Chapter 3
Shido was worried. Profoundly worried. Incredibly worried about his relationship with Riho.
After the encounter with the strange, young vampire a few nights before, he could feel her slowly pulling away from him. But truth to tell, the fissure in their relationship had begun before that and the blame could be laid directly at his door. He knew that he was creating a wall between them when he would refuse to tell her about the dreams and memories that haunted him. But how could he tell her about them when to do so would cause her to hate him? Make her look upon him not in admiration, but in disgust and revulsion? Telling her the truth would not bring them together, only tear them apart. And there was no way in hell he would lose her. She was everything to him: the air his lungs couldn't breathe, the blood that caused his heart to thump, the sole reason to live another day in an eternity of existence. He loved her more than life itself.
But what could he do? The memories seemed to be coming back more and more frequently now and with visions of violence and destruction that even sickened him. When they occurred, he needed time by himself to sort then out and store them away. Time away from Riho, who should not be a part of any such vulgarity.
What he wanted to do was to have them reconnect in a special way and that was why he was planning this outing for tonight. He had left their bed before she had risen to prepare everything for this outing. A single red rose with an invitation to join him on this moonlight beach picnic had been left on the pillow beside her. They had done this several times before in their year together and each time had held a special memory for him. Once they had danced all night beneath the stars; another time they had rowed a boat out onto the water. Their last picnic, however, had been his favorite. Riho had taunted and teased him to go for a midnight swim. It had been decades since he had last set foot in the water and he wasn't sure of his abilities. But as he watched Riho deftly shed her clothes and wade out into the water, he became entranced by her siren's song. He, too, discarded his clothing and joined her in the ocean waves.
They had swum out a bit and then turned towards each other. Shido had pulled her silky smooth body towards his and luxuriated in the feeling of her legs wrapping themselves around his waist and her nipples rubbing against his wet chest. He lowered his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue through the seam of her lips to tangle with her own.
He broke out of his reverie suddenly, but the salty sea air he inhaled continued to remind him of the tang of her lips that night. Shido looked down at his watch. Almost time. He was ready for her, he thought bemusedly, in more ways than one and he laughed to himself. Perhaps, he would be the one to suggest a midnight swim tonight.
"Ah, Riho..." he murmured.
Riho made her way excitedly to the beach where Shido awaited her. She loved evenings like this when they didn't have to worry about a case, or breeds, and took time for themselves. They were precious and rare and should be treasured.
And this was a sign that Shido had indeed noticed the barrier that existed between them and was finally making an effort to bridge the gap. Even if it was in small steps, she accepted it for what it was worth. It had taken him awhile to admit to his feelings for her and she understood that he had a hard time expressing himself in words.
At the top of a sand dune she stopped and looked down. There he was: her lover, her love, her companion. She felt her heart drop and butterflies flutter in her stomach. He still gave her those feelings when she looked at him and saw his long lavender hair flying free in the sea breeze. His tall frame was encased in a nice gray suit and he had a blanket spread out before him with lit candles and a picnic basket sitting atop it.
When he spotted her in the distance, he mutely raised his hands towards her in invitation and beckoned her forth. With childlike exuberance, she raced down the hill and flung herself into his arms as if it had been years since they had seen each other and not a matter of hours.
A figure in the bushes at the top of the hill moved out of the shadows and spied on the couple on the beach.
The man laughed softly to himself and consulted his watch, knowing that this romantic rendezvous would be coming to an end very soon, and then he would have his chance with the lovely Riho.
Shido was worried. Profoundly worried. Incredibly worried about his relationship with Riho.
After the encounter with the strange, young vampire a few nights before, he could feel her slowly pulling away from him. But truth to tell, the fissure in their relationship had begun before that and the blame could be laid directly at his door. He knew that he was creating a wall between them when he would refuse to tell her about the dreams and memories that haunted him. But how could he tell her about them when to do so would cause her to hate him? Make her look upon him not in admiration, but in disgust and revulsion? Telling her the truth would not bring them together, only tear them apart. And there was no way in hell he would lose her. She was everything to him: the air his lungs couldn't breathe, the blood that caused his heart to thump, the sole reason to live another day in an eternity of existence. He loved her more than life itself.
But what could he do? The memories seemed to be coming back more and more frequently now and with visions of violence and destruction that even sickened him. When they occurred, he needed time by himself to sort then out and store them away. Time away from Riho, who should not be a part of any such vulgarity.
What he wanted to do was to have them reconnect in a special way and that was why he was planning this outing for tonight. He had left their bed before she had risen to prepare everything for this outing. A single red rose with an invitation to join him on this moonlight beach picnic had been left on the pillow beside her. They had done this several times before in their year together and each time had held a special memory for him. Once they had danced all night beneath the stars; another time they had rowed a boat out onto the water. Their last picnic, however, had been his favorite. Riho had taunted and teased him to go for a midnight swim. It had been decades since he had last set foot in the water and he wasn't sure of his abilities. But as he watched Riho deftly shed her clothes and wade out into the water, he became entranced by her siren's song. He, too, discarded his clothing and joined her in the ocean waves.
They had swum out a bit and then turned towards each other. Shido had pulled her silky smooth body towards his and luxuriated in the feeling of her legs wrapping themselves around his waist and her nipples rubbing against his wet chest. He lowered his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue through the seam of her lips to tangle with her own.
He broke out of his reverie suddenly, but the salty sea air he inhaled continued to remind him of the tang of her lips that night. Shido looked down at his watch. Almost time. He was ready for her, he thought bemusedly, in more ways than one and he laughed to himself. Perhaps, he would be the one to suggest a midnight swim tonight.
"Ah, Riho..." he murmured.
Riho made her way excitedly to the beach where Shido awaited her. She loved evenings like this when they didn't have to worry about a case, or breeds, and took time for themselves. They were precious and rare and should be treasured.
And this was a sign that Shido had indeed noticed the barrier that existed between them and was finally making an effort to bridge the gap. Even if it was in small steps, she accepted it for what it was worth. It had taken him awhile to admit to his feelings for her and she understood that he had a hard time expressing himself in words.
At the top of a sand dune she stopped and looked down. There he was: her lover, her love, her companion. She felt her heart drop and butterflies flutter in her stomach. He still gave her those feelings when she looked at him and saw his long lavender hair flying free in the sea breeze. His tall frame was encased in a nice gray suit and he had a blanket spread out before him with lit candles and a picnic basket sitting atop it.
When he spotted her in the distance, he mutely raised his hands towards her in invitation and beckoned her forth. With childlike exuberance, she raced down the hill and flung herself into his arms as if it had been years since they had seen each other and not a matter of hours.
A figure in the bushes at the top of the hill moved out of the shadows and spied on the couple on the beach.
The man laughed softly to himself and consulted his watch, knowing that this romantic rendezvous would be coming to an end very soon, and then he would have his chance with the lovely Riho.