Unrequited (19 page)

“Will, I never thought I'd find you.”

Will was bewitched, and aware he was bewitched. There was something so magnetic about this woman that thoughts of Ashton slipped from his mind. He had a crushing desire to kiss this creature before him. Her smile widened, as though she could read his thoughts.

“Who are you?” Will finally asked.

“Gwendolyn. Don't you remember?” She circled Will, lightly touching his arm, his back, his shoulder.

Will knew she was also a vampire, and knew he didn’t remember meeting her before. He never would have forgotten meeting this woman.

“I don't remember. Remind me.” He challenged her, and it provoked the reaction he had hoped for. Gwendolyn placed her hands on the side of Will's face and pulled him close for a kiss. The kiss was wild and passionate and like nothing Will had ever experienced. This was a woman of age and experience and abandon. Her kiss made his heart race and his head spin, and as she pulled away he stopped her and kissed her once more.

Will knew everything about the past few minutes had been completely out of character, but he didn’t care. Gwendolyn was bringing out a new side of him, and like it or not, he wasn't going to fight it.

“I still don't know who you are,” Will said as he ran his hand through a length of her soft hair.

“Will, don't you know? I'm the one who made you.”

Thinking back on that moment, Will felt he should have been alarmed, but he wasn't. He well remembered the terror he felt when he had been changed. He had always prayed he would never ever cross paths with the creature who had delivered him into this life. Even so, when he met Gwendolyn, he felt like something inside had become complete.

He had asked her to return to town with him, but she had refused, saying she had a few matters to attend to before she could see him again. For three days he had been anticipating her arrival. Instead, he was met with Ashton, and the job of dismissing her from his life. When she had first appeared in his doorway, there had been a small flicker of the feeling he'd had for her before. The flicker disappeared, and was consumed by the strange pull he had felt ever since meeting Gwendolyn.

It was as though his words and actions were no longer quite his own, and somehow, he didn’t really care.

***

Griffin hadn't left his house in days. He had barely left his bedroom. There didn’t seem to be a point to the day anymore if Ashton wasn't going to be part of it. He tried reading to pass the time. At points he sat down to write a letter to Ashton, hoping it would help him sort his feelings. He felt weak. He hadn't fed in several days, so he spent a good amount of time just sleeping.

Daybreak had come again, and with it, the decision of how to spend the day. Eternity was going to seem even longer if he couldn’t find a way to occupy himself. He took a bath, still preferring the large clawfoot washtubs of his youth, and dressed himself. As he descended the stairs, he felt a presence. Someone, or something, was in his house.

In his weakened state his abilities to detect feelings and thoughts had diminished, and as such, someone had breached his privacy. He tried to get a feel for the person. There was a feminine air, but it wasn't a female of his acquaintance. Griffin could also detect a sort of menace from the intruder. Never one to beat around the bush, Griffin charged the rest of the way down the staircase and called out.

“Show yourself.”

Within moments, a gorgeous golden woman walked into the foyer where he was standing. She was a vampire. Other than that recognition, he felt nothing else as he looked at the stranger.

“Well hello, Griffin,” she purred at him and walked closer. He could tell she was used to having men react to her. She was a woman used to getting whatever she wanted.

“Who are you, and how do know me?” Griffin didn’t move, but watched as she bypassed him to walk into the parlor. She lowered herself to the settee.

“Why don't you come sit?” She motioned for him to take the space next to her.

“No.” He walked into the parlor and stood above her. “I will only ask you one more time. Who are you?” The threatening tone in his voice was unmistakable.

For just a moment, he thought he saw doubt in the beautiful creature's eyes, but he couldn’t be sure. She settled herself more deeply into the cushions on the settee.

“I'm Gwendolyn. I'm a friend of Will’s, and I thought I would try to be your friend too, if you let me.” She was all honeyed words, but there was something very dark behind them. Griffin knew Will would never befriend a woman such as this. It was completely out of his character. The only explanation could be…

“You are his maker.” Griffin didn’t ask, but instead stated what he knew must be the truth. Just as he had been drawn to Ashton after he changed her, this woman had sought out Will. It had just taken her centuries longer.

“Very smart, and I like a smart boy. I spend years without ever coming across our kind, and in the span of a week I find two…and both equally handsome.” She was good, Griffin would give her credit for that. A lesser man might fall under her spell. Vampires had a way of confusing the senses of mortals. He was no mortal, however, and there was nothing she could do to blind his senses.

“What brought you here? You obviously came to Belle Ridge for Will, so what do you want from me?” He waited as she glanced around the room, seemingly ignoring his question.

Finally, after several minutes, she spoke.

“Will is beautiful, that is why I chose him so many years ago. I like beautiful men. I have the luxury of beauty and immortality, and with that, I have an unlimited number of men at my disposal. When I create a companion for myself, I don't like it when he runs away. Will ran away from me, and I've always vowed I would find him.”

Griffin felt uneasy. He grabbed a smooth stone from a bowl on a nearby cabinet and rolled it between his fingers. The movement calmed him and gave him something to focus on. He needed to steel himself against this creature. Griffin did not speak, and waited for her to continue.

“There is only one problem, Griffin. Now that I have found Will, I find he doesn't quite suit my tastes. His pursuits are all intellect and charity. He bores me, and worse, he is so easily manipulated. You should have seen the way he sent that ridiculous girl running from his house. He is supposed to be madly in love with her, and with barely any effort on my part, he casts her away.” She slowly stood to face Griffin.

“I’d known Will less than a day when I knew he would never suit my needs. Then I sensed you here, and I thought perhaps there was a man who could be a lovely diversion for the next decade or two. Once I saw you, and felt you, I knew you were the challenge I have been looking for.” Gwendolyn placed her hand on Griffin's chest and started to slide it toward his neck.

He caught her hand before it could move an inch and cast it away from his body. “You are gravely mistaken. I am nobody's challenge, and I am not in the market to be your entertainment. I suggest you move on from Belle Ridge. Leave Will alone. Leave me alone. Just leave.” He grabbed her by the arm and quickly walked her to the door.

Gwendolyn stood on the porch. “Very well then,” she said in a voice that was far too sweet. She smiled and gave him a quick curtsy before she turned and walked away from the house.

Griffin watched until she was out of sight. He needed to talk to Will, but first, he needed to find blood. He needed to be on top of his game next time he faced Gwendolyn.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ashton couldn’t cry. She was too stunned. The future she thought she was embarking on had asked her to leave his house. A full day had passed, and she still couldn’t believe it. The more she thought about the events as they transpired, the more she felt something had caused it. The Will she saw didn’t resemble the Will she had known for so many years. He was cold, and there was an air of cruelty surrounding him.

“Something caused this,” she said aloud to herself. Her first instinct was to find Griffin and get him to help her sort it out. Ashton couldn’t pursue that line of thought, for she knew she had broken Griffin's heart. It would be unkind of her to ask him for help where Will was concerned.

Almost on cue, Griffin appeared at her bedroom door. He always knew when she needed him, and she had to admit there was a level of comfort in that knowledge.

“Griffin.” She was glad to see him.

“May I come in?” He stood in the doorway, his eyes hopeful.

“Of course, please sit down.” She motioned for him to take the bed as she moved to a chair in the corner of the room.

Griffin really was handsome, and he looked so large and dark and out of place in her still-girlish bedroom.

“How did you know I needed you?” she asked, knowing the answer.

“I will always come for you Ashton. Always.” He didn’t have to explain. Griffin had chosen her, and that was a forever-choice for him. He would dedicate himself to Ashton, even if he could never have her. It made Ashton profoundly sad. In that moment, Ashton wished she could return Griffin's love. She wanted to spare him the pain she knew he was feeling. She had gotten to know Griffin, and he had let her into his heart in a way she knew he had never allowed before. She was a thief. She had taken something from him she didn't deserve.

Ashton began to nervously fold a nearby piece of paper in an attempt to distract herself from the guilt. “Something has happened to Will. He has…changed.”

“I know. I know he isn't himself, and I know why. There is a woman.” As he spoke, Ashton felt a knife go through her. Another woman? Had Will really fallen in love with someone else in the space of a week?

She listened as Griffin continued.

“She is a vampire, Ashton. She’s his creator. She creates companions for herself and uses them for her own pleasure. When she tires of one, she creates another and moves on. She never had the chance to be with Will because he escaped. Now she has found him.” Ashton could hardly believe it, but she knew Griffin's words were true. It explained Will's strange behavior. She understood the power a creator had over their creation. She had felt it when she first met Griffin; it was an almost inescapable need to be near him.

Will must be feeling the same thing, and it meant there was a chance he would never regain any of his feelings for Ashton.

“Ashton, don't look so forlorn. This woman, Gwendolyn, she visited me. She made it very clear she is not truly interested in Will. She tried to entice me, but I rebuffed her and ordered her to leave Belle Ridge. She has no reason to stay here.” Ashton felt some small comfort at his words, but the feeling of dread didn’t leave her. She felt like she had lost something she could never recover.

Griffin was staring at her, and she realized there was a good chance he was reading her thoughts.

“Don't be embarrassed, Ashton, please. I'm going to try and talk to Will, and help him if I can. Before I do, there is something I need to say to you.” He took a deep breath and moved across to room to kneel in front of Ashton.

“I love you, Ashton. I've spent centuries living a life that was worthless. I was spoiled, reckless, and arrogant. I used my powers to get what I wanted, without regard for how it might affect anyone else. The night we met…” Ashton put up her hand to try and stop him from proceeding, but he took her hand in his own.

“No, please let me talk. The night we met, it was the first time I ever made a decision that was completely unselfish. My only thought was to help you. You have changed me, Ashton. That night changed me, and when we met again at school, your soul changed me. You represented everything that was good and light, and you were everything I had tried to run from for so long. When I let you in, my world became better and bigger. You showed me a life with love could exist.” Ashton’s heart pounded in her chest. She would be a liar if she pretended Griffin's words hadn't stirred her.

“Ashton, I want you to know this. Should you ever wish it, I will be yours. I know you don't love me as well as you love Will, but I know you have some feelings for me. I promise that if you ever choose me, I will spend the rest of time making you happy.” Ashton started to speak, but he placed his finger over her lips to quiet her.“I'm not asking for anything. I'm only telling you I am yours, eternally, if you should ever want me.” He kissed her on the hand, and then rose to leave the room.

Ashton didn’t know what to do, so she just stayed in her chair and watched as Griffin left her bedroom. Just as he departed, her mother appeared in the doorway.

“Ashton?”

“Is it possible to love one man and still have feelings for another?”

Elaine Wallace smiled at her daughter. “With men like Griffin and Will, it is very possible.”

***

Will felt like a battle was waging within his soul. Gwendolyn bewitched him completely. When she was near, he could think of nothing but her. Yet, still, Ashton would occasionally creep into his mind. When she did, he felt a longing for her he couldn’t deny. Whenever he did remember her, he would try and leave and find her, but Gwendolyn would appear, and he would again be lost.

In his few moments of clarity, he knew Gwendolyn was more enchantress than woman. He knew she saw him as an object, and not an object she enjoyed. Still, he sometimes felt as though she would sooner dispose of him than see him happy with someone else. For the first time in his long life, he felt a sense of personal fear. This was a woman who could destroy him.

Gwendolyn was his creator, which gave her an almost indestructible amount of influence over him. Even more so, she was stronger than him. She didn’t hide the fact that she fed, and fed often. Her entrée of choice was always human. She didn’t live with the same code of ethics he and Griffin stood by. If Will was ever going to stand a chance with her, or be able to break free from her, he would have to become stronger. He made a call to the one person he knew that could help him: Elaine Wallace.