Rare Blood

Chapter Fifty-Three: We're All Alright

It had been three weeks since Faye's transformation, three of the best weeks of Cyrus' whole existence. She gave meaning to everything, even the most mundane task in the simple routine that developed between them mattered. He didn't know how long it would last, but he planned to cherish the times of peace always. Faye was easy to love, to be with, and her energy was so vibrant that sometimes he could see it. This aura of microscopic glittering lights would twinkle around her like she was in her own personal bubble of stardust. It was beautiful, even if the mystery behind it did make him a bit weary.

He'd become incredibly good at keeping the worry worthy moments to himself. Protecting Faye from everything, even his thoughts, was his greatest priority. He still hadn't told her she could sway his thinking for that very same reason. He was afraid that she might force him to let her do something she shouldn't. In fact, he knew that's where they were heading and he didn't want her practiced, but he shoved all that down too.

In Faye's presence, Cyrus simply focused on the fact that she was safe which allowed him to keep anything heavy out of their bond. It was easy to be the rock she needed; hell, he'd be the whole damn mountain as long as she was queen.

Their days were filled with laughter, love, and intimate moments that reminded him Faye was a Goddess and should be worshiped as such. Thinking about her touch, the feel of her body had Cyrus flooring the accelerator as he rushed to return to her. She wasn't ready to venture far from the cabin, so he was heading to town when necessary. But that morning, Cyrus was returning with more than their regular supplies.

An envelope he'd been waiting for had arrived at a post office box Louis secured for them. The envelope contained new social security cards, birth certificates, and their driver's licenses. Everything they needed to exist in the modern world, aside from passports, which would be easy to obtain now. Cyrus also made a stop at his favorite jewelers and had a certain piece polished because it was time.

He would never admit it, but he'd come to understand things happened how they had to. He knew now that he never would've been able to bring Faye to the point of death required to start the transition. His drive to protect her would've prevented it. He was there in the end though, that's what mattered, that's what he was remembering. And when he saw the jewelry box in his sock drawer that morning, he no longer felt a sense of loss connected to it.

He realized with the arrival of their new identities, came the perfect opportunity to present the ring to her. He'd thought about buying her a new one, however when he opened the lid and looked at the pale purple diamond, he knew it belonged on Faye's finger, just like she belonged with him. There were no other options.

While Cyrus was at the store, Faye made her way to the falls and perched on a large flat boulder on the bank of the naturally formed pool. The sun was shining bright in the sky and she'd taken her shoes and socks off to put her feet into the water. She was dressed in a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts, enjoying the thirty-two degrees like it was eighty-two.

Faye didn't get cold anymore, now the only goosebumps that ever spread on her skin were from Cyrus. She could sit outside in freezing temperatures wearing a bikini if she wanted and remain blissfully unaffected. She preferred the cold even, especially when she had a hot flash, which had been happening more and more.

It was the dreams she'd been having almost nightly, they filled her with fear and anger, so much anger. She'd wake up feeling trapped, and hot, and have to swallow it all down. She tried to write the feelings in the journal Elsie and Howahkan gave her, but she got stuck every time and would end up not writing anything. I woke up hot again, didn't exactly seem like the kind of thing to note on magical paper in an antique journal.