Luthias stayed with me in my rooms until Gwendoline returned the following day. She brought with her very sad news. Not only had she not been able to locate -or even sense- Geo while scrying, but she’d heard word that Bartholomew’s army was a three-day march away from Vampire Land. A battle was inevitable.
Luthias called for an assembly of warriors and we met them in the great hall. Although I knew I needed to address them, I was finding it difficult to think. News of Geo’s complete disappearance and concern for his life was all I could think of. It took some heavy duty lecturing on Gwendoline’s part to snap me out of panic mode.
Although she was worried about Geo, she was equally concerned about Luthias. She took me aside and quietly informed me that I’d only stated my plans to wed Luthias before her, Luthias, and Pierre. Therefore, although it would probably rip Luthias’s heart out, I still had time to back out if it wasn’t what I truly wanted. She warned me that, once it was formerly announced from my lips, there’d be no backing out.
“You forget, dear Gwendoline,” I said with resignation, “I said it in front of Lord Basha and Lord Moken. You might recall that Lord Basha offered to tend to the wedding arrangements.”
She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hands and groaned, “I did forget. Ah, my mind is getting as old as the rest of me.” With a heavy sigh she added, “Well, lass, I hope ye spoke your heart when ye made your choice because there’s no turning back now.”
“Let’s worry about Bartholomew for now,” I said nervously. “Then, let’s find out what happened to Geo. Even if I have chosen Luthias, a part of me will always belong to Geo. I can’t just wipe him from my mind; especially when he may be injured and in need of help.”
“I’m proud to have ye as my daughter,” Gwendoline said as she gave me a quick hug. “Ye’ll make a great queen as well as a loving wife and mother.”
I smiled thankfully as I filled my lungs with air and prepared to address the warriors who filled the enormous hall. Luthias stood next to me as I told them of the impending battle and the weapons we’d yet to learn about. A few volunteered to venture out to steal a weapon for us to inspect and I readily agreed. If we had an idea of what we were up against, then we might be better prepared for them.
As we were preparing to disband, someone in the crowd shouted his congratulations to us for our upcoming nuptials and the crowd went wild. Luthias was well loved within the castle community. From what I could tell, the crowd was unanimous in their approval of my choice of husbands. As far as Vampire Land was concerned, I’d made the right move. I couldn’t say the same about Verso, and Verso was my home of choice.
****
I was resting quietly in my favorite chair when Belle teleported into my room. After a quick gasp of surprise and running to look out into the hallway to make sure no one was around, I bade her sit with me.
“I found out about Geo,” she said anxiously.
“Wait, let me summon Gwendoline,” I said, “she’ll want to hear this.”
“There is no time,” she said. “I dare not stay longer than a minute. The vampires are on the alert for war. Their senses are more acute than ever. Someone is sure to smell me. I need say what I have to say and leave immediately afterward. I should be rested by then.”
“Okay,” I said with disappointment. “I’ll relay the news to her and Luthias.”
With a nod of approval, Belle proceeded to tell me that Geo was recovering from his battle wounds at some underground sanctuary Sybil built in the event of war or other threats to the kingdom. She had it on good authority that he’d been infected by mutant blood. What she wasn’t clear about was how badly infected he was. If it was just a little and they caught it in time, it could be purified and he could remain a vampire. If not, he was doomed to become a mutant-vampire. Belle also reluctantly shared the gossip going about that Geo was involved romantically with a mutant-vampire warrior named Julia. She couldn’t swear on its validity, but she felt I should know, since it could impact his decision on whether to turn mutant or not. She was also concerned about my feelings.
Although devastated by all she had to say, I refused to show it to Belle. I’d made my choice about who I’d marry and that was that. If Geo finally found a woman to be with, then I wished him nothing but the best. As for his turning mutant, I couldn’t even entertain the thought.
Luthias and Gwendoline returned just as Belle was teleporting out of my room. She stayed just long enough to hug Gwendoline and assure them that I would retell her story. It was with great sadness and trepidation that I obliged.
Gwendoline took the news in a much more stoic fashion that Luthias. He spat and sputtered angrily about the room over the myriad of times he’d warned Geo about the risk of becoming infected. Even though he and I were officially engaged, he refused to accept Geo was romantically involved with anyone, but me. He found it unfathomable. He worried over where the sanctuary was located and how he could reach his brother.
“He won’t want ye to come,” Gwendoline said softly. There was a sadness that bordered on regret in her tone. “Ye need to accept that.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“’Tis nothing for ye to fret about,” Gwendoline assured me. “Brother trouble is all.”
“What kind of brother trouble?” I demanded. “If I’m to be a part of this family then I think I deserve to be kept in the loop. If Luthias and Geo are having problems, then I need to know. I am the mother of both their children, after all.” I groaned aloud when my words reached my own ears. “That sounds so bad, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s just say ‘tis not the way of normal things and leave it at that,” she said.
“I need to know what’s going on,” I urged. “Luthias?”
He looked at me with genuine sadness in his eyes before closing them tight and looking away. Whatever was going on between them, he clearly found it painful.
“It came as no surprise that Geo was furious to discover you carry Luthias’s babe in your womb,” Gwendoline offered.
“I had to tell him,” I lamented.
“It was bound to come out,” she replied. “Better he heard it from you than through the gossip grapevine.”
“I could tell he was angry with me when he just walked off and told me to do whatever I wanted after I balked at going to my room,” I said with remorse. “It was Luthias who stayed behind to insist I be safe.”
“I understand his pain,” Luthias said as he slowly shook his head.
“I wonder who is tending to Geo’s wounds,” I said. I was not only concerned, but I wanted to shift the topic. The guilt I felt for hurting either of these wonderful vampires was all consuming. I needed to remove myself from it somehow.
“Your uncle Milton, more than likely,” Luthias said.
“I wish I had Uncle Milton and his equipment here to secure my baby like he did Braedon. It was painful, but worth it,” I said wistfully.
“No need for any of that,” Gwendoline said as she pulled a small vile from the sack she carried. “’Tis the reason I stepped out. Ye now have a lovely tasting tincture to sip on every four hours for the next few days. That will insure I’ll be holding my grandchild in a few months.”
“I wonder what grandmother will say when she hears I’m expecting again,” I mused.
“Ha! I’m more curious about Arthur,” Gwendoline chuckled. “I can see the milk curdling in his tea right now as he bellows about my boys not following the rules of courting.”
“He likes to place the blame on them instead of me,” I said.
“He’s right to do so,” she replied. “Ye are just barely a woman, and ye’ve led a sheltered life. Ye can’t be expected to be as wise in the ways of the world as my two boys.”
“It doesn’t take being wise in the ways of the world to control one’s libido,” I said.
“Is no one here worried about Geo, but me?” Luthias scolded.
I’d done my best to hold in my emotions since Belle told me about Geo’s situation, but the scolding from Luthias put me on overload. Even if he was still alive, I’d made my choice. Geo was forever lost to me.
I burst into tears like none I’d experienced in my life. My throat constricted from the stress of the situation and the loss of Geo, forcing me to gasp and struggle for air.
If I admitted to no one else, I had to admit to myself that I acted in a spoiled and selfish manner. I’d pitted two loyal brothers against each other in pursuit of my hand. I’d caused them pain and possibly driven a permanent wedge between them while I struggled to decide who I loved more. I may never know the truth of who occupied a greater spot in my heart, but I’d made a decision all the same. One would be happy and one would not. It was my doing and only my doing. I hated myself for it. I gasped for sufficient air between sobs for a considerable length of time while Gwendoline and Luthias did their best to calm me down.