The weather was warm, a pleasant day by all accounts. Her ears could hear
the sounds of rabbits deep within the bushes that sprung up on either side
of them. Her eyes barely away from the road, well the dusty path in front
of them. The forest was beautiful, that even she could not argue with.
Originally a witch before she was forced to become a vampire, before she
became something new, Layla had never been attuned to nature as much as her
brother had. Hakeem was the true witch out of the pair of them. He was far
too like their mother. Their mother, who had betrayed them, betrayed her
own two children. Why? Power of course, what else interested just about
everyone? Immortality for their mother was the price for her innocence. Her
brother, as peaceful and forgiving as he usually was, did not seem to
realise that power was the one thing in the world that they would always
have. It was not difficult to notice how Layla had adapted easily to a
world where power was so important.
But even power was not enough for her. Where she was now she had power. But it was not enough and deep in the back of her mind she knew that one day leaving would be the only answer. She also found it difficult to believe that she would find someone like Reed. Of course his arrogance annoyed her but that was all a part of this era. Men ruled, woman were weak defenceless and to be used. At the beginning Reed had attempted to bend her to his will to no success. Although he gave her more freedom than most men allowed any woman, even a strange woman, he still expected to be in charge, to rule supreme. One day it would come to one answer. Leaving.
There was another problem to consider. What she truly was. A Tempest. so named by her original family name. It seemed strange to keep her original after the betrayal she felt at the hands of the two main members of her family - her parents.
The problems involving her parents were long gone though and although the memories were still fresh in her mind they would most likely never be a problem again. In all the years she had been alive neither of them had appeared at any time. It was quite possible for either of them to have become a vampire and it would surprise Layla if her father had not had his friend change him into one. The same friend that had changed her and her brother so long ago, beginning the chain of events that had led them to grow to be so different.
Different. On first appearance they looked the same as any other member of the Night World, unnaturally beautiful. But the power they could wield was only just beginning to be found out by the rest of the Night World. There had been a few situations involving Tempests and others that had already shown many of them that it would be unlikely for them to ever be accepted by any of them. From what she knew of her lover, Reed was one of the many typical vampires that would, she was certain, try to kill her.
"What keeps you from being mine?" Reed's voice startled her, abruptly interrupting her thoughts. As usual he expected her attention to be on him constantly, for of course he was the Lord and she was simply the one that shared his bed.
"Not something you should worry yourself about M'Lord," she replied, her eyes turning to him. He rode next to her, the path allowing them to ride in this manner. The look in his eyes pointed out that the answer she had given him would not do. Holding back the temptation to roll her eyes in annoyance, she added, "Just the past…. I keep recalling memories that no longer matter. I keep forgetting that it is only the future that is now of any importance."
It surprised her when he actually smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Come, let us rest. We have after all been riding for a while now." Watching as he spurred his horse onwards, he moved past her to ride on ahead of her. He assumed a light trot and she followed his example. One thing that bothered Layla was sitting side-saddle but the gown she was wearing did not allow enough movement for her to sit like a man and of course it would have not been proper.
The forest around them passed in almost a blur, as if an artist had painted it using water paints. Them the path ended, leading into a large meadow. At this point the vampire Lord slowed and she followed suit once more. She urged her horse on to catch up with her lover and glanced sideways at him, a silent question in her eyes. He did not appear to notice her query at first or he decided to choose to ignore it. No matter which one, he came to a halt when they were quite far from the edges of the meadow. They had brought no servants with them, despite that being advisable and it was possible that the peasants that Reed treated with no respect could attack them at any time. Part of Layla felt for the starving children she had seen many a time, showing that she had spent too much time with the likes of Hakeem and Tivona. But she stopped herself from caring about them too much, not wanting to loose the position she held at the moment. The peasants were a threat however, which was why Reed had chosen to lead them to the middle of the meadow. It was too large for them to surround them, while they would have been closer to the forest and thus in more danger at the edge of the meadow.
Surveying the land slowly, Reed's eyes were as capable as searching the landscape as her own were. He seemed happy with whatever he saw or did not see and dismounted his horse. He let the reins drop and the horse waited for some unknown reason before taking interest in the grass at its feet. His horse taken care of, Reed moved to her side and offered his hand to her. Smiling she accepted the offer and slowly slipped to the ground between him and her horse. Their eyes met for a brief second and in his eyes was an element that she had not seen before today. It startled her for a few moments and she was glad when he turned away, beginning to lead her past his horse.
They walked together with silence easily invading their privacy. It was beginning to get on Layla's nerves slightly but something made her hesitate to speak.
"It is quite interesting that you chose to mention the future," he began and she fixed her eyes on his face, "For a while now I have had something on my mind but I have yet to find the perfect opportunity to mention my thoughts to you."
Her eyebrows knitted together in a mixture of concentration and confusion. "My Lord?" she urged him. He had her full attention, a feat that not many had accomplished.
He stopped hastily, whirling to face her and taking her other hand in his. He held them in front of him, his eyes dancing with an emotion that was closest to happiness. ^Happiness? Reed? ^ She did her best to keep her thoughts from showing on the surface and regarded him as his smile widened.
"It has occurred to me My Dear, that time is passing far too quickly before us," he informed her, just causing her curiosity to grow. "What I mean to say is that people can be with you at one moment in live as long as ours before disappearing without a trace the next. Is it so wrong for this to worry a man?"
She shook her head, her hair brushing her shoulders gently as she moved. "It is quite easy to understand why you would worry M'Lord, I am just wondering why you wish to tell me all this. I would have thought there would have been many suitable gentlemen for you to speak with…"
"That may be so, but why would I wish to speak with one of them when it does not involve them?"
A feeling that was not at all pleasant was beginning to flood Layla's body. For once in her life she was not sure how this would play out. "I must apologise M'Lord, I do not follow you."
"No it is I that should apologise Layla. For a long time now I have been happy to share you with other men but I am getting to the point where I long for someone special to keep me company throughout the long years."
His eyes met her gaze and she knew that her eyes were wide with shock and an amount of fear. She had to be mistaken, he was surely not intending to do what she thought he was.
"My Lady Layla, it would be a great honour if you would agree to accompany me as time passes. I am aware that you are a free spirit that does not wish to be caught but I promise you that marriage would not imprison you in the slightest."
She had to turn away then. Even she, one of the originals of her kind could not look him in the eyes. She had managed to keep her panic and disgust at bay while she remained facing him but now she stared into the distance in dismay. Taking a moment to calm herself, she glanced back in his direction only to find him far from angry. Instead he appeared to understand her, but that was of course impossible for he hand no idea who she truly was.
"I understand that this is a shock," Reed told her, his hands falling from her own and opening in a gesture of apology, "It is not difficult to realise that someone with a personality like your own would not wish to submit herself to a marriage. But I urge you to take your time to consider the possibilities before you decline my offer."
She let herself nod, almost numb with shock while her mind was acting logically. It was pointing out to her that the time to leave was near. However she could not just disappear straight away, he would certainly expect her to try and run from him tonight. How could she live up to his assumptions? No, she would wait calmly and perhaps even give the vampire an answer. Reed angry was not something she wanted to experience and telling him what she was would send fear through him. He was not the type to let anyone become move powerful than him. If he felt threatened he would deal with it. Layla certainly did not want to be dealt with.
With a shrug of his shoulders Reed tilted his head in the direction they had come from before moving past her. She turned to follow him, heading in the general direction of their mounts. She needed to talk to Tivona. There were preparations to be making.
But even power was not enough for her. Where she was now she had power. But it was not enough and deep in the back of her mind she knew that one day leaving would be the only answer. She also found it difficult to believe that she would find someone like Reed. Of course his arrogance annoyed her but that was all a part of this era. Men ruled, woman were weak defenceless and to be used. At the beginning Reed had attempted to bend her to his will to no success. Although he gave her more freedom than most men allowed any woman, even a strange woman, he still expected to be in charge, to rule supreme. One day it would come to one answer. Leaving.
There was another problem to consider. What she truly was. A Tempest. so named by her original family name. It seemed strange to keep her original after the betrayal she felt at the hands of the two main members of her family - her parents.
The problems involving her parents were long gone though and although the memories were still fresh in her mind they would most likely never be a problem again. In all the years she had been alive neither of them had appeared at any time. It was quite possible for either of them to have become a vampire and it would surprise Layla if her father had not had his friend change him into one. The same friend that had changed her and her brother so long ago, beginning the chain of events that had led them to grow to be so different.
Different. On first appearance they looked the same as any other member of the Night World, unnaturally beautiful. But the power they could wield was only just beginning to be found out by the rest of the Night World. There had been a few situations involving Tempests and others that had already shown many of them that it would be unlikely for them to ever be accepted by any of them. From what she knew of her lover, Reed was one of the many typical vampires that would, she was certain, try to kill her.
"What keeps you from being mine?" Reed's voice startled her, abruptly interrupting her thoughts. As usual he expected her attention to be on him constantly, for of course he was the Lord and she was simply the one that shared his bed.
"Not something you should worry yourself about M'Lord," she replied, her eyes turning to him. He rode next to her, the path allowing them to ride in this manner. The look in his eyes pointed out that the answer she had given him would not do. Holding back the temptation to roll her eyes in annoyance, she added, "Just the past…. I keep recalling memories that no longer matter. I keep forgetting that it is only the future that is now of any importance."
It surprised her when he actually smiled, his eyes lighting up. "Come, let us rest. We have after all been riding for a while now." Watching as he spurred his horse onwards, he moved past her to ride on ahead of her. He assumed a light trot and she followed his example. One thing that bothered Layla was sitting side-saddle but the gown she was wearing did not allow enough movement for her to sit like a man and of course it would have not been proper.
The forest around them passed in almost a blur, as if an artist had painted it using water paints. Them the path ended, leading into a large meadow. At this point the vampire Lord slowed and she followed suit once more. She urged her horse on to catch up with her lover and glanced sideways at him, a silent question in her eyes. He did not appear to notice her query at first or he decided to choose to ignore it. No matter which one, he came to a halt when they were quite far from the edges of the meadow. They had brought no servants with them, despite that being advisable and it was possible that the peasants that Reed treated with no respect could attack them at any time. Part of Layla felt for the starving children she had seen many a time, showing that she had spent too much time with the likes of Hakeem and Tivona. But she stopped herself from caring about them too much, not wanting to loose the position she held at the moment. The peasants were a threat however, which was why Reed had chosen to lead them to the middle of the meadow. It was too large for them to surround them, while they would have been closer to the forest and thus in more danger at the edge of the meadow.
Surveying the land slowly, Reed's eyes were as capable as searching the landscape as her own were. He seemed happy with whatever he saw or did not see and dismounted his horse. He let the reins drop and the horse waited for some unknown reason before taking interest in the grass at its feet. His horse taken care of, Reed moved to her side and offered his hand to her. Smiling she accepted the offer and slowly slipped to the ground between him and her horse. Their eyes met for a brief second and in his eyes was an element that she had not seen before today. It startled her for a few moments and she was glad when he turned away, beginning to lead her past his horse.
They walked together with silence easily invading their privacy. It was beginning to get on Layla's nerves slightly but something made her hesitate to speak.
"It is quite interesting that you chose to mention the future," he began and she fixed her eyes on his face, "For a while now I have had something on my mind but I have yet to find the perfect opportunity to mention my thoughts to you."
Her eyebrows knitted together in a mixture of concentration and confusion. "My Lord?" she urged him. He had her full attention, a feat that not many had accomplished.
He stopped hastily, whirling to face her and taking her other hand in his. He held them in front of him, his eyes dancing with an emotion that was closest to happiness. ^Happiness? Reed? ^ She did her best to keep her thoughts from showing on the surface and regarded him as his smile widened.
"It has occurred to me My Dear, that time is passing far too quickly before us," he informed her, just causing her curiosity to grow. "What I mean to say is that people can be with you at one moment in live as long as ours before disappearing without a trace the next. Is it so wrong for this to worry a man?"
She shook her head, her hair brushing her shoulders gently as she moved. "It is quite easy to understand why you would worry M'Lord, I am just wondering why you wish to tell me all this. I would have thought there would have been many suitable gentlemen for you to speak with…"
"That may be so, but why would I wish to speak with one of them when it does not involve them?"
A feeling that was not at all pleasant was beginning to flood Layla's body. For once in her life she was not sure how this would play out. "I must apologise M'Lord, I do not follow you."
"No it is I that should apologise Layla. For a long time now I have been happy to share you with other men but I am getting to the point where I long for someone special to keep me company throughout the long years."
His eyes met her gaze and she knew that her eyes were wide with shock and an amount of fear. She had to be mistaken, he was surely not intending to do what she thought he was.
"My Lady Layla, it would be a great honour if you would agree to accompany me as time passes. I am aware that you are a free spirit that does not wish to be caught but I promise you that marriage would not imprison you in the slightest."
She had to turn away then. Even she, one of the originals of her kind could not look him in the eyes. She had managed to keep her panic and disgust at bay while she remained facing him but now she stared into the distance in dismay. Taking a moment to calm herself, she glanced back in his direction only to find him far from angry. Instead he appeared to understand her, but that was of course impossible for he hand no idea who she truly was.
"I understand that this is a shock," Reed told her, his hands falling from her own and opening in a gesture of apology, "It is not difficult to realise that someone with a personality like your own would not wish to submit herself to a marriage. But I urge you to take your time to consider the possibilities before you decline my offer."
She let herself nod, almost numb with shock while her mind was acting logically. It was pointing out to her that the time to leave was near. However she could not just disappear straight away, he would certainly expect her to try and run from him tonight. How could she live up to his assumptions? No, she would wait calmly and perhaps even give the vampire an answer. Reed angry was not something she wanted to experience and telling him what she was would send fear through him. He was not the type to let anyone become move powerful than him. If he felt threatened he would deal with it. Layla certainly did not want to be dealt with.
With a shrug of his shoulders Reed tilted his head in the direction they had come from before moving past her. She turned to follow him, heading in the general direction of their mounts. She needed to talk to Tivona. There were preparations to be making.