Charlotte slept some more, safe in Meier's arms, and when she awakened she found him there at her side, face slightly squished against the pillow.
She did her best not to awaken him, but he was a Noble and even the lightest movement was enough to stir him. He opened his eyes, so beautifully red and burning with love, and fixed his gaze on her, smiling.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked and she nodded, smiling back and gently caressing his hair.
"I'm a little hungry." she said, then she cupped his cheek, glaring at him in a sweet, patient way: "You must feed, too."
"I will." He got up and helped her leave the bed. They had no idea how much they had slept, but it didn't matter. They didn't need to hurry and fear anymore – haste was no more necessary and they could leave everything to the ship, flying reliably through the stars like a comet.
Charlotte insisted to walk, saying she needed to move her legs. She was still pale, but Meier could sense how better she was and so he simply held her hand. They walked together through the Nobility-like corridors, searching for the quarters designated as kitchens and storeroom for food.
Now that they were finally safe and free to be with each other, now that they didn't have to flee from Hunters and enemies anymore, Charlotte was considerably more relaxed. She smiled more, her eyes shone with bright, joyful light, and she even regained the timid playfulness Meier had come to know during their first dates.
They found one of the storage rooms for human food and he helped her sit down before watching her taste a box of what she called "meatballs" with worried, attentive eyes. For all they knew, that food had been there for centuries and even though he trusted his race's ability to preserve things, to alter the very fiber of nature and make it last longer, he had no idea whether that food could be good for Charlotte.
If it wasn't, they needed to find another source of energy for her as soon as possible – but where could they find such a thing, traveling through space as they were? Perhaps turning her into a vampire was the only way and…
"Meier."
His eyes snapped to her and he leant over to her, saying hurriedly: "Yes, my love? If it tastes bad, we should…"
"Honey." she laughed softly, caressing his cheek. "It's good! It's tasty, like it was made yesterday. Don't worry."
"Oh!" He smiled at her, relieved, and took her hand, caressing it the same way she had caressed his face. "I'm glad. If that's good, then the rest of the food here should be as well." He looked at the huge shelves covering every inch of the walls, filled with cans and boxes and packages of every kind, all containing different dishes that could satisfy anyone's taste.
"You should eat, too!" she reminded him, but he shook his head, still holding her hand.
"I will wait for you to finish. I don't want to sicken you."
"Meier." She gripped his fingers, the kindness and love in her eyes reaching levels he never thought possible. "You could never sicken me. You know I love and accept every part of you."
"Yes, but…"
"Come on." she beamed at him, a trace of tomato sauce near a corner of her mouth. "Let's go find some blood for you and then a good place to eat together."
He couldn't deny her anything. Chuckling softly, he helped her rise and they left the storage room, looking for the one where blood was kept. He used his senses to track its scent and was happy to see that the Nobility who had built this ship had decided to bring aboard the famous plasma pills he had always used instead of those abominable bags of blood he had heard about.
Just like the human food, there were countless of tiny boxes containing those pills and he popped one open, filled a tea cup with water and plopped one into it, watching the crystalline liquid turn crimson and dense, until his nostrils were filled with the sweet aroma of fresh blood.
Charlotte watched the whole thing with big, curious eyes, still holding in her hands the half-eaten box of meatballs. She didn't look disgusted at all, only surprised and amazed by the inventiveness of the vampires.
He remembered she had never seen him feed and so he explained to her, slowly raising the cup to his mouth, timidly: "This is how I have always fed. I would always drink one or two pills before meeting with you in our garden."
"I never thought such a thing could exist!" She took one of the pills from the tin and examined it closely, her light brown eyes shining with bewilderment. She smiled at him, not even a trace of horror on her beautiful face.
"The Nobility could create so many wonderful things!"
Meier felt two different emotions swirl in his heart: one was pride, because despite the hatred he felt for his blood thirst and the abhorrent violence many vampires used, he admired his race's creativity and longing for life and beauty. The second emotion bursting strong in his chest, as strong as the first day, was love, love for Charlotte, who saw and recognized that creativity and admired it as well, not letting the Nobility's animalistic side scare her or influence her.
She truly was a unique soul and he felt so, so lucky in being part of her life.
"Let us find someplace where we can relax and eat together, my love." he said, kissing her cheek, and she surprisingly took the lead, guiding him along vast, long corridors and enormous rooms full of machinery, even though neither of them knew the layout of the ship. They joked along the way, more relaxed and free than they had ever felt in forever, and the reality of being together, heading to the stars without anyone to stop them, anyone to interfere, finally started to settle in.
At some point, they reached a secluded room, smaller than the others. There was a sofa with a small table near it, filled bookshelves on every corner, beautiful paintings, and even a collection of musical disks, which could be inserted into a Nobility machine that allowed one to enjoy music.
He had shown Charlotte a machine like that during one of their dates and she had almost wept at the beauty of the orchestral music that had come out of it. He remembered how they had danced under the moonlight, until their lips had met for the first time and their hearts had officially started to belong to each other.
He put on one of the disks while she sat down onto the comfortable sofa and then he joined her, he sipping his fresh blood, she eating the still-warm meatballs with gusto. They had done something similar in the past, going at picnics in the middle of the night, safe in their secret garden, but this was the first time they actually did so without fear of being discovered, without the constant hurry caused by Charlotte's family and the ever-rising sun. This time, they were truly, blissfully alone with each other and there weren't going to be any interruptions.
They laughed and smiled so much their faces and bellies almost hurt. She was still a bit pale, but the long rest in their new bedroom and the nutritious food had clearly done her wonders; Meier asked for her permission to listen to her heart and found out that it was strong and steady once again, like it had been before their journey.
They finished their meal after a short while; there was more sauce near her mouth and a bit of blood was stuck on his lips. They smiled and offered their own handkerchief to each other; Meier's, silky and heavy, was taken out of his coat, Charlotte's, delicate and lacy, out of her sleeve.
She cleaned his lips while he wiped off the sauce from the corners of her mouth. They took the other's handkerchief, a knowing, amused, tender smile on their faces, then they leaned against each other and listened to the Noble music still playing in the room.
They remained there for a long time. They talked about the City, about what could await them there, about the life they wanted to live. Charlotte mentioned the topic of turning her into a vampire only once and this time Meier didn't interrupt her. He listened intently, reminded her of all the pros and cons of such a transformation, answered her questions, all while caressing her hair and playing with her braids.
She, cuddling against his side, her head resting on his chest, was adamant in her decision and despite all his worries and fears, he started believing that was the right course of action, too. After all, she was right, time wouldn't cease to flow in the City. If they wanted to stay together forever, she had to become a vampire – that or he would live with her for the rest of her mortal life and then kill himself to join her in the afterlife… if an afterlife for a creature like him existed.
But the idea of watching her die frightened him even more than turning her into a Noble and so he slowly started to relent, to give in, until he begrudgingly agreed to turn her as soon as she was fully recovered, possibly once they had arrived in the City.
"Meier…" she started with a soft voice, tracing the embroideries of his coat. "That Hunter that chased us to the castle… He was a dhampir, wasn't he?"
He nodded and kissed her forehead.
"He was, yes. Why do you ask?"
"I never saw a dhampir before. I heard stories about them, but when I watched him in action…" She looked up at him, a shy expression on her blushing face. "He was strong like a vampire, but he could walk in daylight. And I heard they can consume human food, even though their main source of nourishment remains blood. Is that right?"
He tilted his head, watching her with a puzzled look. Why was she suddenly interested in dhampirs? Unless… oh.
"Yes." He cleared his throat, sure he knew what she was getting at now. "Yes, that's correct."
"Then…" She started fidgeting, her blush spreading to her neck and bosom. "Then maybe we should wait before turning me into a vampire. Maybe we should try to… to conceive before…"
Ah, here it was!
Blushing as much as her, Meier cleared his throat again and adjusted himself on the sofa, before asking gently: "Charlotte, you would like to conceive a dhampir child with me? A child with your human blood, but also my tainted, animalistic one?"
"Your blood isn't tainted." she reprimanded him, furrowing her brow, before softening her expression and saying with incredible hope and candour: "Oh, yes, Meier, I would love that! Not because I wouldn't love a full vampire child the same way! It's just that a dhampir child would have both our strengths. I know there is no sunshine in the City, but what if they decided to travel through space, risking to encounter suns and light?" She sighed, a shadow of fear passing through her face.
"Maybe I'm just being a fool. I think they would live more easily that way, but…"
"The life of a dhampir is actually much harder than one can imagine." he gently corrected her, making her look at him with wide, surprised eyes. He brushed back a loose lock of hair from her face and continued: "They don't belong to either world. Vampires despise them and humans fear them. More often than not, there is no place for them on Earth."
"Oh." She hung her head, her expression a mix between sadness and self-reproach. "I didn't think about that."
"But," Meier continued, grinning happily, "we are not on Earth anymore, my love. We are heading towards the City of Night and Distant Stars, where Nobles and humans alike have lived together for centuries. If the rumours are true, then we will surely find many dhampirs there. And if the City is in ruins like the Countess hypothesized, then we will have a haven all for us and our child."
Hope and joy returned to Charlotte's eyes and she took his hands in hers, asking with a bright smile: "Then… then you would like to…?"
"Oh, Charlotte, yes." He cradled her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, an equally bright smile on his lips. "Yes, a thousand times yes! I would love to have a child with you more than anything else."
"Even though they would be a dhampir? It would be the same to me if they were a full vampire, you know that, I…"
"Yes." he reassured her, gently interrupting her with a smile. "Yes, I would love them no matter what." He took her into his arms again, continuing as they hugged each other: "You are right, a dhampir inherits many of the strengths of both their parents. I think their life in the City would be safe and enjoyable."
"Oh, Meier!" She held him tight, her cheek pressed against his. "I'm so happy, my love!"
She slowly pulled back and looked at him, smiling with trepidation; her blush was still there, redder, but he realized it meant a different thing, now. He felt himself blushing, too, and she timidly sought his hands. He squeezed hers delicately and a comfortable silence pregnant with excitement and shyness fell between them.
They had never gone beyond kissing. Oh, they had kissed passionately, yes, and tumbled together in the soft grass of her garden, but they had never made the next steps, deciding to wait for their trip in the stars before becoming one with body and soul.
Now, as the rush of adrenaline was gone and only relief and love were left, they could do whatever they wanted, but Charlotte still needed rest and he couldn't absolutely put that strain on her. He wanted it to be good for her, good beyond imagining, and he wanted to prepare as well, to avoid any sudden bursts of thirst that could put her in danger.
But she was clearly impatient, feeling better than she really was, because she let her hands move along his, touching his wrists, then his forearms and arms, until she reached his shoulders and his chest. He kept his hands near his body, not daring to touch her; he wasn't sure he could control himself, not when she was still dressed like that, like a bride, and her perfume and scent were so strong and close.
She traced his lips with a finger, while moving her hand down his chest until she reached his waist. He swallowed, red eyes fixated on her, and she took a deep, tremulous breath before touching the sash that covered his belt. That was the first step to undress him, he realized, and he gently, but firmly took her hand and moved it away.
She didn't give up, though. Quickly, faster than he had expected, she sat up on her knees and grabbed his head, pulling him into a hard, wet kiss. They both moaned and he instinctively pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her until one of his hands was on her hair and the other right on the small of her back.
He moved it down, brushing the soft curve of her butt, then he rested it on her thigh, mindful of his claws, gently dragging them across the soft texture of her dress, teasing the skin underneath. She moaned and when they broke the kiss to regain breath, he pressed his mouth on her collarbone, dragging his lips down until he was eye-level with her breasts.
But then his eyes saw the bandage he had wrapped around her neck. There were two tiny red dots on it, meaning her wound was still oozing blood. Her heart was beating fast and well, but it was too soon, too soon, and he wouldn't make love to her on a sofa in a small room, especially not when she was still hurt.
Despite her sound of confusion and protest and his own desire, he pulled away from her and gave her a shaky, but strong-willed smile: "Charlotte, my love, not now. You need rest."
She tugged at his waistcoat, whining softly, and he reminded her, bringing her hands to his lips: "Do you remember our promise? That we would make love to each other for the first time on the ship, finally safe."
"But we are on the ship! And…"
"But you are not out of danger yet. Well, you are, but you might hurt yourself again if we did this now."
She sighed, but there was understanding on her face and she smiled at him, replying: "You are right. I want this to be perfect, too." She blushed and looked away, embarrassed, wringing her hands: "I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose control like that. It was…"
Meier let a grin spread across his face and he brushed his nose against her cheek, saying softly: "It was marvellous, my love, and I promise you our marriage night will be that and so much more."
She beamed at him and when he swept her up into his arms, to carry her back to the infirmary to check on her wound, she laughed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. They even forgot about the empty box of human food and the empty teacup of blood on the small table, but the ship was their castle, now, and there were more than enough clean rooms to relax together and watch the stars pass by.