One Thousand Years to Forever

by Mary Moriarty

  Colum saw the stubborn set of her jaw, and knew that unless he tied her up, she was going to want to take care of things.

  As he got a tray down he knew what they could do. “OK, let’s do this. If you promise to get to bed early tonight then we can take the kids to the Snow Bowl. It’s been a while since even I have skied... Do you ski?”

  Katherine smiled as she set the sugar and cream on the tray. “No, never learned. You are talking to a girl who pretty much was in the city all her life. The only time I went anywhere was during the summer when I visited my Grannie. The kids, they had more chances... ”

  She watched as Colum started pouring the water in the teapot then she heard footsteps. Colum was at her side and a growl escaped his lips.

  “Colum!” She said shocked. “It’s only Travis... ”

  Travis made a wide circuit of them. “It’s OK, Miss Katherine. He is going to be very protective of you for some time... it’s normal within our race.”

  Katherine felt Colum’s fingers dig into her arm. Glancing down, she gently removed his hand. Turning, she looked up into his eyes, she saw that they were red. She touched his face as he eyed Travis like he was an enemy. “It’s OK, Colum... he isn’t going to hurt me. You should know that.”

  Colum felt Katherine’s hand on his back. He tried to clear his thoughts but it was hard.

  “It’s OK. I don’t think he is going to come after me,” Travis said. He moved a bit further back though, as he spoke. In reality nothing would stop Colum should he indeed attack.

  Colum tried to clear his vision but it was difficult. He knew that she spoke the truth, but also knew this was going to be his reality for a while. He took a deep breath. “I will try but be patient. I am sorry, Travis. I think it’s probably best if you stayed home for a few days... or at least when Katherine is here in residence.”

  Travis bowed. “Yes, Sir. As you wish. If you like, I can take the meat out of the freezer for dinner and you can prepare.”

  Colum felt Katherine’s small hands on his back, rubbing like he had done to her in the past. “No, I think we will get take-out tonight. No need to worry. Maybe we will stay at her home.”

  Travis moved towards the door to the common tunnel that branched out to Colum’s parents’ compound and that of Travis’s home. The younger men lived either with Travis or with Colum’s parents. Most were family.

  “Send me a message when the air is clear... ”

  Colum took a deep breath, looking into Katherine’s eyes he saw sparks. “I will.”

  Katherine waited for Travis to disappear. Then she turned towards Colum. “What is going on? How could you treat him like that? He is your butler, after all.”

  Colum knew it would take some time for her to get used to their protective ways; protective and possessive went hand in hand. “Let’s just say we are a bit protective when we mate. It lasts for some time.”

  “Protective... I would say you were a little more then that.” She turned and started to make her way through the hall and then up the wide staircase. Sun filtered through the rooms and the doors that were opened to the hallway. She was almost to her room when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. “Katherine, please, you must understand before you judge. It’s for everyone’s good.”

  Katherine stopped and turned slightly. Seeing the small smile, she felt herself melt. “How am I to be mad at someone who looks like you? You are built like Goliath, smile like an angel, make love like the devil himself and are braver and more valiant then anyone I’ve known... well, except John.”

  Colum wrapped his arm around her and held the tray with his other. Letting kisses touch the top of her head, he felt her surrender. “I promise to try... it’s not easy. Travis is a male and you give off a certain scent being not only of warm blood, but for mating.”

  Katherine laughed and pulled him into the bedroom. “Well, I haven’t had a baby in twelve years. I don’t think that is an issue. Besides who said I wanted another baby?”

  Colum put the tray down and gathered up his Kat. He kissed her nose and looked into her eyes. “Let me explain. We may never have our own children. I will adopt yours, though they will always keep their father’s name. When I say for mating I mean until our scents have been firmly in place for a time, you are fair game. Now, I know our men and Travis would never come and try to claim you... normally. But because of the scent your body is sending it out in waves, they respond without even realizing it. I have claimed you and you are mine by right. We have loved one another for centuries. I hope that this will be the time I can truly claim you.”

  Katherine reached up and touched his face. Seeing the turmoil. “Why not now? Why not when we made love?”

  “Never, it’s only in death... ”

  “But what if I live to be one hundred, then what?”

  Colum let his face dip to hers. “Then I wait. But knowing who you are and how it’s been each and every time, I don’t think it will be that long.”

  Katherine felt a chill. She tried to laugh it off. “So, you think I am going to die soon?”

  Colum gathered her up in his arms. “If you do, I will be right there, I promise. There is going to be no slipping through my fingers or fangs again.” With that he gave her a gentle nip.

  Chapter 9

  Katherine stood at the bottom of the tubing hill. She could see Colum and her children climbing the hill one last time. When they had left his family compound she could see that the whole area had been transformed into a winter wonderland. This storm would go down in the record books for it’s early arrival, and the amount of snow it dumped on the region. Thank goodness it had been light and fluffy snow, or there would have been a lot power outages.

  She saw them finally at the top of the hill; Colum on one side, with little John and then Pat, Olivia and Sally on the other tubing slope. They started at the same time. Colum building up speed since he was a great deal larger. She could hear the squeals of delight coming from her kids as they came flying down. Colum came flying past her in a woosh and then he hit the snow drift fence. All the kids came flying past her with, “Hi Mom!” They banged right into Colum and all she could hear was giggles. She ran to her troupe and held out her hands as each child took hers. All of them exclaiming at the same time how they wished they could do it again.

  “Go see how much time, if any, you guys have left. Maybe you can get one more time down the hill before we go.” She sent them off and then turned her attention to Colum. He sat on the tube with a rakish grin.

  “Come for a ride with me.” He said in an exaggerated southern voice that sounded a great deal like Rhett Butler.

  She laughed and tried to do her best to sound like Scarlett O’Hara. “Well, I do declare... I don’t know if my maidenhood will be intact, or my reputation, with a scoundrel the likes of you, Sir.”

  She gave him her hand for a hand up but was pulled down instead. He caught her lips as she fell into his lap on the tube. Kissing her deeply, reminding her of what had happened and what would happen later. They kissed but were interrupted by John who said they could have one more run with the tubes. They were a tangle of bodies, everyone laughing as they tried to get up as quickly as possible.

  Sally was the first up. “Last one up the hill is a rotten egg!” was her battle cry as she ran. She started running after giving her brothers a push to keep them down.

  Everyone scrambled, including Katherine and Colum who were up and running up the mountain. The kids made a mad dash back up the trail trying to outrun the grownups.

  They all stood in stunned silence when they arrived at the top, standing, watching the sunset behind the mountain. The world had a brief moment of a warm glow. Then the wind picked up, sending a gust of snow in the air swirling around them.

  Sally true to form was the first one to break the silence. “Last one down does dishes tonight... ” She jumped on her tube and headed down, followed by her brothers.

  Colum took Katherine’s hand “Come on, dearest, I will
give you a head start.”

  “No, I want to hold hands as we go down.”

  They sat and watched as the kids cleared out of the way. Katherine looked over at Colum and was in awe for a second as she thought about the man or beast who sat next to her and was part of her life now, how her life had changed so quickly.

  “Are you ready, Kat?”

  She smiled at him. “As long as you are with me.”

  They took off and flew down the hill.

  Katherine felt the snow fly into her face as she went flying down the slope. Even at her speed she slipped behind Colum, his size carrying him much faster than her. The kids were cheering her on as she came to a screeching halt. Colum had hit the snow wall and had come sliding back to be parallel with her.

  Her cheeks were numb from the cold but she felt her being warmed from the outpouring of love she felt for this man who now stood in front of her and her children. She hadn’t spoken the words yet but she felt them. It was a longing, a lost and buried feeling that despite the snow and cold was blooming like the flowers of spring.

  “Here, let me pull you up.”

  Katherine could see the kids throwing snowballs next to her. She was getting hit by some of the snow. She let him help her up and went flying into Colum’s arms. She felt the strength of his arms, like bands of steel but warming to her soul as he held her.

  Colum had been feeling the ice melt away from her heart. Slowly, but surely, she was becoming the Kat he had known and loved all of these years, these past centuries.

  Katherine stood up on tiptoe and caught Colum’s lips for a quick kiss. She felt them graze her cheek. Looking up into his eyes she saw the love she felt. She was still a little shy to voice how she felt, but she knew it was there and that he felt it also.

  “Come on you two.” And “Eww, get a room!” Could be heard from the kids.

  Katherine heard that. Then a snowball came whizzing towards her and Colum, though it hit just his arm. She felt her head pushed to Colum’s chest.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish!” was Colum’s battle cry. A quick snowball fight ensued, with squeals from Sally and “No fair!” and “I’m gonna white wash you!” Then Pat was running after Colum, who was having the time of his life. The boys were throwing as many hastily made snowballs as they could before Colum could retaliate. Sally was helping Katherine make more and then it was a battle royale. Katherine was pelting Colum and the boys. It was the boys against the girls.

  Finally Colum stopped. “Cease fire soldiers!” He held up his hand. Grabbing his phone he answered.

  He looked at Katherine as he listened. “You’re sure it’s them?” he smiled at Katherine and gathered her and Sally close. “We will be back at the compound in ten minutes... ” Seeing Sally point to her friend. “Make that twenty minutes...”

  He clicked the call off. Looked at Katherine and the kids. “Let’s drop off Olivia, then we need to talk.” Colum moved them all towards the Rover. They all climbed in and buckled up as he left the ski area. He listened to directions to Olivia’s home as he drove. As they sat in front of Olivia’s house, Sally reassured her that they would drop off the kitten tomorrow after school.

  Katherine stole a glance over at Colum; his cheek muscle was twitching. She knew it wasn’t the time to ask questions. Something had happened and she had a feeling she knew what it was.

  John knew something was up. Colum had been quiet the whole ride into town. He had a feeling it had to do with whomever was after his mother and was because of her speech at his father’s funeral.

  “Colum, can I speak to you in private when we get home?”

  Colum looked in his rear view mirror. “Sure, son. But we won’t be going to your house, it’s not secure enough. So, you guys make up a list of what you want, and I will have my men go get it. No one will be foolish enough to bother them.”

  Katherine let her hand rest on Colum’s arm as he drove them back to his home. They came up to his gate and she watched the kids, as they watched with opened mouthed awe, the process he did to get them through the gate. This time when they approached the garage, they went to the right. A larger garage door opened and they drove into the blackness.

  Katherine heard, “Wow, this is sweet, just like a movie... ” from Pat. Sally was leaning forward. Just as lights came on, they drove further down and then to the right. The Rover stopped and a door opened in front of them. Out walked Travis.

  “Colum, I am fine, you know that.”

  Colum quickly looked over at his Kat. “I know, just be patient with me. Now, listen up everyone... We are staying at my place. This is the underground portion of my home. It would appear the people responsible for stalking your home, and your and the girls’ visit to the mall, well, somehow they have found your connection to me. So, in order to insure your safety until we can completely eliminate this problem, you will be staying here. Now, make up a list as large as you wish. We can also make future trips. Once we get you settled in, I will have the mother cat and her kittens brought to your room, Sally. You can be the keeper of them for the time being.” Colum looked up in the mirror and saw the anguish in John’s eyes.

  “Son, we will talk as soon as we get everyone settled. You have much to say, I am sure, and I have things that you need to know.”

  Colum met Katherine’s eyes. “I will tell him.”

  “Can I be there?”

  Colum brought Katherine’s hand to his lips. “No, he is a man, he wants to be treated as one.” Colum saw Sally jumping up and down.

  “Yes, Sally?”

  “What’s this about the mall, Colum, other then the fact that we had a blast... ”

  Colum looked over to Katherine and smiled. Looking back in the rear view mirror. “Oh just that... ”

  Colum grabbed his phone and saw that it was Travis. “Excuse me for just a moment, Sally.”

  “Yes?”

  Travis knew what was taking place and figured he should better help. “Let me handle Sally.”

  Colum clicked off the cell phone and watched as Travis approached on his side. Knowing full well not to approach the Rover on Katherine’s side.

  “Sally?”

  Sally opened her door. “Yes, Travis?”

  “If you would be so kind as to help me in the kitchen. My nephews really have a sweet tooth and I thought it might be nice to make some cookies.”

  Sally smiled and got out. “Ah, Colum, can we talk later, Travis needs me... ”

  Colum smiled “Of course, Sally.” He smiled at Katherine and chuckled at the comments from her brothers.

  “Her in the kitchen? That’s a laugh... ”

  The rest of them exited the Rover at the same time. Katherine saw Travis standing perfectly still with Sally by his side. Katherine made sure she didn’t go anywhere near him. She didn’t want to be the cause of his demise.

  “Sir... ”

  Colum walked right up to Travis. He could feel his blood still boiling, his body was tight like a rubber band that was ready to snap, but knew he could handle himself. For Katherine and the children’s sake, especially theirs, since at the moment they knew nothing of what he really was.

  “Yes, Travis?”

  “Sir, the rooms have been made ready. Your parents are expecting you all for dinner, promptly at seven.”

  Colum tried to curb his temper. “Are they now? Tell my parents we will be up at their compound at five minutes past the hour.”

  Travis tried to not smile. “Yes, Sir. I will take care of that. My nephews are ready to go to Miss Katherine’s home to gather her and the children’s belongings.”

  Colum turned to look at Katherine who had a smile on her face.

  “We will have a list in fifteen minutes.”

  Travis bowed. “Very good, Sir. Will that be all?”

  Colum clasped Travis on the shoulder. “Yes, Travis, for now. I will see you soon. We are to have a war council within the hour.”

  * * * * * * *

  John sat in
the room that looked like it had been designed for him in mind. He looked around, touching things, like photos of his favorite teams and the quilt on the bed. It looked like something his mom had. All of their beds at home were covered with antique quilts, nothing new. He had always been surrounded by older things; antiques. It was funny that this room was the same. As if it had come from his old home, or great Grannie’s

  He heard a tap on his door, which he had left partially open. “Come in.”

  Colum pushed John’s door open and saw the boy standing, touching the quilt that lay on his bed.

  Walking in he paused. “I hope this room is comfortable. I am only putting you all down in this part of my home for security’s sake.”

  John let his gaze fall on Colum’s face. Not one to be sidetracked, he asked, “What’s happening, and who are you?”

  * * * * * * *

  Colum walked to the chair that sat in the corner. “Do you mind if I sit?”

  John shrugged his shoulders. “Go ahead... it’s your house.”

  Colum sat. “As I said this will only be temporary. Then you will be either able to go back to your home or at least up to my main home.”

  John sat down on the bed. “That doesn’t answer my most important question. Who or what are you?”

  Colum knew it wasn’t going to be easy for John to accept but maybe being young he would be OK. “ Have you heard of Fallen Angels?”

  John looked at the giant of a man who sat in front of him. The man who had rescued his mother and who now was a major part of not only his mother’s life, but all of theirs. “Yea, a long time ago when I was a kid. Why?”

  Colum wasn’t sure how to broach this. “Are you open to the other world, things that can’t be explained?”

  John stared at Colum, sighing he asked, “Are you telling me you are a Fallen Angel?”

  Colum for the first time in a very long time... hundreds of years in fact, he felt nervous. Here was a young man who he knew would do his upmost to protect his mother.