Blood Ties (30 page)

He rolled his eyes and turned away from me, drumming his fingers on the nightstand. He
stared at the TV, frowning, twitching his bare foot in agitation. When his scent flooded the air, I looked below the waistband of his jeans. That had to be uncomfortable.

He shifted and my insides clenched. He froze, his whole body going rigid. Then he got up and moved to the other bed, throwing a pillow over his lap. I slid down, trying to be as quiet as possible while I finished my ice cream, without the licking.

“I was thinking ...”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if you were any good at massages, you know, if you’d be able to do it without breaking any bones?”

He snorted.

I was suddenly on my stomach, my head at the foot of the bed. He sat next to me, his hands resting on my shoulders. “The minute you feel a bone snap, just let me know, then I’ll tone it down a bit.” The bed shook with his laughter.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell you … with my screams.”

“Ha ha. You are enormously funny.”

I laughed into the bed.

“Okay silly, do you want a massage, or don’t you trust me?”

I squeaked out a
“Yes”.

“Yes, you want a massage or yes, you don’t trust me?”

“Go for it, I’m good at screaming.”

He let out a gust of air and began working on my shoulders, then moved down across my back, deftly avoiding bruises. He moved his hands down to my legs, then my arms and fingers. It was incredible. He definitely had a second career choice if he ever got tired of the vampire gig. I giggled.

He stopped. “Am I tickling you?”

“No, go ahead. You’re wonderful. You are so hired.”

“Okay, flip over lazy.”

“
Okay, flip it is.”

I rolled over. He slid his hands down my sides to my hips. My God, it was heavenly. I was in love, but wait, I was already in love with this man-vamp. I smiled in euphoria.

He continued down my legs and then moved to my arms and fingers again. My feet were next. I felt soft kisses on my toes. I squirmed and he laughed at my reaction. He moved to the foot of the bed and began working on my shoulders, then along my neck, followed by a scalp and facial massage. Oh my God, could there be a better heaven than this? I moaned.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Don’t you dare.” I went back to enjoying his hands when a thought popped into my head. “So, you can do this forever and never get tired, no carpel tunnel?”

“Forever my love.” I sighed. My personal vampire masseuse, every woman’s dream.

He finished and I lay there not moving. “No broken bones?” he asked.

“Uh uh,” I moaned. He folded me up in his arms and laid me next to him on the bed, my head in his lap. My body hummed as if an electrical current
were passing through it. “Michael?”

“Yes, love?”

“Have you ever come close to anyone … like you are with me?” I wasn’t going to use the sex word. I wouldn’t blame him. Two hundred years is a long time.

He shifted so he could look into my face. “Never. I have always belonged to you, Elizabeth … my Alisé.”

“Me too.” I took his hand, kissed his palm, and put it against my cheek, gazing up into his warm brown eyes.

“Tell me about our lives together. What was it like? What were we like?”

“Well now, that’s a tall order.  Hmmm, where should I start?” He thought for a few moments. “You were an only child, born to Jacque and Sophie. Your father was our metalsmith and your mother made the most fabulous breads and pastries.” He grinned. “I couldn’t eat enough of them and whenever you could, you would sneak them to me, telling her you had eaten them.”

He playfully patted my tummy. I grasped his hand and pulled it down to the crux between my legs. I ga
ve him a “pretty please” look.

He
sighed. “Do you want me to continue or shall you go take a cold shower?”

I gave him a pouty look and then put his hand back on my stomach before I suddenly had the forced burning desire to get cold and wet.

He began again, “Your father was a patient and tolerant sort of man, a hard worker. He doted on you. Your mother worked just as hard but was not quite as tolerant.”

He
chuckled, shaking his head.

“What?”

“Your mother was quite the character.”

“I want to hear.”

“Later, my impatient one. My father gave his sermons in a small church. He was a stern man, but could be very kind. My mother was a beautiful woman, kind and loving as you. She had an ethereal quality to her. At nights, I and my brothers and sisters would watch her by the fireplace, doing her needlework, mesmerized by her graceful lithe hands. I remember the little songs she would sing as she worked.”

He stopped and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they glittered with tears. He took a deep breath. “As the eldest, I was in charge of my
siblings. It seemed to be a full time job. Suzzette was the second oldest, just three years younger than I, then there was Bénarde under her, then Margarette, and the twins, André and Nanette. The twins were born several years later, a span of fourteen years between us. The twins were a handful, always into everything.”

He gazed down at me, “Am I boring you?”

“Are you serious?” He grinned.

“We grew up together in a little town outside of Châtel-Censoir in Bourgogne
as you know. It was a close-knit community; most had been born there and never left. You and I, we were inseparable, best friends from a young age.”

He touched my nose with the tip of his finger. “You were quite the tomboy. You’d rather be with us boys than inside
, helping your mother, learning her trade, or other womanly activities. You’d come home covered in mud and your mother would have a fit and go after you. You were quick on your feet, but when you weren’t fast enough your father would step in and run interference.” He chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

“You were so inquisitive
, bright with an incredible sense of humor, very kind and loving to everyone around you. You were lovely … as you are now.”

I shoved at him with my hand.
He caught my wrist, planted a kiss on my palm and continued with a smile. “When I was young, I was your knight, your Sir Galahad. No one dared cause you trouble, they knew I would rush in. I was bit of a scrapper. I had quite a few bloody noses over you, but mostly, I was the one who handed them out. You’d get so angry when I interfered. You always wanted to handle things yourself.” He grinned and shook his head.

“So, what happened … how did
we get together?”

“
My you are an impatient little thing aren’t you?”

I frowned and twirled my fingers for him to continue with the story.

“We grew up. Then as these things happen, we saw each other differently.” He smiled looking off into the distance.

“I remember the day, the exact moment everything changed. You had gone down to the river to pick some herbs. Your mother sent me to fetch you after you hadn’t returned in a timely manner. You weren’t hard to find. I found your clothes by the river’s edge. I couldn’t see you but I could hear you singing. Instead of calling out, I thought I’d scare you, make you think I was some wild beast come to eat you.” He
laughed softly. “I hid behind a clump of reeds, waiting for you to come close so I could start my elaborate charade.

“You came to the river’s edge but then turned and walked out of the water. You were like a nymph emerging from another world. I was in awe at your beauty, your luscious curves, and the way your wet hair trailed down your shoulders.”

He touched my lips, tracing their outline with his fingertip.

“I knew I should turn away, give you privacy but I couldn’t move. You had suddenly over night, turned into a woman. The feelings I had for you were indescribable … confusing. It was but a day later that it was clear. I was in love with you. You were my best friend. You were my whole world.

“You dressed and went back to the village. I stayed, not knowing what to do. I was ashamed I had intruded on your private moment, but more so, not wanting you to know I had watched you.” He gave me a soft look. “Please forgive me, ma chéri.”

I rolled my eyes at his two hundred year old late, but delivered, apology.

“I waited and then came back to the village and feigned anger at not finding you and at the waste of time it had been for me since you had been in the village all along.

“You knew something had changed. You would watch me watching you. You kept asking me if there was anything wrong. I couldn’t answer you. I didn’t know what to say. All I knew is that you belonged to me and no one else.

“I wasn’t the only one. The other boys had noticed the change in you. They started to pay attention to you, vying for your attention. But anyone who thought they had a chance would find themselves face down in the dirt, my boot on their back. Thank goodness I’ve mellowed over the years.”

I wasn’t so sure about that.

“After a while, I noticed you weren’t so annoyed with me. Sometimes I would catch you blushing at something I said or did. You began to look more interested in my displays of protectiveness. I was very deceptive in my courting of you, not wanting to scare you off, and not wanting you to know how enraptured I was.

“I remember one day when I was clearing a new field
with one of our field horses. Your father had sent you to bring water. It was a hot day and I had stripped off my shirt. I heard a little gasp. There you were, watching me with those big blue eyes of yours, your mouth hanging open.” He looked at me tenderly. “It’s nice to know I still have that effect on you.”

I pursed my lips and unsuccessfully tried not to smile. “I can’t help it. You’re just so unbelievably beautiful.”

He picked up a strand of my hair and twirled it around his finger. “Then a few days later, at our village’s summer celebration, we spent the evening obsessed with each other and used any excuse to be together. I pulled you away from the others and gave you your first kiss.”

“I wish I could remember it,
” I said softly.

“I might be able to bring back some or all of your memories but I’m not sure if it would be the right thing to do. You’re Elizabeth now, with Elizabeth’s memories.”

I thought about this. I wanted to remember, but at the same time, was afraid.

“Maybe later? My mind is already on overload.”

He nodded, and then a soft look filled his face. “That night at the dance we pledged our love to each other. We realized we were meant to be together, together as best friends and lovers for the remainder of our lives. Our parents limited our time together after that. They were four diligent and steadfast chaperones but we were quite creative in sneaking around them.” He shook his head grinning. “Your mother was always after us. Her shrill voice could carry for miles.”

The smile left him. “My father decided I should live with his sister in Paris and be formally educated at the University. I swore to him I would run away, that he wouldn’t keep us apart. It wasn’t that he didn’t approve of us, or your parents for that matter, it was just that we were so young. They forbade me to come home during breaks. They were afraid that once I saw you, I would take you and disappear.”

He looked down into my eyes. “You made me promise not to run away, that you would wait for me until I had finished with my education.” He sighed. “It was a very bleak time. I counted the days, then weeks, then the years. Many years passed and when my studies were completed, I was released and returned home.”

He looked down, a deep love reflected in his eyes along with great sadness. “It was one of the most treasured days of my life, returning home. It was the day you agreed to marry me.”

I knew the rest of the story, our deaths a few weeks before our wedding. I reached up and placed my palm against his wet cheek.

“So many years I have prayed to our Father to release me from the torture of my endless days. I understand now the gift he was to give me, the return of my beloved Alisé, my Elizabeth.”

His words rocked through me. We had almost died in that hellhole. How long did we have before we were ripped apart again? Would my new nightmare be the last vision I would ever have or was it just like the other, a warning? It sucked, no matter which way you looked at it. Death and Disaster. The big Double D.

Right then, I prayed for help from the only one who co
uld give it. There had to be a reason why God had brought us together after two centuries.

Chapter 19

It was morning again, my second day locked up in a motel room with Michael. The shower was on and he was singing some pop song in a perfect imitation. He was full of talents. He had a third career if he tired of being my personal masseuse slave. I stretched languidly, letting out a yawn and noticed a new pair of clothes laid out for me at the foot of the bed. On the table there was another newspaper, its sections pulled apart. He must have been scavenging while I had slept.