Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her Unconditional Love

"By the time morning came, I had finished two of the bookshelves. It was overwhelming how quickly I could read and it hadn't even felt like I was trying. My mind was swamped with all this new information that couldn't process right. I couldn't believe the world my father had kept away from me, nor could I understand then why. I had thought at the beginning of the night that learning all about what I had become would sway my feelings towards my new life, but my heart swayed further from it. Sitting in the darkness, as pleasing and quiet as it was, wasn't what I yearned for, neither was this newfound power. I wanted my Rosetta. I hadn't been able to love her properly in any form in months.

I had been too afraid to even kiss her, terrified that my father's fever had jumped to me and would take her before it eventually would take me. Brief touches was all that I allowed. It was hard to remember when the last time I'd been able to reach out without worrying about the strength in my arm vanishing as I tried to touch her face. I wanted to rush to her and show her how much I had improved. Each page I turned was another that was read out of force as I began to sense that the sun was rising. It was strange, to suddenly be able to feel the world around me. I felt connected to nature in a way I had never been before. While I knew Rosetta would wake soon and that I wanted to greet her the very moment she opened her eyes, I was held back by fear.

Without a mirror, I had little idea of how the jewel had changed me. I didn't know what I still carried with me from my human life, if anything. I knew my skin had become pale and that I had grown fangs, but aside from my facial features and features in general, I was lost. What if I had become a terrifying creature? It was possible, as Trevor's family had abandoned him out of fear. Would Rosetta do the same?

I contemplated the idea for what felt like to me only several minutes, but my body told me otherwise. Above me, I could hear the servants beginning to move around. Their sudden movements alerted me to remember another thing that I had read; that most of the servants weren't humans. It all made sense to me then why you all ignored my illness back then. You didn't want to expose yourselves when I wasn't ready. I appreciate it more now than I did then. I felt nervous to approach the people I had grown up around with this new knowledge. It all pushed itself to the back of my mind as I heard someone moving directly above me beginning to stir.

Without being able to control myself, I quickly ran away from the desk I had been focused on all night and returned myself to the mansion. I knew it was Rosetta. As I neared our bedroom, a sweet scent that was a mix between vanilla and roses consumed me. I didn't need to guess who it belonged to. I kept myself in the shadow of our closet, forcing myself to stay out of her sight until I could figure this out. The ability I had once had at remaining still was long gone. This new power made me more impulsive than I would have liked.

I still didn't want to frighten her before I got the chance to explain myself. I thought that merely seeing her would be enough to settle my yearning for the moment, or at least until I had gained enough courage to finally face her.

My worry of being too far away to see her vanished as Rosetta began to move upon the balcony again. When I focused upon her, my gaze centered and she became all that I saw. I held my breath as she sat up and began to stretch. I had thought that Rosetta was beautiful when I had first met her, and still thought so, but seeing her with the eyes of this creature I had become was entirely different.

The words I would need to describe her don't compare to how she looked to me and how it felt in that moment. The morning sun was reflecting off her skin, allowing her color to shimmer in the light. The scent of vanilla and roses was overwhelming from where I looked. Each movement she made was slow and graceful, all in ways I had never noticed nor appreciated before. I watched in awe as she took a deep breath, it being followed by a steady beat that I quickly recognized as her heart. Her slim arm reached out blindly beside her as her gaze looked up to the morning sky. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought her hand belonged to a porcelain doll.