“And I love you with all my soul.” He drops to one knee. “Marry me, tonight, today, here. Invite your family to witness.”
My heart thumps in my chest. He wishes to marry me? I want to say yes, to experience the oneness from belonging completely to another. My mind jumps to the position I hold, people I lead. If it were discovered I was here with him, I could be accused of conspiring to sire illegal beings and be stripped of my title. “This is not something I can enter into lightly. I have my people to think about. Unions such as these are not looked on with favor.”
“Change that. If anyone has the power, you do.” He clutches my hand.
Heart racing, I snatch it from his grip. “I must go.”
Before he can protest, I dash away, swiping my bag and his keys from the front table and racing to the SUV. Turning it around, I speed down the drive to the highway. My mind reels with thoughts of Lucas, our night together, the possibility of being loved as he seems to love me.
My phone rings, and I dig it out of my bag and flip it open.
“You took my vehicle.” Lucas’s voice sounds through the speaker.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll have Will bring it back.”
“When will I see you again?”
“Tonight. I’ll come tonight.”
“Do you promise?”
My mind reels. Can I promise that? “Yes, I promise.”
The highway and streets are nearly empty, and I take the long way back to my condo. Parking in the lot, I take the elevator up to the top floor. I tip toe across the marble to the entrance and lay my hand on the key pad. The door clicks open, and I hold my breath.
As soon as my toes cross the threshold, a huge burst of air hits my face and Elizabeth, Jacob, and Will appear in front of me. Closing the door, I press my back to the wood. “Hi.”
“Hi?” Elizabeth screams. “Where have you been? We were worried sick.”
“You figured it out, eh?” I tuck my hair behind my ears.
“You never rest for eight hours straight. Do you think we’re morons?” Jacob yells.
“You couldn’t have been that worried. I didn’t see any helicopters. Okay, so, that was that, I’m going to take a shower and get dressed for the day.” I start to walk away.
“Why would you do that?” Will grabs my arm. “You were with Lucas, weren’t you? You could be thrown in jail, or worse, entombed with Sonia, just for being seen with him, especially this year.”
I snatch my bicep from his grip. “Aren’t you being a bit dramatic? I have the right to a bit of privacy, a life.”
Orm pads down the hall towards us. “She’s back. Told you she would be.”
“See, look at Orm, he’s not worried, all is well. Everything is fine.” I start towards my room.
“Why would you sneak out? Rig the cameras to deceive us?” Elizabeth asks.
“Look at how you’re reacting. This is why I didn’t tell you before I went. Would you have let me go?” I insist.
“Absolutely not. And I’m not letting you out of my sight for the rest of the year.” Jacob crosses his arms over his chest.
“It’s sweet that you’re so worried. But I have it under control.” I take a sideways step down the hall.
Will blocks my path. “Where were you? What did you do?”
“Let’s see.” I roll my eyes to the ceiling for effect. “We were at Lucas’s house on the ocean. It’s a very big house, white, with a long boardwalk over the dunes to a private beach. We made a campfire, had some wine, swam in the ocean. It was very lovely. He’s a wonderful host.”
“He drove you? It was lovely?” Will’s eyebrow shoots up. “He has a house? How does he even know how to use a vehicle?”
“Oh, yes, he has a mobile phone too. Very up to speed with technology, for a, you know, really old being.” I shrug and push up on my heels, starting to take another step.
“I don’t think so, missy.” Elizabeth grabs my elbow. “What are you thinking? What is going on in your head?”
“Can a person have one moment to herself? I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in over twelve hours.”
“Food?” Elizabeth tugs me towards the kitchen. “We can get you food.”
Will takes a position on the other side of me, and Jacob and Orm follow.
“Sit,” Elizabeth orders and pushes me towards the table.
Stumbling, I catch myself on the back of a chair. “I’m not twelve.”
“Well, you’re acting like a teenager.” Elizabeth tosses me a bottle of deer’s blood. “Drink and talk.”
They all take seats around the table. I look to each of them. “There’s really nothing to talk about. We had a fun night together.”
“You had fun? I think I’m going to be sick.” Jacob fakes a cough.
“What? He’s a nice man.” I take a gulp of the blood.
“A nice man? What if he’s luring you there to bewitch you? Have you sire a hybrid child?” Will asks.
“You’re talking crazy.” I rub drops of blood from my lips and lick my fingers. I point at my now ancient friend. “Orm, tell them. You’ve witnessed who he is. His intentions are pure.”
“How do you know? Oh my goodness, he has you completely brainwashed.” Jacob slaps his forehead.
“Stop.” I slam my hand on the table. “He loves me, and I love him. He asked me to marry him.”
There’s dead silence for a full second, and then pandemonium breaks out with each of them trying to speak over the other, yelling accusations at me.
Orm fits his fingers in his mouth and whistles. We cup our hands over our ears.
“Thank you.” He sighs. His eyes land on me. “Yes, I have seen who he is and what he has experienced, and aye, even how he feels for you. He does love you. His intentions are pure. He would never let harm come to you.”
“See.” I motion to Orm.
He lifts his index finger. “But think very carefully. Every decision sets in motion a path for which there is no return. You know the consequences if something goes wrong. You have to be willing to lose everything.”
I open and shut my mouth. He’s spoken out loud my biggest fear—my reputation, my legacy, my kingdom, all could spiral and implode with one infraction of the law.
Tears fill my eyes. Leaving the bottle half empty on the table, I pad to the door. “I have to get dressed for work.”
Hearing their voices as I walk to the foyer, grab my bag and phone, and enter my suite, I try and tune them out. Now that I’ve remembered how it feels to be loved by another, can I live without it? Walk away? The thought of severing ties with Lucas, ending that part of my life, feels like the prospect of chopping off my arm or ripping my heart from my chest. Starting the shower, I let the hot water stream over my body, tears pouring from my eyes until I can cry no more.
When I’m done, I dress in my skirt and blouse, slide on my heels, order breakfast to be delivered to my office, and march down the hall to my command room.
“Anne.” Elizabeth’s eyes are wide with compassion as she sets my food tray in front of me.
“Thank you, Elizabeth, that will be all for now.” I pick up the egg white and fruit shake and take a sip, praying they haven’t decided to drug me. I push the speaker on my phone. “Will, can you come here please?”
The next second, he’s before me. “Yes?”
I hold out Lucas’s keys. “I took his car. Can you take it back to Lucas? I’ll text you the address.”
“Does this mean you’ve decided to be smart? Not see him again?” His eyes pierce mine.
“I’m working.” I hold his stare for a second and look back to my computer screen.
As I am briefed on the night’s activity, rogue vampires we apprehended, and incidences of vampire on human violence, I try to process how my relationship with Lucas might work. Maybe it’s irrational, but now that I know he wants me, I long to be with him almost above all else.
The sane side of me kicks in midday, and I consider all I could lose. Still, what is it
all worth if I have no one to share it with? Yes, I have Elizabeth, Jacob, Will, and Orm, and they are family to me. But it’s not the same as having a true mate, someone to love every part of you and you them. I’m not the only one who could serve as Chancellor. There are others who could rule in my stead.
I love my job, my people, and the thought of giving that up pains me almost as much as the idea of walking away from Lucas. But, how does one make that decision? I press my palms to the soft wood of my desk. I know the answer. Unless I have the support of my family, there’s no way I can wed Lucas and keep my position.
I gather everyone in the dining room for the evening meal. Sitting tall, I start my proposal. “I love Lucas.”
“Anne, you can’t—” Will starts.
I raise a finger. “Let me finish.” I lay out my whole plan, how I can have a relationship with Lucas and keep things running here. “And it’s only for a year. So, there’s that.”
“Well, I think we need to commit her to a mental institution.” Jacob rises from his seat and lays his napkin on the table.
“Think about how you felt about Mambi,” I start. “Once you knew you loved her, you would have done anything for her.” I face Elizabeth. “What of Finn? He was human. You risked punishment for exposing yourself as vampire to be with him. I wed a human.”
Will stands. “This is completely different. Lucas is—”
Orm’s arm shoots up. His eyes pan between us. “Do not speak it. It shall not be spoken. Not one of you knows who he really is, is this correct?”
We each nod. To us, Lucas is a being who may shift from a winged form to human for one year a century, who may not kill, but has the power to block the use of magic. If he has another name, I don’t know it. I could guess, but I will not.
“Child.” Orm’s eyes land on me. “You have endured so much in your life. I give my blessing and pledge loyalty, always.”
Elizabeth throws her napkin on the table and paces around the room. “Orm, what are you saying, old man?”
Will approaches. “If Orm is with you, so will I stand by your side.”
Jacob’s mouth turns down, and he rolls his eyes. “As will I.”
Elizabeth spins to face me, tears welling up in her eyes. “I knew the second I told you to run and hide in the tree so many years ago that I needed to protect you with my life. If Orm, Will, and Jacob support this, so can I.”
“Thank you.” I stand and hug each of them.
I turn to Will. “Can you drive me?”
“Now?” He follows behind me.
“Yes. It’s almost midnight, I promised him I would come today.” I stuff a bite of raw tuna into my mouth and hand him the remains of my meal. “Have Elizabeth put this in a box.”
Swiping my phone from the kitchen, I dial Lucas’s number. It does not complete a ring before he answers. “Anne?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“I’ve been waiting all day. Will you come tonight?”
“Yes, meet me on the beach in an hour.”
It’s not half an hour before Will and I find Lucas waiting on the beach. He strides towards me and kisses my cheek.
“Will, thank you for bringing her.” He offers his hand to Will.
Will locks his hand around Lucas’s forearm in our traditional manner of greeting. “She should not be without protection. You understand, correct?”
“I understand.” Lucas takes my hand.
“I will meet you here at five. No later.” Will points a finger at me.
“Okay, thank you.”
Lucas wraps his arm around me, and I snuggle into his chest as we walk towards his home.
“What did you do all day?” I ask.
“Slept half the day. I believe that I must adapt to your vampire nature if we’re going to go on like this.”
“Perhaps.” I smile up at him. “What else?”
“It’s a surprise.”
He leads me into the house, to the dining room. “Are you hungry? Will gave me some pointers on vampire diets.” Lifting a cover off a dish, he reveals a plate of sushi.
“Perhaps in a bit.” I push up on my toes and kiss him.
His lips press into mine, sending a tingling feeling throughout my whole body. He traces kisses from my mouth down my neck to my shoulder.
“I have something for you,” he whispers.
Leading me to the balcony, he pops open a bottle of champagne. Then, he produces a square box from his pocket. “Anne Scott”—he opens the box—“will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Atop white velvet, a large round sparkling stone ringed by smaller ones shines as if it makes light of its own. The band is fitted with two rows of diamonds that cross over each other, intertwining and forming one.
“This is what you did today?”
“Yes. Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“But you won’t say yes?”
“I’ve just wrapped my brain around you being here.”
“So, perhaps you’ll say yes tomorrow?”
“Perhaps.” I smile at him.
As the days pass, it’s harder and harder to resist being around him every minute.
“Don’t go.” He tugs on my arm as I rise from his bed just before sunrise.
“I don’t want to, but I have to work. Not all of us can take a year’s vacation.” I kiss him on the lips. “Come to my condo. You can spend the day there.”
“Marry me and I will.”
“That’s the same thing you said last time.”
“Well, marry me.” He reclines to his pillow as if he doesn’t care what my answer will be.
“Okay.” I smile.
“Really?” He jumps up.
I beam at him. “Yes.”
We’re married on his private beach on the spring equinox just as the sun sets. Elizabeth is my maid-of-honor, Jacob officiates, Will stands in for my father, and Orm serves as the best man.
“What say you?” Jacob asks Lucas.
“I take you, Anne Scott.” He stares into my eyes and recites a vow to love, protect, and cherish me for the rest of our days.
I smile from ear to ear as I recite my pledge back to him. “Forsaking all others, I take you Lucas, as my husband, to have and to hold, until death do us part.”
He slides a band of white gold on my finger. It shines so bright, I fear it may blind me. I inch the ring I designed for him, etched with alpha and omega, AS on the interior, onto his finger.
“You may kiss the bride.” Jacob looks to me and winks.
Clutching my hands, he leans down and kisses me. The now familiar tingle of his touch spreads through my body.
“I love you,” I whisper as we end the kiss.
“And I you, love.”
We turn to my friends to receive congratulations and hugs. On his deck, we feast on meat and wine and dance until sunup. As my friends drive away, Lucas sweeps me off my feet and carries me inside and up to the bedroom.
The next nine months pass as if it were a dream. He sleeps during the day as I manage the vampire council and my responsibilities as Chancellor. We swim, hike, dance, or read together most nights. On weekends we fly to Iceland, China, Africa, India, Australia, Antarctica, to see all the most picturesque spots in the world.
“Isn’t there a spell? Someone you can beg to for mercy?” I ask as we approach the winter solstice.
“When you feel a warm breeze, you’ll know it’s me watching over you and planting kisses on every inch of your body.” Lucas squeezes me and kisses my lips. “And in one hundred years, we shall do this all again.”
“Am I greedy to want more? To never want to be without you?” I snuggle into his chest.
“No, it doesn’t make you selfish. I love hearing that. I want you always. I’d love for us to have a family, be together forever. I hope that is possible someday.”
“A family? Together forever?” I sit up and spin to face him. “You never told me that before.”
“I sa
w my children grow into adults but was never able to reunite with them in this form.”
“That must’ve been very hard. Why would you want to go through that again?”
“To see an offspring a year every hundred would be better than none at all.”
“I’m sorry that I can’t give you this.”
“You can’t now. But maybe someday. It’s such an earthly desire, anyway.” He reclines back on his arm. “What would you name them?”
“Why are we doing this?”
“Humor me.”
“Griffin for a boy.” I cut my eyes to his face. “What do you like?”
“Isn’t Griffin a bit old-fashioned?”
“I’m a bit old-fashioned, or really, just old.”
“Only four hundred forty-four, not even middle-aged yet.” He wraps his arms around my belly.
“Is it odd to live so long and never change?”
“You learn, you adapt, you love. Alena for a girl. Alena or Griffin, or both. I like it. But we should stop and make love again.”
“Yes.” I laugh as he flips me over so that his masculine form hovers above me.
“Thank God for modern pharmaceuticals.” He kisses my neck and traces his lips down my shoulder.
The week leading up to his last day as a human, I do not leave his side.
“I don’t want you to be sad for one hundred years.” He hugs me to him as we dance.
“I will not be.” I smile up at him. “I’m grateful to have you as a husband, and I will look forward to our next year together.”
“Good. Then I shall take you to bed one last time.” He hoists me up over his shoulder.
“You’re such a brute.” I kiss his temple as we climb the stairs.
As midnight nears, we walk down to the beach hand in hand. At eleven fifty-nine, he grasps my shoulders and kisses my lips. “I love you. Remember, always and forever.”
“And I you.” I force a smile.
Shuddering, he steps back, and his brilliant white wings expand from his shoulder blades. Taking my hands, he kisses me, looks to the sky, and blasts into the air.
“Until we meet again,” I whisper into the night as a warm gale encircles me.
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 104
