Morrigan (39 page)

“I feel the same way,” Rebecca told him, and
leaned her head against his shoulder. “I couldn’t imagine beginning
this adventure without you by my side.”

“Before we start this new chapter, there’s
something I wanted to give you.” Justyn reached into the deep
pockets of his black cargo pants and retrieved a little black box
wrapped with silver ribbon.

“Really, Lord Justyn, you spoil me way too
much,” she said, addressing him playfully by his nickname.

He shrugged. “You are worth spoiling, my
lady.”

He kissed her fingers as he slipped the gift
into her hand. She felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks and her
heart fluttered. Rebecca loved the fact that even though their
relationship had matured, Justyn still had the uncanny ability to
make her swoon. With her heartbeat still accelerated, she examined
the little box and shook it gently. Inside, she heard something
rattle.

“But I didn’t get you anything.” She
pouted.

“That’s okay. This is for both of us.”

She raised an eyebrow, a habit she had
inherited from him. “Do you often give yourself gifts in velvet
trimmed boxes?” she teased.

Justyn rolled his eyes. “Just open it and
you’ll see what I mean.”

Rebecca unwound the silver ribbon that bound
the box together. When she lifted the lid, she found two matching
pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They were shaped sort of
like seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped out from
the center as the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in
color with a few hints of tan along the edges. The stones had been
polished and smoothed on both sides, but when she lifted them, she
could see that the two pieces fit together perfectly. She swore
that the halves fought to snap together, like magnets in her hand.
There was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the stones that
even a novice witch like Rebecca could feel.

“They’re beautiful.” Rebecca whispered as she
ran her hand along the intricate grooves.

“It’s an ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the
pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and hooked the clasp around
her neck. His breath tickled her skin as his hands moved with
graceful dexterity, giving her goose bumps despite the humid August
night. “They’re actually fossils that are millions of years old,
named after Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When they’re divided
in half, they’re perfect mirrors of one another. Some cultures
believe that if the two halves are given to lovers, it will bind
them together forever. When made in necklaces, they’re often called
soul mate pendants.”

“Wo . . . wow,” Rebecca stuttered. As usual,
the sentiment behind Justyn’s gift was even more beautiful than the
gift itself. It left her a little flustered. “That’s amazing. How
do you know all this stuff?”

“You don’t spend eighteen years living with
Darlene without learning a thing or two.”

Rebecca laughed. Justyn’s mother, Darlene,
was definitely something special. EMT, exotic belly dancer, and
Wiccan High Priestess were only a few of the titles she claimed.
Rebecca knew she was a fountain of earth-based knowledge after
years of studying the Craft. As Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca
was greedily dipping into that knowledge herself as often as
possible.

“It’s beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too
overcome with emotion to think of anything more eloquent to say.
“You certainly know how to make things interesting.”

“Like I told you on our first date, I try not
to be boring.” He winked at her. “So . . . are you going to put
mine on for me?”

“Oh yeah . . . sorry.”

Rebecca giggled as she lifted the hemp chain.
She wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn was. She almost dropped the
necklace in the sand three times before she finally managed to get
the clasp locked. When she finally had it secured, he placed his
hand over her heart where the ammonite lay. He did the same with
her hands, lifting them to his chest. His dark eyes had lost all
glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with a stare filled with genuine
emotion. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the gentle, steady
rhythm of his heart beating in perfect tune with her own.

“Our love will span both space and time

In this life and the next you shall be
mine.

All eternity I will be by your side.

For a love so strong cannot be denied.

Spirit and flesh merged into one.

So mote it be, for all days to come.”

When he was done with the recitation, he
kissed her. Not just a gentle brush this time, but a deep
passionate embrace that left her throat tight and her heart
pounding with familiar yearning.

“I’ve never heard that poem before,” she
said, once she had caught her breath. “Who are you quoting?”

Even in the moonlight, she could see him
blush. “I guess I was quoting myself. It was really more of an
incantation than a poem, though. These necklaces are meant to be a
symbol of our love, and it seemed a little spell work could only
add to the power of the stones. There is power in words, Becca.
Just like in there is power in nature.”

“You mean, you wrote that?”

He nodded, but his eyes twinkled and the
playfulness was back in his voice. “Well, actually, I just made it
up as I was going along.”

“Wow. Actor, singer, and now an improv poet
slash chant writer. Is there anything you can’t do, Lord
Justyn?”

He smiled, and tilted her chin so he could
look into her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”

This time when they kissed, they stayed
wrapped in each other’s arms. They embraced not only each other,
but the silence that surrounded them. The cool ocean breeze stroked
her skin in time with his hands. The moon’s silver rays were
reflected on the water, and the stars glittered like diamonds above
them. It was a perfect night, and Rebecca wished it would never
end. Before too long, a hand thumped against the wooden bench and
Tom’s cheerful face popped up from one corner.

“Hey, love birds. I hate to break up a tender
moment, but Carmen and I really have to get going. I’m leaving for
California at four a.m.”

Rebecca sighed, but she knew Tom was right.
They all had a big day ahead of them. They needed to get some rest.
Justyn jumped down from the look-out, and ever the gentlemen,
offered her his hand so she wouldn’t fall on her face in the sand.
Once she was securely on the ground, Rebecca noticed that Carmen’s
eyes were red-rimmed. She would never embarrass her friend by
mentioning it, but seeing her that way finally broke Rebecca’s thin
grasp on her emotions. She threw her arms around Carmen and burst
into tears.

“I’m going to miss you so much.” She
sobbed.

“You too, girl.” Carmen couldn’t hold back
any longer either, and wept on her shoulder. “You better tell your
parents to expect a big cell phone bill. And you two best not
forget us when you’re famous on Broadway. I want free front row
tickets to every single performance.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes and sniffed. “Like
that’s ever going to happen.”

“With you two, it just might,” Tom agreed.
Justyn reached out to shake his hand, but Tom pulled him into a
hug. “I’m glad we got to know each other, vampire,” Tom teased.
“You’re not nearly as wacked as I first thought you were.”

“You’re not so bad either, dude,” Justyn
replied. “I might even miss having you around.”

“‘Til Thanksgiving?” Carmen asked.

“Until Thanksgiving.” They all repeated. With
one final exchange of hugs, the four high school friends parted
ways to start their new adventures as college co-eds.

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful
Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing
in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In
addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a
popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of
her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to
eight years. Visit her website at
www.authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com for more information.