Authors: Nicole Williams
“We’ll be back for you, Bryn . . . soon,” Patrick promised, as William backed up with him. His eyes dazzled one more flash of affection before his face hardened into a businesslike expression, and he turned and quickened his step to match Patrick’s as they exited the room together.
Relief overcame me when I saw them disappear into the foyer, confident that Patrick would get his brother out and keep him safely away from the overwhelming numbers of John’s ever so ready and willing Enforcers.
A final footstep sounded strongly behind me, followed by a deliberate clearing of a throat.
I raised my chin and set my shoulders back, determined to meet him with the new confidence that boiled within me. A confidence that came from knowing I was able to give up what I loved and wanted more than anything else in the entire world to keep him safe. I was now no longer a match for John’s arrogant, entitled sort of confidence. I turned to meet his carefully masked face, but his eyes held the ferocity that he would not allow his face to form around.
He raised his eyebrows. “Having a good time?” His words were harsh sounding, teaming with sarcasm.
The quick lie of a cover up had already formulated in my head as I watched William walk away from me safe, so my answer flowed quickly, “William and Patrick had some sort of mission to attend to tonight and he wanted to wish me a quick congratulations before he left. He asked that I extend his deepest sentiments to you as well.”
His sentiments that the woman you’ve been Betrothed to will forever love him and despise you,
I couldn’t help thinking.
John’s eyebrows lifted, and he carefully surveyed my face for several seconds—trying to find any detection of a lie or deceit in it. Finding nothing that would give me away, his lips pursed together and his eyes filled with an increasingly familiar gleam that would under normal circumstances—and had I eaten any of tonight’s culinary masterpieces—made me throw-up.
“I was rather jealous seeing you in William’s arms while I was inundated by morons pouring insincere congratulations my way. Please allow me to make up for the time we’ve already lost of our first dance together.” He held up one hand and curved one arm around the empty space before him, obviously wanting me to submit and step into his calculating web of an embrace.
I hesitated for a second or two, long enough for the doubt to return to his face . . . but I recovered. A slow, seductive smile (or what I imagined one would look like) pulled over my red-colored lips and I took two steps forward and weaved into his embrace.
Against every impulse and raw reaction in my body, I didn’t grimace when his hand clasped mine, or shudder when his hand reached far down the small of my back, gripping into the fleshy mantle of my backside. My eyes didn’t falter from his lustful stare, and the invisible strings that held the corners of my mouth up in a smile that had his heart and body reacting unbecomingly, did not snap.
“The jealousy was all mine when I saw you surrounded by everyone else but me,” I purred, trying to emulate the feline-esque qualities that Stella had perfected. “But now, here I am, just where I should be,” I murmured.
And there’s the final thudding sound of the nail being driven in your coffin, John.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BITTER SWEETDREAMS
The orchestra had played its last nocturne, the last bottles of champagne and pinot noir had been emptied, and my net of feigned excitement for my Betrothal had been cast, by the time the grandfather clock in the foyer chimed twelve times.
As if some secret code, the remaining guests filtered through the foyer and out the front doors. Grabbing their silk shawls and overcoats as they exited, they showered their thanks and endless congratulations to John and me as we escorted them to their luxury European vehicles awaiting them in the driveway.
I’d played my part to the tee, and should have been exhausted beyond repair after murmuring tireless responses to John and dancing the endless waltzes he implored his soon-to-be wife to accompany him in; but neither my determination nor my strength felt depleted. If the only worthy charge I could carry out in my Immortal life was to build a convincing wall of deception for John that would protect William, I would do it without complaint.
Draco and Yasmin were the last of the guests to leave. Draco bid us goodnight and expectations for a forthcoming Unity ceremony in the coming month. Yasmin troubled herself with an enticing smile for John and a rueful one for me. I mirrored hers with my own, and knew I’d hit the mark and overtaken her own surly farewell when she huffed, turned her back to me, and exited without the accompaniment of Draco’s arm.
Two can play at this game, Miss Cheekbones. We’ve got forever to hate each other if that’s the way you prefer it.
I was nearly glowing from the new found courage and confidence I’d summoned from deep within, but I knew the moment I entered the solitude of my bedroom and walked onto the balcony that was full of memories, I would break down. The façade of bravery would crumble with no one present.
Looking up the long stairway leading to my bedroom, I felt the cement of hesitancy pouring over my feet. I tried to pry one foot from the marble floor to take a step forward and meet the inevitable sadness that awaited me in my room, but I couldn’t. It was stuck in place.
“You can stay with me tonight if you like,” John whispered beside my ear, misinterpreting my hesitancy. His teeth bit down softly on the end of my earlobe before he leaned back.
My face was overcome with fear before I could draw the curtain of resolve back over it.
“We could go away for awhile. Tell the Council we were United overseas,” he said, again misreading the meaning behind my expression. He drew me unimaginably close to him, bowing my body against his. “They would all understand our haste.” His lips positioned themselves over the side of my neck just above my shoulder, where the symbol of the promise made to me earlier this evening rested. A promise that could now, never be fulfilled.
“They all know the agony of waiting for what you know is yours to rightfully partake in one day soon,” his voice was muffled from the continued movement of his lips on my neck, but each word rung with deafening clarity.
“I want you Bryn—tonight. I want what is mine to have.” His hands released their hold on my back and slid into position over my hips, gripping each prominent bone with urgency. His lips journeyed up to mold around the form of my jaw-line. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning before anyone has a chance to notice the sapphire-blue affixed permanently in your eyes, and when we return, we’ll tell everyone we couldn’t wait any longer and were United while we were away—consummating the Unity immediately after.”
One hand left the curve of my hips and slid up my bodice, cupping under my breast. I willed myself to remove my soul from my body and to take an objective perspective to the man whom I was doomed to spend eternity with—knowing that whether tonight or some night in the near future we were fully United—it would make no difference to the betrayal my body would know when being experienced by anyone but William. I tried objectivity (even rationality) for a moment, but when his hands continued their northward journey, my body convulsed and I lurched out from his suffocating hold.
His eyes met mine with earnest disappointment and a flash of anger reddened the tips of his ears.
“As difficult as it is for me to say this, John . . . I can’t be with you tonight,” I lied through clasped teeth with the aftershocks of my spasm still running through my body. “I want to try my hardest to adhere to the ways of Immortality, and I’m afraid I’d forever be upset with myself if I gave in so easily tonight.”
He didn’t look like he was buying my act, so I improvised and . . .
embellished
.
I shot him a coy smile and flickered my eyelashes as I grabbed one of his hands. “Would you mind waiting for me, darling? Just until we can arrange for a quick Union ceremony, of course.” The words spilled from my lips, feeling like hemlock to my insides.
A slow smile formed over his lips, and he leaned his head back and released a deep throated chuckle. “I suppose I should have known you’d turn into a pious one given the education from Mr. Winters and the unanimous approval of the Council.” He paused for a moment before speaking again. “I can wait for you. I
will
wait for you.” He raised one of my hands to his lips and kissed each finger. “Let’s not keep me waiting too long though, shall we? I’d say a Unity ceremony is in order for the
very
near future.”
He raised his eyebrows in expectation, and I kept the coy smile plastered on my face until he bid me good night and turned on his heels to have a cigar and brandy on the back patio.
The solitude of my room was less horrifying than I’d imagined. I tore out of the ill-fated dress and left it lying in a crumpled mess on the floor. I wiped the rouge color from my lips with my arm and somehow managed to slip into a long, white nightgown before the start of my hysterics came.
They floored me, knocking every last bit of muscle stamina and internal strength I’d borrowed against to get through this night. Thankfully, I was next to my bed when my knees buckled and I collapsed into it. I gasped fiercely, forcing my screams to be muffled by the plushy down of my pillows. My eyes welled over in endless tears, each one reminiscent of some memory I had of William.
Some memory I would have forever, but no more would accumulate. Despite what Patrick and he had promised tonight, I would not allow them to endanger themselves by stealing me away. Things much too significant had been set in motion, and John had staked his claim on me as officially as an Immortal could.
I knew he would never stop hunting me if I disappeared, and it wouldn’t take him long to go down the list of possible accomplices, especially given William and my emotion-filled waltz tonight. I wouldn’t put his life in danger, and while my bleak future as Mrs. John Townsend was close to the inner circle of hell . . . at least I would have the knowledge that somewhere, William lived on,
Ever so slowly, my hysterics calmed, and my body allowed me the protection of shutting itself down before I had a complete and irreversible break in my spirit.
I dreamed unfathomably sweet dreams that night, coming in and out of consciousness so each dream felt real, and reality felt like a dream. It was an unexpected heaven and hope flickered—somewhere between the roller coaster of dreams—that if every night forward could be like this, I could get through the rest of my eternity with a bit more enthusiasm. My days spent with John out of obligation, and every night with William because I wanted him and called him back to my dreamlike reality.
I could feel the pleasant warmth of daylight coming through my balcony doors when yet another dream came—this one the most euphoric and real feeling than any of the others. His hand stroking over the length of my cheek was warm and soft, and his presence emitted a dynamic electricity that intertwined with mine in the most intimate of ways, and his voice—that beautiful voice that could have raised me from the dead— whispered my name over and over again, until my heart felt like it was going to burst from the let down of opening my eyes and finding myself alone . . .
forever
alone.
“Bryn, can you hear me?” his sweet voice continued on, astoundingly clear. “We must hurry my love.”
The voice sounded almost pleading now . . . and why was he saying we needed to hurry? As long as I kept my eyes closed and my mind carefully focused on holding him there, there was no need to hurry.
“I love you, my little temptress.” The stroking of my cheek stopped, much to my dismay; but was replaced by the fullness of his lips and the startling realness of the electricity that pulsed through me. It shocked open my dreamy eyes.
“Oohhhhh!” I gasped when I saw the face I’d spent the entire night (okay . . . the entire past month) staring back at mine. His hand flashed over my mouth, gently silencing my outburst.
“Shhhh . . .”—he chuckled softly, his eyes triumphant—“you’re going to wake the entire Manor before I can get you over the balcony wall.”
“William?” It was the stupidest response I probably could have said given everything I’d imagined and wished I could say to him if I was ever allowed a second again with him. I didn’t even manage to get the two syllables out without my voice cracking.
He chuckled again. “In the flesh and blood. I’m sorry I couldn’t come back for you last night, but Patrick advised against it.” His voice took on a serious tone, and his pupils read an emotion so deep I felt sure I was staring into two black holes. “He said there would be too many watchful eyes on the look out, and it would be more
prudent
to wait until this morning as we’d originally planned. Although, it’s me instead of Joseph leaving with you.” He smiled largely, as if he preferred this outcome over the other. I know I certainly did.
I’m sure the face he looked into appeared stunned, bewildered, doubtful . . . and a bouquet of other emotions as well. I still wasn’t convinced he was really here in front of me.
“William?” I murmured stupidly again, and instead of waiting for another verbal reassurance from him, I took a course of action I knew would confirm if the man sitting on the edge of my bed was real, or a conjuring of my imagination.