Paresh brushed the coarse stone with her fingertips. “Wife of Eric Ravenscroft, Lucinda Marie, died November 4, 1864, aged twenty-five years, four months, and thirteen days. Infant son, Darien Christopher, died November 4, 1864.”
Eric had not intended to show her his memorial plot, but the male cardinal’s bright plumage caught her eye as he flew down to the standard issue Civil War headstone the Colonel had placed next to Lucinda’s grave. Her eyes widened when she saw the name listed among the abbreviations within the badge shaped indentation.
“E. Ravenscroft, Sergeant Company I, Tenth Illinois Cavalry,” he deciphered for her. As they regarded the empty grave in silence, he wondered if she felt as strange as he did whenever he saw it. No matter how accustomed he had grown to his life, it felt odd to know that he belonged in the ground next to his wife and son.
As if sensing his melancholy thought, she slid her hand into his and returned her attention to the epitaph below Darien’s name. She squinted as she tried to make out the worn inscription.
“The golden gates did open, a gentle voice said ‘Come,’ and with farewells unspoken, they calmly entered home,” Eric recited from memory.
“Oh Eric, losing all of them must have been so hard for you. I’m so sorry. I just can’t imagine it.” No traces of her own sorrow lingered in her eyes, just sympathy for him.
“This row right here was the hardest until your dad died. I will miss him for a long time.” He took Paresh’s other hand and pulled her toward him. “But, now I have you and I want you with me always. I don’t want to visit you here.”
Her hand fluttered to her throat and stroked the spot where he had bitten her. “Did my father ever ask—”
Eric shook his head. “He wanted only to live his life the way he was intended to. And it doesn’t work that way with me, anyway.” He drew in a deep breath and exhaled, pausing before saying, “Which brings me back to you.”
She blew out a nervous sigh and pulled her hand away from her throat, nodding. “Is that why you left this morning?”
“No, no—believe me, I wanted you in my arms when you woke up, but I needed to meet with Chief Hodges. I’m sorry I left you with Molly again. It will not become a habit, I promise you. Let’s sit over there and I’ll explain everything.” He pointed to a wooden bench beneath a sprawling elm tree. With the flap of scarlet wings, the birds accompanied them, fluttering from one headstone to another.
“I’m not regretting last night,” she said. “But what’s going to happen to me?”
He waited until she sat before responding. “To be honest, I don’t know. There are... complications.”
A shadow of anxiety crossed her face. She leaned forward and parted her lips, but before she could speak, he pressed his finger against her mouth. “This is going to be a long story and I promise to tell you all of it. I know you’ll have questions, but you’ll understand everything once I’m finished. Trust me, okay?”
She nodded and sat back as he composed his thoughts. Although he had planned what to say to her all night, knowing the words did not make the story any easier to tell.
“You knew your parents to be an exceptionally happy couple, but prior to your birth, life wasn’t easy for them. Their problems began the moment they met, but they always felt like they could overcome any hurdle as long as they had each other. Then they faced nearly a decade of conception hardships and three miscarriages, all of which devastated your mother and left her depressed to the point that it affected her health.
“She had always wanted to have children, so the complications, coupled with the loss of her parents, left her clinging to that dream. She had lost everyone and everything she had ever loved. Like your father, she had no other family left. He was all that she had.
“The love she and Andrew shared was true, but it wasn’t enough for her. The weight of each failed attempt grew heavier with each passing year. By the time she lost the third baby, she was teetering on the edge of losing her faith.
“She’d break down into tears with no apparent provocation, and questioned why God would take so much from her. Your father tried to help, but nothing worked. Neither of us could do anything for her and, although I was powerless to stop it, I knew that I could not allow her to forsake her faith.”
“Why not?” interrupted Paresh. Her gaze fell to the ground. “I never knew about any of this. Poor Mom. I just never knew—”
“I’ll explain in a bit. They never told you many things because they wanted to focus on the joyful moments. Enjoy life.” Eric nudged Paresh’s chin up.
“Andrew and the pastor at the Sunset Grove Parish convinced Felicia to give faith a chance. Subsequently, as you know, you were born there, at its original site in the woods, and that the animals flocked to it as if summoned to your birth, but that’s not the whole story.” He hesitated before revealing, “The truth is, you were stillborn that night and your mother suffered a heart attack that almost killed her.”
Paresh inhaled a shallow breath.
“The second Felicia fell back unconscious, the nurse thrust you into my arms, and she and Doctor Jacobs performed compressions on her. As I watched your father watch his wife die, something urged me to bite my finger and swab the inside of your mouth with my blood. As I sit here now, I don’t know what I expected to happen or what possessed me to think of doing such a thing. I certainly wasn’t thinking of the ramifications of my actions if I succeeded, and because of that, everything that has happened to you is my fault.” He rubbed his forehead and looked into Paresh’s eyes with immense sorrow in his.
“At the moment of delivery, the power went out and your silence spoke loud and clear to your mother. She started crying hysterically. Your father, the doctor, and the pastor all tried to calm her as Nurse Avondale took you away from the bed. The batteries in the flashlight were dead, so I located and lit candles to give them light, and then stepped out of the way.
“Your mother cried your name and reached out for the nurse to place you into her arms. But before she could, Felicia’s heart gave out and I found you in my arms instead.
“The flames that night reminded me of a similar tragedy from many decades past. Painful memories surfaced and transported me back to the night Darien and Lucinda died. It seemed more than coincidental that history was repeating itself for the man who embodied the same spiritual footprint as my wife.
“Your father stood to the side, praying and trying to hold back his tears. I understood his pain only too well, and it killed me to see him lose his child and his only love, especially after they’d gone through so much. And to have Felicia die without her faith... well, I suppose it was a desperate attempt to break the cycle and give them happiness. I was only thinking about them—about the joy they could have, the joy they did have, until...” Eric’s gaze drifted with his voice into the distance.
Paresh’s hand was warm as she slipped it into his and gave a light squeeze.
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered.
“Isn’t it?” He looked down at the birds without really seeing them. “For a long time, nothing happened. I was aware that the doctor and nurse had resuscitated Felicia and sent for an ambulance. I heard Andrew sobbing at her side and knew she was staring into the darkness, but I kept my eyes only on you.
“I was hidden in the corner, completely unnoticed by everyone else. I wrapped your lifeless form with a blanket and was about to hand you to your mother when, at the stroke of midnight, life suddenly scared away death, and you cried out.
“Every jaw in the room dropped. That little scream was the best sound any of us had ever heard. I approached the bed and put you into Felicia’s arms.
“Her smile brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Her dream had finally come true and we all knew nothing would ever defeat her love for you.
“Her health never fully recovered, but your birth restored her faith and helped her return to her former self. For the first time in years, your parents knew true happiness and remained thankful r
ight up until the moment they died.”
Recalling the intense memory had caused a knot to form in the center of his throat. In an effort to dislodge it, he took a deep breath and tilted his head back, staring up at sunlight reflecting off the tree’s foliage. A clement breeze brushed his face, caressing his skin with mild summer heat. He drew in even breaths and then, after collecting himself, returned his focus to Paresh, who eyed him sympathetically with tears drying on her cheeks.
She slid closer and caressed the back of his neck. Her affections normally would have brought a smile to his face. He covered her hand with his and stared ahead.
“I confessed that night to Andrew, but we never told Felicia. She enjoyed my company and the safety found in my protection, but never felt entirely comfortable with my inhuman side. She wouldn’t have loved you any less had she known, but we wanted her to enjoy a pure miracle—not the one tainted by vampire blood.
“Over the years, I watched you closely for any side effects. You seemed to thrive. You had my skin tone without the sun sensitivity, you never got sick, and you developed like a normal, healthy child—with one exception.
“Upon any injury, your body regenerated itself nearly instantaneously. I first noticed it when you received your infant vaccinations. Thankfully, neither your mother nor the doctor noticed how quickly the tiny punctures healed.
“But then, when you were four, you followed a rabbit into the west side of Sunset Grove where there’s a break in the terrain from a dried up creek bed. It didn’t take long to find you, but when I got there, you tripped down the gully and cut your hand on a broken bottle.
“It was one of few times I ever saw you cry. I rushed over and removed the shard, and within seconds, the wound was healed. You quieted and held your hand up, looking for the cut, but when I wiped away the blood, there was no trace of damage. I convinced you to keep it our special secret so that your mother wouldn’t know. Do you remember?”
“Maybe vaguely,” she replied. “It sounds familiar, but it’s not something I’ve ever thought about. I had no idea—I mean, I’ve had superficial cuts that seemed to heal quickly, but I thought that was normal. And, last night, I thought the punctures in my throat healed because of your power. Was it really me?”
Eric shot her a troubled look and nodded. “Yes. It’s your own regenerative ability. Despite my hopes that you would live a normal life, you’re undergoing a change. It’s just unlike any other and it started at your birth, not last night.” He took a deep breath.
“See, not all humans can be altered. Most vampires secrete an infectious protein into their saliva that attacks the human body when injected directly into the bloodstream. It triggers a cataclysmic immune response and some people are too weak to fight it.
“My case was typical for stronger humans, though it took longer than usual. I fell into a coma and my body fought for my life while my brother’s bite invaded my system, spreading like a disease and altering my physiology to meet my new needs. I could liken it to a caterpillar’s metamorphosis in the cocoon, except that my transformation could have killed me.
“You, on the other hand, are very different, unique in the history of the world. You were born of human parents and vampire blood, which alone is a great feat, since it is toxic and works like a poison to destroy tissue from the inside out. Until two nights ago, I didn’t suspect that you would ever fully change. Then you felt that ache in your teeth for the first time—”
He fell quiet suddenly and shifted to face her. “Did you notice any change in your teeth? And, if you had no idea you would heal, why did you tell me to trust you last night? How did you know what would happen?” He held onto her hand tightly.
She drifted into recollection and answered in a slow voice. “I didn’t notice anything different about my teeth except for a weird pressure. The other night, after dinner, I-I can’t really explain the feeling. I felt like my body and mind were disconnected from each other, and I could sense energy coming from you. Somehow, I felt what you wanted, what you were, when you kept lingering around my throat, but it didn’t scare me.
“My mind didn’t question it because it felt so right and natural. It wasn’t until you left the room that the separation of mind and body faded and I began to wonder about what had happened. I blamed the alcohol until you came out and told me—”
She caught her breath. “I mean, I thought I had gone crazy or jumped into an alternate reality or something. Or maybe I had fallen asleep and wasn’t even awake. But then, when I felt your heartbeat, I knew. I believed you right then, even before I turned on the light.” She cupped his cheek and caressed his skin as she pulled her hand away. He caught it and threaded his fingers through hers.
A loving smile lifted her lips. He heard her heart skip a beat as she briefly lowered her gaze and said, “As soon as Molly left last night, I felt a need to finish what we had begun. It had to happen. I knew... what I wanted... the moment you walked out the door with her. But I wasn’t nervous. I barely even felt in control of myself. Something instinctual took over, like the night before, only stronger.”
Rose color spread along her cheeks as she turned away with a wide smile and closed her eyes. A light sigh fell from her lips. Her pulse jumped.
“I...” she started slowly. “Felt the turmoil in your heart last night. I don’t know how. When you were fighting to hold yourself back, something awakened in me and made me want you to give in. No—I felt... desire. There was no room for logic. I had no idea that I’d heal. It was pure instinct. I expected what happens in the old movies, you know, a simple bite and you change? And that’s what I wanted, with no regret.”
She met his eyes with a surge of confidence. “I am certain that I’ve been on a preordained path my whole life. I’ve never known it more than now, especially since learning that you gave me life. I believe that for some people, everything happens for a reason. The events in my life, my uncle—none of that matters. Fate brought me back to you. Being with you makes me forget everything and focus on the future. I feel like we’ve fulfilled part of our destiny—like we are fated to be together.
“Yesterday I realized that if Uncle David had never taken me away, the relationship you and I share would have evolved very differently. You’d be like my surrogate father—kind of like Master Jon is, and I... and I just can’t imagine that. I’m glad it’s not like that. I... I still feel you... here.” Her pulse jumped again as she caressed her throat.
Unable to resist any longer, he tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply. He covered her hand with his fingers and pressed against the throbbing spot near her jugular. Leaning his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes. “Maybe he’s right,” he muttered with a sigh, not meaning to say the words aloud.
“Who?” she whispered, stroking the back of his neck with gentle fingertips.
“My brother.” Sucking in a big breath, Eric sat up. “I need to back up and start at the beginning—the very beginning—and tell you something that’s not recorded anywhere in human history.”
Chapter Twelve: Of Vampires and Men
I
“ In Genesis, God made the heavens and the earth, the waters and the land, the plants and the animals, and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, who were sent to care for the Garden of Eden. They were given only one limitation. They could not eat fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
“They lived in peace until God’s most powerful angel, Lucifer, came to the woman as a serpent and enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit. God banished Adam and Eve from the garden, and although Lucifer remained in Heaven, he fell from grace and became man’s accuser.
“Lucifer’s growing jealousy and hatred made him plot a rebellion against God and the children of Earth. Modifying God’s design, Lucifer created a creature that only barely resembled a man, and gave him a more devilish and sinister form as a hunter with the heart of a beast, sharp fangs, and heightened senses. He had a lean body designed for strength, stealth, and speed, and coul
d rend a man from his limbs barehanded. This being fed on the blood of humans and began his tour on Earth nearly four thousand years ago. Lucifer named him Lucien.
“Lucifer stepped lightly in Heaven so God wouldn’t know what he had done. Thus, Lucien walked the Earth as a being created with intention, but living without purpose. His instincts drew him to the battlefields as man fought for power and land where he was an efficient killing machine that cut down both sides of war.
“Lucien had the capacity to develop emotions and evolve psychologically, but a thousand years of wandering on his own, without orders and without purpose, left him as a stoic and lonely being. He didn’t care about eradicating humans. He merely saw them as prey and hunted by night to survive.
“Meanwhile, humans continued to sin and reproduce, so Lucifer redrafted his plans. Lucien was very powerful, but his appearance prevented him from mingling among the sheep, so to speak. So, Lucifer melded the best attributes of Lucien with God’s design and mankind’s appearance. He named this second creation Jonathan—ironically meaning ‘Gift of God’—and gave him to Lucien as a companion and subordinate.
“Another thousand years passed. Jonathan knew why he had been created, and relished the killing and destruction. It was Jonathan’s ruthless bloodlust that caught the eye of God and alerted Him to Lucifer’s treason.
“God confronted Lucifer, who accused mankind of being sinners unworthy of His divine love. By then Jesus Christ of Nazareth was preaching God’s word to the land and would later die to pay humanity’s debt for Lucifer’s accusations. But, during His lifetime, Jesus witnessed Lucifer’s second fall, from Heaven to his sphere of influence, the Earth, where he roams until Final Judgment, when God will send the wicked to burn in the Lake of Fire—or, rather, Hell.
The Arrival (Children of the Morning Star Book 1) Page 18