A Ripple In Time | Captain James Nicholls

Chapter Seventeen

"Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. There is only now."- Christopher Paolini

The Brighton Estate, London; January 29, 1914

The lights had been dimmed and while James had already fallen asleep, exhausted from the long ride he made from Devon that day, Izabella was still awake a well-read book within her hands. She turned page after page to find lines that she had previously forgotten despite how she could ramble off precise quotes. With a sigh she sat the book aside and turned to switch off the lamp when her hearing attuned to the creaking of floorboards on the ground floor of her home.

From the top of the staircase she saw nothing but instantly she could sense him and in haste she ran to where Adam had went. The vampire had went to the kitchen, a rarity, but before Izabella made her presence know she watched as he unpacked several large jars filled with spices, the exact ones she had before. "You're back." She moved into the doorway and instantly he looked up at her and moved around the island table in the kitchen but dared to go no further, he had not even removed his gloves yet.

"Yes, I am." There was a moment of silence and hesitance between the longtime friends but it quickly passed over and they were in each other's arms. It was ridiculous how he had been gone for decades at a time, yet with a consistent stay she grew accustomed to his company, always knowing that she could find him at old hours for conversation in the room she had allowed him to convert to alchemy lab, or that he would always indulge her with music on a whim.

"I am glad you are back, safe." Adam kissed the top of her head before letting her back away and move to the table, where she looked at the array of spices. The creak of floorboards followed by the soft illumination of a single candle tore Belle's attention away from Adam and her spices to James as he neared.

"Izabella? Are you alright?" His voice was worried as she did leave the bed in haste and consequently she probably woke him in the process.

The Captain came to stand in the doorway, "Yes, of course." The candle seemed to make his kind features appear harsh in the dark room, his eyes shone and reflected each flicker in the flame as he looked at Belle and Adam. The vampiress was quick to move close to James and he could not help but admire the shadowed curves beneath the silk of her dressing gown. "I apologize if I startled you, James. In fact I was not even expecting Adam to return so I too was alarmed at the commotion." When he turned his head his lips were at her temple and it served as a prime opportunity for the Captain to press a short kiss there.

"Truly Adam, I am happy that you came back." With a final smile she turned on heel and tugged James along, back up the stairs to her room. The robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing all the creamy pale skin that was beneath and she walked with all the grace of a ballerina back to the bed, sliding between the sheets and settling next to her dashing officer. "I worry for him, James. He has changed so much throughout the years." James rolled on his side and she did the same. Placidly he twirled a loose curl around his finger.

He was well aware of the worry she felt but he would try to ease it. He kissed her, traced designs over her shoulders and back, and played with her hair as he had learned she loved it when he did that. At one point in their relationship butterflies would have formed in her stomach, her heart would have accelerated but now it did not.

She stopped getting butterflies some time ago and her heart no longer sped up when she saw him, but instead, everything calmed down. Whenever she was with him now everything was calm and she felt safe, secure. When they would hold each other tightly it was not a rollercoaster of nervousness or anything of the likes, it was a comfort, the sound of his beating heart, it was soothing. When they had started sharing a bed they would sleep, legs intertwined and arms in a tangle of possessiveness but soon it began to change. They would sleep back to back, or on their sides facing one another, it was nothing compared to the clinging of the first few times. There hadn't been fireworks or sparks in such a long time but it fell into a quiet rhythm and hum of love. It was not a fire in her soul and body anymore, but one in her heart and it kept her warm and comfortable.