The next morning Bree awoke to sunlight warm on her face and body.She must have been in a different room because there were white, wispy curtains floating up on the slight breeze that flowed in from the open windows.The last she remembered was that the room she was in was black and dark.This one was so – light. The walls were a pale blue.The bed covers were white and pale blue.The pillows all around her were covered with soft cotton, the same as the sheets.At first she thought she was dreaming until she saw Zane enter the room.
“Zane?” Her eyes were sleepy, her voice soft and soothing to him.
“Yes?”He sat next to her on the bed.When he looked down at her, her heart jumped in her chest.He was more handsome than ever.His face was positively glowing, not a trace of any bad emotion was there at all.He had already dressed, wearing his typical modern goth emo style.But instead of the leather he usually wore, he had on a black cotton shirt with three studded leather straps around the cuffs at his wrists.
“Where am I?” She sat up, clutching the sheet to her body.She didn’t realize that Zane had already dressed her in a nightgown while she was asleep.
“At my resort, in my cottage.”
Then she yawned big.“But the room is different.” She looked down at the white eyelet cotton of her simple nightgown. “And when did you put this nightgown on me?”
“While you were sleeping, after I took some of your blood.I figured you’d want to wake in something comfortable.”Zane then got up and returned shortly with a wooden tray.On it was a plate of easy-over eggs, hash browns, and sausage.A mug of coffee with cream and sugar was also on it.Bree looked at him, amazed. He grinned back at her as he spoke proudly. “I can cook too, you know.When you have a thousand years to kill, you learn things to keep from getting bored.”
“I thought the slaves did all of your cooking.”
“Mostly for parties and guests.Otherwise, it is only myself and my parents in the castle.However, we almost always have guests there at any given time. You’ve probably seen them walking around while you were there cleaning the floors or something.”
“I did sometimes.” Bree looked off at the wall. “I would get so afraid of them, the vampires, but most of the time they just ignored me.”
“Yeah, you weren’t a slave long enough to run into my own friends that weren’t necessarily family friends. Antonio would do something like, walk with muddy boots across the whole floor you just mopped.He was pretty good at getting slaves in trouble.I think the humans fear him as much as me, but for different reasons.”
“Zane…” Bree looked down nervously.She knew this was a touchy subject for Zane, but he was the one that kept nonchalantly bringing it up.“I came from there, from the slave world.Some of them were my friends….” She sighed, “Why do you have to hate them so much?Why do you have to be so cruel?”
“It’s my way.” Zane snapped.She had upset him.“I’ve been that way for ten centuries.You married a very powerful and extremely vicious vampire.You knew that before we married.You can’t change me and if you try, I’ll just get upset with you.So please, please, please!Stop bringing it up.Don’t make me mad.”
