dust.
‘Okay. Don’t tell me then.’
A black limousine swerves in front of us, almost taking off the front bumper, but Lilly negotiates the road like an experienced racing driver. Like her other instincts, her reflexes are faultless. She knows I am holding back from her. But what can I tell her when I am uncertain of the facts myself? Lucrezia has yet to finish her story and I have not yet understood why our origins are so important to the success of reproduction. Or, what diabolical creature we encountered that sucked the very energy from our bodies by its mere proximity.
Lilly pulls up outside the hotel, jumping from her seat as she snatches the keys from the ignition and throws them to the concierge in one fluid movement. I place a fifty pound note in his hand on top of the keys.
‘Why is it we’re back in Manchester?’ Lilly asks again, her smile cynical. ‘You did say you wouldn’t set foot in this town after last time.’
‘Yes. I also recall that I added “unless I was going to finish off the flea-bitten Nate and break more than his grubby finger bones”.’
I feel myself scowling at the thought of Nate and Steve and their meddling. On my first visit here I posed as a student at Manchester University. I had been stalking my latest fascination, Carolyn. Who was, unfortunately, dating a lout called Steve. Steve and his pierced and tattooed friend, Nate (of the unwashed variety) meddled a little too closely in my affairs. In a moment of anger I revealed my vampiric nature. This, of course, meant that Lilly and I had to leave immediately. I swore I’d return and finish the job one day.
Lilly laughs, linking her arm in mine as the lift doors close and we begin our ascent to the top floor. I find myself grinning back at her flowing smile, before I lean in to kiss her blood-filled lips. She giggles under my mouth. She always has a way of manipulating me from my moods and her über feminine giggle makes my pulse race in a far more satisfying way than it ever has.
This time, however, I sense something else in her laughter; an undercurrent. My old paranoia, my fear of losing her, kicks in once more and I scan her beautiful face looking for any sign that she doesn’t love me.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘You. Your elephant memory and lust for vendetta. I am a little curious though to see if Carolyn and Steve got jiggy, eventually.’ She laughs. ‘She was so annoyingly virginal.’
‘I remember.’ I leer and Lilly punches my arm.
The lift jolts as it stops. We walk a short way down the dimly lit corridor until I see the room number that corresponds with the swipe key in my hand. I take Lilly’s hand in mine and smile at her.
‘Seriously though. Why here? Why now?’
‘I’ll explain everything soon, darling.’ As soon as it becomes clear in my own head.
‘Thought we weren’t doing secrets anymore.’
Secrets. Now, there’s a word. For the past year we’ve travelled. A trip back to Italy taking in Venice, Rome, Florence, Turin. All cities where I could search for Lucrezia or my family line, although of course Lilly thought it was merely a tour to bring her up to speed with my past. Now she knows everything. How my uncle was Giulio Caccini, the composer and musician who invented Opera. She learned of my passionate obsession with my cousin Francesca, Giulio’s daughter. Then, as I broke down in a hotel in Verona, I revealed how I loved my children so much I gave them up for their own safety. Lilly knows my secrets – mostly. She doesn’t know that the travel was an excuse to search; search for the woman who made me into a vampire over four hundred years ago.
‘It’s complicated.’
Lilly frowns as I swipe the card down the door scanner and the green light flicks on to allow us access to the room. I reach inside and flip the light switch out of habit, even though neither of us needs the light. We can see perfectly well in the dark.
The room lights up. It’s a suite. We always do
‘Okay. Don’t tell me then.’
A black limousine swerves in front of us, almost taking off the front bumper, but Lilly negotiates the road like an experienced racing driver. Like her other instincts, her reflexes are faultless. She knows I am holding back from her. But what can I tell her when I am uncertain of the facts myself? Lucrezia has yet to finish her story and I have not yet understood why our origins are so important to the success of reproduction. Or, what diabolical creature we encountered that sucked the very energy from our bodies by its mere proximity.
Lilly pulls up outside the hotel, jumping from her seat as she snatches the keys from the ignition and throws them to the concierge in one fluid movement. I place a fifty pound note in his hand on top of the keys.
‘Why is it we’re back in Manchester?’ Lilly asks again, her smile cynical. ‘You did say you wouldn’t set foot in this town after last time.’
‘Yes. I also recall that I added “unless I was going to finish off the flea-bitten Nate and break more than his grubby finger bones”.’
I feel myself scowling at the thought of Nate and Steve and their meddling. On my first visit here I posed as a student at Manchester University. I had been stalking my latest fascination, Carolyn. Who was, unfortunately, dating a lout called Steve. Steve and his pierced and tattooed friend, Nate (of the unwashed variety) meddled a little too closely in my affairs. In a moment of anger I revealed my vampiric nature. This, of course, meant that Lilly and I had to leave immediately. I swore I’d return and finish the job one day.
Lilly laughs, linking her arm in mine as the lift doors close and we begin our ascent to the top floor. I find myself grinning back at her flowing smile, before I lean in to kiss her blood-filled lips. She giggles under my mouth. She always has a way of manipulating me from my moods and her über feminine giggle makes my pulse race in a far more satisfying way than it ever has.
This time, however, I sense something else in her laughter; an undercurrent. My old paranoia, my fear of losing her, kicks in once more and I scan her beautiful face looking for any sign that she doesn’t love me.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘You. Your elephant memory and lust for vendetta. I am a little curious though to see if Carolyn and Steve got jiggy, eventually.’ She laughs. ‘She was so annoyingly virginal.’
‘I remember.’ I leer and Lilly punches my arm.
The lift jolts as it stops. We walk a short way down the dimly lit corridor until I see the room number that corresponds with the swipe key in my hand. I take Lilly’s hand in mine and smile at her.
‘Seriously though. Why here? Why now?’
‘I’ll explain everything soon, darling.’ As soon as it becomes clear in my own head.
‘Thought we weren’t doing secrets anymore.’
Secrets. Now, there’s a word. For the past year we’ve travelled. A trip back to Italy taking in Venice, Rome, Florence, Turin. All cities where I could search for Lucrezia or my family line, although of course Lilly thought it was merely a tour to bring her up to speed with my past. Now she knows everything. How my uncle was Giulio Caccini, the composer and musician who invented Opera. She learned of my passionate obsession with my cousin Francesca, Giulio’s daughter. Then, as I broke down in a hotel in Verona, I revealed how I loved my children so much I gave them up for their own safety. Lilly knows my secrets – mostly. She doesn’t know that the travel was an excuse to search; search for the woman who made me into a vampire over four hundred years ago.
‘It’s complicated.’
Lilly frowns as I swipe the card down the door scanner and the green light flicks on to allow us access to the room. I reach inside and flip the light switch out of habit, even though neither of us needs the light. We can see perfectly well in the dark.
The room lights up. It’s a suite. We always do
Similar Books
The Passion of Artemisia
Susan Vreeland
Can't Help Falling
Kara Isaac
The Lace Balcony
Johanna Nicholls
Deadly Designs (Design Series)
Dale Mayer
Dances Naked
Dani Haviland
Tell Me If the Lovers Are Losers
Cynthia Voigt
Make Me Forever
Beth Kery
Wise Children
Angela Carter