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  Arturo came around the car, opened the front passenger’s door and got in. Regin closed her eyes resting her head on the headrest. “I’m too tired for this shit.” She told him. “Good. Take us home.” Arturo wasn’t going to leave her. What he wanted was right here.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Regin turned the key and the car came to life. She put it in gear and drove home. She couldn’t explain why she did it, she just did. She lived an hour outside of Stowe, Vermont. She didn’t feel the need to fill the silence and clearly nor did Arturo. She welcomed the silence. Gave her time to think. She did her best thinking in the car. She loved her town. It was a picturesque town with just over 4000 people in it. It was established in 1763. Surrounded by mountain ranges it was a nature at its best. Regin worked at the Spruce Park Centre. It was to be the largest geo-thermal project in Vermont. Although she had specialised in several fields she was currently working in geo-thermal energy and lived near the project. Regin slowed to turn into her driveway and turned into it. She lived in an old farm house, the land, long gone to other uses but she still owned it and loved the house’s privacy as you could only access it from down an old farm road through a tree line that could not be seen from the road. Some would call it remote. Regin called it perfect.

  Regin pulled up to her garage door. Paused and used the clicker for it to roll up. From the outside of it. You would think the house a little neglected and a little run down. But that was the paint finish. That was deliberate. These houses never looked pristine even when new. And Regin liked that. She wasn’t a surface kinda girl. The door was a top of the range roller door made of steel and when locked would take a truck impact. Regin drove in. Engaged the door to close and turned off the car. She leaned back in her seat. “Tired?” Arturo asked her. “Yes. I need to go in.” Arturo got out the car. “Do you need the buggy?” He asked her. “No. Its only for longer distances and where I’d be standing for sometime. I can walk into the house ok.” Regin got out the car and slowly stood making sure her knees would take her weight before taking a step. She closed the car door shut and headed to the connecting door to the house. She unlocked what looked like a tool box to the right of the door. Inside was a pad. Arturo watched as she placed her hand on it. The door disengaged and opened. As it opened you couldn’t miss the four inches of steel of both door and frame or that the wall was twelve inches thick. Clearly not the original construction. Arturo touched the wall. Solid. Sturdy. Defensive. “Arturo, I invite you in.” Regin said simply and walked towards her kitchen.

  Arturo walked in behind her and closed the door and engaged the locks and looked at the security on the wall. Impressive. He followed her down the corridor and into the kitchen. It was modern and large with all the appliances you’d expect plus some extra’s like the full-size fridge and freezer, the coffee machine and dishwasher. As well as all the expected conveniences. A doorway led off to the left. Regin went through it and Arturo looked in. It was a lab. Regin emptied the contents of her bag and pockets and put them away. She turned and saw Arturo standing in the doorway. “I don’t go anywhere without them. I do some of my work here. Not just for out there.” She told him. Arturo nodded and walked back to the kitchen. Regin followed and headed to the sink and washed her hands. Arturo watched as she walked to the island and pulled out a seat and sat down. “You look tired.” He told her. “Let me get you something to eat and drink.”

  Regin looked at him. Seriously the man cooked? He really was gorgeous with a capital G. All dominance and control. And he had to be old. She could sense it. And he knew his way round a kitchen. Did hell suddenly freeze over? “Thanks. There’s some turkey and salad in the fridge.” She told him rubbing her face. “Bread, butter and mayo. There’s also some juice I think.” She told him. Regin watched him take out the cutting board and knife. Go back for a butter knife and lay out all the ingredients. Arturo made up two sandwiches and poured two drinks into the glasses he’d found. It was Regin’s turn to raise her eyebrows. “Plates?” He asked her. “Behind you top right.” He got the plates and placed a glass and sandwich in front of her. Grabbed some napkins and took a seat sitting opposite her, with his own plate and glass. He passed her a napkin. “Thank you.” She told him and picked up half of her sandwich and bit into it. It tasted really good. Chewing she watched to see if Arturo would eat. He did. And drank the juice. Now that was a surprise. They ate in silence.

  Regin felt better having eaten. When her sugar levels got low she struggled. She stretched and realised she ached in a number of places. “I’m diabetic. I needed that and I need a shower too. Do you need to avoid sun light?” She asked him. “Yes.” He told her. Regin nodded. Ok so not so different then. “That door to the right will take you down to the den. There’s no window to worry about and a pull out bed and there’s a bathroom. Clean sheets and towels are in the utility over there. If you want the TV it’s in the lounge. Good night.” Regin got up to leave. Her disability more obvious as her lower body had become stiff. She groaned as she straightened. “Is it bad?” He asked her. Regin took her time rising and taking her first furtive steps. She slowing walked away. “We need to talk.” He told her. “Yes. Tomorrow night. I have to sleep and go to work tomorrow. Make yourself at home. O if you do move about up here during the day, the windows all have UV protective film on them.” Arturo looked at her strangely. “It keeps the heat out”. She told him. “And in your case, you will not burn.” Regin walked away and headed through the house on the ground floor to the back rooms. She lived on this floor. The rest of the house on the top floor was empty. If someone came to stay they used the den.

  Regin got six hours sleep. Her alarm went off and she groaned as she turned over to turn it off. Knowing if she didn’t hit the shower that minute, her day would only be more difficult. Regin got up and slowly headed into her bathroom. Regin loved her shower. A large walk in shower with a wet room floor and glass screen. She had a shower seat she had to use. Standing hurt too much and she wasn’t up to that first thing. Regin did her business and got in the shower. Grabbed a warmed towel as she got out and sat on the toilet seat while she dried herself enough to get dressed. Regin put on her underwear and hung up her towel to dry and headed back into her room. Black coffee sat on her dressing table. Hot. Black coffee. Regin took a quick look round. Nope she was on her own. Regin dressed quickly and sat at her desk, picking up the coffee and breathed it in. Taking a sip she found it perfect. Pulling out a drawer she took her pain meds and uncapped it. Taking two out. Along with her diabetic meds. She gazed out the window. The sun was coming up. There was a knock at her door. “Come in.” She called out. Arturo poked his head around the corner. “Is it alright to come in?”

  Regin smiled and looked at her coffee. “Seems you already did.” Arturo looked not the least apologetic. “I could hear you were in the shower. So took the liberty of bringing it in.” “How’d you know I like it black?” “No milk.” He told her. “And no sugar?” “You said diabetic. That was an educated guess”. Regin smiled again. “Good call.” Regin popped the pain meds into her mouth and took two gulps of her coffee. Then her diabetic meds. Arturo looked out the window at the sun rise. He had a peaceful expression on his face. “You know. Several of my people kept saying to get UV screens on the windows. I blew it off as a fad. Although I am often up before dusk, I’d use the curtains and lamps. We’d managed for years without it so I thought why bother. But seeing it here, now I see why. Thank you.” He told her reverently whispering. “I haven’t seen a sun rise in a very very long time.” Regin knew at that moment, she’d be late for work but nothing could have driven her from him. The intimacy of sharing such a much-missed moment in a long life time, was something very special. Very personal.

  Regin did get to work late. She normally aimed to be at work for eight but today she got there for nine along with everyone else. The day flew by. Regin was on her way home by six and opening her garage door by seven. It was already dark. Closing the door behind her Regin entered the kit
chen. What she found shocked her. “You can really cook?” Regin was surprised to see Arturo by the stove with several things bubbling away and an apron on. She tried to hide the grin. He looked so …….. domestic. He also had a change of clothes. Regin wondered where they had come from. “Well good evening to you too.” He told her smiling. Regin got embarrassed. “Yeah sorry. You surprised me is all. Good evening. Whatever it is in those pots smellsl great.” She told him and meant it. “Sit it will be ready soon. You had some wine so I opened it, hope that’s ok?” He told her. Regin smiled wider. “Sounds good to me.” Regin pulled out her chair and sat. Arturo opened the oven and took out bread placing it on the cutting board. The smell was amazing thought Regin. She poured herself a glass of wine. Taking a good swallow, it hit the spot. “Umm. That’s good.” Arturo turned. “You haven’t tried the food yet. It’s good too.” He told her. Regin rubbed her hands together. “Impress me.” She told him cheekily.

  Arturo tried not to smile as he drained something, shook it, then dressed it. Opened the oven back up and took another delicious smell out. Then placed two items on the centre island that Regin was sitting at and went back for a third and fourth.

  Regin was a little stunned. “Did I have all this?” Arturo laughed. “Yes you did.” He told her. “Wow I’m starving let’s eat.” Arturo grabbed some utensils and plates and started serving. He’d made chicken cordon blur with a tomato and mushroom sauce. Angel hair pasta with a butter and garlic coating. Broccoli. And fresh bread. As the first bite hit her taste buds, Regin was moaning in delight. “OMG – this is so good. Tell me later how you did it.” Arturo stopped in mid swallow. The sounds Regin was making at eating the food he had made her, went straight south. Arturo was a little shocked. He hadn’t anticipated this. There was something primal about a man feeding a woman. It had been a while since a human had interested him in that way. Hell, since any female had interested him that way. He didn’t want to think about how that always ended. With them aging and dying while he lived on. Arturo pushed the unwelcome thoughts aside and continued to eat his meal. The silence while they ate felt natural and just …………. right.

  Regin worked her way through all the delicious food. And a large glass of wine. She hadn’t been looked after in this way for a very long time. She put her knife and fork down for the last time and sat back and sighed in contentment. “You can cook anytime you like.” She told him. Arturo grinned at her while he finished his food. “That an offer?” Regin looked at this man sitting at her table eating the meal he had created. It was time to talk.

  Regin waited till he’d finished. Pushing her plate aside she grasped the bottle of the wine and refilled both their glasses. “So. Let’s talk.” She told him. Arturo put his plate to one side and placed both elbows on the table and linked his hands. He stared at her and pointed in her direction. “Your on.” Regin took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. Where to start?

  Arturo continued to look at her and waited. He could see she was gathering her memories and emotions. Regin turned to look out the window. “I was born on a very strange night. There had been a storm. It had wiped out much of the surrounding land. In fact it made the record books. My parents couldn’t leave, my mother was already in labour with me. A hole appeared in the cloud above my parents’ home and lightning struck all around it. I was a bridge birth. As my mother fought to turn me and screamed me into the world, the house was hit. My mother was holding onto the metal bedstead and the electric charge came through the house. It bounced my father said. From the night stand to the headboard into my mother and as I lay between her legs the current came down the umbilical cord and hit me. My father told me I was dead. Then another strike hit and I glowed silver and cried. He told me that I had been blessed by the goddess Freyja and he believed it.

  My father named me Reginleif. Its Norse. Meaning ‘daughter of a Goddess’.” Regin smiled a little embarrassed. “As I grew, I found I could sense things. Lots of little feelings that would tell me to guard, worry or avoid. The first time it was serious and actually meant something I was thirteen. I’d had plenty of weird things happen before. You know people would feel wrong or I’d get a sense of something not right or to not go a certain way or to avoid something or someone. I learned to listen when that happened. I could already tell if someone was lying or was a good person or not. Or sense something bad was going to happen. My parents saw it as a gift and supported me but knowing the kinds of people out there and not wishing to make me a target, they kept it to themselves and told me to do the same. But sometimes things slipped through. I was out as a teen with my cousin. She was fair and tall for her age and a couple of years older than me. We were walking down the sidewalk coming back from the cinema when I felt strange. Cold. Chilled. I had a sense of death. I grabbed her hand and tried to pull her in the other direction but she wouldn’t have it.

  She was older and thought I was scared being younger. I tried to tell her that something was wrong but she wouldn’t hear it. She dragged me along for several minutes until something came out of the alleyway and grabbed her. She’d gone limp but I screamed and held on. It didn’t like that and swiped at me. In shock, I let go of her hand and it was the last I saw of her. I was screaming and it came back for me, only I shocked it and it left. I blamed myself for a very long time. Our family was torn apart by the incident. My Aunt never got over it. I think they blamed me in some way for not doing more. I blamed myself too, I guess I still do. Then there was my parent’s death. I had begged them not to go on holiday when they first told me they were going. It didn’t feel right. I had a really bad feeling. So they avoided that one. Trouble was. I didn’t get the message that they had decided to go somewhere else, until after they’d gone and by the time I did get it, they were dead. It’s not a precise science. I have to guess what it means and sometimes I get it wrong and over the years, more and more strange things occurred. I would sense predators. Other beings not human. I saw more than I wanted. Lost a roommate to something, I’m not sure what even now. But I couldn’t save her either.

  That’s when I changed. Instead of knowing and doing nothing. I’d finished at Uni and done well in Chemistry. I’d researched what went bump in the night and got the surprise of my life. I put together my tools and went to work. I’ve been doing this for 6 years.” “How’d you get the scar?” He asked her. Regins hand went directly to it. Taking a moment. “I was eleven. It was Christmas. My father and mother wanted to take me to one of those Santa places in the mall. I told them I did not want to go but it was tradition and although I knew it was a bad idea, it was a family thing and we went. We were all having such a good time. I started to forget my worry. I became separated from my parents and found myself cornered in a side area off the mall. There were two Vamps hunting. They were suddenly standing in front of me. I knew they were bad. I could sense their evil. Death. I started to cry and they laughed. I was an easy meal they told me. They started to toy with me. One pushed me into the other one. Then back again. But instead of becoming hysterical I got angry. I heard one say he wanted a taste. Before I realised what was happening. He’d swiped down my neck and opened it up. I screamed and pushed out both my hands. The area lost its lights only to be illuminated by me. Lightning was coming out my hands directly into both the Vamps. I can’t tell you how scared I was at seeing it. Then were screaming and burning. I was hysterical. I don’t know how it ended. I was found by my father shortly after, passed out on the floor surrounded by ash. I never told him. He thought I’d cut myself falling.” She whispered.

  Arturo had never heard of such a thing. This explained a lot. “The goddess Freyja you know what your father was referring to?” Regin gave him a waning smile. “I did my homework Arturo. Valkyrie. Demi goddess. I mean seriously, do I look like the daughter of a goddess? I’m not sure I believe all that stuff but I do have better senses but I guess you know that. I also have better reflexes or did until the CRPS kicked in. I took martial arts, kick boxing, taekwondo, kendo and I w
as good at it. I had better anticipation, co-ordination and I was faster. I also had trouble holding on to my temper and I get edgy in storms and lightning likes me. It’s like I fill up or something. It’s how I charged the particles in the circle. When I get emotionally distressed lightning can appear and can spark from my hands or charge my skin. That’s how they burn if they try to touch me.”

  “The CRPS?” He asked her. “Complete Regional Pain Syndrome. During an attack, my legs were taken out. It caused nerve manage. The doctors didn’t think they’d mend but they did and the trauma brought on the condition. Seems I didn’t get the Valkyrie fast healing.” She told him shrugging her shoulders. “Can it be fixed?” He needed to know. “No. But it has got better. It’s still unknown. Nothing human can fix it that I know of.” Arturo nodded. He looked sad. “Your turn.” Regin told him.

  Arturo took a deep breath. He could still scent her. It was amazing. Pure. Clean. It begged him to taste her. Arturo swallowed and controlled his emotions. “I … have not been human for over 700 years.” “Holy shit.” Said Regin. Arturo raised an eyebrow. “Sorry continue.” She told him. “ I was born in England. My maker came to our small village in the middle of the night. He had ripped his way through half the town when the screaming woke the rest of us from sleep. I managed to get my wife out the back with some belongings and what wealth we had, and told her to keep low and head for the next village over the hills. I thought it was bandits. I’d ran out of our home and grabbed some men that were running and told them we needed to fight and hold our village. I marshalled several men to stand with me and we advanced on the screaming. When we entered the home. The screaming had stopped. We found the inhabitant’s dead. Mutilated. The creature that had done the deed was still in there. He was laughing and looked like every incarnation of the devil you could have imagined. I encouraged the men to pull together and fight. The creature looked on amused. I pushed them to charge him as one. Said we’d have a better chance. It was lies. Nothing we had was going to kill it. He slaughtered every man around me and left me standing. He then told me he had something special for me. That I would learn what it meant to be more. He ripped out my throat as I stood there. I woke up the next night in a field. Not far from my village. I could smell the smoke. As I turned towards it I realised that it was my village on fire. All of it gone and so was the creature.