Seraphina stared at the walls of the infirmary for what felt like an eternity.
“Seraphina, Seraphina?” Achilles voice finally broke through her trance.
“Yes?” She looked up at him with glassy eyes.
“Seraphina, we’re having a baby, well babies…We’re having twins!”
Achilles wrapped his arms around her and captured her slack mouth in a gentle kiss.
Silent tears ran down her cheeks, Achilles pulled back and looked at her with worried eyes.
“Are you not happy? I thought you wanted this?” tears filled his own eyes.
Achilles paced the floor of Seraphina’s bedroom, they had decided it would be best to return to the DeBeaux Angelo manor as very few were aware that she had decided to live there.It had been a few days since the assassination attempt by poison and, the attempts on Seraphina’s life had been coming daily since.“In our bed Seraphina! Someone thought they could take your life whilst you slept! They didn’t even want to give you the chance to defend yourself, cowards! They are cowards!” Achilles pulled on his hair in frustration.“Achilles, calm down my love. We weren’t there, it’s a good thing Aurelia had the foresight to move into our quarters at the pala
Helga placed the pinard on Seraphina’s enlarged stomach. After what felt like an eternity, she finally raised her head.
Seraphina shuffled around the nursery putting the final touches in place ready for the arrival of the babies. She bent over to tuck the soft cotton sheet in and winced as a shooting pain emanated through her lower back.
“Ahhhgghhhhhh, get this bastard out of me!” Tears streamed down Lady Briseis face as another contraction took hold of her.Achilles was frozen watching Lady Briseis’ body contort in pain.“You did this to me!” Her black eyes bore into him. “Fucking do something!”Achilles stumbled back out of the room, “HELGA! HELGA! QUICK, COME QUICK!”Helga fell out of the library and rushed over to Achilles, her face paled as she noticed his distress.“What’s wrong? Is it Seraphina?”
Achilles frowned at Isobella and Eloise.“I don’t understand, I know her parents, they are both Vampires.”“Her mother may be a vampire but, I can assure you, her biological father is not.” Eloise fumbled with her hands.“But she has a familiar, I’ve seen her marking,” Achilles shook his head.“That could be genuine or, it could be another glamour but, she is a Dhampir, a powerful and dark Dhampir.” Isobella shivered.A heavy silence hung in the air.
The afternoon sun had just begun to set, lighting up the evening sky in an array of purple, blue and orange light. Seraphina tightened the blanket around Leonardo as a cool breeze drifted through the garden.His head turned to root against her breast, Seraphina chuckled as she unlaced her dress.“Does he ever stop feeding?” Ethena gasped.“No,” Achilles answered, “He’s been like this for the last week, constantly attached to Seraphina’s breast.”“Feeling jealous brother?” Aurelia teased hi
Grief. Bone chilling, stomach turning, blood curdling grief. That’s all Seraphina could feel. She collapsed and let out a wail that sounded demonic. Wait… Seraphina had been here before. She recognised this dream, this vision.Her consciousness fought to the surface as she tried to pull through the haze of sleep.Excruciating pain coursed through her body as she abruptly awoke. It took all of her strength to not pass out again.The stench of blood mixed with something else burned her nostrils.Seraphina opened her mouth to scream but, no sound came out. She out stretched her hand in the bed to feel for Achilles, her panic only rose furth
“Please, Isobella! You’ve got to do something, Bethel, Helga, Aurelia, Rose, Melanie, even my mother has tried to get through to her! She’s been like this for weeks now. She’s completely catatonic, the only time she moves out of bed is to feed Leo and then its just back to staring at the walls.” Achilles ran a frustrated hand through his hair as tears pooled in his eyes.His clothes were dishevelled, he had started to grow a scraggly beard and dark circles sat under his eyes.Isobella sighed as she extended her hand to give Achilles’ a gentle, reassuring squeeze.“Your highness, she is grieving. She is allowed to grieve, there is no right or wrong way, she su