Fire and Ash (Immortal Touch) (49 page)

“Doesn
’t the sweet lamb look like a right angel from heaven tonight?” the Scotswoman gushed lovingly.

“Would you believe that was
my wedding dress?” Abby revealed. “The one she originally picked out got ruined - I still can’t figure out how
that
happened - and she called me asking if I still had mine. It was a perfect fit, too. We didn’t even have to have it altered. Hard to believe I used to be that size. Looks like it was made just for her, doesn’t it?”

“That it does.
What a lovely thing to be able to hand down to yer daughter. I ne’er had any bairns o’ my own, but my Jules, he was always like a son to me. I claim him as such, anyway.”

“It’s a shame you have no living relatives
other than your father,” Abby commented to him. “But you don’t have any shortage of family now, that’s for sure. I wonder if you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into with this bunch!”

“Nonsense
- I’m honored to call myself a part of your family.”

“I’m sure Chloe and Christine would
n’t mind if Aunt Ryanne adopted him,” Eva joked. Her twelve-year-old cousins had stared at him and giggled together behind their hands all evening, until Julian finally asked them both to dance. They’d had stars in their eyes ever since.

“She and your Uncle Andrew are going to have their hands full when those two start dating
,” her mother predicted, rolling her eyes.

“
Going
to? They’ve
had
their hands full since the day those two terrors were born!”

“Twins run in the family
on our side, Julian - you better keep that in mind for future reference,” Abby informed him with a mischievous wink. He merely smiled.

“Where are you
two spending your honeymoon?” Dr. Spencer asked.

“
Virgin Islands. We’re staying at the Ritz-Carlton.” Eva grinned. “I can’t wait.”

“I might just stow away in your suitcase,” Abby threatened.

“There’s plenty of room in there. All I packed was a bikini.” Eva nudged Julian playfully. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed to change their plans back on such short notice, but she might have known he’d find a way.

“If I’d known that, I would have book
ed an earlier flight!” he laughed.

“Save it for the honeymoon, you guys,” came a voice from behind. Mary Ellen, Eva’s best friend since childhood, aimed a camera at them. “Smile!”

“Oh, not more pictures,” Eva groaned, but she leaned close to Julian anyway and flashed the obligatory smile. The professional photographer had already captured them in every pose imaginable. She was going to have enough photos to fill a dozen scrapbooks, at least.

And that was okay. There wasn’t a moment of this she wanted
forgotten. A hundred years from now, when her loved ones were gone, she wanted this one night to be fresh still in her memory. Something beautiful to hold on to forever.

There were only two
from the guest list who failed to make an appearance. Aaron and Paula Chandler were notably absent. The missing person posters that were plastered all over Brightwood were a stark reminder of why. It grieved Eva to know that she could provide no closure for Dane’s frantic parents. She and Julian had spent days searching for his remains but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and no trace of him was ever uncovered. There was nothing else that could be done. She never should have intervened, never should have helped him cheat death. It returned to claim him in the end. Maybe it was meant all along for him to die with Imogen that night. Fate was a vengeful bitch.

The
newlyweds had one last dance together before leaving for the airport. She felt like a princess at the happy ending of a fairy tale, whirling around in the arms of her prince to a beautiful instrumental version of
Unforgettable
. That’s what this night was - unforgettable. The past was in the past and though the future ahead might conceal its own perils, tonight held only magic.

And who couldn’t use a little magic?

EPILOGUE

The sky was a gloomy gray, but the winds were calm and the sea
was peaceful.

Seated beside Laiken in his small speedboat, Sami was readying her div
ing equipment while he studied the GPS. At the moment she was attempting to untangle the tubes and regulators he’d left in a careless pile. She was beginning to question her own sanity for going scuba diving with someone who didn’t even take proper care of his equipment. He didn’t strike her as the most responsible person in the world. But she was here now, and there was no way she was backing out. This was something that had to be done. It was time to take control of her life.

He slowed the boat and commented to her, “Hope the rain holds off. At least there’s no lightning.”

“Afraid of getting wet?” She raised her eyebrows with a grin.

He grinned back and got up to lower the anchor over the bow, then shut off the engine after backing up just enough to tighten the line. A sudden quiet surrounded them, broken only by the soft murmurs of the waves as they gently splashed the sides of the boat. When he spoke, his voice was a foreign sound that didn’t belong in the still air.

“I’m surprised you agreed to this. I kinda figured you and Reid were an item, after seein’ you at the beach that night.”

“I’d rather not talk about that, if you don’t mind. Sore subject.”

“No problem, sunflower. I know how it is.” His eyes traveled up and down her wetsuit appreciatively. “All I’m gonna say is, that man was crazy as hell if he didn’t realize what he had.”

She cocked her head sideways.
“Well, thank you. I appreciate the compliment.”

“
I calls it like I sees it. You ’bout ready to dive, froggie?”

“Are we
in the right spot?”

“These are the coordinates you gave me.”

“Then I’m just about ready. Hand me those fins, will you?”

He
passed her the pair of fins, then reached for his own buoyancy control device and began strapping the tank to it. “Don’t forget to check your pressure gauge,” he reminded her.

“I did.”
She picked up her mask and searched through her beach bag for the small bottle of defogger.

“
So what’s so special about this particular spot?”

“
Oh…you know. I thought we could look for sunken treasure or something.”

“
Sunken treasure. Right.” He gave her a curious look. “Just what exactly is supposed to be down there, anyway?”

She
gave a shrug and replied furtively, “Why…Poseidon, of course.”

He would never believe the truth, even if she had any intention of revealing it. And she didn’t. It was among the
many things held in her strictest confidence. For instance, the most important secret whispered to her in the night. Something known only to her and the one being sheltered by the sea.

And that was p
recisely how long it took for a decapitated vampire’s body to begin to deteriorate beyond any hope of regeneration.

The answer…

A lot longer than one would think.

It’s all about the
path we choose, flightless dove.

She’d
chosen her path. If Tristan was right about the dagger being authentic, then that bastard Julian Winter would have destroyed Asher permanently. And she could hardly stand back and allow that, could she?

So she’d done what had to be done. Because sometimes you had to hurt a person
if you wanted to save them.

Sliding her arms into the vest,
she looked over at Laiken with a crafty smile.

“Are you ready to go someplace dark?”

~*~*~*~

A resident of sunny
Florida, Allie Gail is the author of
Unconventional Scars
and
Winter’s Touch: Immortal Touch Book One
. When she isn’t busy obsessing over the lexicon of her novels, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, a cat on her lap and music impairing her hearing from headphones turned up way too high. Or sometimes roaming about Azeroth as a night elf rogue. Yep, that’s right.

And yes, on occasion…at the beach.

Find
Allie at
http://www.facebook.com/alliegailauthor
.