Eighteen Summers by Jessie M Page A

research.”
    “ I didn't know you wrote books.”
    “ I don't. Not yet in any case. I am working on my family history. That is all.”
    “ Your history interests me. Maybe you can tell me about it sometime, your parents and your previous life.”
    “ My Lady, you will know all about it soon. When we mate and have our legal union, we can fill in all the blanks, can't we?”
    We arrive at his level and he opens the door, ushering me in. A bottle of wine and two glasses sit on a polished silver tray on the round table by the door. Behind that is a large vase full of pure white Calla lilies amongst a swirl of artistic greenery. My Lord has beautiful taste in flowers, if nothing else. He pours us each a glass of wine and puts it in my hand, then clinks his glass against mine.
    “To us, dear Calista.”
    “ Yes, to us,” I reply with a forced smile.
    “ Come, let's sit and drink together.” He leads me over to his enormous black sofa and pats the seat next to him. I sit down stiff backed and uncomfortable being so close to him. “Would you like to play a game today?”
    “ I like Monopoly or chess.” I know I'm being stupidly innocent. He obviously doesn't want to play that type of game with me.
    “ I like to play chess too. I have spent a lot of time mastering it. But perhaps some other time, I would like to play a different type of game today.” His mouth curls up in a wicked smile.
    “ Like what?” I am feeling alarmed but desperately trying to keep any trace of it from my voice.
    “ A game of hide and seek. You can hide and I will seek you.”
    “ That's a child's game,” I laugh nervously at his suggestion.
    “ Not the way I like to play it. I shall be blindfolded and we shall play in the dark. I can hunt you by scent alone.”
    “ I don't think my sense of smell is that good yet.”
    “ That is why you must hide and I will seek. We will play our game downstairs in my wine cellars. There are some good places for you to hide, and it is more, shall we say, 'atmospheric',” He chuckles demonically and I can't help gulping loudly. “Let us finish our drinks and we can begin.” He downs his wine quickly and turns towards me expectantly. I am more than alarmed right now. I am pretty sure what he wants to get me down there for ultimately, and it's not a game of hide and seek.
    “ I don't like the dark, or spiders and cobwebs. Can't we play it in here?” I suggest hopefully, desperately.
    “ Calista! You are a vampire. You simply cannot be frightened of such things. It is laughable. Now come along. I am getting most impatient to start our game.” I don't want to defy him. I need to keep on the level, and as normal as I can be. I'll be out of here in a few days. Perhaps I can play along and hope he has a light session of torture in mind. I finish my wine with reluctance, stand and we leave, making our way down the curving stone steps in the corner of his room to his cellars. He stands at the bottom of the steps, barring my escape route. He puts a blindfold on himself, tying it neatly behind his head. “I shall count to thirty. Off you go. And do try to make it challenging for me.”
    I walk through the arch and into the cellar. It is a large room, well lit, and there is another room beyond it, which I enter. There are racks and racks of bottles. It appears My Lord's cellar is very well stocked. I look at the ceilings in both. No sign of hooks or ropes. No torture benches in sight. I relax a little in the knowledge that I might not be in immediate danger and look for somewhere to hide. I find a small, tightly angled corner, behind a low rack of wine and crouch in it silently. The lights suddenly switch off and Raffaele announces his seeking has begun. My eyes have adjusted to the pitch dark very quickly.
    My heart pounds madly. I can't see him yet but I can hear the swish of his robes as he moves rapidly around the rooms, trying to find my scent. All too soon he arrives at my hiding place.
    “ Aha, there