Amalgamate

Chapter 37

Declan sifted so quickly she didn't even realize what was happening, but she used it as an excuse to put her arms around him while burying her face in his massive chest. She didn't know where he was taking her, but she wanted to go with him. No matter how much she hated to admit it, sometimes she just wanted someone else to make the decision and take care of her.

When she realized they'd stopped, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to a dimly lit room. Releasing her death grip around his middle she took a step back, gathering herself. She must look like a mess, but she could still stand on her own two feet.

He let her go, silently watching her struggle to pull herself together. He knew she could be tough. He'd seen it, but now he knew she was really just about at her wits end with the whole thing because she'd dropped her guard completely. His eyes narrowed, watching every move...analyzing every inch of her.

She cautiously crossed the hardwood floor and stood before a floor to ceiling length window. To her right, a masoner's work of art, a dated cobblestone fire place waited to come to life. From what she could gather, they were in a cabin overlooking what looked to be a private lake. The full moon reflecting off the surface of the water reminded her of Tearlach. Hoping the moon wouldn't always have that effect on her, she tried to focus on something else.

The scenery was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. This was exactly the kind of place where she'd imagined herself retiring, except for the snow. She hated being cold. Her fingertips pressed to the cool glass, "It's beautiful here, Declan. Where are we?"

He noticed the change in her tone and posture immediately, and she'd stopped calling him vampire. "Alaska."

"Alaska." It made sense with his aversion to the sun.

"It is beautiful here, but it's also very rustic and isolated. No one will bother you here, Rowan. I promise."

"Wait, are you staying?" Suddenly the thought of him leaving didn't sound so appealing. She wondered when and why her mind had decided to do a one eighty.

"No, just giving you the layout of my cabin." He turned away from her and busied himself loading logs into the fireplace.

Her mind was racing, "How can you stay here with all the windows? Doesn't the sunlight flood this cabin during the day?" She could never in a million years take up refuge underground. The thought absolutely terrified her. If she were a vamp, she'd find another damn hidey hole cuz that shit wasn't happening.

"The sun is only dangerous to young vampires. We get stronger with age and strength begets tolerance for many things, including sun exposure. I can't walk outside in the direct sun light, but I can tolerate small doses. I had the windows tinted and blinds specially crafted to suit my needs here. They're on a timer so they'll shut automatically just before sunrise and re-open just after sunset. But, we are pretty far north so we spend more time under the cover of darkness."

"It's freezing here." The dress she'd worn wouldn't suffice in this northern climate. Her teeth were already chattering.

"Sorry about that. I'll get this fire going for you and the cabin will warm right up. We vampires don't ah...have a very good sense of those things. I hope you'll be able to relax here, not sift from me?" He got a roaring fire going, packing it with dried logs and newspaper to heat up the cabin quickly.

Looking over his shoulder his eyes stared at her with a seriousness that could not go unnoticed. He was concerned about her leaving. She could sense it in his voice. "And where is it exactly you think I'd be going?"

"You tell me." He shoved his hands in his pockets trying to look nonchalant, but inside he was on fire even thinking about her leaving.

She smiled. He was worried. "No sense in pretending I've got options when we both know what's really going on. I'm hidin' out here."