The Awakening (5 page)

             
“I accept, your Lord,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.  There was a sudden loud rumble with
in
the clouds outside
,
followed quickly by a brilliant flash of light, and then all was quiet once more.  He held her eyes for what seemed an eternity without speaking, then slowly pulled away and stood to look down at her once more.
Gone for a moment was the
carefree expression
he’d had moments earlier, r
ep
laced by the hungered look of a predator
, and she shivered again
.

             
“
Vivienne will be around shortly with fresh clothes.  When you’ve changed, I’ll be out on the portico
, as will
breakfast.”
He started to leave then turned back to smile at her, and she felt a
disconcerting
mixture of both relief and disappointment when she saw that the hungry expression was now gone, replaced once more by th
e congenial host
, though his eyes danced with mischief
.  “Don’t be long – we’ve a busy day ahead of us.  My people are most anxious to meet the woman who threw up
her dinner
all over their Lord last night.”

             
“I did no such thing!” she retorted.  “I, I – ohhh – you
know!
  I
at least
showed the good grace
to duck over a log and into the bushes.”

             
“Yes, that I do remember,” he said smiling, “a most interesting show.”  He remembered
how
the curve of her bottom had bobbed and weaved before him and Dominic
in a way that would had left him hungry, no matter what her current state had been
.  “Of course,
you
know that, and
I
know that, but them?”  He shrugged, letting his unspoken words say it all.

             
Before she could respond he was gone and she grabbed one of the overstuffed pillows from the bed to hurl at the spot where he
had stood
, scowling in frustration. 
Great – what a brilliant way to start her service.  By throwing up on a God.

             
And apparently
it was the main topic along the island gossip trail.

             
Still scowling, she sank back into the bed
and pulled the sheet over her head.  For just a moment she
hoped
that she would wake up from this bizarre dream she had stumbled into, but then the soft hum of a woman’s voice began to carry down along the hallway on the other side of a large oak door
,
and she knew in an instant that it was Vivienne.  With a sigh she sat back up and waited. 

             
Two weeks, she thought as she chewed nervously at her bottom lip.  The taste of him still lingered and she ran her fingers lightly
along where he had kissed her. 
She could feel the tug of him at her soul and she
responded with a tug of her own in an effort to push him away,
irritated and irrational all in the same breath.  Her brother had warned her of those Go
ds
who sought only to rob a muse of her
virtue
and little more, but she did not think this was Aramis’ intent. 
No, she fully believe
d
he meant to do just as he had said, and make her his wife.

             
But what if she refused?  What if, at the end of two weeks, she wanted to go home?  Would he really let her go?

             
Or worse, what if she found she never wanted to leave him again.  Was she truly prepared to spend an eternity tied to him?

             
There was a knock at the door and her thoughts were disrupted as the elderly woman swept into the room, all swirling skirts of colorful silks and smelling like lilac in early spring. 

             
“You must be Vivienne,” Thais said as the woman came around to help her out of bed.  Oddly enough Thais felt no shame in her nudity, something which both stunned and empowered her. 
             
             
“That I am,” she said with a nod and a smile
as she slipped a long silk robe over Thais’ shoulders
.  She was graceful and regal, with soft wisps of silver hair that she kept held away from her face with a simple gold band.  “Now, come along, a hot bath has been drawn for you and breakfast will soon be ready.  Aramis is most anxious to show you the beauty of his island, and of his people.”  She wound her arm through Thais in a
comforting
sign of affection and Thais smiled as she began to walk with her towards the massive bathing chamber just off the master suite. 

             
“Do you think they will like me?”

             
Vivienne stopped and turned to look at her, eyes as brilliantly blue as Aramis’,
and Thais felt her probe sharp and intrusive as she suddenly seemed to peel away at all that Thais was, layer by maddening layer.  Thais stood still and waited, unafraid of her scrutiny, but feeling the searing heat of her assessment all the same.

             
And then
Vivienne
smiled, and Thais found she could breathe again
as
the older woman bent to place a warm kiss upon her brow.

             
“It is as it should be, Thais Mousa.  I’ve no doubt they will love you as they love their Lord.  Now come, let’s not keep Aramis waiting.  He can be quite impatient at times.  I do hope marrying will settle that annoying twitch of his.”

             
Thais didn’t say a word
.
  She was far from certain she’d be staying, after all. 

             
At least, that’s what she was telling herself. 

             
For now.

             
Thais
sat quietly beside
Aramis where he was sprawled casually on a thick blanket in the sand,
feeling his pain and inspiring his hope.
In the distance, the evening
skies filled with thick, billowing thunderheads, their underbellies swollen and bruise
black as they moved slowly inlan
d from sea.  Ahead of the storm
waves
had begun
to build and crest, collapsing in on themselves as they were forced into the tiny lagoon, and the sight and smell of it all soothed her soul.  It was
beyond beautiful
here, a tropical paradise of temperate climate and beautiful spirit.

             
It had been a wondrous two weeks of laughter and tears that she had spent with
him
and
his people, and the memories she now carried made her
feel complete
.
She had seen precious souls given a second chance at life, and had seen aged souls go eagerly towards the light that they might at last know the Creator’s final secrets.  The Wheel of Time
itself was in constant motion and evidence here
, and life flowed and swelled all around with confidence and strength
.  The
balance therein was peaceful, welcoming and, as she was finally able to admit to herself – home.

             
Home
, she thought
again,
with a small tug at her heart
. 

             
She
felt him stir beside her, keenly attuned to her every emotion.  That
would take some getting
used
to
.  But it would be a wonderful task to learn, and she knew in that moment that she wanted nothing more to stay by his side.  She had known from the beginning that their destinies were so intricately woven together that she really wasn’t free to make any choice at all.

             
She turned her attention back to the setting sun, listening as the waves pressed along one another to lap at the beach.  It wasn’t long before she heard them – a familial pod of whales that had surfaced to sing their songs.  It was a haunting melody, moving and surreal, and the
purity of it
swelled within her
. 
She stood quietly
and made her way towards the water’s edge, her bare feet leaving tiny indentations in the sand to mark her path.  Her hips swayed as she walked, and she was aware
of the tightness in her chest and a growing heat in the pit of her stomach
as the salty sea air kissed along her skin.

             
Feeling his eyes upon her, she closed her own eyes and lifted delicate arms over her head before raising her voice in song.  The night around responded, growing hushed and quiet as the world held its breath before the whales joined in. 
H
er voice
called to them and to the very heart of creation,
a smooth blending of sound
that caressed around the soul
to l
end strength and the promise of redemption
.

             
From where he remained seated on their blanket in the sand, Aramis watched her intently as he listened to her song, her voice
rich
with warmth and healing.  She
had become
life, love and hope to him,
all bundled together
in a smallish package of womanhood that sang to his very
being
.  He felt his mind grow easy and relaxed, and as he laid back, his eyes
lazy and slanted
,
his body hummed with contentment. 

             
She was so much more than a si
mple muse, he thought as he watched her connecting with his world.  She was the light of creation embodied within the soul of a woman; a woman whose
self
seemed another half of his own, and he felt the familiar throb of need, wanting nothing more than to get tangled up inside of her.
  In the two weeks they had spent together, he had come to make her thoughts his own and his hers, so that they had become intimately connected.  It had been as natural as breathing to them both, and the need to keep her close had been so demanding that he had not even allowed her to sleep away from him, insisting instead that she
sleep in
his bed while he spent those hours on the portico
at a safe distance,
simply enjoying the sound of her breathing.

             
He sighed and his mind reached out to brush against hers, needing to feel her, knowing
that there would never again be light in a world without her in it.

             
In the distance thunder began to rumble, and the first droplets of rain began to fall from the sky
fat and wet
as they
melted into the sand.
  She turned back to smile at him over her shoulder, and he felt his
body tighten in response.
 

             
“A storm approaches,” she said quietly, her eyes locked with his.

             
“It does,” he answered thickly
.

             
“I’m frightened,” she whispered, and he stood and went to her, wrapping her within his arms as he bent to place soft, soothing kisses against her brow.

             
“As am I,” he answered truthfully, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes.  “I’ve never felt these things
before
that I feel with and for you,” he admitted, and his eyes began to dance along the inviting curve of her lips.  “I know only that you are meant to complete me, and that without you, I will be lost to myself forever.”

             
“Nothing would make me happier than to stay here with you as your wife.  I accept Aramis, if you’ll still have me
,” she said softly as she smiled up at him.  “I could as easily stop breathing as live without you.” 

             
He smiled and then his lips found hers, sliding against them in a delicious caress that left her shaking and breathless as he pulled away.

             
“Then let us not waste time,” he said with a throaty growl as he pressed against her for the first time without restraint, and she sighed in anticipation of what lay ahead.  “I will have Dominic make the arrangements, and we will have the bonding ceremony in 2 days time.”  His hand slid possessively along the curve of her back and she shivered at the familiarity of it, only a little shocked to find she
was as eager as he to feel the
heat of their skin pressed close together.

             
“As you wish,” she said with a smile, and he threw back his head to laugh, a sound she was fast growing to love.