Page 29 of Into The Light

“I can’t believe you just said ‘awesomesauce.’”

“I’m only repeating what Mark told me.” We exchanged a smile.

“If you won’t swim, maybe you’ll sit with me?”

My head nodded yes before I even thought about an answer.

Emilia grinned. “Good. I’ll meet you by the hot tub.”

She slipped off her raft and under the aqua water. Her body shimmered in light as she glided beneath the surface. Her admirable curves became illuminated when she resurfaced, causing something in me to stir. It wasn’t her blood this time, and it wasn’t my fangs begging to spring forth.

She followed the curves and channels of the pools while I walked beside her. My eyes remained glued to her every move as she dove and twirled, cutting through the water with ease. We arrived at the hot tub together, and she pulled herself over the ledge and slid into the steaming water.

“Oh, man. That’s nice.”

I enjoyed watching her pleasure, and the way her head tipped back exposing her neck as she let her arms drift to the top caused another surge in me. This one belonged to both my fangs and my member below.

“Here. Mark had this installed,” I said, referencing the fire pit that formed a circle inside the hot tub like the center of a tire or those donuts everyone raved about. I pushed the button on the pole beside me and flames erupted. Her face lit up from both the flames and from the wonder of it all.

“Awesomesauce is right,” she said as she swam in circles around the fire.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said, her enjoyment increasing mine.

“Love it. I love it. I love everything here. It’s paradise. It’s too bad you won’t join me.”

“I don’t even have a swimsuit,” I said, realizing I’d never owned one.

“At least stick your feet in?”

Her puppy dog eyes pleaded with me and I felt compelled to obey. With a nod I kicked off my leather shoes and rolled up the bottoms of my jeans. I sat at the edge of the pool and slipped my feet into the bubbling water. It pricked my skin, the heat uncomfortable at first then soothing. Her smile warmed even more.

“There? That isn’t so bad, is it?”

I shook my head and looked at her face, aglow in the cool blue lights. She reminded me of the beauties from days of old. There was no makeup or contouring back then to trick the eye and improve a plain face. You were either beautiful, or you weren’t. She was. Stunning, really. In the most natural way.

“Tell me about yourself?” she asked, trailing her fingers through the bubbles.

“What do you want to know?”

“You were born in Scotland, right?”

“Yes. Dùthaich MhicAoidh, Durness, Sutherland to be exact.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

“So is the spelling of my real name.”

“Now I’m intrigued, what is it?”

“Aodhagan,” I said before spelling it out.

“Aye-gawn.” She sounded it back.

“We changed it to Aiden when we left Scotland.”

“What was your life like back then? I’m so intrigued.”

It was so long ago, it should have been hard to remember, but I recalled every detail of my life. “I was part of Clan MacKay. We worked the fields, tended the herds, and some of us, like me, were warriors.”