Chapter 12
They planned on getting married…That was all Catherine could think about. They were happy, they were in love and they were together. What happened to them that Alistair was dead and Rebecca destroyed?
"I am not sure I can keep reading this Vincent." Catherine told him, "They are so happy right now and I know what's coming and I am not sure that I can take it."
Vincent looking at Catherine and wondering for a moment where his strong minded independent woman has gone says to her. "Catherine I know you identify with her, but this happened a long time ago and you can't change the past, no matter how much we may want to. But maybe, just maybe what happened to them can help us. That to me seems worthwhile."
"Catherine, you know we can't stay here forever hiding out at your Dad's place, pretty soon we are going to have to make a decision regarding the Sealgairi. I for one would like to make that decision with as much knowledge as I can find."
"Your right, of course, would you sit with me while I finish it?"
Vincent pulls her into his lap and keeps his hand on her shoulder as she starts to read.
Wedding plans are coming along, but Alistair is distracted. The beast killings have picked up again and I get the sense that Alistair is keeping something from me. I finally corner him and ask him directly what is going on.
He did not want to worry me but apparently the beast in town is someone known to Alistair and he carries a grudge. Sebastian knows Alistair from Boston, he tried to keep Sebastian from going rogue but it would seem that he was ineffective in that regard. Alistair believes that Sebastian is the one killing people and he has left items behind tied to Alistair.
"I have to find him and put an end to this Rebecca, he is just going to go on killing people until I do."
No matter how much I beg him not to get involved or to let me help, he will not hear me. If he will not listen to me, I may have to take matters into my own hands.
I spoke to my Father… I asked him if the Sealgairi had ever come across a beast that was good, that worked with them. He told me that he had never heard such a thing, that beasts were out of control.
I told him that was not true and I told him about Alistair….. at first he did not believe me. Then he was angry that I had formed an "attachment" to a beast. I begged him to understand that Alistair was different than other beasts and that he loved me and I him. I begged him to remember how he felt about Alistair and that he was a Doctor who helped people. My Father was furious and would not listen to reason. He blamed himself for letting me pursue "unladylike" habits and the Sealgairi for training me and opening my eyes to this world. He should have said no, he should have made sure I followed the rules and been a proper young lady, and then this never would have happened. He threatened to capture Alistair and Sebastian both and to send me to a convent where I could learn how to be a proper young lady.
I was able to get out of the house and went to find Alistair, I had to warn him to leave before my Father and the Sealgairi found him. He was neither at the hospital nor any of the usual places we would meet.
"Catherine your heart is racing!"
"She told her Father, she betrayed him! She thought she was helping but in the end she betrayed him."
As I scoured the city looking for Alistair too much time was passing, I was afraid my Father had already alerted the Sealgairi and they too were looking for Alistair.
I was panicking, my fear for Alistair was making it difficult to slow down and think about where he might be. I went down to the waterfront, which is where the killings have occurred. I came upon him locked in battle with Sebastian. I saw him falter, when he sensed I was there. Sebastian lashed out at him and ripped him across his belly. I screamed as Alistair roared. Sebastian seeing me, fled….as he ran off I could hear him threaten "next time Alistair, next time!"
I ran to him and he collapsed in my arms. "What are you doing here?" He asked me as he gripped his belly. Blood was seeping through his fingers.
"Looking for you, we have to leave the city right now! I screwed up I told my Father about you thinking that he would realize that you are good and help us, but it did not turn out that way. Now the Sealgairi know about you and are looking for you. We have to get you somewhere safe, out of the city."
Alistair wanted to argue, but was too injured, I was afraid that Sebastian knew about the warehouse, so I stashed Alistair somewhere safe and went to look for a carriage or a wagon, someway to get him out of the city, he was too injured to ride.
I was gone longer than I had planned and when I returned to the spot I had left Alistair all I found was blood….
In a panic and without thinking, I raced home to find my Father, but he was not there. I then went to the Sealgairi headquarters, as soon as I crossed their threshold, I was taken.
My father was the first one to come and see me. He tried to explain to me that it was for my own good that Alistair had to be exterminated, that beasts could not be allowed to exist. No matter what I said or how much I begged, he would not listen to me. After he left, I sat there in my cell, staring at the walls, trying to figure out a way out of this mess that I created. I thought I could trust them, they were my family, I thought they could be reasoned with, that they trusted me and would never believe that I could love someone who was evil. I hung my head, ashamed that I had brought Alistair to this. Where was he and what were they doing to him?
"It does not sound like the Sealgairi can be trusted." Vincent said. "Maybe this is all just a waste of time." He sounded so sad and defeated.
"I have come this far with her, I have to see it through." Catherine said, "Just please stay with me while I finish this, there is not much left."
It felt like forever, but it had only been hours. I asked my Father if I could at least say goodbye to Alistair. He refused at first, but my tears and the look of anguish on my face must have stirred something inside him, even if it was pity, I did not care, I just needed to see him.
They had him in a cage. He was still injured, but he was healing…. one of the benefits of being a beast.
Alistair looked up the moment I entered the room. I could tell he sensed me immediately. His eyes brightened a bit when he saw me, I swallowed hard, realizing that this was my entire fault. Tears threatened to fall and I had to clench my fists to keep from running to him.
Again I should have known better, it was not pity that made my Father change his mind. He taunted Alistair, telling him that this was the last time he would see me, that if he did not behave, that I would be killed as well. He said that the Sealgairi had ways of dealing with its agents who turned and were no longer useful, who were weakened by feelings for the monsters they were supposed to be hunting.
Alistair went crazy, his beast rose to the surface to defend me, and although he raked at the walls with his claws and roared at my Father, I could tell that he was not fully beast.
That was all I needed, I slammed my head back into my Father, he took his hands off of me to grab at his face and I hit him in the chest with the heel of my palm, as he staggered back he fell and hit his head. He did not get up.
I looked at him, my chest heaving with the energy I had expended. There was nothing there, no paternal feelings at all. I looked around for a weapon, I was going to end him and protect Alistair.
"Rebecca! Rebecca STOP!" Alistair cried out to me. I turned to him.
I stood there afraid to approach him.
"Come here Rebecca" he said to me, his voice raspy and full of emotion we dared not speak.
I stood rooted to my spot, the tears that had threatened earlier started to fall. "I am sorry, Alistair. I trusted the wrong person and I brought you to this."
"Come here, I need to touch you." He stretched out his hands through the bars.
I walked toward him, slowly and grasped his strong cold hands in my own. As soon as I touched him, everything broke inside of me. He placed his head against the bars and I did the same and he tried his best to comfort me in that moment.
"Rebecca it is going to be ok."
"How can you say that, we are locked up and they are going to kill you? I can't live without you Alistair, if they kill you they will have to kill me too."
"Please don't say that, I need for you to move on with your life and be happy, the greatest thing I have done in this life is love you."
I looked up at him," please don't ask me to do that, I can't and I won't."
I looked into his eyes and saw peace there. That made me angry, he was giving up but there must be something I could do, we weren't beaten yet. I wiped the tears from my face and kissed him through the bars. "This is not over."
The ringing of the telephone interrupted them.
It was JT. "Have you found anything useful yet, or are you two just playing house?"
Vincent laughed, "Well so far we have learned that the Sealgairi are not to be trusted, is that helpful?"
"Helpful, helpful, hell no, does this mean you two are getting ready to run?"
"Not yet, JT and I promise I won't leave without saying good bye, Catherine has been reading Rebecca's journal and she trusted the Sealgairi and it got both her and Alistair captured. So at this point it's not looking good. But that was a long time ago, who knows what they are like now?"
"Keep me posted will ya?" JT asked. "Tess and I are going crazy here just wondering what is going on."
"I will, see ya soon buddy."
Vincent hung up the phone and looked at Catherine; she is sitting on the couch with tears in her eyes, as if their life is not difficult enough, now she was worrying about people who have been dead for 150 years.
I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do. "How strong is that cell, can you beast out and break out?"
"I can beast out, but not enough to break free; something is keeping me from completely changing."
I looked around the room, I could not see anything. Then I saw it….A jewel was inlaid above the door to Alistair's cell. Why would anyone decorate a prison cell?
I grabbed a knife and a chair and went to work on getting the jewel free. It took some time but eventually it popped free. I could feel its power in my hand. There was a buzzing coursing through me. I ran to the other side of the room and got the jewel as far away from Alistair as the room allowed.
That was all it took, Alistair's beast took over and before I could breathe he was holding me in his arms. He was sweaty and dirty and smelled of blood, but I did not care, I clung to him.
"We have to get out of here!" He kissed me passionately and said "Let's go!"
I hurled the jewel back into his cell, I wanted to take it with me, but I knew that we would need Alistair's beast to get out and the jewel would prevent that from happening. We dragged my Father into the cell and stuffed a rag into his mouth, tying his hands and feet. Slamming the door shut, felt like I was slamming a door on everything I knew, everything that was familiar to me.
"I wonder how the Sealgairi lost the jewel, if Rebecca did not take it?" Vincent questioned.
"That is what you focused on in that? Catherine is shocked, "She almost killed her Father for him."
Alistair knew a place we could hide, after breaking out of the facility we headed to safety. I wanted to leave immediately but Alistair would not leave Sebastian to terrorize the city. That is why I loved him; even at great risk to himself he would still do the right thing. Although I no longer held out hope that any amount of good deeds could convince my Father and the Sealgairi that he deserved to live free.
Once we were safe, we stood for several minutes with our arms around each other; he placed a kiss on the top of my head and told me that I was worth it, worth all of it. I held him fiercely to me, not wanting to let him go. It was not enough and would never be enough. I lifted my head and looked into his eyes. "I love you Alistair." I said my voice shaky with all the emotions coursing through me.
He tightened his hold of me and slid his arms up my side to hold my face. You are my soul, there is no me without you, he said as he kissed me.
I kissed him back holding his face in my hands, trying to convey everything I felt for him in that kiss. His tongue swept along my lips and my mouth opened to give him access. Our tongues met and fire streaked into my belly. I must have moaned, because I felt him smile and growl against my mouth. His hand slid down to cup my backside and he pulled me to him.
Breathlessly I pulled back from him. "Alistair, I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring but tonight I need you," I tightened my grip on his arms as I spoke to drive home my point.
"Rebecca, I can't…..I might hurt you….It's not right…not in a place like….."
I stopped him again with a kiss; I took his hand and placed it over my heart, just at the top of my corset. His palm against my bare flesh was hot and yet I shivered.
"I am not afraid of you, I know you will not hurt me, I trust you Alistair."
He looked at me, his eyes going golden, I placed my hand alongside his face and reached up to kiss him, my tongue skipping across his lips this time seeking entrance. That was all it took and his control broke.
He swept me up into his arms and carried me upstairs.
He placed me on my feet at the edge of the bed, he turned me around and undid the lacings of my corset, he then untied my overskirt and soon I was standing there in front of him in nothing but my shift.
He made swift work of his own clothing, and he stood naked and proud in front of me. I gasped at his size and he smiled as he took me into his arms. He kissed me as his hands skimmed my hips taking my shift up with them. His hands continued their climb up my body the shift following close behind until I too was standing naked in front of him.
We were both breathing heavily, my own sounded so loud to my ears. I placed my hand on his chest; he placed his hand over mine. His other hand he placed over my heart. We stood there a moment feeling our hearts beat to the same rhythm. Then he spoke.
"I vow to love you, to place your well being and happiness above my own for all eternity. I vow to protect you with my body and to cherish you every day of our lives. This is my solemn vow."
"Alistair" tears threatened to fall as I spoke. "I promise to love you, to cherish you and to protect you, to stand by your side at all times and through all things. This is my solemn vow."
Our lips met and I cannot describe with words how it felt. We were bound to each other, connected in a way that I did not think possible.
He pulled me to him and lifted me up; I wrapped my legs around him. I could feel him hot and hard at my core. He walked to the bed and sat down holding me in his lap. He kissed his way down my neck and as I arched my head back he paid tribute to my breasts, taking each nipple in his mouth and swirling around it with his tongue.
He swung around and I was on my back, he was kneeling in between my knees. I reached up to hold him, he felt like silk wrapped steel, at my touch, the cords on his neck stood out and he arched his head back. I felt a rush of power knowing I had the same effect on him that he so effortlessly had on me.
His hands were on my knees and slowly he drew them upward toward my center. His hands were cold against my heated flesh. He touched me softly at first, my back arching off the bed at his touch.
I closed my eyes as first one finger slowly penetrated me, while his thumb was circling the little nub of flesh that was my center. My breathing sped up and stars were racing behind my eyes.
He leaned forward, settling himself between my thighs, the hard length of him seeking entrance.
"Open your eyes Rebecca, I want to see you and I want you to see me."
I opened my eyes as he entered me. I was lost in his gaze, at the love and worship I could see there. It did not hurt at all and once he was in, he stopped.
I started squirming it was as if I had an itch that was desperate to be scratched and I did not understand why he did not move.
"Easy love, I am giving you time to adjust, you are so tight, and it has been a long time, I may not last long."
He made me bold and I smiled a wicked smile, "Then we will just have to do it again" I said as I raised my hips up.
With those words he moved gently at first and then gradually increasing the pace all in time to my breath. Suddenly I felt weightless and boneless as if I was falling, I grabbed onto Alistair and rode the wave, as I came back to shore, he was there with me, with one last thrust he seated himself to the core of me and shook with his own release.
Catherine shut the journal and turned to Vincent. They were both aroused, breathing heavy. They came together violently as if desperate to lose themselves in each other. Clothes were quickly discarded and pillows tossed off the couch. Their coupling was quick and explosive…. each one trying to hold the other one safe inside. It was over in minutes and as they lay there arms and legs entwined it was impossible to tell where Vincent began and Catherine ended. They were slick with sweat and spent passion.
Vincent lifted his head and met Catherine's eyes. He knew what she needed to hear.
"I vow to love you, to place your well being and happiness above my own for all eternity. I vow to protect you with my body and to cherish you every day of our lives. This is my solemn vow."
"Vincent" tears threatened to fall as she spoke. "I promise to love you, to cherish you and to protect you, to stand by your side at all times and through all things. This is my solemn vow."
