A day with Vale I

A day with Vale I
The mackerel crackled on the grill, its skin blistering to a crisp, golden as I spooned the juices back over it. 

The smoke curled up, carrying the sharp scent of char and rosemary through the air. I breathed it in and wondered when she’d finally drag herself out of bed.

Preparing food beneath the early sun with the intention to make it an irresistible meal for a special person was a kind of luxury I didn’t know I needed. Hard to believe the old vampire tales claimed we’d burn in daylight.

The reason I loved to cook was because it was the only form of care I knew how to give that didn’t come wrapped in blood or fear. 

Oh, she’s awake now.

I don’t have to look up to know. I could feel her. Her steps are slow, unsure, and her scent shifts when she moves, that mix of sleep and curiosity drifting closer.

She’s following the aroma.

I let a slow smile tug at my mouth as I turned the fish one last time over the fire. 

Let her come to me now. Let her wonder why I’m doing this and wished I were more cruel instead of being sweet to her.

Was I sweet to her?

I already know the answer.

I’m doing this to sleep with her. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about that even if I tried.

I looked down and my jaw tightened. 

My cock was straining against my pants, hard like an iron bar. Would she be able to take it all? 

The fact that she didn’t even have to be near me to get me this hard needed to be studied.

I must know exactly what was in her blood that had me behaving frenzied and starving like some reckless, desperate animal.

I can't believe I had another wet dream about him. 

I should have jumped from that balcony and ended this torment. I don't think I can survive it. I need you to confront him; I need to put an end to this. I have to let go of the rage, trauma, and hatred that had consumed me, as well as this undeniable desire before I lost my mind completely.

Her thoughts became more vivid as she got close to me. 

I stiffened. She had attempted to kill herself? Was I the one making her suicidal? Had I made life so unbearable that she wanted to leave it behind entirely?

She must really hate me.

I sighed and I shut the link between us. It was better to cut off her thoughts before I heard anything else I wasn’t ready for.

I knew she wanted me. That was enough. 

It was only right that I severed the mind link to her like I had done to all of my Blood Slaves because I wasn't interested in knowing what they thought of me in their minds. 

If I continue to hear her hateful thoughts, I might get discouraged from courting her.

Her thoughts were silent to me now, but once I tasted her blood, I’d hear them again and that was all I needed. She deserved her space.

I turned back to the grill, flipping the fish with steady hands that didn’t match the mess brewing inside me.

She hated me, and I couldn’t blame her. 

But that didn’t change a thing. 

She was still mine. 

And soon I’d have her shuddering and gasping beneath me as I drove my fangs and my cock into her.

The outdoor kitchen was quiet, except for the soft sizzle of fish on the grill. 

She’s still not out yet.

Was she planning to ignore my existence? That would be hard.

I hummed with anticipation as I roasted the potatoes and grilled the vegetables. Once I finished, I baked the bread and headed down to the cellar to fetch a bottle of red wine.
I arranged the long table out in the courtyard to enjoy the fresh air and gentle warmth. I added a bowl of ripe mangoes and placed a few fresh, fragrant flowers as the final touch.

She was close. But she didn't want to come to me. 

I could feel her hesitation. Her pure anxiety.

Nyx moved like she didn’t want to be heard, but this was my home. My walls. My air. Even the quiet didn’t belong to her. I heard the pause in her steps before she found the folder of sketches left out beside the stack of books by the stone column. I hadn’t meant for her to find them. Or maybe I had.

Often, my thoughts and actions fall in line with what I want, even before I'm fully aware of it.

Sketching was one of the small joys I kept for myself. I wasn’t the best by any means, but I was proud of how far I’d come since I started at five years old.

She didn’t say anything for a while, but I knew when she stopped flipping. I knew exactly which one she was staring at. The mirrored room. The one with no doors. Only a single bed and all mirrors.

Her voice reached me as I moved closer to her. 

“What the hell is this?” she exclaimed. “This doesn't feel like a building. It feels more like a warning.”

Her piercing silver eyes widened in shock when she noticed me standing right before her.

My eyes drifted to her body, and I noticed she was wearing the faux coat I had left out for her.

“It is.”

“A warning for whom?”

I opened my mouth to answer her but as I looked at her, I was beguiled. 

In that instant, I understood why Armen had turned his back on death to become a vampire. I wouldn’t have her and throw it all away, either.

If I wanted her even half as much as Hawke did, I’d fuck her senseless too every chance I got.

She was holding the sketch with both hands. She was trembling, biting her lips, and evading my stare. 

“For whoever thinks they can lie and live with it,” I said. “That room shows you everything you try to bury. It doesn’t hide anything.”

She looked at me, then back at the drawing. “It’s… beautiful. But cruel.”

I took the paper from her cautiously, but she let it slip through her fingers before our hands could brush. It was like she was terrified that one simple touch would undo her completely.

“So am I,” I said.

I folded the paper once. I didn’t put it away.

“Did you build it?” she asked, briefly looking at my eyes.

“No. Not yet.”

Her throat moved like she was swallowing back a lump. Her voice dropped a little when she asked, “Would you ever put me in a room like that?”

I studied her in silence for a moment. Did she actually want to be in a place like that? A room with no escape, where the only thing staring back at you were your darkest temptations?

“I don’t have to,” I said at last. “You already see yourself too clearly in it.”

She blinked. Her breath came out in soft pants. 

“Are you alright?” I stretched my hand to grasp hers but she jerked away from me. She put some distance between us before she met my gaze. 

“I want to leave here.”

“Why?”

“I-I don't want to be around you.” She stuttered, tears swelling in her eyes.

“Are you that afraid of me?” I asked.