Chapter 5

I cannot be late again.

I ran through my house in my bare feet, looking in every nook and cranny to find my black sandals. I needed to have left the house twenty minutes ago to get to the school in time to pick up Rose as soon as school let out. I sighed to myself, knowing she's going to give me that look again for making her wait on me again.

I was making good time today, I even wrapped up my latest chapter a whole hour earlier than usual, which only gave me false security in my ability to leave on time for once, but then my agent called to praise me for the new reviews my books had gotten online today. I didn't want to be rude, so I let her talk longer than I should have, and then now my freaking shoes are playing hide and seek.

I decided I just didn't care anymore at this point, I'm already late and it's not like I'm getting out of the car, so why do I even need my shoes? I grabbed my purse from the kitchen table, slinging it over my shoulder, and then I pulled my keys off of the hook beside the door and rushed down my front steps.

I ran for the driveway, burning my feet on the hot concrete, to get to my car when I saw a silver car pulling up the driveway. I stopped in my tracks, my smile spreading across my face.

The door to the backseat swung open and my beautiful little girl hopped out, her blue back pack hanging off of one of her t-shirt clad shoulders. "Momma!" She called, running to hug me.

"Daddy picked me up from school!" She grinned up at me, her dimples on full display.

I pulled her into a hug. "I see that." I laughed, watching my handsome man get out of the driver's seat and coming towards us with a bouquet of flowers in one hand, and his other hand behind his back.

"Hey, baby." He winked at me, bringing his other hand out from behind his back. "I stole your shoes." He laughed, as he held up my black sandals that I had been looking for.

I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him gently, making Rose giggle. "Can I go watch TV?" She asked sweetly.

We both looked down at her. "Homework first." I told her and she sighed, but then skipped up the stairs to the front door.

"I missed you today." I whispered, and his smile blew me away as usual.

"I missed you."

Logan has been my savior.

When I met him almost three years ago, I had finally come to terms with my life. I was sure that I'd never love anyone again the way that I loved...him. I thought for sure it would just be me and Rose, but then Logan walked into that coffee shop, and he wouldn't take no as an answer. He has such an easy confidence, and as soon as I saw how he accepted Rose and how she clung to him, I knew I'd found someone special.

After six months of dating, we moved in together, and then a year more and we were engaged. "I can't wait to call you my wife." He grinned down at me with his perfect smile. "I don't know how I got so lucky." He said, then slapped me playfully on the butt, making me laugh. "I'm going to go get dinner ready."

As if being gorgeous and so accepting wasn't enough to make him perfect, he is also a fantastic cook and he spoils me every chance he gets. He never ceases to amaze me.

He only asked about Rose's father once, and of course I felt bad lying to him, but the truth would have certainly sent even as good a man as Logan running for the hills. He thinks that Rose's dad died before she was born, and that he came from a wealthy family that sends me money every month.

I've never admitted the truth to anyone, not even my mother before she died last year. The reality of the fact that I was kidnapped, forced to live in a boarding school where I was brainwashed for years, and then somehow ended up falling in love and marrying the king of the vampires and bore his child, was just a little more truth than I think anyone would be capable of accepting.

When I first started things with Logan, it had been hard. I felt like I was being unfaithful, but I also knew that he would have never wanted me to feel that way. He was the one who sent me away after all. Anytime I let my mind wander back to my time there, I have to cut it off. The longer I've been away, the unhealthier I feel like it is to still think about. It never leads to anything positive.

I either end up feeling wrecked and sad, or angry. I've been bothered for years about the fact that I only ever heard that my friends Tessa and Greer had been killed, but never any mention of Lexton, the girl who was in love with my husband. Thinking of her possibly still being there with him while I was forcibly pushed away, even though I know it was for good reason, it still burns me up to think about.

"You coming, babe?" Logan called to me from the front porch and I snapped back to reality.

I laughed off my blank staring and jogged up the stairs to him, holding his big rough hand in mine. "How did writing go today?" He asked as he opened our front door for me, letting me go ahead of him.

I nodded my head. "Good, I finished another chapter."

"That's great." He smiled, pushing his blonde hair over to the side.

I'd gotten into writing not long after I'd returned home from Castrum de Petra. Writing it all down was the only thing that made me feel sane, and somehow other people enjoyed it, and I had gotten published last year. My Monarch Vampires series flew off of the shelves, and before long I was able to buy my own house without using any of the money that Rose's dad sends every month. I put all of that aside for her to have one day.

Logan gave me a quick peck on the lips again, then winked at me with his almond shaped green eyes before he strutted off to the kitchen while I went to help Rose with her homework. We'd worked out a pretty good routine around here for during the week. Logan gets up with Rose in the morning and helps her get ready and takes her to school before he heads to the restaurant, letting me sleep in since I'm usually up pretty late at night since that's when I do my best writing. During my day I clean the house, get laundry or shopping done, and write another chapter or so before time for me to go get Rose from school. When we get home, Logan cooks dinner while Rose and I get school work finished so we can all eat together. Before bed we cuddle up on the couch together and pic out a movie.

"What do you want to watch tonight, Rosebud?" Logan asked later that night when we settled in after dinner.

"Hmm." She sighed as she flipped through the movie channels. "I don't know, why don't you pick tonight?" She smiled, passing him the remote.

Rose warms my heart. She can be a little shy at times, but this little five year old has a heart of gold. I let her lay her head in my lap and I played with her long brown hair until she fell asleep about halfway through the movie. I glanced over at Logan and saw his glassy eyes, making me smile. "Logan?" I asked and he jumped slightly, rubbing his jaw sleepily. I laughed at him, reaching over to mess up his hair. "Why don't you go get in the bed, I'll take her to her room and be in there in a minute."

He grinned, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me and he suddenly seemed much more awake. "I'll just go get changed into something more...comfortable." He said in a cheesy seductive voice and I had to cover my mouth to contain my laughter.

"You go do that then." I smiled, already feeling excitement running through me.

He came over to me, helping me up from the couch and adjusting Rose so that her weight was more evenly distributed, then he leaned down to me, his lips parted and kissed me passionately. "Hurry to bed, beautiful." He whispered in his deep gravelly voice.

I felt little chills run up my spine and I walked double time to Rose's room, flipping on her lights while I tucked her into her twin sized bed and pulled up her ballerina sheets to her shoulders. "Love you, mamma." She mumbled, rolling over to face the wall.

"I love you, baby." I whispered, leaning down to kiss her head.

"Up to the sky and the moon and the sun and the stars."

She grinned lightly and I walked to the wall to flip on her little night light then turned off her overhead light and pulled her door shut.

I stopped outside of her door, stretching my arms up over my head to yawn, then crossed the hall to mine and Logan's room. When I walked in I giggled at him sprawled out across our bed in his boxers and a couple of candles lit on our bedside table. I started to walk towards him slowly, but then there was a knock on the front door, making Logan and I both groan.

"You, don't move." I demanded. "I'll get rid of whoever it is and I'll be right back." I winked at him and he nodded his head, his blonde locks falling in front of his green eyes.

I shuffled down the hall and tied my robe a little tighter before pulling the door open slowly, already a little annoyed at whoever it is showing up unannounced at 9:30.

When the door was open, and I locked eyes on the man on the other side I was frozen.

"Rachel." He said, smiling brightly.

My heart had either stopped, or had left my body completely, and I couldn't formulate a coherent thought. "Oh my god, I...um."

He laughed at me, an edge to the sound. "Yes, well, it's nice to finally see you again too." He smiled.

I looked back down the hall, making sure Logan hadn't come to see who it was, then pushed out onto the porch, closing the door behind me. "Pedro." I said, shaking my head in disbelief that he was here, standing on my front porch. "What the heck are you doing here?" I whispered.

He reached out his hand, putting it on my shoulder gently.

"Rachel, there's something we need to talk about." He said gently.

The way he was talking made me start to hyperventilate. "Tell me he's not..." I couldn't say the word out loud.

"Heavens, no!" He reassured me. "Calvin is fine."

Hearing his name after all of this time was like someone taking a needle and picking out all of the stitches on my broken heart one by one. I try not to even think his name in my head. "What's wrong then?" I demanded. "You wouldn't be showing up here like this after all this time if it wasn't bad." My mind was racing with all of the worst case scenarios.

Pedro sighed, dropping his eyes momentarily and pulling at the pocket of his signature blue suit. "You're right, there is trouble." He nodded, looking back to me. "Rose is in danger, Rachel."

All of my worst case scenarios morphed into one. "What?" I shrieked, wanting to run to her and hold her.

Pedro held both of my shoulders firmly. "Everything is going to be ok, Rachel." He said looking at me hard. "But I need to take her into protection with me, and you need to return to Castrum de Petra immediately."