A Grave Exchange

by Jane White Pillatzke

  A

  Grave

  Exchange

  Jane White Pillatzke

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Dedication

  I would like to dedicate this book to my family—Joe, Jack, and Jemma Jane. You are my inspiration on a daily basis; I love you forever and always. Keep laughing and loving. You are everything to me.

  I would like to thank my editor, Nicholas Denmon and Heidi Cormode's editing team for without your guidance, I would have drowned in a sea of confusion. You truly kept my head afloat and grounded me when I needed it. Forever obliged and totally recommend.

  I would like to thank a few authors who have rocked my world time and time again with the stories they created, their characters making me laugh, cry, and shout for joy. I am forever indebted to you ladies: Tina Folsom, Tessa Dawn, Larissa Ione and Kresley Cole. Keep inspiring me; keep making me stay up all night just to scream in frustration when the book ends.

  I would like to thank a very special muse of mine, a beautiful man, Jimmy Thomas, who happens to be the cover model on my book; your kindness and knowledge knows no bounds. Thank you for your time and unending ideas. Keep up the good work!

  I would like to thank cover artist Angela Waters for her beautiful talent on creating the cover for my story.

  I would also like to thank some beautiful friends of mine, without whom, this story would not have been told. Ladies, you are awesome. Keep believing in fairytales. I love you all. For Jamie Salisbury, Jamallah Bergman, Sharon Hamilton, Shannon Reads, Natalie Hancock, and Michelle Pillatzke.

  Chapter One

  Of course, I realized the folly of my ways as I crisscrossed my way over the old mounds in the cemetery, but to my credit, I felt I as if I was okay. The neighbors, after all, would not disturb me this quiet night. So what if it was after midnight? So what if a black cat haphazardly ran in front of me?

  I felt certain I’d made a wise decision. And yet, my heart beat so hard, I felt as if it might jump out of my chest. My mouth was bone dry, and no doubt, the full moon played a part in this seduction of my nerves.

  Quietly, I walked around an eighteenth-century tombstone, noting the name carved in its granite face: Lucius Roman Valentine. Goose bumps rose on my arms as I stood there, and I rolled my eyes. This is what you get for coming here after dark, dumb ass. But the route cut several minutes off the time it took for me to reach my apartment, and the graveyard was far safer than the alleyways.

  Cursing my waning bravery, I pulled my jacket tighter around me. I hurried along the old cobbled pavement, trying not to let my overactive imagination cause me to die of a heart attack.

  A branch cracked, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “It’s just a squirrel,” I whispered into the sudden silence. “Um . . . right? I mean, they do make noise when they walk, don't they?”

  Another crunch, this time obviously the sound of footsteps on the path behind me, had me spinning around. Violent shivers wracked my body. Don’t scream, I told myself. Not straight away. Perhaps someone else had chosen to take a shortcut this night. I squinted into the darkness, and my breath stuck in my lungs. Him! The man who’d haunted my dreams. He stood before me like a specter, and sweet, divine God's . . . Michael Angelo would weep were he to lay eyes on the man. He was perfection personified, and every pore in my body oozed pheromones in reaction to his beauty. I realized I was gawking and quickly shut my mouth. My breathing had turned to feeble pants. The stranger chose that moment to smile, and to my utter shame, I reacted as if this were my first time faced with a handsome man. My legs buckled, and I fell to my knees.

  Who are you?

  The man tilted his head, as if he were contemplating my question. No way. Absurd to think he could read my mind. Lord, I was fast losing my grip on reality.

  His smile broadened, and although I would not have thought it a possibility, he grew even more beautiful, like an angel come to stand before me. Thinking clearly grew difficult, so affected was I by his exquisite form. I found myself longing to kiss him, and the shocking thought quickly led to another. Why, oh, why did I choose to walk through this cemetery tonight? I truly wished I had not.

  "Why not, little one?"

  My eyes grew wide. Holy—! Seriously! Had he really just read my mind, or had I unknowingly spoken aloud?

  Again, he smiled. "My name is Lucius, but you know that already."

  Dear God. My labored breathing worked up a hundred notches to reach crisis level. If I weren’t careful, I might well hyperventilate. This couldn’t be real. I couldn’t be kneeling here on the ground in the middle of a graveyard, gazing up at the very man I had dreamed of over and over again, night after night, for longer than I could remember. And every night, I’d hoped and prayed he would somehow become a reality—like that old song goes, “step out of my dream, and into my arms.” But how could this possibly be? Answer—it couldn’t. Women weren’t able to simply dream up a man and have him appear out of thin air. Right?

  Strong, cool hands touched my shoulders, defying me to deny the man’s existence. He stood there—in the flesh; I didn't need to look to confirm he was still there. He’d given his name—the same name on the headstone I’d just passed.

  “Breathe, little one,” he said, brushing my hair out of my face. “Deeply and slowly.”

  I struggled to obey his command, but my breaths came out painfully quick, my heart exploding into a bloom of desire. He dropped to kneel in front of me, cupped my face with a strong yet tender touch.

  Momentarily weakened by his presence, I could not speak. My mind fought to explain the impossible. Lucius Valentine—man of my dreams, literally—knelt before me, gazing into my eyes. My heart raced, bordering on a dangerous rhythm.

  Captured by his gaze, I studied him intently. His eyes were a molten grey with emerald flecks, his face looked as if it were hand-sculpted by heavenly angels, and surely they wept when they let him go.

  As I pondered his unrivalled beauty, he moved forward. My breath hitched, my heart stopped it's frantic tango. Was he going to kiss me? Surely not! He stroked my cheek with his thumb, while gazing into my eyes. This has to be a dream, I thought, and Lucius smiled. I swore the clouds parted over the full moon, the animals stopped their nocturnal chorus, and we all waited silently in that suspended moment.

  “Dear, sweet, beautiful Ivy, you are my guiding light, like the brightest star in the universe, shining down to show me the path I must take in this life. I would follow you anywhere, do anything to please you, be anything you need. Sweetest Ivy, there are not enough words in any language to convey what I feel for you.”

  Focusing on all the delicious words falling from Lucius’ lips, I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath. What was happening, here? Had I tripped? Fallen to the ground, knocking myself out on a headstone on the way down? Was this all nothing more than a dream, brought on by my unconscious mind? But no . . . this felt too real. Perhaps, Lucius was my dream man’s doppleganger. The spitting image of the handsome guy who’d haunted me forever, who just happened to stumble upon me here, in the middle of a graveyard. I shook my head. That didn’t make sense, either. And yet, to deny the man’s existence meant admitting the possibility I’d lost my mind. Gone crazy, for some reason, and now I was standing here having a conversation with a man I’d created out of thin air.

  Yes, that must be it. I’d gone mad, insanity brought on by the unnecessary heartache heaped upon me by an uncaring world. Either I’d go
ne crazy, or he was crazy—some unstable man, who just so happened to look exactly like the man of my dreams, and who also knew my name and other important, personal details a stranger would have no way of knowing.

  A low, deep rumble escaped Lucius’ chest. “Sweetheart, I am very sane, and so are you. Stop questioning what is happening; trust yourself to know the truth.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said “Why me? You don’t even know me, Lucius.”

  “I have heard your heart cry out for so long now, your soul broke through the hardened walls of my cold heart and sang to me a lullaby so serene, I knew immediately you were my chosen. Make no mistake; I am yours for eternity.”

  Oh, good God, he can’t mean what he is saying. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my face flushed a violent blush. I desperately looked around, searching for something, anything to distract my wanton body and delirious mind. I knew then as I do now, I was falling dangerously in love with the man in front of me. How he could capture my heart so quickly unnerved me to no end.

  Lucius smiled at me, stroking my cheek. “Hush, little one. Stop your fretting, and allow me to explain how I awoke and came to you.”

  I found myself leaning into his touch. He caressed my cheek so tenderly, every cell in my body came to life, awakening to Lucius.

  “Ivy, dear, several years ago now, I awoke from a long sleep and found my heart beating. I could not comprehend what had done this—my kind only comes back to life when we meet our chosen one, so that we are then able to love for all eternity. However, I searched the world over, Ivy, and I could not find my chosen one. Had fate played some cruel joke on me, in order to punish me for my previous sins? I truly believed it to be so. And then, in a moment of sheer frustration and utter despair, I heard you heartbreaking sorrow. I could not bear the pain you were going through. I began searching once again, but I could not find you, to help you, to comfort you. You had to call me forth, to release me so that I might come and find you. For years, sweet Ivy, I listened to your soul’s agony. I will spend my lifetime trying to heal your hurts; I feel I have failed you by not being there when you needed me most.”

  I shuddered at Lucius’ revelations; surely, he did not know the evils that were done to me. No one knew; I refused to speak the words out loud, thinking, somehow, if I didn’t tell anyone, then the events truly never happened in the first place. Of course, a psychiatrist would have a field day if he heard my tortured logic. Lucius’ sorrowful moan brought me crashing back to the present.

  “Darling Ivy, what happened to you is very real, but no longer will you hang your head in shame. You survived a brutal assault, and yes, you have scars—both mentally and physically—but Ivy, you survived. A great many would not. I will help you come to terms with this. You must, you know, or we’ll never have a chance to become one. But don’t be afraid; I am here for you.”

  My eyes smarted at this beautiful man’s caring words. Never in my life would I ever have believed someone could feel so strongly about another person, the way I was feeling for Lucius right then. Of course, what did I know of how relationships progressed? My record was dire, at best.

  Lucius slid his hand around my neck and pulled me into him, and just when I thought my heart couldn’t beat any faster, my dream man proved me wrong. Breathing grew painful, and I gasped as I stared into those beautiful, molten eyes framed by thick, curling, dark lashes. Neither blemish nor scar marred his porcelain skin, and I found myself reaching out to trace a finger along jaw. Such angelic features and yet, his eyes spoke of true torment and pain. Who or what was this man before me? Where did he come from? He’d said something about my calling him forth. What did he mean? Just when I believed I’d found my voice to question him, all thoughts fled as he dipped his head and placed a chaste kiss on my tingling lips. Oh, dear heavens, how could something so innocent create such a volcanic reaction throughout my entire body?

  Every hair on my body stood up, goose bumps formed everywhere, and my nipples hardened, making me fear he’d think I was easy prey. Ha! Who was I kidding? He had me in the palm of his hand, and he knew it. His nostrils flared, his eyes darkened, and his breath came fast. I found my body reacting before my brain could register. I reached up and pulled his face toward me, and just before our lips met, he flashed a smile. A flood of moisture drowned my panties. Trouble . . . this man meant nothing but trouble for me.

  Lucius’ dangerous smile faded as he closed the distance between us and claimed my lips. My brain ceased working, allowing my body to function on its own and respond wantonly. The feel of his mouth on mine was the closest thing to devine, this side of heaven. He drew my upper lip between his, suckled it tenderly while rubbing the back of my neck. I pressed my body against his, and Lucius pulled me tightly into arms. I heard a moan and realized the sound came from me. Lucius took advantage of my parted lips, and his tongue found its way inside my mouth. I gasped, but he quickly vanquished my fears with his gentle expertise. So skilled was he, I briefly wondered how many lovers he’d had, upon which to practice and fine tune his technique. But I soon became caught up in a duel of tongues that sent my temperature soaring and my insides quivering. If I died right then, I would not have cared; the kiss had more passion in it than any intimate union I had ever had.

  Lucius suddenly pulled back, and my body immediately protested the sudden distance between us. I moved toward him, but he held me back.

  “Ivy, no, we have much to learn about each other. Now is not the time for this. I need you to trust me completely before I claim you as my chosen.”

  My mind was slowly returning to a functional level. God, what he must think of me, throwing myself at him like that. My cheeks burned.

  “Ivy, dear, I would never think badly of you. You reacted to me because I am your chosen; it is natural for us. Your body recognizes mine. My sweetest heart, understand me when I say I love you. No matter we’ve only just met, in the flesh; it truly is that simple.”

  Chapter Two

  Lucius took my hand in his and helped me to my feet.

  “Come,” he said, and guided me along the cobbled path through the cemetery. We’d only gone a few feet, however, when he stopped suddenly and rubbed my tender wrist. “Ivy, how long have you had this marking?”

  I shrugged casually. “After something that happened to me as a teenager.”

  Of course, I didn’t want to tell Lucius about my past. About how I could not defend myself from a horrific assault that ended up taking my innocence, in more ways than one. The small scar symbolized the loss of all of life’s joys, an outward symbol of the memories lurking in the dark recesses of my mind. Memories I refused to consider ever sharing with anyone.

  “Ivy, this is very important to me, to my kind.”

  I did not truly understand what Lucius was going on about, and I did not want to talk about my scar or the things the tiny mark represented. I tried to pull my hand out of his, but he held onto it effortlessly.

  “Ivy, we need to talk as soon as possible. Come, let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”

  I let Lucius lead me for a while, as I did not want to talk. I felt uncomfortable, almost naked, now that Lucius found my scar. I never liked being venerable, and now, here I was, feeling insecure all over again.

  “When we get to my house, we will sit, and I will listen to your entire story, and you will tell me, Ivy, all of it.”

  I stopped walking and held up my free hand. “Stop, Lucius, I cannot go with you. This is crazy. Why would I want to tell you things I’ve never told anyone? I don’t even know you. I think I should just go home, now. It’s been different, but this is where it ends.”

  Lucius’ eyes turned dark, nearly black, and a red outline formed around his pupils. His face changed before my eyes, his cheekbones becoming more prominent and fangs dropping from his upper gums. I gasped and jumped back from his reach. What the—? I blinked rapidly, closed my eyes against what I knew must be an illusion. When I opened them, Lucius looked normal again. I released
my pent-up breath on a relieved sigh. Surely, the atmosphere—having encountered this man . . . the man of my dreams, here in a cemetery—had caused me to hallucinate. No other explanation made sense. My brain seemed to have lost the ability to think rationally. After all, what was I thinking, talking to a man about whom I knew nothing? In a graveyard, of all places, in the middle of the night! Surely, no good could come from this.

  Lucius growled a low, deep resonating sound that rumbled from some dark place in his soul. I shuddered to think what such a strong man might be capable of doing. His eyes grew wide. Had he once again guessed the direction of my thoughts? Read my mind?

  “Ivy, please; give me a moment. Do not fear me, ever. I would never hurt you. I would rather kill myself than see fear or pain reflected in your beautiful gaze.”

  I stood there quietly, taking this in. I truly did not know what to think. Logically, I should run away, as fast as my legs would carry me, but something about Lucius held me captive. He’d enthralled me. His very heart spoke to mine in a language I had yet to understand.

  Lucius took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, their coloring, too, appeared normal, back to their beautiful molten hue. He held out his hand slowly. I stood there wondering what to do, but my body apparently knew how to react. A moment later, I found myself holding his hand.

  I knew then my life would never be the same. I truly felt as if I were stepping off a cliff into an abyss. I had no idea where I would end up or if I would even live through this grave exchange. No pun intended.

  I nodded, silently indicating my temporary agreement to continue our conversation.

  We walked from the cemetery to a beautiful, sleek, black Jaguar. Eyebrows raised, I turned to give Lucius an inquiring look, only to finding him gazing down at me, grinning wickedly.

  “Sweet Ivy, I am ancient. I have lived many, many lifetimes, and over the years, I have amassed a vast amount of wealth, both physically and monetary.”