Unbroken Vows

by Christine Pope

  She wasn’t sure about that, either, but one thing she did know was that the Greencastle demons seemed loath to do anything that would attract too much notice. All right, faking Caleb’s death had caused its own set of problems, but still, it wasn’t as though he’d barged into her house and hauled her bodily from the place.

  Although maybe that was because he physically couldn’t do such a thing. Rosemary had noticed how he’d gotten close to her, had acted as though he wanted to lean in for a kiss but had never made the actual attempt. She sort of doubted his reticence was simply due to being a gentleman. Was it that he now respected her newly awakened demonic gifts and knew he might not be able to hold his own in a straight-up fight between the two of them?

  She hoped that was the case. It would be nice to think she could kick his ass into next week if necessary.

  “I agree with Will,” she said, and felt his fingers tighten on hers. “I understand the need for caution, but I also have to get back to my life. I’ve left my sisters in the lurch enough as it is — I need to go to work, and I need to be able to cover Isabel’s hours if she needs to go help Celeste with Tyler’s costume. You know, regular stuff. I can’t spend the rest of my life waiting for the other shoe to drop. That’s no way to live.”

  “No, it’s not,” Audrey said. She went over to Michael and slipped her hand into his as she leaned against his shoulder. “Rosemary is right. None of us can be continually looking over our shoulders. Maybe there’s a reason why the Greencastle demons let her go, and maybe there really isn’t, except that they knew they’d never be able to convince her to join them, and they knew that if they kept her for too long, the rest of us would alert the authorities as to where we suspected our friend had gone. After all, they’ve spent all this time doing their best to escape notice, to pretend to be upstanding citizens. If we reported we thought they were involved in a kidnapping, that would open up a lot of questions they definitely wouldn’t want to answer.”

  Rosemary hadn’t even thought of that angle, but she realized Audrey had a valid point. Maybe Daniel Lockwood would be able to laugh off such an accusation…maybe not. Yes, they could say that she’d gone with Caleb willingly, that her presence at his party proved she was there as a guest and nothing more, and yet if she stood up and said that she’d been coerced into coming to Greencastle and kept there against her will, the police would be forced to at least interview her. And then all sorts of things the Lockwoods wanted to keep hidden would come to light.

  Possibly, similar thoughts had passed through Michael’s mind, or maybe he’d realized that not everyone was willing to put their lives on hold while they waited for the part-demons to make their next move. Whatever the reason, he gave a reluctant nod and said, “That makes sense. They’re all about hiding in the shadows…or at least, hiding what they really are.” He stopped there, gaze moving from Audrey to Will before coming to a rest on Rosemary. She did her best to meet his eyes, but she didn’t even know what he was trying to see in her expression. Right then, she felt more tired than anything else. He added, “But still…don’t take any chances.”

  “I won’t,” she said. “When I go to work, I’ll go straight there and back to Will’s house, and I’ll have my food delivered to the shop so I don’t have to leave it for any reason during the day. But….” She let the word trail off, and gathered her nerve as best she could. “But I’m not going to do that forever, Michael. I understand the need to be cautious now, but sooner or later, something will have to give.”

  He didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t try to argue with her, either. “I suppose that’s about all I can ask. But unfortunately, Audrey and I can’t stick around indefinitely and wait for the other shoe to drop. She has someone covering her classes, but obviously, she can’t be gone for too long.”

  “I told Esther I might be gone for as long as a week,” Audrey said then. “There’s no need to go rushing back to Tucson right now. Anyway….” Her eyes went glassy, and her fingers tightened on Michael’s, enough that Rosemary thought he made an involuntary wince. “It will be done by All Saints’ Day,” she said, her tone distant, almost as if someone else was speaking through her.

  A shiver worked its way down Rosemary’s spine. She knew that Audrey’s own psychic powers had awakened when she came into contact with the ghost of her great-grandfather, but this was the first time she’d ever seen them in action, so to speak. Or at least, she guessed that her friend must be having a vision of some kind, judging by the faraway look in her eyes and the odd timbre of her voice.

  At once, Michael shifted so he could look down into her face. He studied her for a moment, then asked quietly, “How do you know this?”

  “I just do,” she said in that same dreamy tone.

  “All right,” he said, voice calm and reasonable. “Is there anything else you want to tell us?”

  A blink, and then she seemed to focus on him, expression growing confused, as if she couldn’t quite understand why her significant other was staring at her so intently. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “I think you just had a vision,” he told her.

  She blinked again. “I did? I don’t remember anything.”

  “Has this happened before?” Will inquired. He didn’t look too concerned by the way Audrey had just zoned out, but maybe that was because the episode hadn’t lasted for very long.

  “Not like this,” Michael said. “I mean, she’s had dreams that were definitely visions, but not anything while she was awake and conscious.”

  Audrey rubbed her forehead, as if she felt a headache coming on. “I don’t know how conscious I was if I can’t remember anything of what I said. What did I say, anyway?”

  “That this would be over by All Saints’ Day,” Rosemary replied. Less than a week, since Halloween fell on a Thursday. She didn’t know whether to be anxious or relieved that they might not have to wait very long to find out what their eventual fate would be.

  “Well, then,” Audrey said, obviously doing her best to look cheerful. “No harm, no foul, right? We make it to Friday, and then we can go back to Tucson. Easy.”

  About all Rosemary could do was summon a wan smile in response. She had absolutely no idea what the Greencastle demons were plotting, but she had a feeling none of this was going to be easy.

  They didn’t stay much longer at Michael and Audrey’s house, partly because there really wasn’t much else they could discuss with so little to go on, but mostly because Will could see the growing weariness in Rosemary’s eyes and thought she needed to get back to his place so she could put up her feet and rest. He noticed that she didn’t offer any protests when he said they should get going, only said that yes, she could use a little downtime.

  When they entered his house, Will told her she should try to lie down for a while. At that suggestion, she cocked an eyebrow and said, with almost her old energy, “I’m not an invalid, Will. Yes, I’ve had a shit day, but I’ll get over it.”

  He only smiled back at her and replied, “What, are you going to deny me a chance to fuss over you the way you did over me when I had my concussion?”

  “I didn’t fuss,” she said sternly. “I only did what the doctor told me to do. But okay — I’ll admit that I wouldn’t turn down a chance to get on the couch and put my feet up for a while…especially if you bring me a glass of wine, too.”

  “Deal,” he replied.

  And so she went over the sofa, pulled off her boots, and grabbed the knitted throw that lay over the back so she could spread it across her legs. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to fight him over giving herself a little of the rest she obviously needed, Will headed into the kitchen, got a bottle of wine from the small rack on the countertop, and opened it. Just a cheap merlot from Trader Joe’s, but he figured it would do the trick.

  When he returned to the living room, he saw that she’d picked up the remote and was aimlessly channel-surfing, although she’d turned the sound down so the quick tu
rnover from channel to channel wouldn’t be too annoying. “Saturday afternoon is sure a wasteland on TV,” she remarked, then sent him a grateful smile as she took the glass of wine from him with her free hand.

  “I wouldn’t know,” he said. “Usually, I spend Saturday afternoon working on my sermon for the next day.”

  At once, her expression clouded. “Is that what you should be doing now?”

  “It’s all right,” he lied. “It’s mostly done.”

  She cocked her head and gave him a sideways look which told him she could tell that was a bald-faced lie. “Will, this whole mess has already taken enough of your time. Go ahead and work on your sermon — I’m just going to be sitting out here watching TV and drinking wine anyway.”

  “I want to stay with you,” he said, which was nothing more than the truth. After wondering if he was ever going to see her again, it felt just a bit anticlimactic to leave her alone with the television and her glass of merlot so he could go hack away at his sermon.

  His words elicited another smile. “You’re only going to be down the hall. This house isn’t so big that you won’t hear me call for you if I need something.”

  Well, he couldn’t argue with that observation. And what she’d said earlier at Michael and Audrey’s place was the simple truth — they needed to get back to their lives, and part of his was making sure he showed up on Sunday and delivered a message that was heartfelt and — he hoped — helpful.

  “All right,” he said. “It shouldn’t take me more than an hour or so. And after that, we can think about what to order in for dinner.”

  “We never do seem to make it to the store, do we?” she responded ruefully.

  “Maybe tomorrow after church.”

  The remark made her send him a skeptical glance, as if she wasn’t quite sure what he’d been intimating by his comment. Then she said, “Are you asking me to come to church with you tomorrow?”

  He honestly wasn’t sure if that’s what he’d meant, but once Rosemary had asked the question, he thought that it actually was a good idea. Not that he expected her to convert or anything, but if she truly wanted to be a part of his life, then she should at least make an appearance now and then, if only to learn a little more about what he did, as well as to meet his parishioners. Besides, he’d already begun to worry about what might happen if he left her alone again — the last time he’d done that, Caleb Lockwood had appeared and whisked her away to Greencastle. Better safe than sorry.

  “Only if you want to,” Will said. “But I know I’d feel better having you there with me rather than here by yourself.”

  For a moment, she didn’t respond, only sat there with the untouched wine in one hand, the remote in the other. “I could go over to my mother’s house if you’re worried about leaving me alone.”

  “True,” he replied, trying not to feel disappointed by this apparent rejection of his invitation. “I could drop you off on the way to church.”

  That suggestion made Rosemary shoot him a disbelieving look. “Um, my mom’s house is in the exact opposite direction of All Saints, Will. Besides, I’m not an invalid. I can drive myself. I’m going to have to drive on Monday anyway, since I have to go to work.”

  All very valid points. He tried to tell himself that it was no big deal and that they’d have plenty of opportunities for her to come to church with him sometime in the future. Even so, the rejection stung a little.

  Before he could say anything, though, she went on, “But I can tell it’s important for you, so sure, I’ll come. Just don’t expect me to recite the Lord’s Prayer or anything — I don’t even know it.”

  He smiled in relief, then bent and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Like I said before, I don’t expect you to do anything but be yourself. Then again, the Lord’s Prayer isn’t a bad thing to have in your demon-fighting arsenal.”

  “Like holy water?” she said skeptically. “That doesn’t help so much with our particular brand of demons.”

  No, it didn’t. Will didn’t like dwelling on that particular fact, though, mostly because it only pointed out to him that the strongest weapon he had against demon-kind was pretty much nullified by the human blood that ran in the veins of the Greencastle demons. “True,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “But it’s helped me in the past.”

  “With any luck, this all will soon be in the past,” Rosemary replied. She finally lifted her glass of wine to her lips and took a sip. “I’d kind of like to know what it feels like to have a normal life with you.”

  He couldn’t argue with that wish, because he held the same one in his heart. “Well, according to Audrey, we’re almost there.”

  “Five more days.” She let out a sigh, then glanced over at the television. Her channel-surfing had paused on a college football game, although Will doubted that had been done on purpose. “A lot can happen in five days.”

  “I know,” he said. He’d kissed her before, but he bent and did so again, only this time placing his mouth against hers. Gently, so she’d know he didn’t expect anything else from her, although he could feel desire rise in him at the sensation of her lips touching his, at tasting the faint tang of wine on her skin.

  “Thank you,” she said after he ended the kiss, and he sent her an inquiring glance.

  “For what?”

  “For kissing me. For…for wanting me, even knowing what I am.”

  His heart ached at the pain in her voice. He pushed a curl away from her lovely face and said, “Who you are is Rosemary McGuire. You’re still the same woman I fell in love with. Nothing is going to change that. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied obediently. Then she forced a smile onto her lips and added, “Now, shoo. Go write your sermon. I’m just going to sit here and drink wine and watch a football game.”

  That he found difficult to believe. “You are not.”

  Her mouth twitched, and the smile suddenly looked much more genuine. “Okay, you got me. No football. But I am going to drink this wine.”

  He chuckled and left her to the TV and her wine, his heart feeling a little lighter. Yes, she’d suffered a shock, but she seemed to be coming back to herself, and he could only be grateful for that. And although he’d told her the truth when he said he didn’t care who her father actually was, he still couldn’t shake the belief that Daniel Lockwood and this Gerald Gates — whoever he might be — had been feeding her another lie, doing their best to manipulate her with their story that she was a quarter-demon, the same as Caleb.

  Now if he could only figure out why. If she was important enough for them to attempt such a ploy in the first place, then why would they suddenly let her go without apparently even a backward glance? Something felt very wrong here, but as hard as his brain tried to pick at the problem, he couldn’t come up with an adequate answer.

  And he had to set it aside, because, as Rosemary had just pointed out, they needed to get back to their normal lives, and that meant he had to use all his mental focus to work on the sermon he’d just barely started writing when she miraculously reappeared.

  Miracles. That was it.

  He seated himself at his laptop, opened the file for his sermon, then copied the little he’d written so far on the topic of forgiveness and pasted it into a separate “Notes” file he kept for random jottings and scraps of ideas. Mind buzzing, he began to write a new sermon.

  Funny how inspiration flowed once Rosemary was back in his life. He had to do whatever he could to make sure things remained this way.

  Chapter 13

  It felt stranger than Rosemary wanted to admit to sit in the front pew at All Saints and pretend that she had every right to be there. Okay, in a way she did, just because she was there as Will’s guest, but at the same time, she’d held her breath as she stepped over the threshold of the church for the first time, wondering if she was going to spontaneously burst into flames. Which she knew was probably silly, because even if she hadn’t been in the chapel before this day, she’d been in Will’s of
fice on church grounds, and certainly nothing had happened then. She hadn’t felt anything at all, except maybe a bit strange and fluttery just being around him, since of course, that had been back before she’d acknowledged her feelings for him, long before they’d kissed or made love. Everything was different now, and yet….

  She was sitting next to a plump, friendly older woman whom Will had introduced as Gloria Jansen, one of the church’s deacons. Probably, he’d asked Rosemary to sit with Gloria because he knew Gloria would take her under her wing and make sure her first experience here at the church was a positive one. And that was pretty much what had happened — even when Will had to excuse himself to go prepare for that morning’s service, Gloria had taken Rosemary around and introduced her to a whole host of people, most of whose names she knew she’d never be able to recall. However, everyone seemed friendly, and no one seemed taken aback by her paisley sequined skirt and wild hair. Overall, despite the awkwardness of being in a social situation that was entirely new to her, she thought she survived the experience fairly well, although she was glad when it was time to sit down and she didn’t have to worry about trying to keep track of all the new faces and names.

  Still, Rosemary couldn’t quite ignore how out of place she felt, sitting there and listening to the organist play a hymn that probably everyone else in attendance knew but which she couldn’t begin to recognize. At least they weren’t singing yet; she wasn’t quite sure how she intended to handle that part of the service. Pretend to mouth the words? Stand there silently and hope no one noticed? She’d need to figure it out soon, since the glance she’d taken at the printed program they’d been handing out as she entered the chapel seemed to indicate there would be an opening psalm, then a hymn, followed by various readings from the Bible, and the sermon, followed by more music.

  The prelude music continued, and a procession began to make its way down the aisle. In the front was a man — well, boy, really, since he looked like he was barely out of high school, if even that — carrying a large wooden cross. Immediately behind him was Will, looking so different in the white robes of his office with the green drape of a chasuble over them that she hardly recognized him. It was hard to believe that someone who appeared so stern and almost otherworldly now was the same man who’d kissed her, held her, laughed at her quips and told her he loved her, no matter what. But this was another side of him, one she was seeing for the first time, and she knew she needed to understand it and accept it, just as he had accepted everything about her.