Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) (32 page)

“In spirit form, yes.” Lance seemed to have difficulty pulling enough air into his lungs. “He doesn’t blame you for the accident, Lance, I told you that.”

There were tears welling up in Lance’s eyes. “I miss him, Ariana.”

“I do, too, Lance, but he told me to stop mourning for him and get on with my life and be happy… with Abe.”

Lance paused for a moment and then his face turned disgusted. “You’re telling me that you’re screwing this guy?”

Abe stepped toward Lance. “I don’t appreciate you talking to Ariana in that manner, and I don’t think Michael would have liked it, either.”

Lance’s face was shocked as he stared at Abe. “No, no! You don’t know Michael. He wouldn’t…”

“I met Michael. We had a very long conversation about my feelings for Ariana…”

Ariana stood up, interrupting Abe’s speech. “Lance, Michael’s last wish was that I would be with Abe. He wanted to make sure I was loved and taken care of, and he knew that me and Abe were meant to be together. Everything happens for a reason, Lance. I’m a witch and I’m supposed to live on Eternal Island. I was meant to love Abe and we are destined to get married… This Saturday, in fact.”

Lance lowered himself gently to the ground and simply stared at her. She figured he would either pass out or start shouting at her again, shooing her out of his dream. Was that even possible? She would go without a fuss, but she didn’t want Lance to hate her forever, and this would definitely cause problems between him and Janie when she found out, which she was bound to do.

Lance surprised her by speaking in a calm, mature voice. “Are you sure, Ariana? I know from experience that you can’t stop love. But Michael’s only been dead a short while…”

“I’m positive, Lance. It’s what he wanted. If he were here, he would tell you the same thing.” Ariana lowered her gaze. “And I haven’t even got to the shocking part of the story yet.”

“Ariana,” Abe whispered. “Maybe we should save the rest for another dream. I think he’s taken in all he can, for now.”

Ariana looked at Abe. “If I don’t tell him now, I’ll only upset him again later.”

Abe nodded.

“Oh yes, by all means, Ariana, tell me more. You pregnant or something?” Lance’s sanity finally tipped over the edge and onto the other side.

Abe cleared his throat and Lance rolled his eyes.

“Abe runs Eternal Island,” Ariana hastened to explain. “He’s their… um… King.”

“So you… will be queen? You hit the jackpot, didn’t you?” A leer she’d never seen on Lance’s face before contorted his features.

“Ugh, I hate that word, but yes. Yes, I will be… Queen. And I’m not marrying Abe for his money, so you can put that face away. When you come, you’ll see. Money isn’t really a big deal there. Everyone works and everyone pretty much has what they want.” Ariana gritted her teeth and soldiered on. “There is also another word the people on the island will call me, after our baby is born. They’ll call me High Vampess.”

“Baby? You are pregnant, aren’t you?”

“No! Christ, Lance, you can be such a moron! No, I’m not pregnant. Stop fixating on babies. Though I do want a baby, and so does Abe. You’re missing the main point.”

“What’s more important than that? Oh, the High Vampess thing. What’s that?”

“Well, it’s what they call a Queen that is mated to the High Vampire. I will… be one, one day.” Ariana waited for the heat, but what came next surprised the hell out of her and Abe both.

Lance started laughing, and he laughed, and he laughed some more. Ariana and Abe watched in silence, waiting for Lance to get it all out of his system.

When he couldn’t laugh anymore, Lance simply stared at them, his face gradually losing any hint of hilarity. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he managed to say after a while.

“Yes.”

“In that case I don’t have any choice but to be happy for you. Anything else would only drive Janie away from me, and I’m not going to let you do that, Ariana. We’re already having crazy dreams, thanks to you.”

“What can I say to convince you, Lance? Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“Well, in a normal world, I would be happy for you, if that counts for anything.”

“It does, Lance. Oh, thank you.” Ariana ran and hugged him tightly. “We want you and Janie to come and live on the island with us, if you want to. Please, Lance. Just give it a chance. I promised Janie she could be my maid of honor, if I ever got married again. You’re not going to break her heart and say no, are you?”

Lance took a deep breath. “We already had a… tentative discussion about it. I won’t stop her doing what would make her happy. Hell, I need to see that island, to believe it. So, I guess you’ll get your wish. How exactly do you propose to get us there? You said humans couldn’t find it.” Lance eyed Abe worriedly. “I’m not ready to relinquish my soul yet, so you can keep your fangs away from me, vamp dude.”

“Oh, my God! Thank you, Lance. I must go share the good news with Janie in her dream. Be at the local airport at 6 p.m. this Wednesday. I’ll pick you up. Don’t tell anyone else; you have to just disappear. Bring only the necessities. I’ll see you then. Tell Janie she can have any dress she likes – we’ll get fitted together. I love you, Lance. Thank you for being such a good friend.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I love you, too. See you Wednesday at six at the airport. Or, if not there, in whatever lunatic asylum these crazy dreams land me.”

Ariana took Abe’s hand and smiled at him. “Take me and Abe back to our own minds.”

§ § §

Rainey looked up at the gray sky and started walking towards Kade. Why was the guy always a hundred yards away? She was going to have a talk to him about making her walk so much through the soft sand. If he came into her dream, then why couldn’t he come all the way?

When Rainey got close, Kade turned and smiled a perfect smile. Never mind Clive, the guy she’d left in his own dreamland, back in her bed. Rainey had completely fallen for the man standing in front of her.

“Hey, gorgeous. You miss me?” Kade purred.

“You know I did. Sorry it took me so long, we’ve had a little excitement on the island.”

Kade’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh? What happened?”

“Ab… I mean, the King proposed to… the future Queen tonight, and she said yes. The wedding is this coming Saturday, so I may not be able to see you that night, much as I hate it. Oh, and Wednesday, too. I am taking the bride-to-be to Beverly Hills, wedding dress shopping.”

Kade’s eyes opened wide and he smiled slyly. “Really? That’s perfect timing. Are you sure you didn’t read my mind? I’ve got everything in order here, so if you still want me to come and live on the island with you, you could give me a lift.”

“Oh, my gosh. Really? Yes! Yes, of course I want you to come. We will be in Beverly Hills at Heaven Sent Bridal by eleven o’clock Wednesday night. Can you meet me there? Oh, I can’t believe you are really coming.”

“How could I not? I’ve fallen for you. Besides, you need someone to take care of you.” He stopped talking for a moment and looked as though he were in a trance, then he snapped out of it. “Someone better than that guy in your bed.”

“Oh, no! Kade, I’m so…”

“Shhh! You are not mine yet, sweetness. But you will be soon. Don’t be sorry, I also have someone to let go. It won’t be easy, she’s been around for a quite a while. But I don’t love her. I love
you
.”

Rainey’s heart melted and she blushed. “I think I’m falling for you, too.”

Kade smiled. “I’m glad about that. You can tell the guy in your bed that’s the last time he got to sleep with you; your boyfriend is coming to stay for good Wednesday night.”

Rainey’s heart was beating fast. “I will.”

Kade bent and kissed her softly, sending chills all over her body. “I’ve got to go now. I’ll be waiting for you Wednesday night. Good night, Rainey.”

Kade disappeared and Rainey willed herself to wake up and share her good news with poor Clive.

C
HAPTER 47

Ariana opened her eyes and looked at Abe, whose eyes were still closed. She laughed.

“Did you fall asleep?”

Abe dragged his lids open over his bloodshot eyes. Ariana gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “What’s wrong with your eyes? Are you okay? Abe? Answer me! Did I do that? The dream walking always makes me tired – are you tired, too?”

Abe’s body slumped and his eyes rolled back in his head.

“Oh no! Abe! Abe, you can’t do this to me. I’m not that good a healer. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

She snapped her fingers and clapped her hands in front of his face. She put two fingers on his jugular, feeling for a pulse, then immediately felt stupid when she remembered he didn’t have one anyway. She put her ear down by his mouth to listen to his breathing, then crawled quickly to the couch. She rummaged in her purse and found her cell, grateful for the time Rainey had spent loading hers and Becky’s numbers, back on the beach.

It rang twice before Rainey picked up. “I figured you guys would be necking. Get it? He’s a vampire… necking. Whatever, I’m sorry, I tell lame jokes…”

“Rainey, shut up! There is something wrong with Abe and I don’t know what to do. I took him dream walking with me to meet one of my friends and when we came back he was unresponsive and his eyes are bloodshot. He’s out cold on the floor and his breathing is slow. Please help me, tell me what to do,” Ariana cried, frantic with worry.

“I’m on my way, Ariana. I’ll get Jonah and we’ll be there in a couple of minutes. You just hang tight.”

Ariana ended the call and went to Abe’s side. She forced herself to relax, then placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, bringing all the energy she had left in her to the surface, so she could heal him. She concentrated hard, but couldn’t seem to locate where, or even if, anything was wrong with him.

She sat back on her heels, thinking. Out in the hall, she heard Jonah’s loud mouth. She ran to unlock the door; any more dents and Abe would have to get a new door made.

Jonah was laughing and joking, Rainey and Becky right behind him.

“You two must have had some rockin’ sex for him to be this drained,” he chuckled.

Ariana gave him her best pissed off face. “We most certainly did not, not that it’s any of your business. He went dream walking with me and when we got back, he was like this,” she said, pointing to Abe on the floor.

Jonah walked over to Abe, bent down, picked him up like he weighed no more than a feather and placed him over his right shoulder. He then turned toward the door.

“Wait! What’s wrong with him and where are you taking him?” Ariana ran to catch up with Jonah.

“He needs to feed and I’m taking him to a meeker, unless you want to do it?”

Jonah stood in the door, smiling, with Abe’s limp body on his shoulder. Ariana’s face turned white as a sheet.

“I didn’t think so. He’ll be back, good as new, in thirty minutes or so. It might take us a while to get him awake enough to feed.” He turned away from her.

“Can I go with him?” Ariana asked.

“Yeah, you can go, but do you think you’re going to be able to watch him take another female’s vein without passing out? Or getting mad?”

“Why would I get mad?” Ariana asked, falling into step beside him. Though she’d probably pass out before anything else registered in her mind; Jonah knew her too well.

“Well… how do I put this? It’s arousing for both the meeker and us when we… uh, feed. You don’t have to worry about… the sex part… Abe wouldn’t bed one of those blood whores. But he can’t prevent getting… you know, when he feeds. You sure you can watch him do that, with someone else?”

Ariana suddenly felt sick to her stomach as Jonah opened the door to the feeding room. “I think I’ll just wait out here.”

“Wise choice. Hey, don’t be mad at him, Ariana, it’s not something he can help.”

“I’m not mad, but I don’t have to like it, either.”

Jonah smiled at her before entering the room. She watched the door close behind him, backed against the wall and slid to the floor, right there, in the hall.

“You alright?” Rainey asked as she sat down beside her, handed her a coke, then opened her own.

Ariana’s eyes were a little unfocused as she opened the can with shaky fingers and took a drink, hoping it would settle her uneasy stomach. It didn’t make any difference.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I just wish I had the nerve to give him what he needed instead of him having to use one of them, in there.”

“You will, honey. Don’t upset yourself. You’ve come a long way already.”

Ariana really didn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it, so she changed the subject. “I noticed you didn’t comment earlier, when I asked if you or Becky had ever thought of being changed. Have you, ever?”

Rainey dropped her head. “His name was Armadéus. He wanted to see the world and so he left. He said he would come back… That was seven years ago. Of course, to a vampire, seven years feel like seven weeks. Anyway, I’ve moved on. When we go to California on Wednesday, we’re picking up Kade and bringing him back here to live on the island.”

“That’s great news, Rainey. And we have another stop, because Janie and Lance want to live here, too. Do you think we can stop in Arkansas? Janie needs a bridesmaid dress, so we can get fitted together.”

“No problem, honey. We’ll just have to leave a bit earlier, and maybe spend the night in Beverly Hills. It’s a long flight. Abe won’t like the extra delay, but he’ll get over it. I’m sure you can make it up to him in some way.” She winked.

Ariana looked away, embarrassed. “Lance didn’t take the news that well, but I think he understands.”

“Did you tell him everything?”

“Everything.”

“What about Janie?”

“We didn’t get the chance to visit her dream, and I’m glad we came back when we did, or Abe might not have made it at all. I didn’t even think about how dream walking might affect him.”

“All that playing with Jonah earlier drained him a lot, but I bet the magic in the dream walking didn’t help, either. You need to take me with you sometime.”

“We can visit Armadéus’ dream, if you like, so you can tell him not to bother coming back.”