The Purest of Cullen's

He was there

"I'd recognize that woman's voice anywhere and you may remember her as Althea, your girl's best friend." Images of both girls play through Ace's mind, now he knows how he recognized her voice. He would often see the witch girl with Natalia and every time she would see him she would roll her eyes. The witch barely tolerated vampires and had a strong dislike toward Ace but bit her tongue knowing it would just sadden Natalia knowing the man she loved and her best friend didn't like each other.

Ace rolls his eyes nodding. "Yeah, I remember that witch girl just fine. You still running after her like a lost pup?" Jeremy gave his friend a side eye and a dry laugh.

"Let's not forget who between the two of us was the real lost puppy, Sunshine has you wrapped around her little finger till this day." Ace's eyes darken as he lets out an agitated huff.

"Just go down and see what the witch wants." Jeremy rolled his eyes as he sprinted down to the ballroom. Ace let out a deep breath as he leaned against the wall with his back. He closed his eyes as he remembered the blonde beauty that he loved so dearly and was so close to marrying, to spend the rest of eternity with. But now all that is left of her is an ache that comes and goes, always returning in quiet moments. He wants to keep her close, to talk and laugh like they once did and he knows that her absence is down to him.
So though she is gone, her aura remains, beautiful and strong, making the pain all the worse, keeping the feelings so raw. The ache of longing to be with her echoes through the very marrow of his bones. It was a chill wind trapped in the chambers of his heart. With every spare moment, his mind would rehearse a new letter to her. He never knew that missing someone could take over every fibre of your being every day. It was a torment he was unprepared for.

What made him snap his eyes back open was the sound of Jeremy returning, but he wasn't prepared for the thing that would happen next. Ace's nostrils engulfed the delicate hint of vanilla in the air, and with it, his brain flooded with pictures of her. The hint came of Jeremy's clothes meaning that the only woman that has ever made him feel anything, the woman that made him feel love was here.

His eyes turned dangerously black as he looked towards his friend making Jeremy lose his friendly grin and turn serious putting his hands out.

"Ace, I need you to calm down." Jeremy held authority in his voice meaning there were no plays in his words. The only person that could really calm down the boy was Natalia but because Jeremy had been with Ace since he was a newborn he was able to somewhat hold down the boy.

"She was here." Ace saw Jeremy nod his head confirming it. The younger boy didn't know if he should be ecstatic that she was here or scared. The only reason he even left the girl in the first place was to keep her safe and he didn't know if coming back to her was a good idea, it would only put her back in danger.

"I didn't know she was in town, Althea brought her over. I invited her over to play here tomorrow." Ace's eyes shot up from the ground back up at his friend with shock.

"What!? Why would you do that?!"

"Because this mess needs to end now! This separation is doing you two more damage than good. That's why she will be here tomorrow whether you like it or not."

♡♡♡♡♡

The two boys haven't spoken much since their slight argument yesterday. Right now Ace was leaning against the wall looking out at the road as some people filled into the building. He knew she was already there and he felt waves of different feelings going through his body.

He opened the window of the building with the thought of leaving now being the best idea but he was stopped when he heard her voice. Her voice rolled over the hills in sorrowful waves. Swells of power rose up in her throat. He couldn't even tell if it was words that came from her. Her voice was music and grace, and the haunting feeling of knowing that her voice was brought out in a fit of pain.

He turned back around towards the door and without thinking it through he ran down to the ballroom knowing one thing if he didn't at least see her face again it would drive him insane.

When he got to the ballroom he moved through the wave of people that stood beside the walls behind the people seated at the tables. When he finally got passed the crowd and was able to see something his eyes flew towards the stage where he saw her making him freeze in the spot with his eyes completely captivated by the girl in a diamond-covered dress.

Her face is just as beautiful as the first day he saw her, her eyes twinkling as she smiled. She had those little innocent demons inside her eyes, and they recklessly played with matches...He's never seen sparks so pretty.

So much time had passed since they first met, and his chest ached as he thought of what he had lost. No one had ever replaced her, and no one ever would.

As Natalia sang, her delicate voice lifted the spirit of the room. Her face has a softness even when it comes to rest as if she lacks the inner bitterness of the others gathered here tonight. She knows who she is and she's comfortable with herself. She's perhaps the only woman he's ever known who could look into a mirror of truth and only see her own reflection. And it made Ace more in love with her than he already was.

For him she is more beautiful than the winter sun above pristine snow, she is warmer than spring sunshine on soft new grass, she is more mesmerizing than the fall leaves. Yet for him, she truly is an eternal summer, for every day with her is perfect blue skies with love in the air. His attraction to her isn't because she's beautiful, though she is, it is to her soul, because of the wonderful person she is inside.

And that attraction to her stayed with him no matter the amount of time they haven't seen each other, no matter the distance his attraction to the blonde remains constant. She could be at the ends of the earth and he would still feel pulled toward her. There is something about them that matches, each half loving the other. When times are dark she is the one that lifts him back into the light, when times are bright she is the one who rejoices him. So though it is her eyes, her skin, her face that he looks upon, knows that the attraction runs deep to his core. He doesn't do superficial, he never did.

But what the boy wasn't expecting was the fact that her eyes would find his. It was like the first day they met when he was on this exact stage playing a tune with the lads as she danced in the crowd. He didn't know how it was possible that he was able to relive the exact same emotions he did that day but only stronger. The second he saw her golden eyes that day he knew he loved them and now that he sees them again he knows he won't ever be able not to love them. He never believed in love but he did after that one glance in her direction all those years ago.

He blinked his eyes to see her eyes shoot back to him again, he could see all the emotions flowing through her eyes, confusion, relief, happiness. But he knew he couldn't just stand here staring at her even though he wanted to look at her and do so much more. So he did something that would not only hurt him but also her. He ran out of the building in a second not caring if any human would notice. All he cared about at that moment was leaving so she would be safe.

When he left the building he ran for a good while before stopping down a dark alley pressing his back against the wall and sliding down to the floor putting his head in his hands.

Nausea swirled unrestrained in his empty stomach. His head swam with half-formed regrets. His heart felt as if it was filled with tar as it struggled to keep a steady beat. His melancholy mood hung over him like a black cloud, raining his personal sorrow down on him. His heartache was best described as a wolf eating at his chest, tearing its way to his trembling heart. It threatened to devour him, eat him whole and leave nothing but scraps behind.

But he would relive this pain every single day of his immortal life if it meant she was safe. Because he loved her so much he was ready to live through hell and back just for her.