by S. K. Yule
She turned to face him and he pulled her to him for another thorough kiss. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her. His body was hardening again already. “If we keep this up we’re going to kill each other, vampires or not.” She giggled as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“Well, if I have to die, this would be my ideal way to go.” She playfully smacked him on the arm and he took her into a possessive hug. He figured now would be just as good a time as any to give her his gift, but before he reached the drawer the doorbell sounded. He excused himself and said he’d be right back. He couldn’t have been more shocked or angry when he opened the door to reveal his visitor.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” His hands curled into fists at his side as he tried to leash his fury.
Alaina promptly burst into tears. “Please, I just need to talk to you for a second then I promise I will never bother you again.”
Her pleading look had little effect on him and he was about to slam the door in her face when Ebony walked up behind him and took one of his hands in hers, rubbing her thumb in soothing strokes over the back of it. When Alaina saw Ebony she put her head down in shame, staring at her own feet.
“I don’t think so. Do you know how fortunate you are that I haven’t already throttled you or worse? Hell, Alaina, you threatened my family and put the one thing that matters most to me in the world in danger.”
“I know and I’ve been thinking and I’ve realized how horrible I acted. Please give me a chance to explain.” She then looked at Ebony as if begging for her help.
Ashe moved to push the door closed in Alaina’s face when Ebony placed a hand on his arm. “Ashe, let her come in and say what she needs to say.”
“Ebony, you can’t be serious. She almost got you killed.” His look of astonishment and anger nearly made her retract her request.
“Yes, I am. It’s okay. She can’t hurt me while you’re here, right? I’ll stay right by your side until she leaves.” Ebony gave Ashe a reassuring smile.
“Baby, don’t you remember what that bitch did to you?”
“Yes. But, everyone deserves a second chance, Ashe.”
Damn. She had him there. Fate itself had given him a second chance.
Looking from Ebony’s determined face to Alaina’s tear stained one, he sighed and stepped back, making sure to keep his body between Alaina and Ebony. “Fine, you have ten minutes.” He motioned for Alaina to proceed to the family room and he and Ebony followed.
Closing the door behind them, he folded his arms over his chest. “Talk.”
Alaina looked at Ashe and Ebony for a moment before saying her peace. “Just let me say first of all, Ebony, I am truly sorry for putting you in danger. I didn’t care at the time, but I realize I was wrong.”
Ashe snorted while Ebony remained silent. “And, what would make you realize such a thing.”
She sat down, dejectedly on the edge of the couch. “Ashe, I have loved you for as long as I can remember. Wanting you has consumed me and has been the force behind everything I’ve done for so long. But, last night after everything happened, I realized that maybe I didn’t love you as much as I was just obsessed with you. I was hurt and my pride was wounded when you left me, especially, when you left me for Shara. You know I have always viewed humans as weak and I couldn’t imagine a lower blow to my dignity than you leaving me for one, which I am now aware, fueled my negative view of humans even more.”
“Alaina, I thought you understood from the start that I didn’t have deep feelings for you.”
“Yeah, you told me that, but I believed that you just needed time to come to love me. I believed I could make you love me and when you left, I just kind of went off the deep end. I mean, I let my thoughts distort themselves into impossible plans that I really believed could become reality. I was lonely and you know my personality doesn’t allow much room for friends, so I grabbed onto you and twisted my whole life around you.
“I’m sorry you were hurt, but it doesn’t excuse your actions.” Had she really finally come to her senses and figured out that she was completely and disturbingly wrong?
“Thank you for saying that and I know my actions are inexcusable and I’ll be sorry for them for the rest of my life. I don’t know why I became the way I did and the worst thing of all is that I realized years ago that I didn’t even love you any more and hadn’t for a long time. However, I could never admit that because then everything I had done to get you back would just make me a complete obsessed lunatic, which is exactly what I was.” Alaina put her head in her hands and sobbed.
“Ashe I really think she’s sincere.”
“Don’t be so sure, Ebony.”
“I’ll never say anything other than she was wrong, but I think she was just really lonely. While I don’t understand all the reasons why she would do the things she did, I do understand loneliness. I longed for a companion for only a few years, but I can only imagine what it would be like to long for someone to love for hundreds of years.”
Alaina hiccupped and raised her eyes to them both as she got to her feet. “That’s all I wanted to say that I am honestly sorry for everything I’ve done. Nothing can excuse it and I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I can hope that you might anyway someday. I never would have hurt you, Ashe. I swear I didn’t know the true circumstances of that night I turned Shara into a drudge. I would have never done it had I know she tried to have you killed. I’m just . . . sorry.”
Alaina shrugged and made her way to leave when Ebony stepped out from behind Ashe and faced her. Ashe laid his hands on her shoulders in a comforting reminder that he was there and would keep her safe.
“Alaina, I can’t pretend that I understand what you did, but I can understand how your loneliness and misguided love led you in the wrong direction, even though it still doesn’t excuse those actions in any way. However, if I am sure of anything it is that we all make mistakes and must accept responsibility for them. Today I believe you have taken responsibility for yours and have taken steps to correct them.”
Alaina stared at Ebony with a spark of hope and Ebony continued. “I forgive you for what you did to me personally, but I cannot forgive you for your actions toward anyone else. They will have to decide to forgive you or not, but realize that this doesn’t mean that I trust you. I think you have a long, hard road ahead of you to gain back any amount of trust from those you wronged. I can only say for myself that I hope you are sincere and turn your life around, and if you honestly need someone, you may call upon me.”
Alaina’s eyes flew wide in surprise, and she gave Ebony a quick hug. “Thank you. You have no idea how much those words mean to me.” Alaina turned to leave when Ashe’s voice stopped her.
“Alaina, be glad Ebony was here today because you would have never gotten in my door otherwise. My mate has a very trusting and forgiving soul and should you hurt her in any way ever again, make no mistakes, you’re life will be forfeited.” He didn’t know if he could ever forgive her or trust her, but he trusted Ebony’s judgment and planned to sit back and see how it all played out. “And, I admire your courage in coming here today.”
Ashe and Ebony sat on the huge couch. He played with the hair at her nape, twirling it around his finger. “I can’t believe you forgave her.”
Ebony remained quiet a few moments before responding. “At moments I can’t believe it either, but I really got the feeling that she wanted to change and was genuinely sorry. I just hope I’m not wrong. I mean Ashe, we all need friends and someone we can lean on once in awhile. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live for so long without anyone.”
“I think you are entirely too forgiving Miss White, but I respect you and your woman’s intuition. So, for now let’s just give it some time and hope for her sake that she does change.” He hugged her to him for a second before pulling her up.
“Where are we going?”
“I was just getting ready to do something very important before Alaina showed up.”
“And, what was that?” She gave him a curious smile.
“Well, you’ll just have to come with me and find out.” Then he tugged her toward the door.
Chapter Twenty
She didn’t know what he was up to, but she was sure that whatever it was she would love it if not simply for the fact that they were sharing it together. When they entered the study, he told her to stand still and stay right where she was in front of the door. He walked to the big desk and pulled something out of the drawer. She tried to see what it was, but he slipped it in his pocket too quickly. He walked back over to her, took her hand and went down on one knee.
Surely he couldn’t be doing what she thought he was doing. Her heart pounded in anticipation. He looked her in the eyes with love shining from his own. “Ebony, I love you. You are everything to me and I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she watched him pull a black velvet box from his pocket. She gasped when he flipped the lid open and saw the green stone sparkling back at her. It was a beautiful, flawless emerald solitaire. The tears now spilled down her cheeks.
“Ashe, it’s beautiful.”
“I knew it was perfect for you the moment I saw it, it reminds me of your eyes.” He pulled the ring out of the box and held her hand, still waiting for her response. “So, can you put me out of misery and answer my question?”
His lopsided grin made her heart flip-flop. “Of course, I’ll marry you. I can’t imagine my life without you either. In fact, I wouldn’t have a life if it weren’t for you, Ashe. Thank you.”
The ring fit perfectly, he stood, picked her up and twirled her around. He kissed her before letting her slide slowly down his body to the floor. She didn’t miss the way his body hardened in response to her touch. “It looks like you are going to be busy planning a wedding, just don’t get too busy. I have needs you know?” He chuckled when she playfully smacked him on the arm.
“I didn’t even know vampires got married.” A wedding, her wedding! She was getting married. A few weeks ago she had given up any dreams of getting married. Now she had found the perfect man and would have more years to spend with him than she could imagine.
“We didn’t use to. However, as more and more of our kind found human viata amants, it became a tradition among us since most humans want a wedding ceremony.”
“I see. Well, I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to, Ashe. I can’t lie and say I wouldn’t love a wedding to celebrate our love, but I don’t need one as long as I have you.” She hugged him tightly to her. “You’re all I’ll ever need.”
He placed his cheek against the top of her head and inhaled her scent deeply. “I don’t have a problem marrying you, Ebony, especially if it will make you happy. I would do anything to make you happy. I hope you know that. Besides, it will give me the opportunity to let everyone know that you’re mine and to keep their hands off, not to mention it would also make me happy. There is one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
“We have incorporated a vampire tradition into our weddings.”
“Which is?” She began to worry a little now.
“All the flowers in the wedding are black roses, even the bride’s bouquet. Do you mind?”
She laughed. “Of course I don’t mind. Do you have any idea what kind of horrifying things I was thinking it could be for it to turn out to be something as simple as black roses?”
Ashe looked at her as if confused.
“Oh, never mind. I’ll be happy to have black roses. They are very beautiful and unique.” No way did she want to tell him any of those things she thought of from some kind of blood ritual to . . . well who knew what. It was almost comical to her that it had really been such a simple and beautiful tradition. Obviously, that tradition stemmed from the mating mark and it was a very romantic gesture in her mind. She laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder then started chewing her bottom lip.
He lifted her face to look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I was just wondering what I was going to do with my house. I had forgotten all about it until now.”
“You don’t have to do anything with it if you don’t want.”
“I mean, I can’t just afford to let it sit there and I don’t even know if I still have my job at the library.”
“You don’t need a job anymore, Ebony, and you can afford to do whatever you want from now on.” He put his finger over her mouth, cutting off her protest. “Listen. I have more than enough money to last us for however long we are around, and now that money is yours too. I don’t want any arguments over it.”
“But, I can’t just sit around here all day and do nothing. I have to do something. I would like to at least get the rest of my things from my house, and it would be nice to have a little time to think about what to do with it.” She was used to taking care of herself, letting someone else take care of her would take some getting used to.
“Take all the time you want. And, you really don’t have to go back to work, Ebony, you can do anything you like. Besides, I can think of lots of things to keep you busy.” He let his hands rest lightly on her shoulders.
“Well as much as I enjoy how you keep me busy, even we can’t do that twenty-four seven.”
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind trying in the least.” He chuckled. “But really, Ebony, I will support you in whatever you decide. Well as long as it doesn’t put you in any kind of danger. My heart can’t take that again.”
“Well, there is one other thing I would like you to do.” She continued on while she still had the nerve because she knew he wasn’t going to like what she was about to ask of him. “I want you to teach me to fight.”
“What! You don’t need to learn to fight. Why would you want to do that?”
“Ashe, don’t go all male chauvinistic on me. I want to learn how to defend myself. I felt very helpless at Alaina’s house and I want to have a way to protect myself in case anything like that ever happens again.”
“Ebony, I won’t let anything like that happen to you ever again.”
“Ashe, you can’t control everything. Wouldn’t you rather I was able to defend myself if it did happen?”
A small smile teased her lips as she watched until his tense shoulders finally slumped in defeat. “Okay, you win. I see the logic behind your request. But I don’t want to start your lessons until after our wedding okay?”
“Thank you. I love you so much.” She looked at the clock on the wall. Ten o’clock. Avril should be up now.
She gave him a quick kiss. “I need to go tell Avril I’m getting married.” He chuckled as she sprinted up the stairs.
* * * *
“Are you kidding me?” Avril stared at Ebony with wide eyes after hearing the news.
Ebony couldn’t contain her laughter any longer at Avril’s wide-eyed expression and started giggling uncontrollably while her friend continued to stare. She knew Avril would be shocked as Ebony hadn’t ever even dated anyone seriously. This was probably the last thing she thought would happen, especially this quick.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Avril watched Ebony until she finally quit laughing. “Wait a minute. You are glowing! Ebony, are you pregnant? Is that why you’re getting married? I mean come on you don’t have to get married because of that anymore.”
Ebony was now the one wearing the shocked face. “Why would you ask such a thing, and don’t you think I know that you don’t have to get married for that reason any more?” Her thoughts wondered to the possibility as she subconsciously placed a hand on her belly. Could it really be? The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. She hadn’t had a period since before she met Ashe, but she never gave it a second thought with her illness and then the changing. Ashe told her when she turned that she wouldn’t suffer her monthlies any longer, but she hadn’t thought about the one she missed before that.
What if she was? Joy and fear shot through her. W
hat if the change had hurt the baby? Wouldn’t she know if she were pregnant? As she asked herself that question, everything clicked into place and she knew the answer. Yes, she was pregnant and the baby was fine. She didn’t know how she knew, but she had a feeling it had to do with her new vampire senses, or maybe it was just motherly instincts. She clapped her hand over her mouth and stared back at her friend.
“Oh. My. God! You are pregnant!” Avril launched herself at Ebony hugging her tightly. “I’m going to be an Aunt! Whoo hoo!”