Page 14 of Revelations

The first thing Greylyn noticed was the change in the atmosphere. No longer clinically pristine, warmth engulfed them, bringing a thin layer of sweat against her skin. Continuous mist sprayed from the ceiling, leaving the air as humid as the rainforest and her hair a frizzy mess. There was no natural sunlight, but bright heat lamps glowed all around. A gasp escaped her lips at the beauty before her, so out of place deep within the bowels of an underground bunker. It was a large indoor garden, as vast and varied as the Montrèal Biodome.

There were rowsof flowers of every color and shape as far as she could see. Fruity and flowery scents mixed with the more pungent odor of rich soil, creating a heady perfume to her nose. It was paradise.

So lovely. How is this possible?

“Yes, it is lovely, is it not?” Claude beamed with pride. “You see, we have been here for quite a while. Plenty of time to cultivate my garden, as well as my family.” He walked over to a shrub adorned with vibrant silky white roses and clipped a stem with shears that seemed to come out of nowhere. Sniffing the flower, his eyes closed. “Gardening has always been my passion. However, when one cannot spend too much time in the sunlight, one must be creative in order to grow such abundance as you see here. It took years to perfect my techniques, but eventually my patience paid off.”

Kael was still gaping at the vast garden, his feet seemingly rooted into the grassy earth that sprang up under his feet. Greylyn strolled over to a raised garden bed brimming with plump, juicy red strawberries. She turned around in slow circles; her lips opened to ask something, but she was too overwhelmed to utter a word.

Claude continued, “When I originally came to this place, it was simply me and my lovely wife, Simone. She is not really the down-in-the-soil gardening type, so this became my own world.”

As he spoke, Claude walked in between rows of lavender. The glorious scents burst forth from the flowers as he delicately drew his fingers along the purple petals that mirrored his own eyes.

“Now, our local family is over a dozen couples strong. Some were brought to us from ‘family’ out of town, but over the years we have found plenty of lovers locally. DC is such a hotbed of delightful prospects, after all. We share a lovely life here altogether—common interests, common values. But this”—he waved his hands around the garden—“this is mine. My perfection. My sanctuary.”

Kael stepped forward to inspect a neat row of blood-red roses a few feet away. “No thorns? How did you manage that?”

“Ah-ha! That is my secret, but I will delight in sharing it with you once you join us. Only family members are indulged with my gardening secrets.”

Greylyn stroked a finger over the velvety petals. “Didn’t Henry the Eighth invent the thornless rose in honor of one his many wives? I believe that it was for one of them who lost her head. I’m sure we could simply look the info up on the Internet.” The corner of her mouth ticked up as she noticed Claude’s eyes narrow on her.

Unfaltering, she continued to inspect the vegetation as she approached a vine wrapped around a wrought-iron trestle closer to the door. She guessed by its white petals and luxurious scent that it was a jasmine variety, but it was one she had never seen before.

“Ah, I thought you would enjoy the jasmine. It is one of the most sensual fragrances I have ever come across. That particular one is believed to have originated in the Himalayas of western China.” The vampire was certainly proud of his underground greenhouse. He twisted a solitary vine until it broke and tucked a blossom behind her ear.

Although she loved jasmine-scented anything, Greylyn set aside her awe to get down to business. “So, you didn’t bring us here to teach us your gardening secrets. Do you also plan to reveal your secret plan to convince us to sign up for your twisted version of happily ever after?” Kael stepped up just behind her, his heat radiating into her back. “I still believe you are way off on this one.”

Amethyst eyes glinted with amusement. “Let us make a wager then. If I am wrong, youandyour friends can leave us. No harm will come to any of you. But if I am right, you both join my family.”

As he spoke, he lifted a manicured finger to trail down her face until it rested on her lips. She bit the side of her mouth to stifle a shiver.

“You see, with my family, we believe in sharing—and I am not just referring to gardening tips.”

Greylyn didn’t have to turn around to see Kael’s reaction. The tension flowed from him like a torrent into her as if she had backed up to a raging bonfire. He stepped closer, with his fists clenched.

Without taking his eyes off of her, Claude grinned like a Cheshire cat. “See, you are already proving my point for me.”

He motioned for Kael to stand beside her. “It is very simple. I will leave you in this lovely garden; all alone. The only thing you have to do is this…gaze into each other’s eyes until I return.” His index finger waved back and forth. “But…no touching, no talking. Just gaze into each other’s eyes, into each other’s souls. Then try to deny your innermost heart’s desire, if you can.”

“That’s all?” Greylyn was confused. “Brilliant plan! Why not call in the host of “Love Connection” while you’re at it? At least, check with the eHarmony dude when trying to hook up couples.”

“Yes, that is indeed all.” His lips split into a huge smile.

Greylyn wandered off from both men to contemplate the situation. It soundedsimple enough. It shouldbe easy to call the vampire’s bluff at the end, but nothing that seemed so easy ever really was.

She plucked a white calla lily that she hadbeen admiring. The tips of her fingertips traced the velvety texture of the petals. “I already told you, I’m not in love with this man and he’s not in love with me. You grabbed the wrong guy if you wanted me to join you.”

“Oh.” Claude wagged his finger in disagreement. “Mister O’Shea was correct on that subject. That man at the club is not nearly good enough for you, dear. He lacks the elegance of truth necessary to deeply love and treasure anyone but himself. Destiny would not saddle you with second-best, my dear. He was merely a distraction. Nothing more.”

Kael harrumphed.

Out of ideas, she shrugged. “Fine. Let’s get this started, shall we?”

Turning back, she did not know who smiled the biggest—Claude or Kael. None of her relaxation techniques would put a dent in the knot tightening in her belly.

The vampire led them deeper into the garden to a small clearing among what seemed to be apple trees in full bloom. On the ground was a red and white-checkered picnic blanket with an opened bottle of wine and crackers—most likely poisoned or drugged.

Claude gestured to the trees surrounding them. “These are very special trees. None like them anywhere else in the world. It took me a couple hundred years and a lot of hard work to find just one seed of this particular tree and much longer to see it take root.”

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