Part 6 (1/2)
The door opened and Gregory walked in. He took one look at Beau and I, and spun on his heels to leave.
”Gregory, no, wait!”
He stopped, but he didn't turn around. Beau moved past us with his clothes in hand and shut the door behind him. I was thankful that he didn't try to smooth things over. I put my hand on Gregory's back and let my cheek rest against him. ”I love you.”
I reached my hands around him, and his fingers found mine. ”I know ... I just can't shake the feeling that I'm going to lose you to another man. The dreams are getting worse.”
”The ones where I run off with a demon?” I asked, unable to hide the amus.e.m.e.nt in my voice. It was so absurd. ”The ones where you are a demon, Valerie,” he said, turning his body to me. ”I keep seeing you as demon, and you're with another man. I try and get you back, but you won't come, you don't even know me.” He tipped his head back and I knew that he fought his emotions. I'd had to wake him too many times during the night because he screamed out in a cold sweat, to not take him seriously. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me close to him. ”The last one was the worst.”
”Why?”
His body stiffened, and he held me so tight to him that he started to cut my air off. I had to tap on him to get him to let go. ”I ran a sword straight through you, Valerie. I killed you. Your blood was on my hands, and I held you as you took your last breath.”
I laughed softly and he jerked me back from him. His green eyes found me and they were wild. I'd never seen him this worked up before. ”This isn't funny! I'm going to lose you and I know it.”
I shook my head. ”I'm not going anywhere. I love you.”
”Yet, you won't accept my proposal.”
I let out a sigh. ”Not this again, Gregory. I can't marry you, they won't allow it.”
”We've been together so long and you still won't let me lift my magic from you so that we can conceive a child. You won't marry me ... you won't make any commitment to me at all. How am I not supposed to be concerned?”
I couldn't tell him that I was already married. I'd never told him about Kerr, and he'd never asked. I think he suspected that there was someone dear to me once, but he wasn't the type who demanded answers. This need for a commitment from me was new, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. We'd been together for four years, Valhalla time, and around eighty years on earth time.
”Yes, Gregorios, I will marry you when we get to Italy.”
At first he looked shocked, and then he picked me up in his arms and swung me around. He stopped and looked into my eyes.
”Children too?”
The mere mention of having a child set me on the verge of tears. I looked away from him and he kissed the top of my head again.
”We will wait until it's safe for you. I don't want you to suffer another loss.”
I looked up at him with questions in my eyes. He smiled at me softly and touched my chin as he spoke. ”The first night we laid together, when you asked me to use my magic to keep you from conceiving, I felt the loss in your womb when my power swept through it. I've known that you lost two children since then.”
I started to cry. For the children I'd lost, for Gregory not feeling like he could share this with me, for my not sharing it with him, but most of all for Kerr. My love for him had never died and this opened old wounds. Gregory started to rock me back and forth.
”I'm not asking you to forget him. I'm just asking you to give me a chance to make you as happy as he did, that's all.”
I grabbed Gregory by his hand and pulled him behind me as I ran from my room. I ran across the field and down the lane to Alodie's home. Gregory followed close behind me, but never asked what I was doing. I pounded on her door and waited for her to answer. She cracked the door open and it took me a minute to catch my breath.
”I'm ... I'm going to marry Gregorios,” I said.
She smiled and gave me a very smug look. ”No, you're not, my Queen.”
”What?”
”You heard me. Bronte has nominated you for our Queen and now I've decided to second that nomination.” My mouth fell open. She knew exactly what she did. She made it impossible for me to marry Gregory. If I was the official leader, the Queen of Valhalla, then I was only permitted to wed royalty, if I wed at all. The only royalty that was worthy of the Queen were Fey, creatures of magic, mostly faerie, and as far as I knew Gregorios didn't fit the bill.
Gregory put his hand on my shoulder. ”Accept her offer, Valerie. I understand that you can't marry me.”
I shook my head. ”No, we'll marry before it's official and she'll have no choice but to accept you as my husband.”
Alodie laughed. ”Oh, I'm sorry, but it's official as of now. Consider yourself warned. The anointing ceremony will take place one week from today. Unless you can prove he's fey, if not you'll have to find another suitor.”
I spun around and s.n.a.t.c.hed Gregorios' hand. He tried to stop me and talk to me, but I wouldn't listen to him. I rushed back to my room and grabbed my dress. I threw his clothing at him and stormed around the room. He caught me by my waist and tossed me on the bed. I looked up with wild eyes and realized that this was the only option I'd left him with to get my attention.
His green eyes blazed and his jaw was tight. ”Stop, and listen to me! I love you regardless of what they say, and I'll keep on loving you. They can't stop that ... they can't stop me from loving you, Valerie.”
I looked at the bags on the floor and back at Gregory. I'd let one man slip through my fingers. I wouldn't let another. Alodie could keep her rules, and I would keep Gregory.
”Let's do it, let's get married anyway.” I spoke softly, afraid that Alodie would somehow hear me.
His mouth came down on mine. I drank in his tongue, and pulled his body closer to me. I ran my hands up his back and wanted more than anything to have him inside me, but I knew that time was of the essence so I pulled back from him. He stood slowly and brought me with him. He was so sweet and helped me into my dress. Beau appeared in the doorway and it took me a minute to recognize him. I'd seen him dress as a pirate, and a Viking before, but I'd never seen him like this. I laughed a little and Gregory turned to see him standing there.
Beau rolled his eyes. ”Just wait, it'll take you four days to figure the d.a.m.n clothes out.”
Gregory snapped his fingers and he was dressed and ready. I was even impressed with that one. I'd never seen anything like it from him before. It shouldn't have caught me off guard. His powers seemed to grow by the minute. I was pretty sure that he was now more powerful than even me. I looked up at Beau and then at Gregory. ”Just so you know ... I'm planning on disobeying Alodie on our little trip.”
Beau laughed. ”So, how is this different than any other time you leave?”
We all laughed as we headed towards the waterfalls.
Chapter 18.
”Mi sono divert.i.to moloto.” The older man said more to Gregory and Beau than me, and I was the only one who could understand him. He walked down the hall, and we followed close behind.
Gregory leaned over and took my arm in his. ”What did he just say to us?”
I smiled. ”He said to make yourself comfortable.”
”Good, for a minute there I was worried that he'd tried to proposition me again.”
I watched as il singor Biordo walked us to our rooms. Gregory was right to be concerned, Mr. Biordo had already tried to seduce him and Beau several times since we had arrived. I knew then why he ran an inn. He liked men and what better way to meet them than to offer rooms to them? He'd taken a particular interest in Gregory. I was sure that it was because he was more boyish than Beau. Gregory's face was smooth and void of any signs of facial hair. His chest was the same way. Beau on the other hand had a five o'clock shadow by eleven in the morning. Apparently, this wasn't exactly what Mr. Birodo was into, but he'd take it. He turned and winked at the men as he motioned to our rooms.
Gregory laced his hand in mine. I smiled and shook my head lightly-adjusted myself to hear in English, not Italian, and smiled. It was another extension of my gift, like a built in translator. I could speak to Mr. Birodo and he would hear his language, Beau and Gregory would hear English.
Mr. Birodo looked at Gregory holding my hand and looked displeased. I smiled and patted Gregory's hand. ”Mio martio ... my husband.” It wasn't the complete truth, but close. I did plan on marrying him soon.