Quinn's Undying Rose
Page 103
She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow that would end her life.
Quinn stared at her. She had confirmed what he’d assumed ever since he’d read Keegan’s message. And it made his heart bleed. Anger welled up, made his chest heavy with pain and guilt. How could his sire have betrayed him like this? How could he have let it happen?
“I would have killed him myself if I had known what he did to you!”
Rose’s eyes shot open, her surprised gaze pinning him. “You would have . . . but . . .” Her voice faltered.
“Of course I would have. He hurt you! Wallace hurt you. And I promised to keep you safe. When I married you, I pledged my life to you. And I failed you.” Because he now realized that it was all his fault. He had caused this.
“But I thought you would avenge your sire’s death. It’s an unwritten law. An urge . . .”
“Where do you get that notion from?”
“You mean it’s not true? But I was told by multiple vampires. And I’ve seen it happen, I’ve seen a vampire kill his lover because she’d killed his sire. I’ve seen it,” she insisted.
“It’s a vampire law, all right. But I don’t subscribe to it. I never did. It’s savage. And it’s certainly not an urge. It’s an excuse vampires use as an outlet for their rage.” He stretched his arm out to stroke her cheek. “I would have never hurt you.”
“Oh God,” she whispered, a tear running freely down her cheek. “I wasted all those years.”
He pulled her into his embrace. “You hid from me because you thought I’d kill you. Oh, Rose, I wish you would have come to me, talked to me. We could have . . .”
He stopped himself, easing her away from him. She’d come clean; now it was for him to tell her the truth too. He had no right to hide his own guilt.
“It’s all my fault, Rose. What Wallace did to you . . . it’s because of me.”
She stared at him, an expression of dread on her face. “What do you mean?”
Quinn ran a shaky hand through his hair and dropped his lids. “I told him that if he couldn’t help me gain your love back, he might as well leave. He left. But I didn’t know he would turn you. I didn’t realize that’s what he thought would bring your love back.”
There was a long pause. He listened to Rose’s breathing, to her steady heartbeat, but he didn’t dare look into her eyes, didn’t want to see the realization in them that he was the reason for what had happened to her. She’d hated this life for two centuries. Would she hate him for it, knowing he had caused all this?
“I never stopped loving you, not even when you came back a vampire. I was afraid for our daughter and for myself that night, but I still loved you.”
He sensed her step closer. Her hand came up to cup his cheek. “You’re not responsible for Wallace’s actions. You didn’t know what he intended. He told me that night that you didn’t know. He was deranged, Quinn, misguided. He had no idea what love was. And that you can’t force it. Just as you can’t will it to stop.”
He lifted his lids, looked at her. “Forgive me, Rose.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. You loved me all these years, you grieved for me, and I hid from you. I made you believe I was dead. I’m so sorry.” Rose slanted her lips over his. “Make me forgot those years. Make me forget the pain. Show me how wonderful this life can be. Pretend the last two hundred years never happened.”
Quinn snaked his arm around her waist, dragging her against his body. “In that case, my love, I owe you something. I believe you’ve never gotten to enjoy a honeymoon.”
“A honeymoon?” she whispered against his lips, but he drowned out the sound by capturing her mouth with his.
Quinn felt her love radiate through him as her body molded to his and her lips yielded to his kiss. They had wasted two hundred years because Rose had not trusted him, because he hadn’t been gentle enough when he’d come back as a vampire; because he’d scared her. He would never make the same mistake again. He would never give Rose another reason to be afraid of him and not trust him. From now on, there would be no secrets between them, only openness and trust.
And there was one way of assuring this.
Quinn released her lips and peeled from her embrace, taking her hand in his in the next instant. Her eyes widened in apprehension, then softened when he dropped to one knee.
When she smiled at him, he chuckled. “See, I remember how it’s done. You taught me well.”
Quinn stared at her. She had confirmed what he’d assumed ever since he’d read Keegan’s message. And it made his heart bleed. Anger welled up, made his chest heavy with pain and guilt. How could his sire have betrayed him like this? How could he have let it happen?
“I would have killed him myself if I had known what he did to you!”
Rose’s eyes shot open, her surprised gaze pinning him. “You would have . . . but . . .” Her voice faltered.
“Of course I would have. He hurt you! Wallace hurt you. And I promised to keep you safe. When I married you, I pledged my life to you. And I failed you.” Because he now realized that it was all his fault. He had caused this.
“But I thought you would avenge your sire’s death. It’s an unwritten law. An urge . . .”
“Where do you get that notion from?”
“You mean it’s not true? But I was told by multiple vampires. And I’ve seen it happen, I’ve seen a vampire kill his lover because she’d killed his sire. I’ve seen it,” she insisted.
“It’s a vampire law, all right. But I don’t subscribe to it. I never did. It’s savage. And it’s certainly not an urge. It’s an excuse vampires use as an outlet for their rage.” He stretched his arm out to stroke her cheek. “I would have never hurt you.”
“Oh God,” she whispered, a tear running freely down her cheek. “I wasted all those years.”
He pulled her into his embrace. “You hid from me because you thought I’d kill you. Oh, Rose, I wish you would have come to me, talked to me. We could have . . .”
He stopped himself, easing her away from him. She’d come clean; now it was for him to tell her the truth too. He had no right to hide his own guilt.
“It’s all my fault, Rose. What Wallace did to you . . . it’s because of me.”
She stared at him, an expression of dread on her face. “What do you mean?”
Quinn ran a shaky hand through his hair and dropped his lids. “I told him that if he couldn’t help me gain your love back, he might as well leave. He left. But I didn’t know he would turn you. I didn’t realize that’s what he thought would bring your love back.”
There was a long pause. He listened to Rose’s breathing, to her steady heartbeat, but he didn’t dare look into her eyes, didn’t want to see the realization in them that he was the reason for what had happened to her. She’d hated this life for two centuries. Would she hate him for it, knowing he had caused all this?
“I never stopped loving you, not even when you came back a vampire. I was afraid for our daughter and for myself that night, but I still loved you.”
He sensed her step closer. Her hand came up to cup his cheek. “You’re not responsible for Wallace’s actions. You didn’t know what he intended. He told me that night that you didn’t know. He was deranged, Quinn, misguided. He had no idea what love was. And that you can’t force it. Just as you can’t will it to stop.”
He lifted his lids, looked at her. “Forgive me, Rose.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. You loved me all these years, you grieved for me, and I hid from you. I made you believe I was dead. I’m so sorry.” Rose slanted her lips over his. “Make me forgot those years. Make me forget the pain. Show me how wonderful this life can be. Pretend the last two hundred years never happened.”
Quinn snaked his arm around her waist, dragging her against his body. “In that case, my love, I owe you something. I believe you’ve never gotten to enjoy a honeymoon.”
“A honeymoon?” she whispered against his lips, but he drowned out the sound by capturing her mouth with his.
Quinn felt her love radiate through him as her body molded to his and her lips yielded to his kiss. They had wasted two hundred years because Rose had not trusted him, because he hadn’t been gentle enough when he’d come back as a vampire; because he’d scared her. He would never make the same mistake again. He would never give Rose another reason to be afraid of him and not trust him. From now on, there would be no secrets between them, only openness and trust.
And there was one way of assuring this.
Quinn released her lips and peeled from her embrace, taking her hand in his in the next instant. Her eyes widened in apprehension, then softened when he dropped to one knee.
When she smiled at him, he chuckled. “See, I remember how it’s done. You taught me well.”
