Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

HE TOOK HER for a walk in the gardens. Vivienne didn't even know there were rose gardens back here. She still couldn't believe it was really happening. The tall, dark man standing beside her was the boy from her dreams.

Blake was alive.

Vivienne didn't know what to say. For years, she had only spoken to Blake in her dreams. Now, he was here, standing before her. She didn't have to imagine how he would look grown up anymore. She finally knew. And he was nothing like she had imagined.

The boy in her memory was always weak, frail, sweetly vulnerable. The man who stood before her was nothing like the boy from her memory. His formerly large, soulful green eyes were now smaller and sharper, concealed behind a set of heavy, brooding eyebrows. Time had made his features angular, his shoulders far broader, and his impeccable jawline belonged to the type of boy who got away with very bad things.

Vivienne turned away from him. Where was the sweet boy from her memory? This man seemed to live and breathe danger. And why in the world was he so tall? Even through the many layers of formal clothing he was wearing, Vivienne could see the outline of his muscles. Yeah, if the look in his eyes hinted at danger, his body left no doubt of it.

He didn't seem to take the hint that she was looking for a way out. Blake dropped the pretense of dancing once they were outside. He led her into the garden, far from prying eyes.

He still had the curly locks of hair that easily fell into his eyes. Since she had last seen him, he had grown, standing a full head above her. His features had matured as well. His eyes were still green-blue; they would have looked predator-like, had she not once seen the kindness behind them.

The softness of childhood was gone from his face. His shoulders were broader now, fortress-like, as though he could easily take her into his arms and protect her from every threat in the world.

Vivienne couldn't stop staring at his beauty. Even while they were dancing, she admired the shape of his fingers. They were calloused and looked hard to the touch; he stood before her a man who had seen his share of trials. She explored the whole of him, seeing him for the first time, and yet rediscovering a man she had always known in her dreams and in her heart.

Vivienne couldn't stop marveling at how strong he was. There was no trace of that weak, sickly boy in him. What had happened to him to turn her friend into this muscular, predator-like man in front of her?

"I looked for you everywhere," Blake whispered. When he spoke, she recognized his voice. Even though his voice was deeper, it was still very much him. "You changed your name."

"After you died, my father couldn't find anyone willing to hire him," Vivienne answered. "So he changed our last name to start a new life in Lewisville."

That wasn't the whole truth, but Vivienne didn't see the point of telling Blake about her father's gambling problem. "Were you looking for me?"

"Yes," Blake confessed as though it wasn't something he was proud of. "I did. But then I stopped. I thought you might not want to be found."

"Of course I —" wanted you to find me.

Vivienne stopped herself before she could finish. He was looking for her? For what purpose? He was one of them, the Manna City elite.

"Of course, I wanted to know you were alive."

"I'm sorry," Blake whispered. "I thought you knew."

"How could I?"

"In dreams," he whispered sadly.

Vivienne scuffed at his words. He was more of a romantic than anyone she knew. In dreams? What a nonsensical thought. Did he really believe she spent night after night dreaming of him?