The Fire Within (The Fire of The Soul Series) (15 page)

I open my eyes to the cold, grey light of dawn, to
find Victor sitting on the edge of the single bed I am resting in, his back turned
to me with his head buried in his hands. The sobs are harsh and rough, and his
body shakes violently as each sob and cry comes up. I want to move, I want to
go to him and comfort him, but I have no energy to move, despite the fact that
I feel well rested. It feels as if all that had happened was a horrid dream and
yet I know the truth, that it is a terrifying reality. Whatever happened,
whatever I
did
, it was not simply a horrid dream but reality, and I
needed to know how that - whatever that was – happened.

"Oh God; what have I done?" Victor
whispers, his head still in his hands, but I can hear him as if he had shouted
from the mountains. My senses are high and I cannot understand why! "She
almost killed that bastard, which in it's self would have been a good thing.
But at what price?" His voice held all the self-loathing that I would have
seen in his eyes if he were looking at me.

My soul recognizes his pain and I speak, even though
my voice is rough and hoarse from lack of use. "Victor," I say trying
to capture his attention.

"She was never meant to inherit the curse. He
promised that it wouldn't be passed along to her. What if it's killed her? What
if it's killing her slowly? Oh God, what have I done?" Victor says again,
unable to hear my hoarse voice over his fear and worry. So I try again.

"Victor," I say forcing my voice to be
louder so that he can hear me. I see him freeze and then slowly, oh ever so
slowly he turns towards me. His hands drop into his lap and he slowly lifts his
head though his eyes are still downcast.

"Victor?" I ask, curiosity mingling into
my voice. I am wondering as to why he will not meet my eyes, and then he speaks
up.

"What if you're a dream? What if I've fallen
asleep, and when I wake up I find you're not here, that you've left me. What if
I find your cold, dead body Anna? What do you expect me to do if you're
dead?" His eyes rise up to meet mine as he says these last words, fear and
hope dancing in his eyes.

"Victor, listen to me, I'm alive and I'm right
here. I'm not going anywhere. Come here and kiss me, feel my warmth, listen to
my heartbeat. Please Victor, take away what that devil has done. Make it right
with your touch." I watch him as he comes to his decision, to come near or
to draw away, but when he makes his decision, I know what is going to change
his mind and I watch in joy and hope as he came towards me.

At first it is just a simple touch of his hand over
my heart, to check that it is beating, to check that I am indeed alive, here
with him, watching him and waiting. His eyes quickly shoot up to meet mine and
when our eyes meet, I can see his joy, his hope and most of all his love. He
knows! He knows that I am alive. I smile up at him and it grows as his lips
take mine in a searing kiss, which leaves no doubt of his love.

"Anna," He breathes, I can feel his lips
pull up at the sides in a smile, as our foreheads lean against each other.
"I thought I had lost you, I thought you had died." There is still a
sob in his voice, though it is no longer painful for I know it is tears of joy
bring on his soft sobs now.

"I know Victor, but I'm here. Please, do not
make me have to ask for your touch again," I plead. I'm not sure what it
is that drives him on, whether it is the need to touch me, to make me know his
love, or if it is the pleading tone in my voice, but without another word he
gets above me and kisses my lips once more, his lips are fierce, hungry and
rough. His kisses soon leave my lips, trailing down my neck, travelling down
the track Christian went down before. Victor's lips upon my skin erase the
remains of Christian's kisses. It feels right and I moan, the sound hoarse but
it is loud enough to be heard. It causes a growl to emit from Victor's hungry
lips. His lips travel across my shoulder blade and down my chest, he slowly
kisses me above my heart and another moan escapes me, I can feel his lips pull
up into a smile as he kisses me again before he bites down into my flesh. His
teeth tear through my soft flesh, and suck roughly upon the vein he had bitten
into. I moan again as he continues to suck on me, I can feel him inside of my
mind, his words a whisper; soft as a cloud and thin as fog.

Anna, I love you. Tell me when to stop
and I'll stop.
He promises but his bite is more
pleasure than pain, and I moan again in ecstasy trying to tell him to go on. It
seems that he gets the message as he continues with his ministrations, his lips
wet and warm upon my soft skin. I want him, all of him; I want him to touch
every part of me, to love me until our final breaths.

Victor, please, I need more.
I think, hoping that he will hear me. For a moment he stops and he pulls his
fangs out, licking the wound he created. He waits for me to open my eyes and
when our eyes meet he says "Are you sure Anna? Do you truly want
this?" He asks, trying to keep the emotions out of his voice, but his eyes
betray him, for I can read everything within them.

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure,"
I say, sitting up and kissing his lips. He slowly lowers me back down, before
hoping off of the bed and removing the sheet that covers my lower waist. He
then helps me to take off the simple nightgown that covers me. He sits back for
a moment, taking in my naked form. His jaw is slack and his eyes vacant as he
stares at me.

"You're beautiful," He whispers, the words
come forth from him when he sees me. I blush slightly, but I ignore the heat in
my cheeks as he quickly undresses himself, and lowers himself to kiss me once
more. I can feel his hard body pressed against me, I can feel every inch of my
skin meeting with his. I moan again as his lips meet mine in a fiery dance. As
he hears my moan his hand travels slowly down my arm and then across my chest,
feeling every inch of my skin with his bare hands. He traces patterns across my
skin, feeling and massaging my flesh. I lose myself in his touch for a few
precious moments, whilst the world sleeps and we are the only ones who matter.
This moment that is so beautiful, so fragile that it has to be treated
carefully.

He pulls away from my lips, just for a moment to
look down into my eyes, a lazy grin on his bloodstained lips. "I love you
Anna, I have loved you for all of my life. I've known of you since I was young;
an angel promised my father that a human would bring salvation to my people.
But I never knew I could love you like this. I can't imagine spending the rest
of my life without you. I know this is not the right moment to be asking, but
I'm not sure what will happen after I leave today," He says before getting
off of me, so that he can sit beside me. The early dawn light gives him a soft
glow, which illuminates his ivory skin making him look like a god in the soft
light.

"Anna, I love you more than words could ever
say. I promise to love you for every day of forever, I promise to never leave
you, I promise to treat you right, and I promise to give everything I have -
and will ever have - to you, if you can promise me two things in return, your
love and your hand in marriage. I bear this ring, the ring of my mother's
engagement as the solitary item to symbolize the truth of my words. Will you
marry me Miss VanDyken?" Victor asks, though he is not on one knee I don't
expect him to kneel in his stark nakedness on the cold tiled floor. I have kept
his gaze as he testifies his love, and makes his proposal, and the smile on my
lips has only grown as each word comes forth from his lips. There is nothing
else for me to say than "I do," the words tumble from my lips in
their haste to depart from me. Victor's eyes go wide and then the lazy grin on
his face grows into an outright smile. He is overjoyed and he quickly pulls my
face in for another kiss, this one lasting for what seems like forever, sweet
and warm, yet firm and wanting. It is everything that I want, everything that I
need, and his lips, let alone he himself is now forever mine, and I forever
his. He kisses my hand in a show of affection before he places the ring on my
finger.

"Get dressed Anna, we must tell
everybody," Victor says, getting up and flashing about the room in his
unnatural speed. He is dressed in the blink of an eye, and he is passing me day
clothes to get dressed into myself. Victor helps me to get dressed quickly and
we are ready in a few minuets. As dawn breaks out across the sky, we race down
from the infirmary room, and down into the study room. As we sit down Victor
closes his eyes for a few moments and starts to concentrate very hard. I know
that in some fashion he is contacting everyone whom is important to him, to
call them to join us in the study room.

We sit in silence for a while, Victor just holding
my hand, which bears his mother's ring, now my ring and simply smiles as he
keeps his eyes on mine. It is a while before anyone even enters into the room
and the first present are Kayden and Shade, who seem to be more awake for somebody
who was woken at this ungodly hour.

"Why have you called us here Victor?"
Shade asks, before Kayden quickly adds "Is something wrong?" Victor
simply smiles up at them, before his eyes fall down to my hand again, the hand
that he has been holding, and Kayden's eyes fall down as well and widen as he
sees the ring.

"You didn't?" Kayden says, but whatever he
is asking is quite the rhetorical question.

"I did," Victor replies, hopping up from
the couch to approach his Oath Brother.

"When?" Kayden asks, smiling from ear to
ear.

"Just now, I was in the infirmary hoping and
praying that she would awake, but dreading the worst," Victor says,
stepping in front of Kayden. "And She obviously said yes," Victor
whispers his joy. He seems to be glowing, iridescent even in the soft morning
light shining through the open windows.

"Congratulations Vic, I wish you both all the
happiness in the world," Kayden says, before drawing Victor into a hug.
They hug and slap each other on the back, as Shade stares at me from across the
room. I know he doesn't trust me, but I simply smile at him. Once Kayden
releases Victor from their hug, he comes and picks me up from the couch,
twirling me around in his broad arms before placing me back on my feet and
hugging me fiercely.

"What is all the hugging and celebrating
over?" Augustus asks as he and his wife enter into the room. There is a
shock stricken look on Augustus face as Victor literally bounces – yes, he is
that overjoyed - over to them as they hover at the door.

"Augustus, Astoria you have been the next best
thing to parents. When they died you took me in and raised me as if I were your
own son. I wanted you to be the first to know but unfortunately Kayden and
Shade got here before you," Victor says grinning from ear to ear. "I
have good news, I have officially asked Anna to be my wife, and she said
yes!" Augustus claps Victor on the back as Astoria lets out a shriek of
joy.

"Well done, Victor. Your parents would have
been proud of you, especially today," Augustus says, before he too comes
over to congratulate me, as Astoria says her congratulations to Victor before
she too makes her way over to me.

"Well done my dear, today I get to welcome you
as part of the family," Astoria says, as she kisses me on both cheeks
before she too pulls me into a hug.

"Today is a day of celebration," Meg says.
It is only then that I notice her waiting at the door. I walk over to her and
hug her, sharing in a moment that is happy for both of us, a moment she will
never be able to have with Simon, before showing her my ring. There is no need
for words for us, she knows how happy I am and she is happy for me.

"But it is also a day of farewells. This is the
other reason why I have asked all of you to come here. As Kayden and Shade are
aware of the plans they don't really need to be apart of this. I must depart
today with the special force soldiers. I, no we have wasted too much time to
wait any longer. I know that the Skin-walkers have already started to recruit
and even at this very moment they are training men who have been born as
werewolves into mindless, killing beasts. We need to take action now, we need
to move and recruit or we'll be without an army to be reckoned with and the
Skin-walkers could very well win this war. Our time of waiting has run out. By
the sunset the Acer Tempesta soldiers and I will be departing," Victor
says, erasing all of the joy out of the room. This is something new to me and
as he meets my eyes, I can see the apology in them. He is sorry for fleeing as
soon as he has proposed, but I know that it is necessary. We have to defeat the
Skin-walkers and Christian if we are to ever have our happy ending.

Anna's P.O.V

"What do you mean depart this afternoon?" Lord
Baron demands, as he makes his presence known, his voice rising to shouting
levels.

"The question you should be asking Baron, is
why he hasn't brought this up sooner! Astoria and I should have been told what
you were planning Victor. We all want the Skin-walkers to be gone, but you deny
us the right to fight beside you? Your father would have been disappointed in
your rash decisions," Augustus says, rising from his chair as well. Victor
seems to be unaffected by Augustus last words, but I know that it has hurt him
to hear that his father would have been disappointed in him.