“Almost immediately, she became uninterested in my brother and turned her attentions toward me. She made sexual advances toward me every time she saw me and her eyes displayed this weird kind of rage each time I refused her. Sully confronted me about her obvious obsession with me and accused me of trying to steal her from him. We had a huge argument and our harsh words escalated into a brawl when I told him she was nothing more than a whore. Even if he was my brother, I was forced to defend myself and she just stood there with this strange, devious delight on her face.”
Later that night, she entered my bedroom and I awakened to find her standing over me. When I demanded she leave my room, she flew into a fit of rage and attacked me, sinking her teeth into my neck. I can still remember the way it felt as she sucked the life from my body. My last living moments consisted of watching her rip a gash across her wrist, forcing her blood in my mouth and turning me into a vampire against my will. I died that night and I am no longer a mortal man. Do you understand what that means?”
“You will live forever?”
“I am no longer alive, yet I exist, and I will walk this earth for an infinite number of days, but when the world ends, so will I. My body is no longer made up of living cells and tissue, so I will never have children because it isn’t a physical possibility. Immortality doesn’t mean I can never die, but it is difficult because we are built to resist a second death, or as some call it, a true death.”
“What did Marsala do to you after she changed you?”
“Marsala was evil, in it’s purest form and she remained obsessed with me, refusing to release me from her bondage.” I rolled up the sleeve of my shirt and pointed to the tattoo that Chansey found so beautiful. “This is her mark of ownership and I belonged to her for 139 years.”
She reached out and touched the tattoo and said, “Now, I understand why you reacted the way you did when I told you that I loved it.”
“She always had the choice to release me from the bond, but she refused and this was her way of permanently reminding me I would always belong to her,” I said.
“If she didn’t release you, how did you get away from her?” she asked.
“In 1989, I traveled to Los Cabos with Marsala to see the greatest total solar eclipse since 1955. The misery of her companionship had driven me to make an unthinkable decision and I planned to meet my true death when the sun emerged from behind the moon. I should have burned and died, but instead, I stood in sunlight for the first time in 139 years and watched a pair of red butterflies come to temporarily rest upon my arm, before flying away.”
“Just like me, at the very same moment, thousands of miles away. What could that possibly mean?”
“At the time, I didn’t understand. I only knew I had the ability to walk in sunlight, which enabled me to escape Marsala. When you told me about the day you were born, I realized your birth dissolved my bond to Marsala and it was you that saved me all those years ago.”
Chansey appeared puzzled and said, “I don’t understand why my birth would break your bond to the one that changed you.”
“Would you allow me to summon Sebastian and Solomon?” I requested.
“Who is Sebastian?” she asked.
“He is Solomon’s mentor, and Solomon is mine. They are incredibly knowledgable and I think I prefer them explain the next part,” I explained.
“Are they vampires?” she asked.
“They are, but they will not harm you, so don’t be afraid,” I reassured.
“After my ordeal with Julian, I’m seeing there are far worst things than vampires to fear. May I have a head start getting ready before you call them?”
“Take as long as you like,” I encouraged.
Chansey’s reaction was just as Sebastian predicted. She embraced what I was, and if possible, her acceptance made me love her even more. She had much more to learn and I braced myself for her reaction and wondered if she was willing to accept me if if meant living everyday in danger for the rest of her life?
Chapter 22
The fragrance of burning lavender oil floated into the living room where I waited for Chansey, along with soft music, accompanied the sound of the tub filling with water. I turned on the television in search of a distraction from the thoughts in my mind, so I flipped through the channels and, ironically, found a vampire movie. The scene was when Vlad Dracula was mesmerized by seeing his beloved for the first time. I remembered seeing it in the 90’s, when it was a new release, and thought it was ridiculous to portray a vampire falling in love with a human.
The movie was doing it’s job as a distraction until I suddenly sensed the presence of someone in the house, and not just anybody, it was a vampire. Although I couldn’t identify him, I recognized the scent as the same essence that lingered at my family’s gravesite.
My speed placed me at Chansey’s side instantly, and although my sudden appearance forced the uninvited guest’s departure through her bedroom window, I found myself next to a safe, but very naked Chansey, submerged in a tub of bubbles.
The only illumination in the room belonged to the dancing glow of burning candles and the breeze of my sudden appearance caused the flames to sway, giving away my unexpected entrance.
Chansey turned her head from where it rested against the tub. “Curry?”
I averted my eyes toward the floor when she said my name. “I’m so sorry. I thought I heard a noise and I guess my protective instinct got a little carried away. I’ll leave.”
“Please, don’t go. Will you sit with me?” she asked.
Too afraid to answer, I sat on her vanity stool, facing the wall, preventing my eyes from seeing her exposed skin.
“I felt so dirty. I could smell him all over my skin and in my hair. I know you must have, also.”
I would never have told her, but I had smelled him on every inch of her body since finding her in his lake house. “A long, warm bath is just what you needed and it’s going to help you feel a lot better,” I encouraged.
Something unusual was happening to me, so I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, as I always did when I was nervous. I placed my palms on my knees and bounced my legs alternately up and down on my toes as I concentrated way too much on her body under those bubbles.
“You never answered my question about Crosby,” Chansey said.
“You mean, was I jealous?” I asked.
“Yeah. You never answered me,” she laughed.
“About that, what exactly were you trying to pull?” I scolded.
“I was attempting to draw you out with jealousy. I thought you might come back to me if you couldn’t stand seeing me with him, but I guess my plan didn’t work.”
“No, it worked, a little too well. You had me going crazy, and if Julian hadn’t come into play, I was about to give in and tell you everything.”
“Look at me, Curry,” she requested. I stopped my nervous tick of bouncing my legs and turned my face to meet her eyes. It was impossible to not notice how the bubbles stopped only slightly above her breasts while her shoulders glistened with long strands of dark hair stuck to them. “Don’t you ever leave me again. Do you understand?”
“I do, but you must also understand, I love you and will always do what I must to keep you safe. Always, without fail.”
“What do I need to be protected from, besides Julian?”
There was so much she didn’t know or understand and I feared it could be too much for her. “You should finish your bath and we’ll discuss it when Sebastian and Solomon get here,” I suggested.
“I’m ready to get out. I forgot to get a towel, so would you mind passing me one from the cabinet?” she requested.
I reached for her towel and heard the unmistakable sound of her rising out of the water and I was frozen where I stood with my back turned to her. She stepped from the tub onto the bathmat and walked behind me, reaching around to take the towel from my motionless hands.
“I’m not afraid of you, so don’t be afraid of me,” she sa
id as she leaned around and laughed at the expression on my face.
She wrapped the towel around her body and tucked the corner tightly, then moved in front of the mirror to comb her wet hair as I turned to leave the bathroom.
“Hey, is the big, bad, scary vampire frightened by me?” she taunted and I stopped behind her, staring at her image in the mirror.
Her question was asked in jest, but I truthfully replied, “Yes, you scare me very much.”
Chansey saw my seriousness and the humor on her face was replaced with something different. Never breaking eye contact with me in the mirror, she said, “I don’t want you to fear me. I want you to kiss me.”
I moved toward her as she continued to watch me in the mirror and I pushed her wet hair to the side as I gently planted kisses over her bare shoulder. I moved up to her neck and her eyes never left mine. She turned to peer over her shoulder at me and I gently glided my mouth along her jawline. She instinctively leaned back against me, briefly rubbing her body against mine before she spun to face me. We stood, staring into one another’s eyes, contemplating our next move, when I heard the knock at the door.
I lifted my head toward the sound. Ugh. Sebastian and Solomon had arrived.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“They’re here.” I smiled and planted a quick kiss on Chansey’s mouth and said, “I’ll let them in while you finish getting ready.”
I tried to appear casual when I opened the door, but the feelings and reactions Chansey provoked in me didn’t go away immediately. When I opened the door, they knew and Solomon took the opportunity to take a crack at em. “You should have hung a sock on the door handle, man, don’t you know anything?” Solomon cackled.
I couldn’t be angry with my friend for his wisecrack. If he took a cheap shot at me, then we were back to okay and that made me happy.
“May I assume you have come to your senses and accepted Chansey as your agápe?” Sebastian questioned.
“Your assumption is correct, and as you predicted, I was foolish to attempt otherwise,” I admitted. “Chansey will be out in a minute. We can wait for her in the living room.”
When Chansey entered the living room, we all rose from our seats and I gestured toward Solomon saying, “Chansey, you remember Solomon.”
Solomon crossed the room and took her hand and lifted it to his lips for a brief kiss and said, “It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Leclaire, and you look lovely this evening.”
She looked my way with a facial expression that questioned his intentions, so I smiled, showing her my approval of his actions. She smiled, then returned her eyes to Sol and said, “It is good to see you again, as well, Solomon.”
“You can let go of her hand,” I advised. I knew he was yanking my chain, trying to elicit a reaction in me, so I gave him what he wanted and protectively stepped between the two of them.
“Chansey, this is Sebastian,” I introduced.
Chansey extended her hand. “It is very nice to meet you, sir,” she said respectfully.
It always amazed me how Sebastian was only eight years older than me in human years, yet his appearance and demeanor commanded the utmost respect from all whom met him.
Sebastian ignored the offer of her hand and embraced the woman I loved, welcoming her into our trusted circle. “My dear girl, I am so glad to meet you and we have much to discuss.”
I felt her anxiety of wanting to learn the truth, yet being frightened by it. I sat next to her on the couch and took her hand in mine, to ease her tension and fear. Sebastian started, “Sweet Chansey, we are so grateful for your safe return and you never have to fear Julian again. Unfortunately, he left us with no choice, but he has been dealt with and no longer poses a threat to humans or vampires. Curry and Solomon have agreed to never speak of him again. Do you join us in that agreement?”
She looked at me and I gave her an encouraging nod.
“I do,” she agreed.
“Alright, then. On to the reason we came to speak to you. Has Curry told you what he is?” Sebastian inquired.
She answered, “He told me he is a vampire and my birth is connected to his release from his maker, Marsala.”
Sebastian flashed a pleased expression in my direction. He was delighted with my progress and happily continued, “Splendid, so how do you feel about him?”
Her response was not immediate and I held my breathe. After briefly hesitating, she said, “I love him with all of my being and have my entire life, even before I knew him. I’m not afraid because I trust he will always protect me.”
Sebastian continued, “Have you ever heard of a Daughter of Anteros or an agápe? The terms are used interchangeable, but there is a difference.”
“I have heard of agápe in my psychology class. It is a term used to describe a specific type of love,” she questioned.
“That is correct, but it means much more for you and Curry. You are a Daughter of Anteros, the god of requited love. Genetically, you are your mother and father’s offspring, but your DNA is infused with an extra chromosome contributed by Anteros, making you a supernatural occurrence.”
“Did my twin sister share this chromosome?” she asked.
“I was unaware you were a twin,” Sebastian said, puzzled by the new discovery.
“She died at birth. She was born during the darkness of the eclipse, while I delivered during the return of the light.”
“I can’t believe Anteros would have allowed her to die if she were an agápe, but there is still much we don’t know, so allow me to tell you what I do know. You share a very special relationship with Curry and it makes you his agápe. Before you were conceived in your mother’s womb, Anteros chose you as Curry’s beloved. The love you share is divine, unconditional and self-sacrificing and is named agápe after the term used to describe the love that Christ feels for man.”
“How does Curry live without blood and walk in sunlight when other vampires are not capable?” she asked curiously.
“Your bond with one another has caused the return of some of his human characteristics and his lack of desire for your blood ensures your safety. The stronger your bond becomes, the more human characteristics he will exhibit.”
“Will we live as an ordinary couple?” she questioned.
“You are mortal and he is not. How you live is a decision and a compromise to be made between the two of you,” he explained.
“What about marriage?” she asked.
“Marriage was created by God for humans and your relationship is different from that of humans. You were joined before you were conceived and you connect on a level much deeper than a husband and wife, so marriage would really only be a show for the world of humans.”
She turned to me with question in her eyes and I saw the burning question in her mind, as she shyly asked, “Will we have physical intimacy, as humans do?”
“Physical intimacy is normal and expected between human lovers, but vampires do not experience intimacy the same way humans do because we don’t have a desire for sexual intimacy. We experience intimacy by consuming one another’s blood.”
She had to know there was no doubt I desired her, but I saw the concern on her face and knew she feared we wouldn’t share a physically intimate relationship. Sebastian continued to speak to Chansey and interrupted the mental conversation I was having with myself. “As you know, Curry is incredibly protective where you are concerned and he has reason to be. You know of Marsala and her obsession for him?”
“He told me she was obsessed with him and I was the element that dissolved the bond between them.”
“Before he found you, there was no traceable link between the two of you. Now that you are together, you will be easier to find,” Solomon warned.
She turned to me. “That is why you left me? To protect me from her?”
“I have told you time and time again, I will always do whatever is necessary to protect you, even if it brings me pain. Never forget that.”
Sebastian co
ntinued, “You need to know everything so you can help Curry keep you safe. Should Marsala find you, she will not be accepting of his love for you. You were the one that separated her from him and because she shared a bond with him when you were born, she felt your arrival and knows you exist. You are no ordinary human and would become incredibly powerful if Curry turned you. She fears your power, but as a human, you are weak and need protection. Now would be the perfect time for her strike and that is why it is so important that you always do as Curry asks, even if it isn’t what you want.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for Curry to always be responsible for protecting me? I don’t want him in danger.” Chansey looked at me and asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier to turn me now, so I could protect myself?”
Sebastian and Solomon turned toward one another and each shot the other a worrisome look before Sebastian quickly interjected, “That should be a private discussion between you and Curry at another time. We have given you a lot of information in a short amount of time. It’s a lot to absorb, but never doubt your destiny. He is yours and you are is.” He turned to Sol and said, “I think our business here is done for now.”
Everyone rose from where they sat and Chansey said, “Thank you for coming. Will you return to see me soon?”
“We will indeed and we look forward to seeing you again, soon.”
Chansey remained in the living room as I walked with Sebastian and Solomon to the door. Solomon reassured me. “Give her time to recover, then you can explore the unknown. Everything will fall into place, as it should.”
I gave Solomon a brotherly hug. “Thank you, for everything.”
Sebastian stepped forward and gave me the hug of a proud father. “Solomon and I can’t teach you the rest. You have to discover it for yourself, but I am so proud of who you have become.”
Words would never express the gratitude I had for either of them. “I thank you both for everything and words will never be enough.”