The Enchantress had said that Caleb had put up a good fight against her sirens. I closed my eyes and thought about him being inside of her. I shuddered and felt sick to my stomach. I remembered her words then--her sirens had almost gotten him while he was at the bar. "Caleb, I don"t think you did. When I saw you at the bar, I think that broke her hold over you for a bit."
"Yeah, for a bit, Gwen. But I spent three days with her after that. It"s foggy, but I"m fairly sure something happened."
Caleb was making an effort to be honest with me. He"d learned from his mistake. I owed him the same respect. "Caleb...."
I took his hand in mine and led him over to one of the round tables with roses on it. I motioned for him to sit down and I did the same.
"This is going to be bad, isn"t it?" he asked his soft face full of concern.
I nodded my head yes and proceeded to tell him about the events that had happened while he"d been hunting the Enchantress. I told him about the dreams with Pallo, the altar--and how I ended up being a vessel for the Enchantress" evil magic.
"So, you were carrying some sort of mixed-magic?""Yes."
He looked away. "Before you knew that it wasn"t a baby, what were you planning on doing?"
"I was going to tell you, but I got the call from Mark shortly after I found out."
"Gwen, did you think it was mine?"
"Yes, at first I did." He stood up and walked away. I chased after him.
"Caleb, wait."
He spun around. "Did you at least want it to be mine?"
My silence spoke volumes and he slammed his hand down on the nearest table. A dozen roses tipped over, sending water running everywhere. I grabbed his arm. His power p.r.i.c.kled upwards, making me feel like tiny spiders were crawling all over my body.
"Caleb, stop, I"ve seen firsthand what happens when you let your magic overrun your emotions." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. His eyes welled up.
"You don"t have to remind me. I held you in my arms and felt you fight for your last breath, Gwen. The whole time I had you, I knew I"d done that to you, that I had caused you pain. No, you don"t have to remind me what I"m capable of, I know full-well what happens when I let my magic overrun me."
I heard my father and the guys approaching. James was watching my father like he expected him to grow horns any minute. Pallo was watching me.
Caleb looked down at me and gave me a nasty look.
"Well, I see that you"ve made your decision finally."
"Don"t talk about things you don"t understand, Caleb."
He took a step towards me. "What the h.e.l.l is that supposed to mean?"
Another voice interjected and saved me from having to defend myself. "Itmeans that she told the vampire where to go. He refused to save your life and she refused to forgive him for it," Sorcha said from behind Caleb. He turned towards his mother. "She summoned me to help save your life and she came here alone with me."
Caleb turned and stared at me. "Are you crazy, Gwen? My mother hates you and even when she likes someone, she"s scary!"
"Caleb!" Sorcha said in disbelief.
"Mother, please ... you"ve made your feelings for Gwen very clear." He looked over at me and shook his head. "Why the h.e.l.l would you go anywher e with her?"
"Caleb, really, I am standing right here," Sorcha said, stamping her foot down hard on the floor.
"Great, then you can tell her that she was insane to go with you."
Sorcha tossed her hands up and smiled at me. I took a deep breath before talking. "Caleb, your mother never tried to hurt me. She brought me back with her and let me help get you situated, then sent a dress up for tonight. She"s been on her best behavior."
Caleb stepped closer to his mother. "Is this true?" Sorcha nodded her head. "Why are you behaving yourself?"
Her answer took us all by surprise. "When you told me she had accepted your proposal, I told Kerrigan and we were both very excited for the two of you. I would never deny my son his life-mate ... I could not do that to you, Caleb. Although I would prefer that it was anyone other than...."
"Sorcha," my father said sternly. She laughed as she walked up to Caleb and gave him a hug. I"d never pictured her as the maternal type, hmm, go figure.
"Come." My father motioned for us.
We stood and followed him to the front of the not so common, common roo m.He instructed Caleb and me to have a seat. He looked over at James and Pallo. He waved his hand out and my eyes widened. He"d dressed them in all black suits with matching capes. They looked like textbook vampires.
I smiled when I saw how much Pallo disliked it. James seemed to think it was cool, why was I not surprised.
The doors to the hall burst open and the place filled to the brim with people, for lack of a better word. I watched as every creature imaginable wondered in. Some looked like they"d just crawled from the grave, while others looked completely normal. I noticed quite a few faeries arriving, along with numerous vampires. A group of people walked in that were dressed up but lacked that mysterious vampire quality. I leaned over to Sorcha who was on my right and asked what they were. She laughed and tol d me that they were a clan of werewolves--lycans.
Guests continued to flood in for the next twenty minutes. Soon they all found their seats. My father rose to his feet and the room fell silent.
All eyes were on him. "Welcome, and I thank you for attending this most glorious of celebrations on such short notice. As you can see, several guests accompany me this evening. I"m sure you all recognize Sorcha." I couldn"t be sure but I though I heard a boo. My father pretended as if he didn"t hear it and continued on, "You all know Caleb." The room burst into applause. "And, I am sure that you have all heard of the great Master Vampire Pallo." The applause continued. My father skipped James but James didn"t seem to notice or care. He was still admiring his Dracula ensemble. "Now, the young woman sitting before you is Gwyneth, my daughter ... Princess Gwyneth to you all."
You could hear a pin drop. No one spoke. They all stared at my father and then at me. He put his hands above his head and a large bubble appeared.
In it, I saw a picture of the most beautiful woman I"d ever seen. Her hair was golden and hung almost to her ankles, her skin was tanned, and her eyes were a light shade of green. A collective murmur went through the guests.
"I am sure you all remember Lydia," Kerrigan said.
I did a bubble double take. That woman was Lydia, my biological mother?
I"d never seen her before. The image changed to Kerrigan and Lydia kissing. I should have felt sick to my stomach seeing my dad make out but.i.t was beautiful. They were so in love and it showed. The next image that flashed was of Lydia very, very pregnant with me. Images continued to flash of the events of my life. My father had paid me frequent visits as a child. Each time he came he collected a memory of me and displayed it for all to see. He portrayed me in the most loving light and I was proud to be his daughter. When all was done the bubble vanished.
A tiny man with green skin and a forked tongue stood up and yelled. "All hail, Princess Gwyneth!" Everyone in the room began chanting my name. I looked at Sorcha. She nodded her head in approval. I didn"t know what to do so I just sat really still.
My father put his hands up and the commotion stopped instantaneously.
"Now, I would like to share even more good news with you. Caleb has aske d for my daughter"s hand in marriage. I have agreed to allow him to have it, and since you are all well aware of modern day woman"s feelings, he asked her as well and she accepted."
We received a standing ovation. The room shook. My father motioned for Caleb and me to come forward. We did. I reached my hand to Caleb and he took it reluctantly. My father put his hands up again. The room fell silent.
"Now, does anyone here object to this promised union?"
I opened my mouth and Caleb leaned over to me. "We no longer get a say ... or I would object myself." His grip tightened on my hand.
Great, my soon-to-be groom hated me.
My attention went to Pallo. He was fixated on my hand in Caleb"s. James tried to speak, but Pallo yanked him back down to his chair. James" blue eyes found mine and they didn"t look pleased. I"m sorry, Gwen.
It"s okay. I"ll be fine.
It"s not okay and it"s not fine.
James, it"s fine, really.
He shook his head slightly. But Gwen....Pallo"s voice boomed through my head, causing me to jump slightly. I believe she said she was fine, Jameson.
My eyes met Pallo"s and I saw his hurt, his confusion, his anger. There was nothing I could do at the moment.
Kerrigan"s voice caught my attention. "Very well then ... we shall meet back here six full moons from now for a wedding. Eat, drink, and enjoy."
Servers came out carrying trays full of foods. An uncooked pig went to the werewolf table and I almost threw up. Caleb let go of my hand and walked away from me. My father beckoned for me to join him and I did. A large table appeared before us, already full of food and wine. Pallo and James stood and walked over to two empty seats on the far end of it. They had apparently done this sort of thing before. It was all new to me.
I looked down at the place setting and gave up counting the utensils after I got to five. I was raised in a middle cla.s.s suburban home, you got a fork, a spoon, and a knife if need be. Caleb came and sat on the right hand side of me that put him smack in the middle of Pallo and me.
His back stiffened and he held his head high. To the average person, the one who didn"t know him, he looked like my father, he looked like royalty. To me, he looked like he was having to work overtime to be close to me.
I sat there staring at the red mystery food before me. It was covered in some sort of sauce, and had a side of some oddly greenish colored goop. I put my hand over a fork and went to pick it up. It didn"t budge. I tried another and it didn"t move either. I looked down the table at Pallo and James. They were both sipping large goblets of dark red liquid. James stuck his tongue out at me again and I snickered. Caleb looked over at me and his lips drew in tight. He pressed a smile out and put his hand on mine. He squeezed so tight that I thought for sure that I"d have a bruise later.
"If you don"t mind, this is after all our engagement party. If you could refrain from flirting with him, I would appreciate it."
I leaned in and whispered to him. "I wasn"t flirting with Pallo. I was laughing at James."Caleb gave my hand another squeeze. "I know."
"Ouch!" I yanked away from him and rubbed my hand. I looked at one of m y four forks and thought about using one to stab his robe sleeve to the table. I wondered how good that would look to the guests. I made another attempt at picking up something to eat with and gave up. Sorcha, who was sitting to the left of my father leaned forward and looked down at me.
She nodded her head and I saw the tiniest fork option rise up gently. I grabbed it and stared back at her. She winked and I smiled softly.
"Caleb, I think your mother"s caught onto the fact that you hate me and want me dead. Hey, you"re lucky in the sense that she"ll have no problem offing your fiancee. Just say the word and I"m dead--again."
He stopped moving his food around his plate. "Gwen, I don"t want you dead."
I let out a small sound indicating he could have fooled me, and noted he did not mention that he didn"t hate me. Interesting what you can learn over the first course of a meal. I looked down at my food and followed Caleb"s lead. I pushed it around and pretended to be eating it. I had no appet.i.te and just wanted to go home.
Home was an interesting concept all unto itself. I"d grown used to having Caleb and Pallo around, now it would be just me. I didn"t need a huge farmhouse all to myself. It had been built with the idea that it would house a family and I"d never have one of those. I seemed destined to push away everyone I loved. Caleb was right. I was self-destructive.
The next course came out. It didn"t look any more appealing than the last. I"d decided that wine would be my dinner for the night. I"m sure somewhere that was considered a food group. I looked over at Caleb. His eyes were fixed on his plate. He wasn"t touching his food either and I knew that he"d rather be doing anything than sitting next to me.
"Caleb, what happens now?"
"They"ll keep bringing food out for a while and then we"ll be expected to mingle together and greet the guests."
I was happy he"d spoken to me without the tone of disgust but that hadn"tbeen exactly what I"d meant. "No, Caleb, what happens to us when we leave ... when we go home."
He snorted. "We don"t have a home ... you did a bang up job of seeing to that."
My lip quivered and my eyes wanted to shed more tears. I didn"t want to break down in front of the entire Dark Realm so I did my best to keep it together. I deserved everything I was getting and more. Karma was a b.i.t.c.h and it"d been chasing after me for over three hundred years. It was time to make some serious changes--time to pull myself together and get on with my life. I"d managed just fine, or at least close to fine, on my own before I"d been re-introduced to Pallo and Caleb. I would do fine again but I wouldn"t do it here in the Dark Realm. No, too many memories were here, too many ghosts. If I stayed I would still have to deal with Ken every day at work and live in the house where so many wonderful moments had taken place. Pallo told me I was stronger this time around but I knew I wasn"t strong enough to deal with all of this as a whole. No, I would leave first thing in the morning.
I planned every detail out in my head. I would go to my office and get a new ident.i.ty out of the manila envelope. I could withdraw enough funds to sustain me for awhile and just disappear. Somewhere warm and sunny sounded perfect. I"d have less of a chance of running into things that go b.u.mp in the night in a tropical location or at least I hoped that was true.
Finally, the food stopped coming. My father and Sorcha had been neck deep in making plans for a wedding that would not be taking place if Caleb and I had anything to say about it. The room filled with the sound of cla.s.sical music. My father stood and all eyes went to him. He looked at me and then to Caleb. Caleb stood and put his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me to my feet gracefully. He led me out to the open floor.
Hundreds of eyes were upon us. Reaching his hand out, he took my chin, and pulled it up to him. He brought his lips down to mine softly. An eruption of clapping and praise sounded all around us. To them we looked very much in love. They weren"t the one on the receiving end of his coldness. He drew back from me and led me on to the dance floor. He move dhis right hand beneath my left arm. He lifted my left hand with his free one and stepped into me. I moved back and then forward in direct opposition to whatever he was doing. We matched beautifully and wowed everyone. I never realized I could waltz. It must have been some residual effect from my prior time here. Somehow, my body remembered doing this with Caleb. I knew he preferred the common box step over other forms of waltz and I knew he liked to pull me into him at various times and come close to kissing me. Our lips barely missed each other each time he did this and I could see the tiny spark of surprise in his eyes that I knew to blow gently outward to arouse him.
Almost all of my memories had been of Pallo and our brief time together.
These were some of the first feelings of moments between Caleb and me an d they in no way revolved around drama a.s.sociated with my love of Pallo. My only regret was that it had taken so much longer to have a breakthrough about him. Maybe that could have prevented so much pain and heartbreak, or maybe not.
Instantly, I was his with a vision of the two of us, our naked bodies tangled together. His long hair spilled all around us and he held himself propped up above me. I twisted my head to the side and found that we were lying in field of purple and yellow flowers. It was beautiful. I knew this was special and I knew why. It was the day we lost our virginity to one another. The day we"d done what we"d longed to do--love each other fully. The memory pulled away, leaving me breathless and clutching onto Caleb"s hand.
The song ended and other couples joined us on the floor. I thought for a moment that Caleb was going to push me away, he didn"t. He leaned in close to me. I knew it looked like he was just hugging me but in truth he was moving in to not be overheard.
"Remembering times of innocence?"
"I remembered times with you," I said softly back to him.
He let out a small laugh. "As I said, times of innocence."
I moved my face into his hair. "I don"t want to fight with you anymore, Caleb, please."He tightened his grip on my waist and turned me to match the music.
"Well, Gwen, you"re a little late on that, don"t ya" think?" He spun me faster and his arm began to hurt my waist. "Don"t come running back to me when your world falls apart. I"m done cleaning up your messes." His fingers dug deep into my hip. I tried to wriggle free of him, but he wasn"t letting go. He was hurt and angry and he"d had these feelings building for four-hundred years. I was going to hear about it even if I had no memory of ninety percent of it.
Caleb tugged on the power that he"d shared with me when I"d agreed to marry him. "It"s my turn to make you hurt, Gwen. It"s my turn to be the one who controls our destiny. I hope that you are capable of feeling guilt and remorse, because I know you can"t love anyone, not with all your heart."
He turned us into another couple and continued on, never apologizing. He was moving faster than the beat, fueled not by the song but by pain. "I thought we were making a life for ourselves this time. I thought that because Pallo was no longer human he"d lose his appeal. I was wrong." My heel twisted and I would have fallen if Caleb hadn"t been holding so tight that I could barely breathe.
"Gwen, do you even understand how much you"ve hurt me? I watched you leave me for Giovanni, who was dark and twisted. I tried to warn you and you went anyway. I thought when you discovered what he really was that you"d come back to me but you didn"t. You found a mortal. You found Pallo." My dress tore from his fingers digging into it. I hoped it would hold up. I really didn"t want my unveiling to be literal.
"Gwen, when you showed up pregnant and scared, I opened my arms to you.
I.
never questioned you and I never made you apologize for leaving me. That was a mistake. One of many that I made last time and I will not repeat them."
I was getting sick to my stomach from him moving us around so fast. I patted his shoulder gently. "Please, let"s go somewhere and talk."
He let out a small laugh. "You have nothing to say that I want to hear."
The song came to a stop and he let me go. I fell backwards and struck thetable full of werewolves in human form. One of the men grabbed my arm an d kept me from falling over the top of the table. He looked at me and then at Caleb.
Caleb stormed away. The man helped me to my feet and I thanked him. He was nice enough not to comment on what he"d seen.
"Thank you ... umm?"
"Mikhail," he said. I only had a second to look into his face, because I found myself being pulled away. I wanted to remember to tell my father about the man who"d been so kind.
Someone pulled me out a side door into a narrow dark hallway. I screamed and a cool hand covered my mouth quickly. "It is I," Pallo said. I wasn"t sure if that was supposed to be comforting or not. He let go of my mouth and stood before me. He looked like everyone"s idea of a vampire. He"d have been a shoe in for Dracula himself if his hair was black.
"I know what you are planning to do," he said as he pushed me towards the wall. "You think you can run away and forget all of this. You tried that before and failed miserably. Learn from history, Gwyneth, or you are doomed to repeat it."