Nevermore, the Complete Series by K. A. Poe Page A

sometimes snippets of their future. He saw you...”
    “What?!” I asked incredulously.
    “He didn't know you were human – especially not the daughter of a Waldron – from what I gather...but, he said he saw you and I, and in more than just the sense that we were together, we were…together, a couple.”
    My mouth moved to speak, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say in response to that? “You have been waiting over a hundred years for me?” I said in disbelief.
    “Apparently so,” he replied.  “When Janet and Mark came to me, they brought a picture of you so that I would be able to identify you at school. I was awestruck when I saw it was the girl Raziel had shown me.”
    “That's why you’re so protective of me, and why you have been so eager to be around me.”
    “That definitely has something to do with it,” we stopped walking abruptly and Salem pulled me close against his body.
    I looked up at him, “That's why you find me so ‘intriguing’.”
    “Indeed,” he smiled, his eyes lingering on my own for a mere moment before cautiously brushing his cold lips against mine. I shut my eyes and returned the gesture, wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace. My fingers ran through his silky hair as we shared another kiss. I wanted the moment to last forever but he suddenly pulled away. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.
    Why was he apologizing? I shook my head, “What for?”
    “That was inappropriate,” he said, averting his eyes.
    I laughed. “Salem, there was nothing wrong about it. I know you come from a different time, where that might have been considered inappropriate, but really-” My words were swept away by the touch of his lips against mine again.
    “I'm not sorry, then,” he grinned as our lips parted once more, and he looked toward the sky, “You missed your party, I am almost certain.”
    My mind was void of any thoughts other than this moment until he mentioned the party. I was far too giddy at the fact that I had experienced my first kiss, even if it was not quite how I had thought it would be. I was unsure about the idea that we were somehow meant to be together, destined to have met. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that at all, or if I truly believed it, but at this moment I didn't care. Soul mates or not, I knew that I wanted little more than to explore this relationship with Salem. “How long have we been out here?” I wondered. Glancing at my watch, I gasped. “It's after midnight?!”
    “Time flies when you are having fun they say, right?” he smiled pleasantly and leapt down from a small embankment into the water we had been sitting over earlier, the impact splashing chilling water up at me. I had been so caught up in his story that I had not realized the path had looped us back to where we started.
    I shivered from the touch of the icy water, and even more so as he lifted me up from the ground and cradled me in his arms – I could feel the coldness of his skin through the material of his shirt. With how thin he was, it was difficult to believe he could so effortlessly hold my weight. I wound my arms around his neck as he carried me back to his house.
     
    The old Victorian was invitingly warm as we entered - I half-expected Salem to put me down when we got over the threshold, but he didn't let go. I grew nervous as he smirked and carried me up the spiral staircase. I had never been to the top floor, but that wasn't what made me nervous.
    “You really shouldn't be so anxious, Alexis. You know I wouldn't drop you.” He playfully pretended like he was going to drop me and I nearly shrieked.
    “Don't do that!” I said, gripping ever-tighter to his body. “And you can just call me Alex, you know.”
    He smiled apologetically as we reached the top of the stairs. A deep red rug ran along the hallway. Framed pictures lined the walls; three of which depicted different people that I could only assume were Salem's relatives. I wanted to stop and look but he