Falling From Grace

by L. T. Kelly

  “Has what I told you about what happened at Catherine’s made you want me any less?”

  He had to be kidding. I pulled his head away from my chest and angled my lips to his. I groaned as my skin met his. I ached and longed for this, never allowing myself to believe it would happen again for fear I may be driven mad by despair if it didn’t.

  He kissed me back, his tongue probing mine. My apex swelled with desire. I tried to bat the sensation away, fearing Bartholomew’s fragile state wouldn’t allow him to be complicit with my urges.

  My hands became lost in his hair, and I willed them to stay put, scared I’d be unable to prevent myself from reaching for him. But, as though he heeded my call, he pulled at my black blouse until it fell in silky lengths onto the bed. He wrenched down the cups of my bra, revealing my creamy, fleshy mounds, taking an erect nipple into his mouth.

  “I need to be inside you,” he told me breathlessly, tearing my trousers off, along with my panties. This wasn’t Bartholomew’s usual slow-handed style, but if he needed me to show him my desire and hunger for him were still real and not simply mere words falling from my mouth, then so be it.

  “I need you, too,” I told him, tugging until his cock sprung free.

  My legs already parted, he buried himself deep inside me, my core beginning to build as soon as his length filled me. I kept my eyes locked on his as he pumped into me. His glossy, green eyes watched my face, as though searching for a flicker that I lied and didn’t want him at all. In my eyes, he would find no lies.

  I pushed my hand against him, pulling my legs back as far as they would go to take him all the way inside me. My clit heated and lurched as I tried to hold back, until the burning inside of me had to be let go. I let out a strangled moan as a burst of electricity ebbed over my skin. His cock pulsated at my entrance, and I swallowed down my relief that the effects of what happened at the hands of Catherine clearly had not robbed us both of what we enjoyed so much. Lovemaking was not the be-all and end-all, but it had been an important part of our relationship in terms of both showing love and receiving it, too.

  “I love you, Tegan Lewis. Now and forever.”

  “Best you had.” I offered him a lazy grin. “Because you and I need to pull through and make this work. We have responsibilities now.”

  His brow furrowed.

  “We have a fur child to care for now,” I said, attempting to inject seriousness into my voice, failing.

  I released a giggle in response to Bartholomew’s throaty laugh.

  Twenty Five

  Make You Feel My Love

  “You look beautiful.” Bartholomew’s breath tickled my ear, and I all but melted under his avid gaze. His jaw had dropped when I entered the room, along with the guests present.

  “Thank you,” I uttered, unable to meet his gaze.

  Grace bounded over to me. “You scrub up well.” She giggled, handing me a glass of champagne.

  “Thank you.” I noticed a blonde girl standing awkwardly beside her and narrowed my eyes at her. I could have sworn I’d seen her elsewhere. The invitation had been a plus one, so I couldn’t complain.

  “Excuse me,” Grace said, her voice filled with a cheery inflection. “This is Molly. Don’t you remember her? You rescued her in Dublin.”

  My palm slapped to my forehead once I recognised her. The last time I’d seen her, she’d suffered a wild look in her brilliant green eyes. Truth be told, it had been Pearl who had rescued her, not me. After Alex, Geo and I had left with Charmion and Rose’s remains to deliver Freya back to the clan, Pearl had allowed Molly to tag along with my distant cousins, Elizabeth and Alison, back to Ancrum. I guessed that’s where Grace met her.

  I couldn’t help but waggle my brows. “So are you two…” I trailed off, noting the flush on Grace’s cheeks.

  Grace rolled her eyes and grabbed Molly’s hand. Seemingly, Molly was a girl of few words, and so was Grace, especially among people she didn’t know. “Yes, and my mother’s having a fit over it.”

  I released a puff of laughter and searched out Gabriella’s scowling face amongst the guests. It was funny how close I became to Gabriella in the months since we’d all returned, bloodied and broken from Dublin. I’d been wholly unsurprised to hear that Gabriella was unhappy her daughter had taken up with a vampire, but she had to admit, the Romanos were partial to our kind.

  “Molly could have remained with the Ancrum Clan. I find it incredible how diverse Freya is when it comes to different species,” Grace told me excitedly.

  Freya had written to me and informed me she decided not to divulge what had happened in Dublin to anyone else, fearing it could weaken her position in the clan if they discovered she’d turned vampire and remained human only due to wearing the amulet. Personally, I figured they all adored her so much it wouldn’t have mattered. However, we all vowed to keep the secret. After all, she swore she would never remove the amulet and become a vampire anyway.

  Pearl rushed over and flung her arms around Molly’s neck. “Darling, so wonderful to see you again. How is it going in Ancrum?” she enquired, lowering her voice, as though the fact that Molly lived among witches had been a dirty secret. To be fair to her, in a room filled with the powers that be, Pearl acted wisely to be discreet.

  Molly offered Pearl a sweet smile and shook her head. “I visit often, but I purchased a dwelling closer to Grace’s university.”

  “Oh,” Pearl said glancing between the two girls, a grin on her face. “How wonderful.” Pearl clapped her hands together and held them there in the same way a mother would proudly inspect her children wearing their Sunday best.

  Grace and Molly beamed at each other. The love flowed easily between them. It was so beautiful to see. I flicked a look back to Gabriella, still scowling in the corner. Having witnessed Geo and Rose’s marriage fall apart, I wasn’t surprised at Gabriella’s dismay in the least. She saw the trials and tribulations befallen on her brother-in-law and his wife, not wanting to same fate to be inflicted on her daughter’s happiness.

  I knew I’d have to approach Cleopatra and beg her to consider allowing me to inform these young women that they had a choice. They could be together forever if they so wished. That Molly could change Grace without consequence, if that was what she wanted. Something I failed to achieve with Geo and Rose.

  But I was getting ahead of myself. I had no doubt the pair would flourish, even at Grace’s tender age of nineteen. All of the teen angst seemed to have disappeared, and it was clearly Molly’s influence that had rid my beautiful girl of it. I owed the secret knowledge to the both of them.

  “Hey. I’ll leave you all to catch up.” I pressed a kiss to Grace’s cheek. “She’s a keeper,” I whispered, knowing Molly could hear exactly what I was saying.

  I grabbed another glass of champagne from the waiter’s silver tray on the way to speak to Gabriella in the hope I could turn her frown upside down. Bartholomew caught my eye, his eyes travelling over the cream-coloured, silk fabric of my dress, his tongue darting out and wetting his lips before his glossy gaze travelled back to my face.

  “I love you,” I whispered, thinking how ridiculous we must look, but our relationship had evolved so much.

  Bartholomew had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from what had happened to him in Dublin. Weirdly, it had ended up changing him for the better. His need to be in constant control of everything had waned over months of therapy. He’d learned to let go, to delegate tasks to The Assembly members instead of taking the burden of everything on his shoulders.

  Bruno nudged Bartholomew, laughing and saying, “Get a fucking room, you two.” Bruno’s and Bartholomew’s friendship had also evolved. Bruno was lighter than he’d ever been. He’d become less stoic and had taken the lead from Bartholomew to be a little more laid-back.

  I released a giggle and turned to locate Gabriella. Before I could reach her, David stopped me, snaking his cute little arms around my waist and tucking his head into my chest. Dougie stood beside him, his
gaze flickering over the stunning décor in the function room. Alex and Ryan had done a fantastic job. Twinkling fairy lights adorned the walls, and the tables had been decorated with tall vases, open lilies bursting from the tops filling the air with a heady, fresh scent.

  “Oooh… Ya look stunning as always, me darlin’,” he said in a muffled voice from between my breasts.

  I laughed and gently pushed him away. “Thank you, David. How’s your new place working out for the both of you?”

  “Blood on tap.” Doug offered me a satisfied grin. It had been proven that vampire blood somehow improved the Malapropos’ ageing condition, and whilst not able to reverse it, it definitely improved their quality of life. It had been satisfying to maintain a coherent conversation with Dougie now his dementia had somewhat subsided and his hearing had a definite improvement. I figured David’s cheeky grin had widened now the burden of caring for Dougie had also been vastly relinquished.

  “I’m so pleased you like it.” I beamed at him and turned to offer Bartholomew a nod as though to say I told you so, which inspired him to saunter over to us.

  Bartholomew pursed his lips, greeting the two men with a solid handshake.

  “'Ave you seen what we’ve done with your place?” David beamed with pride. It hadn’t been so much what he’d done as what we’d done. I’d addressed the treatment of the Malapropos as soon as Bartholomew had been well enough to cope with feeling my wrath. He showed a suitable amount of shame for having banished them to the caves of Ancrum. Then, when he wasn’t quite expecting, it I blindsided him by giving his clean apartment at The Assembly headquarters to the two men. Its cool sleekness wasn’t exactly their style, so the three of us had great fun choosing comfortable armchairs and patterned carpets that went with soft-coloured standing lamps. Basically, we’d replicated what they had in the cave, but on a grander budget. Bartholomew’s budget, to be precise.

  Bartholomew swallowed hard, and I wanted to laugh out loud as I watched him struggle to locate polite words. He most likely painfully considered his white-draped four-poster bed, now resigned to its fate in storage. “It’s, err, cosy looking,” Bartholomew finally managed. David and I exchanged a knowing glance and attempted, badly, to stifle sniggers.

  “I’ll leave you guys to discuss interior design,” I told them politely. Bartholomew shifted uncomfortably at being left to attempt conversation with the men. I figured the distance he placed between them and the unhidden cringe he displayed whenever in their company was down to his shame over how he treated them. Or I hoped that was the reason anyway.

  I finally reached Gabriella and Geo, who’d tucked themselves into the corner. “Hey,” I said, taking a sip of my champagne, enjoying the pop of bubbles on my tongue before I swallowed. “What you doing hiding over here?”

  I tipped my head to one side. They both looked incredibly shifty. Come to think of it, other than when Gabriella had been blatantly scowling at Molly, their strange exchange of glances hadn’t eluded me, and I was determined to get to the bottom of the reason for it.

  Geo had done a lot of soul-searching after Rose’s death. I helped as best I could, but I completely understood how much harder it had been to try and overcome her death when the truth had been glaring us all in the face for some time. Geo had fallen out of love with his vampire wife, and the feeling of emptiness and never being able to get answers about what would have become of them crucified Geo’s every waking minute.

  Eventually, it had been Gabriella who helped him see grieving for her hadn’t been hypocritical. Just because he hadn’t been in love with her, didn’t mean he didn’t love her. Gabriella helped remind him of all the happy times he and Rose had shared. I’d been so proud of her for that. Proud to see her put her own feelings about Rose to one side in the pursuit of easing Geo’s pain. I’d been happy to see the Romanos finding comfort from each other.

  Gabriella cleared her throat, unable to meet my gaze. Geo shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as though he needed the bathroom. He opened his mouth to speak, stopping abruptly when Gabriella grabbed his hand. I looked down at the way her fingers curled around his and snatched my gaze back up to their guilty faces.

  “Oh. My. God.” My eyes widened, and I couldn’t help the smirk forming across my mouth. “You two are seeing each other,” I breathed.

  “Keep your voice down,” Gabriella warned, her eyes darting to Grace as she released Geo’s hand as though it were a snake bearing fangs.

  I looked between the pair of them and for the first time noticed what a handsome couple they made.

  “Honestly, don’t keep this a secret from her. She loves you both every much, and I think you’re wrong in trying to second-guess her reaction. I mean, have you ever even dated since Marc died?”

  Gabriella pursed her lips and shook her head.

  “Tell her,” I hissed.

  “Tell who what?” I hadn’t noticed Grace walk up behind me in the crowded space.

  We all exchanged glances, including Molly, who stood beside Grace.

  “Never mind.” Grace flapped a hand around. “I know this is your day, Teagan, but do you mind if I share some news with my mom and Geo?” Her eyes glinted in the soft twinkle of the fairy lights.

  “Of course not.” My voice squeaked.

  “Molly has just asked me to move out of halls of residence and go to live with her. It’s great, isn’t it?!” Grace squealed and pulled Molly closer, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “Now,” I ordered Gabriella in an aggressive whisper, still obviously processing that her daughter’s relationship with the pretty vampire had progressed beyond her control.

  “That’s great,” Gabriella said flatly, maintaining an expressionless face.

  I gave her a swift kick, all the while holding a smile through clenched teeth. Poor Geo chewed his lip.

  “What the hell is going on?” Grace’s grin fell from her lips.

  “Tell her,” I hissed furiously. Both of them jerked their heads back, as though I may rip their pounding hearts from their chests at any given moment.

  “Your mother and I…” Geo bowed his head toward Grace, as though to check she was aware who both of them were.

  I rolled my eyes and huffed, placing my hands at my hips. His stalling annoyed the hell out of me.

  “We’re together.” He spoke so quickly even I had trouble taking in his words.

  Grace leaned against me for support, and Molly captured her hand, too.

  “Oh, my god,” Grace breathed, her eyes flitting rapidly between her mother and her uncle. “That’s amazing.” Her eyes glistened with tears, her smile dazzling all of us.

  My stomach tightened. I’d been so pleased to have seen this happen, and I honestly believed that the Romanos would have new life breathed into all of them because of this turn of the tide.

  “I told you so,” I said in a singsong voice, ecstatic with how the revelation had gone. I’d feigned confidence in the outcome, but I knew as well as the startled couple that things could have been epically different. “Now, I gotta get back to my party.” I couldn’t be sure they heard me, but at least Molly was polite enough to acknowledge me with a pat on my shoulder.

  I turned to see Alex and Ryan standing by the door, late as usual, though I could hardly chastise them given all of the hard work they’d put into arranging everything for me. It hadn’t taken long for Alex to apologise for blaming me for Rose’s death. Our relationship remained fragile. We danced around one another on eggshells. He offered to decorate the room for the night’s events as one of many olive branch gestures. I gracefully accepted all of them and offered some of my own. I guessed it would take years for the damage to be repaired, but I was willing to try. Before I reached Alex and Ryan, a glass chinked from the far side of the room with the effective intention of grabbing everyone’s attention.

  “I would like to thank everyone for attending this evening. A lot of you travelled far and wide to be here.” Bartholomew raised his velvet-toned voice.


  I eyed him curiously, my stomach tightening at what may fly from between his lips next. He hadn’t told me he planned on giving a speech.

  “As the vast majority of you will be aware, it has been a tough year for Teagan, myself and a few others amongst us.” He nodded duly toward Geo and Alex. “That means you all attended this lovely venue previously in the hopes of witnessing Teagan’s and my marriage.”

  I took a deep, steadying breath at the recollection of how I had played what would happen on that day in my head. The problem was, images of Bartholomew with other women had invaded my thoughts at that time, too. Months later, they still flashed through my brain, but had become far less frequent and vivid. I also saw a therapist who taught me a technique that worked better than I initially thought it would. I have to admit that if Bartholomew’s vulnerable, broken side had not surfaced, there was a strong possibility the method would not have worked. She taught me to take my thoughts to court. Where was my evidence Bartholomew had been with other women? Not counting what abysmal things he’d been through under Catherine’s spell and command. These were the fresh thoughts of him seeking solace in another woman’s body.

  “Sadly, events meant the wedding didn’t take place and she packed away the ring she had so proudly worn previously.”

  I gave Bartholomew his ring back a few weeks after we returned from Dublin. His eyes flashed as I had spun the line nobody either believes or wants to hear.

  “It’s not you. It’s me. I love you more than life itself. I would die for you. But to marry you when I don’t trust you would be so wrong of me that I couldn’t live with myself,” I told him one night after we’d made love, hoping the afterglow would soften what I had to tell him.

  “Can’t we continue? We haven’t reset a date for the wedding anyway?” he’d begged, and I immediately thought he asked that of me to save face in front of The Assembly members who’d already spent too much time whispering about us behind our backs.