Dhampir Secrets

by Lewis, Shirlee

“Sure, we’ll go after breakfast.”

  “Be right back,” he said, going back to the porch.

  Shrugging it off, I started the coffee and my breakfast.

  He came into the kitchen going toward the refrigerator and said, “They’ll have the car ready this afternoon.”

  Tony started keeping his blood in the refrigerator. He came in the kitchen filled his flask, put it in his back pocket, kissed my cheek and went to take a shower.

  “Cool. We’ll leave as soon as I finish breakfast and shower.”

  Tony’s BMW 335is Coupe was sitting in front of the dealership when we pulled in. Inside the dealership, Tony went to pay for the car while I looked at other cars. One, in particular, caught my eye. A 2011 Mercedes CLK, it was silver, the car of my dreams. Walking over to it, I noticed bullet holes on the sides, an exact replica paint job of the car I drove when I played the video game of ‘Racing’. Awing over this beautiful car, wishing I could afford it, I looked around for Tony. He was coming over to me.

  “Nice car isn’t it,” he said, with a straight face.

  “It’s the nicest car I’ve ever seen on television and here I stand with one in front of me.”

  “I thought you’d like one. From me to you,” he said, beaming all over.

  “Really, this is my car!”

  “It’s yours, sweetie,” he said, grabbing me in his arms and hugging me.

  “Wow!” was all I could say.

  Forgetting where I was, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed it. He whispered in my ear, “We’re not at home,” and I abruptly stopped kissing him. Placing both hands on either side of his face I kissed his lips. “How did you know this car is my dream?”

  “I saw the game in a drawer and was curious. Your favorite car for racing and thought you’d like to have one.”

  “Thank You!” squealing from excitement. “What about my Monte Carlo? You know I can’t give it up.

  “You don’t have to,” he said, turning me around.

  A tow truck was loading my car on the back and I watched as the driver chained it down and drove away. At that moment, I realized the Mercedes CLK was mine. Turning back to Tony, I said, “You are too good to me. You give me everything I want every day. You! You are everything a girl could ask for. You make my life complete with or without nice things.”

  The salesman opened the bay doors and drove my car outside. Handing Tony the keys he said, “Enjoy.”

  Tony took me to the car opening the driver’s door. “Will you take me for a ride before I get my car?”

  “Sure, get in.”

  I drove ten miles out on the highway and then back to the car lot. Tony came around to the driver’s side, leaned in the window, kissed me passionately and said, “I’ll see you at home.” And then went to his car.

  Back home, I stood in the yard admiring my car waiting for Tony. I ran to Tony’s car, opened his door when he parked.

  “Tony is this a little persuasion?”

  “Persuasion for?” he asked with a straight face.

  “Me to quit my job?” I asked.

  “No, but there’s always hope.”

  “You don’t have to buy me things to “persuade” me to quit my job.”

  “I don’t?” he asked serious.

  “No, I’m thinking about quitting anyway.”

  Tony’s vampire grin came on his face and he asked, “When?”

  “Soon,” I said.

  Tony picked me up, practically running to the house, straight to the bedroom.

  Lying on the bed I said, “You don’t have to shower me with nice things. I have all I need right here,” pointing at his chest.

  “Jess, get used to it.”

  “Get used to what?”

  “Nice things,” Tony said and went straight to my neck.

  My vacation was coming next month and I hadn’t given it much thought until Mr. King reminded me. In the cafeteria, looking out the window watching the clouds roll in for another evening of rain, deciding where I’d take my vacation. It hit me like a lightning bolt, England, where Tony grew up.

  When I got home, I called Tony to ask him to come over.

  “Hello sweetie,” he answered, on the first ring.

  “Hi Tony, I have something to ask you. Could you come over?”

  There was a knock at my door before I hung up the phone.

  “That was fast,” I said, as Tony came inside. “Did you hang up the phone?”

  “You didn’t hear it click?” he asked.

  “No I didn’t. Anyway, Mr. King reminded me about my vacation coming up next month and I have been thinking.”

  “And….” Tony said waiting patiently.

  “I’d like to visit England to see where you grew up,” I said.

  “Really!”

  “Are you surprised?”

  “Kind of, sort of…No, you have no idea how happy I am right now. I can’t wait until you meet my mother,” he said over excited.

  It wasn’t long before Tony started moving his things into my house. Before we left for our vacation, Tony was completely moved in.

  The thirteen-hour plane ride was tiring. Sitting for that length of time caused my butt and legs to go numb. A lady with a sick child sat behind us and I cringed every time the child coughed.

  Our plane landed at Heathrow around eleven o’clock in the morning. Tony’s parents had a limo waiting for us.

  England is a beautiful green place. The drive to Tony’s parent’s home took thirty minutes because it was on the outskirts of London on top of a hill.

  Driving up the long and winding road, Tony pointed to a mansion sitting on a hill. “Is that your parents’ home?” I asked, looking at it.

  “Yes, that’s where we are staying,” he smiled.

  “It’s huge. I might get lost,” I said, kissing his cheek.

  “My parents gave us the top floor. They’ll be in Germany for two weeks and we can stay as long as we like,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

  It was a beautiful home. It was built in the seventeenth century by Tony’s great-grandfather. The limo pulled up to the big double doors. The driver got out and opened them for us. Putting his arm around me, Tony and I walked to the end of the hall to an elevator. The entryway wall was lined in paintings, generation after generation of family. The painting that stood out was the one of Tony’s father, mother, and him when he was a baby. A winding staircase was at the end of the hall by the elevator. Tony pushed the button, and the door opened. The elevator took us to the third floor. I expected a hallway. Instead, a big open room greeted us, filled with seventeenth century furniture and very elegant. Following Tony down a long narrow hall, he stopped at the last door on the left and opened it. Stepping inside the room made my mouth fly open. A canopy bed was in the middle of the room. The bed looked exactly like the one at Tony’s that I used for my recovery. “I know how much you loved the bed. I bought one for you here,” he said, wrapping me up in his arms.

  “I love it,” I said.

  Exhausted from the plane trip we went straight to bed, falling asleep in each other’s arms.

  Waking up, I went to the window and pulled back the curtain. The countryside was beautiful stretching for miles and in the distance I could barely make out a building or two. Trees and grass stretched, as far as I could see. I thought Oregon was green, but England was greener.

  Tony woke to find me standing at the window. He came and stood behind me, wrapping his arms around me he whispered in my ear, “The view is magnificent, isn’t it?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, holding his arms around me.

  “Would you like to sightsee today or stay in?” he asked, turning me to face him.

  “I’m still tired from the long flight. I’ll stay in and rest. Do you have something you need to do today?” I asked.

  “I need to go to the blood bank today. I have a few things to pick up. You can rest while I’m gone. I won’t be long,” he said.

  “Hurry back. I
’ll miss you,” I said.

  Tony soon left. Curious about the rest of the house, I put my robe on and went into the living room. I noticed a big grandfather clock standing in the corner. A metal plate attached to the bottom read: Handcrafted by William Tony Mureaux for his beloved Catherine. 1813. At the top of the clock was a picture of a man and a woman, I assumed to be William and Catherine. When the hands were straight up and down, I expected a loud chime. Instead, the clock played a soft melody I didn’t recognize, but it was beautiful.

  Wondering if there was a kitchen, I headed to the south end of the room. Through the archway a long table with twelve chairs sat in the middle of the room. All the chairs were captain chairs. Windows lined the east wall. China cabinets lined the west wall with a door in the middle. A buffet lined the north wall on either side of the archway.

  Standing at the window, I saw a lake with a boat docked beside a ramp and a small building floating on the water. Looking toward the house, a small maze of hedges lined a path from the porch to the boat house. In the middle of the maze was a three-tier fountain with water flowing from the top to the bottom. Wrought iron tables and chairs lined the patio.

  Through a door that swung back and forth was the kitchen. There were two stoves, two refrigerators, and a counter that ran the length of the kitchen. In the middle of the room, pots and pans dangled from hooks above the counter.

  Feeling hungry, I went to the first refrigerator. I quickly closed the door. It was Tony’s. Taking a second look, I slowly opened the door. There were four shelves lined with bag after bag of blood. I smiled and closed the door. The next refrigerator was the one I was looking for completely stocked with fruits and vegetables and my brand of soda on the bottom shelf. Before I closed the door, I grabbed an apple and milk. The cabinet next to the refrigerator was a pantry holding all of the food I ate back home. Tony had the kitchen stocked for me, I smiled.

  The glasses were in the cabinet on the other side of the counter. Pouring a glass of milk, I went to the dining room, sat by the window, eating my apple and looking at the lake. Ducks were swimming in the water. I could sit here all day.

  Making my way back to the bedroom, I couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the three doors before our bedroom. Opening the first door, I discovered a huge bathroom. An antique bathtub sat against the back wall, a basin and pitcher sat on a cabinet with a mirror on the wall. The only running water was in the tub. The next door was a bedroom. It made me think of a man’s room. A dresser sat along the west wall. The bed sat between windows on the north wall. A chest sat at the foot of the bed. As I closed the door, a hand touched my shoulder. Turning to see who it was I jumped. “Tony, you scared me,” I said, catching my breath.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. I thought you’d be resting.”

  “I was hungry and went looking for the kitchen.”

  “Did you find it?”

  “Yes, I did. Thanks for stocking it with my favorite food.”

  “You’re more than welcome.”

  “I was curious about these rooms. I hope you don’t mind me looking.”

  “Not at all, he said, opening the door to the first room. This was my great-grandfather’s room. It looks exactly like it did when he was alive. Mother couldn’t bear to change it. This room…” he said, heading to the bathroom.

  “I saw that one first. It’s nice.”

  He went to the door I hadn’t opened yet. Before he opened the door, he turned and looked at me. “I know you’re going to love this room,” he said, turning the knob. When he opened the door, my mouth fell open. A bed sat in the room with dolls on it. Shelves lined the walls covered in dolls. Handmade, Barbie, sleeping, sitting—every doll ever made was in this room.

  “May I?” I asked, hesitating.

  “Sure,” he said, opening the door wider.

  I walked in the room. Dolls no one had ever seen were in here.

  “My mother loves dolls. She’s collected every doll ever made. This doll, pointing to a doll on a shelf wrapped in plastic, was the first doll my mother had as a baby. Her mother made it for her.”

  “It’s pretty,” I said, looking at it. “I wouldn’t dare touch these.”

  Tony laughed and guided me to the end of the room by the bed. A big doll sat in the middle of the bed. “This doll my mother made herself. Her name is “Precious;” she made it when she was eight years old, the first thing she made when she learned to sew.”

  “Wow!” was all I could say.

  We went back to our bedroom, and I lay down on the bed. Tony sat on the edge beside me. “The house looks bigger on the outside,” I said.

  “It’s a lot bigger. My father put up a wall at the end of the hall and blocked off the rest of the rooms up here.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He has things he doesn’t want bothered in those rooms. He has access to the rooms from a private stairway in the kitchen downstairs.”

  “That’s interesting. Do you think maybe someday I could see?”

  “No, my father doesn’t even allow me in those rooms.

  “Do you know what’s in those rooms?” I asked, curious.

  “Jess, you’re tired, and you need to rest. Jet lag, remember.”

  I smiled at Tony and closed my eyes, wondering what could be in there I wasn’t supposed to see making it a point to look before we headed back to the States. My stomach was queasy, and my throat was scratchy, but soon I fell asleep.

  When I woke, a soft light was shining in the corner of the room and the curtains were closed. I saw Tony sitting in a high-back chair with a book in his lap.

  “What time is it?” I asked, getting out of bed.

  “It’s one in the morning, you slept quite awhile. Are you rested?”

  “Yes, I feel a lot better but still tired. I’m afraid, though, I might be getting my days and nights turned around,” I said, walking over to where Tony sat.

  Setting the book on the table by the chair, sitting in his lap, he wrapped his arms around me. “I can help get you back on track with days and nights if you’re worried about it,” he said, sounding hopeful. “I didn’t want to disturb you. You were sleeping so soundly. .”

  “I wouldn’t have minded,” I said, pointing to his chest. I need to eat, okay? Will you join me?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” picking the book back up. “I’m going to finish this chapter.”

  I stood up and stretched. My stomach disagreed with me stretching and the queasy feeling was back, but I chose to ignore it and went to the kitchen, making bacon, eggs, and toast. Before I finished the last bite, Tony came into the kitchen, opened his refrigerator, got out a bag and drank his supper. “Can we go for a boat ride later?” I asked.

  “Sure, I’ll show you a place I like.”

  After eating, I started yawning, sleeping too long always made me feel as if I didn’t rest at all. I went back to the bedroom, it was unlike me to be so tired, thinking I might still be jet lagged, I laid down.

  Tony leaned toward me and starting kissing my neck, but I didn’t acknowledge him as normal when his lips softly touched my neck. “Are you okay, sweetie?” he asked propping up on his elbow.

  “Uh huh,” I answered.

  Tony gently ran his fingers down my back and I smiled. Turning toward him, wrapping my arm around his waist I looked into his eyes. A fire ignited, with the flame growing, as he gently caressed my skin. His lips came down on mine and Tony growled deep within his chest. The perfume radiating from his breath filled me with a sense I belonged to him, we belonged together. Concentrating on the roses and lavender, memorizing his scent, I inhaled deep so it wouldn’t escape and staying focused on Tony. We spent our first night together in England.

  Around nine o’clock I woke up. Tony was still sleeping. My stomach was nauseous, and I ran to the bathroom with cold chills running up and down my back and my head pounding out of my skull. Swallowing made my throat hurt. Waiting for five minutes, I wanted to make sure the nausea wasn’
t returning before I rinsed my mouth and went back to bed. Tony was awake when I climbed back in, rolling towards him to give him a kiss, suddenly jerking up. “Sweetie, you’re burning up and white as a ghost. “Do you feel alright?” he asked.

  “No,” I said.

  “I’ll call the doctor and have him come up.”

  “Okay,” was all I said, closing my eyes.

  When I opened my eyes, the doctor was beside the bed holding a thermometer with Tony right behind him. Shaking his head he said, “One hundred and three degrees.”

  “Tony, can you please get me another blanket. I’m freezing.”

  Tony put a heavy blanket on me. I shivered under it.

  “Is she okay, Doctor?” Tony asked.

  “She has the flu. She’ll need rest and plenty of liquids.” Handing Tony a bottle he said, “Give her Penicillin two times a day until there finished. I’ll come back in a couple of days and see how she is.”

  “Thank you! I’ll show you out.”

  Tony showed the doctor to the door. As soon as the doctor was gone, Tony came back to my side bringing a high-back chair setting it beside the bed. As I slept, he held my hand letting me know he was there. Within two days, I woke up feeling like myself again sitting on the edge of the bed with a watchful eye from Tony.

  “Feeling better?” he asked, watching as I stood up.

  “I feel great. What in the world did I have?” I asked.

  “The flu and must have caught it on the plane. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

  “I’m fine and hungry,” I said and went to the kitchen.

  Tony followed me, afraid to leave me, watching me as I made my breakfast. All day he watched refusing to take me for a boat ride until he was sure I was completely over the flu.

  “I’m fine, Tony. I’d like to see your special place today.”

  “Not today. You’ve been in bed for four days, and I want to make sure you’re well enough to ride in the boat.”

  I pouted but agreed to stay in the house.

  Tony went back to the chair and picked up his book. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I asked, “What book are you reading?”