A long tear rolled down Grinolde’s cheek. “Are you telling me that I will send you away and this will be the first time I will ever see you again?”
Tahlia fought an internal battle with how much she could tell her mother. “I can’t tell you more than what I have told you already, Mother.”
The woman pressed herself into Tahlia’s arms and held on desperately. “You are everything to me, my child, and it hurts to think that we might not be together as I grow old.”
Bowing her head, she kissed her mother’s hair, inhaling the familiar crude homemade rosewater scent. Before she could stop herself, she made a promise, she wasn’t even sure she could keep.
“When Aria is older, I will try and bring her to meet you.”
Grinolde’s head snapped up, her eyes wide in wonder. “Will you?”
“I will try very hard. I am not even sure if it is possible, but I will try, mother.” She kissed her mother’s wet cheek and stared into the glowing eyes. “We need to leave now. Aria is still small and must be missing us. Also, we bumped into Paloma earlier. It’s almost time for the both of us to return home for the day.”
Grinolde snorted as she wiped her cheeks. “Paloma maybe, but you will probably be somewhere under a young woman’s skirt by now.”
Tahlia blinked rapidly. “You…you knew about that?”
“You are my child, but you are the daughter of a philanderer, too.” Tahlia could only gape at her mother.
“You never said anything.”
Grinolde cupped Tahlia’s face in her palms and smiled. “What was there to say, my love? They would not have allowed you that far if they didn’t want to.” She kissed Tahlia’s lightly on the lips. “And you are extremely beautiful, so I cannot blame them.” She turned away to smile at Jemima, who stood there with a huge grin. Of all the things Jemima had to overhear. She watched in stunned silence as Jemima and Grinolde said their goodbyes, hugging and kissing.
“Time to go, stud,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Our child must be thinking we’ve abandoned her.” With a final wave at Grinolde, they made their way towards the main street that would lead them out of Rome. Before they took the turn that would connect them to the main street, Tahlia turned and found her mother standing in the dusty street staring after them. She blew her mother a kiss and a big smile came over the older woman’s face.
She already missed her mother.
†
Paloma turned from the window when she heard the soft inhalation behind her. She raised her eyebrows when she found Tahlia standing an arms breadth from her. The black eyes were sharp as they studied her. Vampires hated other vampires in their lairs, especially when they were with their mates. Tahlia was not an exception.
“How was Rome?” she asked quickly. She watched as Tahlia relaxed visibly.
“I saw you.”
She frowned. “You did?”
“Yes.” She looked around. She lifted her head and sniffed the air delicately, before she turned to Jemima, who was combing her fingers through her hair. “She’s with Viv and Pierre.”
Jemima touched her breasts and hissed. Tahlia quickly approached her wife and stared intently at her wife’s chest.
“You stay. I’ll go get her.” She dissolved before their eyes and Jemima stood slowly.
“Anything happen in our absence?” She asked as she got a bottle of water from the fridge.
Paloma sighed, still a little annoyed at Syria for her rashness. “Syria and Leo had a minor misunderstanding.”
“Syria and Leo? I didn’t think they even spoke to each other…yet.” She took a sip of water. “About what?”
“Syria was under the impression that Leo accosted Lake for sex.”
“WHAT?!” She quickly screwed the bottle shut. “That’s preposterous.”
Paloma nodded. “Before things could get too physical, Pierre stepped in and admitted that he was the one who approached Lake hoping to adopt her into the Lafayette family clan.”
“And Lake?”
Tahlia entered the room with a sleeping Aria in her arms. “What about Lake?” She followed Jemima to the bed and waited until the woman was ready before she handed her the baby. “What were you saying about Lake?”
“I’ll tell you the whole story later,” Jemima said quickly and squeezed Tahlia’s hand. Paloma almost smiled at how effortlessly the blonde could handle Tahlia. Had it been anyone else keeping information from her, they would have found themselves in a very precarious position.
“Lake was okay, but I don’t know her well enough to gauge how she felt about the whole situation.”
Tahlia gave Jemima an exasperated look and Jemima patted her gently on the arm. “Hold your horses, stud.” She grinned at Paloma, who was watching them with raised brows. “All this time Grinolde knew of Tahlia’s philandering.”
Paloma snorted. “Nothing got past that woman. How did she find out?”
Tahlia shook her head and walked into the bathroom. The next moment the taps on the bath opened.
“She just knew,” Jemima whispered.
“No need to whisper, darling.”
Paloma grinned and walked to the door. “That visit was long overdue. I will go check in on Inger and Isis.” She left and found the hallways completely deserted. Just as she walked past Syria’s room, the door opened and Lake stormed out. Her eyes were blazing with rage. She gave Paloma a curt nod before she went to her own room. Unsure, Paloma stood in the hallway, looking at Syria’s door. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked softly. A soft ‘enter’ got her inside and she found the Outlander sitting on her bed, a picture of utter dejection. Not sure she wanted to deal with heady emotions after such a long day, she considered leaving, but knew that as a Royal, it was her responsibility to keep their family fully functional. She was also Lake’s sire, which made her accountable for the blonde’s state of mind, while still a fledgling.
“Are you okay?”
“I should be, but I’m not.”
It sounded more complex than Paloma thought she could handle at this hour. “What can I do to help?”
Syria looked up, her eyes hard and dry. “Could you put me to sleep and only wake me when my sisters are all grown up?”
“That is possible,” she said carefully. “However, I need to understand why you would want to go to ground.”
The Outlander shook her head. “I keep messing up. First, with Lake and now with Leonara.” She sighed deeply. “I could feel Leonara hold back and I know it was for my sisters’ sake.” She raked her hands over her face. “If I could spare them any hurt for the next eight years, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“That’s rather specific.” She went to sit in the chair facing the bed. “Why eight years?”
“That’s how long it’ll take for them to reach the age of twenty-five.”
Paloma felt as if she had been kicked hard in the chest. Eight measly years. That was all she was going to get to make an impact on her daughter’s life. Eight years to teach Isis how to ride a bike, swim and maybe dance. She suddenly felt incredibly miserable. So much so that she wanted to throw Syria out the window. Why did she have to make her aware of that?
Inger was acutely attuned to her moods and emotions.
The link was broken and now that she had somewhere to be, she wanted to wrap this up. One look into Syria’s sorrowful hazel eyes made her reconsider immediately. The woman had been through a lot already.
“I understand, but I think your sisters would miss you dreadfully.” And it was true. The babies went crazy when Syria was in the vicinity and she didn’t hide her excitement very well either. “May I ask how Lake fits into your decision?”
Syria quickly lowered her gaze and Paloma mentally shook her head. Tahlia and Jonas were actually spot on. Who would’ve thought that the two vampires could actually spot a budding attractio
n amidst all the poorly concealed animosity and adrenaline?
“I feel guilty about her situation. She didn’t ask for this.”
“Is that the only reason?”
The woman’s head snapped up and searched Paloma’s eyes. “Should there be anything else?”
Paloma quickly shook her head. “No. I was simply asking.” The hazel gaze held hers for a moment longer. “Though she looked rather distressed when I met her in the hallway.”
Syria immediately found the carpet interesting again. “I put her on the spot earlier and she wasn’t happy about that. It’s all so confusing. I thought I was helping her, but it turned out I was only making it worse for her.”
At that moment, Paloma realized that no matter how tall and strong the Outlander was, Syria was still very childlike when it came to human emotions and cues. After six months, Lake’s humanity was still deeply ingrained. It was the same thing that Tahlia had gone through all her life. Quite recently as well, in fact. She never thought she would say this, but it didn’t make it less true.
“The best person to talk to about this would be Tahlia.” She almost smiled when Syria gave her an incredulous look. “Believe me, she can relate to this much better than I can.” This time Syria had a pained look on her face. “Give me a few more days to convince you that going to ground for eight years is not what you want right now.”
The nod was reluctant, but Paloma was going to take it.
†
A few hours later they were on the plane and on their way home. Trinity noticed that everyone looked tired, but happy to be going home. She searched the interior, looking for her target. Her gaze found Tahlia’s and she could tell that the queen was wrestling with something. Years of studying the woman had made it possible for Trinity to read the aloof woman a little. She tightened her arms around her daughter and rose to take the seat opposite Tahlia. The black eyes immediately went to Noa and they softened instantly. She reached out and ran her finger down the sleeping baby’s cheek.
“She’s so beautiful.” Tahlia’s tone was thick with affection and Trinity felt her chest warm with pride. Then there was the comforting sentiment that the most powerful creature on the planet loved her child so deeply. She wouldn’t want to be the one going up against this woman. No one, who hoped to live would consider that. Copernicus was alive only because he had a greater purpose to fulfill.
She kissed her daughter’s wayward coppery locks. “She is a princess, after all.”
“That she is.” Tahlia gaze lifted from Noa to Trinity. “How are you doing?”
Trinity smiled. “I came over to ask you that.”
“I’m much better now that we are going home.” Trinity didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t going to be stupid and call out the woman for a liar. “There is something else I wanted to discuss with you.” Tahlia’s eyebrow shot up. “I wanted to ask for your blessing to marry Gabriella.”
Tahlia sat back, a slow smile forming on her lips. “That is excellent news. Long overdue, if you ask me.”
“Does this mean that I have your blessing?”
“Yes, you do. Have you decided on a date yet?”
“Not yet.” Trinity smiled. “I’m following Gabriella’s lead. In fact, she was the one who proposed. I’ve been the one chasing after her and ever since I’ve managed to catch up with her, I haven’t made any demands on her again. This is her moment to take charge.”
Tahlia chucked softly. “Are you sure that’s what you really want? You do know that Inger will be heavily involved in the decision-making process. You might actually find yourself getting married in a dress.”
Trinity felt her smile fading slightly. Maybe it wasn’t too late to redefine her part in the arrangements. She quickly came to her feet. “I think I need to go find Gabriella.”
“You should do that.”
She could still hear Tahlia chuckling as she rushed over to the seat where Gabriella was dozing. At least she had lifted Tahlia’s spirits with her news.
†
Jemima loved breastfeeding. The first time she tried, was soon after she had given birth. It had been painful and the sensation was so foreign, she couldn’t explain it. Just as she was getting used to her new purpose in life, her milk production had lowered dramatically after a week and she was forced to switch Aria to formula to supplement her dietary needs.
But her baby had other plans and she was immensely grateful for that. She ran her finger down the tiny nose between the intense blue eyes. It was strange how much Aria was beginning to resemble Inger, even though her older sibling wasn’t a blood relation.
“What’s happening behind those gorgeous blue eyes, my beauty?” The baby’s cheeks dimpled as she let go of the nipple to smile at Jemima. “I love you.” A tiny hand covered her mouth. “You don’t want me to tell you how much I love you?” The baby smiled. “Do you want to tell me how you feel about me?” The baby began to suckle again and Jemima noticed that her eyelids were drooping. She was somewhat disappointed at seeing that Aria was about to sleep. After Tahlia had informed her that they had more or less eight years to enjoy their daughter, she was eager to spend more time with Aria. The blue eyes flickered open and Jemima was graced with a tiny smile, before her nipple was spat out and Aria was dead to the world. The shrill ringing of a phone, caused Aria to jerk awake again, her face scrunching up in displeasure as she let out a soft cry.
“Oh honey, I’m so sorry,” she tried to calm the baby and at the same time locate her phone. She was relieved when Tahlia leaned over from where she was seated across the aisle. “Thank you, babe.”
She finally managed to locate her mobile in her purse. She quickly answered it before it roused the other babies. “Hello.”
“Hi, Jemima. Are you not back yet?”
“I’m on way back to the States, Melissa.” She felt Tahlia’s gaze on her. “Is anything the matter?”
There was a short silence. “Maybe we could talk when you’re back.”
“Tell me, Melissa.”
“Not over the phone. Nor is it a short discussion. Please, find me when you arrive home. I’ll be expecting you. Have a safe flight.”
Jemima slowly pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it. Tahlia slid into the seat next to her. Like the wonderful wife she was, Tahlia didn’t press her for answers. Or maybe, because she overheard the conversation. She simply sat very close to Jemima and Jemima immediately made use of the close proximity of her wife to lean her head on Tahlia’s shoulder.
She hadn’t imagined the short silence after she had asked Melissa about the outcome of her tests. Suddenly she was not so excited about going home anymore.
EPILOGUE
The picture was a perfect accompaniment to the thick file in his hand. With a faint shudder, Copernicus lay the file out on the table and sighed. He had tried this before and it had backfired on him spectacularly. It was a relief that Valiant wasn’t aware of his plans. The vampire wouldn’t have been able to keep himself from stating the obvious. Was he mad to want to try the same thing again and still expect a different outcome? Killers are terrible at following rules, combine that with the strength and bloodlust of a vampire and they turn into psychopathic sadists. He decided to read through the files and hoped to have his mind made up by the time he reached the last one.
Martin Hoeksema. Dutch. Thirty-two years old. He was in for raping and stabbing twenty-two women to death. His modus operandi was to sabotage his victim’s cars and step in as a Good Samaritan. Once he had gained their trust, he knocked them out with an aerosol-based scopolamine mix and kidnapped them. He had been sentenced to death for his crimes, something that could change if Copernicus would made up his mind. He tossed the file aside and reached for the second file.
Emily Treat. American. Forty-three. The head of the Las Palmas, a Mexican-based prostitution ring. She personally disciplined the girls if they didn’t make their quotas or when they tried to cut ties with the ring. Her signature was to sodomize the girls with t
he vilest of objects to keep them in check. As brutal as her tactics were, they seem to have worked. Las Palmas had an annual turnover of two billion dollars. Copernicus threw the file on a different stack. He might be considered amongst the most despicable people alive, but he wasn’t fond of abusing women. Using them for sex and abusing them was a big difference.
He was reaching for his glass when his phone rang. He reached for it as he took a sip.
“Buenos dias, Senõr Bohme.” The twenty-year old scotch suddenly turned to acid in his mouth at the sound of the voice. He carefully held the mobile away from his ear to stare at it. How the hell did they get his number? Last time he checked it was still unlisted. “I know you are there, senõr. I can hear you breathe.”
Copernicus looked around for Valiant, but then it struck him that it was daytime and the vampire had gone to ground. He steeled himself, even as the hair on his nape stood upright.
“It’s good to hear from you, Chuey.” How was the psycho not behind bars again?
There was a moment’s silence. “You could’ve fooled me, senõr. It’s been almost two weeks and still no response from you.”
He had decided in Peru already that he wasn’t going to send them the rest of the payment. Thinking back now, he wondered if perhaps he had been too rash with his decision. “It had been so crazy when I returned, I completely forgot about getting back to you. Would it be too late to do it now?”
Chuey chuckled softly. “Not at all, senõr.”
Phew! At least he dodged that bullet without any repercussions. “Great! I will do that today.” When there was no reply he frowned. “Chuey? You still there?”
“I’m still here, senõr. It is just that you forgot one little detail.”
“A little detail?” Copernicus didn’t like the sound of that. He felt himself breaking out in cold sweat. “What did I forget?”
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