Chapter Six

I woke up a few hours after dawn with my heart sitting heavy on my ribs. I veered between a gnawing worry and an assuredness that I'd done the right thing in re-establishing what little boundaries Charlemagne and I had. Why hadn't he come back? It was just like him. When we'd first met, his habit of flouncing in and out of my life had left me spun around, like I was beholden to his whim.

But in the last few months he'd gotten so much better. Why did this sudden backslide bother me so much? Twisting around in bed to glance at the clock, I found a note waiting for me. Sitting up, I snatched it off the nightstand and opened it, relieved to find Charlemagne's handwriting. Damn that vampire for making me worry all the time.

I blinked once. Twice. And then started from the top again—

Abigail,

Forgive me. Marcus found me hunting and insisted on a drink. He is quite agitated by my lack of desire in doing anything that does not involve you. I am, as of now, quite drunk. You were already asleep when I returned, ma cherie, and it was too close to dawn for me to make it home. Do not be frightened, but I am now resting beneath your bed. My suit will hate me for this.

Yours,

Charlemagne

Postscript— I broke a peculiar, little jar on the way in. I intended to blame Master Langella, and out of guilt, I overfilled his bowl with treats.

Secondary postscript— I have gone through your closet and have selected from one of your very limited collections of dresses what I'd like to see you in tonight.

C.

I glanced up at my closet and sure enough there was a dress hanging on the door. A white floral print I hadn't worn since high school and doubted would fit now. The small burst of outrage I felt about him trying to pick my outfit was stifled by the other matter the note addressed. He'd come back. And he was sleeping under my bed!

I climbed out of bed and dropped to my knees, lifting the bed skirt to peer underneath. My breath hitched. In the cool shadows under my bed, Charlemagne Slept. Capital S. That myth about vampires and the sun? True. Their biological clock shut down when the sun came up, forcing them into the dark to enjoy a few hours of death-like sleep.

Even after stumbling here drunk and crawling underneath my bed, he'd somehow managed to arrange himself in perfect order. His hair was loose around his face, curling against his shoulders, and his hands rested on his abdomen. The show went on even after the curtains came down. I'd written about it a few times now, but to see it in person was entirely different. Fascinating. I tucked the skirt into the bedframe and settled on the floor to watch him for a little while longer.

He'd come back after all. I tucked his note against my chest and sighed. What was I going to do with him? I'd just started to doze off again when my phone rang. I jerked up from the floor to swipe it off the charging port on my nightstand. It took a second of fumbling around to pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey, I was gonna check-in yesterday, but I was totally out of it after dad. You okay?"

I released a breath, my shoulders drooping. "Yeah, I'm okay." I said, gentling my tone for Miranda. The first few days after dad's birthday were always a little raw for both of us, but Miranda always took it hard. She'd be off from work until Tuesday and spend most of that time in bed. "You?"

"Okay, I guess." She said, the tell-tale sign of sheets ruffling filling the speaker as she moved around in bed. "Anything new with the vampire man?"

I glanced at the vampire man in question and sighed. "Actually, yeah." I mumbled, unable to keep a note of longing out of my tone. "I kissed him."

There was a beat of silence and then an explosion of noise in my ear. "What!"

I jerked the phone away to rub at my ear. "It wasn't a real kiss—"

"No, no, no, start from the beginning. Tell me everything."

I dropped my head back with a groan, only briefly stealing another glance at Charlemagne's still form before my gaze snagged on the dress again. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to do me a favor." I said. "I need to buy a dress for tonight. Charlemagne's invited me to a small gathering at Fortuna."

Miranda squeaked, and I could hear her moving around in bed. "Give me an hour and I'll meet you at Madame A's." She said, hanging up.

I chuckled to myself before putting my phone down. I looked back at Charley. "I'll be back before sundown this time, promise." I said, shifting the skirt back into place before I climbed to my feet.

I threw on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt before putting my hair up into a messy bun. I stepped into my sneakers and grabbed my messenger bag before dipping out of my room, shutting the door behind me so Frank wouldn't disturb Charley.

I slipped out into the sunlight and shut the door behind me, the faint smell of rosemary and sage tickling my nose. I made a mental note to buy another jar of black salt and bay leaves before stepping off my porch to climb into Beatrice.

I pulled out of my driveway and followed the familiar route towards the Quarter. Locals and tourists flowed through the heart of our downtown and it took a few minutes of circling to find a parking spot a block away from Madame Archambeau's. I walked towards the boutique, ducking into Le Merveille for two vanilla lattes and eclairs. Treats in hand, I waited on the sidewalk for my sister, watching the crowds and nibbling on one of the eclairs.

Miranda picked her way through the crowd ten minutes later. She was showered and dressed in black yoga pants and an off-the-shoulder grey sweater, her hair tied up into a high ponytail. "Thank you." She breathed out, taking one of the lattes and the second éclair. "Okay, spill." She said around a mouthful of pastry.

Rolling my eyes, I swallowed the last of my éclair with my coffee and reached for the door to the boutique. There were only a few shoppers inside, but I still headed towards the farthest corner of the store before starting at the beginning. I left out the part about the crow, but I told her everything else.

"Abby." She squealed when I was done, ignoring a few curious looks from the other shoppers. "He is so into you, and you are so into him!" She gestured to herself, a look of downright smugness on her face. "I totally called it. People don't look at each other the way you two look at each other."

I shook my head at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." I muttered lamely, ducking around her to start looking through dresses, searching for something floral. "Are you going to help me, or what?" I mumbled, glancing over my shoulder at her to catch her rolling her eyes at me.

"Hopeless." She tsked, finishing her éclair in a few bites. "Absolutely hopeless, but yes, what are we looking for?"

I bit my lower lip. "Something with flowers on it." I said, tilting my shoulder. "He picked out one of the dresses in my closet for me to wear, but it's old and it won't fit now, so I want to find something similar."

Miranda nodded slowly. "I remember that dress. Easter. Sophomore year of high school. Why do you still have it in your closet?" She shook her head. "Hopeless, but I got you."

This time it was my turn to roll my eyes at her. "Thank you." I said, giving up the pretext of searching through the rack. "Look, things with Charlemagne are complicated—no, don't. Please, Mimi. Next to you, I'm closer to him than I am to anyone else. I don't want anything to mess it up."

"Not even your own feelings." Miranda said, pausing to look at me. "I won't push, but I think it would be okay to open yourself up to this experience. It might even be worth it."

My throat tightened briefly. Would it? Maybe Charlemagne could survive it if things went bad between us, but I couldn't. Our friendship would be over. Our books too. My chest tightened. Swallowing hard, I put those thoughts on the back burner. No use in worrying about something that wasn't going to happen.

"What about this one?"

I blinked back the heat in my eyes and glanced up at the dress Miranda was holding out to me. "Oh." I mumbled, reaching out to run my fingers along the soft hemline. "It's perfect."

We shopped for another hour. I walked out into the late afternoon sun with my single dress and a necklace Miranda insisted on, and she walked out with four bags full of new finds. We started to say our goodbyes when a black-and-white cop car flew by, sirens ringing. Another car flew right after it.

"An accident, you think?" Miranda asked, watching the cop cars disappear around the corner.

I tilted my shoulders, my gaze lingering after them. "Maybe. I hope they're okay." I said, touching her shoulder to pull her into a quick hug. "Be safe, okay?"

"You too." She kissed my cheek. "Say hi to the vampire man for me." Miranda added before starting down the street towards her car.

I watched her until she'd disappeared with the flow of the crowd. I could still hear the sirens as I walked away.

Charlemagne was still asleep beneath my bed when I returned home. Even though sunset wasn't for another few hours, there was still a moment when I'd thought he might somehow be gone by the time I got back. If he hadn't been an absolute fever dream to begin with.

Placing my bags on top of my bed, I knelt down and lifted the skirt of my bed to peer under it. Relief warmed my chest as I settled back on the floor to watch him. He was so incredibly still. Nothing about him had stirred since I'd looked at him last. "Can you hear me when you're like this?" I mumbled, not expecting an answer as I tucked my arm under my head.

"I had to buy a new dress." I murmured, watching the side of his face. "The one you picked out doesn't fit anymore. No, I don't know why I haven't thrown it out either." I bit my lower lip. I knew I was being silly, I felt silly, but there were things I just wouldn't be able to say if he were looking at me. "I am pleased that you're unattached. It means I get to be selfish with you. I get your time and your attention. I miss you when you're gone. I worry you won't come back." My throat tightened.

"Maybe that's on some deep-seeded abandonment issues, but…" I shrugged my shoulders. I let my voice trail off and just watched him for a while.

I stirred, movements stiff, as I shifted onto my back to stretch. When had I climbed into bed? I turned over and yelped when I found Charlemagne lounging on the other side, head in his hand, watching me as I almost tilted right off the bed. Charlemagne caught the front of my shirt before I could go over and tugged me back into place, suddenly bringing us mere inches apart. "Hi." I mumbled.

"Bonne soirée, ma cherie." Charlemagne murmured, leaning his head slightly forward to brush the tip of his nose against mine. "Were you watching me Sleep?"

Heat flushed my face. I was far too aware of how close we were. Of his fingers still fisted in my shirt, his knuckles brushing against my skin. "Were you watching me?"

"Oui."

Okay, I hadn't expected him to give so easily. I made a little noise. "Yes. I was curious." My eyes flickered towards his. "Why were you watching me?"

"Turnabout is fair play." Charlemagne said, his breath warm against my mouth. "I woke to find you curled up on the floor and you looked so…sweet." He tilted his head again to brush his lips over my chin. "I just wanted to watch you a little while longer."

Swallowing, heat scalded me from my hairline to my toes. Bastard. Focus up, Abigail. "Are you trying to distract me from the fact that you didn't come back last night?"

Charlemagne made a noise in his throat. "But I did come back." He said, brushing his nose along my chin. "Forgive me, mon coeur, I was being careless with time. It will not happen again." I made the mistake of turning my face away, inadvertently giving him access to my throat and the hinge of my jaw.

My lips parted when he nuzzled into me, an electric spark bursting along my skin and making my abdomen jerk in a wholly unexpected, but entirely too pleasing way. "Unfair. So unfair."

Charlemagne chuckled against my skin, his lips brushing over the hinge of my jaw as he rumbled into my ear. "I'll play fair when you forgive me."

"Mm." I sounded out, shutting my eyes. "I mean I waited up for hours." I said, as a little voice in the back of my head wanted to know what the hell I was doing. "And you broke one of my jars."

He kissed my neck, sending a spiral of heat through me that I felt all the way in my toes. "Do you want me to grovel?"

"Oui."

I could feel him grinning against my skin. His hand loosened in my shirt, skirting up to the other side of my neck to hold me in place as he pressed kisses along my throat. "I am at your mercy, Abigail." He said, before murmuring French right into my skin.

Every brush of his mouth and tease of his tongue and teeth swept through me with a burning warmth that kindled in the pit of my abdomen. I was dangerously aware of his lean body next to mine. Of the urge in my hands and fingers to reach out and explore. Of wanting him to move his hand along my skin.

"Okay, okay, I forgive you." I breathed out, jerking up out of his grasp to swing my trembling legs over the side of the bed. "Don't we have a party to go to, or something?" I mumbled, my face on fire.

Charlemagne sat up behind me, his legs appearing on either side of my own, as he grasped my hip. "I cannot wait to see this new dress you have brought." He said, his breath warm against the side of my neck. "Had I known the other did not fit, I might have chosen something else."

Without thinking I leaned back into him. "I know, I should really get rid of it—" I started when I blinked. Oh god. I pressed my lips together. Had he heard me? Okay, note to self, vampires are aware of their surroundings when they Sleep.

From the corner of my eye, he grinned. "If I were to buy you dresses, would you wear them for me?" He asked.

I blinked. "You don't like how I dress?"

Charlemagne reached up with his free hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Contraire, I adore your funny, little t-shirts and the way your jeans fit." He said, squeezing my hip. "But I am your patron, and you do not allow me to buy you things."

I made a little noise and tilted my head back against his shoulder. "You give me your stories, that's enough for me." I said, glancing at his face. "They mean more to me than anything else."

He turned his head towards me, putting our noses less than an inch away. After a moment of watching each other in heavy silence, Charlemagne shifted that half-inch to brush his nose against mine. "Humor me, then." He said, close enough to kiss me if I let him.

Taking an uneven breath, I nodded my head, drawing the tip of my nose down the length of his. "If you bought me dresses, I would wear them for you." I said softly. "Within reason, obviously."

His mouth spread in a grin, showing a hint of fangs. "Would you let me dress you?"

My brows rose at that. "Dress me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from pitching.

"Mm, I could help you get ready." He said, drawing his finger down the side of my jawline. "Zip up your dress, put on your stockings, do the clasps on your heels." His eyes darkened, became heady. "Brush your hair. It would please me to take care of you."

My lips parted again as I stared at him. My heart throbbed against my ribs. He'd never been so bold before. And I didn't know what to do about it. "What happens if I say yes?" I whispered.

"If you say yes?" Charlemagne held my gaze. "I'm going to kiss you and then I'm going to make love to you. Then we'll take a shower and I will dress you in one piece of clothing at a time, from your panties to your dress." He murmured. "And you must let me do your hair."

I swallowed hard, heat flushing through my entire body. "Is this…an open question, or just for tonight?" I asked, studying his face.

"Open." Charlemagne said. "What we begin here will not end here, I can promise you that, Abigail."

I swept my gaze over his face. "Can I think about it then?" I mumbled, a flutter of panic bursting inside my chest. Everything suddenly seemed so real. So attainable.

His features softened. "Of course, ma cherie." Charlemagne said, touching his knuckle to my chin. "I will not do anything until you ask me to do it." He promised.

I softened towards him, and the panic eased. "Thank you." I said, leaning forward to press a small kiss to his chin. "That does mean I'll have to dress myself tonight."

"I know." He sighed, lingering there for another second before he was suddenly standing in front of me. "Shall I return for you when you're ready?"

I shook my head. "I can drive." I offered him a small smile. "I still remember the way."

"Must I remind you of the threat pinned to your door, Writer?" He replied, his brows bending. "I'd much prefer accompanying you."

I made a noise at him as I stood. He was probably right, but a girl has to have some kind of boundaries. "Charley." I said, tilting my head up at him. "I'll be fine. I'll go straight there, no stops." I promised, reaching up to curl my fingers in his lapels. "It'll give me more time to think."

Charlemagne scowled down at me. "Straight there." He relented. "I will know if you deviate, and I will punish you accordingly."

A blush broke out across the bridge of my nose into my cheeks. "When you say punish...do you mean like I won't get any dessert with dinner, or like you'll take me over your knee and spank me?"

Charlemagne's gaze dipped over me from head to toe as his mouth widened into a grin that sent warm flutters through my abdomen. "I will leave that up to your esteemed imagination, Writer." He murmured. He took my hands from his lapels to kiss my knuckles before he took a step towards my bedroom door. "I will see you soon, ma cherie."

I started to turn away when he paused by the door. "Abigail." I looked up at him. "Say yes." He breathed out, his gaze lingering on mine before he was gone.