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The Awakening Dracula's Account
�Miss
Cabrera.� I had turned to her upon uttering her name and paused directly after, for in her expression was something not evident before. She had been cordial of course, warm and engaging in conversation though pained when recalling the family she had chosen to leave, but I had searched her eyes deeply in effort to divine her thoughts, which remained closed to me. he had politely but firmly drawn the curtain that hid her sentiments without failing to meet my own constant gaze of scrutiny. The window had been a welcome distraction; I could detect the change of the wind�s movement and read the arrangement of the stars without arousing suspicion. All elements were favorable, I concluded at length, and at that moment I turned to find Kelantha at my side. Moonlight befitted her fine features, its shimmering glow softening where candlelight only shadowed, but her eyes! Her eyes were open, the inner veil dropped, and attentively seeking mine. No star in the heavens could rival their celestial brightness, for their illumination came from within.
In that moment I sensed everything�the carefully concealed
pain that caused her to wear her most imposing manner like a shroud,
dreams buried in her soul that would never find fulfillment, and rising
above all else, unmistakable love. Love
that I expected would exist to some degree but had not begun to fathom
its depth. Love that wound its way to her very core, blending with the
soft, rhythmic pulse of her heartbeat. It
was real, warm, and flowing steadily through veins within reach. It
beckoned pleadingly, and so keenly aware was I of this vibration I had
much ado to avoid straining her to me in a single movement. �Strange,
is it not,� I began, my voice deep and betraying my desire, �that so
fine a night must end. Its splendor is endless, tangible and pervasive.
It should not be disrupted by the coming dawn.� �Yet
it must be disrupted,� Kelantha answered brusquely. The
hardness in her tone contrasted with the emotion on her face, which for
a moment I thought she would yield to. She
did not. �A fitting end to my delusions. It seemed so plausible when
I was still in London, and then�then I met you, Count. And I was sure
of it then, for this land, this castle�all seem to support an
existence set apart from the world, from time itself. This summer was
unlike any I have ever known, yet I cannot preserve it�any more than
one can turn mercury into gold.� �Oh,
no,� I countered gently. �There you are wrong. It is entirely
possible.� She
looked at me dubiously, wanting to believe and searching desperately for
a reason. �The
mercury I showed you months ago is still safely lodged in the aqua regia, and is the purest form of gold.� A
startled gasp of astonishment escaped her as she slowly drew her hand to
her mouth. Backing away
from me, she retreated to the fireplace, staring into the flames
pensively. I followed her
with my eyes but lingered at the window. �How�how
is that possible?� she asked finally, turning around to face me once
more. I
smiled vaguely as I found myself articulating an echo of the past.
�You know the answer, or I would not have come.� In
the smallest voice I had ever heard her use, she inquired quietly, �I?
No, most assuredly I do not. You give me too much credit, I fear. It is I
who must seek answers from you.� I
advanced toward her with slow, decisive steps. �You sense it, I am
certain. What is it that makes this country dearer to you than your own?
What feeling is it that makes it unbearable to leave? I see it in your
eyes, as surely as you look upon mine.� Reaching
her at last, I lifted my hand to her hair, not touching the wavy
tendrils but tracing their outline. She stood mesmerized, without will to flee, but the
accelerated beating of her heart and wordless response revealed the most
exquisite of fears delicately mingled with her conflicted longing. �Did
you think I could let you leave after I have seen what I�ve been
denied?� My hands were suspended inches from her face as I made her
look at me. �All these years of frozen solitude�without life,
without breath. The sun need never rise on our parting; the awakening
can be ours forever�eternity in its purest form.� The
firelight cast shadows dancing over Kelantha�s pale and bare shoulders
until she turned her head slightly, dashing both shadows and
light as her hair tossed and spilled over her skin. She was startled that her hidden confession had been
acknowledged, yet captivated. We
stood separated by a small distance, and my voice carried across like
liquid bliss replete with the long-awaited and suddenly feared offer. I
could sense her resolve overcome her anxiety as she lifted her gaze to
mine, her eyes subtly reflecting the desire that blazed in my own and
came dangerously close to consuming her as she leaned toward me slightly
in what I realized was an invitation. Still
I restrained myself, whispering, �Only say my name, beloved�call me
by my name�and eternity is yours.� The instant her lips parted in response was the very moment of awakening, for eternity opened for both of us then�irrevocably beyond the hollow threats of dawn.
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