Once within the safety of clan house, Trey offered to escort the girls to their rooms, as he offered them his arm. To Damian’s surprise, one girl turned and blushed at Damian, requesting his arm. He gave it reluctantly and followed Trey up the staircase. Trey glanced back at Damian with a wink, and followed the young girl he had escorted, into her bedroom, where he intended to feed from her.
Damian saw the expectant look on the face of the girl who held his arm and fear thudded through his chest. He led her to an empty chamber, and held the door open as she walked inside. “How beautiful! What a lovely room,” she said, as Damian quickly closed the door behind her. His breath caught as he leaned momentarily against the door … for she looked too much like Amelia as memories came flooding back. Brushing the memories aside, he walked back into the hallway toward his own room. There, he locked himself away for four days and four nights, until the young women had left the clan house. He couldn’t feed from her—from any woman—not on Angela’s day. When he reappeared, he was starving and emaciated but with Trey’s care, he quickly recovered. Trey later reminded him of the danger he had put himself through … and all because a young girl looked like Amelia.
Then Damian remembered that reckless girl who had stolen Angela from his life; that forbidden girl; that wild, uncontrollable girl that he couldn’t hate, and didn’t want to love. But he did love her, and he was going to have to face it.
Valentine’s Day, present day
Damian paced the floor of his office. It was Valentine’s Day … again. He never understood how it came around so quickly each year. Normally, the years went by so fast he barely noticed, but somehow, when February came around, time stopped completely for three days. The day before Valentine’s day, the actual day of love, and the day after, when he thanked his lucky stars that it was all over yet again for one more year, at least. It was the one day of the year that had haunted him like a ghost since he lost Angela, but this year, he decided it would be different.
When Angela was alive, and he was with her, he had at least enjoyed the day of love by sneaking into her house and spending the day with her, whenever he was able. It had been her favorite holiday. At least then he had been able to face the day without dreading it. After her death, it all changed. For centuries, he had hidden away and wallowed in self-pity on every fourteenth of February. Then the impossible happened. He decided to tell Amelia, his difficult and moody charge, that he loved her. He had never wanted to love her, but he hadn’t been able to deny that it was true. It had been his first and last attempt to celebrate Valentine’s Day … until now.
Damian returned to his desk and tried to calm his hectic thoughts. Valentine’s Day wasn’t the end of everything, not anymore. He just had to remember that and learn to appreciate that his life was different now. Now, he had Kaitlin and it was their first chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day together. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself. He had been weak and pathetic to believe the lies Lucius had put into his head … lies that told him that he loved and couldn’t live without Amelia. He had always thought he was strong enough to resist any mental tampering, but Lucius had proven him wrong. He fell for the lies and believed that he loved Amelia for not just weeks or months or years, but for centuries. Now that the lies were gone, he felt light, free and happy … for the first time since losing Angela.
Valentine’s Day would no longer cause his heart to race from fear and regret. It would no longer cause him to break out into a cold sweat and send him running for his chambers and locking the door. No, this year he was going to enjoy himself and treat Kaitlin to the wonders that, being a vampire on Valentine’s Day, could bring to her life. Much to her surprise, he had tucked himself into his office for the first two hours of the evening, trying to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. Now, it was time for the surprise.
“Darling, may I steal you away?” Damian asked with a smile, the moment he found her sitting in the library, chatting with Emily, her new best friend. When she smiled at him, he felt the same strange, warm sensation running through his whole body. He had no idea what it was, but Kaitlin was the only one who could manage it.
“You know fine well you can have me whenever you want,” Kaitlin teased him, reaching out and slipping her hand into his.
Damian left the library, leading Kaitlin through a door in the basement she had never seen before. Since he was now the Master of the three clans, he had already arranged to have Trey hold down the fort while he was gone, telling those needing to know that they would be gone all night, but it didn’t stop him from being excited. He had been perfectly calm until he saw Kaitlin, who was now his wife. Now, he was eager to share everything with her.
“Slow down,” she said, laughing to herself, struggling to keep up as he rushed along the secret underground tunnel. She had no idea where they were going, but she was excited about it.
When they finally emerged from the darkness, Damian simply stood to the side and let her take in the wonders before her. A glittering lake sat directly ahead surrounded by forest trees and, to top it all off, there was a picnic basket, blanket and candles decorating the ground right next to the lake. Soon, the sun would set, the stars would come out and it would be the most romantic night of her life. “This is beautiful,” Kaitlin whispered, unaware she was holding her breath until she let it out. When she turned to look at her husband, he just smiled at her with such a light in his eyes that she almost wondered if it was a dream. She hadn’t seen him so happy since their union. She thought that night, watching him being dubbed an elder, watching them become united in heart, soul and blood, and then watching him take his place as the rightful leader of the three united clans had been special. But this … this was beyond all that. This was private and personal, and just for them.
Kaitlin let Damian lead her to the blanket. She made herself comfortable while he lifted a boulder with such ease that she almost gasped, until she saw that it was fake. Beneath it was a secret hole with two boxes inside. “This is a secret place. In times of war, when we have to run off or if the leader must escape, then supplies are left in this place so that the leader may survive until he can return home.” Damian smiled as he explained, handing her the first box. She was surprised to find that a very ancient looking telescope was inside, lying on a velvet cloth.
“I haven’t actually celebrated Valentine’s day before. There was no such thing back home and when I got here, I didn’t have anyone to celebrate with. Are we going to do some star gazing with that old thing?” she asked softly, laughing as she inspected her first gift, wondering how old it was and if it would still work. It wasn’t until after she spoke that she realized how insulting her words could have been to a gift that, obviously, Damian had kept safe for many years.
But Damian just smiled and laid out a veritable feast of delights that included human food that Kaitlin had once loved, and plenty of blood for them to enjoy together. “Yes we are. That old thing happens to be one of the first telescopes ever made. It’s a refracting telescope that was used in the Netherlands in 1608, so be gentle,” he teased her gently, well aware of how much she loved the history of his world. She never had enough time to look into all the things she wanted to know about. Her world—a magical Island—had never had the same progress or technology and he was her soul mate, her husband, he didn’t want her to feel left out. If someone was going to teach her about the history of his world, he wanted to be the one to do it. “I love it,” Kaitlin blushed.
On her request, he sat and told her about the telescope, its invention and how it worked, while they waited for the stars to come out. They talked about everything; his previous hatred of Valentine’s Day and how she had never known it existed. Then, he presented her with the second gift, a set of books on magic that Kaitlin delved into right away. The books were old and well read, but very special. The elders told him of them recently, and as Kaitlin had her own magical gifts, he knew that reading of ancient magic that the vampire elders had discovered centuries
ago would be something of a joy for his queen. Then, Kaitlin did something that surprised him.
“Well … I have a gift for you, too. Since this is my first Valentine’s Day, I’ve been worrying over what to get you for a gift, but as it turns out, I waited so long that nature kind of took over,” she explained with a nervous smile. She wasn’t sure how to say it, so she went silent for a moment, thinking it over. She took so long, chewing her lip so nervously that Damian began to worry that something was wrong.
“Kaitlin … if there’s something wrong … if something has happened, you must tell me,” he begged, desperate to know what was going on. He took her hand into his and held it tenderly. He was so afraid that he had missed something, done something wrong or had neglected her and that she was upset with him.
“We’re pregnant.”
For a moment, Damian was speechless. He stared at her as if she was an alien he couldn’t believe was real. And, truly, he wasn’t sure he could believe it. Then it sank in and he was so pleased, so happy that he caught her up in his arms and kissed her passionately, before realizing what he was doing. “Okay, we have to be really careful. You have no idea how incredible this is! Elders … masters … they are the only people in our world who have ever been allowed to be united. That gift we were given … without that, we couldn’t have children. Not in our world,” he grinned, handling her very gently. He lifted a spare blanket he brought along and wrapped it around her shoulders, and then removed all the human food and put it back into the basket, insisting that it wasn’t good for her or their baby. Kaitlin was so amused that she just laughed and held his hand tightly, until he was able to calm down.
“I’m not sure I understand. Please talk a little slower,” she asked softly, intrigued to hear what he was saying.
“Our people need a blood bond and a sanctioned union before they can bear children. We were given that gift because we were chosen to rule, but others are not granted it. If Trey had not united with an elder’s daughter, he would not have been allowed a union at all. They would be together, but would not have been given the blood bond and union. They would never have been able to have children. But because they … and we … were given that chance, we can. I can’t believe we did this,” he said excitedly, but for the sake of her understanding, he calmed down enough to explain the stupid rules of the clan. The elders had thought they were controlling the population and controlling who was worthy of children and who wasn’t, but he could never agree with it.
“Then, as the new leaders, we can change that law, can’t we? We can let anyone and everyone be united if they wish. Then they can have that blood bond and children if they wish to,” Kaitlin said with a smile, adamant that while they were in charge, there would be no more barbaric, ridiculous rules or laws. And Damian agreed that it sounded perfect. After all, they ruled the united clans; therefore, they could decide what they wanted. And if it made Kaitlin happy, then he would do it.
“I love you … more than I could possibly say. And we are going to have a wonderful family,” he promised gently, leaning in to kiss her in thanks for being so beautiful and smart. He had never known anyone like her. He needed to remember and thank Trey for his loyalty over the years, for without him, he would never have gotten over Amelia or Angela and then, he might not have had the sense and the room in his heart … to love Kaitlin.
FAT CHANCE MY LOVE
By: J.S. Wilsoncroft
The characters in this story are based on the book
Fat Chances
By: J.S. Wilsoncroft
The smell of bacon made my mouth water as I quickly walked down the stairs, nearly tripping over my own two feet. I love our family Sunday breakfasts, especially now that Cory became a part of it. I still couldn’t get past the idea that we have been dating for over a year now. Sometimes when I’m lying in bed with him, I would secretly pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. One time I think he caught me when I heard him chuckle to himself.
Just as I stepped on the bottom stair, the doorbell rang and my heart beat wildly against my chest. I quickly wiped the bacon induced drool from my lip with my sleeve, opened the door and sighed heavily. Just seeing his gorgeous face and perfect body took my breath away.
“Good morning, sweetness. How’s my favorite girl doing today?” Cory smiled wide, stepping over the threshold. Following closely beside him was “our” little cocker spaniel, Annie.
“Good morning to my favorite guy and … girl,” I said cheerfully. I leaned down to pick up Annie and held her tight against my chest, as her little, black stub wagged vigorously. Annie was our ‘baby’ and between Cory and I and her ‘grandparents’, she was the most spoiled dog in town. I think she knew it, too.
“Annie’s been pacing the living room since seven o’clock this morning. I think she knows it’s Sunday.” Cory laughed as he took off his leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack.
“Of course she knows its Sunday. It’s when she gets to eat her Pappy’s pancakes,” I laughed along with him.
“Where’s my grand doggy?” my mom asked as she walked into the hallway. I could feel Annie’s stub thumping against my armpit as Mom walked over and petted her.
“Good morning, Kathy,” Cory smiled. Mom looked up and winked at him.
“So glad you could join us today,” I sighed happily. Everyone that I loved deeply was now under one roof; life is grand.
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss the Powers’ family breakfast for the world,” Cory said. Mom laughed and patted him on the shoulder, then walked into the living room where my brother, Wayne, was slumped onto the couch watching the sports channel.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
“Move it! Moo-ve it!” Molly barked as she ran down the steps. I nearly fell over the pile of shoes lying on the floor as she pushed me out of the way. Luckily, Cory grabbed me and kept me from falling on my ass. I glared at her, but she paid no attention as she quickly opened the door.
Molly let out a high pitched squeal when she saw her new boyfriend standing on the porch.
“Blake must be here,” Dad chuckled, walking in from the kitchen. He was wearing his Sunday apron that we all got him for Christmas. It was pink and had a picture of a pig printed on the front along with the words, ‘Making Bacon’.
“Good morning, everyone,” Blake said as Molly peeled off his coat. Dad patted both of the guys on their shoulders and welcomed them. Having Dad’s approval of Cory meant everything to me, especially since I was a Daddy’s girl. Molly was too, but Dad and I always had a special bond. Molly was more a Momma’s girl. While Wayne ... well Wayne was just Wayne ... your average typical teenager who cared about nothing except sports, mainly basketball. He paid no more attention to us than the man on the moon, but Mom continued to baby him. I didn’t blame her. He’s a cute kid with a button nose and blue eyes; however, his rat’s nest of hair left something to be desired. He never combed it and every time Mom offered to cut it, he ran in the other direction. We still never figured out where he inherited the afro. Mom always teased Dad, telling him that Wayne belonged to the electric meter man, whom ironically had curly hair. Dad didn’t particularly care for the joke.
“Come on, everyone, breakfast is ready,” Mom announced as she pushed Wayne into the dining room. The room smelled heavenly of bacon, pancakes, sausage, eggs and toast. I looked down at the table and noticed a helping of my favorite chocolate pancakes loaded with melted butter. I looked up and gave Dad a peculiar look as he laughed. He knew I had been struggling to lose weight, especially since I hooked up with Cory. Cory kept insisting that he didn’t care about my weight and that he loved me no matter what. It took me a while, but I finally believed him. However, I still felt self-conscious about myself, especially when we went out together in public. I felt everyone’s eyes on us. We were like the odd couple—like Arnold Schwarzenegger dating Rosanne Barr.
I lost thirty pounds since Cory and I started dating and felt good about it, but I needed to lose at least anothe
r fifty to be considered just ‘overweight’ and not obese. Seeing this pile of chocolate pancakes in front of me was definitely not helping my diet.
“Here, babe,” Cory said, pulling out a chair for me to sit. I gently set Annie down on the floor beside me, then took my seat. Annie immediately lifted her nose into the air and began sniffing. I think she liked what she was smelling. Cory noticed and laughed.
“Don’t worry. I have a special little plate for my grand doggy,” Mom said as she came around, picked up Annie and carried her into the kitchen where her special purple bowl set on the floor next to the refrigerator. It was filled with dog food, scrambled eggs and little bits of sausage. Mom knew not to give her too much. With Cory being a fitness buff, he always made sure that Annie ate sensibly, too, but our Sunday breakfast was an exception.
We all took our seats and began filling our plates. I was hesitant to grab a stack of the chocolate pancakes, but I could feel Dad’s eyes watching me and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Out of my peripheral vision I saw a smile form on his lips when I grabbed two chocolate pancakes and slapped them on my plate. We all ate in silence, which was a rarity since Molly usually did most of the talking. She always talked about the current boy she was dating. Blake was the new man of the week and, surprisingly, the first one of her boyfriends to ever come over for our family breakfast. But this didn’t mean that he was special. He’s obviously either stupid or too smitten with her to say no.
Ever since Cory and I started officially dating, Molly started dating every guy that looked her way. She changed her relationship status on Facebook more often than some people change their underwear. It was sickening.
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