Aris Rising: The Court of Vampires: AN INFINITY DIARIES NOVEL (7 page)

“Hey Sarah. Wow. It seems like weeks since I’ve seen you here. Welcome back to the world of cardio.”

“I know,” she said, climbing on the treadmill, draping a towel around her neck, and placing her bottle of water in the rack on the front of the machine. “I can’t believe how busy I’ve been.”

“Colleen said she hasn’t seen you much lately either. Is everything okay?”

Sarah took a deep breath. “Well,” she hesitated a moment. “There’s this guy.”

Bonnie’s legs stopped pumping and she removed the headphones completely. “What guy? Tell me.”

“There’s not a whole lot to tell yet. He’s a psychologist from Italy here for a convention. He’s interested in past life regression.” Her cheeks colored. “And it looks like he’s also interested in me.”

“Don’t stop until you’ve told me absolutely everything.” Bonnie stepped to the floor, moving closer to Sarah to hear better over the loud music playing throughout the gym. She didn’t want to miss a word.

“I’ve only seen him a couple of times, but I really like him. He’s a little older than I am. Sort of a young old-world gentleman--not to mention absolutely gorgeous.”

“Come on, more. What’s his name?”

“DeMarco Brassi.”

“No one is named DeMarco Brassi. It sounds like some fairy tale prince.”

“Yeah? Well, he looks like some fairy tale prince. But he’s a lot more than good looks. He’s bright and attentive and interested.”

“Are you sure he’s not just some figment of your imagination.”

“Nope, he’s real.” She glanced at her watch. “And I’ve got to get going or I’m going to be late for work. Don’t tell Colleen. I want to tell her myself.”

Bonnie climbed back on the elliptical and started to pump. “DeMarco Brassi. Wonder if there are any more at home like him?” Bonnie grinned at the thought as she placed the little earphones in her ears and started to hum along with the song.

#

“It seems like forever since we’ve all just hung out. Is Bonnie coming when she finishes work?” Colleen sipped her herb tea, leaning back into the soft cushion on the sofa, stretching her legs, her feet propped on the pillow at the other end.

“Lean forward, honey.” Bob moved to fluff the cushion, placing it lower to support his pregnant wife’s back. “Okay, now relax.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was a delight for Sarah to see them so happy. After miscarrying their first child, Colleen’s second pregnancy was moving along without a glitch. Her best friend looked radiant as pregnant women were supposed to look. Bob beamed as he patted his wife’s barely visible tummy. “Got to keep the two of you fat and happy.”

Sarah sipped her wine. “Yeah, I spoke to Bon just before I got here; she said she’d be along as soon as she could close down for the day. She’s been really busy lately.”

“What about you, Sarah? We haven’t seen you in too long. What’s up?”

Sarah had been looking for the perfect opening to tell them about DeMarco; it appeared this was that moment. “There’s kind of this new man in my life. Well, not exactly in my life.” She wondered silently how old she would have to be to stop blushing. “Sort of in
my life.”

Colleen sat up, swinging her legs off the sofa and leaning forward. Bob settled in next to her. “Tell us, we’re waiting.”

“There’s not too much to tell. We haven’t been seeing each other very long but I admit I do like spending time with him.” Sarah described her new friend to her old ones. As she listened to herself describing their relationship, she realized she really was glad he was considering working in the states for a while. She would miss their camaraderie if he left. He was a comfortable companion, sharing the same profession, having so many of the same interests. Not to mention his lips were delicious, he smelled wonderful and she was powerfully attracted to him. She grinned as she thought, “
It’s also great being the same species.”

The ringing of the doorbell ended their questioning. “I’ll get it.” Bob stood.

A chilly autumn wind stirred the living room curtains as he opened the front door. “Carlos, hey. Come in.” Stepping aside, Bob showed the man he thought to be Carlos into the living room. It was the Immortal’s first interaction with the small group of friends since Carlos died and Aris took over his body. Sarah was nervous the group might sense the difference in him. A moment of discomfort at their reunion surrounded them all until Colleen stood, walked to him and gave him a huge bear-hug.

“It’s so great to see you.” She stepped back, holding him at arms-length. She looked him up and down then whistled. “Hey dude, you look great.”

He grinned. “So do you.” He reached his hand toward Bob. “Congratulations, man, about the baby, I mean.” As he shook hands with him it was one hundred percent Carlos, no Aris anywhere to be seen. He flopped down on the sofa and leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. “It’s great to see you guys.” They all suddenly felt quite at ease. The awkward moment passed. They
were just friends together again.

Sarah was very much relieved. She felt anxious when Colleen told her he would be there. She didn’t know what to expect of him. When they were alone, she knew a very different person. One that was mysterious and wise, sensual and deep. One that had the experience of ages behind him and an eternal future ahead of him. She felt glad and sad at the same time as she looked at the dark, handsome man sitting on the sofa. She missed her young friend yet here he was, appearing to be alive and well.

“Sarah, hon, Bob asked if you’d like another glass of wine. You looked like you were far away.”

“No C, I’m right here.” She grinned as she reached her glass forward for a refill. “Right here.”

C
olleen was less than enthusiastic when Sarah suggested she and Bob have dinner with Sarah and DeMarco. She would have much rather been out with Sarah and Carlos, but she agreed anyway just to satisfy her curiosity about the new man in Sarah’s life. She was glad she did when the smell of Thai food stirred her taste buds as she and her husband walked in the door of the Thai Palace. They had never eaten there but Bob said he had read great reviews on the internet. The restaurant was packed and noisy even on a Thursday evening. DeMarco and Sarah sat at a table in the only semi-quiet corner in the room, clearly deep in conversation.

“Hi. Are we late?” Colleen slid into a chair across from her best friend.

“No, we were early.” Sarah smiled as she made introductions. DeMarco stood, leaning over the table to shake hands with the couple.

“I’ve heard so much about you.” The dark Italian doctor spoke softly, his deep resonant voice easily heard over the racket made by the patrons enjoying their evening meal.

Colleen laughed as she spoke. “Well, Doc, I haven’t heard nearly enough about you.”

Shaking her head, Sarah spoke, exasperation clear in her voice. “C, I thought I told you, no cross examinations tonight.” She turned toward DeMarco. “She’s so accustomed to being in a courtroom, she forgets herself sometimes.”

“Hey, I didn’t forget myself. I don’t know nearly enough about this guy.” She grinned making her words light, but she meant it. She was protective of her friend.

Bob took the lead smoothing a moment that could have become uncomfortable. “We’ve got all evening to get to know one another. Let’s order a bottle of wine and look at the menu.”

DeMarco looked relieved as he reached for the wine list.

#

“Well, I wasn’t sure at first, but I ended up liking the guy okay.” Colleen spoke over the sound of her windshield wipers as she drove home from the court house. “Just okay, I guess I’m still not sure.”

“What are you not sure of?” Sarah sat at her desk doodling infinity signs on a yellow-lined tablet. Rain pummeled the office windows, causing the lights in the office building across the street to twinkle in the early twilight.

“Well, to be honest, he seemed pretty stuffy at first.”

“C, has it ever entered your mind that you might be just a little bit overwhelming to a normal person?” Sarah teased her friend.

“Me? Never. Anyway, Bob says he’s okay too. I think he’s just glad to see you doing something besides work. And he wants you to have someone special in your life.” Their conversation halted as a fire engine drove by Colleen’s car, the siren blasting. When it had passed, she continued. “We were hoping for Carlos, but since you seem to be in complete denial about him, the Italian Stallion will have to do.”

“I’m glad you approve.” Sarah laughed. “I like him a lot.” Her voice was light, happy.

“My question to you, my perky little friend, is could this possibly
be a man who just might have the key to open the chastity belt you’ve been wearing for way too long?”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

A
ll of Sarah’s friends teased her for getting ready for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving arrived, but she couldn’t help it. She looked forward to the holiday season all year and when it finally was upon her, she welcomed it joyfully.

She dragged the four large green plastic storage bins that held her Christmas decorations out of her guest closet. After stacking them neatly in the living room, she methodically removed lid after lid, eyeing her collection of ornaments. She reminisced about her childhood years with her parents and her married years with her ex-husband, Jeff. She thought long and hard about her present, the unreal ordinariness of it all.

In some insane corner of her mind, all of the past few months made sense. She no longer questioned the reality of Aris. She knew Carlos was gone but, somehow, she was unable to grieve for him any longer; she felt him so strongly in the presence of Aris. She adored her time with him. The stories he told of the past, the vampire lore about his kind that he shared. Finally, she felt comfort being with him. Delight. He touched her infrequently, almost shyly. He kissed her rarely, sweetly and without passion, holding true to his promise to simply be her friend.

As she sifted through her ornaments, she found a colorful Murano glass sphere. As she held it up to the light she thought of DeMarco. She was glad he decided to return to America for a few months to work. He had become a welcome companion and new friend. Their time together was so stimulating intellectually, not to mention how wonderful it was to look at his handsome face. He, too, had kissed her yet with more hunger, more passion. Surprisingly she found herself returning DeMarco’s kisses with a deep yearning even though she wasn’t ready for a more intimate romantic relationship with him, with anyone, regardless of what Colleen and Bob thought. She was simply enjoying being in the company of two glorious men.

The sound of knocking on the door brought her attention back to the present. She hurried across the room to answer,

“Hello. The air is quite brisk this afternoon.” Aris entered the room, brushing melting snowflakes from his dark hair, his leather jacket zipped to his throat and a black, soft muffler wrapped carelessly around his neck. She stepped back to usher him into the living room.

The large green containers caught his attention. He smiled. “Ah, Christmas. I told you long ago I wanted to share your Christmas and, at last, here we are.” He began to examine the sparkling ornaments in the cases before him, lifting one after another, examining each one as he turned it in the light.

“So shiny and beautiful.” He bounced each one on the palm of his hand. “Yet no substance. I have noticed that in your time, most humans seem very much like these decorations.” He turned toward her, “Yet you, Sarah. You are not. There is depth and intellectual weight to you. There is truth in the very core of who you are. It is that truth that draws me to you.”

A slow smile covered his face. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought it was the old Carlos as he looked at her from
head to toe. “And, I must confess, some other parts as well.”

Sarah felt a heat inside her as his eyes trailed the contours of her body. She was confused by her own reaction. She was pleased he found her attractive, not frightened, not put off. She was so drawn to him. Even as she fought the attraction, she wondered how long she would be able to hold out against his charm. Then she remembered, she would have to become an Immortal to share anything other than friendship with him. His actions just seemed so human sometimes she forgot what he was.
“How can you possibly forget that
,” she thought then immediately put it from her mind.

“Are you ready to find the perfect Christmas tree? I saw several vendors as I walked from the bus stop.”

“I thought we might go out into the country to cut one. There are Christmas tree farms west of the city. I haven’t done that since I was a little girl and I think it might be more fun for you, a little less current day commercial.”

“Wonderful.” Lifting her light-weight white down coat from the sofa, he held it for her. Standing behind her, he slid it over her arms then wrapped it around her waist. His face nestled in her sweet smelling hair and for just a brief moment, he touched his lips to the base of her neck. She shivered as she drew away from him.

“Great, we’ll take my car and be out of the city in an hour or so.” As she closed the door behind her, the tingling on the back of her neck where his lips had rested ignited a fire somewhere in a dark place deep inside her. She put that, too, immediately out of her mind.