A temporary look of angst came over Royal until he saw Emrys smiling at the two of them. Emrys nodded his head and said, “Changing the rules changes everything. I understand now what must be done.” And then he let out a hearty laugh.
It made perfect sense to laugh at the irony of the whole matter, and before long we were all gasping for air, laughing so hard that tears rolled down our cheeks. After a while, we found ourselves cracking up at nothing else but the contagious laughter itself.
Royal wiped his face with a napkin. Peering over his cup of coffee, his green eyes flashed as he swallowed down the last of it, and he said, “Well, this evening sure has been enlightening for me! And quite enjoyable too.” He glanced around at our empty mugs, and then at Emrys and asked, “Shall we head back home then, sir?”
Emrys waved to our waiter who promptly brought us the check, and asked, “And how did everyone enjoy their after dinner drinks?”
We all burst out laughing again. Royal finally gained some control and said, “As you can plainly see, we enjoyed them immensely.” And then with unwavering certainty, his eyes landed on Kelsey, and he added, “Everything was perfect.”
Emrys paid the waiter, and the next thing I knew we were in the car. I barely remember leaving the restaurant and I don’t recall walking to the vehicle at all. It felt like time had no meaning. It didn’t seem to bother me in the least, though, and I giggled as Emrys pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. And then, before I had a chance to say a word, our vehicle was already winding its way through the tree-lined driveway and passing our gatehouse.
I must have fallen asleep…
I saw Royal wave through his open window to our newest gatekeeper. I only caught a quick glimpse of him, but saw that he had dark blonde hair and a matching beard, and figured he must be the one named Jude. Moments later, we were in our own foyer surrounded by various packages and bags from our shopping trip. I heard the door lock and I peeked out into the long hallway through the peephole to see Royal and Kelsey walking away hand in hand. I imagined the effects of our drinks had begun to wear off, since I suddenly hoped no one saw them.
“What’s happening to the time?” I asked, confused. I spun around just in time to see Emrys flop into bed.
Wait, what? I was just in the foyer!
More confusion, and a bit dizzy now, I said, “Emrys?” What seemed like a second later, I found myself lying under the covers with Emrys wrapped cozily around me, snoring softly; his warm breath blowing into my hair. It was like there were moments of complete clarity and moments of nothingness. I decided I much preferred the giddiness and euphoria to the blank spots of time. And if I ever drank the much sought after, very unique and rare blood of Graham again, I decided it would only be in the confines of my own room. If ever. And then, it seemed like moments later, it was morning.
* * *
“You were more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you, Emrys. But I’m not quite sure I like the feeling of time flying like that though.” I finished tying my shoe and looked up at him just as he bent to pick up my other one and tossed it to me. “Was that normal?”
Emrys chuckled. “Normal? Who can say what is normal? I expected the feeling of utter relaxation, but the laughter was new. I did not experience any flying time, however. I remember everything about last evening. You do not?” His impish grin told me he knew something I didn’t.
“So, what did I miss?” I hoped I hadn’t acted like too much of an idiot.
“Nothing bad happened. We had good conversation with our new friends, a peaceful drive home; a quite satisfying evening altogether, I might add.”
“Are you serious?” I didn’t remember anything but the laughter. “How satisfying?”
He waited as I finished tying my second shoe, and then he pulled me to my feet, wrapped his arms around me, pressed himself to me, and with raised eyebrows, said, “Oh indeed!”
“Well, that’s just not fair!” I exclaimed. “Why can’t I remember?”
“I am not sure. I feel more invigorated than I have in ages though. I have never experienced the time-lapse myself. I am happy to say that my experience was exactly the opposite of yours; I remember every detail of last evening, almost as though it happened in slow motion.” He raised an eyebrow again and smiled.
“Well, I want a reenactment then.” I kissed his mouth pulling him even closer and pressing myself against him.
“Later, my dear. We must try to get some practice in before the weather turns for good. Soon we will be forced to have all our lessons indoors.” He gently pulled away and took my hand in his. “And by all means, I myself would love a reenactment - later. You were one spicy little hot wire last night!”
“Seriously? Why, what did I do differently?”
“Let us just say you were quite the gymnast, very flexible and very amenable. Trust me; a good time was had by all.” He laughed aloud, enjoying my blocked memory of the seemingly quite eventful time.
“Well, I’m glad one of us can remember. I’m not sure I like this at all!” I felt a bit taken advantage of, though I didn’t say so out loud.
Emrys put his hands on my shoulders and shook his head.
“You have it all wrong, my dear sweet Elizabeth. It was all your idea to begin with, and, you were very emphatic about every single detail. I had no way of knowing you were in the midst of a time lapse.” His eyes told me the truth.
I nodded. “I see. Should I be embarrassed?” Once again, I was glad my face no longer showed the color it probably would have been.
“On the contrary! There should be no such thing as embarrassment within a married couple’s vocabulary.” He opened the door for me and, as I walked out ahead of him, he slapped me on the behind. “No such thing!”
Before we were finished with our practice session, thick dark clouds started rolling in, and the wind blew my ponytail into my facemask repeatedly. If it wasn’t for the fact that we had been strenuously using every single muscle in our bodies, we may have noticed the cold air moving in as well. But it wasn’t until we took a short break that we became aware of the chilly weather descending upon us. Emrys looked up into the sky and said, “I do believe we may get some snow today.”
Up until that moment, I hadn’t even thought of what winter would be like here in the UK, although the mention of it made me realize our trip to Scotland was now that much closer. I was excited about traveling, and especially about getting to meet Sibelle. I had so many questions to ask her.
“Do not be too surprised if you get but a fraction of those questions answered, my dear. Sibelle has a funny way of keeping you guessing.” Emrys sat down on the ledge of the circular stone wall, breathing heavily. “She never ceases to keep me guessing, anyway.”
Standing right in front of him, I smiled and touched his shoulder with the tip of my epee blade, “Oh really?” My own breathing was still a bit labored as well. “Why is that, do you suppose?”
He shook his head as he glanced up at me through his mask. “Damned if I know. One would think a prophetess has all the answers, and most likely she does. But she chooses to keep much of it to herself, and gives you only enough information so that you can be prepared. I suppose if she gave too much away we would all become quite lazy. As it is, we must learn to use the little she does tell us, and our own minds to get us through. One might consider it a bit of free will to make our own way, whether right or wrong. If not for her rather mysterious way of revealing our fortunes we would be nothing more than puppets I guess.”
This way of looking at things made sense, but I was determined to get as much information out of her as I possibly could. Emrys put a finger onto the blade touching his shoulder and gently pushed it aside with a grin. I knew he mulled over my silent musings, but he didn’t say a word, and I appreciated his restraint. Sometimes, being able to think things through without getting a response every time was golden. He realized I needed a tiny bit of privacy every now and then, and he was kind enough to give it to me, even though
we both knew it was silly. The only time I was truly alone with my thoughts was while he slept.
After a few more minutes of resting we resumed our fencing practice. I loved being outdoors breathing in the late autumn air. The clouds hid the sun, and there was a great possibility of even colder weather coming, but I was plenty warm enough. The pungent smell of burning wood filled the area and mingled with the scent of damp, black earth and fallen leaves. Every now and again when the wind was right, I’d get a whiff of Emrys; a deep musky aroma, in part from his own exertions, but more so from the tantalizing, unique cologne he used daily. And, as was almost always the case, he was right again. Just as we finished up with our activities and removed our masks, tiny little snowflakes darted about haphazardly, rarely even making it to the ground before melting.
He took my hand in his and said kiddingly, “Told ya so.” As he lifted his face skyward letting the flakes land on him like soft white feathers, my eyes followed his every move. He pulled his hair out of the ribbon that held it back. He closed his eyes as the flakes accumulated on his thick lashes. He grinned and sighed, glancing back at me.
“So, what? Now you’re the weather man too?” I asked with a giggle.
“No, my love. To be fair about it, I did catch the morning weather report.” He winked at me slyly.
“And here I was beginning to think you could read the signs in the sky by the state of the atmosphere!” I teased him playfully.
He wrapped his arms around me, and said with a grin, “Let us go soak in the hot tub for a while, and I will show you some atmospheric conditions of my own, shall we?”
CHAPTER 4
IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME
The next few weeks were a blur of activity. All the locks at the estate were changed and several more security guards were hired and trained. Kelsey found a darling little white puppy and all the women fell in love with it the minute she brought it home.
And we finally started planning our trip to Scotland: looking at brochures and deciding where to stay and what to visit. All the while keeping up with our morning drill of self-defense lessons, fencing, and even sword fighting. My self-confidence was greatly improved, and my upper arms had become stronger than ever.
As each day passed, observing all the new security measures being set up, I started to feel less apprehensive, and now and then, even felt safe. I still wasn’t allowed to be alone, however, and at times I’d get a distinct smothered sensation; I was a moth - confined in a glass jar. I had high hopes that after enough time had passed and no one had heard from Rohan, this suffocation would end. The one thing I desired more than anything was that I would finally be able to have a bit of quality alone time. Privacy, seclusion, peace, and quiet had become a thing of the past.
Anyone who was asked to spend time with me, whether friend or relative, did so out of the utmost love for me and respect and admiration for Emrys. However, no matter who was on house-arrest with me, somehow found it quite impossible to just be with me. I was bombarded with endless chatter, constant communication, questions, sometimes topics of interest, sometimes the most boring. Why did everyone think that I had to be entertained? All I needed was protection, to not be left in a situation where I was so vulnerable that Rohan could get to me. Nothing more, nothing less. They all meant well, obviously. But my idea of a quiet afternoon reading a good novel was long forgotten. Even when I mentioned ahead of time, my plan to spend some time reading - and specifically told my companion for the day - to bring along a book of their own, it was still impossible to ever get lost in my novel. Inevitably, sooner or later, my protector would become vocal, forgetting entirely, the fact that I held in my hands the only thing that mattered to me at that moment...my open book. Of course, things were different when Emrys was home. I enjoyed all of our time together; alone, or with family and friends, home, or out and about. It didn’t matter to me; his companionship was all I really needed.
Lindy and I tried to see each other every day, but sometimes our schedules clashed and I didn’t get to see her as often as before Emrys came into my life. Plus, she now had Gavin. It was after Steven and Barbara Lee’s ceremony, during the festivities afterwards, that my sister finally announced her plans. She and Gavin were married two weeks later. Their ceremony was short and sweet, and not too much changed after the papers were signed, except that I knew Lindy was happier than I’d ever seen her.
She had made a beautiful bride, and of course, I was her maid of honor. And as usual, Constance helped us with the dresses and flowers. Melinda wore a long shimmery silver dress with a black satin ribbon on the edges. If she’d had her way, the whole dress would have been black, but Constance and I managed to talk her out of that gloomy idea. It was probably Lindy’s way of showing the world she meant to mourn the fact that her marriage would be unfruitful, but I could not allow her to do that, knowing what I knew about her future. I kept wishing there was some way to get a better picture of when the vision would come to pass for her, but until I knew more, my secret simply couldn’t come out. In the meantime, I succeeded in staying positive and cheery and always reminded her of how lucky she was to have Gavin. In the end, that was what helped us to convince her how important it would be for Gavin to see her dress more like a cheery bride than someone going to a funeral. Not to mention, I knew how beautiful her hair would look cascading down over a brilliantly shiny dress - versus blending in, becoming altogether unnoticeable, against black. If anyone knew how to make hair appear stunningly dramatic, it was me; I had practiced it all my life.
During the ceremony when Gavin was asked if he understood that this union with his immortal wife would be for all eternity, he answered so quickly, that Lindy leaned closer to me letting our arms touch. I had all I could do to not whisper to her, ‘I told you so’ and I actually sensed her relax after that moment. All this time I’d assumed I was the more insecure of the two of us. Melinda had always seemed so sure of herself and was more outgoing than I was; making decisions so easily, while I was the one who questioned my every move. Perhaps I was wrong.
The small reception was every bit as lovely as the ceremony. I couldn’t help but reflect back to my own wedding night which, of course, sent a flurry of chills up my spine. As Emrys gave a toast to the new couple, I took his hand in mine and squeezed it. The electricity between us continued to be every bit as exciting as if it was new. I hoped my sister had the good fortune to experience the same happiness we had, and, as these thoughts went through my mind, Emrys’ words echoed my wishes almost exactly when he made the toast. Lindy’s smile met mine as she raised her glass, and I finally knew, without a doubt, she really would be happy.
After the toast, Gavin took her in his arms and gave her a most passionate kiss. Up until that moment, I had never seen my sister literally swoon. It was true they had lived under the same roof, in the same quarters for months now, but I believed Lindy was true to her word; they waited for their wedding night to be intimate. She had told me, if nothing else in her life was going to add up to the way she had always imagined it should be, then this one thing she vowed to control, the one thing she could control. I was so proud of her, and knew she’d be happy with that decision.
Emrys squeezed my hand as we witnessed the heat rise up between the two of them. I didn’t think it would be long now until they decided to leave the festivities and retire to their room to have a celebration of their own. I was right. They managed to slip away quietly after saying goodnight to Emrys and me - within a half-hour after that passionate kiss.
Much later in the evening, after merrymaking of our own, as we lay in bed wrapped in each other’s arms I whispered, “When do you think it’ll happen; my vision of Gavin and Lindy with the children?” A part of me had always known that the wedding had to take place before the vision came true. Becoming a vampire hadn’t change my old-fashioned ideas one single bit.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Emrys said. “The only thing we can be sure of is the season. It appears the weather will b
e warm, what with the green grass and flowers blooming all over in your mind.”
We chuckled together at his attempted humor.
“But you realize my vision of the children appeared to take place after they are nearly 4. I wish I knew when they could expect them, at least what age they’ll be.”
“Something tells me you shall be enlightened before anyone else, my dear one,” he said grinning.
“And then again, maybe it was all just in my mind. Maybe it won’t ever happen, Emrys,” I sighed.
He pulled me close holding me firm; his other hand patted my back softly like a baby in need of comfort and attention. “Silly girl, do not be so negative. Things tend to fall into place in time as they are supposed to happen. You shall see. You seem to forget how long I have been a witness to this world. Just because I look so young and virile,” he said with a chuckle, “it does not mean I am not old enough to be a grandfather.”
I let out a gasp. But it was too late. He couldn’t take back the words.
“Emrys!” I stiffened and attempted to pull away. “That’s not an image I want in my mind!”
He laughed again, holding me tight. “It is really not a big deal. You will get my meaning in a few decades. You shall always be young and beautiful, preserved exactly as you are right now. And yet, your mind keeps growing and expanding with knowledge, wisdom, experience, and your perception of time will change. But deep down inside, you know you are older, minus all the usual side effects of aging. It may be difficult to imagine, but you will understand eventually.”
I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand, watching the second hand jump. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hear the ticking, second by second. Since time didn’t mean anything any longer, I wondered why we bothered with clocks.
What’s the point in all of it in this eternal existence?
The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set Page 54