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Graham ran through the hallway, chasing Sabrina. In each hallway, they left the darkness behind and the sun shined down on them. Her laughter teased him to follow her. She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes shined her love.
He reached out, but she evaded his grasp. Setting off again, he found her near the ledge again. While he thought it was a dream instead of a nightmare, he was mistaken.
“Sabrina, come away,” he begged.
She smiled at him, holding out her hand. He gripped it, trying to pull her away. “Look,” she whispered.
Below them was an ocean of water, and reflecting off the waves were images of them with children. A boat sat near a cave, rocking in the water.
Sabrina jumped before he could stop her, and they landed with a splash and the laughter of her siren call. She swam away from him toward the images. And the pirate followed the lure of his siren on a grand adventure.
He opened his eyes after his dream faded away and found Sabrina watching him with her hand curled under her head. She smiled at him.
“You stayed.”
“A siren cannot leave a pirate after he captures her heart. It is an unspoken code,” Sabrina teased.
He pulled her into his embrace. “Is that so?”
Sabrina kissed him. “Yes. Does my pirate wish to keep me?”
“He never plans to let you go again,” Graham swore.
“I am sorry.”
Graham pressed his forehead to hers. “No. We will never apologize for how we feel. Only from this day forth we will share our fears with each other.”
“I need to explain about DeVille.”
Graham rolled her over. “There is no need. He already has. Ah, love, I wish I could have saved you sooner.”
Sabrina pressed her finger against his lips. “It is behind us now. I am free and yours if you will have me.”
Graham nuzzled her neck. “I will have you in many delightful ways.”
Sabrina giggled. “You are incorrigible.”
Graham laughed. “So my family tells me frequently.”
“I met Mina.”
Graham smiled. “So I heard.”
“She is a doll. Also, she mentioned something you never expressed to me.”
Graham stilled, and Sabrina wondered if she had overstepped. Perhaps she had misunderstood his niece. When Graham sighed and pulled away, getting off the bed, she bit at her bottom lip to keep the tears away. She had presumed too much. He didn’t plan to marry her and only wanted her as his mistress.
Graham glanced over his shoulder, trying to dig the box out of his wardrobe before Sabrina burst into tears. He had bought the ring the day after they shared their first kiss. It was presumptuous of him, but he knew then that she was his soul mate and he wanted to spend a lifetime with her. He listened to her sniffles and cringed at his foolishness. He should’ve calmed her fears and then presented her with the ring.
“A while back, I met this mermaid who lured me with her siren call. I fell under her spell, and the next day I purchased a treasure to give to her,” Graham began and smiled when his hand closed over the jeweler’s box.
Sabrina frowned. “I thought pirates searched for treasure?”
Graham lowered to the floor and stuck the box under her billow of hair, covering her face. “What can I say? The treasure I seek is more in the form of carnal pleasure,” Graham teased.
When he pulled her hair back, it was to see a flush of pink warming her skin. He flipped the lid open and listened to the melody of her gasp. “Will my siren do me the honor of sailing the seven seas on my pirate ship?”
Sabrina gasped at the beautiful setting of diamonds surrounded by a cluster of various colored stones. A mermaid’s ring. “I feared Mrs. Potts heard a false rumor.”
Graham laughed at Sabrina’s tease. He pulled her into his arms and showed her how exactly the rumors were true. Graham spent the day drawing out her siren sighs and declaring his love. Her laughter warmed his soul. He had scoffed at his brother through the years of a soul mate, declaring he wouldn’t fall victim to love. But all it took was one glance across a theatre and he had fallen victim to the most amazing feeling ever. It was impossible to erase the heartache from her years spent in terror, but he would show Sabrina a lifetime filled with love and happiness. She was his soul mate he would spend an eternity with.
Sabrina sighed into each kiss from Graham. She never imagined her infatuation with a stranger would lead her to a happily ever after. Graham stood for every quality she wished in a gallant hero. It still amazed her how he quieted her ravished soul with his smile. Each wish she had made since she met him came true today. Graham gave Sabrina hope with each gentle kiss. She no longer feared the stability he represented but embraced the security. Every memory of unhappiness vanished in the wind within his embrace. Her heart overflowed with her love for him. Sabrina grew excited to travel on a new journey filled with happiness alongside her pirate lord.
Fate intertwined their destiny with a soul mate’s love.
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