Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (17 page)

     Shayna looked at him with passion in her eyes, and promised, “And I for you Cain. I don’t care about your past, I just want you in my future.”

     He squeezed her hands, before pulling his away, and putting the car in gear. He started driving again.

“I would kiss you right now, but we have to move. There is a truck carrying fuel about a mile behind us,” he didn’t want their kiss to kill them. They were both vulnerable to death, in their current forms.

     Shayna knew, and agreed, “Yeah, no kiss now.”

     They stepped off of the ferry a little before seven o’clock. Shayna breathed in the smells of the island. Warm and sweet, and filled with the aroma of chocolate fudge. The island had remained partialy open to the public for the season, due to the lack of snow, and the unusually warm winter. Her father had brought her family to the island once when she was younger, but she hadn’t returned since. Cain found them a horse drawn buggy. The horse was all decked out in the most grand black silver, harnesses. The buggy looked like it was fit for royalty. He helped Shayna climb inside, and paid the driver. He didn’t need to give the driver directions. The buggy, unbeknownst to Shayna, belonged to the hotel they were going to stay at. The Grand Hotel.

     Cain climbed into the buggy, and sat beside Shayna.

     “We’ll get to the hotel faster this way,” he told her, taking her hand and putting it in his lap, “We kind of need to hurry. After seven thirty, no street clothes, the hotel requires formal evening attire only.”

     “Wait what?” Shayna said, mimicking Noah, “Are we staying at the Grand Hotel?”

     Cain nodded his head, with a smile on his face.

     “Cain you told me to bring something to sleep in and something to wear home,” Shayna was embarassed, “You never metioned formal anything.”

     Cain just smiled, and remained silent.

     Shayna couldn’t believe she was going to stay at the Grand Hotel. She had always wanted to, but thought it would be something that came when she was older. She loved Mackinac Island. She loved everything about it. The horses, the fudge, the lilacs, the old fashioned Victorian style of the whole island. She had always dreamed of someday owning a cottage on the island. When she had come when she was little, she had fallen in love with the romanticism of the island. She read every book she could get her hands on, and knew quite a bit of the history of the island.

     The hotel came into view and Shayna was speechless. The large three story white Victorian
palace
sparkled with little twinkling white lights. It was more beautiful than she remembered.

     The buggy stopped in front of the entrance to the hotel, and Shayna asked Cain as he helped her out, “So am I just supposed to stay in my room for the rest of the evening, or what?”

     They walked through two large doors into a foyer, and Cain pulled her close to him.

“Don’t worry Princess, I left something in your room, for you to wear.”

     Shayna was confused, “What do you mean,
you
left something in my room?” she questioned, “You were here? When?”

     “Yesterday,” he admitted. “I wanted this to be perfect for you.”

     Shayna smiled, “What if my mom had said no?” she asked.

     “Then, I would have given her an extra little push,” he said smiling, and opened another door for her.

     They entered the lobby of the hotel, and Shayna felt like she had stepped into a whole different era in time. Everything was so elegant, there was crystal, and vevlet everywhere that she looked. She looked up at Cain proudly looking down at her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, like she had done earlier in the morning, at her house. He returned the embrace, and she whispered into his ear, while standing on her tip toes.

“You’re amazing.”

     They checked in, and Cain rushed them up stairs to change. Dinner was at eight o’clock, and they were already pressed for time.

     He unlocked the door to Shayna’s room and said, “Everything you’ll need, is inside. I’m right next door if you need me,” he kissed her cheek goodbye, and she looked at him nervously, “Go,” he urged, turning her around toward the room, and giving her a little push further inside, “I love you,” he said.

     Shayna turned to face him, and he was gone. It must run in the family. She thought. She shut the door and turned back around to view the room. It was as elegant as the lobby. There were white roses all over the room, in crystal vases. The room was the size, and style of a studio apartment. There was a living room area, with plush white furniture and a huge white lace covered canopy bed, with a white velvet comforter covering it. The white roses were complemented, by a vase sitting on the coffee table, with a single red rose in it. Shayna could see a card attatched to the rose and walked over to the table.

    
My Princess,

     These roses don’t even compare

     To how pure your beauty is.

     Meet me in the lobby at 7:50

                       Eternally yours,

                                  Cain.

     P.S. Your dress is on the bed

     Shayna picked up the vase and smelled the red rose as she walked over to the bed. The scent was so sweet. It reminded her of her mothers perfume.

     On the bed was a white polyester garment bag. She put the rose on the bedside table and carefully unzipped the bag, and folded the sides back. When the dress was exposed, and Shayna saw it, she felt a chill run up her spine. It looked exactly like the one she wore in her dream in the meadow.

     She pulled it out of the bag, and examined it. It was exactly the same, all the way down to the silver trimmed edges. She actually had to pinch herself. She was beginning to think that, maybe, everything was becoming a dream. She walked over to the full length mirror on the bathroom door, and held the dress up to her body. It was so beautiful. She placed the dress back on the bed, and began to undress.

     Shayna didn’t need to do anything to herself, besides put the dress on. She had found a pair of sparkling silver slippers under the dress bag when the bag had slipped off the bed and fallen to the floor. If she hadn’t found them, she had been prepared to wear her boots. The dress flowed elegantly to the floor, and would have hidden them from view.

     She gave herself one last look in the mirror, amazed at how she looked in the dress, and went out the door to the hall way.  She approached the elevator, and noticed it was still on the first floor when she reached for the call button. She turned and headed for the stairs instead. She didn’t want to keep her prince waiting.

     Cain couldn’t hear Shayna’s thoughts, but he knew she was coming by the thoughts of the other hotel guests, when she came into their vision. Their minds were focused on the grand staircase. Cain turned and looked to the top of the stairs. Shayna was walking down, eyes focused on him. It felt like the world around them had stopped. He couldn’t believe the beauty, that a single girl held.

     Her hair, as usual, was pulled back halfway and the rest of her chocolate curls fell loosely over her shoulders. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as she made her decsent down the stairs.

     He met her at the bottom, offering her his hand when she was about to take the final step down. “You look stunning Princess,” he told her, and kissed her hand.

     Shayna blushed, mainly because she
knew
she looked stunning. She had never seen herself look more amazing.

     In all of Cain’s existance he had never met a woman, that he looked at, the same way he looked at Shayna, or that he felt about, the same way he felt about Shayna. He would die for her. He would kill for her. He would do anything she wanted, he would give her anything she wanted. He was
hers!

     “Where did you get this dress?” Shayna asked him.

     “It is Aunt Mill’s,” he said examining her himself, he couldn’t get over how stunning she truly was in it.

     “So where are we going, good sir?” she asked Cain curiously, with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

     “Well,” he said, leading her past the reception desk, “We’re not actually going anywhere. Everything that I have planned for the night, is all right here at the hotel.”

     “I didn’t know the hotel has a theater,” she said falling, more in love with the place every second.

     “It’s more like an opera house,” Cain said.

     With eyes huge, and reflecting every chandelier crystal in the hotel, she looked at him, “Opera house? Are you serious?”

     Cain smiled in silence, pleased with himself, and lead her in to the Main Dining Room.

     With her binocculars on her lap, Shayna sat on the balcony staring out at the stage. The opera was over, but she remained silently in her seat, in  a state of awe. She had never experienced anything like it. So heart touching, and moving, although she could not understand what they were saying. It made her want to learn more about her Italian background.

     Cain touched her knee, and she jumped. He felt bad disturbing her. But they were the only two remaining, “Shall we?” he asked quielty.

     “Of course,” she said, and stood up, “I kind of spaced off, I’m sorry.”

     He smiled.

     They exited the balcony together. Shayna couldn’t believe the hotel had an opera house hidden inside of it. They walked down an empty corridor towards the stairs.

     “Do you know what time it is?” Shayna asked him.

     Cain pulled a very old looking, but shiny, gold pocket watch out of the pocket of the absloutley amazing looking black tuxedo that he wore. She recognized the watch from her dream, but did not say anything.

     “It’s eleven fifteen,” he said her, “Why? Are you tired?”

     “No,” she told him, “I’m wide awake. That’s why I asked. I’m not ready to go to sleep yet.”

     Cain had an idea, “Let’s go for a walk,” he said.

     They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Cain pulled her towards the emergancy exit, and pushed open the door. She didn’t have time to protest, but she wouldn’t have anyway. They came out on the side of the hotel, on the beach. The night was cold, and Cain immediately took off his coat, and put it over Shayna’s shoulders.

     The moon cast a bright glow over the beach, and they could see the waves of lake Huron, crashing on the shore in the clear night.

     “This night couldn’t be more perfect,” she said to him.

     They stepped on to the sand, and walked towards the water. Cain wrapped his arms around her. She was so small and petite. She almost disappeared his his arms. He wanted to keep her nestled in his arms, and hold her forever.

“We can come back here anytime you want to Princess,” Cain said, “This place is one of my favorite places in the world. I love it here.”

     They walked as far as they could down the beach talking, and holding hands. When they turned back, they could see The Grand Hotel sparkling, like a small city, in the distance.

     “Cain?” Shayna said quielty, “I’ve been thinking about something, that I need to talk to you about, all night.”

     Cain stopped walking and looked down at her, “What is it Princess?”

     The breeze off of the lake was blowing his own shoulder length locks, all about, in a way that Shayna thought made him even more attractive, than ever. She knew she was making the right decision.

     “I want to change you.”

     “No,” he said abruptly, “I can’t, I won’t let you!” he started walking again.

     Shayna grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. She looked into his eyes, pleading with her own.

     “Cain, I’ve been thinking this through,” his eyes reflected the moon like emeralds, he was irristable, “I don’t want to live forever, without you,” she told him.

     “Shayna, I don’t want to kill you,” he said.

He knew the he would never be able to stop himself, from drinking all of
her
sweet blood.

     “No,” she said.

     Shayna hadn’t been accepted into NYU, on a full scholarship for just her artistic abilities. She was a very intellegant, and determined, young woman, with a 4.0 GPA. While she had been watching the opera, and falling in love with it, she was also thinking of ways to keep Cain with her forever.

     “I know what to do. I have to take your blood first. That’s the only way to do it,” she said eagerly, “I know it will be fine. It will work,” she pled with him, “Please Cain.”

     Three hundred years, two dead Halfling Princesses, and two near misses that had been spoiled by Aiden, and Cain couldn’t believe that he had never thought of taking
their
blood first. What a fool I am! He thought. She
is
amazing!

     But he still had to say, “No Shayna, your blood is special. Mine will ruin it. You are different than other Halfling Princesses. Your blood is very powerful. Your father was a special kind of vampire, he was a ‘Born’ vampire.”

     Cain began to walk down the beach toward the hotel again. Shayna quickly followed after him.

     “Cain wait!” she cried, she was not going to give up, even if it meant attacking him herself, and taking his blood on the fateful night, that was soon approaching, “I don’t care! Don’t you understand? You can’t ever leave me, and if we don’t do this, you will.”

     He stopped again and faced her, “Shayna…”

     “Stop Cain!” she said forcefully. He was going to hear her out. “You keep telling me, how you would feel if something happened to me. Haven’t you ever thought about how I would feel, if something happened to
you
? Don’t you think about how I feel, knowing, I have a limited amount of time with you?” she hated sounding selfish, but she pled her case anyway, “I can prevent it, I can save you,” she felt a sharp pain deep inside her chest, “Cain, please.”

     Cain was speechless. He couldn’t do anything but stare at her. He didn’t know what she was thinking, but he could see the pain in her eyes, when she spoke of loosing him. She
had
thought it all out. How could he tell her “No”, when she felt so passionately about it. He felt selfish for only thinking about how
he
felt.