Eternal Eden (58 page)

“Come here,” he instructed. “I want to show you.” His hands encouraged my head and upper half up. He lifted his back off the floor and scooted forward until his chest was pressed against my back. Tucking my legs up to my chest, he wrapped his arms around my compacted body before tossing me onto his lap.

“Lay back on me,” he whispered, unwrapping his arms from me and pulling mine with him as he lay down. He pulled me down on him so I was viewing the sky above from the same position he was, although what lay below me was a million times better than the wood flooring beneath him.

I straightened out my legs over his, and let my head rest just to the side of his. My body rose and fell in unison with his, and his heart burst against my back with such force it shook my body. Every breath I pulled in was hitching in my lungs, so I stopped breathing all together, choosing to eliminate one unneeded overreaction.

His left arm wound over my waist, and with his right, he grabbed my hand and lifted it to the sky above. His arm straightened over mine and he pointed my index finger and glided it across the night sky, until he brought it to a stop. “There it is,” he whispered.

He released my waist and lifted his hand to my head to tilt it closer to his—aligning it with his line of sight. “Do you see it?”

At the tip of my fingernail, a star sparkled its brilliance without apology. “I see it,” I whispered back, sending my endless thanks to the star that encouraged him through the generations. It was dazzling, and with your attention on it, nothing else screamed its light or dark around it . . . there was only that one spot of brightness in the black universe.

“Can I pick one out for you?” I asked, already having one in mind.

“Please do,” he whispered below me, kissing the hairline just behind my ear.

I repositioned our extended arms so mine was over his, and pointed his index finger above. I penned his finger across the sky, playing connect the dots, until I rested it over the star. “That one,” I whispered.

He was silent for a few seconds. “But that’s yours,” he stated, sounding confused.

“I don’t want to be anywhere you’re not,” I whispered. “If that’s my star . . . that’s your star.”

Before I could revel in the new speed his heart thrust with, he had me on my back and was leaning over me, holding his weight not as carefully as he normally did. His offensive was coming. The look in his eyes numbed my senses and dizziness swirled in my head.

“Leave with me tonight, Bryn,” he murmured, tilting my chin back and kissing the indentation at the base of my neck. “I’ve got a couple of bags packed and two airline tickets.” His words were muffled from the continued journey his lips made over my collar bone.

While I’d been wandering the Montana countryside, I knew what he’d been doing the past two hours—preparing for his “run-away” scheme.

“We could be in Germany in twenty-four hours, and
together
one minute after that.” I felt his smile against my skin.

“Germany?” I breathed, my chest jack-hammering against his from the coercion he was immersing me in.

His mouth lifted slightly from where it had made its way up my neck. “I have a little place there at the base of the Alps. We could be there together, answer to no one, and live for nothing besides each other.” His mouth moved just below my ear. “Leave with me.”

I wanted to say that word of agreement in the worst way, knowing he wouldn’t let a heartbeat pass before he had me in his arms, taking the first step in our journey together.

I saw us in Germany, exploring the Alps and sitting beside a fire. I saw us travelling around the world and me assisting him in some make-shift, medical tent in the middle of a South American jungle. I saw going to bed each night beside him, wrapped in his arms and nothing else . . . I saw it all, and I wanted it bad.  But I also saw the Immortal community, on
both
sides now, not resting until our betrayal was brought to justice, and I would never risk the punishment we’d nearly served two days ago threatening his life every again.

“Not tonight.” The soul derived words broke my heart, but somewhere within my aching heart, it too knew this was the right decision.

His face lifted over mine, and I saw him ready to protest, but I was too quick. “I’m not saying ever . . . just not tonight.” I reached for his face, trying to smooth the lines of disappointment. “I want the blessing of your Council—”

“Well . . . all I want is
you.
I don’t care about—”

I put my hand over his mouth, silencing his rebuff. “I want to be with your family, I want to dance an
official
Ballad of the Betrothed,” I said, raising my brows at him. “I want a Unity ceremony, I want to try to do this the right way . . . and then we can honeymoon in Germany.”

He didn’t look the least bit appeased or satisfied by my honeymoon admission, because he knew as I did—there would be no blessing of a Council, no Betrothal, and no Unity ceremony. I could never admit to him I was aware of any of this though; he couldn’t suspect I was stalling in order to keep him safe. I had to make this a selfish request, knowing he couldn’t deny me anything.

“I want it all,” I admitted, knowing I could never have it. I wanted him, and I wanted him safe—but it seemed impossible to reconcile these two desires. There were two options, and only one I could live with.

He lowered his face to mine and his expression was serious. “What if we can’t have it all?” His expression was pained, and I knew it was because he was admitting he may not be able to give me everything I wanted. “What if we can only have each other?”

I had to swallow the pain in my throat before I could answer him. “Let’s compromise—”

“What if there is no compromise, Bryn?” he interrupted, sounding tired of battling me. “What will you choose if you can only have one or the other  . . . the blessing of the Council or me?”

“You,” I answered without missing a beat. “I will
always
choose you.” And I would. I would always put him first, no matter how much it hurt me—even if it meant removing myself from his life so it would never be compromised again. Before my emotions could manifest into the droplets of water wanting to accrue in my eyes, I changed the subject. “Am I really going to have to move in with one of your brothers?”

His brows squeezed together. “Where did you hear that?”

Oops . . . I let that slip, but my recovery was out as quick as my slip. “Patrick was running his mouth before he took his
present
out for a spin,” I said instantly, feeling vile for telling him a lie.

His eyes drilled into mine, looking into my soul; I’m sure trying to see if I’d heard what I had in the stable tonight. “Yes,” he finally responded, sounding bitter. “You’ll have to move in with one of them tomorrow.”

My grimace must have been more pronounced than I realized.

He smiled, and his words came out like the caress of silk on skin. “What if I asked you again to leave with me right now,” he whispered inside my ear, barraging my faltering front line of defense again. “Our flight leaves at six in the morning . . . Germany, anywhere you want . . . no more hiding or pretending.” The secret weapon of his, which would surely lead to my demise if they didn’t cease their battle, positioned at the tip of my chin and slid along the line of my jaw. His breath was warm and intoxicating.

I didn’t give heed to the words before they spilled from my mouth, “I’d say yes.”

I heard his breath catch at the same moment my conscious came back to the surface and battered my heart for being so weak. Before he could wrap me up in his arms and have me out the door, where I knew there would be no going back, I recovered. “But I know you
wouldn’t
ask me again, because you love me enough to give my way a try first,” I finished, looking pointedly into his face once his lips drifted up the side of my neck.

His eyes narrowed from the predicament I’d just put him in. “You are as cunning as I am . . . you’re a worthy advisory,” he admitted, looking both proud and miffed.

“You have my word that we will try it your way first . . . but,” he said, cautioning me with his eyes. “I want your word, if your way does not work out as we hope it will, that you will agree to mine.”

I would give him anything, including my life. Just like he could deny me nothing, I could deny him nothing. “You have my word,” I swore to him.

The seriousness lifted from his face, and was replaced by a familiar expression. “Just because I’ve given you my word to try your way first, doesn’t mean I’m going to let up on my coercion any . . . it’s only going to get worse,” he said, his eyes afire with mischief. “I’ll have you
begging
to leave in a week,” he promised, and to prove his point, he showed me.

When I felt certain my sternum would crack from the force of my heart pounding against it from his mouth moving against mine, I surrendered my lips from his still advancing ones. “One day at a time, my love,” I whispered through my irregular breathing.

He tilted his head back from mine, and his expression was full of warmth. “That’s enough for me . . . for now. But you’re not the only one who wants it all—I do too. I want
you
every day of forever, Bryn, not just one day at a time. But it’s enough for now,” he repeated, his eyes overflowing with fondness.

“Now that we’ve got that all straightened out,” I teased, smiling and lifting my head from the floor to return his coercion. My lips polished along his jaw line, making their way to his chin, where I’d release my counterattack on his lips. “Would it be asking too much if I requested a little more coercion before I have to move in with one of your brother’s?” I murmured against his neck. He trembled and sighed at the same time, before lifting back from me.

His eyebrows rose, looking somewhat appeased, and then the longing in his eyes exploded. “Come here my little temptress.” He pulled me to him, his lips burning beneath mine. “Everything will work out. I’ll make sure of that,” he vowed in the space between our temporarily parted lips.

Somehow, despite everything, I knew it would too. His vow made my hope explode, knowing William would never give up until we were together.

But we were together now, and now would be all William and I could ever depend on—and it was enough for me. I’d spend an eternity of
nows
loving and protecting William Hayward.

And so we drifted into our eternity together—however bittersweet it would be. The welded, unbreakable bond between us the universe had forged could never be eradicated, despite whatever cruel fate the world had planned for us. I was prepared to fight with my life, to spend the rest of eternity with the man who presently, rested above me, worshipping me with his entire being.

My eyes found our star, and I smiled, knowing at least somewhere in the universe, we would always be together.

THE END

Find out what fate has in store for William and Bryn

 in the second book of the trilogy:

 
Fallen Eden

Coming out in summer 2011.

COPYRIGHT
© 2011 Nicole Williams