by Aubrey Brown
* * * *
“Gabriel, how is he?” Emma asked. They were now in their bedchamber and Emma was very concerned for her now immortal son.
“He is still unconscious, but he will come through. Our blood has already mended the hole in his chest.”
“Brilliant. Now, we need to speak about Rose and William.”
“I do not wish to discuss that matter now, Emma.”
“Gabriel, darling, we must discuss it. They are going to be married whether you consent or not. She loves him deeply, and I can see he loves her as well. He may not have admitted the emotion to himself as of yet, but he will.”
“I cannot forgive the fact that he compromised her, Emma.”
“Pray, Gabriel, do not play the bereft father. You and I did not wait for our marriage vows. Please be reasonable. Rose explained all to us. William wanted to come forward and ask you for her hand, and you know how stubborn she can be. She is your daughter, after all. Do not deny her happiness with him. We can choose to see our daughter with our new son by marriage, or they will stay away. And I cannot live an eternity without them.”
Gabriel looked to his wife who was just as beautiful and brilliant as the day he met her. And he was sad to say she was right in many respects. It did bother him that his daughter was to marry any man, for she was still his small daughter in his eyes, but now she was not. She was a grown woman who knew her own mind. He had to accept that and accept William. It was the only way.
“You are right as usual, sweeting,” he replied.
“Indeed. Now shall we return to James’s room before he awakens or shall we speak with Rose?”
“James will sleep until he is healed. I have sent him to the earth to mend, and he will awaken tomorrow evening. I have compelled him to do so.”
“Then I say we speak with Rose. She is devastated and anxious to talk with us. I can hear her crying.”
“You were always able to hear our children more clearly than I ever hoped. You are astonishing, my love. I thank a higher power thrice a day for the gift that is you.”
Gabriel smiled as his wife leaned in to kiss him sweetly.
* * * *
William finished placing Lord Shelburne in his bed, and replaced his memory of Josephine with that of the memory of him simply leaving town to contemplate his marriage. He saw Anuria sleeping in the next room and moved next to her. He suggested to her that she go easy upon her husband and think deeply upon her love and her marriage to the lord.
Leaving the home through the front door that the butler admitted him through, he let the butler’s mind go and wiped his memory of his visit clean.
He thought of Rose’s actions and words of the evening and felt his heart let go. He was finally able to admit to himself. He loved the chit. He loved her with such intensity that it scared the very devil out of him. He loved her from his first night in London. He was too much of a stubborn ass to admit it to her or worse to himself. She gave of herself freely. She was willing to be tortured and killed by his former lover to save him and her family. That moment another thought hit him with startling clarity, the reason he had never secured her hand before Lord Shelton was not for fear of Gabriel, but from the simple fact that he was not good enough for her. Yes, he was a duke, but she was worth ten million of him, and the idea of her marrying another placed his fears at the forefront.
Shaking with his revelations, he quickly left to return to the castle. He needed to speak with her parents and most importantly he needed to speak with Rose. As he descended upon the scene in which Josephine still lay lifeless upon the ground, he picked up her feet and pulled her to a spot where the sun would burn her corpse to a crisp.
He inhaled deeply as he finally let go. She was dead, and he had a new existence. Extending a large claw he sliced her throat and then removed her head from her neck.
“Farewell, Josephine,” he whispered.
As the blood ran into the earth, he felt nothing but anger that she dared enter his life and try to bend him to her will and even more so that she touched Rose. His heart stopped at the thought that this evil creature could have killed his beloved. The image that Rose could now be dead and he without her made him tenfold anxious to see her. Then another thought struck, for without Josephine, William would have died centuries ago. Gabriel would have never met Emma, and Rose would be married to another. So he let the anger go and thanked a higher power for his dark gift.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rose sat quietly in front of her parents and shook her head. “You mean to tell me that you are not only forgiving of William and I, but you are going to give us your consent to wed?”
“I must admit that I was angry when I found William in your bed…”
“Angry, Father, you ripped him to ribbons!”
“And I have already said I am deeply sorry for my reaction, but you must admit if you encountered your child in bed with your friend, you might understand.”
“Fair enough. Mother, you are agreeable?”
“I am.”
Just as the conversation lulled, William reappeared in the doorway, his handkerchief out in a sign of surrender.
Laughing, Gabriel stood and walked over to his friend and clasped his hand. “Thank you for helping us save our son’s life this evening.”
“You are most welcome. However, if it were not for my connection to Josephine, none of the events would have come to pass.”
“Everything has a time and a reason, William. We were just discussing with our daughter the fact that her mother and I have spoken, and we have agreed to consent to your marriage.”
Looking surprised, her lover said, “Truly?”
“Truly, but I must say I am still unhappy with the circumstance behind us finding out you were to marry our daughter. I do understand the reasoning. I am apologetic that I ripped your chest to pieces earlier. Her mother and I are ready to start planning a wedding.”
Rose stood and walked over to the two men whom she loved so dearly.
Rose turned to her mother. “We are supposed to be in mourning and society states I must wait a full year. You will not make me wait, will you, father, mother?”
“Misses Greenleaf would not have stood for formalities, so we will move forward. However, with the circumstances being such as they are, we should apply for a special license and wed them quickly. We do not want to encounter another incident such as we did tonight,” her mother finished wisely.
Rose felt herself flush with embarrassment as William cleared his throat.
“I agree we should wed as soon as possible, Rose,” William said uncomfortably.
“I think we need to speak first, William. We have some issues to muddle over,” she stated.
Her mother stood then and grasped her father by the arm. “Let us leave them to their conversation, Gabriel.”
Gabriel turned to the couple. “I expect a certain amount of decorum, understood?” William and Rose nodded their acceptance.
As the door closed, William moved them to the settee and held her small hands within his. “Are you all right, sunshine?”
Smiling, Rose answered, “I am just fine, William. A little shaken from the evening’s events and slightly worried about my brother, but otherwise, I am just fine.”
He then leaned forward and held her very tightly.
“When she had you within her arms, I wanted to tear her limb from limb for even touching you. I was repulsed that she had been a part of my existence. I was shaken in fear that she would have killed you, and I would have to live without you, for I would not, I would more gladly walk into the sun’s rays than live without you, Rose.”
“Oh, William…”
He placed his fingertips upon her lips and quieted her. “Nay, please let me finish. Rose I cannot describe the terror that coursed through my veins at the idea of you being dead. I would have gladly given Josephine my life for yours. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Rose nodded her head. “I believe so, or at least I a
m in deep hope.”
“What do you believe I am saying, sweeting?”
“Tell me, William. Tell me and then kiss me,” she implored.
Groaning, he brought her face to his chest and vowed, “I am in love with you, Rose. I have been in love with you since your birthday in London. I was so overwhelmed by the emotion, for I had never felt it before, not with Josephine, not with any other woman. I had no idea what love was or what the emotion felt like until you. I would move heaven and earth just to see you smile, to hear you laugh. I would face the devil himself for five more minutes in your company. I need you, Rose, more than I have ever needed anything in my life.”
Crying tears of joy, Rose brought his lips to her in an affirmation of their mutual vow. He loved her. He finally loved her. The joy her heart felt was overwhelming. She never thought she would ever make such a grand match as this after William broke her heart. She was now gladdened she made the journey to London, for that forced William to finally see her as she was, a woman who needed to learn to love him as a woman.
Rose pulled her lips away. “I love you, William.”
“Marry me,” he said.
Laughing, she nipped his lips. “I have already agreed to marry you, your grace.”
Growling he said, “Marry me on the morrow. We could tell your parents and set out for Gretna Green as soon as the sun sets.”
“William, my brother will wake tomorrow, and he will need you and my father’s help, for you are now family. And he will surely have trouble adjusting.”
“You are much too sensible. Aye, we will wait until your brother is well. However, I do not know how long I can keep my promise to your father. You are much too enticing.”
Rose pulled away from his tempting mouth. “I hunger for your touch as well, William, but tell me again why you came to London?”
“To find my heart,” he answered.
Smiling, William pulled her mouth to his again, and they kissed until he left before the rising sun.
* * * *
Later the next evening, Halverson castle
“How could you do this to me, how could have turned me into this monster!” James screamed at his mother and father.
“We changed you to save you. We love you, James,” Emma pleaded.
“If you love me, you would have let me perish. I do not wish to live as this!”
“Keep your voice down, Beth is sleeping,” Gabriel stated firmly.
Checking his mouth, James whispered, “I had no wish to live forever, I have no wish to drink blood from other people, and I definitely do not wish to stay here any longer!”
“What would you have done, James? We love you, and we did not want you to die. Your sister was weeping over your prone body begging us to bring you back,” Emma pleaded.
“I am now a monster, and I cannot go back to my studies. I wish to leave here this very night,” he stated.
“You are not a monster. You are as we are. How you choose to live from here on out is your own volition. I wish you would be seated and think upon your actions,” Gabriel said.
“I am as you say you are, a monster, and I wish to leave here. I will do it with or without your consent.”
Nodding his head, Gabriel wrote quickly upon a piece of paper and handed it to his son.
“I have a home in Ireland that is small but will keep you safe. Stay out of the sun, and I wish to at least show you how to survive. I wish you would reconsider,” he pleaded.
Taking the note from him, he folded it and pressed it into his breast pocket.
Rose then entered the room and said, “So you are leaving. You are acting the fool and leaving. Mother and father…”
“Do not speak to me thus. They are not my mother and father, and you knew about this years ago, and you elected to keep it a secret. You’re marrying a monster, Rose. I cannot tolerate it. I will not accept it.”
Rose firmed her spine. “I love you, James. I will always love you, but if you choose to leave, then that is your error. You are not willing to give anyone a chance, are you? I am getting married in two nights’ time. I hope to see you there.”
And with that said, she quit the room.
“At least let me teach you how to survive, James,” Gabriel pleaded.
Firming his jaw, he nodded his head at the man who was no longer his father, but a monster who took his life away from him.
“Beth will miss you, James,” Emma said as she cried.
“Beth will do well as long as you leave her as she is,” he replied.
Standing, Gabriel took James by the arm. “Now first you must focus…”
* * * *
Rose was silently crying in the gardens as William appeared before her.
“What is amiss, sweeting?” William asked as he sat upon the bench beside her. She then began weeping into his shirt.
“It was so awful, William. James awoke so angry, and hateful. He wants to leave the castle and never return. He thinks us all monsters. He has said he will not attend our wedding. He is lost to me now.”
“He is upset, Rose. He will come around. However, for now, we should leave him be. I am sure your father knows this as well. When a man is faced with a grave loss, such as his mortal life, he will have to mourn in his own time. Give him space, dear heart. He has lost his governess, his mother and father as he knew them, and now you.”
“Thank you, William. I would not be able to get through this without your strength.”
“I love you, Rose. You may come to me with any problem you are experiencing. You are to be my duchess and my mate for eternity. I expect you to turn to me in time of crisis.”
Smiling, she felt instantly better. “Have you fed this evening, your grace?”
Growling he said, “I have not. I was much too distracted with the thought of spending time with you, you minx.”
“Then you must be hungry, starved for sweet blood.”
“That and more…”
Moving her teeth to her lower lip, she bit with enough force for a drop of blood to appear on her plump flesh.
Groaning in defeat, William brought her mouth to his, so he could move his tongue out to lick away the liquid. He then kissed her with deep, unrelenting passion.
He moved his lips from her mouth and trailed his mouth down her neck and nipped her with his fangs.
“Oh, William, please…”
He then bit into her neck, which brought forth such an amount of pleasure that she came beneath his expert touch.
Calming her shaking body, he pressed light kisses to her brow. “Marry me, Rose?” he asked.
“I will, your grace.”
“And stay with me?”
“I will for an eternity, Duke Edington.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lord Halverson’s castle, the night of Rose’s wedding
She walked down the long garden path to her beloved. She was dressed in the finest silks and ivory. Her dress was delicate and her mother’s when she wed her father. She had a naughty trousseau on underneath her virginal gown. She knew William would growl and paw at her once he undid the delicate row of buttons down her back.
She looked about the very small group of attendees and did not see her brother. She did, however, see a smiling Beth. She had been asked to be their flower girl, and she was more than pleased to attend to the task.
Her father was by her side, and her mother was waiting for her up front as her one and only maid. Emma had given her the mother-daughter speech this evening, and they both ended up laughing and smiling to each other. And finally she saw William, who was wiping fresh dew away from his eyes. He was dressed in the finest linen of darks, and his unruly hair had been recently cut.
Feeling more beautiful now than she ever had, she halted next to her vampire and was given to him by her father.
The words of the ceremony flowed over her as they exchanged vows of sentiment and promise. When they were pronounced husband and wife, their kiss sealed their commitment before God, and
they were finally wedded, for an eternity.
I love you, he said to her mind.
And I love you, she replied.
* * * *
After they dealt with wedding reception formalities, their honeymoon began. He whisked them away to his home in Oxfordshire. It was a quaint yet still magnificent structure that held minimal staff. She had packed very little clothing, for she did not plan to leave their bed chamber.
“We are alone at last,” William stated with intent.
“Indeed, your grace,” she replied.
“Call me husband, wife,” he ordered.
“Mm, husband, make love to me, please.”
“I thought you would never ask.”
He pulled her luscious body toward his in a fit of passion. He had gone only a few days without intercourse with her, but he hungered for her pussy as he had never hungered for anything else. He was desperate for her touch.
She seemed to feel the same, for she pulled at his cravat and shirt to remove the linen to find the hard planes of his chest.
“William, I want to be as you are, please cross me.”
“Are you sure, Rose? Once we cross you, there is no going back.”
“I want to be as you are and live with you for an eternity. Please make love to me and then make me as you are.”
Moaning in a passion that was hardly contained, William pulled at her wedding dress and came to the conclusion that he would rip the damn silks to pieces, so instead he willed the articles away to reveal her sexy night wear. She was wearing a wicked red trousseau that was held together by black garters.
“Do you mean to drive me insane with your provocative evening wear, wife?”
“I meant for you to see me dressed as I am and want to ravish me where I stand,” she replied wickedly.
Growling, he picked her up into his arms and then laid her upon the bed. Her large breasts bounced beneath the cloth. He licked her neck and followed his instincts to her cleavage line, he then nipped at her nipple through the delicate material.
