Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (19 page)

Caleb laughed softly, but it was a sad one. His fingers
stroked her cheek lovingly as he spoke the next line, "‘And love is all
that we will ever need’.” Before she could speak, he finished with, “‘Nothing
will separate us…’” He lightly ran a finger over her lips as he licked his own.
"‘Even death’."

"Oh, Caleb!" Ashleigh burst into tears. Her arms
reached up to his neck, and she buried her face into the soft fabric of his
T-shirt. Her voice was soft and broken as she sobbed, "I'm so
scared."

"Please, Master
Vessling
."
Catherine glanced over at the pair then back at Anthony. "There has to be
something we can do."

"I will speak to the Count about Ashleigh's offer. That
is all we can do right now." Anthony turned to Lucas. "I will try to
prolong this as long as I can."

"So, you'll help us?" Caleb stroked Ashleigh's
hair as she continued to cry.

"I will try my best." Anthony stood. A tired sigh
escaped his lips. "But I warn you…" He held a single finger out to
Caleb. His voice grew stronger and took on a fatherly tone, "He will not
let you have her. He won't care if she's pregnant, so don't believe that will
deter him from taking her back."

"He said he would let her go after a two months."
Caleb gazed at Ashleigh when she peered up at him. He wiped away a few of her
tears as he studied her expression for a few seconds before turning to Anthony.
"If he won't agree to our first terms, maybe he'll honor the ones he made
with Ashleigh."

"I will ask that as well," Anthony nodded.
"But they may be null, now that you have broken the promise you made to
him." His eyes settled on Ashleigh's. "I will try my best to convince
him to let you stay, but for now, I suggest you take a vacation somewhere far
from here. The Count is in town and is meeting with the Council tonight."

"Then, maybe I'll go to the meeting, too." Caleb’s
voice was stern. He held onto Ashleigh possessively. "Ashleigh can stay
with Robert and Nathan."

Lucas tried to protest, "I don't think that's—"

"If that's your wish, of course you can attend, Caleb.
I just ask that you conduct yourself appropriately in front of his grace."
Anthony went to Caleb and tapped him on the shoulder. "But I don't think
it'll change anything." He motioned for his wife to come with him.
"Lucas, come with me, and we will discuss our plan for tonight."

"Stay home, Caleb." Lucas sent his son a warning
glare. "I mean it. You will regret it."

"Don't tell me what to do." Caleb released
Ashleigh and pushed in front of her. He glared at his father. "I'm tired
of you thinking I'm incapable of everything. Ashleigh's my fiancé. I love her.
Do you think I'd be an idiot and risk losing all that? I'm not a kid. Stop
treating me like it."

"Caleb…" Lucas took a step closer. "I think
it would be best if you left Ashleigh with me. She's not safe here with
you."

"What? No! I won't let her go with you." Caleb
took a step forward, his face inches from his father. "She's my girl, and
last time I checked, that was my responsibility. Stop butting in on my life. I
can protect her."

The pair looked strange in this standoff—Caleb in his baggy
jeans and T-shirt, his father towering over him like a sentinel. Though Caleb
was clearly the smaller vampire, he stood firm as he challenged his father. The
angry, tense stare that passed between them was one that had occurred many
times.

Catherine immediately tried to stop the fight she knew was
only going to escalate. "Stop, Lucas. Caleb's upset. Leave him
alone." She put her arm around Ashleigh's shoulders.

"Stay out of this." Lucas' angry eyes didn't leave
Caleb's as he spoke, "Caleb needs to understand he's wrong." He then
turned to Catherine. "Take Ashleigh to the car, Catherine."

Caleb glanced back. "No, stay here, Ashleigh. Leave,
Dad. I don’t want your help."

"Catherine. I said…" Lucas spoke to Catherine but
continued to stare Caleb down. "Take Ashleigh to the car, right now."

Caleb glared backward, his angry eyes falling upon a very
confused looking Ashleigh. "Stay, Ashleigh." He could see her
shaking, and the large tears that singed her cheeks.

"I said now, Catherine!"

"I can't take any more of this! I'm Ashleigh Brown, not
Ashleigh
Vessling
, or the Countess of
Sallen
!" Ashleigh shouted. Closing her eyes, she
balled her hands into fists. "I wish you all would just leave me
alone!" Pulling away from Catherine, she snatched her laptop bag laying
near the door and ran up the stairs.

Caleb turned. "I'll go after—"

Catherine's voice was soft, "Let me." Her touch
was light as her hand paused on his arm. Catherine sent him a fragile smile.
"She's hurting right now—much more than you can understand. She needs to
talk about this."

"She needs me." Caleb’s sad eyes gazed up the
stairs. "But I can't help her. God!" He turned angrily to his mother.
"Do you know how that feels? He's going to take her, and I can't do
anything!"

"I don't know how it feels. But if you act like this,
you won't save her. You need to use something other than strength. The Count is
smart. He's the first of our kind, and he will never back down. You need to
keep yourself together if you're going to beat him."

"What now?" In Caleb’s eyes, there was still that
boyish innocence.

"We'll think of something." Catherine wrapped her
arms around Caleb. She playfully shook him a little as she laid her head on his
shoulder. "We will."

"She doesn't want to go. Why does he want to force her?
He can't make her love him."

"Come, Lucas." Anthony tapped Lucas' arm and
motioned for him to follow. "We have much to discuss. Caleb seems to have
everything handled here." Lucas didn't speak, he just followed Anthony out
the door.

"I'm going to check on Ashleigh." Caleb pushed his
mother's arms off him. He jogged up the stairs then used his speed to disappear
from their sight. He went to the attic. Shoving a few things out of the way
near the entrance, he looked farther into the room.

Ashleigh's voice was soft, "A prince comes to the
highest tower to save his princess from the evil king." Her knees were
drawn up to her stomach, and her body curled into the ball. "I'm over
here, Caleb."

"Hey." When he spotted her sitting on an old
couch, he quickly went to her and sat down. "You all right?" His arm
wrapped around her shoulders.

"No." Her answer was firm, and her angry eyes
glared forward. "I'm tired of people trying to change me and force me into
being someone I'm not." She quickly looked up at him. Her eyes were filled
with fresh tears. "Why can't I just be Ashleigh Brown?"

"How about Ashleigh Mason?" Caleb pulled her
tighter and let out a light laugh.

"Well…" His answer caught her slightly off guard.
A small smile filled her lips at the thought. "That's all right."

"Stay here. I'll be right back." He quickly stood
up and disappeared downstairs. When he returned, he had his black guitar in
tow. She bit her lip as she shyly admired the man she loved. His smile was
slightly sideways, but warm and friendly. There was a gentle sparkle in his
eyes that comforted her.

"How ’bout some music?" Caleb sat next to her
again. He moved his position so she could lie in his arms, and his hands were
free to hold his guitar. "I know you
love
private shows." His eyebrows rose playfully as he strummed a few
chords.

"I do." She giggled. Her hand reached up to her
cheeks and wiped away a few tears.

He began to sing to her softly, his voice filling her ears
and not one single, sour note leaving his lips. The music carried down the
stairs because the door to the attic was open. Robert stood near it so no one
would go past him. Catherine stood next to him.

It wasn't a song that Caleb would normally sing, it was
softer and more personal. Through every soft, sweet word that left his lips,
his love for Ashleigh poured out. They were both scared, and like defiant
children, they hid in the attic and refused to go home.

"Caleb?" Ashleigh whispered. Her eyes met with his
as he continued to hum. "I want to kill the Count."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. He shook his head as he
gazed down at the strings of his guitar. "Me, too."

"I'm serious." She frowned when she saw his smile.
Changing her position, she sat up straighter. She whispered in his ear, a deep
intent in her voice, "I'm going to kill him."

"How?"

Her lips brushed lightly against the surface of Caleb's
skin. "I know his weakness, Caleb." She smiled when he set down his
guitar. Rising up, she straddled his hips. "I'll make him trust me."
Her voice grew deeper as a slight scowl set into her lips, "And then, I'll
kill him."

Caleb's voice was soft, a deep hurt reflected in it that
could also be seen in his lowered brow. "Babe…" His hands reached up
to cradle her face. For a few seconds, his eyes darted over its surface as he
paused. "You—"

"I'll do it." She put her hands over his. She wore
a fragile smile as she moved closer to him. Her lips hovered over his as her
breath deepened. "I have to."

"I have a better idea." Caleb's fingers ran through
her straight, black hair. "
Wanna
hear it?"

She pushed a strand behind her ear. "
Mmm
hmm." Her arms encircled his neck, and she gazed
into his face as she awaited his answer.

He stared at her lips. His voice trembled as he forced out
the words, "I want you to leave. Take Nathan and get as far away from here
as you can. I don't want to know where. Just get—"

Her face squished together in the middle as a flood of tears
escaped her eyes. Her cheeks reddened as she began to sob. "No,
Caleb…"

"It'll be okay." He squished her cheeks, his
fingers tense. He stared into her fearful eyes with a firm gaze. "As soon
as our son's born, we can—"

"No!" Ashleigh quickly jumped off his lap. Tears
streamed down her cheeks as she balled her fists at her sides angrily. "No!"
She grabbed his guitar and slammed it against the nearby wooden support near
her several times. "I don't want to!" She was hysterical. "I'm
tired of all this!"

"Ashleigh!" He cringed with each smash of his
guitar against the pole. His hands were outstretched to her. "Stop!"

Her body bent over slightly as she screamed, "No!"
Her words were so loud they echoed down the stairs. "I can't take any of
this anymore!" She pulled at her hair, her mascara smeared as her face
twisted in severe agony. Her voice was wet and coated by her tears, "I
hate you, Caleb! I hate everybody! Why can't you all just leave me alone! Stop
telling me what to do!"

"Hey…" Caleb tried to calm her down. His voice was
soft as he held his hand out to her. "Stop this, Ash. Please…"

Her eyes squinted as she angrily grabbed her laptop bag. She
closed her eyes as she took the bag by the strap and slammed it against the
wooden support. She cried harder when she heard it break. With her laptop, her
heart broke as well. "Damn all of you!" She kept hitting it
repeatedly, and with each hit, she used more and more force. "Fuck my
books! I hate ’
em
! I hate ’
em
all! I hate Drake! I hate you!"

Caleb went to grab for her, but she darted down the stairs.
She whizzed past Robert and down the hallway. Caleb ran after her, slamming
into his mother and shoving her against the wall as he chased after Ashleigh.

Ashleigh grabbed the keys Robert had laid on the table near
the front door. Her feet were moving quicker than they ever had before. She
wanted out, but in her current state, she wasn't rational. All she could feel
was the intense pain of her whole world crashing down on her. She couldn’t
breathe. Each breath was choked as she ran to the shiny black corvette in the
driveway. She hopped inside and slammed on the gas, leaving Caleb standing in
the dust.

"Damn it!" Caleb ran into the garage. He quickly
jumped into his jeep and took off after her. Unfortunately, she had put a good
distance between them. By the time Caleb got out of the driveway, he had no
idea where she had gone. But that didn't stop him from searching.

Chapter Eleven

Her retreat lead her to a place she never expected—the edge.
She was barely able to stand sideways on the ledge of the building. Her eyes
glanced down at the dark alley below. Her world was blurry, her eyes so clouded
with tears that she couldn't see.

The ledge was high, and the promise of an end loomed right
below her. She could fall into this black abyss made by her tears, and it would
all go away. Her hands gripped the railing behind her tighter. A loud sniffle
escaped her nostrils as she struggled to choke down each breath of air.

Her words were thick with tears, choppy and wet, "Dear,
sweet death—grant me your promise of sleep. Forever black, forever numbing.
Take me in your arms, and clear my head. Blacken these eyes that no longer want
to see." She closed her eyes. "Please, accept me. Take me away from
this place. Take me away!"