In the Beginning... (13 page)

“How did you know that? I’ve
never
told
anyone
that I like that name.”

“You are my
Rajni
. I can sometimes see
things relevant to our future together. Not much, just small
glimpses. Does the idea of children so soon please you?”

She was quiet for several long moments. “This
is crazy. You’re asking me to believe in things I’ve never
imagined. I can’t think. I can’t deal with this.”

“I understand. Did you and your family enjoy
your day together? I know the circumstances are not ideal for you,
Michaela. I do understand that.”

“Then why did you do it?
Couldn’t you have given me the choice
to be
with you, even if you were so sure we were supposed to be together?
Even with some sort of supposed danger to me?”

“I have lost so many through
the centuries, my little love. I could not, in that moment before I
converted you, bear to lose you
.
It may have been a mistake to take your choice
from you. No, I
know
it was wrong of me. But I was weak in that moment. I can only
hope that someday you will forgive me. Maybe after we get to know
one another.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

His breath caught. Dare he
hope she was slightly more receptive to the idea of their
being
Rajni’s
? “We
spend time together, talking, learning of each other. Like any
other couple of any other Kind. Other than Lupoiux.
They
mate first, and get
to know each other last. Animals.” He dared not tell her that her
own brother, the one she spoke so confidently of, was one of those
animals. How had such a thing occurred? He would have to research
her family even more closely than he had. Did the king of their
people know? Theo hadn’t mentioned it to Rydere, nor Cormac.
Perhaps he should mention it to Aodhan? As his new brother-in-law,
Aodhan needed to be aware of the wolf in their new
family.

“So you think we can just
date
like any other couple. Even though you
came into my house, frightened me, turned me into a vampire, and
are keeping me prisoner?” Her tone had him wincing internally. When
she listed it like that, how could she ever possibly forgive
him?

“I’m asking you to give it a chance. I know
it is asking a lot.” “It is.”

“But can you try?”

Mickey’s breath
hitched.
Play nice.
That was what Mallory and Emily wanted her to do. “I can
try.”

He smiled, the expression making him even
more handsome. And he was very good looking, with his golden brown
hair and those unusual eyes. His strong body and nice smile. Had he
been human, and had they met under different circumstances, would
she have been attracted to him at all?

She didn’t know.

“Let’s start by having dinner together. There
is a restaurant in the west wing that serves the best fish and
fruit. The chef has perfected the recipe over the last two hundred
years. Did you know that as a Dardaptoan, you should no longer eat
red meat? Or poultry. Just fish, fruits, grains, and
vegetables.”

“Why?”

“Because we take in blood every so often, we
no longer need red meat.”

Mickey stopped walking as
the thought occurred to her. “I will need to drink
blood
again, won’t
I?”

“Yes. From me. I will help make it easier for
you. But only about once or twice a month at first. Your body is
still mostly human at this point, I expect. Once you are my age,
you will need the blood at least once a week. Do not let it upset
you, my love.”

“How can I not? I’m a vampire now!”

“Dardaptoan. And I will help you. And I think
you will find it less distasteful than you are currently
imagining.”

“How? It’s gross. It’s wrong!” And the
thought made her physically ill to even imagine. To remember what
it had felt like when she’d awakened to find herself drinking from
his neck. To remember his strong arms holding her in place.

“Is it? It is what is natural for our Kind,
Michaela.”

She shook her head, tried to
pull her hand from his. “But it’s not natural for
me.
”

His hands slipped around her waist, and he
pulled her to him before she could react. Mickey didn’t even think
to fight him. Until he tipped her chin up to him. His words were
hot against her ear when he spoke. “Is it not? The Goddess would
not have given you to me or me to you, if such a thing was
abhorrent to you. Drink from me, my dearest little love. See for
yourself what could be between us.”

She could smell him. Could almost feel the
rhythm of his blood just beneath his skin. Maybe he was right? He’d
known about her grandmother’s middle name. More importantly, he’d
known how she felt about the name. Had she even told her sisters
that she wanted to name a hypothetical future child in honor of the
grandmother who’d helped take care of them after their mother had
died when her sister Rebecca was born? Mickey didn’t think so.

So why had he?

“Taste me, my dearest little love...”

It was the endearment. The one that the
writer of that book had used that had her complying.

Her lips brushed against his skin. Tasted the
salt and man. Had she ever tasted a man like this before? She
didn’t think she had. She couldn’t even remember the last time
she’d dated someone, let alone kissed them. She kissed his neck
again.

“Go on.”

Her eyes were closed. When
had she done that? Mickey didn’t know. His pulse was beneath her
mouth. She could feel the beating against her lower lip. She
sighed, her body was telling her something that her heart found
abhorrent. Her teeth—her
fangs—
sank deep, and the rich taste of
his blood flooded her mouth.

It was like nothing she’d
ever felt. Ever tasted. It was
right.

She didn’t know how long he
let her drink his blood, but it was he who pulled away first. “Time
to stop. Or I will not be able to keep to my vow to not touch you,
not kiss you. A
Rajni
bond means a sexual one,
especially
when a female feeds from
her mate.”

Mickey was glad he couldn’t
see the flush that hit her cheeks. She’d felt it, too. For the
first time she’d been aware of his scent, his body pressed against
hers. His taste. She’d wanted to run her fingers through his hair,
and pull him
closer.
Why had she felt that way?

Was he correct?
Was
she supposed to be
with him? Or was this some after effect from the conversion process
he’d subjected her to?

“Come. We will go eat. Be like any couple
getting to know one another. The restaurant looks out over the
mountainside. I think you will enjoy the view. Unless you’d rather
return to the suite, and order in?”

Mickey shook her head no immediately. She
wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with him, not in someplace as
intimate as his suite. A restaurant sounded so much safer. Then she
remembered he couldn’t see her gesture. “No. I’d like to eat at the
restaurant, I think.”

“Excellent. Afterward, maybe we can take a
tour of the hotel. It really is a wonderful place to live. I think
you will enjoy living here eventually.”

“That sounds nice.” As she
said it, she realized how lame it sounded. But what was she
supposed to
do?
She
had to go along with him, hadn’t Mallory and Emily said to do just
that?

But what did it mean that
she was actually starting to get curious about this place, or that
she actually was starting to
want
to get to know the man beside her?

Did that make her a traitor to her family? To
herself?

Mickey was ashamed to admit it, even to
herself, but she enjoyed the rest of the evening with him. And the
days that followed. He was so courteous, even old-fashioned in the
way he treated her. He opened doors for her, held her hand,
listened to her when she spoke. As if he actually cared for
her.

When he couldn’t be with
her, he somehow always managed to find out where her sister or
cousins were. He’d also introduced her to the woman he
claimed
would marry her brother. That was a
bit weird, at first. He told her not to mention it to the other
woman, that if the other woman—Jierra— knew what was supposed to
happen to her, she could do something to alter her future,
somehow.

It was hard, but Mickey
managed to keep the knowledge to herself. She really liked Jierra.
They were the same age and had very similar personalities. Jierra
answered all of Mickey’s questions about the Dardaptoans. And even
answered some about the things Mickey’s grandfather had done to the
Dardaptoan people.
That
was horrible, and Mickey didn’t have any trouble seeing that
Jierra was still very frightened of Mickey’s
grandfather.

When not with her sister or cousins, Mickey
spent her time with Jierra in the hotel pool. She’d always been a
voracious swimmer—she’d done laps every weekday for years—and the
return to at least that part of her routine helped her not feel so
overwhelmed in this new place.

With her recent graduation from law school,
her internship with TI, and then the revelation of her
grandfather’s crimes—he’d stolen and embezzled from the company for
years, and it had just recently been discovered— Mickey had driven
herself at a very rushed, hectic pace. This time in the hotel was
beginning to feel like a vacation for her. With the exception that
she couldn’t leave whenever she wanted.

She spent her time with her
family, with her new friend, and with Theo. When she wasn’t with
them, she spent her time reading the journal. A pair of glasses had
appeared on the bedside table the morning after she’d told him she
wore them. They made reading the journal considerably easier, and
every time she slipped them on she remembered the man who’d given
them to her. Though it hadn’t come out and stated anywhere in the
writing that it was his, she knew Theo was the author of the
journal. Knew she was getting glimpses into his life, his past.
Every entry was addressed to
his dearest
little love.
The same endearment he used
with her so frequently.

She still wasn’t sure how she felt about
that.

Most of the entries were simple little
things, him talking of his friends, his family, and the way the
world around him was changing. When the journal first started, he
mentioned being in the mountains with the native peoples. As the
journal progressed, he gave small glimpses into the history of
Colorado. And of humans in general.

She found it fascinating, and found his
thoughts and words almost addictive. She wanted to finish the
journal, wanted to just sit and read it without interruption. But
somehow someone always interrupted her whenever she started
reading. She’d get a few pages read at a time before she would have
to stop.

She didn’t want to share what she was reading
with anyone, so the moment someone approached her, she’d stop
reading and place the book aside.

She’d spent the morning in the justice hall
with him. It was located in the same wing as his suite, but on the
second floor. It encompassed the entire level of the building.
Large symbols were inlayed in tile across the expanse of the main
judicial chamber. He’d told her the symbols represented truth,
justice, objectivity, and his family crest. Said the meanings were
similar to the symbols she’d seen in human courtrooms.

She’d spent part of the day in his office,
discussing with him the various cases he would preside over that
day. His words had stayed with her when he’d said, “Though we are
an older race of beings than humans, we are still prey to the same
issues of character. And lack of character, at times. We have our
criminals, just as the humans do. It is my job to ensure that all
who enter this tribunal hall receive the best justice our system
has to offer.”

Mickey had been fascinated with the
proceedings, comparing them to her own experiences while in law
school.

It had been a good day. One she had enjoyed.
And as he was ready to dismiss the last case of the day, she
secretly admitted to herself that as she watched him, saw how he
dealt with everyone in the courtroom, her admiration and
fascination with him grew.

“Michaela, did you enjoy your day?”

“I did. Thank you. It was interesting. Many
of your laws are similar to the state of Colorado’s.”

“They are. We may have had a bit of a hand in
the writing of Colorado’s laws. I have been friends with many
policy makers of the human Kind throughout the centuries.”

“I see. So why have you all kept hidden for
so long?”

“Because humans are notorious for hunting and
killing those that they don’t understand. There is something you
must understand. Our women and children are especially vulnerable
to attack. A simple injury, and a child can bleed to death. Or if
the temperature drops below fifty, as it is known to do so easily
here, a woman can freeze to death. We have spent centuries
combating these issues to keep our people safe. If humans knew our
weaknesses, we would number even less than we do. As it is, our
numbers are shrinking daily.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You must always take care, my love, for your
safety. Promise me.”