Emerald Eyes (15 page)

“I think I’m beginning to understand,” she said. “I was just about to go to my cottage for a little while, maybe run to the store and pick up a few things. I could do some housecleaning.”

He smiled amusedly.

“What?”

“I suggest you wear sunglasses. You might find the daylight a little bright for your eyes.”

“But I thought—?”

“True, Madison. You’re not fully transitioned…yet. But you have more than enough of my blood in you to turn you, should you die, as I mentioned before. What’s more, I’ve fed it to you sufficient times now, where it is dominant in your veins – Enough that you are going to be considerably more sensitive to the rays of the sun.”

She thought about it for a minute. “I guess I haven’t really considered the consequences totally. But it makes sense. If you turn me completely, I’ll be just like you. Have to stay inside during the day.”

“Correct. However, if it’s really overcast and dark, you can get away with it. And early in the morning and late evenings, you can venture out.”

“Okay, I’ll grab my darkest sunglasses before I go to the store.”

In a flash, he was out of bed and at his dresser, where he grabbed a pair of dark glasses and handed them over to her.

Her expression was inquisitive. “I have my own.”

“My sweet Madison, you still have to get from here to there.” He smiled, amused. “Here.” He placed them in her right hand. “You’ll be glad you have them. Trust me.” He kissed her forehead. “Have a good day, darling. And don’t worry if you don’t hear from me the minute you think you should. I will be around.”

“Okay…Sorry about that.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.”

“You have a good day too!”

He escorted her to the door, and indicated with a nod for her to put the sunglasses on before opening it. She did. He stepped back, and she opened the door and walked out. He quickly closed it.

“
Jeezzz!” she exclaimed. “It’s freakin’ blinding out here!”

He sniggered and stood there until she was off the porch, and then he returned to the basement.

Indian Joe jerked his head up as the pretty blonde with dark sunglasses made her way through the front door. He wondered if she was the girl Chuck had fallen in love with, figured she fit the description to a T. He did notice that she looked more than a little sunburned, although it wasn’t hot out at all. He wondered if she had stayed in a tanning booth too long somewhere. She grabbed a few things and made her way to the counter where he stood.

“You must be Indian Joe?” she said, sitting her few items down.

He noticed she had picked up a bottle of sunscreen with her groceries.

“You are badly sunburned,” he said. “You over do in the tanning salon?” he asked, not caring if she thought he was nosey.

His question surprised her; she glanced up from taking her wallet out of her purse. “Oh! No! I mean…I went with a friend to the beach. It was cloudy, but I burned anyway.”

“Oregon coast?” he inquired.

“Yeah…sure. That’s where we were.”

He knew full well she was hiding something. It was apparent she was unaccustomed to lying. “You Madison?”

“…Yes!”

“Thought so. Chuck said you were really pretty…You are.”

“Why thank you,” she said, seeming to be pondering something. Then she suddenly asked. “You’re working for Chuck while he’s…away, aren’t you?”

He nodded yes and rang up her purchases. There was something else about her, and he picked it up strongly now that she stood so close – a scent. One he was all too familiar with, but had not been around much for a long time. The only other individual with a similar scent was the vampire, Devin Knight. No one had to tell Joe, the facts were in his face. The bad
sunburn
, the dark sunglasses – she was on the verge of transition!

Very few folks around knew of or believed in vampires, but he had known of Devin Knight for years. The vampire had pretty much left everyone alone, with the exception of his long relationship with Mattie Ray, which few people knew about.

Still, Joe had known. For some reason, Devin had never turned her. Joe figured the vampire had to have really cared about her to have stayed with her anyway. There had to be some decency in him. Therefore, Joe had kept his knowledge to himself. And it only fit that Madison, who was a dead ringer for her deceased aunt when she was young, could easily become involved with Devin Knight. He had to have known her when she was a child.

“Is there something wrong with me?” Madison asked, studying him inquiringly.

“Your sunburn, young lady. You take good care of it. You don’t want to get secondary infections. You can, you know.”

“Oh…Yes. I‘ve heard that before. My grandmother once told me that some movie star, back years ago, died from infections she’d received from a bad sunburn. I think it was a Jean Harlow? Yes! I will definitely be careful. Thank you! And tell Chuck I said hello, will you?”

“I will. You be careful now. And have a good day.”

“You too. Thanks!”

He stepped around the counter as she went out the door. She held her arm up to protect her face from the sun and quickly ran to her car. With a sad shake of his head, he wondered how he was going to break
this
news to Chuck. It wasn’t going to be easy. He’d never told his friend about Devin Knight being a vampire. There had been no reason to – until now. He figured that the young woman had decided since she and Chuck weren’t going to be together, she would be with Devin. The irony of it all was mind-blowing. What’s more, even if he told Chuck now, he figured it was too late to stop young Madison from transitioning. From her scent, she was just on the edge. He figured Devin could finish the process anytime.

It was bad enough that he’d had to move Chuck further away from their tribal dwellings that very morning. Chuck had been very upset with himself that he had come so close to the homes of his friends. Now this! He let out a weary sigh and went to straightening some magazines.

When Devin didn’t show at dark again, Madison remembered what he’d said. That he would be around. She wasn’t sure what he meant exactly, but now felt reasonably sure her
relationship
with him was good. After all, he was transitioning her. Something he had told her she needed to think about.

And she had, all afternoon. She had suffered an awful sunburn from just going out for a short while, and she hadn’t been able to stand the sunlight without the sunglasses. Was this what she wanted for the rest of her life? A vampire’s life at that? She sat in her living room staring at her easel and a blank canvass she had sat out, thinking she might try to paint. Her camera sat on the coffee table. Just a few days before, she’d been all ready to take lots and lots of pictures with it in hopes of painting lots and lots of outdoor scenes.

Now she couldn’t even go outdoors! Not during the day. Not without risking severe burns – and she hadn’t even completely transitioned yet! As she sat on the sofa her eyes suddenly pooled with tears. Did she really want to give up life as a human? Did she? Could she revert back now? Or was it too late?

She lunged back with a start, as Devin suddenly appeared in front of her. His eyes held deep sadness. “My sweet,” he said in his soft manner, “if you do not wish to transition, it
will
wear off in a couple of days.”

“You’ve been picking up my thoughts?” She was at once apologetic. “Devin! I’m sorry. Honestly, I haven’t really made a final decision yet.”

“This is why I left you alone this evening. To give you time to consider everything. Giving up sunshine is a huge price to pay. It definitely was one of the things Mattie refused to let go of. You being so much like her, I thought you might feel the same.”

She went to speak, but he politely shushed her and asked her to let him finish.

She bobbed her head. “Go on.”

“In all honesty, my love, if I now had the choice of being human and could be in the sunlight for a few short years, I would choose the sunlight.” He looked as though he could easily cry.

“I had no idea.”

“I never had that choice. I was sick…dying from what is now known as pneumonia. My sire took pity on me and turned me to save my life…Though I am grateful for his intention, there has been many a time that I just wish that he had let me go.”

“Oh, Devin!” she jumped up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around him. “I didn’t know! Gawd! I didn’t know. I’m
so
sorry!”

He gently pulled back from her to look in her eyes. “I cannot ask you to give up sunshine. You’re young. You should still have many years ahead of you. You could have children, if you were with Chuck. I cannot give you children…ever! Even if you remain human.”

She gazed deeply into his gentle eyes. “I
do
love you, Devin! I know that now. And yes…I love Chuck too.”

He went to speak, but this time she asked him to hear her out.

“Only fair, my sweet.”

“But I love you more! Much more!”

“It is most likely my charm as a vampire, Madison. Not real love at all.”

“Don’t say that. I see how kind and gentle…how caring you are. That has nothing to do with you being a vampire. It is who you are! Dammit! I love
you!”

“Oh…my sweet. Don’t you see? I’ve got to be certain.”

“Be sure! Please! For me? I have not doubts that I love you…Just doubts about not being able to walk in the sunshine anymore.
Just give me a little more time to think about it. Okay?”

He observed her with utmost tenderness. “Take as long as you need…But we won’t make love again until and unless you decide.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because, Madison, everything in my being wants to share blood with you when we have sex. It is the nature of a vampire. It is how we make love. And if I keep sharing with you, I will eventually drain you to the point of death and you will come back a vampire.”

“Oh!”

“So no more making love unless you are willing to transition.”

“But didn’t you and Mattie—?”

“No…Only at first like between us. When it came right down to it, she couldn’t take that final step. We never made love after that.”

Her jaw dropped. “You stayed with her all those years without having sex?”

“Yes! Because I loved her like no other. And I am quickly growing to love you the same.”

“But it had to have been hard. How did you do it?”

“I could do it because it was what she wanted.”

She recalled how utterly awesome he was at making love. There was nothing she wanted more right now than for him to take her and make love to her again. “I realize now that it was equally hard on Mattie too. I can’t imagine being around you…loving you as I do and not making love.”

“But we did it, Madison.”

“Oh my God!” She had not realized until this moment just how much Mattie and Devin had loved one another, although she knew it had been deep. “I don’t want to put you through that again!” A tear slid down her cheek. “It’s just so unfair. Gawd! Devin…Just give me a little time to adjust to the idea. Okay? Please?”

He took her face gently between his palms and kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes, my sweet. Take all the time you need…In fact, I am going away for a few days.”

“Going away? Why? Where?”

“Don’t worry. I will be back soon. In the meantime, it will give you time to think without me being here to influence you.”

He vanished before she could protest or say anything else.

“
Devin!”

“I will be back soon, my sweet! And I won’t be far,” he replied, but she couldn’t see him.

Then she sensed that he was gone. “Devin?”

Nothing. “Shit!” she muttered. “Shit...Shit... Shit!”

Madison remained inside for the next few days, brooding mostly, not knowing what to do. She did not want to have to make such a life-changing decision. And it was that, literally: Stay human, marry and have babies, walk in sunshine until she grew old and never be able to make love with Devin again. Or, let Devin change her, live forever, make love, no babies, and live in eternal night.

Though her sunburn had quickly healed from remaining indoors, her eyes were still red and burned like hell from crying so much. Lying across her bed, where she’d mostly been the last three days since Devin left, she was suddenly spent on crying and jumped up, shook her fist in the air and yelled, “Dammit! See what you did, Chuck! See what you did! Had you taken me back, Devin would never have made love to me, and I wouldn’t know how utterly awesome he is. I wouldn’t know what a kind and considerate gentleman he is. I wouldn’t know the sacrifices he and Mattie made to be together. And I would still be in love with you. But now, I know how wonderful he is. I know what it is like to be in his arms. Now I am in love with him! It’s all your fault, Chuck! Dammit! It’s all your fault!”

Then, as though fate had her own twisted sense of humor, there was a knock on Madison’s front door. Something told her it wasn’t Devin. The mail had already run. She figured it wasn’t Debra Jean. She hadn’t even bothered to dress for two days, was still in her pajamas. She grabbed her robe and went to the door. “Chuck!” He looked like he’d been through his own private hell, otherwise, she might have told him to get lost at this point.

“Madison…” he said, looking as though it was painful to speak. “Can I come in?”

“I guess…” she stepped aside and let him in.

He glanced at her disheveled hair. “I thought I looked rough.”

“If that’s your idea of a compliment, you don’t look so hot yourself.”

“May I?” he asked, indicating towards the sofa.

“Sure. Have a seat.” She didn’t want to sit by him, so took her lounge chair. “I see you survived the full moon okay.”

At once frowning, his face darkened and he suddenly bolted forward and stood.
“You know?”

“Yes! I know.”

He turned away from her briefly before spinning back around. “How? Who told you? I know Joe wouldn’t tell you.”

“He didn’t…Sit back down. Please!”

He shook his head in bewilderment but did as she asked.

“Chuck, I’ve always believed in things most people don’t. Got to thinking about it. You left during the full moon. I figured it out,” she lied. “Come on…three nights…full moon!”