"Or is it Ms. Arabella Donovan?" his mouth held a cynical twist.
"Henry…" she seemed stunned."How….?"
Henry leaned negligently against the bookcase his eyes never leaving hers, they were dark with a sort of stormy anger but otherwise held no emotion, he didn't speak, merely let his eyes move up her familiar body. The first thing he noticed was that she had cut her hair, once it at been a thick, curly mass of unruly brown hair that fell in silky waves down her back to her hips, now it was cut charmingly in a bob around her face. Currently it was tousled from sleep and clung to the curve of her cheek, her eyes were wide with confusion and startled fear. Time had not changed her delicate features, from the line of her short aquiline nose to the curve of her defined cheekbones, her eyes were still the same ivy color, flecked liberally with gold.
"You look the same." He said smoothly.
"As do you." She returned to her Italian accent, deeply cultured and superbly alto.
Henry pushed himself away from the bookcase, looking away from her, sitting so innocently in the center of the bed wearing nothing but a large jersey.
"How did you find me?" her voice was soft, almost whispered.
"It wasn't hard, actually I expected better from you, Bella."
Bella snorted and changed her position so that she knelt, her long legs were swept beneath her, now covered by the jersey.
"What do you want, Henry?"
Bella watched him carefully, she noticed that his hair was longer than when they hard first met, it fell in dirty blonde waves to his jawline, he teeth were clenched as he stared at her with his intense hazel eyes. 'He has no right to be angry, I do.' She thought to herself, he looked away and paced over to her desk, he touched his jaw with his right hand, like he was in thought.
"Very clever of you Bella, to disguise yourself as the personal assistant to a dead duchess, has been dead for over 300 years." He paused. "You should know, you are her."
"You always did enjoy cleverness in your women." She replied scathingly.
"I see the old anger showing through, be careful Bella."
"Get out." She said through her teeth, she was seething.
"Not yet, Vita." (Life)
Henry walked close to the end of the bed and leaned until his palms touched the mattress, Bella felt it dip with his weight, felt the wave of anticipation wash over her, felt the prickling sensation of another vampire so close. His face was so near to her own he could have kissed her but held back the desire.
"You sold me out." He whispered close to her ear.
She was stunned. "Sold you out? To who?"
"Javier." His breath whispered against her hair.
Bella backed away from him, frowning.
"Mendoza?!" she could hear the fear in her voice.
"You sound scared."
"I never sold you out." Her frown became an expression of anger.
He lowered his face even more, placing one knee on the bed, his eyes swirled and became pitch black, she could feel the fear rising inside of her.
"Lo avete venduto fuori."
You sold me out.
"Mai."
Never.
Henry could feel the old desire build up in him once more, memories flooded his brainand suddenly nothing was clear to him but the fresh smell of flowers that rolled off her body…
Arabella awoke to the smell of Rosemary and Basil, her mind was groggy with a strange smoke, her memories were as fragmented glass, broken and foggy, she couldn't seem to remember where she was. All around stood evidence of wealth, regal looking velvet and gilt chairs, blue satin couches, elaborate tapestries and floor length draperies. A stone hearth dominated one wall of the large room, above it a painting of a young man, a familiar young man…
"It is a painting of me, commissioned by one of the most famous painters in England."
Bella squeaked and turned to face the man who had stepped into the room.
"Voi!"
You!
Memories of the alley flooded through her, she had been looking for Augustina when she had been assaulted by this man, she remember him kissing her then pain… horrible pain. She raised her hand to her neck and found two small puncture wounds in her neck, her eyes dropped to the floor then flew back to him.
"Dove sono?" she demanded.
Where am I?
"The wounds will fade in time." He smiled.
Her hand stayed on the wound as if she might heal the injury, she still felt an odd pulsating sensation where he had bitten her, her head still felt fuzzy and hurt now. Bella stood and felt all the blood rush from her head, she stumbled and fell the ground only to be caught by the man, her head spun, a strange thirst came from deep inside of her.
"Drink." He ordered, she could see the soft inner flesh of his left wrist.
Bella looked confused. "Bevanda!" he yelled.
In frustration he took the wrist away, and brought it to his mouth, the fresh smell of warm blood filled her sense and she felt the beginnings of two long fangs growing where her incisors should have been. He brought the wrist back to her and she could see that his wrist was now bleeding, without thinking she brought her mouth to his wrist and licked the wound. A flash of dark, heady pleasure rushed inside of her, she felt a piece of her body awaken, a tingling sensation starting from the place where his wrist was all the way down her spine, she drank heavily, drawing the sweet tasting liquid from his wrist. She finally pulled away mostly because her conscious screamed it around her everything seemed brighter, the warm beneath her skin was hotter, the feel of his skin against hers was more intense, the smell of basil was stronger, her sense screamed for release.
"It never dies down." He said in a ragged voice. "The explosion of your senses, everything seems brighter and stronger."
"Who are you?" she said in between gasps.
"You may call me, Henry, Henry Fitzroy."
The memory faded as quickly as it had come, it took a minute for Henry to get use to the change of scenery, it had seemed so real to him in that moment, like he was really saying it, like he was really living the moment. Slowly he began to notice the trembling of her hands and the shaky fear reflected in her eyes, she leaned back away from him so that his face wasn't as close,.
"Duchess." He whispered, lisping slightly.
"Leave me be."
"Not a chance in hell."
He moved forward another inch, Bella rolled and twisted so she could sit up once more, surprising Henry but not slowing him down like it should have, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the bed, pinning her down with the weight of his large muscular body. Using his superior strength he kept her pinned there.
"Get off me!"
"You have to listen to me first."
"No I don't! I'll scream if I have to."
As if to demonstrate that could in fact scream, Bella opened her mouth, acting fast he dropped his mouth to hers and effectively stifled any sound coming out of her mouth, a blast of new memories flooded him, the taste of her lips had changed subtly over the last years, it had become darker and almost dangerous with the same sweetness from before. Beneath him he felt her stiffen, all the muscles in her body coming to alertness, but Henry was drowning in the taste of her lips pressed so intimately against his own.
"Get off!" she said when he finally pulled away.
"Do you promise to help me?"
"No!"
Henry kissed her again, this time pulling lightly on her hair, in pain she opened her mouth, seeing the opportunity he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
"Promise to help me."
"No."
"Or this is going to get a whole lot more interesting."
She flushed bright red. "Why… I….." she seemed at a loss for words.
"Still the Victorian Virgin I remember?"
"Fine! I'll help you!"
"Good."
TBC!
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