The Art of Darkness (Part 11)

"There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover's whisper, irresistible--magic to make the sanest man go mad." - Homer (The Illiad)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

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Previously on The Art of Darkness:

Amber and Morvinus are thrown into the lion's den, only to realize it wasn't a lion at all, but a familiar face from Amber's past. Lord Cawston has once again stepped into Amber's life, only this time, with a name and tales of her dramatic and painful history. Through his guidance, she has begun to discover just what that history means for her future, and her relationship with Morvinus.

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My world was collapsing. Too much. It was all too much. How do I keep myself upright with something like this? I knew it all along. That's what was killing me. Not the fact the man I thought was my father had kept all this from me. Not that I had read my real father's journals, being pulled in his direction by something I couldn't explain. I knew it all to begin with. And now, there was no going back. This was my new life. Caught between two worlds. Not knowing to which one I truly belong.

I cried for hours, enveloped in Morvinus’ embrace. He was quiet. More so than usual. I could sense he was having trouble grappling with what to do now. I didn't know what to tell him. Something this profound, this life-altering, would take days to fully process. Days we just didn't have. Still, as I laid there while he slept, my mind went over the conversation again and again and again.

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“You said I was in grave danger. Is that why you brought us here?”

“Indeed. Your mother hid you away for a reason. There are those in our order, including my son, who are stuck in a time long since past. For many years, he has been determined to keep vampires and humans separated. Reinvigorating ancient laws, creating new obstacles, severely punishing those accused. He would see you as an abomination. Something that should not nor deserves to survive.

Your mother, your father, and I thought if we could make you disappear, in a way, you would be safe. And it worked for a time. Mr. Hollings would keep me apprised whenever I inquired. But when you began your research, I knew we could not keep the truth from you forever, so I put into motion a plan.

In time, with enough clues, you would find your way to me. I had hoped the world would change enough between then and now. And it is changing. Desperation has pushed many of our kind to be more open minded. Many have now realized the old ways are no longer sustainable.”

“But why the urgency now?”

“In order for this plan to work, I needed to keep you a secret as long as possible. Until the time is right. I have word they now know of your existence. I am not certain how they learned of it, but that no longer matters.”

“The sample,” I whispered.

“Beg your pardon?”

“We were attacked by members of the Curiae guard-” Morvinus began.

“They jammed a needle in my neck and said they had the sample they needed.”

Lord Cawston’s face grew dim and his shoulders shrunk. “Ah. It is as I feared then.”

“What do we do now?”

“No need to fret, my darling, you are safe here. For now, I want your focus on your training. You have much to learn about our kind. And we need to see the extent of your abilities. Test them in a controlled environment. In two weeks time the Curiae will meet again. It is there we will make our case.”

“No.” Morvinus straightened up. “They will kill her on sight. No.”

“I am afraid it is the only way.”

“I will not let you barter her life for the sake of this movement. The answer is no.”

“Morvinus,” I sighed, bringing myself closer to him, putting a hand on his arm. “Please, let me do this. I don’t want to run any more. This is what I'm here for. This is what I'm meant to do. Please.”

The pain in his expression languished as he let out a heavy breath, pulling away, turning his back to me.

“Morvinus,” Lord Cawston began, “have you forgotten our agreement?”

“What? What agreement?”

He uttered another deep sigh, “He asks that we continue our practice.”

“What?”

“If we are able to convince the members of the Curiae that it is possible to feed without needlessly killing, it will be one step closer to our survival. But, they will not be easy to persuade. They will not simply take us at our word. They will ask for proof. A demonstration.”

“A demonstration?”

Morvinus finally brought himself to face me again. “He wishes me to feed on you in front of the Curiae.”

“Oh.” My heart was racing. I knew we could do it, but I also knew it wouldn't be easy. It was such a deeply personal endeavor. Showing it off felt…wrong. Still, I couldn't deny Lord Cawston was right. If Morvinus and I had any hope of moving forward, this was the only way.

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Gingerly, so as not to wake him, I flipped myself onto my other side, facing him. His breath was slow and steady, the gentle rise and fall of his chest the only sign of life he had. It was in these moments, these quiet and peaceful moments, watching as he slept, taking in every facet of his face, memorizing every strand of his ebony hair, every vale of his chest, I could measure my love for him. I could measure it with the pain I felt. A harsh reminder of what I have to lose. I wasn't worried about myself anymore. Just him.

As the next several days went on, we fell into an odd sort of routine. Amidst the chaos of the last few weeks, it was almost strange to bring an order to it. Even with the upcoming meeting on my mind. Every day we would go our separate ways, returning to our room after several hours, worn from the day's events. I wasn't sure what task Lord Cawston had assigned that kept Morvinus so busy, but, to be honest, I was far too entrenched in my own to even ponder it for long.

Lord Cawston insisted we practice with our feeding every day before we retired for the night. Or day. It was impossible to tell with no windows to speak of. Without a way to tell time, the days began to meld together. We were both exhausted.

But we kept going. With every feed he got better at paying attention to my cues. I had even found use for my newly acquired skills of blood control to wane his appetite if I sensed he may go too far. Before long we had found our rhythm, and, for a brief time, I was comforted by the thought, at least if we do manage to convince the Curiae not to kill us, we found a solution to our other major obstacle. That is until he changed the rules.

It was taking all my strength and focus to not get carried away in the moment. Though we shared a kiss and embrace a time or two, ever since our forbidden encounter in the stairwell of the church, he seemed hesitant to even touch me at times. And at least part of me understood that. Regardless of how I may have felt about it, none of it seemed the appropriate time for such a thing. And I knew that even though he had done it for longer than I had probably been alive, in a way, our situation was different. The motions were there, sure. But ours added an emotional layer to which he wasn't accustomed. And I could still sense his fear.

So, we kept the feeds rather robotic and mechanical. And he seemed to be just as focused on that as I, even more so in some instances. So it came as a rather big shock one night when, after I had already mentally prepared myself for what was to come, he broke the usual routine…and kissed me. But this time it wasn't the same weary goodbye. This was intense, full of something I hadn’t felt from him in a long time; wanting.

It came on faster than I could catch, without a word spoken between us. After we returned from our daily tasks, and before any objections could be made, he pulled me into him bringing his lips to mine. His breath was ragged and I could almost feel his heartbeat running away from him as he held the curve of my waist with his eager hands, easing me back until I ran up against the nearest wall. His grip on me was strong, keeping me locked in place. I knew we probably shouldn't be doing this. He wasn't ready. Yet, all I wanted at that moment was for him not to stop. And the longer he held me there, his lips beginning to drift down my neck, his radiant fingers finding their way under the hem of my shirt, the more I felt myself slipping under his control.

“Morvinus,” I began, breathless, “are you sure about this?”

He barely looked at me, focused instead on tracing the concave of my neck with his lips. “Do you wish me to stop?” A shiver ran down my spine.

Oh why did he have to say it like that? No. Say no! But it was too late. Within that miniscule hesitation, it all came to a screeching halt. He pulled away, his face now covered with concern, the urgency, the fierce fire…gone.

“Are you all right? Have I done something wrong?”

I let out a heavy breath, biting my lip. Oh you're a fool, Amber, an utter fool! “I'm sorry.”

He tucked me into his arm, bringing his hand up to push a loose strand of hair from my face. “No need for apologies. Perhaps I acted too rashly.”

“No. No, please don't say that. Believe me, it's been on my mind as well. I just- Are you sure? With me?”

He smiled warmly, framing my face with his hands. “Amber, I love you. More than you will ever know. Braver and more beautiful than any woman I have ever met, vampire and human alike. And, through all of this, you have led me to a world I did not think could ever exist. Created in me a desire I have never thought possible. And with every turn, I find myself lost within you. I can not stop thinking of you. You have become the blood in my veins, the very air that I breathe. My only desire is to be close to you. I want to see more of the world through your eyes, to experience these moments with you.”

“Wow.”

He took my hands in his. “While that desire is strong, I do not wish to overstep my bounds. If you are not comfortable with-”

Just then, a emphatic knock came to the door. The tension released, both of us letting out a nervous laugh. He kissed my forehead lightly before turning away to open the door.

“Lord Cawston,” he said.

“May I speak with you both a moment?”

Morvinus opened the door wide enough for Lord Cawston to enter. His tense expression said it all. Something had changed.

“I apologize for coming by at this late hour, but I am afraid this matter is most urgent. Miss Hollings, I come bearing some grave news.”
“What is it?”

“Mr. Hollings has been attacked. I believe by members of the Curiae guard.”
“Oh God.” I felt the air being snatched from my lungs and my legs fell out from under me. Morvinus caught me, sitting me down on the bed behind us.

“Is he?”

“For now, he remains alive. I have word he has been taken to hospital for treatment.”

“I need to go.”

“Amber, no-”

“Morvinus, I have to go!”

Lord Cawston looked grim, “I am afraid I can not allow you to leave. The risk is far too great. The council meeting is in three days time.”

“And if he dies? What then? Lord Cawston, please, I must go to him. If you’re grateful at all that he did what he did for me, let me see him.” I was trembling, shaking.

He sighed deeply, giving Morvinus a hesitant glance.

“I will protect her. You have my word.”

“All right. Morvinus, you may borrow my car. It should be more than sufficient. Three days. If we are to have any hope of us all getting out of this alive, you must be there.”

“We will,” I reassured.

“And stay vigilant. The fact they left him alive is not a mistake. You could very well be walking into a trap.”

Continued in Part 12

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