Wanderlust (16 page)

His words cut like a knife, and I knew I deserved every one of the wounds they inflicted. I couldn’t keep the tears that were pooling in the corners of my eyes from spilling down my cheeks, which were now flush with both the heat of the argument and my shame.

“Oh, Lia, don’t do that. I’m sorry,” Eli begged, his arms coming around me like a warm cocoon. I melted into his heat.

“I’m sorry, Eli. I deserve it. You’ve been nothing but sweet to me. I could at least cut you some slack,” I sniffled, trying to avoid rubbing my nose against his clean, white tee. My voice was barely audible, muffled by his broad chest, but I brought it down to a whisper. “You’re risking your life to be here with me. The least I can do is make sure you’re well-fed in case you have to take down any vam--”

“What is all of this commotion?” a tall, slim woman cut off my sentence as she stepped outside a nearby patisserie and onto the cobbled sidewalk where Eli and I had been arguing loudly only a few seconds earlier.

“I’m so sorry, mademoiselle,” I said, pulling away from Eli to expose my puffy, red-rimmed eyes. I sniffled and wiped at my nose before continuing my apology. “We were just about to move on. We won’t be any more trouble.”

“No, no. My sweet, do not apologize. I see now it was a simple lovers’ quarrel. Please come inside and have something to eat--my treat,” she offered.

“Oh, we’re not lovers,” I said, a blush rising in my cheeks. “In fact, we barely know each other.”

“Nonsense,” she said. Her English was perfect, if not masked by a thick Parisian accent that made her seem even more elegant. “You clearly know each other very well. I can see in your eyes that you keep each other safe--more so, you keep each other’s secrets safe.”

It was a bit eerie that she could tell so much about us so quickly and just by looking at us. I didn’t have it in me to provide her any more explanation, and Eli wasn’t helping matters. He weaved his fingers between mine and planted a soft kiss on the top of my head. I rolled my eyes at the gesture, but rather than make a scene, I left my hand in his.

“Let’s go inside,” he said, nodding his head at the doorway the elegant woman was blocking with her slender form. A smile crept across his face, and he squeezed my hand in his. “I think I see an éclair with your name on it.”

I took a close look at the beauty standing before me and could not find a single flaw in any of her features. She was impeccably dressed in the latest fashions. Like me, her hair was a mass of auburn curls, but she had tamed hers into a sleek up do that perfectly framed her ultra-feminine face. She looked more like she should be walking a runway than baking biscuits and serving espresso.

“Sylvie,” Chip exclaimed excitedly as she and Addie made their way back toward us. She burst forward at a gallop and threw her arms around the woman who was so exquisite that I imagined most people automatically assumed she was a celebrity dressed for a red-carpet event.

“Bonjour, chère,” the stunning redhead bowed her head several inches so that her own cheeks were aligned with Chip’s. They exchanged kisses European style before stepping back to examine one another.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” Chip said, shock at running into this woman was written all over her face. “It’s been so long since you’ve come to visit. Why?”

“Why is not important, silly girl,” Sylvie waved her hand as though she was waving away the question. “What matters is that you are here now. I’ve missed you so much.”

The two embraced again before Chip turned to where the three of us stood watching their exchange.

“I take it you two know each other,” I said. “We were just about to go inside for a bite to eat. Why don’t we find a seat and let the two of you catch up.”

Chip said something to woman then in a language I didn’t recognize--definitely not French, maybe Spanish or Italian, and the woman’s face changed in appearance. Her once intangibly beautiful features turned down, and she took on a cold, bitter look.

“I think I liked it better when I didn’t understand what they were saying,” Eli added, taking a protective step in front of me. “I know this woman is some sort of friend of yours, Chip, but I think we should get going.”

“So, you must be Cordelia,” Sylvie said, all of her attention focused on me as she pushed past Chip and Eli to get to me. A look of disgust crossed her face as she unwound my hand from Eli’s, wrapped her arm around my shoulder and guiding me inside.

“It’s Lia to you,” I said coldly. “Only Chaseyn calls me Cordelia.”

As we walked through the crowded café, the others trailing behind us, she held my hand to her chest in what would appear to be a welcoming gesture to others, but I knew the deeper implication. She wanted me to feel what was there, or rather, what wasn’t there. Her chest was hollow--not that I was surprised--but it confirmed my suspicions. She was a full-blown vampire. At least that explained her otherworldly good looks, and I immediately felt a bit better knowing that, while she had likely been very beautiful in life, it was only in death that she could be this ravishing.

“I’m not intimidated by you and what you are,” I said flatly. I chose to ignore the look of confusion on Addie’s face and hoped that it would soon pass.

“Of course not, dear,” she said in a patronizing tone. “Why should you be?”

She led us to a dark table at the very back of the establishment and waved at one of the servers. He returned moments later with a tray full of French delicacies and coffee cups topped with foam and whipped cream. Forgetting the tension that could be cut with a knife, Eli began stuffing his face full of puffed pastries. I took comfort in the fact that he didn’t sense any danger. Then again, maybe he really didn’t have a clue.

“Chaseyn always did like redheads,” Sylvie said to break the silence. Until that moment, the only communication between us since sitting down at the table had been in the form of awkward stares. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s been with his fair share of blonds and brunettes, but he’s always had a soft spot for gingers.”

I hated her. Hated her to my very core. Even Frost and Alexei hadn’t elicited such loathing from me. And she knew it. I could tell by the way she looked at me with a sweet smirk pulling at her mouth. Addie squeezed my thigh in a show of support, and I petted her hand to let her know I appreciated the small gesture.

“Over the years of his youth, his bedroom had been a veritable revolving door, but that all stopped when he met me.”

Eli chose that moment to tune in, and he nearly choked on the mille feuilles he had been eating. Crumbs tumbled from his mouth as he reached for water to wash them down.

“Chaseyn and I were inseparable. We spent every waking moment together for years,” she continued, and I struggled to maintain my composure. “We planned on spending eternity in each other’s arms. Can you imagine that, Lia? Eternity.”

“What’s she talking about?” Addie asked. “She‘s making it sound like he’s ancient or something.”

Now, was not the time for her to clue in, and I looked to Eli for help.

“Hey, Addie, I’d really like to pick up something for Lia’s grandma. A silk scarf, maybe. What d’ya say we head back to that store I saw you and Chip checking out earlier?” Eli said, quickly swiping a napkin across his lips, downing the last dregs of his café latte, and grabbing her by the arm.

Addie practically toppled off the side of the chair as she struggled to grab her bag and follow his lead. She gave me a quick, compassionate glance, and when I nodded my silent assurance that I would be alright without her, she reluctantly left the café.

“Where were we? Oh, yes…right. You know what I miss most about Chaseyn?” Sylvie asked in a low voice, her stare boring holes into my own. I shook my head in response. “The way he makes love.”

I gripped the side of the table to keep from lunging forward. How dare she? How dare she talk about their lovemaking with a complete stranger? How dare she taunt me with the knowledge that they had been together intimately? Chaseyn had so much more integrity than that, and I was angry on his behalf. I tried with all my might to purse my lips and remain silent, but I had listened to enough of her ramblings. I simply couldn’t take any more.

“What right do you have to speak to me about these things? I don’t want to hear any more,” I said, standing up abruptly and slamming my fists down hard on the wrought iron table.

“Fascinating,” she said coolly. “The two of you have never made love.”

I was awestruck by the accusation and accuracy of her comment. It must have shown on my face because her faint grin quickly grew to a full-blown smile that stretched from ear-to-ear across her radiant face.

“He’s never touched you that way…like he has so many others. He had a real talent at fulfilling the carnal desires of young women all over Europe.”

“Let’s go, Chip. I don’t have to stay here and listen to her any longer,” I said, cutting off Sylvie’s vulgar words, grabbing my bag. and walking toward the door. Chip gave Sylvie a quick kiss before running up behind me.

“I’m sorry, Lia. I didn’t think she would be so…honest,” Chip said apologetically. “She’s always been very open, but I thought she would be able to keep it under control for one night. I should have known better. I heard from Balty that Chaseyn and Sylvie were together for a really long time. He only left when he found out about you, and you know the rest.”

“He didn’t mean to fall in love with me, did he?”

She shook her head. “He promised her he would come back.”

“But, he didn’t,” I whispered, the realization hitting me like a slab of concrete. “He told me been he had been in love once before. Was it her?”

How could it not be the same? I was so stupid to believe that he would wait for me…Chaseyn, the most amazing man in the entire universe had chosen to be with me, and I pushed him away like a fool. Why would he ever return to me if he wouldn’t even return to a woman as exquisite, worldly, and wise as Sylvie? I felt like a complete idiot for believing I had ever stood a chance at spending “eternity” with him.

“It’s different with you, Lia. Sylvie is part of a past that Chaseyn would rather forget,” Chip reassured. “According to Balty, he was a different person back then. He was someone you wouldn’t have wanted to know--someone unworthy of loving or being loved by you.”

It was too late. The seed of doubt was planted in my mind. Doubt that he really loved me. Doubt that he would return to me. He had made the same promises to another woman, and look how that had turned out. I sat down on the curb and burst into tears at the thought.

“Lia, you have to listen to me,” Chip insisted. “Chaseyn was very different before he met you. He wasn’t a bad person, but he was much more…selfish. He enjoyed the pleasures afforded to him because of his good looks and extreme wealth. He was young and sowing his wild oats. You can’t fault him for that.”

She was right. As much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn’t fault him for his actions before he met me. Isn’t that what I wanted to do, after all, by taking time away from him? Wasn’t I asking him to wait while I took time to enjoy my youth and sow some oats of my own? Still, I could fault him for the lies he had told Sylvie, and potentially, me.

That’s how Addie and Eli found us--Chip with her arm wrapped comfortingly around me as I rocked back and forth with my head resting on my knees. A biting chill swept through the otherwise balmy night air, and Eli wrapped the scarf he had bought for my grandma around my shoulders as he helped me to my feet.

“Let’s get out of here,” Addie said, handing me a tissue from her bag. “I’m not sure I understand exactly who Sylvie is or what she wants, but I know one thing for certain--she’s nothing but trouble.”

Chapter 20 - The Call

We didn’t go out that night like planned. I tried to pretend that everything was all right and that I still wanted to go dancing, but my friends--new and old--knew me too well. It was getting late, and we still had another night in Paris. They insisted that we didn’t have to spend every night out until the wee hours and that it would do us all some good to sleep off the day’s events.

Sleep being the operative.

That night, I tossed and turned for hours before finally falling asleep. And, when I finally did, the horrors I saw behind my closed lids were far worse than anything I had experienced before. At first, it was the same abstract scene as always, but then, there was a sudden change. I could make out the faded silhouette of a couple in the throes of passion. Their bodies twisted and writhed with the fulfillment of their lustful needs. I couldn’t see their faces, but the male had a telltale sweep of silver hair amidst his raven waves. The female had a mop of auburn curls, and the image ignited a yearning deep inside of me. Chaseyn and I were together, if only in my dreams. And then, I realized it wasn’t a dream but the worst nightmare I had experienced to date. The auburn curls were not my own. They were Sylvie’s, and though she may have been making love to Chaseyn, she was staring holes through me. Taunting me. She didn’t want him. She only wanted to hurt me.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t force my eyes to open. The same vision played over and over in my head all night long. Only the first light of day seeping through the curtains could break the spell. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and rolled out of bed. A quick sweep of the room told me that the others were still sound asleep and would be for a while. Relief washed over me--I didn’t want any witnesses to what I was about to do. I grabbed Addie’s purse from the dresser and walked out of the room.