The Vampire Pirate's Daughter (24 page)

I smirk. “The Four Judges would have probably
sent you to kill him anyway, if he survived.”

Callum looks away and I see a shadow cross
his features. He reflects, “If Andrew had the virus and you had the
virus, is it possible that William has it?”

I recoil and shake my head in denial. I
have been so ignorant. I never even considered it and this would
mean that if Callum thought of it, there was every possibility that
the Four Judges were also watching us closely.

He moves from the couch and he sits down on
the carpeting on the floor, between the small pink heather
blossoms. He takes my hand and gently he pulls me down with him. He
pulls me onto his lap and then he rests his ear against my chest. I
sit still, feeling mortified.

He looks up at me. “It is so beautiful the
way your heart speeds up when you see me.”

I gasp loudly, embarrassed beyond reproach. I
feel the blood rush up to my face.

He smiles. “And the way I can visibly see
your embarrassment. You cannot hide anything. Maybe I should leave
you like this.”

I frown.

“I love you, Susanna and I still want you to
marry me. I want to spend literary forever with you, never growing
old. I know I let you down previously, but this time I will never
let you go. You are the only girl I have ever allowed into the
hollow space in my chest. I want to be with you all my life,
forever.”

I am not sure that that is what I want. I
have already decided that I wanted to grow old in this body and
that I wanted to move on. What if I decided to live forever with
Callum and then William does not have the virus. Although when
William was born, I did contemplate the finality of death and I
wanted neither one of us to ever move on, because I would never
survive without William. William is my ultimate purpose, the
destiny I have always searched for.

His voice is urgent, when he insists,
“Suppose you got older and you outgrew me and left me behind.
Suppose I could not contemplate forever without you?”

I reply pessimistically, “We cannot escape
the Four Judges.”

“I will always be here to protect you and
William.”

“I cannot discuss this now. I do not want to
even consider that William could be in danger.”

I do not know what to do.

Gently he pushes me down until I am
lying
down on the
carpeting, amongst the heather and then he lies down next to me. He
drapes his arm over my waist, while I look up into his eyes and I
see my reflection.

He says softly, “Amanda says you want to
experience the world as a human, to confront death?”

Hesitantly I say, “I wanted that before
William was born, but now I don’t know what I want anymore.”

He smiles forlornly. “If you confronted death
in this delicate body, what would I do if you failed?”

I smile faintly. “I have always wondered how
it would be to know that life is fleeting, to make the best of each
day, live fully as if each day might be your last.”

“We are not as immortal as you imagine and we
should also make the best of each day. Look what happened to
William and Shayne, only two people who are personally connected to
you.”

He leans down toward me and I hear him moan
softly. He touches his lips to mine and I bring my arms up around
his shoulders. He moves his lips toward my neck and then I feel his
teeth against my skin. For a moment, I wonder if it will hurt. I
close my eyes, waiting. Part of me wants him to do it.

However, he pulls away from me gently and he
smiles teasingly.” I will let you go this time.”

The candles burn out one after the other and
I fall asleep on the floor with Callum. I am tightly cradled in his
strong arms, while he holds me close to him.

Later he pulls a blanket over me and smiling
softly, I hear him mumbling how frail and noisy I am now.

I wake up with Callum staring at me.
Embarrassingly I blush again and he hugs me closely to him
lovingly. I will have to decide whether I was going to play it safe
or if I was going to take a step of faith toward Callum.

He traces my face softly with the tips of his
fingers, while he holds my eyes captive with his. It feels as if he
cannot only see my thoughts, but also my dreams.

Loudly m
y stomach growls.

He pulls back from me abruptly. He is about
to pounce up and laughingly, I explain, “It is my stomach, silly.
The last time I ate was yesterday morning and it is not very
happy.”

He sits up and perplexed he says, “You are
extremely noisy.”

I cannot help laughing helplessly although I
still feel as if he cannot accept me the way I am. He stands up,
while I sit up.

He bends down toward me and he pulls me up
off the ground. I look down at my dress and try to smooth it down.
I have managed to ruin my dress anyway, sleeping in it.

He looks at me amused. “I have some things
here still. Wait let me fetch it.”

He brings me a white shirt and a tracksuit
pants.

I laugh. “I’ll drown in those. I am going to
go to my room and change. There are no secrets in this house
anyway. By now, they all know that we slept down here. Amanda would
have looked in on William, and she would have noticed me gone. She
would have put two and two together, which I assure you, would not
have been difficult to figure out.”

He stays in the kitchen, while I walk past
everybody hurriedly, ignoring their curious looks.

Later I walk back into the kitchen and I hear
Claude tease Callum about his crinkled state. They stop abruptly
though when I walk in.

I look around the room and I ask Amanda,
“Where is William?”

She replies, without looking up, “He is
playing in the den with Justin. They are playing that new gaming
console Peter bought for him. We have all had a go this morning. It
is fun. You and Callum should try it.” She is making popsicles.

It dawns on me amused, for vampires who do
not eat they are always
converging in the kitchen.

I look up and I catch Callum looking at me
pleased, and weirdly now that I know my every emotion is like a
giant billboard, I blush even more vividly. I feel frustrated and I
pull the fridge door open violently. The bottle of milk in the door
topples over and the contents spill out over the floor.

“Ugh” I groan loudly. Callum kneels down next
to me and softly he puts his hand over mine. I feel a sudden
calmness rush through me and I cannot help smiling when I say,
“Don’t come here with your hocus-pocus and try to calm me with your
skills of subtle persuasion.”

Claude laughs, “Hocus-pocus, more like
survival skills.”

He helps me to clean the spill on the floor
and I decide to have a simple meal of cereal.

Callum sits next to me, but it feels awkward
having him sitting so close to me, because I am sure he can hear
every crunch as my teeth bite down on the cereal flakes. I decide
to suck them, rather than chew them. I do not finish the bowl of
cereal, because I am too self-conscious and while I am rinsing the
bowl and the spoon, Callum waits for me.

We leave the kitchen together and when we are
away from the prying eyes of the others, Callum takes me around my
waist and he pulls me closer to him.

He says softly, while we walk toward the den,
“There is no rush, but I need to know your answer by the time it is
your birthday again.”

I look at him insolently. “When it is
supposed to happen, it will happen.”

“That is easy for you to say, when my world
revolves around you.”

Before I can answer, we walk into the den and
I laugh instantaneously when I see Justin running in one spot. His
skinny legs are pumping up and down, while the virtual him is
running a marathon on the big television screen.

Peter looks back over his shoulder where he
is sitting on the couch and he smiles. “Don’t laugh. You are
next.”

We walk into the room and protectiveness
fills me when I see William rush toward Callum and latch himself to
his leg, instead of running to me as he always did.

Callum picks him up and lifts him in the air,
catching him again securely. William giggles with glee and the
glitter in his eyes match those in the eyes of Callum’s.

Callum puts him on the ground again and
then William takes his hand and pulls him further into the den.
They play a game after Justin finishes running his marathon. I
cannot remember when last I had so much fun. We laughed, we joked
and we acted silly. Without any inhibitions when Callum held me
tightly to him, I hugged him back, sighing blissfully.

That evening after dinner and after William
had his bath I take him to bed. He falls asleep with a soft smile
on his lips and I remain next to him. I look down at his sleeping
face for the longest time and then when I cannot stifle a yawn, I
walk toward the connecting door.

Walking into my room, I am startled when I
see Callum sitting in the French antique settee in the corner of my
room.

He stands up when I enter the room and I see
an unexplained sadness etched in his face. He walks directly to me
and then he wraps me into his arms. He is much taller than I am,
but he does not lean down toward me. He pulls my head toward his
chest and he holds me closely to him. My head fits perfectly in the
hollow beneath his collarbone.

“I wanted you on my terms and now I just want
you to give in. Please will you marry me? I promise it will be
according to any conditions you may have. If you do not want me to
turn you, I would not. If you wanted to grow old, it will be okay.”
Apologetically he continues, “We will be careful, because you could
never fall pregnant, be the mother of my child.” He cups my face
into his hands and he gently lifts my face up toward his. With his
thumbs, he wipes the tears from my cheeks and he smiles down
lovingly. “You are so weird and wonderful.”

I feel an inner sadness and I smile up at him
forlornly. “Will you stay with me tonight?” I see him hesitate, so
I add, “Until I fall asleep.”

We lie down awkwardly and then he folds me
into him and all my fears and worries rush to a dark corner in the
back of my mind. I feel myself tumble deeper into him and before I
fall asleep, I cannot stop the words mumbling over my lips, “I love
you, Callum.” His arms tighten around me.

I wake up. For a moment, I do not know where
I am when I feel arms folded around me. It dawns on me quickly,
then I reach up toward him, and softly I press my lips to his.

Softly he mutters my name and I see him
smile. He murmurs, “This is nice. You should marry me.”

He brings his lips to my hair, my eyes.
One kiss follows the other quickly, as if he cannot get enough of
me. My body clings to his magnetically. I feel tenderness spread
through my entire body, as he pulls his shirt over his head. I
spread my hands over his back and I pull myself even closer into
him. He nudges me gently onto my back and leaning tentatively over
me, he kisses me more determinedly and passionately. His fingers
trace from my waist upwards under my shirt, and his fingers spread
the heat through me. Swiftly he lifts my shirt over my head,
leaving my arms entangled in the sleeves and then he traces kisses
down the swell of my chest, while I push my head back into the
pillow and arch toward him, moaning softly. He brings his lips back
to mine and kissing me single-mindedly, he lifts himself upwards
over me. Abruptly, he stops and drops down onto the bed next to me.
Dejected, I turn my head toward his and look into his sad eyes,
where he is lying on his side staring at me fixedly.

I turn my body completely toward him and move
into him again.

He says determinedly, “Marry me. Let me
change you.”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I say
hesitantly.

Unexpectedly he sits up quickly. He pulls his
shirt back over his head and then silently he leaves my room.

The next morning, Edward asks me amused,
“Are you still leaving?”

I look up at him confused. I have not been
paying attention to their conversations. Absentmindedly I gave
William his breakfast and I sat staring at nothing.

I shake my head, no. “Maybe another time.
William is too young to go with me now.”

Claude laughs softly, “Ask Callum to go with
you, I am sure he will.”

I look toward Callum nervously. His head is
lowered, but he looks up toward me, lifting his brows. “You are
hell-bend on going on this wild adventure and I have decided to
take you so that you can get it out of your system, once and for
all.” He smirks. “At least I will be there to protect you from
yourself.”

Still frowning, I say softly, “I have decided
not to do it anymore. I have to consider William first and
foremost.”

Callum sits back and I think I see a glimmer
of hope in his eyes.

Later while I am working my section in the
vineyard and William runs around me exuberantly, I notice Callum
walk toward me.

I continue pruning, until he takes the
clipping utensil from my hand.

Holding my hand softly in his, he asks, “Is
it because I wanted to go with you that you decided not to go
anymore?”

I look up puzzled. “No. I have already
decided the day William was born that I did not want to challenge
death anymore. I only wanted to leave now, because I was
scared.”

Concerned he asks, “Scared of what? Me?”

I smile slowly. “Not you, specifically,
but my feelings for you.” I feel frustrated, when I add, “You would
not understand. I love William so much. He takes up a tremendously
large space of my heart. I am scared I would lose those feelings
once my heart stops beating. In addition, the Four Judges might
agree that I change again, but they would never agree, should
William have the virus.”