Blood red love
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new
Charlie had developed a new routine. Vidar and she, and most of the time Caine, if he wasn’t off doing something, would have breakfast. Then Malcom would drive them to the office. where she spent her days working with the IT–department. She and Lucas continued to work great together, and they often had long discussions about how to solve issues or what improvement to make. She loved her job. At lunch, Vidar would come by to take her to the cafeteria or she would go to his office and he would have something ordered for them. The afternoon consisted of more work and when she clocked out, Vid.
would most of the time be waiting for her and they would go home together. Sometimes Vidar had meetings that would go late, or he had what he called ‘errands‘ to run. Then Caine would be waiting for her instead. At home, they would cook dinner and then she would chat with Lilly or sit at her computer or spend time with Vidar. Charlie found herself thinking more and more about the choice she had to make, how to live the rest of her life. She had been introduced to the doorman, and she had talked to him. About his brother and about gargoyles. He was a sweetheart, and she could tell how much pride he took in his work. She also had met with demons, who weren’t half a scary as she would have thought. Most of them had stayed in their human form. Only their leader had shifted into his original form when she had asked. The only thing that had changed was the impressive set of horns that had curled over his head and his eyes had turned blood red. Overall, they had been very nice and respectful, and she had learned a lot about their ways. The more Charlie learned about the magical world, the more she wanted to learn and be part of it. That was what occupied her thoughts when she was alone. She couldn’t deny the thought of spending an eternity with Vidar was something she would like. But every time she seriously considered it, she would think of her brother, Tyson, and their sons. About Lilly. And then she started to second guess herself. And so it went on in an endless circle. At some point, she started thinking about children. She had always wanted a family, kids included. By becoming a vampire, she would reduce her chance to have children. But then she realised that even if she stayed human, she wouldn’t leave Vidar. So then the chance would become zero. In the end, she dubbed it a moot point. It was late one evening. She had spent the afternoon with Caine as Vidar had business to take care of. She was sitting on the couch, watching the rain falling over the city, when Vidar came home. He walked over to her and gave her a soft k*ss.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he replied and sat down next to her and pulled her into him.
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“Bad evening?” she asked. He grunted and took a sniff from her hair and, as he released his breath, he relaxed.
“You have been thoughtful lately,” he pointed out in a soft voice. “Anything I can help your with? Any questions you have?” Charlie was about to say no. But stopped herself. She thought about it.
“Do you ever tell humans what you are? That there is this whole other world?” she asked.
“It happens,” he said. “You have to weigh the risk against the gain of doing it. And you have to think about the human. It’s not an easy burden to carry, knowing what is out there, but also knowing you can’t protect yourself. It can cause more anxiety than it’s worth.”
“Have you ever told a human?”
“You mean besides from you?” he asked with a chuckle. “Yes, sometimes it has gone well, sometimes not so good. The most recent was Miss Julien.”
“Your assistant?” Charlie asked.
“Yes. Back in the 1960s, her father was working for me. He was a good and honourable man, loyal. One evening, he and his wife left their toddler at their neighbours to go out for dinner. Joe took his wife to one of my restaurants, thinking it would be safe. On that day, a small time gang decided to make a name for themselves by targeting the restaurant. They shot down everyone inside, including Joe and his wife. Sandy, Miss Julien, didn’t have any other family, and I felt responsible for her. So I accepted guardianship of her,”
“You raised her?” Charlie asked. She was surprised to hear it.
“No. That wouldn’t have been wise. I know my own limits, and raising a human child on my own is one of those. No. I set her up in a house with a good nanny and staff to see to her needs. I sent her to the best schools, and I visited regularly to make sure she was well and got a good upbringing,” he explained. “As she got older, she had more questions about what happened to her parents and, as she was a curious and intelligent child, I knew it would only be a matter of time before she noticed my lack of aging. It came to a point where I either stopped coming by or tell her the truth. I chose to tell her. I sat her down and explained everything and I told her she didn’t have to be afraid, as she was under my protection. She
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took it really well and was only weary around me for a year or two before accepting me for who I am.”
“A year or two?” Charlie asked.
“Again, Charlie. It may seem like a long time to you. But to me it’s just a blink of an eye. After she had got over the initial shock, we became friends and then she came to work for me when she finished school. It has been a great help to have a secretary who knows the truth, and she has been most loyal, just like her father.”
“You have grown a bond with her. Have you ever considered turning her?” Charlie asked.
“No, turning someone is not a pleasant thing. Not for the one being turned. It rarely is a gift. I hold Sandy very dear to me, and one of the things I appreciate most about her is her humanity. She has never broached the subject either, so I’m presuming she has no desire to become a vampire,” Vidar told her. Charlie nodded.
“How will you handle losing her when the time comes?”
“It’s part of being a vampire, lilla lo. No gift comes without payment. Being a vampire is amazing. There is all this time to enjoy life. You are strong and fast, healthy. You get to imprint, to experience that kind of love. The price we pay is the hurt we feel as we watch the ones around us leave. It’s all part of our existence,” he told her and k*ssed her temple. Charlie hummed and curled up closer to him.
“Does it answer your question?” he asked.
“It does,” she said.
“But it wasn’t the answer you wanted,” he concluded..
“Maybe not. But it was the truth. Thank you. What about Malcom, if you didn’t tell him, who did?” Charlie asked as she suddenly realised someone had to have told him. Vidar chuckled.
“Malcom is a dogoda, a wind spirit,” he told her.
“He isn’t human?”
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“No. He stays in his human form as it allows him to drive cars, which is what he loves,” Vidar
informed her.
“I’ll never learn to see who is human and not. How do you do it?”
“For me, and most magical beings, it’s a combination of their scent and the feel of magic radiating from them,” he told her.
“That is just unfair. I don’t think I could scent that even if I went around sniffing everyone I met,” Charlie said. Vidar laughed.
“I think I prefer if you didn’t go around sniffing people. Just ask and I will tell you,” he offered.
“How about you just tell me if we come across one? Otherwise, I will have to ask you about every single new person we meet. Or even better, we can have a secret signal, like you wiggle your nose or something. That would be more discreet than us whispering, since mind reading. isn’t a thing. It isn’t a thing, right?” Vidar was laughing like a madman when she finished.
“No, mind reading isn’t a thing,” he chuckled when he got himself under control. Then he k*ssed her. “I love you and that weird brain of yours,” he told her.