“Zane, you did it. Dammit, you did it!” Darius slapped Zane’s arm, the clap of his hand on Zane’s leather sleeve was abnormally loud.Bree looked up from her place where she sat on the grass reading a book to Jasper, her dusty rose colored skirts fanned out around her.Zane looked over at her, beholding her with his eyes.Oh this lovely woman, sitting on his lawn among the fallen petals of magnolias and cherry and apple trees, looking like a flower herself.Her skin was soft and pink, she even wore roses in her hair… ooh, he would get to those later.Jasper looked so happy, his smile was so much like his mother’s even though he possessed Zane’s black hair and silver eyes and had the pale, almost grayish skin of a vampire.
Zane turned back to Darius.“What?What did I do?”
“I can’t believe this.I came over here to see you, I wasn’t that excited at first.But now,” Darius looked off as if he were imagining things that Zane could not see, “I am elated!Children, finally I will have them, and soon!”
Bree heard this and instantly perked up.She then rose to her feet, promising Jasper she’d be right back.She was wearing a wide hoopskirt and the many yards of silk rustled as she moved. “Darius?” Bree looked at him quizzically, then she broke into a wide smile, her eyes lighting up. “Darius!Oh my!”
“What?” Zane looked from his wife to his friend in confusion. “What am I missing here?”
“Oh Zane, I can’t believe you can’t figure it out!Darius is planning to marry!” Bree ran to them, then stopped suddenly when she reached them, causing her skirts to sway back and forth.
Zane looked at Darius, his face in an expression of awe. “Mitzi?”
“Of course, who else?” Darius laughed. “I’ll get to have kids at last!”
“Zane,” Bree looked up at her husband, “may I have a few words with Darius…. alone if you don’t mind?”
“Why, of course.” He looked at her in confusion, then waved her on. “Go.”
Darius offered Bree his arm and she hooked hers through it. “Darius,” she said as she looked down before looking back up at him, “do you love her, or are you just marrying her conveniently so that she can bear you children?”
“Why would you ask me that?” Darius’s intense blue eyes bore into her.She hoped she wasn’t upsetting him.
“I know I shouldn’t meddle, which I am doing, I guess… Zane, I’m sure will ground me or something (she laughed lightly at her facetiousness) if he finds out, but..”
“But what?” Darius was more than concerned with what Bree had to say.
“I love that poor girl. She has been through so much and yet she loves with all of her heart and gives with all of her soul.She will make a fine wife for you and she will bow to your every need and desire obediently. But I’m afraid that you want her for the children and then….” Bree couldn’t finish.The thought hurt her to much to continue.Darius, however, figured out what she was getting at.
“I won’t eat her, if that is what you are thinking.How could I? She’s kind of fun to be around, she is so timid in such a cute way that all I want to do is hold her, and when I am not with her, I…” Darius, if vampires could blush, would be blushing now.“I miss her.” He then looked at Bree seriously. “A lot. And I feel this need to – to – protect her.”
“Are you afraid to say all this to Zane? Would it be some kind of punch to your ego to admit this to another vampire?” Bree was smiling.
Darius laughed.“Damn, Bree.I’m not a stupid human male that lives in your foul world. But…” he laughed again, “yeah, you’re right.Forgive me, I’m an idiot.”
