Death of the Vampire
Page 13
Flipping open the lid, I released a small gasp. There, on a bed of velvet, was a ring. It was a flat rectangle with squared off corners, and about the length from my knuckle to the first joint of my ring finger. The background was a dark blue enamel, the color of the summer sky just after the sun has gone down. Then, studded across the field of blue were diamonds. They looked like twinkling stars. Diamonds edged the enamel in a sparkling frame. “Oh,” I sighed. It was so darn pretty. Alice had really outdone herself.
There was a card neatly tucked into the concave top of the clamshell box. I plucked it out to read.
My Dearest Aurora,
Please accept this small token of my esteem to commemorate your wedding. This ring once belonged to Marie Antoinette, but I hope it brings you better luck. It’s called, Ring of the Heavens. I hope you’ll wear it sometimes and think of me. Preferably when your husband is not in the room.
My deepest regards,
Lord Vagnar
“What is it?” Jessie asked, returning to our bedroom and noticing the expression on my face.
“Uh…” I wasn’t quite sure what to say, Vagnar’s gift filled me with so many emotions. Eventually I just handed him the box and the note.
“Oh.” Jessie looked a bit stunned after reading it. “I guess he must have arranged this before he…”
There was a knock at the door.
“I’d better get it,” Jessie said. “That’ll be our dinner.”
“Yes, please do.” Rising from the bed, I grabbed my new lavender, silk robe. My emotions were in turmoil, but I was suddenly ravenous.
I could only faintly hear the conversation between my husband and whoever had brought up our meal. Jessie had exclaimed in surprise and the other person had laughed. Had we been brought the wrong meal by accident? Were there two steak dinners waiting for us instead of a carafe of blood? I felt a twinge of sadness at the loss of enjoying a ribeye, followed by a big bowl of ice cream. But spending eternity with Jessie was worth giving up all the wonderful mortal food in the world.
My stomach was really starting to growl. I hoped that, whatever the mix-up, it would be resolved quickly. I was wearing only my robe, but I decided to peek into the living area of our suite to see what was going on. Even if there was a rare piece of meat on a plate, I was willing to chew on it while our meal was sorted out.
I slipped out of the door, hoping to be unobtrusive. But I was instantly frozen in my tracks. “Whah…?” I stammered.
“Aurora, my dear girl,” Lord Vagnar said, striding across the room to take my hand. “How wonderful to see you.” He drew in a deep breath. “And so fresh from the marital bed. I suppose it’s too late for me to claim the right of the first night.” Cocking an eyebrow, he mugged at me like a black-and-white movie scoundrel.
I pulled my robe more tightly around my naked body. “Lord Vagnar! What are you…? I mean… How are you still alive?”
“Ah! How very astute of you,” he said with a delighted chuckle. “You’ve noticed that I am still among the living. Or, at least, the living dead.”
“But how?” Two minutes earlier I had been feeling both sorrow and gratitude for his sacrifice. But now he was standing before me. “Did you escape? Or…”
“Oh, nothing so dramatic,” Lord Vagnar said. “When you saw me the other day, I was feeling very sorry for myself that no one had bothered to come to my execution. And I was fully prepared to face the sun. I really was.” He ran his thumb over the stubble on his jaw. “But then I thought of how very kind it was that the two of you decided to drop by. And I began to wonder what you lovebirds would do with eternity. And that led me to an emotion that I haven’t had in at least a century.”
“What?” I asked.
“Curiosity,” he said with a grin. “And not just idle curiosity. I’m speaking of genuine curiosity. I want to know what happens next for a couple who are genuinely in love. You so seldom see it in this world.”
“But that doesn’t explain how you managed to avoid execution,” Jessie pointed out.
“Very true,” Vagnar said, amiably. “As you know, it was almost sunrise. I was already in the light chamber and they were preparing to slide back the roof in when I realized something.”
“What?” I asked.
“I realized that, while I greatly enjoy a romantic gesture, I didn’t really want to die. So, I pardoned myself at the last moment.”
“You did what?” I blurted, flabbergasted.
“I pardoned myself,” he said with a shrug. “I am a judge in the Bishops’ court, after all.”
“That’s… wonderful,” Jessie managed to stammer. “And we are very glad that you are still of this world. But, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here?” He gestured toward our bridal suite.
Lord Vagnar flashed a delighted grin. “What kind of man would I be, if I let my two best friends wed and I never even showed up to celebrate?”
The End
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XO~ Gayla Twist