Page 22 of Paying The Vampire
I was determined to make sure she knew how appreciated she was.
She sang well, her voice rising and rising to fill the chamber. As we grew to the end of the melody I foreshadowed the next song by giving her a glimpse of the new rhythm, and then swept into it without a break. She did not miss a beat, and we played like this. I would lead her in one song, and she would meet me, dancing around the chamber with her words giving the air life. She was so vivacious and ebullient that it did not seem to matter that we were the only two people present. There was enough energy in the room to make it feel like an old hall.
I remembered the balls I used to attend before I was given new life. I had always felt awkward, unless I was at the piano. At the piano I could make eyes at the pretty girls who danced with their suitors, stealing surreptitious glances and winking at them, for there were no nerves while I sat down. But when I became one of those suitors I was suddenly stiff and rigid, without any idea of what to do, and then I noticed that the girls were looking away from me, hoping to find a glimpse of excitement elsewhere.
But there was nowhere else for Willow to look. She was all mine, and I could feel a stirring within me, a sense that I might be able to have her.
As she twirled around the room I knew I could resist her no longer. I needed to be near her. I needed to feel her.
I rose and quickly cast a spell that made the piano play by itself. The rhythm would not change, but it allowed me to be close to her. She smiled and then laughed, breaking the song as I glided towards her. I wrapped my arms around her and caught her hand in mind. The fabric of her glove was soft, but I could feel the gentle flexing of her fingers beneath it. My hand rested against the small of her back. Every part of her was filled with life, with warmth, with all the things that were prized in heaven.
We spun around. I was no longer a fumbling youth who kept looking at his feet, and even then still tripped over them. I was graceful and nimble, assured. I led her spinning around the room. The rest of the world passed by in a blur as I was focused on her smiling face. She threw her head back and laughed, before she met my gaze again. I was locked onto her, unable to stop myself from falling into her orbit as though I was no more than one of the stars embedded in her dress. Her scent seeped into my mind and played havoc with my senses. We were locked in this spinning pattern, her body pressed close to mine, and I felt as though my cold, undead heart was having life breathed into it again, as though something was being awakened by her.
We slowed the rhythm. She was panting heavily. Sweat dusted her brow and trickled along the flushed skin of her chest.
“I’ve never danced like this before,” she whispered, her voice low and sultry.
“I used to dance like this a lot, but never with anyone as beautiful as you Willow. In fact if you had been there at one of those balls I doubt you would have given me a second look. There were always more impressive men.”
“I can’t believe there were ever any men more impressive than you,” she said, drawing her head to the side.
I smiled, appreciating the flattering compliment. “I was not the same man as I am now. I was but a boy, still with much to learn. I am pleased to say that I learned those lessons, however. I became the man I always wanted to be.”
“And I hope I can become the woman I have held in my mind. There is still so much for me to learn, so much for you to teach me…” she said, the words hanging in the air with a lingering sense of promise. As she looked at me I could feel her gazing into my soul, into those dark waters in which nobody had swam for a long, long time. It was wrong, but I could feel myself growing weaker before her, as all I wanted was to hold her close and give her all the chances of life that I had never had before. I wanted to help her avoid making the same mistakes I had made. She was offering me her devotion. I could feel it on her warm breath. Without knowing it my subconscious mind slowed the rhythm of the dance. The music grew heavier and more intimate. Our movements slowed along with it. I wasn’t sure if I was controlling the music or if it was controlling me, or perhaps I was entirely in thrall to her.
My hands slipped to her waist as her arms draped around my shoulders. Nerves caught in my throat.
“You would never have looked at me if this was a ball.”
“Then we should both be lucky that it isn’t a ball, that’s it’s just you and me here Cassius. There is nobody else I’m looking at, and I’m not taking my eyes off you.”
Her lips were gentle. I was drawn to them, just as I was drawn to every other part of her. The air crackled with heat and I was intoxicated by her fragrance. She was an inferno in this cold world, exuding heat and stoking a fire that would soon grow out of control. I had been in control for so long. Everything in this world was at my fingertips and it was time for me to loosen my grip. I wanted to feel something unexpected, something unpredictable, and here she was; this angel of my dreams, this rapturous woman, this goddess who imbued every sense of passion and desire.
It was she who pulled me close. She who ran her fingers through my hair. She who made me break my promise that I would not do anything physical with her. I felt her body melt against mine. The warmth of it seeped through my pores and under my clothes. It made me tingle and brought life to parts that had been dormant throughout my solitude. There was an immediacy about her, a presence that showed me she was here to be enjoyed, and I should not deny myself this pleasure. I was still worthy of it. I was still a man, and not all of me had been lost to the cold.
She parted her lips and tilted her head to the side. I mirrored her movements, being led just as though we were still in a dance. I suppose we were, just a dance of a different kind. My mind wanted to unspool and think about everything that was going to happen after this, but the present moment was in sharp focus and her lips were coming towards mine and her eyes were closing. I heard a soft murmur and then we were locked in a kiss. The sweetness of it poured through the middle of my body and I was utterly lost to her and all that she had made me. I felt weak and strong at the same time, and my mind was truly dazed. I clung to her tightly, not wanting this heaven to end, feeling more alive than I had done in probably all of my existence.
She leaned back to catch her breath. I had a dazed look on my face and was about to lean in for another kiss. I felt as though I was floating, but then something seized me. It wasn’t the same sensation as this elation. It was something deeper, something sharp and hard that twisted inside me like a dagger. I looked up at her and in her eyes I saw something that I never thought I would see. I saw betrayal. How had this happened? How had I missed this? Fool… I had always been a fool and I would always be a fool. I should have known that she would not have been interested in me like this. I should have questioned it. I should have known it was too good to be true.
“Willow…” I gasped, but I choked on my own words. Strength slipped away from me and I fell so suddenly it was as though the floor was rising to meet me, looking to slap some sense into me. My mind was a haze and everything was going dark, and no matter how much strength I summoned I could not stop this. I was at her mercy and I feared death. I never thought death was going to be this beautiful.
Chapter Eighteen
Willow
“I’m sorry Cassius,” I cradled his head as he fell, not wanting to injure him. I had seen the look in his eyes though and knew that his pride had been wounded most of all. I caught his body as he fell and gently lowered him to the floor. Here he would stay for as long as the potion lasted. He had not died; I had not wanted to kill him, only to incapacitate him. I quickly pulled out a tissue and wiped the lipstick away from my lips. It was not entirely lipstick, for I had brushed a potion onto my lips. It had been difficult to resist the urge to lick it away. I had found the potion in one of the tomes, it was said to be able to incapacitate anyone, even vampires. I had managed to smuggle it out after I had arranged to meet Cassius for the ball, knowing that he would have occupied his time by preening himself and making himself ready.
I didn’t feel good about it though.
There had been such hope in Cassius’ eyes, and when I appeared he looked at me as nobody had looked at me before. He valued me in a way that the wolves never had, but their treatment of me had taught me to be cautious and scared. With Clea’s warning I did not feel comfortable in trusting him, but this would allow me the opportunity to find out the truth and perhaps escape if I needed to. If not then I would have to try and earn his forgiveness.
He looked so peaceful as he lay on the floor, his eyes closed. I brushed my fingers along his lips, thinking about the way he had made me feel. I had kissed him because it was the only way I could think to introduce the potion into his system. He had licked his lips after the kiss to enjoy my taste, and I could not deny that I enjoyed it as well. For a vampire there was much passion in him, and the kiss we shared was laced with it. I blinked away the confusion though, and tried to set aside the feelings that careened through my body. I tried to remind myself that these feelings were false. They were all a trick, but the closer we became the more I felt there was something there. I had learned shades of the man he once was, and the things he said to me while we had been dancing offered me another glimpse to the past. Despite being a king here and having this grand castle, despite having lived a thousand lifetimes, he still felt inferior. I knew he must have lost someone a long time ago. A resentment like that did not burn for this long without having a strong foundation, and he was certainly not at as much of a loss as he thought. He was handsome, he was impressive, but he was also a vampire and I was not yet ready to surrender so much of myself to him.
Although the sensation of the kiss still lingered, and while it did so I would continue to think about what we shared.
But I had little time to waste. The potion should last for several hours, but I had no idea if that would be the case given the small dose I had given him, or if things would be different with vampires. For all I knew he might stir within minutes. I could have wasted time by binding him to a chair, but if he awoke he could have simply turned into a bat and flew free, so I did not see the point. I had learned about the tomb, and now all I needed was to find Amara’s diary.
I ran out of the chamber with the piano and rushed through the dusty, dark, cobweb filled halls. I lit a torch when it was clear that I was going to have to venture into the bowels of the castle, and my shadow stretched long around my feet. My breath was cold and swirled in vapor as it left my mouth. My heart thrummed. I glanced behind me, always afraid that Cassius would follow me and stop me. I was afraid that this castle might be holding other secrets as well. There was an eerie feeling and I had no idea what other kind of creatures might be lurking in the shadows, what ghouls and ghosts might haunt this place. I followed the signs through long winding hallways and tried to ignore the creaks of the building. A chill breeze drifted past me and somehow fought past the warmth of the torch, making goosebumps appear on my arms.