Fateful (15 page)

Taking in her sentimental reaction, Ethan
wrapped his arms around her.

The temptation to breathe in his scent
was too much. Danielle inhaled deeply, and then began feeling dizzy
again. She didn’t really care, but she pulled away to look up into
his face. “So all of this ... your scent that makes me mystified,
your eyes that entrance me ... are all just part of the curse? How
do I know how I
really
feel
about you?”

A confused expression overtook his face.
After a few moments while he studied her face, it shifted into
understanding. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain this better before. I
thought I had.”

“Explain what?” she asked, secretly liking
the fact that he hadn’t let go of her yet. Her fingers found and
hooked around the belt loops on his jeans.

“It’s daytime right now, the curse is
weaker. You shouldn’t be influenced in the same way as you would at
night, but somehow you are. And it
is
only
you, Danielle. I can look other people in the eye
during daylight and not make them faint.

“However, I do have a theory.” Ethan mused
for a moment, his fingers playing with a lock of her hair that hung
past her shoulder. “It may have something to do with another thing
I noticed the first time we met, and this is what I thought I’d
already made clear, but apparently not. The recognition—”

“That’s what you were talking to Beon about
at the tea party!”

He froze, his lips curled into a smirk as one
eyebrow lifted. “You heard that?”

“Sorry.” She flashed a guilty grin at
him.

“You’re the one who was in the kitchen.”

“Really sorry. I didn’t mean to listen. I
couldn’t help myself ... but why couldn’t you smell that it was
me?”

“It was daytime.” His smile suggested she
should understand that by now.

“Right,” she said. “Again, I’m sorry—”

“You don’t need to apologize, Danielle. I’m
glad you heard us.” Again he paused. “May I?”

“May you what?”

Ethan took a gentle hold on her waist and
moved her until her back was against the timeworn wall. He placed
each hand on the wall on either side of her. He leaned in and
kissed her cheek, then her jaw, soft feathery kisses that felt
tender and again—familiar. He drew a line of comforting kisses from
there to just below her ear. She tried not to react to the
proximity of his mouth to her throat, but felt her muscles tense
anyway.

Noticing, Ethan said, “Danielle, I
can’t bite you in that way right now. Trust me.” He nuzzled her
skin with his nose. “There’s something else I need you to
understand,” he whispered, his gentle lips now moving against her
skin. She relaxed as he lifted his head and looked into her eyes
with the full strength of his bewitching gaze. Danielle’s head
began to spin again. With the length and intensity this time, it
somehow felt different, even more overpowering. She felt naked,
like he could see all of her. Her knees turned to jelly and began
to buckle under her weight. Ethan wrapped one strong arm around her
waist to hold her up, and the other he placed gently on the side of
her face to keep her head from lulling to the side, not allowing
the gaze to be broken—and then—something magical happened. She
started to see something in his eyes she had only experienced
whispers of previously. She felt an
overwhelming
feeling that they knew each other
before—before this life!

“Do you see it, Danielle?” he asked gently.
“Do you see what I see?”

“Yes ... I—I think I do.” She gasped. “I
really do know you!” she said in awe. Before, she’d only thought it
was this strange déjà vu, but it was so much more! “You know, if
you’d shown that to me earlier I wouldn’t have run away.”

“Sorry, I thought I had. Apparently I was
horribly vague about it.”

“So, you can see my soul? Do you know
me?”

“Yes, I know you. When I look into your eyes,
Danielle, I see everything about you: your innocence, your
sweetness, the secret violent side you hide beneath ruffles and
lace.” He smiled knowingly. “Even that streak of impatience you
have.”

On a gasp, she said, “You’re old,
educated...”

Laughing, “You’re creative.”

“You’re so patient.” Compared to her
impatience, they were opposites in that. Looking again at eyes of
sapphire she noticed something else. “You’re possessive!” The
jealous type. “How did you really feel about my date with
Peter?”

Offering a crooked smile he responded, “You
really think I left?” When she didn’t respond to that, he added,
“You did see Lucas, by the way.”

A lump of fear sank to the pit of her
stomach. “But you were there...”

“Yes. Beon and I kept him away.”

So that’s why he’d fed the caution spawned by
that worry. Their gazes lingered as they studied one another, got
to know one another.

“You’re...” His expression changed as he
trailed off and an amused suspicion lifted the corners of his
poetically handsome mouth. “You’re not simply frightened of spiders
and—”

She looked away, severing the connection.
Apparently he decided to let it slide when she asked, “Can this
really happen?”

Ethan chuckled softly at her shocked
reaction. “Danielle, I think we were meant to be because I think we
chose one another before this mortal life, and that’s why we
recognize each other.”

“Is this some reincarnation sort of
thing?”

Shaking his head, he said, “No. I don’t
believe in that. We only live one life here. I’m certain our
spirits have lived longer than either of us have on this planet,
and because of that, I strongly feel we knew each other there.”

“But how do you know?”

“I suppose I don’t truly
know
, but I do believe in God.”
After another pause where he touched the collar of her jacket, he
said, “I think Heavenly Father may have actually allowed me to
suffer this curse so we could meet. We never would have
otherwise.”

She too shared his faith in a higher being
and was relieved to hear such words from him. However, there were
problems with this scenario. “I—how can we be together if you—if we
live different lives?” He was cursed! And a twinge of panic
flickered over her when she realized he might want to.... “Does
that mean you want to make me into a vampire?” she asked nervously,
trying to escape his arms. She wasn’t sure that was something she
wanted, even though she wanted to be with him.

Stopping her struggles, he tugged her
to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “Shhh.” He tried to
soothe her by stroking her hair gently. “No, never. I can’t curse
you too. I know some have chosen to live the curse, immortal life
is a tempting thing to many. But it
is
still a curse. I could never bear to see you
consumed with the bloodlust that haunts us. I want to keep you
exactly as you are. And I could never watch that happen to you
knowing I was the one who did it to you.” He paused, his brows
furrowed. “Even though Beon suggested that
is
what I should do,” he confessed.

“Beon?”

“He leads the Order. I trust him.”

Danielle gasped, deciding maybe she
didn’t like this Beon guy. Hot tears tracked down her cheeks again.
She felt like he
was
the one
for her, yet she didn’t know if she could be with him. It seemed
hopeless. “Can’t the curse be broken?” she asked
desperately.

A small but sad smile touched his mouth.
“There is a legend or prophecy amongst vampires. It talks about the
curse being cured or lifted. But I can’t recall it. I know it’s
very vague, and doesn’t make much sense, so most of our kind have
thrown it out as nonsense.”

“Oh! The Frog Prince!” she clamored. She felt
certain he was wondering where in the world that random statement
came from, and then a light bulb went on in his expression.

“Yes, that one is true too, but it was an
enchantment cast by a witch. It was easier to break the spell with
a simple kiss.” He watched her sadly with patience. “Danielle …
we’ve already kissed. I’m still a frog.”

“Sorry,” she muttered with a frown. “Just
grasping at straws.”

He laughed and enveloped her body into a
tighter embrace. “All will be well, have hope, chérie.”

Is there hope? She had no idea if there was
because she wasn’t sure if she really wanted a relationship with a
vampire. Scared and uncertain, she snuggled into his neck and
shoulder breathing in the dark magic that enticed her as much as it
repulsed her.

Danielle pulled back, just enough to lift her
face toward his, wishing for another taste of him. Lifting off her
heals she pressed her mouth against his. Smiling, he returned the
kiss. Their lips lingered, gently caressing. His scrumptious,
though wicked scent swirled around her until his flavor saturated
her tongue and she consumed the enchantment holding him.

Ethan stiffened and pulled away to study her
face. His love-struck smile was replaced with an impish one.
“Danielle, are you under my spell again?”

“Maybe,” she sighed appealing and went for
his lips again.

Placing his hands on either side of her face,
he stopped her just before her mouth touched his. “But, it’s
daytime! I still don’t understand this. This is what confused me so
much the first time we talked at your uncle’s place. You nearly
collapsed then, and I never even touched you. Why does this wicked
curse affect you now when I should be mostly free of it?” The
question wasn’t for her.

“Maybe you just get to me like that.” She
giggled like a drunk, which surprised her, she didn’t normally act
like this. It was like she was intoxicated with a potent love
potion. But she couldn’t help it, and she liked it, completely
forgetting the evil surrounding the hero of her story.

Ethan ignored her obvious enrapture. “Maybe …
maybe it does have to do with our connection. Hmm, I wonder...”

“What? You wonder what?”

“I’ll tell you later, I want to test
something out first.”

“Now what?” Danielle tried pouting to
persuade an answer out of him, but he wasn’t falling for it.

“I think it’s time we got back.” His brawny
arms released her along with his desirable spell, and he started
packing up the picnic.

“We’re leaving now?” She frowned. Danielle
wanted to stay; she wanted to hang out, to make out....

Aware of her disappointment, a grin drew
across his face. “I need to talk to Beon. I need to ask him about
this prophecy right away, and you need to meet the Order.”

“Now? This is only our third date!” In truth
she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet this Order or Beon who wanted to
curse her.

Ethan dropped what he was doing and turned to
take Danielle by the arms. He paused like he wasn’t sure what it
was he meant to do with her, then as a glimmer of mischief
flickered to life in his gaze. He kissed her until she couldn’t
stand and helped her settle down onto the low part of a crumbling
wall.

With her drugged by his magic, he softly
placed a kiss on her forehead, and went to gather up the picnic
items as before. When finished, he turned to scoop her up and
hauled everything—including Danielle—back to the car. He was using
his magic on her to get what he wanted! And Danielle wasn’t sure
how she felt about that, secretly hating herself for liking it so
much.

Chapter 9

Where the Cursed Dwell

It was early afternoon, and they were on the
way to what Ethan called Order headquarters.

Still not fond of the idea, Danielle sat
quietly and watched out the window, not really seeing the scenery
as she went over everything she’d just learned in her head
again.

Ethan had been really quiet too and she
glanced at him briefly. “What’s wrong?” she asked when she took in
the upset twist of his mouth and the lines of stress around his
eyes.

He met her gaze, held it for a beat or two,
then reached over to sweep Danielle’s hair out of her face. “While
I feel it extremely important we go to Beon and learn more about
this prophecy,” he swallowed, “I’m worried about one of the Order
members.”

“Who?” Why?

Ethan sighed before saying with a note of
anger in his tone, “Celeste.”

“I thought most of them where men.”

“Most of them are, but not all. There are
many who support our cause.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Some of them, well many of them have turned
a new leaf, so to speak.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning there are repentant killers amongst
our ranks.”

Startled and more than a little frightened
she shot a look his way. “How can you trust any of them?” she asked
horrified at the idea.

“The majority of the Order members can be
trusted.”

“But this Celeste is one of the ones you
don’t trust?”

“It’s not simply a matter of trust.”

“What do you mean?” A deep sense of worry
lodged in her lungs. Silently she waited.

“She’s the one who turned me,” he finally
said.

“Does that mean she has some sort of hold
over you?” Like the sire thing she’d heard about in some vampire
films.

Shuddering with repulsion, Ethan swiped a
hand over his forehead, as if the mere thought of Celeste being his
sire made him sweat. “Thank heavens no! She turned me, expecting
more from me—romantically. And because of that, there’s a chance
she won’t like the sight of you much.”

“She expected…?” Danielle fell
speechless then, as a bit of jealousy nipped at her. And she’d
mocked
him
for being the
jealous type, she mused irritably.

Apparently knowing her like he did, Ethan
answered her unspoken concern without her having asked. “Danielle,
she was never my girlfriend. We never even tried. She’s not my
type, and never was. There is something dark about her. Quite
honestly, she is rather like theatrical vampire vixens—almost
exactly as they’re portrayed in movies.” Ethan snickered
softly.