Page 18 of Vampire's Breath

“May I ask you a question? On the personal side?” The words flew from my mouth as I gripped the phone hard. I shook my head, catching the look on Amy’s face. I sounded ridiculous.

“Is this about getting coffee? Because I want to, really I—”

“No. It’s about Regency England.” I hesitated before forcing the words out. “I hope this isn’t too personal, but is your family originally from England? I found your name in a journal from Lady Isobel as Lord Lorcan O’Cillian, Marquess of Dún Na Farraige.”

The line was silent. I glanced at the phone, which showed a connection. I waited, my heart pounding.

“Lorcan?” My words were hesitant. “Are you there?”

He cleared his throat. A subtle unease crept into his voice, his words clipped. “I’m here. I… I don’t know if my family would have known hers.”

I pressed my lips into a line. Was he lying to me? I didn’t know him well enough to be sure. “Alright. Thank you for allowing me the liberty.” I swallowed, waiting to see if he would say anything, but he remained silent. “When do you think you can pick up the plant? I’d love to show you the journal entry.”

Lorcan sighed. “Soon. I have a few things going on, which is also why I haven’t responded about coffee. I may have to head out of town.”

My heart sank. “Alright. Well, let me know if you can make it before you leave.”

“I will.”

I hung up and turned to Amy. “That was… awkward.” I replayed his words in my mind.

“No kidding,” she said, her brow furrowed. “He didn’t sound like someone planning to travel when he ordered the plant. Who is going to take care of it?”

“I’m starting to wonder if you’re right and his girlfriend would.” I attempted to force the corners of my mouth up, but they twitched in protest. “What should I do?”

Amy shrugged. “You’ve got something he wants, right? Take it to him.”

My teeth worried at my lip. No matter how much I wanted to see him or how many questions swirled in my head, how awkward would it be to turn up and his girlfriend open the door?

Lorcan

Iglanced at the clock on the wall. It would be a while until the mail arrived, and I yearned to feel the water over my head again. I wasn’t so keen on a repeat of last week’s visions, but the water had always been calming as long as I could keep my head about me. Once, my brothers and I had discussed our premonitions, and our mother chided us to never speak of them again. We never did in her presence, but it confused us all the more, making it so we couldn’t understand or control them. I often wondered if it had to do with my father’s family being witches, but that made no sense, as he had lost his powers when Runa turned him.

I shook my head, needing to get out of my thoughts, my thoughts of her. I stripped my clothing off in the kitchen,throwing it over a chair, premonitions be damned. There was no way I could have known when I built this home that the stretch of sand in front of me would become clothing-optional, but in moments like now, I relished this fact. I stepped onto the front porch and felt the air swirling around my body, walking to the water’s edge and diving in.

I swam away from the shore, my strokes long and confident. Diving just under the surface and flipping my feet like the tail of a seal, I could feel the current as it washed along my body, down my torso, wrapping around my cock before gliding down my legs. I swam, weightless, the cares of the world gone.

My head broke through the water’s surface as I bicycled my feet. After that call from Briar, the only path forward became clear. I needed to leave this town for a while.

I glanced at the sun, realized it was time to go in, and returned to shore before walking toward my house. My heart skipped a beat as I was steps away, and my feet stumbled on the path. I needed to run, but I hadn’t decided fast enough. Briar looked up, her eyes opening wide as they traveled up my body.

The sunlight glinted off the plant she held, its green leaves stark against the pale stone path winding to my door.

“Um…” Her eyes dropped again to my midsection, which now responded to being examined. Her cheeks reddened, and she spun away. “I’m sorry.” Her back was toward me, but I heard her thumbs as they fidgeted against the edge of the pot. “I didn’t realize…”

“Didn’t realize I lived at the edge of the clothing-optional section of the beach?” I said with a laugh, although desire burned in my lower belly. I could hear her heart pounding in her chest. What would she do if I pressed myself against her back? I pushed the thought from my mind, wishing I could will my erection away.

“Didn’t realize you would be swimming.” The pitch of her voice was high with embarrassment.

“Let me go throw on some pants.”

“Sure.” She kept her back to me as I crossed behind her.

I returned with a pair of joggers slung low on my hips and cash in my hand. “How did the fundraiser go?”

Her smile was small but genuine, although she refused to meet my eyes. “Great. We didn’t quite reach our goal, but everything will work out.”

“I can make a larger donation.”

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