The Heart's Ashes

by A. M. Hudson

  “I do,” I said as David slid the ring over my knuckle, practically chuckling the whole time.

  I laughed too, instantly pinching the soft metal in my fingertips. Mike stepped forward and handed David’s ring to me; it felt kinda heavy for a piece of jewellery, yet so smooth to the touch—like David in some ways.

  “And, do you, David Thomas Knight, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife—to love and honour, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for all eternity?”

  “I do.” David looked up from the ring, into my eyes, his melodious, smooth and weightless voice breaking as it rang out for the last time as just the boy I love; the next words I hear from him would be as my husband.

  “Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you...husband and wife.” The celebrant looked at us and smiled, nodding his head once. “You may kiss the bride.”

  David stepped into me and caught my chin between his thumb and index finger. “You have just made me the happiest man alive.”

  The golden sun disappeared as I closed my eyes and stood on my toes, my lips reaching for his, meeting in the sweetest, softest kiss he’d ever given—the first kiss, our first act as husband and wife, and by far, the greatest of all my life.

  We breathed each other deeply, eyes closed, thoughts lost to the world of our own. He is mine. I am his. Nothing will ever change that now.

  David drew one long breath through his nose and whispered as he drew away; “I love you.”

  “For forever?” I asked.

  “Soon.” He nodded.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the celebrant said, “I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Knight.”

  The whole yard erupted and confetti came flying at us from every angle. People hugged each other, smiling widely, while beside me, Emily moved in and wrapped me in her arms. I looked over to see Mike and David hugging too. “Congratulations, mate,” Mike said.

  “Thanks, bro.” David pulled away, looked at me looking at Mike, and took a step back, ushering me to my best friend. I flung myself into Mike’s arms, and he held me so tight, releasing his hand for only a second as Emily fell into the hug.

  “I’ll always love you guys,” I said into Mike’s chest.

  “I know.” He kissed the top of my head and I stood back, leaving Emily in Mike’s hold.

  Each hug came directly after the other then as David and I walked back down the aisle, holding hands. The sun warmed each tight embrace, and the joy of our family and friends spread like laughter over the afternoon.

  When I finally pulled away from the last hug, I turned around to look at David; at some point we we’re dragged off in opposite directions. He smiled, his eyes warmly watching me as if he had been the whole time.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, standing beside him where he leaned on the house, his hands in his pockets, the yellow sun lighting the gold in his hair.

  “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  “You had a funny look on your face.”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m okay.”

  “Do you miss your family?”

  “Only a little,” he said so casually I almost believed him.

  “I’m sorry, David.” I wrapped my arms through his jacket and rested my cheek against his tie.

  “Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.” He lifted my face a little. “Keeping our union a secret from them is to protect our future; it’s worth missing my uncle for a few moments in exchange for being with you forever.”

  “Couldn’t you have at least told him? Surely he wouldn’t have reported your whereabouts.”

  David grimaced. “He would be legally bound to. I wouldn’t expect him to break the law for me.”

  “I doubt he would’ve minded.”

  “That’s not the point, though, is it, mon amour?”

  “I don’t know if I like this law-loving side of you. It scares me.”

  “Why?”

  I looked up at him, my eyes narrowed into slits to keep out the sun’s glare. “What if I broke the law? Would you report me?” David stiffened; my mouth dropped. “David? Would you really?”

  “I—” he pressed his lips tightly together and breathed out through his nose. “Would Mike?”

  “Yes. But that’s human law—it’s different.”

  “Why? Because you grew up with it?” David stood up from his lean on the wall, indicating the need for distance; I stood back from him a little. “I grew up with vampire law, Ara. I always knew what my uncle was. When we stayed with him, we lived by his laws. Breaking vampire laws, to me, is as serious as breaking a human law, to you.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, Ara,” he reasoned in a soft voice. “Just because you’re new to this world doesn’t make our rules any less serious.”

  “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” said a familiar voice from behind.

  “Jason?” I turned around, my face unintentionally lighting up. Oops.

  David stiffened and stood straight. I never noticed it before, but Jason is ever so slightly taller than David.

  “David. Congratulations.” Jason extended his hand, his friendly smile warming the whole afternoon.

  David looked away.

  Jason cleared his throat and dropped his proffered hand. “May I at least kiss the bride?”

  “Don’t even think about it,” David muttered through his teeth, stepping slightly between Jason and I.

  “Come now, there’s no need for hostility,” Jason said.

  David’s fist tightened.

  Across the yard, Mike headed toward us at full speed—his eyes cold, the kindness in his face masked by the hunger of impending battle.

  Oh no, this is gonna cause a scene. Think, Ara, think. “Of course you can kiss the bride,” I said chirpily and stepped into Jason’s arms; he leaned down slowly, and with such familiarity, pecked my cheek.

  Mike stopped dead; Emily covered her mouth, and I don’t even want to know what David did.

  “David?” Jason smiled, keeping his arm around my waist. “Let’s not make a scene, brother—that’s not why I came.”

  “Then why did you?” David didn’t bother to unclench his teeth.

  “I—”

  “Hello there.” My dad stepped up beside David. “This must be the brother. David said you were overseas and couldn’t make it?”

  “Turns out you can bribe your way into anything if it’s to help your brother.” Jason shook Dad’s hand, his arm tightening around me as my thoughts rushed down the path of what Dad would do if he knew Jason was the one who attacked me.

  “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you. I didn’t er...David never mentioned you were twins.” Dad looked between the two faces, touching his chin.

  “Well, that’s because I’m better looking than him.” Jason smiled warmly.

  Dad looked at David who switched on the human side and smiled back, disguising the hostility rather well under his likely desire to rip arms off a certain individual. Anyone who knew him well would see the raging bull beneath the surface, though.

  Jason, you better watch your words.

  “Well, you should come meet Ara’s friends.” Dad nodded over to the tree. “And Emily’s here. She mentioned you two dated once.”

  “That we did,” Jason said as he walked away with my dad; the conversation trailed off as I fell into David’s arms

  “Why is he here?” I asked.

  “Why did you do that?” David asked, keeping his eyes on Jason.

  “What?”

  “Let him touch you.” His voice trickled with disgust.

  “I’m sorry. I knew it’d shock Mike out of his battle walk.”

  David exhaled, stroking the back of his finger over my jaw. “Don’t ever do that again.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

  Dad walked Jason over to Mike and Emily, branching off before introductions when Vicki called; I could see the hatred mark the invisible line of conflict between the two rivals. Jason offered the
exchange of friendship first. Mike gripped his hand firmly—firm enough to break it had Jason been human—and muttered something through his fake smile, his teeth like a cage.

  I cuddled into David, wrapping my fingers around his lapels. “What are they saying?”

  “Shh.” He held his index finger up, watching intently.

  Jason, keeping his hand in Mike’s lock, leaned forward and whispered words that sent Mike completely stiff, his head whipping up to cast a wide-eyed glance in our direction; my blood chilled.

  “Ara.” David pressed his hand between my shoulder blades and took shallow breaths.

  “What? What is it?”

  “We have to go. Now.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Now, Ara,” he said a little louder and grabbed my arm.

  Mike ran toward us, his eyes round, his breath heavy. “Go—just go. I’ll take care of the rest.” He pushed us in the direction of the low-lying hedge. “Uh, ladies and gentlemen, if you’d like to head inside—we have some refreshments and cocktails...”

  David and I ducked around the side of the house—fleeing our own wedding.

  “Go upstairs—” David shoved me softly. “Get changed. Be quick.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it, Ara!”

  My heart thudded. “Why are yelling at me?”

  “Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” David wrapped me tightly in his arms. “I’m sorry—it’s just, the Council. They’re coming. They found us.”

  “Where are they?” I searched the yard frantically.

  “Jason says they’ll be here within the hour—we have to go.”

  “Forget getting changed then.” I grabbed his arm, then stopped; “Wait—what about my dad?”

  “They won’t touch him. Emily will stay here to make sure.”

  “But they’ll find out about her!”

  “And she’s willing to risk that, Ara. They’ll just request she reports, that’s all. She’ll need to join a Set for a few months until we return from Paris.”

  “And Jason, where’s he?”

  David nodded to a car, parked sideways on the verge. “He’s waiting to take us somewhere safe.”

  “And you trust him?” I asked.

  “He would have no reason to warn us—then hurt you.”

  Then why are alarm bells going off in my head? “Take this for me, then? Just in case.” I slipped off my sliver bangle.

  Hesitantly, David accepted it, but his soul sunk into a bloodied vat of heartache, and projected the pain out through his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, David. I’d just hate for anything to happen to it.”

  He shook his head and stuffed the bangle in his pocket. “Come on, let’s go.”

  It wasn’t necessary, but I understood his sudden authoritative vampire need to protect me, so dragging me along by my arm was an acceptable method of moving me faster. I’d slap him for it later.

  “Hop in.” He opened the car door, practically shoved me in then slid in the backseat beside me, slamming the door.

  “We clear?” Jason said.

  David glanced over his shoulder. “Clear.”

  “Ready then?” Jason asked, revving the engine.

  “Jason, just go!”

  “What will they do,” I asked, feeling my stomach in my ribs with the speed of the car forcing me back in my seat, “—when they get there? Will they hurt anyone?”

  “No,” Jason stated factually. “It’s not your family they’re after. They won’t make a scene.”

  “Won’t they kill them—to get to us?”

  “No.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I asked, sitting forward.

  “Stop worrying about that now, Ara.” Jason made my heart jump when our eyes met in the rear-view. “David, buckle her in. If we crash—”

  “I can take care of my own girl, Jason,” David said, but grabbed the seatbelt and forced me into place, buckling it.

  Jason smiled smugly and winked at me; I laughed under my breath, looking away from the mirror.

  “What’s the plan, then?” David sat forward and gripped the shoulders of the front seats.

  “We need to call Arthur. Do you have a phone?”

  “No.” David patted his pockets then looked out the back window. “I must’ve left it behind.”

  “Pay phone.” Jason screeched the car to a halt by the side of the road. “Tell him to meet us at your New York apartment.”

  “Okay.” David swung the door open and stopped as his foot touched the ground. “Ara, my love—” he took my hand, “—I’m so sorry about this.”

  I swallowed the intense grief of a ruined wedding and tried to smile as he kissed the lone silver band on my finger; I never got the chance to get my engagement ring back off Dad. The anguish in my soul, I knew, was on my face, but looked worse in David’s eyes, so I swallowed and nodded, forming a speech of reassurance inside me. “We’re together, David—that’s all that matters, right?”

  His answering smile warmed my heart. “I love you. I’ll just be a sec.”

  “Okay.”

  The door clunked shut and the cool of spring disappeared behind the glass. The car idled quietly.

  “Are you okay?” Jason asked, smiling softly when I looked at him.

  “Not really.”

  “Here.”

  I reached for the white tissue in his hand and dabbed it along my lower lashes. Across the road, David stood in the phone booth, agitatedly hanging up and dialling again.

  “Ara.”

  I looked up at Jason again.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “For this.” The tyres squealed as the car kicked into gear and threw me back as we sped down the road.

  “What are you doing!” I screamed and unlatched my seatbelt, jumping to my knees on the back seat; “David!” I called, tapping my palms on the glass of the rear window.

  He was already running; his speed increased as we came to the corner, the car swerving to make the turn, but as he bent to make a leap toward us, a man on the sidewalk crouched and suddenly pounced through the air like a cat on a mouse—pinning David to the bitumen. Their bodies became a wash of blurred colour and thrashing limbs until David shot up out of the hold and started running again.

  “Run. David, run!” I slapped the back glass, my heart pleading with hope.

  The man chased him, flanking his heels, and David charged forward, driven by a deeper need. But as he reached for the fender, our eyes locking for one second, several men came up out of nowhere and tackled David to the ground again, the huddle becoming smaller as we drove farther and farther away.

  “Let me out!” My teeth vibrated in my head with the force of my kick to the back of Jason’s seat.

  “No.”

  “Yes,” I squealed. The door handle seemed disconnected; I tugged harder but it wouldn’t open, so I smashed my elbow against the window, repeatedly. “Let me go!”

  “Stop doing that—you’ll hurt yourself.”

  “Let me out!”

  “No,” he said and the car screeched around another corner, leaving David at the mercy of his captors.

  “Why are you doing this?” I sobbed, my voice deep and shaky.

  “I’m saving you.”

  “No, you’re not? You’re kidnapping me.”

  “No. It’s him they’re after. Not you. He’ll thank me later when you’re still alive.”

  “But you let them take him, Jason. They’ll hurt him.”

  “Yes.” Jason looked down.

  “How could you? He’s your brother.”

  “And you are the most precious thing in his world, Ara. If he had to choose, you know he’d approve of this.”

  “But you didn’t let him choose—you just gave him up.”

  “Believe it or not, girl, I didn’t. I had a choice to make. I chose you.”

  “But—” My words came out in jagged splutters. “What will they do to him?”

  “He
’ll be taken to the Council—stand trial for evading duty.”

  “Then what?”

  “He’s bound for Loslilian manor.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s where the American Order of Lilithians reside.”

  “No!” I gasped, resting my hand over my locket. “Not the Lilithians? They’ll torture him. I know what they do to vampires, Jason. Please.”

  “I’m sorry, Ara. But he’ll be free one day. Until then, I have to keep you safe.”

  “No. Let me out.” I tugged the door handle again. “Please, Jason—let me go.”

  “Ara, trust me. Okay?” he said kindly. “Look at me—”

  I snapped the handle off with my incessant yanking, then burst into tears.

  “Ara, look at me!”

  “Why?” Folding in on myself, I tucked my knees to my chest and threw the broken doorhandle on the floor.

  “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t have time to think. Just—please stop breaking my car. That handle’s rigged to only open once from the inside. You won’t get out.”

  “I hate you!” I kicked the door with my ballet flat and tucked my fists under my arms.

  “Ara, I just wanted to save you—that’s all I could think of. You can’t help him now. You have to let me help you.”

  “How do I even know you’re telling the truth?” I asked in a wavering song, letting warm tears fall over my cheeks.

  “You don’t.” He flicked his indicator on.

  “Where’re we going?”

  “Far away.”

  “What are you gonna do with me?”

  “Keep you,” Jason said, lifting his phone from his pocket. He checked the number and sighed. “I have to answer this.”

  I dropped my head against the side of the door and watched the world go by.

  “Jason Knight speaking.” A moment passed in silence. “Shit!” Jason shouted; the car swerved violently onto the verge before Jason dropped his phone, both hands taking the wheel; my fingers dug into the leather seat and my eyes fused tightly together until the wheels under us sung with the gentle hum of the freeway again. “Damn it!” He sat tall, rubbing his forearm. “Where’s the phone?”

  “It’s here.” I inched forward, grabbed his phone off the floor of the backseat and handed it to him. “What was all that about, Jason? And why did you just turn off your indicator?”

  “Change of plan,” he said, ditching his phone onto the passenger seat.