A Destined Death (13 page)

He looked around cautiously. “It’s not very private here.”

“I know,” I said, frowning.

Squeezing my hand, he smiled. “Do you want me to show you something magical?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Sure.”

After moving to the other side of the couch, he looked at me.
“I love you, Elizabeth.”

I heard him plain as day. “Your lips didn’t move.”

“I know. Watch this.”

He got up and moved across the store, still staring at me.
“I love you, Elizabeth.”

Again, it sounded like he could have been sitting right beside me. I was utterly amazed, murmuring, asking myself, “How does he do that?”

“It’s our bond.”

My eyes widened. “You heard me from way over there?” I whispered.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.
How are we talking?”

“Telepathy.”

“So you really are talking in my head?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I was losing my mind last night. And that’s how you could hear my wishes?”

“Yes.”

“So what you said…that was an example. You didn’t really mean it…right?”

His eyes were intense as he began walking toward me.
“That I love you. Is that what you mean?”

I concentrated solely on his voice, and every other sound in the room faded out as if we were the only two people in the store. “Yes.”

“Does that frighten you?”
he asked when he reached me.

“No. But you can’t––”

“Can’t I?” He pulled me off the sofa to look seriously into my eyes.

I shook my head. “You hardly know me. You haven’t seen me in two years.”

He smirked. “All right then. Let’s test your theory, shall we? I think you should go home now. I have errands to run.”

I panicked at the thought of separating from him now that I’d finally gotten to touch him. I grabbed his arm. “No! Please don’t go. Please.”

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “You see? You say you can’t possibly love me but yet you don’t want to see me go. Is that not part of love, Elizabeth?”

I stared at him, realizing that he just confessed his love in the middle of a furniture store. What did I ever do to deserve that?
And why me?

“It’s always been you, Elizabeth.”

Startled, I jumped back from him. “That might take some time to get used to.”

The sales lady who had been showing us furniture for most of the day returned too soon. She looked excitedly at Draven, her eyes bright and attentive. “Is everything all right? Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

“No, thank you,” Draven said. “We were just leaving.”

“All right. Have a great day! I know I will.”

When she walked away, I wondered if I’d missed a joke. “What did that mean?”

“I’m not sure. She said something about a commission earlier.”

I giggled. “Oh, she was being sarcastic because we didn’t buy anything?”

“Maybe.”

I stopped outside the store and leaned into his chest, stringing my arms through his. “So you love me?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“You’d like, bet money on it?”

“Millions.” He appeared sincere.

“You’d take me to a movie then?”

“Your blood sugar’s getting low,” he said seriously. “I think you should eat something first.”

“Oh, right.” How odd. I hadn’t eaten all day, but I hadn’t thought about it either. “How do you know my blood sugar’s getting low?”

He sighed but irritation echoed in his voice, “Because you haven’t eaten all day.”

“Oh, right. Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Why do you look irritated sometimes when I ask little questions?”

“I’m sorry. It’s not directed at you.” He took my face in his hands and rubbed his thumbs across my temples until I nearly lost my senses. “It’s just that I can’t tell you everything yet.”

I gasped when he dropped his hands. I could barely see straight from the state of things behind my eyes, and I had to concentrate to keep up with the conversation. “Why not?”

“Because, you’re not ready,” he said decisively as he walked toward the car.

His movements affected me worse than his words. After holding me so possessively, the abrupt walking away left me feeling tattered and angry. “I’m not a baby,” I scoffed.

When he turned to me, his lips curved up. “Oh trust me,
that
I know
.”

The look in his eyes created an intense longing that interrupted my thoughts and sparked ideas as to where the night might lead. Content once again, I jumped into the car.

The signboard in the restaurant read,
seat yourself
, so I picked a private booth in the far corner. I no longer cared that I wasn’t ready as he’d said. What I did care about was enjoying every second with him because I still had the feeling he might disappear at any given time. He stared into my eyes until our food arrived and while I ate. He didn’t touch his own food.

“So how’s your blood sugar?” I asked, glancing up from my pasta.

He chuckled, despite his irritation. “I ate before we left.”

I didn’t believe him, considering the contents of my refrigerator, but I let it go when his jaw clenched. “Why did you disappear the other morning?”

“Forgive me, but it was necessary at the time.”

When the waitress reached across him to clear our plates, I realized how pale he was. Her dark tan made his face seem almost white. I’d never noticed it before. Then it occurred to me that I’d never seen him on a sunny day.

“Are…are you allergic to the sun?” I asked when the waitress finally left. “Is that why you disappeared? Is that why you didn’t come when I wished for you?”

He hesitated before he nodded and looked down at the table as if he feared my reaction to the news.

My fingers went to my mouth. “I’m sorry. You should have told me. I never would have wished for you the other morning.”

“As I’ve said, I don’t want to frighten you.”

“You don’t. Are you still taking me to a movie?”

“Anything you want, Elizabeth.”

I didn’t even know the name of the movie we went to but it fulfilled my expectations of two full whole hours of leaning against him and feeling his body next to mine. I held his hand in the car on the way home too but lightening flashed across the black night sky, revealing apprehension on his face. I didn’t want to know why. I didn’t want anything to spoil our wonderful evening.

“I must know that you love me, Elizabeth.”

I wanted to tell him I did, but I couldn’t betray my belief that love took more time. “You said we needed to take things slowly.”

“Two years ago. We’re running out of time now.”

“Don’t,” I begged. “Let’s not do this tonight.”

He hesitantly agreed.

When he opened my car door and led me onto the front porch, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me until my body filled with heat. I responded by kissing him harder. My fingers reacted on their own, digging through his clothing until they found his cool flesh. I felt hot; I couldn’t get enough of him.

“That’s lust,” he said, gently pushing my shoulders away. “I want you to know if you love me. Good night, Elizabeth.”

I stared at him. “Aren’t you staying?” When he took a step backward, I caved hard.
“I do. I love you. Please, don’t go.”

He smiled. “That’s desperation, which isn’t bad either, but you need to know how you feel when I’m not standing right in front of you. If you decide you love me, I won’t ever leave you again unless you tell me to.”

I took a breath. “And you’re not kidding? This isn’t a joke, right? You really mean ever?”

“Ever.”

I smiled, trying to hide the fact that I missed him already. “When will you be back?”

“Very soon. I have some business to attend to.” He kissed me long enough to make me light-headed, and then he was gone.

I stared at the car, wondering how he’d disappeared so fast. The only kind of being that could do that would be…

A ghost.

Cold skin, disappeared, reappeared, didn’t need a car. He’d told me he wasn’t but what else could he be? I let the thought go, preferring to linger on the memory of his kiss. That was so much better.

When my eyes fell from the car, I noticed immediately that my surroundings were different. The railing no longer leaned outward, and a fresh coat of white paint covered the tall posts. I turned toward the house, finding it gray with black trim. I panicked, thinking he’d brought me to the wrong house, but the old vehicles near the yard light verified the address.

Warily, I opened the new screen door and stepped inside smelling
disinfectant and fresh paint. Flipping on the lights, I gasped. No dust or dirt remained. Instead, the wood had been shined back to life. Fresh white paint covered the newly repaired walls, and the furnishings that I’d picked out while shopping filled the rooms. I walked
through the house in awe.

Two
black leather sofas lined the walls, facing each other in the living room and a flat screen TV hung on the mantel. The kitchen held new cupboards, a table and chairs, and all new black appliances. Beds, dressers, Persian rugs filled the once empty bedrooms, and an office on the main floor came complete with a desk, chairs, and several bookcases. Decorations and beautiful wall hangings made my house look like a model home.

I ran to the porch where I’d last seen Draven but the sound of a coyote howling in the distance stopped me.

“Do they frighten you?”

“A little,” I admitted. “Did you do this to my house?”

“Yes.”

“Why…how?”

“I wanted you to be comfortable. Do you like it?”

“Very much. Thank you.” I walked around slowly, trying to catch him even though his voice didn’t seem to come from any direction at all. With a swift movement, I sprang around the side of the house, finding no one.

“You’re tired. You should sleep now.”

“Please, just one more question,” I begged.

“Granted.”

“Do you listen to my thoughts all the time?”

He laughed that sweet melodious laugh.
“No. When you make a wish, I hear you directly, like you’re talking to me, but otherwise I try not to listen unless I sense that you’re upset.”

“How do you sense that?”

“That’s your second question.”
His words were barely a whisper yet I could hear him perfectly.

I had a million more questions but I kept my promise. “Goodnight, Draven.”

“Goodnight, Elizabeth.”

I’d just stepped into the house when a floorboard creaked above me. Was he up there? Running toward it, I took the steps two at a time until I made it to the attic door.

“Elizzz-a-beth…”

At the ghostly, feminine voice, I pulled my hand away from the handle. “Hello? Is somebody in there?”

It was possible, after all. If Draven had people working in the house all day, someone could have easily snuck into the attic and fallen asleep while taking a break. But how odd.

“Elizzz-a-beth…” the voice called gently again.

I gulped. Then again, how would a lazy worker know my name? I took a deep breath and reached for the handle, fighting to keep my hands steady. My fingers merely brushed the cold metal and the door swung open on its own.