Chapter 1 #2
“My prince,” Aiden murmured. He paused and swallowed hard against the words that needed to be said, though he hated them all. “My love, what about your father? The kingdom? The people who need you?”
Ronan jerked away from Aiden, snarling in his obvious frustration.
His lip curled and one fist trembled at his side.
“What of them? What have they ever given us? Pain and death. We leave, and they will continue to fight over the land and its riches. Let them. I will have already stolen the greatest treasure—my Aiden.”
A sad smile touched Aiden’s lips. For the first time in his life, he let himself reach out to Ronan, and his heart soared when the man rushed back to his side, grabbing Aiden’s hand in both of his rough ones.
There was a part of him that hated his loyal adherence to duty.
He wanted to escape with Ronan but knew they’d never be truly happy.
“You were meant for more than being a farmer or an innkeeper. You were meant to be king,” Aiden said firmly.
“I don’t want it,” Ronan growled. He began to pace away, but Aiden held tight to his hand, keeping him close.
“And the stars do not care about our wishes. They have made their plans for us, and we must play our parts. You are to be king, and I am to never leave your side. Even if I must watch you marry and father endless children. Even if we never have more than this moment right now, I know in my heart that I am yours. It is enough.”
“Aiden, I—”
Whatever he’d been about to say was forever cut off by a man’s voice raised in alarm. They both turned toward the camp, where frantic shouts and pained screams were heard. Someone was attacking the soldiers they’d left behind.
There was no hesitation. No more talk of escaping and starting a new life. No dreams. Only their duty.
Aiden was a half step behind Ronan as they ran to the camp.
They both held their blades in their hands, ready to jump into any battle and protect their men.
For a second, a smile toyed on Aiden’s lips as he stared at his friend’s back.
Ronan dreamed of building a life away from this world with only him, but he didn’t hesitate to fulfill his duty, to face his destiny, and Aiden was proud of him. Would always be proud of him.
Would always love him.
The screams grew louder and more frantic with each passing second. They hurried, their footsteps pounding on the hardened earth. But they never reached the camp.
A large black mass swept out of the trees and slammed into Ronan, throwing him to the ground.
Aiden drew in a breath to shout for him when something heavy hit him, knocking him off his feet.
The air rushed from his lungs, but Aiden kept rolling, moving away from whatever had hit him.
Settling on his stomach, he tried to push up to his feet.
Ronan was lost to the darkness, but there was something crouched on the ground. Was it on top of Ronan?
Roaring, Aiden tried to rise, but the creature hit him again, knocking him to his back. Where was his sword? He had to find his damn sword.
He blinked up and found that the new weight on his chest was a woman. Her dark hair was wild and her face smudged with dirt. Blue eyes glowed down at him with a frightening light, and the last thing he saw was a pair of sharp white fangs.
Forgive me, Ronan. My prince.
April 14, 1827
Aiden sat in his carriage, staring up at the brightly lit town house in the very stylish neighborhood, trying to ignore the frantic pounding of his heart.
He’d called himself a fool a hundred times in the passing minutes.
It would be so easy to just tell his driver to return to his home and forget about this nonsense.
After all these years, it was unbelievable that the dead heart in his chest would finally beat for someone.
But Julianna Varik was not simply someone.
She stood above all the world, a beacon of light and hope. She was joy.
And to his utter surprise, he loved her.
He’d been sure that he’d never love again. Not since…
Not that it mattered that he loved her. Half of London fancied itself in love with the stunning woman.
No, the real test was winning her love. Tonight was the first true step forward in that battle.
Oh, there had been some minor skirmishes in the past several months as they’d gotten to know each other.
He’d acquired an introduction through a mutual friend, and like so much of London, he’d courted the woman.
And for reasons he simply couldn’t fathom, she favored him.
They’d gone for walks in the park, and she never questioned his inability to stroll in the daylight.
They’d attended museums and dinner parties together.
There had been stolen kisses and secret embraces.
There had been laughter, but Aiden knew that in the grand scheme of their future, none of it compared to what he still had to face.
All his future happiness with Julianna rested on what he did tonight.
Cursing his ridiculous nerves, Aiden knocked on the door once, signaling to his driver to open it and let down the stairs.
He refused to let himself wonder what the man thought of his panicked indecision.
He handed over the large box resting in his lap and the extravagant bouquet of flowers he’d chosen from his own hothouse.
As he climbed to the sidewalk, he slipped the box under his left arm and carefully took the bouquet in his right. He could do this.
Of course, it wasn’t until he was climbing the stairs to her home that he realized that he didn’t have a free hand to knock on the door. Luckily, the butler was watching for him and swept the door open before he had to pause.
“Good evening, sir. Lord Martin, I presume,” the butler said in stiff, officious tones that nearly brought a smile to Aiden’s lips. The title and last name were fabricated, but the money he’d amassed over the years convinced most people to not look too closely at either.
“Yes. Lady Varik—”
“Aiden!” Julianna greeted him excitedly as she descended the stairs.
No, she floated. Julianna possessed hidden wings and Aiden, besotted fool that he was, believed she floated everywhere she went.
Her raven-black hair was artfully swept up, and her pale cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Her figure was so incredibly thin that she appeared almost fragile, and yet this slender frame housed an incredibly strong will.
She had the spirit of a warrior within her and the face of an angel with brilliant blue eyes.
Forgetting the grim-faced butler, Aiden briskly walked toward her, meeting her halfway across the foyer. “Lovely Lady Varik.”
“I knew you’d be right on time.”
He permitted a small chuckle. “Only because I’m sure you saw me sitting in my carriage in front of your house.”
She giggled softly. “You’re not afraid of them, are you?”
“A wise man always recognizes when he’s outnumbered.”
“But you’ve arrived with excellent reinforcements. These flowers are gorgeous,” Julianna said, reaching for the bouquet.
“Not nearly as gorgeous as the lady receiving them,” Aiden murmured, and he meant every word of it.
Julianna was a ray of sunlight. His own personal sun brightening his long, gloomy existence.
He watched as she cradled the flowers in both arms as if she were holding a newborn, her face glowing with happiness.
“They are perfect, Aiden. Just perfect.” She turned toward the butler, her expression becoming serious. “Carter, could you see these put into water and placed in my chambers? I want them to be the last thing I see when I fall asleep and the first thing I see when I wake.”
Carter accepted the flowers with the same care Julianna was showing. “Of course, my lady. As you wish.”
The butler disappeared into the house and Julianna turned to him, her smiling growing as her eyes fell on the large box under his arm. “More gifts?”
“Mind you, I’m not trying to buy their affections, but I thought it could help to convince them that I’m not all bad.”
Julianna closed the distance between them, placing her hand on his free arm. She cuddled up against him and released a happy sigh that hugged his heart. “Oh, my darling Aiden. I know you have nothing to fear. They will love you.”
Aiden could only smile and pray that she was right.
He’d survived more centuries than he cared to remember.
Fought in bloody battles, been scorched by the sun time and again, been sure that he would not survive to see another sunset, and none of it felt as terrifying as climbing the stairs with her.
Any future and happiness he might have with Julianna hinged on these next few moments.
At the top of the stairs, she brought him over to a pair of doors. On the other side, he could hear the soft tinkle of piano keys being played, along with a pair of raised voices in argument. She placed her hands on the handles but paused, sighing loudly.
“Obviously, not the first impression we were trying for,” she muttered under her breath, and Aiden bit his bottom lip to hold back his smile.
She threw open the doors and they stepped inside in time to see two little boys wrestling in the middle of the room while an older boy was sitting at the piano, playing. The youngest of the four was sitting on the floor, leaning against the piano bench.
“Rafe! Bel! What are you doing?” Julianna demanded sharply.
The two wrestling boys parted and pushed to their feet. One looked up at his mother with wide, tear-filled eyes while the other stood apart, his expression mutinous as he glared at his brother. No…his twin. They had many similarities, but it was clear they were both the same age.