Anaïs still couldn’t believe she had said no. Ryder had practically asked her for a serious relationship, the first tempting offer in who knows how many years, and she had turned it down. She sighed exasperatedly as she unlocked the Gallery’s front door. She could have taken today off to show Ryder the city but she didn’t want to face him just yet. Anaïs knew it was childish to sneak off at the break of dawn but what was done could not be undone. She thought of the note she had left him as she turned the lights on and got the cash register set up. It had been pretty simple and to the point; it only read that she had work and would not return till much later. It was a cowards way out, she knew, and regretted leaving it. She should have asked Ryder to accompany her to the Gallery; If not for her safety, at least out of courtesy. It was still dark outside, she was completely alone in the Gallery, and Frédéric had called an hour earlier to tell her that he would be coming in a little late because he had an appointment he could not afford to miss- suddenly the Gallery seemed too cold and too quiet. Despite the lights, there were shadows everywhere. The back room was entirely submerged in darkness and the light switch was on the farthest wall. Anaïs shivered as her eyes focused on the large viewing windows at the entrance of the Gallery. The darkness made it impossible to see out and she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was out there… looking in. Anaïs thought about locking the door but she didn’t want to get anywhere near the glass. The spooky feeling was getting stronger; causing shivers to travel up and down her spine while her skin crawled with goosebumps. Anaïs wasn’t often frightened; she knew how to fight and she had never had an issue with defending herself. This feeling of fright was foreign to her; even facing the guillotine so many centuries ago, she had faced it without fear. So when the door suddenly rattled as if someone had given it a shake, she shrieked like all hell was lose.
Crouching down behind the check out desk, Anaïs searched through her bag frantically for her cell phone. It always seemed that when she desperately needed something, it was never easy to find.
Her hands were shaking as she grasped the iPhone and tried to go into her contacts. Her fingers kept missing the keys because she was trembling so badly. The door shook once more before the little bell above it announced that it had been opened.
Anaïs clutched the phone to her chest as she listened to the heavy footsteps against the hardwood floor of the Gallery. They stopped right in front of the desk.
Anaïs kept thinking, this is it, I’m going to die, but it didn’t happen. She heard her name called and was relieved when she recognized Dominic’s smooth voice. She felt like an idiot for letting her imagination get the best of her.
“What in the world were you doing down there?” he asked when she rose to her feet.
“Would you believe I dropped something?”
“If I say yes will you come around and give me a hug?” Dominic chuckled.
Anaïs stepped out from behind the desk and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was immensely glad that he was here; it didn’t matter if she had imagined everything, she still didn’t feel safe being in the Gallery alone. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, while she tried to calm her nerves. Dominic wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
“What’s wrong ma petite chatte? You’re shivering.”
“I scared myself thinking someone was watching me from outside the windows. I admit it was silly of me to hide behind the desk but it gave me such a fright. I swear the door rattled like someone was shaking it.”
“Shaking it? Now why would someone do that?”
Should I tell him about the stalker, Anaïs thought.
She trusted Dominic but Ryder’s visions were a hard thing to explain and Dominic probably wouldn’t believe her anyway. It was best to keep things simple. If Dominic leaked that she knew she was being followed to the press and they reported on it, her stalker could get furious and seek retribution. She certainly didn’t need an angry stalker; An obsessed one was bad enough.
“I don’t know, cause I’m crazy I guess. I was just so scared… I probably imagined it all.”
“Yes,” Dominic agreed, “you probably did.”
****
Ryder sat up in bed, covered in sweat and gasping. He had had another vision and in this one Anaïs’ stalker had looked different. Could it be that he was able to change his appearance? It wasn’t any more farfetched than the idea of vampires existing so Ryder didn’t doubt it for a second. In his first vision, the man had had dark red hair. Such was not the case this time.
Ryder pushed the covers aside and immediately headed toward the shower. He turned the water as cold as it would go because he needed the ice-cold shock to relieve the tension in his shoulders. He was on edge because of Anaïs and the issue of wanting her. He still couldn’t believe he had asked her to go steady… how adolescent of him; a man did not ask for more after amazing sex; he shut up and hoped for it to happen again. Obviously his heart and body were not on the same page. One wanted her in bed and the other wanted her for the long haul. His mind was in between, acting as the mediator but it was failing at the moment; Ryder was being consumed by emotions, thoughts, and anxiety.
He toweled off as quickly as possible and didn’t bother to check for Anaïs; he knew that she was already on her way to the Gallery. Ryder was just glad he had thought to look up the address of the Gallery before coming to Paris. Otherwise, it could have taken him forever to explain to the cab driver where he needed to go. He was finding it exceedingly convenient that most of the French people he had encountered so far spoke at least a little bit of English and understood most of it. He would have been entirely powerless to help Anaïs otherwise.
The Gallery was the only shop that was open this early and the lights burned bright against the dark backdrop. Ryder paid the cab driver too much because he still hadn’t gotten the hang of using the Euro and hurried across the street to the Gallery. He didn’t know if the man was still nearby or if he had yet to come but Ryder didn’t plan on letting anything happen to Anaïs. When he had had a vision about her, he had become involved with her destiny. Any choice he made could change the chain of events that were supposed to have followed… it was a power not many people were blessed with and one he never took for granted.
****
Dominic watched Anaïs inspect every piece in the Gallery in fascination. She really did love this place; it showed through in the way she looked at the canvas’ and ran her fingers softly across the sculptures. When she turned to him with a smile he thought once again how badly he wanted to paint her. She had been the only woman to refuse him that privilege. In fact, most of the time women begged him to paint them. He did a lot of nude paintings… that almost always ended in an affair of some sort. Dominic wouldn’t mind sleeping with Anaïs; she was undeniably sexy after all. However, she was holding off from sex… or so he thought. He recognized the flush in her cheeks, the way her eyes glistened, and an overall improvement in the way she carried herself and knew that she had indulged in some hot, steamy sex. He was curious and the slightest bit jealous… he decided that if he couldn’t have her body, he would make it immortal on canvas. Somehow, sooner or later, Anaïs would pose for him. She was far too beautiful to resist trying to replicate that beauty with brush strokes and oil.
ma petite chatte- my little sweetie
YOU ARE READING
Amour éternel
VampireAnais lost her dear Jacque a very long time ago because she didnt believe in his love. Now, hundreds of years later, in a chance meeting, she comes across a man who looks exactly the same as her beloved. His name is Ryder and he says he has had a vi...
