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When Palea returned to her Center City Philadelphia hotel, she was annoyed to find Deoctra and her lapdog Falcone waiting in the lobby. She gave her an angry look. She once treated Deoctra like a daughter. As payback, the younger fem had betrayed her trust and put Mikhel’s life in danger.
“I have news you’ll want to hear,” she said quickly.
Palea crossed the lobby to stare at her. “I warned you what would happen if I ever saw you again. Yes?”
“Yes, but I know where Veelee is, who she’s with, and what she’s doing to him. As a gesture of contrition, I thought you should know.”
Palea inclined her head. “Come up to my room. Leave your boy toy here.”
“Do I have your word you won’t harm me?”
“You do.”
Deoctra hesitated, glancing at Falcone.
I am many things, but a liar is not one of them. Come or not as you see fit. She walked towards the elevator and pushed the UP button. By the time she walked in, Deoctra had stepped in beside her.
In her hotel room, she turned to face Deoctra. Before she could speak, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen to see the call was from her oldest daughter, Tatiana. “Hello, my little one. You are well? What? When? Is Andrei...how is he? I will be with you as soon as I can. Yes? But only after I finally end her. Give him my love. Yes. Yes. Have no fear for me, my little one. I assure you, she will not survive our encounter. Yes. Yes. I will be careful. Goodbye until I arrive with good news. Yes? Yes.” She ended the call and turned to Deoctra, struggling to control her rage because she suspected that the other fem had known of Veelee’s plan yet had done nothing to stop her.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Deoctra backed towards the door, her hand over her belly.
“Stop where you are, Diniti! I gave you my word no harm would befall you. Yes?”
Deoctra nodded.
“Do you doubt my word?”
“No, but when you hear what I have to say, you will be out for blood. I just don’t want it to be mine or my baby’s.”
“You know what Veelee has done?”
“I knew she planned to work against your family.”
“And yet you said nothing.”
“I’m here now.”
“Only after she’s killed Evan and framed Andrei! Where were you before?”
“I’m here now. Please. I just want to have my baby in peace.”
“Where is she?”
“She has a place near the Wissahickon Creek. She’s there now.”
“With?”
“I have your promise?”
Palea bared her incisors. “Do not question my word, already given to you more than once, Diniti!”
“She’s there with Matt.”
Palea released a long, agonizing wail as all of Matt’s actions suddenly made sense. She stalked around the room. Her hands clenched into fists to keep from striking Deoctra until she lay dead at her feet. Mikhel wouldn’t want that, as he had once begged her to spare Deoctra’s life. And the baby she carried deserved a chance to live.
“The address,” she demanded when she could trust herself to speak without screaming and roaring in rage.
Deoctra gave it to her. “I should have told you sooner.”
“Yes! You should have!”
“She and I are both still aligned with The Brotherhood. Her standing with them is secure, whereas mine is tenuous at best...after I backed out of my plans when I learned what they wanted to do to Mikhel.”
Palea narrowed her gaze. “A situation he would not have been in had you not engineered it. Yes?”
“Yes, but it was a grievous mistake, which I regret. Are we...should I fear for my safety?”
She glanced at the other fem’s belly. “I will take no action against you for the foreseeable future. Have your baby in peace and joy, knowing I have no plans to have your sisters raise your orphan child,” she said and flashed out of the room.
* * *
THE SITUATION HAD GROWN increasingly desperate for Matt Dumont. He’d lost track of how long Veelee had manipulated him through her dark magic, forcing him to have sex with her against his will. No matter how hard he tried, he could not break her powerful spell. Or to appeal to Palea for help.
With a heavy heart, Matt resigned himself to his fate. He felt helpless and alone, a prisoner inside his own mind and body. Looking into Veelee’s eyes, he felt deep despair as he knew she would make him break his wedding vows again.
When he arrived in answer to her summons, Matt felt the heavy burden of Veelee’s spell on him, her dark magic seeping through his veins like poison. Veelee’s eyes glowed with lust, her evil intentions evident in her leering gaze. She stepped closer to Matt, and he experienced a revulsion like none he’d ever felt.
But she knew the craft of seduction well. He felt his body responding to Veelee’s spell despite his best efforts. Veelee smirked and ran her hand across his chest, her touch like fire against his skin. Moments later, she’d disrobed them both and slid her cold hands down his chest to grip his shaft.
Bile rose in his throat. He would get through it as he always did by pretending he was with Palea. He closed his eyes to shut out the sight of her.
“No, my chere. Open your eyes and feast on my beauty.”
He kept them shut.
“Open them!” Her grip on his shaft tightened painfully until he snapped his eyes open.
Smiling, she picked him up and carried him over to the bed. There she pumped him to erection before straddling him and slowly impaling herself on him.
As he struggled with his body’s automatic reactions, Palea appeared in the room. “Get off of him! Get off of him now, nocturene!” Palea commanded in a deadly voice, her eyes blazing with fury.
Palea! Thank God. I’m sorry. So sorry. She’s enchanted or bewitched me. I can’t resist her.
She inclined her head, never taking her eyes off Veelee. “I won’t ask you again to get off him!”
Veelee peeled herself off his shaft and rose, moving away from the bed.
“Come stand behind me, Matt,” Palea said.
“Stay where you are!” Veelee ordered.
Matt sank back onto the bed, unable to resist.
“Release him, nocturene!” Palea ordered.
“And if I do?”
“I’ll make your death as quick as possible.”
Veelee glanced around the room, but Palea stood between her and the door. “That’s not much of an incentive.”
“Release him, or I will torture you using means beyond your imagination.”
“I will never free him.”
“Then I will.”
“You can’t unbind what I’ve bound,” Veelee warned.
Matt watched Palea lift her hand, pointing at him. “By the power invested in me by the Lord Eternal Heoption,
“From darkest spell and vilest night,
From power held both cruel and slight,
From Veelee’s grasp and cursed might,
I free this man by Ancient Rite!”
Matt felt a wave of relief wash over him. He could finally move, the spell that had held him captive broken. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his racing heart. He was finally free.
As if suddenly realizing the peril she was in, with her hold over Matt Dumont broken, Veelee backed towards the window.
“Stay where you are, nocturene!”
“My hold over him is broken. Let me leave.”
“Let you leave? After all you’ve done?”
“I’ve done nothing that can’t be mended.”
“You nearly caused my daughter’s death. You’ve tormented and tortured my son and kept him from his bloodlust. Now you’ve defiled my beloved bloodlust. Your rein of defilement ends now.”
“Careful, Palea, she’s very dangerous,” he warned.
“I have powerful allies, who—”
“Who mean nothing to me,” Palea said, cutting her off. “I fear no one but the Eternal Lord himself. Now you pay for your treachery with your life!”
Veelee bared her incisors and pushed herself away from the wall to rush toward the window.
Palea flew across the room to backhand Veelee with a power that sent her crashing against an adjacent wall.
Veelee bolted to her feet. The two vampire fems circled each other, the moonlight casting a pale light over the scene.
Matt watched in silence, afraid to say or do anything that would distract Palea and give Veelee an advantage.
“This is your last chance to end this peacefully, fem,” Veelee said. “Let it go further and—”
“You will not leave this room alive.”
“That’s what your daughter thought,” Veelee taunted.
“My daughter is indeed a powerful fem, but I am far older than you know. And far more powerful. I suggest you save your breath for fighting. Yes?”
Veelee hissed with rage and leaped forward. Palea rushed to meet her charge, and the two women clashed in a flurry of blows and kicks. Palea countered each of Veelee’s attacks quickly while not landing any of her own.
Fearful that Veelee might overpower and kill Palea, Matt slipped off the bed, looking around the room for a weapon.
Stayed back and out of this, Matt, Palea warned.
She’ll kill you, Palea.
She will not. Stay out of her reach.
He reluctantly backed further away from the battling fems.
Veelee’s dark energy radiated off her, her eyes filled with fear and hatred. Palea seemed resolute and determined while warding off Veelee’s increasingly desperate attacks. Finally, Veelee vaulted away and flashed across the room before turning to face Palea again with a long dagger in each hand.
“These are special blades. Forged long ago to dispatch errant vampires,” she warned. “Come near and feel them tear into your throat and separate you from your lifeblood.”
Without a word, Palea flicked her right hand until a short sword slipped from her sleeve, coming to rest in her palm. Matt saw that the hilt was an intricate bronze, with an ornate pattern of circles and swirls running along its length. The blade glimmered in the light with a deadly sheen.
Palea and Veelee fought fiercely, neither one willing to back down. Palea’s sword clashed against Veelee’s knives as the two engaged each other in what would be a fight to the death. Veelee thrust forward with a savage attack. Palea parried it, sending the knives flying backward and leaving Veelee open for a counterattack. Palea pushed forward, her sword dancing through the air with deadly accuracy. The fight was brutal and relentless, and soon, Veelee was on the defense, desperately trying to keep Palea’s blade from her throat.
Then, so quickly Matt wasn’t sure what he’d seen, Palea lunged forward. With a swift movement, she dragged her sword across Veelee’s neck, beheading her.
Veelee tumbled lifelessly to the floor.
Palea stepped back, dropping her sword at her feet as Matt rushed forward to embrace her.
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close and stroking his hair as he wept into her shoulder. “It’s all right, my blood,” she said when she finally pulled back to look into his eyes.
“I was so weak. Please forgive me.”
“She was a skillful, centuries-old nocturene, aided by black magic.” She shook her head. “No. You’ve done nothing wrong. You were a victim of Veelee’s deceit. If you needed it, I would freely grant forgiveness. You do not.”
“How did you release me from her spell?”
“By the power of Heoptin.”
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know. I know I should, but I don’t know who he is.” She frowned, shaking her head. “No. I do know. I’m much older than I thought and not from this planet. Long ago, I was the High Priestess of Fertility to the Eternal Lord Heoptin.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not sure, but I know....”
“Yes? What do you know?”
He saw her eyes fill with tears. “I had many children now lost to me.”
“More than Aleksei and his siblings?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to them, Palea?”
“I don’t know because my memories are hazy. I know that is not what you wish to hear, Matt.”
He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “It’s not,” he admitted. “But you are the love of my life, and that’s not going to change no matter how many kids show up on our doorstep.”
She looked up at him. “Yes? You are sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“I don’t expect anymore to show up because they were from another place in another world.” She sniffed. “Lost to me forever.”
He hugged her. “Then that will make the ones you have all the dearer. Yes?”
She nodded.
“To you and to me. Yes?”
“Oh, Matt. Do you mean....”
“I mean, it’s time I extend myself to your older children because they’re your children, and I shouldn’t be pulling you in two directions.”
She closed her eyes and leaned against him. “Thank you.”
“No thanks, necessary, Palea. For me, there is only you. If you’re happy, I’m happy, and I know you’re happy to have them back in your life.” He lifted her chin and wiped her damp cheeks.
She sighed. “Then, when I have time, I will have to learn more about my past. Yes?”
“Yes.”
“But there is no rush,” she said. “I just want to enjoy and savor what I have in you and the children. It’s waited for hundreds of years or even more. It can wait longer.”
“How will you find out more?”
“I think maybe I will go speak to Santiago,” she said of the ancient blood who trained hunters to take out rogue vampires.
“But isn’t he the one who sent hunters after Vladimir?”
She nodded. “Yes, but....”
“Go on,” he encouraged.
“I think maybe he might have had his reasons.”
“You forgive him for that?”
“No, but he might have had his reasons, which I will insist he explain to me.”
“You’ll be careful. Won’t you? He’s very powerful, Palea.”
“As am I,” she reminded him.
“Yes. Yes, you are.” He sighed. “I was unforgivably rude to you and insufferable toward Andrei.”
“It was her fault, Matt.”
He shook his head, knowing he had to be honest. “Not all of it. Some of it was me being jealous for having to share you with your older kids.”
She sighed. “That is always going to be the case, Matt. I would willingly offer my life for each of my children. I have much for which I need to atone with them. You must understand that and know it does not lessen my love or need for you. Yes?”
“Yes,” he nodded, bending to place his forehead against hers.
She kissed him before stepping back. “There is still much to do. Get dressed while I call Mikhel and Serge so they can make arrangements to clear the scene. But first, I must call Andrei and tell him his nightmare is over.”
He glanced at Veelee’s corpse. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “This time, we will incinerate her torso and head separately. There will be no further rising from the dead for her.”
Matt nodded, his relief palpable. “When you talk to Andrei, will you tell him I’m sorry? I know I should do it myself, but how can I face him after all I’ve done?”
“I will tell him, but you will try to make amends with him in time. Before our children, he was my youngest. My baby and such a sweet boy he was and is. Yes?”
“Yes! I promise,” he said and went to shower as Palea called Andrei.
* * *
ANDREI, SURROUNDED by his siblings Aleksei, Vladimir, and Tat paced the living room of Aleksei’s suburban Philadelphia home. The thought that his tiny mother was searching for Veelee alone unnerved and enraged him. “I was such a fool not to follow her and kill her when I had the chance!” He raged.
“You made the right choice, Drei,” Tatiana said.
“No. I didn’t. Evan died anyway, and she thinks I killed him!”
Tat shook her head. “No, she doesn’t, and if you’d left, you would have been alone when she found him.”
“What?” He stopped pacing to turn to face her.
“She knows you didn’t kill him.”
“How? Did you coerce her?”
“Of course not! As you, of all people, should know, she’s not susceptible to vampiric coercion.”
“Do you think she’s a descendant of the Willioni?” Aleksei asked, speaking of a group of ancient women who commanded their own romantic destinies.
Tat frowned. “Maybe.”
Andrei shook his head. “She can command or summon gusts of wind. I don’t know that the Willoni do that. Do they?”
“That sounds more like a reaverwin,” Aleksei said.
“A who?” Andrei asked.
“The Reaverwin were a group of people with varying degrees of ability to manipulate air currents and create strong gusts of wind through chants and hand gestures.”
“You said were. Have you ever met one?” Andrei asked.
“Not to my knowledge, but I’ve heard they have surviving descendants.”
“Were they able to sense the presence of full-bloods?”
Aleksei shook his head. “I don’t know enough about them to say one way or the other.”
Tat turned back to Andrei. “But I know she doesn’t blame you because she told me so.”
“What? Wait? When?” He crossed the room to grip her arms.
She shook him off. “When I followed her home. Before I left Mikhel and Serge to watch over her, she pulled me aside and told me she knew you hadn’t killed him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure of what she told me, Andrei!”
“Then she doesn’t hate me?”
“Of course not!”
“Then why did she let me think she did? Why did she....” He trailed off to answer his ringing phone. “Hello? Mother? What? Are you sure? Are you all right? Oh, God, Mother! Thank you! Thank you!” The phone slipped from his fingers, and he dropped to his knees. “It’s over. Veelee is dead. For good this time.”
“And mother?” Vladimir demanded. “Is she all right?”
“Yes. Mikhel and Serge will handle the clean-up, and then she and Dumont will come here.” He glanced at Aleksei, who nodded.
“What’s Dumont doing with her?”
Andrei sighed. “I think she found him with Veelee.”
“You mean....”
“Veelee, no doubt, compelled him.”
“Miserable bitch!” Vladimir said. “I wish I’d had the pleasure of taking her out of her miserable existence.”
“The point is she is no longer a threat,” Aleksei said, placing his hand on Andrei’s shoulder. “And now you are free to claim your bloodlust.”
But Andrei doubted it would be that simple. Even if Dacoda knew he hadn’t killed Evan, would she believe that he had tried to save him?
* * *
DACODA WOKE ABRUPTLY in the middle of the night, grief sweeping over her like a tidal wave, her mind gripped by the image of Evan’s body. For a moment, she believed it was all a nightmare, but the pain in her heart was too great to be anything but genuine.
Her eyes filled with tears. Then she felt a warm, familiar presence. She glanced around the room and saw Andrei seated in a chair by her bedroom window. He stared out into the night, seemingly lost in thought.
She rose and went to him, sitting on his lap.
Andrei said nothing but put his arms around her, pulling her close and letting her tears soak into his shirt. It felt so good to be held, to remind herself that she wasn’t alone in her grief and sorrow.
They held each other in the darkness for a few precious moments, Andrei silently offering her his understanding and comfort.
When she finally lifted her head and met his gaze, she saw sorrow and a hint of fear. She caressed his cheek. “I know you didn’t kill him,” she said.
“Why did you let me think you thought I had?”
“Because I was afraid she was near.”
“You couldn’t sense her as you always seem to be able to sense when I am?”
She shook her head. “No. I think maybe that might only work with you because of our connection.”
“I tried to save him for you, but I couldn’t. But I promise you I did try.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I know and love you for that and many other reasons. I love you, honey boy, but I also loved him. And I hurt. I hurt so bad.”
He nodded silently and urged her closer into his embrace.
“I know you don’t want to hear that, but—”
“No. It’s all right. I came because I wanted to be here for you. I know you’ll need to grieve Evan. I know that won’t be easy.”
“But?”
“But I’ll be by your side every moment to share every ounce of pain and despair. Just let me be here for you.”
“And that’s all you want? No sex?”
He smiled and shrugged. “I always want sex with you, but I need you to understand and believe that you can count on me in every situation. Not just when I want or need sex.”
She took his hand and placed it on her belly. “This is his baby, Andrei.”
He nodded.
“What are we going to do about that?”
He caressed her stomach. “I will cherish this child as if it were my own. I give you my word. And I will cherish you, Dacoda, because you mean everything to me. Everything. Just give me a chance to redeem myself—”
“You don’t need redemption. But I do need your understanding and patience. I love you madly, but I have to grieve for him. And I’m afraid, Andrei.”
“Of what?”
“Of that damned Veelee! Look what she’s capable of. She didn’t need to kill him.”
“She’s no longer capable of anything. She’s dead.”
She sucked in a breath. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. My only regret is that I didn’t have the pleasure of ending her life.”
“But you are sure she’s dead?”
“Yes.”
“How? Who killed her?”
“My mother.”
“But she’s so tiny and—”
“And unbelievably powerful.”
“Is she all right? Was she injured?”
“She’s fine, but thanks for caring enough to ask.”
She pressed her head against his shoulder, sighing. “I love you so much. Please don’t lose patience with me as I grieve for Evan.”
“I could offer to make you forget.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t want to forget him, but please don’t think it means I love you any less. If possible, I love you more.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll take it one day at a time. It will be difficult for me, but we’ll get through this together. We’ll grieve together.”
“What will you be grieving for?”
“You are everything to me. When you hurt, I hurt. When you grieve, I grieve.”
“Oh, my honey boy. Thank you.” Feeling safe and cherished, she fell asleep in his embrace.
When she woke alone in bed and wandered into the living room in the morning, she found several vases filled with sympathy flower arrangements.
“Everyone wanted to send one, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Andrei said, turning from the window.
Tears pricked her eyes as she saw numerous cards on her coffee table. “I can’t...cope,” she whispered.
Andrei crossed the room to put his arm around her shoulders. “You don’t have to do it alone. That’s why I’m here.”
“I was his only family. I have to make arrangements and....”
“No. You tell me what you what, and I’ll handle everything.”
“I can’t let you do that knowing—”
“Knowing what? That we’re in this together?”
“I’m sorry for being so weepy and useless—”
“You’re pregnant and grieving. And I am here to make this as easy as possible for you. Your job now is to stay healthy and let me handle everything else. Okay?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
He kissed her. “No thanks necessary. And Coda?”
“Yes?”
“At the end, when I attempted to save him, and I promise you that I did try to save him—.”
“I believe you, Andrei.”
“I briefly touched his mind. His last thoughts were of you. He loved you with his last breath. And the last thing he heard was me telling him how much you loved him.”
She burst into tears and burrowed in his arms.
He held her in silence.
When she regained her composure, she caressed his cheek. “Thanks for telling me that.”
He nodded.
“I know this isn’t easy for you, Andrei, but I need you more than I ever have.”
“I’m here for you now and forever.”
“That’s a long time.”
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m a full-blood. We have eternity together.”
“Will you still want me then?”
“Bloodlust is forever, Coda. My mother and her husband just celebrated their 108th anniversary and are still in love.”
“And you want forever with the baby and me?”
“Yes, and yes. I’m going to give you some time and then I’m going to propose. And what will you say?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “And yes, again.”
The weeks after the private funeral Andrei arranged for Evan were difficult. Racked with guilt and regret, Dacoda spent excessive time sobbing. She knew she tried Andrei’s patience, but he never lost his temper. The more considerate Andrei was, the more weepy Dacoda felt.
But she woke one morning during her eighth month of pregnancy, realizing she didn’t want to be a single mother. And that night, as they sat over a candlelit dinner, Andrei knelt at her side.
“Will you marry me, Dacoda?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You’re sure you’re ready to get married?”
“You mean you’re not?” She asked, feeling weepy.
“Of course I’m ready. When will you marry me?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
She saw the surprised look on his face as he slipped a ring on her finger. He laughed, rose, picked her up, and lifted her into his arms. “Of course not. Want to get married tonight?”
“No!” She looked down at her stomach when he gently set her on her feet. “I’ll never find anything to wear that won’t make me look like a big cow.”
“Not to worry. I know a full-blood, who knows a full-blood, who knows a guy who can work wonders with a dressed for a heavily pregnant woman.”
“I’d really like to be married before the baby comes.”
“We can do that.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “We can do anything that makes you happy because when you’re happy, I’m happy. And you and I are going to be very happy together.”
“Oh. Honey boy.”
He nodded, smiling. “I am your honey boy now and always.”