Broken Hearts, Mended Souls

Broken Hearts, Mended Souls Part 6

Denara smiled while Marcus expressed his love for her, again. He was thanking her for saving him when she owed him her life. "I'm grateful to you, sir, for taking me in and caring for me. I think you saved my life twice, Marcus."

He returned her smile, waving his hand in protest. "I nearly walked past you. Leaving you behind seemed the most prudent course of action." When he saw her look of surprise, he explained, "Vampires care little for humans and their affairs. But my gift told me you would be the new light in my existence. I loved Didyme very much, Denara, but you are my heart now." He took her hand, and turning it over in his, kissed the palm. "Mon coeur."

"Mon coeur est d'accord." Denara reached out with her free hand to coil within Marcus' long hair, pulling his head up, pressing her lips against his.

Once they parted, Marcus slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, giving it to Denara. She looked at it, knowing that it was a ring box. The look on Marcus' face expressed his desire to make her happy. "Open it, my dear."

When she did, Denara saw that it was a ring, the setting in the silver he now knew she preferred, with a blue stone the size of her thumbnail. The unusual thing about the stone was the colour matched her eyes.

"In case you miss the loss of your blue eyes, when you have completed the change," he said.

She went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. She held the ring box up to her face. How had he managed to find someone able to create this treasure? It was a perfect match. When she went back to him, she reached out and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Marcus. It's beautiful."

He removed the ring from its box and placed it on her left hand. She looked at the ring as it sat on her finger, then her gaze rested on Marcus' face. "I don't know how many times I can say 'I love you' before you tire of hearing it," she said. She just wished they didn't have to stay in this castle. It would be wonderful to travel the world with Marcus, with his knowledge of history being what it was.

Marcus leaned in to kiss her, his arms moving around her, pulling her closer to him. "I will never tire of hearing it, Denara. I have not heard the words in far too long." He sat at the foot of the bed, and pulled her onto his lap, his arms around her. "I thought you might miss the human traditions that go with taking a mate. But I wanted you to have this ring that I ordered especially for you. When you've changed, you will receive the necklace with the Volturi crest as an official member of our coven. The ring I wanted to give you as a symbol of our union."

"And I will wear it as such, but Marcus, if I have to wear this crest, what of the pearl necklace you gave me. I never take it off, and it will clash with the pendant."

He heard in her voice distress at not being able to wear his gift to her. "What if we lengthen the chain of the crest, then you can continue to wear the pearl necklace where it rests now."

"Will Aro approve? He seems like such a stickler."

"Do we care if Aro approves?" Marcus said, realizing he was no longer concerned if his brother approved of anything he did. His apathy had finally lifted when Denara joined his life.

Placing her lips below his ear, she nuzzled his neck and purred, "Am I to be the mate of a rebel? I hope so, because I love you like this."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Aro was slowing losing his patience when it came to Marcus and Denara's delaying the day of her change. He was willing to give her time, since Marcus had wanted her to have that time to ask him questions and to accept the realization of all she was giving up. She admitted to him she needed to think about it all. Not whether she loved him, that much she knew with all her heart, but what would come with it. And then there was the pain. She was so afraid of the pain Marcus had warned her about. If only he had kept the knowledge of that to himself, she would only know about it when she was in the middle of it, and then it would be too late.