Sinjin, A Vampire Romance

Chapter Twenty

Sinjin

It had been three months since I laid a finger on her.

Never let it be said that Sinjin Sinclair did not know how to restrain himself! Alas, an oath is still an oath, even if one makes it only to oneself, and I was no oath breaker.

My eyes touched her though, on many occasions. Mostly when she was unaware of my proximity. On those occasions, I would find her looking out to sea, while the waves crashed noisily upon the distant shore. And I would feel her yearning.

Was she planning her escape? Or simply missing her kin? Perhaps there was a man she thought of, a man she left behind? Just because she was still a maiden did not mean she had never loved a man before She must have been lonely without her tribe.

I longed to reach out to her at those moments, sadly familiar with all there was to know about loneliness and loss. But I knew she would toss my sentiments right back in my face. After all the time we spent in close proximity, she still did not trust me. And why should she? Her jailer! Stockholm Syndrome, my arse!

I watched her at night while she slept, drinking in the peace that suffused her features, wishing I could suck some of that from her too. She was not always at peace, however. She was often troubled by bad dreams. On such occasions, her brow furrowed deeply and she tossed her head from side to side as she cried out. I ached to touch her then and take her in my arms, but I feared the results. I knew I would only receive a knee in the groin for my troubles. So I just watched. And waited.

I was waiting out on the rocks one day for the tide to come in.

They called it Lady's Cove. I have no idea why. I came here often when I could not sleep, because this place offered a special type of sanctuary. It was nearly always deserted and when it was occupied, I was a dab hand at intimidating even the most stubborn humans. It was all in the eyes. I had never had to resort to using my teeth.

It was a charming cove, lined with miniature caves into which the tide rushed and rhythmically retreated with a soothing, lulling sound. For a vampire who lived as long as I, peace was generally hard to come by. But sometimes, rarely, the ocean could lull me into a sense of comfort, false though it was. Even on the stormy days when the sea mirrored my own turmoil, hurling wave after wave against the rugged Scottish coast, I somehow managed to find comfort.

It was in this pensive state that Mathilda discovered me. I was wrapped in several blankets, my expensive shades on my nose, although the day was dull and grey as slate. I felt her long before I saw and heard her, her presence always so unmistakable.

"Mathilda. To what do I owe the honor?"

"I thought I'd find you here." She smiled up at me in that peculiar way of hers—as if she knew more about me than I did of myself.

I started to rise in deference to her, but she placed a hand on my shoulder, surprisingly warm and firm, and pressed me down. I sank back into the rocks.

"No need to get up, my dear. You're already taller than I am sitting down."

I smiled my appreciation as I looked into her faded jade eyes, glowing with kindness as ever. Possibly with the exception of Jolie, I doubt any living creature was as kind to me as Mathilda. And the strangest thing was: she saw the good in me and actually seemed to draw it out. Good. It was rare for me to apply that particular adjective when speaking about myself.

I have sinned in every sense of the word and "good" was certainly not a word I would use to describe myself. It was not worth dwelling on. But something about Mathilda seemed to warm me from the outside in. Her kind and loving acceptance. Whatever I was, whatever I had been before, simply did not matter to her.