Just One Golden Kiss (15 page)

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I need to go back to the castle. It’s where I belong,” she said, stepping outside onto the porch.

He joined her.

She couldn’t bring herself to turn around. She didn’t want to see him.

“Will you ever forgive me?” he asked.

“You broke my heart.”

“Not telling you the truth was wrong. But please, you have to know I didn’t want any part of what my kind did to your mother. I abandoned my kind after that night. I abandoned my place as prince. I regret it all. I regret not telling you.”

Tears in her eyes, she turned to face him.

“I want to hurt you,” she said.

“I don’t deserve anything less,” he said.

“I wasn’t faithful to you,” she said, swallowing.

He looked at the moon and then back at her.

“I enjoyed it,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

He rubbed his brow.

“Say something!”

“Have you stopped loving me?” he asked.

“I enjoyed it all so much. Do you hear what I’m saying to you? I fucked someone else!”

“You wanted to hurt me. Well, you’ve done it.” He entered the house.

She went after him. “Is that all you’re going to say?” she asked, standing directly in front of him.

“I love you more than anything in this entire wretched world. I would do anything for you. Anything. I can’t breathe without you. I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I’m hopeless without you. My heart...my soul...my everything belongs to you,” he said.

She slapped him. “I just told you I slept with another man and that I enjoyed it and this is your response? I hate you!”

He tried to hug her but she stepped away.

“I’m lost. My father is gone. Everything I knew is a lie. What am I to do now?”

“You’re strong. You’re brave. You will lead your people and take your place as Queen of Barmoth.”

“I can’t. I just can’t!”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Did you sleep with the witch?” She wanted to faint. Her entire body hurt. Imagining Eldrich with someone else made her want to vomit. Yet, she had no right to feel the way she did.
Curse my soul!

“Yes.”

“She got what she always wanted from you.” The witch who cursed Eldrich, turning him into a frog for not lying with her had won after all.

“She doesn’t matter,” he said.

“How do we fix this?” She loved him. And she was not ready to give him up. In her soul, she knew he was kind and that he loved her.

“Can you forgive me?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

Forgive him for not telling her he was the prince of the Barmoth vampires. Forgive him for not telling her he had arranged for her mother to offer herself to his kind in return for Lela’s safety. Forgive him for not telling her he knew who she was the day he pulled her out of the well. No, she did not know whether or not she could forgive him.

But, there was one thing she knew without a single doubt. She loved him. Yet, she did not regret her sexual encounters with Xavier. Just two and a half months ago she was a princess living in a castle with nothing more to do but wander the forest aimlessly as if she were seeking something more, something adventurous, as if she were seeking love, yes love. And here she was, completely in love with a vampire. And here she was, a woman having had sexual experiences, having suffered loss, having suffered betrayal. She was alive, and free, and ready to take on whatever lie ahead for her. She’d hold her head up high and walk with no regrets.

If Eldrich truly loved her, he’d have to accept her as she was, a woman whose blindfolds had been removed, a woman who longer suppressed her desires, a woman who had made mistakes and would make many more. In return, she would accept him, despite his past, despite the secrets he kept from her, despite everything, she would love him,
truly
love him.

“Do you still love me?” he asked, his eyes bloodshot.

“With all my heart,” she said.

“I will never keep anything from you again,” he said, taking her hand.

She embraced him. “I love you, I can’t deny it.”

“Lela,” he whispered. “I’m yours, only yours.”

“And I’m yours,” she said. “What now? Where do we go from here?”

“Wherever you want, I’ll follow you to the end of all the kingdoms.”

He kissed her. Oh how she had missed his touch. Her very soul cried out with happiness. Godfather Death had returned her to the place her heart craved.

“Will you follow me upstairs?” she asked, leading him to the staircase.

“Only if that is what you desire.”

“I missed you. I tried to replace you.”

“Did you succeed?” he asked, once they were standing at the top of the stairs.

“I made myself believe I had.”

“And now?” he asked.

She pushed the door open to her bedroom. “I can never replace you.” She sat on the edge of the bed.

“I have to tell you something,” he said.

“Can it wait?” she asked. She wanted to fall asleep in his arms.

“Your mother’s spirit visited me last night. She had a message for me...for us.”

Lela inhaled and then released a long breath. “What did she say?”

“The God of the Sea has returned the golden ball to land.”

Blood rushed from
Lela’s heart. Holding her chest, she said, “How long do I have before it finds me, before vampires come for me?”

“Not long.”

Pacing the room, she said, “Where should I go? Blessed Gods, I need to formulate a plan.”

Wicked golden ball was intent on finding her. And once it found her, vampires would come for her...drain her, believing that her blood could make them human again. Sweet Gods, she was in trouble!

“You need to get some rest,” Eldrich said.

“What? How can I rest?” Oh, but she was exhausted.

“If we’re to fight my kind, you’re going to need your strength. Do as I say and get some sleep. I will wake you in two hours.”

“I’m scared,” she said.

“As am I.”

“Are we together?” she asked.

“Forever,” he said.

“Two hours of sleep and then what?” she asked.

“Then we’ll walk together. We’ll fight together.”

She nodded. “I love you.”

“And I love you. Now sleep,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

She was the queen of Barmoth now and he was the prince of the Barmoth vampires. Their lives together would not be easy. The path ahead would present many obstacles, ones that would prove difficult to overcome. But she would listen to her heart, now more than ever. And her heart wanted Eldrich.

Sleep and then the battle begins.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The full moon brightened the forest as Lela and Eldrich hastened to the ocean.

Hours earlier, Eldrich had told Lela that the God of the Sea had returned the golden ball to land which meant that vampires could once again claim her blood.

Vampires believed that since the golden ball had chosen to follow Lela, her blood could make them mortal again, something that vampires desired more than anything.

Lela swallowed and interlocked her hands. She’d pray to the God of the Cross, despite her father having banned prayer to him. She was now the Queen of Barmoth and she’d pray to whichever god she felt could help her. And right at this moment, her instincts told her she needed the God of the Cross on her side.

“Oh, blessed God of the Cross, please look down on us and help us. I implore you,” she said, breathing heavily.

Eldrich glanced at the dark sky. “He won’t help us. I’m a vampire and you’re human. He’s the god of angels,” he said, increasing his pace.

“Gods have the freedom to help any creature they want. That’s what makes them gods,” she said, leaping forward to catch up with him. If he didn’t slow down, she’d run out of breath and collapse. She often wondered if Eldrich had moments when he’d forget she was human and not as fast or strong as he was.

She suspected
he had other strengths which he was choosing to keep concealed. The vampires they had encountered in the mountains when they were searching for her father could all fly. Eldrich had denied flying abilities, claiming that all vampires did not share the same
gifts.
Ah, yes, her relationship with Eldrich was anything but normal.

Bloody hell, she didn’t care he was a vampire or that a witch had once turned him into a frog because he’d refused to have sex with her or that he had kept secrets from her, secrets which nearly destroyed their love for each other. She knew she was in love with a man she had yet to fully understand. But she also knew he loved her and would do anything for her.

“You’re being naïve,” he said.

“And you’re being stubborn,” she said, finally catching up to him.

He came to a stop. “Bloody hell, don’t you understand?” he said, his voice elevated.

“Help me understand,” she said. Even though she knew vampires were after her, she appreciated the resting period.

He sighed. “The God of the Cross will
never
help vampires. We nearly destroyed his children…his angels. Until we met Xavier, I honestly believed we had killed every fallen angel in all the kingdoms.”

Lela had not pressed him to tell her about the war between angels and vampires; having only learned about it recently, she wasn’t entirely sure she believed it ever happened. No such war was mentioned in any of Barmoth’s history books. But then, neither were vampires.

She couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. She had to broach the matter; she simply had to know what happened between angels and vampires. For goodness sake, vampires had nearly wiped out angels. How had Xavier survived? Despite her love for Eldrich, Xavier was never really far from her thoughts. After all, they had had sex multiple times and he had helped her find her father and for bloody hell’s sake, she had saved Zel, his lover, from the same witch who had turned Eldrich into a frog.

Yes, Xavier and she would always share a special bond. Even though her heart and soul did not belong to Xavier, she did care for him deeply and always would.
And if she were to be truthful she had moments when she imagined herself in his arms with his huge cock inside of her, rocking her slowly at first and then faster and faster.

She had to get him out of her mind, forever. For goodness sake, what was wrong with her? How could she be so in love with a man yet still ache for another?

Inhaling and exhaling rapidly, she asked Eldrich, “What caused the war?”

Resuming walking, he said, “This is not the time to delve into details. We need to move faster.”

“Then I shall pray to whatever god I want.” As much as she adored him, his holding things back from her infuriated her. If they were truly a couple, they needed to start trusting each other more. Ah, but she could not ignore the pang in her stomach which signaled that despite everything they had been through all was not entirely well between them. Yes, they loved each other; there was no denying that. But during the short time they had been together, their love for each other had been tested more than once. No matter, she wanted to be with him. She could not imagine her life without him.

“Do as you please, but know that he will
not
help you,” he said.

Here she was racing to the ocean with the Prince of Barmoth vampires because his kind would soon be after her if they weren’t already. It was comical that a queen should be running from any
thing let alone with a vampire.

She couldn’t help questioning her decision to run away after learning that the golden ball was once again on land. But how could she fight off vampires? No, she couldn’t risk leaving her people without a queen. Her mother was dead, drained by vampires, and her father vanished to the Kingdom of the Dead forever. If she died too what would become of her kingdom?
Oh Barmoth, forgive me, I have not abandoned you.

“I’m not a vampire,” she said. “He should have no quarrel with me.”

“You’re in love with one,” he said, gripping her hand and urging her to pick up her speed.

Lela sighed. She was more than in love with him. She had given her soul to him. Her everything belonged to him.
Damn you, sweet prince of mine.

“Hmm, then yes, the God of the Cross won’t help me, indeed,” she said with a slight giggle.

“You’re doomed,” he said, laughing.

“It appears in more than one way,” she said. “What if the God of the Sea won’t help us?”

For a reason unknown to Eldrich and Lela, the God of the Sea had returned the golden ball to land. And now they found themselves rushing to the shoreline to plead with the God of the Sea. Absolutely ludicrous!

She halted.

“What are you doing?” Eldrich asked, also coming to a stop and turning to face her.