Confessions Of A Vampire (24 page)

I can sense the letdown the girls feel when he's gone. I feel it too. His relationship with his son is strained at best. But he brought it on himself. Mal feels an intense need to protect his mother and at times it's nice to have that again. They are civil to one another but Malachi doesn't want a father in his life that isn't a permanent fixture. He still hasn't forgiven Severus for the pain and heartache he's caused us all over the years. And I'm not sure he ever will.

Our son simply doesn't understand how a man could leave the family he loves for any reason. Malachi inherited my heart and he looks at his father as someone he'd never wish to be like. For that, I'm truly sad for Severus. He'll never know how deeply he hurt the little boy that's buried deep inside of our son.

As for me, well, I'm doing okay. Severus and I still see one another and it's almost like old times when we do. Our passion for the other is growing stronger and we steal moments together when we can. But it's not the same as it used to be. He's got his own life and I have mine.

I've started my own fashion design business and it's doing well. Dead Sun Fashions is making
its
debut at Fashion Week in Milan next season and the girls are excited to go back to Italy. We spend our days as humans do
,
I guess. The girls attend a private school here in New York and have a tutor that travels with us when business takes me out of town.
They even have a demon tutor to help them with their ever growing powers.

I wish I could tell you that I truly moved on after the split, but I'd be lying if I did. Nothing will ever change when it comes to me loving Severus. He is the only being I ever truly loved with complete and utter abandon. And somewhere, hidden deep in his heart, he loves me more than he loves
the
life he's chosen. Unfortunately, he hasn't realized it, and I'm quite worried that if he doesn't soon, I won't be around if he ever does.

I fill the times in between his visits with my own life, a life that I love and I don't sit up nights worrying if he's coming home or not anymore. For my own sanity, I had to let that go. I still worry about him, but I've accepted that he is capable of taking care of himself and that it was killing him to know I was home worrying.

This book, this story, doesn't end in ways most would want or even understand. But it ends in truth. This is our story, the story of our lives and for better or for worse they con
nect us in ways only true soul mates
could understand.

And as I sit here, tears streaming down my face, I cling to the book the young human wrote and relive all of the grand stories it holds. It's a best seller, you know.

He called it a fairy tale of the dark and twisted sort, and he's right
,
I suppose. There are all the elements present. The beginning and ending are special. There are good and evil characters present along with some royalty and a little magic sprinkled in. All in all
,
Aaron wrote a great story and won critical acclaim.

He stops by a few times a month to see the girls and he tells them about all the stories he's working on now. He's instilled in them a love of happy endings and I'm eternally grateful that he did. When he's done talking to my girls, he sits and fills me in on his life. I'd never admit it to him, but it's nice to have a human friend. We always hug when he leaves and promi
se to stay in touch and I believe that we
will
both keep that promise
.

Each evening Vivi and Viv beg to hear the story of the vampire and demo
n and we sit beside the fire while
I read it to them. They laugh and chatter enthusiastically at the family that's just like theirs. And when the end rolls around, two sets of bright blue eyes look up at me and I see the wonder sparkling in them as I add an extra line or two to the end.

Kissing their soft, pale cheeks, I whisper, “And the vampire lived happily ever after because she learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes you just have to save yourself and that's when you find true happiness. The End.......”

I tuck my daughters into bed and turn out the light. Closing the door behind me I head down to the small I office I have on the first floor and drop the book on my desk. Standing at the window, looking down over the city that I
’ve come to
love, I feel him. It's one of those rare nights when he's come to see me, not the girls, not Ma
lachi, but me, the wife he can’t let go of
. I can't stop the rush of happiness that fills me when I feel his breath on my neck or the whispered hello in my ear.

Before another second passes I find myself transported back to a time when this was all I
needed. And no words are required
as we embrace. I brush the back of my hand across his weathered face, and I can still see the handsome demon that stole my heart so many centuries ago. But when I look into his eyes
now
, I see a truth that rocks me to my core. I see the love and devotion that shines in those blue eyes and I wish, for just a second, that we could get back what we've lost. My sigh fills the air around us and he frowns. I know that he feels the pain as much as I do. And I want it back. I want back the life that I dreamed of, the life I'd fought so hard to get. But that life doesn't exist anymore. Not because we don't love each other, we do, but because sometimes you have to let go of things to find your happiness.

Severus and I both know that no matter how long we're apart, we'll always be together. Our bond remains strong and deep. And he's always there when I feel as if I can't go on another day. But he's not
there
to save me anymore. He lets me do that for myself and I love him even mo
re for that. No words are necessary
as he holds me. I can feel his heart beating against my chest and it says everything I've always known. And even if he leaves this time and never returns, I know one truth. This man will always hold my heart and I
,
his. And once again, as he takes me in his arms, I'm home.

At the end of the night, isn't that where we all want to be? Home, they say, is where the heart is, and my heart has always been with Severus.

H
e will always be home to me
and in his arms I will always find my happily ever after
.