Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DB Chapter 9 - No Cinderella

Chapter 9

BY THE TIME Vivienne woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She rubbed her eyes. She probably would have slept all day if her phone hadn't been ringing off her nightstand. As she glanced around, she noticed that her dirty clothes were gone. The maids must have cleaned after she passed out on her bed. Her cellphone was no longer in her pants pocket. In fact, her dirty clothes were gone. The phone had been placed on her nightstand.

How embarrassing.

Worse yet, had Blake walked by while she was sleeping in nothing but a bathrobe? Was he the one who placed a blanket over her?

Vivienne hoped not. She would rather have believed that little elves showed up and magically moved her under the covers. Why didn't Blake wake her up and advise her to put on some clothing? This lack of privacy was going to take some getting used to. Best to put it out of her mind. Vivienne answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you in the mood to break a bond today?"

It was Julian. Who else would call her on her new number?

"Sure. I don't think I have anything else to do today."

"Your boy has left for Tercel already. He won't be back until after dark. I did manage to plan a meeting with your red-headed friend."

"Allison? Really?" Vivienne demanded.

"Yes, I got her to agree. She promised to see you tomorrow. I don't know if she will show up."

"Where should I have Glenn take me?" Vivienne asked as she gathered up her things. On her nightstand were several black cards as well. Some she assumed were keys, and the others looked like credit cards. Who knew what any of it was? At this point, she just thought that if she pointed at anything, ten of them would show up in her room. She shoved the cards in one of her many new wallets and popped it into the nearest handbag.

"No need to bother Winick. I'll drive. Come downstairs when you are ready."

She found the white dress that Julian had held up to her neck in front of the mirror yesterday. It fit beautifully. The waves of chiffon made her feel as though she were embraced by clouds that had been plucked from the midday sky. She gave the dress a twirl in the mirror. It fit perfectly, unlike Janun's hand-me-downs that were always too big in all the wrong places.

This dress was the perfect size, as the experienced salespeople gleamed. She hadn't even needed to tell them her size. Vivienne found a pair of sneakers to wear under the dress because the heels were too daunting for a first day out.  Then, she threw the beaded purse over her shoulder, and it was done. She was wearing an outfit that was perfectly color-coordinated.

It was so easy now that she had shoes, dresses, and purses of every color of the rainbow.

So, this was what it was like to be rich.

She paused momentarily by the closet with Lady Odelia's diamonds. Blake's mother wasn't coming back for those diamonds, so she might as well wear them. But, after taking a deep breath, Vivienne decided she wasn't ready to disturb that dead woman's memory. Maybe in time.

Vivienne ran past the house staff before they could offer her a late breakfast. Glenn was standing by the elevator holding half a croissant while flirting with one of the kitchen maids.

He raised an eyebrow when she ran past him and closed the elevator doors firmly behind her. Julian was parked outside in the underground garage. His car was a pale-yellow Cadillac convertible. It was nothing like anything Vivienne had seen among Blake's car collection. This was one cheerful, fun, and a bit banged-up.

Julian flicked Calbert's gold chain, which was hanging from his rear-view mirror.

"Time to find the bloke that you picked over two Princes at the Masquerade."

"This car is very you," Vivienne noted as she threw her purse into the back seat and sat down in the passenger side. "Did you pick it because it's yellow? For breaking a bond?"

"I only have one car," Julian said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not like your boyfriend. I don't need a hundred cars in different shades of black."

"I've always wanted to ride in a car with the top down."

"Too bad, it's November."

"You're a vampire."

"You're not."

Vivienne crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. Then Julian threw up his hands and laughed. 

"Fine! But you're putting on my coat."

Julian got out of the driver's side and stripped off his military-style wool coat. He threw it at Vivienne's face to wipe the smirk off her face. Vivienne chuckled and threw her arms into the oversized armholes. It was already prewarmed and smelled faintly of cedarwood and cinnamon.

"You've changed your cologne," Vivienne noted. "I like this one better."

"You were the one who complained about how I smelled. I tossed the cologne, and I found a soap that's closer to your boyfriend's." Julian backed up, narrowly hitting a pillar, and sped full speed out of the garage, into the sunlight. "Maybe you can sneak into his washroom and tell me if I guessed the correct one."

"I'm pretty sure his bedroom is locked."

"Tsk. Ask him for the key. He'll give it to you."

"Just like that?"

"Trust me, he'll give you his right arm if you ask for it."

Julian slipped a pair of sunglasses onto his face at the first red light they stopped at. Vivienne chuckled and stretched out to enjoy the sunlight. It was beautiful and warm against her skin despite the cold early winter air. She noticed a group of young women stop to gawk at Julian's car and then its owner.

Vivienne smiled to herself. Yes, they all wanted the boy who sat next to her. But he was hers. The best part was that she didn't even have to behave herself. She wasn't in a relationship with him. He was merely a friend, a friend who had no choice but to steadfastly remain by her side, but still — he was hers in every way that mattered.

"Is that enough sun protection for you, Mr. Vampire?"

"More than enough. I haven't indulged in the Zombie Juice for over a month. I'm practically human."

"I noticed your eyes don't glow. He has also stopped since we got to Remin."

"Your boyfriend and I are different. I never took in enough Black Waters to fully become a demon. He did. But luckily for him, he has a way back to humanity."

"The Lumins. I remember. Jonathan mentioned those in Satan's Hollow."

"Yes, Lumins come from water from Tahel Lake. They can cleanse the effects of the Black Waters. If your boyfriend keeps taking them, he'll be practically indistinguishable from a normal human."

"Can he really take enough to become human again?"

"Perhaps that's a question for him," Julian said quietly.  "Lumins are only so effective, especially after the demonic effects have taken hold. However, Tahel works in strange ways. Perhaps, those waters will grant him a wish that it wouldn't grant anyone else."

"Would he choose to be human for me, if he could?"

"It's more complicated than that," Julian shrugged. "I can be human easily. He can't. You'll see, eventually."