Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2) (35 page)

I nodded and watched Mark leave the room before I pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat in it. Either the blue-tinged veins around Aurora’s eyes were fading slightly, or I was so blinded by wishful thinking that I couldn’t see the truth. I reached out, taking her hand in mine.

“I’ve never told you what it was like for me after we met that first night at
Carlie’s
,” I said, the memory of it bringing a smile to my face. “I had to resist the urge to go over to your house just to see you again. Obviously, my self-control isn’t terrific, because I ended up chasing you down at The Waking Moon, but I couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing you again. I wasn’t about to leave it up to fate. O’Shea thought I had lost my mind, but I would have given anything just to hear you laugh again.” I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed it softly, sighing when she didn’t respond.

I sat there for a while, listening to her heartbeat grow stronger. I was grateful the moon wasn't out, so I didn't have to debate about whether or not to try and reach into her thoughts again. Then I heard an intake of breath that wasn't my own. Before I could process what was going on, Aurora stirred slightly, a soft moan escaping her lips. I almost fell out of the chair as I scrambled to get closer to her on the bed. Her piercing green eyes fluttered open as I grabbed her hand and leaned over her.

“Hey,” I said softly, grinning at the first sign of life in her. She blinked a few times and her gaze fell on me. She'd only taken the one breath and then stopped again, which meant talking wasn’t an option. “It’s okay,” I reassured her, touching her face softly. “You got hurt," I said. "But Mark’s here, and we’re taking care of you.” My chest swelled with emotion as she looked up at me.
 
“I love you. More than anything. That’s why you have to hold on. Everything’s going to be okay.” I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw the smallest hint of a smile tug at the corners of her perfect lips before her eyes slowly closed again. “Aurora?” I squeezed her hand but there was no response. She’d already slipped back into oblivion.

I sat there, reassuring myself that she'd actually just come to, even if it had only been for a brief moment. I was torn between the need to stay with her and the desire to tell Mark what had just happened. Eventually, I bent down and left a soft kiss on her lips before I forced myself to leave the room in search of Mark. He'd want to know. Fortunately, I found him sitting on the large stone steps just outside the mansion's back doors. He was on the phone with Hana, but he promised to call her back and hung up after seeing what must have been an all too obvious look on my face.

"She woke up," I explained. "It was only for a minute, but still...."

"Did she say anything?" Mark asked, getting to his feet.

"No." I shook my head. "But she looked right at me. She recognized me, Mark. I know she did. That's a good sign, right?"

"It's a great sign," Mark said, clapping me on the back as we walked inside. He went back to check on Aurora with me, but she was sleeping when we reached the room. “She’ll come around,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile.

“Is Hana doing okay?” I asked. “She made it through the storm?”

“She’s fine,” he said. “You know, you should try to get some rest, too. You're still new to the change. You need to keep your own strength up through all of this.”

“I will,” I said. “You should try and get some rest, too.”

He didn’t argue with me. “I'll leave you alone. I'll be across the hall, if you need me."

Mark closed the door as he left the room and I climbed up onto the bed next to Aurora, getting comfortable. I watched her for a while, worried that if I closed my eyes I might miss something. But even that wasn’t enough to keep sleep from taking me after a while. I hadn't slept since before Aurora and I had met Damir at her place so he could witness that I'd been changed. I don't know how long I slept, but when I opened my eyes again the sun was setting outside. Mark was watching it from his position in the bay window. I sat up slowly, which got his attention.

"Did she come to again?" I asked. He shook his head. "Oh." I didn't try to hide my disappointment. I wanted nothing more than for her to wake up and tell me that she was okay.

"It's still early," Mark added. "Her vitals are strong now. Her body is just regenerating. It's a process. Give her time. She’ll come around when she’s ready."

"Sure." I said, swinging my feet down to the floor and standing to stretch.

"Speaking of regenerating," Mark said as he watched me. "How are the ribs?"

I took a second to assess how I was feeling, taking a deep breath and finding that the discomfort in my chest was considerably less than it had been last night. "Getting there," I told him.

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." Then he got to his feet and poured a glass of
Vidic
Vineyard blood-laced wine, offering it to me. "Drink up."

I took a sip and felt the rejuvenating burn and the incredible taste as it ran down my throat. "Where's Beck?"

"Still asleep."

"Hmm ... " I took another sip and sat in the chair at Aurora's bedside. "Hey Mark, I can't thank you enough for this," I said. "For everything. I don't know what I'd have done - what either of us would have done if you-"

Mark cut me off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Don't mention it. Besides, I haven't really done anything."

"Can I ask you something?"

He looked at me for a moment and then said, "Sure."

"When we were in the car on our way here," I began. "You said that coming here was risky, even if
Stanislav
agreed to help us. What did you mean by that?"

Chapter 47

Trey

AURORA NEEDED HER REST, and rather than risk keeping her up, I took a walk to clear my head. The vineyard was quiet this time of night, with the moon having just taken its early position in the dark sky, but I suspected it wasn't always that way. The place was crawling with vampires, though none of them seemed to be too powerful. Then again, what do I know about vampires? I'm still so new to this vamp thing, I could be completely wrong. I wandered without a destination in mind, aimlessly roaming the grounds. I passed by a large gazebo that could easily seat a hundred people. I wondered if the vineyard held wine tastings here. After all, they produced the blood-free kind of wine, as well. It was a strange mental image, picturing all those humans sitting around and tasting wine, utterly clueless to the fact that they were surrounded by blood-sucking vampires, their host included. Surely that would make it easy for the vineyard's occupants to feed. With a steady stream of humans coming and going, there would be no need to leave the vineyard for fresh blood. I wasn't sure whether to be sickened or amused by the simple genius of it. A chill ran up my spine, and I moved on, letting my feet carry me in a new direction. I found myself missing Cowboy as I walked. He would have loved running around here, with all the open space. I hoped he wouldn't be too mad at me for leaving him behind, but he was definitely better off with Jonas and Tara right now. At least I knew he was getting the attention he deserved. Tara was no doubt spoiling him rotten. I'd probably have some reprogramming to do when I got back.

Eventually, I found myself standing in front of a large building. I stared at it for a few minutes, wondering what secrets hid behind the large barn-style doors. I didn't know
Stanislav
was standing behind me until he opened his mouth and spoke. Even my new vampire hearing hadn't picked up the sound of his steps in the gravel. I wondered if that was an Elder thing, or something any full, adult vampire could pull off. I made a mental note to ask Mark later.

“How is she doing?” he asked.

“She’s improving,” I said. “She came to briefly.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”
Stanislav
smiled as he stared up at the large building in front of us. "Curious?" he asked, although I suspected the question was a rhetorical one. "Would you care for a tour?"

"I ... uh, sure." It would be rude to turn down his offer, right?

Stanislav
smiled, pleased with himself, or my answer. I couldn't be sure which it was. He pulled a key ring from his pocket that held only three keys. He fingered the keys until he held the one he wanted and stepped forward. He unlocked the doors and swung one open, gesturing for me to step inside. I had no idea what I would find inside, but
Stanislav
was right about one thing. I was curious.

"Have you ever been inside a winery, Trey?"

"Once," I replied. "We played a little acoustic set for a charity at a winery, but I'm fairly certain that one didn't offer a bottle of 1930 A Negative."

Stanislav
laughed and patted me on the back, urging me forward. "We have something in common, Trey,” he began. “We’re both artists, each in our own right. You see, there’s an art to creating the perfect blend of wine and blood. A vampire's pallet is more than a hundred times more sensitive than a human’s. We have 10,000 grape vines on the property. We only open the wine-tasting room and gift shop a few days a week to the public. As you can imagine, running an enterprise such as this is not without its complications, but I take great pride in what we’ve accomplished here.”

It didn’t take long to figure out that the building we stood in was where the bottling took place. The corner to my right contained two large holding tanks, and I wondered briefly if grape juice was the only thick, red liquid they held.

Stanislav
chuckled, and I looked up at him. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This building isn’t on the list of stops for the regular tour of the winery the public receives. It wouldn’t be good for business if the humans were frightened away on their first visit. No. We have a separate building for the regular wine altogether.” As he spoke, he moved toward the holding tanks, resting his hand on the side of one of them. “Our secret ingredient will remain a secret, as it has for all these years.”

I stepped forward to more closely inspect the bottling equipment.

A large bottling machine was positioned off to my left. The clear, long-necked bottles it cradled were deceivingly normal. Someone less informed would never have believed they'd soon be filled to the brim with delicious wine and blood. I considered asking the Elder more detailed questions about where the blood came from, but decided against it. Some things are just better left to the imagination.

"I hope you know you're welcome to stay as long as you need for Aurora to regain her strength and heal."

"I appreciate your generosity," I said to him.

Stanislav
smiled, and then his face grew serious, like he was lost in thought. I knew better than to reach out to him, not like I would have been able to break through the mental fortitude of an Elder. I watched him as he glanced around the bottling area fondly. There was a level of underlying sadness in him that I didn't quite understand. Maybe he was just lonely.
Stanislav
had been a little hesitant to help when we'd shown up at his door with Aurora near death, but once he'd agreed to help us, he'd been more than hospitable toward us. The more I thought about it, he just seemed really eager for companionship. From what Beck had said on the way here, Stanislav's wife died tragically over a century ago, and his only son doesn’t speak to him. It was pretty obvious to anyone who paid attention that Damir was more interested in Stanislav's position on the Synod and climbing the proverbial latter than having a real relationship with him. As I stood there watching him, I actually felt sorry for the Elder vampire. In a way, living forever might just be Stanislav’s own personal hell. Without the winery to keep him somewhat occupied, the vampire could just lose his mind.

I heard footsteps outside the building, crunching on the gravel, and I turned to see Beck enter through the large doors.