He took a steadying breath and glanced down at the place their hands met. “They are my enemies. So they took what I loved.”
Ally sucked in a breath at the admission. His eyes moved up to hers, and her heart stopped beating at what she saw. Love. Tragedy. Devastation. Something wasn’t right though. He was looking at her but she felt the emotions weren’t about her. This was something else that had happened. Something long ago perhaps by the faraway expression. The mystery appealed to her and she desperately wanted to know what had happened to him. But now was not the time.
“So they took me because you loved me?” She asked to see what his reaction would be.
Vincent started. “Yes,” he mumbled. “And because you loved me…Ours was a forbidden love.” The words hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity before he spoke again. “And there was a prophecy written about you a long time ago.”
“Prophecy?” she laughed. “Very funny. What really happened? And how do I even know for sure that you actually know me?”
“You have a crescent moon birth mark on your lower back.”
Ally stared at him in disbelief.
“The bathroom is just behind that door,” he said with a gesture. “Go and check.”
Ally hesitantly stood up and wandered over to the bathroom. She walked in to the opulent space and was dumb struck when she looked into the mirror.
Her hand reached up to touch her face, as she examined herself. It seemed that she had forgotten not only her name but what she looked like as well. A flash of black on her wrist caught her attention and she looked at it. “An anchor?” she mumbled to herself.
“Have you found it yet?” Vincent’s question broke her reverie and she quickly turned her back to the mirror to find this moon birthmark.
She gasped. She did have a birthmark like he’d described.
“I take that gasp to mean you found it and believe me now?”
Ally dropped her top, walked back out into the bedroom and moved to stand close to Vincent soaking up the warmth from the fire. “Alright,” she admitted. “So you know me…But the prophecy thing was a sad attempt at a joke right?”
Vincent shook his head. “You don’t live in the world you think you do, Alessandra. A few months ago, you knew that…” His hand reached out and gently touched her cheek. She felt that same electrical current run through her.
He dropped his hand and pinned her with an intense look. “You don’t remember me and you don’t trust me. I know that. But…I’d be very worried if you did trust two strangers on sight. It shows you’re still a smart girl.” He grabbed her hand and put it to his chest. “Give me a chance to earn back your trust and your love. That is all I am asking for…Let me prove to you that I am what I claim to be.”
Ally was more confused now than she had been when she’d first woken up. The man before her inspired a myriad of emotions. His heartfelt plea touched her, but she was still wary.
“What choice do I have?” She answered.
“Oh, Alessandra,” Vincent leaned closer to her, hiding the look of deviousness that was written on his face. “We always have a choice…”
A soft rapping on the door brought them back to the moment and they sprung apart.
“Enter,” Vincent called out his voice oddly strangled.
Mabel stuck her head in the door. “Dr Reid is here.”
“Ah,” he said. “Show him in.”
Mabel opened the door wide and the aging doctor walked in. Ally glanced at him briefly. Her thoughts and emotions still jumbled from Vincent’s plea.
“Good evening Alessandra,” the doctor greeted her warmly.
Studying the portly man with rosy cheeks and greying hair around his temples, she returned the greeting.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake and moving about.” He walked closer to her and gestured to take a seat.
She sat and continued to stare at him.
“Do you remember anything at all yet?” He asked undisturbed by her inspection.
“No, not yet.” She tried to keep the panic to a minimum, but given the situation it was proving to be difficult.
“Well it will all come back in time,” he reassured her. Ally decided that she liked the doctor. He appeared to be a jolly sort of fellow that one could trust. She noticed Vincent watching with interest out of the corner of her eye and wondered what he was thinking. He was a stranger to her. But something about him, something that she couldn’t put her finger on was bothering her. Her emotions around him in such a short time had been confusing to say the least. She decided to let it rest for the moment and focus on what the good doctor might be able to tell her.
Dr Reid finished performing the quick once over. Murmuring a few questions, shining a bright light into her eye and promptly presumed her in good health, despite the amnesia. Ally felt a little reassured that at least physically she was alright. Mentally however was a whole different story. “When do you think my memory will return?”
The jolly doctor shrugged non-commitally. “It’s not something that I can put a time span on. Even with all the advancements in medicine, amnesia is still something that is too unpredictable. Every person recovers their memories at a different time…”
“If at all,” Ally finished for him.
“Well…yes it’s not guaranteed that your memories will return.”
Ally felt the fight go out of her at the thought of never getting her memories back. Vincent must have guessed what she was feeling or it was written all over her face for she felt his hand on her back, rubbing in small circular motions. “If the worst happens and you don’t recover your memories then we’ll simply make new ones…better ones.”
Ally tried to smile but she couldn’t find the energy for even that.
“Perhaps we should leave you to rest for a while, my darling,” Vincent moved to kneel in front her. “Today has not been an easy day for you.”
Ally met his concerned gaze and found herself nodding in agreement. “Maybe it’s what I need.”
Without warning, Vincent swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. Ally shuddered violently at the surprise and physical reaction she had whenever he touched her, but this was much more intense. His arms were wrapped around her and she was pressed up against his firm chest. It should have been a peaceful moment, a secure moment…but all she felt was a deep fear uncoiling in her stomach. Whether it was fear of him or fear of her intense attraction to him, she didn’t know.
He laid her gently on the bed and pulled the blankets over her. “Get some sleep and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Ally wasn’t sure whether to take that as consoling or threatening…perhaps it was a bit of both. She closed her eyes and felt the oblivion of exhaustion crawling up her body. Her mind was more relaxed and three words slipped to the surface…
“Forbidden love,” she mumbled as the oblivion sucked her in. “Olivia.”
Vincent stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned around and looked at Ally with tortured eyes.
“Olivia,” he whispered, the words dredged up from deep inside of him. “How do you know about Olivia?”
She didn’t reply. She hadn’t heard a word he’d said. With a huff, he turned around and left the room. Natalia was waiting eagerly outside the door. He shoved past her and continued walking down the hallway, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence.
“Vincent,” she hissed after him. “What’s wrong?”
Vincent whipped around. His eyes glowed a vibrant red. Natalia gasped. Vincent hadn’t shown his true self in centuries. For reasons she couldn’t understand, he wanted to keep a human façade at all times and had the strength to maintain it forever. What had happened to him that he’d lost the will to do that? She looked back at the door he’d come from half expecting the answer to be plain as day, but of course it wasn’t.
Vincent realised what he’d done. He growled menacingly and stalked out of the house mumbling one name over and over, “Olivia.”
<
br /> Chapter Sixteen
Vincent stalked through the darkening night with no particular direction in sight. The branches of low hanging trees swatted his face as he brushed through them at his inhuman speed. The brisk night air didn’t bother him, nor the icy rain drops that fell from the sky like icicles.
His only need was to get far, far away from Ally and the feelings that she had inadvertently caused to surge within him. Regret. Loss. Love.
Eventually, he stopped by a small brook of water and lowered himself down onto to large boulder near the edge of the surface. An almost inaudible huff escaped his throat and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“This was not how it was supposed to go,” he muttered to himself. “How the hell did she even know about Olivia? Let alone remember anything that she knew about her. Bloody enchantress…”
A shudder ran through his body as he stared blankly at the water before him. His thoughts swirled and he couldn’t fight the direction they had taken. The force of it was too strong. The feelings too deeply rooted in whatever was left of his black heart to ignore. The nights he had shared with Olivia all those centuries ago rushed to the surface and left him gasping for air that he no longer needed…
He stood immobilised in the shadows as the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen walked along the bank of the river. Never had he seen a woman that made his blood boil with lust and a tenderness that he hadn’t even known existed, even in his human life, made itself known like a blow to the head.
Something about her drew him in. He wanted to bite her, that was a given, but there was more to it than that. He wanted to possess her, devour her and make her his own. But kill her to feed his appetite…never!
He shook his head slowly in amazement.
She drew closer and closer… as he debated internally: ‘Should I stay hidden or make my presence known? What if I stay in the shadows and never see her again?’ That he couldn’t live with. His decision made, he stepped out of the shadows.
The woman stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him with a curious quirk in her brow. ‘Why isn’t she scared?’ Then he caught her scent and realised in a flash why a young man in the darkness wouldn’t scare her…She was an immortal.
He cursed silently and contemplated running away, trying to forget this moment of insanity. ‘An immortal for God sakes!’ He screamed in his mind. But again, he couldn’t do it now…he’d seen her. He’d felt emotions that he’d never felt before and it was intoxicating…heady. He had to know her.
She watched him silently and tilted her head to one side, waiting to see what he would do. What he wanted. Who he was.
Vincent slowly walked towards her, as she took a few hesitant steps towards him. The pair met in the middle. Neither spoke at first, content to simply look at the other in curious wonder.
Vincent was the first to break the silent tension with a devastating smile and a small laugh. “Hello.” He groaned internally. He’d said the most inane thing possible.
She smiled shyly in return and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Olivia.”
He grasped it gently, leaned down and kissed her hand. “I’m Vincent.”
She drew in a ragged breath as his lips touched her skin. It was a moment full of innocence, but to her it felt so much more than that. She gathered herself and tried to remember that this man was not innocent. Yes, she knew nothing about him personally, but there was one thing she knew for certain… “I know what you are.”
His eyes narrowed briefly. “And what would that be?”
She steeled herself ready to flee if she had to. “A vampire.”
He gave her an assessing look. “But you aren’t running. Why is that?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I should have run as soon as I caught your scent, but something about you…I couldn’t have left in that moment if my life had depended on it.”
He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. “I felt the same way too.”
“What is this?” she said, gesturing with her hand to the space between them.
“I don’t know,” was the most truthful answer he could give. “Walk with me.”
She narrowed her eyes for a second. The sudden wariness radiating off her in waves. “You’re not going to bite me, are you?”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. There was something in the way she’d asked the question that had taken him by surprise. “No, I’m not going to bite you...tonight.”
“Tonight?” she questioned. “But perhaps another time?”
He smiled secretly and ignored her question. “Come. Walk with me.”
She followed him through the dark forest until they found two large boulders they could rest on comfortably. He grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the first one. He felt the shudder run through her body at the contact. They stared at each other intently before she broke eye contact and fluffed her skirt. He sighed inwardly and sat down on the boulder next to hers.
They spent hours talking about everything and nothing. Neither of them noticed the sun rising until Vincent let out a hiss.
“The sun is rising,” he said glumly. “I have to go.”
Olivia jumped out of her skin. “Oh my god, so do I! My parents will be frantic if they realise I’m not home.”
She jumped up and started to run for home, but he stopped her. His powerful hands grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. Their eyes locked and slowly he moved down to hers. His blood roared to life at the contact and a soft moan escaped her lips. His mouth devoured hers. She left him breathless and needy. He didn’t even care that the sun was rising in that moment. All he wanted was her!
Olivia was on fire and she couldn’t care less. Every place his hands touched burned her skin and those sinful lips upon hers made her heart beat wildly in her chest. All too soon, he broke the kiss. She felt cold and bereft at the loss of contact.
“I want to see you again,” he rasped.
She nodded. “Tomorrow night?”
“Yes. Here?”
She nodded and whispered. “I have to go.”
He stepped back and watched her leave, with a sigh he turned to run back to his house before the sun rose and turned him to a pile of ash. But there was something he’d realised on the way back and if the sun hadn’t been threatening his existence, he would’ve stopped dead in his tracks.
His heart had begun to beat once more…
Chapter Seventeen
James paced up and down on the terrace like a man possessed. The entire group watched on from the kitchen, utterly helpless and at a complete loss as to what to do. They’d never seen him like this. James was capable. Their leader. Their friend.
“This is killing him,” Kat whispered to the tense group huddled around her.
“There is no greater pain in the world than what he is feeling right now,” Adele whispered back as she grabbed hold of Damian’s hand and squeezed tightly.
“We have to do something!” Isabella cried. “It’s not healthy to be acting like this. I’m worried about him.”
Damian reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “There isn’t anything we can do to help him other than find Ally and return her to his side.”
“But you two were separated for fifty years and Adele seemed to manage just fine.”
Adele snorted at her indifferent attitude towards losing a soulmate. “Isabella, you didn’t see me when I lost him. I was as lost as James is right now, but I had something that in the end forced me to see past myself and my pain.”
“Which was?” Isabella asked.
“My daughter, Vivienne,” Adele answered with a side glance at Damian. “That baby growing inside me meant more than my own suffering, my own loss…my own life. I would have done anything to protect her. But it took a few months before I could pull myself together to even function. So it’s not as easy as all that, but it can be done if you have the will.”
“Well as far as we know James doesn’t have a baby growing inside him to keep him g
oing,” Chase remarked with the tiniest grin.
“Shut up Chase,” Isabella shot back. “I can’t just sit here and watch this! Screw it, I’m going out there. If he kills me then so be it. At least he can dwell on something else besides waiting for a message from Ally.”
Adele let out an exasperated sigh.
“She’s brave,” Chase begrudgingly admitted. “I’ll give her that.”
Isabella took a deep breath and walked outside to face down her brother.
“Go away Isabella,” he fumed without stopping his pacing or looking up at her.
“No,” she replied defiantly.
Finally he stopped and looked at her. “Have you all lost your minds? First of all I can read minds so I can hear all the conversations going on inside that way if I choose. Secondly, in case you’ve all forgotten, we immortals have an incredible sense of hearing. So when you’re standing in the kitchen, which,” he said with great flourish. “Is right next to the God damn terrace, do you really think I wouldn’t hear it?”
“Ah,” Isabella dropped her gaze for a brief moment. “Regardless, it was well intentioned. Everyone is worried about you.”
“I heard,” he said, his voice dripped with sarcasm. He turned to stare at Chase. “And really Chase, ‘James doesn’t have a baby growing inside him,’ Seriously? Just when I was starting to have some respect for you!”
“Sorry,” Chase said quietly with a sheepish grin.
“Argh,” James moaned.
Isabella stepped closer and reached out to touch his arm. “James, please. We want to help you get her back.”
“Really?” James said incredulously. “You don’t even like Ally!”
Isabella flinched back from him as if he’d slapped her. “Would you just look at yourself. Do you really think she would want you alienating everyone because you’re in a bad mood? Get over yourself James. Stop being so God damn self-centred and think about her! You can’t possibly be of any use to her like this. Grow up and snap out of it!”
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