Valentine

Chapter Seven - Elizabeth

I still can't believe that I accepted another offer the night that I was nearly taken advantage of, but in the midst of such tragedy, a knight in shining armor sparkles brighter than the monster that tried to take a liberty against you. Even if that knight was clad in black, mysterious and armed to the teeth. There's something mystical about Orion, though. He was dangerous but in the kind of way that you want to get to know him better. He had the allure and authority that many guys would only dream of, and many girls would dream of being with.

So when I accepted the offer, I didn’t think about everything that could go wrong, only everything that would go right. He could have been my way out, giving me the life I deserved. I wanted to know more about him, I wanted to find the key that would unlock the mysteries of a man that came in like a hurricane and saved my virtue and possibly, life.

“So you’re going on a date tonight, huh?” My dad asked, chuckling from his seat. His bloated belly sticking out from under the tight shirt he wore. Over the years, he'd gained a good deal of weight but was too frugal to buy himself new clothes that would benefit his new look.

“I do,” My mother must have told him. I was also dressed in a tight evening dress that accentuated my best assets, “I’m looking forward to it. Orion’s a very nice guy.”

“Where’s he gonna take you? Joe’s diner is the only real place to go on a date around here.” He inquired.

“I don’t really know what he’s got planned. But he should be here soon, so we’ll find out then.” And as the last word left my lips a knock came on the door.

“Speak of the devil,” My father said, pulling himself out of the chair in which he sat, fixing his shirt. My mother was in the kitchen, getting high, the stench of m*******a filling the house. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted for the first time I brought a boy home, but my mother needed the herb to relax and settle down, especially when meeting new people. And if any of my daydreams held true, I wouldn’t be here much longer. I’d be swept off by the handsome Orion.

I walked over to the door, opening up, and there stood Orion. Dressed in black, again, this time the coat was off. He wore a billowing black dress shirt, a pair of black pants, which were reminiscent of jeans but not quite the same material and black shoes. Everything about him looked prim and fancy, and everything about the ensemble showed off his own… assets.

“Elizabeth. Thank you again for accepting my offer to come out. I hope your family does not mind me taking you out for the evening." He said, bowing low and on his return up he brought my knuckle to his lips in a similar fashion to how he left me a few nights before.

“I don’t think we mind at all.” My dad cut in, looking him over with a smug grin, “So you’re Orion then?” He leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed.

“Sir,” Orion said, bringing his arms over his chest in a cross and bowing down. When my mother entered the room from the kitchen, he did the same. It must have been a sign of respect where he came from, but from my understanding that was just up the road, so why then would his customs be so different?

“Most people just give a handshake, so that’s an interesting way to go about saying hello.” My dad said, trying to be funny.

“Yes. My ways are different than yours, sir. Do forgive if I have offended you.” I turned to face my dad, who was shocked at Orion’s response, “My name is Orion Valentine, High Knight of Lamia. I am certain this will mean nothing to you, but customs dictate I give title and stance.”

“I’m Angus, and this is Moon Flower.” I could see my dad was shocked at Orion and his eccentricities.

“Lord Angus and Lady Moon Flower. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Orion added.

“You don’t have to put the act on, son. We’re all friends here.” Dad said. Knowing him, he probably did think that this was all for show. Just to win my parents over so that he’d be seen in a bright light, but something told me that Orion wasn’t that kind of person. He didn’t care about acting, he was who he was and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from being just that.

“Well, now that the meet and greet is over. I think we should head out.” I said.

“I agree. There’s a full moon out tonight.” That seemed out of place, but a lot of what Orion did was, “Lord Angus, Lady Moon Flower.” Orion said again, bowing to each in the same cross over his chest fashion and turned to the door stepping out. I followed.

“So what do you have planned for the evening?” I asked, turning to face the house one last time. Both my mother and father watched as we walked off.

“A picnic.” His reply, walking towards the edge of the property, where two horses sat outside the gate. I was expecting a car, and everything he told me before to be a joke, but at the sight of the steeds, I knew that everything he said was completely true.

“That actually sounds pretty nice. It might be weird, but I’ve never been on a real picnic before. I’ve also never gotten on a horse before." I admitted. The picnic idea was romantic, getting onto a horse? Well, that terrified me. Even when my dad wanted to start the farming business, I found it difficult to help out. I was taught that the animals were friendly, but they all terrified me.

But I'd give it a shot because the night was young, the twinkling stars sparkled in dazzling brilliance and I felt safe with Orion at my side.

“Then I will teach you how. It’s really quite simple. I found a very nice, open piece of land near a lake not too far, so even if we take it slow, we will have no issues with reaching our destination.” Orion opened the gate, gesturing that I step out, he followed behind. The horses remained low until Orion whistled. They jumped to attention, standing motionless, looking ahead, both saddled up. One was black, had an emblem that I couldn’t quite make out on the saddle and a few packs of something littering its sides. This must have been Orion’s horse and the picnic goodies. The other was white, with a brown saddle that looked well padded, “I brought my most tamed horse for you to ride. Her name is Bella,” Orion said, “Place your foot in one stirrup and pull yourself up and over. The other foot hooks on the other side and you are ready to ride.” He instructed, showing me how to do it on his own horse.

“You sure this thing won’t drop me right?” I put my foot in the stirrup and hoisted myself up with a little scream.

“She is not a thing,” It was the first time I’d seen Orion break his composure with a small giggling, “She is precious. I’ve never seen her not get on with another.”

“Good news then,” While I spoke, Orion made a yip sound and Bella began to move. She went slowly, but even moving slowly gave me a fright.

"So what's with you? That sounded rude, I didn't mean it in a rude way." I quickly corrected so that there were no ill intentions over the night.

“I didn’t think you meant it badly,” He replied, “But I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You’re just different than anyone I’ve ever met. You speak about your customs and s**t, but we live in the same age. Where do you come from? What do you do? How are you so perfect and the rest of us are so bland?” I replied. I was nervous, anticipating his answer. It was all just surreal and I couldn’t help but think this was some game for some wealthy family that enjoyed messing with the poor folks. It was all over movies, and they eventually fell in love, but real life was not a movie. What if William and Orion were on the same page? I needed to be sure before I went any further.

“When I say that I’m different, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. If I explain, I know you will not understand, and thus I will not do so just yet. I first need to make sure that you are ready to hear what I would be telling you, for if you don’t, there would be no point in having spoken about it at all.” He admitted, "That being said, my mother is ill. Death will take her soon if the insanity doesn't get her first. I don’t have much time to find someone that can take her place. Tonight, I will explain everything to you in pieces, and if you believe that you can be a part of my family and my legacy, then we will continue on in our venture. If you do not, then we will end our time there." I couldn't tell if this was some kind of hazing prank or if he was being serious. Everything in his demeanor and his actions led me to believe that this was all above board, and so I thought riding in silence was the best way to go about this until we arrived at our destination.

~ ~ ~

Orion did all of the legwork for the picnic. He laid out a checkered blanket, champagne, strawberries and various other fruits scattered about, finger sandwiches, slices of meat and other such ingredients too. He lit candles, and everything seemed authentic and genuine, and in that moment I could see myself spending the rest of my life with the charming, romantic, tragic anti-hero that was Orion Valentine.

We sat under a tree, overlooking what must have been the only clean lake in all of Meyerton, which was so pure it reflected the moon in its waters. Orion rested his back against the tree, pecking at a strawberry that he'd been holding for over ten minutes. The candles lit up his face at all the right angles, accentuating the strong jawline, gorgeous cheeks and a smile that was plastered on his face since we sat down.

“So then, what’s this big secret?” I finally shouted when I couldn’t hold it in anymore. There was sweet talk and kind words throughout the evening, but I wanted to get into the juicy gossip.

Orion took a moment of silence, scoffing and shaking his head, plopping the rest of the strawberry in his mouth.

“I don’t quite know how to say what I’m going to say without sounding like a loon.” He added, “My mother is dying and I need to find a queen to replace her with great urgency. Everything I know, everything I’ve learned, all my instincts point me in your direction and I do not know why. Do you see why I struggle to mention this?” He said.

“I do. It does sound kind of lunatic-like.” I replied.

“But that being said, it’s all true. I am in search of the next queen. This is not even the worst of it. What I’m going to tell you next, Elizabeth, that’s where the true lunacy lies.”

“Well, I’ve stuck around this long, I might as well hear out the rest.” I said. I wanted to take this conversation seriously but it was getting harder and harder for me to do that, with everything Orion had already told me.

“I need you to take this seriously, Elizabeth. This must be uncomfortable for you, but there is potential to a greater life beyond the borders of Meyerton waiting for you, if you just listen to me,” Orion fell silent, pulling a small bag from his pocket. He dumped the contents onto the blanket he’d laid out for this picnic; rolling paper, tobacco, filters and a box of matches.

For most of the evening, I forgot he smoked.

“You wouldn’t mind?” He asked, starting to construct the cigarette before I answered.

“Not at all,” I watched him pick up the paper, drop a filter into the left side, fill it paper with tobacco, roll it between his fingers and lick the glued edge and stick it together. He handed it towards me, and I just raised a hand.

Smoking, I never could digest.

“Right, so I should get into it then,” Orion said, resting the cigarette between his lips, striking a match and bringing it to his mouth. The end caught flame, and he flicked the match out into the night; it died before it hit the ground, “As you know, I am a knight of my mother’s court. To you this may mean nothing but to me and my people, it’s a high honor,” Orion paused, puffing on the cigarette to make sure that it was lit enough before inhaling deep. After exhaling the drag, he spoke again, “The reason my rank and title is important to me and my people is because it’s one that takes hundreds of years to attain. I am one of three knights left in mother’s court, her most trusted, though I assume this is because we are blood related.”

He sounded medieval, like he’d just stepped out of a doorway from another time where knights and dragons walked free. Nothing about what Orion was telling me made any sense and I wanted to laugh out of sheer discomfort. I knew that would send the wrong message, so I held back and listened.

Again wishing I’d never come out tonight.

“To put it in simple terms, the Valentine family are vampires. My mother is the queen of our coven.” Orion finished.

This time, I couldn’t hold back. I burst out into trembling laughter, for so long and so hard, that tears formed in my eyes. A vampire? Did he really think anyone would believe that? When the laughter subsided, I started feeling more embarrassed than anything else. He probably tried so hard to make that sound cool, but it just didn’t and couldn’t. This was the real world, right?

But after the joy I found in what he said, I looked into Orion’s eyes. He was unwavering and unflinching; everything about him showing that he truly believed what he just said to me.

“You can’t be serious? You’re a vampire? No way. They don’t exist.” My joy was replaced with anger. Who did he think he was trying to play this prank on me? It wasn’t even a good one. He treated me to a romantic night just to break it all down by the end of the evening.

“I am. I have ways to show you that I’m telling the truth, or I could just plant the seed in your mind and you’d be forced to believe it, but I don’t want to do that. So instead, I’m going to take you to meet my mother, her people and all the rest,” Orion stated. The way he held himself and said what he did just proved that he believed everything he said. Nothing showed a sway in his virtue towards this.

“Fine. Then let’s get going,” I replied, hopping up. Orion remained seated, continuing to smoke.

“My mother’s going to expect you to take her place if we walk through those doors. I would suggest you play along, even if you choose not to be a part of this in the future. Mother is not one to take these matters lightly.” Orion looked up at me with his gorgeous eyes and I couldn’t help but blush. Turning away so he wouldn’t notice, I heard the shuffling of everything being packed up.

“I’ll do that, sure.” I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but it seemed all the more exciting, walking into this blind.