Midnight Crusade

Chapter 14

Vivian sat on one of the couches in the living room, the curtains of the shades pulled back to allow the sunlight to spill into the room. A sketchbook laid in her lap, a pencil in one hand as she sketched a vase that sat atop a table across from her. It had been a few days now that she'd been at the estate, and she felt completely trapped. She was basically stuck in the bedroom, only really leaving if Kit was with her. It made her feel like this place was dangerous. Maybe she wasn't safe here after all.

They hadn't spoken about the kiss nor the moment they had when they first arrived. A couple days had passed and both of them pretended everything was normal. That there wasn't something blossoming between them.

"Can we go outside?" Vivian asked suddenly, dropping her sketchbook and looking up to the vampire that sat across from her.

Kit sat with a book in his hands, leg crossed over his knee. When Vivian spoke he looked up from his book, meeting the woman's eyes. "Outside?"

Vivian nodded. "It's just getting kind of... stuffy in here."

The vampire hesitated, but then nodded. "There are some gardens we can walk around." He said, closing his book and standing. "Some fresh air might be nice."

"Really?" Vivian closed her scrapbook and stood as well.

The vampire just nodded before heading to the door. "Put some shoes on."

The two of them leave the bedroom and head downstairs. They pass a number of different people on the way, Vivian noticing red eyes on her. Not only that, but the way they looked at her, like she was some kind of meal- it made her insides shutter and she walked closer to Kit.

"Am I really safe here?" She asked as they walked through glass doors that lead outside. It was the evening, the sun just about to set. The sky was shades of blue and purple as night quickly took over. "There's so many..."

"Vampires?" Kit finished her sentence, looking down at her. "Yes, you will be safe here." He said, raising his eyes to the garden they were approaching. "I have made sure of that."

We are lovers. Kits words play in her mind. "Because we're lovers?"

The vampire cleared his throat. "Yes."

They continued to walk in silence, their arms brushing every few steps. The crisp cool air felt good on Vivians face, the woman tilting her head back and looking up to the sky. Clouds hovered above her, painted a deep orange from the setting sun. Bringing her head back down, she looked at the gardens in front of her, and gasped.

Stretching out in front of her were rows of green shrubs, blooming flowers and creeping vines crawling up pine trees. It looked like spring, not winter. Taking a few steps forward, she took in the sight. It was beautiful. "How... how is it so green? It's December?"

"Niccolo had these gardens enchanted." Kit said, walking past Vivian and to a bush with tiny red flowers. His fingers ran across the petals, gentle and slow. "It is always spring here."

Vivian just stood where she was and looked around, completely stunned. "That's amazing." She said, a little breathless. Slowly, she moved to stand besides Kit, looking down at the tiny red flowers. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Kit turned to look at her, seeming to notice their closeness and took a step back. "It is nothing." The vampire said in a cool voice, guarding whatever feelings that must have been going through him. "You said you wanted to go outside."

"You could have just taken me out the front door and I would have been happy." She said, staying where she stood, despite wanting to close the distance.