Forbidden (Fallen Series Book 2)

by Micalea Smeltzer

  I was amazed by how quickly my relationship with Gabriel had changed. Not long ago I had been terrified of him and now I considered him a friend. His past saddened me. I could see why he always acted like he had a chip on his shoulder. He had been through so much and I knew deep down that there was more to come. Gabriel’s fight with the Originals was far from over. They had destroyed his life and I knew revenge ran rampant through Gabriel’s veins. But now I knew that despite his icy exterior he really did have a heart. He cared about things, about people, my heart broke for him when I thought of the wedding rings he wore around his neck.

  I sat down on the bed as directed and saw him pull out a first aid kit from his black duffel bag. He walked over and placed it on the end table. He pulled out a needle and some sutures. I sighed in defeat. I could feel the blood still pouring freely from my wound and I knew there was no getting out of this. I squished my eyes closed. I could feel Gabriel grab my hair and pull it gently back from the wound. He dabbed at it with rubbing alcohol and it burned. I gritted my teeth. I felt a slight tugging but that was it. I opened my eyes.

  “You’re good at this,” I said, “I can’t feel a thing.”

  He chuckled. “No, I’m not very good at this actually. But I enchanted the needle so that you wouldn’t feel it.”

  “Well, thanks,” I said surprised, “Do you know where we’re going next?”

  “Not a clue. They won’t tell me a thing. The only people who know where we’re going is the Pulmers and Aleksei.”

  “I can’t wait for this to be over,” I sighed.

  I heard him snip the last stitch with scissors before he replied, “I’m sorry that life has been so complicated for you, Kylie. You’re a sweet girl and you deserve to be happy and I hope that one day you and Jonathon can live in peace.”

  “I do to,” I sighed, “but I think it will be a long time before that happens. I think the fates are conspiring against us.”

  “Everything will work out in the end. It always does,” he said with a sigh.

  “I’m glad that one of us believes that,” I murmured.

  “You will. One day. It’s taken me a long time to believe it myself but it’s the only way I’ve been able to live all these miserable years. I have to believe that everything will be okay. That everything happens for a reason. If I didn’t believe that then I would lose any shred of humanity I have left. I know Jonathon feels the same.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I sighed as he packed up the first aid kit and put it back in his bag.

  “You better grab your stuff we should be leaving shortly. I just have to wait for the signal,” he said.

  “What is the signal?” I asked.

  “I have no idea. I was just told that I would know when it came.”

  I threw the few things I had taken out of my bag back in and zipped it up. Gabriel and I sat quietly next to each other and waited for the signal to come. About fifteen minutes later the signal came. Gabriel bolted up.

  “What?” I asked.

  “It’s time,” said Gabriel.

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “I just do. I can feel it. We have to go now and we can’t be seen. There may be a leak in the Coven members here so we’re giving them a false lead. They just left. We’re heading closer to home.”

  “Wait,” I said, “Isaac is here.”

  “Not anymore,” said Gabriel shouldering our bags.

  “Isaac can’t be the leak!” I shrieked.

  Gabriel grabbed my wrist, “Kylie, anyone could be the leak. Even Isaac.”

  “Even you,” I replied sharply pulling my arm away.

  “Not likely,” he said, “I am a man of honor.”

  “And Isaac isn’t?” I hissed.

  “We aren’t targeting anybody, Kylie. We have no idea who the leak is. It could be Isaac. It could not be. The point is we don’t know.”

  “Fine,” I said crossing my arms. I was mad and I wanted everyone to know.

  We slipped quietly out of the room and down the steps to the waiting car. Danny was already at the wheel. Mason was nowhere to be seen.

  Gabriel and I slid into the back.

  “Where’s Mason?” I asked.

  “He’ll be here. He was dealing with the complication,” said Danny.

  “What complication?” I asked picturing something horrible.

  “He’s taking care of the body and paying the clerk a large amount of money to pretend we were never here.”

  Startled I sat back in the seat. Within minutes Mason emerged and climbed in the car. Before he could close the door Danny was speeding off. I was exhausted. I hadn’t had a chance to get any sleep and it looked like we would be driving for a very long time. The car was warm and the gentle thrum of the engine slowly rocked me to sleep. I let my eyes drift closed and soon the car and the pain from head disappeared into oblivion. I was beginning to think that the only sleep I was ever going to get was going to be in a car.

  I awoke sometime later to the sound of Jonathon’s voice, “Principessa, wake up,” he said gently shaking me. I thought my desire for Jonathon was conjuring him to my thoughts and ignored the voice. “Wake up,” he said again. I finally opened my eyes.

  Jonathon was sitting in the car next to me. Gabriel was driving and Joseph was in the passenger seat. By the light streaming in through the tinted windows I deduced that it was mid afternoon.

  “How long did I sleep?” I asked.

  “A whole day,” he replied. Seeing my shock he said, “You had every reason to be exhausted. We’ve been on the run and then after the shock of seeing what you did it’s no wonder that your body finally gave in.”

  So I had slept through the rest of the night, or I guess by that time it would have been really earlier in the morning and through that whole day and night only to wake up now. Luckily I felt refreshed. Jonathon was right. I was human and my body had just finally decided it couldn’t take anymore and so it sank into oblivion. I was kind of thankful. It was nice not to have had to worry for the past day and a half.

  “Why are you here?” I asked. “I thought you had to stay away from me.”

  He sighed, “I decided that I wasn’t going to let her tear us apart. I couldn’t be without you anymore and it was killing me to have you in someone else’s care. I guess I don’t think anybody can protect you as well as I can. Sorry Gabriel,” he chuckled.

  Gabriel laughed, “It’s okay. I understand where you’re coming from.”

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Almost home,” said Jonathon, “Since you kept sleeping we only stopped for gas.”

  As if suddenly realizing that I had gone over a day without food my stomach suddenly started growling. Jonathon laughed and pulled out a bag of chips. “I thought you might be hungry when you woke up.”

  I opened the bag and inhaled the delicious tangy scent of salt and vinegar. My favorite. “Thanks,” I said munching on a chip.

  I ate all the chips in the small bag and began to look out the window as the familiar sights of Rome began to pass by the window. We were almost home. Jonathon grabbed my hand and held it tightly in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it. I leaned back against him and he held me close.

  “I won’t let her hurt you, principessa. I won’t let her win,” he whispered into my hair.

  “I know you won’t,” I said.

  He kissed my head and then was quiet. No one else said anything.

  Gabriel turned down a narrow side road that I was amazed the car was able to fit down. He took a sharp turn and went down a hill and turned a corner. Looming, large and majestic, into the sky was the Pulmer Mansion. Home at last. It had been months since I we had been here. I saw that there were already a great deal of cars in the driveway.

  “It’ll happen tonight,” I said in that funny voice again startling not only myself but the three vampires in the car with me. “Prepare yourselves. The end is near,” the strange voice that was my own spoke again. I was shocked.
I saw Gabriel and Jonathon exchange glances. I clutched my throat and said in my normal voice, “Why does this keep happening?”

  “I don’t know, principessa. I don’t know,” but the way he said it I knew he knew something. But once again he wasn’t going to tell me. Gabriel parked in the driveway and we all got out and headed inside. The rest of the Pulmers were there and so was Aleksei with several older Coven members. I saw one man that looked so much like Isaac I had to assume he was his father. He had the same dark hair only cut close to his head. His eyes were the same piercing blue. I could also see the shape of Isobel’s mouth and nose in his features. I held on tightly to Jonathon’s hand as we went in. Amelia gave me a small smile and Patrick and Aleksei were engrossed in a serious discussion. It was as if they were preparing for war and I guessed in a way they were. Diana waved to me and I waved back. Her face was sad and I felt so sorry for her. Diana was no warrior. She was no fighter. Her only strength would be her power. Danny and Mason had the furniture pushed against the wall and were practicing some kind of mixed martial arts. Surprisingly, I saw that Danny appeared to have the upper hand. Gabriel and Joseph joined Danny and Mason. Jonathon pulled me towards the steps and led me up the stairs.

  He turned the corner and opened the door to his attic room. He pulled me gently up the stairs. I ran my hand across the peacock stain glass window as I passed. Jonathon opened the door to his room and pulled me in closing the door behind him.

  “We have some things we have to talk about,” he said, “But first I want to prepare you for what’s about to come.”

  Chapter Twenty-One: Question

  Jonathon stood against the far wall and I stood against the bed. “Alright, now put your fists up like this. Yeah, just like that. Now, balance on the balls of your feet to make you lighter and more mobile. Alright, I want you to move your body to left and throw a punch and a kick with all of your weight.”

  I did as he said. We had been practicing for the last hour and my muscles were just beginning to protest. “Jonathon, I really don’t see how this is going to protect me against a vampire. Isaac already worked with me,” I huffed.

  “Well, it won’t do much but if she gets a hold of you it might give you the edge you need to get away because she won’t expect you to fight back and Isaac doesn’t know everything,” he said rolling his silver eyes.

  I sighed and wiped a dribble of sweat from my brow. “A vampire’s weakest point is right here,” he said indicating his sides, “If you can hit her here, or any other vampire that might grab you, then you have a very good chance of getting away. Now, I’m going to grab you and I want you to try and hit me in my side as hard as you can. Don’t worry about hurting me. This is about your survival. That’s what matters here.”

  Before I could say anything his arms wrapped around me. One arm hugged me to his chest pinning me to him and the other held my neck. Without thinking I elbowed him as hard as I could. He grunted and let go while I cried out in pain. I grabbed my elbow as tears leaked involuntarily from my eyes and I saw stars.

  “Ow, oh my God, that hurts,” I said holding my elbow delicately to my chest.

  “Sorry,” he said but grabbed me again. This time from the front. The pain in my elbow was making me see red. I lashed out and kicked with as much force as I could muster. He released me and cried out in joy. “Who would’ve thought. My little Kylie, a fighter.”

  “You’re so funny,” I said sarcastically as I bent over at the knees trying to catch my breath. He became beside me and stuck a curl behind my ear.

  “You’re are so sexy when you’re mad,” he said with a laugh in his voice.

  “Oh, I’m sure I just look so appealing covered in sweat with my hair frizzing in every direction. This has to be every guys dream,” I said sarcastically.

  “Yeah, it is,” he said laughing.

  “You’re a real comedian aren’t you?”

  In all seriousness he said, “No, I just want to protect you. I want to make sure you’re safe and can protect yourself if for whatever reason I can’t do it.”

  “Stop it Jonathon, just stop it, okay? Why do I feel like you think you’re going to get killed?” I asked.

  He looked away and I knew I was right. He ran his hand through his hair before looking back at me with those piercing silver eyes. “Because, I’ll die before I let anything happen to you.”

  “And I’ll die without you. So do you know what that means or do I have to spell it out for you. I-can’t-live-without-you. I love you,” I cried throwing myself into his arms. He pulled me to him putting his head on top of mine.

  “I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and I promise to do the same for myself. Okay? I’ll do everything in my power so we can stay together. I love you with all my being and I promise to be here for you,” he sat me down on the bed while he knelt on the floor, “but you have to understand the reality. There will be deaths out there. Not all of us will come back. I could just as easily be one of them. I will do everything I can for that not to happen, for none of us to die, but we, you, have to face the reality that people and vampires might die out there. I know Selena is only one vampire whereas we have many, but with a leak and then all the extra power she’s wielding because of her vendetta she will fight long and hard and try to take out as many as she can before she dies. I hope than none of those we love die and I hope that none of the Coven members die no matter how much of a pain in the ass they are, particularly Isaac,” he said with a smile trying to lighten the somber conversation.

  I took his hands in mine pulling us both up, “I know you’re only being realistic but I can’t think like that. I have to believe that everything will be okay. I can’t think about you or any of the others, not Diana, not Danny and Mason, not even Gabriel, as dead. I’m sorry but I just can’t. I have to believe that everything will be okay. I can’t think of you dead. I just can’t. I love you too much and it tears my insides apart to think I might lose you. I can’t lose you. Do you hear me? I can’t! I can’t live without you Jonathon! If you die I won’t be able to go on-,” I ranted before he silenced me with his mouth. He kissed me hungrily and desperately. He held the back of my head to hold me closer to him. I put my arms around his neck to pull him closer. Sensing the closeness I wanted he brought me against him. I could feel the cold of his skin through his thin cotton shirt. He bit my lip lightly making a chill run up my spine.

  He pulled back and looked me in the eye, “You are so beautiful, so strong, and you’re the most amazing person I know,” he shook his hair out of his eyes, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a very long time. Ever since I first laid eyes on you,” he said holding my hand and getting down one knee.

  “Oh my God,” I said, “Oh my God.”

  “This wasn’t how I had planned to do this but with the circumstance I can’t wait any longer,” he said pulling out a little blue box, and looking deep into my eyes he asked the two scariest words you can ever be asked, “Marry me?”

  I gasped.

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Come Together

  I bent down and took his face between my hands, “Yes.”

  He smiled and picked me up twirling me in his arms. He kissed me long and hard. He set me back down on the ground and opened the small box. Inside laid the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen.

  I gasped again. “It’s so beautiful,” I breathed. The diamond was large and square with small diamonds all around it. More small diamonds ran along the band. It was simple but elegant and beyond beautiful.

  “I designed it for you. I wanted it to be special. I wanted you to think of me every time you looked at it,” he said slipping it on my finger.

  “I love it but I love you even more. I can’t believe we just got engaged!” I squealed. This moment was surreal. It had happened so fast. Certainly in the blink of an eye.

  He smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen. “I can’t wait to be able to call you my wife.”

  “I can’t wait to
be able to call you my husband,” I said and he picked me up and kissed me passionately. I kept glancing at the diamond on my ring finger. It felt so foreign but yet it felt so right like it was meant to be there. “This is amazing,” I said.

  “I just couldn’t wait any longer. I had been caring that around for months waiting for the right moment. I wanted it to be romantic but then all of this happened and I thought there might never be a right time,” he shrugged his shoulders and gave me a small, shy, smile.

  “This, now, is perfect. You’re perfect. This moment is perfect,” I said twirling the ring on my finger, “I can’t believe you’ve been caring this around for so long. I can’t believe you designed it for me. I can’t believe you’re real. This is all so magical,” I said.

  He chuckled, “Even if it is in my room?”

  “Yes,” I said smiling. I kissed him again, “I love you,” I said against his lips. I was still covered in sweat and I was sure I looked like a mess but I wasn’t lying. This moment was perfect. As long as I was with Jonathon everything would be perfect. I knew Jonathon was worried that if he didn’t propose now he may never get the chance but I was not going to let that spoil my moment. This and her wedding day was something that every girl dreamed and fantasized about. I knew I was young but Jonathon was it for me. We were soul mates. We were everything to each other. Nothing what-so-ever could spoil this moment for me. But if Jonathon got to do something he wanted to do because he thought we may die then so be it I was going to do something to. I had thought I wasn’t ready but I knew now that wasn’t true. I wanted Jonathon in every possible way before I died. We had said we would wait but the time for waiting had passed. I was ready and I only hoped he was too.

  I put my arms around his neck and held him to me as I kissed him. I felt his hand move to the small of my back. He lifted me up off the ground and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I pulled away from his teasing lips and looked into his silver moon eyes, “I’m ready,” I whispered into his ear. “Make love to me.” He shivered as if my breath tickled him but I was sure it was something else.