I don’t remember much of the next twenty-four hours. I slipped in and out of consciousness; which was probably for the best because when I was awake I was writhing in pain from the contractions of my uterus as it tried to free itself from Rufus’ embedded sperm. Anna explained to me that vampire sperm was far more difficult to abort than mortal sperm, but it could be done and not to fear. She also assured me repeatedly that I was stronger than I thought and I’d get through the ordeal and live to enjoy life again. There were moments when her reassurances were the only thing that got me through and gave me the strength to endure.
We spent the few moments I was pain free and lucid enough to converse discussing the books in the alcove of my bed chamber and whether or not they contained a spell to help me return to the future. I questioned how long the work Helen did to shield me from Isabelle’s fate would last, but she had no i
The rich savory aromas of chicken stew wafting under my nose was all it took to roust me out of my slumber. It was at least a day since I’d eaten and my stomach walls were beating and growling for attention. They were so loud I couldn’t blame Anna for the giggle that escaped her as she leaned forward to slip a spoonful of the delicious broth between my parched lips.“What day is it?” I asked after swallowing the hot broth and savoring its delectable flavor.“’Tis the end of your second week, Lady Jane,” she replied. “Ye have been sleeping for most of the days, with little coherence in between.”“Ach,” I moaned as I pulled my body into a sitting position.I was weak. Although they’d given me sponge baths daily, I longed to immerse my entire body into a soothing lavender bath. I felt like tiny creatures took residence in my head and were chopping wood or something on a consi
I have no idea how long I sat staring at the door of the shack before Helen entered. It could have been hours or it could have been only minutes. It really didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.“Come, dear Jane. You must rest,” she cooed as she eased me back down on the cot.I obeyed her willingly. There was no sense in fighting it. Besides, falling back into a blissful abyss was what I longed for anyway.“You told him, then?” she asked.Unable to speak, I nodded my head vigorously.“Splendid, that,” she said with a smile.“He hates me,” I managed to moan as I rolled onto my side.“He loves you, m’ lady. Ne’r have I seen such love in man nor vampire. ‘Tis a rarity,” she mused.“Why do you say such?” I whined. “He left upon the story’s end.”I don’t know why I slipped back into
I have no idea how long I sat staring at the door of the shack before Helen entered. It could have been hours or it could have been only minutes. It really didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.“Come, dear Jane. You must rest,” she cooed as she eased me back down on the cot. I obeyed her willingly. There was no sense in fighting it. Besides, falling back into a blissful abyss was what I longed for anyway.“You told him, then?” she asked.Unable to speak, I nodded my head vigorously.“Splendid, that,” she said with a smile.“He hates me,” I managed to moan as I rolled onto my side.“He loves you, m’ lady. Ne’r have I seen such love in man nor vampire. ‘Tis a rarity,” she mused.“Why do you say such?” I whined. “He left upon the story’s end.”I don’t know why I slipped back into her speech pattern. Perhaps it was out o
I was excused to explore the camp while Rosalie sat with Helen and picked her brain of everything she knew about Margaret. It felt good to wander freely without fear of being abducted by crazy Vivian or now… Lord Rufus. I considered petitioning to be able to stay at the camp permanently once the danger for Duncan was removed. Since Duncan and I were no more and I was stuck in the past, it seemed like a great place to live out my days. I’d be able to interact with Isabelle as if she was flesh and not a semi-transparent apparition and I could continue my studies. It seemed like a plan.I stopped at the center market and chatted with the merchants selling their wares. Many of them came to the camp from nearby farms. Some were alive and traveled back and forth through dimensions, while others were in spirit and this was their home. I lost count of how many times I was warned not to leave the parameter of the encampment where Rosalie&rsqu
Duncan resembled a waxed doll when they laid him on the cot in the back of Rosalie’s enormous tent. I searched for signs of life. His chest showed signs of shallow breaths being taken. Shallow breaths meant he still had life. I’d take that for now.He needed to feed immediately and it had to be human blood. Knowing how he felt about drinking the blood of humans, I asked if there was another way to save him. There wasn’t.This was my fault. If I hadn’t come back into the past, Duncan would be safe in the future, as would Isabelle. My foolish, thoughtless actions caused the death of a dear friend, and possibly the death of the one true love of my life. It didn’t matter that he was no longer in love with me. Through him, I’d experienced a love I never thought possible and I would always remember that.I took a deep breath and looked around. Rosalie had put the word out f
I was blissfully displaying my gorgeous engagement ring to anyone with a pair of eyes willing to admire it when Isabelle finally raised the question of what to do about both Lady Margaret and Lord Rufus.According to vampire law, Lord Rufus was first to impregnate me and therefore was my official husband. Since it was rare for a vampire to find a mortal he or she wanted to mate with, this was a law that was supported and held sacred by every vampire on the planet. Every vampire except Duncan, that is. Duncan stayed away from other vampires as much as possible while integrating with mortals on a daily basis in an attempt to lessen his vampirism. Even so, just because he seldom associated with them, it was still necessary to abide by the laws put forth for vampires; which was why he’d agonized so heavily over what to do about me. My only saving grace was the fact that I’d aborted the child before Rufus learned of his actual success. He only had his
I did my best to hide my nervousness as I walked into the mouth of the cave that felt more like the lion’s den. Elizabeth saw to it that I was dressed from head to toe in Margaret’s wardrobe. Her feet were slightly smaller than mine and the shoes pinched, but Rosalie was adamant that every article of clothing on my body have the vibration of the high priestess only. Vampires could smell and hear so much better than people. They had a sense of simply knowing that astounded the witches. Even with the precautions we were taking, there was still a good possibility one of them might discover the ruse for what it was.Capturing Lady Margaret was a relatively simple task. Duncan’s father simply sent her a request to meet in the family’s private library. Not realizing he was aware of her true nature, she walked right into the trap. Elizabeth confided that she worried what might happen, should Lady Margaret be exonerated by the coven, bu
I was angry.I was angry at Duncan because he hadn’t mated with me vampire style to assure I’d be considered his.I was angry at Rufus because he had mated with me so many times since he’d brought me from the cave to his estate that I’d lost count.I was angry with Elizabeth because she wandered in and out of the room to tend to my needs, yet didn’t believe she could help me escape.I was angry with Rosalie for not being strong enough to battle and win against a dozen vampire witches by remote.I was angry with Isabelle for dying.I was angry with myself for stupidly being the catalyst for all of this by going back in time.In short, I was just angry.On top of that, my entire body ached.I was never as grateful to have Duncan’s vampire blood in me as I was when Rufus bedded me with such fury that I wondered if I’d survive. I’m sure, my body having only re
It was a week since I’d convinced Duncan to speed up my recovery by giving me some of his blood. He’d hesitated for fear of Rosalie’s concern of my turning vampire would occur, but he eventually gave in. I really didn’t need his blood to heal. I was healing well without it, but I didn’t tell him that. When I had Duncan’s blood flowing through my veins all of my senses were heightened and my powers more acute. I needed all the advantage I could get for what I was about to do.I’d managed to connect with Elizabeth’s spirit. She wasn’t as easy to summon as Isabelle’s, but I eventually managed. My heart ached as she told me how Lady Margaret learned of her association with me and arranged to have her killed. She laughed at the irony of how she’d feared losing her life to her vampire brother instead of her human mistress. The danger of being in Rufus’ company was so blatantl
Isabelle stood next to me while we watched Lady Helen enter the tent and then flee back out of it shouting for help. Duncan cradled my limp body in his arms and rocked me back and forth. He was clearly at a loss of what to do.Rosalie rushed into the tent with Lady Helen close at her heels. She inspected my eyes and my breathing and announced I was still alive, but just barely. She rambled in outraged Spanish and Isabelle translated it to me. Apparently she was repremanding my almost dead body for being foolish enough to donate blood when the miscarriage took more than it should to begin with. She claimed I had barely enough blood flowing in my veins to support me after such an ordeal, let alone revive a vampire. I’m pretty sure she called me stupid, although Isabelle woundn’t own up to it if she did.I listened while they debated what to do. I was so close to death that if Duncan revived me with his blood the
I held tight while her dragon carried us swiftly back to her encampment. During the flight, she filled me in on what happened during my absence.Duncan went into a rage, declaring his regrets about allowing us to convince him to let me go into the cave in his stead. This information was of no surprise to me. Even so, I was sorry to hear it.Lady Margaret was brought before the coven and her powers were bound. She was then handed over to the Earl of Winter Spring to do with as he will. The fact that she’d tried to kill his only heir and caused him to become vampire didn’t sit well with the earl. Although it was a crime punishable by death, he sent her to the dungeon instead. A kind man by nature, he couldn’t bring himself to hang the girl he’d accepted as his ward and helped raise.I’d lost track of the time and learned they’d been looking for me for the better part of a month. Rosalie actually complemen
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the grass twenty feet below. I was sure of it. This type of silence was abnormal and concerned me. I’d been locked in my room since Rufus discovered me at the cave, with only the information Elizabeth was able to share with me to tell me what was happening in the outside world. She’d yet to come to my room, so I waited impatiently.She was late.It was near noon before a strange serving woman brought my food to me. Since I was ravenous from not eating since the night before, combined with being pregnant with vampire child, I dove into my fare with very little thought as to why Elizabeth still hadn’t come to my room or why this strange serving woman was bringing me food.I failed to monitor my food intake and was soon feeling ill from gorging myself with a trencher made of fresh, crusty bread that was filled with perfectly seasoned mutton stew. I’d left nothing behi
I was angry.I was angry at Duncan because he hadn’t mated with me vampire style to assure I’d be considered his.I was angry at Rufus because he had mated with me so many times since he’d brought me from the cave to his estate that I’d lost count.I was angry with Elizabeth because she wandered in and out of the room to tend to my needs, yet didn’t believe she could help me escape.I was angry with Rosalie for not being strong enough to battle and win against a dozen vampire witches by remote.I was angry with Isabelle for dying.I was angry with myself for stupidly being the catalyst for all of this by going back in time.In short, I was just angry.On top of that, my entire body ached.I was never as grateful to have Duncan’s vampire blood in me as I was when Rufus bedded me with such fury that I wondered if I’d survive. I’m sure, my body having only re
I did my best to hide my nervousness as I walked into the mouth of the cave that felt more like the lion’s den. Elizabeth saw to it that I was dressed from head to toe in Margaret’s wardrobe. Her feet were slightly smaller than mine and the shoes pinched, but Rosalie was adamant that every article of clothing on my body have the vibration of the high priestess only. Vampires could smell and hear so much better than people. They had a sense of simply knowing that astounded the witches. Even with the precautions we were taking, there was still a good possibility one of them might discover the ruse for what it was.Capturing Lady Margaret was a relatively simple task. Duncan’s father simply sent her a request to meet in the family’s private library. Not realizing he was aware of her true nature, she walked right into the trap. Elizabeth confided that she worried what might happen, should Lady Margaret be exonerated by the coven, bu
I was blissfully displaying my gorgeous engagement ring to anyone with a pair of eyes willing to admire it when Isabelle finally raised the question of what to do about both Lady Margaret and Lord Rufus.According to vampire law, Lord Rufus was first to impregnate me and therefore was my official husband. Since it was rare for a vampire to find a mortal he or she wanted to mate with, this was a law that was supported and held sacred by every vampire on the planet. Every vampire except Duncan, that is. Duncan stayed away from other vampires as much as possible while integrating with mortals on a daily basis in an attempt to lessen his vampirism. Even so, just because he seldom associated with them, it was still necessary to abide by the laws put forth for vampires; which was why he’d agonized so heavily over what to do about me. My only saving grace was the fact that I’d aborted the child before Rufus learned of his actual success. He only had his
Duncan resembled a waxed doll when they laid him on the cot in the back of Rosalie’s enormous tent. I searched for signs of life. His chest showed signs of shallow breaths being taken. Shallow breaths meant he still had life. I’d take that for now.He needed to feed immediately and it had to be human blood. Knowing how he felt about drinking the blood of humans, I asked if there was another way to save him. There wasn’t.This was my fault. If I hadn’t come back into the past, Duncan would be safe in the future, as would Isabelle. My foolish, thoughtless actions caused the death of a dear friend, and possibly the death of the one true love of my life. It didn’t matter that he was no longer in love with me. Through him, I’d experienced a love I never thought possible and I would always remember that.I took a deep breath and looked around. Rosalie had put the word out f
I was excused to explore the camp while Rosalie sat with Helen and picked her brain of everything she knew about Margaret. It felt good to wander freely without fear of being abducted by crazy Vivian or now… Lord Rufus. I considered petitioning to be able to stay at the camp permanently once the danger for Duncan was removed. Since Duncan and I were no more and I was stuck in the past, it seemed like a great place to live out my days. I’d be able to interact with Isabelle as if she was flesh and not a semi-transparent apparition and I could continue my studies. It seemed like a plan.I stopped at the center market and chatted with the merchants selling their wares. Many of them came to the camp from nearby farms. Some were alive and traveled back and forth through dimensions, while others were in spirit and this was their home. I lost count of how many times I was warned not to leave the parameter of the encampment where Rosalie&rsqu