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She’d had this experience before, when she’d arrived in Honduras at a remote village and knew she’d stepped back in time. It was one thing to read about a civilization, to study its current political difficulties, to get a sense of how the community organized itself. But to be in the middle of a undiscovered civilization like this one was a new playground altogether.
Until this moment, Shayna had been too busy staying alive, or helping Marius through his blood-starvation recovery, or even having sex with him, to completely assimilate that she was an outside observer in an entirely different world.
Her heart thrummed as the anthropologist in her came alive.
This part of the cave had a similar decor to the bedroom, the pieces made of fine-honed teak and leather. Some of the walls had been tiled with slabs of rich polished granite, others were left in a raw state, while a third evolution involved the chiseling of the original cavern stone into intricate patterns, clearly the work of craftsmen. In a couple of places, she saw the same pattern as in Chile and in his bedroom here. She began to wonder if she was looking not at a unique sculpting design, but rather a language, similar to ancient cuneiform.
Her heart thrummed a little harder.
She waved a hand at the wall. “Is this something your world encourages? The chiseling of designs in stone?”
Both Rumy and Marius responded. “Yes.”
She could have spent a solid year just studying the sculpturing techniques and patterns of their culture alone. The one on the ceiling intrigued her because it ran at a perfect right angle to the wall that separated the kitchen from the living area. The space had been engineered on so many levels.
She even felt a cool breeze moving through, constantly freshening the air. She had so many questions and wished she had her iPad with her to start making notes. Her gaze moved around each space swiftly. She’d left her iPhone in her other jeans and wanted to be sure to take more pictures before she left.
Marius moved close to her, sliding an arm around her waist. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Well, yes, of course.” She turned to look at him. He’d fed from her. The man was a vampire, a warrior in his culture, a man fighting for his entire civilization. And she had the profound honor to stand witness, in this moment in time, to what was transpiring in his world.
But she was also being rather absent from both men.
She glanced from Marius to Rumy. “Sorry, it’s the scientist in me and a great deal of curiosity that I’m having trouble restraining right now. I guess you could say I’m just assimilating your world.” She turned to Rumy. “I’m being rude. Forgive me.”
“So Marius kept me informed and you’ve sure been put through the wringer. How you holding up?”
She lifted her hand that held the blood-chain. “I’m surviving mostly because I’ve been able to siphon Marius’s power, which is an incredible and, at critical times, a healing experience.” She glanced around. “There isn’t a single light in evidence, but everything appears to be glowing.”
“Yep,” Rumy said. “Vampire power.”
She shifted her gaze back to him and smiled. He was shorter than Marius by several inches. He clearly worked out and liked showing off his tight, muscular body in a snug black T-shirt and gray tailored slacks. His shoes had that handcrafted look. The tips of his fangs showed, though, which apparently had left calluses on his lips. He kept his curly hair cut close to his head, and not even his fangs could detract from his well-groomed appearance.
Rumy moved in her direction, extending his hand toward the dining and kitchen area. “I imagine by now that you’re starved, especially after what you’ve been through. I’ve brought some of the best food around.”
Shayna sat down at the dining table and watched the men unearth the carry-out food and arrange it on plates. Marius opened a bottle of wine, a Chianti to go with an antipasto salad, a savory pasta puttanesca, and loaf of bread.
And in that moment, with the men serving her a wonderful meal, her gaze fell to the blood-chain wrapped around her wrist and laced through her fingers. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
Only a few hours had passed, but she felt as though she’d lived a lifetime. She knew that Marius wanted her to stay, desperately, but some questions deep within her heart remained unanswered.
Glancing once more at the intricate stone carvings of the walls and ceiling, she shifted her gaze to Marius. “Will you show me the rest of your home after we’ve eaten?” Maybe something about his culture, hidden in the carvings, would give her the answer she sought.
Marius held two glasses in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other. “Of course.” He moved toward the table, Rumy behind him. “Ready to eat?”
“Absolutely.”
Rumy settled several plates on the table, some containing the food and two blue earthenware plates ready to be filled. Marius set the glasses at each place setting, then poured the wine slowly.
He rounded the table and took his seat adjacent to her.
Rumy patted his hands on his thighs. “Okay. You’re all set.” He waved a hand toward the living area. “Along with the clothes, my friend Eve sent along some toiletries. Just let me know if you need anything else, Shayna, and I’ll plan another trip in.”
“I will and thank you so much.”
Rumy nodded to Marius then lifted his hand, his fingers twisted close to his ear, in the call-me motion.
“I will.”
