by Aria Sparke
‘That wouldn’t have killed you,’ Flynn said. I could tell he was suspicious.
‘He slipped a silver blade through my chest.’
‘Dad’s heart is on the right side,’ I explained.
‘A useful anomaly for a vampiric type,’ Martin said.
‘I ended up on a mortuary slab but recovered enough to escape. I couldn’t risk returning to Elise and Lily, so I disappeared. I’d planned to reunite with them only days after Elise’s death, but I’m certain the Berishas got to her first.’
I could see Dad and the triplets visibly relax as though the tension had been instantly sucked out of the room with those words.
Dad turned to me. ‘Never ever do that again, Lily. Most dhampiric clans are enemies and you might have been caught in the crossfire of a battle.’
I felt stupid as the thought hadn’t occurred to me.
Flynn nodded. ‘Luckily our clans have worked together through the years.’
‘Just because Daniel would be compelled to kill our father if he was in this room, doesn’t mean we don’t get along with dhampirs from his clan,’ Anya tried to explain to me.
‘Dhampirs understand each other’s lot in life,’ Dad said.
‘I thought there was something about you when we arrived,’ said Flynn after he turned to Dad. ‘I should’ve realized when I saw the drapes drawn in all the rooms.’
‘The pale skin is kind of a giveaway too,’ I said.
‘So why are you all here really?’ Dad asked.
The triplets appeared uncomfortable.
‘They’re here because they’re worried the Berishas might come after me while I’m on exchange,’ I explained carefully. I didn’t want to tell him the truth about me needing to hide from Tarek since Bella had died. I knew he’d be horrified.
‘You have caring friends then,’ Dad said approvingly. ‘Now that we’re all on good terms we’ll need provisions, so I might head out to do some shopping.’
‘Anya and I will come with you,’ said Martin looking meaningfully at my father.
I knew they were making themselves scarce for Flynn and me to have time together alone.
Flynn flipped a credit card to Martin. ‘It’s our special Alex Smith card. No one can trace us using it.’
‘Very wise,’ said my dad as he picked up his car keys and sunglasses from the bench. ‘Looks like it has clouded over outside. Perfect weather for driving.’
I could hardly wait for them to leave the house and once the car reversed down the drive, I turned to Flynn with a wide grin.
‘To think you’re part dhampir from another clan. My father would be shocked.’
‘Are you?’
‘What do you think?’ Flynn chuckled. ‘Quarter dhampirs are no deterrent for his desire unfortunately.’
‘You have no idea how many times I’ve pictured this, you and me alone together again.’ I rushed to him and he held me close.
‘I ache for you, Lily. When I hold you I want to draw you close, so nothing not even the air can find its way between us.’ He held my face in his hands and stared into my eyes until I felt he was looking at my soul. ‘I need to look at you to know it’s not a dream.’
‘It’s real. The days have felt like months away from you. I was so worried I’d never see you again,’ I said running my hand along the arch of his neck and through his dark hair.
‘Keep talking, Lily. I’ve missed your voice.’
He drew me closer and we kissed passionately as though we were the last two people in the universe and nothing else mattered.
A longing built in my core. ‘I never want to leave you again.’
‘Nor me. I love you, Lily.’
I drew him by the hand toward my bedroom knowing for sure the time had come. He didn’t resist. Once we were in the room together, we sat on the edge of the bed. ‘It’s almost too good to believe.’
Flynn smiled and drew my hair back before kissing me gently on the lips. ‘My beautiful Lily.’
‘And my gorgeous Flynn.’ I laughed before lunging forward to embrace him, overwhelmed by the sensation of his broad shoulders and masculine scent. ‘We can never be apart.’
‘I know,’ he murmured while his hand caressed the curves of my hips and breasts making me shiver.
Intrigued by the new and intimate sensations, I felt my breath leave my lungs while I explored his lean body.
‘Are you okay?’ Flynn whispered leaving his breath on my lips.
‘Yes, please don’t stop.’
‘There’s no way I can. I love you.’
‘And I adore you, my soulmate.’
His eyes startled. ‘You believe that?’
‘About soulmates?’
He nodded.
I smiled. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Me too.’
Flynn buried his head in my breasts and showered them with kisses.
I felt close to tears of joy. Sometimes I dreamed what our first time fully together would be like, the where and how, but we merged into a blissful perfection needing no limiting description. It was beautiful.
* * *
When Dad, Anya and Martin returned with new sleeping bags and pillows a few hours later, we set up the bedrooms. The boys were in one room and Anya and I were sharing another room while Dad had the third bedroom. I’d wanted to share a room with Flynn but thought it might be too much for my dad. It seemed strange to be living like a child again with my father here.
They’d bought fish and fries for lunch, so my new family sat outside around the shaded table on the porch and shared the meal together. As we talked and laughed, I felt a complete inner peace I hadn’t experienced for two years. My life was finally coming back on track and I could see that same contentment and happiness in Flynn’s eyes.
Later that same night after Flynn and I had spent a lazy afternoon together sitting on the sofa in the living room, I headed off to bed. My stamina was never as strong as the dhampirs’. They could get by on three or four hours of sleep without a problem, but I needed the full human quota. Several hours later I woke to the sound of voices. Flynn and my dad, the two most important men in my life, were chatting in the living room.
Curious to hear what they were discussing, I crept from my room along the corridor. I was just about to enter the living room when my dad’s tone changed.
‘You haven’t had that conversation with her?’
‘Not yet. It isn’t easy. I mean, I think she’s aware of it but maybe hasn’t considered the ramifications.’
Feeling weak at the knees, I sank to the floor to listen. I knew I was eavesdropping, but frankly I didn’t care.
‘Listen to me, Flynn. You have to. It isn’t fair to her if you don’t. The longer you go the harder it will become unless you make the sacrifice.’ My dad paused. ‘You understand no one’s asking that of you. But she has to know what she’s up against. It’s the right thing to do.’
Shaken, I returned to my room with no idea what my father was talking about. His tone and Flynn’s silence however rocked me to the core. Just when a hint of happiness and balance had entered my life, I could feel it ebbing away.
* * *
CHAPTER 8
Flynn: A Picnic
I had missed Lily so much. I needed to tell her how she had changed me. For the first time in my fifty years as a dhampir I felt something bigger than myself. She had burst onto my timeline, which stretched before me to infinity. Now I had decisions to make and they scared me. Since being reunited our relationship had taken a big leap forward, one I knew that was inevitable and one I suspected we’d both tried to put off. It wasn’t because we doubted our love yet rather because everything outside was chaotic. We could rely on each other but not our world. If either of us were lost or died the other would be unable to go on, such was our love.
Perhaps Martin and Daniel could feel the intensity of our love and knew with that it was time I spoke to Lily about our future. First Martin had mentioned it and last night Daniel had brought
it up. Although it was at the back of my mind, I’d shoved it back every time it reared its ugly head. Like Alexis, I knew Daniel was speaking from experience, and although it was confronting and uncomfortable, I respected him for talking to me about it.
Lily had no classes on Wednesday morning and her afternoon was free too without labs this week. The day was gray and foggy, so when she asked me if I’d come on a picnic to the botanic gardens opposite the university, I jumped at the chance to talk to her without the family listening. Last night I’d decided I’d lay out the issues and we’d work it out, somehow.
She had told me she was going to make sandwiches and coffee later in the morning, but I beat her to it by jumping online and organizing lunch with a business that would deliver before we set out for our date. The gardens were within easy walking distance, so I ordered a picnic hamper with salads, cheese, bread, wine and dessert. Lily loved chocolate, so I selected the chocolate almond cake. I knew I needed something sweet to soften my news.
Daniel lent us the car and we parked it in the parking lot before wandering along a path that wove through a misty rainforest. Although a gentle drizzle was falling, I felt energised and alive with the gloomy weather yet afraid about what I had to tell Lily.
We found a cozy nook under a shelter on the eucalypt lawn toward the back of the gardens. In the now soft falling rain, it was still and deserted.
‘This is perfect, Flynn, thanks,’ Lily said. Her green eyes followed mine like they could already see something was worrying me. I wanted to forget Daniel’s words and simply drink in her glorious presence.
She took my hands gently and smiled. ‘What is it, Flynn? You can tell me.’
Oh God, I loved her. I sighed and wondered how to begin.
‘Start at the beginning,’ she said as though she had read my mind and sensed my emotion.
Fear gripped my heart. I didn’t want to hurt her in any way.
‘Go on.’
I nodded.
‘Maybe if I start by telling you a story about Alexis.’
Lily looked at me with a confused expression.
‘About fifteen years ago he fell in love with a woman—a mortal. He was faced with a decision that would alter his life forever. His love was pure and undeniable.’
‘Who was she?’ Lily asked in a whisper.
‘Cecilia.’ I could see the shock in her face immediately.
‘I can’t believe it.’
‘He loved her passionately.’
‘What happened?’
‘Alexis made that leap some dhampirs do. He stopped drinking for a decade.’
She appeared confused.
‘Blood.’
‘Drinking blood?’ Even though I had already told her we took blood infusions for sustenance months ago, she blinked several times as though once again trying to process the idea. I guessed she was thinking of me doing the same thing—and Alexis, Anya, Martin and her father. We hadn’t spoken of it since the first time I told her. I knew it was a mental hurdle for her to overcome—if she could.
I nodded. ‘Some of us prefer to do it that way rather than using infusion bags.’
She seemed relieved. ‘Is that all that’s bothering you? Some dhampirs prefer to drink the stuff rather than take a transfusion? I presume you gargle and clean your teeth regularly.’ Now I could tell she was bluffing.
‘There’s more.’
‘How do you it?’ She was trying to pretend it didn’t bother her.
‘Discreetly. We don’t attack humans to get our daily fix.’
‘Yes, of course, you told me that.’
‘When Anya and Martin went with your dad on their shopping expedition, the first thing they did was to ensure a supply. It’s either that or age. A missed day doesn’t matter occasionally, although we feel shabby without it.’ Drinking blood would have to be a massive turn off for her. I wished I hadn’t brought it up again.
She looked at me thoughtfully. ‘Where did you get it?’
‘Daniel has contacts here in Canberra, so he organized extra supplies. It’s common to find dhampirs connected to blood donation centers and hospitals.’
‘And vampires? What do they do?’
‘Like my father? They have to feed on mortals—live mortals—through their veins. They often supplement by drinking bottled stuff though.’
A flicker of revulsion passed across her face as she reached for the glass of wine I’d poured for her. She took a small gulp and a drip of red slipped from her lips and fell to the grass. I wanted to lean over and lick what remained from her lips, but now wasn’t the time.
‘What happened to Alexis?’
‘He stopped drinking blood, so he would fall in synch with Cecilia. She was close to your age, around twenty, and he as a dhampir was outwardly the same age. He gave her his youth, so he would age with her and never lose her. We saw Alexis change from our age to that of a 30 year old. Although it was subtle we saw the fine lines creep around his eyes, his hair thin and his youthful musculature wane.’
Lily shrugged. ‘They’re just external, insignificant things.’
‘As a mortal you might laugh at how small the differences were but they go further. The aging you see on the outside is matched internally and worse. In that decade Alexis was vulnerable to mortal diseases or accidents that could have taken him to an early grave.’
She half smiled. ‘I suppose that reality is all I’ve known. You tend not to think too hard about it.’
I was astounded by her bravery. ‘But dhampirs have an abhorrence of aging. For most it’s worse than death. While aging frightens dhampirs, many like your father and Alexis chose it to be closer to those they loved. They sacrificed their youth and potentially their immortality for love. Alexis did it for Cecilia, but their love didn’t last.’
I heard the sharp intake of Lily’s breath.
‘She betrayed him. She fell for another mortal and abandoned him.’
I could see tears forming in her eyes. ‘That’s awful, although to be honest I’m not surprised by Cecilia’s behaviour. She has never been reliable or sincere according to my mother.’
I nodded.
‘What happened to Alexis?’
‘Once he realized, he was dejected for a long while and refused to resume his dhampiric ways.’
‘Like a long, slow suicide?’
‘Yes. He was heartbroken and devastated. Eventually he rallied and took blood again, but he had lost a decade of life for nothing. Now he wears his age like a deep scar.’
‘I understand,’ Lily said quietly. ‘For a human choosing a life partner is simple. Exchange vows, rings, promises, but really there’s no sacrifice. If it fails, you don’t lose years of your life.’
She lifted her chin, so I saw the tears welling in her eyes again.
‘For you though, it’s terrible, I understand. Even if you have a perfect, reciprocated love, you lose don’t you? You’re giving your life, your immortality away. It’s too much. No one could expect that.’
Could I do the same for Lily? Grow old and die with her? She had recently turned 20, so outwardly for now we were a similar age. In a handful of years if I didn’t commit she would drift away, growing steadily older and further from me just as Emma had. I had to make the decision, yet I was deathly afraid. I couldn’t do it for Emma, but this was different. Most dhampirs didn’t make this decision until they had passed 200 years, but other than Alexis, I knew of no other dhampir who had relinquished their youth so early.
‘It’s not the only issue,’ I said.
‘Your father?’
‘More.’
‘Go on.’ There was dread in her expression.
‘I want to grow old with you Lily Winter more than anything. I want us to sit by the fire together, hold our babies in my arms. It’s all I want. In the last forty years or so, it’s the only thing I’ve ever longed for.’
I saw her eyes widen as though I’d drawn the wind from her lungs and she couldn’t speak.
‘T
hen what is it?’ Just the aging?’
‘Aging is a minor consideration,’ I finally admitted.
‘Please tell me.’
‘I’m afraid, so afraid for you, Lily,’ I heard my voice break, but I forged on. ‘When we choose each other, you’ll be drawn irrevocably into my ugly world even more than you are now. When we have a family there’ll be no turning back for you, our children and their children ad infinitum. They’ll be just like you, pursued by vampires for your magic and as partners. If we bear male sons my father will see them as weakened forms and treat them with derision. That is my culture. Do you want that for your children, Lily?’
I could see shock and realisation registering in her eyes. ‘I hadn’t thought that far ahead,’ she stammered. ‘We don’t have to have children. You’re enough. We could help raise Avery if your father allows or adopt.’
I sighed and sat with my head in my hands.
Lily stood and looked into the distance. ‘Whatever happens you’re not to choose aging. I don’t want you to sacrifice your life for me, Flynn. You have to promise me you won’t?’
I ignored her plea. ‘How do we freeze time, Lily? Is there a spell?’
‘I don’t think so.’ Her voice was faint. ‘What if I joined your side instead? I’m already a quarter dhampir.’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know of any procedure to change a mortal witch into a dhampir. You’re born into it.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘What if I became a vampire?’
I felt gloomy just hearing her utter the words. ‘No. If you were a vampire our love would certainly die. I would feel the uncontrollable urge to hunt you.’
‘But you don’t hunt your father.’
‘That’s different. We’ve no instinct to hunt our own whereas you’re from another clan.’ I rubbed my throbbing temples. ‘In any case, if we wanted children in the future as a vampire you could not produce children with another vampire or dhampir. Do you understand? As horrible as it may sound that’s why my father seeks mortal partners and as you’re quarter caste and mortal, he craves you.’