begins; plenty of time, I think to myself with an unnoticed smirk.
Candles shine from a round-topped table that sits on the bank only feet from the fast-flowing waters.
“The food of love awaits us,” I tell her.
Through fronds of her dark hair she smiles up into my eyes as I guide her towards the table, where two wooden chairs sit in wait. I pull one out from its confines and she lowers herself onto it. Taking a step back, I stand directly behind her and watch how tentatively her fingers move towards a tray filled with oysters. Her long black tresses part as she leans forward and I admire her gown on which tiny pearl buttons glisten. My eyes follow each one as they run down the length of her spine. My desire is to rip them from her, but that is a pleasure I will enjoy later.
I seat myself opposite Jazlynn. Swallowing a salty oyster, I look directly into her eyes.
“The manor house I’ve talked of in Derby … well, I’ve pulled a few strings and it’s ours. We can have our perfect life above ground.”
The whites of her eyes almost glow.
“Oh, Lucian.”
She rises from her chair slightly and throws her arms across the table and around my neck. I pull back, enabling our lips to meet, though her giggles and blushes prevent our kiss. I jump, knocking over the uncorked wine with my elbow.
“Red wine!”
I gasp as I look at the bodice of her dress and see a few drops bleed into its virginal white lace. I smile to myself.
“Jazlynn, undress and I’ll wash it off.”
I don’t give her time to answer, but scurry round the table. I brush her hair over her shoulders and my fingers fumble as I undo each tiny button in turn. I inch my head forwards until my lips can almost taste the nape of her neck. I open my mouth and kiss her; her skin tastes sweet. I push the lacy arms of her gown down over her shoulders; I hear her gasps and feel her pull away.
Giggling, she turns, then runs off and hides behind a tree. I stand and wait. I can hear her muffled laughter, but can see nothing. Then her arm reaches out, her gown clasped between her fingertips like a white flag.
“Here, Lucian,” she calls out to me.
I know she stands there in merely her underwear, and my mind can picture every curve, her small breasts, her hips… I lick my lips. Her giggles tell me she teases me. I rip my cravat from my neck before placing my shirt trousers and jacket over the back of the chair; then I step out of my boxers, which I place on the seat. With a chocolate-coated strawberry between my teeth, I walk on tiptoes; I want to be her surprise tonight. My penis is aroused at the thought of her body against mine, and with every step it hardens.
I stop at the side of the thick trunk, reach behind and take her wrist. She screams, and without hesitation I pull her closer, attempting to kiss and pass on the sweet chocolate strawberry. My teeth lose their grip and it falls to the floor as she throws her head from side to side, her screams growing louder.
“No, Lucian!”
I loosen her wrist and drop my arms. She stands before me in only the tiniest pair of panties and clasps her hands over her breasts. Her face wears a look of embarrassment.
“I thought you loved me?” I turn, gesturing towards the table with my hand. “I wanted everything tonight to be perfect. My plan was for us to have dinner this evening, for us to make love, and for you to get your long-awaited dance at the masquerade.”
“I do love you, but…” She pauses. “I’m not your lady, we have not walked out together, we are not wed. Lucian, what will the family think of me? I will be disgraced.”
“Jazlynn, open your eyes, this is what people do today. They show their love, they don’t hold back.” I can’t help but laugh. “We aren’t in the nineteenth century. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, it’s what we think that matters.”
“You’re forgetting I’m not of these times, this is all I know. My reputation is all that I have.”
I look into the sincerity of her eyes and realise this is no joke. If only I’d let our women go out like us and get jobs, if only I’d let them live a little.
“Here.” I hand her back her dress.
“The wine stain?”
I see her eyes crinkle at the edges.
“You can hardly notice,” I reassure her. “Best you make your way to the castle, I need a while to cool off; I’ll catch up with you later.”
I would have kissed her hand, but with it positioned over her breast I think better of it, so leave a soft peck on her cheek. Our bodies touch, and I feel her flinch.
Slightly embarrassed, I turn and run past the table and all of its food. I wade into the water up to my thighs, then my chest. I shiver; the water is so cold. I lean my head back so that it flows through my hair and close my eyelids. I see nothing, and all I hear is the water as it laps against me. Then the silence is awoken by her voice.
“Lucian.” Her soft tone calls out to me.
Lifting my hair from the water, I peek out of one eye. Then both my eyes shoot open. Her naked silhouette walks towards me; I take in her pert breasts, the soft points of her nipples, the soft hour-glass shape of her feminine frame. She stands on her tiptoes as she breaks through the shallows. She shakes her head; her thick black hair is like a mane, which she throws back over her shoulders, before it comes to rest far below her waist, dressing her body so beautifully.
She walks deeper, allowing the waters to lap at her ankles. I can’t leave her to teeter in the current alone, so wade back to the bank and stand at her side. I know she revoked me, but it’s almost second nature for me to take her by the hand.
“Lucian, I do love you.”
It seems she’s almost too embarrassed to look at me as she peers up from under her lashes. As I look down at her she struggles to hold my gaze.
“Maybe I do need to get into the twenty-first century. Okay, Lucian, take me if that’s what you really want.”
“Look at me.”
I take her chin in my hands and lift it so that her eyes can’t avoid mine.
“Tell me that’s what you really want.”
I’m impatient and I don’t wait for her answer. I scoop her up in my arms and walk her to where the grasses lengthen, laying her down so that her body is cushioned. I lie down on the grass beside her. She takes my hand, and as I roll over to face her she lifts it up and places it onto the soft skin of her breast. My fingers trace her form, and with my free hand I take her own and place it on my chest, over my heart. We don’t make love, we just touch and explore one another. This is far more beautiful than sex; the sexual heights I reach lying here in Jazlynn’s arms far surpass anything I’ve ever known. This is love as it should be, just lying here together in the darkness.
I hear the distant sound of music. I softly tug at Jazlynn’s arm; I had almost forgotten the masquerade.
“Come, our family await us both.”
<
br /> She frowns. “But I thought…”
“That can wait for now. You are my lady, and tonight, if you agree, I will make an announcement and make us official, although it will not be a grand affair.”
I can hear a wheeze as I breathe and feel a tightening in my chest.
“I haven’t got time for that, but arrangements will be made and we will marry in a registry office in the next few days.”
“But, Lucian, how? We have no identity; to the outside world we don’t exist.”
“Jazlynn, don’t worry yourself, I know people…”
I think of Gaz, the owner of The Silken Kite, and am sure he can get the paperwork I need. I’ll worry about that tomorrow, tonight is ours.
I get to my feet, and she lies there gazing up at me. I’m so tempted to lie back down and do what nature is telling me to, but I think better of it. How can I deny her the dance she has wanted for so long? I reach down towards her.
“My lady, come, let me help you dress.”
The warmth of her body, the delicate scent of her skin and the feeling of Jazlynn’s embrace ignite an insatiable feeling within me as I take her in my arms and we dance. It’s taken two hundred years to finally feel the love I do now. The sound of fiddles fills the forest air as Reggie’s and Felix’s bows move back and forth as they play for our enjoyment. As we dance I cast my eyes towards the trees and see the tiny lights shining down upon us; it seems the Chinese lanterns dance with us.
With every new tune the masked ladies and gentlemen change partners, all except us. I watch the lavish array of gowns pass me by. The fiddles fall silent and the dancing party slow and arrange themselves in a circle, where they stand and clap their hands.