Chapter 2
I scuffed my shoe on the ground in front of me as I watched the sundressed women dance by, summer had reached Spain as it did every year even though it was only May, I shrugged to myself, it seemed the ladies here were more eager to get out of their winter attire than any other place.
A smile threatened to creep its way onto my face as I remembered how I would have done the same had I been human but just as soon as it appeared it was gone again.
Is this any way to live? Truly?
I lifted my sorrow-filled face to the sky and greeted the slowly leaving sun as if to apologize to her for hiding for so long. I wasn't really on a mission at the moment, as the masters had been wary of damaging my psyche any more than it was and gave me a couple of days off,
What would I do with all this leisurely time?
The first day I decided that my destructive cycle hadn't been such a bad idea after all, so that's what I did until my undead body began feeling like a waste bin.
Today though, I settled for just taking a walk through the evening streets of Spain, which was arguably a better idea.
Faces swished past me as excited teenagers talked with lively tones about which dance clubs to frequent and older couples found comfort in the tea cups that were each other.
If I hadn't been paying attention I might have missed it, had I blinked I would have missed it, if a sparrow sang and I turned my head to ask if it could teach me, so I too could have as much value as the airborne creature I would have missed that one face in the crowd.
Among the harlots and travelers, the young men and women, a curios face was planted. A woman with silky olive skin and jet-black hair who looked no older than myself strode by in a hurried pace.
What was her reason for needing to get away? How could someone so handsome have a care in the world?
Before I could stop myself my feet had begun following her.
Every second burned slower and slower like nothing I had ever felt before. Aggravatingly, my desire was strong, but still, my body didn't react, my chest heaved uselessly and my hurt eyes rose and fell to the nonexistent tick of Mother Earth's clock, as it always did. I jogged at a much slower pace than I normally would to not alarm the desert rose.
At first, I followed her as a starving predator did and as the slow seconds passed it got easier and easier. The reason? The they always do at this hour the humans had started to scatter, as the night took over from the sun their feet had now started to miss the excitement and their inflamed youth longed for something to do. Thinking of the youth
brought my thoughts toward familiar territory… Jane and Alec. What a life, forever cursed to live in mediocrity instead of childhood. Children played with dolls, girls picked out dresses, and young women charmed the tough acts right out of those newly blossomed boys, all that life while Jane was forced to stalk the shadows, a heavy sigh escaped my lips and left a mental reminder to be a bit kinder to the eternal twins.
And just as I had imagined I had caught up and the woman stood parallel to me, gracing me with her presence.
"What is a woman like you doing in a slum like this"
She cocked her eyebrow and began assessing if I was an enemy or not.
"Slum? This is my home-town" she broke the silence
"Oh, I- I mean, not a slum but a place where perhaps people, you know-" I stopped in my tracks as she held her hand up and began chuckling
"You can relax, senor, I was only jesting, I'm passing through here" She explained much to my relief
"I see. I'm Eleazar, where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Her golden eyes instilled a sense of calm I wasn't sure I had ever felt before and I greedily stole every glance I could.
"Nice to meet you, Eleazar, I'm Carmen"
Carmen. Her name soothed me, like ointment on my pained tongue.
"You didn't answer my question, Carmen" I grinned slightly
She looked down in feigned embarrassment.
"Truthfully, I'm going nowhere. I just seem like I'm in a hurry. Hah, always in a hurry with no place to go"
I smiled at her. In a person's life, there are moments that stand out, ones to remember on one's death bed but this was one of those moments that defined life not lived within it.
"I'm going no place either. Well except home to my cottage"
In the days that I spent out of the castle I preferred to reside in a petit countryside cottage, it wasn't much but I felt at peace there.
"A cottage?" her eyes lit up "Where you reside with your wife then, of course" she realized as disappointment shone through her
"I have no wife. Curiously enough I was just about to ask about your husband, where might he be?" I said cheekily, secretly hoping she would tell me what I wanted to hear
"And I, no husband. Might I be forward?"
I nodded my head.
"May I come with you?"
My undead heart thumped in my chest, I wanted to howl a cheer of relief and pleasure, I wanted to kiss her insecure lips and scold her for ever doubting that I would deny her anything. But instead, I opted for a more presentable response.
"Of course"
She looked away again as she had done before and plainly motioned for me to take the lead. After walking for a minute ( that felt like hours of being on fire ) she broke our silence.
"I'm sorry, senor. I don't know why I asked you such a foolish question, that's probably the reason why I am destined to spend this eternal life alone" she chuckled bashfully
"No, on the contrary, I was happy you did, I would have asked you myself but I was too shy."
Our eyes met for a second and I saw a hidden emotion, revere. Oh, how I wanted her praise.
"So how did you know?" I restarted our shy conversation
"Know? Know what?"
"What I was"
A silky laugh escaped her.
"I guess vampires just recognize other vampires, must be instinct I guess"
After a much smoother trip in vampire speed we had come into the mouth of the forest and in it stood my picturesque little home.
I turned to my companion expecting her to see it was nothing and shrug me and it off, realizing her mistake, but instead, she lept at it and squeaked
"It is truly gorgeous!" She almost screamed in excitement
"Just like you…" I lowered my voice to a whisper
She turned to me with a depth in her eyes. Suddenly I became hyper-aware of our backdrop, the young night's shine danced upon her tan skin and her eyes held me in an impossible embrace, her lips burned red with face paint I couldn't name and she took a step closer. The
forest held us and whispered, not the child's impression of mean words, but of encouragement and I accepted it without a second thought.
"Me? Could I be gorgeous? That I do not believe, it is nothing when faced by your grace"
Her hand touched my cheek and I turned my head to nussle in it. The warm words and physical affirmation felt as if I had gotten the wind knocked out of me. Without warning she had placed those same delicate lips upon mine and granted me entrance to heaven, as if absolving me of all the pain and hurt I had caused and healing me one peck at a time, though this was no peck, not once did we part. Souls as intertwined as ours will never part.
My hand hungrily traversed where it pleased and admired every solid curve of this angel's body, I went over an area twice, trice, maybe even five times as I wished to memorize the intimate details. I wanted to speak, a foolish man's prayer perhaps but she broke our kiss and beat me to it.
"Don't stop, for I think I might die if you do…" She said in a breathy moan
"Never."
A/N: Hi, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it!