Page 13 of Relic

THIRTEEN

After leaving the safe room, we enter Horatio’s lavish bathroom attached to his bedroom. It’s bigger than my entire apartment. In the corner is a claw foot tub in front of a floor to ceiling window, but the window is covered by vines and other trees that maintain privacy, giving the feeling of being in a secret garden.

Silently, and I mean like stealth silent, Sven enters the room. He opens a linen closet and pulls a basket out then he moves to the bath where he begins to prepare it. I stand by awkwardly.

“I’ve never had someone who does things like this.”

Horatio smiles. “I’ve never not had it.”

“You were rich when you were mortal?”

“Yes.”

I nod, biting my lip. “I have a lot of questions.”

“I’ll answer them. What would you like for dinner? Sven is a talented chef, if somewhat out of practice.”

I laugh softly. “Anything. I like all foods.”

Sven’s face lights up. “I’ll make my specialty then.” He opens another cabinet and takes out two fluffy towels. After he sets them on a small velvet bench, he bows toward Horatio. “Please let me know if I am needed.”

“Do remember to use meat common amongst the mortals, Sven.”

“Oh, right. I’ll be mindful, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, sir.”

I’m afraid to ask what meat he might use if Horatio didn’t say that.

Once he’s gone, Horatio turns to me. “I would like to undress you. Will you allow it?”

“You’re staying for the bath?”

Horatio tilts his head with a smirk on his lips. “Unless you protest.”

Do I? Not really. “You can stay.”

His smirk widens to a bright smile, revealing glimmering white teeth.

“Can I ask questions?”

“Yes.”

“How old are you?”

He pauses tugging on my shirt as if he’s thinking. “Two hundred and twenty-three years old at last count.”

“Wow. Where were you born?”

“France. In Paris. I was a man of twenty when I became a vampire.”

“Twenty? No offense but you look older. Good, but older than twenty.”

He laughs softly, removing my shirt. “It’s simply how I carry myself that makes me appear older. Look closely. Not a wrinkle to be seen.”

“But you have some gray hair.”

“Ah, yes. That happened early for all the men in my family.”

“Oh wow.”

He moves to my jeans, easily unbuttoning them.

“How did it happen?”

Instead of answering me, he grips my hips. “You are too thin, my sweet. I need to fatten you up.”

I feel my cheeks blush. “I don’t eat a lot.”

“Because you don’t want to or because you can’t?”

“Can’t. I’m careful with money so I only eat one meal a day.”

“I will fix that.” He pulls my briefs down, his eyes taking on a hungry look. “Ah, such beauty.”

I clear my throat. “Thank you.”

He stares a little longer before licking his lips. “What were you asking me?”

“How it happened to you.”

“Right.” Horatio leads me to the tub and helps me in while he sits on another small bench.

“Aren’t you joining me?”

The vampire’s eyes light up. “I would love to, but I didn’t want to force myself upon you.”

“I invited you.”

“By all means.”

He strips off his gorgeous suit lightning quick, tossing it carelessly on the bench and revealing his body bit by bit. His chest is broad with a light dusting of hair across it, thickening on his belly, and even more so to the trail that slips beneath his trousers. When those drop, I gasp at his nudity. The man doesn’t wear underwear, and damn, has he been blessed in the dick department.

“Am I pleasing to you, my little beignet?”

With a sharp exhale, I nod. “Yep.”

“Good.”

Horatio steps into the tub across from me, stretching his long legs around me. “Now, your question. It was during the revolution. I was strolling along the Seine, and a man approached me. He was dressed as impeccably as any fine gentleman would be. He said he was in need of company and did I know where he could find some.”

“Was he hitting on you?”

“Yes, indeed. Sodomy laws were still in effect, only months from being repealed. One had to be discreet, particularly, one of wealth and social standing. I found the man pleasing so I offered to accompany him. That was my way of accepting his company.”

“Wow.” I drag my fingers through the sudsy water. “How did he know you’d accept?”

“He didn’t. That’s part of the vague questioning. I imagine I gave off a certain affability.”

“Then what happened?”

“I took him to my flat. We shared wine and other things. We talked late into the night. He asked me if I enjoyed life, and I told him I did. Even during the war, I looked forward to a new France. He told me he could offer me something even my wealth could not buy. He could offer me immortality.”

A shiver runs through me. “Were you scared?”

“Intrigued. I did wonder if he was mad, but he seemed sane enough. That’s when he revealed it all. He told me what he was and bared his fangs to me. My health had never been the best, and I worried that the next cough or fever would be my last.” Horatio smiles fondly as if replaying the night in his mind. “I accepted his offer.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. I offered my neck to him and he drank.”

“And then?”

“And then I died.”

I gasp as Horatio grins.

“I died in his arms, only to be awoken moments later sucking hungrily on his wrist. Suddenly, all my ailments were gone. I felt rested and strong and so alive.”

“Whoa.”

“Then he left me to rest. When I opened my eyes again, he was gone.”

Horatio’s voice went from nostalgic and dreamy to hard and cold.

“He left me with no instructions or understanding of what I had become. I struggled with insatiable hunger. Vomited if I tried to eat. It only took a few days until I was a shell of who I was. As I lay on my bed, awaiting death, the man’s voice filled my head. Drink, it said. Drink and you will live.”

I nod, hanging on his every word.

“I drew on all my strength and left my home, wandering the dark streets looking for my victim. I found him. A gentleman of ill repute as he was called at the time. I knew of him. He often visited with men in my circles. His reputation for relieving men of their money and leaving them with a need to see the doctor was well known. I decided it would be him.”

I lean forward, hungry for his story. “And?”

“I approached him, lured him into a doorway and dragged my lips across his neck. He complied, unknowing what would happen next.” His eyes dim as he pulls them away from me. “I didn’t know what the limits were. I only knew I was starving. So I fed until the gnawing hunger in my stomach faded. By then he was dead. That was not my intention.”

I can tell it makes him sad.

“I ran away, frightened of being caught. It took me three days before the hunger pushed me to hunt again. I went to the same area, feeding on those who had lost their way. Four people died at my hand until I learned where the limit was. I also learned multiple feedings prevent the blood lust from taking over. It was a dark time.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He lifts his eyes to me again. “It was a long time ago. I can eat without murder. Should I choose to. New Orleans offers many options and no one has to die.” He smiles again, calmer now I think. “I’m careful with how I grant immortality. It’s rare that I even do.”

“Sven?”

He nods.

“Did you ever see the man again? The one who turned you?”

He shakes his head. “No. I heard his name in circles. If the rumors are true, he was killed some time in the 19th century. A scorned lover of all things.”

“Did it make you sad?”

“No. I may have done it myself had our paths crossed again.”

Silence settles over us while that sinks in. Eventually more questions bubble up in me.

“Have you been in love before?”

Horatio shakes his head. “It’s somewhat of a joke to those who know me well how fickle my tastes are.”

I scrunch my nose. “Oh, that’s right. You dispose of your lovers.”

“In the past, yes, but I admit, I’ve allowed a lover in my bed on pure attraction alone with no thought to compatibility.”

“You want the same with me.”

“I did. I admit it freely, but I won’t attempt to charm you into my bed. It would do neither of us good. That said…” He reaches under the water and pulls my hand up, clutching it. “My interest in you has shifted.”

“Because Orson and the IDVs want me?”

“Not entirely, Emery. Because you’re not like anyone I’ve met in my many years of existence. You compelled me to stay close, yet I find no resentment in my heart for it. I want your closeness. I crave it even.”

His eyes glow with a red ring around them that takes my breath away.

“My darling Emery, you have enraptured me. I’m caught in your web and I plan to stay there. Will you allow me to show my desire for you?”

“Is that a poetic way of asking if I’ll have sex with you?”

A sexy smirk plays on his lips. “Yes, it is. Instead of charm, I offer truth. I seek your true consent. I want you to want me.”

A shiver runs through me. Of course I want to sleep with Horatio, but I have so many questions and doubts. The last man who touched me ended up wanting me dead.

Horatio tilts his head. “Speak your concerns.”

Could he tell I was freaking out? “I’m obviously attracted to you. I mean, we’re in the bath right now.”

Horatio nods.

“But I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect like I do with regular men. Plus…” I shake my head. I scrunch my face.

“What?”

“Linx was the last and he…” A violent memory shakes my insides.

“Did he harm you during sex?”

I shake my head. “No. Kind of. He didn’t always wait for me to say yes.”

The look of anger on Horatio’s face makes me recoil slightly. He moves forward in the water, almost without me noticing it, pulling me into his embrace. His body trembles against mine, and I realize it’s not from any kind of nerves. It’s from rage.

“If he wasn’t already dead, I would kill him.”

I close my eyes and press my face to his chest. “Promise me something, Horatio.”

“Anything.”

I exhale slowly, pulling back to meet his eyes. “If you decide you don’t want me anymore, make it quick. Don’t drag it out, don’t be cruel and cold. Cut me loose quickly however it is you do that.”

“Emery…”

“I’ll leave too. You don’t have to kill me, but if you do, I’d rather be dead than deal with what Linx put me through again.”

Horatio cups my face. “Darling, my sweet Emery, I may be a monster to many people, but I am nothing like Linx. Men like him are cowards. I would never mistreat you or take what is not mine without consent. I’m not a perfect man, not even a good one really, but I am capable of kindness, devotion, protection, and even love I think. I promise you with all that I am, no harm will ever come from me.”

“But why… you killed lovers in the past?”

“Every relationship has its circumstances. You are not any of those lovers.” He holds my hands inside both of his. “I honestly can’t tell you why I know you’re different, but I do. I know it on a soul level. It would be impossible for me to harm you.”

I nod, blinking away the tears collecting in my eyes. “I believe you.”

“Thank you. I’ve been honest with you about my past because…” The vampire pauses, his brow creasing.

When he doesn’t continue, I put my hand over his heart. “Because what?”

“Because I sense there’s more between us than either of us even know yet. I knew it as soon as I drank from you.”

My stomach does an excited flip. “I wish I remembered that completely.”

“You don’t have to remember.” He presses two fingers under my chin to lift my face slightly. I watch in awe as his fangs descend. “Grant me permission and you can experience it again.”

“A-and you won’t kill me or turn me into a vampire?”

He smiles. “Not at all. I am well acquainted with restraint when needed.”

“Did, um, did you drink from Linx?”

He flinches in disgust. “All the gods, no. I do not drink filth.”

His answer causes a happy bubble to burst in my chest. “That’s good.”

“Now, my darling, enough questions for tonight. Stand and let me wash your body. Let me show you my reverence for your beauty. Let me shower you in my desire and envelop you in my affection. You can sleep well in my arms tonight knowing that while I live and breathe, nothing and no one will ever hurt you again.”

Butterflies take flight in my stomach as I nod. “Yes, please. Show me how a real man makes love.”

He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it. “With absolute pleasure.”