The Key to Erebus (The French Vampire Legend. Book 1)

  Chapter 15

  It took me forever to decide what to wear. I didn’t want to dress up too much in case it gave the wrong impression. I’d done quite enough of that last night. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want to look nice though. In the end I settled for a simple cotton summer dress. It was black with straps on the shoulders and stopped just above the knees. I decided not to wear any jewellery, and to just let my hair loose. By the time I’d come to this decision it was close to dusk and I walked into the living room, my stomach fluttering with nerves and excitement.

  To give myself something to do, I headed over to the stereo and chose some music to listen to. I’d finally got the hang of how it worked and judging by the incredible amount and variety, Corvus had pretty eclectic taste in music. I programmed in half a dozen different songs and smiled to myself as I saw “My Immortal” by Evanescence. It had always been a favourite and now ... it seemed to appropriate.. As the room gently filled with its first few mournful notes I heard a voice behind me.

  “A very sad song.”

  I spun around in surprise to see Corvus standing in the doorway, wearing his favourite frayed blue jeans and nothing else but holding a black t-shirt in his hand. I could see through the open door behind him, into a large bedroom dominated by massive four-poster bed. I’d been wondering what was behind that door but it was usually kept locked. Well, now I knew.

  “Yes, it is sad.” I tried not to stare at him but my gaze seemed fixed on his chest, and the scattered trail of golden hair that disappeared beneath his belt. “It’s the sort of song you can only listen to when you’re happy.”

  He walked towards me while pulling the t-shirt on over his head.

  “Are you happy then?” He took hold of my hands, pulling me into an embrace. I wrapped my arms around his back and laid my head on his chest.

  “Yes.” I am now. It was all the answer I could muster, though it seemed to be enough as he pulled me tighter and kissed the top of my head.

  “Are you feeling better now?” I noted the amusement in his voice.

  “Yes thank you,” I mumbled, hiding my face in his t-shirt in embarrassment. There was a rumble of laughter in response. “I’m sorry, by the way,” I added in a rush, deciding to get the awkward part of the evening over as soon as possible.

  He frowned a little. “What for?”

  “For the way I behaved last night. I mean I’d had too much to drink, I didn’t mean to but Chloé …”

  “… is very persuasive and loves to cause trouble.” he finished for me. “I should have known better than to leave you in her care. It appears she spiked your drinks most of the night, so you have nothing to apologise for. She should be the one apologising, and me - for abandoning you for so long.”

  He smiled at me affectionately and I felt a warm glow begin somewhere inside as well as a sense of relief at discovering that I hadn't gotten drunk all by myself.

  “So tell me, what have you been doing with yourself today?” he asked.

  “Actually, I have a surprise for you.” I was practically bouncing with impatience, excited for him to see it.

  “Really, for me?” he said, his eyes sparkling. I noticed the pleasure on his face and was so glad I’d taken the trouble for him. I took his hand and pulled him to the door.

  “Come on then.” I grinned at him and he laughed, following where I led.

  We walked down in the direction of the meadow and I was grateful for the glow from the moon that gently lit the pathway and for my choice of flat black pumps for my feet. It didn’t really make a difference. I nearly twisted my ankle in a hole in the ground, but Corvus grabbed my arm to steady me. Of course, he had no such problems with the darkness. He slipped arm around my waist, for my own protection he said.

  When we got within sight of the lake, he stopped and smiled and pulled me closer.

  “It’s beautiful,” he said.

  It was beautiful. I’d arranged dozens of different sized candles in groups along the jetty, as well as in and around the little summer house. I’d even found some floating candles and Rodney had lit them for me and sent them drifting out into the lake. We walked slowly into the summer house, admiring the scene. Rodney, bless him, had also arranged a bottle of champagne and two glasses, and next to the bottle sat my little gift, wrapped up in dark blue paper with a silver bow.

  “What’s this?” Corvus picked it up and turned to look at me.

  I felt nervous suddenly, wondering if he’d like it. I knew, as Master, he was often given lavish gifts, so I doubted my small offering would look anything against the grand gestures of his family.

  “It’s nothing much… I mean, I wanted to buy you a present to say thank you for the dress and… for everything. I didn’t have much money though.” I shrugged, feeling embarrassed.

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  I could tell he was pleased. He sat down and carefully undid the bow, not tearing at the paper as I would have done. When he’d got it open, he didn’t say anything for a long time, but sat turning the little crow around in his hands.

  In the end I couldn’t bear it any longer. “I know it’s not much, I mean it’s not ivory, not the real thing, obviously.”

  Corvus looked up and smiled. “Actually it is ivory and it is the real thing. It's very old.”

  “What? But the man said the real ones go for thousands.” I looked at him in astonishment.

  “Yes, they do,” he said, chuckling at my expression. “Maybe you've found your calling?” he suggested.

  I snorted at the idea of me as an antiques dealer and then had a pang of guilt at having bought it so cheaply, especially when the man was doing me a favour.

  Corvus took my hand and pulled me down onto his lap. “It’s perfect, the best present I’ve ever had.”

  I looked at him to see if he was serious and laughed. “You don't have to say that, Rodney said you were given a Bugatti by one of the family?”

  “Yes.” He nodded in agreement. “But only because they wanted something from me, you don’t.” He looked at me, his blue eyes serious as he touched my cheek with his hand. “I wouldn’t swap your gift for anything else, even if it was made of plastic and not ivory. You gave it to me, that’s all that matters,” he said, his voice low.

  I felt shy suddenly, a little overwhelmed by his reaction. “You really like it that much?”

  “I love it, it looks just like Nerva.”

  He put his arms around me and kissed me. “Shall we open the champagne then?”

  “Sure.”

  He opened the bottle neatly and poured out two glasses, handing one to me.

  “What shall we toast to?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” I didn’t feel comfortable suggesting to us or anything of that sort. I mean I didn’t know for sure there was an us.

  “The future?” I suggested.

  “Yes.” He smiled, nodding and raising his glass. “The future.”

  The glasses chinked and I sipped at the champagne cautiously. I wasn’t about to repeat last night’s performance.

  “It was a lovely thought, Jéhenne.” He gestured towards the candles.

  “Well it’s just I had such a perfect afternoon here with Rodney.” I glanced up at him and saw a shadow flicker across his face so I hurried on. “But we both agreed that we were missing someone. Rodney was missing…”

  “… Amelia,” he finished before I could say it.

  “You know?”

  He chuckled. “It’s not exactly the best kept secret, he’s been in love with her for years. Decades in fact.” He looked intently at me. “And who was it you are in love with and wanted to be with this afternoon?”

  I bit my lip, feeling uncomfortable with the question.

  “I don’t remember saying I was in love with anyone,” I murmured, wondering how the conversation had moved on so fast.

  He was watching me, his expression unreadable. “Oh?” he said. “Well then, who was it you don’t actually care
for but wanted to be with?” His voice carried a slight edge underneath the humour he dressed the words with.

  “I didn’t say that either,” I replied, a little indignant.

  “Well, what are you saying then?” He sounded impatient now and I wondered how the happy mood of a few moment's ago had changed.

  “You really are impossible,” I muttered, crossing my arms and looking away from him.

  There was a sigh before he spoke again. “I’m sorry,” he said, pulling gently at my arms so that they were wrapped around him. I sighed and leaned into him with my head on his shoulder.

  “I’m just impatient, Jéhenne,” he said, his voice low, raising shivers as his breath flickered over the back of my neck. “I’ve waited such a long time for this,” he added, as though he was talking to himself.

  I looked up at him and saw that he was sincere. There was no trace of humour in his eyes.

  “For what?” I asked, feeling my heart pound at the look he was giving me.

  “Just for this,” he said quietly. “For the way it feels to be with you.”

  I felt my heart lurch in my chest and could hardly breath as he lifted my chin with his fingertips to brush his lips against mine. When I looked up his eyes were sparkling mischievously,

  “Fancy a moonlight swim?” he asked.

  “In there?” I looked at the inky water in horror. “No thanks!”

  Amusement crinkled his eyes. “Why ever not?”

  “Well for starters it must be bloody freezing, and Rodney said it’s full of pike and they’ve got nasty sharp teeth.” I shuddered.

  “So have I,” he said, laughing at me. “So I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

  I giggled but shook my head. “Well, you go for it then and I’ll sit here and watch if it’s all the same to you.” I got off his lap to let him up.

  “Chicken,” he called, as he walked over to the jetty.

  “Yep,” I agreed, sipping my champagne and quite content to leave the chilly lake to him.

  I watched him quietly as he stripped down to his boxers, marvelling again at his beauty as he dived, barely rippling the surface of the black water. I thought it was incredible that someone could be so terribly beautiful.

  I scanned the lake expecting him to appear at any moment but there was nothing. I waited for what seemed like ages, but he still didn’t show. I began to feel anxious. Surely there was nothing in the lake for Corvus to worry about? I walked onto the jetty and knelt at the edge, peering into the blue-black surface of the water, panic beginning grow with each passing moment.

  Naturally he chose that moment to reappear, water sluicing off him and coming to the surface with such speed that I screamed in shock.

  “Shit!” I yelled both from annoyance that he’d freaked me out and relief that he was alright.

  “What?” he looked the picture of innocence as he wiped the water from his eyes.

  “You know what! I thought you’d drowned or something.” I was feeling crosser by the moment as he started to laugh.

  “Vampires don’t breathe, Jéhenne, so it would be a bit difficult to drown.”

  I frowned at him, perplexed. “You do though, I mean your chest moves and you seem to breathe.”

  He swam on his back around the jetty while I waited for him to answer.

  “It’s something we have to learn, when we first change I mean, so that we can pass for human. It’s hard at first, but eventually it’s as natural as it is for you. It’s just that we don’t actually need to do it.”

  He swam back over to where I was sitting.

  “Coming in then?” he asked again, grinning at me.

  “No, it’s freezing and I thought you didn’t like the cold either?” I demanded, shivering just looking at that dark water.

  I don’t,” he said with a sly smile. “But I’m looking forward to warming up.”

  “Oh no you don’t.” I got up and backed away. “Don’t even think about it!”

  He just laughed at me, eyes sparkling, and pulled himself out onto the jetty. So I turned and fled back up to the path through the meadow. I’d hardly turned onto the pathway before he appeared right in front of me. I didn’t even see him pass. One second the way was clear, the next he was there.

  He’d pulled his jeans back on, but didn’t seem bothered about the t-shirt that he’d abandoned on the jetty.

  “Back off!” I said, trying not to laugh. “I mean it, you’re all wet and cold.”

  “Yes I am, so come and warm me up.” He grinned, walking towards me.

  I tried to run around him, which was obviously pointless, as he just grabbed me and pulled me against him. I screamed as his skin touched mine.

  “Argh! You’re freezing.” I shivered, goose bumps running over my arms and down my back.

  He ignored all of my squirming and just kissed me until the shivers running through me were nothing to do with the cold.

  “That’s better,” he murmured and smiled down at me. “Come on; let’s go back to the Château.”

  He took my hand and we walked slowly back up the path. Once we got back he excused himself for a few minutes and went and put some dry clothes on and then retrieved the champagne that we’d left at the lake. When he came back we sat down together in the apartment and talked for hours, about music and books and trivial stuff. I asked him endless questions about his life and all of the amazing things that he’d lived through. There were too many to list and he answered everything without complaint, but always turned the conversation back to me.

  He seemed endlessly fascinated with my life as little of it as there had been compared to his, and although I felt embarrassed by how dull it was, I ended up telling him things I’d never told another living soul. Like how I could never please my mum, how I was never good enough. I had tried so hard to stop weird stuff happening - I'd tried to be the normal daughter she wanted. Now I felt so betrayed that she had known all along I was anything but.

  I had never received a reply to my letter and she hadn’t phoned me or even replied to one of the dozens of texts I’d sent. I hadn’t expected to hear from my dad, he’d never do anything unless mum told him to.

  I asked Corvus about his childhood - about his mother. He hesitated for a while but eventually he told me all of it. It was as Rodney had said, but far worse. My heart ached for the boy who’d been born into a noble family but was made to sleep with the slaves and beg for kitchen scraps. His mother despised him and turned his brothers against him, whilst the slaves didn’t trust him because he wasn’t truly one of them. However one of the slaves, an older woman, took pity on him and looked after him, making sure he got enough to eat. Until his mother found out and she was sent away, so that he was alone once again. He told it all in a very matter of fact way and said that it was so long ago now, it was like it had happened to someone else. I didn’t believe him. I hugged him silently, with tears in my eyes, until to my astonishment he began to laugh.

  “What?”

  He shook his head still chuckling. “This has to be the most depressing first date in history.”

  “First date?” I smiled, feeling ridiculously happy. “Is that what this is?”

  “Isn't it?” he asked.

  I leaned against him, feeling slightly dazed. “Yes,” I murmured. “Yes please.”

  “Do you think you could handle a second?” he murmured, nuzzling my ear.

  I looked up at him wondering how on earth it was possible that my life had taken such an extraordinary turn.

  “I think I might be able to stand it,” I said gravely.

  He smiled, the pleasure clear in his eyes. “Tomorrow then?”

  “Tomorrow.” I nodded, and he kissed me goodnight, or rather good morning, just as the sun came up.