Angelina’s memory deserved more than that. She had taught him compassion. Showed him that love did exist. Her family had accepted him as one of their own. It had taken a few years… but he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that now.
And he’d promised her he’d look out for her family.
The fury didn’t subside. However, rather than take it out on each Deane in the battle, he threw it into the trees lining the field. Smashing straight through the trunks with his fist, splintering them into pieces that went flying through the air like dangerous wooden missiles.
The tops of the trees fell with deafening crash after crash.
He didn’t care how stupid it was to toy with fate, as one of these wooden missiles could easily have ended his life with a direct hit to his heart, but he did not care. Even after promising Angelina he would live, and stay on the Isle, he did not care. His fury had to let loose. He needed to end this battle before anymore Howard lives were lost.
The fighting stopped, all eyes on William.
A sudden eerie silence filled the battlefield. The only sound heavy breathing.
“This. Will. Stop. Now!” Each word roared a venomous warning to every Deane listening. Each inhale and exhale holding onto a rage about to burst free. “Every Deane will leave this Island before this day ends! Or I will kill each, and every one of you. This is the only warning you will receive.” He spoke as if the words themselves might reach out and poison any Deane that dared disagree.
The seriousness of his tone frightened everyone, including his friends.
Franklin Howard, Angelina's older brother, Charlie, Michael and Melinda’s great grandfather, rushed to his side. He did not need to ask what had happened to her, realizing instantly where William's rage was coming from. He gently touched William's arm, forcing the vampire to look at him.
The moment William looked into Franklin’s sympathetic eyes, he crumbled. His chest heaved and his face contorted as if he meant to cry. But he could not cry. His body did not produce tears.
He ran away.
The battle was over. They would not dare start up again. Not after his warning.
Angelina’s body lay on the ground. William knelt down and picked her up. With deliberate steps, he carried her home.
The Deane’s would leave the Isle.
He would bury the woman he loved.
Reality came slicing back to the present day.
William knelt on the ground in front of Angelina's urn.
He turned and slumped to the floor, leaning back against her urn, speaking to Angelina, as if she was sitting next to him, listening.
“The Deane’s have returned. I always feared this day might come. I steeled myself for it to happen. But so many years have passed. And yet I find myself uncertain. Can I move beyond what they did, what they took from me? What they took from this family? I feel obligated to fulfill my promise to you, Angelina.”
He stopped and closed his eyes tight.
“This life is becoming more than I ever could have imagined. But like you taught me Angelina, love is the hardest thing you can do. And I love this family. You are my only reason to continue existing.”
William reopened his eyes. A pained expression on his face. “But love makes you care. More deeply than I ever thought possible. But even surrounded by this family I love so much, I have never been more alone. I crave something more. What I had with you and wasn’t able to keep. What I lost when you were stolen from my life. When I swore I’d never love another human women again.” His exhale burned his throat, heavy with the need for answers.
Help no one could give him. Because he was the answer. He was the help. To anything and everything, the Howard’s needed. How much longer could he continue being this for them?
“Who am I kidding?” he reeled.
This wasn’t his biggest problem, and he knew it. He let out a woeful sigh.
“Oh Angelina. My dearest love. Melinda grows more like you each day. She has your eyes. Your lips. Your compassion and strength... even your vulnerability.” His mouth curled into a sad smile. “And she most definitely has your stubbornness.”
William lowered his head.
“She is the reason I almost broke all my promises. I am… afraid...” his voice trailed off, shame weighting his words.
“Afraid my feelings for her will be my undoing. But she is young. An adult, but young, and naïve in so many ways. Sheltered. This is partly my own doing. She has suffered so much already and I cannot stand to see her in pain. In some ways her life has made her very… old. Wise. A caring soul. But she hasn’t lived enough to understand her own feelings. To understand love. And she deserves love. To have a normal life. A family. To carry on the Howard line. Something I cannot give her.”
For a moment, his heart ached so terribly he swore it had started beating again.
“I do not know how many generations of Howards I can watch come into this world, only to leave it, and me, behind. If I could bring myself to leave, I would. But I cannot. I tried. Last night I tried with every fiber of my being, but my feet would not obey my request. I have a duty to fulfill, a promise to keep, but more than that... even if I allowed myself to love Melinda, and she returned this love, it will end the same. She will be ripped from my life just as you were. They will all be taken from me, like you’ve all been taken. Whether by fulfilling duty, or old age. They will all succumb to death. Perhaps…”
He paused, a moment of disbelief fluttering through him.
“Perhaps it is time I consider my own. Perhaps my time here must also come to a determined end.”
He thought about how he would do it.
A stake to the heart? Purposely miss his dose of masking potion and burning up in the sunlight? And when? Now? Right away? Or after the current generation of Howards grew to a certain age, no longer needing his help. Perhaps if Jack Howard were found alive, maybe then? With the patriarch of the family returned, perhaps this would be the time for him to slip away and never return...
His thoughts returned to the night his beloved Angelina died.
When he’d been ready to slaughter every Deane on the battlefield, but stopped, knowing she’d never condone such behavior.
His suicidal thoughts sickened him, guilt filling his bloodless heart. How could he possibly think of leaving the Howards? They were his redemption. His penance. For all the despicable things he’d done before finding out there was another way to survive with what he’d become.
Was he such a coward, that he’d just take the easy way out?
No.
He could not add this blasphemy to his list of failures. He had no idea what waited him after this cursed life did finally end. But something inside told him he needed to stay. His time in this life was not yet finished.
He bounded off the ground stalking out of the mausoleum. Sudden determination eating away the gloom that had taken over.
He closed the heavy iron door.
“I will not repeat my mistakes,” he declared. “I will never love another human as I did you, Angelina. But as long as a Howard still lives and breathes in this world, I will keep my promise. They will not be forsaken. Especially at the hands of a Deane.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The picnic basket Riley packed had yet to be opened. It balanced precariously on a rock near their heads, blocking Melinda and Riley from view. They lay on a sand covered blanket facing each other, just inside a small cavern. Just the two of them, hidden away. It was, indeed, the perfect spot as Riley had claimed. Melinda had been on this beach years ago, but she didn’t recall the cavern.
Outside of their little picnic spot waves crashed onto the shore, seagulls squawked as they circled overhead searching for food, while distant voices echoed from people having fun on the beach.
Riley’s fingers ran down her neck and arm in deliberate slow motion, setting off little charges of electricity that drew her closer to him.
“Are you hungry?” his eyes never left hers as he asked.
“That's probably a good thing,” he hinted, sounding relieved. “Seeing as when I unpacked the blanket, I realized I must have been so excited to see you that I forgot to pack the food.”
Melinda giggled. She couldn't help it. She had to bite her lip to stop.
“Yup. My brother is probably having a grand lunch right now. I had a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine, seeing as I have no idea which you prefer. A freshly baked bread loaf, and cheese that I picked up from the farmer’s market this morning.”
“I love any wine. And the food, your brother can have it.” Melinda breathed out a dreamy exhale. “I’m not sure I will ever want to eat again.”
“Is that the effect I have on you?” This thought amused him.
“I suppose it is.”
“Well I can't have that,” he told her, casting a smug smile. “I won't be responsible for you wasting away to nothing.”
“I'm hardly wasting away.” She rolled her eyes, insinuating there were a few extra pounds on her body she should lose.
“When are you going to figure out that you’re perfect? In fact,” he grinned, pulling her closer, “I demand that as soon as you go home today, you eat. Whatever, and as much as your heart desires. No matter how lovesick you are over me. I don't want you to change a thing about yourself.” He teased, and yet exuded complete seriousness.
“Okay,” she answered only half-paying attention. Was she truly this lucky? That this perfect man not only came to live on the Isle, but had fallen in love with her?
Were they really in love? She had to remind herself that she barely knew him. And as much as she desired his body melded into hers, she could easily have spent the rest of the day laying exactly where she was. She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask him, from his favorite color to his birthday to what he wanted to do with his life. But found she was perfectly contented to stare dreamily into Riley’s molasses eyes, to trace the contours of his face with her fingers, soaking in every dimple, every line, every…
Lips found hers and she lost all thought.
Riley’s hand trailed across her chest, her waist, up over her hip, pulling her so their bodies touched. Fingers slid down her thigh, pushing up her summer dress.
Shivers of delight shot to her center. Yeah, this is why she’d worn it.
This wasn’t as private as the quarry though. They could not get undressed and… she let go of his lips with a timid exhale. Her eyes glued into his molasses gaze.
Warm fingers wedged between her thighs.
“I wanted to make you wait until tonight, Melinda. But I’m feeling greedy. I want to touch you.” He waited for her permission.
She opened for him, remembering to breathe.
Riley removed his hand from her inner thigh, lifted her leg and draped it over his hips. She tensed, biting her lip when his palm slid across the outside of her panties, the cotton soaked in the wet heat building underneath. The mere thought of his fingers touching her almost sent her over the edge.
“Melinda. Will you tell me if I’m doing right? Or I guess, doing it wrong.”
“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly. She loved that he wanted to know. And yet it still made her nervous. But why? Especially after what they’d already done in the quarry.
She didn’t think she’d even need to tell him. The pressure building wasn’t going to take long to release. It all felt right… and he hadn’t even touched her yet.
Riley’s hand trailed upward tracing the band of her panties, plying underneath the band stroking across her hips, teasing.
He raided her mouth, his tongue pillaging deep inside.
Melinda grabbed the front of his shirt, fisting it. His fingers trailed lower and he drank in her needy moan. He was taking too long. Her center ached.
His hand rested just at the crest of her folds.
Riley relented his attack of her mouth and pulled his head back. She opened her eyes to see him grinning. Did he want her to ask? To beg? She wasn’t sure, and the words wouldn’t form.
“I want to see your eyes,” he whispered, answering her silent dilemma. His fingers dove in, plundering for her buried treasure.
Sparks lit up her eyes and she gasped. Her grip on his shirt tightened, her eyes fluttering closed.
Riley kissed her again, sucking in another moan. His kiss became more forceful. His tongue tracing her jaw, her neck… pushing back inside her mouth, colliding with another moan.
Her leg tightened around his hip. She wanted to tell him he was driving her mad with his perfect strokes but she could not utter the words. Only gasps as fiery pulses ignited beneath his fingers.
His confidence built when she bucked uncontrollably under his hand and the fist at his chest clenched as if hanging on for dear life. Melinda squirmed, a thrilling spasm shooting from her core down to her toes. She wanted him to caress faster and harder, but struggled to find the courage to ask him.
His fingers slowed to a frustrating level. Each caress a deliberate draw.
Damn. Damn. Damn. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“Riley,” she gasped out. Melinda’s body acted of its own free will, hips rocking against his rhythms, further driving her to madness.
“God I love the way you move when I touch you.” Riley rolled them over so Melinda was on her back. His hand never left her panties. He draped his body over hers, having a difficult time from taking her, whether onlookers might catch a glance or not. But this was about Melinda today, not him.
Riley’s legs pushed against her thighs, opening her to him fully. His hand plunged into her treasure, two fingers thrusting deep into her core. The intensity of her shudder enticed him to withdraw and thrust again.
Melinda writhed in the need to finish, his thumb kneading, fingers driving into her setting off charges that spiraled into insanity. Her chest heaved, arching into him, breasts trying to free themselves from the dress. Riley nudged the cloth aside with his mouth, his tongue ravaging her freed peak.
Melinda moaned and arched underneath him. She couldn’t take anymore.
He withdrew his fingers from her depths, palming her center, feeding her lusty pants.
Melinda insides quaked. A sensation spread from her core, down her legs, curling her toes, shooting blasts of ecstasy through her stomach to her chest; something deeper and more intense than anything she’d ever felt.
But it wasn’t enough. She needed more. Wanted more. Had to have more.
“Riley, harder. Please.” The demand in her request thrilled him in a way he didn’t expect. He stroked her, groaning in satisfaction. Her trust gave him a high he’d never experienced before.
Melinda thought she might ignite into flames. Blood rushed to her ears, all sound muffled. Her insides boiled, thousands of tiny charges exploding, seemingly everywhere and all at once.
Her hands and legs wrapped around Riley with a need to secure herself to something. One, because she thought she might float away. And second, she wanted him to feel the intense rush of explosions shuddering through her body.
Riley invaded her mouth. Sucked in her ecstasy, keeping it all for himself, hiding her scream from the world outside their little cavern.
He slowed the strokes between her legs but didn’t stop until her body quivered and relaxed. He released her so-kissable lips, swollen by his attack on them, their gazes glued to each other. Breath heavy.
For a minute, neither spoke.
Riley rolled them back to their sides, so they faced each other again, and slid her dress back down over her thigh. His hand found its way to her ass, pulling her as close to him as possible.
Melinda’s hearing returned. The blood no longer rushing to her head. But she had no words for what he’d just done to her. For the explosions still ricocheting throughout her insides.
Riley wished they were in a private room, with a proper bed. He pictured many different ways to pleasure his blue-eyed beauty.
“I’ve
never let anyone touch me like that before,” Melinda revealed to him. Dreams did not count.
His molasses eyes swirled and danced. “Something tells me you liked it.”
“I really liked it,” she told him in throaty confidence.
“Damn, Melinda… you keep talking in that voice, I will have no choice but to do it again.”
Her cheeks turned red. He fed her confidence, but it still shattered too easily. She closed her eyes, determined not to let it claim her this time. His lips pressed against her forehead. A gentle kiss.
“I can’t even explain what you feel like my little beauty queen. The way you react to what I do to you.”
Beauty queen. Did he really just call me that?
“And when you told me you needed more, that pretty near sent me over the edge. I almost forgot we were in a cavern and tore my pants off.” He chuckled. “You make me act like crazy man.”
She let out a satisfied sigh. In his voice was nothing but honesty and devotion. “Still with the magically saying everything I want to hear.”
“And I still can’t keep my mouth shut. You make me wear my emotions. No one’s ever done that to me.”
Her insides stopped quaking, but her nerves tingled. Melinda wondered if she should return the favor. Wondering if he expected it. Her hand trailed down his chest, getting lower and lower. He caught it and brought her fingers to his lips, caressing them gently.
It was the second time someone had done that to her in twenty-four hours, and both times stole her breath and stalled time. A pinch of guilt wrapped around her heart just thinking about William. However, it melted when Riley’s voice found her ears.
“Today is all about you, Melinda. I want you to feel beautiful. Satisfied. I want to make you believe how special you are.”
“Two days in a row of this… you’re spoiling me, Riley.”
“You should be spoiled,” he lifted her chin to see her eyes.
She saw only truth staring back at her. “Do you think we could stay right here for the rest of our lives, and just pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist?”
Bye Bye Bloodsucker (Wicked Good Witches Book 3) Page 5
