Page 16 of Blood Ties (City of Blood #1)

Elina

Last night was perfect. If I had ever taken the time to wish for something, it would have been last night.

Unfortunately, I do not have the leisure to spend nights with my vampire friend, or to form an attachment to him.

I have to stop daydreaming and focus on the here-and-now.

‘Here-and-now’ are me and Grand-mere Celeste in this little house in this forgotten city ruled by vamps.

And he is the heir to the throne. What happens now?

I fall in love with him and live with him until I am old and grey and then I die?

I take that blood oath thing and give him vamp babies that will one day subjugate my own people and kill us?

No, I can’t let this continue. He is not a good person and he does not come from a good family.

I certainly do not intend to become enthralled with him or to let him change me.

This little romance that seems to be happening won’t work long term, and I don’t envision myself hanging out with vamps or going into the cathedral to meet his vamp family.

Dressing and going downstairs, I know that Grand-mere will have questions for me, questions I don’t really have an answer for. “Good morning, Grand-mere Celeste.”

“Good morning, dear. I’m glad you made it home safely. Tell me about your date with the prince?”

“Don’t call him prince—I don’t think that's a thing they say. At least, no one has mentioned it.” I don’t know how to explain it in a way that doesn’t feel weird or cheesy.

I hold how special last night was close to my chest, and I don’t want it ruined.

“Well, he took me to the City of the Dead and to a little magic shop. Then we talked at the cathedral and he brought me home.”

“A cemetery and a voodoo shop on a first date? Vampires.” She shakes her head in disbelief.

“It was actually kind of...perfect. It felt right for our first date, I guess. He told me some ghost stories and vampire lore, and filled in the blanks for some questions I had. At Nocturne Noir, he bought me a pendant. I’ll pick it up Wednesday.”

“Ok, and now what? You date? Elina, I try to let you make your own choices—God knows you shouldn’t have to be alone forever—but a vamp? Then what happens? You turn into one? You ravage our friends and family?” She looks so sad as she puts words to the voice in my head. This is a bad idea.

“I don’t know, Grand-mere. I expected to hate him, for him to be a selfish, violent vampire, not someone who feels...right. I don’t know.”

Walking toward the front door I hear her half whisper, “I just worry about you. How could this make you happy?”

Opening the door, something flutters to the floor, catching my eye. Bending to pick it up, I see it's an envelope addressed to me. Tearing it open, I sit on the porch swing.

April 12

Elina,

Last night was the greatest night I have spent in, longer than I care to admit, frankly.

After I dropped you off, there was a council meeting that did not go super well.

Afterwards, Talia attempted to stay the night with me and because of that, I spent the night perched across the street watching your house.

Admittedly, now that I’ve written that, I see that I come across a bit creepy.

Maybe I was too big of a coward to stay in that place knowing she had propositioned me. Maybe I just wanted to be close to you.

My every waking moment is consumed with thoughts of you and I hope that you’ll give me the opportunity to earn your thoughts in return.

Already, you mean more to me than anyone I’ve given my time to in 400 years.

My heart is full, knowing you gave me even a small space in your life.

I know you’re going to be thinking of all the things wrong with this, with us, but please don’t decide to give up what we could have because you’re afraid of it. Talk to me first.

So with hope that you’ll let me in, I want to write to you—to share my thoughts.

I’m going to see you tomorrow. Your house is quiet now and so is the street.

There is no vampire presence here, too far from the action, with only residential homes, so, no people coming and going either.

I asked Marcus to speak to the council about the out-of-control, new vampires and he has ruled that for now, no new vampires can be created.

Spending just a few hours with you in the city made me afraid.

I’m afraid for you and I never considered what it must be like to live in fear. Tell me how to help. What to do.

I need you to know that my heart is yours, all you have to do is take it.

-Bash

This man is insane.

He’s known me for a week and spent two hours alone with me and now his heart is mine?

Insane. I refold the letter and put it back in its envelope.

Going inside, I climb the stairs to my room.

Putting the envelope under my pillow, I lay down and think through everything he said.

He asked Marcus to help with the vamp problem—that’s good.

I guess spending time with me has helped him gain some perspective on humanity.

Talia on the other hand, what is that? Does she love him?

I decide to ask him later when he comes to the Velvet Tomb.

I’m not exactly jealous, I have no claim on him, nor do I love him.

It seems too convenient for her to be interested now that she has seen me, so I’m probably not the reason for her interest in Bash.

Maybe they already had a thing together, and she sees me as the interloper.

I might not have been nice to her when I saw her, but I am definitely a girl’s girl.

and if she has something with him, I am completely uninterested.

He did have that whole bathroom thing with Amelie, I didn’t even get to ask him about that.

Ugh! This is already so complicated, and we have only had one date.

Heading off to Sarah’s before I have to do a tour this afternoon, I steel myself to explain everything that has happened since yesterday.

Unlocking her door and slipping inside, I go in search of her.

“Hello, my darling,” I call out, walking through the house.

It’s dark and unusually quiet. I check my watch—it’s after 1 o’clock—so, I expect Sarah would be awake by now.

Opening her closed bedroom door, I come face-to-face with Ethan.

He has his sharp fangs on display and the weak light from the hallway casts him in a deep shadow, but I can make out the floppy brown hair falling in his face, the same way it has his entire life.

His brown eyes shine in the dark room, almost cat-like.

I let out a startled screech as I freeze by the door, trying to make sense of what I am seeing.

He jumps back with a hiss, snapping his fangs at me, and I realize that her bedroom is black as night, not a single molecule of light coming in from the windows I know exist on the south side of the room.

I can hear his labored breathing, his gnashing teeth.

“Elina!” Sarah jumps up from the bed and pushes me out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“What the actual fuck, Sarah? There is a vampire in your bedroom! And your bedroom was a tomb. Oh my god, how long has this been going on?”

“It’s not just a vampire, it’s Ethan, Elina.

My Ethan. He’s been here since a few days after the attack.

He showed up one night and got down on his knees and begged me to forgive him.

” I, mentally, calculate what that means, and that he was, most assuredly, here the last time I visited.

“He heard what happened to me and panicked. He said he needed to know if I was ok. We boarded up the windows so he had a safe place to rest and he has been here ever since. He heard you come inside during his rest and jumped up to defend us, he didn’t realize who you were.

I’m sorry, I should have told you. But you hate the vamps so much I didn’t know how.

” Her words rush out of her like she couldn’t control the flow and needed to purge it all.

I drag her into my arms and hold her tightly.

“Jesus, Sarah. I could never hate them enough to not understand your desire for happiness. That’s absurd.

You’re like a sister to me. I want nothing more than for you to be happy.

I’ve been so worried about you since Ethan left.

Oh my god—that awful thing I said to you the other night about never telling you to give Ethan a chance—when he was here the whole time.

I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t tell me.

Let’s go downstairs and talk, there is a lot to talk about it seems.”

Two hours and a lot of tea later, we have covered all the ground between us.

I told her, in minute detail, about my date with Bash and how I felt about all the issues between us.

She told me how glad she was to have Ethan home, even if he was a vampire now.

I knew she was heartbroken, and I surreptitiously swipe at the tears that escape the corners of my eyes listening to the love in her voice.

“But tell me what it’s like with him here, where you live in the day and he lives in the night?”

“I don’t really live in the day though, do I?

I work at night—all night—and I’m only off 2 nights a week.

I sleep a good portion of the day anyway, so I sleep next to him.

It almost feels like sleeping next to the dead, he doesn’t so much as twitch in his sleep.

It's disconcerting. I keep wanting to check for signs of life before I remember he is, in fact, dead. It’s so bizarre though.

As soon as the sun comes up, no matter what, he is so overcome with the need to sleep that he has to lie down immediately.

And then as soon as the sun sets, he sits right up, wide awake. ”

“How is the…” and I wiggle my eyebrows at her. She blushes from her neck to the tips of her ears, her cheeks a bright crimson.