Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 16 - Starry Night

"...The large walk-in closet-"

No, no, no! Please not the closet! Mariposa shook her head.

Ethan swore. He was angry with her. Her chest felt like it might collapse under the weight of his disapproval. He hadn't asked her where she would like to sleep; he was telling her where she would be sleeping. When he gave an order, she had no right to object. This was the queen's son; he owned her now. Her place was to do as he commanded without resistance or complaint. She didn't believe he would tolerate disobedience. With her past masters, such disrespect would have earned her an unpleasant punishment.

After everything he had done-rescued her from Italy, taken care of her, and now paid for this magnificent suite-he would think she was an ungrateful, defiant child if she refused.

She would do as he asked. Words failed her when she was around Ethan, but somehow she would find the courage to apologize to him...

She formed the words...I'm sorry...but he spoke them first. He apologized to her. Maybe she misinterpreted his anger. If she had breath in her lungs, she would have sighed with relief. The weight of dread and fear lifted from her chest like fairy seeds rising from a thistle plant.

He started making suggestions where she might sleep, coming up with ideas she hadn't considered. The bathtub bed sounded heavenly. Abruptly, he stopped and asked her to follow him into the bedroom. He was right, there was no way to cover the gaps on the sides and middle of the drapes. She hoped he didn't want her to sleep in here. By midmorning, sunlight would send blades of light that cut like glass into the room.

"When you were young did you ever pretend you were camping and build a tent over your bed?"

Mariposa shook her head. Lizzie already told Ethan too much about her pathetic life. She didn't want him to know about her childhood also. She was afraid he would think less of her if he knew she lived in the slums until the age of ten, when her mother sold her. Or that the man that owned her kicked her out onto the street a year later for refusing to lay with him.

Ethan brought in chairs, then gathered sheets and blankets from the other room. She had no idea what he was doing. She watched him push the top of the blankets behind the bed frame and pull them tight over the chairs, anchoring them with pillows. When he was done, there was a perfect, dark cave over the top of the bed. She would sleep on something soft tonight. Just the thought of slipping between the luxurious sheets made her giddy with happiness. She couldn't help the little cry of excitement when Ethan asked her to try it.

She climbed into the tent and looked at him as he knelt beside the bed. "Thank you, Ethan." Her heart felt as if it might burst with gratitude. This man truly was her knight in shining armor.

"It's only midnight. There's a terrace outside the other bedroom. It has a nice sitting area. Would you like to go outside? We could get some fresh air, look at the New York lights?"

Ethan was asking her to sit under the stars with him. She wanted desperately to revel in joy. But kindness had always come with a price tag for her. She had learned to be leery of romantic gestures. Men used these tricks to get what they wanted. They charmed her right up until she said "no," and then the monster came out. If she denied Ethan, would he become violent? That wasn't the son Madison described, and the Queen was the one person she trusted. If Mariposa didn't have faith in her, she had nothing. Frightening though it was, she would give Ethan the benefit of the doubt. "That would be nice."

Ethan reached in and took her hand. A wondrous feeling of belonging and security enveloped her. She felt it once before on the plane, but ignored it. Hope was a luxury she couldn't afford. Heat radiated from his palm, and there was no way she could deny the way it shook her to her core. For one, single, brief moment she was carried away on the wings of a dream and allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to have his warm arms wrapped around her. Was it possible he was feeling the same connection?

The sudden, guarded look on his face quickly dispelled the idea.

"Follow me," Ethan said.

He led her to the other room, but didn't drop her hand. She was in full control of her limbs; there was no reason for him to think she would trip or fall on the way out. Did that mean he held her hand because he wanted to?

He led her to the terrace. The night was clear and the sky full of stars. He offered her a seat on a lounge chair and sat down on the one beside her.

"Wait a minute," he said, jumping up. He disappeared into the house and came back with his heavy overcoat. "It's below thirty out here. You need this," he said laying the black wool over her.

She didn't know what to think. The coat was actually unnecessary. She wouldn't feel the cold, especially because the thoughtful gesture warmed her all-over.

Ethan sat down beside her and looked up at the twinkling sky. "We're going to be together for a while, Mariposa. How about I tell you a little about myself, so we can get to know each other?" Ethan turned to her and smiled.

She smiled back and pulled the heavy coat up around her, under her nose. Ethan's wonderful scent infused the wool. It reminded her of the air after a thunderstorm, fresh and pure, with a lingering remnant of nature's power still vibrating in the atmosphere.

"Let's see, where to start? Okay, how about the beginning. I was born in 1889. What year were you born?"

"1870."

Ethan nodded his head. "From what I understand, everyone is familiar with our story. Erdo came into our home in 1908, murdered our family and turned Madison, Lizzie, Terra, and me. For some unknown reason, unlike other vampires we're daywalkers. I guess we're the only four vampires that aren't affected by the sun.

"For several decades we hid on a farm in Montana, living off the blood of farm animals."

She hoped they tasted better than gutter rats.

"In the 1950s, the collection and storage of blood in banks evolved. It became a viable source for us. Madison went to work in a bank and eventually became the manager. With access and the ability to ship it to us anywhere, it freed us to have independent lives and careers."

"Did you ever have a wife?" The words came out before she could stop them.

Ethan looked as shocked about the question as she was that she had asked it. He shook his head. "No. As a vampire, taking a wife would be a major commitment, and I take my commitments seriously. I've never found a woman I wanted to spend eternity with." Ethan smiled and took her hand. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not against marriage. What about you? Have you ever been married?"

Oh God, no! There had been many masters, but never a husband. She shook her head.

"Seems a shame. I would think a beautiful woman like yourself would have men fawning over her all the time."

Tiny bubbles popped and fizzed inside her stomach. She turned away, not wanting him to see the scars etched across her face like a highway road map.

"You don't have to hide, Mariposa. I know what you look like. If you could see yourself through my eyes, you would see an extraordinary woman who's been neglected and mistreated her entire life, and yet has the courage and tenacity to keep going. You're sweet, and gentle, and you don't have a menacing bone in your body." He moved onto the lounger beside her and tenderly turned her head to face him. "You're as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside," he said, grazing his thumb across her bottom lip.

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