Chapter Four
The sun was just starting to sink when I started out, and I spent most of the journey bathed in the red light reflecting off the clouds. Although it was easier to get to where Ambrose lived (if that's a term you can use for a vampire) than to get away from it, it still took me till after dark to reach the place.
I saw Ambrose as I got close. He was out in the courtyard actually standing on one of the tombstones rising from the dirt like little islands. When he glanced over at me he grinned inanely and leaped gracefully to another block that was closer. This was done with grace and fluidity never shown by a mortal.
"What are you doing?" I called.
"Waiting for you!" He leaned forward, as if he were going to topple off is perch, only to seconds later appear reclining on the roof of someone's mausoleum, further proving that there is nothing normal about this guy.
"And you got bored?"
"You could say that." He beckoned me toward him. "Care to join me?"
I hopped the fence and stood beneath his makeshift balcony expectantly. He reached down and gently lifted me to his height, setting me down beside him like I weighed nothing. He sat back down and gestured for me to do the same.
"Isn't this disrespectful to the dead?" I asked.
He frowned comically. "I'm dead. Do you want to disrespect me?"
I sat. "You have a creepy sense of humor, you know that?"
"Beats blond jokes." He replied shrugging.
"I don't suppose you hear many of those from your fellow creatures of the night."
"That's truer than you know." He answered mysteriously. I gazed quizzically at him and changed the subject. Once he gets mysterious there's no point trying to make him say more.
"I see you must have read my note."
"Thank you for letting me know you had not run screaming to the police."
"Sorry I routed through your stuff."
He waved mockingly. "It doesn't matter. I feel extremely guilty for leaving you, but I can't stay up in my little attic once dawn hits, and I really didn't think you'd like waking up in pitch black."
I smiled thanks and told him how, when I first discovered him, I'd thought he was a corpse. He found this immensely amusing and laughed, replying that, technically, I had. I retorted that he really did have a weird sense of humor. I was too ashamed to admit I thought he had bitten me, so I didn't relate that part of the story.
"You're not angry I might have stumbled across some dark secret?" I inquired.
"I have no reason to keep secrets from you." His eyes suddenly boring into mine, utterly serious. I could see then that Ambrose could change moods faster than clothing.
"How do you know you can trust me?" I breathed. I really needed to know the answer, because I felt the same way. He had several reasons not to leave me alive, and several opportunities to get rid of me since I continued to cling to his side. He never hurt me though. Now that I had the chance it was prudent to find out why I feel so safe with this guy, who I can't let myself forget, killed a man with his teeth. Ambrose considered the question, and paused before giving his answer, searching for the right words.
"I'm not sure." He replied honestly. "But I feel a kind of connection between us, like it was fate that we met, that we should stay together. I know that sounds kind of corny though." He looked away, embarrassed.
"No." I said, touching his cheek and forcing him to look at me. "It's just perfectly sincere."
Ambrose pulled me closer and I wrapped my arm around his neck. I was surprised how warm someone with no body heat could be. He leaned over to kiss me and barely touched my lips before I kissed him back. It might have been all in my head but I could swear I heard sparks fly. I wasn't even drunk that night.
Suddenly he broke away crouching a few feet over from me.
"What's wrong?" I whispered still reeling.
"I just... haven't been this close to someone I wasn't feeding on in so long. I don't know if I could stop myself from biting you."
For a second I wanted to try letting him bite me, but I pushed the thought of it out of my head, telling myself not to be stupid.
"It's okay." I assured him. "You're not getting rid off me anytime soon. We can try again later if you want."
He just laughed, but I thought I saw a glimpse of pain in his eyes before he put his carefree smile on. As close as we were right then I knew it would be a long time before he would open up to me.
He slid back over, reminding me.
"How do you do that? Move like that I mean?"
His good mood returned with a flourish. I wasn't being very articulate but he seemed to understand what I was saying.
"I never discovered exactly how it works, but it's a vampire thing. Apparently it has something to do with having complete control over our muscles."
Extremely interested now, I begged him to tell me more.
"Well, when you get turned, your body literally stops working .So even though we can still will it to move, none of the nerves that make you twitch or move a certain way function. The result is a jerky grace you humans can't replicate."
"That is so cool!" I cried much to my chagrin and Ambrose's ever increasing mirth. "So why do you still twitch and stuff sometimes? I know I've seen you do that."
"Habitual. Everyone in my race brings something from their human days. Sometimes, even though I don't need to, I breathe, even after thousands of years."
"That strikes me as being hard to stop."
"Ah, but you still require air."
Ambrose told me more about the inner workings of vampires. Like the reflection thing. They do show up in a mirror but mirrors don't work in certain lights. Vampires just don't hang around in places where mirrors can be used. Photographs have the same principle.
Meanwhile I made myself comfortable in his lap, hanging off his every word. When I started to pass out he decided it was bedtime. Scooping me up in his arms he jumped to the ground and started inside.
"I take it you want to stay the night?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" He laughed as I pretended to swoon in his arms, though he held me steady despite my antics. "I'm not looking forward to another night in that chair though."
"Why don't you sleep down with me?" I raised an eyebrow. "Just sleep my dear, nothing bad."
"I don't know, will you be able to stop from attacking me in my sleep?" We both grinned maliciously.
"We'll just have to see now won't we?" He teased, escorting me down the steps like a morbid bride and groom.
