A Vampire's Life Book 6

Chapter 11

Zane was in the garden when this little green thing jumped past him, it scared the life out of him. Ariella watched from the path as Zane poked through the garden trying to find it. He caught the creature in his hands and slowly opened them, looking at it. As it jumped out of his hands he jumped and fell backwards onto the ground. Ariella laughed so hard she had to hold the pole for stability.

'Have you never seen a grasshopper?'

He shook his head a little embarrassed.

'Led a very sheltered life.'

'Clearly.' she said a little stunned.

'Would you like a lesson in the creatures we have around the property?'

Zane looked at her and knew he couldn't pass up any opportunity to spend time with her, regardless of what it was. She was smiling, this was an improvement from the last time he had seen her. The stables. It had been two days, two long soul searching days without her. And then there was the other problem. The other woman he loved. Zane still hadn't found the device to remove the tracking chip. Time was running out. Maybe he had to find another way. Maybe the key to finding this device was through Ariella. He looked at her, she smiled at him and it warmed his heart. He didn't want to do what he had to do, but he had no choice. He knew he would regret it, but what other option was there? There wasn't any.

'Yes. I would love it.'

Ariella grinned, moving closer she pointed to the grasshopper on the branch of a shrub.

'Grasshopper, can be destructive for plants.'

She knelt beside him and dug into the dirt, showing him this long pink strand of wriggliness.

'Worm, beneficial for soil health.'

She got up from the ground, he quickly followed her down the path to a flower bed.

'Bees, very, very important, but keep your distance, they have stingers that they will use on you.'

Zane took a step back from the little buzzing things.

'Spiders, some dangerous, some not. Best to keep your distance.'

He looked at the awful things hanging on the little threads. He had seen these things before, in the buildings in the city, only these ones were less gruesome looking. Zane turned and saw that Ariella had made some distance as she moved to the wooded area beside the castle. He quickly caught up to her as something flittered past her.

'Butterfly.'

She held out her hand and he was shocked as the thing landed on her finger. Zane watched with total fascination as the butterfly sat there, its orange and black wings moving slowly. Ariella took his hand and held it close to hers, hoping that the creature might move to his hand. He gasped as it moved off her hand into the air.

'Don't freak out, it won't hurt you.'

He could feel his heart racing as the little thing landed on his finger.

'So delicate.' she whispered.

Zane looked past the butterfly to the woman standing there watching it. She smiled, pure happiness etched on her beautiful face. As the butterfly flew away she watched it, then realised that she was being watched. She turned to him, pulling his hand further into the woods.

Zane didn't know there was another lake on the property, hidden among the trees in the woodland area. The water glistened as it rippled to the edge, the trees hung over the water, one branch so low the leaves touched the water. Ariella knelt beside some plants searching through the leaves, pulling something out.