23. Cold Water and Stones
COLD WATER AND STONES
Irene
There was nothing I liked more than taking a walk early in the morning, as I’d done with my papa.
Although just reaching the front door from my bedroom was a five minute walk. And the gardens were twice the size of Hyde Park.
The trees had to be ancient, so tall and wide they were, and the variety of bushes and flowers gave the illusion of visiting a distant land. The sky was blushing with the colours of dawn, giving the garden a magical touch.
“Irene.” Darius joined me, his beautiful aura glowing with different hues. Speaking of magic. “Care for an early morning promenade?” He offered me his arm.
I took it. “Beautiful morning.”
“Your company makes it even better.”
I chuckled. “You’re such a flirt.”
We walked slowly along the path. Dew glistened on the roses, and a flock of wild geese flew overhead with the light of dawn on their wings.
I relaxed next to him. “I’m glad you stayed with Alex. He needs your help.”
“Please repeat these wonderful words to him every time you see him.”
I laughed as we took a white gravel path snaking through rose bushes and daffodils.
“How many people live on this estate? It must take an army of gardeners to tend to these plants.”
“A few thousand.” He gestured in the direction of the hills surrounding the mansion.
“Some servants live in the nearby town of Crowsbury, but the Dark Court isn’t as populated as it was when Koschei was the duke.
After Alex defeated him, many courtiers left.
Some joined the Fair Court, granted the duchess had approved of them.
Others decided to live among humans. Several lords and ladies are supernatural beings. ”
“A sorcerer who kidnapped maidens was considered a better leader than an honest vampire?”
“Koschei lavished his courtiers with gifts, money, and all sorts of physical pleasures. Supernatural beings can be rather shallow. Alex has never given a party, and his idea of a gift is a bag of roasted chestnuts.”
I sighed at the beauty of Raven Lake. “Stunning.”
“Let’s take a moment.” He led me to a wrought-iron bench facing the lake.
I sat on the bench and enjoyed the sunlight dancing on the water.
The day was overcast, but the dawn cast pink shadows on the blue-grey lake.
There was a ripple on the surface, and I tensed immediately. If dragons were real, why not aquatic monsters like the nicoras that had fought against Beowulf?
“Are there monsters in the lake?”
Darius pondered my question, which worried me. “I don’t think…” Right then, Alex broke the surface and emerged from the water with a big splash. “Yes, there are monsters in the lake.”
I laughed, but seeing Alex walking towards the shore had a sobering effect on me. Water dripped from his dark hair to the ridges of his naked torso, drawing attention to every taut muscle. His wet eyelashes were spiked together, and, somehow, they suited him, making his eyes look bigger.
When his hips inched out of the water, I shifted on the bench, wondering if he was completely naked. But he wasn’t. He was wearing a dark pair of trousers clinging to his body like a second skin; they left nothing to the imagination.
His powerful thighs and calves were completely exposed.
I averted my gaze, my face flaming. I’d seen half-naked men during street performances, when they had juggled blazing torches in the air. But I hadn’t known those men as I knew Alex.
On cue, the bond gave a solid pull, almost making me slip off the bench.
From the ground, Alex picked up a large blanket I hadn’t noticed before and covered himself. I shouldn’t be disappointed, but I was.
He shivered as he walked over to us, soaking wet and with his lips pale blue. “Good morning.” His teeth chattered.
“Do you enjoy swimming in the lake?” I had no idea whether vampires loved to swim in cold water.
“No.” He wiped his face. “The water is bloody freezing. But Darius told me that regular swims in the cold water would help me…overcome some problems.”
A sudden turmoil disturbed Darius’s aura. “Did I?”
“Yes, you said…” Alex frowned. “Hold on. Was it a joke? You made me freeze in the lake for no reason?”
“Calm down.” Darius held up his hands. “First, I say many things. I can’t remember all of them. Secondly, I didn’t think you would take me seriously. You never do.”
“Darius.” He gritted his teeth.
“It’s not my fault if you don’t understand sarcasm.” Darius drew a few symbols in the air. A warm breeze lifted, and Alex’s hair and trousers dried in a second. “There. You aren’t cold anymore. See? I’m a nice chap.”
Judging by Alex’s murderous look, he didn’t agree.
“Well.” Darius cleared his throat, standing up. “I’d better go. Alex, I trust you to escort Irene back to the mansion.” He winked at me before leaving.
Alex ran a hand through his hair. His strands jutted out in different directions after the quick drying. “May I sit?”
I scooted over to give him more space, surprised he asked for permission. Had I been too harsh on him? “Please do.”
He sat, wrapped in the blanket, and stared at the lake. I waited for him to say something, but he didn’t speak.
“Did you want to tell me something?” I asked.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologise again. You weren’t in control when you bit me.”
“No, I mean…” He released a long breath. “I’ve left you alone. I should have guarded you. Instead, I was so worried about losing control with you that I didn’t visit you, and I let myself be absorbed by my duke role. I wanted to see you, but the longer I postponed doing it, the harder it became.”
The bond was relaxed between us.
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “Would you have believed me if I’d told you what I was?”
“No, I wouldn’t. Learning the truth was a shock after I’d become a wili. Without any clues on the existence of a supernatural world, I would have been terrified of you.”
“But Sean wouldn’t have hurt you.” There was a quiver in the bond. Sorrow? “I would have…” He pressed his lips together.
“What?”
The sunlight, growing stronger as the sun rose, hit his face, and he winced. “Damn.”
“We should return to the mansion.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I want to show you something first, if you don’t mind walking a little longer.”
“Not at all.”
As I strolled with him through the garden, he kept to the shadows. The path became steep. He cast glances at me and fleeting smiles. I wondered if he was embarrassed for some reason. His heady musk mingled with the scent of pine trees, and I inhaled deeply.
“What problem do you want to overcome?” I asked.
“Pain. I’m often in pain.”
“Where?” I studied him, searching for a possible source of pain.
“I’m not ready to say.” His voice dropped an octave.
“Of course. I didn’t mean to push you.”
He tugged the blanket more tightly around himself. “It’s all right.”
Still, I wouldn’t deny I was curious. He seemed indestructible and strong. That proved how little I understood of the supernatural world and of him.
On top of the hill, rows of graves and tombstones came into view. Not what I’d expected.
“A cemetery.” I’d noticed it from the mansion but never thought about seeing it.
“It’s Willow Grove.” He took a side path bordered with lovely white tulips and purple clematis.
“I thought you would have found it comforting.” He paused in front of a simple grey stone.
The sunlight glinted off its polished surface.
My father’s name was engraved in it. “You don’t have a body to bury or a place to mourn.
” He seemed to disappear into the blanket.
“My goodness.” Tears blurred my vision, and sobs shook me.
Bushes of petunias grew around the grave. Their crowns nodded in the breeze as if greeting me, and I cried harder.
Alex drew in a breath. “Hell, Irene. If I crossed a line… I just meant to do something for you. I’ll have it removed if it’s too much.”
“No, please don’t.” I wiped my face and sniffled. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
His expression transformed from concerned to relaxed. “I’m glad you approve.”
“Oh, Alex. I missed you so much.” I moved to hug him, but he inched away.
Tension returned to his face. “I can’t touch you, Irene.” His voice sounded heavy and broken. “I can’t.”
An image of him with his eyes fully obsidian and his fangs unsheathed flashed across my mind. When his vampire powers were unleashed, he was magnificent but frightening.
“Are you worried about losing control?”
“I know I will.” Each word was charged with pain.
I didn’t understand why he was in so much agony, but I wasn’t going to insist. Not today. And if he was struggling with containing his vampire instincts, I would be a fool to tease him.
“Anyway, I appreciate what you did for me. It means a lot.”
“Your approval means a lot to me as well.”
We stared at each other as the sunlight crept along the ground. In that moment, he wasn’t a dangerous vampire but a sweet man, struggling with his inner battle.
I stroked the tombstone. “Shall we return to the mansion?”
“I suppose you’re going to train today.”
“Yes, I am. Darius is very patient.”
We walked downhill towards the path weaving through the garden without talking, but there was no tension between us. Our connection hummed softly, spreading warmth through my chest.
We paused in the entrance hall.
“I’m heading to my bedroom to change.” He tugged at the blanket covering him.
“Thank you.” I raised a hand in farewell since he didn’t want me to touch him.
“I would do anything to make you feel at home here.” After the usual bow of his head, he went upstairs before I could tell him that he was doing a great job.