Craving: The Willow Creek Vampires Series

by Stephanie Summers

  “I think I’m going to go to bed soon. I just feel like sleeping. If I stay up, I’m going to keep worrying about tomorrow.”

  “What is there to worry about? You don’t have to do much but agree and stand there looking pretty.”

  “I know, but I’m a little nervous about being around so many vampires. I’m guessing I’ll be the only human. I don’t like being the only morsel of food at a banquet.”

  “Don’t worry yourself, love. You will be protected. No one can touch you, and you won’t be the only human. Bastian employs many of the townspeople, and there will be others who have human companions as well.”

  “What makes you so sure no one will hurt me? Who’s to say there won’t be some rogue vampire or group of vampires who would attack me just to cause problems?”

  “That won’t happen. It’s hard to explain, but rules that govern us are something vampires view as almost sacred. It is death to anyone who defies them. Death is something that most of us do not desire, otherwise we wouldn’t have chosen immortality.”

  “It’s all so much to take in. Vampires can be murderous monsters, yet they won’t break a rule. Weird.”

  “It isn’t so hard to understand if you think about it. Humans can also be murderous monsters and still uphold traditions and customs. Not much difference, now, is there?”

  “Touché.” She pulled the covers back, and slid down into the bed. “What are your plans for the rest of the night?”

  “I’ll probably read or something.”

  “Okay, could you do me a favor?”

  “Maybe. Depends on what you’re asking.”

  “Could you make me dream of something nice?”

  “We don’t have to dream for that to happen.” He zipped over to her side, and stood by the bed with a big grin on his face. “We can shag right now if you’re up to it.”

  “I didn’t mean that kind of dream!”

  “Oh…My mistake.”

  “I thought maybe you could make me dream of something nice so I won’t have a bad night. Take me to Paris?” She toyed with the Eiffel Tower charm that still hung from her neck.

  He got into the bed with her, covering himself up and pulling her to his chest. “Close your eyes, and I will do what I can.”

  She closed her eyes as he stroked her hair and rubbed her arm lightly. Within a few minutes, her breathing and heart rate slowed as she drifted off to sleep. He kissed her head softly. His eyes closed, and he concentrated on her. He sent out his influence and gently touched her mind.

  ***

  She found herself walking down a Parisian street past museums, cafes, restaurants, and shops. She peered in windows at things she couldn’t afford. She smelled fresh croissant baking at a nearby café. Looking around at the city passing her by, she sat on a concrete wall lining a park, trying to decide what to do and where to go.

  A hand gently touched her shoulder. She turned to see the sexiest man she’d ever met. Remy. He sat on the wall beside her, looking at people walking by. “Is this how you wish to spend your time, or would you like to do something else?”

  “I’m fine either way.”

  “You don’t sound fine. Is there something else you want?”

  “It’s just that I was thinking it might be nice to go back to New York. It’s silly since I wanted you to bring me here, but now that I’m here, I just want to go back to Central Park. I loved looking out the bedroom window in your apartment down at the park.”

  “Fine. Close your eyes for a second.”

  When she re-opened her eyes, they sat on a bench located near the zoo in Central Park. “Thank you.” It was chillier than she expected, nowhere near as warm as it should’ve been for that time of year.

  “At least you can whisk me away to any place in the world I want to go, even if it isn’t real.”

  “Hmm.” He smiled slightly and nodded

  She looked at him as he sat beside her.

  “What now? Why do you stare at me like that?”

  “I think I love you, Remy.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t.”

  “How would you know if I do or don’t? You told me you loved me, and I believed you.”

  “I never told you I loved you.”

  “You did. In a dream that you controlled, just like this one. You said it when Josh had me, too. You denied it, but I know what I heard.”

  “So what if I do? You won’t be with me for long anyway.”

  “What? What do you mean I won’t be with you for long?”

  “Nothing. I was only seeing if you were paying attention.”

  “Don’t lie to me. You know I will remember this when I wake up.”

  “Only if I allow you to remember.”

  “Then what’s the big deal? Tell me what you’re talking about.”

  He hesitated and couldn’t look at her. Telling her of his plan would hurt them both too much and he couldn’t bear to see it on her face. “I am going to refuse to marry you. It’s the only way I can see to get you out of this arrangement and back to your life.”

  “Oh…I guess you really don’t love me then if you still want rid of me so bad.”

  “I do love you, Sabine.” He turned to her with burning desire in his eyes, and touched her cheek. “This is why I want you to be free. Once I succeed, I will leave you to your life. You won’t hear from me again. You will live your life however you wish. I will set up a fund for you that will keep you until you die, and you can have my apartment here in Manhattan if you like. You’ll need to be somewhere with real culture in order to succeed. I only desire to take care of you, and I want you to live life to the fullest. You are a beautiful artist, but artists like you don’t always gain the recognition they deserve. This, in turn, leads to you having to get some menial job that takes you away from your true passion, and I don’t want that for you. Not when I can provide for you comfortably for the rest of your life.”

  “But I won’t have you.”

  “No…I will only hold you back. I’ll make you forget about me if it’ll make it easier for you.”

  “Bullshit, Remy! I don’t want to forget about you! You say you don’t want to take me away from my passion, but what if my true passion is you? How could your presence hold me back from anything?”

  “Children. I can’t give you that. You must find a man who will love you and give them to you.”

  “What if I don’t want children?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I know you do. I’ve seen it in your dreams and I’ve heard you talk about it with your friends.”

  “Okay, so what if I do? There are other means of having children. Artificial insemination is a thing, you know?”

  “I don’t want some bugger’s sperm inside you if you’re mine. I don’t care how it gets there.”

  “Now it’s your turn to stop being ridiculous, and there you go again with that ‘mine’ shit…Fine. I’ll adopt.”

  “What kind of father could I really be? I don’t possess human emotions or form bonds like that.”

  “But you do! You love me! That is an emotion and a bond. What’s the difference?”

  “The difference is that I don’t want a child. I don’t want a reminder of what I lost.”

  “And that’s the real reason you can’t be with me, isn’t it?” His silence was all the answer she needed. “You don’t want me as a reminder either. I love you, and if I’m not good enough for you then so be it. I’ll not try to live up to a ghost. Leave me alone.”

  “Sabine…”

  “Leave. And don’t you dare make me forget this either.”

  He stood up to walk away from her. Looking back over his shoulder, he said, “You would never know…”

  Chapter 19

  She awoke the next afternoon to see him sitting in the chair across the room, asleep. She studied him as the memories of her dream came flooding back to her, though she felt there were holes or gaps in her memory.

  Paris, Central Park, talking about children, t
hat was all there, but there were places that were black scattered throughout and what she could remember didn’t match up. What else was said? I know there had to be more to it than he wished I could be free so I could have kids. It seemed like we left on bad terms. What am I missing?

  “Remy! Wake up!”

  His eyes shot open, and he sat straight up in the chair. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

  “Why can I not remember all of what happened between us in that dream?”

  “Do you always remember every detail of every dream you’ve ever had?”

  “No, but when I dream about you, I do. Every last detail stays with me. So, why not now? What happened that you don’t want me to remember?”

  “Nothing. You just forgot.”

  “Tell me what you remember to jog my memory.”

  “You got mad because I told you I didn’t want children, and it ended there.”

  “Well, I’ve just caught you. I don’t remember being mad at you for that. Why would it matter to me if you didn’t want kids?”

  “I don’t have time for this. I have to prepare for the ceremony. It’s starting in a few hours.” He stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  Think, Sabine, think. What happened? Why did our conversation get so heated? Why does it matter if he doesn’t want kids? Unless we were discussing having children together. That has to be it. Maybe Gretchen can help.

  She walked four doors down the hallway and gently tapped on the door. “Gretchen? It’s Sabine. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. “Yes. Come in.”

  She walked through the door. Gretchen sat at a chair in front of a large vanity, applying make up to her fair skin. Why she needed make up, Sabine didn’t know. She was flawless and one of the most beautiful creatures she’d ever seen.

  “I know this might sound weird, but if a vampire made me forget something, could you make me remember?”

  “Possibly. It all depends on how willing the victim is to give up the information they’ve been told to forget.”

  “Well, I guess I’m the victim in this case, and I want to know.”

  “I’m guessing Remy has done something to you against your will?”

  “Not exactly. He made me dream of us in Central Park after I asked him to, and I know he erased some of it from my memory. He has never done that before and I want to know what went wrong this time. I need to know what he is hiding from me.”

  “Very well. Come to me.” Sabine did as she was told and stood in front of the blonde vampire. Gretchen’s cold eyes looked her up and down. “Kneel before me.” Sabine kneeled, looking up at Gretchen. “Close your eyes, and I’ll see what I can see.” She placed her thin fingers upon Sabine’s temples and closed her eyes. Sabine felt an odd sensation running through her mind, like she wasn’t alone.

  Gretchen searched Sabine’s mind, not expecting to see all the memories they’d made since they met one another. Remy loved Sabine. It was never clearer to Gretchen than in this moment. She’d believed Remy was incapable of loving. In the 250 years, or so, she’d known him, he never showed any interest in any vampires, let alone a human. She dropped her hands and gasped as Sabine opened her eyes.

  “What? What did you see?”

  “I didn’t see anything about your dream. It was locked away too deep to find.”

  “Then why did you gasp like you were shocked. What did you see?”

  “I saw…Remy. He loves you…and you love him. I can see it in his actions. I didn’t know it was possible.”

  “Vampires never fall in love with humans?”

  “It’s not that. That actually happens more than you would think. I didn’t know he was capable of love.”

  “What else can you tell me?”

  “Nothing. All I saw were things you already know. It’s been right there in front of you since you went to New York together last year. You honestly didn’t know?”

  “I suspected. He told me as much during times I felt we were connected, but he denied it.”

  “Now you know. Do with the information what you will. You’re lucky to be marrying a vampire who loves you. He would die for you. I would die for you. Remy is like my brother, and you will be my sister. If he loves you this much, then so do I.”

  “Okay, well thanks.” She had to get the hell out of that room. Gretchen seemed almost crazy at the revelation of Remy’s feelings.

  Sabine had to start preparing for the ceremony, and needed to leave herself plenty of time to shower, fix her hair and apply her make up.

  She stepped into the shower a little while later, relishing the warm water flowing over her body. Her mind wandered to the last time she’d been in that particular shower. Remy washing her hair was one of the most erotic things she’d ever experienced.

  She wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel almost an hour later and went to the bedroom. Two women she’d never laid eyes on stood before her.

  “We’re here to help you get ready. My name is Marlene, and I will help you with your hair. This is Claire. She will do your makeup, and we’ll both help you into your dress. Have you picked out shoes yet? We saw the dress, but no stockings, undergarments, or shoes.”

  “I haven’t picked out shoes yet. I can’t believe I didn’t think about them at all. And just what kind of undergarments do I need? Bra and underwear aren’t good enough?”

  “Yes, of course, that’ll be fine, though you won’t really need a bra. I wasn’t sure if you would be wearing a petticoat or slip of some kind. I brought you an assortment of shoes Remy picked for you that might complement your dress. They’re just inside the closet door if you’d like to try them on.”

  “I’ll go ahead and pick now before we get started with the rest. She walked over to the closet, careful not to let her towel drop. At least 15 pairs of shoes were lined up in rows for her to choose from. She looked them over carefully. Her dress was a little long, so she needed to go with heels. That eliminated about five pairs of flats. She always loved higher heels, and thought about how tall Remy was. He was easily 6’3”, so she could get away with any height. She chose a pair of royal purple strappy sandals with a 5” inch heel. There was a hidden platform which would help her balance herself better on such a high heel.

  She looked down at her feet and frowned. Claire asked, “Is there something wrong? Do you need other shoes to choose from?”

  “These are wonderful. I like them very much, but my toes are a bit plain. I like having them polished when I wear open-toed shoes.”

  “Not a problem. Sit down and I’ll give you a quick pedicure.”

  She sat back down at the little table where make-up and hair products were laid out. Marlene straightened and blow dried her hair. She went to work manipulating and sculpting Sabine’s hair into an elaborate “S” design on the back of her head while Claire worked on her feet. Claire moved on to Sabine’s face next. She plucked Sabine’s brows and slathered on different moisturizers and primers before starting on her make up. She blended a foundation that matched her porcelain skin perfectly and finished it up with some powder and a setting spray. Her eyes were lined with black kohl and lids coated with a silvery powder before mascara was swooped over her lashes, making them look twice as long as normal. Her lips were dabbed with a bit of red lipstick before a clear gloss was applied, giving her lip just the right amount of sheen.

  She stepped into the long skirt, and Claire zipped it up for her. They slid the corset down over her head and bare chest. Both of them worked behind her for what seemed like forever. They tugged and pulled to the point that she thought she might go light-headed. When they finally finished, she peered at herself in the mirror.

  The woman she saw looking back at her, wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. This woman was far too elegant and beautiful to be Sabine Crowley. As she looked closer, her own familiar eyes looked back at her. She looked at her body. It was worth the temporary light headedness to loo
k as good as she did. She stepped away from the mirror and into her shoes. She walked around the room with more confidence than she ever knew she possessed.

  She couldn’t wait for Remy to see her. If Gretchen was wrong and Remy didn’t love her already, how could he not fall hopelessly in love once he saw her? “It’s time,” Claire said. “Follow us. We’ll escort you to the ballroom.”

  She followed the two women out the door, down the stairs, and into a large room where guests milled about. She only caught a glimpse of this room once, the first time she visited. The double doors were made of platinum and accented with diamonds and jewels of all colors. The floors were marble and the walls were lavishly decorated. Many tables were set up all around, leaving a wide carpeted path down the middle.

  A hundred or more faces stared back at her as she entered the ballroom. Bastian stood at the top of a short stair case. He smiled warmly at her as she entered. He descended the staircase and met her in a flash. He offered his arm to her, and she in turn wrapped her arm around his. “You look lovely, Miss Crowley. I look forward to your time here with us, and I hope that you will never hesitate to come to me with any concern or problem you may have, even if it is about Remy. I know he can be strong-willed and difficult at times.”

  “Thank you, Bastian, but I can handle Remy. He isn’t so bad.”

  “He really has fallen for you. I never would have believed it if I did not see it with my own two eyes. He must be eager for this union to take place. There is nothing more intimate than a vampire who loves the one he feeds from.”

  Neither of them said anything else as they walked back up the short stairs to a level slightly above the floor. She scanned the crowd for any sign of Remy, but she could not find him. He better not leave me hanging. I will be so pissed at him if he doesn’t show up.

  He will not leave you here alone. He is on his way. Do not worry that he will do this to you.

  Sorry. I didn’t mean to think so loudly. She smiled nervously at Bastian as he nodded once to her.

  The doors opened once more. Remy stood there in the fanciest clothes for a man she’d ever seen. He wore black breeches and a black and green court coat with a white shirt underneath that didn’t look the least bit modern. He looked like he was on a royal court from the 17th century. His hair was tied back in a low ponytail. His face was hard, and his eyes were fierce as his gaze landed on her. His mouth was set in a straight line. If she didn’t know him before, she would have passed out and died right then. He was menacing to say the least, but the look of him made her body ache to be taken by him.