Breathless (35 page)

Time passed at lightning speed. Prom, finals, and graduation came and went too quickly. I wasn’t ready for what came next. Life. And, goodbye.

Chapter 33 - New Beginnings

Simple. Elegant. That was the only way to describe my mom’s wedding to Kevin. Wild lilies, daisies, and roses adorned an elaborate gazebo that was constructed in the meadow at Evergreen Memorial Park. On each side of the makeshift aisle, ten rows of six chairs each were covered in white linens. Kevin, a tall, sturdy man with a youthful glow, looked impressive in a tailored suit, mauve shirt, and lavender tie. His brother flanked his right side as he stood waiting for my mom to come down the aisle. I wore a pale purple sundress. The strapless, satin frock was layered with a lacy crinoline that hung to my knees. I wore my hair in ringlets on the top of my head, the odd escapee dangling to my shoulder. Chaseyn watched from the first row with pride as I glided effortlessly across the grass to stand in front of the crowd. My grandma, seated next to him, was more intent on his face than on me. I knew she was concerned about our future and if Chaseyn could keep me safe, but I had faith in our bond. I smiled at both of them and then at Kevin, who looked like he was going to pass out from anxiety.

As the wedding march played, the guests stood to face the back of the aisle. My mother stood beaming in a long, ivory slip style dress made of pure silk. It was sleeveless and slim-fitting, but modest. She walked slowly to take her place next to me, and I could see the tears of joy in her eyes. Kevin was crying, too.

I watched intently as my mom and Kevin exchanged vows, carefully listening for my cue to help light the unity candle. Every now and then, I stole a glance at Chaseyn, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me once. I could feel them burning through to my soul. This was our last day together for an undetermined length of time, and neither of us wanted to think about goodbye.

After a few photos in the field with the mountains as a backdrop, we retreated to a nearby barn for the reception. I thought it was cheesy and unnecessary, but my mom insisted that I arrive with her and Kevin and that rather than simply announcing them as husband and wife, we be introduced as a family. It was her day, so I went along, but it seemed silly. It also meant there would be no time for me to be alone with Chaseyn until after dinner. My muscles tensed with anxiety as I thought about how long that would be and how little time we had left.

As each minute passed, I longed to be near Chaseyn. The clock seemed to be ticking too quickly, and time was flying by. In just a few short hours, he would be gone. The minute the typical wedding rituals ended—dinner, speeches, and the first dance, which was extended to include a dance between Kevin and I—I was finally free to join Chaseyn.

“
Mmm, I missed you,” I murmurmed against his lips, brushing my nose back and forth across his.

Chaseyn held me tight. He was much larger than me, and his arms wrapped almost entirely around my waist in a complete circle. I never felt as safe as when I was in his arms. After all we had been through, I knew I could trust him implicitly. He would never let me down.

“
Do you think they would miss you if we went outside for a minute? Just a minute, I promise,” Chaseyn assured.

I nodded even though I knew my mom would be frantic if she lost sight of me today. Still, I needed to be with Chaseyn, alone, even if just for a moment. I took his hand and guided him through the crowded dance floor to the far side of the room where a side door led to a wooded area. We only had a short time before someone would come searching for me—no doubt to pose for more pictures or help cut the cake. I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. On the one hand, I was feeling overjoyed by my mom’s happiness and at being such a big part of this blissful event. On the other hand, Chaseyn and I would be separated in just a few hours, and though I knew I would see him again someday, I didn’t know when. It was of my own volition, and I knew he would stay if I asked him to, but it was best for me to take some time away from him for a while. We both knew it. I had to be a participant in my own life before I could decide to take another path. Knowing this, wanting this, didn’t make it hurt any less.

Chaseyn slipped his hand into the pocket inside the lining of his suit jacket. He pulled out something so small that I couldn’t make out its shape in the dim exterior lighting. He placed the object in the palm of his right hand and spread it out before me.

“
I had this made for you,” he said, nodding his head toward what I could now see was a silver loop with a large gem at the top. “I hope you like it.”

Using both hands, I scooped the trinket into my fumbling fingers, which were now shaking at the symbolism of his gesture. I looked up at him from under my long, false eyelashes.

“
What is it,” I asked, realizing how ridiculous I sounded as the words came out before I could manage to stop them. “Is this a ruby?”

He shook his head and took the ring from my hand. He turned over my left hand and slid the band along the length of ring finger until it was securely in place.

“
It’s not a ruby,” he said with a hint of caution in his voice. “It’s not a gem of any kind.”

I looked at it closely, confused.

“
Well, I thought it would be distasteful—not to mention conspicuous— to ask you to wear a vial of my blood around your neck, so I had it made into something a little less unattractive,” he laughed.

There was a part of his reasoning that wasn’t clear to me. I squinted my eyes and tried to understand why I would need to wear a ring of his blood on my finger. I knew he was different from other boys, but he could still just give me a boring promise ring with a small diamond. Several seconds passed before Chaseyn noticed I was reeling.

“
My blood,” he started. “If you are ever in trouble, break open the back of the ring, and drink it. I’ll know the minute you do, and I’ll find you wherever you are. It will also provide you temporary—very temporary—invincibility. Hopefully, the effect would last long enough to keep you safe until I arrived.”

I smiled. He would be gone, but never too far. It would be hard to keep from calling to him, I was sure. Just then, a man in a tuxedo came through the door.

“
Are you Lia,” he asked. I nodded. “They’re about to cut the cake, and they’re madly trying to find you.”

I sighed heavily and looked at Chaseyn. It was getting late, and I wasn’t sure we would have a chance to be alone together again. I asked the man to stall for two minutes, and he agreed. I looked at Chaseyn, his face ashen and eyes sad. We kissed once, lips parted slightly, and then just stood there swaying slowly in each other’s arms.

“
I’ll have a part of you with me always,” I said, smoothing my fingers over the ring, my voice cracking as I said the words. “But I have nothing for you.”

“
You fill the space left empty by my heart,” he whispered into my left ear, grazing the lobe with his bottom lip.

He kissed my neck gently at the hollow under my chin, just beside the place where my pulse throbbed wildly beneath my skin. It was a subtle gesture; one that hinted at our future together. Should I choose to follow the path of the undead later in life, he would bite that exact spot to bring about the death of my mortal being. Though the moment was devoid of physical lust, it was the most passionate, intimate we’d ever shared. In that instance, I knew he meant it when he had said he would return, and a calm overcame me. He turned slowly, grasping my left hand in his right hand, he started to walk away backward. I remained perfectly still. As our fingertips stretched to maintain the hold, I knew I had to let him go. I watched as he walked away with a jaunt so brisk a galloping horse would have trouble keeping pace. He left me there feeling the exact same way I had when I first laid eyes on him six months earlier.

Breathless.

Epilogue

“
Come on,” Addie called from the car. “We have to go.”

Hoisting the enormous backpack over my right shoulder, I gave my mom a kiss and hugged Kevin tight.

“
Take care of her,” I said with a giggle despite the tears trickling down my cheek.

“
You’ll only be gone three weeks. Surely, we can manage,” my mom laughed, her face also was streaked with tears.

Though I felt no sadness when Chaseyn left—I knew it was right—my mom and Addie thought it would be good to turn my attention elsewhere for a while. As a graduation gift, my mom had surprised me with a ticket to Heathrow in London. Addie had taken care of the details from there. We would spend the next few weeks trekking across Europe, from hostel to hostel, taking in all of the landmarks of the ancient world. Addie had been overseas before, but never like this. On all of her previous journeys, she had stayed in five-star hotels and dined at the finest establishments. This time round, she wanted a normal teenage experience. Nothing but rock-hard, low budget cots and beer-battered fish at corner dives.

“
I love you guys,” I shouted through the open window to my mom and Kevin as we drove slowly down the street. “Thank you.”

Chaseyn had been out of the picture for nearly a week. We had spoken only once so that I could reveal the unexpected vacation plans to him. I knew he would worry about how to keep me safe during this time, especially being so close to where, undoubtedly, so many of his siblings would be located. But, as per the plan, he would avoid contacting me, unless I asked him to. Something told me he would never be far.

We arrived at the airport the recommended two hours early for international flights. Thumbing through the pages of a fashion magazine, Addie recalled childhood memories of shopping in French boutiques and Swiss chocolate shops. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, dreaming of sugar plum fairies and flying reindeer, I fantasized about the adventures we would enjoy. When, suddenly, Addie stopped short and began talking gibberish.

“
Okay, so Lia, don’t be mad, but there’s something you should know.”

Just then, I felt a warm hand clap down had on my right shoulder.

“
Hey there, beautiful,” someone said in a deep, masculine voice with a drawl as thick as molasses on a January morning in New York. “Happy to see me?”

“
Ugh,” I said, looking up to see the smiling face of one exceptionally handsome, Amarillo quarterback staring deep into my gaze. “What are you doing here?”

“
Surprise,” he laughed and pulled me in for a bear hug. “Addie invited me to come along. I’ve been waiting around here for hours—had to take the redeye to make sure I would make the connection.”

“
Addie, would you mind explaining to me what is going on here?”

“
Lia, don’t be mad,” she said. “I know it was just supposed to be the two of us, but Chaseyn—“

“
Chaseyn? What’s he have to do with anything,” I cut her off.

“
He thought it would be a good idea if we had a male companion come along with us…just in case,” she explained.

“
In case of what,” I asked, hoping Chaseyn had not burdened Addie with any of the heavy details of his ancestry. She was naïve to the darker side of life, and I would hate to spoil her optimistic view of the world.

“
Well, he didn’t say what exactly. He just warned that two unilingual teens alone on the big, multilingual, European continent might be easy prey for pickpockets and the like. This was supposed to be our time away without the guys, so I didn’t feel right about bringing Rob,” she went on. “Chaseyn told me all about Eli and how well you two got on in Amarillo over spring break. He set up the whole thing.”

“
Oh, did he,” I said sarcastically, looking at Eli’s mischievous grin.

“
Come on, Lia. It will be great. Now, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know the real me,” Eli said with a 100-Watt smile that could light up an entire room.

“
That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“
If I get on your nerves, just tell me, and I’ll back off. I promise. No funny stuff,” he assured, backing away, hands in the air like a petty criminal who had been caught red handed by the authorities.

“
Fine. But just remember to keep your hands to yourself.”

“
Okay,” he paused before continuing on. “But if things get a little…frosty, I’ll be here to warm the situation.”

Eli poked my ribs with his elbow when he said this last part, just in case I missed the double entendre.

“
Ha, ha,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Very funny.”

“
Am I missing something,” Addie asked innocently.

“
Oh, Addie, be thankful,” I assured.

As the plane began to board, Addie locked her arm in mine and began skipping cheerfully toward the line.