Chapter 11
2496 Words
I spent the afternoon packing my bags while Connor did the same. Knocks on my door forced me to leave the bedroom, and I dreaded discovering my mother when I opened it. A sigh of relief escaped me when I recognized Stella.
“It’s just me,” she said, raising her hands with a friendly smile.
I returned her smile and invited her inside.
“I just spoke with Carmichael, and I understand that you fought.”
“You surprise me!” I said.
“He told me you were going on a trip with Connor.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m leaving the castle for a while, too.”
“Oh?”
“I’m going to replace Connor and go to New York to take over.”
“That’s great news, Stella!”
She blushed, seeming sincerely grateful for this show of confidence from her king. Our departure had at least caused something positive.
Stella was the only caste of the castle to come close to me in age, despite being nine years older, and immediately attracted my sympathy. This incendiary brunette, with dark eyes, full lips and an athletic body, had long been Carmichael’s assistant. And I wasn’t surprised she enjoyed such a promotion. This interim would undoubtedly be a first step in the achievement of her objectives, and I didn’t doubt for a moment that she would succeed in the task entrusted to her.
“I came to say goodbye,” she said, opening my arms.
I kissed her and congratulated her again.
“See you in a few months, then?”
“I should hope so!”
“Do you know a lot of people there?” I asked.
“Enough. At least enough to be granted the respect necessary for the success of this mission.”
“So much the better. I don’t know where I’m going.”
“It can be exciting sometimes not to know! And there will be Connor, so you’re safe. Not to mention your powers.”
“I only practice,” I said with a sigh. “I never needed to use them, unlike her.”
“It must not be easy to be constantly in her shadow.”
Her remark confused me. Was I really in my mother’s shadow? Was that what they said about me inside the castle walls? I had never thought about the question and someone thinking this didn’t please me. I didn’t want any role that would show me off or compete with her epic story, but I didn’t feel inferior either!
Stella handed me some documents, including my passport and a substantial sum of money that would allow me to enjoy the trip. This attention from Carmichael and, no doubt, my mother, touched me, even though I had my own money to support myself thanks to the inheritance received from my father.
After a final hug and respective encouragement, Stella handed me another envelope.
“That’s from Connor.”
“Thank you,” I told her before she walked out the door.
I immediately opened the envelope and discovered for the first time the flexible writing of my tattooed lover.
8 p.m. in the castle ballroom. (Not the Pomona Room)
See you later, princess.
I knew where the famous room was. I had learned that the place had hosted the wedding festivities of my mother and Carmichael. Two large oak doors separated me from inside, and I took a deep breath before opening it, not knowing what to expect. My eyes widened in surprise.
The room was huge and plunged into darkness, except for the halo of light given off by the candles arranged on a small round table covered with a white tablecloth: ridiculously small in the middle of the vastness of the place.
Connor was standing next to a sideboard where dishes with silver covers were arranged. I widened a smile and walked over to him, the room’s darkness masking my rosy cheeks. I came within reach and watched him run a hand through his dishevelled brown hair. He was visibly embarrassed, and I realized that he must not have been used to lavishing this kind of attention. I snuggled up against him and wrapped my arms around his chest. He grabbed my head with his hands and pulled it up. I looked at his flawless face and ran my thumbs over his perfectly symmetrical eyebrows. My hands then went to the sides of his face, and I pulled him towards me. His long passionate kiss warmed my cheeks a little more, and my pulse pounded at my temples.
“Would you like to sit down now, Princess?”
I smiled at this little nickname he had already given me and which had such an effect on me, combined with the warmth of his voice.
“With pleasure,” I replied, taking my place on the chair.
He walked around the table, and I had to suppress the urge to clap my hands as I was excited and delighted by this delicate attention. He served the starters himself and lifted the covers. Before my eyes, a plate of truffled foie gras appeared. I salivated in advance.
He finally settled in front of me. His blue eyes were dark in the candlelight, and his gaze was all the more seductive. A fearsome smile ruffled his dimples as he brought his fork to his irresistible mouth.
“I’d like to know more about your past in America,” he said in his hoarse voice, which now acted like an aphrodisiac whenever I heard it.
“Really?” I said. “I don’t have much to tell.”
“Of course, yes.”
After swallowing a morsel, I decided to start from the beginning.
“Before me, my parents tried several times to have a child. But all their attempts failed. My father was in his late forties when they finally managed to conceive.”
“It’s strange they succeeded in having an immortal first child, where I always failed.”
“Have you ever had children?!”
“Several. But none turned out to be immortal.”
“They are dead?”
“All.”
A silence settled. My throat choked as I struggled to understand his last words. His gaze seemed to cloud over for a moment, and then he resumed the discussion.
“That’s why I left their mothers as soon as they were born.”
“That’s horrible!”
“I understand that you might think so, but once you’ve seen your first child die, you think twice before experimenting again. I took charge of their future by mutual agreement with their mothers, but I admit, I have tried many times. Too many times. I have long hoped to have a son with me.”
“I see,” I whispered, trying in vain to imagine the consequences that loneliness could have on a life as long as his.
“Let’s get back to you,” he continued after a silence. “You lived on ranches all your life, I believe.”
“Your information is good. Besides, is it necessary to tell you everything if you had me watched all this time?”
“I would like to know your feelings during this time. That, even my most zealous informants cannot provide.”
“Well, I moved many times during my childhood. My mother was the subject of gossip, and I quickly realized that I shouldn’t attach myself to the places I lived. It wasn’t difficult for me because I was always surrounded by love. My father and mother were role models and worked hard to make me happy every day. I went to different schools and attended the University of Missoula, Montana.”
“The Montana Grizzlies!” he said with a smile.
“Yes! You know?”
“I’m Lord of the Western Territory. Have you forgotten? There isn’t a basketball team that I don’t know about in the United States. I love it.”
“Me too!” I said, playful and delighted to learn that we shared this common point.
“Have you been to see some games?”
“A lot!”
“I hope we’ll have the opportunity to go and see them together one day,” he said as a strange light crossed his eyes. “What’s your favourite team?”
“Utah Jazz,” I said, causing him to smile. “Okay, they can’t compete with the Lakers or the Knicks, but they were the first team that I went to with my dad when I was very young. And we lived for a while near Salt Lake City. That’s even where we stayed the longest. I have wonderful memories of it. And you, what’s your favourite team?”
“Nets.”
“They’re not the most gifted,” I whispered.
“Ditto for the Jazz, I would point out. Do you have other hobbies?”
“Horses. My father transmitted this passion to me. And drawing.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I have always liked to draw or paint. My parents didn’t have a TV or anything modern except cell phones. So I occupied my days in the company of my horses or with a brush.”
He smiled, and that smile created irresistible dimples that captivated me. I could have stared at him like that for hours. He got up and took the empty plates, which he placed on the lowest tray of the sideboard. Then, he put the dishes on the table and revealed under the covers, magnificent… burgers and fries!
“I’m dreaming!” I said, amazed. “I haven’t eaten this for more than two months.”
“I suspected so. When I ordered it, I thought the chef’s jaw would drop.”
I laughed and immediately took the first bite. He served us a glass of wine, a Bordeaux grand cru.
“How many guys have you had?”
I thought I was going to choke; I didn’t expect this question. I swallowed hard and had to wash it all down with a long sip of wine, which was delicious.
“Uh, I would say... Twenty.”
“Oh, yeah!” he exclaimed, apparently expecting another response.
“What?”
“Uh, no, nothing.”
“I’m sure you must have had more than twenty women in your life in two hundred and sixty years!”
“That’s true, but I don’t remember having known so many at twenty-seven.”
I’m blushing. He let out a laugh.
“And have you ever loved any of them?”
“No,” I admitted, taken aback by the frankness of his question. “Sometimes I thought so, but it was enough to look at my parents to understand that it was far from being love. And you? During your long life, it must have happened.”
“Never.”
“Never?!”
“Oh, no. My father had warned me of the suffering such an attachment would cause. He had seen the only woman he had ever loved die before his eyes.”
“My mother told me about it,” I said.
“What else did she tell you?”
“That he had hurt her.”
“He did a lot. But he was my father.”
“I understand.”
A silence fell during which each of us finished our meal. When the desserts were laid out, neither of us had yet spoken.
“What is the program?” I inquired, thinking of our departure for Brazil.
He raised an eyebrow and seemed to think for a moment while a certain agitation crossed his eyes. Then he smirked, put his hands on the table and brought his face closer.
“The program? Here it is: we’ll finish our desserts, go to your room, and I’ll make love to you for hours, so you might have trouble walking tomorrow.”
“I’m game!”
The day after a fabulously erotic night, and once the suitcases were ready, we stood at the castle entrance, where all its inhabitants were waiting for us. The twins hugged me, followed by Elvis and Soraya. Then it was the turn of my uncles, Leticia and Guillaume, and finally Johnny and Alonso. I then walked over to Carmichael, who agreed to hug me, despite his disagreement with the escapade. When my chest touched his body, and I could feel his magnetic power more clearly, my cheeks ignited, a warm breath caressed my spine, and my head burned like a torch. I moved away quickly. He must have noticed my sudden excitement and apologized with a knowing nod. Still seized by this delectable, though highly unseemly sensation, I turned to Prisca, which allowed me to calm my passion. When I finished saying my goodbyes to her, I finally went to meet my mother, whose unfathomable eyes seemed to contain tears.
“Take care of yourself and give me your news quickly.”
“I promise you.”
A silence followed these words. The embarrassment was still palpable after the painful words we had exchanged the day before. She finally unrolled her arms, and I snuggled into them. She hugged me tightly for a long moment before pulling away reluctantly. Her hand rested on my face, and then she nodded to me that it was time to leave.
“I love you.”
“Me too, mom,” I said, fighting back my tears, moved by my mother, who didn’t usually use these words.
Edward, Estelle’s son, drove us to the airport, where we had agreed to take Connor’s private jet. Seized with excitement at the prospect of making the trip in such a display of luxury so far unknown to me, I kept a playful expression on my face until we took off.
“Champagne?” inquired the hostess.
“No thanks. A Diet Coke, if you have that,” I replied, while a smile appeared on Connor’s lips.
The hostess returned with a tray laden with two glasses and handed me mine filled with the soft drink I had ordered.
“To our first trip!” I exclaimed before taking a long sip from my glass.
Connor raised his glass as well, and his eyes suddenly filled with an ominous gleam. I gave him a look of incomprehension, and then I had to blink because my vision blurred, and dizziness seized me. A veil obscured my sight and prevented me from seeing him more clearly. An unusual feeling took hold of my body, and my heart beat faster. I unfastened my seatbelt with difficulty, my movements seeming slow and clumsy. I tried to get up, but my legs couldn’t carry me. I hadn’t taken a step when I collapsed on the ground. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I could barely notice Connor lifting my limp body.
A minute later, I plunged into a dark abyss.
- Writer
