Cognata: A Vampire Romance Read Free Page B

away even if I tried. To look where we were going came second.
    He helped me off the boat, once again showing how much of a gentleman he is.
    The air was windy and I remember feeling embarrassed over the dampness of my dress but he didn't seem to mind. I didn't recognize the land at first. The hazy weather and the night's creeping fog were only just starting to clear away. It was Terebinthos. A small island just an hour's boat ride away. At night, you couldn't see it from where I lived and during the day, I was warned to stay away.
    Aristide gently took my hands into his own. His cold touch still remained foreign to my body but with a gentle kiss he promised me all will be well .
    We moved away from the shore and headed upwards to the thick of the island. As the trees cleared away and the clouds unveiled the shimmering moonlight, I noticed where he was taking me. It was a home, no, more like an abandoned castle: lying dormant on the outskirts of a hill's rise, sporting a strange architecture which did its best to differentiate itself from the norm. It was calling to me. Looking up at it made me feel I'd be a queen, should I be willing to take a step in there.
    We entered through a side passage, passing through a large, unlocked oak door. Inside, Aristide lit the wall's lanterns with what appeared to be nothing more than a kiss from his hands. He was truly a mysteriously wonderful creature and as the time went by, I found myself wanting more of him. He took me deeper inside his fortress and I must admit, it was hard to experience it in its entirety. The walls were bristling with garden flowers, carefully placed one by one as a decorative pattern.
    The living room was very spacious, having a velvet red couch and two opposite chairs with the unfinished artwork of a woman looking out at this very island... the same way I looked for it at the ballroom.
    "Who is she?" I asked knowing the answer already.
    "The girl who wanted to be free." He responded from behind me.
    I turned to face him with the intent of showing some sort of defiance, or at least making him try for what he wanted but he was seated in the opposite chair - the dim, orange, hazy lights highlighting his pale skin and the bottle of wine he'd fetched while I pranced about unnoticed.
    "Care for a drink?" He asked, his fingers slowly sliding down the bottle appealingly. I found myself smirking at his offer. Taking careful, seductive steps closer to him, I reached for the bottle - our fingers interlocking just for a second or two before I gently seized it away from him to observe the brand. There was nothing on it. No label, no maker. Just an ancient burgundy glass with a dark, red liquid dancing about inside. I didn't turn away from him, but I felt his signature coldness moving behind me, crawling up my spine and making its way to my right shoulder. He parted my hair as his lips softly pecked the nape of my neck, then he slid his kiss slowly along my collarbone. My body shuddered at his touch. I'd forgotten everything in that moment in time. My eyes were already shut till I felt an object touching my breast. I reopened my eyes to see a glass in front of me. He was expecting me to do the rest.
    "Tell me something." I quietly spoke as I poured the dark liquid into the glass. "Will she be free?"
    "That depends... " He handed me the glass and waltzed away to gaze at the work. I watched him silently.
    "On what?" I finally asked.
    He refrained from talking immediately. His mind was too busy collecting his carefully planned suave.
    "On whether she'd walk with me or not."
    "Is that what you want?" I took a sip of the wine, leaning back into the chair he was in and crossing my legs. He finally turned around again, observing me as if I were the next subject of art - "It is."
    My eyes fluttered upon his remark. I'd be lying if I said any part of me wanted to run back home. His demand, and the way he looked at me made me felt... naked. I was being sucked into his theatric and he was