The Knight Of The Rose Read Online Free PDF

have become something unclean, something wrong—more like
    a gossip article for the tabloids than a love story.
    He will be a bachelor. There is no other way.
    “He might still be,” I added with a light giggle. “Just because we’re in love now, doesn’t
    mean we’re gonna get married or anything.” Only, I know we would. If things were different. We
    love each other enough to commit to a lifetime of being together, but I just can’t commit to an
    eternity—and David can’t commit to a life.

    “Are you serious?” Emily stood up. “He spends a thousand dollars on a dress, because he
    wants you to feel special , and you’re not sure if you’re going to marry him?”
    I sighed, feeling utterly defeated. I wished I could tell her the truth. She’d understand. She’d
    be able to give me advice and take some of the burden of life and death decisions off my shoulders.
    I wonder how mad David would be if I just let it slip out.
    I opened my mouth and, as Alana sat down in my desk chair, the squeaky hinge woke me to
    reality. I snapped my big gob shut.
    Emily squinted as she studied my face. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”
    “More to what?” I shrugged casually and started untying my dress.
    “Is it…are you still in love with Mike?”
    “What? I never said I was in love with him.”
    “Then, I don’t understand?”
    How could anyone? David’s perfect. Why would I not want to marry him?
    “What’s to understand, Em? Davi d and I —we’re in love, but we want diff erent things in
    life.” I shrugged. “Eventually, we’ll have to go
    our separate ways. We both know that. David
    understands.”
    Emily and Ala na exchanged glances. “Who ar e you tr ying to convince, Ara? Us, or
    yourself?” Emily asked.
    I held my dress in f ront of my chest, pull ed a shirt over my head and, once covered, stepped
    out of the dress and threw it on the bed. “What does it matter? It’s not like you’re going to lose him,
    Emily.” I laughed, trying to stop myself from falling onto her shoulder and crying.
    Emily shook her head. “Ara, when David first came to the school, he was s o different. Not
    the kind and sweet David you know now. He was cold, kind of stand-off-ish. All that changed about
    a month before you came to the school—”
    About the time I arrived at Dad’s.
    “—He’s happy now,” Emily contin ued. “I’m just one of a hundred girls who was madl y in
    love with David when he came here. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.” She stared at me, her eyes
    round with concern. “Any one of us would give up everything to be David’s girl. You don’t know
    how lucky you are.”
    “I do. Actually.” I sighed, dropping my arms to my sides as I sat on the bed. “I hate that we
    can’t be to gether. More than you know. But it isn’t my deci sion to make. Not really. There are
    outside factors stopping us from being together.” Like the fact that David’s a vampire, and I won’t
    kill people for a living.
    “Why should it matter? When you love someone, you give up everything for that,” Emily
    said. I’d never heard her speak like that—I didn’t know Emily went so deep. Everything she said
    was true though, and it hurt. I’m ju st not brave enough to risk everything for love. My mother taught
    me better than that—taught me to follow my head, because the heart can lead a girl down a path that
    may destroy her life.
    Granted, Mum never meant that literally, in the sense that I would bring my life to an end for
    love. But being with David will absolutely lead to the end of my natural life. Well, okay, not in the
    physical sense, because I’d still be breathing, but in the natural sense.
    Ironically, by sta ying human—I am following the path that will lead to my eventual, yet
    natural death.
    Hm, complicated; I shook off my confusion. “It isn’t like I don’t want him, Em. Like I said, I
    have no control over this.” And it kills me.
    “Well.” Emily took my hand