A Grave Exchange (8 page)

Once again, I suffered through a feeling of inadequacy. Even my smile felt awkward.

“Ivy
,
I told you before
, there’s no reason for you to feel like that.
I have lived a long time, I have worked hard
,
and
yes, I’ve amassed some wealth. T
hese
men
are loyal to me
; you can be yourself around
them
. T
hey will help you in any way they possibly can
.
They have already been told to be of complete service to you any time you need
them
.”

I did not know what to say to any of this
,
so I walked up to Lucius and wrapped my arms around him
. I held him close and rested
my head on his chest
.
He
stroked my wet hair
, but after a moment, he
took my hand
.

“Come, I will get you to work.”

We descended the stairs of his beautiful home, and
stepped
out onto the front porch
. J
ust as we were about to descend the steps
,
a man came out the door behind us. Tall and thin, he wore a
dark
,
form
al
suit
.

“Sir,
” he said, confirming my suspicions he was one of Lucius’ assistants. “T
here is a phone call for you.”

The man then
turned to me and gave a brief nod
.
I nodded back
, but kept silent.

“Ivy
,
I shall be but a moment
. Please
,
go ahead and
get into the car.”

I released his hand I’d still been holding and
descended the steps
. The man who’d come to tell Lucius about the phone call followed me. As I reached Lucius’ vehicle,
my scar
began
itching badly
.
I covered my left wrist with my hand
.

“Allow me
,
Miss Steele.”
The man held the car door for me.

I smiled
,
but somehow
,
I didn’t feel comfortable at all
.
I put it down to my nerves and all of this being such a new situation
, and climbed into the passenger seat
.

As he was about to shut the door
,
he said
,
“My name is Fausto
.
If there’s anything I can do for you, you have but to ask
.”

B
efore I had
a chance to respond, he quietly
shut the door
.
I suddenly felt chilled and rubbed my arms furiously to try
to
warm up
. The slight pain in m
y scar
grew into a full-blown ache, and
the blood red tear drop
felt
extremely hot to
the
touch.
What did it me, I wondered. Was the pain an indication something bad was about to happen to me? Like, some sort of signal or forecast? I
reflect
ed
on what Lucius had told me,
and
wonder
ed
how
he
deal
t
with the loss of his family,
all the while knowing he’d lost them
because
he’d
finally
stood
up to a
k
ing who did not
deserve to wear a crown
.
History was full of tyrant rulers, but Lucius’ liege sounded like he’d been one of the worst.
As I sat there musing
,
Lucius climbed into the car
. Without a word to me, he
started up the engine
and fired up the dashboard
heat
er. A few moments later, wonderful warm air blew from the vents, and I sat forward, holding my hands, palms out, before them.

“
Will you tell me more?” I asked him as he put the car in gear and we headed off down the drive.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “Such as?”

“Such as,
where you are from
, for starters
.”

As
he drove down
the winding
,
country road
,
I
studied him. He
looked like he was mulling over my question
.
I
decided not to push him. He’d speak to me when he was ready. While I waited, I returned my
gaze
to
the
countryside passing by the
window
and watched as
a shower of dancing leaves f
e
ll from the trees
. T
heir
vibrant
colors of red, gold
,
and orange
made them appear as sparks of
flame
falling
to the earth
.
Shuddering
,
I started rubbing my wrist
.

“I come from a land far
away, a land most humans will never see
.
It’s
impossible to see
,
unless you are like me, or
unless
you are a spirit or witch or fairy
. . .
then
,
perhaps
,
you
could
find it
.
But my home is
protected from humans.”

“Why
? I
t’s not like a human could win a fight with a vampire
.
”

Lucius looked over at me and gave
me
a sad smile
.
He
took
my hand and
lifted
it to his lips
.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Sometime during the night, I had come to the conclusion Lucius fit my idea of what a vampire must be like—the eyes, the teeth . . . I’d imagined none of it. His appearance really had changed, albeit only for a moment. As crazy as it sounded, as insane as I would sound, should I share my theory with anyone else,
it was the only answer that fit. I gave him a pointed look. “You are, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I am what humans refer to as a vampire.”

He looked so uncomfortable, I decided to allow that point to rest, for now.

“What
do you call your home
?”
I asked. “Is it a place I may have heard of?”

“So many questions
,
little one.”

I
studied his profile, noting
how quiet he had become,
and how
his eyes
had grown
dark and somber
.

“
I come from a
town
called
Escuro
de l
a Luna.”

I
opened my mouth
to ask him what it meant
,
when he spoke again
.

“It means Dark Moon.”
His smile softend his severe expression. He still held my hand, and now he lifted it again, placed tiny kisses on
my fingertips, bit them playfully
.
“You are
as curious as a cat
.”

I
shivered as I remembered how said cat’s story ended and did not respond. Instead, I
sat there quiet
ly,
reflecti
ng on all I’d learned
.
Before I knew it,
we were on the outskirts of town
, very close to
the Humane Society where I
worked as
director
.
Lucius pulled into a parking spot on the quiet street and climbed out of the car
.
H
e crossed
in front and came to
open my door
. I grinned as
I
left the vehicle. Nothing made a woman feel more cherished and ladylike than a chivalrous man
.
When I got to the
Society’s front
door
,
I
scrounged
around
in
my bag
,
looking for my keys to open up
. Just as I worried I may have somehow lost them, my fingers closed around the cool, metal keyring, and I pulled them out with a flourish.

Lucius smiled and
cupped
my
cheek
.
“I will come back for you tonight, to take you out to dinner.
What time do you close?”

“The shelter doesn’t close until 8:00 p.m., but I get off at 5:00,” I told him. “And dinner sounds wonderful.”

“Then it’s a date. I’ll be back here just before five.”

I nodded and stepped back, then turned to unlock the door. I then turned to bid Lucius good-bye, but before I could speak, he bent and
claimed my mouth with his. I
heard
my bag
clatter to
the ground as my arms snaked around his neck
.
Our soft
moans
filled my ears, and Lucius pulled me closer. The evidence of his desire for me pressed hard against my thigh.
I
groaned—I wanted him, and I wanted him now—and Lucius chuckled, no doubt having once again read my thoughts. Shamelessly,
I grind
ed
against
my crotch against his
.
With a low growl, Lucius broke the kiss and lifted his head.

“Ivy
,
please, you are killing me
.” He gently pulled my arms down, then bent and kissed the tip of my nose. “
I
f I don’t
walk away now,
I’m going to take you right here, on the front porch at your workplace. I don’t think that would bode well for you keeping your job. But
rest assured
,
I will be in some pain until later.”

Giggling
,
I turned back around and pushed open the door of the shelter
.

Chapte
r
Seven

As I stepped inside
the shelter
,
I switched on all the lights
. It was still early, and the sun had yet to rise on this cool
October
morning
.
I
checked to make certain
the heating was set at the correct temperature
,
and
then
walked into the kitchenette to start making the coffee for the busy day ahead
.
After I had the coffee percolating
,
I went into the back room of the shelter to start putting feed into the animal
s’
bowls
.
It took a good half hour to get
them
all
filled
with various foods and whatever medicines they might need
.
I
carefully carried an armload of food
into the surgery
area
and started feeding the
sick
animals
first
, some
of which
I had grown to love deeply
. I
half
-
wish
ed
they wouldn’t be adopted
,
as I
’d never
see them again
if they found homes
.
Shaking my head
,
I sighed
. T
he sad fact was
that
I’d get my wish with
many
of them, as quite a few
would never see a loving home.

The doorbell chimed
. Visitors, already
.
I walked
back
through the surgery
and
into the foyer
.

“
Gretchen,
” I said, greeting the tiny, old lady. “How lovely to see you!”

Although she stood barely five feet tall and was thin as a rail, Gretchen was a firecracker
with a huge heart
, and a regular volunteer at the Society.

“And it’s always a joy to see you here, too, Ivy.” She spoke with a thick accent, despite having arrived in the U.S. from Germany over eighty years ago, as in infant in her mother’s arms.

I smiled
and reached for the bag the old woman carried. “Here, let me take that for you.”

Gretchen always arrived with a donation of some sort—usually
pillows she made herself and puppy or kitten food
.
Without people like her
,
we would be closed in no time
.
I set the bag behind the front counter, and then invited her into the other room for some coffee.

We talked a while about
some of
the animals
we’d had around for awhile
and
sipped our
coffee
.
An hour or so later
,
a young couple came in
, asking
to see the kittens
.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark—Adam and Elizabeth—
were new to the area
, they said,
and
they
wanted a new addition to their family
.
Just as I started to lead them into the back, where we kept the
kittens,
the phone in the little kitchenette rang.

“I’ll get tha
t
for you, Ivy. You see to your customers.” Gretchen waved me away and headed off to answer the phone.

I shrugged.
The elderly woman
knew almost as much about adopting a
Humane Society
animal as I did, so she could probably handle the caller just fine. I turned to Adam and Elizabeth.

“Let’s find you a kitten, shall we?”

While the couple examined and cuddled half the kittens we had available, w
e talked in de
pth
about what was needed to raise a kitten to a healthy cat and how much shots and neutering or spaying would be
.
By the time they’d made their choice—a tiny,
ginger-colored female I simply adored—the Clarks had
agreed
they could
afford
the expense and were ready to sign a contract.
We walked into the surgery and
I looked toward the kitchenette
.
Gretchen
had the phone to her ear and appeared
engrossed in a conversation
. I led Adam and Elizabeth into the front room, where I readied their adoption papers while they chose
a blue collar with a tiny bell on it and some kitten toys and treats
from a display rack
.
They
said they
’d buy the rest of the items they’d need
at
the
ir
local supermarket
, so
I wished them all well and
walked them to the door. Surprised to find the weather had turned sour, I stood and watched as
the
couple raced to their car through an icy
downpour.

The sound of
Gretchen’s German accent
reminded me of the phone call she’d taken, and
I
headed back to the
kitchenette
. She looked up and waved me over as I came to the doorway.

A
ssum
ing
it was the local vet
,
who rang
regularly
to see how
his
patients were doing
.
I took hold of the phone, noting Gretchen
cheeky smile
.

“Hello?” I said hesitantly
.

“Ivy
,
it’s me.
I just had to ring to see how your day is going for you so far.”

M
y cheeks
heat
ed, and
I squirmed as I noticed Gretchen watching me
. I gave her a pointed look, and she
giggl
ed and went into the back, no doubt to find Max, an old shepherd we’d had for ages, and Gretchen’s personal favorite.

“I’m fine
,
Lucius,
” I said, returning my attention to the phone. “T
hank you for calling me
. What
a nice surprise.”

I found myself scuffing my foot on the tiled floor
. I shook
my head at my child
ish
behavior
and
tuned back into the conversation.

“
Are we still on for five o’clock?
”
he asked.

H
is soft accent
brought a smile to my face.
“Yes
,
I’ll be ready.
”

Without warning, the scar on my wrist flared with a searing heat and an intense itching, and
I dropped the phone
.

“Ivy
,
are you there?
A
re you ok
ay
?”

As quickly as it had come on, the pain eased, and
I
snatched up
the phone
.
“Yes, sorry
. My
wrist
. . .it started
burning for some reason
, but it’s stopped now
.”

“
M
ake sure you have the phone close by
you at all times today,
and
please
be careful
. R
emember what I said about your wrist?”

I assured
him
I was fine and I’d see him later that day
.
After hanging up
,
I found myself
smiling
uncontrollably
.
I felt so lighthearted and happy; I truly could not remember the last time I felt this way
.

“Ivy
,
I’ve never seen you
look
so happy
. W
ho is this gentleman
,
Lucius?”
Gretchen asked.

I had almost forgotten
she’d
talked to Lucius for quite a long time
.
My face grew warm as I found myself beneath her careful scrutiny.

“I met him last night
,” I said quietly. “W
e’re going out for dinner tonight.”

Gretchen smiled and took hold of my chin
.
“
Y
ou need someone in your life,
and
this man feels right
to me. T
rust me on this
. . . he’s good for you
.”

I nodded, a bit p
uzzled by Gretchen’s
words, but passing them off as the essentricities of an old woman.

“You might be right,” I said with a smile,
and
then
walked into the surgery to put old Zeus’ collar on him
.
It was time for his morning walk
.

After shouting
to Gretchen that I was heading off with Zeus
,
and
telling her to ring my cell
if she needed me
,
I zipped up my coat and headed out the back door of the shelter.

For a few moments
,
Zeus and I walked quietly along the old track into the field beyond the shelter. It was very windy and cold
, but at least the rain had stopped
.
F
all
ing
leaves
flew on the breeze
and hit our faces
.
Shuddering
,
I pulled the hood up on my parka and held Zeus’ leash tightly
.

“We won’t be out here to
o
long today
,
old boy; I don’t want you getting sick.”

Zeus looked up
, and
, as if in agreement
,
he waggled his tail
. W
e plodded along the outskirts of the field, the tree line of the woods keeping us somewhat sheltered
.
Again
,
my wrist got extremely hot to
the
touch and
very
itchy
.
I looked around warily and checked in my pocket to see if I had remembered to bring my cell
.
I clutched the phone
like a lifeline as we
wandered along our regular path
.
Feeling more and more apprehensive
,
I decided to cut our walk short, telling myself old Zeus would catch a cold if I didn’t
.
As I neared the back door to the shelter
,
the hairs stood up on the back of my neck
.
I swung around
, but saw nothing . . . not even a bird in the nearby trees
.
As I turned back around to open the door
,
Zeus started t
o
snarl,
and
the fur on the back of his neck stood up. I gasped and rushed to open the door,
knowing for certain I wasn’t alone.
I pushed the door open and tried to pull Zeus in
side
,
but
he stubbornly stood the
re, as if determined
to defend his territory
.
Against what,
or whom?
Lucius’ words ran through my worried mind
.
I reached for the phone to call him
, but dropped the phone back into my pocket, feeling
silly. After all
,
I had just met
the man,
and
besides, nothing happened. I was fine.
Shaking my head
,
I heaved Zeus’ leash and finally managed to drag him inside
.
Grateful for small merc
ies,
I locked and bolted the back door
.
With a sense of relief to be safely inside,
I took Zeus’ leash and collar off and walked him back into the surgery
, where I gave
him a small treat
to compensate for his shorter-than-usual walk
.