I wondered if Celadine actually wanted a Coke, as I strolled down the dark hallway filled with old paintings and vases big enough for me to crawl inside. I mean, I hadn't actually ever seen either one of them eat or drink anything besides caffeine.
Just then, something came from the shadows and grabbed me. I was about to scream but found I couldn't part my lips because they were entangled in someone else’s. The familiarity of his soft mouth and iron grip made me melt. I molded myself to his body as he held me as close to him as he could. It was almost as if we welded together right there in the dark hallway.
But my moment came to a stop when Jack suddenly took a hold of my shoulders and pushed himself away enough to look at my face. His eyes remained closed, though like he was collecting himself.
"Hello," he simply said as he opened his brilliant blue eyes.
I smiled blissfully.
"Hi."
"Where were you off to?" he asked.
We were having a regular conversation while still entangled in each other. Jack leaned against the wall, my body pressed against him as his hands wove through my hair.
"The kitchen," I replied. "That is, if you have one," I teased.
"Of course, we do. What kind of a house wouldn't have a kitchen?"
"Do you use it?"
He gave me a coy grin and put his forehead to mine as he looked in my eyes. "Yes. Would you like to see it?"
"Maybe some other time," I suggested. "I know another room that I’d rather see right now." I gave him the best bedroom eyes that I could, which I’m sure were ridiculous. But he didn't seem to care. Within seconds, Jack whipped me up into his arms and we disappeared to his room.
I was in his arms, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist as he burst through his bedroom door. Our bodies crashed onto the large leather sofa as we both scrambled to remove our clothing. Jacks glorious chest glowed in the moonlight that shone through the windows. I felt a little self-conscious; surely I didn’t look as good as he did shirtless. But something about my bare chest obviously sparked an interest as he let a low and deep moan erupt from his throat. He then kissed me harder, held me tighter, seeming to want more. But, once again, I cowardly declined.
I withdrew my tender lips from his and opened my eyes. I didn’t have to say anything this time. He sighed and sat back on the sofa.
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Avery, please, do not be sorry for that. I am the one who is should be apologizing again.”
I slid over next to him and rested my head on his bare chest and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “I want to, just not yet.”
We sat in front of the fireplace on his black leather couch, enjoying the warm touch of the flames. Neither one of us bothered to get dressed; instead, we grabbed the huge comforter from the bed and wrapped it around us.
"Jack?"
"Yes?" he replied. "More questions, I assume?" He turned to face me and smiled. I loved his smile now. It was hard to believe that, once upon a time, I considered it smug and annoying. The way Jack’s dark lashes framed his brilliant eyes gave a mysterious, and almost creepy, impression. But, when he smiled, with his soft, pale pink lips, it revealed the vulnerable and sweet man behind the face.
"Yes, if you don't mind answering them," I replied.
"Not at all, ask away." He leaned back, spread his arms on the back of the couch and faced me.
"Okay. Well, I guess I could start with diet," I suggested.
"Are you implying that I need to lose weight?" he joked.
"No! God, no, you’re perfect, better than perfect.”
"Of course, I am."
I laughed and slapped his arm. "Seriously, though, what do you eat? Or, well, drink for that matter? You're a vampire, but I never heard you or Celadine talk about it. And I've seen you guys drink coffee, but no food."
"We drink caffeine because it helps our blood flow faster, it’s like a little high, and alcohol does the same trick. We drink blood because…we have to. A vampire’s blood runs through its veins and carries oxygen throughout the body, just like a normal human being. The difference is that our bodies cannot maintain the oxygen, it gets used up, I guess you could say. So we require new blood every so often to survive."
"Wow, I’ve never heard of that one in the fairy tales before," I spoke to myself. "So, how often do you need to have blood? What would happen if you went too long?"
"Every vampire is a little different. The older you are, the longer you can go without it. I require it every few days, maybe once a week. If we go too long without it, well, the only way I can describe it is that we kind of smother or suffocate. Much the same way it would be if you were deprived of air."
"Oh," I whispered. This was fascinating, but I was at a loss for words. I tried to imagine it but cringed as I could only recall the memory of myself drowning. "Do you crave it? Like all of the time, even when you don't need it?"
"Yes and no. The craving is always there, like an overweight person craving cake when they just ate a bucket of chicken. But, it's not the way it's portrayed in the movies. I'm not some bloodthirsty monster ripping the throats out of every unsuspecting person who walks by," Jack explained.
"Are you craving it right now?" I asked shyly as I absently touched my neck.
Jack’s eyes fell to where my hand was. With his finger, he brushed the large vein that ran down the side of my neck, I could feel the way it pulsed a little faster when he touched me.
"Yes," he admitted.
Then I had another question pop into my head. A very important one that I was surprised I hadn’t asked first.
"Where do you get it?"
He stared at my face for a moment, clearly contemplating what to tell me. "Where do you think?"
"Well, I know the obvious way. But, you said that you don’t prey on innocent people. Or do you?" I was almost afraid to ask, but I knew it couldn't be true. He and his sister were far too kind to ever do that to someone. But then again, how well did I really know them?
"No, Avery, we do not prey on innocent people. There are some who are willing. I myself am good friends with a doctor and he supplies me with what I need from the blood bank."
"Oh, I see. What about Celadine?"
"Well, she has a willing donor."
"Really? I would never have guessed." I raised my eyebrows at the thought. I wonder who it was. It would have to be someone she trusted, and someone who was around often. Then it hit me. "Is it Mona, from the gallery?"
"Yeah, good guess," Jack replied, apparently a little stunned that I was so observant.
"Well, it wasn't hard, Celadine doesn't keep much company. Was she always like that?"
"No, not really, she was in love once, you know? But, after it ended badly, she never really bothered to become close with anyone else. Not even friends." Jack’s eyes dropped to his lap like he was ashamed.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked.
"It's because of me," he admitted. I had no idea what he meant. "I'm the reason why she chooses to live like this, sheltered from real relationships."
"Why would that be your fault?"
"We’re linked, mind and soul. It's the strangest thing I have ever seen in my existence. And it has caused some...difficulties along the way."
"Yeah, Celadine told me about how she can read your mind and stuff."
"Did she tell you we can feel what the other feels as well?"
"Yes. But it has to be a strong emotion or something?" I replied. But then I realized what he meant. Derek. Celadine had told me that she’d loved him so much, and when he’d left she was absolutely devastated. Jack obviously had to have felt that, too. I wondered how long it took her to get over him.
"You felt sad when Derek left, didn't you?" I asked. He just nodded slowly. "How long did you feel that way?"
"I didn't just feel sad, Avery. When a vampire bonds with another being...its forever. It's unl
ike anything you have ever seen in movies or read in novels. Your insides alter, changing you completely. And when Derek left Celadine, she went through extreme measures to rid herself of the pain. Unfortunately, I felt it too. She dragged me through hell for a very long time. I even contemplated killing him, just to stop the misery, but I knew Celi would never forgive me." He let out a deep breath as he stared up at the ceiling. I couldn’t help but feel that there was more to the story.
"Hey, we don't have to talk about this. Really, let's just sit and watch the fire."
"No, I want you to know these things. You should know, you have a right."
"Why? That’s what she said too. I don't get it."
"Avery," he spoke my name slowly as if I should understand something I wasn't getting. "It took a very long time for Celadine’s heartache to lessen. Up until a few months ago, it had been years since we even saw each other. I couldn't handle being around her, it made our bond stronger and she was just so angry and heartbroken...but I never hated her for it—you cannot help the effects that love and loss have on you."
"Up until a few months ago, why? What happened a few months ago?" I asked still confused.
"You did."
My chest thumped as my heart skipped a beat. My eyes went wide with disbelief as I slowly shook my head. "No. Why me? I don't understand. So, Celadine has a bond with me, yeah I get that part, but what about you? Is this just the effect of her feelings for me? Is that it?" I was getting angry, and really embarrassed. I wondered if he didn’t have any actual feelings for me, that he was just forced to deal with Celadine’s residual emotion and that's all.
Jack held both my hands in his and kissed them. "Avery, no, it’s not like that." I ripped my hands from his and tried to get up. I had to leave, this was ridiculous.
"Sit down. Don't be stupid," he demanded in frustration as he pulled my arm so I would sit. I plopped back down, but couldn't bring myself to look at his face.
"Just listen for a minute, please. I was in Ireland when I felt Celadine’s pain begin to shift, lessening each day. I was so relieved. After a few weeks, I decided to come and visit her to see how she was doing. When I arrived, she was so happy to see me that she let her mind wander open, unprotected. I saw you. I saw you blazing in her mind, in her heart. I felt the bond she was developing with you like a mother would with her child or bond sisters would have."
"So, that was it huh? You had no choice but to feel for me, right?" I said, still angry.
"No, it doesn't work that way. I felt everything that Celadine felt for Derek, through the good and the bad. But that didn’t develop a bond between him and me. It's like as if I’m just extremely aware of what she feels.”
"Oh. Well...that's good, I guess," I mumbled.
"Yes, it is very good," Jack agreed. He shifted closer to me and lightly kissed my cheek, then my chin and then my lips. Suddenly my anger was replaced by familiar bliss. But I pulled away. I wasn't done with the questions just yet.
"So, that still doesn't explain how you feel for me."
He let out an impatient sigh. "You are so naive sometimes, you know that?"
"No, I’m not."
Jack quickly rolled his eyes. "After I saw you in Celadine’s mind and felt the bond she was developing for you, I was so angry with her. I asked her how she could put me through something like that again. But she claimed it was different his time, so I set out to find you. I had to try something and convince you to stay away from my sister. I would not let her do this to me again." He stopped and played mindlessly with a strand of my hair. "I found you so fast. It's like I was led to you as soon as I left the house. You were waiting at a bus stop."
"I know what night that was," I mumbled embarrassingly. The night Jack saw me fall off a bus and vomit all over myself, great first impression.
"Really, how do you know?"
"Well, that was the first time I’d taken a bus since I was a kid. I get motion sickness in vehicles so..." I dropped my face to hide my flushed cheeks.
Jack laughed and kissed the top of my head. "You're quite the character, Avery."
"That would explain why Celadine called me in such a panic to come to the gallery right away. I knew something was fishy about her that night. She didn't want you to get to me." Now things were starting to add up. The weird behavior, the cryptic conversations they’d had with each other.
"Yes. But when I found you, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. She was right, there was something about you. From that moment on, I was intrigued. I continued to pick images and scenes of you from of Celi's mind. She grew very impatient with me, worried I was going to scare you away. But I knew I wouldn't."
"When did you realize that you liked me?" I asked.
"I don't know. We argued so much when we were in one another’s presence, I think it blinded me from seeing that I cared for you so much. From seeing that I had to have you, protect you, even love you."
I couldn’t hide the excitement on my face. "Love me?"
"Yes, Avery, love you. I love you. And it's not something influenced from Celi or anything like that. I love you with every inch of my body and every beat of my heart, that is if my heart could beat." He took my face in his hands and kissed me passionately. I felt tears begin to fall down my face and into his hands.
"Why are you crying?" he asked suddenly.
"I'm just...I’m just...so...relieved," I forced myself to say over quiet sobs.
"Why?"
"Because I was so worried that I loved you so much and all I would ever get from you were like, second-hand feelings or something." I laughed then, and wiped my tears away.
He grabbed me, blanket and all, and held me in his arms like a baby. We sat there for the rest of the night, in front of the warm fire. I awoke the next morning in my bed, as I usually did, with no proof that my perfect night of love had ever happened. It’s as if the rising of the sun erased any trace of the magic I’d witnessed during the night hours. I grabbed my blanket tightly and rolled over, only to find a small piece of paper on my bedside table. I quickly grabbed and opened it, revealing a short note left behind in beautiful handwriting.
Every inch and every beat. Always.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
HALLOWEEN