“You are right Aaron; however, I will not reveal my true form to you, only the one I wish to take at this time. The colonists will see and remember what I will them to, so I might as well turn you back as well.” We watched as the true Hannah and Aaron took on their real appearances, while the fake Hannah turned back into Rebecca. Our eyes shifted toward the fake Aaron only to discover a very dazed and subdued Nicholas, with glowing red eyes.
Gregory whispered, “I think he’s been possessed by her spirits. He’s definitely not acting on his own accord. I remember my brother having a strong willed mind.”
Rebecca leaned back and laughed in a sadistic tone that sent raised goosebumps along my skin. Gregory pulled me closer to him, trying to calm my fears from the scene, as it played out.
She took the green glowing amulet out from underneath her clothing. “No need to hide this now. No one, but you will see it and the two of you must die.”
Hannah finally spoke up, in a soft questionable voice, with eyes beginning to shed tears. “Why must we die? What have we done to you to deserve this?”
Aaron interjected. “I beg you to take my life, but spare my lovely Hannah. I will take the death you intend for me.”
Rebecca paced around a moment, smiling wickedly, before stopping right next to Aaron and lifting his chin so that they were eye to eye. “You would so willingly give your life to spare that of your intended bride? Why?”
“I would gladly give my life to save Hannah. I love her with all my heart; and if that means dying so that she may live, then so be it.” He spat in Rebecca’s face and she started to raise her hand to slap him back, but then stopped short.
He egged her on. “Go ahead, witch. Slap me if you want to, but you will not get away with this.”
“I will not stoop to the level of inflicting any form of punishment on you, myself. I will let the colonists do the dirty work for me.” She paced back over to Hannah, swiping her hand across Hannah’s face. “Your offer intrigues me; however, I cannot take the risk of one of you living. Because of the prophecy, I cannot take the chance of either of you surviving. It cannot have any chance of being achieved. The only way I can assure that is through both of your deaths.”
We watched as Aaron fought his bindings and tried to reach his hand out to Hannah. At the same time, Rebecca ordered the colonists who were dunking them to continue, but to extend the time they were held under.
“Hold your breath, Hannah. Do not succumb to this evil witch. Fight to live, fight for me and our love.” Aaron shouted out quickly, before taking a deep breath and being submerged under water.
The seconds ticked away, before they were pulled back up, gasping for breath. Hannah looked weak, but managed to free one hand from her bindings and reached out to Aaron, who’d managed to do the same.
Before they could touch, Rebecca ordered, “Dunk them again and be quick about it. Do not give them time to catch their breath.” The colonists followed her orders as Aaron and Hannah took in a quick breath before being submerged, again.
I could feel the pain Hannah was going through, as my lungs felt tight and it became hard to breath. Gregory began gasping for breath behind me, apparently experiencing what I was.
The colonists pulled them out, again. They both looked haggard and their skin tone was taking on a bluish appearance from a lack of oxygen.
Aaron reached out for Hannah, begging, “Fight for me, Hannah. Know that I will always love you throughout existence. My heart knows only you.”
“The fight in me is gone, Aaron. Know that my life began when you came into it. My heart knows only you, too. I will love you for an eternity.” Her feeble hand reached out and they touched, right as Rebecca ordered them back into the river.
Aaron turned toward the witch and announced, “Death to us cannot kill what never dies.”
The witch countered, “What, preytell, are you talking about?” Her voice was harsh and laden with hate.
He turned back toward Hannah. “Love! Those that love beyond the world can never be separated by anything. Mark my words. If I have the ability to come back, I will take it and use everything within my power to take you down, beast!”
I could feel the water rushing into my lungs, as Hannah and Aaron were submerged. It brought both me and Gregory down to our knees, struggling to breathe.
Suddenly, we were released and able to take in large amounts of oxygen, again. Our eyes shot over to where our counterparts were submerged. A soft white glow began to fill the water and surrounding air. The witch ordered them lifted from the river.
We rose to our feet as the chairs were lifted. The ropes dangled from the empty chairs as they breached the water. Two soft luminous glows filled the space that had been occupied by Hannah and Aaron. The glows began to grow in intensity and the shadows started retreating from the hosts they occupied and back into the dark corners where they belonged.
The possessed colonists passed out onto the ground. The witch repeated the same incantation, as she watched the lights ascend toward the heavens before disappearing completely.
Still under the spell, she shouted to the onlookers. “All of you will only remember that Rebecca was accused of being a traitor and that I, Hannah, brought this to your attention. After Rebecca confessed, you will recall that Hannah and Aaron left together with talks of running away to another colony and eloping. When Nicholas returns, you will think him touched in the head with fever and not believe a word he states.” She went on to add, “You can awake from your daze five minutes after I have left.”
“Come, Nicholas, we must take our leave from this town, for now.” She held her hand out for him, as she called to her dark spirits. “Exit this place now and meet me back at the cave, my lovelies.” We watched as all the dark spirits swirled around Rebecca and Nicholas, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
We felt Ray’s hands on our shoulders as the wind began to pick up and swirl around us, transporting us back to the present. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this form of conveyance.
Ray had us back at the river’s edge. “You are safely back in your own time. Take stock of what you’ve learned and be sure to cross-reference your Victorian time. There are several similarities to make note of. What you learn from this is vital to ensuring your present and your future.”
We both stared speechless at him, unable to form even a single word to ask questions. But, of course, Ray knew what we were thinking. “You are right. She can’t touch you, directly; she has to use other people to do her bidding for her, otherwise her powers are weakened.”
Ray gave our shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I must take my leave, now.” He stepped back and faded from view, leaving a sense of peace in his absence.
Anderson was waiting for us by the car to take us back to the bed and breakfast. Gregory smiled and nodded his head, as if giving him some sort of signal, which was acknowledged with a half nod, in return.
We climbed into the back of the Town Car. Gregory pulled me over next to him, buckling my seat belt before doing his own, then wrapped both arms around me and pulled me against his chest. “Know that whatever happens, we will get through this together!” He placed significant emphasis on will.
As the car started the move, I heard my favorite song, “No Matter What” by Boyzone, playing over the speakers. Gregory leaned into my ear and whispered, “Focus on the words of the song—I’ll be everything you need and my life did begin with you.”
The tears I had been holding back came out in a rush. Anderson handed Gregory a box of tissues, which he used to try and dry my eyes. I realized I was crying all over him and getting his shirt wet. “I’m sorry. I’m ruining your shirt.”
One of his hands ran through my hair as he made shushing sounds. “It’s just a shirt, easily changed. But, I can’t go through you trying to leave me again, like you did after we discovered what happened with Daniel and Angeline. I won’t let you slip through my fingers. We are meant to be! Our lives and our destiny was already plan
ned long before we came into this lifetime. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that witch win, again.”
I kept listening to the words of the song, as it repeated a couple of times before switching to a new song, our song, by Savage Garden, “I Knew I Loved You.” My tears began to dry. There would be no pushing Gregory away this time. He was right, we were in this together and this was our destiny. The last time I tried to run from my problems, it almost cost me my life in that car accident.
I looked up into his eyes, which were staring back at me, lovingly. He held onto my chin as his lips lowered to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as he moved his hand to pull me closer to him, deepening the kiss. We continued like this until I heard Anderson clear his throat. “We’re here, sir. Is there anywhere else you needed to go, today?”
“Thank you, Anderson. We do have dinner reservations with my grandfather downtown, at 7:30. But, we can call for a cab.” Gregory offered, since Anderson had been so kind to drive us anywhere we needed.
“Nonsense, sir. I’ve been hired as your driver and will see that you make it to your location and back this evening. What time should I pick you up?”
“What time would you recommend? He made reservations for us at the restaurant in his hotel, the Four Seasons.”
Anderson nodded. “That isn’t too far from here. If your reservations are at 7:30, then I would suggest, given traffic, that I pick you up by 7 PM, to ensure you arrive on time. I do admire your grandfather’s taste. The restaurant has impecable food and service. It should be a wonderful dining experience.”
We thanked Anderson before entering the lobby of the bed and breakfast. Ms. Norriston had just finished serving Afternoon Tea, out on the patio and was brining in a tray of used cups, when she saw us. “You just missed Tea, but I do have some left and a few sweets to enjoy. Would you both care for some? I could bring them up to your room.”
My mind was overwhelmed with information that I barely heard her. Thankfully, Gregory replied, “The offer is enticing Ms. Norriston; but I think we’ll pass. We have dinner plans and are thinking of taking a quick nap before we go.”
His hand lowered to my back and steered me toward the stairs and up to our room. He must have realized my mind was still going a mile a minute, because he remembered the bag with the box I had purchased at lunch and the one Aunt Destiny had given me and placed it on the floor of our room.
“You’re overthinking and analyzing all that has happened today, aren’t you?” I nodded at his question.
Before I could even look up, he had me backed against the door, pulling my arms up to his shoulders, and placing his hands on the door at each side of my head, caging me in. I was about to open my mouth to protest, when his lips descended onto the corner of my mouth and began to deliver alternating little kisses and nips along my jaw, down my neck and back up to my ear. He suckled and nipped at my ear as he whispered, “We are continually drawn to one another throughout history. Our love story hasn’t reached it’s destination, yet.” In between kissing behind my ear and nibbling on it, he emphasized, “We. Will. Succeed. In. Our. Mission. This time. Our. Love. Will. Know. No End!”
On his last words, he moved his lips over mine and when my lips parted, to respond, kissing me with more passion then I had ever felt before. I felt the pent up frustration from today lift and I gave into the moment, knowing that he was my destined love and trying to believe we would finally succeed.
We continued to kiss until we were both exhausted, out of breath and our lips cracked. Each of us pulled away and took in large lungs full of air, trying to steady our erratic heartbeats. The room felt warm and I was lightheaded.
I ducked under his arm and opted to lay down for a bit, to rest my mind and emotions. I watched as he entered the bathroom. “Don’t fall asleep on me. I need a few moments to calm down, but will join you shortly.”
I had nearly drifted off when I felt the bed dip and his strong arms wrap around me, pulling me into his side. “You almost fell asleep without me. Remember, we can’t have the darkness coming after you, again.” He kissed my forehead. “I’ve set the clock so we can have a short nap. Sleep now, my love. I will protect you.”
I awoke with a startle, as the alarm blared from the table, beside Gregory. He still had his arms wrapped around me; but withdrew one in order to slap at the snooze button. I looked over at the clock and realized it was 6 PM and we only had an hour to get ready. I quickly shook his shoulders. “Honey, it’s time to get up. We need to freshen up and change clothes to meet up with Grandpa for dinner.”
He shifted and moaned. “Just five more minutes, please.” He turned the other direction giving me a full view of the muscles underneath his form fitting shirt. I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift lower and admire the fine view of his backside. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of looking at him or loving him. To think, he’s all mine.
I slowly crept off the bed, trying not to shake it too much, and went to the closet, where I had hung my dress for this evening, to let the wrinkles fall out. I grabbed it, a slip and my shoes and headed toward the bathroom, where I closed the door to allow him more sleep.
I took off everything, but my undergarments, and began to wash up a little, making sure to scrub my face, before reapplying my make-up. I tried to tame my hair with my brush, but it was too messed up from my nap, and, of course, Gregory running his fingers through it while we were kissing.
After several attempts at trying to subdue the frazzled mess, I opted for the hair dryer, knowing it would straighten my hair out. I hoped the noise wouldn’t wake him. A little heat and some brushing brought my hair back under control, though still quite wavy, looking close to the night we had our first date. How ironic that my hair looks like this and I pick the same dress that I wore that night, to wear tonight.
I spritzed some vanilla scented perfume on my skin, before putting on my attire. I put his necklace back on and wished I had some earrings with me that would complement either the necklace or the dress. In my mind, I ran through the earrings I had brought with me and suddenly remembered the earrings that Aaron had given Hannah, returned to me via my aunt.
I was about to tiptoe back into the bedroom, when I heard Ray’s voice in my head. “Don’t wear those earrings. Not yet, at least. Dark spirits are circling nearby and you do NOT want to draw attention to yourself. Hide your items in the desk before you leave tonight.”
I shook my head feeling a little freaked out by things. Great, just what I needed to hear; that the darkness is close to us. I want them to stop and leave us alone for one night! I felt myself willing this to happen.
I jumped, when there was a knock at the bathroom door. “Everything okay in there, Jordan?”
“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute, honey.” I smiled at myself calling him honey, my favorite pet name for him, because he was just so sweet to me.
I collected my dirty clothes and put everything back in its place in the bathroom, before unlocking the door. To my surprise, he was waiting on the other side of the door, to swoop in and plant a chaste kiss on my lips.
He stepped back and looked over me from head to toe. “You look amazing! You look the same as the night of our first date night, with exception of the necklace.” He looked a little puzzled, before adding, “There’s just something missing.”
I panicked, thinking there was something wrong with my appearance. What did I miss? Did I not put lipstick on, was my hair not right, what?
Gregory reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “I think this will help complete your look tonight,” he said smiling, knowing he had me frazzled.
I went to touch the lid of the box he was holding and had it halfway opened, when he snapped it shut. I jumped, not expecting his move. “Maybe I should wait to give you this.”
My frown reflected my emotions. “Are you trying to play games with me or just being silly? You have my interest piqued, now. You know it isn’t nice to tease a woman with something
that looks like a jewelry box.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I was just debating whether I should give these to you now or later. But, they would look amazing on you, tonight.” He smiled as his hand lifted the top of the jewelry box to display a pair of dangling earrings. They had a small, half-inch gold chain that slipped down into two hearts, one interlocking the other, with a small diamond where the two hearts met.
I suddenly realized why he said they would look good for me to wear. They matched my necklace, only the hearts where in a different alignment, but still intertwined. I couldn’t believe it. “When did you get these?”
“So you like them?”
“I love them! But, when...how?” I needed to know when he planned this.
“I bought them at the same time I had purchased the necklace. I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to give them to you,” he admitted.
“Seems like you were pretty sure of yourself.”
His expression was one of love. “I knew I cared for you and had feelings for you that I’ve never felt with another. I had already laid the plans to ask you to marry me when I bought them. Plus, after evaluating my early memories of our Victorian past, I already knew we were destined to be together.”
I sat the clothes I was holding on the counter and I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a soft, loving kiss on his lips. “I will gladly wear the earrings with honor, tonight. They are adorable. I love them; but I love you, more.”
He handed me the earrings and I moved to the counter to put them on. He stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “They look lovely on you.”
I turned and gave him another quick kiss. “Thank you. They do compliment the look quite well.”
I grabbed the items from the counter and put them in our dirty laundry bag in the closet. “I’ll go ahead and get washed up so we can meet Anderson on time. I shouldn’t be too long.” I watched as he winked before closing the bathroom door.
Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) Page 17