Corben's Thirst: The Thirst Within Part 1.5 by Johi Jenkins Read Free Book Online

She loved carrying me in her arms and taking care of me. And when we made love, she blew my mind.
    We drew closer than ever before. Prior to her illness and consequent change, Charlotte used to take walks along the paved paths and our garden, where she would stay engrossed in a book or a letter for hours, while I tended to house affairs and other business. Being a vampire only increased her love for the outdoors, because she loved running freely at full vampire speed, although she could only do this at night when no one was around to see. She climbed trees. She jumped fences. The world was her playground.
    I asked if she could read minds, like Argus had been able to do. She said she couldn’t, at least not then. Argus had told her it was a power that might come with age.
    Her only enemy was the sun. Its brightness bothered her, although it didn’t hurt her. I had learned during the time that Argus stayed with us that despite what old tales said about vampires, they could indeed walk in the sun. But although she was able to, it wasn’t her favorite time of the day.
    “It is too bright, and I cannot see as well,” she explained to me when I asked her about it. “I am a night creature, like the owl. I can see, but it requires so much concentration to see past the glare. It tires me.”
    But it worked out, because I had affairs that required my attention during the day; while I was thus engaged, she rested. And despite her aversion to the sun, she would join me in the early evening as soon as I was free, and stayed with me until I fell asleep in her arms. Whatever she did afterwards, I hardly ever knew. But sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night to find my bed empty. I never questioned her, or worried, as long as she was there when I woke in the morning.
    Her favorite time was when the sky was overcast. Then we would go outside and enjoy the outdoors together, and she would show me some of her new skills. Despite her upbringing and her daintiness, her new favorite pastimes included shooting targets and throwing knives—with a flawless aim—at a dead tree behind our property.
    But for all her newfound love for running, jumping, shooting and tree-climbing, as a lady she had more charm than any other woman I ever met. She was graceful as a dancer. She played the piano while singing with an enchanting voice. Everyone stopped what they were doing to pay attention to her when she walked into any room. She was that captivating.
    She was everything perfect.
     
    ***
     
    Finally came the day that brought the De Mayes family: the baron, his wife and their two daughters. Their visit was uneventful aside from the many exclamations of surprise at Charlotte’s polished beauty. They all paid their respects to us for our lost baby girl.
    Towards the end of their stay, in December, my brother and his wife also visited from Camden Hall as they did every Christmas. Everyone would be staying at the Great House, although Thierry always found the time to visit with me, to spend some quality fraternal time with his little brother. He made a point to add that Madeleine was “anxious” to visit Charlotte and witness her recovery before she could take part in any merrymaking. I didn’t like the idea of Madeleine anxious about my wife, or anything related to my household for that matter, but I had no valid reason to keep her away. Not one that I would admit to anyone, anyway.
    If Madeleine had any leftover dishonorable intentions towards me, she hid them well. The day she and Thierry arrived, she sounded sincere when she met Charlotte in our drawing room and exclaimed, “Oh! You look so beautiful, Charlotte! I am so happy to see you have recovered so quickly.”
    “Thank you, Madeleine,” Charlotte said with a smile and curtsy. But I saw the slightest change in her expression as she regarded our sister-in-law—the faintest raise of an eyebrow. She didn’t explain it. I couldn’t place it.
    Ever since we got married,