Julian. Jerome. Jonah. The contents of the goblet before you is to
be shared with the woman you have chosen for your mate. It will
signify the union of your hearts and souls forever.
Each of the brothers lifted his goblet, put it to his lips, drank deeply, and then handed it to the woman at his side. When the goblets were empty, the bright light disappeared and once more, the tableau at the altar was bathed only in soft candlelight.
Embraces and tender words were exchanged between the couples until Michael called for everyone’s attention. “I propose we retire to Mike’s for a proper New Orleans celebration.”
A short time later, in one of Mike’s private rooms, the group collectively realized that one member had wandered off. Everyone turned at once.
Jonah stood at the room’s only window, staring out at the first sunrise he’d seen in a very long time.
THURSDAY EVENING, Angela unpacked her suitcase and put it in the closet of the bedroom she would now share with Jonah. She and Scott had arrived home a couple of hours earlier, and, after helping her with her luggage, Scott left for The Onyx.
Her last day in New Orleans was one she would never forget. To be together with her dearest friends again and to see Jonah and his brothers celebrating their return to humanity was the most rewarding twenty-four hours she could remember.
The women had spent most of the time planning their triple April wedding while the men laid out plans for their continued destruction of the deep-earth vampires. And before they parted, she and her two friends made a pact to get together at least three times a year, alternating between the three cities in which they lived. As for the rest of her time, that would be spent with Jonah, as well as building up a small family law practice she intended to open in her new surroundings.
But the best news was when Jonah got the call. The auditions were to be held on Thursday, so he’d left for New York late Wednesday night, straight from New Orleans.
She checked the copper watch on her arm. Six o’clock. Had Jonah’s audition started yet? Rather than worry, she headed to the kitchen. A cup of coffee always made her feel better.
Inside the kitchen, she considered calling Scott to see if he had heard from Jonah, although she doubted it. Surely if there had been any news, good or bad, Jonah would have called her first.
Suddenly, she was distracted by a noise in the front of the house. Had she heard the door close or was she imagining things? For a moment, her heart stopped. Suppose it was. . . . No, that wasn’t possible. Jonah had assured her she need never be afraid of being abducted by one of Zurik’s minions ever again. Still . . .
Were those footsteps? She held her breath. The sound stopped and started again. The closer the footsteps came, the faster her heart beat. She had to do something. She would not be a victim ever again. She looked around for something to use as a weapon. The block with the knives was too far away. She yanked the watch from her arm and held it out in front of her, praying it had not lost its power. The kitchen door swung open.
And Jonah stood in the doorway.
He looked at the watch and laughed. “Were you expecting someone else?”
She wanted to be angry at him for frightening her, but her joy at seeing him drove away every emotion except the desire to hold him close. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him. With a lump in her throat, she asked the question uppermost in her mind, afraid the answer would be one she didn’t want to hear. “How did the audition go? Did you get invited to play at Carnegie any time soon?”
Jonah looked at her with downcast eyes. He shook his head. “No, I did not.”
She put a hand over her heart as the pain in her chest was almost unbearable. Tears filled her eyes. His dream had been snatched from him. After all these years . . .
Jonah took her hands in his. “Look at me.”
She did. He appeared to be fighting back tears of his own.
“I will not be playing at Carnegie Hall anytime soon.” There was a long pause, before Jonah grinned and continued. “But I will be playing there late this summer.” He paused again and kissed the tip of her nose. “After I return from a month as the guest pianist with the London Symphony.”
“The . . . the London Symphony?” Had she heard correctly?
Jonah picked her up and danced with her around the kitchen, then set her down and looked at her, a solemn expression on his face. “Do you think you can manage a month in London later this year? I know you have plans to get back to your career, so if you say you can’t, I’ll understand.”
She jerked back. “If you think you’re leaving me behind for a month, you’re out of your mind.”
“Then you’ll come with me?”
“Just try and stop me.”
He pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, passionate kiss. “I love you, Angela.”
She rolled her eyes enticingly. “More than you love your piano?”
He quirked his lips. “Can you give me a moment to think on that?”
They both burst out laughing, and then she was in his arms again and Jonah was heading down the hall to her . . . to their . . . bedroom.
He looked down at her. “Will you still sit with me every night while I practice?”
She rolled her eyes. “Can you give me a moment to think on that?”
Jonah kissed her soundly. “Time’s up.”
She smiled as the door closed behind them.
Time would never be up as long as they were together.
The End
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About the Author
Ann B. Morris is the author of five romance novels and several short stories. She has also authored two erotic romance novellas and a full length novel under her Caryn Carter pseudonym. Ann’s lifelong love of the written word is followed closely by her love of painting and her interest in other cultures which led her to obtain a degree in anthropology. Ann resides with her husband in Lacombe, Louisiana, a small, rural community north of New Orleans
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