Rhapsody

by Heather McKenzie

  I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as a ring appeared in his hand from out of nowhere. Polished to a high shine, silver curling edges of a pretty band surrounded etched leaves that sparkled in the morning light. It was a bit rugged and not like the gaudy jewelry Henry bought me. This ring had character and charm, and I absolutely loved it.

  “I’ll buy you a proper ring as soon as I can. This one,” he said as he nudged it onto my finger where it fit perfectly, “was supposed to be a Christmas present. I didn’t have a diamond to put in it, but I will someday.”

  “Wait… what? You made it?”

  I stared at my hand in awe.

  He nodded. “There are lots of tools in the barn. I found a bolt and filed and polished it. Seemed right at the time.”

  I remembered not only his bloody knuckles now, but fingertips, too.

  “You made this,” I repeated. Dumfounded.

  “I know you didn’t want a Christmas present, but I couldn’t resist.”

  I kissed him fiercely, barely able to stop and pull away, so breathless after I could barely swallow. “This is so perfect. So absolutely completely perfect. I don’t want any other ring but this one.”

  He grinned. “So, you like it then.”

  “Very much.”

  There was a flood of pink to his cheeks. It was so charming, so sexy.

  “So Kaya Lowen, for the third time, will you—”

  I cut him off and put my fingers to his lips, trying not to laugh. He was so eager to do everything right. To make sure he was being a gentleman and treating me the right way. But since he was asking me again after I’d already said yes, I knew there was something he was holding back.

  “Luke, what do you really want to say to me? Stop trying so hard and just tell me what’s on your mind. I’m not some princess you have to follow the rule book for. This is us.”

  “Not a princess, eh? Well, you could have fooled me.”

  I rolled my eyes and moved to get out of bed again, but this time he caught me by the waist and not all that gently pulled me tightly to him. His chest pressed against my back, his breath was hot in my ear.

  “It’s hard to tell you this. I promised you I would never hold you against your will, that every choice you make I will support. And I still feel that way. But I don’t know if I can keep that promise if it means losing you.”

  “I understand,” I said simply.

  “Marrying me won’t mean I will try to control you—don’t think that for a second. I love and respect you too much to even dream of doing that. But it does mean that I will do everything in my power to keep you. I will never walk away from you again like I did that day Oliver was intent on taking you home. I was weak because I was determined to keep a promise that could have cost me everything. And Thomas—I won’t play nice with him anymore. I won’t let anyone come between us no matter how convincing their argument is. Even you, if you lie to me again to keep me safe. Do you understand? I want you to marry me. I want you all to myself, and if you say yes to giving me that, I will fight to the death to keep it.”

  I couldn’t speak.

  “Do you understand?” His arms tightened, reaffirming that there was no way I would get out of his embrace if I accepted. I mumbled something incoherent.

  “So, that said, will you…” he paused, tipping my head back to meet his eyes. “Marry me?”

  “Yes,” I said without any hesitation because I had never felt more sure about anything in my entire life.

  The sweetest, most tender kiss was mine and would be mine for always.

  “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” he said, beaming ear to ear. “This thing between us. I mean, I’m no poet, but I feel like I could write you the most epic poem and set it to some powerful piece of music and sing my heart out to you. I’m so high on emotion right now I don’t think I’ll ever come down. Do you feel like this too?”

  I nodded eagerly. “I do.”

  “Then you and I, my love, we are a rhapsody.”

  If there was the slightest, most miniscule part of me that had yet to be his, it was now. I ran my fingers over the scar on his cheek, and his eyes fluttered. “No big church-thing or over-the-top ridiculous wedding dress though,” I said, close to becoming unhinged.

  His mouth found the tips of my fingers, his tongue so soft, breath so warm…

  “But think of how much fun it will be to take it off after,” he purred.

  Breakfast was going to have to wait.

  I could barely keep down my breakfast sitting across from Kaya and Luke at the table. They were grinning ear to ear, and their energy was so saccharin it felt like cotton candy was sandblasting my cavities.

  Thomas on the other hand—dark circles under his eyes and a shake to his hands—looked like he’d been up all night trying to give himself a hangover. None of us had missed the new ring on Kaya’s finger, but Thomas couldn’t tear his gaze away from it. I’d warned him that this would happen. I’d told him to saddle up and move on, but he claimed that he had to remain here and torture himself to help ‘protect me’. Yeah, like I’m the one that needed help. The only one doing any saving and protecting around here would be me. The only other person not completely pre-occupied with someone else and with any sense in ‘em was Oliver. And he was sick.

  I didn’t want to notice his cough getting worse, but twice I saw blood on his hands when he assured Luke that he was ‘just fine and getting better’. I’d asked him about it, but only got a gruff reply, which coming from a man like Oliver usually meant it was something more serious than a cold. I had heard him this morning, coughing his guts up, and then gasping for air afterward. I stood outside his door—as I had many times—tempted to knock or burst in and demand that he let me try to help him.

  But that would mean admitting that I cared.

  Oliver made me feel special. Important. And sometimes even beautiful—which if I ever said mistakenly out loud, I would cut out my own tongue. He didn’t realize there was a hideous birthmark covering half my face, and I intended on keeping it that way. For some ridiculous reason, Oliver’s opinion of me mattered, and darn it if that didn’t keep me up at night.

  Never in my life had I cared one stinking bit about what anyone thought. But the way his eyes lit up when he talked to me, the way he stole glances when he thought I wasn’t looking, and the way his hand gently brushed mine at every chance, I didn’t want that to change because of my birthmark. Not that I thought I had a future with Oliver. But secretly and most annoyingly, I was sure dreaming of it.

  I liked his laugh and the way his deep-brown eyes rolled in mock boredom when I said something about farm life. I liked the way he talked, using his hands to accentuate his words, and the way he rubbed the top of his head when he was lost in thought. And every day I noticed something else that I liked, and then I gave myself heck for noticing. I didn’t want to get too close. I didn’t want to care about someone who would flee the moment he saw my real face.

  I also didn’t want to care about someone who was dying.

  Besides, being in love made you look stupid. Like Kaya did right now with that ridiculously giddy smile dimpling her pink cheeks.

  “Sleep well?” Oliver asked her when she took a sip of coffee and some dribbled down her chin.

  He had asked me that twice already. Of course, I pretended that his question was irritating and replied in an annoyed tone, “Why wouldn’t I?” to which he just gave a luminous smile.

  Lisa sat back and observed Luke and Kaya. She’d pulled her blonde hair up into a ponytail and hadn’t bothered with makeup this morning. She was impossibly pretty, and if she wasn’t so bad-ass, she would be a girl I’d love to hate.

  “Their room is next to mine,” she said, handing Louisa a slice of apple. “By the sounds of it, I don’t think the love birds had much sleep at all.”

  Thomas gasped like he’d been punched. Luke pretended to become even more interested in his food, while Kaya’s smile widened and the pink in her cheeks increased.


  “Dead puppies,” Lisa said with a mischievous grin. “And birds with broken wings.”

  Kaya looked up at her, confused but still beaming ear to ear.

  Lisa went on. “Snakes. Food poisoning.”

  “What game is this?” Oliver asked.

  Lisa giggled. “Oh, it’s not a game. I’m just seeing if I can get that smile off Miss Lowen’s face.”

  “Ah,” Oliver said, remarkably not jealous given the fact that Kaya was his fiancée not long ago, and he still loved her. I wondered if that had anything to do with me…

  Dammit if a stupid smile didn’t stretch over my face, too.

  “Lumpy potatoes,” Oliver said. “Gin and crowds.”

  “Mayonnaise and having to wear anything other than sweatpants,” I added.

  “Country music,” interjected Davis. “Garlic-breath and snowstorms.”

  Despite our best efforts, Kaya’s smile grew even wider.

  Oliver shook his head and laughed. “Really, Kaya? Country music and snowstorms? Boy, Luke must have given you one helluva Christmas present last night.”

  It was too much for Thomas. He stood abruptly. His legs straightened out before he’d given much thought to it, and the chair toppled back behind him. His skin, now slightly green like it was that time when he had the flu, made his dark eyes darker. He stared at Luke and vibrated with anger.

  Luke remained seated, saying nothing, but staring back like he might explode at any moment, too.

  Thomas’s breathing sped up, and just when it seemed he was about to start yelling, he pulled his gaze away from Luke to concentrate on Kaya. His hate changed to complete heartbreak as he stared at her. “I think it’s time for me to head out now,” he said. “I’ll go pack.”

  He turned to leave, and the most desperate sound came from Kaya. “No!”

  She became whiter than her normal ‘been living in a cave and never seen the sun’ kinda white. She gripped the edge of the table like a lifeline, visibly trying to remain calm. “No, Thomas you can’t—”

  He stopped in the doorway. “I can’t what?”

  Kaya had no reply.

  Thomas spun around fully to face her. “Well?” he asked, tone biting.

  Luke spoke up. “I think we better have a chat, Thomas.”

  “A chat, eh?” Thomas’s hands curled into fists. “I can think of other things to do besides that.”

  Lisa gathered Louisa up in her arms, and the child’s layers of pink chiffon knocked over an empty cup that broke and rolled to Luke’s feet. Davis and Sindra pushed back from the table, and Regan sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, delighted at the prospect of a fight.

  “We had an agreement,” hissed Thomas.

  Luke’s jaw tightened, and he moved to the edge of his chair. “You had an agreement that was backed up by threats and ultimatums that do not apply. Nonetheless, I listened to what you had to say. I contemplated every aspect of it, and I gave Kaya time as you requested. But as you can clearly see—” Luke reached for Kaya’s hand and enveloped it in his. “She has made her choice.”

  Thomas was about to either boil over or fall over. “But you and I both know it’s not the right choice!”

  Desperate, crumbling, clutching at straws, Thomas was trying to appeal to Luke’s noble nature, but Luke was having none of it.

  “Yes, it is the right choice,” Luke growled.

  Any moment now, the kitchen would be a battleground, and I was going to have to stick up for butthead Thomas. But instead of rising, Luke turned to Kaya, taking in her downcast eyes and cheeks so pale they were almost translucent. She was a wolf caught in a trap, unsure whether to howl for help or chew her own arm off. Noticing this, Luke’s anger dissipated instantly.

  Everyone but Regan took a collective sigh of relief.

  “I respect a man who fights for what he loves, Thomas,” Luke said, reaching for Kaya’s hand. “I’m sorry for what you’re going through. I just hope you will respect Kaya’s decision. Just so you know, she and I…

  “We don’t want you to go,” Kaya interjected.

  Luke’s jaw clenched as he reined in his jealousy to show understanding and sympathy for the girl he loved. “Uh, yes,” he agreed. “Kaya and I, don’t want you to go. We need you. And Marlene needs your protection.”

  I was about to set Luke straight about that, but before I could get a word out, Oliver was patting my leg and shaking his head. He wasn’t quick to remove his hand after, and it momentarily made me forget where I was.

  “We have to stick together,” Oliver said, leaving my skin abnormally cold in the absence of his touch. “Right, Marlene?”

  I was being asked my opinion? “Right.”

  I agreed wholeheartedly now because Thomas on his own, in his state, would be a disaster waiting to happen. At least here I could keep my eye on him.

  “Thomas, I need you,” I said, even though the word ‘need’ felt like a bunch of rattlers striking my tongue.

  Thomas focused solely on Kaya when he answered, “Well, if Marlene needs me, then I guess I’ll have to stay.”

  “Good,” Regan said, bored now with the drama. “Problem solved. I guess. Sort of. You could still fight Luke to the death though if you want. Your death. By all means, Thomas, don’t let us stop you.”

  “Maybe later,” Thomas said.

  Regan directed the conversation away from the Kaya-Luke-Thomas love triangle. “All right, well, let’s get down to business then,” he said, motioning to clasp his hands together then remembering he was missing a few fingers needed to do that. “We’ve got plans to make, and people to get revenge on. Fun stuff.”

  Kaya slumped back in her chair, shoulders sagging in relief when Thomas resumed his place at the table. I picked up some dirty plates and tugged on her sweater.

  “Come on, dishes don’t wash themselves,” I said, leading her to the sink.

  She blankly stared at the bubbles while I dropped plates into the hot water.

  “Buck up, buttercup,” I said quietly while everyone at the table discussed the weather. “I know it hurts doing what you gotta do, but ya still gotta do it. At some point you’re going to have to let Thomas go.”

  “But not yet, Marlene. I can’t. Not yet.”

  I handed her a dishcloth, pointed to the sink. “Okay. But the longer you leave the band-aid on, the harder it is to pull off.”

  “Maybe it will fall off on its own.”

  “Or, maybe your skin will grow around it and you’ll have to use a knife to dig it out. Don’t forget about the damage done to the band-aid, too.”

  She sighed. “Either way, there’s gonna be one helluva scar.”

  “More to add to your collection,” I said with a wink.

  I gathered more dishes from the table, giving Thomas a pat on the shoulder as I moved past him. He was closest to the porch door, and icy air blowing in between the cracks made his shirt cold. He was still trembling, but the cold wasn’t why. If we were back home, I’d take him for a drive or grab one of Ma’s pies and a case of beer and take him to the shack. We would argue and fight, and he’d forget all his troubles. I didn’t think that would work this time.

  “So, we have a monster to slay there, folks,” Regan was saying, and from out of thin air, he produced a notebook. “We’ve all had our holiday break, but reality is back. Time to figure out what we are going to do about Henry Lowen.”

  “Finally,” Ellis said, “we can talk about something interesting.”

  Interesting to Ellis meant strategies on how to make Henry’s company fold, and how to hide me and Kaya for a few years, and what to do with this house we were staying in that belonged to a dead man. Blech.

  Washing the dishes was more interesting and actually accomplished something.

  “I think you should tell us what you know, Sindra,” Regan said. “You’ve had lots of time to meander around in your own head, it must be somewhat back together and organized by now. Tell us all about your wonderful ex-boss. What are his weaknesses
?”

  She laughed. “None. Henry has no weaknesses. That’s preposterous.”

  “No,” Regan said impatiently, “what’s preposterous is that you’re sticking your head in the sand. Enough of the bull crap, lady. We all know what you are capable of and what you can do, and we need you on our side now and not cowering next to Davis like a beaten dog. Get it together or get out.”

  Ooh boy. I liked Regan a bit more.

  Sindra cringed from the venom in his voice, and Davis tried to put an arm around her that was shrugged off. A hint of life had come back to her eyes, and whether Regan’s intention or not, his words had her sitting a little taller. I had heard this chick was one of the most feared bitches on the planet. Oliver had told me that one night after he’d had a bit too much to drink. He even said he used to fear her. At the time, I just couldn’t see it. But now I did. The thin, bronze skinned woman with the shaved head and arms covered in scars, didn’t flinch like a timid field mouse anymore.

  I angled the stainless-steel toaster just right so I could keep an eye on her.

  “Sindra?” Oliver prompted. “Regan’s right. Maybe if you shed some insight, we can figure out our next move.”

  “I guess I do owe you one,” she said.

  “More like a thousand,” Oliver muttered—and I suspected he wasn’t talking about paychecks.

  “He tests on humans,” Sindra said flatly.

  This statement brought Kaya’s dishwashing hands to a halt. I plunked the rest of the plates into the sink and gave her a nudge to keep cleaning.

  “And?” said Regan, as if it was no big deal.

  Sindra licked her teeth. “He wants to ‘design’ his own army and his own race of people. He has the capabilities, and he just might do it. You see, not too long ago he acquired—”

  “Whoa… whoa!” said Regan enthusiastically. “Hang on. Kaya—” Regan snapped his fingers at her like she was a well-tipped waitress, and if he wasn’t injured, I’d have broken his other leg. “Come and sit down. You need to hear all this. Your head has been in the sand your whole damn life.”

  Luke and Thomas both growled at Regan, but Kaya dried her hands and obediently went back to the table, sitting on the edge of her seat while Sindra gathered a breath; what we were about to hear was not going to be pretty.