A Guardian's Touch

by Stein Willard

  Shocked, she staggered backward. Not only was the woman extraordinarily beautiful—she was the daughter of Romulus Titus, the head of Caesar’s personal bodyguards and the godchild of Caesar himself. No one would dare touch her, no matter how drunk. She looked around nervously and slowly backed away. She knew that an army of hidden bodyguards was nearby.

  The adventurous exploits of the young noblewoman were legendary. One tale was that she had once dressed as a boy to take part in a semi-tournament in a neighboring village. The incident ended tragically when a group of boys, bitter at losing to the slightly built newcomer, ambushed her. Great was their shock when a group of armed palace guards appeared out of nowhere. The deaths of the boys were unfortunate, and the noblewoman never tried anything like that again.

  The incident caused quite an upheaval in the small farming community, but Caesar quickly squelched the unruliness by posting a battalion of guards in the village’s center. His message was clear—those who dared speak out would have to deal with the guards. The townsfolk quickly returned to their normal routines, but bitterness remained.

  Repulsed by her own behavior, the young girl redeemed herself somewhat by begging her doting godfather to recall his troops and allow her to atone for the slain boys’ death by presenting his parents with farming implements and gold coins. The grieving parents accepted her gesture of remorse, and from then on, the people of the village held her in high esteem.

  Tahlia looking at the girl and knew she wasn’t about to invoke Caesar’s wrath and slowly moved away.

  “No, please do not go.” The girl took a hasty step towards her.

  Tahlia knew she would receive a brutal beating if seen talking to a noble in public without having averted her eyes. She turned and fled, disappearing into the crowd. After running as fast as her long legs could carry her and throwing in a few confusing turns in case she was followed, she stuttered to a stop. Bent over from the waist, she gasped for breath after her run. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Her knees went weak at the sight of the heavily armed man who stared down at her. She covered her face and head with her arms, and whimpered softly, expecting a beating. When nothing happened, she cautiously looked up and was shocked to see the man move aside, allowing the blonde woman to step forward. How had they caught up to her so fast?

  “Why are you running away from me? I mean you no harm.”

  Tahlia saw the smile and quickly cast her eyes down. “I humbly ask your forgiveness for having showed any disrespect in talking to you, milady.”

  When the girl reached out and touched her coarse woolen tunic, Tahlia knew the small reassuring caress reached deeper than was intended.

  “Do not apologize. What is your name?”

  Tahlia looked at the stoic bodyguard and obliged. “Tahlia.”

  The girl smiled. “You have beautiful eyes, Tahlia. My name is Aurora.”

  †

  That day they forged a wonderful friendship. They would meet once a week on the street corner and Aurora would pretend to buy bread from her. Then they would slip into an empty vendor’s stall nearby and talk. Tahlia being raised by only one parent who made a living baking bread and washing soldier uniforms fascinated Aurora. Tahlia, on the other hand, tried hard to suppress her growing attraction for the beautiful noble.

  “We have been friends for almost five months now, but still you seem uncomfortable in my presence, Tahlia. Why?”

  Tahlia, sitting on a crude wooden chair facing the woman squirmed at the question. Aurora was so stunning, that it was impossible to look at her for long without getting lost in her beautiful blue eyes. Tahlia knew to choose her words carefully and not let it slip that it was pure torture to be around Aurora so often. The emotional toll it was taking on her body was overwhelming. Since meeting Aurora, Tahlia had stopped bedding other girls. She was well aware that no matter how many times or how many women she took to her bed, no one else could extinguish the fire that the blue-eyed Aurora had set alight within her. Now, she owed Aurora an answer.

  “I am still scared of being caught talking to you, Aurora.” She saw the blue eyes narrow slightly before Aurora walked to the entrance of the stall and looked out.

  Tahlia admired the tall frame. It was Aurora’s habit to dispose of her cloak once in the stall. The first time she had, Tahlia was happy to confirm her belief that a tall, slender body was hidden underneath the unflattering folds of the cloak. Now, she was so absorbed in studying Aurora’s body that she hadn’t even noticed that Aurora had turned to look at her.

  “You are lying to me, Tahlia.”

  With a red hot blush, Tahlia closed her eyes and prayed that Aurora would not question her any further. Her prayer came back unanswered, when Aurora frowned. Her blue eyes had a strange look in them.

  “I cannot tell you the true reason, Aurora. I value your friendship too much.”

  Tahlia watched as Aurora turned and closed the wooden door before coming to stand in front of her, prompting her also to stand. Tahlia was at least a few inches taller than Aurora, but for what the blonde lacked in height, she made up for in presence.

  “You want to take me to your bed, do you not?”

  The silence, following the softly spoken question, was deafening. Tahlia’s insides shifted abruptly, and she almost doubled over to clutch her stomach to stop its summersaults. Instead, she stared into the blue eyes in mute shock.

  “Well, do you?”

  Tahlia threw caution to the wind and slowly nodded. She expected her friend to run screaming for the door and be out of her life forever. The serious expression in the blue eyes changed, replaced by a look of immense relief.

  “Me, too,” Aurora whispered.

  Tahlia thought she would die from excitement as relief coursed through her body. Not knowing what to do next, Tahlia merely gazed at the noble woman and smiled. She held her breath when Aurora stepped closer until their bodies brushed against each other and Aurora kissed her. It was a deep, hungry kiss that turned Tahlia’s legs to jelly and her brains to mud. Breaking away, they both gasped for breath. There was now no way they could revert to their previous relationship. They were too hungry for each other.

  Tahlia made sure she locked the rickety door before they quickly undressed and she picked up Aurora, laying her on the rough wooden table. She kissed Aurora gently, touched the blonde's hair, brought a few strands to her nose, and inhaled the now familiar scent. Her other hand reached for the full fleshy breasts, which she lovingly bathed with her tongue. When she sucked a hard, pearly nipple into her hot mouth, Aurora pushed out a long moan, which inflamed Tahlia even more.

  When she moved lower, Tahlia felt the stiffening of Aurora’s spine and saw the uncertain look in the blue eyes for the first time.

  “You will like it. I promise.” Tahlia made good on her promise. With the first touch of her lips upon Aurora’s swollen nub, the noble woman grabbed her close and held her in that position.

  After a while Tahlia pulled away. Touching her down there, Tahlia smiled when her hand came back wet. She lifted her head and looked into the blue eyes.

  “Please, do not stop, Tahlia.” Aurora’s nails clawed at Tahlia’s back.

  Tahlia crossed two fingers, and probed the slick entrance. A soft gasp escaped Aurora’s lips. Cautiously Tahlia slipped inside—deep, then deeper and then so deep that she heard Aurora’s breath hissing through clenched teeth. She repeated the action until she felt the tiny vibrations deep within Aurora. She looked into the passion-contorted face and felt herself tremble at the sight of Aurora biting her lower lip.

  With a groan, she bent forward and took Aurora’s mouth in a searing kiss while her fingers increased the pace. Aurora screamed into her mouth. The blonde finally came amid thrashing and shudders. Tahlia held her, looking down into the beautiful tear-streaked face, and it was there it all started.

  Love…a love that would transcend mortality and time. When the tear-filled blue eyes opened again after a long whil
e, Tahlia looked deeply into them and offered her heart.

  “I love you, Aurora.”

  “I love you, too.”

  †

  They pledged never to make love like that again. Their first time was to be the only time their souls merged like that. They wanted to treasure the memory of their first time together, immortalize the moment. But they came very close.

  Twice.

  The second time was when her mother finally decided to present her to Lecrac. Even though Tahlia was the one who had urged her mother to consider the offer, she was scared of what would happen to Aurora and her, to their love.

  †

  It was a breezy summer’s evening as she slipped through the underground channel and up the stairs, making sure that she stayed close to the man leading the way. His broad shoulders were blocking her way and with him carrying the torch, she had no other option but to follow him closely. They entered a wide open room and the man led her to a door at the far corner of the room. Once there he looked back at her and with a faint smile stood to the side.

  “Do not leave any marks this time,” he teased, and Tahlia blushed as she pushed the door open.

  A big four-poster bed with the drapes pulled back dominated the room. Tahlia smiled at the sight of Aurora lying on her side completely naked. She walked over to her, and sitting on the bed, let her hand slowly trace the curves of her lover’s body. She stopped when she encountered a fresh scratch mark and looked up into the blue eyes. She smiled apologetically and the beautiful face broke into a wide grin.

  “You did not believe me when I told you that the student almost always surpasses the master.”

  Tahlia grinned and bent down to kiss the mark. The last time they’d been together, Aurora had offered to take over the role of the aggressor, stating that she was ready to test the skills she’d acquired over the past few years of their relationship. Eager to encourage her to take the initiative, Tahlia had given in to her. The scratch marks were testimony of how much she enjoyed their role reversal. Aurora had tipped her universe on its back.

  “Is something bothering you, my love?” Aurora asked.

  So in tuned were they to each other that Tahlia knew it was impossible to hide anything from her lover. “I do not know how to start.”

  Aurora sat up. “Start at the beginning.”

  Tahlia stared into the expressive blue eyes, and she felt tears welling up in her own. “I am leaving Rome.”

  “Why? For how long?” Aurora’s fingertips gently wiped the tears away.

  “Forever.”

  She felt the fingertips freeze on her face, and then the blue eyes pierced hers. Shock and dread reflected in the gaze. “Forever?” Aurora whispered. “Why? What about…what about us?”

  With a heavy heart, Tahlia told her why and then it was her turn to hold a sobbing Aurora in her arms. Her heart broke at being the cause of such pain. But she knew deep down that there was no other choice. A future with Aurora was impossible. After three wonderful years together, they both were way past marriage age. Despite Aurora’s ‘advanced’ age, rumors circulated on the streets that Caesar was just waiting for the right moment to forge a political alliance by marrying Aurora off.

  “What if I ask my father to employ your mother? You can come and stay with her in the castle, and we can be together forever.”

  “It will not work, my love. I owe this sacrifice to my mother. As much as it hurts, I will have to do this. I owe it to my mother to have a chance at a better life. She has sacrificed so much for me.”

  “And me? How will I live without you?”

  She did not have an answer, so she said nothing. Instead, she made love to Aurora desperately, savoring her touch, her sighs, her cries, and even her tears. There were no scars left that night. Instead, they cemented their love, strengthening their eternal bond.

  Leaving Aurora that night had been the most painful thing she’d ever had to do. She cried herself to sleep that night, locked in the warm arms of the only other person she loved unconditionally, her best friend—Paloma. Tahlia knew her mother sensed her pain because she tried countless times to get her daughter to open up. But it was to no avail. Grinolde wouldn’t have understood, and Tahlia didn’t want her own sacrifice make her mother’s actions seem selfish.

  †

  The long journey to Transylvania had been pure torture, with each step taking her farther and farther away from the one person she’d put her life down for. At least Paloma had been there with her all the way. On the first day, they awoke in the Lecrac Castle, Tahlia made herself a promise to go back, find Aurora, hold her again, and tell her how much she loved her. However, it didn’t happen as she’d thought it would.

  They’d been there six weeks when Lecrac showed up in her room one night. Tahlia, still uneasy about the dark aura of the castle, had locked the door from inside when she retired. To find the handsome man standing over her bed when she opened her eyes shocked her.

  “Tonight I will bequeath you a gift, my daughter. A gift that I am not sure you would want if you had a choice.” His eyes were gentle, though an ever-present sadness clung to him.

  A sudden drowsiness came over her and soon she was in a deep sleep. That night, Tahlia’s life altered dramatically and irrevocably. In an instant, everything she supposed about the future, along with her hopes and dreams, vanished. By decree of The Royal Clan, she was forbidden from having contact with anyone from her past.

  After ten long years of teachings and tough battleground training, she hoped she had convinced Lecrac to offer her a single boon. She was willing to grovel for it, but he had refused, and she’d never asked him again. Instead, she met her lover secretly—in her dreams when the sun was at its highest and her body laid cold and stiff under layers of earth. There, she could love Aurora without needing anyone’s permission. Two years later Lecrac called her to him again.

  She found him standing on the balcony of the castle overlooking the village. Without turning to face her, she heard him say, “You once asked me for a boon, my daughter. Upon my refusal, you have shown great resilience, devotion, and did not desert the cause. Your loyalty has paid off.”

  Tahlia was once again aware of the sagging shoulders and the tired look in his eyes.

  “I have come to an important decision. I need predecessors.”

  Not knowing where the conversation was going, Tahlia stood with her eyes and mind blank.

  “I have made my choice, and I want you to accept the added responsibility that I know you can handle.”

  When the door opened behind her, three more vampires entered quietly. Two men and a woman came to stand next to her. She knew them all well, two because they often paired up in battle. Jonas, the dark one, was a great warrior with a stronger sense of duty than any other vampire she knew. Pierre, on the other hand, had a playful disposition but was just as lethal as Jonas on the battlefield. Paloma, the third vampire, was, besides her, the most dangerous female vampire amongst the nation. Lecrac had chosen his best students.

  “The four of you will be my legacy. Under your rule, my children, you will flourish and uphold our decree. ”

  That night, Valentyn Ordeleus Lecrac gave his life for the continuance of his Race. When the others had left after having fed from him, he’d asked Tahlia to remain.

  “When your mother brought you here I knew that my Race would be built around you. You have sensed the beast in me even when the others could not. You, I will give the finest of all gifts. My last breath will be yours and so will everything that I have acquired.”

  She saw the sad eyes that looked at her with an intense light.

  “Besides that, I want to grant you the boon you have requested from me, but I want you to take responsibility for whatever ramifications might arise from this decision.”

  Tahlia saw sadness return to his eyes.

  “Tonight a Vampire Queen is born. Instill the noble qualities of our doctrine and maintain the balance between mortal and immortal. This allian
ce will be the future of our Race.” He’d held out his bleeding wrist. “Come, my Queen, embrace your birthright.”

  Those were the last words she heard Lecrac say before she sunk her fangs in his wrist. She did not let go until his great ancient heart stopped beating. As if on cue, Tahlia sensed the other three vampires enter the room. Together, the four vampires took Lecrac’s remains and carried his body deep into the Carpathian Mountains where they waited until dawn for Mother Sun to claim the eldest, most powerful of Vampires that had walked the earth. It took Tahlia another three years before she gave into the powerful urge and went in search of the love of her life…

  She’d smelled it even before she’d seen her—honeysuckle. Using her powerful senses, the familiar fragrance dazzled her and took a few seconds to allow the scent to seep into her core. And then she was there. Her blonde locks glowed silver under the stark bright light of the full moon. Her eyes hungrily searched her beloved’s face, and she felt her heartbeat accelerate. Aurora had changed little over the past fifteen years. Except for her eyes that looked sad. Even from where Tahlia hid amongst the shadows of the trees, she could see Aurora’s melancholy. That was one thing they had in common over the past years—sadness. Like her thirst, sadness and loneliness had been Tahlia’s constant companion.

  She reached up to touch her thudding heart and saw the blonde head turn toward her. Blue eyes tried to penetrate the shadows where she stood. Anxiously, Tahlia held her breath while her black eyes caressed the beautiful face. At thirty-five summers, Aurora looked even more beautiful than when she’d seen her last. The blue eyes narrowed slightly but, almost immediately, looked away.