5 Darkness Falls (42 page)

I hugged him and he wrapped his arms around me. I felt his body shake, felt the quivering of his silent sobs. I now understood how helpless Kellan must have felt. How unbearable the pain is to watch someone suffer and know there is nothing you can do about it. To know there is so much you want to do, yet nothing you are capable of doing. Sometimes we have to accept that being there is enough. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it offers immediate comfort in spite of it.

After a few minutes, Kalel disentangled himself from me. He flashed a small smile. “I can see why he loved you.”

I chuckled. “You won’t be loving me when I send you the bill for this wedding dress, which has been ruined by the saltwater.”

“Egh. It’s a small price to pay.” He grew serious. “Thanks, Leka.”

Hearing the name, he called me while being surrounded by him in every element was difficult. I put on a brave face, smiling in spite of the stinging in my chest. “As much as I love the view of the shoreline from here, it’s a little spooky to be standing in the middle of the ocean so late at night.”

He laughed at me. “Come on. I wouldn’t want your new husband to think I’m making passes at you in the water. He’s become quite the assassin.”

I looked at Kellan, pride soaring through me. “I know.” He’d been amazing the day we’d lost Kai. He was a different man, a better vamp.

Kalel hugged me again once we reached the shore and kissed my cheek. “Don’t let the past rob you of your joy today. Kai would want you smiling, not crying today.”

“Thanks, Kalel.”

He nodded, and headed back to his future wife. Francesca immediately enveloped him, capturing his lips. I looked away and focused on my own future. Kellan watched me carefully a few feet away. His hands were stuffed in his khaki pant pockets; his gaze never deviated from me.

I stood frozen in the sand, lost in him. His white shirt hung untucked. Several buttons undone at the top revealed his smooth chest. His jaw line held hard angles, leading to soft lips. His emerald eyes twinkled in the moonlight. So much emotion was wrapped in his voice; so much love was radiating off my strong vampire husband.

He moved a single hand, stretching it out towards me. The beginnings of a smile curled the corners of his lips as he considered me.

I closed the distance between us, all too willing to be in his grip. This was home; wherever we were in the world, as long as I was with Kellan, I was home. As long as I had Kellan, I would always have comfort; I would always have hope. He was my safety net. He was my fortress of strength when I was depleted. He was my rock, my heart, the life riveting my soul. He was my soul mate. He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me.

Lovers aren’t perfect, but love is. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship, but a perfect commitment exists. When you love someone like I love Kellan, you’ll fight till the end of the world to keep him; you’ll embrace the word commitment in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, in the good times and the bad times. You’ll never walk away over angry words, over differences of opinions. You’ll never allow your bond to be severed, your heart to let go, or your soul to be solemn in his presence. Love is recognizing that you’re better with someone than without them, and a commitment is embodying your love, never allowing words, actions or sins to destroy it.

Love is pure. Love is innocent. Love is happiness at its best. Love is easy. Commitment is what takes work. Remaining committed is what takes heart and soul.

I was only sixteen, but I understood the depths of a marriage. I knew what it would take to survive in a world that strived to divide. I knew without a doubt that Kellan was worth every ounce of effort. To be without him would be like trying to breathe without air. He was embedded in me; his love was what expanded my lungs with each breath, his strength was what pushed me to be the female vampeen I was, and his support was what allowed me to thrive, to take chances and to dive into the ocean unknown.

I was only sixteen, but I understood that what we had was a once in a lifetime thing. I was only sixteen, but I knew Kellan was my forever. He was the vamp I wanted to spend every day of eternity with. Love doesn’t know age, race, or preference. Love is merely love.

The beauty of freedom is only viewed when it lives up to its definition. We all have the freedom to change what appears to be concrete. We all have the power to change our destiny, to rewrite our future if we truly strive for it. Nothing is set in stone. While God has a plan for us, an intricately laid out map, containing a destination and a purpose, there are multiple routes we can take to get there. We choose what path we take.
We choose.
We have the freedom to choose. Ka
i chose. I chose. Kellan chose.

Now, it's your turn to choose.

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*****

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Dear Reader,

This book was an emotional journey for me.
I thought long and hard about the plot, about the prophecy and what would be best for the characters. In the end, it wasn’t me who made the decision
on who lived or died though
. As odd as it may sound, it was the characters who wrote their fates.

Kai wasn’t always a well-respected character. His single redeeming quality was his love for
Leka
. It was fitting that he made
the ultimate sacrifice
out of love.
Love will make you do crazy things, but it will also encourage you to do amazing things. No one can ever dispute the depth of his feelings for
Lexi
after such a selfless act.

Writing this book forced me to ask myself some hard questions. Penning this book pushed me to take a difficult look at myself. How far am I willing to go for someone I love? How much am I willing to gamble to stand up for, to fight for, something I believe in? What price am I willing to pay to change the changeable? We all must at some point rise above. We all have a choice.
Your voice is
more powerful
than you believe.

Allow your instincts to guide you, your heart to mold you an
d your abilities to carry you.

I’ve learned so much on this writing journey with and through Lexi, and it’s not over yet. Book 6,
The Break of Dawn
, will be the final book in the series from Lexi’s point of view. It will be arriving in Spring 2013.

In the meantime, for
updates
on the Vamp Chronicles series, my other titles
,
and more, please visit my website at:
www.christinlovell.com

Thank you for your
continued support of
this series.
Christin

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4
 
Love is patient and
 
kind; love
 
does not envy or boast; it
 
is not arrogant
 
5
 
or rude. It
 
does not insist on its own way; it
 
is not irritable or resentful
;
 
6
 
it
 
does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but
 
rejoices with the truth.
 
7
 
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.

8
 
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV

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*****

If you’re a writer or an author in need of quality editing services at an affordable price, please consider Susie Hatfield.
You can obtain more information about her services at
www.susiehatfield.com

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