Page 34 of Cursed Lifeline (Eternal Love)

Thirty Three

Alfred

Song: Rewrite the Stars | Greatest Showman

“Just a little further, I promise.”

“Honestly,” Evangeline huffs, “I still don’t understand why you dragged me out here and what on earth could be so important.”

My heart sinks. No, I guess she wouldn’t understand since it’s become clear my feelings for her are not reciprocated. The jealous pain of watching her watch Dimitri earlier still lingers as I pull on the straps of the bag tied to my back and trudge further up the mountain.

“If you brought me out here to harm me,” she warns.

I cut her off bitterly, “No princess. You’d be more inclined to worry about someone from the coven doing that.”

Coming to a stop in a clearing atop the peak, I take a deep breath to settle my jaded heart. After a few moments, Evangeline steps up to my side.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demands.

Giving her a sideways scowl, I chuckle, “Dimitri may draw you in, but don’t let it go to your pretty little head. That’s part of their trap. You’d be smart to remember that the next time you find yourself entranced by him.”

“I’ve never been entranced by anybody…”

Ouch, that burns.

“Besides, even if I was, I make it a point never to mix business with…”

She trails off, her cheeks heat. Unable to look me in the eye as her mind wraps around forbidden thoughts and indecent desires, she sucks in a shaky breath. Before I can stop myself, I ask, “Pleasure?”

She shoots me an angry glare.

Laughing, I nudge her shoulder. “I didn’t bring you out here expecting anything, either, Evangeline.” She holds my stare, and if I am not mistaken, I swear her bottom lip quivers. Shrugging, I add. “I just want to spend time with you. Get to know you better, and…”

“Why?” she demands.

Taken aback, I set my pack down on the floor and start rummaging through it. Looking up, she wraps her arms across her chest and waits for me to answer. When I can’t think of a good response, I mumble, “Why not?”

Slipping a blanket free from my belongings, I shake it out and lay it against the soft earth. Her stance stiffens. Holding my hands up in surrender, I grin, “I swear, no pleasure will be had tonight.” When she glances off into the distance, I can’t help but add, “That is, unless you want there to be.”

Her attention snaps back my way. Biting my lip, I wait her out to see if I took this too far. When she starts to angrily stalk back the way we came, I curse and jump to my feet.

“Evangeline, wait!”

“I’ve heard the stories about you, Alfred. So please, spare me the melodramatics.”

Heard my stories?

Melodramatics?

Hurling down the hill after her, I trip over a log as she quickly puts distance between us. I right myself swiftly, but before I can respond before I can tell her to stop running away, she swings back around and bumps right into me. Reaching out, I steady us both before we tumble to the ground.

Not that Evangeline falling into my arms would be a bad thing, but I get the inkling she doesn’t want to be tangled around me the way I crave entangling myself with her.

“We need to stay focused if we are going to win, Alfred.”

“Are you saying I steal your focus?” I grin, stepping into her and brushing some haphazard pale, golden locks out of her breathtaking, sky-blue eyes.

With an irritated huff, she insists, “If I am ever going to be released from my obligations with Felix, I need to make sure there are no mistakes when Esme is attacked this time.”

“So… you’re saying I’m a mistake?” I mumble, as the same envious distress from earlier builds until it sits like a weight on my chest.

Glancing back at the blanket spread out underneath the stars, Evangeline shrugs, “I just don’t see the point.”

Wow, now that one really hurt.

Knowing I’m probably going to get shot down again, I muster up the last amount of courage I have and insist, “Well, princess, lucky for you, I see enough point for the both of us.”

Slowly, her gaze sweeps back my way. Sorrow fills her eyes and fuels my confidence that was moments ago swallowed whole by the lies I sense she’s telling. Timidly guiding her back up the mountain, she holds my stare, and I grin, “With everything that’s been brought to our attention and the stress that’s been hanging over us for a century, I merely wanted to steal a moment in time with you to look at the stars.”

As we reach the blanket, my hand glides out in front of us, brushing between earth and the heavens just as her gaze sweeps up into the night. A red light releases from my fingertips, illuminating the sky in a scarlet glow.

Stunned, her gaze snaps back my way.

Raising a mischievous brow, I turn into her just as her body eagerly rotates into mine. Rubbing my fingers together, a spark ignites. As it singes my fingertips, I throw it into the heavens and grin wider than I have in over a century when a shocked gasp falls from her lips.

“Alfred,” she exclaims. “How…”

“I may not be considered a full fae, princess, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t inherit some immortal powers.”

“Why are you just now showing me this?” she asks, slightly irritated. “If we’d have known sooner, maybe we could have already devised a plan to have the upper hand and…”

“No,” I shake my head and lock my determined stare on hers. “This is just for you and me.”

“We need to tell the others,” she continues, disregarding my statement, and I release a deep sigh. “Do Caelum and Silas have powers, too?”

“Not that I know of.”

“If they do, that could make all the difference. Why would you keep this secret? Why wouldn’t you tell Esme?”

Shaking my head, I confess, “I haven’t known too long. I spent most of the last century drunk and disorderly, Evangeline. Not honing a power you think I’ve been withholding. After tonight, you can tell whoever you please. But right here, right now…” I take a timid step forward. When she doesn’t step away, I take her hand. “I just want to share this with you.”

Blushing, she looks down and bites her bottom lip.

Wanting to push things further but not wanting to scare her off just the same, I bring her hand to my mouth. Her eyes follow their apprehensive rise. When she doesn’t stop me, I place a tender kiss on her fingertips and ask, “Is that okay?”

She holds my stare for a thrilling, anxious moment. Eyes locked, hearts beating wildly in our chests, she wets her bottom lip, and my eyes trail the alluring path her tongue just took.

Speechless, our chests rise and fall quickly. Mine with apprehensive worry. Hopeful dreams. Crippling fears. Teetering on the panicked edge of giving in or closing myself off completely, I stand paralyzed by my growing feelings for her. I can only pray she feels the same as her breasts strain from a throbbing, mesmerizing pulse that threatens to destroy us if we don’t give in, walk away, do something besides just fucking stand here.

Snatching her hand back from mine, Evangeline studies me with a telepathic insight that quickly reminds me some fae can read minds. Shyly hanging my head, I take a step back.

“Do you have a favorite?” she asks.

My optimistic gaze locks on hers. She smiles softly, then surprises me by sitting on the blanket and lying back to look up at the stars.

When I don’t answer, she asks, “Why the red hue?”

Grinning, I sit beside her, lay back, and prop my hands underneath my head.

“Red light is much better for stargazing,” I say. “White light can harm your night vision and make the stars more difficult to see.”

“You’re a wealth of knowledge on the topic. No wonder your powers include photokinesis,” she teases. “Have you stolen a lot of girls away to look at the stars?”

“I never found one worthy enough of sharing any part of myself with,” I shrug.

“But you found sex an expendable asset to share?”

The bitter taste of my past causes my next words to be laced with resentful venom. “I wasn’t raised with a golden spoon in my mouth, contrary to what some may think.”

Evangeline falls quiet. After a moment, she says, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” I sense her stare but don’t turn my head. “What was done to me, I can’t change. But I’ve never taken a partner against their will.”

My head turns and my eyes land on hers.

“That includes you, princess. Especially you. If you ever want me to show you how I feel for you, you’re going to have to be the one to ask. You’re going to have to be the one to make the first move.”

Swallowing hard, her voice shakes as she says, “I’m not very confident when it comes to members of the opposite sex. You’d be waiting a lifetime for me to find the courage.”

“Then I’ll wait a lifetime,” I insist. “Because since I laid eyes on you, Evangeline, there hasn’t been anyone else. There could never be anyone else. One look at you, and my soul knew it could never again be happy with temporary fulfillment when just the thought of us offers permanent happiness I know I’ll never find in anyone else.”

Hope fills her eyes, but it’s quickly replaced with disbelief and she hurriedly looks away. “You’re not the only one with a past. A story.”

“Then it’s a good thing you made me immortal because I have an infinite number of years to wait until you’re ready to share your dark secrets with me, too.”

Smiling, she shoots me an adorable, sideways smirk. Grinning, I find hope in the fact that I’m slowly breaking down her walls.

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Pointing up at the night sky, she says, “Which one is your favorite?”

Reluctantly, I pull my gaze from hers and ask, “Do you see Cassiopeia?” She shakes her head no as her hand falls back to her side. Raising mine, I point at the W of the seated queen and explain, “The methodical queen from Greek mythology, the wife of King Cepheus and the mother of Andromeda. She was very vain and is depicted sitting on her throne. But she’s not my favorite.”

Evangeline shoots me an inquisitive stare.

“Pay attention,” I tease, then grab her wrist and raise both our hands to trace the next constellation. “Andromeda was named after a Greek princess.” My fingers interlace with hers as the last word leaves my lips. The princess at my side trembles under my touch, and I grin. “The daughter of Cassiopeia, she was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster, Cetus, but was saved by Perseus, who instantly fell in love the second he spotted her while flying high in the sky on Pegasus after defeating Medusa.”

Our hands drop slowly from the sky. As my words set in, our eyes meet, and the blanket of ruby, sparkling light above causes an erotic chill to pass between us.

“What happened to them?” she asks.

“He made a deal with her parents, Cassiopeia and Cepheus. He’d free them of the horrible monster Cetus if he could have their daughter's hand in marriage.”

Evangeline’s chest begins to rise and fall with the same nervous energy as before. But for the first time tonight, I’m not anxious. I’m not worried. Staring into her eyes, I finally figure out what it is about her that captivates me so much.

She’s the only thing that’s ever brought peace to my wandering soul.

Instantly, I understand what Perseus felt the moment he laid eyes on Andromeda.

“Did they live happily ever after?” she asks.

Grinning, I say, “Is that what you want, princess? Your own happily ever after?”

Looking away quickly, she refuses to answer. I wait her out, but I know she won’t give me a response. At least not the one I crave. Because, in the time we’ve spent together, I’ve learned Evangeline is bright, beautiful, and stubborn.

Gazing back up at the stars, I say, “They were happily married for a very long time. Some accounts say they had seven or more children and lived out their days very much in love.”

Evangeline releases a happy sigh and smiles. “Your favorite is now my favorite, too, Alfred.” Her gaze meets mine and she whispers, “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

I nod, unable to speak because - it’s still not my favorite.

But if she wants to hold onto it as hers until I get the courage to tell her the truth, that’s okay with me.

She looks back up at the sky and I do the same.

My gaze drifts to a bright star sitting between the happy couple.

A new star.

One that was just birthed from my hand tonight.

A star that, from this moment on, will always be my favorite. A star I’ll forever look up at and think of her.

Because that star, that symbol of hope - I named it Evangeline.

And if, for some reason, luck is not on our side this time, and she’s pulled away from me again, I’ll use it as a guiding force to find my way home, back to her, where I’ll do just as I promised. I’ll wait until she’s ready to let me be her shelter, her refuge, the last man she’ll ever love. A man who vowed to spend eternity making her happy the moment he set eyes on her, just like Perseus and Andromeda.