Chapter
31
“Leaving?” Elena stared at Drake.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to Wolfram.”
“But . . . why?”
“Would you rather stay
here?”
She bit down on the corner of her lip.
Did she want to stay at the Fortress? She had few friends back
home. She loved Wolfram, but she knew she would miss Andrei and
Katiya, Northa, Marta, and Elnora. And Stefan. But Wolfram was
home, and it would be nice to be alone with Drake.
“No,” she said. “I guess not. Is it all
right for you to leave?”
“I am the Master of the Coven,” he
said. “I can do whatever I choose. And I choose to leave. Are you
ready to go?”
She grinned. Sometimes she forgot that
her husband didn’t need mortal transportation, that he could simply
will himself wherever he wished to be. “I’m ready,” she said, then
frowned. “It won’t hurt the baby?”
“No. Is there anything you want to take
with you?”
Elena shook her head. There was really
nothing here that belonged to her. Except Drake.
He folded her in his embrace, kissed
the top of her head, and once again, she felt herself being carried
away through time and space.
When the world righted itself, they
were in the living room at Wolfram.
“You look tired,” Drake said, brushing
a lock of hair from her cheek. “You should go to bed.”
“Only if you come with
me.”
He smiled, a real smile for the first
time since he had been appointed Master of the Coven.
“Always my pleasure,” he
murmured.
“I think I’d like a bath before we go
to bed. Which reminds me. Do you think we could install a bathroom
upstairs? A real bathroom, with a tub and a shower and a sink and a
toilet.”
“Is tomorrow soon enough?”
She made a face at him. “I guess so, if
you can’t do it tonight.”
He swatted her on the rump. “Go, take
your bath. I will be back soon.”
Elena nodded. He was going out to feed.
She would have to get used to that, now that there were no sheep to
satisfy his hunger.
Elena had bathed and changed into her
nightgown by the time Drake returned. She tried not to think of
where he had been, or wonder who he had fed on, or what it tasted
like, but the questions flooded her mind. She would always be
curious about that part of his life, always wonder what it was
like.
“You could come with me next time,” he
remarked, sitting beside her on the sofa.
“I don’t think so. Hey! I thought you
weren’t going to read my mind anymore.”
“Sometimes I cannot help
it.”
“Hmm.” She canted her head to the side.
“Is feeding on a stranger different than drinking from
me?”
“Very much so.”
“Why? Blood is blood.”
“With you, it is more than easing my
hunger. Though I do not expect you to understand, it is a way of
making love.”
“Do vampires drink from each
other?”
He nodded. “It is a pleasurable
experience.”
“Better than drinking from
humans?”
“It depends on who is drinking from
whom.” He trailed his fingertips along the side of her neck.
“Nothing equals what I feel when I taste you.”
“Are you hinting for a taste
now?”
“Would you mind?”
“No. I like it when you do
it.”
Smiling, he took her by the hand. “I
think we should continue this conversation in bed.”
Excitement fluttered in the pit of
Elena’s stomach as they walked up the stairs. There had been times
in their relationship when she had been afraid that Drake was lost
to her, that she would have to spend the rest of her life without
him. But those days were behind them now. They were back in Wolfram
where they belonged, with a baby on the way.
She put all thoughts of the past behind
her when Drake drew her gently into his arms. Whispering that he
loved her, he kissed her as he backed her toward the bed, then
slowly lowered her onto the mattress.
They undressed each other with
impatient hands.
She closed her eyes and gave herself
into his keeping, sighing as he rained kisses on her cheeks, her
brow, the length of her neck. She moaned when his fangs pricked her
skin, sighed as their bodies came together, fell asleep with the
sound of his voice whispering that he loved her more than life
itself.
The next day, Elena couldn’t think of
anything but the baby. A girl, Drake had said. After breakfast, she
went down the hall to the bedroom next to their own. This would be
the nursery. Standing in the middle of the floor, she imagined how
she would decorate it. Yellow for the walls, she thought. White
furniture. The crib near the window where her daughter would be
able to see the sun and the sky. A rocking chair in that corner.
New carpeting for the floor, new curtains for the windows. Perhaps
a mural on one wall. Maybe a country scene, with baby animals
frolicking in a green pasture, or perhaps scenes depicting the
Disney princesses. After all, her daughter lived in a castle and
would be viewed as a princess in her own right by those in the
Fortress.
They would definitely need a bathroom
now, Elena thought as she returned to her own bedroom. There was no
way she was going to bathe a new baby in that wooden
tub!
Anxious to begin remodeling the
nursery, she dressed quickly in a sweater and a pair of jeans,
grabbed the keys to the Porsche, and drove into the
city.
She wandered through the furniture
store, looking at cribs and high chairs and bassinets. There were
so many styles to choose from, how was she ever to
decide?
She had better luck in the paint store.
She found exactly the shade of yellow she wanted, bought two
gallons of Summer Sunlight paint, a quart of white for the door,
brushes, masking tape, paint thinner and a roller, and headed for
home.
Drake was waiting for her in the main
hall when she arrived.
She smiled when she saw him. “Hi, I’ve
been—”
“I know where you have
been.”
She frowned, puzzled by his harsh tone.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving. I didn’t want to
disturb you.”
He crossed the room, his movement so
quick it was little more than a blur. “Elena, you must be
careful.”
The warning in his tone made her heart
skip a beat. “Why? Is something wrong?”
“No.” His hand smoothed her hair.
“Forgive me. I am overreacting.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, confused by his
attitude. “I didn’t mean to worry you, but why are you so
upset?”
He smiled at her. “Worrying too much,”
he said lightly. “I have never been this close to being a father
before. I cannot help feeling anxious when you are away. So, what
did you buy in the city?”
“Paint, for the nursery. I left it in
the car.”
“I will get it later.” He ran his hands
up and down her arms, as if to assure himself that she was all
right. “I spoke to a contractor on the phone today. He and his men
will be here tomorrow to install the bathroom.”
“That’s great!”
“I have requested they install the
bathroom between our room and the one next to it so it will be
accessible from both rooms. They are also adding a closet in the
nursery.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Is there anything else you
want?”
“A kiss?”
A slow smile spread across his face as
he drew her into his arms. “I do not need a contractor for that,”
he replied, and lowered his head to hers.
Elena had never truly appreciated the
benefits of being wealthy until she saw how quickly money could get
things done. She had seen some evidence of it when the castle was
wired for electricity. Due to the age and size of the castle, it
had taken a considerable amount of time. But that was then and this
was now. She had expected it to take many weeks, perhaps several
months, to build a bathroom and a closet where none had existed
before. But money could buy miracles and manpower, and the
renovations were accomplished in less than a month.
Elena stood in the middle of the floor,
turning slowly as she admired her new bathroom. The floor was
gold-veined white marble. There was a white oval tub with a
Jacuzzi, a square shower big enough for two, a toilet that flushed
automatically, recessed lighting, and two sinks set in a granite
countertop. She had not yet decided on a color for the
walls.
Since the rooms were so large, the
contractor had suggested adding a walk-in closet for the master
bedroom. It was, Elena thought, big enough to be a room of its own.
Drake moved their old wardrobe into one of the other
bedrooms.
The new bathroom, walk-in closet, and
smaller closet in the baby’s room made the nursery a little
smaller, but Elena had assured Drake that wouldn’t be a problem.
When their daughter grew older, she could simply move into one of
the other, larger bedrooms.
Elena thought of little else besides
the baby. How strange, to think that she carried a living being
inside her. She could hardly wait to hold her daughter in her arms.
What would their child look like? Would she have her father’s blue
eyes or her mother’s brown ones?
Drake drove her into the city the
evening after the renovations were complete. He agreed with her
choice of the white crib and the rest of the furniture and arranged
to have it delivered at the end of the week.
“You’re going to spoil me, you know,”
Elena remarked on the drive home.
“That has always been my intention,” he
replied, squeezing her hand. “Whatever you want, whatever you need,
you have only to ask.”
Elena spent the next day painting the
nursery and thinking she had never been happier than she was now.
The man she loved slept in the next room. They were having a baby.
A girl, she thought, smiling. Life was good. No, it was better than
good. It was perfect.
She had just finished painting the
window seat when Drake appeared in the doorway.
“You have been busy,” he remarked,
glancing around the room.
“Do you like it?”
He nodded. “Yes, but should you be
painting in your condition?”
“I’m pregnant, silly, not sick.
Besides, it’s nice to have something to do to pass the time while
you rest. I was thinking of painting the bathroom the same shade of
yellow as the nursery,” she mused aloud. “Or maybe a light blue.
What do you think?”
“Whatever you decide is fine with
me.”
“I think, in deference to your
masculinity, I’ll paint it blue.”
“Thank you,” he said, chuckling. “What
would you say to a walk down by the lake?”
“The same thing I always say,” she
replied with a saucy grin. “Yes!”
The lake was beautiful, as always.
Stars winked on the black blanket of the sky like the twinkling
lights on a Christmas tree.
Kneeling on the shore, Elena dipped her
hand into the water, and quickly jerked it out. “I was hoping to go
for a swim, but it’s too cold.”
“Is it?”
“Feel for yourself.”
He shook his head. “I believe you, but
if you want to swim, then swim we shall.”
Elena heaved a sigh as he quickly
undressed. Being a vampire, she supposed he was immune to the
cold.
“Are you coming, wife?”
“No. It’s like melted ice in
there.”
“Will you not trust me, my
sweet?”
With a sigh, Elena pulled her sweater
over her head, stepped out of her shoes, socks, and jeans, removed
her underwear, walked into the lake. And shrieked when the chilly
water swirled around her ankles. When she would have retreated,
Drake captured her hand in his and gently tugged her toward
him.
Surprisingly, as she waded out closer
toward him, the water grew warmer. “Why is it warmer out here?” she
asked suspiciously. “You didn’t pee in the pool, did
you?”
Drake threw back his head and laughed.
“No, my love. I merely infused a little preternatural power into
the water to warm it for you.”
Elena sighed with amazement. Truly,
there was nothing this man couldn’t do.
Holding her against his side, he
carried her out to deeper water. Once, she had been frightened to
be out so deep, but no more. Nothing could happen to her while
Drake was there. Leaning against him, she gazed up at the
stars.
“What shall we name our daughter?” she
asked after a while.
“I have not given it any thought, but I
think you have.”
“I was thinking about naming her after
my mother, if it’s all right with you. Unless you’d rather name her
after your mother.”
“No. What was your mother’s
name?”
“Kaitlyn.”
“A fine old-fashioned name,” Drake
said. “I like it.”
“I looked it up. It means ‘pure.’” She
smiled up at Drake. “Are you as happy as I am?”
“Never doubt it for a moment.” He
brushed a kiss across her brow. “You have given me more happiness
than I deserve.”
“Drake! What a thing to say. You
deserve to be happy, just like everyone else.”
“I am pleased that you think so, but
there are incidents in my past, things you do not know.” He thought
of the people he had killed when he was a new vampire. His lack of
compassion. Of Luiza. “Events I regret that I can never make
right.”
“Shh.” Elena twined her arms around his
neck and kissed his cheek. “I don’t care what you’ve done in the
past, or why you think you’re unworthy of happiness. It’s over and
done and none of it matters now. Got it?”
“Yes, wife,” he replied
solemnly.
“Good. You’re my hero. My knight in
shining armor. And I won’t have you thinking
otherwise.”
“Tarnished armor,” he said with a wry
grin.
“Stop that!”
“I will do my best not to let you
down.” How could he do otherwise when she was looking at him like
that, as if he were Superman and Albert Schweitzer all rolled into
one.
She kissed him then, her lips achingly
sweet and filled with love, and in that kiss he found hope. And an
encompassing warmth that felt like forgiveness.