The Heart's Ashes (48 page)

“
And what about Mike?” I asked. “If you join a Set, you can at
least see him still.”

“
Yeah, until we have to move on, or until they imprison me for
being with a human.”

“
Why are you yelling at me, Emily?” I pressed my fingers to my
chest. “
I
didn’t
do this!”

“
Yes, you did! If you’d never—”

“
Girls, girls.” Mike cut in, palms raised. “Stop arguing. We
can figure this out.”

We both shut
up.

“
Emily?” Mike looked at her. “Ara and David are right. It’s
silly to get yourself in trouble with the law for no reason. The
vamps have nothing on you right now. And Ara—” he looked at me,
“—if Emily wants to run, that’s her decision. I support her one
hundred percent, and David—” my vampire looked up, “—so should
you.”

We all sat
silently, looking into our laps, except Emily, who smiled at
Mike.

“
You have until spring to make your decision, Emily,” David
said. “If you plan to run—you better run far, and you better run
fast.”

She clapped,
bouncing in her seat. “Oh, thank you, David. You won’t regret this,
I promise.”

He rubbed a
finger in his ear, grimacing at her loud voice. “I think I’m
beginning to already.”

She smiled
widely and took Mike’s hand again, unable to see the pain her
decision just caused him.

“
Em?”

She looked up
to my grave tone.

“
You know that means leaving Mike behind, right?”

“
No. He can run with us.”

“
He’s human, Emily.” I presented him. “He won’t survive a
vampire-run.”

“
Of course he will.” She trilled. “You can change him once
they change you, Ara.”

I doubled
back, sinking into my seat a little more. Why didn’t I think of
that?

David’s teeth
showed with his beaming grin and he took my hand.

“
David? Do you think that’s possible?”

“
It’s more than possible,” he said. “It’s extremely illegal,
but then, changing you is against the law anyway.” He shrugged.
“What have we got to lose?”

We all looked
at Mike, who sat stiff, surrounded by an air of worry that
contradicted his brimming smile.

“
Mike? Say something.” I leaned on my elbows.

He took a gulp
of air and rubbed his forehead, nodding. “Okay. Yeah, sure,
okay.”

Emily jumped
in her seat, clapping again.

“
Let’s do it, yeah.” He seemed to be simultaneously convincing
himself while trying to show only happiness.

Emily flung
her arms around him. “Oh, Mike, we’re gonna be so happy. All of
us.”

Mike smiled at
me through Emily’s soft blonde hair as it fell around his face.

“
Welcome to the family,” David said, and I bristled with
pride, watching them shake hands across the table.

Family.
My
family.

“
So, it’s settled then,” I said when the boys sat back down.
“If you guys can stay under the radar until David and I come back
from Paris, I’ll change Mike, and we’ll all run
together.”

“
It won’t be an ideal life,” David added, then smiled and
squeezed my hand. “But I think I can handle forever with you
guys.”

“
Forever?” Mike grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

“
Me too.” Emily reached for David’s hand, keeping hold of
Mike’s, and the warmth of the love this strange little family had
flowed through the united hands of vampire and human
alike.

At last,
forever is one promise David will get to keep.

I watched him
buttoning his white shirt, his hair a mess atop his head, falling
in thick dark waves onto his brow. With a deep breath, I squirmed a
little on the bed, inching my fingers into my hair, trying to
ignore the hormonal urges rushing through every muscle in my body.
But when he smiled at me through the reflection, his emerald eyes
becoming small with humour, I couldn’t take it anymore. I tucked my
feet under my thighs and pressed my knees together. “Make love to
me.”

He must have
known I was thinking it, because he wasn’t surprised by my words.
“So, I’m allowed to be more than a friend now, am I?”

“
Yes. Now that you’re not leaving me.”

He stopped
buttoning his shirt and watched me in the mirror; I tilted my head
against my shoulder and twisted my hair around my finger—a really
poor attempt at sexy.

“
Even if I was willing, we don’t have time
tonight.”

“
We can make time.” I offered my brightest smile, the one I
knew made my eyes sparkle—the one I knew he couldn’t
resist.

He took a long
breath through his nose, then quickly let it out, his better
judgement stepping back in to ruin my night. “Finish getting
dressed. Your parents will be here any minute.”

“
So?” I rolled onto my knees and crawled to the end of the
bed, watching his secret smile sneak across his lips while he
obviously read my thoughts. “They can talk to Emily and Mike while
we—”

“
Stop it.” I saw only a shift of his weight from one foot to
the other, his hands falling away from his buttons before I
squealed, falling backward on the bed under his weight—his fingers
digging into my ribs, forcing me in to fits of giggles.

“
David!” I squealed, wriggling underneath him. “Please? Stop
it!”

“
Stop being so sexy, and I’ll stop tickling.”

“
No!” I took a breath and squealed again, jerking like an eel
out of water. “Stop it, or I’ll wet myself.”

“
No you won’t—liar.” He laughed, but stopped anyway, pinning
my hands to the bed beside my face, his breath heavy through
smiling lips.

I felt the
warmth that laughing brought simmer over me, and looked up into
those knowing eyes. “You don’t play fair. You’re stronger than
me.”

“
Ha!” he scoffed. “And how is it that
you
are playing fair, laying on the
bed, looking at me like that, then asking me to do less than
honourable things to you?”

“
I didn’t
ask
you to do those things, David.” I smiled, pushing up on one
elbow as he backed slightly away. “I only thought of
them.”

“
Precisely. And right now, your thoughts are as clear as day,
Miss Ara-Rose, and I fear I am not strong enough to endure
them.”

With a wry
smile, I flipped him onto his back; he crashed down with a jolt,
and I landed on top of him, my hair in his face, my legs on either
side of his hips. “Clearly, David, since you resist my charms every
time, you are stronger than me.”

He shook his
head, sweeping my hair back over my arm, out of his face. “I’m not,
my love.”

“
Then, let’s—”

“
Not tonight.”

“
Er!” I grumbled. “See, you are stronger than me, and faster
and so damn sexy it’s making it hard to breathe.”

“
All the better to subdue you with, my prey.”

“
Ha-ha. Funny.” Not. But I
felt
like his prey, being left
without a choice and all.

He smiled.
“You’d make a lovely meal.”

I slapped his
hand away from my throat. “Don’t even think about it. I’ve spent
all day making that damn turkey. Vampire or not, you’re eating
it!”

“
I plan to eat the turkey—just not the one in the
oven.”

A small smile
moved my lip. “Are saying I’m a ridiculous-looking bird?”

“
No, merely ridiculous.”

“
Oh, bring out the niceties. Merry Christmas to you,
too.”

“
You know I’m kidding.” He wrapped firm fingers on my hips and
shifted me up an inch so my hip join no longer dug into his
zipper.

“
That wasn’t my zipper.”

Hu
! My mouth fell open. “So how come
you can read my mind so easily today?”

He smiled, his
sharp fangs showing. “When you get hot like this—” he nodded at my
unusual position, “—I can read them like they’re written in bold
print.”

“
Really.” I leaned down, brushing my lips past his before
whispering in his ear, “How do you know I’m
all hot
?”

“
Because—” he smiled playfully, “—I can...sense
it.”

“
Sense it?” I sat back a little.

David shifted
his hips under me again, moving me so I sat a little further
down—right on top of his....zipper this time. “Yes, and it’s very
hard for me to refuse you when you get hot like this. I can taste
your…warmth when I breathe you in.”

Gulp. “Is
that—a good thing?”

He laughed,
his face breaking into a wide grin. “Not really. Not when I’m
trying not to do naughty things to you. But I like it.” His
shoulders lifted with his breath. “You smell good. You taste
good.”

“
How can you taste it?”

“
It’s like—” David rolled me onto my back and laid his body
alongside mine, his head propped up by his hand; “It’s like when
there’s a bunch of frangipanis sitting on a table in a vase; when
you walk past, there’s a sweet layer of perfume over your tongue.
Don’t you ever get that?”

“
Actually, I do, now you mention it. Kind of like the rain,
too—how it has a sugary taste when you breathe it in.”

“
Yes, exactly.”

“
So? What do I taste like then?” I said as the breath rose up
hot in my throat from my stomach.

“
Creamy vanilla.” David slid his finger down my black satin
dress and lifted it at the front, revealing my thighs. “See? You’re
getting hotter—the taste is getting sweeter.”

My chest sunk
with each breath I drew, everything in my room fading to white fog
around me as he moved his finger to the side of my cotton
underwear, lifting them slightly, cooling my skin where he’d never
touched before.

Oh, my God! I
wrung my fingers into my hair and parted my legs at the knees,
unable to look at the smug grin I knew he was wearing.

Do it—please,
you’re driving me crazy, just do it.

“
Do what, Ara?” he spoke in a low, hypnotic voice.

“
Touch me.” I closed my eyes tighter as his finger drew a
slow, curved line, further under the cover of my delicates, staying
safely on the outskirts of the forbidden.

“
Touch you where?”

“
Inside,” I whispered so low it was almost nothing.

“
Ara?” He leaned close, his breath in my ear, so
warm.

“
What?” My pathetic squeak of a voice quivered.

“
They’re here.” His touch came away as he pulled my dress down
and stood up.

“
Hu!” I breathed heavily, covering my eyes with the balls of
my palms. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“
Come on.” David reached his hand out.

“
No. I need a moment. Please?” I kept my face covered, letting
my knees fall together.

“
Okay, but, don’t be too long. Your dad will think I did
something nasty to you.” David sauntered off, laughing to
himself.

I’m going to
kill him. I’m officially going to kill him!

Still shaking,
I stumbled out to greet Dad and Vicki.

“
Ara?” Dad stopped mid-pass as he handed David his coat.
“Everything okay?”

“
Sure, Dad. It’s great. Merry Christmas.” I smiled and kissed
his cheek.

Dinner was
perfect; the first and last Christmas with all the people I love,
and after I said goodbye to Dad and Vicki, I sat by the piano,
waiting for David to come out of the shower—probably a cold
one.

“
That’s my favourite Christmas song.” Mike rested his elbows
on the piano top.

“
Silent night?” I said; he nodded. “I didn’t know
that.”

“
I’m a man of mystery,” he said playfully.

I sighed. “You
wanna play a duet?”

“
Maybe…if you ask me with even a tiny
hint
of enthusiasm.” He sat beside
me. “What’s up, baby? You were really distant at dinner tonight.
Turkey was good, but you—”

“
I know.” I dropped my head to one side. “I’m okay,
really.”

Mike took over
the right hand of the song, while I played the left. “I know you,
Ara. You can’t lie to me—something’s up. What is it?”

My hands fell
into my lap, the lovely, ringing C chord stopping dead, the warmth
of the song dying with it. “I’m going to miss them, Mike. Mum and
Dad. I hadn’t realised that until I saw them tonight.”

He reached for
my wrist and spun the small pink and white pearl bracelet around a
few times—the one he and Emily gave me for Christmas. “Are you
scared? That the vampires might catch you?”

I nodded,
lifting one shoulder.

“
Ara, baby.” Mike cupped my chin, shaking his head.
“
I’ll
protect
you. I’ll be your guard—for the rest of forever. I’ll never let
them hurt you. I promise.”

“
You know?” I said, letting my head fall against his shoulder.
“I actually believe you. And for what it’s worth, that does make me
feel a little better.”

“
Happy to help.” Mike squeezed his arm around me.