SEVENTEEN

"Are you cold?" I shook my head but Ruby didn't believe me and took her scarf off putting it around my neck carefully while I was watching Terra, concerned. The vampire was standing alone few steps away from us staring at the old bridge made of golden coloured stone with the hands in the hoodie pockets while the sun went down and an icy wind whipped the plateau, her dark locks of hair, softer than silk, danced on her forehead. In the background, the small village and the church bell tower stood out against a hill but nothing remained of her father's old castle except for an inscription on a wall honouring the Count of Castile, the lord who died in a cruel battle defending this land.

"Is she all right?" I whispered and Ruby shrugged, shaking her head.

"I don't know, babe, she's shutting us out of her mind deliberately..." Her arm enclosed my waist protectively while I frowned with my eyes fixed on Terra.

"I feel sick..." I clenched my jaw trying to take a deep breath.

"I know, my sister has cut the connection of our bond temporarily to hide her feelings and that makes us feel lost and physically sick, I may be a powerful vampire but also feel weak now..." Terra turned her head suddenly staring at us with her eyes wide open like she'd woke up from a trance and ran towards us so fast that her body was a blur. She put her arm on Ruby's shoulders and her cold nose grazed my cheek when she kissed me, all the love and concern she felt for us started to flow again through our bond and I felt so relieved knowing that she was back that my legs shook and Ruby held me tighter to stop me from falling on the ground.

"I'm sorry," the beautiful blue-eyed vampire grimaced. "I never meant to hurt you..."

"It's okay, Terra," her sister cut her off abruptly. "Everyone has the right to have some privacy, you needed some time on your own..."

"What about me? I don't know how to turn the switch of our bond off, you're always prying into my head... It's unfair." I complained and they chuckled, lightening the mood finally.

"You'll learn how to do it when you turn into a vampire, don't worry..." Terra sighed relieved, hugging us while looking back over her shoulder. "I recognize the bridge, the smell of wild thyme and some landmarks in the landscape around but nothing else... The world has changed these past centuries and I don't feel bound to this place, it's not my home anymore and there's nothing here for me. Shall we go now?"

"I'm so sorry, baby, I shouldn't insist on coming here." I bit my lower lip feeling guilty while we walked towards the car.

"It's all right, I don't regret coming here today and living this experience even if it was sad... I've understood that you both are my home, Ruby and you, and everything will be all right as long as we're together... You know, feelings flowing through this bond are a bit overwhelming sometimes..."

"No shit, seriously?" I rolled my eyes hard while flopping down on the backseat and Terra laughed amused sitting behind the wheel, Ruby turned the heating on and we headed north while I got relaxed finally, taking the scarf off.

Travelling with vampires is a stressful experience but great fun at the same time. There are times when you feel like a Cold War spy since they can manipulate human minds, forcing them to forget their faces, but they can't delete footage from surveillance cameras immediately, so the vampires walk stuck to walls, hiding in the corners, with hoods over their heads trying to hide their faces. Ruby sneaked into the security control room to put in the officers' mind the idea that nothing was wrong about us while Terra smoked a cigarette watching our suitcases like a hawk and ignoring the no-smoking sign that was hanging on a wall behind her. Of course, no one said a word or arrested her.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we rent a private jet, travelling alone?" I asked puzzled.

"No, I don't think so, there's lot of paperwork to fill out and they check every corner of your luggage in case you're a drug lord with a fake passport... We are not, but our papers are forged, obviously, so we better get mixed with the chaos caused by all these passengers." Ruby grimaced and held my hand, dragging me to the boarding gate.

Once inside the plane, things got easier: first class seats, big and comfortable, food and drinks served by kind flight attendants... Till I looked at their faces and realized that their pupils were so blown they seemed to be high on drugs and understood my girls were controlling their minds along with the passengers' brains too. It was a smooth and nice flight, basically because everybody remained silent in a trance. They all ignored my vampires' peculiarities like, for example, their insistence on keeping all the blinds down to hide from the sun's rays.

"This wasn't necessary," I growled angrily while Terra put our heavy bags in the trunk of the taxi as if they were lighter than a feather. "We could've taken a connecting flight and travel to Spain directly."

"But it'd be exhausting and we want you to feel comfortable. We can afford staying one day in NY, sleep, grab a bite and come back to the airport later tonight." Ruby answered before telling the driver the name of our hotel.

"Seriously? The Four Seasons? For God's sake, if we're going to stay only one day in the city we could've booked a room in a normal hotel closer to the airport..."

"First of all, my girls will never sleep in a 'normal' hotel if I have anything to say about it," Terra cradled my face, looking right into my eyes and speaking slowly while the driver turned the engine on ignoring us. "And secondly, we could've gone to a safe house run by one of our people, you know how it works... I don't think you'd feel happy surrounded by unknown vampires..." I couldn't help but shudder with apprehension thinking of a NY apartment full of bloodsuckers watching me with curiosity and I gave up, doing what they wanted.

Ruby sighed excitedly walking into the hotel lobby, walls were covered in golden coloured French limestone and vases full of white flowers were scattered around, and accepted enthusiastically my suggestion to have dinner in the restaurant famous for having real trees growing inside, while Terra ignored the fancy decoration and managed to get everything she wanted from the front desk guy: the best suit, the best views over Central Park, a beautiful terrace to have breakfast, fresh fruit always ready, a bottle of champagne...

"This is obscenely ridiculous..." I mumbled flopping down on the velvet couch of our room staring at the grand piano in shock.

"This will be your life from now on, you better get used to it..." Terra replied amused while taking our suitcases and bags to the massive bedroom. Despite the hotel manager offered us a butler to unpack our stuff, that was the only service she turned down because she didn't want a stranger touching our clothes.

The flight to Spain was more or less the same, smooth and without incident, while everybody around us behaved like well-trained zombies. And once again, we stayed in the royal suite of Madrid's Palace Hotel for one day in order to rest, I tried the big black marble bathtub with Ruby while Terra was in charge of renting a comfortable and fancy BMW car... They managed pretty well booking suites in hotels and renting high-end cars for a couple of vampires who took great pride in having little contact with humans for centuries, manipulating minds easily so they all forgot our faces immediately... I was meant to do all those things for them, I'd been hired to do that, supposedly... I wondered if Aren would do the same for Vera one week later and couldn't help chuckling picturing my friend's shocked face in a fancy suite full of flowers while a blond Viking manipulated the butler's mind to make some fruit smoothies.

"What's so funny?" Ruby turned her head to look at me from the passenger's seat and I winked at her.

"Life with two stunning vampires..."

"Oh that... Life with a stunning human girl isn't bad, either..."

*****

It was raining in my hometown, as usual, but we were comfortably accommodated in a small and centrally located apartment that I rented after fighting for a while. It wasn't easy to force Terra to admit that I knew this region better and must be in charge of finding accommodation, organizing tourist visits and deciding how and when they were going to meet my family... The vampire liked having control over everything and she must learn to relax a little. I could've booked a suite in the best hotel in the city, a beautiful 200 years old building Ruby would love, but the apartment allowed us to have more privacy. I intended to spend the least amount of time possible in Spain, I couldn't wait to see my family and hug my nephews but, on the other hand, I was very nervous because I had to lie about my relationship with my two beautiful bosses and my anxiety was skyrocketing, the vampires were really worried about me and I feared they'd try to mess with my mind without my permission to calm me down.

At least, there was a good thing: I was born in one part of the world where the sky was always cloudy and that would allow my girls to go out earlier than they were used to do in LA. I took them out to lunch and we walked through the city visiting some popular monuments, Terra enjoyed taking some pictures and I guided Ruby to a very lively shopping street where she could set her credit card on fire while her sister stared at a library window with sparkling eyes. It was cold on the promenade while the sun went down on the horizon but I was warm wrapped up in Ruby's scarf, carrying some shopping bags and talking with my girls about going out for dinner or ordering some take out to eat in the apartment.

"Iselen, is that you? I thought you were living abroad..."

"Maria... Hello... Yes, I... live in Los Angeles and I'm on vacation here..." The pretty girl with long brown hair smiled at me and, suddenly, I remembered why I'd fallen in love with her. She looked sweet and fragile, like Jane Birkin back in the 70s, she wore jeans and boho shirts and had the same bangs falling on her forehead, freckles on her cheeks, her smile... Too bad she was a bitch and her soul darker than coal. She was a two-faced person and, even if she looked like a goody-goody, she didn't behave like one at all... although she managed to fool me for a few years. She'd been my only serious girlfriend, the only long-term stable relationship that ended pretty bad, the only person I'd ever lived with apart from my vampires... Two supernatural bloodsuckers with unimaginable powers who were staring at my ex-girlfriend with hostility. I swallowed hard, worried, but Maria didn't seem to notice the big trouble she was in.

"You look great... are you going to stay for a while?" she asked with curiosity keeping her dark eyes fixed on my face.

"No, I'm going to south Italy..." I whispered nervously when Terra moved closer to me.

"Wow, from LA to Italy... You're doing very good, I ran into your cousin and she told me you'd quitted you job in a supermarket to become the personal assistant of two richies from Beverly Hills... How lucky..." Maria shut her mouth finally when she realized that a beautiful woman with blue eyes, flawless facial structure and fabulous tattoos put her arm over my shoulders and kissed my cheek deliberately slowly, smiling cockily. Terra dropped her fag-end on the ground and looked at my ex-girlfriend from head to toe, checking her out quietly before clicking her tongue with disdain.

"My love... I'm hungry, shall we go?" Ruby let our bags fall on the ground to be able to hug my waist, they landed at my feet loudly grabbing Maria's attention: she couldn't help noticing the names of the luxury brands standing out in every colour of the rainbow. The vampire brushed my lips with hers and my ex-girlfriend raised her eyebrows in shock while Ruby's green eyes got fixed on her face, sparkling mischievously. I understood that she was seeing them, they weren't manipulating her human mind and the girl was really seeing them: impossibly beautiful and arrogant, fascinating and sensual, smart and sophisticated, perfect, hugging me and making clear that I belonged to them.

"Iselen?" My ex-girlfriend asked puzzled, blinking dazed by the vampire charm. I knew that feeling very well, I remembered the first time I saw them and the way my mouth fell open despite I was able to recognize the danger too. I wondered if Maria could feel it or she was a docile victim like most humans were, they were unable to see what was behind the extraordinary beauty of those lethal creatures.

"I want you to meet... These are my... eh... partners." I hesitated choosing the word because I should've said 'the love of my existence' but didn't want to sound too dramatic.

"Both?" I nodded, clearing my throat, feeling awkward because Ruby had shoved her hand in my jeans back pocket and was groping my ass shamelessly while Terra kept her disdainful attitude except when she turned her head to nibble at my neck skin. "Wow, this is... To be honest I always believed you were a prude, who would've thought you...?"

"Please, stop it..." I cut her off trying to hold my tears back but I wasn't talking to Maria, my eyes were fixed on Terra's face. "Please, I'm not comfortable with this situation..." The vampire nodded reluctantly and pulled away slightly, Ruby bent down to grab the shopping bags while I watched Maria's pupils dilating: she stared at me with a blank look, said goodbye kindly like nothing weird was happening, turned around and left... I guessed she was going to forget everything about our encounter a minute later. I turned around too heading to our rented apartment feeling more and more furious while the vampires followed me quietly.

"Maybe we could order some pizzas?" Terra suggested walking in the living room and reminding me subtly that we skipped dinner.

"That was unnecessary, you didn't need to do that..." I pointed at the door, angrily. "I'm not a bone and you aren't dogs fighting for me..." The blue-eyed vampire moved one step closer to me, staring at me deadly serious.

"Would you rather I killed her?" I shook my head in disbelief stepping back at the same time but she followed my movements. "I'm not human, Iselen, don't expect a rational behaviour from me... I'm an animal acting on instinct and that bitch was a threat to our relationship... She's lucky to be alive."

"What are you talking about? She's not a threat, I broke up with her long time ago..."

"She wanted you back in her bed, at least for a while... it was the first thing that crossed her mind when she saw you." Ruby explained calmer than her sister although I could feel the tension in her muscles when she got closer to me. "It was before she noticed we were with you... I hate that bitch, you have no idea how many times she lied to you and cheated on you, everything was inside her brain and was disgusting... I strongly believe Terra should go and find her to give her a good scare, at least, she deserves that..."

"Stop it! Have you gone mad? I know she lied to me, that's why I broke up with her and forgot about her... She's not part of my life anymore..."

"What would you feel if I'd introduce you to one of my ex-lovers all of a sudden?" Ruby asked me harshly and I blinked shocked, she never talked to me like that.

"It'd be disgusting, basically because they've been dead for centuries..."

"Oh, babe..." The beautiful vampire smiled mockingly and leaned her tattooed hand on my cheek. "Terra and I have lived through long and boring years... do you really think we haven't tried a threesome before? Vampires are pretty and sensual, we meet them in parties that Marcus likes to organize from time to time and it's so easy to feel tempted... do you want to meet one of them?"

I jumped over Ruby growling furiously, kissing her with passion, shoving my tongue inside her mouth and she allowed me to do it, despite she was way stronger than me she fell back on the couch and kissed me in response, her tongue swirling around mine almost violently till she managed to tear a moan from my throat and I pulled away to be able to take a deep breath. I punched her shoulder hard with my clenched fist and tried to pull away abruptly but I fell on Terra's arms, she was waiting still behind me.

"Being possessive is part of the bond," she explained while hugging me tighter. "You belong to us, amor, and we can share your time and attention with friends and family members but concerning other women, girls who would love to jump in your bed... I'm sorry, I'm afraid that's a line we aren't willing to cross. If Maria gets closer to you again, I'll break her neck."

"Don't you trust me?" I asked with my eyes full of tears. "Do you think I'd accept her advances, that I'd cheat on you?"

"I don't trust her, I trust no bitch when they're close to you, actually..." Terra shook her head and sighed wearily. "We love you, baby, and we know you'd never do anything that could harm this relationship but we can't help it... We aren't human."

"Okay, all right..." I stepped back and the vampire let me go even if she didn't look happy. Terra crossed her arms over her chest and Ruby sat down on the couch behind me, pursing her lips. "I understand that possessiveness and jealousy are a peculiarity of your race but I hope you trust me..." Both vampires nodded firmly. "Maria means nothing to me, she's part of my past, we'll go to Italy in a few days and I won't see her again but in the meantime, please, don't hurt her... She's stupid and that's enough punishment, believe me..." Ruby snorted from the couch and her sister nodded reluctantly. "I'll order some pizzas... And you..." I pointed at the vampire with green eyes and she looked back at me cautiously. "Don't you dare to talk to me about your ex-lovers like that again... or I won't let you sit down on my face for a month, am I clear?"

"I'm sorry, my love, it won't happen again..." Ruby rushed to swear while her sister chuckled behind me.