by Anna Santos
“I had forgotten about that.”
There was a black grand piano on the second floor of that dining room. Philippe explained that a lot of his customers enjoyed having a pianist performing during the weekends. I thought it was cool, and I had never seen a restaurant like that, at least, not in real life. There were always fancy restaurants like this one in movies.
“We can play in a bit,” he whispered close to my ear, placing a kiss on my neck and sending swirling goosebumps down my shoulder and arm. “I’m ready for the dessert, aren’t you?”
I gulped, unsure of how naughty he was being with his words. Was he saying that with a double meaning? I looked up to meet his sweet eyes.
“I know how much you love chocolate. I’ve asked the pastry chef to bake a decadent and velvety raspberry chocolate cake just for you.”
“Oh…” I grinned at him, putting my arms around his neck and kissing his lips. “I thought you were talking about another type of dessert.”
Philippe deepened the kiss, making me lose my breath. I wasn’t usually that sassy, but it came naturally around him. The best part was that he enjoyed the teasing and never made me feel uncomfortable about it. He called that verbal foreplay. It had made me laugh so hard when he had told me that the night before, that my stomach still hurt.
Philippe carried me bridal style to the room and seated me at the table we had been at previously.
“I’m going to get the dessert and the champagne. Then, we’ll play the piano.”
I nodded, winning another kiss from him.
“Don’t disappear on me,” he said before leaving.
“Never.”
The minutes passed by. I tried to distract myself, watching the decor, the beautiful interior, and the lovely roses and dahlias that were decorating the place. The restaurant was elegant, and the flowers lightened up the traditionally-stilled interior with velvet chairs and dark wood. It was a romantic setting, and he had arranged that just for our dinner. I was feeling special, pampered. Philippe was romantic, charming, and a perfect gentleman. I felt the butterflies in my stomach complain about the gloomy thoughts that took over my mind. Nothing would spoil our happiness. It was a silly fear because I had never been this happy.
My phone vibrated, and I checked the message that said, ‘Great news! Jo woke up.’ It was Camille’s text.
I replied, ‘What are you talking about?’
Before I could read her reply, I heard Philippe climbing the stairs. I raised my head to greet him with a smile. There was a waiter behind him with a champagne bucket with a bottle plus two flutes in his hands.
“What are we celebrating?” I questioned when Philippe sat beside me and unbuttoned his coat to be more at ease.
“Life.”
I smiled at him and followed the waiter when Philippe told him that he didn’t need to open the bottle and that he would do it himself.
The waiter went to the food elevator at the back of the room. When he came back, he brought a round dish with a dome cover that he placed in front of me.
“Aren’t you eating dessert?” I asked Philippe, surprised with the way the cake was being served. “I hope this isn’t the whole cake. I’m not that hungry,” I joked.
Philippe dismissed the waiter who was strangely smiling from ear to ear. I had the feeling that he knew something that I didn’t.
It was when we were completely alone that Philippe held my hand between his and went down on one knee.
“Aria,” he said, and I knew what was going to happen. I felt my cheeks turn red and the temperature of my body rose. “I’ve asked you to marry me last night, but that was not the place to properly propose to you. You need this to be romantic, and I want it to be memorable. I know this is a bit cliché. Maybe you wanted me to propose on the top of the Eiffel Tower…”
“That would also be cliché,” I interrupted him.
He smirked and nodded. “I love you. I want to marry you. I don’t care if this is cliché, but I want you to tell me yes again while I put this ring on your finger.” He took away one hand to show me what was under the dome cover, and I widened my eyes in surprise, placing my hands in front of my mouth with the view of the slice of decadent chocolate cake layered with raspberry jam. But that wasn’t what had excited me so much. It was the opened velvet black box with the most beautiful yellow diamond wedding ring placed in front of the slice with raspberries placed around it, drawing a heart.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it!” I was able to exhale while tears of happiness stung my eyes and my heart kept beating so fast that I thought it would leave my chest.
“Do you want to marry me?” he asked, taking the ring out of the box. I noticed that his hands were slightly shaking. He was nervous.
I smiled at him, putting my hand on his. “I’m trying not to scream ‘yes’ like a mad person and scare the clients, downstairs,” I said in my controlled tone of voice. I was over the moon and wanted to yell and jump into his arms.
Philippe chuckled, his eyes beaming as his fingers touched mine. He placed the ring on my finger.
“Just answer me against my mouth,” he said, smashing his lips against mine.
“Yes, yes, and yes.” I smiled and kissed him at the same time. “How many times do you want to hear that?”
“One more time at the church.”
“Won’t you burst into flames in a church?” I joked.
“You are funny.” He nibbled on my bottom lip and pulled back. “Did you like the ring?”
“It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Philippe took my hand to see the ring on my finger. “It looks great on you. I think I’ve made a good choice.”
I didn’t know what else to say to express how happy I was. My heart was beating fast, and I wanted to bounce with happiness.
Philippe got up and grabbed the bottle of champagne. “Let’s celebrate then with chocolate and champagne.”
Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
CEDRIC
I was sitting on the rooftop of one of the towers of the palace, watching the night coming to an end and catching my breath. Josephine was next to me, in her human form. We had been flying all night, chasing each other, laughing, and discovering new places and old places both in Paris and my kingdom. Once the sun came up, Jo would turn to stone, and I would be left alone.
“I’ve enjoyed our night together,” I whispered, shattering the silence.
“Your kingdom is beautiful, and I’d almost forgotten how fun it was to fly.” Josephine’s eyes were beaming while staring at the sky.
“You are really daring.”
“I have nothing to lose. I have no fears. It’s not my fault if you can’t keep up.”
I shook my head in a clear sign of disbelief. “I fly faster than you.”
“I don’t think you do.” Josephine looked at my face with the perpetual smile on her lips.
I leaned forward. “I wasn’t trying to fly faster. I was trying to follow you.”
“You can be fun when you aren’t sulking about your curse or trying to make me believe that we are meant to be together.”
Losing my smile, I looked away. “I didn’t realize that…things would be so different once you became a gargoyle.”
“I don’t want to talk about us for now. I wanted to have fun. After all, it’s not every day that someone comes back from the dead.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t think you do. You need to give me space and let me adjust to this form.”
Pursing my lips, I looked at the moon.
“I’m not trying to make you sad, Cedric,” Jo said, leaning back on her palms.
“The night is almost over,” I reminded her, watching how she had closed her eyes and seemed utterly relaxed. Was my heart the only one aching? Was I being irrational? I wanted to kiss her and hold her in my embrace. “I’ll be there when you wake up.”
Jo looked at my face. “Why?”
“So, you won’t b
e afraid.”
“I’m not afraid. I’m perfectly fine. I used to be scared of a lot of things. I used to worry all the time, actually. But now, there’s some sort of peace in my soul. I’m not afraid of anything.”
“That’s because it’s part of the curse. It’s also essential for being a good warrior. Gargoyles are warriors above all. With time, you will feel lonely, tired of the nights, and wishing for the days.”
“I used to...dream of walking under the sun when I was a vampire. I used to dream of a lot of things, but it was more daydreams than anything because as gargoyles, vampires don’t dream. At least, I don’t think so. I can’t remember where I was when I was rock. Did I really stop existing?”
“Does that scare you?”
Jo shrugged and sighed. “I was willing to disappear to save Oliver. I remember the strong feeling of sadness I had when I realized that I was turning into stone and I wanted so much…”
“What?” I asked.
“To be with you.”
A sparkle of hope made my heart race faster. “I was there beside you. Do you remember? You called my name, and I was next to you.”
“I wanted to cry and couldn’t. My eyes couldn’t move, either. I should fear to experience that again, but I don’t.”
I moved closer. “Well, I’m scared of being left alone. I want you to be always with me. I don’t want you to turn into stone. I want you to be my wife, my soul-mate.”
“I think we shouldn’t rush things. We have time.” Josephine sat straight. She rubbed her hands together, dusting off the tiny pieces of rock that were on the roof.
“I don’t have time. Once I break my bond with Aria, I might become a gargoyle again.”
“Then we’ll be equal, and we’ll feel things in the same proportion. You may not feel the same once you become like me.”
“I know it’s hard to understand, Jo. I know that it would be easier if I was your true soul-mate. But we have an opportunity to…bond. I don’t want to lose that, and I have no doubt about my feelings for you. If you feel something for me, you should give us a try.”
“We need to know each other better.”
“I know. There is a lot about each other that we don’t know. Yet we have a special connection since we first met. You can’t deny that.”
“I don’t want to feel trapped.”
I looked at the sky, assimilating her words. “I can’t promise that I won’t feel jealous. I can’t promise that sometimes I won’t act like a jerk. And I can’t promise that we won’t argue. There isn’t a perfect relationship. We’ll probably be at each other’s throats a few times. But I don’t mind that. I like that you speak your mind and tell me when I’m wrong. Do you know what I can promise you?”
“What?”
“I’ll only have eyes for you. I will never let you down. I’ll try my best to be the best that I can be. I’ll tell you how much I’m sorry if I’m wrong, and I’ll love you. I’ll love and never ever reject you because I want to spend an eternity making you happy.” My voice vibrated with emotion as I was pouring my heart out.
Jo didn’t even blink. “And if we aren’t meant to be?”
“Then we’ll be best friends.”
“I can work with that.” She smiled and stood up, staring at the horizon. “It will be day soon. I have to go.”
“Where are you going?”
“To my spot, where I was when I first woke up.”
“Jo.” I grabbed her hand after getting up. I hoped my eyes would tell her about all the feelings that were clenching my heart. But Jo’s ability to read emotions was shadowed by her curse.
“I don’t feel lust. I understand how you look at me, your need to get closer, but I don’t feel it towards you. I like being with you. I like talking to you. However, we’ll kiss when we are ready to put the curse to the test.”
“I’ll call Aria tomorrow, and we’ll break our bond on the same night. There’s a ritual that needs to be done.”
“We’ll talk again tomorrow. Don’t be sad, Cedric. I’ll come back.”
Jo spread her wings and flew away, leaving me behind. I was unsure about what to do. I was feeling tired, but I had hoped to be beside her when she turned to rock again to give her comfort and to comfort myself. Jo had other ideas. Therefore, I decided to fly to my balcony and enter my royal bedroom to sleep. If everything went as planned, it would be the last time that I needed to sleep in that bed alone. I would have my queen, true love, and I would do all in my power to make her happy.
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
PHILIPPE
Night had fallen. I was in the comfort of my library, reading a book. It was a way of distracting myself from thinking about Aria and Cedric, in the Angels’ Realm, severing their bond. It was something I wanted, but there was a part of me that was afraid that Aria would realize that she didn’t want to be normal. Also, Cedric might try to change Aria’s mind and win back her love.
I was being silly. Yet the fact that Camille came to get Aria, and they didn’t allow me to join bothered me. Granted, it was a secret ritual, and I had no business in attending. Still, Aria was my business.
I was going to play nice and pretend to be enjoying the book I had in my hand while trying not to count the seconds until I saw my soul-mate again.
The look of excitement and fear washing over Aria’s face before she left didn’t leave my mind. I had asked why she was anxious. She had replied that she was afraid that I wouldn’t like her when she became human. Impossible.
Sighing deeply, I grabbed my phone and stared at the screen. I needed to talk to someone. The only person I could remember was Jo. When I dialed her number, it went straight to voicemail. It wasn’t the first time I’d tried. Talking to an answering machine wasn’t my thing, so I didn’t leave a message the other times.
This time, I did. “Jo, why aren’t you picking up the phone? You were the one who told me to try to be happy, and I’m trying. I need to talk to you I’m not used to being happy, and it scares me. At the same time, I wish you were here to see me being happy. Where are you? I’m worried about you.”
I blew out a breath. “Aria went to see Cedric. I’m trying not to freak out. I’m afraid she might realize what she’s losing to stay with me. I know I’m not worthy of her. I shouldn’t even be living this long…”
Pursing my lips, I cursed for being ungrateful for all I was experiencing with Aria. I shouldn’t keep feeding my fear.
The sound of the doorbell snapped me out of my unwanted gloomy state.
Like a robot, I hung up and went to see who was disturbing my solitude. I frowned at the screen when I saw a young, blonde girl on the other side.
“What can I do for you?”
“Hi!” The young girl smiled and waved at the camera. “I’m Lilly. The prince sent me to get you and take you upstairs.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Aria wants to see you.”
“Did something bad happened?” My voice couldn’t conceal the fear that took over my heart and soul.
On the other side, the girl shrugged and looked at the camera with a harmless smile.
Before I opened the door, I paused. “Where’s Camille? Why isn’t she the one coming to take me?”
“Camille is busy. They are all busy with the ceremony. Should I tell Aria that you didn’t want to come?”
“No. I’ll be right there,” I answered.
The night had fallen, and if Aria wanted me by her side, I would go to her. Maybe she had convinced Cedric to let me be there.
I grabbed my coat and put my cellphone in my pocket. Then I exited my home, unsure of how the girl was going to take me upstairs. We would probably teleport.
“I’m Lilly,” the girl said the moment I stepped out the door, showing her hand to greet.
“Yes, you told me that already,” I mumbled, fixing the collar of my coat. “Are we going to teleport there?”
“Sure…just give me your hand,” Lilly said, insisting on shovi
ng her hand at me.
“Okay,” I agreed, finding her odd enough even if she kept smiling at me.
I held her hand and felt something sting my palm. She had used some sort of needle on me.
“I lied. We aren’t teleporting upstairs. We are flying because I’m not an angel yet,” she said with the perpetually creepy smile.
My body was losing its strength, and I couldn’t move. My eyes were wide, my heart beat fast, but I was frozen.
“You are cute,” she giggled, holding my shoulders and preventing me from falling. “I hope she loves you enough to save your life.”
I closed my eyes and lost consciousness with her words echoing in my tired mind.
The cold water hitting my face made me automatically open my eyes and regain consciousness.
“I’m sorry about that, but we needed you awake for what we are about to do.”
My eyes focused on the dark figure wearing a long tunic with a hood over his head. Blinking, unsure if I had correctly seen, I tried to dissipate the dizziness.
I was seated on a chair, facing a specter in what it seemed to be an empty room with rocky walls. The lights were dimmed, increasing the creepiness and solitude of the place.
I forced my voice to come out. “Who are you?”
The dark figure placed one hand against his chest in a dramatic gesture. “I’m hurt. I thought you would recognize me.”
“You are wearing a hood over your head. Why would I recognize you?”
The specter laughed, apparently amused.
Keeping a straight face, I analyzed the specter’s voice and reactions. Deep inside, something was telling me that it was Kayden. However, Kayden had been caught and imprisoned. Hadn’t he? I had personally caught him.
“For whom do you work for?” I rephrased my question.
“Philippe, I thought you would recognize my voice at least.”
“Kayden?” I mumbled, stretching the ropes behind my back.
Kayden’s tone of voice became serious when he realized what I was doing. “Don’t bother trying to get free. The ropes are magical. They will get tighter if you struggle.”