AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Numb with apprehension, I sit on the edge of the sofa, clasping and unclasping my hands. I try to keep my head clear and not think about his progression through the conservatory to the garden. A whole five minutes pass and the house remains as silent as the grave. I start to grow restless.
What the hell is going on? Why hasn’t he come back yet?
Finally Nick returns and I get to my feet expectantly.
“Well?”
His face remains placid.
“Did you see anything?”
Nick shakes his head, but his expression looks troubled. “No, there’s no one there.”
“But I’m telling you, I saw someone! She was as real as you.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt for one second that you saw something.”
“Then you believe me?”
“Yes, I believe you.” Silently, he steps across to the window, draws back the curtains and stares out at the bleak grey sky. His face is deeply pained, contorted by some private torment I cannot fathom.
“Nick?”
He glances at me, then back out the window. He continues to remain silent.
“Please can you just tell me what’s going on?”
“So it’s true,” he murmurs. “I didn’t want to believe it, hoped that I’d laid the past to rest, but now I see that no good deed goes unpunished.”
I slam my fist on the armrest. “Can you please stop talking in riddles and just tell me what’s going on? What do you mean you thought you’d laid the past to rest? Who orwhatwas that creature out there?”
Chewing his lip, Nick turns and fixes me with burning eyes. “That creature is my wife.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Nightshade
A cold paralysis creeps up my neck. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Your wife?” I stammer.
“Yes,” Nick replies calmly. “Although technically, we are no longer married.”
“What do you mean technically? Are you married to her or not?”
“When we took our marriage vows, we said till death do us part. Then I died and became a vampire, and that broke the bond of marriage. Don’t you see, Carly? Death parted us, so in the eyes of God, we are no longer man and wife.”
I slump down on the sofa, my head spinning with confusion. I try to focus on inhaling and exhaling. That’s all I can do to stop myself from completely breaking. The floor has dropped out from under me and every part of my body feels numb. I can’t get my head around the enormity of this revelation and what it means in the bigger scheme of things. It’s just too much to comprehend.
Nick’s married?
I shake my head, not wanting to believe it.
“And when exactly were you planning to tell me this?” I ask icily. “On our wedding night?”
He looks at me with hurt eyes. “Of course not. I was planning to tell you, Carly. It just never seemed the right time, but I promise you, I would have told you eventually.”
“Oh really? Just how many other secrets are you keeping from me? You know what, it’s about time we had this conversation. I’ve let you get away with too much secrecy for far too long. I don’t know a single thing about your past, Nick, and that’s dangerous. I’ve been patient enough. No way am I letting you off this time, so you’d better start talking.”
Smothering a sigh, he strides over to the window and stands there a while, staring out at the falling snow.
