Chapter 16

Hearing the horrific tales from other immortals, tales of their first death and awakening, was never easy. And Celeste's was no exception. One moment she was happy and in love, and the next discarded into a lonely, confusing world, that seemed to have no place for her. It reminded him of his own first few years as an immortal. Everyone he had known and loved, rejecting him and treating him as a demon. Wanting nothing more than to die, once you have lost everything, but not being able to.

How long had she been wandering this life without answers? Duncan had been lucky when Connor found him, and taught him everything he needed to know. His immortal life had not been long before his teacher showed him the light. But what about Celeste? How old was she and did she have any idea what getting the answers she so badly wanted would do to life as she knew it.

The two sat on the porch steps, quiet for a while. It should have been an awkward silence but somehow both knew that nothing needed to be said for a few moments. It was more calming than anything else, knowing that neither was alone in their thoughts.

The sun started to sink behind the trees, but neither seemed to notice or care that the darkness was creeping closer. The sound of the birds growing quiet was the only noise that could be heard from their position when Duncan finally turned to look at her. Her face had regained it's composure.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." He tried to ease back into the conversation. "I can imagine how scared you must have been, and how alone you felt. But you're not alone anymore."

Celeste looked over and met his gaze. "Something similar happened to you?"

"Yes, but it's a long story, and one I doubt you'd like to hear." He had told it so many times, and sharing it with her wasn't something he wanted to do at the moment.

"It's not easy sharing something so personal with a stranger." She looked down at her hands in her lap and Duncan realized he'd hurt her.

"It's not that. We're hardly strangers. Remember, we toasted to new friends?"

A half smile crossed her face.

"Ok, short version." Duncan hated sharing his weakness with others, but she seemed to need to hear that her story was not one of a kind. "I joined my clan in battle, where I was killed, much like the way you were. There was no way I could have lived through it. When I awoke, my family was grieving my death. So I went to them, thinking that a miracle had occurred, expecting them to be overjoyed that I was still alive. But, my father thought it was the work of Satin and I was forced to leave my tribe."

Celeste's face softened as she saw the pain flash through his eyes. No matter how quickly he told the story, the hurt still showed through, and his vulnerability couldn't hide behind the muscular body any longer. He was hurting as much as she was, he was just much better at hiding it. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek on his head. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have expected you to …" She couldn't find the words to finish the sentence, but she felt his strong body relax a little and sink deeper into her embrace. She was afraid he would pull away too quickly and in an attempt to prolong the moment she let her fingers lightly stroke his hair. To her surprise, he didn't move at all. His head stay resting on her shoulder, but his gaze was far away. For a few moments, time stood still. The sounds of the birds had disappeared and the only thing Celeste could hear was her own beating heart. Without thinking it through, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the forehead, not realizing what she had done until it caused him to pull away from her.

Faster than she thought possible, he was standing again. One look up into his face told her he was back to strong and composed and she instantly regretted the tiny kiss that had felt so instinctual at the moment. Had she gone too far by acknowledging his pain?

In another moment she stood to try to close the gap between the two of them, but his height still overtook her. She wanted to apologize, but she didn't get the chance before he spoke. "It's not easy for any of us. We've all had battles to fight. They get easier once you understand who and what you are. I know who I am."

Celeste's expression suddenly turned from sad to eager. "Tell me who I am?"

"I'd like to, but I don't know if I can." Her face turned sad again before he could continue."Because there are still pieces missing. There are still things I need to understand about you.

"Then tell me what you do know. Who or what are we? Why are we so different?"

Duncan looked down and shuffled his feet, not exactly sure how much to tell her. She deserved to know everything. And even though he still didn't know for sure that Celeste wasn't putting on an act, his heart told him she was genuine.

"We're immortals. We can't die." He looked to her face for her reaction, but there wasn't one. She just stared at him eagerly awaiting his next sentence. "We age just like everyone else, until the first time we die. Then we never grow older, and our bodies heel themselves, no matter how severe the damage."

"There must be more than that. I already know all of this." She suddenly looked desperate, afraid that the answers he had promised would reveal nothing new.

"There is more. But it won't be easy to hear." He paused and contemplated going back into the cabin for another bottle of wine. He looked around at the now black landscape surrounding them. "Why don't we go inside and have some dinner?"

Celeste wanted to protest. She didn't want to have dinner. They were on the brink of revealing things that she desperately wanted to know. But before she could speak her mind he had disappeared behind the slamming screen door.