Shades of Amber (19 page)

He pulled me toward the
black overstuffed chair. I didn’t want to give into him so easily,
as he sat down and pat his lap, but I found myself doing it anyway.
He snapped his fingers and a fire sparked in the hearth.

“
Those who don’t pay
attention to history the first time are doomed to repeat
it.”

His tone made me
nervous.

“
It’s meant to sound
ominous, it’s trying to warn people that if they don’t pay
attention, past events can repeat themselves and alter the future.
Like with Chance.”

“
What do you
mean?”

He intertwined his fingers
with mine. “Maybe if you listen to the story you’ll be able to get
the answers you’re looking for.”

I leaned against him.
“Okay, okay. Tell me.”

“
You already know the
beginning.”

¤¤¤¤

…
Troy…

Jade had to understand
that my being different was not an excuse to run away from our
relationship.

“
Do you remember the story
I started back in New Orleans?”

She nodded as I took her
hand.

“
This story ends far from
where it started. Angelique chose Christian because she believed he
loved her for who she was. The day they chose to marry was one of
the nicest days Louisiana had seen, almost as if the sun had come
out just to give its heavenly blessing.

“
However, as soon as
Christian began his vows, a dark cloud smothered the sun like a
hand snuffing a flame, and out of the shadows came
Nikoli.

“
It is said that he
emerged from the dark like a beast out of purgatory and proclaimed
that he would destroy Christian and his side of the Montague line.
Then he melted into the shadows before the sun broke through the
vengeful clouds.”

Kissing Jade’s forehead, I
urged her to get up. It hurt to talk about my family’s curse, but I
needed her to understand me. I paced in front of the fireplace a
few times. When I looked at her, she was sitting in the chair with
one knee to her chest.

“
After that ominous day,
they savored each moment like it would be the last and after one
year Angelique gave birth to a son who was also gifted with the
sight. Christian sent his best men to find his brother, but each
search was futile.

“
As the child grew, he
watched for signs of Nikoli and his vow of destruction, but it was
not until the day of his son’s twenty-first birthday that he would
see his brother again, and it would also be the last.

“
It was the greatest
celebration to be had at The Amber Palace. Everyone knew it was the
day Christian and Angelique’s son, Marcus, would come into his full
powers. It was a ball of epic proportions, but it was not until the
party ended that the real magic began. The three were lounging in
the sitting room when a force as strong as a hurricane blew through
the doors. They stared, unsettled by the sight of their
guest.

“
Nikoli waltzed in,
dropping his black cloak on the floor as he held an orb of amber
light. The sphere captivated the three with its unearthly blaze,
its flames licking at the air above it.

“
Nikoli’s smile turned
deadly as he aimed the orb at Marcus. ‘The fact that you are so
much like your father sickens me, but I shall make you better. From
this moment forward you and your blood shall be forever turned. You
shall reign with a thirst that will kill and a life that will not
die. You, my nephew and all your future ties shall forever be bound
to this amber bloodline’.

“
Christian ran in front of
his son, but Nikoli had something else up his sleeve. Angelique’s
screams filled the room as Christian fell to his knees with a
dagger in his chest. Nikoli threw out his hands, preventing
movement as the unearthly orb sailed toward its intended target.
Angelique continued to wail, but she couldn’t break Nikoli’s
magic.

“
It was said that her
screams could be heard for miles as she witnessed Christian perish.
But it was the sight of the ball of light slamming into Marcus’s
chest that made her go insane. Anger filled her with malice as she
watched the orb engulf her son in amber flames. She called upon the
strongest magic and held it behind her back as Nikoli offered his
hand. ‘Now we can finally be together.’

“
She smiled at him as her
magic slammed into the spot where his heart should have been. She
laughed as his screams filled the room and watched with
satisfaction as he fell to the floor leaving a pile of ashes in his
wake.

“
Moans alerted her to the
far corner where she found her son still alive. She helped him up,
but when she looked into his eyes, she saw the curse for what it
was—the flames had swallowed his humanity, and in his new amber
eyes; she saw each and every lost life.” I released a deep
breath.

“
She wouldn’t stop
screaming. They said her mind snapped after seeing so much death,
so many lost souls in his eyes. And when she finally did stop, she
wouldn’t let him come near her.”

¤¤¤¤

Jade

There was a hole in my
heart from his ancestors’ pain. I stood up. “What happened to
her?”

“
I’m not sure where her
story ends.”

I frowned. “What happened
to
him
?”

A wistful smile spread
over his lips. “Eventually, he met a girl who gave him an amber
ring to signify her love and acceptance. She knew she couldn’t
fault him for whom and what he was because it wasn’t his choice to
be that way.”

I watched him warily as he
tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, and then noticed the ring on
his finger. “Is that the same ring?”

Troy nodded. “It is passed
down from generation to generation for the eldest son.”

I gulped. “Does that mean
you have brothers and sisters?”

He laughed and pulled me
close. “No, cher, it’s usually just the one son.”

My thoughts were
everywhere. I wasn’t sure how to phrase my next question. I still
didn’t understand how he could be human one day and a vampire the
next or why he left.

“
Don’t be afraid to ask me
what happened.”

I exhaled. “I’m not afraid
to ask. I’m afraid to hear the answer.”

Spellbound

Eyes of amber scour my
soul,

Devour my
thoughts,

Erase the cold…

Fear

That grips me,

Frightening

In its
intensity.

Like a haunting
melody…

You weave your

Spell on me.

-Jade

Chapter 24

Troy held my gaze. “I
won’t lie to you, cher.”

I looked at my
hands.

“
Why don’t you look me in
the eyes as much as you used to?” He cupped my face. He was so
intense that I felt the urge to run.

My mind needed space to
think.

I gripped his wrists, but
he wouldn’t release me.

“
I guess I’m still not
used to their color. Sometimes I look, trying to remind myself of
what you are, so that I’ll stay away. Other times, I don’t because
I want you so badly, and I know I won’t be able to resist if I look
into them.”

His thumb brushed my lip.
“Your heart is racing.”

“
You’re a vampire because
an ancestor cursed your whole bloodline! How do you expect me to
act?” I pulled away and hurried for the door. “This is insane, I
can’t do this.” I was almost there when he appeared in front of me.
I screamed.

“
Where you going, cher?”
His seductive whisper swirled around me like mist.

I stepped back and he
followed me, his robe flowing behind him like a cape. “I need some
time to think about all this.” Instead of looking at his face, I
focused on his shoulder and then his chest and stomach. I flushed
as intimate thoughts filled my head.

Stupid body, have you no
shame?

My back hit the
wall.

“
Don’t fight this, Jade.”
His hand was in my hair before I could move. “Take a deep breath
and accept that this is who I am now.”

I shook my head, trying to
fight the warmth that spread through me at his touch. “I can’t. You
still haven’t explained why you left me!”

He kissed my neck and
collarbone as I squirmed. “You try to get away from me, but it only
makes me refuse to let you go.”

Panic seeped into my chest
as the air warmed and shimmered with power. “Why aren’t you
controlling your magic?”

He laughed and kissed the
spot behind my ear. “I am.”

“
No, you aren’t. It feels
like you’re trying to choke me with it.”

The gold flecks sparked as
he tried to trap me with his gaze. “You only feel that way because
you’re fighting it. You know what I am. Now, there’s no reason for
me to hide it.”

I looked at the ceiling.
“It’s scaring me, you’re scaring me. You’re too powerful for me to
even comprehend.” My hands went to his chest as I closed my eyes.
“You still haven’t told me why you left!” I shoved him, but he was
an immovable force.

“
You always were my feisty
little kitten.”

“
What’s that supposed to
mean?”

“
You think you’re a lion,
but you’re just my little pussy cat,” he said, tucking a curl
behind my ear.

I shoved him again. “I’m
not your anything. You left me.”

He grabbed my arms. “I
left because I had already started to change. I wanted to leave
months before, but I couldn’t bear to leave you.”

I slid to the floor,
sobbing as he sat next to me.

He lifted my chin. “I
didn’t want to leave you, but I knew I’d thirst for blood because
of the curse. I was hours away from turning twenty-one, but if I’d
told you what I was becoming, you would have tried to stay away
from me.”

I laughed and wiped my
eyes. “Oh, yes. I would just
try
to stay away from you. Why would I only
try?”

“
I wouldn’t have allowed
you stay away. I would have come after you. The curse would’ve
turned me into a predator.”

My breath hitched. “And I
would have been prey to you.”

He nodded. “You saw how it
started to affect me those last few days before my birthday. I left
so you wouldn’t have to fear me.”

“
Right, because hating you
and thinking you’re dead is so much better.”

Was I actually mad that he
protected me?

I wrapped my arms around
my knees and rested my chin. “You’re right I am glad you left.” I
paused until he met my solemn expression. “If you’re still cursed
why did you come back?”

“
I couldn’t stay away
anymore. You’ve always been special to me. I came back after a
while. I thought I’d be happy if I could just see you, but it
wasn’t enough. All I can think about is making you mine. And when I
found you at the library on our anniversary, I couldn’t
resist.”

I shot to me feet, but he
was in front of me before I’d taken a single step. He pressed me to
the wall with his body as he placed a hand on each side of my
head.

“
You and I are meant to be
together; you gave into me tonight.” He nuzzled my neck. “You
admitted that you need me.”

“
But that was before I
knew everything—how much it really has changed you. You’re immortal
now, aren’t you?”

He looked surprised by my
question. “My body can heal faster than normal, if that’s what you
mean, but why does it matter?”

“
I’m still mortal, Troy. I
really only have one life to live.”

“
That can always be
remedied, cher.”

My mouth was practically
on the floor. “No, I told you, I do
not
want to be a
vampire!”

“
No one
said you
had
to become a vampire, and I didn’t say I’d live for eternity,
either.”

I rubbed my neck. “I don’t
know what to do. I’m afraid of letting you get close. Your magic is
so strong that I can almost taste it when you use it to lure me
in.”

Troy wrapped his arms
around me, and I let him. “It isn’t like I force it on you. You
only notice it because you fight so hard to resist it.”

“
I’m tired of fighting.” I
put my hand over the white bandage. I was so exhausted that I
almost forgot it was there.

I wish I had the strength
to stay away.

I looked up, surprised to
see him watching me. “What are you doing?” I asked,
cautiously.

He smiled, not saying
anything as he brushed my hair behind my shoulder.

“
I want to go home, Troy.”
I sidestepped him and walked over to the bed. Irritated by his
silence, I turned around and almost ran right into him. Digging in
my heels, I stopped so quickly that I would’ve fallen over if he
hadn’t caught me.