She reached for my hands, intertwining our fingers. “Tomorrow evening is my cousin’s wedding rehearsal. I wouldn’t ask you to endure the rehearsal, but I am in need of a date for the dinner. Would you do me the pleasure of being my guest?”
My heart skipped a beat with the excitement of being with her again. “I would love to be your guest.”
“Perfect. We’ll talk about the details tomorrow.” She licked her lips, then leaned forward and placed a light kiss upon my lips. She pulled away and said, “Goodnight, Curry.”
“Goodnight to you, too, Chansey.” She smiled and I watched her go inside, leaving me to answer to an angry vampire.
Chapter 13
I entered my apartment to face the angry vampire and he furiously threw a towel at me after I shut the door. I dried the rain from my hair as Solomon sat motionless on the couch and I felt the fury as it radiated from him. His face was void of emotion and I knew he believed I failed him and his teachings. I moved to the couch and waited for my interrogation to begin. “What have you been doing to that girl?”
His accusing words were painful, but I reminded myself of how he would have no choice but to draw the wrong conclusion based on the intimate display he witnessed between us. “Sol, I know it looked bad, but please, give me a chance to explain. It isn’t what you think.”
“You’ve been drinking of her, haven’t you?” he asked, disgusted with me.
The accusation was more painful than I expected. “Please allow me to explain before you judge and convict me.”
“Yes, please do explain, and after more than twenty years of mentoring, give me some encouraging news to prove this has not all been in vain.”
“I have not drank a single drop of her blood. Her essence is neutral and doesn’t appeal to me at all. How can that be possible?”
“It isn’t possible.”
“Believe me, it is very possible, but that’s not all. Her unique fragrance drives me crazy. Can you smell her?” Even now, her fragrance hanging in the air made me desire her.
“Of course I smell her. You had her heart rate so elevated, I could have smelled her two blocks away. Her blood essence is as strong as any other’s and it lingers all in the room, just as any other human’s essence would.”
“I’m not talking about the smell of her blood essence. I mean the sweet, but musky, fragrance that floods me with a desire for her that has nothing to do with drinking of her. It provokes me to touch her and kiss her and I think I will go mad if I don’t. I can’t get enough of her and being close simply isn’t enough. Something is driving me to make her part of me and I don’t understand it. Sol, I don’t know how to turn it off. What does it mean?”
“I have no idea,” he replied, but I knew he was lying, and then he said the words I didn’t want to hear. “I need to consult Sebastian as soon as possible.”
I knew what Sebastian would recommend and I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. “I won’t leave her.”
With a raised voice, Solomon demanded, “You will leave her!” He saw the pain on my face and lowered his voice before he continued, “I’m sorry, Curry, but you are dangerously close to exposing yourself. You put yourself, and this girl, in danger by being so friendly with one another. This relationship, if that’s what it is, can go nowhere, so there is no decision to be made. You must leave her to protect her and yourself.”
I had to make him understand the danger she faced. “I would never place her in danger. I would do anything to keep her safe. There is something, more dangerous than me, lurking in the shadows to harm her, and I won’t leave her unprotected. I promised to keep her safe.”
He eyed me curiously. “What do you mean you promised to keep her safe? Did you make a promise to her?” When I didn’t answer immediately, he said, “Please, tell me she does not know what you are.”
“Of course I didn’t tell her what I am, but something I don’t understand has happened. I have taken responsibility of her safety and I will not allow harm to come to her. I don’t think I’m able to leave her.”
I saw the shock on his face. “You have made a sacred covenant to protect her? The vow has never been made for a human, so this does complicate things. I’m not certain it is legitimate.” His face became entirely serious and he looked like he couldn’t believe what he was about to ask. “Do you love her?”
I wanted to deny it, but my heart wouldn’t allow it. I pointlessly loved her and I could never have her, but denying my love for her would be one lie to never cross my lips. It terrified me to admit I loved this beautiful girl and I knew he wouldn’t understand, so I attempted to avoid answering his question. “I’ve only known her a short while.”
“Of course, you love her. A blind fool could see it because it’s all over your lovesick face right now.” My lack of denial confirmed his accusation. “How old is she?” he asked.
I wasn’t certain because we had not discussed it, so I took my best guess. “She is in college so I guess around 20 or 21.”
“She’s so young, almost a child,” he commented.
She was young, but she wasn’t a child. “Anyone in comparison to us seems like a child. It’s not like I planned for this to happen. It was out of my control,” I defended.
Solomon simply said, “That’s right. You are completely out of control and that’s why Sebastian is going to order you to leave.”
I wanted to put my fist through the wall because he wasn’t getting it. “I found something I wasn’t looking for and I had no control over that, but I’m in perfect control, more than I’ve ever been. There is something, bigger than me, at work here.”
“If that is the case, why haven’t you contacted me?” he scolded.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to contact you. I didn’t want to be told I had to give up the one thing that has returned joy to
my life. I didn’t want to see you look at me and doubt everything you have taught me. You have no faith in me and it’s all over your face.”
“I’m sorry. I do trust you.” He stepped closer and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Curry, you are my best friend. You know I want you to be happy, but this isn’t the way. I don’t know why you have these feelings for this human, but it can only end poorly for both of you.” We both knew he was referring to his experience with Lisette.
“She makes me feel more human than I did before I was turned. How does an immortal handle having all of these mortal feelings?”
“I don’t know what it means, but this girl could be the clue Sebastian needs to solve the mystery.”
“Do you think Sebastian will have the answers we need?”
“He is the wisest vampire I’ve ever known. I hope he knows, because if he doesn’t, we have nowhere else to turn. He is overseeing the construction of the new compound and can only be reached in person, so I must leave immediately. Please do not do anything foolish while I’m gone.”
“Will he require me to come to him?” I asked.
“No, I think he will want to see the girl and observe the two of you together.”
This was not the Sol I knew. He wasn’t his normal, carefree self and I saw the worry in his eyes. We both knew this wouldn’t end well. Something was coming, and we both felt it, although neither of us voiced it. He turned for one last look before leaving and his words were soft and sympathetic. “Curry, treasure this time with her, but be prepared to say goodbye.”
I knew he was right. I had a couple of precious days with her, then I would be forced to leave her. After Sol was gone, I walked out into the night air hoping to clear my mind, but it did little for my mind or my heart. I walked a bald path in the grass behind the house while I thought about my life and how it had changed, for the better, in this short time with Chansey. She made me happy. I smiled when I was with her, and she was the reason. She resurrected feelings and emotions inside of me, dead and buried two and half centuries ago and the things I experienced with her were unforgettable.