Authors: Maya DeLeina
“Well, I can’t see you taking Anya out on any one of your crotch rockets. I hear she’s partial to skirts.”
Steffan walked over to Rhys and hugged him. “Thanks, I’ll take care of her, not a scratch.”
“I hope that’s a reference to my vehicle and not just Anya,” said Rhys as he placed the keys in Steffan’s hands. “People in this town, they don’t particularly appreciate the exquisiteness of this masterpiece or the bling I put into it. And it is not a she, by the way. Please be mindful of where you park Humphrey.”
Steffan looked back at Rhys as he held open the door. “Shit, tell me you didn’t name this thing. That’s disturbing!”
Steffan climbed into the vehicle and turned the key.
The engine roared as if releasing a cage of wild animals.
He reached inside his coat pocket and retrieved his black sunglasses. As he slid the shades over his eyes, he engaged the sunroof, allowing the wind and sun to spill all around him. Steffan looked over his shoulder and smiled at the contents the family packed in the backseat, his violin and an extra pair of clothes.
Steffan released the break and maneuvered the Hummer down the driveway. The unyielding tires were heavy on the pavement, echoing a scrunching vibrato as the low growl of the engine pierced the tranquility of the gardens.
As Steffan made his way to the street, he stopped. He looked in the rearview mirror and waved to his family that stood outside the castle.
Steffan traveled down the road, sheathed in the indulgence of pure masculinity. The vehicle had an assuming presence to it, a bravado that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Typically, his instincts had always led him to be rather inconspicuous, careful to only leave a faintness of his presence wherever he went in public.
This would present him with the complete opposite.
But the thought of providing Anya the necessary protection that his array of motorcycles couldn’t afford was an overriding comfort.
“
Humphrey the Hummer
,” Steffan thought to himself as he chuckled at Rhys’s obsession with the tanklike vehicle.
* * * *
“Where is he going? Why all the hoopla?” Ryan finally asked Eilian and Rhys as Steffan made his way from the driveway to the crescent-shaped road.
“OMG! Really?” Rhys barked in a perturbed tone.
Curiously, Ryan assessed Rhys.
Ryan knew Rhys was over a century old, yet his way of speaking didn’t quite fit his expectation, nor did it suit the romantic innuendo his heavy Greek accent flared off. His dialogue was all modern, a tad vogue and trendy for his taste. But it sparked youthfulness that transcended his years and did wonders in softening his brooding features.
Rhys continued in a perturbed tone, “Haven’t you heard about the mate match Steffan made with the human who moved in down the road? He’s going off to finally meet her.”
“I’ve been busy with my house and entertaining women. It’s amazing. Woman can’t seem to say no to me,” said Ryan.
“Wow, if something doesn’t involve you, you really aren’t interested,” said Rhys, his expression riddled with an obvious distaste for Ryan.
“Basically, yeah. I mean, why should I be interested in Steffan’s mate?” Ryan shot back at Rhys.
Rhys angrily shouted, “As a general part of caring about someone else other than you, that’s why! Steffan has waited a long time to find his mate. We’re all happy for him. Ryan, we’re family here, we take care of each other. One for all and all for one.”
Ryan looked at Rhys, baffled. “Where did I hear that before?”
Anger boiled in the two men with their heated exchange. Eilian spoke, easing the tension in his tone, “Ryan, tomorrow will be your day. In fact, when Vaughn gets here with the limousine, the entire family will be getting down to business, just for you.”
“Limousine? What’s going on?” asked Ryan.
“You’ll see. It’s all for your reintroduction tomorrow,” replied Eilian.
“I still don’t know why it has to be this way. I’ll be careful. Why do I have to spend most of my time working from home and only doing occasional visits to the new Denver office? I loved my office in the Springs,” Ryan said roughly.
“We’ve gone over this. While we’re taking care of the people we knew you came in contact with, there may be some people that we don’t know of around your office and here that you will not remember. We just want you to limit the chances of being unprepared and running into someone we didn’t enthrall,” said Eilian.
“Look, when you were turned, we feared the family was going to have to move since you were so familiar in your community. Steffan has worked hard in executing this plan to make you happy and keep the family intact. With what we’re about to do, you can go out there and be reintroduced. And the family can remain here for the next few years. In return, Steffan imposed a few limitations to make sure we’re all safe from being discovered. Seems like we have to go over everything with you once again to assure you don’t fuck things up,” Rhys added.
Ryan shot Rhys an angry glance. “You really don’t like me, do you?”
“Let’s put it this way. Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while that you shouldn’t have fucked with? That’s me,” Rhys said as he stepped closer to Ryan, breaking the barrier of his personal space.
“Okay, that! I know I heard that line before!” Ryan said in agitation.
“And be glad I wasn’t the one who got to you first,” Rhys added. He looked down at Ryan, chock-full of annoyance.
Rhys stood completely menacing and intimidating.
Ryan retreated from his brute rival, turning his back to Rhys and Eilian.
Sighing, Eilian changed the subject as the last glimpse of the Hummer faded out of sight. “I wonder how long it will take for Steffan to claim Anya.”
Ryan turned around and shot a puzzled look at Eilian and Rhys. “Did you just say Anya?”
* * * *
Steffan continued to make his way down the mountain with the sunroof completely drawn, taking pleasure in the sensation the warm sunshine and the crisp mountain air fusion created on his skin. His bangs swept freely around his face as his black wrap shades safely shielded his eyes.
It was a beautiful spring day.
The snow-peaked mountains radiated off the backdrop of the deep-turquoise sky. With each turn, changes in the landscape amazed Steffan. Vibrant color palettes in the earth, foliage, and sky unleashed their splendor just for his eyes. He wondered what the change in scenery would bring by mid-July, when the snow would completely melt from the peaks.
In complete astonishment, he wondered how many different spectrums of the same color existed. He wanted to experience it all. He ran through landscape visions of different seasons in his mind and caught his breath.
Autumn.
His pulse quickened.
I’ve ever seen fall before.
Up until the moment he’d found Anya, he’d existed only within the confines of shadows and darkness. In his human existence, the fleeting recollections of color were the shades of death and destruction. The darkened trenches, the black mud of the marshlands, the gray ash, and blood were the only landscape of shades that suspended in his mind. Even the vibrancy of blood was muted. There was no striking red. The blood he knew spilled in hues of black and gray.
Steffan shook off the harsh recollection and focused on the beauty that surrounded him and the destiny he was about to fulfill.
The vehicle rounded the last curve of the mountain’s switchback.
The route that lay ahead would lead him directly to her.
Steffan’s demeanor turned edgy as he adjusted in his seat. The time was closing in. She was drawing near. The anticipation of this exact moment had tormented him since his turning in 1917. The feeling churning inside of him couldn’t be described. It was a divergence—an eternity’s worth of hope, despair, solitude, need, sacrifice, anticipation and love, all brewing inside one man. He was a bundle of nerves.
What would be the first exchange with someone you’ve waited your entire life for?
Steffan crossed the bridge that led to the downtown warehouse district. Rampant eagerness surged through his veins as he neared Anya’s studio.
In the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of the majestic peak. It was amazing. No matter how many times he gazed at the peak since being safely protected by Defender, the mountain range would always exude a different mood. One day, it would be an ominous presence. Eerie mist suspended in its surroundings would summon apprehension, anxiety, serve as a warning. On other days, the glow of the purple and pink hues would summon tranquility and inspire spiritual connections. And on days like this, the vibrancy of blue and green radiance would incite pure happiness and fulfillment.
He beamed ear to ear.
Fitting for the day
.
He slowed the vehicle to a crawl and stopped. He leaned forward into the steering column to examine the building.
This is it.
Steffan looked at the adjacent parking lot next to the studio. Situated in a parking stall was a SUV with the plates CELLIST. Steffan let out a smile as he carefully guided Rhys’s vehicle in the stall directly in front of what could only be Anya’s vehicle.
Steffan glanced at his wristwatch as he stepped out of the vehicle.
3:42 p.m.
Perfect
.
Her 3:00 p.m. appointment was a no-show. If she was anything like him, she would be seizing the opportunity to satisfy her passion for her music. He longed to hear the beauty she would create without inhibition, without reserve.
Steffan walked toward the building.
The gravel from the parking lot crushed under his shoes as he gazed up to examine the warehouse’s exterior. The warehouse had been transformed into commercial lofts over a decade ago, but a faded sign etched on the side of the brick exterior remained as a tribute to the building’s past, once serving as a fabrication plant for mining tools during the city’s gold rush era. Steffan stood at the threshold, pausing to take a deep breath in and prepare for the moment that lay ahead.
He pushed opened the substantial metal door and made his way into the building’s entry. Directly in front of him was the elevator access to the businesses. To the left of the entry lay the stairs and emergency access. The tenant directory was displayed on the exposed brick wall on the right. The large building housed only three tenants—a dance studio, a textile design company, and Anya’s Heartstring studio. Steffan opted for the elevator access to carry him on the last leg of his journey to Anya.
The elevator door opened, and a sudden flood of music permeated the air. The music was laced with competing rhythms and styles. Steffan walked down the hall as the muffled electronic beats resonated from the dance studio behind its closed metal door on the right-hand side of the hall. The pulsating bass grew faint as he delved deeper into the hall. Steffan passed the textile design company’s entry on the left, and the dark resonance of a lone cello triumphed over the remnants of chaotic mechanical beats from the dance studio.
Steffan stopped in his tracks.
The melody was haunting, stirring. She played with such beautiful emotion. It was Anya’s fingers gracing the strings, her legs stabilizing the cello and her soul pouring out with each note.
He quivered with excitement.
The metal sliding door that led to her was slightly open and lay just footsteps away. He wanted to rush through the door, but his body couldn’t bring himself to enter just yet. He started to shake as her music penetrated his soul. He propped his back against the brick wall next to the open door and closed his eyes, losing himself in the singing quality of her instrument.