Anything For Rachel

Chapter Thirty Three.

"I wish I could be like you." He said suddenly.

I pulled together my brows and shook my head at him, my mouth hanging open. "You mean you want to be a total wreck every day of your life?"

"You are far from a wreck, Rach." He sighed. "I don't know how you manage to always keep going." He said. "Blow after blow, you never waiver under the pressure. I wish I could be so strong."

I watched the stars twinkle and I smiled up at them. "People are always saying that to me." I admitted. "But I don't feel strong at all."

"You are." He countered.

I turned to look at him. "Maybe I'm just a good faker?"

He narrowed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Lie to yourself if you want, but you are strong, and that's how I know somehow everything is going to be ok."

"You really think so?"

"Look at everything you've already done." He smiled. "Everything you've been through in your life, and you always come out on the other end, nearly unscathed. You'll come up with something and probably single handedly save the day."

I hit him on the shoulder and he laughed. "You're just teasing me now." I laughed. "If I was really strong, I would be able to come up with something." I said. "I wish I could." I added after a few minutes.

"Me too, but I still think you will."

"What I really want, is to be the one who saves her, you know?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "I wish I could be the one to swoop in and rescue her; to be able to be the one who she sees first, and grab her up and hold her, and never let her go."

"I wish I could be the one to kill anyone who meant to harm her." He shook his head, balling his hands at his sides.

I nodded in agreement. "I wish I was that kind of strong, not just perseverance strong."

I heard the doors behind us open and I turned around to see Calvin walking towards us

"You are much stronger than just that." He shook his head at me.

Logan looked up at the sky again one more time before he smiled at me and turned to walk back inside.

Calvin looked down at me, the marvel in his eyes the same as the one when Logan looks up into the sky and marvels at the stars. In that moment I was intensely happy that I didn't give in to my own wishes and force Calvin to blood bond with me. I like when he looks at me like I'm the stars in his sky.

He smiled, his dazzling, knee knocking, stomach flipping smile and I sighed, leaning into him. "You're freezing." He whispered, then stepped back for a moment to peel off his jacket and wrap it around my shoulders before he pulled me back into him. Even in his jacket my fingers were freezing so I stuck them down into the back pockets of his jeans. "Whoa now." He chuckled and I gave him a look.

"Don't get any ideas." I fought back a smile. "My hands are just cold."

He leaned down to kiss my forehead and smiled again. "Oh, really?" He asked. "And what exactly is wrong with your own pockets?" He chuckled, holding me tighter.

I pulled out one of my hands to smack him on the butt. "Don't even get me started." I told him, shaking my head.

He reached up to hold my face in between his hands and he leaned close to me as a light snow began to fall around us, little white puffs sticking into his dark hair. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" He whispered just a hair away from my lips. "Because I do." He said before he pressed his mouth to mine.

"I love you too." I whispered breathlessly.

He lowered one of his hands and wrapped it around the back of my neck. "What about how beautiful you are?" He said quietly, his eyes baring into mine. "Have I told you that today?"

I shook my head slowly. "I don't think you have."

"I'm ashamed." He told me. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever had the privilege to lay my eyes on."

"You're not so bad to look at either." I smiled. "I could do it all day in fact."

"Speaking of all day," He grinned. "I will love you, and tell you so, every day, all times of the day, for all the days of your life." He whispered, then kissed me again. I could feel his love in my blood like it was a tangible thing.

"Should we tell people about her, Calvin?" I asked seriously. "If people knew about her, we could get help, right?"

"You mean announce to the people that there's an heir?" He asked, surprised.

I nodded. "Wouldn't we be able to enlist all of the armies to get her back?"

"Yeah, we would, but would you want to do that?" He sighed. "I mean, you and Rose would be stuck in Castrum de Petra."

"But we'd be together." I said barely above a whisper and his eyes grew wet instantly.

"I thought you wanted to keep her separate from this life?"

I nodded to him. "I did," I explained. "But I also want her to be here with me and you and Logan, and to be safe." I told him. "I need our little girl with us, and I want to be with you, Calvin. Every day, all hours of the day, for all of the days of my life." I laughed. "Let's be a family."

Calvin grabbed my face and kissed me hard and I giggled around it and then threw my arms around his neck and he spun me around before he put me back on my feet and kissed me again. "I get to keep you." He chuckled, his eyes filled with happy tears. "I'll go call it in right now." He smiled. "I'll get a trusted guard, we'll swoop in and get her back, then we'll stay away from Castrum for a while until the people have had time to get passed the shock and anger at our secret, and then we can be together. All of us." He laughed like he didn't believe it was happening. "You're sure this is what you want?" He asked.

"I want you." I smiled and he kissed me hard.

"Come on, let's go tell the world!" He said happily as he took me by the hand and pulled me towards the hotel.

Suddenly he stopped walking, and I felt his body still and saw his smile drop. Calvin glanced down at me before he turned around to look out into the parking lot and I turned back to see a tall pretty girl with long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes walking towards us, her lips turned down in a frown.

"I wouldn't do that." Lexton said shaking her head as she got close. "I need to tell you both something."