Celtic Love Knots Volume 1

by Tina Bendoni, Michelle Hasker

  Alyson faced him from the opposite side of the room. She stood against the wall, her hand clenching the chair rail. “You mean to tell me I need to give up everything I have and know, while you get to keep the same life?"

  "No, not the same. Better. It will be so much fuller with you by my side."

  "But you will still be with everyone you know. We will be in your world, not mine. I will have given up everything, and you, nothing."

  "I am sorry, but I know of no other way.” He shook his head. Alyson knew he truly was sorry, but that didn't change the fact that she was the only one making sacrifices here.

  She said nothing for a moment, thoughts racing through her head. She had no real family, her parents were dead and she was an only child. She had Bree and a couple of other friends, but she would make new ones, and Bree would be the first to understand. And her company. She had spent the last ten years making her event planning company the best in the city. Could she give all of that up on the word of a man? The word of an incredibly sexy and charismatic man, but still, just a man.

  "And what happens when you get tired of me?"

  "What do you mean?” He was watching her with that intense gaze of his that made her legs go weak.

  "When the newness of this relationship wears off. When boredom sets in like it always does."

  "It won't. We mate for life. We truly are the other half of each other's souls."

  "How long do I have to make my decision?"

  "Until tonight, at the stroke of midnight. Exactly twenty-four hours after I got here."

  "Why can't you extend the deadline? If magic is so strong where you come from, why can't you change things?"

  "Because of the date. It is Samhain, the veil between our worlds is crossable this one night of the year."

  "Samhain started at sundown."

  "I don't make the rules, Alyson. I got here at midnight. That is when I will be forced to go back."

  "What if you decide not to go back?"

  "I can't. I have no choice. My true body is back there, and if I try and stay here, I will wither and die in both worlds."

  "And if I don't decide to go with you?"

  "We will live separate lives. We may each find someone to fill in some of the holes, but neither one of us will ever find true love again."

  "I'm not part of your world, how do I know the same rules apply to me?"

  "Search your heart. You know deep down we are two halves of the same whole. That we complete each other. Even now, you feel more complete, like something you have been missing your entire life has finally been found.” He hadn't moved from his seat at the table. He had presented his entire argument sitting down, not pressuring her.

  She hated to admit it, but he was right. She'd experienced the feeling in her dreams, and had tried to explain it to Bree, but had been unable to. She did feel more complete with him. Like she had been looking for him as long as she could remember.

  * * * *

  Alyson looked at the clock. Eleven forty-five p.m. Fifteen more minutes, and she still hadn't decided. What was a girl to do?

  They had spent the entire day talking and making love. She had the time of her life, but one day wasn't enough for her to give up everything she knew. Everything she held dear.

  She watched her lover as he sat on the other side of the room. Was this truly her destiny? Did she have no say in the matter of whom she would love? Would she choose anyone different, though? She had called him perfect in her dreams, and so far, he held up to that assessment. Even in just the short amount of time they had together, he had proven he was everything she needed. Not by any special effort on his part, but just by being himself. He knew what she needed, and if possible, he provided her with it. He had continued to not pressure her, to give her time. He answered all her questions, and held her when she needed it.

  Her heart, her soul recognized him for what he said he was. Her head, that rational part of her that had gotten her through so much of her life, told her she was nuts to even be considering it. No matter what he told her, she still didn't know what her life would be like if she went with him. Hell, her brain pointed out, how do you even know what he's saying is real? There was no way to prove he didn't sneak into her apartment, that Bree didn't let him in herself while Alyson was sleeping. It was something Bree would do.

  She was being ridiculous, and she knew it. Even if she had told Bree absolutely everything, there was no way Lucas could be duplicated. She had spent the day with him, and she knew it was him. From his behavior, attitude and voice, to his looks, including the birthmark on his left hip. He was the man from her dreams. Even her rational side had to accept that. He was real. What he had told her was real. Was she ready to take that leap of faith? Was she ready to be happy?

  She looked at the clock again. Eleven fifty-eight.

  Lucas stood up and walked to her, taking her hands in his as he pulled her up toward him. He tilted her head up to look at him, holding her face gently. “Don't worry, I understand. If someone told me the same thing, I don't know if I would be able to accept it either.” He caressed her cheek as he spoke. “Just remember me. My heart will always belong to you."

  His kiss was gentle, and it shook her to her core. Electricity shot out through her body, invigorating her, filling her with a happiness, a completeness she had never experienced before. At once, she realized what she had done. What she had turned her back on.

  Before she could say or do a thing, he released her and stepped back. Behind him was an opening, a rift in the air of her living room. “I love you,” he whispered one final time as he took another step away from her.

  "Wait!” she called. She knew she couldn't let him go. She needed to be with him, no matter where they ended up. Her life wouldn't be worth living without him by her side.

  She flung her hand out to him, to grab hold, to pull herself to him. Their hands connected as he smiled one last time. A spark shot through her body at their touch. Sharper, more painful than any she had experienced before. So strong, it sent her flying backwards, back onto her couch, away from Lucas and all he was.

  Her last sight of him was as he slowly drifted back while the portal closed.

  * * * *

  Alyson walked into Precious Memories Event Planners at exactly eight o'clock Monday morning, unaware of her surroundings. Ever since Saturday night, she had been living in a fog. Nothing seemed real, or seemed to matter. The only reason she came to work today was because it was part of her routine. She knew nothing else.

  Maybe routine would help things settle down. But she had to be honest with herself. It was the memory of Lucas. She had to get out of her house. Get somewhere that didn't remind her of him. Just twenty-four hours and he had infused her entire apartment with his presence.

  She absently waved to her assistant on the way to her office. It was only from force of habit that she remembered to hang up her coat and put her purse away.

  Sitting down at her desk, she took stock. It's over. He's gone. She had tried to find him in her dreams Saturday and last night, and hadn't been able to. She had looked all night, and nothing. It was time to face reality. She would never see Lucas again.

  Alyson laughed at herself. Face reality. Yeah, right. Like any of this followed the rules of normalcy and reality. Shaking herself, she started to go through her work for the day. She had stupidly let this keep her from the man she loved so she might as well get back to it.

  Shuffling papers forcefully, she knocked some on the floor. She looked around and realized what she had done. Nothing if not obsessively neat about her workspace, Alyson leaned over to straighten them and pick them up.

  "Hello, Alyson."

  Alyson popped up at the sound of his voice. It took a moment for her to find her voice. “Is it really you?"

  "Yes.” His smile alone brought sunshine back into her life.

  "But ... how?"

  "You did it."

  "What do you mean?” Alyson was out of her chair, moving sl
owly toward him, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

  Lucas swiftly scooped her into his arms, smiling. “The magic demanded a sacrifice from you. You had to be willing to give up everything you knew to be with me."

  "But I didn't."

  "You did. At the very end, when faced with losing me, you chose me."

  "But it didn't work. You still disappeared."

  "That was the price the magic demanded of me."

  "What do you mean?"

  "When I got home, I was given a choice, too. Either to come back to you, give up everything I knew, or to be at home, alone."

  Alyson stepped back when she realized he had been away from her for over thirty-six hours. He couldn't have chosen right away. Had, in fact, taken more time than he had given her. “What took you so long?"

  "The magic wouldn't let me choose for twenty-four hours."

  "But then why..."

  "After I made the choice, there were things I had to learn. Things I was shown, and will need to teach you."

  "Like what?"

  "Let's just say magic is a tricky bitch. I am now Lucas Sparrow, born and raised here, and independently wealthy."

  "I don't understand."

  "Once we made our choices, the magic was satisfied."

  "But you're sacrificing everything. I'm still here, and I have you."

  He smiled. “Not exactly.” With a wave of his hand, a rift opened up in her office. Suddenly she was looking out at a world of beauty and nature. A meadow backed by mountains awaited them in just a few short steps. “I can still go home. You can come with me."

  She shook her head in confusion. “You said you could only cross over during Samhain. When the veil was thin."

  "I was wrong."

  "What do you mean, you were wrong?"

  "One of the side effects of when we find our true loves, our mates, is that our magic becomes stronger."

  "And you didn't think to tell me this beforehand?"

  "I didn't know.” He reached for her again, pulling her closer this time. “It was one of the things I was told after my decision was made. Something about not making choices for the wrong reasons."

  "So you really are here to stay?” Her voice had grown soft and husky again, and she could feel tears of joy forming in her throat.

  He nodded slowly. “Forever.” He bent down to kiss her oh so gently before pulling back slightly. “I promised my family we would visit them for Yule, if that is okay with you."

  "Yule with your family sounds wonderful.” She rested her forehead on his chin as she sighed contentedly. “I get it all, don't I?"

  "We both do, sweetheart. We both do."

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Michelle Hasker has been writing for two years. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA.

  She loves vampires and things that go bump in the night, so it's no wonder her creations are truly paranormal. While most people only dream of finding love, Michelle's characters find it, but in the most unexpected places.

  Michelle lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, four children, black lab mix, bunny, and overactive imagination.

  As far back as she can remember, Tina has been writing stories for the entertainment of her friends and family. Knowing deep down someday she would be a published author, she never stopped. Born and raised in the Boston area, Tina finds herself most at home on the East Coast, but she has also lived in Chicago and Wisconsin, and presently lives in rural Missouri with her husband and demanding cat, although two of the three of them dream of moving to the Northwest. She has been writing seriously for two years, and finds it extremely enjoyable and fulfilling. At present she is a substitute teacher, but was a mental health worker for nearly a dozen years in addition to stints as a photographer, retail clerk, and fast food server. You can visit her at her website www.tinabendoni.com.

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