He grinned and led her under the biggest palm tree in the park. The moon bathed the two of them and everything around them in a soft bluish glow.
Abe faced her and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. He held her gaze as he got down on one knee. “Ariana Bryn Barker-Lochalan, I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you and I would be most honored if you’d agree to be my wife for all eternity and make me the happiest being alive. Will you marry me?”
She knew this was going to happen sometime tonight, but Ariana still couldn’t contain her emotions. Big tears welled up in her eyes. The setting was perfect and he was perfect. She put both hands to her open mouth and knew her eyes had to be as big as the moon itself as he opened the box to reveal the ring inside, a three carat brilliant cut diamond solitaire surrounded by black diamond baguettes, each topped with a smaller diamond. Ariana nodded, speechless.
But that wasn’t enough for Abe. “Ariana, I will keep asking you until you give me an answer.”
She let her hands fall to her sides as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Yes, Abe, I would love to be your wife.”
He stood up, grabbed her in his arms and spun her around. He stopped before she could get dizzy, opened the box again and took out the ring. He lifted her left hand and slid the ring into place on her ring finger. “Thank you, Ariana. Please don’t hate me, it was Rainey’s idea.” He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them softly.
“What was Rainey’s idea?” Ariana asked, confused, but a second later she heard the cheers from a hidden crowd.
She looked around, seeing for the first time hundreds of smiling people running towards them, laughing and cheering.
“Oh my God! Abe, what is going on?”
Rainey grabbed Ariana and hugged her. “Don’t be mad at him, please. He wanted to propose to you alone, but the whole island would have been infuriated to have missed him down on his knee, handing his heart over to you. We all hoped you would catch on and confront him about it, and so we just took the chance that you would. I am so happy for you, honey!”
Ariana looked at Rainey, dumbstruck, then back at Abe, and then smiled before she fainted.
CHAPTER 41
Ariana was vaguely aware of someone telling her to do something, but she was so dazed and confused, she wasn’t sure she knew how to open her eyes, even. She could hear the voices in her head getting louder and louder and they all seemed to be concerned about something. Wait… it was her they were worried about. It wasn’t just thoughts, they were all talking about her. What had happened?
“Ariana? Ariana, honey, wake up,” Becky’s voice was loudest. She was softly patting Ariana’s cheeks. Ariana squinted as the slaps got a little harder. “Oh, thank God. I think she’s coming around.”
Ariana opened her eyes cautiously, but didn’t move as she took in her surroundings. She was laying on the ground, somewhere, and it was nighttime. Abe… Abe had proposed to her in front of the whole island, and after she had accepted his proposal… oh my God, all the people… She’d done what she always did best under pressure: fainted.
She could hear Abe’s heated voice, and he was doing a chewing up and spitting out number on Rainey.
“I told you this would happen, and if she is mad at me because of it, and you don’t fix it right away, I will personally escort you off the damn island myself, Rainey!”
“I’m sorry, Abe. Everything will be fine…”
“Why do I even bother listening to you? She’s just made me promise that I would tell her of all major surprises in the future, and I had to lie to her to make you happy. From now on…”
Becky cleared her throat loudly. “Um, Abe? She’s got her eyes open. I think she’s gonna be alright. She’s smiling.”
“Oh, God. Ariana, I’m here. Are you… Why are you smiling? Aren’t you mad?” Abe asked as he knelt down beside her.
Ariana tried to sit up and her world started to spin. Abe and Becky grabbed a shoulder each, and steadied her.
“You two are being ridiculous. Rainey isn’t going anywhere, I’m not mad, and you are going to apologize for being such a bully. I understand why she did it. I loved it, Abe. It was divine and romantic and… I guess, just a little overwhelming…”
Abe smiled and picked her up and hugged her, his arms holding her close to his chest. He kissed her softly and hugged her again.
Laughing, he said, “We are going to have to do something about all the excitement around here, the future Queen can’t handle it.”
Ariana gasped. “Queen? Oh God, no. How…”
Abe grinned. “Shhhh. Stop worrying. All you have to do is marry me. The rest will just fall into place. Besides, telling people what to do shouldn’t be that hard. You’ve practiced on me since the day you got here. Don’t let the title scare you. We can always change it.”
“Ariana is fine with me, I don’t need a title. I’m hoping, as long as no one calls me Queen, that I may even be able to refrain myself from passing out again.”
“Are we going to eat soon?” Rainey asked Abe. “I’m starving. I would love to go dancing with everyone later but I can’t stay long, I have a class in the morning, and I can’t be late again. The man of my dreams is amazing, but I’m always so tired when I wake up.”
Abe frowned. “You ever think this mystery guy might be bad for your health? What can become of it, Rainey? He’s there and you’re here.” A thought popped into Abe’s head and he was suddenly scared. “You aren’t thinking of leaving the island for him, are you?”
Rainey rolled her eyes. “Hell, ten minutes ago you were ready to escort me out of here and now you’re afraid I’ll go. Make up your mind, Your Fickle Highness. No, but he is thinking of coming here, though, if that’s alright with you. He can dream walk, so he must have some paranormal blood in him. I bet he could do more, if he tried.”
Abe relaxed. “Only if you’re sure and he isn’t some wacko. You can’t be too careful, you know that. Make sure you do a full background check before he comes over.”
“I went and got the love of your life and you didn’t ask me to check her background.”
“Yeah, but I bet you still did, before you even said anything to me, now, didn’t you?”
Rainey sighed. “I’ll make sure he checks out before I let him come, Abe.”
“That’s my girl.” He looked at his watch. “We’ve gotta go get Ariana a cell phone. We’ll meet you at the restaurant in about an hour. Oh, and about before…” Abe scratched his head and raised both his eyebrows. He looked at Rainey and then at Ariana. They crossed their arms over their chests at the same time. “Oh, hell, alright. I am sorry, Rainey. You are an asset to the island and I am a horse’s ass to say otherwise. I apologize.”
CHAPTER 42
After picking up Ariana’s new phone from Power Cell, the local cell phone shop, Abe was required to explain to her three times why there weren’t any monthly charges.
“You’d better not be telling me this so you can pay my bill for me. I have a job now, and I’m perfectly capable of paying my own bills and buying the things I need.”
Abe took a deep breath and started from the beginning, the fourth time around.
“Okay, the phones are Verizon phones, but they aren’t Verizon service. So, you have to pay for the phone, but not for the service. If we used their service, we would be painting a big target on our asses for all the humans who want to kill us to see. So, a few witches got together and developed a spell that would give the phones full service anywhere, anytime. We aren’t stealing service, we’re making our own. You get it now?” Abe lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke to himself. “But if there was a bill, I still wouldn’t tell you.” He pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot.
Ariana frowned. “All this magic stuff kind of blows my mind. Two weeks ago I would have thought this whole island impossible. It’s just going to take me a while to get my head around everything.”
Abe smiled as he got out of the car. He opened her door a
nd offered the crook of his arm to her.
“I would have been just fine going through the drive-thru at McDonalds, you know? You don’t eat. Why do you insist on wasting your money on this expensive food?”
“First of all…” Abe said, “… we don’t have a McDonalds, whatever that is. Second, if the money is spent on you, it isn’t being wasted.” Abe nodded at the host, and he and Ariana followed him to the dining hall. “I’ve had over nine hundred years to save up, and now that I have you to spend it on, you’d better believe I’m going to. And thirdly…” Abe turned her to face him. “After next Saturday night, all my money will be our money.”
Ariana’s mouth dropped as she heard the two words she’d dreaded, Saturday night. Abe lifted her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss.
“But…”
“Breathe, Ariana, and you will be fine.”
“Wha…”
Ariana hadn’t noticed the set of double doors in front of which Abe had paused until the host opened them with a grand gesture. At least two hundred people stood and cheered as Abe led her, with some resistance, to their table, where Rainey, Becky and Jonah were already waiting.
“You two look so cute together!” Rainey said as she dabbed at the corner of her eye with a napkin, then squinted at Ariana, whose face seemed to be turning blue.
“Ariana. Ariana, don’t do this again, they’re just people, not fire-breathing dragons! Breathe, child.” Rainey clapped her hands an inch away from Ariana’s nose making her gasp for air. “Oh, thank God. What are we going to do with you? Hey, maybe you can use your own magic to help yourself. We will look into that after the wedding… Or maybe we should do it before the wedding, so Abe won’t be the only one standing at the altar. Ha, get it? Him standing, you passed out on the floor?”
Ariana looked as though she were going to throw up.
Abe shot Rainey a look and growled deep in his throat.
“Okie-dokie, I think I’m gonna shut up now.”
Becky took Ariana’s hand. “I need to pee, Ariana, and I think you need to go with me.” Becky turned to Abe. “I think she could use a little liquid courage. Right, Ariana? What would you like to drink?”
Ariana was nodding her head vigorously. “A shot of Jack… make that a double.”
Abe nodded. “What would you like to drink with your meal? Chardonnay, Merlot, Champagne?”
“Beer… a beer is fine. I’m not a big wine drinker; it gives me a headache.”
What she really wanted was some fresh air to clear her head of the past five minutes. Saturday night? Did she agree to that and not realized it? His money was their money and he had been saving for over nine hundred years? And the best one of all, a picture of the altar with Abe standing there, looking all hot in his tux, and her laying on the floor at his feet, passed out cold. Maybe Rainey was right – she should try using her powers to calm herself. Meditation was an option she hadn’t tried, but she needed something now, right now. The Jack would help, but if anything else surprised her tonight she had a feeling she would freak out on Abe and call the whole thing off.
Becky opened the bathroom door for her. “You gonna make it, girl? You look like you’re about to wig, and we don’t need any wiggage tonight. This is a good night, a happy night,” Becky said as she fixed a piece of Ariana’s hair that was out of place. “You can do this. I’m right here, beside you.”
Ariana took a deep breath and let it out as she closed her eyes. “Just let me try something.”
Becky stepped back and leaned against the marble vanity. Ariana took another deep breath pulling all her energy and emotions to the surface. “Lift my spirits, and calm my nerves.”
Becky gasped. “Ariana… are you okay?”
Ariana opened her eyes and gave Becky a beaming smile. “I feel great, why? I feel alive and calm and… happy. I wonder how often I need to do that. I didn’t exactly get a ‘how to’ manual with these powers.”
“Ariana, you were glowing… like a freaking light bulb glowing. You’re normal now, but a second ago…”
Ariana smiled. “Pretty freaky, huh? Come on, let’s get back to our table. I may not need that drink anymore, but I still want it.”
Everyone stood and stared as Ariana walked right up to Abe and put her arms around his neck. He was stunned for a second until he saw the certainty on her smiling face. He bent down, wrapping his arms around her, and pressed his lips softly to hers. The whole room clapped and cheered and Ariana broke the kiss still smiling up at him.
“I would love to marry you Saturday night, Abe, and I have a feeling there will be two of us standing at the altar,” she said as she directed her smile at Rainey.
Rainey elbowed Becky, whose mouth was hanging wide open. “What did you tell her?”
“I didn’t say anything. She used her powers to calm herself down and make herself happy. It was really freaky for a moment – she was glowing. She was really, physically, glowing.”
“Freaky or not, it worked. Look at them, they are so happy together now. She’s not worried about the crowds, and he’s not worried about her, either. I wonder how often she will have to do that to cure herself of all the nerves?”
“She wonders the same thing.”
Ariana took her seat, and so did everyone else. She looked around and smiled as she picked up her shot and downed it in one.
Abe’s smile faltered a little as he watched her a little closer. Something wasn’t right. He leaned toward her to ask her if she was feeling all right and she met him half way with a big smack on the lips.
“Do we have to go dancing after we leave here? I can think of a few things we could do in your bedroom instead.”
Oh God, how he had wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth, but something was definitely off here and he wanted to know what it was and right then.
“What’s wrong with you, Ariana?” Abe said so only she could hear.
Ariana looked confused, then spoke loudly. “Whatever do you mean? I feel fine. I feel like a million bucks, or a gazillion bucks, which is probably how much you’ve got, huh?”
Abe stared at her for a second, before he looked at Becky. “What’s wrong with her?” he mouthed so no one could hear.
Becky started shaking and tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t know, she used magic.”
Abe looked frantically at Rainey. “Get her outside. If I try, she will probably cause a big scene. We’ve gotta figure out what is wrong so we can get it fixed before she does something she will regret.”
Just as Ariana was standing with a beer in her hand to make a toast, Rainey grabbed her hand. There were only a few people paying attention.
“Ariana, I think I dropped my phone outside, will you help me look for it, please?”
Ariana’s face brightened. “Oh, of course I’ll help you, Rainey…”
Rainey started to walk toward the door when she noticed Ariana wasn’t behind her. She turned around just in time to hear Ariana speak to the audience.
“May I have your attention, please? Hello… yeah, everyone look at me, I’ve got something to say about this man…”
It happened so fast, no one knew what happened. Abe looked around for Ariana, but she wasn’t there. He started to panic until Rainey laid her hand on his shoulder.
“Jonah’s got her, Abe. He took her outside. Go and I’ll try my hand at using compulsion on two hundred plus vampires and witches.”
Abe stared at her, shocked.
“Go, before she sets him on fire!”
CHAPTER 43
He was out the door in less than a second, with Becky running after him. He stopped outside the main entrance, but there was no one out there. He heard Ariana screaming curse words at Jonah and he followed the shouts. They were half a mile away. He guessed Jonah figured if he stopped right outside the restaurant she would just run back inside or someone would witness her performance.
“Ariana!” Abe shouted.
She stopped struggling in Jonah’s arms as sh
e stared at Abe with tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong with me?” she cried. “This isn’t me, Abe. I was just trying to lose the stress and calm my nerves. I was trying to be happy for you.”
Jonah let her go on Abe’s command and she fell into his arms, crying.
He sat down in the sand and put her in his lap wrapping her arms with his, blocking the cool night air from her skin. “I don’t know, honey, but we’re going to find out.”
Abe held her, and let her cry until Jonah returned with Becky and Rainey.
“Hey, girl, you alright? Feeling better?” Becky asked as she kneeled down beside Abe and rubbed Ariana’s back with her hand.
Ariana sat up. “I think I’m okay now. I don’t know what went wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t use my magic on myself.” She rolled her eyes. “I obviously wasn’t thinking straight. When I think about it now, putting a spell on yourself doesn’t sound too smart, does it? Can we get some fast food before we go dancing? Please don’t make me go back in there Abe.”
“I would never make you do anything you don’t want to do, Ariana. Do you hear me?”
Rainey looked at Abe. “I think I got everyone, everyone that was in the room, anyway, and that’s all that counts.”
Abe nodded.
Ariana looked back and forth between Rainey and Abe. “What?”
“Rainey used compulsion on everyone in the room so they won’t remember the last…”
“You walking towards the bathroom is the last image they have of you, so you can get back in there if you so wish; it’ll be as if nothing happened. They will probably even start clapping again.”
Ariana stood up and hugged Rainey. “I love you, Rainey. Thanks. They won’t know, but I will, and I don’t think I can face myself right now. Oh, and you’ll have to get a McDonalds.”
Rainey smiled. “You’re gonna be the Queen; your wish is our command.”
Ariana brightened. “I could do that? I could really use some chicken mcnuggets right now.
“Some what?” Abe and Becky said together.
Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) Page 23
