Who said that about me? But it’s rude to ask, so instead I nod vigorously. “Thank you for trusting me. You have a beautiful home. Perhaps you could show me where you need my help.”
Viviana leads me down a wide corridor to what is clearly intended to be a bedroom, but it’s packed with stuff. I bite back the bile sticking in my throat at the sight of those stacks and piles.
Viviana called me because she wants to get rid of her stuff. Unlike certain other vampires that shall not be mentioned, shewantsto change.
“My wife and I have had our application accepted by the Conclave,” she says. “We are siring a new vampire.”
“You’re giving someone the Kiss?” I can’t help the fission of curiosity running down my spine.
“We are! Not a child, you understand. That’s not allowed. But they will beourchild, someone who has been let down by their human life and deserves another chance. They will need to live with us while they adjust to their new form, so I’m making this room ready for them.” She smiles wistfully. “My wife and I have carted these objects around many homes over our lifetime. Each one of them is a memory from our lives together, but it’s time to clear them out to make room for new memories. It’s such a big job and I haven’t been ableto face it. I’m afraid?—”
“I can help you,” I assure her. “I have a system, the Winnie Wins System, although I’m not sure it’s quite the right thing here. But let’s get started and we’ll see where we end up.”
I work with Viviana for hours, long into the night, and I enjoy myself so much that I don’t even need to pull out one of my playlists. She pours herself a glass of blood, orders Indian on UberEats for me, and makes herself comfortable on a Timothy Oulton pouf while I hold up each object for her to make her decisions.
It takes a long time because, for every piece I hold up, Viviana has a story to tell me about where she acquired it and its significance to one of her many lovers. But I love every moment. She draws me in with her stories – the places she’s travelled, the world history she’s been part of, and her literal eternal zest for life and adventure. And now she’s on the cusp of another adventure – siring a new vampire with her love. For the first time since I was at Black Crag, I feel the insatiable itch of doing good work. Work thathelpssomeone, even if that someone is a rich, vivacious vampire.
I realise at some point during hour three that part of my job is to be a witness for memories. Viviana needs to touch each object, to speak its significance, and only once this is done can she release it.
“I have an idea,” I say.
Viviana helps me clear a wall in her hallway. We place each item in front of it as though it’s a piece of art, and I snap a photo with my phone. I’ll put them in an album for her, so she can return to the pieces and their memories without needing to physically keep the items.
“This is working, Winnie.” Viviana pours herself another glass and clicks a button near the window so the glass becomes opaque, letting in a square of pale moonlight. “I’ve been staring at this room for months, willing myself to begin, but it seemed so daunting to sift through all these memories. You make it so manageable. And you never make me feel silly for carrying these thingsaround for years.”
I wish I had done the same for Alaric. I made him so afraid of being himself that he created a secret room to hide his heart from me.
“Thankyoufor sharing your life with me,” I say. “This has been a special job. Now, what about this jewellery box? The markings on the bottom look French?—”
“Oh, that.” Viviana’s hand flies to her mouth. I’m surprised to see tears spring in the vampire’s eyes. “I didn’t expect …”
“Are you okay?” I quickly set it down. “Do you need a moment alone?”
“It’s fine.” She waves her hand in front of her face. “It was centuries ago. It’s simply that … I loved a human once. The great love of my life.”
My heart hammers against my chest. “You did?”
“This was during my early days as an Upyr, before many of the rules we have today about what is right and proper for vampire and human relations. I was in the French court and I met a woman there – the most remarkable woman, with a voice like stardust and the most impeccable taste for the finer things in life. She gave me that jewellery box so that I would remember her. She wanted me to give her the Kiss.Beggedme for it. But I refused her.”
“Why?”
I shouldn’t pry, but I’m so curious about it, and Alaric never told me a thing except how much he hated his mother for giving him the Kiss.
“I told her that I loved her as she was and I didn’t want her to become a monster like me. Finally, she grew tired of asking and married another. I haven’t thought of her in such a long time, but oh …” Viviana turns the box in her fingers, her voice shaking. “You see … I realised decades later that I lied to her. I didn’t refuse her because I was afraid of turning her into a monster. I was afraid that if she knew the joy of eternal life, then she would have no need of me anymore. I didn’t believe that love could endure over centuries. In time, everything crumbles. Walls, civilisations, hearts. I was so scared of losing her that I ended up driving her away.”
The hard lump in my throat makes it difficult to getwords out. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Viviana hands me the jewellery box. “I want you to keep this, Winnie. Let it remind you to never be too stubborn or too afraid to love. Things that break can be repaired, and become all the more beautiful for the cracks. Eternity is a long time for regrets.”
I shouldn’t accept such a gift from a client, especially not one dripping with rubies and gold filigree, but once she places it in my hand I find it impossible to let it go.
“Thank you,” I whisper, forcing back the tears pricking in my own eyes.
Eternity is a long time for regrets.
In time, everything crumbles …
… even walls as high as mountains.
