Forever (6 page)

Chapter Seven

We were in her dance hall, and I was
trying to decide where to go, what memory to visit that night. Emilee looked
sad; she wasn’t saying anything and didn’t seem too interested in where we
would be going.

“What’s the matter?” I asked softly. “We
don’t have to go anywhere tonight, we cou . . .”

“No, it’s not that,” she broke in. Her
head drooped and tears fell to the floor. I gathered her into my arms,
remaining silent.
She’ll tell me when she’s ready.

“My mom’s funeral was today.” Understanding
filled me. The mother-daughter chapters of her life were over.
She must feel
so alone. There’s no one left for her here. I wish I could stay with her every
moment, to see her beautiful face and be there for her.

“What can I do to help you through
this?” I didn’t like to see her sad, even if she had a right to be. “Tell me
what you need and I’ll do it.” She still didn’t answer so I scoured my brain
for something. 

“Let’s dance, and you can tell me about
your mom.” I held my hand out as I spoke. Slowly, she nodded and we assumed a
dancing position.

“She was the most wonderful woman I ever
knew,” she said through her tears. “My biggest supporter, my toughest fighter.
If I wanted to do something, she was the first person to tell me that I could.”

“She sounds wonderful,” I replied. “Tell
me more.”

For the next few hours, Emilee shared
all of her favorite memories of her mother with me. As I listened, I wished
that I could have met her. There was no doubt in my mind that Emilee’s strength
and passion had come from her. The memories brought smiles to Emilee’s face as
well, brightening her mood and leaving me with a feeling of satisfaction. We
took a short break to catch our breath, and I found myself lost in her features
once more. She seemed magical in the way she looked,

“Raith?” she questioned. Stepping
closer, she caressed my face. “What are you thinking about?”

I smiled and took her hand from my
cheek, grasping it tightly as I brought it to our sides. “I was thinking about
how beautiful you are,” I said truthfully. “You look like you could dance all
night and still command any magic you wanted in the morning.”

 . . . She could
command magic . . . 
The answer to my internal dilemma hit me
like a lightning bolt.

“Emilee!” I exclaimed in excitement. “I
can't believe I didn't think of this before!”

She looked at me, confused. “Think of
what?”

“You said we would be together forever,
right?” I was impatient and wanted to get right to the point, but I knew I
should explain my thoughts and feelings first. When she nodded, I continued.

“I didn't know how we were really going
to do that. All I could think about was how I'll live forever but you would be
forced to leave me because you're a mortal. Just now I realized how we really
can
be together forever!” The conversation’s sudden change of direction shocked
her, but she still seemed to be following what I was saying.

“How, I mean . . . I
don't understand,” she frowned slightly. “How do you make a mortal immortal?”

My grin widened as she spoke. It all
seemed so clear to me. “There is a way to do it,” I laughed in relief. “Fae are
immortal, but they aren't born that way. That's how we're able to grow and
mature. When we reach the age of adulthood, our Glen mother works an old magic
that makes us immortal. If she would do that to
you . . . ,”

“Then we really could be together
forever,” she finished. She still seemed unsure of what I was proposing.

“Think about it Emilee,” I pleaded.
“There isn't anyone here for you anymore. I know that you're lonely and that
you miss your mother. I would take care of you and show you the world for
real—we could make new memories together!” I pulled her close and looked into
her fearful eyes. “I love you,” I said softly. “I want to be with you for the
rest of my very long life.”

She didn’t say anything. She seemed to
be thinking over what I’d said. When she still looked uncertain, I felt a panic
come over me. She wasn’t agreeing right away like I thought she would. There
were no joyous exclamations, no hopping up and down. A pit formed in my stomach
as I leaned in and kissed her softly. “The decision is yours though,” I added
somewhat sorrowfully. “I want you to be happy, mortal or not.”

She still didn’t speak—I could see the
questions and the doubt in her expression, but the words wouldn’t leave her
mouth. She took a deep breath and finally spoke.

“This is a lot to ask me, Raith.” She
searched my eyes, a look of caution clouding her features. “Can I think about
it for a little while before deciding?”

“Of course you can,” I replied softly, somewhat
downhearted. “I never want to push you into something you’re not comfortable
with.” But I wanted her to say yes—I wanted her to jump at the opportunity. Her
indecision felt like a rejection. My face stung as if it had been slapped.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Can we
just stay here and dance some more tonight?” she added. I nodded my consent.

The rest of the night seemed very long
and silent.

Two nights passed. I waited patiently
for Emilee to give me her answer—or even ask a question. I waited as patiently
as I could, anyway. I felt like I would explode if I didn’t know what she was
thinking—soon, so I finally brought it up again.

“Have you thought
about . . . what we talked about?” We were dancing in her
ballroom since she’d chosen not to go out into the world again. I could feel
her resistance to the idea of me controlling her. In fact, she seemed distant
ever since I asked her to join me. I worried I had pushed her too far with my
request.

“Yes,” she said hesitantly. “I'm
confused about how it would happen?” She glanced up at my eyes, the uncertainty
still present in hers.

“You would come with me, to The Glen,
and the Mother would make you Fae. You’d never have to return again.” She made
a face at my answer and I faltered. “Unless you want to, of course. You just
can’t stay.” Her facial expression made me regret even asking her to come with
me.

I brushed my thumb over her cheek and
smiled sadly. “You don't have to do it Emilee. I promise I will still be
here—every night—until there are no more nights to share anymore. You don’t
need to be immortal for me.” My chest hurt. I would give anything for her, even
my own happiness if it came to that. It didn’t make me feel any better though.

“It's not that,” she said
apologetically. “I just . . .” She turned and walked away from
me, folding her arms and looking at the floor. “I don't know if I can do it.”
She turned to look at me with tears in her eyes, and her voice shook as she
continued speaking. “I want to be with you forever—I really do—I just have my
life here . . . I know my mom is gone, but I have friends here
too. There are things I want to do with my life, things that won’t be possible
if I go through with this. I want to grow up and have a family—I want to look
like a grandma when I am one. I'm so sorry, Raith.” She sobbed then, her face
in her hands, and I felt my heart breaking—convinced I was the most selfish
being on the planet.

“I shouldn't have asked you to give up
so much,” I stated sorrowfully. “I was only thinking about me, not what was
best for you.” I reached out for her and she fell into my embrace, sobbing her
apologies over and over again.

“You don't have to be sorry,” I said, my
voice catching. “I understand. I won't ever leave you—we’ll still be together
in your dreams.”

“But we won't ever be able to be
together for real now,” she stated soberly, once her tears had ceased. “We will
only meet in my dreams.”

I knew that wasn’t true. In my mind, I’d
been saving that secret for last, a surprise to end all surprises. I knew I
needed to tell her now though, to ease her pain—to ease
my
pain, too.

“Actually,” I said softly. “I was
waiting for your answer before I told you the rest.”

She looked up at me in surprise,
questions shining in her puffy eyes. “What do you mean?” I took a deep breath.
My previous plans didn’t really matter now. I didn’t think she’d be mad if she
knew what I wanted to do.

“Fae become human one night out of the
year—I was going to take you to the Mother on that night. I didn't tell you
before because, well, I thought you would want to change. I was hoping to
surprise you with it.”

“You're going to become human,” she
said, shocked. “When, how?”

“On Midsummer’s Night. It's been a
tradition since the beginning of Fae, I'm not exactly sure how—it just happens.
As for the why, that's when we perform our rituals, the ones involving humans
anyway. We have a masquerade ball in the Glen, humans are placed under our
influence, and we have fun. Midsummer’s Night is very magical, one of the times
that witches have been known to mix with our kind.” I smiled softly, sadly. I
was still stuck on her answer. I didn’t want to spend the rest of forever
alone, without her.

“What type of rituals do you perform?”
she asked cautiously.
This was all supposed to happen differently—I didn’t
want her to find out like this.

“It depends on the Fae,” I said
hesitantly. “Some use love spells, others heal injuries. Some are just looking
for an enchanted fling, to put it gently.”

“And you wanted to take me to this?” She
looked hurt. Suddenly, I understood her feelings.

“No! I mean, yes, I wanted to take you,
but I wasn't going to put you under any kind of enchantment! You would be free
to make your own choices—I would never take that away from you. I wouldn't
force you to change so I could keep you.” My heart hurt at the thought of her
not trusting me. I didn't know how much more of a beating it could take
tonight.

“Oh.” She closed her eyes, a look of
stress passing over her face.

“We could still go,” I said hesitantly.
“Just for fun—so you could see it. And we could finally be together for real,”
I added. “We can be together once a year, every year if you want.” I hadn’t
even considered that as a possibility before, thinking that she would want to
come with me and nothing else, but I was being selfish again, and needed a
“yes” to something.

She opened her eyes and slowly
brightened at that possibility. She studied my face for a while. Finally, she
answered. “No enchantment?”

“I promise,” I replied, releasing the
breath I had been holding in anticipation.

“Okay,” she smiled. “I'll go.”

It was finally time.

The sun set and I was human once again,
my features changed from their normal Fae appearance. I looked just like I did
in Emilee’s dreams, but it was odd to be awake and look like this. I knew it
would be odd to see the other Fae looking human as well. A sense of euphoria I
had never experienced during previous years began to form inside me.

Before I left The Glen I had dressed for
the occasion in a suit much like the ones I'd worn in Emilee's dreams. It was a
simple tux, black and white, with the tie missing and the top button open. I
preferred a more relaxed look, knowing I wanted to be comfortable so I could
enjoy my night.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped from the
tree line and headed toward the town. Emilee had given me directions to her
house through a mental picture so that I wouldn't get lost. My heart pounded
harder with each step I took, the excitement building to a magnificent frenzy
as I imagined what it would be like to
really
touch her for the first
time. It was all I could do to walk and not run through the town like an idiot.

Finally, I reached her door—a smile on
my face—and I knocked without hesitation.

The door opened almost instantly and my
breath caught as I looked at my love with my own eyes for the first time. She
was wearing a beautiful dress of green and white, one shoulder bare, and white
roses cascading over the other shoulder and accenting her waist. In her small
hand she grasped a rod connected to a dainty mask of green and white. Her hair
was curled and pinned up with flowers that matched her gown perfectly. The shy
smile on her face made my world catch on fire.

“Hi,” I said softly.

“Hello,” she giggled. An awkward silence
filled the air. It was broken when we both started laughing at the same time.

“This is so weird!” Her eyes sparkled
with excitement as she stood in the doorway, the skirt on her dress rustling
slightly as she shuffled her feet.

“It kinda is,” I agreed. “But I'm glad
we're doing it.” I grinned widely at her and stepped forward, reaching for her
hand. When our skin touched I felt a fire more intense than any I'd felt in her
dreams. I almost forgot how intense the flames felt—I was so accustomed to
their heat—but they were nothing compared to the inferno her real touch
created. I pushed the dance at The Glen to the back of my mind. I would not be
rushed tonight.

I drew her closer, my fingers stroking
her neck as I brushed her lips with my own. I imagined that I could hear the
sizzle our skin created. Emilee released my hand and wrapped her arms around
me, causing tingles to run down my spine while she sweetly returned my kisses.
Every movement made me want more. I didn’t even care if we made it to the party
anymore. I was perfectly happy where I was.