Authors: Carol Robi

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BOOK: Nuit Noire

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I nod in answer.

“I don’t want to leave mom and Tony,” I explain.

“You never have to until it is time,” he tells me. “We can live an ordinary human life until then.”

“Will they die first?” I ask.

“Most probably,” he tells me quietly, my elbow tingling where he strokes me. “If you die a natural death of old age, they will die first. Because my essence, which you are getting very good at inhaling, if this afternoon is anything to go by, will keep you much healthier than average humans your age.”

He is now so close to me that if I lean back just an inch more, I know my body will be flush to his. He chooses to bury his face into my still slightly damp tightly entangled hair, taking in a deep inhale that causes me to considerably weaken. I reciprocate by inhaling his proximity, taking as much of him as I can that I feel myself swaying from the intoxication.

“I’ll never get tired of doing this,” I whisper raggedly.

“Neither will I,” Gauthier admits with a laboured breath. “Neither will I, leman.”

Chapter 21

“Gauthier? Is he French?”

“No grandma. He’s.. His family is from all over, but he grew up in Southampton, England,” I choose to say. It is the cover story Gauthier had told me to say. The story he tells everyone else.

“But his father owns a restaurant here.”

“Yes. Their family moved here and opened a nightclub and a restaurant.”

“Gauthier Cynebald, eeh? ‘Em very old names,” Grandpa says as he places the plates on the table with me.

“I guess,” I say.

“His family must be English and French. Cynebald is an old English name,” Grandma says.

“I guess,” I say again. Luckily, the door bell rings then. “There he is,” I say, starting to go to the door.

“Hi,” I call, reaching my hands to his, holding his, and he pulls me into a full embrace, sinking his face in my hair.

“You get more beautiful everyday.” I giggle trying to hide the tightening in my stomach at having him so close to me.

“You’re lying..”

“Never!” He says fervently.
Now
my face is burning.

“Be warned, my grandparents are a lot more inquisitive than my mom. They never agreed to the whole
no pushing
agreement mom and I made after dad’s death.”

“So all those questions your mom has been asking me..”

“She’s being holding back.”

“Uh-oh!” He says, stepping into the house.

“Now there he is!” Grandma says, rushing over and making to embrace him.

“No!” We both scream, Gauthier jumping back, his face alarmed. Grandma looks at us confused.

“He doesn’t like to be touched grandma. I told you,” I remind her.

“I thought.. even a hug?” She asks, looking at us confused.

“Wha’s goin’ on ‘ere nah?” Grandpa asks, walking into the room, reaching his hand out. “Gi’ mi a strong ‘andshake, sonnie eeh?”

Grandpa looks confused, pulling his hand away when Gauthier doesn’t shake it.

“He can’t grandpa,” I say. “I told you already. He doesn’t like being touched.”

“Silly nonsense, eih? He got dem workin’ hands, eeh? He’s holdin’ dem flowers, so I know dey move..”

“Grandpa please don’t make him do it..”

“I never..”

“Dad!” Mom calls, untying her apron as she walks over, placing her hand on her father’s chest. “I know it’s odd. I’ve never met anyone like him either, but Gauthier doesn’t like to be touched. In fact, he can’t stand it. We told you already, and you said you would respect it.”

“No ‘andshake, ein natural!”

“Grandpa!” I plead, and this seems to soften him, as grandpa does have a soft spot for us. Mom is their only child, and Tony and I are their only grandchildren.

“Okay, Fine! But how’d you two eh..?” Grandpa insinuates, looking between Gauthier and I. I’d be quite embarrassed right now, if it wasn’t laughable how lost Gauthier looks. He’s having a hard time understanding grandpa’s slight Jamaican patwa, which the old man has refused to let go of even after living for almost a half a century in Canada. I move closer to my boyfriend and hold his free hand in mine.

“He can only touch me,” I tell my grandparents confidently.

Grandma looks shocked beyond words, unsure of what to say next, while grandpa just looks on bemused. A pin drop silence settles over us, as we all wait to see how grandpa will react. Tony leans back against the wall, watching the show from a distance with open amusement. Grandpa is the loose canon here. His reaction is the most unpredictable. He finally scratches his head.

“At least you’n’t worry ‘bout im n ‘nother gal, eeh?” He says, and we all laugh. “Ca’ me Jackson, sonnie,” Grandpa tells him when we quieten down.

“Pleased to meet you, Jackson,” Gauthier says.

“And I am Natalie,” grandmother rushes to say, her hands fidgeting before her unsure of what to do.

“Lovely to meet you too, Natalie. Sophia has talked my ears off about her grandparents, and I’m just glad to finally meet you.”

“We don’t come too often up here,” grandmother says, turning away to lead us to the dinner table as Gauthier hands my mother the bouquet of flowers in his hands. Mom makes sure to keep her fingers as far away from Gauthier’s as she receives them as possible.

“Too cold for we islanders up ‘ere,” grandpa says, motioning Tony to sit beside him, and me on his other side. Gauthier finds himself between grandma and mom. He looks so out of place it’s hilarious. I send him as sympathetic a look as I can manage.

“Dad you’ve been living here for almost half a century, and you’re still complaining and talking about dear old Jamaica and how cold it is here,” mom says laughing.

“He just romanticizes it, but we both know he’ll never go back,” grandma says. “He loves the cold just as much as he pretends to hate it.”

“Hamilton’s warmer, eeh?” Grandpa says.

“My husband died in Hamilton and my children and I were depressed!” Mom says this, and it chills me just to hear her state it plainly like that.

“He knows, Carla. He knows,” grandma says, reaching out to touch mom’s hand. I do not miss to see the weird look grandma gives Gauthier when he jumps back, taking his hand with him from the table so that grandma doesn’t accidentally touch him.

Grandpa laughs heartily. “I love him bwoy!” He says, pointing at Gauthier. “Wha’d’u think, my Tony?”

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Tony says.

“He recoil from you’ touch too, eeh? Dresses up in ‘em all clothes, covered up in ‘ere indoors wit’em gloves on, eih man?”

“Yeah, he does,” Tony says shrugging. “But he’s cool. And a great shot too.”

“You play basketball, sonnie? How’s’t possible wit’ no contact?” Gauthier has to wait for mom to translate the question before he answers.

“I just shoot hoops with my friends, sir,” Gauthier tells him.

“Don’t call me sir, sonnie. I’m jus’ plain ‘ol Jackson t’u, eeh?”

“Yes, Jackson.”

“You’s any a good shot?”

“Yes, Jackson.”

“We fin’ out after dinner, eeh?” He says chuckling.

“Uh-oh!” I say laughing, Gauthier squirming slightly in his seat. Who’d have thought the great bad undead could be brought down squirming by just spending dinner with my family?

I shoot hoops with mom and the guys after dinner, while grandmother relaxes in a camping chair and watches us. The half court we built on our second weekend here still holds strong. Ever since then, we’ve had it painted and have replaced the concrete tiles flooring to allow for more even dribbling.

Normally we’d play three on three, as we did back in our Hamilton house when dad was alive. Today though, grandpa is cool with shooting from outside D- Game 21. He can constantly be heard calling out,
Watch’a! Don’t hi’ im, dat one!
whenever anyone would get too close to Gauthier.

We find it hilarious, but at least it shows that he is choosing to accept him even though he’s not perfect.

Later in the evening, while we are all sitting at the verandah, I help grandma bring out some cocoa and the cookies we baked earlier today.

“Tell me, sonnie,” grandpa starts, referring to Gauthier. “Is hand holdin’ all y’do? All dis time I ein see you peck me granddaughter one, eeh? Go on now- gi’ her some lovin’ eeh..”

“Jackson!” Grandma exclaims, undoubtedly embarrassed for grandpa’s sake.

“No don’ go a-Jacksonin’ me, Natalie luv. Ein no trouble wit’ his gloves ‘n no touchin’ ‘n all. But de no kissin’ I’m not okay wit’, hehe!” Grandpa finishes off by laughing.

“We kiss grandpa,” I say panicked.

“If dat were true u’d no trouble lookin’ me straight in me eye, eh? Now go’on, bwoy. Kiss ya ‘ooman now!”

My heart is thumping in my chest as I look up at Gauthier, searching his eyes. However it isn’t fear or apprehension looking back at me. He’s smiling. I look at him puzzled, cocking my head to my side to study him better.

“I wanted to tell you,” he whispers to me, lowering his head into my hair again, causing my toes to curl as his warm breath fans my ears. “You’ve been ready for a while.”

“I have?” I ask in a whisper of my own, electric charges coursing through my body, tying up my stomach in endless knots, dizzying me, causing me to sway on my feet, which he stops by placing one hand around my waist to hold me close in place and stable, and the other sinks into my hair.

“Uh-oh! ‘Ere it comes, eeh!” Grandpa says clapping his hands behind me. But his voice sounds so distant, for all I see, feel, hear, notice- is Gauthier.

“Yes,” is the single word he says against my lips, right before he presses his warm firm lips to my trembling ones.

~The End of Book 1~

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Website:
www.carolrobi.us

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First edition: August 2014

Nuit Noire: a novel/ by Carol Robi/ 1st edition

Summary

She dreads the nights, for she dreads the dreadful dreams that come with it- nightmares that began with the devastating loss of her father.

But now she realises something worse, that her dreams are not just dreams, and that there’s something darker out there, and it’s determined to claim her.

It’s upon one such dark night that they finally meet.

Everything she thought she knew is now toppled over as she learns of a world she never knew existed before, of a race she's never heard of, and of a boy whose touch could kill her.

Others by Carol Robi

●

Found
(available for free at
www.carolrobi.us
)

●

Nuit Noire

●

Run! Love.

●

Shadowman

●

Strange Bedfellows

●

Akira Nakahara & I

●

Re-United Again

●

Emma

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Drachenburg School for the Supernaturals Series

○

Drachenburg School for the Supernaturals: All’s Well..!

○

Drachenburg School for the Supernaturals: Book 2