The Last Keeper (15 page)

“You promised!” he cried as a small chortle escaped me.

“Ray, I’m not laughing about your Herbie. I promise.” It was hard not to chuckle as I spoke. “I laughed because the look on your face is too cute for words.”

He watched me out of the corner of his eye for the rest of the walk, checking for any signs of laughter. He continued all through dinner with his mother. Every time I caught him, I would smile.
 

Being with Ray and his mother gave me hope. Though I couldn’t change what I was, or stop what I had to do, perhaps I could still live my dream. Ray would be in constant danger when he moved with me, but that was an inevitable part of my world. I was starting to believe it was possible to have my dream. To be able to live my life with Ray by my side. Making the choice to grow old was something I could barely wait for.
 

Not yet, though.

There were things that had to be put in place before I considered it. Things I’d need to talk with William about. Perhaps a trip to see him in the near future would be necessary, though I was loath to leave Ray in the city alone. William would also have my head for turning up without arranging something safe.
 

Before I left for the evening, promising to return when everyone was asleep, Ray introduced me to his Herbie.
 

“Do you promise not to laugh anymore?” he asked as we entered his room.

“I promise.”

He walked over to his wardrobe and reached for the pile of boxes that were sitting on top of it. It was tempting to offer him some help, but he managed fine on his own. I enjoyed seeing that he could manage most things without any assistance. Leaving the bottom one at the foot of his bed, he returned the others.
 

He dusted off the box as we sat on the ottoman, then removed the lid and pulled out the small hedgehog. “Serenity, this is Herbie. You’re the first person to see him in almost fifteen years.”

“I am honoured to meet you, Herbie,” I said quietly.

“He seems so tiny now,” Ray muttered as he held the toy in his hands.

“What are all the bare patches?”
 

“I used to gnaw on him when I was little. He was so much bigger then.” He was still looking down at the toy.

“Ray, what’s the matter?” He’d become very quiet all of a sudden.

“I was wondering about something . . . something you said earlier.” He paused for a moment, awkwardly shifting in his seat. “You love me?”

“Yes,” I answered, without hesitation.

“Is it strange that I love you, too, after such a short time?” he asked, putting Herbie back in his bed.
 

Cupping his hands in mine, I said, “Not at all.”

We sat so still for so long, his face in my hands, his eyes boring into mine. It took only one moment for everything to change. I leaned forward, just an inch, and he reacted, brushing his lips against mine for a fraction of a second. Both of us froze. Hesitant. Each waiting for the other to act. Him wanting to be a gentleman, as he was raised. Me wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on mine again.
 

He moved first, just a touch, pressing his lips against mine, and I slid my arms around his neck, holding him close. Our lips moved together, gentle, exploring. It was all so new, and so beautiful. His hands were on my waist, pulling me closer to him, pressing his lips harder against mine.
 

It was better than I’d imagined—the delicious taste of him, the feel of his hands on my waist, and the urgency with which he kissed me.
 

“Ray, Serenity.” The sound of his mother calling to us was the only reason we broke apart. “Sam is here.”

I kissed him again briefly. “I’ll be back soon.”
 

Neither of us moved for a moment, both of us smiling brightly.
 

“I’ll leave my window open.”

My smile was still in place as I said my goodbyes to Liz, and for the entire ride home. Neither Sam nor Helen said anything about the bounce in my step or grin on my face, but they knew. It was clear from the sideways glances they gave me and their own smiles.

“Sam?” I asked as everyone was retiring for the night. “Could you have Tara ready in the morning?”

“Of course.” He furrowed his brow as he fought the urge to ask questions.

There was something I’d put off, something that had been in the pile of notifications, and I should have dealt with it a lot sooner.
 

As I walked through the streets, my mind raced. It was filled with the memory of our kiss and the worries of what I’d tell Ray in the morning. When I reached his garden, he was waiting at his window once more. I scaled the wall without hesitation, appearing at his side before he had a chance to register the fact I was there.

“You know you could give me a heart attack doing that!” he whispered, clutching his chest.

“Your heart sounds fine to me,” I laid my head where his hand had been, listening to the steady beat.

“How can you tell?”

“I’ve been around for a while, Ray. Though your heart is on the fast side right now, it’s perfectly fine.” I smiled.

We stood there for a moment as he leaned against the wall. It was the only way he could wrap both of his arms around me.
 

When he yawned, failing in his attempt to stifle it, I said, “Time for bed.”

“Will you stay again?”
 

“Not for the entire night.” As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t. “I don’t want to get you in any more trouble with your mother.”

He fell asleep quickly, but not before insisting on a goodnight kiss. A kiss I was more than happy to oblige him with.
 

I took extra care not to fall asleep in his arms again, but it was harder than I expected. By the time the first light of dawn shined through the window, I’d figured out what I needed to do to keep him safe while I was away. I just hadn’t worked out what to tell him. Ray stirred as I slipped from his bed. I quickly left him a note to come by after breakfast, and to come alone. That would give me plenty of time to change and prepare everything I needed before he arrived.

“Go back to sleep, my love,” I whispered before I slipped out of his room.
 

There was a spring in my step. I was rather pleased with myself when I got home. Only Sam was awake. I hadn’t fallen asleep and gotten Ray into any more trouble.
 

   
“Good morning,” I greeted Sam when I reached the kitchen.

“Morning.” His voice was light, but his stare was hard. “You going to explain why you only need one horse today?”

“I need to leave for a few days.” Ignoring him was easy given my light mood.
 

“How long?” he asked, tucking in to his own breakfast.

“A week, maybe more.”

“How long have you been putting it off?”
 

“The letter came just after I met Ray.” I winced, expecting a rebuttal.
 

Instead of a lecture about letting things get out of hand, like Sam normally gave me, I was greeted with a heavy sigh. Nothing more.

There were times when I felt as though I was barely older than the twenty or so years I appeared. Whenever I left things too long, because we were moving or had plans of some sort, Sam would remind me of the consequences.

As if I needed to be reminded.

“He’s your life now, Sere. He comes first.”

Sam finished his breakfast and left to prepare Tara. I had a short time before I needed to change, so I began making breakfast for Helen and Jayne, a feat I rarely attempted. Despite my ability to cook, it wasn’t often that I found the time or the motivation to do so. As I would be leaving for a while, the least I could do was cook breakfast by way of an apology for the short notice.

“Something smells good,” Helen commented when she came down. “Looks good, too. To what do we owe this pleasure?”

I feigned hurt. “Can I not cook for my family without there being an occasion?”
 

“You can, but you
don’t.
” Picking at the cut fruit, she stared at me.
 

“I have to go away for a few days.” I ignored her as best I could, while setting the kitchen table.
 

“And you would like me to keep Ray busy?”
 

“Please. I’d stay, but I’m afraid I’ve put this off for too long.”
 

“Of course.”

We would have talked more about what I was dealing with, but Jayne was awake and chose that moment to join us.
 

Some discussions we avoided when young ears were present.
 

It was a grand affair when I cooked for my family. Every breakfast food we had was on the table. Fruit, toast, a little bacon, cereal—everything they could want and more. No one would need to eat until dinner by the time they were done. There would be plenty of leftovers for Sam if he was hungry again.
 

I only had an hour or so before Ray arrived. There was something else I wanted to talk with them about first.

“As you know, I need to go away for a few days,” I began once Jayne had gone to get dressed for the day. “I hope it will be a simple task; a few vampires near Lyon are causing trouble. It’s too close to William for comfort, and I should have dealt with this when I heard about it.”

“Does he know?” she asked, meaning William.
 

“No, and I plan to keep it that way. There’s no point in getting him upset over something I’m quite capable of handling.” He needed to concentrate on his family. “Besides, we agreed he would only help with troubles if I needed him.”

“Did that not go out of the window when you found Ray?” Sam asked, giving me a pointed look.

The agreement was that when William got married, I would take over everything. Updating the records. Actively dealing with any issues. Anything I could handle on my own, I did.
 

“We never discussed it,” I said, avoiding Sam’s gaze. “There was something else I wanted to talk to you both about.”

“Ray?”

“Not yet. He doesn’t know I need to leave. What I wanted to discuss was what would happen to the records when William and I are gone.”
 

“We have years before that happens,” Helen hissed, taking me by surprise.
 

I’d been expecting a more rational response.

“Perhaps we do, but there’s a chance we don’t have that long left. I’d like to put things in place for when the time comes,” I said as calmly as possible. “I need to discuss some things with William . . .”

“Serenity, you have been my mother, my sister, my daughter, and my best friend. You
will
outlive me, so there’s nothing that needs doing now.”

“Helen, please. It’s not much that I’m asking, but it is something I need to ask now,
before
anything happens. If the records we have kept over the years fell into the hands of the vampires, they could wipe us out. Every name of every descendant we have is in those records. I just want to ensure they’ll be protected and looked after by someone I trust, and I’ve trusted your family for longer than I care to remember.” I hadn’t expected her to argue the point at all, let alone so adamantly.
 

“Helen, Serenity is only trying to prepare for the worst. You know how she is,” Sam said, attempting to soothe her.
 

“Fine, I’ll listen, but I’m warning you now, you
will
outlive me and I will never need to put your plan into action.”
 

Though I didn’t understand her anger, I was happy she’d agreed to listen.
 

Sam ignored her. “What did you have planned?”

“If the time comes, then I want all of the records in one safe location.” Preferably away from anyone who could use the information they contained. “In order to best protect them, I’d be grateful if your family looked after them. I’ll have a house specifically designed for the purpose, in the safest location I can find.”

“One condition,” Helen said. “You are not to start construction on the house until necessary, which means years from now. If you want to draw up the plans, then fine, but I’ll only agree if you stop thinking about it now and leave it until you absolutely have to.”
 

It was a fair compromise. “Agreed.”

She analysed my reaction for a moment. “You already have them made.”
 

“The initial plans have been drawn up, the location hasn’t been finalised, but it has been narrowed down. Land in each area has already been purchased.” It never did me any good to lie to Helen.

“When?”

“As soon as I saw the reply from William.”

She glared at me for a long moment before shaking her head and leaving the room. There was silence as I stared after her, until Sam broke it by laughing loudly.

“What’s so funny?”
 

“You two are two-of-a-kind. Both as stubborn as the other, though I think you have the edge,” he told me. “I’ll finish preparing Tara.”

“Thank you.”

There wasn’t much I needed to do to get ready. Dark trousers and a thick shirt were all I planned on wearing, accompanied by a decent pair of boots, suitable for riding Tara and running. An extra set of clothes and a small bag was all I needed. The spare clothing was essential; travelling while dressed as a woman could cause problems. Not every country I ended up in treated women the same. Money was the other necessity. I could get anything I needed with enough of it.