The Caged Bird

30. The Plan

When August finally stirred from his sleep Lark was preparing for bed. She had been so drained from the celebration that she felt as if she'd barely slept the night before. She was dressed in her nightgown with her hair piled high on her head and a new embroidery project laid in her lap. She had enjoyed a brief visit from King who had brought her a glass bead as a gift. She had used it to represent the eye of the new bird she was stitching. With each stitch it seemed to become more alive and by the time August interrupted it was nearly finished. He watched approvingly until she became aware of his presence and met his eyes. She felt exposed in only her nightgown but smiled up at him as he studied her.

"My lord," she whispered. "How did you sleep?" He did look refreshed, less depleted than earlier in the day.

"I feel restored," he replied. He sat beside her on her settee. "But not completely."

Lark glanced at him as she continued to add slow, deliberate stitches.

"Oh?"

She watched a satisfied smile spread over August's face as he leaned forward and brushed some stray tendrils of hair from her neck. The sensation of his fingertips against her skin made her shiver. She pretended to ignore him as she felt him draw nearer, his lips close to her cheek. But they pressed against her jaw she gasped and blushed, turning to him with an indignant expression.

"My lord," she scoffed. "This is important work." She brandished her needle threateningly. But August was unperturbed and smiled back at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I apologize for interrupting. Please continue," he retorted. She nodded and she returned to her embroidery. But he continued to press kisses against her face, neck and shoulders. She was soon too distracted to add even a single stitch. Her facade of control began to falter and a smile began to pull at the corners of her mouth. Finally she laughed and August pulled her into a hug. She looked adoringly up at him with a flushed face and bright eyes. He lifted her into his lap and embraced her more desperately than usual. He pressed her tightly against him, burying his face in her neck and grabbing at her nightgown. He held her as carefully as he could but she could feel his control slipping. For a moment she thought he might be overcome with desire. But as he pulled away and she saw his expression, she reconsidered. His eyes were deep and dark as they searched her face for an answer to the question he hadn't yet asked her.

He slid off of the settee, leaving her perched above where he kneeled on the floor. From his pocket he produced a delicate silver ring with a red jewel. He held it up to her with sincerity. She still hadn't realized what was happening and he could see her confusion. But he was unfazed.

"Lark," he said softly. "Will you marry me?"

Lark was stunned, unable to muster any sort of reply. She stared intently at the ring he held delicately in his fingers and the gem appeared to glow faintly. Time felt slow and then stopped completely as they made eye contact and she realized that he was serious. Vampires and humans rarely wed. It was nearly unheard of. Lark had certainly never believed it to be possible. It would give her too much power. If he was to die she would gain control of the territory. A human had not controlled a territory for centuries. It would be an unprecedented event. There would be a significant amount of unrest from other lords and perhaps even retaliation. Lark's head began to spin with the weight of this decision. What was August's motive? Why was he so willing to depart from tradition? But before she could fully consider the consequences of this unusual proposal she had already given her answer.

"Yes," she replied breathlessly. It was barely more than a whisper and her fear and confusion was obvious. But so was her absolute happiness. Tears began to form in her eyes but before they could fall August slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her off her feet into an embrace. She pressed her face into his coat and laughed as he spun her. They both felt as if they could burst from the intensity of their joy. He set her down and whispered into her hair.