Falcondell: The Devil's Son (16 page)

He takes me inside the house. It is eerily quiet inside compared to the noise of the party outside that is now in full swing. I don’t register my surroundings though. My heart is pounding as he leads me up several flights of stairs and pushes open a door which I can see leads into what must be his bedroom. Pulling me inside he kicks the door shut and with a wicked grin he locks it. Grinning he says, “I’ve got you now little Tess. You can’t escape from my lair.” Smiling at him I approach him slowly. “Who said I wanted to?” His eyes flash and turn as black as the darkness that surrounds us. Standing before me he reaches for me and removes the locket from around my neck. Instantly I feel the release and the room lights up around us, bathing us in a new light. He gasps in disbelief as I fill the entire room with my energy. Stepping back he takes in the sight of me and I see tears come to his eyes which shocks me. Moving closer to him I reach up and looking into his eyes I pour all that I have into them. “Please Ash. Let go of your demons. You are nothing like your father and I am not your mother. We are our own people and can make our own history together.” I watch as he battles with himself and then I know that I have won. Pulling me towards him he whispers, “I love you Grace. Seeing you here in my room standing before me as you truly are, I know that we are meant to be together. You have my heart and I yours. I can’t resist this anymore.”

Then he kisses me with so much love that I know that I am lost forever. This is it; the time for waiting is over.

Chapter 36

Finally Ash and I are a couple in every sense of the word. As I lie beside him I wonder at the experience. We just lay side by side staring at each other as he strokes my face. “I knew it was you, that first day in the library when you were hiding behind that book. As soon as I looked into your eyes it hit me like a steam train.” Smiling my eyes sparkle and I laugh gently. “Rubbish, I was wearing those stupid pretend glasses and a hat. You didn’t see anything.” Pushing me playfully he rolls me on to my back and sits astride me holding me down. “I know everything Grace and I know that you felt it too. You can deny it all you want to but we both know that we were always destined for each other.” Leaning down he kisses me gently. My heart fills with love for him. I know that he is no Angel but that doesn’t seem to matter. We can’t choose who we fall in love with and I know that he has good in him; it just needs time to come out.

Rolling off of me he grins. “We should get back to the party. They will be wondering where we are.” He laughs as he sees me blush. “Don’t worry Angel; they probably think we’ve been at it for ages anyway. My reputation would be in tatters if they knew how long I’ve waited.” I look at him crossly. “What about my reputation. They are all going to know what we’ve been up to and I’ll be so embarrassed.” Pulling me towards him he says angrily, “Never be embarrassed around me Grace. They know that you aren’t that type of girl. I’m the only guy that will ever know you this way. We just followed our hearts and it was inevitable. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” As I look at him I know that he is right. “Ash, I’m not ashamed. I love you and don’t care who knows it. Come on let’s go and face them together and who cares what they think.” Grinning he says, “That’s my girl, and you are Grace, nobody else ever again. You’re stuck with me and that’s final.” Smiling broadly at him he steps back in surprise as the full force of my happiness hits him. He looks at me in amazement. “You were beyond beautiful before but now… I would never have believed that you could be even more beautiful. It is all around you.” Walking towards me he tilts my face to his. “Who are you really Grace, you are beyond special that I do know?” Playfully I say, “You think that you know everything don’t you Ash, well this is something you don’t know and I am going to keep it my little secret for a while longer, just to annoy you.” I can tell that I have surprised him and he doesn’t push it. Once we are dressed I put the locket back on and feel once again contained within its walls. Looking thoughtful Ash says quietly, “I will find out Grace, it’s only a matter of time.” Nodding I wink at him. “I’m counting on it Ash.”

As we join the others I feel different. I have changed within me and gone are the worries and insecurities; they have been replaced with a new found confidence and energy. Cally looks up as we approach and as she looks at me I see a knowing look in her eyes. Dragging me over to one side she studies me saying, “Oh my God, you didn’t?” Laughing I tease her. “Didn’t what Cally?” Grinning at me she looks towards Ash and then back at me. “What on earth took you so long? I mean look at him. You must have had more will power than anyone I have ever known.” As I follow her gaze my heart swells with love for him. His hair is now tousled and I can see that his face has relaxed into an easy grin. His eyes are sparkling and his body is rippling underneath his tightly fitting T Shirt. As he feels me looking he shoots me a look that could light a fire in another town. Cally gasps beside me. “I’m sorry Grace but that is perfection personified. You are one lucky lady.” Laughing I nod towards Jacob saying, “You haven’t done so bad yourself.” Grinning Cally’s eyes sparkle. “I never knew that love would be this good. Come on let’s enjoy ourselves and find Piper. They can wait for a while whilst we catch up.” Dragging me behind her we go to find Piper. As she sees us coming a smile breaks out across her face, lighting it up.

We spend the next hour laughing and joking like we used to. Occasionally I catch Ash looking at us and he just smiles and looks away. He knows that I need this time with my friends, he does too. It doesn’t matter; we know that neither of us are going anywhere.

As the evening wears on I drift back over to where Ash is sitting. Pulling me down beside him he whispers, “I missed you Angel.” Kissing him gently I say happily, “Me too.” Snuggling into his arms I never want to leave them. All around us couples are kissing and making out. Some are playing pool in the pool house and some are enjoying the real pool. It is a magical evening and one that I will never forget. Leaning down Ash kisses my neck saying, “Are you happy little Tess?” I smile up at him. “I have never been happier Ash. Thank you.” He kisses me again and I never want him to stop.

Chapter 37

Gabe takes me home after the party. Ash wanted me to stay but I didn’t want to worry my Aunt. I had to go home with Gabe, I didn’t have a choice. I promised that I would go back the next day to help with the clearing up. Ash told me that he would pick me up for breakfast and not to worry, he had people who would do all that. It made me realise just how different his life was from the rest of us.

Aunt Sarah is in the kitchen when I finally surface. Looking up she smiles. “Good night Grace?” She laughs as she sees my expression. “Don’t say anything, I don’t want to know. What I don’t know won’t hurt me ok?” Laughing I sit down and gratefully accept the coffee that she pushes my way. “Where’s Gabe?” I say looking around me. Raising her eyes up she gestures towards his room. “Sleeping it off I think. You were both in so late; I doubt he’ll surface for most of the day. Come to think of it you’re up early, couldn’t you sleep?” I know that my face is giving me away as I can’t stop smiling. “Ash is picking me up and taking me for breakfast.” My Aunt just grins and carries on with her chores. Suddenly I remember what I wanted to ask her. “Aunt Sarah, have you heard about the library?” Nodding sadly she sighs as she sits down. “Yes it’s terrible news. Poor Mr Watson, I wonder what he’ll do next?” “Can’t we help him?” Looking thoughtful she says, “What do you have in mind?” “Well I wondered if enough people got together we could all help him and restore the library to what it was. With a bit of love and attention we could make it a really nice place to go and then maybe he could make enough money to stay.” I am surprised when my Aunt frowns and looks guarded. “I’m sorry Grace but that isn’t going to help him. The trouble is Mr Knight owns that building and he has made it very clear that he wants it back. Nobody will go against him in this Town; it isn’t worth the trouble it would cause. Mr Watson would be better off starting again and getting a new job somewhere else.” This was not what I expected to hear and I feel cross. “That’s so unfair. People are mean, why wouldn’t they support someone like him?” My Aunt takes my hand and looks at me with a gentle look. “Let it go Grace. I know that you want to help him but it would be better for him this way. That place holds many sad memories for him and he needs to move on.” Gloomily I say, “The trouble is I think that he will be paying off his debt for the rest of his life. Even when he does get another job most of the money will go on paying it. I’m worried about him.”

We are interrupted by the sound of Ash’s motorbike outside. Jumping up I hug my Aunt. “Please try and think of something. There must be something we can do.” Aunt Sarah looks at me sadly. “I only wish there was Grace, believe me I only wish there was.”

As I approach him I see Ash leaning on the bike watching me with a devilish glint in his eye. “Morning Angel, my bed felt empty without you in it.” He laughs as I blush and rush towards him. “Ssh somebody will hear you.” Catching my arm he pulls me on to the bike in front of him and bends down and kisses me deeply. “I like embarrassing you little Tess, it is too easy for me.” Pulling away I scoot around behind him and bury my flaming face in his back mumbling, “Just drive will you before my Aunt gets on the phone to my guardians.” I can hear him laughing as he starts the engine and soon we are speeding along towards Violet’s for a much needed breakfast.

When we pull up I can see several of his gangs motorbikes parked outside. As Ash helps me off the bike I nod towards them. “Since when did you all go here? I thought that Violet didn’t like you hanging out at the diner.” Ash just grins. “Since I took a fancy to a hot waitress who works here. Why would we go anywhere else? I need to keep an eye on her in case someone thinks they stand a chance with her.” Pushing him playfully I nod towards the diner. “Well don’t blame me if you get kicked out. You will you know at the first sign of trouble.” Laughing Ash follows me inside. “Since when did we cause any trouble, it’s not our fault if trouble finds us is it?” I shake my head at him, he is impossible.

Violet meets us at the door and warns Ash. “I’m watching you Ash, remember. I don’t want any trouble from you or your friends.” Ash laughs and to my surprise lifts Violet up and spins her around. “I’m too scared of you Violet to try anything. I’ll be on my best behaviour, scouts honour.” Violet laughs. “Since when were you a scout?” Ash pretends to be hurt. “Don’t you remember I tried it out for a day? It wasn’t my fault that I got told to leave, that kid shouldn’t have taken my seat at the table.” Raising her eyes up Violet gestures towards a large table where Ash’s friends are sitting. “Go on I’ll get the waitress to take your order.”

The others make room for us and Cally pulls me towards her whispering, “Have you heard that the Sherriff is looking into what happened at the beach last night.” Shaking my head I notice that she looks worried. “I heard that the Freyview crowd took a terrible beating and ended up in hospital. Everyone knows who did it but they can’t prove anything. Do you think they’ll get in trouble?” Looking around me at Ash and his gang it strikes me that they look as though they don’t have a care in the world. They obviously aren’t bothered and I wonder what the outcome will be. Shrugging I whisper, “He hasn’t said anything to me but I’ll bet nothing happens. It didn’t before and if no one says it was them I can’t see how they can be blamed.” Cally still looks worried though and I share her anxiety.

I sit back in my seat and watch them all laughing and joking amongst themselves. As I look around me I notice that they are the subjects of lots of scrutiny from the other diners, particularly the women who can’t take their eyes off them. They certainly command attention and I know that I was equally mesmerised by them when I first saw them. Leaning towards me Ash grabs hold of my hand. “You’re quiet Angel are you ok?” Looking at him with a worried expression I tell him what Cally said. He smiles and squeezes my hand. “I’ve told you before; nothing ever comes back on us. If it did then my uncle or father would sort it. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

Then whispering huskily in my ear he says, “I can’t wait to get you alone again. I want you to myself; I have done since we left my room last night.” Feeling myself blush I look down and he laughs. Luckily the breakfast arrives and I am spared answering. I actually can’t wait to be alone with him, it’s all I’ve thought of since his room and a feeling of excitement and promise shoots through me. I can feel his leg putting pressure against mine and it is all I can do not to drag him outside and demand that he take me to his house immediately. I can’t believe how much I’ve changed in such a short space of time. I don’t even recognise myself anymore. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve never felt so alive.

As soon as we’ve finished we all head off outside. Cally and Jacob are going to Jacob’s secret place as he calls it. He winks at me as I watch Cally take up her position behind him on his bike. Ash grins wickedly at him. “See you later Bro, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Jacob laughs. “That’s a short list. See you later.” They speed off and Ash laughs as he sees them go. Of all his friends I know that Jacob is his best friend. They act more like brothers and have been close ever since they were very young. Quade shouts over. “You coming to the Gym Ash?” Taking my hand he shouts back, “Maybe later. I’m going to hang out with Grace, I’ll call you.” Quade smiles at me and then heads off, closely followed by the others. Looking at Ash I nod towards them. “You can go if you want; I don’t want you to feel as if you have to be with me.” Pulling me towards him Ash kisses my neck. “No Grace, I have plans for you and it certainly doesn’t include them.” Feeling a delicious feeling spread through my body I shiver in anticipation. Pulling me behind him on to the bike I hold him tightly. I wonder where we are going.