My Immortal (26 page)

After he left Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Damien felt satisfied. Giving Marie’s confession to the priest, requesting she be granted absolution posthumously, had been the right thing to do. It was what Marie deserved, even though he didn’t feel she actually needed forgiveness. She hadn’t been at fault. But forgiveness was what she had wanted. He couldn’t turn back the clock, couldn’t undo his mistakes or let her know that he had loved her, though badly and without maturity. This he could do, though, and hopefully she was at peace.

It had taken him over two hundred years, but he had found pieces of that for himself. Stepping into St. Louis Cemetery #1, Damien walked the crowded rows of the cemetery and pulled out his cell phone. Since she’d left eight weeks earlier, Damien had had Marley’s number programmed into his cell. He’d been waiting for the right moment, for the courage, to call her. To tell her the change in his circumstances. To tell her he loved her.

He pushed send and hoped he would actually figure out
how
to say that when she answered.

“Hello?”

She sounded breathless, like she was rushing somewhere.

“Marley?” he said, his heart in his throat. God, he missed her.

The phone crackled, like she had propped it on her shoulder. “Who’s this?”

“It’s Damien. Du Bourg. In Louisiana.” He rolled his eyes at himself. Like she knew twelve Damiens. He hoped she didn’t know twelve Damiens.

“Damien. Hi.”

Was that pleasure in her voice or awkwardness? He couldn’t tell. “So, how are you?” He silently cursed himself for sounding like an idiot.

“I’m okay. You?”

“Yeah, about the same. Listen, um…” He smoothed his eyebrows and paused in the path. He had to do this. “I’m calling because I miss you, Marley. I want to talk to you. I was hoping I could come and see you in Cincinnati.”

She said something, but there was a background noise, some kind of speaker voice on her end, and it drowned out her reply. It figured. Anything to prolong his torture.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Could you repeat that?”

She made a small sound. “I said I want to talk to you too. I’m actually at the airport right now.”

“You’re coming to see me?” Well, alright. That was very promising. “What time does your flight get here? I’ll pick you up.”

“It’s already here. I’m in the New Orleans airport. And I just got the keys to my rental car. Can I meet you at Rosa de Montana?”

“Of course. Sure. I’d love that. But why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have made arrangements.” Bought a diamond ring.

She gave a nervous laugh. “I figured if I just showed up you couldn’t tell me not to come.”

His nervousness all abated. He’d spent eight weeks worrying that she would no longer be attracted to him without the charm of the Grigori, but so far, things were sounding good. “I never would have told you not to come here. I want to see you.”

“Good. I’ll see you in a couple of hours then, okay?”

“Perfect. And Marley?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.” He’d never played it safe, and he wasn’t about to now. Might as well lay all his cards on the table.

“I love you too.” Her voice was soft, but confident, comfortable.

Damien grinned. That was it then. Now that he knew she still loved him, he wasn’t taking no for an answer. She was going to be his, happily ever after, damn it.

Marley had driven the rental car faster than she should have, but she was anxious to see Damien. He had called her. He had said he loved her without a prompt from her, hadn’t suggested she was a lunatic for flying down to see him unannounced.

She was hopeful, but worried that she was reading too much into it. And it had been a long plane ride, then drive out to Rosa de Montana, feeling like her entire future rested on Damien’s reaction to what she had to tell him.

There were two vans pulling out of the plantation as she pulled in. Both drivers waved cheerfully to her, and Marley automatically lifted her hand in return, confused by their presence. But then she saw Damien, sitting midway up the front steps, hands on his knees, legs spread, watching her arrival.

In the two months since she’d left, her feelings for him hadn’t changed one bit. If anything, they’d grown stronger as she’d had time to reflect on what Damien had endured, the bad choices he had made and the consequences he’d suffered for those mistakes, how he had chosen to continually fight against the reality of his servitude, and find good for himself in that which was inherently evil.

She had come to tell him she respected that, and let him know that circumstances had changed, that she was no longer afraid, that she trusted both him and herself, and to offer him the opportunity to discuss their future, together or separate, in a rational manner with no outside influences. Or just fling herself at him, one or the other.

Parking the car, she got out and met him at the bottom of the stairs. “Hi,” she said nervously, feeling a goofy little smile cover her face.

“It’s so good to see you,” he said, taking her hand, kissing the back of it. “You look beautiful,
ma cherie
.”

Actually, she probably looked ragged out from the traveling, but he was definitely looking at her with admiration. She’d take it. “Thanks. So, what were those vans doing here?” she said, just to say something. He looked good. Different somehow. Content.

“It was a tour group. Now that I’m no longer, uh, entertaining, I decided to allow tours here on Fridays. The admission fees go into a foundation I started in Marie’s name. We’ll be giving scholarships to a university for disadvantaged high school students. Marie enjoyed her years at the convent school and I think she would have approved.”

Marley knew she was touch and go with her emotions, but that made tears pop into her eyes. She blinked hard. “That’s wonderful, absolutely wonderful. And you’re not entertaining?”

“No.” He smiled at her. “No more parties. Are you disappointed?”

She gave a laugh. “Hardly. If I wear a bikini ever again, it will be too soon. But…” She was wondering about the Grigori, his servitude, but she couldn’t force the words out. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat. “So you don’t mind that I’m here? I had a three-day weekend and I thought…maybe…”

“I’m very pleased. Can you stay here, with me? No hotel?”

“Sure.”

“Good. Can I get you a drink or some refreshments? Do you want to sit on the gallery?”

Marley laughed. “Wow. We’re being awfully polite, aren’t we?”

He nodded. “Yes. And it’s absolutely killing me.”

“So if you didn’t have to be polite…what would you really say or do?” Marley asked, her heart thumping with love, desire. He looked so handsome, so delicious, so masculine, and she loved him. She wanted to know that she was entitled to a place in his arms, wanted to claim it and own it, but was scared to make the first step.

It had been her choice to leave.

But it had also been her choice to come back.

Despite the demons, or maybe actually because of them, Damien had become a good, moral man, and she needed to tell him the truth. Wanted a life with him if he was interested.

“If I wasn’t being polite, I would do this.” And he leaned forward, buried his hand in her hair, dragged her mouth to his.

With hot, urgent passion he kissed her, and Marley grabbed on to his T-shirt, overwhelmed, dragged under. She had missed him so much, and he felt so strong, so real.

“I called you,” he said between kisses, “to tell you that I am free to love you, free to live my life, free to marry you.”

Marley tried to pull back, startled, her hope swelling to irrational proportions, confused and needing to see him, but Damien wouldn’t let her go. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

He nuzzled along her ear. “I mean that Rosa’s father freed me from my immortal servitude. I am very much mortal now, and I very much want to marry you if you’ll have me.”

“Are you sure?”

“That I want to marry you?” he teased. “For the most part.”

“No!” Marley yanked back, stared into his eyes. “How do you know you’re mortal?”

“Rosa told me I am, and I have to trust her on this one. I can’t go and shoot myself to prove it.” He gave her a wry smile. “But I haven’t done anything sinful in the last two months and neither Rosa nor Alex has said a word of censure to me. I’ve been practically monklike, Marley. It feels fantastic. I feel different too…vulnerable, yet stronger. That makes no sense, but it’s true. I feel separate, like my own man.”

She wasn’t sure what to say, couldn’t believe that it was going to be so easy. Then she realized that while she had been living in agonies of indecision, missing him, he hadn’t bothered to share the news with her. “Why on earth didn’t you tell me?”

Damien grimaced. “Well, you said you needed time to think. I didn’t want to infringe on that. And to be totally honest, I wasn’t sure if you had fallen in love with me, or fallen for the lure of the demon. I was afraid I’d tell you the truth, you’d take one look at me, as I am now, and wonder what you ever saw in me. I tested it, you know, by flirting with some women on Bourbon Street. Some responded, but others just completely blew me off. That’s never happened before, not since I took the curse. I was a little…concerned that you might not be attracted to me any longer.”

Marley felt a grin split her face. He was worried, shoulders tense, eyes narrowed. She uncrossed his arms from his chest and squeezed his hands. “You are so adorable.”

He winced.

“I fell in love with you, the man, Damien, not the charms of the demon. I am attracted to you, and I absolutely want to marry you and make a life with you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That is a good answer.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her again and again.

When he let her up for air, she laughed. “And you know, I’m relieved there won’t be women drooling over you everywhere we go. That can get old fast.”

He feigned indignation. “You don’t think any women will drool over me? I didn’t become ugly, you know.”

“No, you didn’t.” Caressing his lower back, Marley stared up at him, marveled at all he had been through, all he had seen and done. Wondered that of all women, he could choose her to be with. Grateful that she had the courage, the confidence, to reach for her own happiness with her very attractive and masculine man. “Not ugly at all.”

“Let’s go in the house and I’ll prove to you I still have certain charms.” Damien scooped her up into his arms and held her tightly. “Oh,
ma cherie
, I don’t deserve this.”

“Hey.” Marley touched his cheek, tears filling her eyes. “Yes, you do. You are a good man, Damien du Bourg, and fortunate that you were given two hundred years to prove it.”

He nodded, swallowing hard, then smiled again. “Where will we live? I don’t want you to have to give up your life in Cincinnati if you don’t want to.”

“We’ll live here. I love this house, this plantation. I can teach here just as easily.”

“What about your family? Your sister?”

Marley wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn’t going to let her sister spoil her perfect moment. “She’s not speaking to me. She checked into rehab after Alex dumped her, but the minute she got out, she ran off to Chicago this time. Sebastian is doing great with Rachel, and Lizzie gave her full custody. I told his biological father about him, since Lizzie finally told me his name, and he has visitation now. That was the last nail in the coffin of our relationship, the fact that I went and contacted Alan, but I thought he deserved to know he has a son.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “And you know you did the right thing.”

“I know, but I’m sorry it had to be this way. But, Sebastian is fine, that’s what’s important. And I’m free to live here, with you, to make my own life with you and our baby.” She dropped that in, wondered if he’d pick up on it.

He paused with his foot on the first step, his arms snugly under her back and legs. “You mean with me and the hypothetical children we might have in the future.”

“No. I mean you and me and the baby that’s going to be born in seven months.”

Damien nearly dropped her. “Holy shit, are you serious?”

“Yes.” This wasn’t exactly the reaction she had hoped for. “Is that okay? It wasn’t intentional, Damien, I swear. I wasn’t trying to get pregnant, and I honestly thought it was the wrong time…”

Damien just set her down on the step, went down on one knee, and started speaking in French, clenched fist resting on his forehead. Marley looked at him, stunned. What the hell was he saying? Was that happy French or get-away-from-me French? She had always been lousy at understanding spoken French. Between her fear and panic, and his very traditional accent, she had no clue what he was saying.

“Damien, what are you doing? Is this okay…”

“Amen,” he said, eyes still closed.

Unsure, Marley just watched as Damien stopped speaking, took a deep breath, and stood up. He pulled her to him. “I was giving a prayer of gratitude to Mary, the mother of God. For the gift of our child.”

Marley closed her eyes, let out the breath she’d been holding. “So you’re happy?”

“Are you kidding?” Damien pulled back and grinned at her. “This is
fantastique
. Perfect.”

“I thought so.” She laughed when he ran his hands through his hair, forcing it straight up in the air.

“You’re feeling okay? Everything is okay?”

She nodded.

“Then we have to call the contractor. We have to wire the house for electricity and plumbing. We have to paint it. We have to buy a crib.”

Marley laughed, loving his enthusiasm. “We have seven months. And in the meantime, I can think of other things to do.” She leaned closer. “You know, I’ve been a bit lonely for the last two months.”

That changed the look in his eye. He ran his finger over her bottom lip. “I’m so sorry to hear that. But I promise you I’ll make up for lost time. I may have lost the lure of the demon, but not the experience I’ve gained.”

That sent a shiver rolling up her spine. “That sounds promising.”