by Jessica Swan
“Thank you,” she whispered to him. It was really done; she was going to be a werewolf. She couldn’t wait to begin her new life. It made what she would endure in the next twenty-four hours, worth it.
“Anything for you, my love,” he whispered back, gently running his fingers through her soft, wavy, brown hair.
They were both so tired; they couldn’t help falling asleep. The next thing James knew, he was wakened by movements beside him. Facing the beside clock, he noticed that two hours had already passed since they fell asleep, even though it seemed like only a few minutes.
He rolled over to check on her. She was tossing and turning violently in her sleep, and just as he reached to feel her forehead to see if she had a fever, she woke suddenly, sweating and breathing heavily. He assumed that she had a vivid nightmare like the one he had had when his change occurred.
“Are you alright, honey?” he asked, the worry evident in his voice.
“I had a nightmare,” she answered, barely audible, her teeth chattering. He felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She was indeed very warm.
“You have a fever.” He would make sure to get a cool cloth and wipe her forehead.
“Good, it-t’s w-working.” Her voiced seemed so weak and strained.
“I believe so. You should go back to sleep. Sleeping through this stage is the best thing you can do.”
“A-alright,” she chattered again and then closed her eyes. He gently stroked her hair to soothe her. She drifted off to sleep again, comforted by the fact that he would be there by her side through it all.
Kate didn’t know how long she had slept. As she woke up, even before she opened her eyes, it felt as if she was stepping out of a grave and into the sunlight. But not the burning, torturous sunlight that she had known most of her life. This was the kind of feeling she had when she was a child; when the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, revealing a beautiful, sunny, blue sky.
She opened her eyes and found James at her side. He stared at her in wonder, a look of curiosity in his eyes. He placed his hand on her arm, feeling her warm skin. He was so used to the way her cool skin felt, but this was definitely a pleasant change.
“How are you feeling, baby?” he asked her.
She didn’t answer right away. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yes, there was certainly something different, and she knew it immediately.
“Give me your hand,” she said, grabbing his hand and placing it on her chest. “Feel that?”
He looked at her in complete shock and excitement as she held his hand in place for a moment, feeling the rhythmic beat in her chest for the first time.
“Your heart is beating!” he said, astonished, a big smile spreading across his face.
“Isn’t it amazing?!” she asked him, springing up in bed excitedly and kissing him. “What time is it?”
“Seven o’clock, why?” he replied.
She quickly got up, grabbed his hand, making him run with her to the balcony door, and swinging it open. Then she very slowly stepped closer to the door’s threshold, emerging from the shadows an inch at a time. She reached her hand out and watched as her fingertips emerged into the light, and for the first time in three-hundred years, she felt no pain. She continued to slowly step out, a little at a time, until she was bathed in the dim light from the sunrise. It was so beautiful; more beautiful than she ever remembered.
There she stood silently for over half an hour, holding James’s hand. As she took deep, steady breaths, in and out, she could feel the beat of her own heart as she also enjoyed the sun’s warmth upon her skin. She no longer had to miss out on enjoying sunny days, or had to worry that even the slightest amount of sunlight would burn her. In fact, she felt absolutely no pain of any kind, not even the burning thirst in her throat that she was so used to.
It was like she was in a dream; a dream she knew she would never have to wake from. And, at first, she had to keep convincing herself that it wasn’t a dream; that the life she was so used to, the life she had accepted as her fate for the last three-hundred years, was finally gone and was replaced by this new one. One filled with endless freedom and happiness.
This was her afterlife, the perfect afterlife without death. And she had only one person to thank; the man who had brought her back into this world, loved her unconditionally through thick and thin, and gave her this beautiful life to enjoy with him. How could she ever repay him?
“Thank you,” she said, turning to face him, her eyes glazed with tears. “Thank you so much!”
He smiled, his eyes burning as tears threatened to escape them. As he blinked the tears away, he reached up and gently wiped away a couple of drops that had escaped from Kate’s eyes.
“I love you so much, Kate. I would do anything for you.”
“This is the happiest moment of my life.” She couldn’t help but give him her biggest smile. She was finally going to be able to truly enjoy life again; take that trip to Hawaii, walk on the beach in the sun, go hiking, and so many other things she had only been able to dream about, until now.
“Hopefully your second happiest moment,” he said, grinning.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
She watched as he reached in his pocket and pulled out something. Then she gasped as he got down on one knee and opened the small velvet box in his hand, revealing a beautiful, white-gold ring with a three-carat black diamond in the center, accented by several white diamonds along the sides. He looked up at her beautiful, sunlit face.
“James?” Her eyes were wide with shock, but she had an even bigger smile on her face, if that was possible.
“Katherine Rousseau, will you marry me?”
The smile on his face now matched hers. He already knew what her answer would be, or he sure hoped it would be. After all, how could she say no? Why would she, after all they had been through?
She knelt down in front of him and kissed him. Then she said, “You’re right. This is the happiest moment of my life. Yes, James, of course I will marry you. Nothing will make me happier than to be your wife and be yours for all of eternity.”
Where Our Hearts Belong
~ Chapter Nine ~
After Kate happily accepted James’s proposal, he slipped the ring on her finger. They then shared their first kiss as an engaged couple, and for the first time ever, Kate felt her heart racing. It felt so good to finally be truly alive.
The next thing she did immediately afterward was go inside, open all the curtains, and watch the sunlight pour in for the first time ever. She stood in front of the window for a moment and closed her eyes, soaking in the sun’s warmth.
James stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He still couldn’t believe that he had this angel all to himself. Just the thought of marrying such a wonderful woman made his heart skip a beat.
As he pulled her closer in his embrace, he began placing soft kisses on her neck. She moaned lightly. If his goal was to seduce her, it was certainly working.
When she turned around and gazed into his loving eyes, he noticed a new fire in her that wasn’t there before. Yes, she was truly happy now, but in addition to that, she appeared to be quite aroused.
Without a word, she took his hand and led him into the bedroom. Releasing his hand for a moment, she proceeded to close the curtains. Kate turned back toward him, and when she looked into his eyes, she could see his desire for her.
He swept her off her feet and spun around in a circle, so full of joy. He laid her down on the bed and slowly removed her nightgown and her panties, making sure he didn’t waste a single second he was touching her. The feel of her warm skin now made her feel alive; he would never say that to her aloud for fear she would have taken it wrong. He just liked to feel the hum of her body when he moved his hands across her skin teasing her.
When she was completely naked, James stood back and smiled. She was gorgeous, her wavy hair flowing behind her like a halo. Her now healthy looking pale skin glowed fr
om desire. He ran a hand down the front of her body and grinned when she shivered. Not wanting to waste any time, he then removed his own clothing, and eased on top of her. He got hard just looking at her. Kate could feel her heart beating faster as James ran his hands down the sides of her breasts. When he bent his head and took a nipple in his mouth to suckle, she was almost pushed over the edge. For the first time, she felt a warm rush of excitement flow through her body, and her heart pounded in her chest in response to this new feeling. She arched her back, inviting him to take more.
She could feel everything her body was doing, and the response that she was making. Her heart raced when he touch her anyplace on her body. If she hadn’t loved him before, she would have fallen for him now. His mouth was magic, and his hands were rough and thorough as he touched her body. She gasped as he moved from her breasts to her core. He once again played her body like a fiddle, brushing against the essence of her, making her want more.
“Please,” she whispered into his neck and smiled when he shivered. Kate licked his neck and kissed her way up to his ear. Breathing slowly, she told him what she wanted in detail. It was James’s turn to gasp at her words.
Kate never felt so free in her life. Teasing James with small kisses, and she rolled him over and began to explore his body. She touched and teased much the same as he had. He tried to get her to roll back over, but she held firm.
Straddling him, she leaned over him and smiled. This was what she wanted; him under her and wanting her with this crazy look in his eyes like he was going to break if she didn’t do something. Grinning, she bent down and kissed his neck. He moaned softly and she smiled in response.
James was so lost in her; he didn’t know how much longer he could last. He wanted to be inside her more than taking his next breath. She was killing him with the slow easy path she was taking. When all he wanted to do was flip her over and enter her sweet heat. But he held back, knowing she somehow needed this.
He ran his hands through her hair and held her to him as she moved down his body. Her mouth touched every inch of him before she reached where he was hurting the most. Allowing her to explore a little, he decided this was not the time he wanted her to be slow. He needed to claim her again, so he pulled her back up. Kate protested a little but followed his guiding hand.
Grinning, she took her place where he settled her and then she groaned and screamed loudly when he entered her with one solid thrust. Holding onto her hips so she met his thrust, she held onto his arms and allowed the feelings to crash over her.
Making love with her before was amazing; so amazing that James thought there was no way it could get any better. Shit, was he wrong. Either she was more excited than ever, or something happened to her during her conversion, or both. Perhaps it was simply because neither of them had to hold back any longer for fear of hurting one another.
They were also more compatible now than before, which he didn’t think could be possible. Among other things, her scent was even more appealing to him, and by the way she behaved, his scent was more pleasing to her as well.
‘Yes, more compatible is certainly a good term for it,’ he thought, grinning. Life for him was definitely looking up.
There was no way for Kate to describe how amazing it was making love with him. She never thought it could possibly get better than before, but somehow he had managed it. The way he touched and kissed her in all the right places, the way he felt inside her had her heart racing and mind swimming in ecstasy. She found herself obsessed with pleasing him as well.
They had always been great for each other, completely compatible, fitting together perfectly, but now their hearts beat together as one, their strengths equal. They even seemed to connect better on an emotional level, almost as if they could read each other’s minds. Yes, this was so much better than before.
This time neither of them held back. It had always been difficult for them before to lose themselves completely in each other. Shortly after they met, during their first time making love, she held back, not getting too carried away; she didn’t want to injure him, or worse, kill him. And when he became a werewolf, then he was the one who had to hold back. After all, a werewolf’s strength was greater than a vampire’s, and he could have hurt, or killed her easily. But now they were perfectly matched, just as if they were a human couple. For the first time in three-hundred years, she didn’t miss being human.
Several hours had passed by, and they had pushed themselves to exhaustion. They lay down and cuddled with each other, fully taking in the aftermath of their love making. A couple of their pillows were torn to shreds, the feathers spilling out from inside of them. The sheets also had several claw marks in them, and the bed frame was cracked. They laughed hysterically. Yes, they were equal now, but they were certainly no ordinary couple.
“Can you believe we did that?” she asked him, still laughing.
“Actually, no, and now I have to get a new bed set, new pillows, and fix the bed frame. It would be lucrative, I think, to invest in a few furniture stores,” he said, mimicking sadness for a second, but kept laughing along with her.
Kate leaned over and kissed him. She would never get enough of this man.
“I’m so lucky to have you, Kate,” he smiled and then thought, ‘Man, could his life get any better?’
“And I must be the luckiest woman in the world to have you as my fiancé.” She didn’t think her life could get any better than this.
They lay there in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of each other’s beating heart.
“The best thing I ever did was bring you back. I never should have let you go in the first place,” he broke the silence.
“I agree. I will be forever grateful for what you did for me that night. However, by letting me go, you did a selfless thing. It took courage and true love to do something like that. I regret how we both only thought of what I wanted, or at least what I thought I wanted. I should have considered your feelings. I know that I would be devastated if you weren’t a part of my life anymore.”
“No more regrets, Kate,” he said, looking into her eyes with a reassuring smile. “No regrets.”
“You’re right. If things hadn’t happened the way they did, we wouldn’t be where we are right now, and we wouldn’t have learned the lessons we learned. Now I know that I made the wrong decision before by wanting to leave this world. A world without you is not a world I want to be a part of.”
“My exact thoughts. That’s why we should always stick together, no matter what,” he said, smiling as he ran his fingers gently through her hair. Oh, how she loved it when he did that.
Out of the corner of her eye, a glint of light caught her attention. She held her hand up in front of her, smiling as she studied her beautiful engagement ring. The black diamond in the center was accented perfectly by the smaller white diamonds. It was so beautiful; she found it hard to look away.
“I knew you’d like it,” he said, hugging her.
“I don’t just like it; I love it! It matches my necklace nicely, too. Where did you get it, anyway? And when did you have the time to buy it? We’ve been practically inseparable.”
“Remember how I was at the grocery store a little too long during our visit to France?” he asked with a mischievous grin. She nodded. “Well, I had it all planned out ahead of time to buy you the ring on our visit there. It just so happened, that right near the grocery was a jewelry store. I went there and picked out the ring I knew you’d love the most. Luckily, the ring was already your size, and they had an extensive black diamond selection to choose from.”
“You’re so romantic, James,” she said, kissing him. “Hey, you know what would be fun? We should go shopping and have lunch at one of those restaurants with the outside dining area. I’ve always wanted to do that. Then, maybe we can go walk around Central Park. I’ve never gotten to see it in the daylight.”
“That sounds wonderful, Kate.” James smiled.
They showered, dressed, and left
the apartment in less than thirty minutes. Kate was anxious to experience city life in the daytime.
Their first stop was a clothing store. Kate picked out a couple of pretty dresses and kept one of them on to wear to lunch. The Italian restaurant James brought her was nice. He had eaten there several times before, and was always happy with the experience. It was a bit chilly out, so everyone else had chosen to eat inside, and they had the outside area to themselves while they ate. They enjoyed the delicious food, and the lovely atmosphere, especially Kate.
After lunch, they went to Central Park and decided to go for a run. Running in the park in the daytime was a pleasant experience. They visited their oak tree for a little while, sitting under it and watching people walk, roller blade, and ride their bikes through the park. Kate never thought she’d get so much enjoyment out of watching a bunch of strangers do their normal everyday things.
They went home in the late afternoon and watched the sunset from the balcony of their apartment. Kate had never seen anything so beautiful; all the brilliant colors filled the sky and changed as the sun very slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
This most certainly turned out to be the best day of her life.
That evening, they decided to call Yvonne, Lin, and Charlie to let them know they were back from France and to invite them out to dinner. Lin couldn’t make it because of prior plans she had made with her family, but Yvonne, and Charlie gladly accepted the invitation. Neither of them had a clue that they were being invited to an engagement dinner.
Before Kate and James left for the restaurant, James decided to give his mother in Florida a call and let her know about the engagement. He assumed now would be a good time to call.
“Hi, mom,” said James in response to his mother’s friendly ‘hello’.
“Oh, hi, dear!” she said in her Brooklyn accent. “How have you been? You know, you should give me a call more often. I always wonder what you’re up to. How has life been treating you?”