“Your day dreaming again” he smirked. Tammy felt her cheeks blush and she quickly tried to control her thoughts. “There are two main forms of vampires.” He looked over at Tammy, just to make sure she was paying attention and hadn't drifted back to Tammy land! She listening attentively, he decided to carry on.
“PSI and Sanguine. PSI vampiers feed off the life-force energy; the energy surrounding people. Sanguine vampires feed from the blood of others-- what my mother told you.”
“So, which sort are you?” Tammy asked. This vampire thing was more complicated than she thought.
Dante shrugged. “I am not sure yet. I know I can feed off energy and be satisfied with it. How long that can go on for-- I am not sure. Maybe the need for blood might occur later.”
“Who's energy did you feed off?”
“Yours, of course” he snapped, he rubbed his chin. “The first night you arrived here. You were very abrupt with me and looked very traumatized.”
Tammy tried to think back, she remembered him being there and then feeling rather drained without any explanation. That had been him, she had to admit she did sleep well that night. He had done that to her, if his thirst didn't kick in she was pretty sure she could live with his draining her of energy.
She wanted to be what he needed, she wanted to make him happy and be just like the wife in the curse story.
Tammy laughed to herself in her head, only last week she had never wanted to get married or be with a man. Now, she had turned into the complete opposite, she wanted to spend the rest of her life doting on Dante.
She sat up on her knees and taking Dante by surprise pressed her lips against his. Her mouth opened and Dante slipped his tongue in, massaging hers with his. Tammy took in a deep breath and her fingers knotted in his thick dark hair as she lost herself in the kiss.
Dante pulled away slowly. “Don't tell me” he whispered, looking into Tammy's big green eyes. “That was your first kiss?”
“Yes” she hushed, trying to stop her heart from beating out of her chest and getting her breathing controlled.
Dante traced his fingertip along Tammy's cheek. “Your first stolen kiss” he smiled, his hand reached out and he pulled Tammy on his lap; hugging her tightly, never wanting to let her go. “I never expected this,” he sighed, leaning his forehead on the top of her head. “Now I don't want to imagine not living without it.”
***
Dante's eyes moved over the paperwork his father had just returned with. He cringed at the sight of the disclosure document, the terms and conditions and most all the tests Tammy would have to take. Signing paperwork before he had even graced her finger with an engagement ring. This made it all real, that this wasn't your everyday realtionship.
Inspite of everything his feelings for Tammy were real and growing every day.
He slammed his fist into the table and glared up at his father. “Isn't there anyway we can get round this?” He hissed, throwing his hands into his hair. His father shook his head. “For fuck sake!” He yelled, his fisted hands moving to the back of his head.
“This has to be done, Dante” his father's voice remained calm. “We can't allow anything about this family to get out and she has to know the extent of what she is getting into.”
“She knows” he pushed his chair back and began to pace around the room. “Plus, she wouldn't tell anyone-- I trust her.” Dante stopped moving and placed his hands over her face. He wondered what Tammy's reaction would be to all of this. So far she had taken everything well enough. This paperwork could lead to her screaming in the other direction. He couldn't face that, he didn't want this to be a formal thing. He would take her out, explain and give her a choice to sign or not.
What if he did lose her? It hurt to think of her not by his side. He was starting to enjoy the first stages of their realtionship. He wanted to do everything she had wanted.. Courtship, stolen kisses and even getting down on one knee. He slowly removed his hands away from his face.
“Your in love” his father grinned.
“How do you know?”
“You have the exact same look on your face I do when I think of your mother.”
Chapter six
“Where are we going?” Tammy giggled as Dante lead her away from the house. She started to look around, their back garden was huge. “Dante, tell me.”
“Nope” he didn't bother to look round, but she could tell he was smiling. “Right, close your eyes.”
“Why?” She was enjoying this playful mood. She shrugged her shoulders and reclunatly closed her eyes. They stopped and Tammy was dying to open her eyes, wondering what was so important Dante wanted to show her.
“Okay, open them” Dante's voice sounded very excited. Tammy slowly opened them and in front of her was a tiny little cottage; white walls, bayed windows, thracthed roof and a rose tree growing up around the door. Looked very picture like, fairytale-- she expected the seven dwarfs to come matching out.
“Yours?” Tammy croaked, she was too taken in by the beauty of the tiny cottage. Picturesque is what she should of originally thought. It even had a pure white picket fence. She had never seen anything like it in her life.
Dante smiled, “Yes, it was very run down when I found it....” He cringed a little. “All those years ago and my parents decided to do it up. I wasn't entirely sure at the time,” his looked down at Tammy and she swore she saw them twinkle. “But now I do. Come,” he ordered, marching over to the cottage. He took a key out of it and placed in the lock. “I hoped you like it.”
The door opened and Tammy stepped in, scanning which was obviously the living room. She had stepped into her fantasy world. The whole living room was filled with books, plus two comfy old fashion chairs. An open fireplace sat on the opposite side of the room.
“Funny enough,” Dante said, he leaned against the doorway watching Tammy's happy expression. “The decoration was done a year ago. Lucky I choose a woman who would appreciate them all.” he looked down at his feet, he had to get on with it. He had brought her here to somehow blunt the blow.
He finally stepped in and closed the door behind him. “Sit down.” He sat down on the pure white rug placed in front of the fire place. Tammy followed and sat down cross legged in front of me. He could feel the paperwork in his inside jacket pocket. How was he going to do this?
Tammy could sense something was wrong with Dante. He looked puzzled and sad. Her reached out and she placed it on his leg. He looked up and gave a little smile. “What is wrong?”
He let a little air from his mouth. “We have to deal with the legal matters” a little annoyance filled his voice. Tammy arkwardly moved, but remained in front of him. Dante pulled the paperwork out and placed it down in front of the both. “I trust you, Tammy-- This is just a precaution my father wants to take.”
Tammy picked it up and began to read:
Contract
Commencing July 2012
BETWEEN
Mr Dante Renaldo- Ashville Manor, Ashville, Oxfordshire Ox2 9KH
Miss Tammy Miller- 10 Church Lane, Ashville, Oxfordshire Ox2 9TY
The parties agree as follows:
MISS MILLAR
1.Anything that is spoken about must not be repeated to the following:
Family members outside of the Renaldo family.
Friends.
Press or any other media.
2.An Aids/HIV test are to be taken immediately.
3.Once married, one child should be born within the first years of marriage.
4.If in the incident of divorce or death of spouse.. The parties are able to go back to normal life. Refer to 1.
MR DANTE RENALDO
1.Shell not mention anything outside of the family of Miss Miller's role to him.
2.Shell respect that any time Miss Miller will not perform the act he requires.
3.Must never find fulfillment from another woman.
4.Once the first child is born, a bank account should be set up and given to Miss Miller.
Refer to 4 (Miss Miller)
CONCLUSION
We the undersigned have read and understood fully them provisions of this contract. We freely accept the terms of this contract and have acknowledged this by our signatures below.
_______________
Mr Dante Renaldo
Date:
_______________
Miss Tammy Miller
Date:
She placed it back down on the floor, unable to find the words to describe how she was feeling. They wanted to legally bind her, keep her mouth shut, tell her when she should have children. As for the aids/HIV test-- were they serious???
Reading that had made it all real, this was all to break the curse. She was never going to be an actual wife or member of this family. She was their get out of jail card.
She could feel the tears running down her face and her stomach swirled. She thought she was going to be sick. Like she would ever tell anyone. She was falling in love Dante, the only contract she should ever sign was her marriage certificate. This was never going to be a marriage out of love. Nothing of this was normal, she had felt the same as she did the night she came here.
“Say something” Dante begged, he reached out to brush away her tears.
Tammy jumped up, she had to think about this alone. She had to weigh up the pros and cons. Was Dante worth all of this? She felt a slight twig of pain in her heart. Just looking at him was making her question this contract, if she stayed around him any longer she would sign it. “I wanted to be alone” she sobbed and ran out of the cottage.
“Tammy!” Dante called after her, he just remained where he was sitting. He ran his hands through his hair... The anger from earlier was being to erupt through him. He had a strange feeling this was what would happen.... She was going to leave, this had freaked her out and she would run away as far as she could get.
He flung his self back and stared at the wooden beams above him. The damn curse had taken over his life again. He really was cursed, in more ways than one.
***
Tammy hugged the pilliow and let her tears flow. She must have been crying for over an hour now. How could a dumb piece of paper destroy everything, make her feel dirty and nothing. That's what she was nothing, something to produce a baby and something to feed on. Her lungs were being to burn and her ribs hurt from crying too hard.
She thought about Dante's distraught look he gave her before she ran off. God, she loved him. How could it work with that contract hanging over head. She would be looking over her shoulder all the time to make sure she wasn't breaking anything.
Was Dante worth this? Yes! He was everything she thought she could live without, now she had grip of it, she couldn't let it go. She had accepted everything else, but this? Why was this harder to deal with?
She finally let go of the pillow and stared up at the fancy painted ceiling. She wished he was here next to her right this second.
As if on cue the door opened and Dante strolled in, still wearing his jacket. His mouth turned down at each corner and his eyes full of saddness. Tammy quickly sat up and tried to wipe away her tears. She knew she looked a mess. She watched as he walked and stood in front of the bed. He grabbed hold of both posts and bowed his head.
“You ran...” he whispered. “Does this mean your leaving?”
Tammy felt a lump in her throat, she had hurt him. He was a shell of a man who she had met not that long ago. She tilted her head to the side and took in a deep breath, she didn't want the tears to start again. She took a look at Dante, who had remained still and not made eye-contact with her.
He really was a beautiful man, who was kind, loyal, trustworthy. Okay, he had a temper but she was pretty sure she could deal with that. In fact, she already knew how to get round him.
Why was she allowing a piece of paper to get the way. After all he had said, I trust you, Tammy-- This is just a precaution my father wants to take.
Was this actually nothing to do with him?
Had he just been messanger?
Now Tammy felt even worse and understood how Dante must be feeling right now.
She sat up on her knees. “I'm sorry...” Her voice small and weak.
He finally looked up at her, her eyes all red and puffy. His heart was beating fast in his chest, unsure of what her next reaction was going to be. He wouldn't allow her leave him without putting up a fight. He had come too far now, he felt too strongly for her.
“Sorry you ran? Or Sorry your leaving?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but he could hear it break in places. He had never had an urge to cry before, right now he felt weak and not very in control of his emotions.
“For not realizing you were against that contract too!”
His eyes opened wide in shock, in such a short period of time she had come to understand him. Of course she did--- Why hadn't she seen that in the cottage. Didn't she trust him?
Tammy moved over towards and grabbed hold of his waist. She pushed her head into stomach. As if in reflex, his hands cupped her head and he pulled her in tighter.
“Are you leaving me?” he asked.
“Tammy!” Boomed a voice, both their heads turned in Sir Renaldo direction. “Your Grandmother has had a bad turn and is asking for you.”
Tammy looked up at Dante terrified, he grabbed hold of her wrist, picked her up and placed her on them floor standing in front of him. “Forget this for now,” his fingertips glided over her cheek. “You have greater things to worry about.”
“Will you come with me?” She asked, once again the tears and sickness had kicked in. “Please, Dante, I don't want to go alone and I need you by my side.”
“Of course” he leaned froward and placed a little kiss on her forehead. He gripped hold of her hand and led her out of the room. Tammy prayed she wasn't going to be too late.
Chapter seven
The whole drive to her parents house she had clung to Dante in the back of the car as his father drove. Every so often Dante would kiss her forehead, she was glad he was by her side. Every worse possible outcome was racing through her mind. She would kick herself if anything happened to Gran and she wasn't there.
Then the realization of seeing her parents again and once more that guilty of saying they were dead to her hit like someone had punched her hard in the chest. She buried her head into Dante's side with shame.
“Hey,” Dante said softly. “It will be fine.”
Tammy nodded and looked out the car window, they were here so soon. The sight of her family home brought more tears, this is where she had grown up and been happy. Well, what she thought was happiness. It was nothing compared to Dante's cottage, how she had loved to spend afternoons laid out on that overgrown grass with her head buried away in a book.
Dante got out of the car and helped Tammy out. If it wasn't for Dante holding her tight she was pretty sure she would fall face first on the pavement. She slowly looked up at the front door, her mother clinging to her father looking exactly how Tammy felt. She rushed up the garden path and into her mothers arms.
“Is she okay?” Tammy sobbed.
“She is fine” Tammy's mother sobbed back. “She caught a cold a few days ago and she just seemed to be getting worse. She wasn't eating and she was sleeping all day.” Tammy pulled away from her mother. “Today she is just asking for you.”
“Mr and Mrs Miller,” Tammy felt Dante's presence behind, she watched as he shook hands with her father. “I'm Dante, it's a pleasure to meet” he was using that crisp fine tone again.
“I need to see her” Tammy protested.
“Go on up” her father smiled. Just from that smile Tammy knew any hatered she had for her father was now. Both men she loved dearly were here. Tammy grabbed hold of Dante's hand and led him upstairs to her grandmothers room.
Before she opened the door, she turned to face Dante, both hands resting on his hard chest. “My Gran has dementia, so if she says anything odd either ignore or humour her.”
“Anything for you”
his own hand resting on Tammy's face, he loved how she would fall in her touch as if it melted her each and every time. The aching from earlier was finally easing away and he had no doubt now that she was his future wife. He was going to fill the role of her husband like no man before him.
He leaned froward and kissed her forehead, her skin soft and smooth under his lips. The minute they got home he was going to rip that stupid contract into bits. Tammy wasn't signing anything and she was taking no tests.
He might not be normal, Tammy was going to live a normal life. He would find away to live round this curse. It was going to be hard, but she was worth it. He was going to do anything to keep her by his side.
“You ready?” Tammy smiled up at him.
“Yes.” Tammy reached for the handle and the door opened. A frail little old woman sat up tucked in bed. Her brown hair combed smoothly and her green eyes looking at the strangers in the doorway.
“Tammy?” Her voice horsey and she gave a cough. “Is that you?”
Tammy stepped into the room, her gran looked awful, she had lost a lot of weight in such a short period of time. Her lips cracked and dry. Then Tammy noticed, her Gran's eyes were fixated on Dante behind her.