The Watcher, page 33
part #1 of Fleur de Lis Series
The boat ride only took a few minutes, and we arrived at Esja.
Iggy held my hand as I exited the boat onto a small dock.
“Enjoy Esja and take care of my boy...he seems to be madly in love with you,” Iggy said and smiled.
I laughed, “I will.”
“What did she ever do to you?” Iggy asked Zachary.
“She bewitched me, and my soul will never be the same,” Zachary said and gripped his hand for a strong shake. “I will call you to pick us up tomorrow evening.”
“Good night,” Iggy said and winked at me.
I slightly bowed and turned, gazing up at the dark mountains. The clean air and the smell of the Icelandic water were rejuvenating, making me feel closer to nature.
“We need to hike, just for a little while,” Zachary said.
“It's so dark...can you see?” I asked, staring into the darkness of the mountains.
“Of course,” Zachary said looking at me with beaming aqua eyes. “Remember—eagle eyes.”
“That's right...how could I forget?”
“It's easier if I just carry you.”
“Sure.”
He strapped his sword to his back and lifted me up, wrapping his strong arms underneath my shoulders and legs.
“Enjoy the ride,” he said, and in an instant, he was running fast, jumping over rocks.
Everything became a blur, and all I could see were his glowing blue eyes. He suddenly stopped and gently placed me on the ground. It took a few seconds to get my vision back.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am fine,” I said and turned around.
The beach had disappeared, and I was standing between two mountains. The cabin lights were on. It was phenomenal—this snowy cabin was hidden in the middle of nowhere with the moonlight shining on it. It had two floors, and a long balcony on the second floor. The chimney was on.
Zachary walked to the fence and pressed numbers on a keypad. A box popped up, and he put his thumb on it. It pricked his finger. He licked the tiny wound with his healing tongue, and the tall, wooden fence opened.
“It analyzes my blood, only four Guardians are registered to open my home,” he said.
Zachary opened the front door. “Please come inside, it's warm and cozy,” he said.
The cabin's large logs traveled throughout the home. The furniture was rustic with all unique pieces, taken from nature. The fireplace was large with an animal skin rug in front of it, and a painting of Varg Jonasson above it. Another painting to the right was of King Durand and to the left was Sebastian. All the men were dressed as Vikings, wearing clothes and boots that were made from animal skin. I could see Sebastian's warrior spirit, in the armor that he wore, the axe he was carrying, and the grin on his luminous face.
I walked around admiring the dining room and kitchen. The wood used to create the cabinets and the dining table was extraordinary. It had a marble effect and was smooth to the touch.
Zachary watched me with loving radiant eyes as I took in every detail of his home.
Old medieval weapons hung on the walls, including large axes. The wooden steps had railings made of branches, and it led to an open hallway that had three dark doors.
“There are two bedrooms upstairs and an office. “Let me show you the patio,” Zachary said and opened the glass sliding doors.
The patio was half way covered and wrapped around the back with a Jacuzzi to the left side. The patio furniture was made of wood and had comfortable cushions. It also had a pit in the middle for a fireplace.
“This home—is you—perfect,” I said and walked up to him.
I gently kissed his lips tasting his sweet saliva. He held my waist tightly.
“It's also your home. Everything I have is yours,” he whispered with his lips touching mine.
“Thank you,” I said, gazing at him, while my cold body began to shiver.
“We should go back inside, you are freezing.”
“Good idea,” I said as my teeth shattered.
Zachary made me Chai tea, and we lounged on the rug in front of the fireplace, wearing our pajamas. He pulled out a black box from his pocket and opened it slowly.
The flames in the fireplace reflected off his aqua eyes and the huge rock on the ring. I gasped and placed my right hand over my mouth. The delicate gold ring had a six-carat stone that was green and round with white diamonds that surrounded it.
“The green diamond matches your eyes,” Zachary said, removing it from the box and placing in on my left ring finger.
I began to shake and stared at the large ring that fit me perfectly. “Did you recently buy this?” I asked in shock, looking at the green diamond that did match the color of my right eye.
“No, trust me it is older than I am,” he said.
“It's gorgeous,” I sighed. “And it fits.”
“Will you be my wife, and allow me the honor to love you, until death do us part?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said and jumped on top of his waist, kissing his lips and every inch of his face.
He laughed. “You have made me the happiest vampire on Earth,” he said.
“I love you,” I said, gazing into his bright aquamarine eyes. “Till death do us part.”
“And I love you,” Zachary said, holding me tightly as I admired the beautiful ring with a huge smile.
Chapter 20
Kaldt Verger
I poured a double shot of espresso into my coffee mug with steam milk and mixed it well with agave.
“Mmm, smells good,” Zachary said, entering the kitchen.
“I made one for you,” I said and handed him a blue mug.
“Thanks,” he said and sipped it, then he kissed my forehead. “You ate breakfast?”
“I had scrambled eggs with a muffin and cheese,” I said. “Would you like me to make you some breakfast?”
“I already had,” he said with a flirtatious smile.
The memory of us in the shower this morning, and him biting into my neck, made me blush. He walked toward the sliding door and softly chuckled.
Zachary was wearing a white ribbed shirt that revealed his strong biceps. His black cargo pants were faded, and his grey snow boots had spiked rubber soles. He opened the metal blinds from the sliding door and gazed outside. I admired his side profile. He was stunningly attractive.
“We should get going. It's a perfect cloudy day for hiking,” he said.
“So, you can stay out in the sunlight longer?”
“And we can climb to the top. You will love the view...and I will bring a camera.”
“Sounds good. I just need to put on my boots,” I said.
Zachary zipped up my coat and placed a grey wool hat over my head. He put on his olive coat and a beige wool hat that covered his ears.
“Put on your insulated gloves. You are going to need them,” he said and grabbed four water bottles, snacks, a radio, and ice tools, and placed them inside his backpack.
I strapped a dagger to the side of my grey cargo pants, and Zachary placed his samurai sword in its sheath and tied it to his back. He then placed the backpack on his right shoulder.
The cold air felt exhilarating and the volcanic snowy covered rocks made Esja look like Santa's wonderland. Zachary locked the fence, and we headed toward the mountain.
“Maybe we will bump into Santa today?” I said and rubbed my cherry ChapStick on my lips.
Zachary laughed. “Or an elf...I would settle for an elf,” he said and put on his sunglasses.
We hiked on a long path that divided into sections, marked with signs that indicated the difficulty of the paths.
“Do you prefer Iceland over New York?” I asked.
“The love of my life lives in New York. So that’s an easy question to answer,” Zachary chuckled, making me smile.
“It’s beautiful here, and the air is fresher than New York,” I said inhaling deeply.
The freshness of the crisp air awakened my soul and my sinuses.
“Many places in this world have fresher air than New York. I don’t miss that strange scent that lingers on your clothes and hair from the subway stations,” he replied.
“I know, it’s a nameless scent. Must be worst for you,” I said with concern.
“I hold my breath a lot in the city, but I do have to say it’s better than it was during the late 1800s. New York was grimy then, had more character.”
“Wish I could have seen it then.”
“Maybe when this wretched war is over we can spend more time here,” Zachary said putting his arm around me.
“I would really like that,” I said, holding onto him.
We reached a big rock called Steinn.
Zachary turned to look at me and jumped back in fear, gasping. I quickly removed my dagger and spun around, landing in a menacing stance, pointing my blade.
“No, wait!” Zachary shouted.
A man dressed as Santa Claus, and a little man, four feet tall, that was dressed like an elf screamed with fright when they saw me and ran.
“I am sorry!” I yelled and ran after them. “Please come back!”
They stopped and hesitated to turn around. Zachary quickly approached them, and I strapped my dagger back to my pants.
“We are just hikers trying to get a photograph of us on the mountain for our Christmas card,” the elf said. “This is my brother, Ethan, and I am Sam.”
“This is Skye, and I am Zach. We didn't mean to startle you...I just wasn't expecting to see Santa and his elf on top of Steinn”
“My apologies, we came around the corner quietly,” Ethan said.
“Can you take a photograph of us?” Sam asked and handed me the camera.
“Of course,” I said and smiled.
“Wait,” Ethan said and pulled out a cigar from his inside pocket and lit it with a match. “Now, we are ready.”
They posed, and the little man bent one knee on the snowy ground, while his brother blew cigar smoke from his mouth. I took a couple of shots.
Zachary took out his camera. “Can we all take a photo together? There might never come a chance to see Santa on this mountain top again,” he said, and set the timer on his camera, placing it on a rock.
We all posed. “Say ‘Merry Christmas,’” Sam said.
“Merry Christmas,” everyone said.
“Are you headed to the top?” Zachary asked them, placing the camera in his backpack.
“No, we are not experienced climbers, and this is where we head back,” Sam said.
“Have a great Holiday,” Ethan said, joyfully smoking his cigar, and Sam waved goodbye.
“You too,” I said and watched them head back down the path.
Zachary and I began to laugh hysterically.
“You should have seen the look in your face,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I thought we were being attacked.”
“They shocked me. I thought I was seeing a mirage, then I smelled their blood and heard their heartbeats,” he said. “And that beard looked so real.”
“Yes, and the little man's green and red outfit looked authentic with his false ears and pointy hat. This is a day, I will never forget,” I said with laughter.
“And neither will I,” Zachary chortled. He swallowed and took a deep breath, pointing to the Steinn sign. “This is where inexperienced climbers choose to head back down, but with me—we can keep going.”
“Let's do this,” I said with enthusiasm.
We walked for miles. Zachary lifted me like I was light as a feather and swung my body around rocks. Within no time we were at the highest point of the mountain called Habunga.
The view from the mountain was spectacular. “This is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen,” I gasped.
“For me as well,” Zachary said, snapping pictures of me.
I covered my face and the camera lens. “Stop,” I giggled.
“Okay, let's take photos together,” he said, and with one hand up in the air with the camera, he snapped pictures as we kissed.
The tips of our noses were frozen and so were our lips.
“We can visit the blue lagoon tomorrow. Let's head back to the cabin. I will call Iggy to send us the helicopter,” Zachary said.
“We are going back down by helicopter?”
“It's the quickest way down.”
Iggy landed the helicopter at the summit plateau, blowing powdery snow around us. Zachary quickly opened the door for us to enter. He latched the seatbelt around my waist and locked it.
“You have been gone all day,” Iggy said.
“I can handle the sun on a cloudy day,” Zachary said and sat down next to me.
“Yeah, but the sky is clearing...we might see the Northern Stars tonight,” Iggy said, lifting the helicopter high.
“That will be the perfect ending to my day,” I said, trying not to freak out being on this chopper.
“Time to give Skye a tour,” Iggy said, making a sharp turn around the mountain.
I felt my stomach move up to my throat, and I thought I was going to vomit.
“Look,” Zachary said, pointing to the city of Reykjavik.
The sun had begun to set, and the clouds were disappearing. The lights in the city and the landscape surrounding it was overwhelmingly beautiful. Iggy flew around Esja, and I noticed four more cabins, hidden between the volcanic mountains. They were spread apart.
“That's my brother's cabin, near the water,” Zachary said, pointing toward a body of water.
The cabin was smaller than Zachary's and made of dark thick logs. It had a garage next to it and a high wooden fence.
“How far away is it from yours?” I asked.
“It's on the other side of the mountain,” Zachary said.
“My cabin is up ahead,” Iggy said, flying past it.
“I finally got to see Santa today,” Zachary said as Iggy landed near the small dock by the beach.
“Oh, really,” Iggy said, rolling his eyes, and pouting his thin lips.
Zachary pulled out his camera and showed him the digital photograph of us with Ethan and Sam.
“What the hell!” Iggy said, grabbing the camera in shock.
“Told you he was real,” Zachary said.
Iggy began to laugh. “It looks like you both had a fun day,” he said, handing the camera back.
“We did, Iggy, and thanks for the lift,” I said. “And the tour.”
“Anytime,” Iggy said. “Cecile had me drop off dinner. It's in the oven, keeping warm.”
“You are the best,” Zachary said and closed the helicopter's door.
The strong wind coming from the chopper almost blew the wool hat off my head.
“That was sweet of her,” I said loudly and looked above Zachary.
The Northern lights had begun to shine as Iggy flew by. Zachary stared up into the sky with me.
“It's magical,” I said, admiring the dazzling, green and pink colors that blended and hovered over us in the dark sky.
Zachary hugged me tightly from behind and gripped onto my fingers.
“This has been a perfect day,” I said, watching the glowing lights, and in a few minutes, they disappeared. “They are gone,” I muttered in disappointment.
“Your perfect day is not over,” Zachary said, lifting me up. “I am taking you back to the cabin. Close your eyes, so you don't get dizzy.”
“I am ready,” I said, and I closed my eyes tightly.
Zachary carried me all the way inside the cabin. The fireplace was lit and the smell of pot roast was coming from the kitchen.
“Make yourself comfortable, and I will serve us dinner,” Zachary said, removing his coat and boots.
Zachary hung my coat in the closet. I climbed the stairs and entered the large bedroom. It had a king size, wooden, canopy bed with white linens and a goose down comforter. The walls were covered with Zachary's sketches of places he had visited in his lifetime. There had to be hundreds of drawings of all shapes and sizes. There were also a couple of sketches drawn on napkins framed in thin wooden borders. A unique art table made of thick log was near a sliding door that faced a balcony. I took off my boots and socks and rubbed my feet on the fluffy, white, synthetic, animal skin rug that covered most of the wooden floor. It felt like silk between my toes.
I finally used the bathroom. It had a rustic open shower and a claw foot bathtub made of copper. I rinsed my face on the round wooden sink and dried it on a soft cotton towel. I entered the walk-in closet and changed into a mint green, velour sweat suit. I placed my cold feet into Ugg slippers and tied my hair up. As I walked down the stairs, I watched Zachary finish the table setting. He lit a candle in the middle of the table and glanced up at me with a smile.
“That looks delicious,” I said, gazing at the pot roast and the medley of vegetables with potatoes. “Are you going to have some with me?”
“I will have a little...and maybe later, I can have you for dessert. I always crave AB negative,” Zachary said.
“I see—that's the only reason why you are with me—it's my blood,” I hissed jokingly and sat down.
“Well it's just one of the many things that I adore about you,” he said, serving me some vegetables then a piece of roast.
Dinner was delectable, and the pot roast melted in my mouth. I had a second full plate; then I helped Zachary clean the dishes.
“So, are you ever going to tell me the story of how you were turned, and how you ended up in Iceland?” I asked.
“Tonight, I will tell you everything...in bed,” he said, placing the last clean dish back in the china cabinet.
I was excited to finally hear Zachary's story. I jumped on the bed, kicking off my slippers. He changed into striped pajamas pants and remained topless. He sat with his back against the headboard, and I moved close to his feet and begun to rub them.
“Ah,” he moaned with his eyes glowing. “Thank you, love.”
“No problem...now tell me everything,” I said.
“My brother and I came from a poor and small family. My father, Franc had died from a skin infection when we were twelve years old. We became the head of the household and provided for my mother, Armelle until the age of eighteen. We had a cold winter that year, and she died of deadly pneumonia.”
“That's terrible...I am sorry.”
