by K. L. Bone
He extended a hand, but Julia jerked back, avoiding his touch.
“Julia, what’s wrong?”
“Get away from me!”
“Julia,” he spoke gently, “I told you I would stand with you, no matter what.” He stood from the chair, attempting to assure her, but instead of going to his embrace, she pulled away. “It’s okay,” he reached for her arm, but she smacked it.
“Why do you keep touching me?”
“What?”
“Stop touching me!”
The man raised his hands, palms up in a non-threatening gesture. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes searched for anything familiar, but saw nothing. “Why are you here? What did you do to me?”
“Do to you?” He shook his head. “Julia, what do you mean?”
She kept searching. “Where is he?”
“He?”
Julia nodded.
“Your father?”
“My husband! Where’s my husband? Why are you here, and not him?”
“I…”
“Hello, Julia,” Caleb’s French accent slid into the room. “Is something amiss, my love?”
Spying the man she sought, Julia rushed forward, throwing her arms around Caleb as he opened his arms to accept her in a tight embrace. “What is the matter, my sweet?”
“You weren’t here.”
“I only stepped out to grab breakfast. I’d have left a note if I thought you would have woken.”
“What’s going on?” the stranger asked.
“The question is, Rónán, what have you done to terrify my bride?”
“He held me while I slept!”
Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you lay hands on my wife, Rónán!”
Caleb’s shouts brought men into the room Rónán did not recognize. “Is everything all right, my lord?”
“No!” Caleb answered. “I found this man touching my wife, downright terrified her. I’d hate to think what might have happened had I not arrived in time. Seize him and inform Lord Skye at once!”
“Wait, what is happening? Julia?”
“Stop saying my name!”
“Julia, how can you do this? I love you.”
“Love me?” She turned to face him, but did not leave the circle of Caleb’s arms. “I’ve never seen you before.”
At the declaration, a rough throbbing vibrated through her chest to press against her left temple. The pain stole her breath, sending Julia to her knees.
Rónán attempted to rush to her side, but he was grabbed by Caleb’s guards, leaving the man he loathed to tend to the woman he loved.
“What have you done to her?” Rónán demanded.
“Only helped her to see the truth,” Caleb replied, gathering Julia into his arms. “You’re safe now, my sweet. This man will never touch you again.”
With that decree, Rónán was hauled from the room, screaming Julia’s name as her heart gave a final beat, returning to the eternal stillness of a vampire who had never known love.
Chapter X
Present Day
Tower of London, England
Julia paused, glazed eyes glistening with unshed tears as she finished the retelling. “They beat him for touching me. For frightening me. They tortured him, brutally. He begged through each session for me to come back to him—to realize the truth. But…I couldn’t. Rónán was a complete stranger. The witch’s curse had violated every memory I had of him, replacing my true love with Caleb’s face. Being saved as a child. Dancing lessons. Moonlit nights along the Isle of Skye beaches. Venturing down to the fairy pools, where he would watch me play as a child, and swim with me when I became a young woman. Every memory I had—his face, his touch, his name, his kiss—had been replaced with false memories involving Caleb. I left Rónán there without so much as a thought. Unsaved from his eternal captivity. I…”
She struggled to explain, fingers rising to trace the star-shaped pendant that had once been her mother’s. “Twas nearly two millennia ago, and I can still see Rónán’s expression, when I woke in his loving arms and saw a stranger. When I condemned him to torment, with relief when Caleb promised Rónán would never again touch me. The destined mate bond can be severed in only one way. The shattering of a heart. And mine was not the one which broke.”
“Julia,” Nicholas’ voice was gentle, “Rónán is aware you never meant to harm him. He watched them force you to take the potion! He listened to your screams as they restrained you. He knew you never would have acted that way of your own volition.”
“But they were my actions! I ran to Caleb, after they had compelled Rónán to witness our forced consummation. And later, Caleb forced Rónán to watch us together—it stimulated him. Caleb could never get off without some form of torment being involved. He forced numerous tortures on the man I loved, and I let him.
“Eventually, we left for France, to the domain of Caleb’s father. I assume it is the younger brother, Marcus, who has demanded my return to Skye to answer for Caleb’s death.”
Nicholas studied her, then asked, “Surely, even the pure-blood families acknowledge Caleb’s ways were evil. I wish you had allowed me to make the kill instead.”
“If it had been you, Nicholas, your clan would be at the mercy of the Black family. This way, such a death stays internal. And while it is true, I had the majority consensus required to end Black’s despicable reign, it does not change the fact that to do so is to invite his brother’s wrath. Aware of that risk, I decided to make the kill anyway. This way is best. Your clan remains safe, far removed from the pure-blood families’ vengeance.”
“Let me at least go with you. I can testify to the evils Black committed in this territory.”
“Thank you,” she replied, offering a sweet smile, “but I cannot allow you to take such a risk. I must go on my own, and you can serve best by remaining here, with your clan.”
Nicholas wanted to argue, but a soft touch of her hand upon his silenced his objections. Then, a question occurred. “How did you break it?”
“Break what?”
“You left Caleb eventually, in spite of the spell. How did you get away?”
Julia sighed. “When the tonic was first given, I could see nothing except that which Caleb desired for me to observe. Mindless, I followed his commands without question, including actions going against my very nature. But over time, insignificant things about Caleb conflicted with my memories. His phrasing of certain terms. His mannerisms, and the cruelty he displayed toward others, especially those whom his family had turned. What I saw did not fit with what I thought I remembered. My memories showed a much kinder person. But then, one night, when I was awaiting the sunrise, Caleb…”
“Couldn’t describe it?” Nicholas guessed.
“No, he could not.” Julia shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. “Rónán, having experience them, had always described the sunrise so beautifully, like painting a masterpiece on a canvas for my mind. Caleb, like myself, was born to darkness.
“To this day, I don’t understand why that description, above all others, caused me to seek the truth. It took a great deal of time to fully realize what had transpired—to grasp the scope of my father’s deception. Even now, my memories remain distorted, like a complex dream with interchangeable characters. My heart and emotions are wrapped into everything, further complicating truth from fiction.”
She shrugged. “For better or worse, the witch’s spell made me love Caleb, and over hundreds of years, pieces of my heart irrevocably bonded to him, though I wish it were not so.
“When I learned the truth, I left him, and even then, my heart ached. I always expected my father would summon me, but he never has. As long as the marriage was still valid in name, the alliance between the pure-blood French and Scottish clans held, which was my father’s primary concern. Now though, with Caleb dead…I wish I could say I knew what comes next, but I’m afraid I don’t.”
“And Rónán? What of him?”
“I couldn’
t face him. What could I possibly say? Apologies for forcing you to give up your freedom, then willingly condemning you to my father’s and husband’s torments?”
She drew a breath. “I’ve avoided Skye for centuries. But this summons comes directly from my father, who is the lord and master of my bloodline. When Skye summons, all must answer, and…” She paused, struggling to center herself. “It is far past time to face my demons. Though, I fear, they are of such scope I shall not be forgiven.”
“If the man loved you, as you describe, I cannot believe he would blame you, Julia.”
“He should,” she answered. “I wronged him, greatly. Potion or no. However, blame matters not. The Isle of Skye calls. I shall answer, with the illogical hope it is not too late to set right this egregious wrong, committed against a man to whom my heart is immortally entwined.”
Chapter XI
Present Day
Isle of Skye, Scotland
From the towncar’s backseat, Julia observed spacious fields lining the single-lane road to the Isle of Skye. As her destination approached, Julia marveled at both the ways in which the isle remained the same, and had changed, from familiar, ancient stone landmarks, to the rise of new buildings and distilleries.
The Skye family home existed on an island owned exclusively by her father. As a cover story for the ever-encroaching mortal world, locals believed the island to be owned by a pair of brothers. Reclusive billionaires, who only visited a few times each year, but paid others to maintain the manor during their absence. None of the residents noticed her late-night arrival.
After taking a private luxury yacht across to the island, Julia declined the SUV that waited to drive her the mile inland, deciding to walk. At first, she wondered if she would struggle to recall the exact route to the ancient keep. However, as with all things on the timeless island, her feet remembered the way as though she had never left.
Before turning away from the rocky shore, Julia paused to grasp the star-shaped pendant she wore dangling from a golden chain.
Once belonging to her mother, the keepsake had been passed to her after her mother’s untimely death. She’d been murdered by hunters hired by another pure-blood family when Julia had been seventeen. The loss had been devastating, leaving her future entirely to the care of her unyielding father.
Rónán had been the one to give it to Julia, as she stood upon this very spot.
“Your mother died in my arms,” spoke the mournful knight. “I’m sorry. There wasn’t anything we could do to save her. Her last act was to hand me this pendant. She could not speak, but I believe, in my heart, she intended me to convey this token to you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, gingerly taking the pendant as her thoughts moved to the many times she had admired it around her mother’s neck. “Would you put it on for me?”
He nodded, producing a golden chain from his other hand. “Hers was rather tarnished, so I had a new one made, with a stronger clasp. I hope that’s okay?”
“It’s perfect,” she answered, gathering her hair to grant Rónán access to her neck.
Slipping the pendant onto the chain, Rónán secured the lobster claw clasp behind her, allowing the golden star to rest on Julia’s upper chest. Releasing her hair, Julia touched the pendant and offered a soft smile. “Thank you for the pendant, and necklace. I’ll cherish both.”
Rónán smiled, reaching out a hand to lightly caress her cheek. “Your mother will be with you always, Julia. As will I.”
Drawn from memory—yet another treasure no longer corrupted by the witch’s curse—Julia released her hold upon the pendant and resumed her walk. The sunset imagery had been the first big chink in the illusion she’d lived under, but another had been when Caleb had no knowledge of where the star had come from, and had in fact encouraged her to stop wearing the “old thing.”
When the keep came into view, she paused, closing her eyes at the sight of the towering gray stone castle, softened with panels of stained glass windows, which reflected the interior light in dazzling colors. Entering the grounds, she noted a group of men standing near the expansive wooden doors marking the entrance, garbed in dark leather jackets over woolen shirts, in spite of the spring’s warmth. At her approach, one of the men stepped forward to greet her.
“I’m Julia Skye,” she stated preemptively. “I’ve been summoned home by my father.”
Another man stepped in front of the first guard. “We’ve been expecting you.”
Julia recognized him. “Lucas?”
“My lady,” came his response. “Been a long time.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Glad to see a friendly face.”
He held her gaze, then dropped his own to the ground. “Would you like me to take you straight to your father, or would you prefer a place to freshen up?”
“An opportunity to freshen up would be appreciated, unless my father has given specific instructions otherwise?”
“Not to my knowledge, my lady.”
“Then by all means, take me to a room. I asked the men at the boat to bring my luggage.”
“Yes, they arrived a few minutes before you. Your belongings should be in the room. If you would follow me?”
Nodding, she walked down the corridors of her childhood, twisting her way through memory before reaching a familiar door. “Your father thought it best you be given your old rooms. Though they have, of course, gone through drastic refurbishments over the centuries.”
“As long as there’s a shower,” she answered, “I should be fine.”
“I think we can accommodate that,” he replied with a gruff laugh, opening the door to an expansive room, her striped luggage waiting at the foot of the king bed. Glancing, she took note of a wooden mahogany desk in the left corner, with a round mirror, cradled in a silver frame.
“Here,” Lucas said, moving to the room’s opposite side. Flipping on a light, he opened a side door, revealing the washroom, and beckoned her over.
Inside, she found a marble, jetted tub that could easily have accommodated six people, alongside a massive shower featuring multiple heads along the wall, and an overhead waterfall fountain.
“You were right,” she said with a laugh, thinking of her modest country cottage. “This should be adequate.”
“Left side of the cabinet has been fully stocked with different soaps and shampoos. Salts, if you wish to partake of the bath instead. Towels are in the right side. May I assist you with anything else?”
She smiled. “This should do perfectly, though, if you wouldn’t mind, please ensure my father is aware of my arrival.”
“I believe another has already done so, but I will make certain.”
“Thank you.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the door, but hesitated at the threshold. “Julia?”
She turned to where he stood, noting the tight lines on his previously relaxed features. “I wanted to say…I mean, it may not matter to you now. I’m aware this comes too late, but…I’m sorry, for what happened, and especially my part it in.”
Julia shook her head. “Your role was so minor, Lucas. It would have happened even without your participation. I hope you have not held on to guilt all of these centuries, for I have certainly not blamed you.”
“What I did to you was awful, Julia. And what’s worse, I knew my actions were wrong. Even then.”
“You were obeying orders, Lucas. Please, I truly hold no ill will toward you. However, if forgiveness is what you seek, I grant it, freely.”
At this, his shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you, my lady. Two thousand years is a long time to carry remorse in one’s soul.”
“Be at peace, Lucas.”
He bowed his head, leaving Julia to her solitude.
Walking toward the bed, she moved the larger suitcase onto the violet coverlet. Unzipping it, Julia pulled out a black dress, which had been folded neatly at the top, relieved to see it had not been completely crinkled by the journey. Straightening the fabric, she
moved to the closet. Grasping an empty hanger, she hoped a short hang would decrease the appearance of its folds.
Heading to the shower, she washed off the sweat from her journey, enjoying how the multiple sprays eased her tension. When she emerged, Julia dried her hair until it hung in smooth locks. Aware she was meeting her father, she had selected a conservative, floor-length black gown, complimented by black stockings, and a simple pair of low heels. Glancing in the mirror, she added only a touch of rouge to her pale cheeks, her vampire features making her lovely without additional cosmetics.
Steeling herself, she opened the door to find Lucas standing sentry, the leather-bound hilt of a silver blade protruding from the sheath on his left hip, while a pistol rested on his right, modern steel blending effortlessly with ancient metal.
“Lady Julia,” the knight bowed. “Your lord father awaits your presence.”
“Thank you.”
“May I escort you?”
“Certainly.” She forced her lips to curve to a smile before sliding her arm into the man’s offered hold. Lucas guided her through various twists and hallways, both changed and yet, still the same through her distorted memory. Had she really been gone so long?
Clutched by memories, Julia struggled with the desire to ask of her selkie knight, her courage lacking the strength required to form the question her heart both feared, and desperately desired.
The answer materialized on its own.
Rounding the last corner to her father’s chambers, the man she sought appeared. His hair was cut shorter, lacking the cascading curls, which she had once fondly run her fingers through. Like the guards at the door, his medieval suit had been replaced by a leather jacket and dark jeans. When she forced her gaze to meet his, Rónán’s eyes were the same ocean blue that had haunted so many guilt-ridden nights.
Breath caught in her throat, Julia was unable to speak. For a heartbeat, Rónán seemed as mesmerized as she, then the selkie turned and spoke for Lucas alone. “He’s expecting you.”
“Yes,” Lucas replied. “Though you might want—”
“Best to not keep him waiting,” came Rónán’s curt response. “He detests it.”