ow do you know?” Christopher asked. “A woman’s intuition,” Jillian replied. “I just know. Cristian is at an age where he’s ready to settle down and have a family. She can’t give him that, and for that reason, she’ll release him so that he can have the family he’s always wanted.” “I don’t know,” Christopher said, doubtful. “Cristian is so drawn to her that he may forgo having a family. He would rather give that up than to give her up. You heard him,” he said. “He would never stop loving her.” “He will if he doesn’t remember her anymore,” Jillian reasoned. “I just cannot and will not accept his choosing to spend eternity being a vampire, and especially loving one. I won’t.”
Anna walked back into the living room to find both Samuel and Sage gone, when Daniel entered the room. “They’re not here,” she said. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” he asked, “For them to speak alone?” “Yes,” Anna replied. “Why are you so interested in Queen V and Samuel anyway?” “She’s in love with Cristian.” “Sometimes things aren’t how they appear,” Anna said. “Meaning?” he asked. “Meaning that sometimes we can love someone who isn’t right for us,” she said. “But why do you care, since you don’t believe in love conquering all?” he asked. “Maybe I want to believe in it,” Anna said. “Maybe I want to see if two people who complement each other can really come together, or will they make the wrong choice and live eternally with regret?” “That’s not for us to decide,” Daniel said. “If there’s such a thing as destiny, then it will work itself out without interference.”
“Sometimes we make our own destiny,” Anna said. “It comes down to choices, and whatever we chose, we live with the consequences.” “We chose to spend a night together in passion,” he said. “Do you regret it?” “No,” Anna answered.
“In England, I told you things about my life that I hadn’t told anyone.” “And it made you feel vulnerable?” he asked. “Yes,” she said softly. “The thought of letting someone into my heart frightens me yet…,” she looked into his eyes, “I can’t seem to help myself when I’m with you.” “I feel lost in your embrace, in your touch.” “Your passion burns me and I keep reaching for the flame wanting more.” “I….” He silenced her with a blistering kiss.
Lisa sat in the chair, shifting uncomfortably while Cody sat on his bed. “What cha thinking about?” he asked. “Love.” she replied. “From what I’ve heard about love, it is supposed to be beautiful and nourishing—it shouldn’t bring you pain or cause you to suffer.”
“When love is real and true it is beautiful,” he said softly. She nodded her head. “When I was six, I wanted to be a ballerina,” she said with a tiny smile. “I dreamed of it. My mother made me ballerina shoes and I would practice in my room,” she chuckled. “She would have to tell me to keep it down so as not to disturb my father. One afternoon,” she paused, blinking back the tears.
Cody rose from his bed and knelt at her side taking her hand. “One afternoon, my father came home from the mill early, and my mother had forgotten about the meal cooking, because she was watching me dance and the pot roast she was fixing burned.”
“My father was so angry with her…,” she said as tears spilled down her cheeks. “He took my shoes and threw them into the fireplace to punish me and…,” she squeezed Cody’s hand, “he made us eat the burnt food.
“That’s not all,” she whispered. “He took a paddle he had made and beat my mother with it. All I could do was sit helpless in my room and listen to her screams.”
“Lisa, I’m sorry,” Cody said.
“My mother tried to shield me from it, but she couldn’t,” she said tearfully. “Then one day, I couldn’t take it anymore and I ran away. My leaving is what prompted my mother’s…,” Cody took her into his arms as she buried her face in his shoulders, sobbing. “I feel so guilty for leaving her,” she cried. Cody held her, caressing her hair as he cradled her in his arms.
Samuel and a cloaked Sage arrived at the cemetery as he silently led her toward the gravesite of her first love. “This is where I saw it,” he said, solemnly pointing toward a grave sitting next to an oak tree. Taking a breath, Sage walked slowly through the crunching leaves toward the grave, lowering her head with heaviness like a weight was hanging on her shoulders until she stood at the foot. Lifting up her head, she looked at the gravestone with the inscription: Cristian Lewis Thomas. He was twenty-seven years old at the time of his death. Memories flooded her mind like a gushing stream as she dropped to the ground tracing the engraved inscription with her fingers. “This is his grave,” she thought as the tears blinded her eyes.
Samuel stood in the distance watching her in silence and knowing she needed this time to grieve. Sage continued to trace the etching with her fingers, remembering vividly the day she first laid eyes on Cristian. She smiled slightly, remembering them walking along the riverside watching the sunrise and their gentle, first kiss.
She envisioned in her mind what would’ve happened the day he suggested that they run away together if the outcome had been different. “Let’s run away,” Cristian said as they rode in the carriage. “What about your parents?” Sage asked. “I will not say they will be pleased by my decision, but this is what I want,” he said. “This may be our only chance.” “Okay,” she said, knowing that she would have to tell Cristian the truth about her parents, and soon.
After boarding the ship, Sage kept her hands gloved and attempted to hide her face so that no one could see her. She and Cristian agreed to his vexation that if anyone questioned them, she would pretend to be his servant. As much as he didn’t like the idea, he knew they didn’t have a choice, because of the taboo nature of their relationship. Hiding in small quarters with only one cot, they sat their suitcases aside as Sage stood at the door listening. “What’s wrong Sage?” he asked. “I was listening for my….”
“Your parents?” he asked, perplexed. “There’s something you need to know about my father and my mother. They’re not ordinary people,” she said. “Don’t worry about them,” he said. “My parents aren’t happy either, and frankly I don’t care. They would’ve never given me their blessing to marry you, and that’s something I want to do.” “But who would marry us?” she asked. “Our relationship is thought of as sinful.” “I refuse to believe that loving someone just because they’re different is wrong,” he said angrily. “If we were all supposed to be the same, then God would not have made us different.”
She glanced down at the floor, sorrowful that because of society’s views, a relationship like theirs had to be kept hidden like a shameful secret. At one time, Sage dreamed of a world where everyone lived together in harmony, but she realized that that would never happen. The world is too full of hate.
Cristian extended his hand. “Come,” he said. She took his hand and he pulled her into a passionate kiss laying her on the cot. “We’ll have to keep each other warm,” he said as they snuggled together under the blanket, kicking it to generate warmth between them. Sage laughed, nuzzling into his arms. “Sage,” he said, lifting her chin, “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my days with you.” “I love you Cristian,” she said kissing his lips softly. He gazed at the opening of her day gown partially revealing her breast and felt the desires of his body awakening.
He swallowed, feeling himself becoming aroused and knowing that she would feel it with their bodies pressed close together. “Sage, I’m sorry,” he said flustered. “Maybe I should…,” she pressed her lips against his, silencing his words. The kiss deepened as he ran his fingers through her hair, shuffling to lie on top of her. She parted her lips allowing him to slip his tongue in her mouth as their tongues danced with each other.
Their bodies heated from arousal, he took off his shirt and underpants while she took off her day gown and petticoat. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, staring at her bare chest, kissing her neck and making his way to her lips as she moaned against him. She closed her eyes, running her fingers through his hair and caressing his back. He lifted himself up to look at her as she kept her eyes closed, swooning. “Open your eyes,” he panted.
She opened her eyes, staring up at him and beheld Samuel’s enraptured face as she ran her fingers through his hair and down his shoulders. Aghast, Sage opened her eyes as she fell back. Moving quickly, Samuel caught her before she hit the ground. “I’m here, Sage,” he said, concerned. She stared at him, bewildered, as she struggled with her conflicting emotions of love, grief, desire, and guilt.