Faustine's Eve (A Vampire Story) - Chapter 11

After several moments Eve broke the mutual gaze between herself and Faust to shift her eyes around the room to meet the numerous interested stares of others. Was she that interesting to them? She was curious. Stepping forward Faust took her hand in his and pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "You look lovely." The sensation of his soft breath on her ear gave her the chills. Holding onto her hand he began to walk away and lead her with him. The enticing sound of the piano came to an abrupt stop.

"Faust?" An appealing voice gracefully floated from the direction of alabaster piano and entwined them both. She and Faust stopped and turned around to be greeted by a tall and gorgeous woman who stood out like beacon in a clingy red dress against the white room. Narrowing her eyes a little Eve recognized the copper redheaded goddess. She was the woman who was in the photo. Eve was at a loss for words.

"It's been a long time. How are you?" Her voice didn't just flow, it sauntered.

"It's been awhile Kanon." Faust spoke and this caused Eve to freeze. So many questions and thoughts flooded into her mind that she couldn't understand even half of them. This is Kanon? She was dumbstruck that she didn't even recognize her from the photo in Faust's letters before. But then again, she looked so much different. She was still alive back then after all. She had a calm coolness to her that reminded her of Faust in some ways. Shaking her head a little she did not like the idea of Kanon and Faust sharing any traits. This was the woman who Faust gave his life for? With that thought a stinging sensation pierced her heart and it twisted itself in deep.

Interrupting Kanon's next words Faust spoke, "This is Eve." The sound of her named caused her to stumble out of her own world and look at Kanon. Looking into her eyes, and past their azure sea of blue, she saw nothing but a black void. There was nothing behind them. What did that mean? Even in Faust's eyes she could see some sort of light. She wondered about this. The perception she had of the woman in the photo and the one standing right in front of her were much different. The woman in the photo had a kindhearted and alluring feeling to her but the woman standing in front of her felt cynical and empty.

"Eve? Is she one of your donors?" Kanon asked but before either of them could answer she continued, "It's rather sweet of you to reward her for her services." Both Faust and Eve knew that Kanon was referring to Eve being at the party with him tonight.

Eve picked up on the fact that when Kanon spoke about her, she spoke to Faust and not to her herself. The way the woman paused to choose the word sweet, which Eve felt was a euphemism for charitable to her, rubbed her entirely the wrong way. She thought that she would have never of guessed that the beautiful woman in the photo was this irritating. Although Kanon was subtly rude, she and Eve were both women and this made it easy to pick up on these little nuances in the words.

"I didn't know that you were in town." Faust said with a questioning yet disinterested tone in his voice.

"I just got back from Munich." Kanon replied. Eve's eyes roamed to Faust's as she noticed a small flicker behind his eyes. Referring to Munich struck a nerve in Eve because she felt as if Kanon was bringing up the memory of that place and everything that happened there to stir up some old emotions with him. But why? What did she want from him now? She had been away from him for so long. What was with the sudden interest now? Eve was dying to know as these questions spun in her head.

Unconsciously she tightened her grip on Faust in a protective way. Despite the fact that Eve didn't know the woman personally, she did know that whatever Kanon was plotting was not going to happen.

Looking down to his right arm around Eve, he looked back up to Kanon and said, "well, if you'll excuse us we need to get going." Eve looked up to Faust with a sense of relief as she just wanted to get away from the woman already.

Although Faust may not have caught it, Eve could see a small budding look of irritation in Kanon's eyes.

"You're leaving so soon?" Kanon pouted. The look on her face made Eve want to roll her eyes without even the slightest worry if she saw her or not. It didn't matter if she was a dangerous predator or not because she had enough of her to last a few lifetimes.

"Well, if you're still around later you should come and watch the auction. I'm hosting it and there are a lot of rare items that may interest you." She smirked.

"Well, thank you for the invite but we better get going." Eve pushed. Even she was surprised at her boldness in that moment. Kanon's eyes finally met hers for the first time since the conversation started. Her eyes were still and frozen as if she was asking Eve who she thought she was.

As Faust and Eve turned around they disappeared into the next room and he pulled her just a little bit closer to him. Now inside the foyer again, Faust spotted the door to the patio open and led her outside.

From the patio all the mingled conversations of the party now sounded muffled and dull. It was a relief for both of them to have a little quiet. With her back leaning against the wrought iron gate of the patio she noticed climbing vines weaving and snaking their way in between the gate's grooves. The garden that surrounded the patio was lovely with its flowering Empress trees. Not knowing what to say she knew that now was the perfect opportunity to ask him about Kanon especially after what had just happened. In fact, it would be abnormal of her not to ask she thought.

Faust joined her and leaned against the gate of the patio as well. In the moonlight, his fair hair glowed to a silver ash color that set off his blue eyes. He already looked so cold just like marble but, in that moment, she had to resist the urge to reach out and offer to warm him up.

He looked like a beautiful figment of her imagination that she would miss if it were not there. If he wasn't real then she never wanted to stop hallucinating. When did she fall for him? She wanted to know. What was it about him? She asked herself.

"I'm sorry about Kanon." Faust apologized. Eve wondered if this may be her chance to ask about her.

"So, who is she?" Her eyes remained unmoving as they were fixated on him.

"She's someone I knew a very long time ago. She isn't anyone to worry about." He replied without going into any details. She wanted to know if he was telling her not to worry because he sensed the tension between her and Kanon. Unsure if she should ask should ask more questions, she was worried about pushing him away if she seemed too nosy so she let it go for now.

With his eyes closed and soaking up the moonlight as if it were the sun, he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at her.

"You know, I was really surprised when I saw you. I'll have to tell Giselle nice job next time I see her." He said as the corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk. His words caught her off guard a little because he was always so calm and composed. She liked seeing this relaxed side to him.

The moonlight casting itself down onto her exposed skin caused it to glow and highlight every aspect of her youth. After a few moments she noticed that his eyes were not moving from her. Eve felt herself begin to feel a little warm despite the refreshing breeze touching her skin. Closing her eyes a little she let her head lean against his shoulder.

Faust slid his arm slide further across the railing until her back was braced against him. Utterly content she smiled and stared down at their feet. The scent of his skin wrapped itself around her and clouded her head. They stayed like this for a couple of minutes before moving back inside.

For the rest of the night all Eve's worries were washed away in a sea of champagne and being close to Faust. They drank, danced, and watched everyone go by.

From across the room their time was interrupted by the call for the auction in the foyer and the crowd swept like an ocean wave toward the attraction. Kanon's siren like voice lured everyone in the room toward the auction like ships of sailors to their deaths. Although she didn't like her, Eve had to admit that Kanon possessed a certain unmatchable charisma.

"So, what's the auction for?" Eve asked.

"It's the same as any other auction. But the stuff being auctioned off here comes from all over the world and there are some very exotic things that can be bought here." He explained.

"Are you selling anything?" She wanted to know.

"No. Not tonight." He smiled. She knew that he dealt with imports along with Marcello and wondered why he wasn't selling anything tonight. The auction was full of rare things from every corner of the world.

Eve's favorite item of the night was a pair of fertility statues that came all the way from Nairobi. Faust was amused by the child like wonder expressed at seeing new and different things. The crowd was like a clutter of white auction paddles rising and crashing down that resembled foam on ocean waves. Not a thing was left unsold, not even a set of ivory chopsticks from the most northern region of Hokkaido.

When she thought about it the way these creatures acted was similarly close to the way the living acted. Flaunting wealth and stature had the same appeal amongst these creatures, maybe even more so, than it did to her kind. The next item to be sold sat on an easel and was draped with a red velvet cloth trimmed in gold.

"Next, we have a gorgeous painting that was done by my very own apprentice." If it were possible, Eve would have sworn that Kanon was beaming with pride for another person. A man walked up to the small stage and stood beside Kanon. Eve's face contorted in shock as that man was Ash. It was the very same Ash that she modeled for and that bit her. How was this possible and why?! She thought. Was Ash her donor? Like a freight train the memory of Ash's studio and the painting she was mesmerized by forced its way out from the back of her memory. That was Kanon in the painting she thought and then it all made sense to her.

Ash did the honor of unveiling his painting. A choir of whispers and praise filled the room and suffocated the air. Eve stood in utter shock at what she saw. That was her in the painting that she modeled for. Faust raised an eyebrow and looked at Eve. She didn't know what to say. The painting positively radiated a tranquil beauty. There she sat on canvas, bare, and for all to see. Eve's eyes met Kanon's and Kanon grinned at her. She knew about this didn't she? Eve said in her head. What was she trying to do? Eve wanted to know. Standing in the middle of the crowd she was met by more than just a few heads next to her turning to look at her when she was recognized. Sooner than she could realize bidding paddles shot in the air and the auction began.

"$3,000!" Kanon shouted. The price was met by numerous paddles bids.

"$4,000!" Kanon kept rambling off numbers by the thousands and so on.

"$10,000!" Kanon almost seemed surprised herself that the painting of Eve could be sold for over $10,000. None of Ash's paintings ever broke $10,000 which was good considering that he didn't have a professional reputation yet. By the current bid of $10,000 fewer paddles were raised.

"$15,000." A voice in the right corner of the room bid. Glancing over to the bidder his newly familiar blue eyes caught her off guard. The man who approached her earlier and offered to help her find Faust seemed unwavering in his decision to buy the painting.

"$15,000! Do I hear $17,000?!" Kanon bellowed out. Her call was met with the sound of mumbled conversations as others commented to one another on the bid. It seemed hopeless Eve thought.

"$20,000." Faust called out. Eve looked up to him and her eyes could see his determination.

"$25,000." The man's voice called out. The two men turned to look at each other and the whispers in the crowd continued. Normally this auction was something of a sport for this particular community of creatures but it had suddenly turned serious.

"$30,000." Faust bid. Kanon's eyes looked to Faust in disbelief that he was willing to buy a painting for so much just because of who it was of. Eve began to think that this was far too much for a painting regardless of what was on it. She grasped her hand around his wrist that held the paddle. Looking at her by his side his eyes showed stubbornness that she knew she couldn't compete with.

"It's too much. It's just a painting." She reasoned.

"He's the one who bit you isn't he?" He spoke as he motioned to Ash on stage. Eve knew that his intentions to buy the painting went further than it just being a painting of her. She knew he was wealthy but had no idea how wealthy he was. The blue-eyed stranger was about to raise his paddle for a counter bid when Faust intervened.

"$40,000." He bid. Kanon looked at Faust in disbelief. Nothing had ever been sold at such a high price at these yearly auctions. The other man looked to Faust then nodded with a smile to acknowledge that he was outbid.

"$40,000 going once! Going twice!" Kanon paused for a moment, "Sold for $40,000..." She trailed off. The whispers in the room grew louder as everyone's attention was focused on them. If she didn't know any better, she could have sword that some of the women were smiling at her in a complimentary way because it was now obvious that she was well cared for by Faust.

Eve swallowed hard and couldn't believe that he had just spent $40,000 on that painting. When she added it up she figured that it would take her three or four years to make that much. With a smile Ash grabbed his highest sold work and came down from the stage with Kanon trailing after him. They were greeted with cold looks from both Faust and Eve that were mainly directed toward Ash. With a self-satisfied grin he handed the painting to Faust and said, "Thank you and I hope you enjoy it."

She didn't notice it while he was on stage but, Ash sported a black eye. With the way he was presenting himself as a humble artist right now she would never have guessed that he would attack someone. And for just blood. Seeing Eve notice his bruises coaxed him into speaking his mind.

"I misjudged you. But it was worth it to capture such an amazing image for my work." Eve furrowed her brow a little because she wasn't sure if she should feel complimented or insulted. Feeling a tinge of pain at her neck she gently pressed her fingers to the spot. Looking at his face again she wondered if that was what she had done to him after she blacked out.

"Congratulations on being the highest bidder ever at our yearly auction." Kanon complimented.

"This is Ash. He's truly a prodigy." She said as she placed a lily-white hand on her donor's shoulder introducing him with such pride as if she were a mother and he was an honor student. Eve thought that perhaps Kanon chose Ash because he catered to her vanity.

"I'd love for you to model for me again." Ash interjected. Taking a step forward Faust gave a warning to both Kanon and Ash.

"I suggest that you keep him under control or else." In saying this Faust's face was stoic.

Raising a perfectly arched brow Kanon replied, "Wait, are you threatening me?"
Taking a step closer to her Faust replied, "I'm not threatening you. I'm promising you."

"I have no idea what he could have done to upset you." Looking to Kanon she almost seemed sincere and in her words. She wondered if it was possible that she really had no idea about what happened at Ash's studio. But how could she not? Undoubtedly she knew what Renfield's syndrome meant.

"I'm sorry if there were some problems caused by her modeling for him." Eve quickly picked up on Kanon trying to shift the blame onto her.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Eve had enough. Immediately Kanon shot her a threatening look which she tried to recover with a knowing smile.

"I'm warning you." Faust said to them as he put his arm around Eve so they could leave. As they walked out Eve caught a glimpse of Kanon from the corner of her eye smiling.

The ride home was awkward to say the least. The painting was visible from between the two front seats where she and Faust sat. The silence was almost deafening to her but when she thought back to how he defended her to Kanon she smiled and was content enough to sit quietly till they arrived home.

Once they got home Faust set the painting down against a wall and stood back to take a good look at it. Now that Eve thought about it he didn't really see it up close after he bought it. Thinking back to the $40,000 he just spent on it made her uneasy.

"I'm going to hang it." With his hand on his face resting his chin between his thumb and index finger he finally broke the silence.

"Wait, what?" Not quite sure if she heard him right.

"I want to hang it up." He insisted. He couldn't be serious, could he? Eve thought.

"Uh, no." Shaking her head in protest.

"I think it would look nice. I don't throw huge parties here or anything so there isn't a reason for you to be embarrassed." He grinned. Eve stepped in front of the painting and put her arms out because there was no way she was going to let him hang it up. Moving toward her, Eve backed up against the wall. Faust immediately boxed her in by putting his hands on the wall and leaned in close to her ear.

"No one will see it, but me." His whisper invaded her ear and interlaced itself with the quickening beat of her heart. He now faced her and she turned her head to the side to hide her blushing face. She wasn't quite sure what was going on and if he kept this close to her, she may misunderstand.

He looked into her eyes as if he was searching for something. Gently he lifted her chin and slowly pressed his lips to hers. His lips were warm and they melted away all her stress and worry. As she leaned into him she felt as if nothing else mattered around her except this moment. The sounds of the city streets below now sounded as if they were half a world away.

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Sorry for the long delay in chapters lately! School is out so I should be able to keep going at a steady pace again.