The last vestiges of his resistance crumbled to dust. “You gave me a second chance at life. My wolf is completely gone.”
“And you’re as human as I am now.” The hope in her expression mirrored what he felt so much that he couldn’t hold back the words in his heart.
“This is true.” Without having the wolf in his head feeding him lines, he was on his own, and suddenly this moment had become the most important one in his life. “Estelle, I…” She looked at him with such trust and anticipation that he moved without thinking. Framing her face between his hands, he leaned in and claimed her lips. He drank from her, hoping that in kissing her he could convey everything his lack of words couldn’t.
Estelle pulled away. She put a palm to his chest and shook her head. “I need to hear you say it, Sebastian. Perhaps it’s a failing of being human, but I need that reassurance.” Her chin trembled when she smiled. “Please?”
“Very well.” He nodded. As his heart pounded hard enough to throb through his veins, he sighed. “I’m not skilled in poetry, nor am I even familiar with the masters of such, but I do know this, and I quite shamelessly borrow it from one of the most famous playwrights in the world—William Shakespeare.” Giving into the dramatic tension of the moment, Sebastian slid from the settee and went on one knee before her. “’Doubt thou the stars are fire. Doubt the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love you.’”
“Oh, Sebastian, do you tell the truth? Does it come from your heart?”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life.” He shook his head. “From the moment I came upon you in Hyde Park, I knew you were different, special. As we spent time together, my feelings for you grew into something I dared not believe in, for with my curse there was no hope…”
She smiled and the whole room grew brighter. “Now you have everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Yes, because of you, and I want you by my side for the rest of my life.” His hands shook as he held onto hers. “I think you are an amazing person, Estelle. Human or star, it matters not. You genuinely care about the people around you and your curiosity for everything inspires my own.” Then his confidence faltered. “Are you sure this is the life you want, this human existence? I would hate to know you gave it all up for me when you could have had so much more. I’m…” He swallowed. “I’m nearly in dun territory, have nothing to offer you.”
“It matters not. You’ll find your way soon enough—we will.” She drew a hand along the side of his face and he wanted to nuzzle into her palm. “This life, the very act of being human, is everything I’ve dreamed of experiencing. It’s messy and raw and bigger than I’d hoped, and I think I can make a difference here more than I ever could as a star.” She held his gaze. “With your help.”
“Whatever you wish to do, I’ll endeavor to make it possible.” His own chin quivered and to his mortification, moisture welled in his eyes. Without his wolf’s censure or mockery, he was free to feel however he wanted. “I don’t know how to be merely a human, but if you’ll continue to guide me, I’ll muddle through splendidly.”
“Of course I will.” She leaned forward and hugged him about the neck. “We both have a second chance to do something right, but…”
“What?” His chest was tight. Would she reject him after all?
“A human’s existence is so short. What if the love we have now won’t last?”
“That is where faith comes in, sweeting,” he whispered and kissed her again, this time treating her to long, slow, drugging kisses that had them both breathless at the end and passion clouding her eyes. His length pressed against the front of his trousers. He wanted this woman, loved her to distraction, but he was loath to take advantage of that desire at the moment, for she was an innocent and they’d only shared a handful of kisses. There would be plenty of time to introduce her to physical pleasure. So, how could he put it so she would better understand? “I’ll stop loving you when all the stars in this universe burn out.”
“Oh Sebastian.” She laughed and the joyful sound of it swept him away. “Then that is for an eternity; the stars will always fill the heavens to give us direction and provide us a sense of hope. To light our way.”
“As you’ve done for me all along.” He joined her again on the settee and took her fully into his embrace. “Estelle, please say that you’ll marry me at the first opportunity.”
“I will!” She rained feather-light kisses all over his face. Then she rested her forehead against his and stared deep into his eyes. “Will you give me a babe, so that we may be a family? I do so wish for an infant that looks like you.”
“Ah, darling.” His heart squeezed and he held her closer. “I’ll endeavor to give you as many children as you want.” Over and over he kissed her. Never would he have enough of her sweet lips or her soft skin. He nuzzled her neck, glanced his lips along the low bodice of her gown and then repeated the process all over again. When he finally broke their connection and set her away from him, he blew out a breath. If fate were kind, they wouldn’t need to suffer a long engagement. “We should probably join the others for dinner. I’m certain they’ll have questions.”
She smiled and his world erupted into shards of colorful joy he had no idea existed before the advent of her. “Happy Christmas, Sebastian.”
It was amazing how full life was when one found someone to share it with. “Happy Christmas, Estelle.”
The future stretched before him in endless paths, for when a man was transformed into a whole new person, the possibilities were exciting to contemplate.
THE END
Other Regency-era stories by Sandra Sookoo
Scandal in Surrey series
Lady Parker’s Grand Affair
The Bride’s Gambit
Misfortune’s Lady
Miss Bennett’s Naughty Secret
Darrington family series (KU exclusive)
Marriage Minded Lord
To Bed or To Wed
The Bridal Contract
Thieves of the Ton series
Captivated by an Adventurous Lady
Engaged to a Scandalous Earl
Married on a Wicked Morning
Intrigued by an Ancient Pedigree
Beguiled on a Christmas Morning
Caught with a Stolen Diamond
Tortured by a Horrible Secret
Delighted on a Summer’s Evening
Trapped in the British Museum
Charmed at a Yuletide Ball
Lords of the Night
Devil Take the Duke
Bitten by the Earl
Adrift with the Viscount
Lords of Happenstance
What the Stubborn Viscount Desires
What a Wayward Lord Needs
What the Dashing Duke Deserves
Author Bio
Sandra Sookoo is a USA Today bestselling author who firmly believes every person deserves acceptance and a happy ending. Most days you can find her creating scandal and mischief in the Regency-era, serendipity and happenstance in Victorian America or snarky, sweet humor in the contemporary world. Most recently she’s moved into infusing her books with mystery and intrigue. Reading is a lot like eating fine chocolates—you can’t just have one. Good thing books don’t have calories!
When she’s not wearing out computer keyboards, Sandra spends time with her real life Prince Charming in central Indiana where she’s been known to goof off and make moments count because the key to life is laughter. A Disney fan since the age of ten, when her soul gets bogged down and her imagination flags, a trip to Walt Disney World is in order. Nothing fuels her dreams more than the land of eternal happy endings, hope, and love stories.
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Transformed By A Christmas Star: A Lords of the Night novella Page 12