––––––––
Sebastian barely believed what he’d seen. He’d witnessed the birth of a new vampire before, but he’d never seen such a transformation occur in someone who remained human.
Pleasure at finding him standing before her flashed across her face, but was quickly replaced by a frown.
“Sebastian?”
“It’s me. I’m right here.”
She spun around, suddenly wide-eyed. “Where am I? Where’s Jackson?”
“It’s okay. He can’t harm you anymore. Jackson is dead—forever dead.”
She stared at him, as though she didn’t want to believe him but hoped it was true. “He’s dead?”
“I promise.”
“I can’t believe it’s you.” She stepped forward and lifted her hand to touch his cheek. Her warm fingers grazed his skin and he caught her hand, pressing her fingers to his lips in a kiss.
She burst into tears and flung herself into his arms. “I was so scared,” she said, burying her face into his neck. “I thought Jackson would kill me.”
“I’d never let that happen,” he said, though he was only too aware Jackson could have killed Serenity at any time. Only Jackson’s sadistic desire to keep her as his slave kept her alive.
She broke away. “Elizabeth? Where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’s safe. She’s at home with Bridget.”
“Who the hell is Bridget?”
“Don’t you remember anything about the past week?”
Serenity frowned and shook her head. “No... I remember being in the mine and Jackson taking me. I remember him biting me...” She raised her hand to her throat.
“It’s okay, you’re healed now.”
“How long have I been gone?”
“It’s been two years.”
“Two years!” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ve missed out on two years of Elizabeth’s life?”
“She’s been with you every step of the way. She’s thought about you every day, talked about you every day. You both have a lot of catching up to do. Do you not remember anything about the last two years?”
“Nothing! I don’t know how we got here or even where ‘here’ is.” She caught sight of the other vampire, still sitting in his chair. Instinctively, she pressed closer to Sebastian’s side. “And I certainly don’t know who that is.”
Demitri got to his feet and gave a mock bow. “Demitrios of Samos. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Demitri helped us,” said Sebastian. “He told me how to make you well again.” He turned to the other vampire. “Thank you. Thank you so much. We’ll leave you in peace now.”
He started to back out of the room, when Demitri stopped him with a theatrical clearing of his throat. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Such as?”
“We agreed you should give me something of yours, did we not.”
“Oh,” Sebastian stuttered, caught off guard. His mind whirred, trying to figure out what Demitri could possibly want. “I didn’t realize you meant right away.”
“Of course!” he exclaimed, flashing his white, elongated canines. “I’d say life’s too short, but I guess that doesn’t apply here, does it? Now, tell me all about the child.”
Alarm raced through him and Serenity’s hand tightened on his. “What child?”
“Now, now, Sebastian. Don’t play games with me. I hear you have a half-vampire child and the girl possesses somewhat predictive tendencies, does she not?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The vampire shot from his seat and slammed into him, knocking Sebastian backward. Beside him, Serenity screamed. Demitri’s long fingers wrapped around Sebastian’s throat, his eyes burning yellow.
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Sebastian. Do you think I can’t tell when a younger vampire is lying?”
“The girl is not up for exchange,” he said, tearing Demitri’s hands from his throat. “She’s a little girl, not a thing to be bartered with.”
“No, but she can always be a meal.”
Sebastian snarled and leapt at the other vampire. Demitri put out a hand and pushed Sebastian away. The impact felt like a concrete block hitting him in the chest. He slid across the polished floor, smashing into the far wall.
In an instant, he was back on his feet.
Serenity stepped forward, terrified and out of her depth, but determined to fight for her child. “Elizabeth’s only a little girl. Take me if you want something in exchange. I can do more for you than a child ever could.”
He looked her up and down with scorn. “Is that what you think I want? I’m not interested in the physical. I want the girl for what her mind can do. Can you imagine the fun I’d have if I could predict what was going to happen in the future?”
“She only gets glimpses of things. Parts of the lives of people who are important to her. She couldn’t tell you when an earthquake was about to happen, or if someone was about to shoot the president. She’d only be able to tell you about the people closest to her.”
Demitri grinned. “That might be true at the moment, but imagine what will happen when she hits puberty. We both know her powers may escalate and I’m sure a regular feeding of blood will help to make her stronger.”
“You’ll have to kill us first,” Sebastian snarled.
“Now, now. You know perfectly well I can make that happen. I’ll allow you to go home and say goodbye to the child, and then you shall bring her to me.”
Sebastian stood, glaring, his fists clenched, his jaw so tight he thought his teeth might shatter. He couldn’t kill the other vampire—he was too old and in vampire years that made him stronger and faster. Even if he hadn’t been an ancient, Sebastian still wouldn’t have been able to kill him. One vampire couldn’t kill another. Serenity had been the one who killed Madeline, Sebastian’s maker, in the end. Only his lack of knowledge about the act allowed him to play the small part in her death that he had.
He needed to take Serenity away from here, get her home to Elizabeth and allow them to be reunited. Then he’d come up with a plan about what to do about Demitri. He had to. He refused to allow Demitri to take Elizabeth. The very idea called to something dark and fierce at his core.
He took Serenity’s hand. “This isn’t over, Demitri. Don’t think for a moment I’ll let you take her without a fight.”
The other vampire wrinkled his nose and gave a shrug. “I wouldn’t expect it any other way.”
Sebastian stared at him. “Why would you even want to know the future? What possible benefit could you take from such knowledge?”
“Entertainment, my dear Sebastian. Life gets so dull, century after century with nothing new or exciting to look forward to. You can only travel the world so many times or lust over and kill so many beautiful women before everything becomes so tedious. Even killing loses its thrill. I know you understand me. Why else would you fall in love with a human, if not to try to capture some excitement back in your existence? Do you think I’ve not realized that you’ve spent the last few years living vicariously through her? Her trauma and problems have become your own. By loving her, you’re attempting to be human again. Of course you and I both know such a thing is impossible. Eventually you’ll grow bored of her, or her of you.”
His hand tightened on Serenity’s. “Never.”
Demitri huffed air through his nose. “We’ll see. Forever is a long time, Sebastian. Who can tell how many changes both you and the rest of the world will go through?”
“I still don’t understand how Elizabeth can help you?”
“What?” He feigned astonishment. “You mean you don’t think being able to predict world events be entertaining? Imagine being able to immerse yourself in all the great tragedies humanity succumbs to—the plane wrecks, the earthquakes, the mass shootings. With Elizabeth’s help I can be there to witness it all first hand.”
Serenity tried to step forward, but Sebastian held her back. “She can’t predict those sorts of things,” he said. “She only sees what happens to the people around her and even then they’re mere glimpses.”
“Ah, for the moment, anyway. But how old is she now? Six, seven? In a few years, she will hit puberty and her powers will increase. That’s only a few years from now. I’ve been around for thousands; I can wait a few more.”
“So, leave her with us until then. She’s only a child. She needs her parents.”
Demitri tilted his head to one side, as though considering the option. “I can’t promise that long, but I will allow you to go home to her. I realize the mother won’t have seen her child in a long time.”
“Not that she can remember.”
“Then you are free to go. But remember, you owe me payment, Sebastian. As soon as I decide I can’t wait any longer, I will take what is owed to me.”
Sebastian bristled with anger. “If you try to take her, you’ll need to go through me.”
The older vampire shrugged. “Very well. Now, I suggest you leave before I decide to make a meal of your little girlfriend.”
Sebastian hated feeling as though he’d been bested, but he also knew better than to stay and try and fight. He couldn’t take on the elder vampire, not on his own, and he wouldn’t place Serenity in harm’s way again. He’d just gotten her back and someone would need to tear off both his arms before he allowed her to be taken from him again.
He tugged on her hand. “Come on, Serenity. Time to go.”
“Wait.” She turned back to Demitri. “I thank you for bringing me back, but if you ever go near my daughter... I swear to God...”
He laughed. “Empty threats don’t bother me and I won’t hurt your child. Now, run along before I change my mind.”
“Serenity,” Sebastian said, his tone firm.
Serenity glared at Demitri, but Sebastian wrapped an arm around her and left the building with a burst of speed.
Back on the street, Sebastian took Serenity in his arms. Her arms snaked around his waist, her face pressed against the breadth of his chest. Sebastian buried his face in her hair, breathing in the citrus scent of her shampoo.
“I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have you back,” he said. “I won’t let anything hurt you ever again.”
“You heard what he said. I need your blood now to keep me well.”
“I’d give you every last drop if it means you and I are together.”
“But what about Elizabeth? Do you think he means what he said about wanting Elizabeth?”
Sebastian chewed at his lower lip. “I’ve never known Demitri to not mean what he says, but right now we can’t think about that. He said himself he’ll give us time to say goodbye to her...”
Serenity’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to say goodbye! I’ve already missed two years of her life. I won’t let him come and take her away. We must be able to do something.”
“Shhh,” he rubbed her back. “There will be something we can do. I just need some time to figure out how to stop him, how to make him want something else, or come to some kind of compromise.”
She looked up, her eyes wide and horrified. “There is no compromise! I won’t let him anywhere near Elizabeth. And if you’re actually considering handing her over, then you’re not the man I thought you were.”
“I’m not a man, Serenity.”
She yanked away from him. “You may not be a man, but you are a father.”
“Hey, wait. I love Elizabeth as much as you do. I’ll die before I let Demitri harm her, but we need to think about this rationally and being over-emotional about the situation won’t help us figure things out.”
“I guess it’s easier for you to not be affected by your emotions.”
“I can shut them down if I need to, but never for you or Elizabeth.”
He gently tugged her back to him and this time she let him. “We’ll figure this out. Let’s go home. You’ll feel better with Elizabeth at your side.”
Sebastian glanced at the sky. Though the city’s illumination dulled the brilliance of the stars, his internal clock told him dawn wasn’t far away. Going home right away wasn’t an option.
“We’re not going to make it back tonight,” he said. “We need to find a place to stay.”
“What about Elizabeth? I want to see her.” She paused, her brow furrowing in anxiety. “Who’s taking care of her?”
“Her nanny—a woman named Bridget. She knows all about my kind. Her son was turned several years ago.”
“So Elizabeth is safe?”
“Perfectly.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “So where are we going to stay? What about the sunlight?”
“A hotel will be fine. As long as the room’s got a large closet, I can sleep in there.”
“It’ll be weird to think of you asleep in the closet.”
“You won’t need to think. You’ve been through so much I expect you’ll sleep right through the day.”
Serenity’s hand slipped into his and, they walked away from Demitri’s club and out to the main street. Up ahead, a white sign protruded from a wall of a building, the word ‘HOTEL’ in big, black lettering. They didn’t have time to be fussy.
They entered the small, but tidy lobby and a woman behind the reception desk smiled at them.
Sebastian reached into his jacket pocket and took out his wallet. “We need a room.” He laid a credit card and driver’s license on the reception desk.
“Just for the one night?” the woman inquired.
“Make it two. And we’ve been traveling all night. Can you please ensure we’re not disturbed?”
“Of course, Sir.”
The receptionist handed Sebastian the keycard and pointed them toward the elevator. Hand in hand, they made their way up to the room.