The Wishing Stone (8 page)

Chapter Ten

Dressed in a dark charcoal-colored suit, Lucien escorted Lara into the dimly lit restaurant where they had previously dined.

She was beautiful. Elegantly attired in the lace dress he knew she had purchased on her shopping spree, he was still amazed that he accompanied the most desirable woman in the establishment.

Seating her at a secluded table, Lucien sat in the chair next to her so he could touch her anytime he wanted and assure himself that she was indeed real. He felt like a schoolboy on his first date, only this was different. He was a fully grown man with the woman he truly loved and had patiently waited for. They would have the rest of her life together, and Lucien was going to make certain that she lived to be a very old and very happy woman.

Ordering a vintage bottle of wine, he settled back to enjoy Lara and their evening ahead. With a sip of the red liquid, he tried to pretend he was indeed a normal man, but the taste made him grimace in disgust.

Thankfully, he had fed earlier so it was easier to relax and not have to worry about leaving Lara alone later. Their meal was set in front of them, and Lara exclaimed her satisfaction over the tenderness and size of the lobster tail.

Staring down at the sea creature on his plate, Lucien finally admitted to himself that ever since he became a vampire that he was not a normal man anymore and being a vampire could not stomach the smell or taste of food. Rather distastefully, he moved the plate aside and watched the pleasure on his companion’s face as she dipped a delicate lobster morsel into melted butter.

Slipping the bite of lobster into her mouth, Lara closed her eyes in obvious enjoyment. He caught a lone drop of butter that nestled in the cleft of her chin with his finger. Startled, her eyes snapped open. She snatched the linen napkin off her lap and daintily dabbed at her mouth and chin.

Lucien smiled at her look of chagrin and purposely lifted his butter-coated finger to his mouth, letting his
ton
gue swirl and licking all traces of the liquid away. “I told you, my love, that later tonight I will pleasure you until you beg me to stop.”

“How did you know what I was thinking?” she asked.

“I obtained the gift of reading minds when I was made into the unfortunate creature you see before you,” he finished, graciously inclining his head.

She took his hand and lifted it to her lips.

Understanding her gesture made Lucien’s love for her swell even more. Normally, people would run away from anyone with such a strange history, but the love he felt radiating from her assured him that he had indeed been wise to confide in her.

Their waiter brought the check and cleared away the dishes. Extracting the currency from his pants pocket, Lucien accidentally dropped the stone she’d given him on the floor. Bending over, he picked it up and set it on the table while he settled the bill.

The sight of the wishing s
ton
e brought a smile to Lara’s face, knowing he did indeed treasure it. Picking it up before he could, Lara turned the s
ton
e over and over in her hand. “I’m delighted to see you carry the s
ton
e. I know the fable that came with it sounds rather silly, but I wanted you to have it.”

“I would treasure anything you gave me, regardless of any fairy tale that accompanied it.” Slipping his hand over hers, he brushed his lips across hers. “Besides, I have not been without it since you gave it to me.”

“Shall we return home?” She already envisioned the feel of his body on hers.

Lucien tugged her to her feet and headed out of the restaurant before she could persuade him any differently. Not that she wanted to.

Pulling her along, he headed for the nightclub they had found the last time.

At the front door, Lara began to shake her head and back away from the portal, ignoring the small groups of people chatting outside the club.

“It’s all right. I’m with you, and you don’t have anything to be frightened of,” he whispered repeatedly into her soft hair.

“I don’t want to run into Steven again. He really scared me,” Lara admitted, shakily.

“I’m sure you won’t see him again. In fact, I’ll make certain of it,” he vowed.

A terrible thought suddenly struck Lara as she listened to his reassuring voice. “Lucien, we can’t marry. Don’t you see? If Steven should learn of our plans, he could stir up trouble for us? What if he finds out your secret?”

That idea alone sent chills down her back, remembering how mean her ex-husband had turned when she encountered him.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you or destroy our happiness.” Firm resolve filled her as she stepped into his comforting hold and tightened her arms around the man she loved.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.” Settling his hand on small of her back, Lucien opened the door to the lively nightclub.

The music swirled around the pair until they finally found an empty table. Nervously, Lara scanned the room for that one familiar face. Not seeing it, she smiled at Lucien and began to enjoy the night.

When a slow song began to play, Lucien escorted her onto the dance floor, holding her gently in his arms as they swayed to a soft love song.

****

In a far back corner of the room, Marissa watched Lucien and his mortal. Settling back against the wall near Steven, she struck up a conversation with a young vacationing college student while keeping a sharp eye on the two on the dance floor.

Steven had brought Marissa here for the past several days, hoping they would catch Lara alone again. Since she had never shown up, they had to find other prey. Now that their objective was definitely in sight, Marissa’s volatile temper began to fray. She hated the way Lucien fairly fawned over the other woman.

“Damn him,” she snarled. “He knows no one can have him but me.”

A cocky grin plastered itself on Steven’s face. “And you haven’t had him in quite some time, have you? How many centuries has it been?”

Marissa bared her fangs. “Don’t make me take my revenge out on you.”

Steven backed down. “I brought you here, didn’t I?” He whined. “I could have just as easily taken her life myself, only I knew how much you wanted her.”

Turning back to watch the dancing couple, Marissa contemplated the best way to pay Lucien back for his obvious infidelity tonight.

****

The last sounds of music faded away as Lucien stared into Lara’s eyes. “I think it’s time we went home.”

Her big brown eyes lit up with excitement, and Lucien held back his laughter until they exited the building.

“I swear you have the most expressive eyes. And the dirtiest mind to go along with them.” Lucien took her hand and led her toward the parking area. “And I love it.”

In truth, he had barely contained his own lust as their bodies rubbed against each other while they danced. And he knew Lara had felt the rigid length of him pressed against her belly. Now all he wanted to do was take his love home and show her just how much he treasured her.

The fragrant breeze from the ocean cooled his ardor very little on their walk back to the restaurant’s parking lot. They both waited impatiently for the valet to bring their car around. When they were safely on their way, it took all Lucien’s willpower to stay within the speed limit.

Parking at the front entrance of their home, Lucien escorted her from the car, bypassing the front door to lead her down to the beach. Slipping off his shoes and socks, he helped relieve her of her delicate sandals. Evidence of the earlier hot sun still warmed the granules beneath their bare feet.

“You never did answer me,” Lucien commented softly.

Confusion drew Lara’s brows together until comprehension finally dawned, his marriage proposal.

Stepping in front of him, she lightly chided, “You tell me you’re a mind reader, right? Well, you should already know my answer.”

As his eyes silently studied her, Lara threw up her hands. “Yes! How could you have any doubts about that? You know I love you more than anything in this world.”

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Lucien asked roughly, “How can you be so certain? You know very little about me and my unnatural lifestyle. I would never want to see you hurt, Lara.”

Lara led him to the piece of driftwood and gently urged him to sit next to her. “I have wanted to know everything there is to know about you, but I also haven’t wanted to stir up any unhappy memories for you.”

Staring out at the crashing waves, Lucien brooded over his words and Lara waited patiently.

“I was a much tormented young man after my parents and brother was killed in a carriage accident. I went to all of the obligatory events, to show everyone that I was still alive and well, but I always left shortly after I arrived. One night, I angered a woman who thought everyone should bow down to her demands, and of course, I hadn’t. I’ve already told you all the sordid details of her revenge.”

At her silent nod, Lucien continued, “I have gone through the centuries searching for a cure for this nightmare.”

A disheartened laugh broke past his lips. “I even looked for ways to die, to end this torment once and for all. Not by my own hand, heaven forbid. It’s a sin to take one’s own life according to my religious beliefs. No matter what they term me now, I am still a God-fearing man.” Despair lowered his broad shoulders.

The heaviness of his burden made Lara want to weep, but that wouldn’t help either of them. Deciding on a practical, realistic approach, she began listing the pros and cons of a marriage between them, starting with the cons. “Let’s think of all the reasons why we shouldn’t marry.”

At Lucien’s frown, she promptly supplied the first. “You don’t socialize.” She tapped her fingernail against her teeth as she pretended to mull that one over. “The only problem with that is I don’t socialize either. So let’s cross that one off the list.”

Realizing her game, Lucien joined in. “I positively abhor bright sunny days.”

Smiling up at him, Lara said, “I do, too. The sun is bad for my skin, and I usually burn.”

“As the story goes, I also burn...to a crisp.” Lucien’s laughter rang, and she joined in. They were still laughing after several further attempts to foresee problems that didn’t exist.

As they calmed down, she glanced over at his dark shape. “Well, I guess we can’t think of any legitimate reasons not to marry. So let’s make a list of the positive things.”

“I like to spend time with the woman I love,” he murmured, while leaning over to nuzzle her ear.

“How can I concentrate on my list if you keep doing that?” Lara teasingly reprimanded him. “Now you’ve made me lose my train of thought.”

Lucien growled. “I can give you something else to mull over.”

“Let’s just face it. There is nothing I can think of that would have me not marry you,” Lara insisted.

“Then it’s settled. We’re getting married!” Lucien regally declared before sealing their engagement with a kiss. When they broke for air, he hauled her to her feet to begin the walk back to the house.

Glancing at him through her lashes, Lara hesitantly asked, “Would you tell me the stories behind Margaret and Ethan?” At his lowering brows, she hastily added, “That is, if you want to.”

“Love, I’ve already told you I would answer any questions you ask.” Lucien began the tale, first with Margaret. “I am sure she told you about her husband and how she ended up with no place to live. Well, to be honest, I needed a housekeeper, and she needed someone to watch out for her. So you could say we struck up a mutual agreement and have never regretted it to this day.”

Staring up at the stars, he continued, “Ethan...his is a different kind of tale. I only met his mother once, but his father, Damien, I have known for a few centuries and he is a very good friend.”

Startled, Lara interrupted him, “You mean his father is a vampire, too?”

“Unfortunately, for his sake, that part is true. His mother was a mere mortal who just happened to fall in love with a very powerful vampire. They mated and she became pregnant, which was a surprise in itself. They continued their affair, regardless. After the boy was born, and it was verified that he was not to be condemned to the life of a night stalker, they celebrated.

“A couple of years went by and when Damien returned one night to his lover, all he found was the boy. It appeared he had been all alone there for days. But before Damien left to go in search of her, he asked me to watch over the lad because he knew the boy wouldn’t be safe with him since he had too many known enemies. When it was discovered that an unknown assailant killed her, Damien and I both decided the boy should stay with me and that I would raise him. All vampires young and old feared Damien and his temper, with reason. Many had tried to break him and his rules, but they were never seen again. As far as Damien was concerned, they all survived by a code and woe be to those who chose to flaunt it. “

A mist of tears filled Lara’s eyes. “So Ethan is a mere mortal.”

“No, that’s not quite true. The only thing different between Ethan and his father are that Ethan doesn’t need to consume blood to sustain his life and that he can come and go whenever and wherever he wants, even during daylight hours. He doesn’t have to rely on the night to cloak him. He does age, although it is a very slow process. Would you believe he is actually a little over one century old?”