Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2) (6 page)

~ Chapter Six ~

We stood in the living room holding hands. It felt like several minutes passed as we stood there, just facing each other, neither of us speaking. I wondered if he knew what I was thinking. And I wondered if he was thinking the same thing. He said nothing, and didn’t move a muscle. My mind raced with questions; about what might happen next; about what it would be like; about whether his being a vampire would make things any different than if he was a normal man. Feelings I’d never experienced before were beginning to overwhelm me, and my whole body ached for him. My heart thumped wildly—surely he must be able to hear it—and I was certain that if I tried to speak I would have no voice.

When he finally let go of my hand, he raised his arms slowly until his hands were on each side of my face—just barely touching me. Then, very gently, he tilted my head back so that I looked directly at him, and he leaned forward and kissed me.

And in that instant, the whole world seemed to disappear. There was nothing besides us; the two of us, standing there in an embrace that I wished would never end. Nothing else mattered; we were together.

‘I don’t ever want to lose you, Sam,’ I whispered into his chest.

‘You won’t. I promise,’ he whispered back. His voice was deeper and huskier than I’d ever heard it.

‘And I want to be with you, now, and always,’ I said, hoping he understood what I meant. I was so glad that he couldn’t see my flushed face as I said the words.

‘Are you sure?’ He stepped back from me enough to look into my eyes. His were darker now than ever before. Were they still blue? Or had they gone a deep red? I couldn’t have said for sure, even if my life depended on it.

‘Yes, I’m sure,’ I said, my eyes never leaving his.

He slid one hand behind my back, and the other under my knees and lifted me as though I weighed nothing. I threw my arms around his neck and he slowly climbed the stairs. When he got to his bedroom he sat me on the edge of the bed and then sat down beside me. He reached over and brushed the hair from my face with both his hands and kissed me. Only this time, his kiss was unrestrained, and his hands pulled my face to him and held it there.

Somehow, we were both undressed and in the bed. I’m not sure who took off what, but I was completely at ease with him, wanting him like I’d never wanted anything before in my life. He rolled over on top of me—his arms so strong that they took all his weight. And then he made love to me, and I responded, and it was as it should be—as it had to be—perfect.

~~***~~

It must have been an hour later when I pulled his shirt around me, did up a few of the buttons, and tiptoed down to his kitchen to get a drink of water. Partway down the stairs I began to wonder if vampires even had glasses in their homes. After all, they didn’t drink water did they? But sure enough, there were glasses, and the kitchen tap worked just fine. I filled the glass and drank with a thirst that surprised me.

I opened the fridge, both out of hunger and curiosity. I was surprised to find a few bottles of soft drink, some wine, and several different types of cheese. This intrigued me, so I opened the pantry and found two boxes of fancy crackers. I wondered if they were left over from that night we played cards with Debs and Ian. I grabbed one of the boxes and tiptoed back up to his room. As I walked in he started to laugh.

‘Were you trying not to wake me?’ he said, stifling his laugh long enough to get the words out.

‘Yeah,’ I said, knowing that I was blushing. I suppose I’d forgotten that he didn’t actually sleep.

‘Very considerate of you. Now, come here and tell me again how much you love me.’

I tossed the crackers onto the bedside table, and threw myself on top of him. Then I kissed him over and over, telling him that I loved him in between each kiss. After a minute or so of this he rolled me onto my back, and propped himself up on one elbow, while his free hand undid the shirt buttons and then ran up and down my body, gently tracing my form, so lightly that it should have tickled, but it didn’t; it just felt like a gentle breeze.

We stayed like this, talking, for what seemed like hours. He wanted to know everything I’d done at home while I’d been away, and everyone I’d seen and all about my family. So, I told him about Mom and Raye, and the courses I’d enrolled in, and my part-time job at the pie shop. And then I told him about Raye’s birthday, and the Halloween party that would be happening this weekend.

Eventually the sun went down and the room became dark, and when it seemed we had talked ourselves out of conversation his hand moved until it rested just above my hip. He rolled me onto my side so that I was facing him, and pulled me toward him, wrapping his leg over the top of mine and holding me as close to him as possible. Then he made love to me again, only more slowly than the first time, and though I wouldn’t have thought you could improve on perfection, it seems you can.

~~***~~

When I woke again, the sun streamed into the room. The air was warm, and the sounds coming through the open window told me that the city was awake. It only took me a moment to remember where I was, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face when I rolled over to find him lying beside me propped up on one arm. He must have been watching me sleep.

‘Good morning, beautiful,’ he said, his smile lighting up his handsome face.

‘Good morning, yourself,’ I said, yawning and stretching my arms up over my head. ‘What’s the time? I feel like I’ve slept for ages.’

‘It’s just after seven, so you did sleep for ages. I dare say you needed it—I suspect you wouldn’t have slept much on the plane. Not to mention all the exercise you had last night,’ he said with just the slightest hint of a laugh in his voice.

‘Oh, yes, well …,’ I stammered, embarrassed as I remember I only had his unbuttoned shirt on, and it was now broad daylight.

‘Do you need to ring Debs and tell her where you are? I didn’t think of that last night—I guess I was a bit preoccupied.’ He grinned, almost shyly, and it made my whole body tingle again.

‘No, it’ll be alright. When she gave me the keys yesterday she said I could come and go as I saw fit, and that she wouldn’t worry about me.’

‘So,’ he said, reaching over and playing with a lock of my hair, ‘you told her that your vampire boyfriend was considering this magical cure that might kill him and that you needed to go seduce him to take his mind off the idea, and she was fine with that?’

I reached over and thumped his chest with my fist. It was like hitting a wall. He laughed and grabbed my hand, opening my fist with ease. Then he kissed my open palm and held it to his lips. When he stopped, he gently turned my hand so the underside of my arm was facing up.

‘What’s this?’ he asked with concern in his voice. It was hard to see his face with his back to the window but even so I thought his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.

‘What’s what?’ I asked quite innocently, not sure what he was talking about.

‘This bruise. It looks like finger marks.’

‘Oh, that. It’s nothing really,’ I said, remembering how I’d gotten the bruise.

‘It isn’t
nothing
. Someone grabbed you hard enough to make a bruise on your wrist. Who did this?’

‘Umm, it was just …,’ I really didn’t want to tell him about David. David was history. But I couldn’t see any way around it. ‘It was just an old boyfriend of mine. He came over, and when I tried to walk away from him, he grabbed my hand. It didn’t hurt. Really, it was nothing.’

He didn’t speak for a moment—didn’t move or make a sound. Then I thought I could hear his teeth grinding. His nostrils flared slightly as he nearly growled his reply. ‘Well, it’s a good thing this old boyfriend of yours lives half way around the world, or I’d be paying him a visit to show him how easily he too could be bruised.’

I had to change the subject, so I climbed up on top of him and pushed his arms down onto the bed.

‘Oh, you’re in trouble now, mister,’ I teased. ‘You’re late for work, and I’m going to make you even later!’

‘I already rang Tom and told him he’s on his own today. He wasn’t half jealous when I told him you were here. He got excited for a second, hoping it meant that Claire had come with you,’ he said, as he rolled me flat onto my back again.

‘Hmmm … you’re too quick,’ I said, screwing my face up into a pretend pout.

‘Aren’t I just,’ he laughed.

‘Well, she’ll be back soon enough. Claire will, I mean—at Christmas. Tom will just have to wait,’ I said, giggling a bit as I reached down and wrapped the shirt around my bare chest—my bravado short-lived.

‘And what about you?’ he asked. ‘Are you still planning to come back at Christmas too? Or are you going to stay, now? Does your Mum know about us? Or did you tell her you were just coming to see the police, or what?’

‘Hmmm … well, I didn’t actually say too much about dates. I mean, I suppose I could go home and then come back here at Christmas.’

‘Is that what you want to do? Is your Mum expecting you back soon?’ he asked.

‘I suppose … well, you know, since I didn’t know what Crystal wanted, I wasn’t entirely sure how long I’d stay. I mean, I guess I hoped I’d be staying.’

He nodded, but said nothing for what felt like hours. And the longer the silence went on, the more nervous I became. Had last night been a mistake? Of course, I wanted it to happen. I think deep down inside, every girl wants to be swept off her feet the way Sam had swept me off mine, but now, in the cold light of day, was he glad we’d done it? Did he want me to stay? Was that behind all these questions about my flight? I wanted that to be the case, but when he didn’t speak, I started doubting everything.

Finally, he spoke, and I nearly jumped.

‘Have you told her much—about us?’ he asked, grabbing the bottom edge of the shirt with his free hand, and rolling it around between his fingers.

‘Not too much. I think she suspected something, but she didn’t ask many questions.’

‘And so you didn’t tell her about me then?’ He frowned, seeming to be concentrating on the shirt as he continued to roll it between his fingers.

‘Well, not exactly. I mean … yes of course I told her that I’d met you, and that we’d gone out, but you know, I was never quite sure how to tell her that I wanted to come back here to stay.’

‘Okay. But you will tell her about us, won’t you?’ His voice gave little away, but when he looked up at me his eyes stared deeply into mine, waiting for me to answer. His eyes looked so dark, almost black, as he lay with his back to the light.

‘Sure, I mean, I’ll have to tell her something, won’t I?’ I still didn’t know where he was going with this, and as much as I wanted it to mean that he wanted me to stay, he wasn’t actually saying that. Had last night meant as much to him as it had to me? Could that be possible?

‘And if there was a reason for her to come here, do you think she might … you know, come over to meet me?’ He looked down at the corner of the shirt again, still rolling it between his fingers.

I started to laugh, then stopped myself abruptly when I saw his reaction. He dropped the shirt and met my gaze with a startled expression on his face.

‘Come here? My mother? The woman who has never even been on a plane and is petrified at the thought of flying? I don’t think so!’

The startled expression faded, and determination took its place as he spoke. ‘Not even, for instance, if it was for, say, a wedding?’

‘A wedding?’ I looked him squarely in the face, trying to read his eyes but it was so hard with the light behind him. Was he teasing me again? I couldn’t see laughter in his face or hear it in his voice.

‘Sam, are you … are you proposing?’

‘Yes, I am. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

I suddenly felt very naked there beside him, even with the shirt wrapped around me. All the joking was cast aside, and he was, quite seriously, asking me to marry him; to have and to hold and all that goes with it, including ‘until death do us part’. Only I knew that it would be my death that would cause us to part, not his. But at least, for a time, we would be together.

‘Yes. Yes I will. In fact, I would love nothing more than to be Mrs Samuel Benjamin Todd.’

~~***~~

My stomach wouldn’t stop growling and it was getting embarrassing. I couldn’t even remember the last real food I’d eaten—drawback of dating a vampire. But rather than go home to Debs’ place I decided to ring and invite myself over to Crystal’s for breakfast. When I said we’d be there in a few minutes, she sighed with relief. She must have realised that ‘we’ meant Sam would be coming with me.

I did ring Debs, and apologised that I’d fallen asleep, although I didn’t say where. But I was pretty sure she’d figured it out when she asked me to tell Sam that she looked forward to seeing him again soon.

When we walked into Crystal’s, Sam shook his finger at her and gave her this look like you’d give a naughty child. She just laughed and walked up and gave me a big hug, smiling the whole time.

‘Am I forgiven, for calling in the A-team?’ she asked, looking over to Sam.

‘Yes, Crystal, you’re forgiven—but only because I know you had my best interests at heart. And speaking of my best interests, has Lili mentioned that she has agreed to become my wife?’

Crystal stepped back and threw her arms up in the air and did this whoop whoop whoop thing that looked so funny I couldn’t help but laugh. Then, taking my face in her hands, she kissed first one cheek then the other, and gave me another big hug before stepping back.

‘I couldn’t be happier for you both,’ she finally said.

‘Thank you, Crystal. I’m pretty happy myself,’ I said as I moved over to stand next to Sam.

‘Can I help you plan the wedding? Do you think your mother will come? It would be so wonderful to meet her.’

‘Well, she’s terrified of planes. She’s never even been on one. But maybe this will be enough of an incentive for her to try.’

‘I hope so. Now, am I allowed to suggest that this wedding be planned for a date very soon?’ she asked, suddenly looking quite serious.

‘Soon? Like, how soon? We haven’t really talked about dates yet, but I suppose it would be nice to have Claire here too—she’s coming over for Christmas break. She arrives on the fifteenth of December. Is that too soon?’