B007Q4JDEM EBOK (13 page)

I looked up at him, “That's why you find me so intriguing.”

“
Indeed
,” h
e smiled, his eyes lingering on my own for a mere moment before cautiously brushing his cold lips against mine. I shut my eyes and returned the gesture, wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace. My fingers ran through his silky hair as we shared another kiss. I wanted the moment to last forever but he s
uddenly pulled away. “I'm sorry,” h
e whispered.

Why was he apologizing? I shook my head, “What for?”

“That was inappropriate,” h
e said, averting his eyes.

I laughed, “Salem, there was nothing wrong about it. I know you come from a different era, where that might have been considered inappropriate, but really-” My words were swept away by the touch of his lips against mine again.

“I'm not sorry, then,” h
e grinned
as our lips parted once more
, and
he
looked toward the sky, “You missed your party, I am almost certain.”

My mind was void of any thoughts other than this moment until he mentioned the party. I was far too giddy at the fact that I had experienced my first kiss, and having shared it with Salem made it even more special. It was still hard to comprehend the idea that we were somehow meant to be together, destined to have met...I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that,
or if I truly believed it,
but
at this moment
I didn't care. Soul mates or not, I knew that I wanted little more than to be with Salem. “How long have we been out here?” I wondered. Glancing at my watch, I gasped. “It's after midnight?!”

“Time flie
s when you are having fun they say, right
?”
he smiled pleasantly
and leapt down from a small embankment into the water we had been sitting over earlier, the impact splashing chilling water up at me. I had been so caught up in his story that I had not realized the path had looped us back to where we started.

I shivered from the touch of the icy water, and even more so as he lifted me up from the ground and cradled me in his arms – I could feel the coldness of his skin through the material of his shirt. With how thin he was, it was difficult to believe he could so effortlessly hold my weight. I wound my arms around his neck as he carried me back to his house.

The old Victorian wa
s invitingly warm as we entered -
I half-expected Salem to put me down when we got over the
threshold, but he didn't let
go. I grew nervous as he
smirked
and carried me up the spiral staircase. I had never been to the top floor, but that wasn't what made me nervous.

“You really shouldn't be so anxious, Alex
is
. You know I wouldn't drop you.” He playfully pretended like he was going to drop me and I nearly shrieked.

“Don't do that!” I said, gr
ipping ever-tighter to his body. “A
nd you can just call me Alex, you know.”

He smiled apologetically as we reached the top of the stairs. A deep red rug ran along the hallway. Framed pictures lined the
walls;
three
of which depicted
different people that I could only assume
were
Salem's relatives. I wanted to stop and look but he
continued walking down the hall,
pass
ed an opened door to a restroom on the left, then a closed door on the right – which I could only guess was a bedroom. Finall
y we approached the last door at
the
end of the
hall.

He pushed
it open
and I was amazed by what I saw.

The floor in the room appeared to be glass, a crystal-clear mirror reflecting everything that touched its surface. A queen-sized canopy bed sat in the center of the room draped in shining silk black sheets and blankets. Matching pillow cases covered the four pillows
that rested
atop the mattress. The posts holding up the bed were spiraled silver bars that held up matching silk curtains
which
enclosed the bed. Two identical black nightstands sat on either side of the bed.

My eyes were fixed on the floor now, watching our reflections following us through the dim-lit room. It took me a moment to realize there was a chandelier dangling from the ceiling. Salem gently placed me on the bed, tugged the covers from beneath me and draped them across my body. The smooth silky texture felt amazing against my skin. I turned over onto my side, facing the wall and relaxing my head against the cool texture of the pillows.

“Is this your room, Salem?” I asked, shutting my eyes tiredly.

“Yes, alth
ough I don't put much use to it,” h
e said quietly as he sat on the opposite side of the bed behind me. He ran his cold fingers through my hair and a smile spre
ad across my lips as he asked,
“Would you like to stay
in the bedroom this time
?”

“I already regret telling you no the first night you offered
to let me stay in one of the bedrooms,
” I chuckled lightl
y as I enjoyed his gentle touch
.

“You are always welc
ome to stay here,” he whispered.
I could feel him closer to me now. I tensed slightly as he lay on the bed and wrapped an arm delicately around my torso. “If you are uncomfortable, I can leave.”

“No, I'm plenty comfortable,
” I said as I relaxed. “I'm just not used to this.”

“Neither am I,” h
e
confessed
.

I turned my head to look at him, “After these hundred years, you have never been with anyone like this?”

“I've been waiting for you,
my twin soul,” h
e
replied quietly.

“Twin soul...” I muttered the words sleepily. “I like that.”

“Good,” h
e smiled again and kissed me gently on the cheek. “Get some sleep. You can call to apologize to Jason tomorrow.”

“Oh, no...” I moaned, about to sit up. Salem held me down.

“There's no point in bothering him now, Alexis. He is probably asleep or at least
on his way home from the party,” h
e assured me.

“You're right,
” I sighed, shut my eyes and fell asleep in Salem's embrace.

When I woke up, I found Salem lying beside me, his arm still around my waist. I turned over and smiled happily at him. “I was certain I was dreaming again.”

“Well, if yo
u are, I hope you never wake up,” h
e kissed me gently on the forehead. “You should call Jason after you have eaten.”

“I will,
” I mumbled as I stretched. “What's for breakfast?”

“
It's already been taken care of,” h
e grinned. I eyed him suspiciously. “Follow me downstairs.”

Resting on the dining table was a plate of French toast triangles sprinkled with powdered sugar, a small portion of
strawberries
, and a glass of orange juice. Beside the plate was a glass vase with a single red rose in it. I blushed at Salem as he took my hand and led me to the table. “You shouldn't have...” I said quietly, admiring the food hungrily.

“It isn't as if I
slaved over a stove to make it,” he smirked, “h
opefully you still enjoy it just the same.”

“Of course I will!” I insisted and sat down. Salem sat across from me and watched me eat. I savored each bite. “Do you eat regular food?” I said after swallowing a mouthful of toast.

“No, it serves little purpose.”

“Do you miss it?”

“
Certainly
...” h
e frowned, “But at the same time it's better for my diet!”

We both shared a good laugh at that and I finished my meal. Salem then passed me the same phone I had used last night and I redialed Jason's number. It took longer this time for him to answer.

“Hello?”
Jason’s
groggy voice came through the cell.

“Hey Jace, how was the party?”

“It was fantastic!”
h
e said excitedly. “It's too bad you didn't make it, though. Are you sure you are doing all right?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,
” I replied casually. “I'm glad you had a good time. I just wanted to apologize for missing out on the fun.”

“It's all right.
Maybe you'll be there next time,” h
e sounded hopeful. “I will come by again this afternoon to clean up.”

“It's still a mess?”

“Just a little,” h
e laughed lightly. “Don't worry about it; it'll be taken care of. Where were you, anyway?”

I quickly thought up an answer, “I was out driving, and I guess I lost track of time. There's just been so much on my mind lately.”

“Oh. I understand,” h
e paused, “Well, I'm
just
glad you're okay.”

There was that phrase again –
I u
nderstand
.
I knew they didn’t, they couldn’t. I wished I could tell Karen and him everything. “I’ll be fine. Hey listen, I need to run a few errands
, but
I’ll have to talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay, h
ave fun!”

I put the phone down and stared across the table at Salem. His mind seemed to be elsewhere at the moment and I frowned. “Salem...” I said it quietly, part of me not wanting to disturb him. He blinked and looked at me.

“Yes?”

“I'm beyond late for school,
” I said as I looked down at my watch. It was after noon. Jason must have skipped school, too.

“Problem solved,” h
e smiled, although looking somewhat ashamed. “I called in for you. You are sick with the flu, if you weren't aware.”

“Oh, I am, huh?” I laughed and shook my head.

“Yes, and you are strictly on bed rest.”

“I’m
no
t entirely opposed to that idea,
” I
replied
, reflecting on how comfortable the bed upstairs was.

“I have this nagging feeling that you are corr
ect about the attacks in Denver,” h
e said suddenly, extracting me from my comforting thoughts.

“
But what can we do about it
?”

“Some
thing I would much rather avoid,” h
e scowled, staring blankly at the dining room table. “You need to request that Paul takes you to see Janet...he will know whether Mark is the cause.”

My eyes widened. “You want me to go to Denver?”

“Either that or try to convince Paul to go on his own.”

“I'll try,
” I stared at my
half
-empty plate. “
Where can I throw away the rest of this
?”

“
Don’t worry about it. I will take care of it,” h
e said, grabbed the plate and dumped it and the remains in a trash bin that was concealed behind one of the mahogany cabinets.

“When should I
try
to talk to Paul?”

“Anytime - t
he sooner the better.”

I nodded. “
I guess I’ll drive over to the shop.”

I left Salem's house reluctantly, but promised I would return as soon as possible. The drive along the winding road was becoming more familiar and less scary. The thought of going to Denver both thrilled and terrified me. It was a sudden decision, but Salem was right – it had to be done, before it was too late.

Paul was at work today, fortunately. I could see his figure moving around behind the glass windows. He was talking animatedly to a female customer. I left the Alero in the parking lot and discreetly entered the store, aiming straight for the air freshener aisle. I listened patiently to him and the customer as I waited. Once their conversation ended, I turned around the end of the aisle and nearly bumped into my father.

“Alex!” h
e shouted in shock. “What a
nice
surprise.”

“Hey,” I greeted him casually, “c
ould we talk...in private?”

“Of course.”

The back room was identical to how it was
two days prior
. It felt like
it had been so much longer ago.
I leaned back in the familiar chair as he took his seat behind the desk
again
. I fidgeted anxiously as I tried to decide what to say to him.

“
Is everything all right
?” He asked in a caring voice.