There Is No Me Beyond You

~23~

"Would Clara want to join us?" I asked Katerina, as I watched one of the maids setting the breakfast table for me and Lucas, while my nurse finished brushing my hair.

"Clara left the castle early this morning. Whenever the young lord is away, she spends the time in the mill, with her father. She might not be back until he and your husband return."

"Oh, I see, thanks Katerina," I said, grateful for the warning she had given me unconsciously-- to make sure to avoid the mill on my way to the village. The fewer people would notice that I left the castle, the better.

"You may go too, Katerina," I said when the maid, leaving, met Lucas in the doorway, a blush flooding her cheeks as he smiled at her, "I won't need you, we will be... around, in the gardens, most likely."

Katerina looked between us as if something in my words attracted her attention a bit too much, but decided to let it go. She shrugged, then left the chamber without uttering another word.

"So what exactly do you want to do today?" Lucas enquired as he reached for his golden cup while I nibbled at a sweet bread bun full of raisins. He still did not enjoy the taste of solid food.

"I'd like you to visit the priest with me, unless you have better things to do," I smiled, nodding towards the door through which the pretty maid had disappeared.

"Oh just... be quiet, Samara. Even though you are a princess here, you're still just as annoying as you were in London... But could you at least explain to me why do you want to see the priest? You know that he won't let us set foot into his church... Shall I remind you that we are both vampires now?"

I shook my head, not understanding how he did not see it himself, "Do you like that human maid less because you are a vampire? Or the other way round? No, she is just as attracted to you, if not more, because of who you are. It's the same for Clara and Junior, and many other couples here... And seeing that there's no way I can persuade Rareş and his Vampire Council to permit the mixed marriages, I'll try to talk to the human priest about it. That's it."

Lucas grinned, "You should see yourself, Samara. The fire burning in your eyes... you look like a... bored princess on a mission, some eccentric character from a movie or a novel... "

"Oh, you be quiet Lucas, it's you who is annoying! Are you coming with me or not?"

"You do realize that the priest won't speak to you, right? I don't want you to get your hopes high, and then feel disappointed." He said, looking at me seriously.

"Just let me try, Lucas..."

"And you do understand that even if we manage to get to the village unnoticed now, Lord Vlad will know about this trip even before he comes back..."

"I'll deal with him." I sighed, trying not to think about it now. You have never disobeyed him before... my subconscious whispered, who knows how he will react...

"Alright then, I warned you," Lucas said, raising his hands in the air. "Let us go before someone notices that you are up to something. There is no way we will be back for lunch, so we only have a couple of hours, if we are lucky, before they start looking for you. And you must summon your wolves, if there is someone out there, waiting for an occasion to get to you," he added, looking at me meaningfully and making me recall Andrei immediately, "I can't protect you alone."

I shivered as I replied, "Fine. What about horses though? We can't just walk into the stables and take two of them..."

"No need. We will run. I'm not very good with horses, anyway."

I nodded and we got ready in silence, but I could not stop myself from teasing him as we descended the spiral staircase, "Now I really want to see you on horseback..."