Knowledge Revealed

by D. S. Williams

  A low growl erupted from deep within Lucas's chest and he pulled away, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. For a few seconds he watched me, his eyes hooded and rather than being angry about my lack of control, his blue eyes were filled with love and desire. He grinned broadly. “I believe you are attempting to seduce me, my love.”

  I shut my eyes and waited for my heart rate to settle before I spoke again. “I think I might have been.” A giggle erupted from my lips, the sound self-conscious. “Apparently it didn't work.”

  “Oh, it worked alright,” Lucas growled. “For the first time, the desires that come very naturally to a man were the ones I was fighting the hardest.”

  It was my turn to grin like a Cheshire cat. “Wow.”

  “Wow, indeed.” Lucas drew himself to his feet and reached down to help me up. “We should go home, before things get out of control here on the riverbank.” He caught me in a hug, holding me close as he took a deep breath against the soft skin on my neck. When he pulled away, he offered me a delighted smile, his blue eyes softened with emotion and he kissed my lips again. “I am definitely increasing my self-control.” He turned so his back was facing me. “Hop on. I'll take you home.”

  I got onto his back awkwardly, wrapping my arms around his neck and crossing my legs around his waist. Once I was settled in position, Lucas brushed his fingers across my cheek. “Hold on tight.”

  It was exhilarating, the equivalent of being on a rollercoaster and having the wind rushing over your face and making your hair stream out behind you. This was much better than being held as Striker had done and I could see now that Striker had been strolling when he ran with me, in comparison to this. Lucas ran through the trees and crossed the river in another extended flying swoop, which had me whooping in delight. He darted and dashed through the trees, moving so quickly the vista around us was reduced to a blur. Within seconds, we were back at the house and Lucas placed me carefully on the ground, holding on to my arm while I regained my equilibrium. When I'd recovered enough from the experience to speak, I giggled happily. “There are some advantages to being a vampire.”

  He looked amused. “You are tougher than I imagined. I thought you might be frightened.”

  “No, it was – amazing!” I laughed again, recalling the speed at which we'd zipped past the trees. “I think you might be faster than my Volkswagen.”

  Lucas chuckled and lifted me into his capable arms, carrying me towards the house. “Charlotte, most things are faster than your Volkswagen.”

  Chapter 23: Surgery

  “Charlotte.”

  I rolled over and stretched decadently, refreshed and relaxed after a night of blissfully deep sleep. It had been days since I'd slept properly and with Lucas at my side, his arms wrapped possessively around me, I had slept soundly. It had taken a considerable amount of time to fall asleep – nights of insomnia and ridiculous amounts of caffeine had made sleep determined to elude me. With Lucas's arms around my back, his fingers twisting through my hair, I'd finally dozed off.

  Recalling the reaction of the Kiss when we returned from the river, I smiled softly. Marianne had been gleeful to see us return together, bouncing around the house shrieking her delight. Rowena hugged us both as if she would never let go, smiling at us both like a besotted mother. Everyone greeted us with warmth and confirmed their delight in seeing us together once more. Even Gwynn took me in her arms for a quick, albeit awkward embrace.

  Gwynn had then turned to Lucas and dropped to her knees, lowering her head submissively. “Lucas, I beg your forgiveness and once again assure you of my commitment to you and our Kiss.”

  “Gwynn,” Lucas said, catching her arm in his and drawing her up to her feet with a gentle smile. “Your commitment to our Kiss has never been in question. I know you only did what you considered was right. It will not be mentioned again.”

  It was only in that moment that I realized that Lucas was truly considered their leader, although many of them were older. In some cases, by centuries.

  The thought evaporated as quickly as it had arrived, when Rowena provided another delicious meal to tempt my taste buds and Ben insisted I head up to bed. Everyone seemed concerned by the deep black bruise-like rings around my eyes and I wasn't going to argue when I knew Lucas would be coming with me. For now, my only desire was to spend every available minute with him, to savor having him holding me and touching me again.

  “Charlotte.”

  I snuggled against Lucas's hard length, not enthusiastic about leaving the warmth of the bed. It seemed much more fun to stay here with him, rather than deal with what faced me this morning.

  “Charlotte.” Lucas's voice was insistent and begrudgingly, I blinked open my eyes and looked up at him. “Jerome is ready for you.”

  Sighing heavily, I flipped onto my back. “I don't want to do this.” I'd never had surgery before, the prospect made me nervous and truthfully, I didn't want to miss a minute of my time with Lucas. Being given anesthesia was going to put a big dent in my time with him today and I begrudged the idea when we'd only just come back together.

  “I know you don't want to,” he replied patiently. “I don't believe anyone ever wants to have surgery. It is necessary, however, if you are going to walk properly again.”

  I groaned loudly, the sound noisy in the quiet room. “I know, I know. It doesn't mean I have to like the idea.”

  Lucas raised one eyebrow, his eyes twinkling. “What can I do to make you feel better?”

  My eyes lit up. “I do have one idea…”

  Lucas grinned and rolled over, pinning me under him as he rained soft kisses over my face. He kissed my forehead, my eyes, and my nose and then pressed tiny kisses down my cheeks until his lips touched mine. I raised my arms, clasping his face between my hands as I deepened the kiss and Lucas responded with a heartfelt groan. He wrapped his arms around me and rolled, taking me with him so I lay over his body. We continued to kiss repeatedly until Lucas groaned once more and gently pushed me away. “Enough,” he growled quietly, happiness and desire apparent in his blue eyes. The silver in them burst and flared, like fireworks in a night sky when he smiled.

  “How come you get to say when it's enough?” I grumbled.

  “Because one of us has to practice some self-restraint,” he retorted swiftly. He stood up, striding to the window and unlatched it, breathing deeply in the fresh air. “And because I've spent the night with your scent for the first time in eight long days. I need time to build up immunity.”

  I sat up to watch him and glanced at the clock. It was a little after ten and the weather outside was glorious, clear blue skies with a smattering of downy white clouds moving swiftly in the breeze. I would rather be doing a million things than having surgery.

  “Don't even think about it, Charlotte,” Lucas caught me looking longingly out the window and apparently guessed my thoughts. He strode to the bed, pulling down the sheets and picking me up. “You are having the surgery. Period.”

  I sighed and snuggled close to his neck, pressing a warm kiss against his skin. “Isn't there anything I can do to get out of this?”

  He smirked. “No. I'll take you down to Jerome.”

  “Traitor,” I grumbled unhappily.

  Lucas ignored me, carrying me towards the bathroom. We stopped briefly so I could freshen up, then Lucas carried me downstairs to the study. I was astounded to see Jerome preparing to do the surgery in there. “How often do you do surgery in a house?” I enquired mildly.

  Jerome was drawing white liquid into a large syringe. “Not often, I'm pleased to say. Put her down on the gurney, please,” he said to Lucas.

  “Where did all this stuff come from?” I glanced around the plethora of medical equipment, which had taken over the study.

  Jerome grinned sheepishly. “I borrowed a few items from the hospital.”

  Lucas dropped me lightly onto the gurney and Jerome handed him a small bowl of brown liquid. “Wipe down her foot and ankle with antiseptic, please. Extend it ab
out halfway up her calf.”

  “Don't I get one of those stupid gowns?” I questioned lightly, trying to mask my apprehension.

  “Oh, I don't think that's necessary,” Jerome murmured. He placed the syringe onto a sterile mat and smiled compassionately. “It's a minor surgery, Charlotte. I promise, you're going to be fine.”

  I watched Lucas swiping the cold antiseptic over my foot and ankle for a few seconds. “Are you doing this on your own?”

  “No, I have some assistance. Or rather, I have a number of assistants,” Jerome replied. He was pulling a surgical gown over his clothes and Marianne strolled through the doorway to help tie it behind his back, and then slipped into one of her own.

  “Rowena's on her way,” Marianne announced. “Ben will be another few minutes more.”

  “You've all fed well?” Lucas questioned quietly.

  Marianne nodded, turning around for Jerome to tie the gown at her back.

  “Marianne?” I said querulously, my voice an octave higher than usual. This situation was rapidly beginning to frighten me.

  “I'm assisting Jerome,” Marianne announced cheerfully. “Don't worry, I've been out to hunt, and I'm stuffed to the gills.”

  I dropped my head back against the hard gurney and squeezed my eyes tightly shut. “I thought all you had to do was break my ankle and reset it?”

  “That's true,” Jerome agreed, “however I have to get to the bone first. It requires a small incision.”

  I launched upright, nearly knocking the bowl from Lucas's hands. “Incision! Doesn't that mean there will be blood?”

  “Relax, Charlotte, we've got this all under control.” Lucas dropped the cotton swab into the bowl and placed it on the bench. He captured my hand in his, squeezing my fingers in a gesture meant to be comforting. “We talked it through last night while you slept. Marianne, Rowena, and Ben have volunteered to help Jerome. The surgery won't take long, Jerome estimates about twenty minutes and then plaster. They only need to be in here for a minimal amount of time. It reduces the risk to almost nothing.”

  “Almost nothing!” I shrieked. “Almost nothing! Are you serious?” Hysteria edged my voice and I swung my legs off the side of the gurney. “This is crazy!”

  Marianne captured my shoulders, her face inches from mine. For someone so slender, her grip was tremendously strong. “Charlotte, listen to me. This has to be done and it would take too much explaining if we took you to the hospital – they would know the ankle had been broken some time ago and would want an explanation of how it happened. It is much safer for everyone if we do the surgery here.” She squeezed my shoulders and smiled encouragingly. “We've taken every precaution, everyone who is to be involved has fed this morning and Ben, Rowena, and I volunteered because we have greater self-control than some of the others. We know the biggest risk is the smell of blood, so we will all refrain from breathing during the surgery. At most, each of us will only need to be in here for about seven minutes during the period whilst blood will be involved, then there's only the plaster left to do.”

  Jerome had been calmly scrubbing his hands in the bathroom off the study and came back to stand beside Marianne. “I give you my word, Charlotte, nothing untoward will happen. I've mapped out the surgery with military precision, everyone knows exactly what I will be doing, and they all know what to do if the craving becomes too intense. I promise, you will awaken from the surgery as human as you are right now.”

  “I think this is nuts!” I struggled frantically to get off the gurney, wriggling and pushing at Marianne who gripped my shoulders again. My breathing was rapid, my chest tightening in panic. “Completely insane! Let me go, Marianne!” I shrieked.

  Lucas caught the back of my neck in his palm and guided my face up to his, kissing me firmly on the mouth. He brushed the tip of his tongue across my lips and I moaned softly, giving him entrance. One kiss, two, then three and I stopped struggling. “I promise, my Charlotte.” Another drugging kiss and I began to wonder why I'd been yelling. “Nothing will go wrong.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I will not allow anything to happen to you.” He dropped his mouth to my lips again and I snaked my arms around his neck, kissing him back thoroughly. For a few minutes, we stayed like that, lost in one another and I felt the tiniest prick of a needle in the back of my hand. Lucas pulled away, gently extricating himself from my grasp. I was breathing raggedly, an intense longing deep in my groin and my nipples swollen and tingling. I realized with embarrassment that Jerome and Marianne had watched the entire spectacle – Marianne was grinning with delight and Jerome watched us with calm bemusement.

  “I think she's ready for you, Doc,” Lucas stated quietly. He leaned forward once more to kiss me; placing his hand behind my neck and easing me back down on the gurney. Marianne placed surgical gloves on Jerome's hands and he picked up the syringe he'd been filling earlier, inserting it into the intravenous line he'd attached to the back of my hand.

  “Count backwards for me, Charlotte, from one hundred,” Jerome requested as he slowly pressed the plunger on the syringe.

  Lucas kissed me between each number from one hundred down to ninety-six and I remembered nothing else.

  ≈†◊◊†◊◊†◊◊†≈

  There was a strange metallic taste in the back of my throat. I stirred against the pillow and licked my dry lips, swallowing to try to rid myself of the strange flavor.

  Music was playing softly; I recognized the tune and struggled to open my eyes. “Goo Goo Dolls,” I murmured as I became more aware of my surroundings.

  “Charlotte.” A deeply melodic voice spoke my name and I caught a tantalizing hint of Lucas's aroma, a combination of pine and mint, sunshine and ocean breeze.

  “Hmmm?” I rolled over and became aware of the weight on my ankle. With supreme effort, I blinked open first one eye, then the other. I was lying on the couch in the living room, with the heat from the fireplace warming my cheeks. The gorgeous face before my eyes made me smile contentedly. Lucas was perched on the carpet, one leg hitched up with his arms linked around his knee and he seemed relieved when I opened my eyes. I was conscious of the metallic flavor again and jarred myself into consciousness, reaching up to touch the sides of my neck. “Am I still human?”

  There was deep amusement in Lucas's voice when he spoke. “Yes, my love, still gloriously, beautifully human.” He loosened his grip and drew himself up onto his knees, leaning his arms on the couch cushion as he kissed me tenderly. “For the purposes of candor, being bitten on the neck is a myth also. Whilst it is the obvious position to bite for an artery, there are other, much more interesting places to select on a human body.” He waggled his eyebrows wickedly.

  “Oh!” Combining a heated blush with a huge yawn, I raised myself up on my arms. It was still daylight outside but heavily overcast and light snow flurries were drifting down at the window. The house seemed empty other than Lucas and me. “What time is it?”

  Lucas glanced at his watch. “A little after one.” He turned to the coffee table, picking up a glass and handing it to me. “I'm sure you must be thirsty.”

  I took the glass gratefully and sipped the cool water. “Did everything go okay?”

  He retrieved the glass from my hand and placed it on the table, turning back to capture my hands in his own. “The surgery went well, it took about twenty minutes as Jerome estimated and nobody was overwhelmed with the urge to bite you. The damage to your ankle has been repaired and you will be fine in about four weeks when the plaster is removed.”

  I chuckled at his description. “Are you aware how bizarre that sounded?”

  “If you intend to live with me, you'd best get used to bizarre,” Lucas warned with a smile. “Your life will never be normal.”

  “That's okay,” I reassured him, pressing a kiss against his wrist. “I think I might like it better this way.”

  We shared a warm smile and then he called Jerome's name.

  Jerome limped through from the kitchen and checked me over, taking m
y pulse, listening to my chest, and having a quick glance at the cast on my newly set ankle. Announcing himself satisfied, he squeezed my shoulder and straightened up.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, the surgery went well, it was only a minor problem which I've resolved. I want you off that foot for seven days, to keep swelling to a minimum.”

  “A week?” I repeated incredulously.

  Jerome met Lucas's eyes, the two men sharing a smug smile. “Well, if you hadn't insisted on removing the cast with a bread knife, you wouldn't be in this predicament.”

  I screwed up my nose and scowled. “Okay, I get it. A week.”

  Jerome's eyes twinkled and he threw me a wink. “Good to hear. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you.” With a little wave, he picked up his bag and hobbled out through the front door.

  I subdued a little smile and Lucas remarked on it. “What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing, really. I just like what you said before – about me living with you.” A shy smile crept over my lips. “It sounded sort of… permanent.”

  Lucas brushed his lips over mine, running his fingers through my hair. “I'm certainly hoping it will be permanent,” he murmured, “because the thought of being without you is more than I can bear.”

  “Is that why you didn't go hunting?”

  Lucas nodded seriously. “Living without you – the thought of it emptied my world of any reason for existing. Although a vampire cannot commit suicide as such, I intended to test how long I could go without feeding – whether the pain of the thirst would be enough to eventually kill me.”