Seamus drove me about twenty minutes out of the city and into the countryside, until we reached a small area of parkland.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Avington Park," Seamus said.

The name meant nothing to me.

Seamus drove me down a sprawling stretch of grass and, judging from the lack of a road or even a path, I assumed that people weren't normally meant to drive here. Edmond or someone else at Belle Morte must have pulled some strings.

Towering trees surrounded us – some were winter-stripped, like hands clutching at the sky, others were evergreen, their branches drooping under the weight of their spiky needles – and as we drove further, the glint of a lake came into view. Beyond it, in the distance, I glimpsed a huge house, mostly redbrick except for a white pillared section in the middle.

Seamus turned left, away from the house, and twinkling lights appeared between the trees. Then he killed the engine.

"This is where I'm supposed to drop you off," he said, twisting in his seat to look at me.

I leaned forward. A thick screen of fir trees stood in front of the car, blocking my view of anything but the occasional glint of yellow light.

"I just go through the trees?" I said.

"Yep." Seamus grinned. "Have fun."

"Thanks."

I climbed out of the car, holding up my dress with one hand so it didn't drag through the wet grass. As soon as I shut the door, music started playing – soft, gentle violins drifting through the trees, and my heart fluttered. Whatever Edmond had planned, it went beyond anything I had imagined.

Carefully, I pushed through the trees, towards the music.

Then I stopped dead.

Ahead of me was a small wooden platform, positioned next to the lake. Wooden posts stood at each corner, and strings of bright bulbs were wrapped around each one. More lights were strung in the trees behind the platform, giving a surreal, fairy-tale feel to the area, and those lights reflected on the surface of the lake, golden amid the silver reflections of the stars. Standing a short distance from the platform was a man and woman, both in black trousers and black shirts, both playing polished violins, both smiling as I stepped through the trees.

Edmond Dantès stood in the middle of the platform.

Everything else faded away as I looked at him.

My fiancé was dressed in dark trousers and a waistcoat, a white cravat foaming at his throat, and a black suit jacket that reached his thighs. Black pearl buttons gleamed down the front of the jacket, and his ravens-wing hair was tied at the nape of his neck, making his cheekbones look even sharper.

He was so beautiful that he almost wasn't real.

I had to look down at my engagement ring to remind myself that this wasn't a dream.

"Renie," Edmond said, in the faded French lilt I loved so much. He held out his hand.

I took it, stepped up onto the platform, and finally released the hold I had on my skirt, letting the velvet folds fall around me. "I can't believe you did all this for me," I whispered.

Edmond smiled, and I felt the warmth of it in my very bones.

"I'd do anything for you, mon ange," he said.

"But all this?" I looked around again. "It almost feels like our wedding."

"Is this what you want for the wedding?" Edmond asked.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," I admitted. We'd only been engaged for a few weeks.

Edmond put one hand on my waist, drawing me in a little closer, and I put my hand on his shoulder. He took my other hand, and we started to slowly dance, our feet barely moving on the platform.

"We could get married here," Edmond murmured.

I glanced at the lake, glittering beside us, and tried to picture it as a wedding venue. "It's a definite contender," I said.

It would look even better in the summer, when all the trees and flowers were in bloom.

Edmond lowered his head so he could whisper in my ear: "You look incredibly beautiful tonight."

I turned my head to brush my lips against his. "And you look good enough to eat, as always."

Heat flared in his eyes, and he pulled me even closer, so our bodies were pressed together. "Maybe later."

We danced quietly for a few minutes, and then I said, "Thank you for my dress. I really love it."

Edmond's eyes slid down, gleaming with appreciation.

"You can see right down the front of it, can't you?" I said.

"Absolutely," he replied, showing off a hint of fang.

"I feel bad that I didn't get you a gift," I said.

"Seeing you in this dress is my gift."

"I'll look even better out of it," I said, and gently bit his earlobe.

We danced for a couple of hours, until the winter air was crisp and cold, and the moon was a shining silver disc overhead, and then Edmond helped me down from the platform and led me to the edge of the lake where a small rowboat was moored. The violinists hadn't stopped playing once.

Edmond suddenly lifted me off my feet and carried me the rest of the way, before gently placing me into the boat.

Now that I was a vampire, I was easily strong enough to defend myself against any potential threats, but I still loved that Edmond made me feel safe and protected, like nothing in this world could hurt me as long as we were together.

He climbed into the boat, and it rocked slightly before he settled on the bench opposite me.

"I've never been in a rowboat before," I admitted.

"I can tell by the way you're gripping the sides," Edmond said.

I grimaced. "Sorry."

Edmond took the oars, and even though I couldn't see his biceps through his clothes, I could imagine them flexing as we pushed away from the bank.

"I promise I won't tip you into the lake," he said.

The water quietly rippled around us as Edmond rowed us out to the middle of the lake and then off to the left, following the curve of the land until clusters of trees hid the platform from view, and all I could see were specks of light from all those bulbs. The violin music followed us, muted now, but still beautiful.

The rippling water fractured the moon's reflection, and the stars looked like glitter.

"How did you make this night so perfect?" I asked softly.

"It's not perfect yet," Edmond said, and stopped rowing.

I looked around, wondering what other romantic gesture he had up his sleeve, and Edmond moved with vampire speed, flowing across the boat towards me. One hand twisted in my hair, holding me still as he kissed me, the other slid beneath my thighs, deftly manoeuvring me until I was lying down, Edmond's hips between my legs.

"Edmond," I gasped, my tongue brushing his fangs.

I'd never grow tired of the weight of him, stretched across me like this.

"Now I'm going to make your night perfect," Edmond said, a bit of a growl creeping into his voice.

He moved down the length of my body, leaving small kisses on my breasts, my ribs, my hips, until he reached my knees, and then he slowly pushed my dress up, his fingertips gliding along bare skin.

Even though I didn't need to breathe, I sucked in shallow breaths away, trembling in anticipation.

When my dress was bunched around my waist, Edmond's hands slipped lower, shaping themselves around my hips, his fingers teasing the waistband of my lacy underwear. I almost hadn't worn any tonight, but now I was glad I had, because of those extra moments of blissful tension.

Edmond gently pulled my underwear down, his eyes locked on my face. They were sparking red now, bright with desire. He lowered his head between my legs, and then there was nothing but raw sensation, the exquisite feeling of Edmond's mouth on the most sensitive part of my body. His lips, his tongue, his fangs, he knew how to use them all, building a wave of bliss higher and higher inside me. I clutched his head with one hand, my other hand gripping the edge of the boat until splinters dug into my skin, and gasped his name, the muscles in my legs tightening and tightening, until finally that wave of bliss broke, and I screamed, my back arching, the boat rocking in the water.

We'd moved far enough away from the platform that the violinists could no longer see us, but I could still hear them playing, which meant they could hear us, and I didn't even care. It was impossible to care at a time like this.

But I needed more.

I pushed Edmond back until he was lying on the bottom of the boat, his burning red eyes gazing up at me. His hair was coming loose, spilling like ink across the boards.

"Mon ange," he whispered.

Any other time I would have enjoyed the anticipation of undressing him, like I was slowly unveiling a work of art, but there was no time for that now. I was on fire for him.

My hand shook as I unbuttoned his trousers and freed him, and then I climbed onto him, my knees on either side of his hips. We both groaned as I sank down.

"Je t'aime," Edmond said, his fangs gleaming like tiny daggers.

"I love you, too," I whispered.

Water slapped the sides of the boat as we made love, slow at first, and then faster, until the boat was rocking so hard that we were in danger of capsizing. And I wouldn't have cared if we had. Sweet fire raced over my skin, and that blissful wave was building again, making me shake and shudder. I was so close to falling over that edge again. Edmond's hands gripped my hips, moving against me harder and harder, until I plunged over that edge with a raw scream. Edmond was groaning something in French and I had no idea what he was saying, but the sound of his voice was a sweeter music than the distant song of the violins.

I collapsed on Edmond's chest. I had no bones left. I was a raw bundle of nerves.

"Now the night is perfect," Edmond said, his voice supremely satisfied.

I couldn't even speak.

All I could do was cuddle against him and close my eyes, as the disturbed water settled and the violins kept playing.

The next time I opened my eyes, the violins had gone quiet, and the moon was lower than it had been before.

"Did I fall asleep?" I murmured.

"You did." Edmond stroked my hair.

"What happened to the music?"

"I only paid them until midnight."

"What time is it?"

"Just gone two."

I'd slept for hours, then, drifting in the lake, in a boat with the man I was going to marry. It was like something from an epic poem.

"I've never had a Valentine's Day like this," I said.

"Good."

I raised my head and gave him a wicked smile. "How are you ever going to top it next year?"

He nipped my lower lip with his fangs. "I'll think of something."

I ran my fingers through his hair, traced the shape of his mouth with my thumb, and tried to find a way to vocalise the raw emotion knotting me up inside.

"You don't need to say anything," Edmond told me, as if he could read my mind.

"I love you," I whispered.

"Je vais vous aimer eternellement."

"What does that mean?"

He nipped my lip again. "I will love you forever."

Edmond rowed us back to shore, and lifted me out of the boat as if I was made of glass. The strings of bulbs were all still lit, and I took a long moment to look around at them because I wanted to remember everything about this night for the rest of my life.

"Are you ready to go home?" Edmond said, taking my head.

"Always," I replied. 

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