Elizabeth
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stared at the irregular forms of the clouds above in the blue sky. I used to stare at the horizon, longing for freedom and wishing for an escape. Staring at the sky without a care in the world had become unfamiliar to me. Still, there I was, lying down on a blanket over the green grass. The sun caressed my skin as I breathed in the fresh air of the afternoon. Next to me was the one the gods had created to complete me. Eric was my soul-mate. Despite all the horror I’d endured, being next to him gave me peace of mind and made me feel safe.
“What are you thinking?” Eric's question disturbed the silence and brought me back to reality.
I sighed and turned to my right so I could look at him. Eric was still gazing at the sky, and his figure made a bubbling sensation arise from my stomach to my throat and tickling me to smile. It also made me want to touch him, but I didn't dare. Instead, I kept my hands together, tightly folded against my stomach.
Eric turned his face to watch me. “Are you bored? We can join the others by the pool if you wish.”
“I'm fine here,” I whispered, freeing my left hand to scratch the blanket close to his arm. My finger followed the patterns in the tissue and rubbed inside a white square. “I was thinking that it was nice to be outside.”
“I'm glad you’re feeling stronger.”
Sighing deeply, I decided not to contest his affirmation. The sudden rush of adrenaline due to my jealousy had flickered something inside me, igniting my vampire side.
Meanwhile, Eric moved on the blanket to make himself more comfortable. “It’s nice to see some color in your cheeks.”
I gulped and covered my face with my hands.
He chuckled. “Let me see it. Don’t hide from me.”
“I’m mortified for what I did to your mother.”
“I should have warned you, but I didn’t think you would be so jealous toward me.”
“I’m not normally like that.”
“No one got hurt. Just forget about that and let us enjoy this moment together.”
I turned to look at him and smiled when I noticed his eyes on the sky and his head resting over his folded arms.
“It’s peaceful here.”
“And safe.” He looked at me, and his hand reached for my cheek. My heart jumped, and I evaded his touch. “I love the way the sun shines on your hair and how your skin looks like porcelain.”
“You don’t need to lie. I know I look pale and skinny. These past years … It hasn’t been easy.”
He frowned but didn’t try to touch me again. “For how long were you trapped? Do you know?”
“For four years, I believe.”
“Weren't you allowed to go outside? Did you live in the dungeons for all that time?”
The concern in Eric's voice made me shiver and gulp. I knew that he would eventually ask me about what happened. I had to tell him something, at least, tell him my version of what happened to me. But I needed to take baby steps.
Trying to indulge his curiosity, I opened up. “At first, we lived in the dungeon. Then he moved us to separate bedrooms. In the dungeons, we were together, in the bedroom ... I was all alone. He would let us starve for days. The windows had bars. When he gave me to Vincent, he moved me to a bigger bedroom. There was a balcony there with a view to the sea. However, they didn't let us leave the fortress.”
“Did you ever try to escape? Or grab a cell phone and call someone?”
Clenching my jaw, I raised my head and narrowed my eyes. “And call who? 911? And tell them what? That we were trapped in a place, that we had no idea where it was, by cruel and vicious vampires who had other girls imprisoned. Even if they believed me and they could track the call, they were as good as dead. And he would hurt my sister. Plus, we didn't have any other family. Our parents were long dead, and we had moved to the United States several years before. No one missed us when we were taken.”
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, Beth. I was in that place, I saw the security and the number of men he had with him. It was impossible for you to escape on your own.”
I pouted my lips and watched the movement of my index finger, nervously trying to dig a hole in the blanket.
My voice came out soft and fragile at the same time. “I often stood on the balcony staring down at the ocean ... thinking about jumping and being free from all the pain ... But if the fall in the ocean didn't kill me ...”
“He would hurt you more?” Eric tried to guess.
“No, he would hurt my sister, so I wouldn't try again.” My voice faded away with the pain and my eyes stung with tears.
“What do you mean? How could he ... I'm a fool for thinking that he wouldn't hurt his mate, am I not?”
I nodded, noticing how his face grew closer to mine. His hand grabbed mine and chased the fear away. I instinctively recoiled but immediately relaxed and felt the lump in my throat softening when he remained in his spot.
“Hurting your sister meant that he was hurting himself,” Eric said.
“He didn't care. He liked the pain. I couldn't hurt him either because I would be hurting Marie.”
“I see.” Eric nodded, easing the tension on my fingers by rubbing his thumb against them.
“Watching the person you love the most in the world being tortured ... isn't something that I wanted to repeat. So, I ... just let him win. I pretended that ... I was submissive. I learned not to cry, not to complain of the pain and pretend not to ... hate them.”
“You did what you had to survive. I'm not going to blame you for that,” my mate said. Slowly, he raised his hand to touch my face. Since I didn’t recoil, he placed it over my left cheek. “You are safe now. I want you to feel safe. I want you to heal. I'm going to stop asking questions that will make you reminisce about the darkness in your past.”
I nodded and let my back fall on the blanket, away from his closeness. “Who takes care of the garden?”
“We have gardeners for that.”
“My mother had a summer garden. She had pride in her orchids. I was never too big a fan of getting my hands dirty. I would rather spend time with dad in the library. He would write his books about civil rights, and I would be practicing my piano lessons or my ballet dancing.”
“Ballet?” Eric's interest piqued. “And piano? Mom used to play the piano. Now I don't think Jessie even cares about that.”
“Do you play?”
“I had time to learn. I can perform music from Chopin or Liszt. But I like to work with my hands. I like to sculpt and carve. I also like restoring old buildings and furniture. I like architecture, planning, and designing new structures out of the old ones while maintaining the ancient façades. Am I boring you?”
“No,” I assured, captivated by what he was saying. “I love Liszt, and I love old buildings. The new ones are so impersonal, they lack soul.”
“Nowadays is a lot more about functionality than beauty.”
“I grew up in Paris, surrounded by art and music. Even after we had to move so people wouldn't be suspicious about us never getting old, my dad always moved to a city where we could keep dancing and performing. Life was simpler back then.”
“What happened to your parents?”
I looked at him.
“You don't need to tell me if it's painful to remember.”
“It's sad. I don't want to talk about sad things.” I stared at the sky. “I just want to stay here and forget about the past. I like hearing the sound of laughter coming from the pool and just ... exist.”
“It's nice to be here with you. I'll stop being curious,” he assured, lying on his back and imitating me. “I want to know everything about you, but I’m not going to spoil this moment of relaxation with prying questions.” He folded his hands on his chest. “Aren't you glad that I brought you outside?”
“You didn't leave me any other choice.”
“The doctor said that the fresh air would do you good.”
“I'm glad we are outside. Sometimes, I can be a bit stubborn.”
“I'll take good care of you, Beth,” Eric whispered, looking for my hand. Gently, he entwined our fingers together, making my heart pump faster.
“I don't want to be a burden,” I exhaled.
“You are not.”
“I feel like I am.”
“You are not,” he repeated.
I bit my lower lip with concern. “Do you think your dad will let me stay here now that I tried to kill his mate?”
Eric smirked. “He was eager for me to find my mate and stop brooding around, so he won't do anything to upset my happiness. Plus, he doesn't hold a grudge. He has probably forgotten by now.”
“Happiness?” I asked, heat stirring in my stomach and spreading to my cheeks.
“You are my happiness.” Eric brought my hand to his lips. “Though, I probably bore you to death with my small talk.”
“I don't mind. I'm actually curious about your mom. You said you were going to explain to me about it.”
“What do you want to know?”
Removing my hand from his, I placed it on my stomach. “How did your mom and dad find each other? How was that possible? What do you feel about it? Does she remember everything from her past life?” I turned to his side, and he turned to mine. “I find it so romantic! Did your father recognize her right away? Does she look like she did before? She's so beautiful!”
I looked at him with interest as Eric smiled and indulged my curiosity by replying to all my questions.