“They all know the agony of waiting for what you know is yours to rightfully partake in one day soon,” his voice was muffled from the continued movement of his lips on my neck, but each word rung with deafening clarity.
“I want you Bryn—tonight. I want what is mine to have.” His hands released their hold on my back and slid into position over my hips, gripping each prominent bone with urgency. His lips journeyed up to mold around the form of my jaw-line. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning before anyone has a chance to notice the sapphire-blue affixed permanently in your eyes, and when we return, we’ll tell everyone we couldn’t wait any longer and were United while we were away—consummating the Unity immediately after.”
One hand left the curve of my h*ps and slid up my bodice, cupping under my breast. I willed myself to remove my soul from my body and to take an objective perspective to the man whom I was doomed to spend eternity with—knowing that whether tonight or some night in the near future we were fully United—it would make no difference to the betrayal my body would know when being experienced by anyone but William. I tried objectivity (even rationality) for a moment, but when his hands continued their northward journey, my body convulsed and I lurched out from his suffocating hold.
His eyes met mine with earnest disappointment and a flash of anger reddened the tips of his ears.
“As difficult as it is for me to say this, John . . . I can’t be with you tonight,” I lied through clasped teeth with the aftershocks of my spasm still running through my body. “I want to try my hardest to adhere to the ways of Immortality, and I’m afraid I’d forever be upset with myself if I gave in so easily tonight.”
He didn’t look like he was buying my act, so I improvised and . . . embellished.
I shot him a coy smile and flickered my eyelashes as I grabbed one of his hands. “Would you mind waiting for me, darling? Just until we can arrange for a quick Union ceremony, of course.” The words spilled from my lips, feeling like hemlock to my insides.
A slow smile formed over his lips, and he leaned his head back and released a deep throated chuckle. “I suppose I should have known you’d turn into a pious one given the education from Mr. Winters and the unanimous approval of the Council.” He paused for a moment before speaking again. “I can wait for you. I will wait for you.” He raised one of my hands to his lips and kissed each finger. “Let’s not keep me waiting too long though, shall we? I’d say a Unity ceremony is in order for the very near future.”
He raised his eyebrows in expectation, and I kept the coy smile plastered on my face until he bid me good night and turned on his heels to have a cigar and brandy on the back patio.
The solitude of my room was less horrifying than I’d imagined. I tore out of the ill-fated dress and left it lying in a crumpled mess on the floor. I wiped the rouge color from my lips with my arm and somehow managed to slip into a long, white nightgown before the start of my hysterics came.
They floored me, knocking every last bit of muscle stamina and internal strength I’d borrowed against to get through this night. Thankfully, I was next to my bed when my knees buckled and I collapsed into it. I gasped fiercely, forcing my screams to be muffled by the plushy down of my pillows. My eyes welled over in endless tears, each one reminiscent of some memory I had of William.
Some memory I would have forever, but no more would accumulate. Despite what Patrick and he had promised tonight, I would not allow them to endanger themselves by stealing me away. Things much too significant had been set in motion, and John had staked his claim on me as officially as an Immortal could.
I knew he would never stop hunting me if I disappeared, and it wouldn’t take him long to go down the list of possible accomplices, especially given William and my emotion-filled waltz tonight. I wouldn’t put his life in danger, and while my bleak future as Mrs. John Townsend was close to the inner circle of hell . . . at least I would have the knowledge that somewhere, William lived on,
Ever so slowly, my hysterics calmed, and my body allowed me the protection of shutting itself down before I had a complete and irreversible break in my spirit.
I dreamed unfathomably sweet dreams that night, coming in and out of consciousness so each dream felt real, and reality felt like a dream. It was an unexpected heaven and hope flickered—somewhere between the roller coaster of dreams—that if every night forward could be like this, I could get through the rest of my eternity with a bit more enthusiasm. My days spent with John out of obligation, and every night with William because I wanted him and called him back to my dreamlike reality.
I could feel the pleasant warmth of daylight coming through my balcony doors when yet another dream came—this one the most euphoric and real feeling than any of the others. His hand stroking over the length of my cheek was warm and soft, and his presence emitted a dynamic electricity that intertwined with mine in the most intimate of ways, and his voice—that beautiful voice that could have raised me from the dead— whispered my name over and over again, until my heart felt like it was going to burst from the let down of opening my eyes and finding myself alone . . . forever alone.
“Bryn, can you hear me?” his sweet voice continued on, astoundingly clear. “We must hurry my love.”
The voice sounded almost pleading now . . . and why was he saying we needed to hurry? As long as I kept my eyes closed and my mind carefully focused on holding him there, there was no need to hurry.
“I love you, my little temptress.” The stroking of my cheek stopped, much to my dismay; but was replaced by the fullness of his lips and the startling realness of the electricity that pulsed through me. It shocked open my dreamy eyes.
“Oohhhhh!” I gasped when I saw the face I’d spent the entire night (okay . . . the entire past month) staring back at mine. His hand flashed over my mouth, gently silencing my outburst.
“Shhhh . . .”—he chuckled softly, his eyes triumphant—“you’re going to wake the entire Manor before I can get you over the balcony wall.”
“William?” It was the stupidest response I probably could have said given everything I’d imagined and wished I could say to him if I was ever allowed a second again with him. I didn’t even manage to get the two syllables out without my voice cracking.
He chuckled again. “In the flesh and blood. I’m sorry I couldn’t come back for you last night, but Patrick advised against it.” His voice took on a serious tone, and his pupils read an emotion so deep I felt sure I was staring into two black holes. “He said there would be too many watchful eyes on the look out, and it would be more prudent to wait until this morning as we’d originally planned. Although, it’s me instead of Joseph leaving with you.” He smiled largely, as if he preferred this outcome over the other. I know I certainly did.
I’m sure the face he looked into appeared stunned, bewildered, doubtful . . . and a bouquet of other emotions as well. I still wasn’t convinced he was really here in front of me.
“William?” I murmured stupidly again, and instead of waiting for another verbal reassurance from him, I took a course of action I knew would confirm if the man sitting on the edge of my bed was real, or a conjuring of my imagination.
I lifted my head from my pillow and threw both arms around his neck at the same moment I placed my lips over his to find my answer. He responded immediately, wrapping both of his arms around me and pulling me against him, where our lips attracted each other like magnets.
When I pulled back from him, breathless and reeling from the sparks that surged through my body, I had all the answer I needed. He was here in true form with me now, promising to remove me from the confines of my bar-less jail. His eyes closed for a moment and a pleasant smile spread over his face.
As my lips cooled and my mind cleared, I was reminded of something infinitely important. “He’ll know it was you.”
He reached his hand to my face, molding it over my cheek. “That’s why I’m leaving with you now, instead of staying behind.”
“He’ll still figure it out. You know that, and once he does he will make it his sole mission to find us.” I tried to keep the high notes of hysteria from my voice, but I heard a few slip through. “You know this better than anyone, William.”
Wasn’t he the one who wanted to be so careful about my escape plan, the one who told me John was not the kind of man one should cross, and the kind of man that always got what he wanted?
A dark fury flowed through his eyes. “Let him come. I will be ready—we will all be ready. Our Alliance is strong and will defend you.” The darkness hardened in his eyes and resolve pounded through, melding into the shattered cracks. “I will not leave you here for another hour to be at the mercy of John and his corrupt Council—”
“But . . .” I interrupted, ready to make my valid counter argument, but was struck speechless when I saw the desperation that knotted his face. His eyes dropped, and if I hadn’t seen his lips move I might not have heard the muted words he spoke.
“Please don’t make this difficult. I will not be separated from you. Even if you do what you think is noble and in my best interest, and stay behind . . . so will I. Even if you go forward with the Unity to John, I will stay here just so I can be with you. If only to be with you in the occasional passing in a hallway, or the courteous exchange of a good morning. . .”
I blinked several times, fighting tears.
“My life has not been my own since you entered it decades ago. It belongs to you fully and you cannot expect I could go on living while separated from you when everything of any substance in my life remains here with you.”
Finished with his confessional, his eyes remained lowered and his face wrinkled from the painful images the future might hold for us. As dead set as I’d been on staying here and doing my duty of protecting him from whatever punishment John would hastily dish out if the truth was discovered, his words reminded me of what I’d known all along—William and I could no more survive being apart from one another than a Mortal could without clean air. He was right. From the moment we entered each other’s lives we became one—incapable of sustaining life on our own. Even if we were capable of sustaining life apart, it wouldn’t be much of a life to live.
Despite the consequences and unknown future that would be ours for the remainder of our eternities with what we were about to do, it was worth it. Whether we had to be in hiding, or on the run and fearing for our very existences every day forward, we would take it all happily in exchange for being together.
Finally shutting my mind off and allowing my heart to govern my future going forward, I responded without thinking. “What are we still doing here?” There was a lightness and joy in my voice I resurrected from the grave I’d buried them in last night. “I’ve had more than enough of Townsend Manor and its owner for one eternity.”
The mix of relief and joy that burst over William’s face was heart-wrenching.
“Now . . . we’re leaving right now.” He laughed eagerly.