Keepers of the Flame (Trilogy Bundle) - By Melissa F. Hart Page 0,37

And I knew that everything I said to her that morning was only a verbalization of how she felt because I could feel her beaming it all back to me. I'd never felt so loved in my entire life and I vowed to do everything possible to let her know as often as I could, just how much I loved her.

Shortly before we both fell asleep, a thought struck me.

“About your family, why haven't you ever discussed this with anyone?”

I couldn't open my heart to anyone else.

Her words humbled me. I turned to her to express how much but she was already fast asleep. I brushed her hair, gently so I wouldn't wake her, and watched her sleep for a few moments. As I lay beside her, thinking about all she'd gone through and the fact that she'd decided to trust me. I thought of my life and felt a sliver of fear go through me. I'd done many things as a protector, stuff I couldn't tell her about because she wouldn't understand. She was so pure and innocent. If she ever found out that I was not the person she thought I was, I could lose her love. The thought chilled me to the bone and kept me up long after I should have been asleep.

I must have fallen asleep eventually because I came awake to Luanne gently kissing me.

“Wake up, sleeping handsome.” She teased.

I opened an eye and stared at her. “What?”

“Wake up.”

“No, not that. The other one.”

“Sleeping handsome?” She ruffled my hair with a laugh. “You should have seen how cute you looked while you were asleep. Almost broke my heart to wake you.”

“So what's the hurry? What time is it?”

“It's a little past six p.m. And get up, we're going out.” She said as she headed for the bathroom.

“Sleeping handsome.” I muttered as I got out of bed. I wondered when she became so bossy.

I heard that.

I smiled as I stood up. I loved this lively part of her. Heck, I loved every part of her.

Will you at least tell me where we're off to?

Sure. Hyde Park!

***

Half an hour later, we were strolling along the banks of the Serperntine. Dusk was already beginning to fall over the city. I took a deep breath and looked around me. Although it wasn't yet dark, there were very few people around. Then again, it was April in London. Everywhere was dreary and the weather was chilly. We were bundled up in coats and jackets, yet the cold still managed to seep in. To make matters worse, a very light drizzle had started. Still, casting a sidelong glance at the woman walking beside me, I thought it was a great evening for a stroll.

“I guess I should have picked a better time for a walk.” She said with a sigh of regret.

“Ya think?” I reached out and drew her closer, “I'm having a great time, babe. You're here, aren't you?”

I was rewarded by a brilliant smile. We paused and exchanged a kiss.

“Common let's walk. We'll feel warmer that way.” She broke the kiss and hooked her arm through mine.

“I was plenty warm just now.” I grumbled good-naturedly.

“Yeah, whatever. So have you been to this park before?”

“Nah, never.”

“I came once, with my family. We had a picnic and everything, it was wonderful.”

We were quiet for a while, walking in the light rain.

“I'm glad you shared this with me.” I finally said.

She stopped and turned to look at me. We were close to the edge of the water now. “I wanted -.” Suddenly she stopped and a look of absolute terror filled her face. Before I could ask her what the problem was, she grabbed my arm and dragging me along, jumped into the freezing cold waters of the Serpentine.

Just before we splashed into the lake, I heard an explosion go off and then I was sucked into the depths of the water.

I fought my way to the surface and my first thought was Luanne. I couldn't find her anywhere and it was already getting dark. I noticed we were some distance from where we'd fallen in and did a quick scan of the area while I treaded water. There was no one there.

I searched for Luanne again and was beginning to panic. If anything happened to her I didn't know how I would go on. My throat tightened with fear and I dove beneath the water, searching for her. I finally found her sitting with her knees drawn up and her