Eternal Ever After

by A. C. James

  Arie shrugged and grabbed a chilled Riesling from the fridge and poured it into two glasses. He sat them by the place settings I had arranged.

  “Do you have any other family?”

  His face darkened. “Not anymore.”

  He dished out two plates of stir-fry. Then he took a seat on the stool next to mine and placed one of the dishes in front of me.

  “So how did you meet Arella?”

  “My father needed someone to take care of an infant. Arella took care of me and tended our home. Father fell in love with her even after finding out she was a vampire. Arella wanted to turn him and spend eternity by his side, but I don’t think he completely got over losing my mother. He died during our exile to Babylon and Arella raised me, giving me the choice when I became a man.”

  “So you wanted this? You wanted to become a vampire.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  His face looked vulnerable. “Because I hate to be weak. It was a different time. There were no antibiotics. Life expectancy wasn’t what it is now.”

  I tried to wrap my mind around how old he must be given his history, but thought it would be rude to ask him again. I stabbed a bite with my fork. “This is really good.”

  “Well, I’ve had time to practice,” he said with a smile.

  “Thank you for cooking me dinner.”

  “You’re most welcome.”

  We locked eyes and I could feel the heat building between us. I took a sip of wine, looking down into the glass to break the tension. It had been over a week but I still hadn’t forgotten our botched attempt at sex, even though I wanted him now more than ever.

  “While you’re here I want you to make yourself at home. All I have is yours…” he said, waving toward the airy expanse of his loft.

  “You have quite the collection of books.” I gestured with my fork toward the bookcase, which occupied an entire wall.

  “You may borrow anything you like.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course; I want you to be comfortable. You are a guest in my home.”

  “Oh, I don’t think I could ever be comfortable around you.” Shit. I hadn’t meant to say it.

  I swallowed.

  He always seemed to be looking through me and into the very depths of my soul. But the way he looked at me after my slip suggested he’d like to throw me over his shoulder and take me up to his bed. And at the moment I couldn’t think of anything better. I thought about the man Tessa had flogged at the club. The look on Arie’s face, mixed with my memory, made me picture him turning me over his knee and spanking me. Considering my inability to experience orgasm outside of pleasuring myself, I wondered if it would be different if pleasure were mixed with pain. Just then Mystic jumped on the bar stool next to Arie before leaping onto the breakfast bar.

  “Off the counter, cat.”

  Mystic didn’t move. In fact, he simply stared at Arie until he lengthened his fangs and hissed at the cat. The cat bolted off the counter and dashed up the stairs to the bedroom.

  “Did you have to do that?”

  Arie grinned. “Would you prefer I spray him with water? I’m sure he’d like that a lot less.”

  I rolled my eyes and forked another piece of pork. “So what is your connection to Katarina?”

  Again, his face looked vulnerable and haunted. “I turned her. She was my consort many years ago. I’m sorry I’ve brought you into this.”

  “Is that why she wants to kill me?”

  “I imagine she’s been watching my visits to you at work. And your aura is hard to miss. Her immature mind is filled with resentment and jealousy.”

  “So what are we going to do?”

  “I am going to protect you.”

  The thought of him keeping me safe felt comforting. Before I thought it through, I leaned forward and pressed a dry kiss to his lips. His mouth opened with a rush of warm breath that comingled with mine. I ran my hands up his arms and across his shoulders to rest at the nape of his neck. His tongue swept the inside of my mouth as if searching for a momentary escape from his tormented past. He jerked his mouth away from mine. I felt a little dazed as my hands dropped to my lap.

  “Don’t.” For a second he looked almost scared, but that look vanished and then he rose to clear our plates.

  I felt stupid for kissing him, for wanting him. “I’m sorry. Can I help you clean up?”

  “No.” His harsh tone warned me to leave him be.

  Trying to hide my humiliation, I pulled one of the books from the shelf and curled up with it on the sofa. Arie could be so damned confusing. One minute he wanted me and the next he pulled away. It made me angry that whatever his experience had been with Katarina affected the way he looked at me now. I hated her. I didn’t even know her and I hated her. I tried to focus on the book instead. My eyes felt heavy and the letters blurred on the page as I began to lose focus. The loft faded as I drifted down into a restless sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  Disoriented, and a little foggy on how I came to be at the cathedral in Pressburg, I knew it had to be a vision. That much was clear, and somehow I knew I was there to see the coronation of Matthais. A dreary rain poured outside as I entered St. Martin’s cathedral, which had been built into the city fortifications along with the stark castle with its Gothic lines that stood on the adjacent hillside. Its defensive walls and its spire towered into the bleak gray skyline. And somehow I knew this place. It felt like I’d been here before, or maybe I saw it through someone else’s eyes. But I couldn’t be sure whose.

  I took a seat at the back of the cathedral. There were whispers amongst those present that his brother, Emperor Rudolf II, remained absent despite his chief responsibility for Matthias’s previous appointment as governor of Austria. The excuse of his brother’s failing health had been accepted as legitimate by some. Others speculated that Matthias’s brother was angry at him for concessions he viewed as giving away too many allowances to further Matthias’s hold on power. I’d never had a vision with such clarity. It felt impossible that I could know these things, yet I knew them as clearly as if I had been a part of the things taking place around me.

  “Bless, Lord, this king Matthias of Hungary and Croatia,” a bishop said at the front of the cathedral, anointing him with oils on his head, breast, and shoulders.

  Arie stood in front of me.

  “That is the Archduchess Anna of Austria, daughter of the late Archduke Ferdinand II. Anna is his first cousin and consort, but I hear they will be wed,” he nodded toward a prominent seat at the front of the cathedral. He spoke in hushed tones to a woman with dark hair at his side, but I couldn’t see her face.

  “And see the Lutheran minister István Magyari seated behind Bishop Melchior Klesl of Vienna. I can imagine the objective of István’s presence. He waits for the cessation of the ceremony to gain Matthias’s ear.”

  “Do not be concerned. No one listens to the fallacies he speaks,” the dark-haired woman said.

  Arie made eye contact with another woman across the cathedral. “We should all be concerned. Despite generosity to the Lutheran Church, the minister complains publically and at Court in Vienna of the atrocities. Do you not hear the rumors circulating about the countess? Her family cannot protect her from ill-repute if her crimes continue. Do you not care how that affects you with your association?” I could only assume that the woman he’d made eye contact with was the countess Arie was talking about.

  The woman let out a soft laugh. “I care not what others think, and doubt anyone else will care. They were only servant girls of inferior birth.”

  “Tying down servant girls, jamming pins and needles under their fingernails, and smearing them with honey to be attacked by bees and ants is one thing. Abducting peasant girls to torture and kill is another. She was a lesser noble, but noble just the same. The countess’s coffers practically run empty and still she continues to play the part of the grand dame. She has her lover, and so many who would offer her blood. H
er excesses are wasteful,” Arie said in hushed tones.

  I looked down.

  I wore a dark green dress of embroidered velvet paisley with silver thread. The woman across the cathedral whispered seductively to another woman who returned a flirtatious smile. Arie grimaced at them both. The one whispering met his gaze with a coquettish smile of her own. Without glancing sideways to see whether spectators watched, she brought her lover’s hand to her mouth and sunk her fangs into her palm. Her lover gazed toward the front of the cathedral, a demure expression on her face.

  All eyes were focused on the coronation.

  The dark-haired woman next to Arie touched his arm. “No one can touch us. Our kind is immortal.”

  Arie sighed. “It will only bring about pointless investigation and draw unnecessary attention to our presence. I already know of one who would make an example of her. There are politics afoot that my position gives me privilege to be party to, and it foretells a consequence I would not wish on any vampire.”

  “What will they do, run her out of town with a corn pike?”

  “If she’s not careful, being run out of town with a corn pike would be the least of her concerns. Although she concedes the social graces necessary at court and from a noblewoman of her ranking, it would serve her well to be more inhibited and discreet in her private life.”

  The woman stationed next to him turned sideways. Her hazel eyes were filled with bold regard.

  “Katarina, you will be pulled into the misery that follows Erzsebet like the plague if I cannot intercede on your behalf,” Arie said as he continued to warn her.

  “Arie…” I called out to him.

  The woman with dark hair and hazel eyes that Arie had been talking with turned to glare at me. The sorrowful sounds of opera music woke me from my sleep. The music drifted from below and I remembered where I was. I had never experienced a vision where I had knowledge that clearly belonged to someone else. Its intensity scared me.

  Slowly sitting up, I stretched in the light that streamed through the wall of glass overlooking the river. Despite the sunlight it was still nippy. Walking down the stairs, I saw Arie on the leather sofa reading a newspaper. When I entered the room he stood chivalrously to greet me. I smiled shyly. His manner must be a custom carried over from a time when ladies were regarded differently in polite society.

  “Good morning,” I said with a nervous smile. “Did you carry me to bed?”

  I felt a little self-conscious standing in my pajamas. Arie had already dressed for the day. Oh god, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.

  “Good morning. I thought you would be more comfortable upstairs, and we agreed you’d take the bedroom. Did you sleep okay?”

  “Yes. But I had a strange dream.”

  Arie raised an eyebrow. “What was your dream about?”

  Shit. I wasn’t expecting him to ask me that but I should have been. My brain wasn’t functional without coffee. “I was at a coronation, I guess, and you were there too.” My words came out in a rush and I felt flushed. “It’s stupid, I guess.” This was mortifying. Just stop and go back upstairs to brush your teeth.

  “Not at all. I think it sounds reasonable. I’ve attended several coronations over the years.”

  “You were there with a dark-haired woman with hazel eyes.”

  Arie frowned. “That’s probably Katarina.”

  “You were worried about her getting mixed up with a countess. What happened?”

  “Her name is Katarina Beneczky, and I met her at Čachtice Castle when she became Erzsebet’s washerwoman. Katarina was a gypsy witch and clairvoyant like you. Erzsebet’s companions almost matched the countess in their unrestrained depravities. They tormented Katarina, who cooked and cleaned for them.”

  “So you felt sorry for her?”

  “I turned her and took her as my consort. It was the only way I could protect her from their sadistic abuse. When Erzsebet went to trial I saved her from death by dazzling witnesses to testify on her behalf, holding her innocent of the barbarisms Erzsebet and her companions inflicted. Erzsebet and everyone associated with her were accused due to association alone.” Vulnerability showed in his face as he shared his past with Katarina.

  “For killing peasant girls?”

  “Yes, among other things. It was all a lie, but I didn’t find out until much later. Katarina had enjoyed it just as much as the countess, perhaps even more so. She had participated and was every bit as guilty. When I saw her for the first time was when I discovered that the opaque aura with its gold outline marked those who possess the Sight. But Katarina suffered mental instability from the visions before being turned, because she could not control them. The Sight penetrated her waking consciousness. I did not realize at the time just how unstable she really was. Turning her had forever changed her into a creature whose sanity ebbed and flowed with outrages. It left a string of violence in its wake. Turning her had made her worse, and I should have let her stand trial with all the rest.” His voice sounded bitter.

  “It’s not your fault. You were only trying to help her and you didn’t know how crazy she was.”

  “Perhaps. But if I had stayed with her or put her out of her misery, she wouldn’t be here in Chicago killing people.”

  I could see the guilt eating at him. “You had no way of knowing what she would do.”

  “Yes, but I knew what she was capable of. Our heightened senses move us to crave beauty in all things—music, art, and the human form. We are capable of appreciating the finer things in life. She became more unstable after being turned, but I hoped with time she would adjust. But despite the years we shared together, she only became more vicious.”

  “Still, you loved her.” And she’s why you hold back with me. I have the Sight too.

  “Once. I loved her once. Until my days and nights with her became endless drudgery. I bent to her every whim with indifference but then in reluctance I endured to keep the peace. Katarina only became crueler and more misanthropic than I could have ever imagined.”

  I couldn’t imagine how hard it had been to see someone you loved go off the deep end. I wanted to comfort him somehow, to show him it was different with me. The defenseless look on his face was killing me.

  “I’m sorry for reminding you of her. I’m just going to go get dressed and I’ll be right back down,” I said as I turned toward the bedroom. It was no wonder he didn’t want to get close to me. I understood his conversation with Tessa more clearly now. He’d seen the Sight take over when I didn’t expect it to, like in the coffee shop, when I’d stared blankly at a customer before handing him his change. I couldn’t help but wonder if Arie thought because I couldn’t control the Sight that I would end up like Katarina.

  “Wait. Your clothes are done.” He crossed the room and handed me the duffle bag. It had been sitting next to the sofa, but I hadn’t noticed.

  “Thanks. I’ll just be a sec.”

  When he handed me the bag his hand brushed mine and his touch filled me with a longing so intense it made me shiver. A dark curl fell across his forehead and into his eyes. My breath caught. And I wanted him, despite the danger it posed.

  “Take your time. What would you like for breakfast?”

  “I’m not much of a breakfast person. I drink coffee. I’ll just grab a bowl of cereal or a bagel or something, whatever you have. I’ll figure it out. I just need to get dressed.” I backed away from him and headed for the stairs before I could do something stupid like kiss him, only to have him pull away from me again.

  Quickly, I put away my clothes in the drawer that Arie had cleared out and hung my jeans in the closet. I felt relieved to get away from him for a moment. Standing so close to him made me feel nervous and giddy. I threw on another pair of jeans, along with a comfortable sweater so old it was threadbare but I couldn’t bear to part with it. Then I clasped my locket around my neck. I brushed my teeth before heading back downstairs, where I followed the smell of coffee and sausage.

  Arie handed me a s
teaming cup when I sat at the breakfast bar. “I don’t know how you take your coffee.” He placed a carton of milk and the sugar bowl in front of me.

  “Thank you.”

  I added a heaping spoonful of sugar and some milk to my mug, stirring it together. Watching him cook sausage and eggs over the stove created an intriguing dualism of supernatural and mundane. It made me smile even though I’d told him not to bother. It was so perfectly normal in a situation so very not normal that it brought a small amount of balance.

  “Do you have to work today?” he asked.

  “No, not today.”

  “Good. We’ll head over the club later. I have something I want to show you.”

  “Okay,” I said, my voice betraying my apprehension.

  My imagination ran wild thinking what this ‘something’ he wanted to show me could be. Hell, I’d already seen their torture chamber. Interrogation chamber my ass. Maybe it would be something fun—like flogging, paddling, whipping, or whatever else they did upstairs. Get a hold of yourself. The direction of my thoughts made me blush.

  “As long as you don’t plan on tying me up or leading me around by a leash, we’re good,” I said to cover thoughts that ran in an opposing direction.

  “You’d be surprised. You might find that you enjoy it.”

  I could feel my face flush crimson. I couldn’t quite tell how serious he was but the huskiness in his voice made my pussy clench. “Yeah, well, lots of people enjoy things that aren’t good for them.”

  “How do you know it’s not good for you? It gives you a profound sense of freedom.” Arie turned away from the frying pan.

  I didn’t want to betray what I’d been thinking by asking a bunch of questions. I’d wondered myself if I wouldn’t feel some sense of freedom that would allow me to orgasm by something other than my own hand. “I don’t see how being tied up makes you feel free. I would think it would make you feel just the opposite.”

  “Want me to tie you up and I’ll show you what I mean?” He put a plate with eggs and a side of sausage in front of me.

  “No. Thanks, but no,” I said, rolling my eyes.