I refused to allow Geo to treat me like a china doll and insist I stay behind when they went to rescue Luthias. I no longer had a life that depended on my keeping it safe in my womb. I was fully recovered and felt stronger than ever. Not to mention, whether Julia liked it or not, I was also their rightful queen. It took my throwing that fact, plus the fact that I was queen of Vampire Land, at Geo before he’d relent and include me in on the plans.
Since we were going up against Vampires from Vampire Land, I sent a message to Lord Moken, commanding he meet us to discuss strategy. He arrived with surprising speed and equally surprising eagerness to assure me that battle was something he excelled in. He would see to it that, not only would Lord Luthias be returned to me, but that scum Pierre and his consorts would pay dearly for their deeds. I reminded him that Abigail had her own agenda and Bartholomew’s weapon of
Abigail’s hideout was south of Vampire Land, hidden in a remote valley that was surrounded by a forest that saw better days. Its trees boasted the scars of a forest fire that tried, but failed to consume them. Charred remnants of the trees the fire managed to destroy were scattered across the forest floor. They acted as fertilizer for the young seedlings that peeked through the soil.Lord Moken returned to Vampire Land immediately after our meeting. He’d swiftly pulled together order within the castle. Pierre learned of his intention and escaped with his loyal followers, but there were still plenty left to gather together for the battle ahead. Geo and I discussed calling for backup from Verso and then thought better of it. The combination of mutant-vampires and the vampires from Vampire Lands should prove more than enough to battle Pierre and Abigail, even with their weapon.We met up with Lord Moken and his throng at the
My eyes were blindfolded, but I was able to decipher that we were in a cave by the way the acoustics and the feeling of cold stone and earth beneath me. My hands were tied behind my back the then the rope was extended to tie my feet together as well. I had no other choice but to lie on my side in the fetal position while I listened to Luthias beg for my safety and release.“What happens with her will be determined when Lord Pierre arrives, no sooner,” Jason grumbled.“I can’t believe you never consummated the marriage you idiot,” Abigail said with angst.“She was swollen with child,” Jason argued. “I’m not a monster.”“You can still consummate with a child in there,” she hissed.“I was warned it would be too dangerous,” he said defensively.“How could you trick me like that?” I asked weakly.“She’s awake,&rdquo
It took blood donations from me, Geo, Gwendoline, my grandparents, and a few volunteers from Desolation before Luthias’s wounds began to heal. Gwendoline administered an antidote for the werewolf bites. The one on his shoulder left an angry scar that she wondered would ever fade. Only time would tell if the antidote was strong enough to combat the amount of venom Jason’s bites injected.We took the time required for Luthias to completely heal to rest our own weary bones and enjoy our children.****“Are ye going to give that lass a name?” Gwendoline asked as she quietly entered my bedroom.I lay across my bed with Braedon on one side of me and my daughter on the other.“Geo got to name his son,” I said. “Luthias should have the same privilege with his daughter.”“That’s lovely,” she said as she stroked my daughter’s thick dar
It took some time before life settled down. Luthias left Verso when his week of further convalescing was up, but not before making love to me one last time. It is a moment I will hold deep in my heart forever.Gwendoline and I got back to work focusing on developing my magical skills. My grandparents set to work on a spell to enable werewolf hybrids to enter Verso. Gwendoline was allowed to monitor their progress, but we felt her emotional attachment to the situation might impair their progress. She grudgingly stepped aside and allowed them the necessary magic freedom they required.I saw very little of Geo, who had his hands full with being King. With the threat of Bartholomew’s army at a minimum, he was able to focus on bringing the kingdoms back to order. His first task was to find the residents of Verso who supported Pierre in his schemes and bring them to justice. He took the burden of ruling Vampire Land from me while I m
“Now Casey, what I want you to take into consideration is the fact that… through no fault of your own… you’ve led a very isolated life,” my grandfather said with a deep chested, and very serious, sigh. “In a few short months, you were exposed to more danger than any one person should experience in an entire lifetime. On top of that, you fell in love with two brothers -both of which are vampires-, had your hidden magical heritage brought to the forefront and expounded upon, became a vampire yourself, and conceived a child. I just think it would be prudent to slow down just a little. Let’s focus on this pregnancy and get you adjusted to your magical powers and… your vampirism… before you make such a serious and permanent decision as selecting which brother to settle down with. One will undoubtedly be crushed and it will more than likely impact their relationship. There can be no mistakes in y
I cradled my newborn son in my arms as I listened to Gwendoline and Geo conversing in low tones on the front porch. True to my promise to Gwendoline and my grandparents, I’d spent the remaining months of my pregnancy focusing on doing what was needed to assure a healthy baby, adjusting to being a vampire, and learning all I could about the responsibilities of being a Verso Witch, while Gwendoline determined ways to get around the magical block the vampirism created. It was this block that made me realize and understand why Geo wasn’t as adept to magic as someone born of two magical parents should be.Although they kept close contact with Gwendoline as to my health, wellbeing, and progress with both my adjustment from humanity to vampirism and lessons in witchcraft, Geo and Luthias respectfully kept their distance from me. They stayed close by for the delivery, but didn’t attend. This was something I was grateful for. I’d tasted what i
I forced the pestle against the herbs I’d carefully placed within the stone mortar with shaky hands. My lessons were more important than ever now that I was to become Verso Witch, yet I couldn’t focus on them as I should. My mind raced and my nerves were in overdrive. When Sybil married me off to Prince Charles, she’d secured my position as the queen of Vampire Land. Since I was still learning the political pros and cons of such a position, it meant little to me, but to Geo and Luthias it was an important position to hold. Now, only weeks after I’d delivered my son, I was expected to dive into the duties of queen of not only Charles’s vampire kingdom, but my mother’s mutant-vampire kingdom as well. I found it burdensome, overwhelming, and intimidating.The position of Verso Witch was so much more my style. I knew about magic and healing. I’d been raised around the healing aspect all of my life and I
“I want to kiss you,” Geo said as he moved closer, “but I won’t.I sucked in air and my heart skipped a beat in excited anticipation while almost falling out of my body from deflated disappointment all at one time. He was standing so close, I could feel what little heat his body emitted on my flesh. Vampires are like humans in so many ways. I attribute it to the fact that they started as humans and then were transmuted into vampires. Even the ones who are born vampires carry a semblance of human genetics within them. Whatever the reason, the rumor that they are cold as death is untrue. Most vampires run a body temperature of about sixty-five degrees. Since this is significantly lower than the human’s average body temperature of ninety-eight point six, they feel cold to the human’s touch. Because my body temperature was now similar to his, I could easily feel the heat from his breath as it caressed my face