A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series #1) (23 page)

Jace swallowed deeply trying to keep himself from lashing out. “And me? What was my excuse?”

“You were mentioned and you housed her. I had to make sure you were clear.”

“What would you have done if it was me?”

“I would have taken care of it for us,” Julian said without skipping a beat.

Jace nodded, fully understanding his uncle’s words. No matter how close the Ashen Twilight House was, the House of Blood would always look out for their own, especially as long as the Archanes ruled. He approached his Uncle.

The hot embers from the fire warmed Jace’s cold skin, reminding him of the brush with death he almost embraced that evening; if it weren’t for one special young woman.

“What if I were to take Ariya as my betrothed?” Jace asked after a moment.

Julian took another thoughtful sip of his drink. “You’re free to love who you wish,” he said smoothly.

“Not just love. I’m speaking as Regent of the House of Blood. What if I want Ariya by my side as I rule here as an officer?”

“Jace we know nothing of her. She has only recently come in contact with us and nearly killed you in the process.”

“She
saved
me Uncle,” Jace said sternly. “The creature that almost took her life nearly killed us both.”

“She is not of our kind! She doesn’t belong here!”

“Says who?”

Julian exhaled deeply. He crossed the room to the conference table where he set his goblet down with a loud clank. He leaned over the table, placing his hands on the sleek wood below him.

“She is not one of us, Jace. She doesn’t understand the choices and the lifestyles we must make to live each day within the shadows of mortals.”

“She would if you only gave her a chance,” Jace said flexing his jaw. He refused to let Julian talk him out of this. Something deep down made him push forward no matter what. It was then he remembered the vivid description and the memories Ariya shared with him the night they returned from Julian’s interrogation. His Uncle’s battle. The strange soldier’s otherworldly transition in turning Julian from mortal into Nightwalker. How his mortal life was taken from him. Finally the chance to turn his life into something positive as presented by Daoine. All the while leaving his family behind. He wouldn’t have known just how much Julian lost when he changed. Not without Ariya’s help. “Each of us has a burden to bear in our new lives right, Julian? And I bear my own burden in killing everyone I feed from. That is, until Ariya came along. Without her, I wouldn’t have known that I can defy the clutches of death from taking everyone I care about. More importantly, I wouldn’t have known what you went through back there with my aunt Marie. It was Ariya who showed me your pain and loss. I am sorry, Uncle.”

Julian turned to face him. His usual calm demeanor had changed into an expression of surprise. He put his hands on the young Nightwalker’s shoulders and gripped him tightly. “Jace, the reason I let my wife and child go was because I feared for their safety. I didn’t know what my change would befall to them or what would have happened if others found out. Our life and who we are doesn’t threaten mortals despite what their books say. This world is a small place as is. They won’t understand us. Even if Ariya is an immortal, she doesn’t know how we must live. Jace, this house started with a mission. We have our lives and she has hers.”

“And your life. Do you ever regret having your mortal life taken from you, Uncle?” Jace asked, his voice low. “Without your consent or understanding?”

Julian stared ahead in thought of that time so long ago. His face darkened in the memory and Jace was sure it was a hint of regret that crossed his face and mind then. “Once I did. Now I look at what we have accomplished here. The Ashen Twilight House was built to help the Nightwalkers, Lycans and Shifter-Elves like myself who didn’t know what they were, why they became that way or how to live their lives. For that, I am grateful.”

Jace’s lips lifted in a half smile. “You always said to make no apologies for who we are.”

“And I mean that. Though sometimes you have to understand when that extends to the people you care about as well.”

Jace shrugged out of his Uncle’s grip and headed for the door.

“Have you thought of my earlier proposal to you?” Julian asked.

The younger vampire turned to face his uncle once again. “I’m ready to take my place at your side as regent of this house.”

“Are you sure you want this responsibility?”

Jace nodded. “I do. And I want Ariya with me.”

“Jace, you know I can’t. She is Fey!”

“Yet not
Sìdhichean
, Uncle.”

“And you know this how? You know for sure she does not share the traits and connection to the Sìdhichean in any way that may bring harm to us? They are malicious creatures, not merely mysterious like the Fey. It’s wise to arm ourselves first to fend off an attack while our guard is ready. I understand she comes from another realm but the signs are there to link it to what we’ve been told since the beginning. She could have been tricking us Jace. She could still be tricking us. Who knows what powers she carries—”

“You know what powers she carries. You felt that elemental when you and the other Patriarch’s absorbed it. The Aziza power was there.”

“And still a power we cannot comprehend.”

“Did it
feel
malicious?”

“Jace—”

“Answer me, Uncle. Please.”

Julian pushed his glass away and stood upright. He buttoned his suit jacket as he started toward the door. “I won’t stand here and play silly games.”

“Don’t be like me, Uncle, and shut yourself off from anything positive that can come into our lives. Or at least your own life.”

Julian froze in the long hall leading to the door.

Jace wondered what he could do to get through to him.

“All right then. If I made her one of us—will that make a difference? Would that satisfy your suspicions?”

The silence following his question was nearly deafening as his words echoed in his head. For a moment, even
he
couldn’t believe what he was proposing.

Julian shook his head before joining him in the conference room. “You have never borne a Nightwalker before. You haven’t the experience.”

“Well, I guess some things can always be learned, can’t they Uncle?” Jace didn’t wait for an answer as he turned toward the door and left Julian alone to his thoughts.

* * * *

Jace stepped into his apartment gently closing the door behind him. He made sure to step lightly as he removed his jacket and slipped it over the back end of the couch. He continued to the bedroom where Ariya laid on the bed with one arm tucked behind her head and the other over her stomach. She remained fully dressed.

“You’re awake,” he said leaning against the door. He slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled. “I thought you’d be resting.”

She shrugged. “I guess I still feel a little restless. It was a big night.”

“That it was.”

Ariya looked away from him for a moment before sharing his gaze once again. “Jace—I have to return home. I need to see if my people are well.”

Jace crossed the room and moved over to the bed in mere moments. “I’m sure they are.”

She sat up and placed her hand on his face, pulling him closer to her. “I don’t know if my family is still alive, as well as the rest of my people—I don’t know if there’s anyone around.” Ariya ignored the sting in her heart whenever she wondered if her parents were alive. She wondered if it was a sign from above, trying to tell her of the oncoming devastation that her mind refused to believe. Perhaps, it was better not to know rather than the truth being confirmed. On the other hand, if they were alive, then they would be worrying about her whereabouts.

Feeling his body tense near hers, Ariya’s heart quickened. She willingly invited him close to her, wrapping her arms around him.

“Ariya, I want you to know that I have never felt as close to anyone until now. I do want you to be happy. And if you chose to return home I will respect your wishes.”

She sighed softly, feeling his words lingering in the air to signal he had more to say.

“I have to admit, I’ve gotten quite accustomed to having you here with me. And I would miss your presence if you did leave. I can respect your wish to leave but at the same time I would miss you if you go. It’s been so long since I felt this way toward another.”

She smiled in response to his words and he leaned down to gently kiss her on the corners of her mouth. Her heart quickened again in anticipation as he drew near. The scent of him, a scent that was indefinably his, consumed her and sent a shiver throughout her body.

Jace held her tighter within his arms, fighting back the urge to ask what if he were to change her, how would she react? It already took a big step for him to admit how she made him feel. Part of him still felt guarded as he continued to tread lightly in this new emotional territory. He knew in the coming days he’d make it a point to ask how she felt if she were to become a creature of the night like him. In the kiss he placed upon her lips, he felt a rush that he had never felt before. Not with Shelly or any of the women he had shared his body or his bed with throughout the centuries. Ariya had changed something in him and although he didn’t know what, the one thing he was sure of, he wasn’t about to let her leave his life now. He didn’t care what Julian or the Ashen Twilight House thought of them together.

“You spoke with your Uncle tonight?” she asked softly once the kiss broke.

“Yes, I did,” Jace answered. He moved to the area next to her on the bed and urged her to rest her head on his chest.

“He doesn’t accept me.”

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

She lifted her chin up toward him. In those moments, she felt the words crowded in the back of his mind. Part of her was afraid to ask the questions of what he meant by changing her into what he was. What if he did? What would happen to her body and her reaction to the simple changes of living in the night instead of the day? She didn’t even know how her Aziza Fairy blood would react to this so called change or if she would survive such pressure upon her body. Most of all,
how
would he make this happen? She shifted uneasily with the amount of questions piling up in her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt him caress her chin. “Don’t think of that now,
gradh
,” he said, his words slurred with sleepy haze. “There’s always time later.”

He slipped out from under her and went to his dresser to retrieve a single trinket from the top and another from within the top drawer. Once Ariya saw the items in his hand, she immediately sat up. Her heart swelled and she nearly lost her breath as she saw two silver rings each with two hands clasped over a gold crown.

“This is a Claddagh design with very old roots in the Celtic history,” Jace explained as he climbed back on the bed. “I had it made as a ring long ago after the Ottoman wars when I planned to marry.” He leaned back on the bed and shifted his position to get comfortable.

“And did you?”

Jace shook his head. His gaze remained on the rings he held out. “No. I never had the chance.”

Ariya snuggled up closer to him. Jace guided her head to lie down upon his shoulder as he gently caressed her dark chocolate curls splayed across her neck and his chest. “Tell me about them,” she said softly. “The rings.”

“Well, when worn as a ring it’s supposed to symbolize friendship and love. My mother told me of this old Scottish woman she met as a girl. The old woman had a ring molded into rock solid metal with a design just like this. She told my mother of a legend where a young goldsmith gave the ring to his beloved as a token of his love. He promised right then and there to marry her in the coming days—”