I don’t breathe as he stares at his old home, wearing his sorrow on his face.
“I shouldn’t have been alive this long, but I am. It’s a punishment not even the devil could have thought of. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on my greatest enemies.”
The breeze caresses his dark hair, and I step closer. “I’m so sorry.” I try not to think about what it must be like to watch everyone you know grow old and die and not be able to die along with them. To start over, meet new people, just to have it happen again. I try my hardest not to think about when I grow older, how Draven will stay the same age. How long after I’m gone, he’ll still be here.
“I can see how living forever would get lonely after a while,” I say.
“You grow accustomed to it,” he says, as we walk into the skeleton of the house. “Until one day, someone comes along to show you just how dead you’ve been.” His eyes drift over my hair and burn a path across my face. And then a shutter slams down, blocking the emotion in his gaze from my view. “So, what do you think of my home?”
It’s not a home, but more of a stone structure around a dirt pile. I close my eyes, imagining what it must have looked like back in its prime. “I love it. I bet this house was beautiful back in the day.”
Draven smiles at me when I open my eyes. “It was. My mother would make bread outside here. We had maids and servants. My father was a boyar, which was basically like saying he was a nobleman.”
“Right. I’ve studied about the Romanian boyars of Wallachia.”
He nods. “My father was a respectable man.”
I step closer. “I bet he was just like you.”
Draven smiles. “No, he was so much better.”
He guides me through his land, showing me where Lina would hide, and he would have to try to find her. How they’d play for hours before their mother would call them home for supper. Draven lights up when he tells me the stories of his youth, and it makes my heart ache when I watch the way he stares at his land.
“I’ll never sell this land. They’ve offered me everything to buy it.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he stares across the field of flowers. “Once, a land developer tried to purchase it. He tried to take my land illegally until I bought his company out from under him and fired him.”
I laugh, shocked at his ruthlessness. “No one ever tried after that, huh?”
Draven steps closer. “No, everyone knows not to touch this land.”
I rest my head on his shoulder as we stare at the sun setting behind the mountain in the distance. “I love it here.”
His arm finds its way around my shoulders. And even though I shouldn’t, I might love that even more.
It’s been two days since Draven took me to his childhood home in the mountains. Two days I’ve had this odd feeling dwelling deep in my bones. One where I feel like my old life and new life are merging. And should they?
I’ve tried to keep busy helping Sylvia get the castle ready for the ball this weekend. I even carved out some time to work on my paper, which feels pointless. Vampires exist. The end.
School feels like a million miles away, and I don’t even know if I’ll ever return to that life.
Draven’s kept busy with work, leaving me to fend for myself most days if we’re not practicing my powers.
“What do you think of this?” Sylvia asks, showing me a sheer window treatment.
I nod, my mind no longer on window treatments or flower arrangements for the dining room. “Sure.”
Sylvia’s mouth turns downward. “Everything ok?”
I glance at her. “Yeah, it’s fine.” I can’t very well tell this woman all my problems. I wish I had someone to talk to. Someone who knows me and who could offer some sound advice.
“Excuse me,” I tell Sylvia, pulling out my cell phone, needing to hear a familiar voice. I pull up Veronica’s contact info.
“Allison, my god. I thought you fell off the face of the earth. Have you not gotten my calls or texts?” Veronica’s voice makes me instantly miss home.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve been so busy.” And afraid she’d ask questions I couldn’t answer. “I’ll try to call more.”
“Tell me everything. How’s Simon? Does his family love you?”
“Yeah, they do.” I can’t tell Roni I’m married. She’d hop a flight and drag me back home. I can’t confess I’ve got secret powers either. Suddenly, the idea of calling my best friend isn’t a good one. “I just needed to hear your voice,” I tell her, sighing into the phone.