by Emma Carter
“I’m sorry.” This must have been her hundredth apology since she was rescued. “It’s all my fault. If not for me, you wouldn’t have met him, and you wouldn’t have fallen in love.”
“It’s not the falling in love that’s the problem,” I told her. “It’s not being able to do anything about it. If I could just make him listen…understand. But he’d never give me a chance to explain. He will only think that I lied to him.”
“Maybe you should have told him the truth from the beginning?” she offered. “Or at least when you found out feelings were developing between you two.”
I frowned at her. “It was already too late. You were my priority and getting you off that mountain.”
We continued to eat in silence. I picked at the food, the shallow feeling in my stomach making it impossible to eat. My stomach felt as though it was doing a somersault. I felt empty inside, yet food wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted Ralf.
I excused myself from the table and made for the bathroom to take a shower. Behind the closed door, I allowed the tears to flow. My sobs mingled with the sound of the water hitting the bath. I cried until I was drained and then I washed my body. The fall of the water droplets on my skin reminded me of Ralf’s caresses as he spanned my curves with his hands. God, would I ever forget him?
I turned off the tap and stepped from the shower. I dried myself with a towel before slipping my hands into the bathrobe I had hung at the back of the bathroom door. My hair was still dripping wet when I re-entered the room and froze.
The man who filled my thoughts stood in the middle of the room, staring back at me. He looked dark, his eyes narrowed with purpose. I swallowed hard, wanting to run into his arms but was afraid of his rejection. He’d found me. I glanced around the room and Annie wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
“Where’s Annie?” I choked out. “She’s not to be blamed for any of this, Ralf. You don’t have to take her. Just take me. I’m the one who wronged you.”
Ralf slipped his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “She’s at the vending machine. She let me in.”
“Why would she let you in?”
“Because I told her I needed to see you.”
“Oh. How’d you find me?”
His smile was a grimace. “It wasn’t hard. I can track your scent. Now that I know what it is. It won’t leave me alone.”
Now I understood. “I-I can cast a spell to change that.”
He scowled at me. “Enough of your spells. That’s not why I came.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked in frustration. “To make me atone for what my parents did? I was just a child when it happened. I don’t even know why they did it. What do you want me to do?”
He walked towards me until he was standing only a few feet away from me. “You can start with the truth. Did you cast a spell on me to get me t0-” he paused and swallowed hard. “To get me to fall in love with you.”
I sucked in a deep breath at his confession. “Then you must have cast a spell on me too because I feel the same.”
“So, you did not cast a spell on me?”
I shook my head. “I don’t use magic unless I have to, Ralf. I only used the stripping magic to remove my powers in all the time we were together. The rest just happened naturally.”
“I don’t know whether or not to believe you,” he remarked, then paced the room. “I’ve hated witches almost my entire life and now you waltz into my life and expect me to love you?”
“I don’t expect anything, Ralf.”
“Are you saying you don’t expect this?” He stalked over to me, cupped the back of my head and kissed me. I gasped at the familiar magic that was created by two people who cared about each other. I clutched the front of his shirt to keep me upright, leaning into him and kissing him back. I poured out everything I felt for him in that kiss. I moaned into his mouth, heard his responding groan. I ran my hands down his chest, reveling in the feel of him. I never thought I’d be able to kiss him again and if this was the last time, I was going to remember every bit of it.
He released my lips, placed his forehead on mine and stared into my eyes. “Do you love me?” he asked on a whisper.
Tears filled my eyes. “I do. I swear on my life that I do.”
He closed his eyes. “God help me, but I feel the same. I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t lose you too, Lilly. I want you in my life despite everything.”
I gasped at his words. “But your people…”
“Have turned their backs on me before,” he said, then shrugged. “I just have one request of you. Don’t ever lie to me again.”
I laughed and cried at the same time, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I promise. I won’t. I’m sorry.”
“We have a lifetime for you to make it up to me.”
I smiled at him. “Sounds good.”
His lips descended on mine again. I didn’t expect our confession of love and wanting to be with each other to solve all our problems in the world. But, it was a start.
The End
Emma Carter lives in the Midwest. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
Emma Carter writes fantasy and paranormal romance. She blends her imagination and experiences to create a world of magic.
When not writing, you can find her exploring the different parts of the world.
Table of contents
Table of Content
Chapter13:Lily
1
Lilly
2
Ralf
3
Lilly
4
Ralf
5
Lilly
6
Ralf
7
Lilly
8
Ralf
9
Lilly
10
Ralf
11
Lilly
12
Ralf
13
Lilly
