Bride of Blood:: First Kiss (8 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep.
 
Rachael’s soft breath on his neck stayed with him and gave him peaceful dreams.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton sat on the roof, still staring at the stars.
 
 
He started to think back to the last time he’d seen the Duke.
 
He was getting ready to sail for the New World.
 
It was 1770 and The Duke felt that there would be much for him to do and learn there.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The only way for vampires to travel at that time was in the cargo hold of a merchant ship.
 
The Duke had been in contact with an old friend of his that owned a Dutch shipping company that was bound for the New World.
 
There was money to be made in places like Cuba and the other islands.
 
The main source of income in those days was in sugar and of course, slavery.
 
The Duke had taught Anton to abhor this evil practice and to do what he could to end it in the New World.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As Anton was about to climb into a large crate, The Duke held him close and said, “My friend, the Colonies will be a good chance for you to learn to use your powers and to help rid the world of some of these depraved bastards!”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton laughed and hugged his mentor.
 
He would miss The Duke and tried to find the words to thank him for all that he’d done.
 
But words didn’t seem to be sufficient.
 
He knew that the only way he could repay him was to do what he asked.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Will I ever see you again?” Anton asked.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Who knows?
 
You will one day become a Master Vampire yourself and will have your own offspring.
 
Teach them well and be patient.
 
Remember that we are not monsters.
 
We have free will and great powers.
 
It is the choice that we make on how to use those powers that determine whether we are a blessing or a curse to this world.”
 
Then the lid was shut and it was the last time Anton would see his mentor.

Anton sighed as he remembered The Duke.
 
He sometimes wondered whatever happened to him. Several times he returned to Europe, but none of his vampire friends knew what became of him.
 
Lady Bernadine wouldn’t give him a straight answer when he asked.
 
She never did anyway.
 
With one more sigh, he decided that it was time to come in and go to sleep.
 
So he jumped off the room and went inside, locking the door behind him.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As he lay down in his coffin, he felt a strange feeling come over him.
 
All of his senses reacted at once and what small bit of energy he had left, was pulled or ripped from him.
 
Emotions and memories he long buried opened up like flood gates and overcame him.
 
In the last few moments before he lost consciousness, he knew that she had returned.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not only had she returned to the Colonies, but she was looking for him.
 
She was calling to him.
 
He could feel it.
 
He knew it.
 
He whispered her name once, “Velara.”
 
And then, everything went black.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The hour was late.
 
Alexander had gone to bed about an hour before.
 
Anton sat in his office and stared into space.
 
The dark blanket was covering the window stopping any daylight that could possibly sneak in; he could already feel the warmth of the early morning daylight.
 
A part of him wanted to go to bed, but he couldn’t.
 
For the past few weeks all that he could think of was Velara, and how much he missed her.
 
They hadn’t laid eyes on each other in more than 130 years, and he had mostly compartmentalized his feelings for her, thanks in large part to Lady Bernadine, the queen of vampires.
 
But since he heard her call out his name in his sleep, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
 
It was almost as if he were reliving the day she left over and over again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He looked up at the bookshelf and stared at the nearly 400 years of books.
 
He had Chaucer, Shakespeare, Hardy, and many other first pressings.
 
The books brought many other memories that he had long ago put away.
 
But none of them stuck as his memories of Velara.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A strong purr took his attention away from his books.
 
Anton’s cat Persephone jumped up on the desk.
 
She was a beautiful Ragdoll cat that Rick’s wife Sophie had given him for his birthday.
 
She was roughly about 4 years old and was totally in love with Anton.
 
She couldn’t stand the sight of Alexander or just about any other vampire that came to visit.
 
When she felt that Anton wasn’t paying enough attention to her she would play “floppy cat”, which was something that only Ragdolls tended do.
 
She would flop down on her back going totally limp.
 
She thought that it made her look totally irresistible and she was right.
 
Anton couldn’t wait to pet her and play with her until it ran out of gas.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But this time he didn’t pet her.
 
He picked her up and set her down on the floor.
 
She was slightly miffed and walked out of the room.
 
Anton felt bad about not petting her but he was not focusing on the world around him.
 
His thoughts were on Velara.
 
It had been so many years since he thought about her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The year was 1850.
 
By that time Anton had been living in the Colonies for close to 50 years.
 
After leaving St. Croix a few years after his dear friend Alexander Hamilton left to attend a university in New York City, he traveled to a few different islands and then settled in Cuba for a while.
 
While there, he participated in an abolitionist movement to try and break the slave trade and slavery itself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The movement needed him in the Colonies, so he traveled there and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped to smuggle guns and ammo to various other militant abolitionist groups.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He was able to kill and survive on slave bounty hunters. There were several of them around as the prospect of collecting large rewards for the capture and return of runaway slaves caused several men to set aside any sense of decency.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On one particular night, Anton sat at his post ready to transport a group of runaway slaves from one safe house to another.
 
He was thinking of his friend Hamilton.
 
It had been close to 80 years since he had seen his young friend, and he thought of him on and off over the years.

They stood on the seaside together back then staring out at the large moon.
 
The fifteen- year-old Hamilton looked at him and said, “I want to thank you again for your sponsorship of my education”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton smiled and said, “It’s my pleasure, but you know that several businessmen also gave money to help.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Yes, I know, but it was you that proposed the idea to send me to the Colonies.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“True, but there will be more opportunities for you there.
 
Do you wish to remain here and be a clerk for the rest of your life?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hamilton sighed and looked down.
 
“There is nothing more for me here.
 
Mother is gone.
 
I have not seen Father in so many years.
 
I truly welcome any chance to leave this island make a difference somewhere else.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Face it, Hamilton,” Anton said putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
 
“There is not much that can be done to change things here.
 
This place is Hell on Earth.”
 
They looked around.
 
Nevis at that time was in the heart of the slave trade.
 
Both of them were against it for many reasons.
 
The amount of suffering they had both witnessed from the boats that came from the West African coast was more than anyone, let alone a sensitive fifteen- year-old boy should see.
 
“You will make a difference in the Colonies, Hamilton.
 
I have a feeling that your name will be known around the world someday.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hamilton looked into his friend’s eyes.
 
He felt a slight tremble for some reason.
 
As much as he loved and admired Anton, he was still startled by his friend.
 
“You have more faith in me than anyone.
 
I won’t disappoint you,” said Hamilton.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I know you won’t, Hamilton,” Anton smiled as he turned away for a moment.
 
He felt a lump in his throat.
 
“Remember your promise, though.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I will, my friend.
 
I promise that I will take up the cause of liberty for all men.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Look around you, Hamilton,” said Anton with his arms wide.
 
“See the misery that slavery has brought to our island.
 
We must do what we can to stop its spread and practice in the Colonies.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hamilton nodded.
 
“I will do what I can.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There was a silence between the two friends for several moments.
 
Hamilton broke the silence saying, “I wish you could see me off in the morning.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I do, too.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“More than that, I wish you could join me in New York.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I know, but for the moment I have no desire to go there.
 
But I shall think of you often, and I expect a letter from you from time to time.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“You shall, my friend,” said Hamilton, offering his hand.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton shook his hand and pulled his young friend into an embrace.
 
As they parted, Anton knew that it would be the last time he would ever see his young friend, but it sure would not be the last time he heard of him.

The sound of someone stepping on a stick brought Anton back to himself.
 
He cursed his breath because their carelessness would draw attention to bounty hunters.
 
At the moment he only sensed the approaching slaves and nothing more.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Within minutes Anton was escorting the frightened group of runaways through the dark woods towards a farm that would house them for the remainder of the night.
 
There were roughly 10 of them of all ages.
 
One of them in particular caught Anton’s eyes.
 
She was a beautiful black woman of medium brown color.
 
Her eyes were soft and alert.
 
Her heartbeat was strong, filled with courage and hope.
 
Her name was Celeste.
 
Her beauty in the moonlight was almost enough to stop Anton’s heart.
 
A steady stream of emotions ran through him that he hadn’t felt since Charlotte left him to become a handmaid for Lady Bernadine.
 
He never wanted to feel any sort of romantic feelings for any woman since then, but he could not control the strange sensation that overcame him each time he looked at her.