My heart fell to my feet as I watched him become smaller in the distance.
"He'll come around." Solomon walked over to me and placed his long arm over my shoulder, pulling me into him as I continued to watch Von walk away from me.
"Yeah." It was all I could say.
11
"Boys." I said the word and giggled. Basically I didn't feel much older than Cora was right at that moment, but I still had the strong need to give her 'the talk' before anything else happened.
"Mother!" She shrieked at me from her seat on the loveseat of my bedroom, her feet curled up underneath her.
The fire in the background crackled and popped in the cavernous fireplace, and the lights in the room were dimmed as we were sitting in quiet companionship until I had brought up the topic that threw her over the edge.
The door to the hallway was open because we were expecting to hear something from Leo. He had been intending to send a demon to serve us with information about the shadow demon situation. We weren't sure who it was going to be, and Cora admitted that demons were actually extremely shy creatures—afraid to approach the opposite sex unless they held high ranks in the demon community. That was when they became oversexed little horndogs it seemed. Well, that explained Manuel, the demon from the past...future...whatever.
Shaking my head, I smiled up at Cora. "Really, Cora. We need to talk about men."
"Mother," Cora gave me a stern look, warning me to tread carefully through the minefield, "we have already had 'the talk'." She made the air quotes on either side of her face as she rolled her eyes towards the heavens.
"Really?" I instantly felt relieved that I didn't have to worry about sharing my opinions about safe sex.
"Yes, Mom." Her voice was exasperated. "Can we talk about something else, please!" She pulled her shoulders back and flicked her eyes towards the window, possibly hoping for a distraction—like a horde of shadow demons descending on us to take the miserably uncomfortable topic away.
"Okay." I stood up and walked to my purse sitting in the middle of the bed. "I can do that." Nodding more to myself than to her, I sifted through the contents of the bag as if I was on a treasure hunt—reaching deep and tossing stray items on the bed to get them out of my way. Finally finding what I wanted, I walked over to Cora's loveseat and waited for her to sweep her legs down and make room for me. She caught up to my intentions and sat up straight on one half of the rich maroon, camel backed seat, waiting for me to begin.
Holding my fist out, fingers up, I finally opened my fingers to reveal the purple amethyst and moonstone bracelet I had found at the beach house. "I'm guessing this is yours." I smiled at her.
Cora slowly picked the delicate bracelet out of my hand and nodded without taking her hands off of the sweet rose carved beads.
"Yes, Daddy gave it to me." Her voice drifted in the air as she turned her head to the side and lifted the child's bracelet in front of her eyes as if she wanted to see it closer. "He gave it to me when I was four." She smiled sweetly but sadly. "It was Grandmama's bracelet, you know, from when she was a child. Daddy told me so."
She sighed as she held the bracelet in the palm of her hand as if it was going to fall apart. She was protecting it and treating it with reverence. "I loved this bracelet." She smiled down at it. "You know, Mom, I'm okay that Daddy hasn't really accepted me yet. He'll come around—he always does." She released a deep cleansing breath as she looked down at the bracelet.
I wished I could share her faith in Von.
"I'm afraid that when he finally comes around it may be too late, Cora. He's the linchpin. We need him." My voice shook with worry but there was no way to hide it...at least not from Cora.
"It's okay, Mom. Daddy was meant to be there and he will be." She smiled at me as she held the bracelet out towards me. "Do you know what each of these beads signifies?"
I shook my head as she squared her shoulders like she was going to tell me an exciting story.
"There are five amethyst stones and then one moonstone—the pattern continues all the way around the bracelet in a continuous circle." She smiled down at the bracelet. "Each amethyst rose is a happy memory." We skip from happy memory to happy memory until we come upon the moonstone. The moonstone represents a stumbling block or a possible problem that needs a solution. Daddy taught me to treat each one as a challenge—to solve the problem head-on and to come out on the other side with fond memories of the past as well as hope for the future. We could always deal with what was happening today because we would work together. Even on our own, we are a capable force because we still have each other. We are a family. No matter what."
She smiled up at me and I nodded at her in turn, feeling taken aback because my daughter was teaching me a valuable lesson. We were a family—all of us.
We sat there in silence until the sound of someone clearing their throat caught our attention. We both turned our heads towards the doorway, expecting to see a demon standing there. Instead it was Von and he was fidgeting uncomfortably.
"May I come in, please?" He sounded humble, actually asking for permission to come into the room.
I looked at Cora for approval and she nodded at me, smiling her sparkling smile as she turned back to him, clearly giving him credit for coming to us at all.
"Yes, come on in, Von." I said as we watched him slowly enter as if he was trying to decide if he should turn back around and run the other way.
He walked over to the wing-backed chair near the fireplace and eyed it, "May I sit down please?"
"Please, sit down." I pointed my hand in the direction of the chair, palm up.
When he finally had been seated, he fidgeted with his pants, ran his hands through his hair, and cleared his throat about four times before sitting up in his seat and making solid eye contact with me.
"I believe you." He flicked a glance at me nervously. "I believe that Cora is my daughter."
Silence hung in the air as the clock on the mantle ticked quietly. Tick. Tick. Tick.
"Okay...so what does that mean, Von? What changed your mind?" My voice rang with distrust and I instantly wanted to slap myself. Why are you always looking the gift horse in the mouth, woman? Because the damned gift horse is an Indian-giver!
Well, that wasn't really very PC was it? I always pictured an Indian-giver to be like the white man giving the poor unsuspecting natives beads and hides for Manhattan. Who would be happy with a rip-off deal like that?!
Von looked sincerely at Cora as she smiled broadly at him. "May I please see my mother's bracelet?"
He held his hand out for the catalyst to his change of heart and everything instantly made sense. It was his mother's bracelet, and he immediately knew that he would have shared it with her if she had truly been his daughter. Also, the story that went along with it had to have been passed down from mother to son and eventually father to daughter. It was something you simply couldn't fake.
Cora handed the delicate bracelet to Von and he turned it over in the palm of his hand. While it looked small and delicate in Cora's hands, it looked tiny and fragile in Von's. His eyes swept up to Cora and I could read every deep emotion in those deep hazel eyes of his. He scoured her face for details as he committed every feature to memory. He reached out for her hand and she took his as she smiled her warmest smile at him, offering him the greatest gift he could have ever imagined—love.
My heart ached for Von because, for a very long time, he had just been existing for the kingdom. It wasn't even me that he was living for anymore because we had drifted apart and we resented each other more than anyone could ever imagine. We loved each other, but just not in the same way anymore. We were both disillusioned with the whole relationship, and our hopes for the future seemed to have fallen flat at our feet. We had drifted so far apart that the chasm separating us was almost insurmountable. But with Cora, he now had a reason to actually stand and fight against all the odds. He had a daughter that loved him dearly, and he had just realized how incredibly lucky he was.
"What do I need to do?" Von looked at me as I set my eyes on Cora as well.
"We plan. And then we make a baby." I winced at the realization that I was going to be a mother. Uhg! I was so not ready for this.
12
Standing on the shore of the beach house that I lovingly referred to as Gull Cottage, I listened to the crashing waves of the ocean roar in my ears. The pulsing rush of the ocean fused me with strength, and a subtle sense of calm washed over me as I felt the breeze lift my hair over my shoulder, caressing my cheek.
Is that you, Dad?
A chill ran down my spine in response.
Guess that's all the answer I'm going to get.
For a moment, I simply recalled just how close I had always felt to the ocean. No matter where I was, I always wanted to get back to its strength and comfort. Eventually, after having visited the subject of my father over and over, the light went off in my head as I thought about Dylan, the personification of the ocean and my father. He had actually been with me all of the time, never leaving me, but giving me solace when I felt that there was no one else to turn to.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I looked across the sky to the streaks of clouds that were whisking their way across the beautiful blue. It was as if they were dancing as they brushed their long fingers across the delicate azure tint, but it also appeared as if they were mocking me.
"A storm's coming." Solomon's voice sounded directly behind me and drew my inward thoughts back to reality.
I nodded as I felt his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me into his length which reminded me of every moment that we had stolen before. He was cool to the touch, but he quickly warmed to my temperature as he held me close, shifting his stance behind me just enough for me to take notice. It was easy to be distracted by just the feel of his arms surrounding me. I felt so completely right in his arms and that couldn't possibly be...wrong? Or could it?
I leaned back slightly as I closed my eyes and smelled his fresh, manly scent circle around me. I forced myself to attempt to concentrate on something trivial, something mundane. Hmmm, nope. I can only focus on Solomon.
The ocean seemed to roar louder in my ears as Solomon reached down and pressed his lips against my cheek.
Shut up, Dad. This is SO not your business.
The waves rushed away from us in one swift motion before surging forward again in defiance of my thoughts.
Solomon chuckled as he noticed my eyes cautiously scanning the waves. He was probably assuming that my uneasiness was invested in my leather boots that would be ruined by the water if it kept rushing towards us like it was.
"It would seem that the ocean is jealous of us for some strange reason." He reached down for another kiss as I stiffened in his grasp.
Did I really believe that Dylan could keep us apart? I was afraid to even consider the depressing thought because I wasn't in a rush to have everything that I held so dear ripped away from me.
Never, I thought.
"What?" Solomon spun me around to face him, his eyes full of questions. "What's wrong, Celeste?"
Peering deeply into his gorgeous green-blue eyes, I scanned his perfect face and up towards his disheveled, shortly-cropped dirty blond hair. He was everything that any woman could ever dream of having in a lover—he was beyond tall, constructed of sculpted muscle and sinew, and he was absolutely determined as well as brilliant. He was faster than any creature in the natural world and he was fiercely concerned about my safety.
A deep sigh escaped my lips as I slowly closed my eyes. I can't tell him that my father, the Ocean, doesn't think we should be together. It sounded so very lame.
"It's nothing." I whispered as I looked away at the outstretched beach, keeping track of the wet lines the water had marked in its progress across the sand. My eyes scanned up to the beach house looming over the cliff before turning them back to Solomon's tense-lipped expression. "Maybe we should go inside."
He took a step back to look at me with concern clearly tainting his expression. "No," he shook his head, "there is definitely something wrong and I want to know what it is." He looked out on the beach as if there was something that was going to threaten us in our stolen moment. His body became tense as he looked down at me again, his eyes widening for a brief flash. "Okay, let's go if you think it's best."
I nodded at him as he took my hand and led me to the staircase, walking slowly step by step as his eyes continued to scan the areas around us. I felt guilty that I had inadvertently placed the idea of impending doom in his mind, but I didn't know what else to do but go along with it. We needed to get away from the prying eyes of my father...and quick. The thought made my shoulders slump because I was absolutely aware of the fact that Solomon and I wouldn't be able to share any loving moments out on the beach—my very favorite place to be in the entire world. Sighing deeply again, I continued to ascend the stairs, feeling exhausted and defeated.
We stopped when we reached the garden along the back of the house. Releasing his hand, I walked over to one of the hydrangea bushes to run my fingers over the huge blue and purple blooms. They were so lovely that a sudden pang of guilt ran through me.
Solomon had bought this beach house because he knew that I had loved the coast, and he knew it was perfect for me when he saw this particular yard lined with huge hydrangea bushes, heavy with my favorite flowers.
A surge of longing ran through me as I looked out at the ocean from my vantage point behind the mammoth bush.
"I'm glad that you decided to take this night to be alone, Celeste. I've been contemplating about how much I would savor the opportunity to get you to myself." There was a wicked smile in his voice as he took me into his arms again, pulling me into his length. His hard body began to mold around mine as his arms flexed to pull me in closer, dictating exactly where my body would be positioned, and basically relaying just why I would be a very lucky woman shortly.
"Mmm-hmm" I smiled to myself as I leaned back into him again, no longer afraid that we had any prying eyes.
"Celeste." Solomon whispered as he turned me around to face him again, his eyes brimming with emotions.
"Yes?"
"Uhh." His stood there, looking off into the distance and working his lips as his voice trailed off. Solomon was tongue-tied? Really?
He looked down at me again. This time his eyes swelled brightly and determinedly, seemingly glowing with strength and emotions that I knew immediately had everything to do with me. He was just so breathtaking. I like it when he looks at me like that.
I smiled up at him and cocked my head to the side, giving him a tiny wink before straightening back up and bringing the conversation back on point.
"What would you like to talk about?" True curiosity was beginning to swim in my head. Why is he acting so strangely? "Are you okay, Solomon?" I looked at him with concern in my eyes as I noticed his new sense of unease, and I immediately fought the desire to smile broadly and wink at him again.
Clearing his throat, he looked away from me to the edge of the garden. "No, nothing's wrong. Actually, everything just feels so...perfect. I'm afraid to ruin the moment." He looked down at me again, his lips slightly parted. "Do you know what I mean?"
I thought about it for a moment before nodding softly up at him. "Yes, I guess I do. It's nice to have time just to ourselves. With everything that is going on, it's easy to get distracted from this." I raised my hand up to his cheek and he rested his face in my palm, closing his eyes slightly as he sighed in release.
He grasped my hand in his and opened his eyes to look down on me, capturing my vision with a view of his glowing irises that shared every emotion that ran through him. At the moment, he was consumed with utter affection and love, and his eyes were gleaming with a white-blue that practically stole my heart directly from my chest. I was hopeless when it came to Solomon.
My heart skipped a beat as he leaned down and caught my lips up with his. My eyes fluttered closed and he pulled me into him, allowing me to be
swept away with the feel of his strength and the loving tenderness that he was swathing me in. His tongue, the wicked little muscle that it was, brushed my lips slowly as it teased me with a slight pressure, begging for entrance. My mouth finally opened softly and he invaded me with a broad sweep of his tongue. I could taste him on my lips as he moaned slightly and continued to explore my tongue with his own.
We swept our mouths back and forth at a delicious pace. A tiny groan escaped my lips as his hands began to work their way down the small of my back, finally grasping my butt and pulling me firmly against his hardened body. Oh yes, he was definitely solid, and my body cried out for more attention.
My head became light and I could hear myself gasping for breath as he finally released my lips and began to slowly kiss and lick his way down my chin to my neck, and then down to my collarbone. The v-neck t-shirt that I was wearing was basically advertising that I needed him to work his way down further as his hands swept around my waist and held me firmly. He worked his way down my chest, kissing and licking a trail further down, and immediately making my heart and hormones speed up to a vicious pace.
"What..."I sucked in a ragged breath, "do you think...you're doing, Solomon?" My voice was husky and breathy, and it sounded as if I had just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. My sexy voice...YAY!
He paused for a second before he reaching up with his hands, skimming my body until he was holding my ribcage and gently caressing the portion that was mere centimeters away from my breasts.
"Exploring." His voice was gravelly and deep, sending swift bolts of electricity through my entire body.
"Uh huh." I laughed as he dove back down to kiss his way down my breastbone, reaching around me to run his hands menacingly close to my bra. It felt so wrong to be here out in the open like this, allowing him to hold me so closely, kissing me so passionately. "I think..." I was distracted as his thumbs stroked through the fabric of my shirt. "I think we should go inside."
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