He widens his hazel eyes. “In some cases, and certainly in this case, yes.”
“Mr. Radu, please, tell us a story,” Dotty bellows from the bedroom.
Laughing makes his gaze soften. He wraps his hands around the back of one of my tall dining room chairs. “May I take this into the bedroom for the story?”
“Of course.” I need to get my emotions under control.
As he carries the chair, I follow behind. When he sits between my daughters’ beds, I stand in the doorway…equally interested to hear what tales of the past our vampire will tell.
“When the world was much younger.” His voice is soothing, and the hint of an accent adds mystery and a sense of travel. “I lived in a small village in the Carpathian Mountains. People in the village feared anything new, and we lived very small lives. I carved wooden platters and spoons. Sometimes I’d make furniture, but nothing like what you have in your home. It was a simple life, but also a hard life. There were often times when war would come, and we’d have to fight or hide.” He stares out the window, where I’ve had bars installed as well as a security system that will send a notification to the police stating if anyone tries to break in again.
I have no idea if my changes will stop a monster, but I had to do something after that creature kidnapped Livi.
Looking perfectly comfortable in her bed, Livi asks, “Were you a soldier?”
On a short laugh, he shakes his head. “No. I was a peaceful human man making enough money to help my mother and father raise ten children. I was the oldest son, and it was expected that I would work and help them.”
“You were human?” It pops out of my mouth before I have time to think about it.
His shoulders rise and fall, and he looks back at me. “I was a simple man with ideas of seeing more of the world than my little village could offer. However, my family needed me, and that was more important.
“One day, a man came in and paid me to make him a large trunk. He was a wealthy landowner. It took me many weeks to complete the job, and when I’d finished, it was so heavy that I had to borrow horses from my neighbors to pull the cart up the hillside to the large house where the man lived. With three horses and four men, we trudged up the uneven dirt road, praying that it wouldn’t rain before we completed the journey.You see, the rain would wash away the road and all of us with it.” He looks from Livi to Dotty, whose eyes are beginning to shut.
Livi yawns. “Did you get washed away?” She closes her eyes.
“We made it to the house, but then the rain came, and we were stranded for three days.” He rubs his thumb over his incisor and then presses it to Livi’s and then Dotty’s forehead.
They’re both asleep before he lifts the chair and steps out of the bedroom.
Once we’re in the kitchen, he tucks the chair under the table.
“Thank you.” I’m gripping my elbows as if they might get away.
“It was nothing.” Staring at me as if he has more to say, his eyes are mesmerizing. “They should sleep well and without any upsetting dreams.”
“What happened during those three days in the rain?” I step toward him, unable to stop myself.
“That is a longer and stranger story.” He lifts his hand as if to touch me, but stops and keeps his fist by his side.
“If I offer you that glass of wine again, will you tell me?” I must have lost my mind. I’m angry with him. He refused to do the thing that would truly heal my baby.
“I can’t take away Livi’s memories, Miss Manning.” Sorrow practically pulses in the amber and green hues of his stunning eyes.
“Lori.” My heart lodges in my throat. “Why not?” I go to the cupboard, take out two cheap glasses I got at a resale shop, then grab the bottle of red wine from the counter. It’s not good wine, but it’s what I can afford. Once I pour, I hand him one glass and sit at the head of the table.
Sitting at my right, he sips the wine. If he judges its quality, he makes no outward sign. His gaze meets mine. “To attempt such a thing is drastic under the best of circumstances with an adult. It would require me to bite Olivia, and that might be asdistressing as what happened to her. The process is not reliable, and I could take more than just the memories you wish were gone. In the end, she might fear me as much as the boogeyman in the aftermath. I would hate that.”
In my desperation, I asked him to do something he finds abhorrent. Shame washes over me. “But you altered Pierre Brochet’s mind.”
Is that guilt on his face? He looks into the dark red wine. “Pierre spent many lifetimes doing terrible things. He took away people’s free will. He enjoyed the pain he caused others. He lost his conscience when he became a vampire. I gave that part of him back. In the end, he took his own life, but really it was me who killed him, and I shall have to live with that for as long as I survive, which could be a very long time.”
“I’m sorry, Ion. I shouldn’t have asked that of you or made you tell me about Pierre. I’ve caused you pain.” I brush aside a tear. This entire day, I became someone I don’t like. I just want my baby to be free of fear.
“It’s alright, Lori. I’m stronger than I look.” He drinks more wine, and the gray in his dark hair catches in the light over my table.
“But my Livi is just a little girl. It’s not fair.” Emotions brim and spill over.
Running his cool thumb under my eye, he sighs. “It’s not fair. That’s true, but Olivia is stronger than she looks as well. She gets that from you. Give the therapist time, and give your daughter your love and patience. It’s going to be okay.”
