Control

Chapter Seven

“You are an amazing actress,” Locke told her as they walked.

Hope watched him for a few moments before asking what she had wanted to ask that first night. “You told them that I am going to be your mate?”

“Yes.”

“What does that mean?”

He looked down at her, tempted to tell her that he wouldn’t answer that question. “Let’s get you some lunch.” He led her into a pub and ordered for them. “Vampires are very close to the inner animals that most humans manage to hide so well. For us choosing a mate is essentially deciding to be with just one woman, or man for the rest of our lives. A mated couple seldom leaves each other.”

She searched his face from across the booth the hostess had sat them at. “They believe that that’s what I am?”

“May I make a confession?” he asked.

“Of course, master,” Hope said as the waitress brought them their drinks.

Locke waited for her to leave to continue. “I believe, little one, that we could be very good together.” Her entire body tensed and for the first time Locke worried that she’d try to bolt. “What is it? I’m not going to force you into any sort of union with me. We don’t even know each other yet. I just have a good feeling about this and I’m usually right.”

“How long have you had this feeling?” she asked relaxing, but only a little.

“Since I saw how quickly you reacted when we had to trick Salem.”

“Just that?”

“No, how you risked your life for the picture of your mother was part of it.”

“That was stupid.”

“No, it wasn’t, it was a bit… impulsive but not stupid.”

“Sure,” she said with a small smile. “Locke, my mother, she didn’t just die.”

“I figured that.”

“When I was twelve we were packing up when a raiding party found us.”

“One of ours?” he asked worried.

“No, human nomads. Mom saw them before they caught site of me. She hid me in a tree and tried to run. They caught her. I was forced to listen as they raped and murdered her. I stared to climb down, to help but she screamed at me to stay back. They were laughing the whole time… I can still hear their laughs in my sleep.”

Locke wanted to go to her and hold her but forced himself to stay seated. He did take her hand from across the table. “I’m so sorry, Hope. Thank you, for telling me.” They ate in silence, but Hope was surprised to find that the silence was comfortable. She was even more surprised to find that she was starting to trust him. After lunch Locke walked with her through the town showing her around. During the walk home it started to snow. Locke shed his jacket and slid it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she said. He cursed when they walked up to the house. Selena was sitting on the porch flanked by the twins. Despite the snow and freezing winds they were still only wearing leather pants.

“Hello, Locke,” Selena said.

“Selena,” Locke said nodding to her. “To what do I owe this… pleasure?” His tone stated that the meeting was anything but.

“Tomorrow is my boys’ thirtieth birthday. I will be having a welcome to the species party on Saturday. We would love for the two of you to join us. We will see you there, won’t we?”

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it,” Locke said.

“Excellent,” Selena said smiling. She stood. “Come, boys.” They followed her away. Locke growled something Hope couldn’t catch under his breath as he unlocked his front door.

Once they were safely inside Hope spoke. “Maybe they’ll die of hypothermia and you won’t have to worry about them.”

Locke stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing. “A lovely thought, but I doubt we’ll get that lucky. I have some paperwork to do. Do you want to unpack your things and meet me in the library?”

“Okay.” She took the bags from him and walked upstairs. Locke went straight to the library and found a painting waiting for him. He smiled faintly, Salem must have worked on it all evening. He had done a wonderful job. The woman’s smile, once again, stirred Locke’s memory. Perhaps he had met her when she was still a slave.

Salem had framed the original picture as well. Locke covered both of them with a blanket and sat them in the corner. He then sat down and pulled out an old typewriter. He hadn’t been completely honest with Hope. He had a seat on the elders' counsel, it was a position he didn’t want and never filled but it was still his. He was in the middle of a letter when there was a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called. Hope walked in. “Hey, little one. Find a book or whatever you’d like to do.” She walked through the library scanning the titles and reading the backs or inserts of some of the books.

He watched her as he typed a letter. There was a look of wonder upon her face as she reverently touched the books. Finally she picked up a copy of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables out of all the books that he owned. He smiled faintly, she was certainly full of surprises.

“Can I ask what your doing?” she asked curling up on an overstuffed chair.

“When it’s just the two of us you can ask me whatever you want,” he assured her. “I’m corresponding with my brother, he lives in Europe. After dinner we’ll have to work some more on proper etiquette.” She wrinkled up her nose and he laughed. “You’re very good, Hope, and you’ve taken all this in stride. I’m sure we won’t have to do this for much longer.”

“I hope not,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been really great, but practicing to be ‘the perfect slave’ is… uncomfortable.”

“That’s an interesting description. As for being the perfect slave, circumstances have changed. My paperwork is now through so you are to be my mate, you’re no longer simply a slave. While you are human and less important than vampires- according to them,” he assured her when she glared at him. He smiled faintly. “I don’t think that I’m the master here.”

“What do you mean?”

“All I seem to want is to please you,” he said meeting her gaze. She blushed averting hers. She turned back to her book and he kept typing. A couple hours later her stomach growled. “Hungry?”

“A little. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for being hungry,” he scolded. “Come on, we’ll get dinner ready.” He led her down to the kitchen. He whipped up some quick lasagna and put it in the oven. “You need to learn to dance.”

“Dance?”

“There will be dancing at Selena’s party. I should teach you how.” He turned on a CD player and put a disk in. “May I have this dance?”