It wasn’t all lazy nights in bed, whispering soft secrets under the sheets, nor drugging kisses by the koi pond, though. True to his promise to give her anything she wanted, Harlan went above and beyond simplydating.
They went to incredible private concerts in Sacramento. He took her to five star restaurants and long shopping trips to plant shops. They spent a very memorable weekend in a spa and inn on the rugged coast by the city of Monterey, where he treated her to an after-hours, private viewing of one of the world’s most incredible aquariums. Incredibly, the fact that they had sex by the moon jelly fish tank wasn’t even the most memorable part ofthatparticular trip.
Much to her delight, he showered her with thoughtful gifts constantly — a new workbench in the greenhouse, a set of silk pajamas, custom work boots with roses embroidered on the sides, an orchid imported from Indonesia, and even handmade pruning shears from Japan. This was all after she discovered a set of outrageously expensive diamond earrings, bracelet, and necklace waiting for her on the passenger’s seat of his car the night they made love for the first time.
Thatparticular gift flustered her so much that she only wore them at home. He was fine with that, saying, “I prefer to see you wear diamonds when you’re naked, anyway.”
Zia discovered that Harlan had a dry humor, and although he was not the most smiley man, he loved to trade barbs with Caldwell and gently tease her at every opportunity. He was also surprisingly chatty in his own somber, intense way. They spent hours talking on the phone when one or the other should be sleeping. Harlan peppered her with questions about her comparatively boring life, while Zia delicately probed at his bloody past.
He didn’t like to go into details, but she got enough to realize that her vampire had lived a very, very hard life. It was no wonder he coveted beautiful things, when he’d spent half his life hungry, beaten, or sleeping the day away on filthy floors.
And that was when he was lucky. Apparently the man responsible for raising him, Julius Amauri, usually just told him to sleep outside.
He didn’t want her pity, so Zia did not give it to him. What shecouldgive was patience when he overstepped a boundary, or when he went full throttle on the protectiveness. She didn’t give in to everything, but she tried to be understanding when conflict arose.
Overall, there was precious little to complain about. Her days shortened. Her nights grew longer, fuller. Her hunger for Harlan deepened with every bite he took, and her affection sweetened into something rich and nuanced with every word they exchanged.
With the way they couldn’t get enough of one another, it didn’t take long for his venom to take. Within two weeks, she was sleeping during the day and waking up just as the sun began to set. It was an adjustment, certainly. There was even a flare of panic as she walked out into the rose garden at night for the first time since that fateful night in October.
Questions swirled as she stood at the top of the brick stairs and stared down at the dark garden below.Is this worth giving up the sunshine? The way I’ve lived my life for one hundred years? No more feeling the sun on my back when I dig in the dirt? No more light shining through rose petals as I prune?
Harlan assured her that there was still time to turn back. The change took a while to become permanent. Theoretically, she could go back to the way her life was before. She’d since learned that venom withdrawal was an awful thing, but she would survive it.
The heartbreak was another story.
Zia knew she had already made her choice. The moment she felt her magic reach for him, there was no turning back.
And, she quickly realized, working at night wasn’t so bad. Her fear of the dark lessened as her eyes adjusted to the venom, giving her better night vision, though she did still requiresomelight. She could see perfectly fine with the lights Harlan installed. Most importantly, her plants reacted to her the same as they did before, reaching up through the soil to meet her magic with the same ready affection.
Besides, if she ever reallyneededto, she could stay up late and walk in the sun again. She wasn’t harmed by the light like he was. A pair of good sunglasses and an energy drink would get her through a day in the sun.
Not so bad when I get Harlan in exchange, I think.
There was, of course, the added benefit that now her vampire could visit her during her hours in the garden.
It wasn’t an easy change, nor a thoughtless one, but it was one she was willing to make. What was the sun compared to the way he looked at her?
Nothing.
Harlan made her feel special. To him, she was not silly Zia, little sister to five talented older brothers, underachiever and consummate crybaby. She was sensual and interesting and important.
He said she would be the center of his world, and Zia was slowly coming to understand exactly what that meant.
Her vampiric shadow rarely left her side. The only time he went off on his own was when he needed to have meetings with some of his business partners — people who rented out the buildings he owned, or those who were looking for investments. She learned he had sprawling interests, and he liked to dabble in all sorts of businesses mostly for the fun of it. She was delighted to learn that it wasn’t all real estate and shares and other nonsense.
The man owned abakery!
The news tickled her so much, Harlan was forced to bundle her into one of his cars and drive her all the way to Auburn, a town about an hour away from the estate, to give her a tour. And a taste of the goods, of course.
That night, as with every date and errand they did together, they were accompanied by a small fleet of Harlan’s guards.
It was jarring at first, but as October passed into November, Zia simply got used to it. This was helped along by the fact that Caldwell —Atticus,he insisted — had also become a fixture in her life. Like Harlan, he wasn’t nearly as stern as she initially thought he was.
Atticus had a mischievous sense of humor, and he delighted in poking at Harlan until he growled something scary. It was clear from the moment she first spent time with them together that they had an enormous amount of love between them. It was also clear that for all that Atticus was less impassive than Harlan, there was no missing the fact that he was raised by him.
They stood the same way. They spoke with a similar cadence. They even gave her the same eyebrow arch when she said something they found particularly outrageous.
They were father and son. Seeing that bond helped ease some of the cold ache she felt when she thought of Harlan’s life before their paths crossed. For all the horrible things he went through, at least he had family.
