Authors: Calista Fox
“Yes, there is that.” He recalled the needle incident the
night of the assault. “My restraint was put to the test when Schaeffer gave you
that shot of morphine, adding to your pain.”
“But you realized it wasn’t his fault.”
“That’s a much easier thing to accept in theory than in
reality.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, as her eyes closing. She still slept
a lot. “You clearly picked the wrong human to fall in love with.”
He chuckled, despite the tension that coiled in his stomach
over having fallen for a mortal—one he had difficulty keeping safe. “No I
didn’t.”
She smiled. “There’s something I forgot to tell you.”
“What’s that?” he asked as he stroked her hair.
“I love you too.”
He dropped a soft kiss on her cheek. “Now we’re really
screwed.”
Chapter Eleven
Not quite three days slipped by and Christmas drew near.
“Do demons celebrate holidays?” Jade asked Sheena one
evening.
Darien had been gone for two nights to deal with military
matters he’d been secretive about and Sheena had kept her company. With Jade’s
acquiescence, the vampire had brought thick silk drapes to cover the windows of
the cottage so she could be there during the day.
The sapphire in the bedroom matched the headboard and duvet,
lending even more color and richness to the cozy space. For the living room,
Sheena had selected a softer ice blue that made the area light and airy despite
the heavy fabric over the glass panes. She had exceptional taste.
Regarding Jade’s question, she said, “Some do. Depends on
the occasion. For example, Halloween was always a favorite, pre-war. We could
be out and about that night without anyone batting an eye at us.”
“But you look normal,” Jade told her. “Well, with the
exception of being insanely beautiful and absolutely flawless.”
She laughed. “I have my flaws, trust me. But immortality
does tend to preserve one in a flattering way. For most demons, anyway. The
vampires and the shifters. Immortals such as Darien.”
Jade’s heart fluttered. “Now
that
is perfection
personified.”
Sheena scoffed. “Sure, if you like all that brawn and
outrageous height. I prefer a little less muscle and someone I can look
directly in the eye without standing on tiptoe.”
“Not me,” Jade said with a sigh that sounded dreamy to her
ears. “All that strength is intimidating, yes. But sexy as hell.”
Her new friend studied her with a curious look in her
emerald eyes. “You like living on the edge, don’t you?”
Jade gave this question serious consideration. Then she
said, “When my parents were alive, we had so many adventures. My father was
cautious, of course, but he taught my mother and me to defend ourselves, so he
worried less about us. That made it possible for us to enjoy short expeditions
and try new things. After they died…”
She glanced around the room that had once been theirs. Hers
was on the opposite side of the living room, but it didn’t have a fireplace, so
she’d moved into this space when she was thirteen. It’d taken her that long to
cross the threshold without breaking down in tears.
“I really had to keep everything safe and status quo,” she
explained. “I didn’t have the kind of protection my father had offered me,
though the slayers have always looked out for me. I suppose I just stopped
thinking about anything other than making it through each day without freezing
or starving or crying.”
Sheena stared down at the book in her lap. She sat in the
chair next to Jade’s bed. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to be human
and vulnerable and all on your own at such a young age.”
“Actually,” she said, “I was very lucky. I had a place to
live. I already knew how to maintain the house, when to collect kindle and have
the water tank filled. How to cook and clean and mend clothes. I also had help
from the villagers, of course.”
Sheena looked up from the textbook. “But it must have been
so lonely. I’ve always thrived on being a part of a coven. And when I moved
into the castle… There’s so much activity, I never feel alone.”
“It’s not a comforting emotion by any standard—human or
demon. But you do what you have to do, right?”
The vampire’s sculpted brows knitted together. “You’re not
at all what I’ve expected.”
“Am I the first human you’ve gotten to know?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. And I feel quite fortunate
because of it. I had a very tainted view of your kind and I never understood
the king’s stance on mortals. When you first came to the castle, I didn’t leave
because I wanted to prove I could do my job regardless of any challenge
presented. But when I realized how badly hurt you were and how determined you
were to rise above the pain and heal the damage, I was so impressed.”
Jade looked away as her stomach twisted. “You wouldn’t have
been impressed with me at the church. I wanted to die.” Shame seeped through
her veins. “I honestly did.”
“But you didn’t give up.”
She laughed, though it was a short, hollow one. “I didn’t
have a choice. Darien is much too persistent.”
“Hmm, yes. He cares so much for you. And I can see it’s
mutual.” Sheena paused as though gearing up for her next question. “Really,
Jade, would you ever leave the human world for the demon one?”
Her gaze met Sheena’s. The vampire actually appeared
amenable to the idea. This confused Jade. “How could I? And seriously, how many
demons at the castle would be offended by my presence in comparison to the
three or four of you who wouldn’t be?”
“There are complications and obstacles.” She neither
validated nor disputed them. “But it’s something to consider.” She tapped the
sheets of paper Jade held in one hand and said, “Now solve this equation
already, or I’ll think you’re purposely diverting my attention.”
Jade glanced down at the math problems she’d been laboring
over for most of the afternoon and well into the early evening. Her next
attempt was little better than her previous ones.
Sheena said, “Remember, whatever you do on the left side of
the equal sign, you must do on the right.”
How could a couple of letters and some numbers be so damn
confusing?
“Learning algebra, I see,” Darien said as he strode into the
room.
Jade let out a long-suffering sigh. “‘Learning’ would imply
I have an aptitude for this, which I clearly do not. General math was the
extent of the lessons when I was in school, given there’s not much use for
anything above what I’ve studied thus far.”
Sheena scoffed. “Everyone should know algebra.” She snapped
the textbook closed and placed it on the nightstand. “Keep at it.” She stood
and faced Darien. “My Lord, if you’ll be staying awhile, there are a few
matters I should attend to at the castle.”
“Of course.”
To Jade, the vampire said, “I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
Guilt overcame her. “You don’t have to keep coming. I’m
taking you away from your work. And I’m much better. I think I can survive on
my own now.”
“I’m not here out of obligation,” Sheena said, somewhat
indignant. “Friends visit friends when they’re under the weather.” With that,
she swept out of the room, always one to make as much of a grand exit as an
entrance.
Darien asked, “Do you win over everyone you meet?”
“I don’t know. Ask the fire wraith who pounded me against a
granite pew.”
“Ah yes. Him. I have news.”
Before Darien could sit in the chair Sheena had vacated,
Jade asked, “Mind if we move into the living room? I could use a change of
scenery.”
“Are you feeling up to it?”
“Definitely.”
She climbed off the bed and he held out the ecru-colored
satin robe Sheena had brought days ago to replace her old, ragged one. The robe
complemented her nightgown, also new. Of both garments, Jade said, “I’m
convinced Sheena is trying to class me up. Perhaps make me fit to be the
mistress of a king?”
He frowned. “‘Mistress’, to me, infers there’s something
shady between us.”
“There
is
something shady between us,” she reminded
him in a soft tone. “We have to hide it from the villagers and the demons in
your castle.”
“Morgan and Sheena know. Jocelyn as well, obviously. And the
slayers, I suspect, since they patrol the area and have likely seen my horse.”
“Michael knows too.”
“Well then. It’s hardly a secret, is it?” He took her hand
and led her to the other room.
“It should be, beyond the people who are currently in the
know.”
Gently clasping her upper arms, his head bent and he kissed
her. Then he said, “I don’t really give a damn who finds out about us.”
She sighed. “But you should.”
He groaned, yet conceded the point. “Yes, I should.” He
released her and added, “Settle at the table. I brought dinner.”
“Please, no more soup. I can make my own food.”
“I thought you liked the soup,” he called from her small
kitchen.
“I
love
the soup. But that’s all I’ve been able to
eat, because even chewing has been a chore.”
“You’re in luck,” he told her as he returned. A savory aroma
instantly permeated the room, making her stomach growl. On the dining table, he
deposited two plates, both piled high with thick slices of glazed ham, mashed
potatoes with gravy and stuffing. He added, “A belated Thanksgiving meal,
compliments of my chef.”
He disappeared for a few seconds and came back with
utensils, napkins, a bottle of merlot and two glasses. After arranging
everything, he poured the wine.
Sliding onto a chair opposite her, he lifted his glass and
said, “A toast to the season.”
She smiled as their rims touched. “How funny. I was just
asking Sheena earlier if demons recognized holidays.”
“Not so much. But I realized you ought to.”
Jade shook her head. “There’s hardly a point to it. Like my
birthday, holidays are meant to be shared with family.”
He regarded her for a moment, then said, “But your friends
are
your family.”
She thought of the multitude of dinner and party offers
she’d received over the years for the major holidays. None of which she’d
accepted. She’d always preferred to be alone or work at the tavern. It didn’t
seem right to celebrate without her parents and what good would it do anyway?
Except…Darien made a valid argument.
“I suppose I’ve been narrow-minded,” she admitted. “Selfish
even. Perhaps a tiny bit martyr-ish as well.” She picked at her food. It
smelled heavenly and looked delicious, but something suddenly weighed heavy on
her mind. “I’ve always thought it was easier to ignore any sort of tradition
I’d shared with my parents, but the fact is, I’ve only isolated myself further
by doing this.”
She paused and inhaled the rich scent of an apple cider,
butter and sugar coating on the ham that was mouthwatering, and took in the
entire cozy atmosphere of the cottage and Darien sitting at the table with her,
sipping his wine. A long-forgotten sense of belonging and the feeling of being
a part of a family ribboned through her.
Tears suddenly prickled her eyes. “I have to confess. I made
my life miserable.”
“You can’t place all the blame at your feet.”
“My parents’ deaths were tragic, yes. But people die. Even
Michael’s parents have passed. Lisette’s husband. Jinx. Many others I’ve known
in my lifetime. And with each death, it seems as though I withdraw a little
more into myself.” She found this ironic. “I’m the one who insisted death is
part of the human experience. Nothing to obsess over because it’s a natural
progression in life.”
She remembered having the conversation with Darien right
here in her cottage.
“But the truth is,” she continued, “it jars me every time it
happens to someone I know. So why aren’t I enjoying the time I have with the
people I care about?”
“Fear of attachment?”
A shiver of reckoning chased down her spine. She took a
healthy drink from her glass. Then another.
Setting the wine aside, her gaze locked with his and she
said, “I’ve shared more of myself with you and Sheena—possibly even Morgan—than
I ever have with my two closest human friends. And as for the other villagers…
I consider them friends, of course. Neighbors. People I care about and have a
natural concern for, but whom I keep a measure of distance from—emotionally.”
“Because of their mortality?” The conversation seemed to
intrigue him. He sat forward in his chair and pinned her with a look.
“But
I’m
mortal too,” she commented. “And I accept
death as part of life.”
“Perhaps too much,” he simply said.
Jade continued to sip her wine. It eased the remainder of
the pain she felt along her back, which she was careful to keep from making
contact with her chair.
When she didn’t speak, Darien said, “Maybe one of the
reasons you’ve allowed the connection to form between Sheena, Morgan and myself
is because you know you won’t outlive us.”
She gaped, speechless.
“You could have settled for Michael, even if he didn’t fully
own your heart,” Darien said. “You could have married him and had children. But
you told me you want more than amiable companionship.”
Finally, she found her voice. “Yes. I want all the passion I
feel with you.”
“And you want someone who’s at least as strong as you. Because
let’s face it, Jade, as we established before, you are not ordinary. You can’t
spend your life with someone who is.”
“That doesn’t diminish how I feel about people like Lisette
and Michael.”
“No. But you keep them at arm’s length. For a reason.”
“They wouldn’t understand me if they knew everything about
me. In fact, if Michael had any idea the things I’m capable of…” She rolled her
eyes. “It’d send him over the edge. He’d think for sure I’d been practicing
witchcraft with Lisette on the sly.”
“And when it comes to her, you’re all too aware of her age.
And her increasingly limited life span.”
“The village will be a much bleaker place without her,
that’s for sure.” She brushed away the tears that crested the rims of her eyes
and slid down her flushed cheeks. After polishing off her glass of wine, she
asked, “Why are we even talking about this? It’s very depressing. I’m starving
and our dinner is getting cold.”
“And you really can’t afford to lose any more weight.
There’s not much to you these days.”
She hadn’t worn anything other than the nightgowns and robes
Sheena had brought her, since the satin was cool and soft against her back. The
bleeding had stopped and she didn’t need the lightweight bandages any longer,
just the aloe twice a day. She suspected her regular clothes would hang on her
at this point.