The Dark Proposal (The Claire McCormick Trilogy) (27 page)

When she was finally done, and had sent in the article, Claire thought about calling her parents and even her brother. But they were all at work, so it wouldn’t be best to disturb them. Besides, calling them would be like a farewell. There was no way she would say good-bye to her family.

Biting her lip, Claire refused to cry. She had done too much crying lately and this was not the time or place to do more. She had to hope that somehow, someway…

Gathering her strength, she read one of her books or watched TV for the next few hours. Daniel didn’t stir until about 2 PM when she heard him move around in the bedroom. When he emerged, fully dressed for the day, she was watching the latest episode of her favorite reality show. But he was disgusted when he saw the TV screen.
 

“Turn that off,” he said. “You’re more intelligent than that crap.”

“It’s just something to laugh at,” she responded. But she quickly changed the channel when she saw a flicker of anger in his eyes.

He went to the kitchen and opened the garbage can to see the remains of her breakfast. He shut the can door and said to her, “Remember to throw that stuff you brought home somewhere else. I said I want no rats or roaches.”

She waited a few minutes before asking, “Is it okay that I go out now?”

“I’m not holding you prisoner,” he said, more calmly. “If you want to go shopping, then fine. But don’t take forever, and don’t do anything foolish.”

Nodding, she turned the TV off, put on her coat, gathered her shoulder bag and grabbed the garbage. He watched her from his spot in front of his laptop at the dining table, his demeanor calm but distant. She knew he wanted to say something, but did not press him to. She pleasantly told him she’ll be back and headed out.

She dumped the trash into a waste basket right outside the building and briskly walked to the nearby SoHo neighborhood to shop. She had always wanted to buy the stylish clothes from that area, but she reminded herself not to overdo anything lest Daniel would get upset. Then again, he would probably find fault with everything she did now, based on how he had been acting since the crack of dawn.

Again, Claire prevented her anxieties from letting her absorb the atmosphere around her. She tilted her face up towards the late fall sun to let it shine on her face and marveled at the buildings that looked so brilliant in the daytime. But she did not want to take in too much or she would definitely be saying good-bye to the light.

Two hours later, she was heading back to the apartment. She had bought a dress, two tops,
 
and some jewelry from one of the boutiques she always dreamed of shopping in. It felt weird to be going to a place where the rich and stylish frequented at first, but then she decided to have fun. It was clear that Daniel wanted to spoil her so she wouldn’t object to becoming a vampire. He knew the high life enticed her, and now he was giving it to her, in exchange for her soul.
 

Perhaps that was what made her love him. He was clearly rich given the neighborhood where he lived, and he had studied in England and France. When he showed interest in her, it was arousing to see that a good looking, well-educated man with money to his name could like her and not judge her for her average background. If only she hadn’t got caught up in the fantasy of living the high life or she probably wouldn’t have developed feelings for Daniel.

Did she love him? Did he love her? If he did, she would have to play along or else something terrible could happen. But she no longer loved him. There was no way to feel affection for someone like Daniel.
 

Once she was back inside the apartment building, he buzzed her in and again, he was waiting in the doorway when the elevator doors opened. He looked amused at the sight of the two shopping bags.

“You had fun, I see,” he laughed.
 

Claire laughed too. “I went someplace reasonable. Pricey, but reasonable.”

“Well, let’s see what you got!”

She took out the jewelry first: a wide, beaded bracelet and vintage earrings. She then showed off a royal blue silk V-neck top and a cashmere ivory turtleneck. The final item was the dress she intended to wear for her transformation. Her hands shook as she lifted the strapless black velvet cocktail dress out of its garment bag and held it up, her breath struggling to come out.

“It’s beautiful,” Daniel hushed. “It’s going to look lovely with that necklace.”

Claire forced a nod. When she had picked out the dress, she was busy imagining all the parties she could attend while wearing it, forgetting that her blood would come pouring out on to it. She had deliberately forgotten that because of the elation of shopping at the SoHo boutique.
 

Daniel’s blue-green eyes were intent on her, a soothing expression in them. He knew what was on her mind.

“Claire,” he reached over and put his hands over hers. “Everything is going to be alright. There is nothing to get upset over.”
 

She fought against a choke and lost. “I’m not saying you’re not going to stop missing everyone you care about,” he continued. “But you’re going to meet new friends who will become like family, and I will always be here. Time heals wounds. One thing I can definitely say I learned is that such pain does not last forever.” He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered a few soft words until she calmed down. He then kissed her forehead gently and squeezed her shoulders.

“You might as well put it back in the garment bag,” he nodded at the dress. “Wouldn’t want to get it damaged.”

She agreed and did so. She took the clothes and put them away in the bedroom.
 

For the remainder of the day, Claire curled up on the couch with the TV on, while Daniel emailed his students their final grades. He told her about how disappointed he was in some, but proud that many had learned from him. She did some talking as well, asking about what they would do in Paris, besides the obvious. This led to a discussion on what kind of future they would have together. They talked about being writers forever, using pseudonyms if they had to, and traveling the world together. Claire had to admit to herself that it felt exciting knowing she could go anywhere in the world, though she would have to be careful at what time of day she would travel.
 

The dreamy look on her face as she talked about visiting places she had never been to might have prompted Daniel to begin telling her about his life - the one after he made a vampire. She couldn’t help but listen. Maybe it was the intoxicating way he spoke or the words he used to describe life in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and North America through the centuries. Either way, it reminded her of the days before all this madness, when she and Daniel would just sit and talk for hours because they knew how to keep each other listening.

As he told his story some more, she admitted to herself that he did have a nice streak. He was easy to hold a conversation with and easy to be around. During that afternoon into early evening, Claire felt she could learn to enjoy his presence again.

But when he went out to hunt late that night, she wanted to pinch herself back to reality, but she couldn’t. It was useless. In a few days she would be like him, hunting and killing innocent people. There was no stopping that; she had given her word to end the deaths of people she cared about, and to prevent whatever torture would have come to her. Any reasonable person would have agreed to join the vampires, so she did nothing wrong or selfish. It was only natural.

She was watching TV when he returned close to midnight. His skin was flushed with a healthy glow thanks to the night’s blood. She flinched when she saw him, but not out of fright. He noticed, extended his hand and led her to bedroom. “It has been a long while,” he purred into her ear.

“You’re right,” she whispered back. “It has been.”

With the lights on, Claire and Daniel made love through the night. The conversation they’d had earlier brought them closer together, and this was the final connection that sealed their newfound relationship. Even he had to say her transition was going well.
 

“You seemed more at ease today,” he said, lying beside her, propped up by his elbow. He slowly ran his hand down the side of her body. “I’m glad to see that. I was afraid things would be tense between us.”

She squirmed a little and gently placed her hand on top of his. “I guess I figured this is for the best for us. There was no way we could have gone on if I knew what you were. Especially with the secrecy of the vampires.”

He nodded emphatically. “I know it was not easy to make this choice. It’s like being a star-crossed pair in a way.” He stopped tracing her body and looked into her eyes.
 
“But, you will adjust, and what upsets you now, won’t in the long run.”

“Out of curiosity, what if it won’t?”

Slight darkness appeared in his eyes and he frowned, “Why would you ask that?”

“Well, it is big change for me. Perhaps too big for me to handle?”

“Oh come on, Claire!” He laughed. “Once you see the world differently - and you will, you’ll be amazed by it - you won’t want to go back to being human. I have never heard of any one of us wanting to return to being human once the dark blood entered us, and I’ve been around for a long time.”

“Okay, okay.” She sat up. “I’m just nervous, that’s all. It’s the fear of the unknown that I’m going through.”

“You’ve got nothing to fear,” he whispered softly. “I’m here to guide you, to help you and to be with you. And soon, you’ll be as excited as I was when I first became like this. You’ll embrace your life more than ever before. I’m telling you, the world will be at your feet because you have and do anything you want! There are no rules, nothing to fear, no limits. You’re going to love it,
ma chere,
I promise you.”

She looked at Daniel as he traced the side of her face. He was elated to be a vampire. Certainly being a bastard in medieval Europe made his mortal life miserable, and vampirism was his salvation. He clearly believed in it so much that he wanted to give that salvation to her.
 

 
Her thoughts froze when Daniel leaned down to begin devouring her lips, getting her ready for another session. She decided to set aside her thinking for some more sex, since it was exhilarating, and just maybe because he enjoyed being with her. The way his masculine hands glided over her body, the way he concentrated on her enjoyment, how he looked at her in the eyes when she absorbed him instead of caring for only his pleasure made the experience worth the time.
 

Perhaps he did have feelings for her. Maybe that was the reason why he wanted her to be like him. Sure, he had a rather mad, frightening way of displaying that want, but perhaps things would change once she was transformed, and all the abuse and threats would end.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Claire sighed impatiently at the counter at Newark Liberty Airport. The computer was taking too long.
 

Daniel was trying to get the agent to understand what happened before the checkout froze without losing his cool. It was a typical experience for anyone trying at an airport, trying to catch their flight on time.

She glanced at their luggage, making sure again that everything was zipped shut. She then noticed the sunshine, gleaming through the windows behind her. Although it was mid-December and almost winter, the sun’s light was bright and wide. It reminded her of the summer sunshine, but it probably seemed like that to her because this was the last time she would see the sun in the New York City area. Even from the check-in at a busy airport, the sun looked beautiful as it illuminated everything in its path.

Grief was sinking in. When she came back home before New Year’s, she would be a nocturnal creature, unable to go out into the light without burning into ash. Daniel told her it took him nearly three hundred years to even put his hand out into the sunlight, making sure he could survive even a few minutes. That thought was repeating itself in Claire’s head, as though to stab her with reality.
 

“Claire.” His voice broke through her thoughts. Turning around, she saw Daniel give their luggage to the baggage carrier. Their tickets had finally gone through.

She examined him. It was the middle of the afternoon, an unusual time for him to be out. He said he would survive, but the sun would make him drowsy and irritable, so she had to be cautious around him.

When their suitcases were all taken, they walked away hand in hand. They went through security and found their plane’s gate without any problem. They found some magazines to read and sat in the waiting room, away from any sunlight. Within a half hour, they stood to board their plane.

“You got first class?” Claire raised her eyebrows as they got in line.

“Of course,” he cracked a smile. “You really thought I would take you to Paris on economy? Don’t underestimate yourself.”
 

So she was getting a chance to stretch her legs out as far as she wanted and enjoy some fine wine for the next several hours. She meditated on this, trying to remind herself of the exciting life she was having. She was making big sacrifices for a life of luxury and few rules. Might as well concentrate on that.

The flight was not unlike any other she had made, just that she had more leg room, a more comfortable, wider seat and her choice of food and drinks. She sat next to the window and made sure the shade was down so the faint sun wouldn’t affect Daniel. Once the plane was over the Atlantic, she was able to lift the shade and stare out into nothingness, save for the stars that were like tiny diamonds against black velvet.
 

Unimpressed, she concentrated on reading, eating her dinner and chatting with Daniel. He didn’t eat or drink anything, and instead put on a show of being sleepy around the flight attendants. He had told Claire that the longer he was awake, the more thirsty he became. He would have to immediately feed as soon as the plane landed.
 

As the flight continued, she noticed his thirst rising. When they talked to each other, he was noticeably distracted. His eyes changed color from time to time. He squeezed his mouth shut as if preventing his eye teeth from growing. He eyed the flight attendants like they were delicious food. He also got irritable, snapping at her and others from time to time, displaying his discomfort. Claire was too nervous to sleep. What if his thirst overcame him and he attacked her or someone else?