Cognata: A Vampire Romance Read Free Page A

finely crafted discipline. For a moment, I wondered how I'd explain this to father. I could tell him I was taken. I could tell him I was followed. So much I could get away with, wrapping that man's head around a thinly veiled lie. They'd forgive me - at least, that is was what I hoped. If they knew I was willing to run away with a man, the story would be quite different.
    The waters and the sand, he had said. It sounded like a test. Surrounded on three sides by water, the peninsula on which the city of Constantinople was built, had numerous beaches. How would I know which one he meant? His voice did not echo in my mind. I started walking, thinking only of my desire to escape the stranglehold of my circumstances. I let my legs take me where they saw fit. I only followed my primal urges and the leading of my own inner voice that took me to one particular beach. The waves were unsettling. They couldn't decide if they wanted to be gentle or rough. The boats I saw earlier were all gone, except for one that drifted a short distance off the shore. I wondered how the lantern was still lit. There was no one in it. It was abandoned, and alone.
    Had he abandoned me? Was this even the right place? I berated myself for entertaining such foolish notions of escape. I didn't even know his name! I should get back. I continued, sulking angrily at not only him, but the whole world. A cold gust of wind brushed against me, robbing me of my vision as my hair covered my face, forcing me to turn around and when I did, he was there.
    "Alexia... " He smiled from ear to ear, his eyebrows crunching intently. "you came."
    I held my hands together, taking leery steps closer to him. If I had to guess now, I'd say he was standing next to the boat that had somehow, miraculously landed on the beach on its own, as a kind of ferryman, waiting to take me on a voyage.
    "Yes." I quietly responded, "I came."
    As I got closer to him, he extended his hand in the act of chivalry to take me on board the water-crossing vessel. I found myself naturally extending my hand to meet his. I was not afraid of his coldness. I wanted to feel it. It may have been painful, but I discreetly enjoyed it.
    He carried me on board and sat me gently as a passenger, then he reached for the boat's paddle which was beneath my feet where I sat.
    "Sorry." I whispered ignorantly thinking I was in the way, but all he did was smile as he gracefully lifted the paddle overhead and dipped it into the water, leading us bit by bit, row by row, away from the shore. I kept looking at him while he steered us to the dark open blue. He was so graceful. So refined and relaxed, confident and sure. It was unlike anything I'd seen in a man at the time. He knew where he was going and he knew what he wanted. Nothing would get in his way.
    "May I ask you something?" I broke the silence. He did not look at me. Only kept his eyes fixed on our destination, "What is your name?"
    The question provoked him - "You are travelling with a stranger and the only thing you wish to know is my name and not where we are going?"
    "I assume you would take me to the places you promised. The destination does not concern me at this time, only the hand guiding me there."
    His eyes peeled away from the horizon to focus solely on me, "You are wise my child."
    If he'd thought that would be enough to shut me up, he was wrong and he knew I wouldn't let it slip away, so he sighed, contented by my curiosity and answered - "I've been known by many names in my time. Some have called me angel, others - devil, but you may call me... Aristide."
    'Aristide' , I recited his name in my thoughts, wondering if he'd be tuning in to hear. He probably did. Only a smile that said, I know would be my only hint.
    "Here we are." His chilly voice lifted happily. I looked back to see the setting. It was difficult not to stare at Aristide on the ride. His physical attractiveness aside, there was this magnetic force that kept pulling me to him. I couldn't run