“It’s beautiful,” she said.
The jeweler looked at William and smiled. “So, you already proposed? How lovely.”
William winked at him, and leaned in. “Technically I haven’t, but I already know she’s going to marry me.”
The jeweler laughed nervously. Marie looked away and smiled, as a blush reached her cheeks.
William took Marie by the hand. “Oh, do you want an official proposal? I can do that.” He slid the ring off of her hand and got down on one knee.
Marie blushed even more. “You don’t have to do this.” She whispered and turned away, smiling. She couldn’t help but think how handsome William looked as he got down on one knee. He sure as hell didn’t look like the same sad vampire from last night.
“Beautiful sweet Marie, will you join me for the rest of my life until death do us part?”
The way that he asked surprised Marie. He looked serious as he asked her, both of their smiles gone. This wasn’t a proposal of marriage. It was a proposal of death, Marie thought.
“Yes,” she said in a whisper followed by a nod. She cleared her throat and said “yes” a little louder.
He stood up, smiled, and placed a hand on Marie’s neck, bringing her in close to give her a kiss on the cheek.
The jeweler watching clasped two hands together in front of him, all smiles.
“Thank you for your time,” Marie said as they got ready to depart. As soon as they were gone, William took the wedding rings out of the bag and handed the smaller one to Marie.
“This goes on first, then the engagement ring.”
She nodded and followed his instructions. Afterwards, she held up her hand. “We’re in a committed agreement.”
“’Til death do us part,” he emphasized and smiled. When they got outside, they noticed that the snowfall was heavy, but it wasn’t sticking yet.
“What time are we meeting this guy?” William asked.
Marie looked at the time. “Eleven pm. That gives us five hours for a four-hour trip.”
“Now probably isn’t the best time to tell you this. My Mustang doesn’t drive too well in the snow. Maybe we should have taken your car, instead.”
“Backtracking will take too long,” she said and cursed under her breath. “I had no idea it was supposed to snow.”
“I thought you were a witch who sensed these things.”
She glared at him. “I can’t predict the weather.”
William smiled, loving how she looked when she got angry. “C’mon, let’s officially get this show started.”
Chapter Five
The conversation flowed on their road trip. William smiled when he noticed Marie looking at her ring for the hundredth time that night.
“You keep looking at your hand,” he pointed out.
Marie set her hand down self-consciously. “Did you have to buy a diamond so big?”
“Does it displease you?”
She shook her head. “No, but I never thought I was a diamond kind of woman. Now that I have one, it looks absolutely gorgeous.”
“It suits you,” he said, looking at her and smiling. “You know, one of the reasons I chose that one? Vampires typically don’t splurge. It’s not like it is in the movies. Most vampires are not wealthy and tend to hold on to their money. We have to make our many last.”
“So, what? You’re just the exception to the rule?” she asked with a smirk, remembering the millions he had offered her.
“I hardly spend money at all, actually. You saw my clothes.”
“What are you going to do with all of your wealth when it’s finally over for you?” she asked, naturally curious.
“Well, I’ll keep on buying you pretty things until it’s all gone,” he said with a smile.
Marie didn’t fall for it. “William, you should donate it. Do some good.”
William shook his head. “There’s not a whole lot of good left in this world. I’d rather do as much as I can to help those who are helping me. Marie, you deserve it. Look at everything you’ve done for others.”
Okay, that, she had to admit, made her weak in the knees. Usually, she had to keep who she was a secret. From men she casually dated to friends and loved ones. But William knew, and that was enough to reel her in. It was nice not having to pretend around someone for a change. Besides her own mother, William was the only person she knew who knew what she was. And she loved not having to fake who she was around him.
Five and a half hours later, they were finally in New York City. It was cold, but it wasn’t snowing. William waited patiently off to the side as Marie explained what she needed from her contact. He was a thin man, younger than William had imagined. He had to have been around twenty or twenty-one. The contact took one look at him.
“Cash only,” he said.
William nodded, giving him a dead-pan look.
After a few hours and grabbing a quick bite to eat at an all-night diner, they had a new driver’s license for William. He paid the young man and they left New York behind them to go back to Massachusetts. It was already two in the morning when they left. They made small talk on the way back.
“Wait, you’re Italian but your name is William?” Marie asked, taking a bite out of the candy she had purchased at the gas station when they had filled up.
“My parents were. When they got to America, they wanted to make sure I had more opportunities. They thought a name like ‘William’ would get me further in life. They named me after Shakespeare. It’s too bad they were wrong about the opportunities I would have.”
Marie wanted to tell him that his outlook on life was so bleak, but it was a sensitive topic, so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, William asked about her New York contact.
“Where’d you find that guy?”
“His dad was my main guy for years, but Danny’s been doing it since he was sixteen and I like that he’s a night owl, like us.”
William smiled, his eyes on the road ahead. “You have all of this figured out, don’t you? This life of yours?”
“I wasn’t exactly dealt the same hand you were, William. Life has been different for me.”
“I have a feeling you’d turn it around if you were in my shoes.”
Marie tightened her scarf around her neck. “I don’t have it all figured out. I’m supposed to find a mate and have a daughter, but all that seems so far off. I can’t even find a man worth my damn time, much less a man I want to offer this gift to.”
“How does it work for you? The gift?”
Marie exhaled loudly, knowing how strange it would seem to him. But she decided to try and explain it, anyway. “A man I mate with, through sex, unprotected of course, receives a limited amount of my powers. He wouldn’t know how to use them or what to do with them, though. With it, he would also age slowly, like me. As long as we make love, his life is extended for some time.”
“So, your dad is still around?”
Marie shook her head. “He had cancer. We couldn’t cure him, but we took some of the pain away.”
“I’m sorry,” William said softly.
“It happened a very long time ago.”
“Were you close?”