A Shade of Vampire 15: A Fall of Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

walking down that aisle toward me, the two of us standing on the platform, exchanging vows, sharing a kiss… I couldn’t stop the scene from playing in my mind.
    I wasn’t sure why this wedding had brought about such a reaction. But it stirred something deep inside me. An ache. A desire. A longing to finally claim a woman as my own, to place a ring upon her finger, to both give myself and accept her completely… I thought back to the heat I’d seen in Rose’s eyes the other evening. She’d wanted me to make love to her. I’d refused to that night. I hadn’t even been sure why at the time.
    But now I understood.
    I looked back down at Rose expertly playing her piece, her brows furrowed in concentration, the flowers in her hair beginning to loosen and touch the sides of her face.
    I wanted to commit everything I had to her before making her fully mine.

Chapter 7: Rose
    I was glad to be able to provide the music for the party. A wedding was just what this island needed. We’d been under so much stress, I could see how much everyone appreciated this relief.
    People stayed on long after Kiev and Mona took their leave. They continued to dance and mingle even as sunset arrived beyond the island’s boundary. Although my hands were aching, I didn’t want to take more than a few minutes’ pause. I was enjoying playing with Caleb too much. I hadn’t played with him since I’d been trapped on his island as a prisoner.
    I noticed Caleb looking at me a lot throughout the wedding. I wasn’t sure why he was staring at me. As we both took our third break, allowing Landis and Ashley to take a turn, I walked with Caleb toward the dance floor.
    “You’ve been staring at me a lot today,” I said, raising a brow.
    Caleb smiled. “Then you must have been staring at me to notice.”
    I chuckled. “I guess so.” I did find myself looking at him a lot. Partly because I still couldn’t believe he was here with us on this island. It felt like a dream.
    “You look stunning, Rose,” he whispered into my ear as he led me to dance. “And I still can’t quite believe you’re mine.”
    I know the feeling.
    As I draped my arms over his shoulders, his hands wrapped around my waist and he lifted me up suddenly so that my face was level with his, my feet hovering above the ground. He kissed my cheek and rested his chin on my shoulder, still holding me in the air. I giggled as my legs swayed.
    Erik and Abby danced a few feet away. The way Erik was holding Abby close to him, and the way she nestled her head against his shoulder… I was surprised by how intimate they looked. I hadn’t even known they were friends until recently. The attraction was unmistakable as they looked into each other’s eyes.
    When Abby caught my eye, I looked away again. Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I turned my attention back to Caleb.
    “How did you learn to play music?” I asked.
    “Mostly, I just taught myself.”
    “Seriously?”
    “I’m not sure why you’re surprised. I’ve had a lot of downtime over the years.”
    “Did you ever go to school when you were younger?”
    “Yes. The local town school, until the age of about thirteen. Then I joined my father’s ship business as an apprentice architect and engineer… His dream had always been for me to take over running the family business.”
    He placed my feet back on the ground. I slipped my hand in his. Rather than returning to the piano again to relieve Ashley and Landis, I let Caleb lead me away from the dance floor, away from the lights and noise. We walked in silence and stopped again once we were far away enough for me to barely hear the music. I knelt down on the sand, pulling Caleb down with me. We lay on our backs, gazing up at the dark sky.
    After a pause, I turned my head toward Caleb. “Does this island feel any more like home to you now than when you first arrived?”
    To my delight, he nodded. “It does… After the battle we just fought side by side, it would be