Forever Young The Beginning (60 page)

Lorn and Corinne Barnes had
made it to Barcelona, and were all excited about the wedding. Tom
and Celita had decided to have it at
Barcelona House
and have the
celebration there as well.

Ian and Alandra had taken a day to be
alone together. He hadn’t attempted to become intimate with her,
wanting to court her properly as one so young deserves to be
courted at least once in her life. Things had been different when
he had been imprinting and had to engage in intimacy in order not
to lose that ability forever. This was different and he resolved to
do it properly.

She had packed food and wine for them
and they were well on their way out into the countryside beyond
Barcelona. Ian kept driving the carriage along until the
countryside became wild and sparsely inhabited. He had turned off
of the little road they had been following and had gone some
distance into the woods. Freeing the horse from its harness he put
it on a long tether where it could graze and drink from a
stream.

He lifted Alandra down and showed her
his copper bowl and flasks and explained their use. “Now that we’re
where no one can see us, I can show you some of the things that we
vampires can do.” He took the copper implements from the rucksack,
a pistol and some other things not needed, and put back only his
knife, flint, salt, and toothbrush. He was wearing cotton seaman’s
pants and a loose fitting long sleeve shirt and she was wearing
pantaloons, a long sleeve blouse, boots and a wide brimmed hat.
“You’ll carry this” he said as he put the rucksack on Alandra and
adjusted the straps.

“
What will you
carry?”

“
I’ll carry the most
important thing in the world.”

He produced a broad leather strap and
made a slip loop around each of her wrists with it. “This is in
case you slip and let go. It will keep you from falling.” He turned
his back to her and knelt in front of her. “Climb aboard, Alandra.
Ready?”

“
Yes.”

He bounded away then, slowly at first.
Alandra laughed and kissed his neck. In ten seconds he was going
full speed and bounding in great leaps over gullies and large
rocks. They rocketed through the woods at a dizzying pace until he
came to a tall tree and leaped to a point halfway up the trunk,
swarming the rest of the way up to near its top. There they found a
fairly broad limb that formed a saddle. He turned and deposited her
in it and then turned to her and kissed her gently. They could see
an azure line that was the Mediterranean dominating the horizon to
the east. White puffy cumulus clouds dotted the sky and there was a
light northerly breeze to make the treetop sway gently.

“
Oh, Ian! I never imagined
such a thing! Did you tell me that you took Celeste running like
this?”

“
Yes. She loves it.
Alandra?”

“
Yes.”

“
I’ve been with other women
after Cosette died.”

“
I… didn’t know
that.”

“
I thought you’d surely
married by that time.”

“
I would have been married
if not for Carlos Chavez. You were right to think that. I can see
how you could meet someone who could take away your grief.
Philippe’ was like that for me. I was going to marry him, Ian. I
did love him.”

“
Yes. I can see that.
Regarding the women; I didn’t seek them. It just happened. There
were two of them.”

“
Two?”

Ian chuckled “Not two at one time.” He
pulled her to him and kissed her forehead, stroking her hair. “I
met one along a roadside one evening. She and her uncle were
passengers on a carriage and I helped the driver make a repair.
They offered me a ride and that is how I met Anna. I invited them
to stay at Marie and Henri’s chateau. They were traveling that
direction anyway. It was around three months or so after Cosette’s
death that we became intimate. Anna had stopped at the chateau to
see us on her way home. She was forty years old at the time. She
sent me away a few years later after learning of what I am. We
never married. That was hard on me, the rejection and
disgust.”

“
I could tell that when you
spoke in the garden at my parent’s house. I mean the sorrow... in
your voice, Ian. Why did you not marry her?”

“
I was afraid to tell her
about myself, and I would never ask a woman to be my wife without
her knowing about me.”

“
That is only right, and
you’ve been truthful with me. I admire that, and I expect
it.”

“
I later by chance happened
across Alyssa, a girl I knew from before.” He then explained
imprinting and what he had to do during the three weeks to avoid
becoming impotent. He told her that Alyssa had been his partner for
one night for that and had afterward gone to Paris.

“
She just came out to that
chateau and … took up with you?”

“
I know, Lass, but that is
how some of the French do things and so do some of the
Scandinavians. Alyssa is impulsive in that way. Cultures and
customs differ from place to place. You wouldn’t believe some of
the things they do in the East, like in India or China. Anyway,
years later I had saved her from a coven of vampires in
Paris.”

“
She was
captured?”

“
Yes. We became lovers some
time later, and we’ve been together from time to time since Anna
sent me away. She lives in Paris and her work is her life. There
has been no one else.”

She sat silent, digesting this new
information. Then she said “I’m glad that you told me this. I’m not
disgusted. You didn’t ask for this to happen to you. Who could ever
even dream of such a thing happening? I’m overjoyed that you have
come back to me. My heart sings when I see you. I love
you.”

“
I love you, Alandra. Will
you marry me?”

“
Oh Ian, yes I will marry
you! Yes! Yes! Yes!” She took his face between her two hands and
rained kisses all over, ending with a long and passionate kiss on
his lips. She laughed then and was thinking
I thought you would never ask, my love! Madre de Dios! It has
been hard to restrain myself when with you! I almost wish that you
were not so much of a gentleman!
She said
“In fact, I know a convenient place for a wedding and I’ve heard
that they’re planning to have a wedding there soon. I think that a
double wedding would be twice as nice as a single one, don’t
you?”

He flashed a smile then and said “Oh
yes! Yes I do! We’ll go back and drink some wine to seal this. But
first, let’s go catch some fish to roast with our
lunch.”

“
Now wait, Ian. What would
you have done if I’d said no to your proposal?”

His eyes twinkling he said “Why we’d
just sit here in this tree until you changed your mind!” She threw
back her head and laughed then and he kissed her. Then he smiled
and turned about for her to climb aboard his back. After securing
her strap, he leaped from the top of the tree as she screamed all
of the way down. They bounded away at a dizzying speed until they
came to a stream.

She watched him snatch fish from the
stream in a shady pool formed by a fallen tree and a natural rock
formation. He only caught two. Soon they had four fillets boned and
ready. Ian snatched up handfuls of long grass and wrapped the
fillets in it and put them into his rucksack. Alandra climbed on
again and they rocketed away. Shortly they were at the place where
they had left the horse and carriage. She prepared their food while
Ian built a fire. Soon they were frying the fish and some wild
leeks in olive oil, in a pan that they brought. They ate a
leisurely meal then and toasted their upcoming wedding.

He looked lovingly at her and said
“Alandra. I can bring you over any time if you want to be like
this…like I am.

She sat silently staring at her plate.
“What is it like?”

“
It takes three weeks for it
to be complete and then you’d never age or get ill again. It would
be best to do it in France, where Marie and Henri live. You could
never walk uncovered in sunlight nor have children either though.
I’m never going to bring it up to you again. It’s your choice and I
want to live my life with you no matter which way you choose. You
are the center of my world.”

She nodded her understanding and
leaned over to kiss him then. He continued, saying “I know that I
told you that I wished that this had never happened to me, but I do
want you to know that my new family is wonderful. I love being with
them as often as I can. You would really love them, Alandra. There
has been a lot of good in my new life since I became a vampire.
Other than missing you and losing Cosette and Anna, it has mostly
been really good.”

They packed up after Ian kicked the
coals apart and doused the remains of the fire with water from his
copper bowl. He packed all of his belongings into the bag except
the loaded pistol which he put in his sash with his knife. Loading
the carriage he picked Alandra up and stood her in the carriage as
if she was a babe.

They’d gone less than a mile when Ian
spied three horsemen about two hundred yards distant, approaching
them. He stopped the carriage and set the brake firmly, even as he
unbuttoned his shirt. Without turning to Alandra he said “I don’t
like the looks of those three.”

“
How can you be so
sure?”

“
I’ve seen their kind more
than once. If they part and let our carriage pass, then I’m wrong,
but if they stop and block the road, they’re criminals.”

“
What… what will you
do?”

“
Only whatever they force me
to do. Don’t be afraid. They won’t harm you.”

The one in the lead stopped in the
middle of the road, not yielding. The other two flanked him, which
told Ian all that he needed to know. They didn’t even bother to
draw their pistols.

“
Bueno dia, senor and
senorita.”

“
Bueno dia.” said Ian with a
smile, coolly watching and gauging the distance.

‘
The senorita doesn’t talk?
Such a shame for one so very pretty, no?”

Ian watched.
Just a little closer, you bastards
he thought.

The leader edged closer not seeing
this fool carrying any weapons. Drawing his pistol, he said “Have
you any money, senor?” His companions urged their mounts a little
closer too, spreading out away from their leader a bit, but
blocking the road.

“
Yes.” Ian slowly took one
hand and pulled his leather purse and thong over his head. Tossing
it high and to the left side of the leader his vampire eyes tracked
the eyes of all three of them as they followed the high arc of his
purse. He pulled his pistol and shot the leader between his eyes
when the bag reached its highest point. Before the bag had hit the
ground he had grabbed and flung his knife backhanded with his other
hand, burying it in the throat of the second man. By the time that
knife had found its mark, he had leaped from his seat across a
twenty foot gap to snag the third man by the throat as he flew past
him. He twisted that man’s head completely around, snapping his
neck as they both started downward, with Ian landing on his feet in
a crouch. It was over, never having a chance to get
started.

“
Alandra, are you all
right?”

She sat in the carriage staring
wide-eyed. “Yes. Oh Ian, it was so fast!”

He methodically retrieved his purse
and weapons. Then he searched each body, relieving them of their
pistols and knives. Two had purses with some money. He cut the
purse thongs and took them to Alandra. “For expenses at the
hospital.” Everything else he put into his rucksack and tossed it
on the floor of the carriage. Rounding up the three horses he
inspected them for brands. One had a brand so he took the saddle
off of it and slapped its rump, sending it running. Tossing that
saddle in the back, he took the other two horses and tied them to
the rear of the carriage. Disposing of the bodies he then vaulted
into the carriage, leaning over to kiss Alandra and starting their
horse down the road.

“
I’m sorry you had to see
something like that. You can sell the saddles and horses. The money
you get can do some good at
Barcelona
House
, and Alandra; they were going to do
far worse than rob us.” She shivered and edged closer to him,
winding her arm under his and leaning her head on his
shoulder.

Anna was filling in for a bank manager
one day who was ill. She had to go over a pile of documents and
among them was a request for a loan. It was for a substantial sum
of money. She noticed the name on the loan as one Lukas
Eschmann.

Her secretary came in and
said that Herr Eschmann was there now, and desired to speak to the
bank about his request for funds. She had the secretary show him
in. She stood and welcomed him to her bank. He was a really nice
looking man of about thirty five years who had kind blue eyes that
looked like they could be merry, but had not been in a while. She
thought
now how did I guess
that?

They discussed the plans he had
brought with him to show the bank. She looked at them with interest
and judged him to be a sound businessman based on his reputation;
so she told him his loan would be approved and that if he could
return later that day he could have the money. He stood and thanked
her and walked out.