Darkest Hours

by S. K. Yule

  He removed her hand and pulled her even closer. She felt like heaven, all soft and sweet smelling. “That was for you, Ebony. Just relax and let me hold you.”

  “But you didn’t get to—”

  “It’s okay. I don’t need to. Giving you pleasure, gives me all the pleasure I need. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy.”

  Ebony knew he was aroused by the thick bulge pressing into her backside. She wanted to give him the same release he had given her, but he was insistent she get some rest which didn’t seem like a bad idea at the moment as she could feel herself already drifting. His warmth pressed up against her put her in such a state of relaxation that she couldn’t help but take advantage of what he offered.

  * * * *

  He watched her eyes flutter shut and gently pushed his fingers through her hair. He loved the feel of her, the scent of her. Her softness pressed into his hardness and he ached to bury himself deep inside her. He closed his eyes and willed his body to behave.

  He hadn’t wanted to invade her mind, but when she fled him and locked herself in the bathroom, he feared she was feeling ill. If she were, he would have made her see a doctor, be damned if she was mad at him for reading her thoughts. And if she had just decided she simply didn’t want to be around him any longer, well he would have dealt with that too. Yet when he stealthily slid into her brain he found something unexpected. She didn’t want to be alone with him because she wanted him too much. She couldn’t have him because she was dying and didn’t want to hurt him. She loved him. He closed his eyes as this discovery soothed his battered heart and soul, healing them, making them whole once again. Why couldn’t she just tell him? He could fix everything and they could have an eternity together.

  He listened to her breathing even out as she slipped into a deep sleep. He knew she had been unusually tired lately and needed it. He held her for another hour before tucking her in. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and shimmered quickly to his room where he picked up the package he had had delivered earlier. He shimmered back to Ebony’s room and placed it on her dresser by her brush where she would be sure to find it.

  He stared down at her and regretted that he must leave her, but he needed to feed. The last time had been the night he was injured and he had to make sure he was at full strength for tomorrow in case it proved successful in finding Ebony’s attacker. He shimmered outside the house and set out to find his food source for the night. It wasn’t long before he saw a young woman sitting on a bench, grief rolling off her. As he neared she looked up at him with a startled and scared expression. She had just lost her husband to a violent accident. She was too young to have to deal with such pain.

  He stared in her eyes. “Come to me.” The woman’s eyes blanked over, voiding all emotion as she immediately stood and obeyed his command. He took only what he needed and left the woman with soothing memories of her husband and refocused her attention to not his recent death, but all the love and memories they had shared. A small smile tugged at her mouth as she turned and walked away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ebony stumbled out of bed and headed for a long shower the next morning. She was looking forward to the ball tonight and she had just had the best night of sleep in her entire life. She knew it had everything to do with Ashe’s warm body wrapped around her, cocooning her in safety. She had drifted off in his arms and slept soundly throughout the night. She felt a little lonely when she woke and he was gone, but thoughts of his selfless act in pleasuring her brought a small smile to her lips as the warm jets of water cascaded down her back.

  Every time she thought of him a little ache throbbed through her heart as she remembered that her time was limited. How many more times would she be able to make love with him, or see him smile or laugh or simply lie in his arms feeling warm and safe like she did last night? She loved him mind, heart, body and soul. The past few days she had been plagued by small dizzy spells but had merely dismissed them as being caused by her stressful situation. Even though deep down inside she knew it was not that simple. The cancer was spreading fast and she felt time slipping away from her quickly. Determined more than ever not to dwell on her condition and enjoy what life she had left, she flipped the water off.

  She dried, dressed then went to the dresser to brush her hair out when she noticed a box lying there with a big red ribbon. She picked it up and took the small card off the top to read it. I can’t wait to escort the most beautiful woman in the world to the ball tonight. Yours always, A. She gasped when she lifted the lid and looked inside. The most gorgeous ruby necklace and matching earrings twinkled back at her. She carefully lifted the necklace, placed it against her neck and whistled under her breath. Definitely not costume jewelry. The pieces must have cost a fortune. They were flawless and stunning. The deep burgundy red color of the set would match her gown perfectly.

  A knock sounded on the door and Estril popped her head around it when Ebony called “come in.” She walked over to admire the pieces of jewelry. “They are exquisite. Do you like them?”

  “How could I not? They are breathtaking. I could never have imagined receiving such a gift. It just seems too much.”

  Estril chuckled and patted Ebony’s hand. “You don’t worry at all about that. Ashe is more than able to afford them and I can’t remember him ever giving a woman such a gift. You know, I think he is growing quite fond of you.”

  Ebony gave Estril a hopeful look. “Really? Most of the time I haven’t a clue of what he’s feeling.” She took a last longing look at the jewelry before placing it back on the dresser.

  “Well, believe me when I tell you that a woman hasn’t had an affect on him like you have for hundreds of years. You’re good for each other and don’t let him convince you otherwise.”

  “You know I care for your brother and would never hurt him.” Ebony would sooner die than hurt him. Wasn’t that ironic?

  “No. But I know you love him and would never hurt him.” She smiled as Ebony’s shocked expression turned into acknowledgement. “Have you told him you’re sick yet?”

  Ebony’s skin paled which gave Estril her answer. “No. I want to so bad, but I can’t seem to bring myself to do it. I know I need to, but it’s so hard.” She sat on the end of the bed and hung her head in defeat. “Oh, Estril, I don’t want him to pity me and yes I do love him but I have nothing to offer him! I’m dying.”

  Estril walked over, sat down beside her, put her arm around Ebony’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “He won’t pity you. He cares about you and would only have concern for you. Ashe isn’t the type of man that would intentionally make you feel pitied or weak. You should trust him. He might have a completely different response than you are expecting.”

  “I do trust him.” Ebony caught a quick look of doubt on Estril’s face and held her hand up. “I know, if I did, I would tell him. I think it’s just more that I’m still in denial. I feel like it’s not quite reality until I say it out loud. I know it’s stupid, but it’s how I feel.”

  “I understand Ebony but you should really talk to him. Not everything is as black and white as you might think.”

  “Well I don’t see how it can be any other way.” Ebony was a little confused when Estril chuckled.

  “Well, let’s just forget about all of this now and focus on today. I came up to tell you that the dresses are here. I think it’s time to get Avril and let her know that she will be a bell of the ball and not a servant.” Estril giggled along with Ebony as they both walked across the hall to knock on Avril’s door. It swung open after a few minutes with a disheveled Avril standing there obviously fresh out of bed.

  “What time is it? It has to be too early to be up.” She yawned. “What do you girls want and why are you wearing those mischievous grins? You two are up to no good. I know an ambush when I see one.” She tried to push the door shut but Ebony put her foot in it blocking its progress.

  “My, my, aren’t we bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning.” Ebony kn
ew Avril was not a morning person by any means and needed at least two cups of coffee before feeling human. “Come on. Go get ready and meet us downstairs in the family room. There will be steaming hot coffee just awaiting your arrival in the kitchen, madam.” Estril giggled at Ebony when she gave Avril a mock bow.

  Avril mumbled at them that she would be down in a half hour and shut the door. Ebony and Estril went to the kitchen, grabbed some coffee and toast and headed for the family room. Laid out on the huge couch were three gorgeous gowns, a burgundy, royal blue and black one. All three had white or creamy lace accents and full flowing skirts. Ebony picked the burgundy one up and removed the protective plastic. Walking over to a full length mirror that hung on the wall, she held the dress up in front of her.

  “It’s just beautiful.” She turned as Estril came up beside her mimicking Ebony’s moves holding the black dress up.

  “Yes, they both are. Tina is a miracle worker.”

  They both stood for a few minutes admiring the richness of the velvet and silk material. Ebony was imagining how soft the fabric would feel on her skin when the door opened showing a wide-eyed Avril with a cinnamon roll hanging out of her mouth and a cup of coffee in her hand. She stared at Estril and Ebony for a few moments before she noticed the royal blue gown lying on the couch. Her eyes widened even more when she realized what was up.

  “Oh, I don’t think so girlfriend. You know how I feel about wearing frilly things. Nuh, uh, and no way.”

  Before Avril could escape, Estril had shut the door behind her blocking her exit. “Damn you’re quick.” Ebony laid her gown down and grabbed Avril’s hand leading her to the blue one.

  Pulling plastic off once again, she held it in front of Avril. “It’s absolutely perfect. It compliments your dark coloring just as I thought it would.”

  Ebony smiled with that pleading, pouty look she rarely gave Avril, but when she did, Avril always caved. Knowing she couldn’t resist her friend, she grabbed the dress and marched to the mirror, Ebony and Estril followed close behind. When she saw her reflection, she had to admit the dress did, indeed, compliment her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so horrible to feel feminine and frilly this one time.

  “Okay. Obviously, you two duped me. Being the good sport and friend I am, I will do it for you. But, you owe me big time.”

  “Well I might owe you more when I tell you the rest.” Ebony worked her bottom lip with her teeth as she wasn’t looking forward to Avril’s reaction over the next bit of news, the pleading pouty look could only get her so far after all.

  Avril tossed a worried look at her friend from over her shoulder. “What is the rest?”

  “Aiston is going to be your date to the ball.”

  Ebony and Estril watched indecision play on Avril’s face. However, it was quickly replaced by a small smile and Avril laughed and said “whatever.” Hmmm. Ebony thought that was way too easy.

  Ebony and Estril exchanged confusing looks before they all started discussing hair dos and nail colors. They chatted like this for awhile before being interrupted by Alaina.

  “Oh, so sorry darlings. Did I interrupt your little girl chat?” Alaina waved her hand about as if shooing away a fly as she walked, or rather sashayed in an over-dramatic way, to sit on the couch and adjusted her dress over the legs that ran all the way up to her neck.

  Estril moved toward Alaina to pick the plastic covering up for her dress. “Not at all. We were just looking at our gowns for this evening. I was actually getting ready to excuse myself to go make sure all the preparations were coming along smoothly.”

  With that statement made, Estril left without a further word. Ebony took Estril’s body language as distinct dislike of Alaina. She didn’t blame her. Avril had agreed with Ebony that Alaina was a blonde bimbo with an agenda, an agenda that had something to do with Ashe and most likely getting into his pants. Ebony kept the fact that Alaina had been there before and most likely did indeed want a return visit to herself.

  “Well aren’t those pretty little gowns.” Alaina gave a quick, dismissive look at Ebony and Avril’s gowns as if she wouldn’t be caught dead in such attire.

  Ebony gave a tight smile to Alaina. “I assume you already have your gown ready for tonight.”

  “Oh yes, dear. My gown was hand made special and flown in from Paris. I had to send it back twice because they just couldn’t get the details quite right, but finally after showing them exactly what I wanted, they got it perfect. Sometimes people can be so dense without proper instruction.”

  “I’m sure it is beautiful. I look forward to seeing it.” Ebony grabbed Avril’s hand and started for the door.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Maybe you can see what a real gown looks like. By the way, have you seen Ashe this morning? I simply must see him.”

  “Why you little bi—” Ebony jerked Avril back as she started for Alaina, cutting her off mid-sentence.

  Gritting her teeth and putting on a fake smile, Ebony said, “No, I haven’t seen him, but I’ll be sure to let him know that you’re looking for him if I run into him.” She then turned to Avril. Let’s go.”

  “You be sure to do that now.” Alaina smirked and then laughed out loud.

  Out in the entryway, Ebony dragged Avril by the hand up the stairs, which was hard to do since she was carrying both dresses.

  “You should have let me scratch that bitch’s eyes out, Ebony! She was so being nasty on purpose.”

  “I know, Avril, but she isn’t worth it. She’ll be gone tomorrow so let’s just forget it okay? I don’t want to let her ruin tonight.”

  “Fine, but we need to steer clear of her if possible. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from smacking that bitchy look off her face next time she makes a smart ass remark.”

  They both laughed and spent the rest of the morning trying out different hair styles until they found the perfect one. Avril would wear hers in a modern French braid and Ebony would wear hers up with stray tendrils framing her face. They would both wear the matching ribbons in their hair. Ebony showed Avril the necklace and earrings Ashe had given her and Avril pretended to swoon.

  “So, he must have feelings for you, Ebony. A man doesn’t just give a casual friend a gift like that. I mean it would probably take ten years of my yearly wages to buy something like that.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. He’s just so hard to read. Sometimes I really believe he cares for me and other times he seems so cold and distant I just don’t know what to think.”

  “Well, just let it ride and hopefully he won’t turn into a pig like so much of the rest of the male population. I hate to say it, and I certainly wouldn’t admit it to him at the moment, but I actually kind of like him.”

  “Wow, coming from the male hater herself!” Ebony chuckled.

  “Look, maybe I’m a little cynical when it comes to men, but my track record isn’t so hot. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t decent men out there. It just means I haven’t met any yet. However, at the cost of losing some of my men-are-pigs credibility, I think Ashe just might be one of the good guys. And even though you haven’t wanted to discuss it much, I know you love him.”

  “But, how do you know that?” Ebony stared at her friend.

  “Oh come on, Ebony. We’re best friends and I know what that moony look you give Ashe every time he is around means. It means you love him.” Avril stared right back at her as if daring her to even deny it.

  Ebony sighed. “Okay. You are right. I do love him, but I still don’t know how he feels about me.”

  “Well, all I can tell you is that he would be stupid to not love you. You are smart, funny and beautiful. And you know what? I don’t think Ashe is stupid by far. Besides, the man looks as if he will strangle anyone who dares as to so much harm a hair on your head. Men aren’t protective like that for no reason. I’m telling you he has feelings for you.”

  Ebony sighed. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to expect too much. I don’t want to get hurt.” Hurt? When she left her
heart would be destroyed.

  “Look Ebony, I’m telling you, he has feelings for you and besides he won’t hurt you. Because if he does, I’ll rip his balls off and find a very nasty dog to feed them too.”

  Ebony giggled. “Okay, okay. I get it. You are protective of me too. And, I love you for it. But, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  Avril finally let the subject drop and they talked more of failed relationships, old friends and childhood memories. Ebony assured Avril that there was a guy out there somewhere just waiting for her. Avril just chuckled and told Ebony the only perfect man for her was the one in her dreams every night. Ebony was sure he might be a little closer than that, but reserved her opinion for now.

  They decided to get ready in Ebony’s room so they could help each other with the fastenings on their dresses and it was now finally time to put on the gowns. They had just smoothed their skirts out and made final touches to their hair and make-up when a knock sounded on the door. Ebony opened it to find Aiston standing on the other side with a sheepish grin holding a black rose.