by Donna Flynn
“Duncan, I certainly didn’t mean for this to happen; but it has, and nothing we can do now will change it.”
“Katie is far too young for any of this. She is still in school, for pete’s sake!” my father answered sharply.
I held my breath waiting for Aidan’s reply, thinking I would finally get the answers I sought.
“You should be doing your homework, not eavesdropping on a private conversation,” my brother said from the bottom of the staircase, alarming me with his sudden presence.
“I thought I would go and work in the garden since it’s such a nice day,” I told him, lifting my chin defiantly.
“Then you should do so,” he told me, before walking to the office and entering, closing the door firmly behind him.
With the massive wood door closed, I couldn’t hear a thing so I went outside to the garden to try and get some work done.
The garden that graced our home was my favorite place in the world. When I was unsettled, its ancient walls offered me shelter from the rest of the world and allowed me privacy to think through my problems and ease my mind.
My mother had done a lot to repair the once-neglected Eden. Stone walls that were once crumbling had been repaired and built higher to surround the perimeter of the garden’s length. The walls were covered in thick, rich greenery that sprouted through cracks and topped with razor-sharp wire my father had insisted upon for security. My mother hated the glistening wire at first. but time had dulled its color. And greenery had begun to creep up and claim the wire, which my father said was actually a good thing since it camouflaged it from anyone who would dare to climb the wall. I didn’t even want to contemplate the kind of being that would dare attack a vampire compound like ours, so I quickly turned my observations to the rest of the garden.
My gaze fell on a nearby fountain of a young female, sitting on a rock with water trickling down next to her like a small waterfall, and I felt myself relax. Many of the fountains that graced the garden were in disrepair before my mother revitalized them, but now their soft, soothing waters flowed once again, bringing back the peace and tranquility they had once offered past owners of the property.
Accenting the massive stone fountains were flowering bushes of every shape, size, and color that lined the stone pathways, which all led back to a massive gazebo, the remnant of a much grander era, that stood covered in flowering vines, its white-washed wood barely visible underneath a rainbow of colored flowers and bright green foliage.
I took a seat on the soft, grassy area of the manicured lawn between garden beds and opened my books, trying to focus on getting my homework done, but it was useless. All I could think about was Aidan: the kiss we had shared and the overwhelming feelings I was suddenly experiencing for him.
I had been at it for over an hour when a shadow fell across the pages, breaking my train of thought. Still aggravated that Paul had caught me eavesdropping, I was in no mood for his company. “Get lost, nerd boy, I’m trying to study,” I said scathingly, not bothering to look up from my book.
“I was going to offer you some help, but I don’t want to bother you,” Aidan said with a chuckle.
My cheeks heated and I lifted my gaze to his, embarrassed by my smart comment. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were Paul.”
“I asked him to put my car away,” he told me with a grin.
“Well, that should keep him out of my hair for a while,” I said under my breath.
“What?” Aidan asked, looking perplexed.
“Nothing,” I said, frowning as I looked back down on my half-finished Spanish homework.
“You seem to be struggling. May I be of assistance?” He reached down and picked up the book I had been studying, looking it over with a satisfied smile. “Spanish is a beautiful language. I could help with this, if you would like.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” I asked. “I do well in all my other classes, but languages are hard for me.”
He laughed heartily and I found myself staring at him, unsure why my words caused him such glee.
“There’s nothing I would like better than to aid you in your studies,” he told me, his face taking on a more serious expression. “Besides, you never know where life is going to take you. It might be useful later in life to know a few different languages.”
He sat down beside me and leaned close as he showed me how to pronounce the words I was assigned to study. It was hard to concentrate with him so close, when everything about him called to me, and I found it hard to follow at first. I was besieged with the need to touch him, to smell him, and kiss his lips once more. He sighed, as if hearing my thoughts, and I cautioned myself to stop acting like a lovesick fool before I made a complete idiot of myself.
“Focus,” he murmured, close to my ear.
To my surprise, I found that with just his command I was able to do just that.
We worked until the sun began to set. Despite my clumsiness with the pronunciation of the words, he was very patient and taught me more in my short time with him than I had learned in any of my previous classes. Of course, since I hung on his every word like a lovesick puppy it shouldn’t have surprised me.
“Teach me one more,” I pleaded, when he called an end to our study session.
He looked thoughtful for a moment but then smiled indulgently. “Try this one. Amado Uno.”
I looked through the textbook, but came up empty-handed. “I don’t know what it means, but it sounds beautiful.” When he said it, I felt like he was speaking directly to my heart. “What does it mean?”
He just grinned, as if possessing a great secret. “You let me know when you figure it out.”
I playfully smacked him on the arm. “That’s not fair.” He smiled and took my hand in his, his fingers caressing mine. “You shouldn’t smile like that. It’s dangerous to us females,” I informed him, trembling under his slight touch.
His face took on a solemn look and his fingers tightened over mine. “There will only ever be one female for me; what the rest think does not matter.”
He rose easily to his feet pulling me up next to him. Jealousy consumed me as I pondered whom the female was who held his heart. It was an irrational thought. I had no business coveting a man who could never be mine.
“Why don’t we sit in the gazebo and enjoy the sunset?” he suggested.
Unable to deny him anything, I followed willingly as he guided me toward the gazebo, my hand firmly in his own. My heart pounded as I struggled for something to say that wouldn’t sound childish as we took a seat on the bench inside of the gazebo. “Thanks for your help, you are a good teacher.” Lame, I thought, but at least I managed to speak in a normal tone of voice.
He smiled and I felt my body quiver slightly. “Let me know if you need more help while I am here. I am always available for you.”
“Thanks, I will.” I sat back against the seat watching the sunset, as he questioned me about school and what activities I was participating in that year. It was not uncommon; he always took the time to ask about me, but this time I found myself wanting to know more about him instead of talking about myself, as we always did when he came to visit. So I mustered up the courage to ask. “Could I ask you a question?”
“I would try to answer anything you wanted to know,” he replied.
“How were you changed and how old are you?”
He looked out at the garden and I felt his hesitation to answer. “Would my answer scare you?” he asked, turning to face me.
I shrugged. “I can’t see why. I know how old my parents and Paul are. I realize that time is of little consequence in your world.”
“I was nineteen years old when I was turned,” he said softly.
It was not hard to believe, since he looked about nineteen or twenty, but it wasn’t the complete answer I sought. I wanted to know how he was turned, who had done that to him and why. “That’s only part of the answer,” I told him with a frown.
He sighed. “I was born in 1801, in Scotland.”
“You are suddenly very curious,” he murmured. “But, think we should save that conversation for another time. It’s complicated and I do not like to talk about it. Besides, we should head in, your parents must be worried.” He graced me with another devastating smile. I found myself speechless, and I decided then and there that it really was not fair how his smile could affect me.
He rose and took my hand in his own pulling me to my feet. I stumbled, falling against him. My hand landed on his chest and I felt his heart begin to beat rapidly in response. My own heart began to race, causing me to gasp.
“Easy,” he said, laying his hand over my heart and closing his eyes. Within seconds I could breathe easier, and our hearts were beating in sync. He moaned softly and I looked up, meeting his gaze, shocked by the primal longing I saw there.
“We should go,” he said huskily, pulling his hand away.
I nodded dumbly, unable to answer, and we walked to the front door, his hand clasping mine tightly.
“It was nice spending time with you today.”
“As always, it is a pleasure to be in your presence.” He smiled sadly and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing it gently before letting it fall back to my side. “Good night, dear Katie,” he said softly, turning away.
“Good night, Aidan,” I whispered and walked inside.
*****
I thought about Aidan as I prepared for bed, wondering why I suddenly couldn’t get him off my mind. I reached down to pull my blankets back; on my pillow was a note written in neat script, tucked against a long-stemmed pink rose. The note read simply “Amado Uno.” My heart stilled and my hands trembled as I lifted the rose to my nostrils savoring its sweet, heady fragrance.
“Aidan,” I whispered, smiling to myself.
Chapter Six
Loud voices in the office floated out into the foyer as I walked down the stairs the next morning. I knew by the angry tones they were once again discussing my failed first date and from the sound of my father’s voice, it was not going well.
“We couldn’t have known what would happen, Duncan. I’m upset too, but there will be other boys. We can’t lock Katie away forever. She is a beautiful young woman, and boys will want to date her. We cannot say no for the rest of her life. Please be reasonable,” my mother urged.
“I was reasonable, Anna!” my father thundered. “Against my better judgment, I did as you suggested, and look what happened. Did you see the marks that bastard left on our daughter? Do you have any idea the trauma she has been through? When I think about what could have happened if Aidan had not been there, I want to kill that lousy excuse for a human being.”
“But you won’t,” Aidan interjected. “The boy is no longer a threat to Katie, or any other young girl. I have seen to that,” Aidan added his voice hard like cold steel.
I felt a chill sweep through me and wondered what he had done to Scott after he had left me. Surely my family would not be party to killing a human, even to protect me. My nails dug into the palms of my hands as I approached the office, stealthily trying to hear more.
“In case you have not noticed, Katie has become a gorgeous young female; it will be hard to keep her away from these male teens. She needs to explore and experience all things normal human teenagers do and, as much as we all despise it, dating is part of that,” Aidan stated calmly.
I wanted to applaud his words, but had to contain myself for fear they would hear me.
“You are the last person I want to notice my daughter’s maturity. I have enough problems with human males panting after her,” my father growled.
“I can assure you it has come as a surprise to me, too. I did not come here expecting to find a young woman where a child should have been,” Aidan told him.
“Noticed that right away, didn’t you?” my father sneered.
“Not by choice,” Aidan snapped clearly losing his calm. “Do you honestly think I want this right now?”
“Don’t you?”
“Duncan. I am trying to remain calm because I am thankful for all you have done for myself and Katie, but don’t push me too far. I can end this charade at anytime.”
“Calm down, Duncan,” my mother cautioned, her voice filled with worry. “We may not like it that our little girl is not so little anymore, but fighting with Aidan will not make any of this easier.”
A moment of silence passed between them. I leaned against the wall, waiting breathlessly for the outcome of their argument.
“I am sorry, Aidan. I had not thought any of this would be happening so soon, but really you should have come to us that night, instead of following her wishes to wait and tell us the next day” He sounded very angry and I wondered how Aidan would react. I could not remember them ever fighting before. My father was one of Aidan’s fiercest supporters, but now he seemed very upset with him. And it was all my fault.
“I did what I had to do. My first regard is always to Katie. If it makes you feel better, though, I too am feeling the stress of her maturing. We had not anticipated the problems this would cause for any of us,” Aidan responded tersely.
I wondered what he was talking about: Why would my getting older affect him?
“Eavesdropping again, Katie?” Paul said behind me.
I turned with a squeal of surprise, punching him hard in the arm for scaring me, but it hurt me more than him, and I cried out as pain radiated throughout my hand.
“You jerk,” I said, holding my aching hand in the other as it throbbed, glaring at my brother. I always forgot how hard his body was. It was like hitting a boulder, and now I was paying for my thoughtless actions.
Aidan came through the door and to my side, immediately taking my hand in his own touching each finger gently, assuring himself that I was alright before turning his angry gaze upon my brother.
I was startled by the reaction I felt at his touch and mesmerized by how gentle he was. Tiny pulses of electricity danced between our fingers and we both watched, stunned by the spectacle between us.
“Are you okay?” he asked his eyes never leaving Paul’s.
“I’m fine; I just forgot that hitting him is like hitting granite.”
Paul chuckled but Aidan snarled, ending his amusement, and my brother ducked into the office where my parents watched us with worried expressions.
“How are you?” Aidan asked. The sound of his voice was soothing as it settled over me, and I felt myself relax instantly.
“I am fine,” I answered softly, wanting nothing more than to lay my head on his chest and wrap my arms around him. I lowered my gaze, embarrassed by the direction my thoughts had taken.
“Would you like to walk in the garden?” he asked huskily.
I nodded, and he let our hands fall between us, our fingers entwined, sparks still dancing between them as we walked. There was no need to talk; we were so comfortable with one another that we enjoyed just being together as we ventured down the garden’s many twisted paths, enjoying the peace and tranquility it offered.
Oddly, I felt peaceful and whole with him by my side, not awkward and unsure like I was with other guys during my usual everyday activities. It dawned on me that it had always been that way when he was around. I was always comfortable and free to be myself with him. I never felt the need for false conversation and was always content to just be with him.
“Are you sure you there are no repercussions from the other night’s mishap?” he asked, breaking the silence.
I loved the way he talked, so formal and antiquated. I certainly never heard anyone at school talk the way he did.
“Katie?” he questioned, as I stared up at him silently.
I realized I had failed to answer his question
and my cheeks flushed. I thought once again how stupid I had been to trust Scott just because he was good looking and paid attention to me. But I knew most girls my age would have done the same thing. As teenagers, we tended to think we were not vulnerable to the violence that plagued the world. Unfortunately, I had found out the hard way that wasn’t true. “I’m fine. I am sorry that I have caused so much trouble. I do not want to be the cause of a fight between my father and you.”
“It’s no trouble. We did have a dispute, but we both want the same thing for you in the end.”
“And what would that be?” I asked, feeling his unease.
“For you to experience everything a normal, happy, human teenager your age would.” He squeezed my hand and smiled.
“Well, being human in a house full of vampires does not make that very easy,” I told him honestly. “Sometimes I think my life would be easier if I were one of you. At least then there would be no more secrets.”
His hand tightened painfully around mine, and he looked as if I had struck him. “We do not want you to feel that way. Your humanity is something many of our kind long for.”
His answer made me feel sorry I had spoken so senselessly. I never considered that a vampire might be envious of a human, but sometimes I wished for less secrecy in my life, more freedom to do what I wanted without my parents being so protective, and that could only happen if I became one of them. “I know how lucky I am to have the life I do, believe me, but I feel so out of place. I’m not a vampire, but I also cannot be a normal human, because I know vampires exist. But what really frustrates me is that it’s like you all know something I do not, something important that you refuse to share with me.” He tensed visibly, offering a half a smile to hide his discomfort from me, unaware I could feel it radiating from his body. “Is there something I should know? Something you are keeping from me?”
“Do not be silly,” he told me with a painful look. “Katie, we all love you, and we are doing everything we can to protect you.” His eyes searched mine, pleading with me not to push it further, and I looked away, ashamed to suspect the people I loved of such treachery.