Fall of Darkness (The Chronicles of Darkness) (32 page)

She’d said no
,
but she could.
Damn it, she still could.

Kate closed her eyes and found herself
in a different time and place, wrapped in the memory of those arms beneath another
starry sky. The unaccompanied timbre of a husky male voice serenaded her. Surrendering
to the beckoning illusion, Kate savored the pleasure of each stolen moment.

Ah, Dominic.

He was there, holding her. His breath
caressed her skin, eliciting shivers of desire. The warmth of his soft brown
eyes held her in the gentlest of embraces. Kate reveled in heady euphoria, losing
herself in the piece of heaven before crashing back to earth.

Opening her eyes, Kate forced herself
back to the present. He wasn’t there. Another man held her in his arms as
though she was the greatest of treasures. Golden eyes, not brown, regarded her
with warmth and adoration.

Blinking back the sting of angry tears, Kate
was livid with herself for allowing him to intrude on her night. The pain of
the past wouldn’t ruin this evening for her or for Alex. She lifted her chin in
stubborn defiance of her invisible adversary and gifted Alexander with a
dazzling grin.

The music came to a sweeping end and
Alexander dipped into a deep bow. Kate performed an answering curtsy, but
regarded him with questioning eyes when he did not rise. Alexander slowly sank
to one knee instead.

A sickening sense of déjà vu twisted Kate’s
stomach into knots. Holding her gaze with the molten intensity of his honey
eyes, Alexander produced a black velvet ring box from his tuxedo jacket pocket.
With a pop of the hinges, he opened the box to display a beautiful diamond
solitaire.

A hush spread over the room like cloud
cover. All eyes turned to observe the scene of Alexander kneeling before Kate
in the center of the dance floor.

“Katerina, my love, I knew I loved you
from the first moment I saw you. You’re my heart and soul, the light in my
world of darkness. You’re the very reason I rise to live another day. I love
you with all that I am. I want you beside me, from now until eternity. You
would make me the happiest man alive, if you would promise to be my wife. Will
you do me the great honor of marrying me?”

Another voice echoed in Kate’s mind,
tormenting her with broken promises of love and forever.
Marry me, Kate. I’m
so hopelessly in love with you. Let me love you forever. If you’ll but give me
your hand, I promise to give you the world.

Lies, all lies. There was no love, there
was no forever. At least not the kind Dominic had promised her.

Kate studied the features of the man
kneeling before her. He was her friend, her safe harbor. He would always
shelter her from the storm. He loved her with all his heart. He would give her
an immortal lifetime of fierce loyalty and loving patience.

She may never again feel the all
consuming passion of the past, but he would make up for what they lacked in
tender devotion. Her heart revolted, insisting she would rather die alone than
marry any other than the man she loved. But her head knew what her heart
refused to hear. Dominic was gone, as good as dead to her.

Was it so wrong to settle for
comfortable companionship in the absence of a true love lost? Alexander was her
natural mate, and her grandfather’s favored choice to fill the role. They could
have a contented life, full of laughter and family. If she had a second chance
at any kind of happiness, this was it. Kate bit her lip and nodded her assent.

“Okay,” she conceded, managing a weak
smile. “Yes.”

            “Yes?”
Alex beamed.

            “Yes,”
Kate whispered softly. Katerina rejoiced, but Kate died a little inside. At
least one of them would be happy.

With unmatched elation, Alex swept her
into his arms, laughing as he spun her in gleeful circles.

When her feet finally touched solid
ground, he drew her close to him and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“You won’t regret it my love, I
promise.”

“I know,” she lied with a wane smile.

Chapter
29

Toasts had been made, dances danced, and
well wishes given, before Kate made her escape from the stifling ballroom that
had become her prison. Yes. With one word she’d sent her life careening down a
path far beyond her control.

Kate weaved her way through the guests
to the door, smiling, bobbing, and curtsying as she went. The second she
reached the doorway, she bolted. Picking up her skirts, she ran, dashing at
breakneck pace down the halls toward fresh air and freedom. She shoved past a
stunned Lorenzo and burst through the front doors.

Sucking in a calming breath, Kate filled
her lungs with the icy winter night air. Feeling a twinge of guilt over
exposing the priceless satin and jewels to the elements, she hoisted her skirts
and dashed off into the night. She didn’t know where she ran to, but it didn’t
matter. All she needed was to escape.

            Though
heels made running difficult, Kate managed well enough. She ran until her feet
ached, her lungs burned, and her pulse pounded in her ears. No matter how far
she went, it wasn’t far enough. They would follow.

Casting a withering glance over her
shoulder in the direction from which her unseen guards surely approached, Kate
dropped to sit on the snow-covered ground and tucked her knees to her chest
beneath the mass of skirts. She’d owe her dead grandmother an apology, for the
dress would be ruined.

Rocking back and forth on her bottom,
Kate gazed in glassy eyed silence over the sweeping vale before her. A winter
wonderland of snow-covered trees and fields stretched out as far as the eye
could see. It was so beautiful, the world frosted in sparkling white. Though
similar to the winters back home, it still felt foreign and empty.

Damn, it’s cold. Kate sucked in a deep
breath and slowly released it, watching her breath cloud the frigid air. Could
vampires get frostbite? Probably.

Could she freeze to death? Probably not.
Not that Kate intended to stay out there long enough to try. It was but a
fleeting moment of morbid curiosity. As if they’d let her freeze to death, even
if she wanted to. They were more likely hog tie and drag her back to the house.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the
sound of approaching footsteps crunched in the snow behind her.

            “Katerina,
what the hell are you doing?” Massimo roared from behind her. “It’s freezing
out here, and you want to frolic in the snow? What’s next, you want to build a
fucking snowman?”

            “If
you don’t like it, Massimo, then feel free to go back inside,” Kate replied in
a saccharin tone so sweet she hoped it hurt his teeth. “I won’t stop you.
Nobody asked you to follow me,” she added, without bothering to glance back at
her cousin.

Kate should’ve cut him some slack.
Massimo was only trying to protect her. What she should do was irrelevant. She
was not in the mood to put up with his shit tonight. With as irritable and
emotionally raw as she felt, Kate couldn’t be held accountable for her actions
if he laid into her with his typical heavy handed machismo.

            Another
set of footsteps crunched in the snow next to Massimo. “Your grandfather did.”
It was Armand’s placid voice. “Not that we need to be asked to watch out for
you,” the even-tempered guard added. “Are you okay?”

            “I’m
fine,” Kate huffed, glaring over her shoulder at the two of them. “I just need
some time-- alone.”

            “Why
don’t we all go back inside? The castle has plenty of places for you to be
alone… and warm,” Armand reasoned, a pleading note creeping into his last two
words. He rubbed his hands together and blew on them.

Kate bit back the tempting urge to call
him a wimp, teasingly of course, but thought better of it. Insulting the only
Cacciatori guard willing to reason with her wasn’t the best idea. “Nah, you
guys go ahead. I’ll follow in a little while,” she said instead.

            “Enough
of this. Are you coming or do we have to drag your ass kicking and screaming?”
Massimo demanded, his short patience gone before it ever came. “You better
believe I’ll do it. Give me the word, princess, and I’ll toss you over my
shoulder and…”

            “Go
inside.” Alexander’s quiet voice interrupted Massimo’s blustering with his soft
command. Kate started. She hadn’t heard him approach. He jerked his head at the
other two men. “Both of you. Go.”

He didn’t have to ask Armand twice, the
soft spoken guard took off in a hasty lope toward the warmth of the house.
Massimo was a different breed of animal. Hands on his hips, he turned to his
friend with doubt written across his face.

 “You sure, man? You’re going to have
your hands full with that one,” Massimo said, jacking his thumb at Kate. “You
think you can handle her?”

            “I’ll
manage,” Alex answered with a soft smile. “You go inside. I’ll take care of
her,” he reassured her cousin.

Massimo shrugged and took off into the
night. Kate glanced over her shoulder at her new fiancé. Alexander stood in
silence behind her with his hands in his pockets, his tie unknotted and hanging
loose at his neck. He was so beautiful and golden, so good to her. She didn’t
deserve him.

Cursing fate’s malicious sense of humor,
Kate wished she’d met Alexander long before she’d ever set eyes on Dominic
Ridolfi. Without the passion she’d known with Dominic, the love she felt for
Alex would be enough to fill a lifetime and longer, for there’d be no greater
love to compare it to.

            Kate
tipped her head back to smile up at him. “Thanks.”

            “No
problem.” Alex dropped down to sit behind her, cradling her back against his
chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She sank into his embrace, welcoming
his warmth and strength. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong now?” he asked
quietly, resting his jaw against the top of her head.

            “Nothing,”
Kate shrugged. “I just needed some time alone.”

            “Then
why are we trying to freeze to death in the snow?” he asked lightly.

            “I
need the fresh air.” 

“Katerina, I know you better than that.
Something’s wrong. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I want to know. Tonight
you’ve managed to make me the happiest man alive and all I’ve succeeded in
doing is driving you further away. Do you not want to marry me?” he asked. His
tone was casual, almost teasing, but his eyes betrayed his hurt.

            “That’s
not it.” Kate bit her lip. “I want to, really I do.”

And she did. She could picture a happy
future with Alex. They could have a vampire version of the house with a white
picket fence and a handful of beautiful, golden children frolicking in the
yard. A happily ever after with her very own Prince Charming. Kate wanted the
whole damned fairy tale. But more than anything, she wanted it to be enough.

Kate didn’t want to merely want to be
with Alex, she wanted to need to be with him. Not because he was her closest
friend, but because he completed her, heart and soul. Tired of hurting, she
would give anything to rid herself of the Dominic-shaped hole in her heart.

Alexander sighed. “I’m no fool,
Katerina. I know you’re still hurting, I know your heart aches for another man,
but I need you to know something,” he said, lacing his fingers through hers.
His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered, “I want it all-- all of you--
every last little bit you have to give and then some. I’ll gladly take the few
fragments you can offer me now, but I’m only biding my time, hoping someday
you’ll feel for me a fraction of what I feel for you. As I’ve said before, I’m
a patient man. I’ll wait for you forever if need be, but I need you to do
something for me.”

“What?” Kate croaked past the thick lump
in her throat.

“I need you to close the book on that
chapter of your life. I need you to commit to being happy with me. I need you
to love me with all your heart.

“I need to know you’re willing to put
half as much energy into us as you’ve put into clinging to your past. You have
to let him go, Kate. There’s only room for two of us in this relationship. I’ll
fight for you, but I need to know I have a fighting chance.”

            “Alex,
I---” she began, but stopped. “You called me Kate.” He’d never called her Kate,
ever, had in fact refused to.

            “Yes,
I did. Just don’t tell anyone, okay?” Alexander joked, tucking a wayward lock of
her hair behind her ear. His face grew serious. “I’m tired of trying to make
you pretend to be someone you’re not. I love you for who you are, not who we
expect you to be.

“I don’t care what you call yourself, so
long as I can call you mine,” Alexander said pressing his lips to her temple.
“Just tell me what you want. There’s nothing I would deny you. Just say the
word and it’s yours.”

            “Mmm,”
Kate murmured dreamily, oh the options. “Not to be a vampire?”

            “Nice
try. No dice,” he replied, nipping playfully at her neck. “Anything else?”

            “Honestly,
Alex, I don’t know what I want,” Kate admitted with a sigh. It was the truth,
and it scared her. After a life of meticulous planning, lists, and schedules,
she hadn’t a clue what the future held for her. But moving forward was her only
option. She couldn’t dwell in the past forever. It was time to make her peace
with that.

“Could I maybe have some time alone?”
she pled. “I just need a chance to muddle through things on my own.”

            “Out
here? Alone? Kate, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he said, shaking his
tawny head. “I know we’re still on the property, but there could be wer---”

            “You
said anything,” Kate reminded him, feeling a tad guilty for manipulating him
when he was trying so hard to appease her.

 His golden eyes met her pleading jade
ones and his resistance crumbled before her eyes.

“Oh, alright,” Alex sighed reluctantly.
“Just for a few minutes though, and you have to stay on Cacciatori land.
Promise me.”

            Kate
nodded. “I promise. I’ll be back in the house before anyone even notices I’m
gone.” Turning in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed
her lips lightly against his. “You’re too good to me, Alex.”

            “One
hour, Kate, no more. If you’re not back by then, I’ll have to come looking for
you. Your grandfather will kill me if he finds out.”

            “He’ll
never know,” she promised, pressing another light kiss to his lips to mollify
any misgivings.

Alexander rose to his feet and extended
his hand to lift Kate to hers. Shrugging out of his tux jacket, he wrapped it
around her shoulders. His scent lingered on the impeccably tailored fabric, as
did his warmth, soothing the chill of her bare skin. He grasped the lapels,
pulling her body into his. He kissed her tenderly, his lips warm and gentle as
they moved against hers.

            “I
love you.”

            “I
love you too,” Kate whispered back. And she did, just not the way he wanted her
to.

“Stay warm, my love.” He pressed his
lips to her gloved knuckles and was gone.

            Kate
tugged the edges of Alex’s jacket tighter around her body. Hoping the increased
circulation would keep her warm, she resumed her trek through the snow. Brrrrrrr.

Why couldn’t she have chosen somewhere
warmer to brood, maybe with a crackling fireplace and some hot chocolate? She
couldn’t complain too much, for she was alone at last. All her guilt over
manipulating Alexander into leaving dissipated. She was alone. Outside. At
last, she could clear her head.

            Kate
held her left hand out in front of her to inspect the ring there, and
involuntarily shuddered. Engaged again… What was she thinking? She still
suffered from the heart wrenching consequences of her last utterly impulsive
decision involving a diamond ring. Why had she leapt into another?

Kate knew why. Dominic had left a gaping
hole in her life and she’d try anything to hide it. Dominic was a dangerous
topic. Just enough doubt invaded her heart to keep hope alive, thanks to the nefarious
meddling of one Giovanni Ridolfi. Dominic’s brother had planted the seeds of
doubt where nothing else could.

You destroyed my brother when you left
, he’d said. As if she’d been the one to
betray Dominic, as if Dominic had truly cared about her. Was he out there
somewhere, hurting as badly as she was? She doubted it.

Giovanni had made one thing perfectly
clear.
He rues the day he met you
. Well, the feeling was definitely
mutual, buddy. He regretted her, oh well. Kate wasn’t his biggest fan either.
But did he hate her the way she hated him, with the hatred born from the
wreckage of a love destroyed by betrayal?

Regardless, Dominic had lied to her.
He’d been sent to kill her, had only spent time with her to learn more about
his target. Dominic would’ve killed her, or so she told herself. But Giovanni’s
words continued to gnaw at her resolve.
He wouldn’t have done it. He would
never have hurt you… He would have told you the truth, if you’d given him the
chance.