A Shade of Vampire 15: A Fall of Secrets (14 page)

But that haunting chant still echoed in my ears as I emerged from the memory. I played it over and over in my head, afraid that I might forget it. Scrambling to my feet, I crawled out of the cave and inscribed the chant on a slab outside. I stared at the words—now able to absorb them by sight as well as by hearing. Each time my eyes traveled across the words and each time they rang through my head, their meaning sank deeper, my understanding becoming clearer, until finally it dawned on me.

There were still questions that remained unanswered, but there was one secret I had now uncovered:

Lilith had used her love for an immortal to keep herself bound to this world for so long. That was how she clung on when others faded away.

Magnus is the reason Lilith is still here.

W
hen we arrived back
in The Shade, the dragons dropped us off near the Port before returning to their mountain homes. Aiden suggested that we head straight for Rose’s parents’ home to see if they had returned and, if so, inform them of everything that had just happened.

We didn’t make it that far, however. As we passed Eli’s penthouse, a number of voices drifted down from it—Derek and Sofia among them. Ascending in the elevator and arriving at the front door—which had been left open—we walked inside and found the living room packed with people. All of them were centered around the television set, which was displaying a scene of our visit to the beach. As soon as I’d seen those humans flashing their cameras, I’d suspected it wouldn’t be long before mainstream media picked it up.

“You’re back,” Sofia exclaimed, rushing toward us with Derek. She wrapped her arms around Rose before allowing Derek a turn. Then the two of them looked at the rest of us.

“Well? Tell us what happened,” Derek said.

Derek and Sofia sat down on the sofa with Rose in between them and she began to recount everything we had just been through. Every now and then, she would glance at me for support, and I would fill in details where she wanted me to. About halfway through, Ibrahim stood up.

“I need to go see Corrine.”

Corrine
. All throughout our journey back from California, as I had traveled with Rose’s warm body pressed against mine, I had been thinking about how I needed to pay a visit to the witch. With Rose occupied here with her parents, I realized that this would be the perfect time. I stood up and motioned to follow the warlock. Rose looked up at me questioningly.

“I will see you in a bit, Rose. I’m stepping outside for some fresh air.”

She nodded, before continuing to recount our story.

I caught up with Ibrahim on the balcony before he could vanish.

“I would like to have a word with your wife,” I said.

“Uh, okay. Come with me then.” He placed an arm on my shoulder and vanished us both to the Sanctuary. My breathing quickened as I followed Ibrahim in through the door, and I realized that my hands were shaking slightly.

“Corrine!” Ibrahim called along the corridor.

“Ibrahim?” Corrine’s voice emanated from a room nearby. She raced out from a door and ran along the corridor, hurling herself at Ibrahim. Their lips locked in a passionate embrace. I looked down at the floor, taking a few steps back as they finished greeting each other.

“You must tell me everything,” she said.

“And you must tell me,” Ibrahim replied. “But Caleb here wants to speak to you about something first.”

I raised my eyes to the witch. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“That’s quite all right,” Corrine said, curiosity in her eyes.

Ibrahim continued along the corridor while Corrine gestured to a room to my right. A living room. I took a seat in an armchair while Corrine sat opposite me. But as soon as my backside touched the cushion, I realized that it was foolish thinking that I could remain seated for this conversation. I stood up and walked over to the mantelpiece, running a finger along the wood. I turned around slowly and fixed my eyes on Corrine.

My chest felt tight.

Just spit it out.

“I wanted to ask you… how might a man procure a ring on this island?”

Corrine’s face lit up as soon as the words left my mouth. She leapt to her feet and hugged me.

“An engagement ring?” she asked, squeezing my shoulders.

I nodded.

“Do Derek and Sofia know yet?”

“I spoke with her father.”

“Oh, goodness. My Rose, getting married… That girl is going to be over the moon.” She sat back down in her chair and, reaching toward the coffee table in the center of the room, picked up a notepad and a pencil. “Do you have any ideas about how you’d like the ring to look? Any colors, shapes or stones in mind?”

In truth, I hadn’t thought about such details. I sat down opposite Corrine. “I am not a jewelry designer. But I want something… bold for Rose.”

Corrine smirked. “Let me see what I can do.”

She sketched away on her pad for the next five minutes. I waited patiently, watching her design take shape. She lifted up her notepad, showing me the final result.

“Yes,” I said instantly. “That’s the ring for my girl. How long will it take you to make?”

“Well, when are you planning to propose?”

I paused, unsure of how to answer. The witch saw through my silence. “Let me just work on this now so you have it. It won’t take me too long. My discussion with Ibrahim can wait…”

“Thank you.”

She left the room, leaving me alone. I stood up again and began pacing.

Although there was no doubt in my mind that Rose loved me, and the fact that her parents had not objected was a weight off my shoulders, somehow I couldn’t keep my stomach from clenching at the thought of proposing to her. A nagging voice at the back of my head kept telling me that it was too soon. That I ought to wait longer. That she was still so young. Girls of this day and age typically waited much longer before tying the knot than girls of my time.

Yet amid all these doubts was a determination I could not shake: I wanted to make her fully mine, and I didn’t want to wait any longer to do it.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Corrine enter the room half an hour later. She was carrying a gray silk pouch in her hands. As she approached me, she placed it in my palm. I opened up the pouch and pulled out the ring—far more stunning than her sketch of it. Made of what appeared to be pure silver, it was encrusted with a gorgeous red ruby. I could already picture how beautiful Rose’s hand would look with this adorning it.

“Thank you,” I said again.

There were tears in the witch’s eyes as she smiled. “It’s my absolute pleasure… There is one thing that I simply must ask before you leave though.” Her eyes roamed my body from head to toe. “Were you planning to look like
that
when you ask her?”

A
fter I finished telling
my parents and everyone else in the room what had happened to us while we were away, it was my parents’ turn. They recounted their trip to North and South America, ending with their encounter with a hunter.

Silence filled the room as we finished talking.

“Mona… Has there been any update from her?” I asked.

My father looked toward Kiev, who was sitting a few feet away from him. My father reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding it, he handed it to Kiev.

“As you will see from the note, Mona left the island.”

I stood up and hurried over to Kiev, looking over his shoulder at the note.

“She didn’t say where she’s gone?” Kiev stared at my parents disbelievingly.

My mother shook her head.

Kiev stood up, anguish in his eyes.

“It seems that she didn’t speak to anyone before she left,” my mother said. “Derek and I went looking for her after arriving back on the island. We visited your penthouse. The door was unlocked but she wasn’t at home. We just happened to find that note lying on the dining table.”

“Dammit,” Kiev breathed. He balled his fists, crumpling the note, and stormed out of the room. My heart ached for him. He had been through so much recently. The last thing he deserved was to be separated from Mona again. Yet I couldn’t help but feel hopeful at the witch’s note. It seemed like she was onto something. Otherwise why would she have left the island?

“Let’s hope she returns soon,” I muttered. There were so many people in this room, I was starting to feel claustrophobic. I decided to follow Caleb’s lead and step out for some fresh air.

“I’ll catch you later,” I said, waving toward my parents as I headed for the door.

I wasn’t even halfway across the room before my father whizzed past me and planted his feet on the floor in front of me.

“Where are you going exactly?”

“Just… outside. I’ll join Caleb.”

My father obviously didn’t have the heart to chastise me for leaving the island given that we’d managed to save some humans, but he looked disturbed all the same. His electric-blue gaze pierced through me. “I don’t like the way you keep slipping through my fingers, Rose.”

I didn’t know what to say. I just looked at him. He stepped aside, though I could feel his eyes still on me as I left Eli’s apartment.

I made my way down to the forest ground but, before going to find Caleb, I decided to go and talk to some of my human girlfriends. I hadn’t gotten any time alone with them since the ball, and I was dying to know what they’d thought of those dragons. I headed straight to the Vale and, on arriving in the town square, I caught sight of three girls sitting by the fountain, chatting with each other. As I neared, I recognized them as Sylvia, Becky, and Jessica.

“Hey, Rose!”

They each gave me a hug.

“How are you?” Sylvia asked.

“I’m okay. A bit exhausted… I haven’t seen you since the ball. How did it go with those guys?”

Sylvia and Jessica giggled as they exchanged glances.

“That’s just what I was asking them about,” Becky said. “All I can say is that if I wasn’t so in love with Griffin, I would definitely be in the market for a dragon.” She winked at me.

“You saw what went on at the ball,” Sylvia said. “As for what went on in our confidential meetings”—Jessica’s and Sylvia’s faces flushed bright red—“well, they’re called confidential for a reason.”

“Oh, okay. Fair enough,” I said. “I guess what I really wanted to ask was whether or not you like them.”

“Are you kidding?” Jessica said. “Tyron has ruined me for life. No other man will ever compare.” She sighed dreamily. “He
redefines
the word gentleman.”

“Good,” I said. “I will be interested to know how your second meeting goes with them too. You have dates tomorrow, right?”

Jessica nodded enthusiastically. “We were supposed to meet today. But Jeriad informed us that they had to postpone it for tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said. “Well, see you around.”

Although I’d suspected that the girls would be bowled over by the dragons, I still felt relieved to hear it from their mouths. As I made my way back out of the Vale, I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what had happened during those private talks… and if indeed talking was what had gone on.

I turned my thoughts back to Caleb. I called out his name once I reached Eli’s tree again, but he didn’t respond. I guessed that meant he wasn’t in the area.
We’ll bump into each other sooner or later.

Instead of going to seek him out, I continued walking alone in the forest. I replayed the events of the past twelve hours over in my head. Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Port. I walked to the edge of the jetty and sat down, dangling my feet above the calm waves. I still couldn’t shake the feeling of how uncanny this all was.

The human world knows about supernaturals.

I tried to imagine what the consequences of this might be. And I wondered whether the day would ever come when The Shade was discovered. I shuddered at the thought.

I almost jumped as a deep voice spoke my name. I twisted around to see Caleb standing behind me. Something about him looked… different. It looked like he’d had a shower, for sure, but his clothes also seemed different than what I was used to seeing him wearing. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, rolled up to his elbows. The first three buttons of the shirt were undone, giving me a peek at his muscled chest. He wore dark pants with a brown leather belt around his waist. Something about his appearance reminded me of a windswept sailor. Yet he was well groomed at the same time. His dark hair touched the sides of his face and he still had a shadow of stubble around his jawline, giving him a rugged, sexy look—but it looked a little tidier than usual.

Windswept sailor… Perhaps this is how he used to dress when he was aboard his family’s ships.

Whatever he had done, he looked handsome as heck. I found myself breathless beneath his warm brown gaze.

A smile formed on his lips as, wordlessly, he walked up to me and held out a hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. I looked at him questioningly. He just continued to hold my gaze as he slid his hands down my waist and rested them on the small of my back. He leaned in, breathing in my scent deeply as he pressed his lips against the most sensitive part of my neck, just beneath my ear. His kiss was slow, tender, intense, his mouth remaining against my skin even as he began leading me into a dance. I felt my cheeks flush red as he finally raised his head, the expression on his face now serious as he stared deep into my eyes. My heart beat against my chest like a drum. I gulped.

“Uh… Hello, Caleb.”

Still, he didn’t respond. He just remained with his gaze fixed on my face, as though he were committing my every detail into his memory. Since there was no music, I tried to imagine in my head what tune we might be dancing to. Whatever tune it was, when it finished, Caleb slowed us to a stop. His hands slid down my arms and stopped at my hands, allowing me to twine my fingers with his.

I cocked my head to one side.
What is all this, Caleb?

Finally, he broke the silence.

“You are my life now, Rose,” he said. “Barely a minute goes by when I’m not pinching myself that I’m here with you. But I want to be here with you. I want to be here with you all your life, however long that might be…”

The blood pounded in my ears as Caleb let go of my hands and lowered himself to one knee. He pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life. Coated with silver and studded with a fiery ruby, it dazzled even in the pale moonlight. My breath hitched. My eyelids grew hot as tears began to well behind them.

“Caleb,” I gasped.

“Rose,” he said, his voice husky, his brown eyes never leaving mine. He took my hand and placed a gentle kiss over the back of it. “Will you marry me?”

My heart drowning in joy, I barely knew what I was doing as I grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. I hurled myself against him, wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I could and crushing my lips against his, as if trying to meld my body with his.

Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting such a forceful reaction on my part. The sudden weight of my body against him sent him staggering back and we both fell with a splash into the ocean. I feared for a moment that he might’ve dropped the ring, but he hadn’t.

“Should I take that as a yes?” he asked, his voice tinged with laughter.

“Yes,” I choked, even as I swallowed a mouthful of seawater.

A grin splitting his face, he held out the ruby ring and slid it onto my finger. His hands found my hips and, sliding my body against his, he raised my head higher above the waves. I caught his lips in mine and kissed him again and again, the seawater on my face mixing with my tears.

Caleb hauled us both out of the glistening sea. He laid me down gently on the wooden floorboards of the jetty. His hands either side of my shoulders, he crouched down over me and tasted my mouth, his tongue brushing against mine.

Playfulness sparked in his eyes as he drew away and flicked back his soaking wet hair. “Well, Aunty Corrine’s efforts didn’t last long…”