Salem Moon (29 page)

She was the love of his life, he would have no other, but he also knew he could not place her in danger.

His heart sank as he came to the unwanted conclusion that he would have to leave her
and take
Lucien away with him. Go back from whence he
’
d come. How he would do this, he did not yet know, but he saw no other way. And then, as always, whenever he thought of her, his heart was at once full, the hunger of desire was upon him. He needed her, as much as he wanted her. His eyes
darted
to the hospital doors every time they swung open and waiting for her became agony, because
now he knew
the clock was ticking on the short time they had left together.

*****

The hospital room was cheery with its many cards and flowers. Lilac leaned back into the heap of pillows and sighed. Lily sat at her side, on the bed, just as she had when they were little girls. She listened intently as Lilac told her all the terrible things Lucien had done to her.

Outside of the room, Lilac
’
s parents watched through the glass. They hadn
’
t left her side since she
’
d been here.

“
They
’
re hovering over me like I
’
m a child,
”
Lilac said, rolling her eyes. But, her smile revealed her true feelings. She was happy to have their attention, and she knew she was
loved
, truly loved. The kind of love she craved, not to be confused with the love she
’
d searched for in all the men that she
’
d slept with.

“
What do you know about Lucien?
”
Lily asked.

She
’
d sensed Lilac
’
s fear, even with her parents standing guard, her eyes moved nervously whenever someone passed by her room and she now slept with all the lights on. She was
petrified
of him.

“
If I told you, you
’
d never believe me…,
”
Lilac said quietly.

“
I
’
m your best friend
. Of
course I
’
ll believe you.
”

“
He
’
s not human, Lily. He
’
s a man but…not a mortal man. And, he can take the shape of other livin
’
things too. Then, he revealed what he said was his true nature, an Angel.

“
Another time, he showed up at that horrible place as a white wolf. He killed a gator in the swamp, viciously
tore
it to bits. And, while I was relieved that he
’
d killed it, I think…he was
warning
me too
, letting me know
he had the power to destroy me or anyone else at will. His image wavered and I saw him transform from the wolf back to a man. Finally, he changed to the beautiful angel again. I remember his
…
wings
,
they encircled him, rising on the top and comin
’
down
,
nothin
’
like I thought an angel would look at all! He had some sort of…tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. Looked like some cult thin
g or somethin
’
.
”
Lilac shivered
at the memory of
it, wrapping
her arms protectively around herself.

“
Do you…believe me, Lily?
”

“
I do believe you.
”

“
What kind of angel
does
those things? I thought if I ever saw one, it meant that I had a guardian angel, that I was…special. And the sex…I thought I loved him, because I
’
ve never been with anyone like him, but he used me, angel or not, just like all the rest…
”
She began to weep silently.

“
I think the only kind of angel that would hurt a human being is a fallen angel.
”
Lily softly brushed the tears from her friend
’
s face.

“
Hmmm…yeah, maybe…I don
’
t know, but I
’
ll tell you this, Lily, I
’
m done looking for love by promisin
’
sex to all these guys
who end up using me like that
.
A
nd I
’
m not
goin
’
to Louisiana to school, either. I
’
ve seen all I want to see of that place. I
’
m going to Salem State with you, where I belong.
”

A look of fear came into her
eyes suddenly.
“
Do you think he—Lucien—
will come back to…fi
nish what he started? He woulda
killed me when he
’
d had enough. I know it!
”

“
Sshh, everything will be okay Lilac. Your parents are here and I
’
m here.
”

“
But, he
’
s so powerful, Lily, you have no idea
.
How can we fight him?
”

“
I…don
’
t know. I have an idea, though. Maybe if you love enough and are protected by those who love you, his powers just might weaken. Even though you
’
re Wiccan and have faith in universal consciousness, in the goodness of nature and the deities, I don
’
t suppose faith in God could hurt, either.
”
Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold chain with a small crucifix attached.

She
’
d taken if off when Gabriel had placed his mother
’
s locket around her neck, but kept it still, because it meant so much to her.

She remembered the protest of her parents at first about it
,
they wore only jewelry that held pagan symbols, or were made of the many wondrous jewels nature itself provided. As time went by, however, they got used to seeing it. When she turned eighteen they respected her right to choose her own beliefs. Well, her Dad did, her mother still harbored resentment about it.

She gently fastened the clasp behind Lilac
’
s neck, noticing how small and delicate
it
was
,
how easily Lucien could have choked the life out of her.

“
Look at them, out there Lily. My parents. No fighting, no drama…it
’
s
weird
. But, good weird, yah know?
”
Lilac closed her hand around the small, golden cross.

“
This is what I needed all along, for them to show they love and care about me and that
’
s enough. I
’
ll be okay as long as I have that. As for romantic love, I think I
’
ll wait for it to find me, rather than go chasin
’
after it. Maybe someone like Gabriel will come along for me. A Blackstone, mind you who would
’
ve thought?
”

Both of them were silent for a moment or two and then Lilac said seriously,
“
You love him, I mean
really
love him don
’
t you?
”

“
Yes, I love him with all of my heart. It scares me how much I love him. I cannot imagine my life without him.
”

“
And, he…loves you like that?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
I
’
m truly happy for you Lily, even though I know the obstacles the two of you will face, what with the so called Snow curse and the never ending hatred between the families.
”

“
The choice wasn
’
t either of ours to make. I can
’
t choose
not
to love him anymore than I can to love him. I think
it
’
s
the same for him.
”

As the pain medication took hold, Lilac began to fall asleep. Lily wished her
“
goodnight
”
and went out the door
.
Gabriel stood waiting for her.

Just the mere sight of him made Lily
’
s heart beat faster, her palms sweat and she felt a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. The hospital was a busy place with doctors, nurses and visitors coming and going
. She saw them all
through a blur
. Only
Gabriel shone through.

How piercing were his grey violet eyes, everything about him was more vivid than all the colors in the world. He was her knight in shining armor, like
someone
out of a fairy tale
. He
treated her as if she were a princess. Graciously, he placed a very respectful kiss on her cheek. Not even
“
till death do us part
”
would be enough time with him
. She
’
d
love him for all eternity.

“
How is she?
”
Gabriel asked.

“
Oh, I think she
’
ll be okay.
”
She sighed. At least something good came out of all this
.
She
finally got
her parent
s to give her the attention
she so desperately needs. But…
do you think Lucien will go after her again?
”

“
No, I won
’
t allow it
.
”
The rest of his thoughts went unsaid. His biggest fear was he would hurt Lily. That
she
was his main objective, to take her unto himself, and to hurt him in the process. He needed
t
o be a man for her, a real man
,
strong, protective and loving.
And he would protect her with his last breath, but right now, he wanted to hold her in his arms and make love to her, probably for the last time.

“
Let
’
s go to the carriage house, I want to be alone with you
.
”
His
voice
was
husky
with desire.

“
And here I was just thinkin
’
of how pure and respectful you are,
”
she teased.

“
Ah, you would not think me pure if you knew my thoughts at this very moment. I shall go mad if I cannot make love to you, I need you now.
”

His need for her burned like a raging fire
,
knowing
as he did
that which he could not bring himself to tell her, not just yet. The only way to really keep her safe was to leave her and take Lucien with him. He could not bring himself to break her heart, even as the pain of it made his own heart feel as if it would cease to beat.

“
L
ay still, my love
.
”
Gabriel gently
laid
Lily on top of the luxurious quilt
which covered
the old four poster bed. The bed was an original antique
,
which her mother made up fresh, like clockwork once a month. He looked down at her long dark hair fanning out like a large bouquet of flowers across the pillow
.
As he removed his shirt, he leaned
down
and kissed her. They kissed, slowly and tenderly, his
hands
stroking her hair. He kissed the tip of her perfectly shaped nose. When she closed her eyes, he kept his open, not wanting to miss even one moment of gazing upon her face. He kissed her eyelids, before moving back to her mouth. Her head came up off the pillow to fully receive his kiss.
Their kiss was d
eliciously slow
at first,
before becoming more urgent, more passionate.
His mouth grazed
the tiny hollow of her throat, and as he did, he removed her shirt.
Her
bare breasts touched his own skin, so warm and soft against his chest.