Page 63 of Ruin

“What shall we do with their ship?” Samuel asked inquisitively.

“Let it sit there…as a warning,” I replied, a vicious smile taking over my face.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Arik

Iwatched Claire’s face, searching for any sign of emotion, anything that would give me a clue to what she was thinking. Her heartbeat was erratic, pounding in her chest like a drum, the only thing I could truly feel from her at that moment. I knew I had just shattered her world, and I desperately hoped that I had not shattered her spirit along with it.

“Holy shit,” she muttered, her eyes wide with a mix of amazement and disbelief.

I could see the wheels turning in her mind, trying to piece together everything I had just told her.

She questioned, “And your family, the business, the village?”

I nodded, knowing she needed answers. She needed to make sense of the chaos I had unleashed. “As you have seen, I can handle invaders. The men who work here for me, my conti, their families have served me for hundreds of years. They are my security, my confidants, the ones who keep my secrets. They were there when the invaders came, and they are here now, watching over everything.”

“So, Sam?” she asked.

“Sam is young,” I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. “He has been with me for two years, ever since his father…retired.” I paused, saving the details for another day. “In each family, the men serve me until their eldest son turns eighteen. Then the son takes over. It is a tradition that has been passed down through generations. They are compensated extremely well and are some of the most affluent families in the region.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, the weight of her next question heavy on her lips. “So…if I were to stay here, with you, what happens to me? What happens to my life?”

I felt a pang of guilt as she asked, knowing that I had hoped to ease her into this reality, not thrust it upon her all at once.

“That’s honestly why I wanted to spend more time with you, getting to know you, before you found out about all of this,” I said, trying to make her understand just how badly my plans had gone awry. I forced a small smile, hoping to convey some semblance of reassurance. “I wanted to make sure you felt the same way before asking you to give up your entire life.”

She did not respond immediately, and I could see the conflict in her eyes.

How could she? How could anyone?

I spoke to her, staring into the distance beyond the glass doors. “For me, I know you are who I am supposed to be with. We are destined to be together. But you cannot see what I see. You have not been waiting over three hundred years in isolation and loneliness.”

I watched as the weight of my words sank in, her shoulders slumping slightly under the burden of it all.

“I understand,” she said quietly. “But we are where we are. What are you asking of me?”

“You would have to become like me…eventually,” I admitted, the words tasting bitter as they left my mouth. “Be here with me. We could travel. You could still see your family—for a number of years at least, until your appearance and the age you should be starts to become an issue. Luckily, your parents are older, so that is not as much of a concern.”

“But my sister…” Her voice cracked as she mentioned her sister, the bond they shared evident in her tone.

“Yes, that would become a problem. Unless you told her, which I do not recommend,” I advised.

“Why not?” Her voice was stronger now, more insistent, as if she were grasping at anything that could make this decision easier.

I sighed deeply, searching for the right words. “If you told her, she would probably ask you to change her. Maybe not now, but eventually. I have never changed anyone, Claire. I would not wish it on anyone. Life is meant to have a beginning and a definite end.”

“Except for me?” There was a hint of accusation in her voice, but also an underlying sadness that cut through me.

“We are destined for one another. We are supposed to spend eternity together.” I looked down, unable to meet her gaze. “Or…you can go home, and I can live out eternity in excruciating pain while you walk this earth apart from me. Then in pure loneliness after you are gone.”

Claire’s eyes dropped to the floor, her mind clearly racing to process everything I was telling her. I felt the twinges of guilt and fear bubbling beneath her come exterior. I wanted to reach out, to hold her, to tell her that everything would be okay. But I knew I could not make that promise.

“I know what I am asking for is a lot,” I added softly, hating myself for putting her in this position.

“Wait.” Her eyes snapped back at me, a sudden thought lighting them up. “You’ve never changed anyone? Do you even know how?”

“Not exactly,” I admitted, feeling a wave of frustration wash over me. “I have never wanted to know. Never wanted to put someone else through this.”