Second Chance (Enduring Kiss) (8 page)

I didn't reply. I just watched as he strode down the stairs. When he reached the door
, he looked back at me. I could see the love and pleading for understanding in his eyes, but I was beginning to feel numb. I had felt like this only one other time in my life and that was when I felt him die.

As soon as the door shut behind him Sean was there he
lping me to my feet.

"Are you okay
?"

I looked at his guilty face and realized he knew.

"You knew, didn't you?" His face crumpled and he closed his eyes. "You knew he was alive and you were just going to hide me away? You should have told me. You should have warned me of what he had become."

"Rebecca, I...
,"

I never
let him finish. I ran around him and went straight to my room, locking the door behind me. I fell to the bed and stared at the ceiling. The numbness was spreading and all I could think was that nothing was going to be the same again. I fell asleep with one thought crossing my mind. Not my first or my second chance was going to work out.

~~*~~

I knew I was dreaming before I saw him, so I didn't jump or scream when I turned over to see Drake standing next to the bed looking down at me. I sat up and waited for him to speak.

"Can I sit down?" He asked gesturing
to the bed.

I thought about it for
a moment. I was not sure I wanted him so close, but I reminded myself that this was a dream and I could wake up at any time. I nodded for him to sit.

He sat down and turned toward
s me leaning his back against the headboard.

"Rebecca, I..." He stopped whatever he was going to say and just looked at me. "Tell me what you're thinking?" He asked instead.

"I'm thinking so many things right now. I'm so happy you're alive. I have wished for you thousands of times in the past five years. I'm also thinking that you're a vampire. Nothing is going to be the same again. We can't be together," I said, whispering at the end.

Finding out he was alive only to lose him again was so unbearably hard.

"Honey, we can be together. Really, not much has changed."

The way h
e said that made me wonder who he was trying to convince more; him or me.

I shook my head. "Stop pretending here Drake. Everything has changed. You're a vampire."

"I know Rebecca," He said, gritting his teeth. "But nothing else has changed. We're still mates." He swung his arms out. "I'm here dream walking with you. Is that not proof enough? The only major change is that now we have two ceremonies to do. We'll have the traditional mating ceremony then we perform the Enduring Kiss. We will be together always. I'll feed only from you and..."

I raised my hand to stop his words. I had begun to feel lightheaded as soon as he said the word feed.

"No! I will not be your feeder," I said more sharply than I intended.

His eye opened wide. "But, for us to be together..." He started, but I didn't let him finish.

"No! I said I would not be your feeder. Never, never again, will I feed some...some...,"

I stopped when
I saw such mixed emotions crossing Drake's face. The wounded expression was what made me feel the worst. He also looked confused and angry. Seemed those were becoming common feelings lately. Hurt, confusion, anger, it was like a merry-go-round of emotions.

Drake
’s face began to show something else, shock and awareness. "Tell me, have you fed a vampire before?" He asked.

Oh gosh, he didn't know? All that time I was feeding Logan to save him and he didn't know.

"Yes."

"Who?" He growled before I could finish.

"Logan." His face crumpled before my eyes and I hoped it wasn't because he thought I willingly went with Logan. "I didn't want to, but he pretty much forced us with threats."

He was shaking his h
ead in confusion and disbelief.

"No, no he said you were safe. He said, if I took my
punishment, you would be safe."

He was talking mostly to himself and I felt so sad for everything we had been throu
gh. We both had been lied to and betrayed.

"He told me and the others that we had to feed him to keep you and the other guards alive." I looked down at my hands in my lap. "I can't go through that again. I'm sorry, Drake. I love you more than anything
, but to be a feeder for rest of my life...Please don't ask me to do that," I pleaded with him to understand.

He reached for my hand and I let him take it. He held it
tightly in his while he spoke.

"But
baby, it wouldn't be like that with me. I have been told it's pleasant to be fed on. I would never do anything to hurt you."

I shook my head. "I know that in my head
, but you just don't understand. Just the thought of being bitten again...I can't," I said simply.

His gaze darkened a little and I would have thought he was angry with me
, but his hand was gently caressing mine letting me know it wasn't me the anger was directed towards. He looked away staring at the wall. His gaze may have been on the flowered wallpaper, but his thoughts were definitely somewhere else.

"I understand more than you think. He fed from me too and it was awful. The thought of you going through that..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath obviously trying to pull himself together.

When his eyes opened, they were wet with unshed tears and looking at me.

"I can promise you this; I will never treat you like he did. I will love you and protect
you every day of my life. That means protecting you from me also. I will never hurt you Rebecca."

I understood what he was saying
, but I felt like I had a long way to go before I trusted him to feed on me. Maybe we could be together without feeding. He could feed on others. I would be okay with that, but when I mention it, he shook his head.

"No, it would be alright for a little while
, but without the Enduring Kiss, we'll never feel complete."

I
looked away. This was hopeless.

"Please Rebecca, come home w
ith me. We will work this out."

I was not convinced of that.

"Listen you won't be a feeder. You will just be my mate coming home to be with me. We can talk and figure this out, alright?"

He was pleading with me and I felt bad
, but I wasn't sure yet.

"I don't know Drake. Let me think about it for
a while. I need some time."

He shook his head. "I want you come back w
ith us. We leave today," he said.

I
sighed heavily. I just didn't know what to do.

"Listen, I'm sta
ying at the Savannah Garden. We are heading out at nine o'clock tonight. If you want to come home with me, be there by then. Okay?"

I reluctantly agree.

"Can I kiss you? If you decide not to come, I want a memory to hold onto."

My heart melted a little at his words. I
could not deny him a kiss and besides I didn't want to deny him. I wanted to kiss him with all that I had. In answer, I raised my lips toward his. He met me halfway.

His kiss was like an explosion of fireworks right from the beginning. There was no leading up to the climax. With Drake
, it was pure passion from the start.

He nibbled on my lips licking the seam trying to get me to open for him. I did, I opened for him and he plunged his tongue in searching for mine. He groaned when I reciprocated stroking my tongue with his. I grazed the tip of one of his fangs with my tongue
, but I did not flinch. I knew he wouldn't bite me. I did trust him with that, I realized.

He reached up cupping my head, holding me to him tightly and I found myself doing the same to him. Our kiss felt like it lasted a lifetime and ye
t felt too short when it ended.

He pulled back keeping his gaze
on mine. It was full of desire and love for me and I wanted to weep at the sight. Would we ever be together again? I asked myself.

"I love you
," he said fiercely.

"I love you,
" I replied with all of my heart.

"I have to go now.
I hope you come with me tonight."

T
hen he was gone and I was waking up to my empty bed and empty heart.

I laid there staring at the ceiling wondering what I was going to do. Having Drake back had felt like a dream come true
, but the thought of him being a vampire and what that entailed made me shudder. Everything had become so complicated.

I knew I had a choice to make. I had three options actually. One, I could go with Drake and see what happened. That was the scary choice and I decided to think of another. Two, I could refuse Drake, stay here and try a relationship with Sean. That didn't feel right anymore though. Not just because Sean lied to me
, but now I could feel Drake. He was alive and as soon as he was close, my wolf had recognized him. She would never be happy with someone else.

Three, I could refuse Drake, stay here and be alone. I sighed. None of those sounded appealing. My wolf was becoming restless with all the decisions so I decided to go for a run to think things over.

When I reached the woods, I stripped my pajamas off and put them in one of the baskets that were in place for when we went running. I stretch to loosen my tired muscles then started to change. My wolf flowed through me smoothly. I could feel her pleasure at being able to get out.

After another quick stretch in wolf form
, I took off. I ran mindlessly at first, weaving through the trees, feeling the wind blow through my blonde fur. It was late afternoon and the sun only peeked through the braches in some spots making the woods dark. The weather was warm though and my wolf senses let me see perfectly in the dark shadows.

I came to a creek and jumped over it
, easily landing softly on the other side. I kept going east, wanting to make it to the beach. It was a few miles from where I had started, but it was worth the effort. It was not long before I got there. I slowed down and transformed back into human form before stepping out of the woods.

The beach was deserted except for the sea gulls circling over the water waiting for a meal. I walked toward the water and stared out toward
s the horizon. The sun was setting behind me making the clouds above the water look purple and pink. Like cotton candy, I thought.

Drake and I used go to the fair every year in Columbia. We always got the cotton candy, feeding each other and kissing the sticky off each other's lips. I smiled at the memory of holding hands as we looked at everything. My favorite part was playing the games. Drake said they were a rip off
, but he always indulged me by playing a few. He won at least one teddy bear for me every year.

As I lis
tened to the waves crashing, I wondered if we would ever have times like that again. We were so young, but so happy back then. I had thought I would never have that again, but now that I knew Drake was alive, the possibility was there. Drake being a vampire scared me and things would change considerably, but did I really want to spend the rest of my life without any new memories with him? I asked myself.

I thought of Sean
. Just the day before, I was deciding if we should move on together because my mate was never coming back. I had to decide if I was going to move on with my mate or with Sean. I had two second chances to decide on.

My feelings for Sean
had not changed really. I was still drawn to him, but now the pull was so much less. My soul was being pulled back in the direction it belonged in.

I knew immediately what I had to do. I change
d quickly back into my wolf form and sprinted towards home. I had to find Sean.

Chapter 6

Sitting in the desk's chair, I looked out of the hotel room's window not really seeing anything. It was full dark now and we would be leaving soon. I still had to pack, but I was hoping Rebecca would have come by now. She hadn't yet, but I told myself not to give up. There was time.

"Are you packed?" Stephen call
ed from the door as he came in.

I
did not answer. He could see for himself. I was too lost in my own thoughts to pay attention to him as he began telling me to get started. I knew we were leaving soon and I had a feeling I would be leaving without my mate. Hope was slowly fading into hopelessness. I didn't know how I was going to live on without her.

I was also pissed to know Logan had been feeding on her that whole time I was imprisoned. Did he treat her
as he did me? I asked myself. Oh God! I didn't want to think about her going through that.