[Stella]
It was unreal to me that a vampire could be so kind and gentle toward me. I let my body melt into his. I indulged in the warmth and strength of his embrace as his cheek rested against my head and he gently swayed our entwined bodies from side to side.
I let my mind, for a moment, dream of a world where we could be happy together. In this world, Alastair didn’t exist and New Rome was the beacon of peace and harmony that Cassius believed it could be.
We could marry at sunset on the beach and our children could ride their bikes all over the city free from violence and worry, much like I once had.
Children? The thought had occurred to me more than once that day. I was getting way ahead of myself. I shifted my posture so that I could turn from my image in the mirror and look at him. His dark eyes drank me in, the ring of scarlet warming me as opposed to frightening me. He brought a cool hand to my face and I let my palm rest in his hand.
