A/N: I am not a writer, of that I'm certain. But I am an avid reader and the more I love a story, the harder it is to see it end. This is simply my vision of how this story could continue.
The characters this FanFic is based upon are owned by the magnificent Karen Marie Moning. My use is strictly for non-commercial purposes and is in no way intended to affect the value of her series.
I looked out the window to the street in front of my lovely little bookstore. That makes me smile a bit. No matter how many months have passed since the deed was drawn up in my name, it still pleases me each time I think about it. My magnificent, magical bookstore. With its rich décor and warm ambiance, it feels more like home to me than I ever could have imagined. It's the only home I have now.
It's raining in Dublin. Again. It's fitting though, given my mood. Sunshine would have been inappropriate for a day like this. Yet once upon a time, I would have considered it blasphemy to even consider that a day could be better without sun. But the world has changed and so have I. I have to evolve with it if I want to survive.
I walk to the rear sitting-area and curl up on the sofa. A fire burns in the ornate fireplace, casting shadows all around me. This too, seems appropriate for my mood. I feel like the world around me is made up of thousands of shadows that flicker in and out—there, without actually being there. Moving and changing at their will, but never escaping the constraints of whatever object cast them. I keep tending the fire in hopes that it will warm me, but the heat doesn't chase away the chill in my bones.
It's been four weeks since Barrons left with Ryodan and the others on some mission or other. I'm not exactly privy to the details of their goings on. I have wizened up considerably and I no longer ask Barrons questions about who they are and what they do. For the most part, anyway. I guess I thought that after they found the spell of unmaking they would no longer seek out artifacts and spells, but I suppose if you're going to live forever, you need something to occupy your time. Maybe when the time is right, he'll tell me what it is they seek. Until then, I'll settle for whatever I get. I know now why he keeps me in the dark and in the convoluted way of our relationship, it comforts and pleases me.
He seemed edgy when he left. Edgy for Barrons, anyway. Like something was bothering him – bothering him enough that he couldn't conceal it from me. I'm not so arrogant to think that I know him well enough to see through his mask. While he may show me more emotion than he used to, it is rarely accidental. He has too much control to let slip anything that he wants to keep private. But I could sense something was off, and it's only served to add to my paranoia over how long he's been gone.
It was obvious he didn't want to leave me by myself. He insisted I stay with my parents until he returned. I thought was a great compliment to them. It impressed me that he'd rather leave me in their care than in the safety of the heavily warded BB&B. I still refused to go, though. I simply explained to him I that I am a big girl and old enough to stay home without a babysitter. Then he calmly informed me that I could go of my own free will or he would bind me and take me there himself. I merely gave him a look and didn't bother pointing out the absurdity of that proposal, particularly when I saw lust in his eyes at the idea of tying me up.
Before I could even take my next breath, I was in his arms and being carried to our bedroom at the lightning fast speed in which he moves. Then his mouth was on mine and I forgot everything but him. We made love at a slow and sensuous pace, drawing it out the way lovers do before impending separation. He moved smoothly and deeply, in and out of me, bringing me closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. I gripped his shoulders so hard my nails left indents in his skin. My body begged him for more, my hips rising to meet him with each thrust. He didn't disappoint. He watched me in that way of his, as if trying to memorize my face in that moment. I cried out his name when I came, the orgasm rushing through my body from head to toe in a black, velvety wave. I carried him over with me and he let out an animalistic growl of release. We spoke no words, but his eyes told me the words he didn't say aloud. I woke the next morning alone, feeling as if a part of me was missing. There was a short note in his familiar, elaborate script on the bed next to me where he normally lay.
3 days. – JZB
It's been three weeks now since Ryodan came to tell me Barrons would be "delayed" in his return. He didn't offer further explanation, and I didn't ask. I know what that means. Barrons has been killed doing whatever it was they had gone to do and it will be several more days before he comes back. I know he'll come back, he always does. But it doesn't make it any easier. My heart is in a constant state of aching and my head can't seem to convince my heart to knock it off. There's no way I'll find peace until I see him with my own eyes.
At the same time, a small part of me is dreading his return.