Hearts Unbound Read online

  When Morana summoned his soul, telling him of her plan for Jessica, what could he do but pretend to want his revenge on Jareth? The witch held all the cards, and had the power to damn his soul for all eternity, rather than releasing him from his curse as soon as he found his shelmir, reborn.

  In reality, all he wanted was to find the right time to strike, taking Morana’s pitiful life once and for all.

  She had his brother pinned on the far side of the fire. Giving Jessica a quick glance, he knew the fire wouldn’t reach her for another minute or two, but that didn’t stop her sobbing wails.

  Laith ran around the fire, intent on killing the witch, only to be tackled to the ground by Charles.

  “You will not touch her!” he hissed, curling his lip to expose his teeth. Laith easily pushed him off while he stood on his feet. Using his stick as a club, he swung it at the young vampire. Charles went down and the stick split in two, making a fine point on one end.

  Closing the distance, Laith raised the stick high above his head before bringing it down to pierce Morana’s heart from behind. The witch squealed and screamed with agony, her mouth covered in Jareth’s blood. Jareth was too weak to push her off, therefore Laith did it himself, watching with silent satisfaction as blood poured from every hole in her body.

  Smoke rose from her skin and she clutched at the wood that now poked out through her chest. With her dying shrieks, she held her arms out to Jareth, but Laith kicked her away even further.

  “You will never have him, crone!” he yelled.

  Morana writhed on the ground as her skin turned leathery, slowly crumbling to dust.

  “No!” she screamed through her agony. “Jareth!”

  Within a few moments, her entire, withering body had turned to ash, save for her yellowed bones that seemed to howl from the world beyond.

  “Morana!” Charles screamed behind Laith a split second before he crashed into him, taking him down to the ground once again. Before he could even react, Charles beat his head into the ground a few times, making Laith grunt in pain.

  Twisting his body, Laith managed to unseat him, yelling to his brother not a few feet away.

  “Jareth! Save Jessica. Save her now!”

  He couldn’t yell anymore, as the vampire connected a vicious right hook into his jaw at that very moment.

  Spitting blood from his mouth, Laith smiled up at Lord Charles who was now trying to choke the life out of him.

  “You cannot kill that which is already dead,” Laith said, chuckling. He heaved his hips, unseating Charles a second time only to look around for another makeshift stake.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jareth’s entire body was wracked with pain. He could feel his blood pulsing out of his neck, right where Morana bit him. Moving even a little was excruciating. He knew exactly what was wrong with him.

  He had vampire poisoning—of which there were only two cures. The first was to become a full vampire, drinking the tainted blood of the vampire who’d first bitten him. The second was to be purged by the rays of the sun. He’d have to wait for the dawn, but right now, he could hear the sound of shouting in his ears.

  “Jareth! Jareth!”

  He knew that voice. Jessica!

  Opening his eyes, the pile of wood before him began to rage out of control with flames. If Jessica wasn’t pulled from the midst of that conflagration, she’d surely die. Moving made every muscle in his body scream, and he laid his head back, panting hard.

  “Jareth, move your ass and save her!” That was Laith’s voice. Laith? What the hell was he doing here?

  Glancing around the clearing, he took in the yellowed bones of Morana on the ground next to him, her jaw wide open as if trying to scream from beyond the grave. A sharp piece of wood emerged through the skeleton’s chest while the bony hands clutched it futilely. Jareth remembered his own death at the hands of Cassandra hundreds of years in the future. Jessica had saved him from that fate.

  Now it was his turn to save her.

  Ignoring the pain, he tried to stand with tears in his eyes.

  “Jessie, hold on,” he called out, not knowing if she heard him. The rear of the woodpile had yet to light, and Jareth climbed it tentatively, wincing with each move he made. It was as if his own skin was on fire, but he ignored it the best he could. He had to save her. Losing Jessica forever was not an option.

  It seemed to take an eternity as the flames licked the sky, but finally he reached her, wanting nothing more than to sag against her and succumb to death. Surely the pain of burning to death couldn’t possibly be as horrible as the pain that now raged within him.

  “Jareth, please hurry! Hurry Jareth!” Jessica screamed, desperately trying to free herself from the pole she was tied to. Again and again he attempted to untie the knots. Even though Laith hadn’t tied them too tightly, Jareth didn’t know if he’d be able to work Jessica free. His hands refused to grasp the rope and his vision blurred from the tears in his eyes. God, help me!

  Laith jumped onto the woodpile as well, working like a madman to untie the knots himself. Once they were loose, Jareth pulled Jessica free and fell backwards, tumbling with her to the ground. They both cried out in pain, and once again, Laith was at their rescue as he pulled them to the safety of the trees.

  Jareth pulled Jessica close, examining her body for any wounds. Except for her ruined gown, she appeared to be unharmed. With a cry, she embraced him, burying her face into his shoulder. It was heaven.

  “Jareth!” she exclaimed. “She bit you!”

  Breathing through his teeth, he lay back on the grass and nodded slowly.

  “Oh dear Lord, please tell me that you won’t be…Jareth, will you…will you…”

  “I am poisoned, my sweet, nothing more. I will not turn. I did not drink of her.”

  Jessica collapsed on him, crying her eyes out onto his chest. Jareth only had the strength to stroke her hair.

  “Please do not die,” she pleaded, her eyes red-rimmed. “I would not survive if you left me.”

  “He will not die, my lady,” Laith soothed behind her. “He needs but to wait for the dawn and he will be healed.”

  “Laith,” Jareth panted, cracking his eye to look at his brother. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I am dead,” Laith said with the hint of a smile. “But Morana chose to give my curse a way out. I can become mortal at the light of the full moon to find my shelmir, reborn.”

  “Where is Charles?” Jessica looked around frantically.

  “Not to worry about him,” Laith said. “He ran into the wrong end of my wooden stake.”

  Jareth lifted his head with a grunt and noticed a second skeleton near the now-raging inferno.

  “So I have you to thank for saving us?” Jareth said, his head spinning.

  Jessica took his hand, squeezing gently. Her soft touch was the only thing that didn’t hurt and he concentrated all his willpower on the contact of her skin against his. He knew she didn’t merely take his hand for a trifle. She was silently asking him to make things right with his brother.

  Linking his fingers with hers, he turned to look at his twin, who sat beside them.

  “Thank you, Laith.”

  Laith looked shocked as his mouth dropped open. Clearing his throat, Laith shifted on the grass and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  Despite the pain, Jareth sat up slowly, wincing and groaning at the hunger that was now deep inside of him. He knew that hunger. He wanted blood. The vampire poisoning was demanding he drink from Morana, but that was never to be. He shuddered at where his thoughts were turning, trying to keep them from veering astray.

  Taking a deep breath, he said, “I am so sorry for everything I’ve done, brother. I truly believe I was under a spell. At first I was enraged that Cassandra chose you over me. Once I met the witch in these woods, that jealousy grew into an all-consuming hatred. I do not hate you now.”

  “Morana killed Cassandra in order to have you.”

  “I know,” Jar
eth said, still clutching onto Jessica’s hand. “But you must know that if I were in my right mind, none of this would have ever happened.”

  Laith stared off into the distance, his mortal eyes filling with tears. “What is to become of me?”

  “You are a ghost,” Jareth said. “You are doomed to walk the earth until Cassandra is reborn.”

  “And when will that be? For how long must I wait?”

  “Your shelmir will not be reborn for some three hundred and fifty years,” Jessica whispered, avoiding eye contact.

  “You must be joking.” Laith’s eyes were wide.

  “I am not.”

  With a foul oath, Laith punched the ground and stood, pacing back and forth. “This existence is what I have to look forward to? I have lived through hell since I went over that cliff, and now you’re telling me I must wait centuries to find Cassandra once again?”

  Jareth bit his lip, ashamed of all he’d done. His brother was now doomed, with no hope but to wait in loneliness for that day, whenever it may be. Releasing Jessica’s hand, he cried out as he stood, facing his twin.

  “I am sorry, Laith,” he said once again, hoping his brother could find it within himself to somehow forgive all the evil Jareth had bestowed upon him.

  A long, uncomfortable silence stretched out between them. Jareth wobbled on his feet, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stand for very much longer. Unexpectedly, Laith embraced him, holding him up and crushing the air out of him.

  “It was the witch who did this to me, brother,” he whispered into his ear. “Not you. I do not blame you, Jareth. You are my blood. My family. I love you.”

  Relief such as he’d never known washed over Jareth in that one moment. His feud with Laith was over as they hugged each other tight. Scenes of their childhood flashed through his mind, and he couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered playing with Laith on the grounds of Crichton Manor so long ago.

  “I love you, too,” Jareth confessed, patting Laith on the back.

  Jessica’s soft voice suddenly broke into their thoughts.

  “I might be able to help you, Laith.”

  “Oh?” Laith asked, turning to her once more.

  “I cannot break your shelmir bond, nor do I wish to. However, I can break this curse Morana has bestowed upon you. Your soul will then drift into the afterlife.”

  “What of Cassandra?”

  “She will be there as well.”

  “But you said she will be reborn centuries in the future. What will happen to me then?”

  “Your bond will keep you close,” Jessica explained. Even if she is reborn, then you will be as well, and you will meet her once again in life. You will be destined to fall in love with her, no matter how many lives you lead.”

  Laith’s jaw dropped open. “And you can release me?”

  Jessica nodded. “Yes, I believe so. You will not have to wait centuries to be with her.”

  Laith scooped her into his arms and swung her around the clearing. “Then what are you waiting for, dear girl?”

  With a giggle, Jessica took his hands in hers. “Are you ready?” Laith nodded.

  “Farewell, brother.” Jareth grinned, swaying on his feet. “I truly hope you find your peace.”

  Laith smiled and nodded at him. “Farewell, Jareth. I am pleased to see your heart is healed.” Turning to Jessica, he said, “Take care of him.”

  “For the rest of my life,” she answered with a smile.

  Jessica closed her eyes and began to chant. For long moments, her loud chanting was the only sound. A sudden wind picked up, bending the tree branches back and forth with its force. There was a bright flash of light, followed by a loud clap of thunder and the smell of sulfur. After a few moments of disorientation, Jareth opened his eyes.

  To his surprise, his twin brother, His Grace Laith Moreland, the Third Duke of Crichton, was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jessica slumped back into the grass after casting her spell, exhausted. She wasn’t a skilled user of magic, so channeling just a few weaves strained her body. Bringing Jareth back from the future had been easier than releasing Laith from his curse. Laith had been enchanted by Morana, a woman much more skilled in the art of magic than she. She almost couldn’t raise her arm to wipe her brow.

  “Are you…all right?” Jareth asked, panting.

  “I should be asking you the same question.” She turned toward him as he collapsed in the grass next to her.

  “I will be fine once the sun rises.” He crawled to her with a loud groan. “It hurts so much.” He laid his head in her lap.

  Jessica ran her fingers through his thick hair, marveling at the silken feel of it against her fingers. “Are we free of Morana?”

  “Yes,” Jareth said, tentatively raising a hand to point near the bonfire. “Her bones are there, along with Lord Brent.”

  She sniffled, trying to hide her emotions, but she should have known better. Jareth knew instantly the moment her first tear fell.

  “Shelmir, tell me what’s wrong,” he demanded, rolling to look up at her. Jessica had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing at the tenderness in his eyes.

  “I… thought I’d lost you. I thought she…she would k—kill me. I thought you would be turned into a…into a—”

  “I know,” Jareth said, wincing once more. “I feared the very same things. But you have not lost me. I am right here, in your arms.”

  Jessica leaned over and hugged him, rejoicing in his scent that surrounded her. With shaking hands, she stroked his face. “I am so proud of you,” she whispered. Jareth looked shocked.

  “For what, my sweet?”

  “For making amends. At first, I thought your brother had gone mad, doing Morana’s bidding. In truth, he was only wishing to help us by killing her. I know it wasn’t easy for you, asking his forgiveness.”

  Jareth broke her eye contact and shuddered. Closing his eyes, he licked his lips with a sigh. “I have changed. Because of you, I am a changed man, shelmir. I am no longer evil, no longer filled with rage and jealousy.”

  “I don’t believe you were ever an evil man, Jareth. You were merely a pawn of Morana’s, enchanted by her magic to rage at your brother.”

  “Yes, but that still doesn’t explain why I continued to pursue Cassandra after I had killed Morana in the future. Once the witch was dead, wouldn’t her spell on me be broken?”

  Jessica shook her head. “No, Jareth,” she said. “She had been enchanting you for centuries while you searched for Cassandra, reborn. It is a powerful magic. Even though she died in the future you once lived, the after-effects of this spell would have continued, merely fading over time. Which is why you’ve been able to change. I did not change you, Jareth. You merely escaped the clutches of her spell.”

  “I do not believe that.” His grey gaze pierced hers and would not let go. His continued silence made fresh tears spring in her eyes. Jessica found it hard to hold his gaze while her chin trembled.

  “Ever since the moment I was bonded to you, Jessie, you’ve been inside of me. I have not been able to think of a single thing but you these many days. For the first time I can remember, I am actually happy for my brother and your sister. I no longer care to win Cassandra from Laith. I no longer have a reason to pursue her. I have you.”

  “But Jareth, from the first, you wanted to be released from this bond,” she whispered, unable to stop the tears that fell. “Why did you not let Morana break it? You would have been free of me.”

  “I no longer wish to be free of you, my sweet.”

  Jessica closed her eyes, covering them with her hands. Her body shook with silent sobs.

  “And you would have died to accomplish it. You do not deserve to die, Jessie.”

  “Is that the only reason?” She sniffled.

  Jareth sat up, grunting in pain as he stroked her cheek with his palm. “Why are you crying?”

  “I…I need to know, Jareth.”

  “What? What do you need to know?” />
  Biting her lip, Jessica brought herself to look into his eyes. “Do you love me? Even just a little?”

  A few long, silent moments passed before his mouth curved up into a lopsided grin. Jessica sucked in her breath at the sight of it. “Yes, Jessie, I love you. More than I ever thought possible. I thought I knew the meaning of true love, but I was so wrong. You have taught me what it truly means to love someone and be loved fiercely in return. There has never been a woman who has loved me more than you do. No one else has sacrificed themselves for me so completely and without question; even when I was a complete ass.

  “I love you, Jessica Moreland. You are my wife, my duchess and my shelmir. You are the woman of my heart. For the rest of my life, there shall be no other.”

  Jessica’s heart melted at his words. She could feel his arms twining around her shoulders, and she did not fight him. Pulling him closer, she kissed his cheek again and again, until he turned his head and captured her lips with his.

  In that one kiss lay all the promises of the days, the months, the years, and the lifetimes to come. They were shelmirs, and nothing could ever separate them.

  Jessica clutched onto his hair and deepened the kiss herself, desperate to feel him close to her.

  “Look, my sweet,” Jareth said, still groaning in pain as he nodded at the sky. “The sun will be rising soon.” Laying her back in the grass, Jareth leaned over her, whispering in her ear, “Thank you, my love, for giving me back the sun. For giving me back my life. Nothing I do could ever repay what you have done for me.”

  “I would do it all again to save you, Jareth,” she said with her heart in her eyes. “I love you.”

  “And I love you,” he answered her.

  At the first rays of the sun, the yellowed bones of the vampires turned to dust, crumbling into the earth. As soon as the sun’s warm beams touched Jareth, he sighed with relief, smiling at the same time. The twin puncture marks on his neck even disappeared, as if they were never there.