Inflaming the Vampire's Stone Heart

“Laura!” Julia shouted behind me making me nearly jump out of my skin. “Come to the Bar Lounge Car. Eddy and Carl are already there ordering us cocktails.”    I rolled my eyes. Of course, Eddy and Carl were already drinking in that train car. Those boys like to drink a lot.   “I’ll meet you there in five.” I called back as I heard the door to our cabin view room open.    I stood from my attempt at trying to get some afternoon shut eye and splashed some water on my face to wake up a bit in the en-suite bathroom. I was not finding it very easy to sleep on the luxurious Gold Eagle Danube Express bound for Bucharest, Romania. It might be one of the most luxurious European trains to travel on in the entire world, but nothing beats a bed that is not moving to the loud rock of crunching train tracks.   My straight red hair was a falling torrent of rich crimson. I braided it back. I did not see much point on putting on makeup. I never really do. I like my long natural black eyelashes framing my emerald green eyes and dark auburn-colored lips. I don’t feel like I need to add to my features. I think of myself naturally beautiful and don’t want to look fake. Besides, I don’t want to come across like I am trying to show my beauty off to my friends who I am travelling with or a bunch of random strangers that I will never see again.    I know that Julia really likes Eddy. Much to her disappointment, Carl is definitely not my type and he knows it. We are only friends. I can see how some girls might find his overtly large muscles attractive, yes, but he is also a bit of an i***t. He has not offered much in the way of conversation beyond football topics from Florida, and I am not really into sports. He is a nice guy, and I absolutely love his sense of humor.   The four of us all work together back at the school in London. I teach English, History and Classics. Julia teaches Music. Carl, who is from the States, teaches Physical Education, and Eddy; Science. I have been roommates and friends with Julia for over three years now. The four of us go out every Friday night for a drink after work as we are the only teachers similar in age in our late twenties.   When Julia suggested this trip for the four of us over the autumn break, I really did have to argue with myself over whether to come or not. To be honest, I believe I was just bored. I did not really like teaching, but it paid the bills. I enjoyed what I taught yes, but that was only because I liked, no loved, studying history. The thought of travelling through Romania to see the history, art, and incredible scenic countryside was just too tempting.    I made my way to the opulent Bar Lounge Car. They were not seated in one of the luxurious black leather booths by the window. As Julia speculated, the boys had some kind of expensive Romanian made craft beer in their hands. Carla, had a mojito cocktail that was easy to identify by the fresh addition of mint, and a single glass of some new white wine to try was there waiting for me.    I walked over and noted that their chosen booth was occupied by a fourth figure. They must have met someone in the longue and invited him to join us all for a drink. I hope that is not Julia’s idea for my sake. She is constantly trying to arrange dates for me. She has absolutely no idea what I look for in a man and is always picking out the most attractive and least intelligent in the room for me to meet.    This man seemed like another example of that. He had dark waves of brown hair falling in long curly locks down his back. He was good looking and even appeared wealthy but far too old for me. He must have been in his mid-forties. A glass of red wine made him come across even more cultivated.    “We have met a friend. This is Nicolae.” Julia said making room for me to sit at the booth next to her.    “Hi.” I offered not really interested but attempting to be polite nonetheless.   I came on this trip to see the views from the train to Bucharest not meet strangers.    “A pleasure to meet you.” Nicolae addressed me.   That accent will always send a chill down my spine. The language is ancient and thick, laden with an incredible linguistic ancestry. It is just as beautiful as Italian, Spanish or French.    I looked beyond Nicolae’s hooked nose, which actually suited him, to what I thought was a much more intriguing view. What the world considered to be the most haunted forest in the world; the beautiful deep dark lined tress of black locust, scots pine, and grey alder were lining the edge of the tracks encased by fog in a formidable fortress that would dare the bravest hiker to enter. It sent goosebumps over my skin.    “Nicolae was telling us about this great detour out of Bucharest.” Julia drew my attention back towards her.   “Detour?” I asked my sight brought back from the seductively gloomy view beyond the train window.    “Yeah, he says there is the medieval village south-west that you can only get to by this old-style carriage. They have a full moon party every month where the locals celebrate a traditional feast that has happened for over four hundred years, or something like that. If you dress according to their customs, outsiders are welcome.” Eddy informed.    I respected Eddy. He was highly intelligent. His brown hair is cut short and matches his just as brown big eyes. He is tall, and as a regular cyclist and runner, he is also muscular. He has a very well-balanced life and is down to earth, even if wild Carl is his best friend and a direct contrast of personality. I have a sense that Eddy likes Julia as well. The way that he looks at her figure is not the way that a friend would look at another friend. I don’t know why the two of them had not just spoken up about their feelings and made it official. They would be a perfect off-set of personalities and attraction. But it was none of my business to get involved with that.    A medieval village with a feast? That actually did sound interesting. I would not at all mind stepping back in time with some ancient traditional custom in an old folk village. I looked down at my tight dark jeans with the mention of wearing traditional clothes. I don’t know how that was going to be possible if I did agree to this spontaneous idea.    “And that is not the best part. It is hosted by a real live royal guy, who is the descendent of a king from the area.” Carl added with grin in my direction.    I looked over at Carl and his all too obvious jab at knowing what I loved in order to tempt me into this idea; history. He might not be the brightest jock on the block but he did know how to get to me.    I glanced back at Julia in consideration. Her wavy blond hair was tied back into a pony tail. I don’t know why she did not wear it out more often. It was wild and looked gorgeous when it was cascading down her shoulders. Her light blue eyes made her all the more lovely. She also had that gorgeously alluring naturally thin body type. Lean long legs, a thin waist, and a rather descent chest size. She knew what she looked like too. She held her body with pride. Even her male students ogled her when she walked down the corridors of school.    “Really, I haven’t heard about anything like this before.” I said.    It didn’t sound right, is what my instincts were telling me. This Nicolae looks affluent yes, but that does not make him trustworthy. I don’t like not knowing the man giving out this mysterious invitation. He is a complete stranger and I never trust strangers. Hell, that is probably why I don’t have friends apart from Julia, and these other two I scold myself.    “The village that I am from lives completely off the grid, as you would call it in English. They sow their own food, butcher their own meat, and live far from the demands of modern society. To travel there is quite the experience.” Nicolae offered his invitation again.    I studied Nicolae. His eyes fall clearly lower in my direction, and they are not on my face. I study his dark brown eyes, almost black, and confirm that he is good-looking, in a wild European kind of way. Still, he is not at all my type, given he is also about ten years older than me, and the constant feeling of skepticism about how he just met us on a train and is now inviting to host us in some village is simply strange.    “I am not sure.”   “The full moon is tomorrow night…” Julia argued.    “Seriously, loosen up Laura. Live a little.” Carl cut her off.    Carl’s dirty blond hair is much darker than Julia’s. He likes to maintain a clean-shaven jawline. Unlike Eddy, Carl seems to like the gym too much. His neck has pumping veins of blood popping out of his skin. He is full of testosterone and muscle. Like I said, a nice guy, but not much brain matter there at all. However, if a girl was in trouble, he was the first to offer assistance. His protective instincts landed him off the football turf just as much as on it.    Sounds like I am going to lose this vote. Julia, and the others, were clearly intent on this idea. There was plenty of time to travel to this festival and then fly back to London. Even our plane tickets were flexible.     “It is a lot of fun, trust me.” Nicolae offered. His eyes lifted from my chest back to my eyes, finally.     Hmmm. Not trusting you for a second buddy, I thought to myself but didn’t repeat it. I left the four of them to continue drinking after just one glass of wine and headed back to my cabin, knowing very well that they had new travel plans after our arrival in Bucharest. They might go to this festival, but I think I should just go home.    I stopped at the door to my cabin when I heard someone walking behind me. I turned to see Nicolae who followed me from the Bar Lounge Car.    “You are not the adventurous type like your friends?” He asked.    No, honestly, I was not. I knew that. But my personal traits are none of his business. He was perched in the lit hallway of the train. He did not seem bothered by the rock that the cabin car made over the tracks as we turned a tight curve, which had me repositioning my weight.    “It is not that.” I lied. “I just mean… no offence Nicolae but we just met you. It seems rather odd to just invite a bunch of strangers that you don’t know at all to your home for a festival.”   “Are you a group of serial killers who are going to rob me?” He smiled.   I laughed a little at that joke, but in the back of my mind I was thinking: are you?   “When I said that the village was completely safe I more than meant it Laura.” I was put off that he used my first name so casually. “And although I am inviting you to my home village, you guys aren’t actually invited to stay at my house. There is an inn there.”    I thought over his offer carefully and had to admit to myself that it did sound fair. We weren’t going to be staying in his home or anything like that, but rather an inn which I was much more comfortable with.    His eyes have fallen once more to my chest area. I am not just an object to be viewed upon by this new introduction for the next two days. If he thinks I am going to sleep with him then he’s going to get a rude awakening well I tell him to go to hell.    “I promise. You are going to love it.” He said placing his hand on his heart and then offering his palm for me to shake.    “Alright Nicolae.” I said lifting my hand to his and accepting his word. “I will come along with my friends.”    When he shook my hand, I was able to catch a brief sniff of his cologne. You could tell a lot about a person by what cologne they wore. One could go as far as to imagine if someone worked on a farm they smelt like hay and sweat from hard manual labor, to a heavy dose of aftershave that would be normally worn by a stiff arrogant businessman. Nicolae’s cologne is simple to place. The patchouli that he wore was over applied. It is soft and delicate which is meant to put someone at ease. It only alludes to his eerie smile and the façade that I believe is all fake. By choosing such an expensive scent he wants to smell good to anyone around him, if only to create a false atmosphere of the darkness that I think is really behind his smile. He seemed just… misleading.    “Goodnight, Laura. I’ll meet you all outside the train tomorrow in Bucharest.”   His smile was sneakily suspicious. I have consented to go to this, but I will remain sober and with my guard up until I see this thing we are heading to and am able to make my own judgements about it.    “Goodnight, Nicolae.” I said my farewell opening the door to my cabin.    As I looked back at him, he was glancing at me over his shoulder as he stalked away. His lustful smile perusing over the curves of my hips was still present. That continued feeling of mistrust has not left me. I might be going along to whatever this event is now, but I am keeping a close eye on Nicolae. I think that he wants to try to hit on me. He does seem the flirtatious type. The way he looked over my breasts in the Bar Lounge Car and then just now only confirmed it. That is simply not going to eventuate into anything over our time together in the next two days of this mysterious festival. I am not the kind of woman who would enjoy a few dishonest romantic promises for just a few nights.    I laid down to sleep but found it just as difficult as the nights before with the consistent rocking motion of the cabin over the train tracks. My thoughts roamed over Nicolae and his invitation. Who meets a group of strangers on a train ride and invites them to his home town? However, the thought of trusting him was obscured by my desire to see this village that he spoke of. The way that he had said I was not the adventurous type left a sting in my stomach. I was the exact opposite of adventurous. My daily routine was a predictable line of chores that got me through the day. One morning coffee, two hours work to prepare for classes, teaching, returning home with a cup of tea and then gardening in the backyard until it was dark to ease my mind. And the only difference in that week of structure was Julia dragging me out on Fridays to the same bar as her wing woman intent on seducing Eddy.    The daily droll that was my life was horrid and I knew that I was becoming depressed over it. I needed, even pleaded with myself to change something but there was no cataclysmic event that had made me. The fear of my boring life not changing in my future was dragging me down constantly.    My mind then lapsed to what Carl had spoked excitedly about. This village also contained a descendent of some royal line. I thought about the tumultuous royal history in Romania with the divisions of Transylvania, Muntenia… I could not even remember the rest of the regions of the country. I have to admit this area was not my expertise. I had mainly studied English history, and to a smaller extent, French. Whatever I was about to discover about a royal line living there was more than intriguing.