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Chapter 40
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Hours later, I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, not having moved from the chair that Rosa had led me to. The chair shifted beside me. I opened my eyes and Rosa was still sitting beside me. I closed my eyes again and leaned back. The tears had stopped, but I was at a loss for what to do next.
“You look like shit,” she said, trying to force a smile.
“Thank you very much,” I said, without opening my eyes. I smiled without humor. “That’s the best compliment I’ve had all day.” Then, I opened my eyes and looked at her. “You don’t look so good yourself.”
She placed a hand gently on mine. “Leila, I’m so sorry.”
I nodded, unable to speak as tears sprang to my eyes again. I took a deep breath as the magnitude of what had happened came to the forefront of my consciousness and the denial fell away. “Where is he?”
Rosa stood and held out
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Touched by a Vampire Chapter 41
On the drive home, my mind drifted to Steven’s parents. Steven’s father, Rodger, was a stern man with kind eyes and he was a bank president. He had been unsure of me, but in our first conversation, I had won him over. Soon, he became like a father to me. But Steven’s mother, Stephanie, was another matter altogether. She always scrutinized: my house wasn’t clean enough, my car wasn’t a Volvo. The fact that I owned a Mercedes was irrelevant. My hair wasn’t neat enough. Looking back, I saw where Steven got his demanding demeanor from.Now, I was about to tell them that their only son was dead. Not only was he dead, he was found with another woman. That part I would happily leave out until I knew what was going on, but I knew that I would never tell them. After all, was it something that a parent needed to know about their son? That he was caught being unfaithful when he died?Somewhere deep inside, I wished that it wasn’t true. Th
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 42
“Are you okay?” Rosa asked, her eyes filled with concern.I nodded, looking into the coffee mug. “Yes, I’m fine,” I replied, and then amended with a slight smile, “As well as can be expected.”Holding her mug, Rosa sat down on the couch beside me.“What was he doing with that woman, Rosa?” I asked as big, ugly tears coursed down my cheeks. “And how am I going to tell his parents about it?”“Shush,” Rosa cooed, gently patting my back. “You don’t have to tell them anything.” She looked into my eyes and forced a smile. “Besides, it could have been purely innocent. Was she his secretary?”“He doesn’t have a secretary.”“A colleague, then?” Rosa amended. “Maybe it wasn’t what it seemed.”“I don’t think so, Rosa,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Did you se
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 43
“Leila …” the forceful voice of a woman yelled into my ear. “Leila, wake up! We have to make the funeral arrangements!”Groggy, I forced my eyelids to open as sunlight streamed in through the window, too bright.“Leila!”“Leave her alone,” a male voice said. “She’s been through a lot.”Yes, that was Rodger, Steven’s father. I was suddenly wide awake as I sat straight up in bed. Suddenly, the events of the night before flooded into my mind. My God! Lance! I quickly looked around, but he was nowhere to be found. “What on Earth are you doing in my bedroom? How did you get here?”“Leila, stop being so dramatic,” Stephanie said, pulling my clean clothes from the closet. Then, she headed toward my underwear drawer. “Our plane just arrived and we rented a car.”“I would have picked you up …”“Now, Leila,
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 44
Rodger, Stephanie, and I decided on sushi, but none of us ate much. Then, we headed back to the house and I was already dreading it, knowing that Stephanie would take over my house. I took a deep breath.“Leila, dear,” Rodger said in a soft voice, bringing me back from my reverie.I looked at him in the rearview mirror and lifted my eyebrows.“Stephanie and I have decided to go to a hotel while we’re here,” he said apologetically. Then, seeing the look in my eyes, he added, “Now, before you say anything, it would be best for us to give each other a little space. Don’t you agree?”I breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, if you’re sure …”“Yes, I am,” he said as he pulled the rental car up in front of the house … the house that belonged to Steven and me. As if reading my mind, he asked, “Will you be okay alone?”“I’ll be fine.”
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 45
“Excuse me,” a feminine voice said from behind me as I scooped a spoonful of casserole.“Yes? May I help you?” I asked, turning to see a pretty, young woman with stunning features standing near. I knew that I would have remembered her if I had ever seen her before.“I’m sorry for your loss,” the young woman said with kind eyes. At least they weren’t filled with pity.“Thank you,” I replied, placing the large metal spoon back into the casserole dish. “How did you know Steven?”She took a deep breath as she hesitated. “The woman he was with was my sister,” she whispered in a rush, and then looked away.I nodded, looking around to see if anyone had heard. Thankfully, everyone was lost in their own conversations. “Maybe we should go some place more private,” I said in a low voice, nodding toward the back patio.She nodded in agreement. I set down the
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 46
I didn’t do a lot over the next week. I cried, thinking of Steven and our life together; sat on the couch and watched television without really seeing it; and thought too much. Sitting on the couch curled up with a pillow began to be the norm for me.I hadn’t seen Lance since that last night when he held me, the night Steven had died. It was probably just as well. It had probably been a weekend affair, after all. I was just grateful that he had been there when I needed him, but thoughts of the erotic weekend that we had shared kept coming back into my mind, feeling like eons ago. Could it have been just a few weeks before?I also wondered about him. How old was he? How long had he been a vampire? Maybe I should become a vampire, too, but I didn’t want to feel this kind of pain for the rest of eternity. Then again, maybe the pain would go away.I pushed the thought aside as I flipped on the television and watched without really seeing it. I was
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 47
She set her plate down next to mine and took my hand. “You know you can tell me anything.”I nodded as a tear slid slowly down my cheek. “Rosa, I don’t know how to say this, but Steven and I had been having problems for a while …”“Well, no wonder, with him cheating on you like that …”“That’s not everything,” I cut her off. I took a deep breath, and then continued, “Rosa, I had an affair with another man the weekend before Steven died.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. Rosa just listened, saying nothing. “Then, Steven found out about it and confronted me right in the middle of having sex.”“He what?!”I nodded. “Yeah, that’s right,” I said. “I went in to work, mainly to give myself time to think everything through. Then, he went away for the weekend and so did I … with Lance. When I came back home, Steven never c
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 48
“Well, there she is!” Rosa greeted me when I walked through the hospital doors, ready for work. She had called me often while I was out, checking on me and making sure that I was okay, letting me cry or laugh when I needed to, in addition to dragging me out of the house this morning. If she hadn’t visited me the day before, I probably wouldn’t have been back at the hospital now.“Morning, Rosa,” I said cheerfully. I was surprised that I didn’t have to fake it. “What do we have going on this morning?”“Leila, are you okay?” Rosa asked, ignoring my question as concern filled her eyes.“Oh, no! Now don’t start that!” I said, reaching for a chart. “Who was it that came to my house last night, bearing Chinese food, telling me to get my ass back to work?” I joked. I looked at the chart and said, “I appreciate your concern, but please don’t treat me like I’
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Touched by a Vampire Chapter 241 and Epilogue
LeilaJase started toward me, but Selestra held up her hand, stopping him. “Wait!”“Selestra,” Lance growled, his eyes flaring a brilliant green. “If you do not release the children now, I will personally tear you to pieces.”“As a show of good faith, I’m giving you back the children,” she replied. “But Raif is crazed with vengeance. I couldn’t take his abuse anymore, and I left him and took your children with me.”“It’s a lie!”“Lance, wait!” I held my hand up, stopping her. “What if she’s telling the truth?” Then I turned to Selestra. “So, give us the children. Once they’re safe, then we’ll talk.”Selestra nodded. “Agreed.” She motioned for Jase and Addie to go to us, and they both rushed toward me and hugged me.“She’s alone,” Addie whispered, keeping her voice so low only I could hear.I nodded once. “Jase, Sirena, go home with Raven. we’ll talk when we get there.”Jase looked between us and said, “Be safe.”Lance pulled them both in for a quick hug, making it look good. But he ki
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 240
Leila“I spoke with Kellen,” Lance said, quickly crossing the room. “He’s called an emergency and is locking down the castle as we speak. He’s also agreed to stay with Sirena and Emma, too.” He let out a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips. “It may be overkill, but I don’t care. Sirena needs all the protection we can give her.”A moment later, there was a knock on the door.Lance held up his hand to me and quickly crossed the room. He looked through the peephole, opened the door, and extended his hand to Emma. “Thanks for this. I’m so sorry we had to phone you on such short notice.”“Not a problem. I’m glad to help.” She walked in dressed in a pair of jeans, a floral shirt, and boots, similar to what I was wearing. I was sure she had come prepared to fight, too.“Thank you so much for this.” I pulled her in for a quick hug. “After Kellen locks down the castle, he’ll come stay with you.”Emma nodded. “That’s fine.” She pointed down the hallway. “Is Sirena in the family room?”I
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 239
Leila“What do you mean ‘they’re missing?’” Lance demanded, taking a step closer.Raven took a deep breath, the most flustered I’d ever seen her. “After dinner, they were dismissed and were in their common rooms. One of the other students said that Jase got a call... from you.” Her head snapped up toward me. “So, he stepped out into the hallway with Addie and never came back in.”“From me?” I asked in disbelief, shaking my head. “It wasn’t me.”“Well, the student said your number popped up on his phone.” Raven shook her head. “I’m so sorry—”“Who was the student?” I asked.Raven let out a deep breath. “Kian Medine. The Medine family is important in the witch community and very trustworthy.”I nodded. “Can you do a locator spell on him like you did last time?”“That’s what I planned to do.” She looked into Lance’s eyes. “I knew you would want to be present.”Lance nodded. “Thank you.” He gritted his teeth. “If Raif and Selestra have them, there will be no place they can hide. I’ll tear
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 238
LeilaI nodded. “I know you will.” I rose to my feet and pulled her in for a hug. “My husband and I will discuss this and will get back to you. Thank you for coming.”“Would you like to meet our daughter before you go?” Lance asked.Emma nodded. “Yes, please.” Her eyes brightened. It was clear that she loved children.I nodded. Whether or not we hired her, what harm could it do to introduce Emma to Sirena? “Right this way.”I walked down the hallway, and Emma walked beside me as Lance followed behind. When we entered the family room, Sirena was playing Chess alone, switching seats at each turn. It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. Then guilt filled my chest for not having anyone her age to occupy her. “Sirena, honey, I’d like you to meet someone.”Sirena looked up and smiled, her game forgotten as she crossed the room purposefully toward Emma and thrust out her hand. “Hello. My name is Sirena. What’s your name?”“My name is Emma.” She tilted her head to the side, smiling. So, you
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 237
LeilaEmma sat on the edge of her seat and smiled, folding her arms on her lap. “My name is Emma Fitzroy.” She had the type of British accent that I could listen to all day.Lance’s head snapped up, a crease between his eyes. “Fitzroy? As in ‘the bastard son of a king?’”“Lance!” I scoffed, unable to believe what he had just said.“Please, pardon me, both of you.” Lance looked over at me and smiled. “The word was more commonly used in our time. Please, forgive me.”I nodded cautiously. “It’s okay.”But Emma smiled, unaffected. “It’s okay. I used to hear it all the time years ago. But not many people know the meaning or connotation today.”Lance nodded. “So, who was your father?”She let out a deep breath. “My father was King Henry I, and I am one of his illegitimate children.”My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, but miraculously, I maintained my composure. “Could you explain that to us? I mean, how did you come to be in our coven?”She nodded. “I was born the twenty-sixth of June, i
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 236
LeilaLance let out a deep breath. “After hearing everything, the Council agreed with my reasoning. They couldn’t believe all the threats Raif had leveled against you and the children, and they agreed that if he defeated me, he would also take over the Council, the vampire world, and the rest of the supernatural creatures. When I told them he wanted to be king, they agreed that we can’t let that happen.”“Well, let’s eat, and then you can take a shower before Emma gets here.” I made a sandwich out of a biscuit, an egg, and a slice of bacon.Lance laughed. “What are you doing?”“I used to do this all the time when I was human.” I picked it up and took a bite. “You should try it! It’s good!”“Can I have some?” Sirena asked, looking at my biscuit sandwich with curiosity.“Sure!” I slid her onto my lap and made her a sandwich with the other biscuit, egg, and bacon. Lance got up and made another one for me and warmed up a bag of blood for her.“Here you go!” I handed her the biscuit sandw
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 235
LeilaLance raised up and kissed my shoulder, smiling as he laced his fingers through my hair. “Why don’t you shower, and I’ll fix the coffee?” He traced lazy circles over my body, raising my nipples to peaks and sending chills over my body. “I would take a shower with you, but Sirena will be up in a few minutes, and her seeing her mommy and daddy naked may cause unnecessary trauma.” He chuckled. “It’ll cost me a fortune in therapy for the rest of her life.”I laughed, running my fingers through his dark brown wavy hair. “We really need to find her a nanny.”He laughed. “Yes, we do.” Then his lips descended upon mine in a passionate kiss as my tongue swiped over his, all heat and desire. He pulled back a moment later and gave me one last sweet kiss. Then he slid out of bed and slipped into his sleeping shorts and a white T-shirt.“Ahh,” I moaned, reaching for him. “Come back to bed.”He chuckled, one corner of his lips curling into a sexy smile. “You don’t know how tempting that is.”
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 234
LanceI nodded. “So, what say you? I will poll each of you. An answer of Yay will be in favor of banning together to fight. An answer of Nay will be against.” I looked around the room. “Xander.”“Yay.”I nodded. “Drake.”“Yay.”“Annette.”“If he would go so far as to threaten you and your family and then take over the Council, then my answer is Yay,” she replied.I nodded. “Felicia.”She let out a deep breath, a crease forming between her eyes. It was clear that she was not making her decision lightly. “Yay.”“So, it’s unanimous. We will stand and fight. I appreciate your support.” I placed my hands on the table as I leaned forward. “I’ll coordinate with you and will let you know when we plan to attack. But as of this moment, we are at war with Raif Cavanaugh, Leader of the East Coven.” I let out a deep breath. “I asked Chef Faustino to prepare a special buffet for you. So, please. Enjoy.” I motioned toward the buffet lined up against the wall, filled with all sorts of delicacies incl
Touched by a Vampire Chapter 233
LanceLeila and I went through several applicants for Sirena’s nanny but didn’t find anyone suitable. The successful applicant needed to be a vampire with fighting skills, capable of protecting Sirena during a crisis. He or she would also have to have good nanny and child nurturing skills. Not an easy combination to find in one person.“So, did you have any luck finding a nanny for Sirena?” A smile spread across Kellen’s face as we headed toward the main conference room for the meeting with the Supernatural Council, consisting of the heads of all the covens and packs in Las Vegas.I scoffed. “No. Not yet. It’s proving to be as difficult as it was to find a nanny and protector for Jase.”Kellen nodded, stopping just outside the door. “I think I may have a solution for you.”“Oh?” My eyebrows shot up.“I know a young woman that reminds me a lot of Addie, but she was a little older when she was turned.”“How old was she?”“Eighteen,” he replied. “I think Addie was sixteen when she was tu
