William bowed his head as if to pray, kneeling in front of the urn, leaning his forehead onto it. He allowed memories to flood his mind. Memories he had tried to suppress for many years.
A woman. Standing alone in a snow-covered wood. Her bright blue eyes scouring the area, searching for something. She breathed out a frosty breath, her ruby lips illuminated by the surrounding white.
Her mouth turned into a captivating smile as a shadow emerged.
“William,” she called out as he approached.
“My dearest Angelina,” William whispered into her ear, gently kissing her cheek. He abruptly let go, backing away. “I do not yet trust myself to be this close to you.”
“Ah, yes, the problem with dating a vampire,” she replied in sarcastic reproach. “If my family finds out what I've been up to...” she shook her head.
“They need not know if you wish it so. You know that I am a friend to the Howard Witches, but they may never fully accept me as such.”
“If you'd just let me tell them, William,” Angelina implored. “Just how many years you have lived here, helping them. Saving them. And all in secret.”
“It does not change my past, Angelina. I may desire friends. Family. I do not yet deserve these things. How can I ask for salvation when I still have so much to make amends for?”
“And what of me then? Do you not deserve me?” she asked.
“No,” he replied with certainty. “I do not deserve to be loved by someone as kind and as beautiful as you... but I dare say I cannot help myself.”
“And a mere human no less,” she teased.
“The most magnificent human I have ever laid eyes on,” he replied, lustfully taking a few steps closer to her. He stopped, closed his eyes and stepped back.
Angelina stepped forward and cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, William Wakefield. With all my heart. No matter how my family reacts to you, or us, nothing will ever change that.”
His hand stroked her chest, stopping over her beating heart. He wished deeply at that moment that he could become human again. To be rid of this vampire curse. A curse that meant a solitary life. He craved to live just one lifetime. A normal, human life. With Angelina Howard.
Her thumping heart under his hand was proof enough they could never be together. He could not live with himself if he took her life and infected her with his curse... and yet the thought of living without her was equally painful.
These memories flooded through William like a broken dam rushing to freedom. His eyes flickered opened, just inches from the name carved into the urn on which he leaned his head.
It read, Angelina Howard.
He caressed the stone as if caressing her cheek.
“Not a day goes by that I do not miss you.”
Upon closing his eyes again, his memory shifted.
Again he was in the woods, but in this memory it was dark and a summers night. Angelina Howard stood by his side. Time had clearly passed; her face aged a few years. A little fuller. Thin lines around her mouth and eyes. Still, William looked upon her with complete adoration.
Other Howard Witches, all of whom had now accepted William into the family, also surrounded them on both sides.
A battle ensued.
Spells cast.
Orders shouted.
Blasts of fire lighting up the darkened night sky.
It continued for hours, witch against witch, Howard against Deane.
Morning threatened to arrive, casting golden beams over the tops of the trees. The battle raged on. Two Howards and three Deanes dead.
William dashed to block a falling tree that was about to crash to the ground crushing the unconscious man lying underneath its path. As William thrust the tree into the woods, he heard Angelina scream.
He twisted around just in time to see her collapsing to the ground.
William was at her side so fast she had fallen only inches before he caught her, instantly whisking her away from the battle. He stopped, the battle a distant echo, gently placing her on the ground.
Angelina clutched her stomach, unable to stop the warm blood from gushing out of her body. William's eyes widened as he feared what so much blood would do to him, but he looked into Angelina's eyes and all fear subsided, the blood a mere passing thought.
“I know what I swore to you,” he spoke, in uneven anguish. “But I cannot explain how this pains me, to see you dying and not save you.”
“But you have saved me William. And my family. You discovered the Deane's plot to take over the Isle. It was you who gave us enough warning to prepare. Because of you, they will not win.”
“And now, because of me, you are dying…”
“I know you won't change me, William. You swore you could not, and would not do so. You haven’t forgiven your past, and still hold the belief that you do not deserve love, or happiness.”
She stopped, coughing, her breathing labored.
William's face turned to forlorn stone. “I do not know how I will continue through my long years without you.”
He heard her heart stutter as she collected every ounce of strength to lift her bloodied hand to his face.
“I will never stop loving you, William. One day, I hope you find the one that makes you believe, like I could not.” Her eyes closed and she let out a moan.
William looked on, remorseful that he could not give in.
That he could not change her. He felt his fangs dropping, his desire to save her overwhelming him.
But his reasons would be purely selfish. He could not curse her with his a miserable existence like his own. To watch everyone he loved grow old and die. Year after year. Decade after decade.
“William,” she spoke, her voice raspy.
“Yes, my love.”
“There is one thing I ask of you. Don’t leave the Isle. Stay. Protect the Howard line. They need you William.”
Without hesitation, he answered, “Yes. Always. For as many days as I am kept alive by my curse, I will protect the Howard line. For you.”
“Thank you,” she said, dropping her hand.
He leaned in, kissing her lips, feeling the breath stop as her body went still. Shaking, he kissed her forehead, closing her eyelids.
“Why couldn’t I have just saved you?” he cried.
He pulled her lifeless body into his own, her blood covering him.
The loss burrowed its way into his veins, pulsing fury throughout his body.
Fury aimed at the ones responsible for stealing away his beloved Angelina. With an enraged cry, he bounded off the ground, racing back to the battle, his eyes narrowing in on his prey: every Deane still alive on the battlefield.
Something stopped him abruptly. He stood just at the edge of the battle realizing Angelina would never condone revenge.
Instead, he took out his anger on the trees lining the battlefield, smashing straight through the trunks with his fist, splintering them into pieces that went flying through the air like dangerous wooden missiles.
The tops of the trees fell with deafening crash after crash.
He didn’t care how stupid it was to toy with fate, as one of these flying wooden missiles could easily have ended his life with a direct hit to his heart, but he did not care. Even after promising Angelina he would live, and stay on the Isle, he did not care.
The fighting stopped and all eyes turned to William.
The vampire’s voice roared through the suddenly silent clearing.
“This. Will. Stop. Now!” Each breath he took held the edge of rage, about to burst free. “Every Deane will leave this Island before this day ends! Or I will kill each and every one of you,” he spoke vehemently. “This is the only warning you will receive.” He spoke as if the words themselves could reach out and strangle any Deane that dared disagree.
The seriousness of his tone frightened everyone, including his friends.
Franklin Howard, Angelina's older brother, Charlie, Michael and Melinda’s great grandfather, rushed to his side.
He did not need to ask what had happened to her, realizing instantly where William's rage was coming from. He gently touched William's arm, forcing the vampire to look at him.
The moment William looked into Franklin’s caring eyes he crumbled. His chest heaved and his face contorted as if he meant to cry. But he could not cry. His body could not produce tears. He dashed away from the clearing, picking up Angelina’s body, carrying her home.
Reality came slicing back to the present day.
William still knelt on the ground in front of Angelina's urn.
He turned, leaning his back against the urn and spoke to Angelina, as if she could hear him. “Melinda grows more like you each day,” he sighed. “She has your eyes. Your lips. Your compassion and strength... even your vulnerability.” His mouth curled into a loving smile. “And she most definitely has your stubbornness.”
He sat silently, as if deep in thought.
“She is the reason I nearly broke my promise to you. I am afraid...” he admitted in a low voice. “Afraid my feelings for her will be my undoing. But she is young. She hasn’t lived enough to understand her own feelings. To understand love. And she deserves love. To have a normal life and a family. To carry on the Howard line. Something I cannot give her.”
His eyes closed. For a moment, his heart ached so terribly he swore it had started beating again.
“I do not know how many more generations of Howards I can watch come into this world, only to leave it, and me, behind. If I could bring myself to leave, I would. But I cannot. I tried. Last night I tried with every fiber of my being, but I could not leave. I have a duty to fulfill, a promise to keep, but more than that... even if I allowed myself to love Melinda and she returned this love, it will end the same. She will be ripped from my life just as you were. They will all be taken from me. Whether by the job or old age. They will all succumb to death. Perhaps it is time I consider my own. Perhaps my time here must also come to a determined end.”
He thought about how he would do it.
A stake to the heart? Missing his dose of masking potion and burning up in the sunlight? And when? Now? Right away? Or after the current generation of Howards grew to a certain age, no longer needing his help. Perhaps if Jack Howard were found alive, maybe then? With the patriarch of the family returned, perhaps then would be the time for him to slip away and never return...
His thoughts returned to the night his beloved Angelina had died. When he’d been ready to slaughter every Deane on the battlefield, but had stopped knowing she’d never condone such behavior.
His thoughts sickened him, guilt filling his bloodless heart. How could he possibly think of leaving the Howards? Was he such a coward that he’d just take the easy way out?
He bounded off the ground stalking out of the mausoleum.
He closed the heavy iron door.
“I will not repeat my mistakes,” he said. “I will never love another human as I did you, Angelina. But as long as a Howard still lives and breathes in this world, I will keep my promise. They will not be forsaken. Especially at the hands of a Deane.”
THREE
The picnic basket Riley packed had still to be opened. It balanced precariously on a nearby rock, blocking Melinda and Riley from view. They lay on a sand covered blanket facing each other, on the ground just inside a small cavern.
Just the two of them, hidden away. It was, indeed, the perfect spot.
Outside of their little cavern waves crashed up onto the shore, seagulls cried as they circled overhead searching for food, and distant voices echoed through the ocean breeze from a nearby beach.
Riley ran his fingers down her neck and arm, slowly.
His touch charged through her entire body, as if it were an electric current, drawing her to him.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, never taking his eyes away from hers.
“No,” she exhaled. “Not at all.”
“That's probably a good thing,” he replied, sounding relieved. “Seeing as when I unpacked the blanket, I realized I must have been so excited to see you that I forgot to pack the food.”
Melinda giggled. She couldn't help it. She had to bite her lip to stop.
“Yup. My brother is probably having a grand lunch right now. I had a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine, seeing as I have no idea which you prefer. A nice looking bread loaf and cheese that I picked up from the farmers market this morning.”
“Well, your brother can have it,” Melinda returned softly, admitting, “I don't feel like I will ever want to eat again.”
“Is that the effect I have on you?” he asked, a bit of humor in his voice.
“I suppose it is,” she replied whimsically.
“I can't have that!” he told her, smiling. “I won't be responsible for you wasting away to nothing.”
“I'm hardly wasting away,” she said, insinuating she could stand to lose a few pounds.
“You're prefect, Melinda!” he insisted, pulling himself closer to her. “In fact, I demand that as soon as you go home today, you have to eat. No matter how lovesick you are over me...” he teased. “I don't want you to change a thing about yourself,” he added in complete seriousness.
“Okay,” she answered only half-paying attention. Could she truly be so lucky? That this perfect man not only came to live on the Isle, but was also falling in love, with her?
Were they really in love? She had to remind herself that she barely new him. And as much as she desired to feel his body pressed against hers, she felt she could easily have spent the rest of the day laying exactly where she was, perfectly contented to trace the contours of Riley's face with her eyes, soaking in every dimple, every line, every …
Her phone buzzed.
Her heart sank.
Somehow, she knew this call was going to interrupt her perfect day. A day she had hoped would continue and end much differently.
She tried to ignore the phone, but it refused to stop buzzing.
Riley reached into her sweater pocket and grabbed it for her, holding it up to her ear, without losing contact with her eyes.
“Hello,” she mumbled into the speaker, dreamily.
“Melinda. Where are you? It’s Michael. Do you know where Charlie is? I can't seem to reach him.” His panicked voice forced Melinda out of her love stupor.
“Sorry,” she whispered to Riley, sitting up. “My brother... just give me a minute okay?” She stood up, collected her head and walked out of the cavern. Riley rolled over onto his back, closing his eyes.
“Michael, what's wrong? And no, I have no idea where Charlie is. He was at home when I left a few hours ago.”
“He's not answering his phone. But... well … there's a bit of a problem.”
“What do you mean? I thought you were having lunch with Eva's father.”
“Yes. We did meet up with him, but then something happened.”
Melinda heard what she thought was Emily's voice in the background.
“Just spit it out already, Michael. I don’t have a lot of time.”
Michael sighed and let slip out, “Emily sort of got turned into a mermaid, and if I can't turn her back before sunset she'll be a mermaid forever.”
“Um. What?” Melinda replied, unsure she had heard Michael correctly.
Riley noted her change of tone and sat up. Melinda bit her lip nervously, hoping she could manage this conversation without having to explain anything bizarre that might send Riley running away from her.
“I'll explain more later, Sis. I'm going to need your help though, because remember those bloodsuckers we told you about. Well, they're attacking mermaids now, which means they must be getting desperate to find food.”
“That means they'll be attacking people next,” Melinda whispered, adding, “You tell Mack yet?”
“She's on it. Gonna try to clear the beaches. Don't ask me how, no idea! Listen, I just got off the line with William. He's going to try and help Mack. If you could help them too, I can focus on Emily.”
&nbs
p; “Yeah. Okay. Where's William?” Melinda said, stepping further away from the cavern.
“Mack’s house.”
“Okay. Keep me posted, Michael. And if you need any help your way just holler, okay? I'll be there as fast as I can. I'll even make William super-speed me there if I have to.”
“Thanks Melinda. I think we'll be okay. I've got Mr. Jordan helping me here. Just keep safe, and try to keep anyone else from getting hurt.” He paused before hanging up. “Be careful, okay Sis?”
“Of course,” she replied.
Michael still didn’t hang up.
“What is it, Michael?” questioned Melinda.
He let out a frustrated sigh.
“You’re not going to lose Emily,” she told him softly.
“Are you sure you’re not empathic?” he asked.
“No, definitely not. I just know you.”
“Emily’s everything to me, and I’ve lost her almost three times this week,” he spoke, his voice sounding more distant.
“Well you better get on it then!” Melinda reminded sharply, trying to keep her words vague.
“You’re right. I'll be in touch,” he said, disconnecting.
She turned back to Riley. Once again, she was going to need to scurry away. She was going to have to figure out how to kick this habit before he started asking questions she could not or did not want to answer.
“Everything's not okay, is it?” he said, without asking her first if everything was okay.
“Still with the perception,” she mumbled, returning to his side as he stood up.
“Nothing much to perceive really. You're clearly distraught now. Anything I can do?”
“Not really. Sort of a family slash work thing. I could use another ride into town though,” she returned.
“Of course. Just tell me where.”
“Don't suppose you happen to know where the local sheriff lives?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she spoke.
“I can't say that I do. Are you related to the sheriff?” he asked, while shaking off the blanket and shoving it back into the picnic basket.
“Oh. No. Not related. But she's an old family friend. I sort of work for her... now and then.”
“So you don't work at that bookstore I dropped you off at before?” he asked.
Witches of The Demon Isle Box Set, Volumes 1, 2 & 3 Page 22
