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“What is it you want?” Dominique snapped.
She raised both hands in a placating gesture. “I’m looking for a place to meditate. I didn’t know you were out here.” For good measure, she added, “And, no, I’m not spying on you.” Before she could stop herself, she finished with, “Drink from me and see for yourself.”
She heard him inhale, no doubt reading her scent. Her cheeks warmed. Would he take her up on her reckless offer?
He didn’t.
Nor did he leave. In fact, a moment later, he folded his legs and sat on his heels in the sand, the bokken, a wooden practice sword, across his lap. “I could have killed your brother last weekend,” he said, his tone now wistful.
Feeling somewhere between disappointed and relieved, she relaxed. Not what a girl wanted to hear from a vampire, but also not a surprise. “I can’t say I blame you. That trap he set at Jim’s—”
“Non. You misunderstand. He was foolish, and I had an actual opportunity to kill him.”
“Oh.”
“I did not.”
She swallowed hard, mouth suddenly gone dry. Jackson had cornered her just two days ago after a yoga class, so she knew he was all right and still brimming with anti-vampire vitriol. More than usual, now that she thought of it.
“I may regret it yet,” Dominique said with a sigh.
It was the closest thing to a relaxed, honest exchange she ever had with the temperamental Frenchman. Serge was convinced Dominique was destined to be legendary, and she had no cause to doubt him. But right now, all she saw was someone caught in a struggle that threatened to destroy him.
She settled into the sand beside him. “What’s going on with you? It’s not just Jackson, is it?”
“No.” He paused. “I would gladly have ten of him than one of what I do have.”
“Can you tell—?”
“No.”
“Okay. Are you telling Serge?”
“Does Serge need to be told anything?”
“Good point.” She thought for a moment. “Would you like to join us for meditation?”
He swiveled his head toward her in silent inquiry. She licked her lips and tucked stray hairs behind one ear, then told him of her Thanksgiving ritual, which was now getting delayed and curtailed, though not in a bad way. She often thought of herself as a bridge between the forces of light and dark in the world, and never had she sensed this more strongly than at this moment. “Maybe if you can empty your mind and find stillness, the answers you seek will come to you.”
“Empty my mind?” He scoffed. “I might as well try to empty the sea with a spoon.”
“Well, yes. It can be daunting, even for humans, but there are ways. Yoga is one of them.” She felt the instructor in her rise to the occasion. “We can train the mind to concentrate by taking and holding a pose that challenges us. This forces our minds to empty and focus on the present moment and the sensations in our bodies.” Her impromptu pupil’s attentive silence encouraged her. “Physically, is there anything that’s a challenge for you? Anything that would force you to really concentrate?”
He seemed to consider this. After a moment, he said, “I don’t know.”
She considered her options. Downward dog? Tree pose? Headstand? She could already see the vampire yawn. She shrugged off her shawl and ignored the cool, damp air penetrating the light sweater and yoga pants she wore. “Okay. Let’s try this then.”
She placed her forearms on the ground, shoulder-width apart and hands splayed wide, inhaled, and kicked up into an exhilarating peacock pose. Heat rushed through her body as she focused on maintaining balance on her forearms while explaining the fine points of what she was doing.
Beside her, the sand crunched. Glancing sideways, she saw him assuming the same pose. He made it look so elegant, beyond effortless. Thankfully, he didn’t yawn.
“Okay then. Moving on to scorpion,” she said and slowly curled her back, feeling her way through stiff morning muscles. It took a while, but eventually she felt the soles of her feet connect with the back of her head. Her entire body hummed with light and energy, harmony and peace. She was vaguely aware of the vampire by her side mirroring her. “And now we concentrate on breathing into all the sensations in the body.”
“I don’t breathe,” he said.
That jolted her out of her burgeoning bliss. Uncurling, she plopped out of the pose, sat on her heels, and waited for the dizziness to pass. He stayed as he was, the most flawless scorpion in forearm balance she had ever witnessed. Not a wobble in sight. Only his hair and exercise pants moved in the stirring air. He could have been a statue.
“Is there anything you do unconsciously that you could try to focus on? Take control of?”
