June 15th, 2114: 18 Years Old
† Harrington †
Patience had never been a virtue that Harrington followed. In fact, it had never been a word he liked to acknowledge existed at any other time in his life. Now, however, he knew and understood its importance. Because of Camryn.
For the last year, he had been satisfied to share brief, meaningful kisses with his guard, on their many nights out together, courting. He had accepted that nothing beyond those kisses and hand holding was permitted.
It helped that he had read the book Camryn had bought him in Keaton and finally understood just how important such long standing traditions were to vampires. Their laws dictated that no human who was the life mate to a vampire should be pushed or rushed into making the final commitment of marriage, a civil union, or of surrendering any part of their human nature. That, it seemed, included outdated opinions about what 'under-age' really meant.
But, he had held by the book's laws and rules, because Camryn did. Because it was important to his guard. And, mostly, because it meant a lot to Harrington to know that his life mate cared so much about his free will, his heart and his feelings to give him time to grow into a man before expecting too much from him. As Camryn had said, just eight months ago, he was too young to die, even if he would be reborn a vampire.
Harrington was no longer too young. He was a month away from turning eighteen and it was time that he took matters into his own hands, as it seemed Camryn would not be the first to make the move.
He had been careful, as he left Jaycob's house and ventured the ten minutes walk to Camryn's home. He had been there a handful of times and loved the quiet, secluded home in the middle of a field, but it was not the home he had come to see. Nor Cammie, the little tomcat he could hear even as he approached the front door.
After knocking, it barely took a moment for the door to open on Camryn, who held the cat under his arm and a paw with the other. "Harrington," he said, as though he was the last person he expected to find on his doorstep.
"Hello," he said, unable to help but smile as he stepped up into the house and pressed himself against Camryn. He gave his guard no time to react before kissing him, using his right hand to gently take Cammie from his arms and, once he broke the kiss, lower him to the floor. Where he took exception to being removed from Camryn's arms and escaped into the living room.
Which left Harrington the time and space to press forward. He gently pushed Camryn further into the hallway and closed the door behind him. Just as his guard opened his mouth, he pressed his hand to his lips. "I will be eighteen in a month, Camryn, and I cannot wait that long. I need you. I love you. And I want to be with you, this night and a thousand others," he explained, not in the least surprised that Camryn grasped his hand and removed it from his lips, but remained silent. "You know that I will never refuse you. You know that I will wait as long as I have to, but please don't make me wait a moment longer. There is nothing in this world I want more than you."
For a moment, all Camryn did was lower his gaze to the floor between them and appear conflicted. Then he raised his gaze, turned and led Harrington down the hallway.
His heart beat like a raging storm as he followed, equally scared and hopeful that it meant what he thought it did. He was too afraid to ask, so he simply followed like a lamb as Camryn pushed open the only door he had never ventured behind: his bedroom.
Once inside, Camryn turned and stepped forward, inadvertently backing Harrington into the door while effectively shutting them in the room. "I want you to know how great of a struggle it has been to respect your youth and not confess my every wish and need to embrace the bond between us," he said quietly. "I want you to understand the daily torment it has been whenever you claimed a need to kiss me and I would not let you. It was not because I did not desire it, but because I was afraid of what I might do if I allowed a single indiscretion," he confessed.
Harrington could only smile and press his hands to Camryn's chest, lightly stroking his fingers over the clothed muscles. "Then I can admit that I had the same fears. I allowed you to keep refusing me because I too was afraid of what might happen if my feelings for you were ever set free," he replied, feeling nothing but relief in being able to finally purge the words he had longed to say for years. "With every touch from you, I felt a fire raging within me, desperate to tear free. I cannot contain it any longer."
"You do not need to," Camryn promised, lowering his head to brush his lips with a teasing kiss that did not last nearly long enough.
The moment Harrington felt that touch, he raised his hands to Camryn's face and held him still, to enjoy the moment for as long as it could last. They stayed that way for so long that his knees grew weak, sharing light kisses that had as much tenderness in their brief contact as they had passion. Even as Camryn pressed closer and deepened the kiss, Harrington could not control his need; his hands fell back to a strong chest, caressed around to taught back muscles and finally dared explore those tight cheeks that flexed at his touch.
He moaned into the next kiss, both thrilled with the reaction he had elicited and disappointed that Camryn chose that moment to break away. "Stay," he pleaded in a whisper, pleased that he was kissed again, before his eyes could open.
"I will not allow such a precious moment to take place against a door," Camryn objected, drawing a smile to his lips as he realised what a compromise those words were. And that they were equally a promise not to refuse him again.
"I would not be opposed to such a thing," Harrington teased, finally opening his eyes to smile at his guard. "I believe that Spencer's first time with Prosper was a similar incident. I do not know either of them to complain about it being any less romantic."
For a moment, Camryn looked utterly scandalised, before laughing and asking; "I am almost too frightened to ask how you know such a thing."
"Spencer likes to confide in people who are in love; he knows that his experiences are excellent lessons for those of us who need a little honest guidance," he admitted, with a shrug. It was no big thing, in this moment, but it had meant the world to him, nearly two years ago, when he turned sixteen and Spencer thought him old enough to be given such advice. "Besides, you should be grateful that someone cared to speak to me of such things, because you know that my father never would have dreamed of doing so himself." That was the hard truth of it, because his father baulked at every 'serious' conversation, preferring to have a more 'friendship' role in Harrington's life. With the ability to tell him what to do, where to go and by when.
Camryn laughed, knowing his father well enough by now to know the truth. "Then I am grateful that the responsibility did not lie with him," he agreed, only to smile warmly and kiss him softly. "However, speaking of your parents," he said, preventing his intention of moving them towards the bed.
"Must we?" He pouted, for good measure, but Camryn would not be swayed.
"We must." He nodded. "I assume they know you will not be returning home this night?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at him, in expectation of an answer he would approve of. Which, knowing him as well as Harrington did, he could give honestly.
He smiled and pressed his hands to Camryn's shoulders, as he moved closer. "They do. Jaycob knows where I am and has promised to deal with my parents if they contact him," he admitted, giving Camryn no time to comment and derail them any longer. "Now...where were we?"
"Hmm, I believe I was taking you to bed," he replied, his lips twitching with amusement.
All he could do, after waiting so long, was sigh his approval. "Yes, you were."
***
Snuggling into Camryn's chest, Harrington had no words to say what had just happened or how it made him feel. It had been utterly...beyond words. Not even beautiful or special could properly explain the experience he had just gone through.
Being in Camryn's bed was one thing, but being there and having just been on the receiving end of such tenderness and sensuality was beyond anything he might have dreamed this night could be. As it was, he had been too afraid to dream of it, for fear that he could not hold back from making it a reality any longer.
Well, it was reality now. A wonderful, floating reality that left Harrington feeling like he was the only man in the world and no one else existed in Camryn's universe.
"Will you marry me, Camryn?" he asked, unable to hold the words back any longer. They had been spinning around his head for years, now, and he needed to voice them now, when he felt so free and safe with Camryn, so that he did not back out in fear of rejection. How could Camryn possibly refuse him, when what they shared was so perfect?
Still, the way Camryn froze beneath him, his fingers no longer twisting through Harrington's disarrayed hair, gave him pause. "Darling, you are still just..."
Please do not say young, he pleaded inside his head.
"And I should be..." again, his voice trailed off before finishing that thought and Harrington had no idea what might come after it.
Propping himself on his elbow, he looked down at Camryn will all the seriousness he possessed and pressed a hand to his bare chest. "I need your words, Camryn. I need to know what you are trying to tell me and why the word 'yes' has not yet escaped you," he confessed softly, afraid that he would never heard that all important word from him.
With a sigh, Camryn reached back to prop his pillow. "Please hear me out before saying anything," he asked first, waiting for Harrington's nod of agreement before continuing. "You are still so young. And I cannot begin a life with you, commit to you in such a way as a marriage or a union without turning you. I have not the control for such a thing. I do not want to steal years of your young life where you can still experience all that there is in the world," he said, making sense, even if Harrington didn't particularly want to hear it right now. "Beyond that, should I not be the one to propose to you? You have been so patient with me, so willing to wait and obey the laws and traditions of my people that I should ask you and give you that precious memory."
Now, that was more like it. Harrington grinned and ducked down to kiss Camryn softly. "Can I speak now?" he checked, glad that his guard chuckled and nodded, not at all angry with him for perhaps ruining an otherwise beautiful night. "Camryn, I would not be here with you now if I did not know, without any doubt, that I want to be by your side for eternity. I will lose nothing by being turned now, though it may save me from a human sickness which could yet take over my body. I know the risks, but I also know that Parry and Davian almost lost each other, because Parry thought the very same way.
"And, though I do not want to diminish your manliness, I see no reason why you should propose to me. I understand your reasoning," he promised, vowing never to underestimate his feelings on this matter, "but by my logic, I should propose to you to let you know that I am ready. That I am well aware that you have held back because of my age and because I am human. But none of that matters to me. All that matters is that I love you and I know, in my heart, that you love me."
Camryn smiled and nodded, reaching up to trace his thumb along his cheek. "Yes."
"Yes?" Harrington tilted his head, not sure what he was agreeing with.
Then he was thrown onto his back and Camryn hovered over him, both of them laughing at the rush of emotions. "Yes, darling. Yes, I will marry you. Yes, you are right about all that you have said. Yes, you are ready and I should not keep denying it, purely because I am afraid to show you all that I am. You know me more deeply than any other could, so I have nothing to fear," he said, his words and the emotion so clear in his eyes giving Harrington that little flutter in his heart that he had only ever felt one other time: when Camryn first confessed that they were life mates.
"So, you will turn me on our wedding night, as is tradition?" he checked, thrilled by the thought of all that they could share over the coming years. He had wanted to be turned ever since he knew that it was his fate, as Camryn's life mate, but he had also been afraid that Camryn would, as he proved to, harbour the same feelings about the matter that Parry once had.
He was so relieved that he had spoken to Davian about this conversation, weeks ago. He had known it was nearly time, had known what arguments he may face and that he would likely have to be the one to make the first move. Having Davian's experience with the very same situation had helped prepare him for this moment.
Now, all he could do was smile at Camryn, who grinned back at him, looking so happy that it made his heart ache. "I will be your family, from now on," he promised, caressing his hand through Camryn's hair as he gazed in his blue eyes.
"You already are."
The End