Page 82 of Awakened Light

“I think I did.” She grinned.

“And this means you can be with me?” I asked, still struggling to believe the new reality.

A reality that meant I got to spend my life with the woman I loved.

“Yes,” she answered with a smile, then arched an eyebrow. “As long as you still want me, that is.”

Instead of answering with words, I snagged her around the waist and folded her backward with the power of my kiss. She lay suspended in my arms as I tried to kiss away all the pain and agony I’d been in since I’d said goodbye. Tried to kiss her so hard she’d never question her place at my side again.

When I knew she struggled to breathe, I softened my kiss and peppered several small ones on her lips. “Does that answer your question?” I asked with a smile.

“Question answered.” She laughed.

I pulled her back to standing, keeping her pressed against my body where she belonged. We turned to her mother, whose narrowed eyes didn’t hold the same joy as her sister’s.

“Now, you go.” Liùsaidh pointed to the boat.

“What?” Catrain asked, stunned.

“He is banished. He must leave now.”

“Mother,” Catrain started, but Liùsaidh lifted her hand.

“Their kind is an abomination and are not welcome here. He goes, and you choose. Him or us.”

Catrain’s lip shook, but she sucked it between her teeth and lifted her chin high. “Fine.”

Taking my hand in hers, she started toward the boat.

“Stop!” Alpia called, then raced over to us. She grabbed Catrain and held her hand tight as she spoke to her mother and her people. “Everything we have been told about the vampires has been a lie.”

The tribe murmured their displeasure, but like the leader she was destined to become, she ignored them and went on. “Our history is twisted, and it’s time we treated the Mackay clan with the respect they deserve... and that includes Thorne. He is a bloodsucker because we made him one when we cursed his family for breaking a pact we broke first.”

She told the story of what really happened to our clan as the tribesman and Liùsaidh listened closely. “We killed half of their clan. And then we cursed them. The only monsters here are us, and I intend to right that wrong. I am the heir to the throne, and let it be known that when I ascend, Thorne and his family will always be welcome here. Always.”

When she finished talking, Catrain threw her arms around Alpia’s shoulders. The two sisters stood locked in an embrace while Liùsaidh looked on.

They broke apart, and Alpia turned to her mother. “She’s going to be with him one way or another. You have the power to put aside your prejudices and embrace your daughter and the man she loves, or you can banish him from this island and possibly lose her forever. The choice is yours, Mother. But I choose to accept him and embrace him as one of our own.”

She put her hand on my shoulder, and I looked down at her and smiled. “Thank you, Alpia. I appreciate you saying so. Just make sure the light-tight cave is ready for when I return, and I’ll bring Catrain to visit you as often as she wants. I promise.”

“You’ll always be welcome.” She rose on her toes and hugged me. “Well, once I’m in charge you will be,” she added as she glanced at her mother.

Catrain wiped a tear from her eye and mouthed “thank you” to her sister.

Liùsaidh stood silently for several long moments, then let out a sigh and tapped her staff on the ground. “Come.”

Catrain and I glanced between each other, trying to determine which one she meant.

With a roll of her eyes, she pointed to both of us. Catrain took me by the hand, and we walked together to where her mother stood.

“I do not approve of you with a bloodsucker.” Her penetrating gaze passed between us.

“I know, Mother. But if you’ll just give it some time, you’ll see that he’s not a monster like we were led to believe. None of them are.”

She shook her head and pulled a face. “As long as he drinks human blood, he will always be monster to me.”

Catrain chewed on her lip and nodded. “I understand. But I love him, Mother. I hope someday you’ll find a way to accept him for what he is.”