Love is Darkness

Chapter 6--London, England (Two months ago)

Valerie sat alone at asmall square table that had a nice view of the High Street. Herthree hour long Monday class was over and she'd decided thatstaying conscious during an incredibly boring lecture on PtolemaicHistory deserved, maybe even required, a nice lunch as areward.

Cafe Rouge was near her dorm. It was a chainrestaurant that Val feared she liked more than it deserved.Everything was black, white, or red and pictures of burlesquedancers, cats and bicycles decorated the walls. The decorationswere meant to be French, but Valerie suspected that the decoratorthought this was how people expected a French cafe to look, ratherthan how one actually did.

The waiter, a stinky and authentic Frenchimport, was busy talking at the bar and had been ignoring Valerie'sbring-me-my-check-or-die stare for at least five minutes. Reachinginto her bag, she pulled out her wallet, deciding the flash of cashmight help speed things up.

As she righted herself, she saw a mansitting at her table across from her as though he'd been there thewhole time.

Oh shit! Her bag dropped to the floor inshock.

"Lucas," Val said in ahush, like saying his name too loudly would give him power-or wakeher up from a dream. What could he want? She lifted her hand,nervously tucking a strand of long brown hair behind herear.

His eyes-a blue so Arcticand cold that it could give freezer burn- followed the movement,shifting ever so slightly to watch her hand before dipping downinfinitesimally, and she just knewhe was looking at the pulse of her wrist. Wasthat the equivalent of a guy checking her out? Scoping out herpulse? She was fucked.

"It's daytime!" she said,like it wouldn't have occurred to him that he could burst intoflame at any moment.

"A benefit of mylongevity," He said quietly.

"Can other vampires comeout during the day?" She looked around the restaurant as though shemight see a huge group of vampires dining on blood pudding andeyeing the patrons hungrily.

"No."

How old is this guy?

Hastily, she looked away from his face, notwanting to be caught by his gaze- again. Everything she knew abouthim rushed through her mind like a tidal wave. Ever since he'dsaved her she'd tried to learn about him. She didn't know much,just that he was rumored to be well over a thousand years old. Andback in his mortal days he'd been a warrior. He was intenselyprivate and no one knew anything about him.

No one ever found his bodies. Whatever hedid with them, there was never anything to associate a death withhim. She realized she was kicking the table with her leg inagitation and stopped.

He looked like a warrior. Repress allthoughts about being conquered!

His looks were cold and Nordic. Patricianfeatures, a blue gaze, square jaw and grim mouth. And yet, whenValerie thought of warriors, she thought of action, passion andspeed. Lucas was contained, almost reptilian in his quietness. Hewas still, patient and detached, as though he had utter masteryover himself, his emotions and everything around him. Everythingorbited around him without effort because he was so magnetic.

If there was action and passion to him, itwas buried deeply under a mantle of icy boredom.

Lucas waited for her, almost politely, hislegs crossed, power and confidence reined in, as though not wantingto startle her. He gave her a small smile. He was beautiful.Inhumanly so.

He scared the crap out of her.

His hair was long and thick, the color ofripe wheat ready to be harvested. It fell beyond his shoulders,heavy and straight. His lips were a pale pink, lighter than ahuman's would be, but fitting with how pale the rest of himwas.