proud, but was strained.
“Hey, look,” I said excitedly as I came to the thermostat. “Electronic thermostats. My heating problems should be over.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Thanks for helping me bring my stuff from your place.”
“It’s the least I can do.” He seemed uncomfortable and unhappy.
I’d not seen much of him since moving to the hotel and the few times I did run into him, he seemed distant, almost cold.
Was the fact that I might never marry him finally sinking in? And did he resent me for it?
“I’ll make sure your old apartment is completely empty. All your stuff should be here tomorrow at the latest.”
I nodded and an awkward silence hung over us.
“I have something to ask you, Aaron.”
His eyes lit up, making the question I had for him all the more difficult to ask. He seemed so hopeful and I knew my question would only bring him down again.
“There was a ring back in my apartment the other day.”
He stared blankly at me.
“It was Kristine’s ring. What was it doing there, Aaron?
“I probably set it on the counter when I went around your place checking the thermostats. Why is that such a problem? I simply forgot it.”
“It wasn’t on the counter, Aaron. It was in a drawer.”
“Annette, I don’t know what you're implying, but it’s probably just a simple matter of the super finding the ring and putting it in a safe place.”
I opened the box of dishes and started pulling the plates out then set them down on the counter. “Do you know the significance of the ring?” I turned to him.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s an Aragon ring, right?”
“Or course.”
I leaned my elbow over the dishes in the box and tapped my fingers impatiently along the edge of the flap.
“It was the one Martin wore,” Aaron went on.
“Who’s Martin?” I pushed the box back and leaned against the counter, my full attention on his every word.
“Eric’s father, Martin Aragon. I think sometime, way back then, Kristine found the ring and gave it to Eric. With Kristine being a gypsy like Martin’s mother… who knows what spell she cursed that ring with?”
“The curse of immortality,” I said with a skeptical grimace. “You know I went through her journals more than once and there’s no mention of Eric’s immortality. I looked for clues, or hidden meanings and there was nothing. But why would she curse the ring? Just to torture him eternally?ure him B
Aaron shook his head and pressed his lips together. I could see he was unhappy talking about Eric, but was graciously trying to get through it. “I don’t think Kristine would have wanted to put such a thing in writing, even in something as personal and intimate as a journal. No gypsy wants to have a written record of their practices.”
“Then how am I ever going to find out what happened to Eric and why?”
Aaron shrugged, not quite able to hide just how little he cared about Eric and his circumstance.
Chap t er 13
“ H ow’s the new apartment?” Eric asked as I took off my coat and draped it on the back of the sofa in his living room.
I could see he was still unhappy with my rejection of his hospitality. “It’s very nice,” I said, understating just how much I really loved it. “At least it’s warm.”
He pressed a tight grin and reached for the music sheets to Rupert’s The Traitor .
“How do you like the opera?” I asked.
I thought I detected a tightening in his shoulders as he turned to lead me to the piano, but he simply said, “Not sure yet.”
We reached the music room and settled in to begin a song.
Eric pounded out the sole, sharp bass note that introduced the dark love so ng.
“He’s after my heart,” I sang. “This demon with lust in his eyes. Though I know that we must part. He keeps my love for all times.”
The melody was disturbing, filling my heart with the pain the lovers felt for one another almost as much as the words
“Hey, look,” I said excitedly as I came to the thermostat. “Electronic thermostats. My heating problems should be over.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Thanks for helping me bring my stuff from your place.”
“It’s the least I can do.” He seemed uncomfortable and unhappy.
I’d not seen much of him since moving to the hotel and the few times I did run into him, he seemed distant, almost cold.
Was the fact that I might never marry him finally sinking in? And did he resent me for it?
“I’ll make sure your old apartment is completely empty. All your stuff should be here tomorrow at the latest.”
I nodded and an awkward silence hung over us.
“I have something to ask you, Aaron.”
His eyes lit up, making the question I had for him all the more difficult to ask. He seemed so hopeful and I knew my question would only bring him down again.
“There was a ring back in my apartment the other day.”
He stared blankly at me.
“It was Kristine’s ring. What was it doing there, Aaron?
“I probably set it on the counter when I went around your place checking the thermostats. Why is that such a problem? I simply forgot it.”
“It wasn’t on the counter, Aaron. It was in a drawer.”
“Annette, I don’t know what you're implying, but it’s probably just a simple matter of the super finding the ring and putting it in a safe place.”
I opened the box of dishes and started pulling the plates out then set them down on the counter. “Do you know the significance of the ring?” I turned to him.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s an Aragon ring, right?”
“Or course.”
I leaned my elbow over the dishes in the box and tapped my fingers impatiently along the edge of the flap.
“It was the one Martin wore,” Aaron went on.
“Who’s Martin?” I pushed the box back and leaned against the counter, my full attention on his every word.
“Eric’s father, Martin Aragon. I think sometime, way back then, Kristine found the ring and gave it to Eric. With Kristine being a gypsy like Martin’s mother… who knows what spell she cursed that ring with?”
“The curse of immortality,” I said with a skeptical grimace. “You know I went through her journals more than once and there’s no mention of Eric’s immortality. I looked for clues, or hidden meanings and there was nothing. But why would she curse the ring? Just to torture him eternally?ure him B
Aaron shook his head and pressed his lips together. I could see he was unhappy talking about Eric, but was graciously trying to get through it. “I don’t think Kristine would have wanted to put such a thing in writing, even in something as personal and intimate as a journal. No gypsy wants to have a written record of their practices.”
“Then how am I ever going to find out what happened to Eric and why?”
Aaron shrugged, not quite able to hide just how little he cared about Eric and his circumstance.
Chap t er 13
“ H ow’s the new apartment?” Eric asked as I took off my coat and draped it on the back of the sofa in his living room.
I could see he was still unhappy with my rejection of his hospitality. “It’s very nice,” I said, understating just how much I really loved it. “At least it’s warm.”
He pressed a tight grin and reached for the music sheets to Rupert’s The Traitor .
“How do you like the opera?” I asked.
I thought I detected a tightening in his shoulders as he turned to lead me to the piano, but he simply said, “Not sure yet.”
We reached the music room and settled in to begin a song.
Eric pounded out the sole, sharp bass note that introduced the dark love so ng.
“He’s after my heart,” I sang. “This demon with lust in his eyes. Though I know that we must part. He keeps my love for all times.”
The melody was disturbing, filling my heart with the pain the lovers felt for one another almost as much as the words
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