almost childlike in its curiosity.
He seemed to be growing larger now, shimmering in the murky light, and his voice took on the echoes of a thousand years. "Someone else will come for you when it's your time," he said, and even so, she could hear the desperation in him.
"Why not you?" she persisted, taking another step toward him.
He backed away again. "Because that's not how things work. I rule in hell, and I serve in heaven. If I were to take you, it would only be to pass you on."
"And if I didn't want to go?"
She could feel his fury, his longing, in every fiber of her well-loved body. As the moments passed, she was feeling more and more certain, and the strange hope began burning inside her, between her breasts.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"What if I want to stay with you?"
"Laura, no!" William cried out, but she ignored him.
"What if I wanted to come with you, be with you, forever?" she went on.
"Don't be a fool," he shot back bitterly. "This isn't some fantasy. We're talking about eternity. An endless black ether, a vast cloud of emptiness."
"It wouldn't be empty," she said very simply. "You would be there."
She took another step toward him, but he had nowhere to retreat. "You have no idea what you're asking," he said.
"Listen to him, Laura," Cynthia begged. "Get away from him."
"No." It wasn't a word she had used very often. But she used it now, her eyes never leaving his face. She reached out her hand, and he flinched.
"Don't let me touch you," he said. "If I do, you'll die."
"You touched me before," she said. Her heart was racing too fast, but she didn't care. She willed it to go faster, to speed up and burst.
"I've gone back to what I really am."
"And what is that?"
"Power," he said flatly. "Energy. Death."
"And love," she said.
"It's not a fairy tale, Laura!" he cried, and there was no missing the desperation in his voice.
"You love me," she said, very certain.
"What does Death know about love?" He yanked the sunglasses from his face as he loomed over her. "Look at me, and tell me you're not afraid."
She heard Cynthia's piteous shriek, the babbled prayers of the women above her, her father's choked gasp. None of it mattered. She looked up at Alex, into his eyes for the first time.
They were dark, endless, and she knew why so many were terrified of him. In those bottomless depths she could see herself, quite clearly, and she could see the future. The endless night that held nothing but him.
"Why should I be afraid?" she asked gently. "You've always been with me. You always will be, unless I let you go."
"Laura!" her father shrieked, but it was too late. She took a final step toward him and threw herself against his shimmering, vibrating body.
The white light filled the air, blinding her. The crackle of lightning singed around her; thunder shook the earth. And from somewhere far away his arms came around her, wrapping her tight against him.
They stood, bound together, in the midst of a tornado. She raised her face to his, and there was no horror in his eyes. No regret, just a fierce, possessive joy.
"I tried to save you," he said, though there were no words spoken. "Now you've lost everything. You'll be trapped with me throughout eternity."
For the first time in her existence she was exactly where she needed to be. He was warn and strong against her body, and when she looked up into his black eyes all she could see was love. "Even eternity isn't time enough," she said.
She closed her eyes as he kissed her, and the voices faded into the distance. Eternity was just beginning.
Dear Reader,
I've always been fascinated with the relationship between love and death. One is the ultimate light, the other is the ultimate darkness, and the joining of the two is deliciously, terrifyingly extreme.
This is a beauty-and-the-beast fantasy taken to the very limit—there's no pulling back from death, no settling down in an apartment with a two-car garage with the Grim Reaper. In
He seemed to be growing larger now, shimmering in the murky light, and his voice took on the echoes of a thousand years. "Someone else will come for you when it's your time," he said, and even so, she could hear the desperation in him.
"Why not you?" she persisted, taking another step toward him.
He backed away again. "Because that's not how things work. I rule in hell, and I serve in heaven. If I were to take you, it would only be to pass you on."
"And if I didn't want to go?"
She could feel his fury, his longing, in every fiber of her well-loved body. As the moments passed, she was feeling more and more certain, and the strange hope began burning inside her, between her breasts.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"What if I want to stay with you?"
"Laura, no!" William cried out, but she ignored him.
"What if I wanted to come with you, be with you, forever?" she went on.
"Don't be a fool," he shot back bitterly. "This isn't some fantasy. We're talking about eternity. An endless black ether, a vast cloud of emptiness."
"It wouldn't be empty," she said very simply. "You would be there."
She took another step toward him, but he had nowhere to retreat. "You have no idea what you're asking," he said.
"Listen to him, Laura," Cynthia begged. "Get away from him."
"No." It wasn't a word she had used very often. But she used it now, her eyes never leaving his face. She reached out her hand, and he flinched.
"Don't let me touch you," he said. "If I do, you'll die."
"You touched me before," she said. Her heart was racing too fast, but she didn't care. She willed it to go faster, to speed up and burst.
"I've gone back to what I really am."
"And what is that?"
"Power," he said flatly. "Energy. Death."
"And love," she said.
"It's not a fairy tale, Laura!" he cried, and there was no missing the desperation in his voice.
"You love me," she said, very certain.
"What does Death know about love?" He yanked the sunglasses from his face as he loomed over her. "Look at me, and tell me you're not afraid."
She heard Cynthia's piteous shriek, the babbled prayers of the women above her, her father's choked gasp. None of it mattered. She looked up at Alex, into his eyes for the first time.
They were dark, endless, and she knew why so many were terrified of him. In those bottomless depths she could see herself, quite clearly, and she could see the future. The endless night that held nothing but him.
"Why should I be afraid?" she asked gently. "You've always been with me. You always will be, unless I let you go."
"Laura!" her father shrieked, but it was too late. She took a final step toward him and threw herself against his shimmering, vibrating body.
The white light filled the air, blinding her. The crackle of lightning singed around her; thunder shook the earth. And from somewhere far away his arms came around her, wrapping her tight against him.
They stood, bound together, in the midst of a tornado. She raised her face to his, and there was no horror in his eyes. No regret, just a fierce, possessive joy.
"I tried to save you," he said, though there were no words spoken. "Now you've lost everything. You'll be trapped with me throughout eternity."
For the first time in her existence she was exactly where she needed to be. He was warn and strong against her body, and when she looked up into his black eyes all she could see was love. "Even eternity isn't time enough," she said.
She closed her eyes as he kissed her, and the voices faded into the distance. Eternity was just beginning.
Dear Reader,
I've always been fascinated with the relationship between love and death. One is the ultimate light, the other is the ultimate darkness, and the joining of the two is deliciously, terrifyingly extreme.
This is a beauty-and-the-beast fantasy taken to the very limit—there's no pulling back from death, no settling down in an apartment with a two-car garage with the Grim Reaper. In
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