There Is No Me Beyond You

~16~

"Katerina, this is all so weird, there are so many things I must know..." I mumbled around a mouthful of cake.

"And I'll tell you as much as I can, but not tonight. Right now you need to finish that meal and take your bath before the water gets too cold. Unlike the 'pure' vampires, you would not enjoy that."

I smiled at her, quite happy to keep some of my human traits.

"Only one more thing tonight then, Katerina. Can I stay here? Forever? Can I bring my daughter into this place the next time the passage opens?"

She shook her head, motioning me to follow her towards the bath once the maids left and I finished my wine.

"No. I only created this place for you to find Lord Vlad again once you are reborn. You can't stay here unfortunately, but you can take him with you if he wants to follow you."

"If we both leave, what will become of this place?" I asked, following her to the fireplace where the bath stood, and letting her undo the laces of my dress, my mind teeming with all the things I learned. So Stoker was wrong. There was no danger of this place ceasing to exist with Radu's possible death... I mused, shaking my head at the recollection of all the sleepless nights that theory of his had cost me, and how much I risked because of it... Everything could have gone so much worse in Poenari... my subconscious hissed, making me shiver.

"It will remain like this as long as I stay here. And you both, and even your children, can always come to visit those who remain." Katerina said, pulling me out of my reverie.

"Will you stay here, please?" I asked, looking at her imploringly as she helped me step into the warm, scented water. The word 'children' she used instead of child echoed through my mind, before I buried it under the growing pile of other unasked questions. There were too many things to think about...

It feels wonderful, I thought, suppressing a sigh of pleasure when the thigh-high water lapped my oversensitive, vampire skin, which I still wasn't used to, the pleasant sensation pushing everything else away momentarily.

"I'll stay here as long as you'll need me, my lady. And there's Clara to think about as well..."

What does Clara have to do with this... I wondered, opening my mouth to ask more questions, then closing it again and biting my tongue, remembering my promise not to demand more answers tonight.

Just as I was about to sit down into the wooden tub, my gaze fell to the door leading to the short corridor between my room and the library and I squalled with surprise and joy when I saw Vlad standing there, watching me intently. A smile tugged at his lips when he noticed my reaction.

"My lord, Lady Samara will be ready in..."

"Thank you, Katerina, I'll help her. Good night."

Katerina looked at me and when I nodded, she resigned.

"I will see you in the morning, my lady." She curtsied politely and gathering my used dishes in no time, left my room even as I threw my arms around Vlad the moment he reached me, melting in his embrace.

I had missed him so much. I still couldn't believe that he was here, that I was here, that we were together and this wasn't just one of my dreams.

His hands glided up and down the curve of my spine as he sensed my crazy emotions, caressing, soothing, making me sigh as I remembered how long and how much I craved this moment. He pulled me closer yet, making me arch into him as my body responded to his gentle touch, my lips seeking his.

"You should sit down before you get cold... I know that you'll never be completely like me..." he murmured, looking in my eyes after we kissed.

He was already bathed, I noticed as I ran my fingers through the still damp, silky strands of his hair. He didn't want you to see him in the state he arrived in, most likely... my subconscious whispered. There was a long, thin scar on his cheek that hadn't been there the last time I saw him. More questions to ask... Later. This moment was too precious to destroy it by thinking about anything but the two of us, here and now together.