“I’d love to see it.” She took his hand into hers and led him to the back portion of the castle. When they slipped out a door she used to get to her special place, CJ made sure it was locked so no one would be able to follow them. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you. I created it when I was here. Just for me.” There was a large pond that had a fountain in the middle of it. The fountain had no form other than it took on whatever popped into her head when she was out here. She wasn’t surprised to see it become Don, with his body naked but for a loin cloth. “You can see your markings here. They’re finished for now. However, they’ll change when you or I do something that needs to be written down. I’ve had mine hidden away by magic for so long that I was surprised a little to see them appear. It means to my kind that we are truly mates.”
“So you doubted it.” She told him it was more like she had hopes of it being wrong. “You dislike the idea of being mated to me that much?”
“No. It’s not that at all.” She looked at the statue of him and then back at the man himself. “I’m not sure I can explain this well enough that it doesn’t make me sound stupid, but we’re different, you and I. I don’t mean the fact that we’re vampire to faerie. Not even the age of us. But you are a man of the world. I’m nothing more than a person who has lived in the same area, including here, all my life. I don’t have any friends that aren’t related to me. You have friends that would gladly lay down their lives for you. I know the women of your family, but we’re not close. They have only accepted me because of you.”
“You can’t really believe that, do you? I know that Bancroft is in awe of you. The fact that you can find nests for him and tell him what is going on inside of them is something he is proud of for you. Kelly thinks you’re the seventh wonder of the world.” She asked him what he thought of her. “That you’re the most beautiful creature ever born. That you’re smart and snippy all rolled up into one fascinating bundle. I love the way your eyes blaze when you’re upset. The way you stomp when you’re thinking. You don’t have the need to empty your head when you’re thinking of something. You’re brutally honest, which is wonderful to me. I know where I stand and how you feel, no matter what. When you say something to me, I know whatever it is, it’s from your heart and not your mind. Also, when you have an issue, you have no trouble asking for help and making sure that when you have finished getting help, you thank the person for their part in it, as well as make sure they get credit. I could go on if you wish.”
“No. That’s enough.” Looking around the pond, she told him things about herself that she’d never said to anyone before. “I can look into a home and other places while never leaving where I am. See the future on investments that I will put money into. So long as I share my wealth, it’s all right with the magical world. It’s been the only thing that has kept us afloat after Robert died. I couldn’t do too much, as you can well imagine. People would have noticed things. If nothing else, humans are not happy if someone has more than they do. Robert was like that to the very end.”
“I’ve done some investigating on him. Just to see if there were some policies out there that might have been overlooked. He wasn’t employed much. And when he was, it wasn’t for very long. The reason they had no insurance at the time of his death, and your sister is—well, was—paying that debt off is because he never took the time to work at one place long enough to get it.”
“I told you once that I didn’t care for him. That’s not true. I hated him. He took advantage of Pfeiffer at every turn. You’re right about his unemployment record. Robert couldn’t hold down a job if he had a gun to his head. He wasn’t lazy…he just felt he was above menial things like making a living. He would have gladly drained her dry of money and time. The girls and I were never a part of his life. Even though I’m about the same age as her daughters, she had them despite Robert telling her he didn’t want them around. That having me there all the time was bad enough. Rachel and Sally didn’t care for him either. They didn’t hate him, but they didn’t care for him.” Don sat down on one of the many benches she’d put in this area. She sat at the water’s edge. “I don’t feel guilty for not helping him to live longer. I think even Pfeiffer was sick of him by then. After he was dead, it was easier to help her out when she needed it. Which, after the girls left home to do their own jobs, I still lived with her. To keep her safe.”
“Did you have trouble even though few knew where you were?” She nodded, then looked at him. “Something is holding you back from making a commitment to me, isn’t it?”
“Yes. There are still people out there trying to locate me. They know I exist, but not where or who I am. If I were to commit to you, as you called it, you’d be in danger as much as my
