With the early sun on Sunday morning, Elizabeth was in the kitchen of Henry’s apartment preparing breakfast while he was still fast asleep. She was wearing only Henry’s shirt that he had on yesterday before he discarded it and threw it on the bedroom floor. It was the first thing that she found when she got up, so she put it on, buttoning it up on the way to the stove. Every now and then, she would
“How are you alive?” was the first question Elizabeth asked after she managed to stop sobbing. Her tears were still unstoppable. “What do you mean, how am I alive? Didn’t you get my letter?” Adaline was sobbing too, confused by Elizabeth’s question.
Breakfast at the Johnson mansion was bursting with laughter and happiness. Between the bites, present family members told jokes and embarrassing stories regarding Henry, and he wasn’t seeing them as the rest of them were. “Remember when you were 4 or 5, and you had that thing with cookies... you used to stash them in your room in a box under the bed so you could eat them when mom wouldn’t let you have any? And when she found it one day and half of them were already moldy? Hahaha, I still remember how she whipped you with dad’s belt, and you ran around the house screaming.” Michael couldn’t even finish the sentence from laughing. “Yeah, he hadn’t had any cookies for years after that,” Adaline added, laughing too. Henry wasn’t happy with this memory, nor was he laughing, but seeing how Elizabeth enjoyed hearing all of these... he couldn’t help but smile too since he was the reason for her happiness even if it was like this. Not for a second Elizabeth felt like she was not part of the
And just like that, a month passed. Elizabeth and Henry fell into some kind of routine, complementing each other’s wants and needs. They got to know each other so well that now they could finish each other’s sentences, knew exactly how the other felt at the moment, what he or she would like to eat or drink. They synced their movements unconsciously to adapt them to the person that’s most important in the world for them. They had their differences, of course, differences in opinions and viewpoints, but none of that was a problem because she was everything that he wasn’t, and he was everything that she lacked.
It was Saturday afternoon, around 2 o’clock, when Elizabeth sighed and put the dress that she was holding back on the rack. She was exhausted after four hours of non-stop shopping with Adaline and Anna. They have spent a day wandering around a mall trying things and buying things. Anna picked some stuff for the baby and some pregnancy dresses for herself, while Adaline and Elizabeth enjoyed picking up clothes and shoes for themselves.
Henry was having lunch with his friend, Ethan Peters, a lawyer that handled all of his legal matters. They had known each other for almost a century now, had fought a war together, and spent countless nights in bars and pubs across Europe in some other life when they were younger and appreciated adventures of other kinds. For the past month, life to Henry seemed like a dream. He could feel how much Elizabeth loved him, even though she never said it. He could see it in every move she made, in every word she said, in every kiss she gave him. He had never thought that having his mate beside him could make him this happy, this fulfilled, this complete as he has felt now. Even if the whole world ceased to exist at this very moment and Elizabeth was the only one left by his side, he wouldn’t complain. She would be enough. She is enough. He felt the need to give her everything, to smother her with his love and gifts, and to take her to see the world with him, but he also understood her rel
Henry was sitting on the sofa in his living room with elbows on his knees, hands supporting his head. He was breathing deeply and heavily, trying to focus on Elizabeth, to feel what she was feeling, to try to get any sense of what was surrounding her, but all he could get was darkness. She was probably still unconscious. His father and brother were next to him, John came with Samantha too, Ethan nev
Elizabeth was woken up by a loud banging noise and the sound of aggressive arguing nearby, but she could not determine where exactly it was coming from nor what the voices argued about due to a dull ache in her head. Her brain felt like it was made of jelly, and even the slightest movement caused her pain, so she tried to stay as still as possible. She swallowed the lump stuck in her throat and trie
Sarah was running as fast as she could. She was breathless, scared shitless, and on top of all, she was lost. She didn't know where she was or where she was going. The only thing she knew was she had to get to the river bank. From there, she will be able to orient easily. It was way past midnight, and no, she wasn't lost in the woods. She was lost in the maze of narrow streets of The old town of Rome created. Everything looked the same, and behind every corner, there was another narrow and dark street. She hasn't seen a living person in a while, and every door she passed by was locked. All of the cafés and restaurants she passed by were closed long ago. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! She was being followed, for hours probably, but she noticed it too late for her own good.And now she was running through dark and deserted streets with someone tailing her. Their footsteps were getting too loud and too close, and Sarah knew she wouldn't be able t
"Surprise!" a cheerful shout startled Adaline when she opened the door of her home. Elizabeth stood in front of her holding both kids in her arms. Victoria and William spread their arms in unison, reaching for their grandmother, and she wasted no more time but took them both at the same time from Elizabeth and brought them inside the mansion. Elizabeth followed behind, pulling one suitcase with her. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Adaline asked in between, blowing raspberries on the kids' necks that made them giggle each and every time. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it," Elizabeth answered with a smile and took a suitcase upstairs to a room that was reserved for her and Henry at all times. "Where's Henry?" Adaline questioned once Elizabeth came back downstairs. "He has some business in town, so we decided while he's with Ethan to come to spend some time wi
"Hey, love. What are you reading there?" Henry came in carrying some firewood in his arms.It was the middle of January, and it was cold outside, so Henry made sure to bring in enough wood to feed the fire in the fireplace in front of which Elizabeth spent most of her time. Elizabeth rarely went out these days because the snow was too high. It reached her waist, so she wouldn't stroll too far from the house.Elizabeth raised her gaze to look at Henry. She still had moments when she would wonder what she did to deserve someone like Henry."Just some old history book I borrowed from Richard's library. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about dragons before, you know… and I still can't believe how big that place is! Richard has an impressive collection of books, and most of them are about supernatural topics. One would need a lifetime to go through all of them."Henry put the firewood in the basket next to the fireplace and moved to sit behind Elizabeth. She leaned on him
3 years later “Henry! For God’s sake, get them out of the water right now!” Elizabeth yell
Elizabeth and Henry spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve with the family, all gathered in the manor. They celebrated traditional human holidays because of Anna, Elizabeth, and Sarah since the rest of them were of other species and religion altogether, but either way, sharing gifts and spending time together was a reason enough for all of them to participate. The rest of the time, Henry and Elizabeth s
Days went by turning into weeks, and two months passed like a blink of an eye since the whole ordeal that caused the destruction of the cottage in the mountains. It was early December when the construction crew left the site, and only the interior designer was left there to do some final touch-ups. During these two months, Henry made only two short trips to the site to see for himself how things wer
“She’s beautiful,” Elizabeth spoke in the softest possible voice while she held baby Amanda in her arms, looking at her small, chubby face. The baby was looking right back at her with a curious expression on her little face like she was assessing her. Elizabeth never had experience with babies, but she was sure that they were not supposed to act so maturely when they’re only a couple of days old. “Y
“What are we going to do? Where are we going to live? When are we going to tell everyone? How are we going to tell everyone?” Elizabeth had a thousand questions, and Henry laughed. “Love, we’ll figure it out. We have time,” he said softly, hugging her and planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. Since Henry had no intention of letting Elizabeth cook for him now, they ordered lunch to be delivered, and they stayed in bed cuddling while it arrived. “I was thinking of hiring a construction crew to build a new house on the same spot. I have always loved that place and the peace up there...” “That would be amazing! But I have a request or two...” Elizabeth quickly agreed with a dreamy look on her face, already imagining them living there. “Anything you want, love.” “A fireplace! I always wanted one, and I bet the next winter would be a snowy one up there. Oh, and a guest room... in case we have visitors sometimes. More windows would be nice, and maybe a back garden. And when I think of
“That’s not possible,” Henry said in a low voice, and Elizabeth felt his hands that she was still holding in hers suddenly went cold. They were silent for a while, each in their own thoughts. Elizabeth accepted the possibility of what she just said actually being the truth, and Henry… well, he wasn’t thinking about much right now. He was trying to wrap his head around what he just heard, but he was failing. “I thought so too, but that guy, the third one, he was so sure of it that he planned what to do with the money once the baby is born and he sold it,” bitterness colored her tone. “And Robert wanted to get rid of it first thing after they were supposed to kill you…” she was now speaking very fast. “And they said that I, and I quote here, reek of pregnancy hormones… I didn’t want to believe it at first because I don’t feel any different, but now that I think about it… I did miss two of my last periods, and that had never happened before,” her voice trailed off at the end. Henry stil