Page 14 of These Eternal Bones
“Seven gold coin,” the captain forces out, looking a little worse for wear.
“Liar! I promised you twenty silver.” I spit at the panting man.
“Done. Do not return to Port Clyde.”
“Elric, that’s too much,” I whisper, wishing the world would swallow me whole.
He snaps at the driver of his coach, one I hadn’t realized had followed our entire ordeal. My eyes widen at the younger man. His face alone seems to radiate light and his skin an unearthly bronze hue, his eyes drifting across me briefly. I look to the captain to see if he’s as shocked as I am, but Elric’s hand brushes my waist, lingering on my hip bone with a featherlight touch. My senses pinpoint on his hand. My breath coming lighter for it. “I’ll be the judge of that. Now tell me, what comforts do you lack?”
“Oh… I suppose an inn would have–”
“No. My home is vast–”
“No.” I echo. “If an inn is not possible, the cottage suits me fine.”
I can feel it now, that quietness that’s plagued me my whole life. When things become too much and my mind separates from me, allowing the upsetting feelings to happen to someone else, something else… but still my heart pounds in my chest.
He sighs, simply moving on. Leading me toward the humble storefronts. “Your intention was to come here and earn coin, yes? Then work for me.”
“What work would you have me do?” My heart flutters, palms slickening with my nerves, given what I’d just offered the other man.
“First supplies, yes? If you do not wish to stay in my manor, the cottage will need work. Handiness is not in your skill set.” The outright confirmation he’s been watching and stalking me all this time flushes my cheeks, that strange, slick tightening back in my core. I feel him tense beside me, his lips quirking ever so slightly before he throws open the door of the small shop, urging me inside.
When I glance back, it's to find a towns person helping the captain. Their terrified, angry glares point at the bored-looking bronze man as he all but tosses a bag of coin to the deathly pale man, bowed over, gripping his chest.
Elric
Molly tucks her hair behind her ear, the long strands riotous now that they're free from her hood. My cold, unmoving heart willing itself to thump as she runs her hands over the painting cart, her eyes glued to the easel beside it.
“Elric, I have five in stock. These colors only.”
Reluctantly, I turn my attention back to the old woman, her back hunched. One of the few in this town who would address me so casually or at all, really. She’d never had the common sense to be scared like the rest of them. “I’ll take them.”
“As if there is not an entire wardrobe at your castle.” The warning look I cast her earns me a lofty roll of her eyes. “Would be cheaper, all I’m saying. So many pretty gowns going to waste.”
“Yes, therein lies the problem. You speak.”
My eyes scan the case of jewelry, most of it cheaply made, nothing compared to the historical pieces in my home. Not that it matters. I could drape her in the crown jewels, and she would pale every diamond. “Molly, which do you like?”
She turns from the easel, wide green eyes falling to me before scanning the case with a furrowed brow. Irritation flames my chest. They aren’t good enough. The offering seems so meager compared to what she deserves. “I only require what is needed to live. The dresses are still too much, the jewelry is–”
“Few would decline an offer from the vampire lord of Port Clyde. I remember back when I was young and supple, it was I who he–”
“You mean the time you tried to steal from me, and I nearly decapitated you in my stairwell?”
My attention snaps back to Molly, her eyes widening further now that she has a title to match the monster in front of her.
The old woman groans as she stands, letting loose a cackle, but my attention is on the furrowed brow of my reluctant companion as she all but storms toward the glass case, smashing her finger blindly onto the top. “This one.”
My fangs prod my bottom lip, holding my smile at bay. “Very well, syringa.”
Her eyes meet mine, cheeks flushed with a pale pink. It’s the same color every time. My tendrils flex underneath my coat. The damned things are desperate to lock and writhe across her soft flesh. To seek out her warmth. It’s been so long since I stepped foot off my estate. It’s hardly necessary anymore. The humans seek me out when they need me, and despite their hatred and disgust, they always need me. Be it for the company I keep or funds. They hate me, but I am synonymous with their beloved town. For so long, we’ve nearly become one and the same. A rumor, a horror story passed down through generations. It makes me wonder about the supernaturals outside the foggy border. Have they long since faded, too?
Molly’s eyes leave mine, casting a rueful look at the older woman I’ve all but tuned out.
“…bartered a ham cutlet for this last season.” She crones, fishing the simple necklace from the case, but I don’t miss the way she eyes Molly with nothing short of calculated interest.
A growl builds in my throat as I close the distance between us, reaching out for the jewelry. She hands it over quickly. “Your golden man going to settle your tab?” She eyes said man outside the store with a glimmer in her eye.
