His Beloved or His Mate

Chapter 4

    By the time they left the house, the sky had swallowed the sun.  

    A long road took them off of the property and then another five minutes finally placed them on what looked to be a main road. The manor definitely was in a remote area. But all Gabriella could see for a long time were tall evergreen trees upon trees upon trees lining the roads. Not seeing beyond the trees was a little claustrophobic after a while, so she turned from the window and looked over to Raith.

    Focusing on him turned out to be more claustrophobic.

    It was obvious he had been watching her. When her attention spun to him, a smile teased his lips. “What are you thinking?”

    “We live in grips of trees in the boonies,” she laughed. 

    He chuckled with her. “Not quite. But there are a lot of trees here, indeed. We won’t be here for too much longer though. It’s only temporary.”

    “Why temporary?” The manor was gorgeous, perfect! And so far, the only solid place she knew.  Anxiety bubbled her stomach with the idea to uproot and go somewhere else so soon.

    “We have many homes all over the region, Mi Alma. But this one is not our permanent home. This one is more a vacation home, per say. I thought it would be more comfortable for you at first.” He paused, thinking carefully of his next words. “When your treatments are done, then we’ll go.” There was a heaviness to what he said, like there was something else behind his words, but he wasn't sharing.

    After watching him for a second, Gabriella's eyebrow perked with a quizzical look. “Where is home? What region are we in? I remember Ravana or Myung saying you were king over this region.”

          “Yes. There are vampire kingdoms all over the world. In this country, it follows regional areas. We, you and I," he winked, "rule over the west coastal area of North America,” Raith said proudly. 

          Gabriella’s heart skipped when he said “we”. She wasn’t sure what type of anxiety it was: excitement? fear?  “North America? So all the way up into Canada?”

          “Yes,” he said nonchalantly, “and westward out to Alaska.”

          “How do you rule that whole area.”

          “Well, when your...memory comes back, you’ll remember all that. But in short, it’s set up like a true monarchy. There are people under me with their own roles to keep things moving like clock-work. It keeps true to the monarch rule with kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies, and so on.”

          “But.. I think I remember you having a different title.” Her brow furrowed as an impression was forcing its way into her mind like a fog clearing away, “You were an Earl in Scotland.” A quick visual of Raith wearing a red and blue tartan peeked momentarily, causing her to blink a few times as if that would reproduce the image. But it didn't

          Raith beamed a beautiful smile. “Yes. When I was human. Do you remember anything else?” Hope brightened his eyes. His expression was enough to push herself to try. But soon she frowned and shook her head. Raith rubbed her hand. “It’s ok, Mi Alma. You have just been reawakened. It will take time.” She was grateful that he shifted the subject back. “Anyway, there are many minor kingdoms within ours.”  He then added. “For example, our Consigliere Athan is the Lord over the King’s domain where we actually live and takes care of the state of affairs. But the one overseeing this minor kingdom in Seattle is Lord Oliver Tagagi. It’s where I am headed tonight for business.”

    “What business do you do with Lord Olivier?”

    “Oh, what any government does. The condition of the money and assets with the businesses we own, issues and concerns with security, plotting and planning for future stakeholders.”

    “So, you own businesses? How many?”

    He smirked, “Count the sands of the ocean.” Then Raith added, “So, you see why we need leaders in every major city, state, region. It’s quite extensive.” He looked tired when he said it.

    “How did you end up king over all that?”

    “Because I’m mean and old as hell,” he growled, shooting a toothy grin in her direction. Gabriella melted.

    Why did he have to be so damn good looking?

    “Will you tell me how old you are?”

    Raith whispered, “I’ll tell you anything you want me to,” his weighted gaze caused Gabriella to squirm in her seat. Raith smiled at her response before refocusing on the road ahead. Could he hear her erratic heart? “I was born in the coastal village of Ayr, Scotland, in 1605. Though, it’s much more than a mere village these days.”

    Gabriella ogled him as she did the math in her head. “Wow. Four-hundred sixteen?” 

    “Aye. Four-hundred fifteen!” He protested with a mirthful expression. “I haven’t had that birthday yet.”

    She laughed. “You’re still counting?”

    Raith playfully glowered at her. “Truthfully, no. Not really. You just reminded me.” She marveled at how even his scowls looked amazing.  He quieted. “When days bleed into months, years into decades… dates blur into the background. At this point, it’s almost like I am at a standstill, yet the world around me still turns.”

    “Sounds lonely.”

    He looked at her again. “Only if you don’t have the right person to share it with. It’s why a vampire’s Beloved is the most essential aspect.” 

    Raith’s blue eyes were tempests, filled with a certain sadness that gripped her. Gabriella bit her lower lip after shuddering a shallow breath as she weaved her fingers through the hand he had laying on the middle console between them. He looked down at her hand, squeezed it, brought it to his lips for a lingering kiss. Her attention was so completely captivated by his soft lips, his penetrating eyes, which she hadn’t noticed the car had stopped until Myung spoke.

    Or even that Myung had been with them this whole time.

    “I’ll go take care of business,” Myung said as he left the car.

    Gabriella jerked back to reality, looking outside the windshield from where she sat. Ahead of them was a bay, dock, and a huge white ferry. “Are we on an island? Are we going on that?”

    "Yes, an island. One of the many in Washington state. And we need to go on that to get to the mainland,” Raith said. “And to answer your other question, the city we are headed to is Seattle.” He unbuckled himself then looked at her playfully. “Do you need help with your seatbelt, Mi Alma?”

    Gabriella blushed as she released the belt by herself. 

    After the cars were loaded onto the ferry, everyone settled on the upper deck near the hand-railing at her insistence. As far as she knew, this was her first ride on a ferry and she wanted to experience it from the highest point of the ship. 

    Although the August night was balmy, the ride across the ocean bay had Gabriella holding her arms and shivering within the first few minutes of the ride. 

    “Forgive me. Cold air hasn’t been on my list of concerns for quite some time.” Raith was quick to take off his suit coat and shroud it over her shoulder. He rubbed her arms and pulled her in close. “I’m afraid I cannot offer you any body heat, but I can block the wind.” Gabriella breathed in his delicious masculine scent of sage and lavender. Willing to intoxicate herself further, she pressed herself against his white dress shirt, laying her head on his chest. His erratic heartbeat coaxed a subtle smirk; she wasn’t the only one struggling with the closeness. 

    While the others chatted, Gabriella and Raith were without words as the ferry navigated the bay. To her, it was him and her on this deck; everyone else faded into the background. She watched the dazzling Seattle lights creep closer and closer, ushering in the smells of the city mixing in with the salty odor of the ocean. It was oddly pleasant. The refulgence greeted the ferry for miles up and down the shore. Gabriella felt the crossing had been far too short, knowing she and Raith would part ways soon after. It also was somewhat disheartening to get back into the car and head deeper into the city. But knowing this, she held his hand the entire ride up until Myung pulled the car into a parking garage of a high rise building. The black SUV paced behind and flanked the car into a parking stall. 

    Before Gabriella hopped into the SUV, she slinked out of Raith’s coat and handed it to him with a bashful, “Thanks,” even though relinquishing his coat was another disappointment. Yet, now she smelled him on her clothes; that was good enough for her. Wearing the oversized coat would have looked a bit awkward anyway as well as the summer heat would be torture enough. 

    Raith fitted back into his coat as he looked at Myung, his expression stern. Gabriella gaped between them, addled at what all the staring was about. Again, the Day Watcher simply nodded at Raith without saying a word. 

    Taking Gabriella’s hands, the grim expression quickly shifted, brightening into a smile. She wondered if he only smiled for her. Gabriella inwardly swooned. “I need you to stay with our family. They will keep you safe. The city is a bit crazy as it is, but not a safe place at night.” He side-eyed Lady Salome and Princess Ravana who issued a nod at Raith.

    Our family. Gabriella’s heart swelled.

    “When do you get off work?”

    "It will be a long night for me. I don’t suggest you wait,” he responded, knowingly. “But please, enjoy yourself. Get whatever you need. The ladies will no doubt find you all the best places. We’ll be together soon enough, Mi Alma.” The chill of Raith’s hand as it cupped her face, the icy tingle of his lips as they touched hers tenderly, defrosted the unsettling sadness that had haunted her since leaving the ferry. 

Had he sensed her ache?

    With his lips still within a breath, eyes in a haze, she whispered, “Anamchara.”  The word had bottled up inside, battled her mind, and begged for release until she said it.  The battle was worth it; it had earned her another smile and kiss from Raith. Dolefully, he separated from Gabriella and strode over to Lord Athan and Prince Ambrose. The two men bowed toward Gabriella again and then together they walked toward the underground elevator foyer. Gabriella watched Lord Athan reach out and clap Raith on the shoulder. When they disappeared inside the tiny glass room, she pulled attention back to… her family.

    Mi familia.