by Laura DeLuca
“I feel the same way,” Rebecca told him, and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I couldn’t imagine beginning this adventure without you by my side.”
“Before we start this new chapter, there’s something I wanted to give you.” Justyn reached into the deep pockets of his black cargo pants and retrieved a little black box wrapped with silver ribbon.
“Really, Lord Justyn, you spoil me way too much,” she said, addressing him playfully by his nickname.
He shrugged. “You are worth spoiling, my lady.”
He kissed her fingers as he slipped the gift into her hand. She felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks and her heart fluttered. Rebecca loved the fact that even though their relationship had matured, Justyn still had the uncanny ability to make her swoon. With her heartbeat still accelerated, she examined the little box and shook it gently. Inside, she heard something rattle.
“But I didn’t get you anything.” She pouted.
“That’s okay. This is for both of us.”
She raised an eyebrow, a habit she had inherited from him. “Do you often give yourself gifts in velvet trimmed boxes?” she teased.
Justyn rolled his eyes. “Just open it and you’ll see what I mean.”
Rebecca unwound the silver ribbon that bound the box together. When she lifted the lid, she found two matching pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They were shaped sort of like seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped out from the center as the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in color with a few hints of tan along the edges. The stones had been polished and smoothed on both sides, but when she lifted them, she could see that the two pieces fit together perfectly. She swore that the halves fought to snap together, like magnets in her hand. There was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the stones that even a novice witch like Rebecca could feel.
“They’re beautiful.” Rebecca whispered as she ran her hand along the intricate grooves.
“It’s an ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and hooked the clasp around her neck. His breath tickled her skin as his hands moved with graceful dexterity, giving her goose bumps despite the humid August night. “They’re actually fossils that are millions of years old, named after Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When they’re divided in half, they’re perfect mirrors of one another. Some cultures believe that if the two halves are given to lovers, it will bind them together forever. When made in necklaces, they’re often called soul mate pendants.”
“Wo . . . wow,” Rebecca stuttered. As usual, the sentiment behind Justyn’s gift was even more beautiful than the gift itself. It left her a little flustered. “That’s amazing. How do you know all this stuff?”
“You don’t spend eighteen years living with Darlene without learning a thing or two.”
Rebecca laughed. Justyn’s mother, Darlene, was definitely something special. EMT, exotic belly dancer, and Wiccan High Priestess were only a few of the titles she claimed. Rebecca knew she was a fountain of earth-based knowledge after years of studying the Craft. As Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca was greedily dipping into that knowledge herself as often as possible.
“It’s beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too overcome with emotion to think of anything more eloquent to say. “You certainly know how to make things interesting.”
“Like I told you on our first date, I try not to be boring.” He winked at her. “So . . . are you going to put mine on for me?”
“Oh yeah . . . sorry.”
Rebecca giggled as she lifted the hemp chain. She wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn was. She almost dropped the necklace in the sand three times before she finally managed to get the clasp locked. When she finally had it secured, he placed his hand over her heart where the ammonite lay. He did the same with her hands, lifting them to his chest. His dark eyes had lost all glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with a stare filled with genuine emotion. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the gentle, steady rhythm of his heart beating in perfect tune with her own.
“Our love will span both space and time
In this life and the next you shall be mine.
All eternity I will be by your side.
For a love so strong cannot be denied.
Spirit and flesh merged into one.
So mote it be, for all days to come.”
When he was done with the recitation, he kissed her. Not just a gentle brush this time, but a deep passionate embrace that left her throat tight and her heart pounding with familiar yearning.
“I’ve never heard that poem before,” she said, once she had caught her breath. “Who are you quoting?”
Even in the moonlight, she could see him blush. “I guess I was quoting myself. It was really more of an incantation than a poem, though. These necklaces are meant to be a symbol of our love, and it seemed a little spell work could only add to the power of the stones. There is power in words, Becca. Just like in there is power in nature.”
“You mean, you wrote that?”
He nodded, but his eyes twinkled and the playfulness was back in his voice. “Well, actually, I just made it up as I was going along.”
“Wow. Actor, singer, and now an improv poet slash chant writer. Is there anything you can’t do, Lord Justyn?”
He smiled, and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”
This time when they kissed, they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms. They embraced not only each other, but the silence that surrounded them. The cool ocean breeze stroked her skin in time with his hands. The moon’s silver rays were reflected on the water, and the stars glittered like diamonds above them. It was a perfect night, and Rebecca wished it would never end. Before too long, a hand thumped against the wooden bench and Tom’s cheerful face popped up from one corner.
“Hey, love birds. I hate to break up a tender moment, but Carmen and I really have to get going. I’m leaving for California at four a.m.”
Rebecca sighed, but she knew Tom was right. They all had a big day ahead of them. They needed to get some rest. Justyn jumped down from the look-out, and ever the gentlemen, offered her his hand so she wouldn’t fall on her face in the sand. Once she was securely on the ground, Rebecca noticed that Carmen’s eyes were red-rimmed. She would never embarrass her friend by mentioning it, but seeing her that way finally broke Rebecca’s thin grasp on her emotions. She threw her arms around Carmen and burst into tears.
“I’m going to miss you so much.” She sobbed.
“You too, girl.” Carmen couldn’t hold back any longer either, and wept on her shoulder. “You better tell your parents to expect a big cell phone bill. And you two best not forget us when you’re famous on Broadway. I want free front row tickets to every single performance.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and sniffed. “Like that’s ever going to happen.”
“With you two, it just might,” Tom agreed. Justyn reached out to shake his hand, but Tom pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad we got to know each other, vampire,” Tom teased. “You’re not nearly as wacked as I first thought you were.”
“You’re not so bad either, dude,” Justyn replied. “I might even miss having you around.”
“‘Til Thanksgiving?” Carmen asked.
“Until Thanksgiving.” They all repeated. With one final exchange of hugs, the four high school friends parted ways to start their new adventures as college co-eds.
About the Author
Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Visit her website at www.authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com for more information.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Epilogue