3- Behind Closed Doors

“We have to go before Chasity gets mad at you for being late.” Damon whispered pulling away a few
minutes later ending all making out. I frowned and he laughed gently as he lifted me off his lap and into my seat. He drove slowly on the way to my house holding my hand tightly the entire time and then he parked before getting out to let me out.

“Hey, Damon, why was I supposed to be mad at you?” I asked.

“Because I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“That’s a stupid reason to be mad.” I told him.

“I’m glad you think so…” he smiled kissing me softly.

“I’m glad it’s the twenty-first century.”

“Why?”

“You couldn’t kiss me in any of our other lives.”

“You can really tell you haven’t gotten past the first meeting in any of them, Cleo.” He laughed.

“Why?” I asked but then I was bombarded with memories of him pulling me into the shadows to kiss me softly and all the stolen times alone and even causing panic being caught holding hands.

“Aww you couldn’t keep your hands off me then either.” I smiled.

“Well being Prince I was allowed to do whatever I wanted.” He smiled pulling me closer.

“Prince?” I asked then once again I was bombarded with memories of moving into the castle in Italy and then eventually becoming Queen. I figured he knew what was happening because he was silent as each time I asked my memories came back. “How are you a Prince in every life but this one?” I asked.

“I am a prince once again.” He whispered, “The story is that Charles took the throne back so that I could come see how America’s government worked. I really came to get my Princess back, though.” He smiled.

“My nickname.” I whispered.

“Yes you really have been my Princess in every life.”

“Umm…” I sighed after he kissed me.

“Come on Daphne Cleopatra you are late!” Mom yelled out the door.

“No I’m not I’ve been out here this entire time.”

“Well come inside.” She shook her head.

“I’ll be back at five.” Damon promised kissing me softly but when I held onto him he let me control the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away, “I love you, my Princess.” He told me.

“I love you too, my Knight.” I promised before walking past Mom into the house.

“I think you and Damon are too close.” She said.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well what are you going to do when it’s time for him to go back to Italy, Cleo?”

“Go with him.” I shrugged.

“You wouldn’t ask him to stay?”

“No I think since he’s the Prince if I got him to stay here I might cause a war. The President might just want me to go over to Italy instead.” I shrugged.

“When did he tell you that he was a prince?”

“Today.”

“And you aren’t mad?”

“Nope.” I smiled thinking back to everything that had happened before and after. I sighed eager for our next time alone.

“You two are way too close you should break up.”

“Nobody cares what you think Chasity!!” Edlyn yelled.

“Jane Edlyn I told you to be down here half an hour ago!!” she yelled right back.

“Well I was talking to Cage!!”

“You should call him Micajah I don’t like that nickname.”

“Or I could call him by the name he wants to be called!!!!”

“So Edlyn…” I said quickly when we walked into the room and everybody was looking at them not used to seeing the real Swift family.

“Yeah?” she asked calming down as she saw everybody but keeping the glare on Mom.

“Did I tell you about the Hoken twins?” I asked using the name of the twins reporters always liked to say we hated.

“No.”

“Their getting their nails done tomorrow.” I saw that nobody was buying the interruption so I added something I thought I’d never say, “That means we have to get ours done today so that they don’t look better than us.” Everybody nodded now believing it easily.

“I’ll do them now.” The makeup assistant nodded. We sat still while the makeup and hair stylist did their jobs and then the stylist came in.

“What type of dresses are we looking for again?” he asked, “Did we decide whether it was lavender or black tonight, Cleo?”

“Black,” I said quickly never having talked to Mom about it again.

“Lavender,” Mom shook her head.

“Okay…” he said slowly and turned to Edlyn, “Edlyn did we decide black or pink?”

“Black,” She said quickly and confidently.

“Pink.” Mom argued.

“We’re wearing black we are sixteen plenty old enough to wear what we want!!” Edlyn yelled at Mom.

“You’re wearing the colors I chose!”

“What you mean is it doesn’t matter what you want I can control every part of you life and I want you to wear those colors!!!” Edlyn yelled but I heard the door shut down stairs and saw a face appear at the door.

“Daddy!!” I smiled running over to hug him, “Do
you think black is a bad color for a movie premier?”

“Of course not you girls are almost seventeen wear what you want.” He promised nodding to tell me he understood we were ending a fight.

“Thank you!!” Edlyn smiled hugging him too.

“We’ll go with black.” I whispered to the stylist and he nodded. I sat back down in the chair letting everybody finish me up.

“You might want to hurry Cleo you have somebody downstairs waiting for you.” Dad told me.

“Damon!!!!! Get up here!!!!!” I yelled excitedly and just a second later he was beside me.

“Yes, princess?” he asked smiling.

“Hi…” I smiled happily.

“Hi.” He kissed me softly on my forehead.

“Sit down beside me.” I ordered and everybody laughed at the love that was so clear in both of our voices but he sat beside me reaching out to hold my hand. He talked to everybody making even the least important servant feel like they ruled the world and then finally everybody was gone and we were the only two left in the room.

“You look gorgeous.” He whispered on my neck.

“Thank you.” I smiled turning in his arms and wrapping my arms around his neck. He kissed me softly like I wanted and then pulled away keeping one arm around my waist. “So I kind of told Mom that you were a Prince,” I whispered.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Well she asked what I was going to do when you moved back to Italy and I told her that I’d just go with you but then she wanted to know why I wouldn’t ask you to stay.”

“I’m not going back to Italy until my last name is yours and you are mine forever.” He promised kissing me softly.

“Oh wedding talk?” a reporter asked popping up and I pulled away from Damon quickly.

“Get out!!!!!” I yelled, “Get out!!!!!”

“What’s going…?” Dad trailed off seeing the reporter and my furious and worried eyes. “Get out now and if I see you on my property again police will be involved.” He ordered grabbing the reporter and walking to the door.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know there was a reporter or I wouldn’t have mentioned…” I trailed off when Damon put his lips on mine.

“I’m not worried about them finding out I’m a prince.” He promised holding me in a hug.

“Then what are you worried about?”

“What’s going to happen when your parents hear about my comment with my last name on yours.”

“They’ll think the reporter made it up.” I promised putting my head on his chest, “After all what’s better than the famous Erik and Chasity Swift’s daughter marrying Prince Damon Salvatore of Italy?” I smiled up at him and he smiled back at me before kissing me softly again.

“I don’t think there’s anything better than that.” He whispered in my ear.

“Sorry about that, Cleo.” Dad promised coming back up to meet us.

“It’s okay I’m just worried about what he could have heard.”

“Your mom and sister have been at it all day?”

“At least since I’ve been home and Mom was already Chasity and Edlyn was already Jane Edlyn plus they were fighting this morning so who knows.” I shook my head tiredly.

“Our house won’t be a war zone too much longer.”

“How?”

“Well you and Edlyn are growing up so she’ll learn to get along with your mom just like you did and…”

“You’re lying.” I said.

“You’re a witch.” He said his eyes popping.

“Yeah I was actually wondering if you knew anybody in your family that was one… we know it’s not Mom’s side.”

“Your grandmother and I both are. How do you know it’s not on your mom’s side?”

“All my past lives have been on her side. I would have been a witch before now if it came from that side.”

“Okay so past lives.” He nodded.

“It’s okay Mr. Swift I know all about witches.” Damon told him at his look.

“I know you do, vampire. Don’t try to read my mind either because it’s blocked by a spell that I’ll be teaching Cleo.”

“I don’t need your spell Dad he can’t read my mind.” I sighed, “Now how did you know he was a vampire?”

“I’m a witch we run into vampires all the time you learn the signs the eyes being the biggest signal.” He said and I nodded, “Where’s your ring?” he asked Damon.

“Right here,” Damon said showing it to him.

“I don’t want you dating him, Cleo. It’s dangerous.”

“I’m going to continue to date him Daddy.” I shook my head, “He’s my soul mate. He’s been in every life I’ve had and he will be in this one too. He’s never hurt me.”

“How many lives have you had?” Dad asked me.

“I’m not sure.” I whispered.

“This is the one hundred and first life.” Damon said sadly.

“How?” I asked.

“You always die at eighteen.”

“I’m a witch now though so I won’t die.” I reminded his tortured face hugging him. In most of my lives I had met him at sixteen or seventeen.

“Right,” He nodded hugging me back and then starting to walk down the stairs he smiled at me though and said, “Do you remember when we went to see Romeo and Juliet for the first time?”

“No.” I shook my head as the memory didn’t come back.

“Hum maybe it will come back in one of your dreams.” He smiled kissing me.

“You aren’t going to tell me what happened?”

“Nope you just have to wait your mind is obviously waiting to surprise you.”

“Or it wants my lovely boyfriend to tell me.”

“Nope,” He shook his head again.

“So Damon Prince of Italy… that’s a beautiful country.” Dad said as we got into the limo.

“I didn’t know you’d filmed in Italy before.” Mom said.

“I didn’t they don’t allow it. Mom and I went on vacation there one year. Oh and the girls and I are going to go visit her when I get done filming.”

“You’re not done?” I asked.

“No I just couldn’t miss your big premier.” He smiled at me.

“My daughters are not going to see that Horrid Witch!!” Mom yelled at Dad it seemed like they were always arguing and yelling now days. I hid my face in Damon’s chest feeling like laughing as it all became suddenly hilarious to me he felt me laughing and tightened his arms worriedly.

“You won’t talk about my mother that way!!!” Dad yelled and then Edlyn joined in too. I calmed down even though they were still yelling and looked at Damon.

“We’re going to be in the papers tomorrow the way tonight is going.” I sighed.

“You will be at least.” He whispered on my lips as the limo stopped, “Under the most gorgeous.” He kissed me softly for a couple more seconds before following everybody else out.