Chapter 01.

POV; Lenora Aveyard.

It’s a beautiful thing, to be the first thought in someone’s mind. Whether they’re reading and they think of you, listening to music and the lyrics scream your name. Whether they’re in talks of buying an 1800’s old Sugar Plantation to make into a family home for you, your shared daughter and grandson with the same hopes of extending the family. I hadn’t truly noticed until now that I was in fact one of the few women in the world who’d married a man who had me as his first thought. Even as I went along with the plans I’d promised another man, my husband thought of me and what I wanted; thought of my hopes and my dreams and took the first step without me even knowing to make them come true.

  It was evening in Louisiana; the sun was beginning to set from its high spot in the sky as the clock struck six. Sitting at the dressing table with locks of dark hair in my left hand as I brushed with my right, I was past the point of looking at my own reflection like a woman filled with vanity. I watched my Amadeo dress instead; pull on his jeans and button them at his waist, obviously remaining shirtless for as long as possible -here’s hoping it was for my benefit-. Though I’d just spent my morning and early afternoon tangled in the sheets with no other focus than him, I’d still never get enough of looking at him, of smelling him, touching him, tasting him. Of knowing he was mine. My Amadeo. Mine to hold; to lose myself in his arms, those lips as soft as silk at my forehead, chest to chest, his large hands at my waist with the soft tingle to my skin from the fourth finger of his left hand. I was truly the luckiest woman still walking on earth. And still to this day I’d question any couple of the greatness of their love against the love I held purely for my husband.
  “Well, that wasn’t exactly how I’d intended on spending my day with you, my wife.”
It never got old, hearing him call me his wife. I don’t think it ever will. Though to any woman in the world that word alone would make them melt, Amadeo knew that single word didn’t mean as much to me as another two small words. With a smile curling softly at the corners of my freshly painted lips, I stopped brushing my still wet hair and let it fall over my shoulder, resting the brush to the wooden table with my right hand. “Should I apologise?” I asked him in my usual cheeky tone when he’d make such a remark. “We could always start over and I’ll settle for the first round.”
Watching him shake his head and bringing that flawless smile to his face which inevitably brightened his features. Maybe I’m biased being his wife, but for a vampire he really is something else. Pulling his arms into his shirt, I watched him still button the buttons up his chest until he was hidden from me, hands to his collar to fold it perfectly around his neck before he closed the little space between us from the bottom of the bed we shared to the stool I was sat on. Leaning himself forward to look at me through the reflection in the mirror, those hazel eyes that were so opposite to my blue found me, his left hand to my left shoulder, a single glint of his wedding band catching my eye from the low ray of sun gleaming through the blinds. “Will there ever be a day you don’t tire of me?” A kiss to the side of my head, lips like silk, my stomach flipping as it always did. Yes, even still after years of a rocky relationship. But together, we’d made it. Without voicing my response, I simply shook my head with a growing smile, my own left hand arching back to hold the back of his. Ring to ring, band to band, husband to wife. Another peck to my skin. “I’ll wait for you downstairs. We shouldn’t be late.”

  Trinity Gate was home. Or at least home to the other supernaturals who lived here and had lived here for many years before I’d come along. Complete with rooms fitted for fifteen plus vampires and witches with extra to spare, one being made into a nursery for my grandson, as well as each room having its own bathroom, a main living area as well as a grand hall, and a spacious garden big enough to build another house on, who wouldn’t call a place like this home? Especially when the side of the villa I live in is only one of three buildings. But to me, Trinity Gate was a place of residence. I’ve been here almost four years now, still learning each room like the back of my hand and yet I keep it secret that this isn’t my home. It’s not a place I want to know the ins and outs of; I don’t want to know what lurks around each corner or where to find each individual whenever I go looking. I don’t want to think of Trinity Gate as a home where my family live, where I have memories both good and bad in my mind, inevitably bringing the bad up front. So much in such a short space of time has gone on in these walls; I lived out my pregnancy here with the greatest of help. I gave birth to my daughter here, willingly handing over my own life for her to live a life she deserves with her father. I said goodbye to my human soul here, transitioning into what I am now; a full vampire with gifts to go with it. Speed, impeccable sight and hearing. Self-control around the humans and around fresh blood, with an odd though fulfilling maternal instinct. I was married here in the yard out back surrounded by my friends who are in fact my supernatural family and the only family I have left. I committed myself to one other soul here. I fell in love inside these walls, more than once yet with one man. But sadly inside the walls of Trinity Gate, I’d suffered loss, despair and desperation that scream at me whenever I switch from room to room. So to me, Mrs Aveyard, I do not see Trinity Gate and all of its beauty as my home.
  Making my way down the grand staircase and out of the house to the porch that surrounded the front of the house, I saw him again. It was rare that I wouldn’t see him first before seeing anything else wherever I’d go. Cigarette in his left hand, right hand against the roof of his 2016 Aston Martin v12 Vanquish that he’d change every year without fail, moving only to push back his shoulder length hair from his face, that smile I’d seen moments ago in his reflection coming back to his face as the smoke from his inhale puffed out around his face, clouding up to the evening sky without the help of a breeze. Stepping down the few steps from the porch to the drive, Amadeo moved too. Another inhale of the cigarette in his hand, stepping around the front of the Aston Martin to pull open my door like the perfect gentleman he always was, always had been. And just for me.
  My eyes never left him as I closed the space between us, both my hands naturally coming around his waist to join at his lower back. I’d never get enough of touching him; I knew that in my heart. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face; always so handsome, always with dancing eyes whenever I was around. And people still did wonder why I’d get lost in them. His right hand from the roof of the car came around my waist, holding me as he always did with such confidence, in such a way that made me feel completely untouchable to anyone and anything around us. Another puff from his cigarette and I rose up onto my tiptoes, even in heels at his side I needed the help, and again I kissed him. Open mouth to open mouth, I kissed him and he kissed me. Sharing affection, sharing each other. Sharing that damned cigarette smoke; the leftover puffing from both our lips as I pulled back first. Chewing my lower lip I let him go only to sink down into the seat that waited for me, still my eyes on him and only him; his right hand flicking away the cigarette butt that someone else would clean later and making his way to be behind the wheel.

 

  He hadn’t lied to me when he’d said earlier the house we were viewing, the house that would hopefully be our new family home was an hour and a half away from Trinity Gate. But thankfully we had the Louisiana traffic on our side, considering most of the humans in the area would be home from work, resting with their families before another working day woke them after their long night. That was something I was thankful for, at least thankful now. For being immortal, for not having to do the same routine as each day came and went, for not having to worry about time spent with family or friends or making memories to cherish with the thought in the back of my mind that one day it would all be over. Amadeo made me a vampire, made an immortal and that’s exactly what I was. I was immortal, forever, undying. As long as fire was kept away, anyway. I had no reason to rush and make memories, no reason to press my family for time together; I’d watch them grow and have their children, watch my grandson grow and have his own children all with my husband at my side. I’d never thanked him enough, my husband, for giving me such a wonderful way of life in this new porcelain skin.
  “If you don’t like it,” He started, his left hand complete with his wedding band leaving the gear stick to come to my thigh, my eyes of course following. “You just have to say so, my love. As I said this morning, this is yet to be our home. Nothing is set in stone.”
I gave him a single nod with a smile that didn’t widen enough to show my teeth, both my own hands coming to rest over his. Everything about us physically always had fitted so well. A side glance to him was the thing to make my smile broaden. He was my love. “Welcome, to the Plantation.”
Turning my eyes ahead, I hadn’t quite been expecting to see what I did. I wasn’t sure what to think of when he’d told me it was an old sugar plantation, maybe something like a barn that had been remodified for people to live in still with a rundown exterior and surrounding area. But God, I was wrong.
“Eight thousand square foot on almost three acres of land, you get five wonderfully spacious bedrooms, five full bathrooms and generous living areas including a state of the art kitchen. The land is yours to do with as you wish; the room is perfect for extra building potential or to make as your personal back yard...” I wasn’t fully listening to the man anymore. Amadeo had met with him before when he’d first come to visit the plantation with the interest of buying. Everything he said went straight into one ear and out of the other, I was busy seeing the potential for myself. A main bedroom for my husband and I, four other bedrooms to make into nursery’s for our growing family. A kitchen for family meals, even if we would be sipping blood bags together. A living area big enough to have the coven around us for celebrations, and God there’d be enough to celebrate if we got our wishes.
“Three stories and a river view to the back, complete with wrap around balcony areas. Five fireplaces and your own library. There’s a dock out back into the river, do you own a boat?” Let my husband talk and finish the conversation. If it were down to me, after simply viewing the main living area in all of its glory I would have signed the papers and glued the keys to the pocket of jeans, calling myself a new proud home owner.
The man nodded just as I returned from looking through the gourmet kitchen. “Of course. The guest house is to the right, big enough for a family to reside in in itself and sharing the garden area.”
There’d be room for Boe here. Boe and Finnick, our children to grow at our sides with their own privacy. Amadeo was stood with his back to a wooden Grand piano, eyes fixed on me with a soft smile covering his features rather than focusing on the estate agent who still spoke on about the house and its wonders. But I didn’t want to hear more of the house I hoped to have as our home. If she had hidden wonders in her walls, I wanted to find them myself with my husband at my side, or have my children find them in their adventures. The man fell silent, his words falling in pitch as my husband took a step forward, his right arm looking to be wrapped around his waist, his left elbow against his forearm, left hand dropping from his mouth and extending in my direction as I stepped into his embrace, naturally. “What do you think, my love?”
He’d been right all along in what he’d said earlier while wrapped in the sheets. The plantation was beautiful, much more than I would have thought if I wasn’t looking with my own eyes. There was room for so much potential to make it ours; we’d have everything we’d ever need here. Amadeo could have a study for himself and his paper work should he need to be there for business matters, matters that I’d never asked about nor wanted to be too involved in. Boe would be around daily for the library, I knew that much. Finnick would have the room to grow into a healthy, excitable hybrid with endless rooms to play in, search through and cause mischief in under our eyes. “Amadeo, I love it.” I brought my eyes up to his hazel, my right arm sliding around his waist whilst my left sat at his chest as if a mould had been cast there. “You were right, your taste is impeccable.”
He kissed the side of my head and I could feel his smile pulling wider over his lips. I knew, as he’d said before, his taste in architecture wasn’t the only thing that was impressive, though I’d never blow my own horn quite enough to agree with him. I felt the uneasiness from the agent, but it wasn’t new to be around feeling so uncomfortable in our presence when we were together. Alone as vampires we were everything people imagined; flawless, admirable, fascinating and fixating to their eyes. Beautiful beyond words and yet still human to the naked eye. But together, my husband and I, we were something else. Never short on affection, never without touching, holding for more than minutes. I was obsessed with him in the world’s unhealthiest of ways. Lifting his nose from the side of my now dry hair, Amadeo turned back to the man rubbing the papers on his clipboard together at the bottom corner. “We’ll take it.” He spoke firmly, as simple as that.
“I must remind you, Mr Aveyard, an outright payment on this plantation is just short of three million dollars.”
Being British myself and converting what he’d said as quickly as I could, my eyes widened as I looked back up to my husband’s face. Again he hadn’t lied when he’d told me buying the place outright wasn’t a cheap move, even for those wealthier. Two million pounds, just under! Two! Million! “Amadeo!”
“I said we’ll take it. If it should make my wife happy, we’ll take it and be in come Monday morning.”
My jaw dropped. It was Saturday evening. That gave us less than a day to collect our belongings and whatever we’d like to take from Trinity Gate and bring them here. Not to mention we had yet to speak to the coven about moving, it wasn’t as if we were just around the corner. The man stuttered. “Of course, Mr Aveyard. Let … Let me get the paper work together.”
  He left us with his head down, eyes on his clipboard and made way to the kitchen area, at the same time my husband turned in his smart leather black shoes to stand directly in front of me, both his masculine hands with long fingers lifting to cup either side of my jaw. “Welcome home, my Lenora.”
“Amadeo… Three million dollars?”
“And I’d pay so much more if it would make you happy.” A kiss to my forehead.
Lifting my hands to wrap my fingers around both his wrists, gently I shook my head back and forth. “Your money doesn’t buy my happiness. I’m happy with you no matter here we are.”
“But being here will help?” His brows rose, he was being cheeky to me. His tone said so, that glint in his eyes. “Here can be the new start to our forever, Lenora. Where together we’ll make children, listen to them play around our feet and watch them grow into beautiful people of their own. And all of that before we watch them with their own children, before we watch their children and so on.” I opened my mouth to speak, maybe I was to object, but I didn’t get the chance. “I don’t ever wish to buy your happiness. But if buying a family home helps, I would give my very last cent to make it happen.” My heart flipped. Still with his hands at my jaw he leant down to brush his lips against my own in a light peck, something he did often when in company. “I have papers to sign.”
And he was gone.