Page 46 of The Second Sight
The possessiveness in his tone sent conflicting emotions coursing through me. There was a primitive thrill in being claimed so completely. I had given myself to a vampire, entered his world. There was no going back to my simple human life after this.
Still, I felt uneasy. I stood frozen beside him, trying to process everything I’d heard. Not only did I apparently look exactly like someone named Basirah. She was not just someone. She was Seven’s wife. I gathered something tragic happened to the woman who had my face, but what?
I didn’t know what to do with this newfound information. Should I pretend I didn’t know about this, Basirah? Would it be better to wait for Seven to bring this information to me? Or should I ask about Basirah directly? And more importantly, were Seven’s feelings for me genuine, or was I merely a ghost of someone he’d lost. Before I could decide, we were exiting the elevator.
Quietly following Seven, he guided me through long hollow corridors until we were back inside his massive bedroom. I broke free of his hand to sit on the edge of his bed, hoping he wouldn’t sense something was wrong.
“I just wanted you to know that there is nothing to fear from my coven. My vampires aren’t allowed up here inside my home to ensure my privacy. There is a separate entrance for them to congregate underground. You can walk around my home freely. Lily is the only person who lives here with me.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to sound normal after the information that was dropped in my lap.
“Are you upset with me?” Seven’s inquiry startled me even though his tone was very soft and neutral.
“No,” I lied, hoping my acting skills would get better the more I practiced.
“Something has changed. I can feel it. Was it too early to claim you and introduce you to my coven?”
“No, ah, no.” I stuttered. Angela Bassett would be so disappointed in me. I couldn’t act my way out of a paper bag.
“Then, my love, what has happened? Your lovely face looks worried, and your body appears tense.”
Did he really know me so well that he could sense or see all of this?
“I had a vision while I was awake. It was maybe like a daydream.”
Seven stroked his chin with his hand. “That’s a good thing. A vision without being asleep. What did this vision reveal?”
“I saw me. I was burning in a fire.” I could’ve been a bit more specific, but I felt the heat from the fire as the painting of my look-alike went up in flames. “I saw my face, but it wasn’t me. It was someone else. Someone called Basirah.” There, I’d said it. I said her name. I embellished a tad, but the crux of the retelling was fairly accurate.
A host of emotions registered on Seven’s chiseled face. There were waves of conflict and despair that disappeared as soon as they appeared. He was a much better actor than I was.
“Basirah.” He inhaled. “Was my wife.”
“And she looked like me?” I eagerly asked, wishing I’d let him continue without interruption.
“Yes.”
“What happened to her?”
“She died.” He plainly offered with no explanation.
A burning painting of Basirah was in my vision. The word burning echoed in my head, painting horrible ghostly images in my brain. Was that what had happened to the woman in the portrait? The woman who shared my face? Had she been burned to death? And by whom?
“Yes, she died, in fire?” I asked as gently as possible.
“Yes— she was burned alive by the Bambara Brotherhood leader— Desmond Moreau.”
Finally, he admitted his connection to Desmond.
“There’s more. Tell me? I want to know everything.” I asked.
Seven twisted his lips. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I do!” I rose to my feet before remembering I was yelling at a vampire. My sudden change in emotion seemed to rattle my lover. I had a lover now. I was no longer a virgin, and with that came a bit of courage I didn’t know I possessed.
He shrugged. “I refuse to speak on it.”
“Fine. I can go home now.” My small purse was near the bed. I grabbed it and let my feet quickly carry me to his bedroom door. Before I could leave, Seven sped to the doorway and blocked my exit. “Move.”
