Serenity kissed her daughter’s hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. She bit back tears, trying not to think of all the things she’d missed out on.
“I missed you too, baby. I’m so sorry I’ve not been here for you.”
“It’s okay, Mommy. I know it wasn’t your fault and Sebastian took real good care of me.”
“My goodness, you got so big!” Serenity untangled Elizabeth’s arms from around her neck and set her down. “Let me look at you.”
Elizabeth stood, her hands held out either of her body, a self-conscious smile on her face. Sebastian had been right—she did look the same as she always had, only taller! Perhaps, Serenity thought, her face was a little slimmer and she’d lost some of her baby fat. Otherwise, she was still the same Elizabeth.
She became aware of another person standing in the background and she forced her attention away from her daughter. A woman in her fifties stood watching them with bright blue eyes. Her hair was as long as Serenity’s, trailing down to her hip.
Bridget.
Serenity pushed all her doubts aside and walked up to Bridget. She put her arms around the older woman and hugged her. “Thank you for looking after my baby.”
Bridget froze for a moment, taken by surprise, and then returned the embrace. “You’re more than welcome. She’s an absolute joy.”
Elizabeth grinned with pride.
Bridget peered around Serenity at Sebastian. “So everything went well, then? No problems?”
Sebastian’s gaze flicked to Serenity and the words passed between them without being spoken out loud; not in front of Elizabeth. Bridget must have picked up on the look, for her eyes darted between them and her lips thinned.
“Are you talking about the man with long hair?” said Elizabeth.
Serenity gave a wry smile. She’d forgotten how hard it was to keep anything from Elizabeth. “Everything is fine, sweetheart. He was just interested in how you know things before other people do.”
“Do I need to go see him?”
“No, Elizabeth,” said Sebastian. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Elizabeth looked between her parents, not seeming entirely convinced. Neither, for that matter, did Bridget.
“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked. “My offer is still open.”
Sebastian shook his head. “You’ve done enough, Bridget. I don’t know where we’d be without you.”
“And you’re sure nothing happened?”
“Demitri was most accommodating to us. He asked a few questions about Elizabeth and her abilities, but we left on good terms.”
Her blue eyes flicked between them, but Sebastian held his tongue. Serenity wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to tell Bridget what happened. She assumed he simply didn’t want to discuss things in front of Elizabeth.
“So what now,” Bridget said. “Do you still need me to come back at daylight? I mean… with Serenity back now, am I still needed?”
“If you’re asking if you’re out of job, Bridget, of course you’re not. Elizabeth loves you and I’m sure Serenity can use the help.”
Serenity smiled, though she was still unsure how she felt about having someone else in her home, so close to her family. But she wasn’t going to push the other woman out and she didn’t want to hurt Elizabeth—especially when the two of them were clearly so close.
“Sure,” she said.
Bridget let out a sigh, her hand on her chest. “Phew, I was worried.”
“You didn’t need to be, but you can go home now and get some rest yourself. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Sebastian guided her to the front door and Serenity watched as he leaned in and kissed Bridget on the cheek.
“I’m so happy you’re all back together again,” said Bridget. “Everything is going to be all right now, isn’t it?”
“I hope so, Bridget.”
Serenity tried to ignore the coil of anxiety winding tight in the pit of her stomach. The big house was well protected against humans trying to gain access, but twice she’d been here when something paranormal had scaled the tall walls and broken in through a door or window—first Madeline and then Jackson. The memory made her shiver. She wanted this all to be over with. She wanted things to be normal—for her to be able to wake in the morning and have breakfast with Elizabeth, take her to school, perhaps sleep some in the day, and spend her evenings wrapped up in Sebastian’s arms.
She didn’t want any more drama.
With Bridget gone, the three of them curled up on the couch together.
Elizabeth chattered non-stop. “I’m going to big school now. And I’ve got loads of friends, haven’t I, Sebastian?”
“More than anyone else I know,” he said with a grin.
Serenity laughed. “You’re hardly the most sociable person I know.”
“I’m good at reading now,” Elizabeth continued, “and I can write lots of words too.”
Serenity kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you too, Mommy. You were really brave.”
“Well I needed to be brave so I could come home to you.”
Elizabeth snuggled up to Serenity’s side, and Serenity leaned into Sebastian. For the first time, Serenity had a real family around her.
“How are James and Amy?” Serenity asked. “What about baby Noah?” She realized something and clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, he won’t be a baby any more, will he?”
Sebastian shook his head. “No. He’s three years old now. And James and Amy are fine. Amy is pregnant with their second child. Her baby is due in a few weeks.”
Serenity’s face broke into a smile. “That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for them. Can I go and visit them?”
“They don’t live in Los Angeles any more. James was offered a transfer to Savannah and he took it. I think it’s a different pace of life, but it’s what they wanted. After everything that happened, Amy just couldn’t stay.”
Serenity lowered her eyes to her hands, twisting her fingers. It was a double blow to hear they’d left. Not only would she miss them, but Elizabeth had been without their nurture for the past two years on top of her own absence.
“I understand,” she said. “They needed to do what was best for them.” Despite knowing that, a part of her still felt hurt. They’d left her. They’d left Elizabeth. All at a time when she’d needed them the most. “I’d still like to talk to them though.”
“We’ll call tomorrow. They’ll love to hear from you.”
“Does Amy know what she’s having?”
“It’s a baby girl. I think since you’ve returned, they may have to re-think their name choice.”
“Really?” her heart lifted at hearing her old friends thought highly enough of her to name their daughter after her. “They’d have named the baby after me?”
He laughed, his Adams’ apple bobbing in his broad throat. “They were thinking about it, but I’m sure they’ll be happy not to need to now.”
Elizabeth stifled a yawn behind her hand and Serenity glanced at the wall mounted clock. It was almost one in the morning—no wonder she was tired. Though she didn’t want to let Elizabeth go, she hadn’t slept all day like Serenity had and she needed her rest.
“Come on, you. Time for bed.”
“Aww, Mom. Can’t I stay up just a little bit longer?” She put her palms together in a prayer position. “Please.”
“It’s the middle of the night. You shouldn’t even be awake. How about I tuck you in and tell you a story or sing you a song.”
Elizabeth yawned again and relented. “Okay.” She scrambled over the top of Serenity and planted a rough kiss on Sebastian’s cheek.
Hand in hand, Elizabeth led Serenity up the wide staircase and up onto the landing. Elizabeth’s bedroom door was shut and Serenity noted the hand-carved, painted wooden plaque of her daughter’s name that had been fixed to the door. She smiled. Knowing some effort had been made to make the house a home eased the pai
n in her heart a little.
Elizabeth pushed open the bedroom door and Serenity laughed out loud. The big room had been transformed into a myriad of pinks and whites—a pink rug lay atop the thick cream carpet, a flowery bedspread covered the bed and more floral designs were in the wall paper. The room looked completely different from the stark and formal place she’d slept in before.
“Do you like my room, Mommy?” asked Elizabeth, racing over to her bed to bounce. “I chose loads of stuff myself.”
“Your room is beautiful.”
Elizabeth beamed and then quickly hid another yawn.
Serenity spotted the yawn. “Come on. You can show me more in the morning.”
Elizabeth didn’t put up any more of a fight. She stripped off her clothes and then pulled a set of pink pajamas from beneath her pillow. Serenity helped her into the nightclothes, marveling at how long and slim her daughter had become. The little pot belly and chubby thighs she’d had at the age of four had vanished.
Serenity pulled the covers up over her daughter’s shoulders and sat on the edge of the bed. Elizabeth reached under her pillow and pulled out her comfort rag—the same one she’d had before.
The sight stirred a conflict of emotions in Serenity. Part of her was pleased Elizabeth still maintained this tiny bit of her babyhood, but, at the same time, the thought Elizabeth hadn’t felt secure enough to get rid of the comforter filled her with sadness. She knew her absence for the past two years had a lot do to with that.
“Will you do the blue blanket?” Elizabeth asked.
Serenity shook her head, confused. “Do what?”
“The blue blanket. It’s a magic blanket Bridget puts over me. She rubs her hands together and says special words and this blue light comes out of her hands. Then she spreads the light all over me—even over my head—and tucks it all in around me.”
“Why does she do that?”
“To stop the bad dreams getting in.”
Serenity smiled. “I don’t know if I’ll do it exactly as Bridget does, but I can try.”
Elizabeth wriggled back down in bed and lay with her hands at her side.
Feeling faintly ridiculous, Serenity rubbed her hands together. “Hubba-mubba… Jubba wubba…”
Elizabeth burst into laughter. “Mommy! That’s not how she does it and I can’t see the light.”
“But it’s an imaginary light. Can’t you close your eyes and imagine the magic blanket?”
“No, Mommy. The light’s real.” She nodded her head in earnest. “It is, honest.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said, crushed. “I don’t know how to make the light.”
In some ways, she guessed Bridget had taken her place. All those bedtimes she’d missed; Elizabeth and Bridget had created their own nighttime routine which now Serenity was unable to mimic. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep without it tonight? Maybe I can ask Bridget how to make the magic blanket in the morning.”
Elizabeth snuggled back under her blanket. She forced a smile and Serenity knew it was only to make her feel better. “Okay, Mommy.”
Feeling as though she’d already let her daughter down, Serenity kissed her forehead. “Love you.”
“Love you too, Mommy.”
Serenity was about to leave the room when Elizabeth said, “I’m really happy you’re home.”
“Me too, baby. Goodnight.”
Serenity left the room backward, pulling the door closed behind her. She turned and collided with Sebastian’s solid chest.
“Hey,” she smacked his shoulder, playfully. “You made me jump.”
“Sorry, just wanted to check how it was going.”
Serenity sniffed, not wanting to cry yet again. “She wanted me to do this pretend thing Bridget does—make a protective, magic blanket or something. I told her it was pretend and she needed to use her imagination, but she insisted Bridget’s blanket was real and that light really does come out of her hands.”
A flicker of an expression crossed Sebastian’s face.
“What?” she asked.
“It’s nothing, just something Bridget said. Don’t worry about it.”
His green eyes smoldered down at her, one corner of his full lips turned upward in a lopsided grin. “She’s gone straight to sleep. We’ve got the house to ourselves.”
Losing herself in Sebastian would temporarily make her forget the pain of missing out on two years of Elizabeth’s life. It would push down the sickening sensation that part of her daughter’s heart had been taken by someone else.
Sensing her need, he reached down, caught hold of her hand and tugged her toward a different bedroom door.
They burst into the room and Serenity flung herself against him. Her mouth sought his and she kissed him with hunger and ferocity. His hands trailed down her back, crushing her body to his. Serenity hooked her legs around his body, winding herself around him like a snake.
Her tongue pushed into his mouth and his lips parted, welcoming her in. Urgently, she tugged at his clothing, opening his shirt and pulling the item from his shoulders. He carried her across the room to the huge, four-poster bed and laid her back on the soft surface, his body pressed hard against hers. Her breasts crushed against him, her nipples hard against the thin material of her tee.
Sebastian lifted himself from her for a moment, looking down at her. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Don’t tell me,” she said, pulling his mouth back down toward hers, her fingers lacing in the soft, dark hair at the back of his neck. “Show me.”
He smiled, a wicked glint to his green eyes. His lips found hers once more and his tongue searched every inch of her mouth, teasing and flicking in a kiss that went beyond sexy.
It felt so good to be back in his strong arms. Emotions welled up inside her, tightening into a painful knot at the base of her throat. But she wasn’t going to allow herself to cry; she’d done enough of that over the years. Right now, she only wanted to drown herself in the sensations coursing through her body. She wanted him so badly.
She sat halfway up and Sebastian tugged her shirt over her head. Her hair fell down her back in soft curls. His cool mouth kissed the delicate and now flawless skin of her throat, pausing above the steady trip of her pulse. He nipped the skin with his lips before continuing down her body. Level with her lace-covered breasts, his mouth covered the hard nub of her nipple. His cool tongue laved moisture, leaving a wet mark on her bra, before moving to the other breast and repeating the action.
Serenity moaned and arched her back, pressing herself into him. His mouth on her hot skin sensitized every nerve ending in her body and the sparks seemed to converge deep at her core. Taking Sebastian’s blood had heightened all of her senses, making every single lick, stroke, and nibble one hundred times more powerful. The blood had also served another purpose; it bound her to Sebastian in a way she’d never experienced before. It was as though the edges of their beings were now enmeshed—she could almost pick up on his emotions, taste her own skin. The sensation was strange, but not unpleasant, and only served to make her feel closer to him than any other person she’d known. Even her relationship with Elizabeth didn’t come near this level of intimacy.
Sebastian reached behind her and unclipped her bra, freeing her breasts. They rose to meet his eager mouth and he feasted upon them once again, this time with no fabric to hinder the way.
Serenity pulled at his clothing, wanting to rid him of the offending items. She wanted his skin naked against hers, to wrap every inch of herself around him and make them one.
Sebastian’s lips trailed down her stomach and she sucked in a breath as his tongue left a cool, wet trail on her midriff. His fingers worked the button of her jeans and he slipped them from her hips and pulled them down over her legs, dropping them on the floor at the foot of the bed.
She smiled up at him. “I hope I’m not going to be the only one naked.”
He stripped off his shirt, exposing the curves and lines of muscle making up his ch
est and abs. His pale skin only served to define the shape of the muscle just beneath the skin and she knew when she touched him he would feel as hard as he looked.
Sebastian kicked off his shoes and shed himself of his pants. She held out a hand toward him and, with his vampire speed, he launched at the bed, catching her in his arms, pulling her with him. She squealed with laughter as she discovered herself now on top of him, though the movement had been little more than a flash.
Her hair tickled his chest as he held her on top. “Are you trying to show off?” she said, smiling.
Before she knew what was happened, he’d flipped her to her back. Now he was on top of her. His eyes had taken on that yellow glow they got when his emotions ran high. He looked intense and dangerous, and a thrill ran through her.
She laced her hands in the back of his hair. “Enough playing around.”
Their lips met once again, a kiss so deep she thought she might drown in it. With only underwear between them, her breasts crushed against his hard chest and the thick ridge of him pressed against her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, her heels digging into the hard muscles of his ass.
He used his speed once again, this time ridding them both of their underwear. And then he filled her. Perfectly. She gasped and held him close as he moved above and inside her. Her palms stroked the length of his strong back, his taut muscles flexing beneath his skin.
Pleasure soared through her, like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Joined to Sebastian both physically and through his blood created an intimacy unlike any other. Even as he moved within her, she experienced every touch, sound, and texture.
They tipped over the edge together, plummeting into the depths of pleasure, the intensity washing over them and carrying them away. Spent, he dropped to his side next to her and gathered her up against him.
“I can hardly believe I’m holding you again,” he said, his face buried against her neck.
She turned her face, her lips brushing his smooth forehead. “It feels like only yesterday you and I were in the bathroom, up against the wall, on the floor…” She tailed off, grinning at the memory.
“I’m so happy you can’t remember what happened with Jackson.”
The Serenity Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 56