you feeling a little better now?” he asked.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“It’s happening so fast. Sam Danielson has the authority to marry us and he’s driving out here tomorrow with a couple witnesses. You’ll have to go into town right now and get your blood tests and sign the license. He’s going to be sneaky and forego the waiting period.”
Ariella wanted so badly to tell him that it was her birthday next week. She didn’t want to feel like she was having undue influence on Birch because of the urgency to consummate their relationship.
“Okay. I’ll get ready and take off before it gets too late.”
“I’ll have dinner waiting when you come home.”
“You’re spoiling me,” she answered.
“It seems to me that you deserve a little spoiling, Ariella. Being with you makes me feel like I’m home. I’ve never felt like that before.”
“It’s the same for me, Birch,” she answered, approaching and kissing him gently on the lips. “Thank you.”
He hugged her tightly.
Another hour later, Ariella was in the police chief’s office, signing the wedding license as Sam Danielson seemed to be studying her intently. “You know, there’s been a lot of crazy things that have happened here in the town of Crystal Rock and I’ve done a lot of research and. Come to find out that over two hundred years ago there was a couple living here and residing on an island, which was said to be enchanted.”
Ariella blinked.
“I have a feeling that you and Birch are like a couple of guardian angels. Coincidentally, Birch and Ariella were the names of the couple that lived here years ago.” Sam grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the wedding. Welcome to the community, Ariella.”
Ariella smiled widely as she approached the exit. “It’s been nice to meet you, Sam.”
Next on her list was to have the blood tests, which she was able to have done at the local clinic.
When she walked outside after having the tests and bumped into someone who was waiting outside.
She looked up to apologize and was astonished to see who it was.
“Michael? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve missed you Ariella. Is there any way possible way that you can forgive me? I’d like to have another chance.”
Had the man lost his mind?
“What in the world are you talking about? Of course, I won’t forgive you. I’ve started a new life, and I’m engaged to be married. Goodbye,” she said firmly, strolling toward her jeep nearby.
Of all the nerve. How had he even discovered she was here?
Another half hour later, she was on her way back to the island, and when she walked into the kitchen, she realized that Birch had her paintings laying out across the table.
“That didn’t take you too long,” he murmured. “Come here. Take a look at this.”
He had her drawings of the two workmen resting beside two of the paintings, and Ariella stared down at their faces in shock as Birch held a magnifying glass over some distant figures in the background. “They’re in the background of my paintings. One is dressed in a suit, while the other is creeping through the brush.”
“If I had to guess, they’re the evil one’s minions.”
“You remembered,” she murmured softly.
He nodded. “All kinds of visions have been coming back to me – most of them taking place here on the island.”
“I have four more paintings upstairs. Let me go to the den and get them.”
Ariella brought along the painting of Birch as well as the three with the dragonflies.
Birch studied the dragonflies first. “It appears to me that this first portrait was painted of a time much longer than two hundred years ago. The island appears isolated, and the house isn’t there.”
“You’re right,” Ariella murmured. “I barely remember painting them when I was in school.”
“This one shows the dead man on the beach,” Birch said.
“Dead man?”
“Before you arrived, I could see the island in limbo. This man was dead on the beach.” Birch pointed at one of the drawings Ariella had sketched the other day.
“So, the first conflict, one man was killed, the second the other.”
“And this time, the evil one must be eliminated.” Birch noticed the other portrait. “Who’s this?”
“Wait a minute,” she said. “I hadn’t met you when I first found this in the attic. “But it isn’t you, is it?”
“I think it’s time for us to discuss the final conflict. I’m suddenly recalling things I knew nothing about. Your powers? You will lose them if we don’t consummate our relationship soon?”
“By my birthday, next week.” Ariella stilled.