Chapter Twenty-One
Vlad dropped his forehead against the door as Nita pulled it closed behind her. He couldn’t allow her to go out alone. Not with the wolves probably out searching for her at this very moment.
Pushing away from the door, Vlad summoned Angelo.
He appeared within seconds. “Sire?”
Informing Angel of the situation with Nita, Vlad plucked his cloak from the closet next to the door and draped it around his shoulders, fastening it at the neck.
“If I do not return,” Vlad rasped, pulling the hood over his head, “see to it that Nita and her mother remain safe behind these walls.”
Vlad slipped outside without waiting for Angel to answer.
Staying a short distance behind to go unnoticed, Vlad followed the car Mordecai drove, down the mountain and into town.
The vehicle stopped in front of the motel, and Nita climbed out, rushing up the stairs to the second floor.
Vlad hung back, watching as she rapped on a door and disappeared inside.
Opening his senses, Vlad explored the surrounding area. Other than humans and some unseen wildlife, no other creatures lurked nearby.
The door opened again, and Nita stepped out with a short gray-haired woman under her arm.
Vlad breathed a sigh of relief as they ambled down the stairs and climbed into the backseat of the vehicle.
Once the car returned to the road, Vlad blurred his way home, praying like hell that he arrived ahead of the sun.
* * * *
Vlad awoke to the sound of Nita’s laughter. It washed over him in a warmth that instantly soothed him.
He dressed in record time and moved silently to the top of the stairs to peer below.
Nita sat on the floor of the foyer, playing with Lucius while her mother stood nearby, holding a ball. Shon sat in a chair with Laura on his lap, and Angel leaned against the wall with his arm around Ember.
Everyone had a smile on their face, including Mordecai, who had just stepped into the room.
Vlad’s heart swelled with emotion as he stood there watching Nita interact with his family. Even her mother seemed happy and relaxed.
Nita suddenly lifted her head, her gaze zeroing in on Vlad. “We were beginning to wonder if you would sleep all night.”
Vlad had needed the sleep after being caught in the dawn’s early light. Though he managed to forego the blisters by making it indoors in time, the rising of the sun had managed to drain him of strength.
“I was starting to wonder that myself.” Vlad glided down the stairs, stopping next to Nita to offer her a hand.
She accepted his palm, smiling as he pulled her to a standing position.
“More,” Lucius cried in a baby’s voice, tugging on Nita’s jeans.
Nita laughed and ruffled the child’s hair. “After dinner. I promise.”
“You will make a wonderful mother someday,” Ember informed Nita while plucking her small child up from the floor.
The insecure look in Nita’s eyes wasn’t lost on Vlad. He would ask her about it when they were alone.
“Dinner is ready,” Mordecai announced, offering Virginia his arm.
The older woman blushed, accepted his assistance, and allowed him to lead her to the dining room.
Everyone sat at the table, drinking wine while the shifters and Lucius ate.
Vlad’s gaze drifted to Nita more than once. He had so many questions to ask her. For instance, why her mother wasn’t kicking and screaming about being in a room full of vampires. And why the mention of children caused Nita anxiety.
“I trust that you have everything you need, Mrs. Franks?” Vlad asked, gaining Nita’s mother’s attention.
“Please call me Virginia.” She moved to stand. “Might I have a word with you?”
Vlad glanced around the table, the corner of his mouth lifting. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that no matter where they went in the house, the others would hear. Their vampire hearing would pick up sounds several hundred feet away.
“Absolutely.” He stood to follow her into the foyer.
Nita stood as well. “Mother?”
“Finish your dinner, my daughter. The Impaler will not harm me.”
Vlad stopped in front of the elder shifter once they reached the foyer. “What is on your mind?”
Virginia wrung her hands, staring at her feet for several heartbeats before meeting his gaze. “I would like to begin by thanking you for saving Nita’s life.”
“There is no need for thanks. I owed her.”
“Yes, well. You have my undying gratitude. She is all that I have left.”
Vlad felt uncomfortable with her praise. “My guess is that you didn’t bring me out here to thank me.”
“You’re very perceptive,” Virginia murmured. “My daughter told me of the vision she had during her time in the mountains. I am aware of what is coming, and I also know that Nita will remain the leader of the Kiana. No matter how much you wish it otherwise.”
Vlad’s jaw tightened, but he kept his voice even. “And how do you know this?”
“Because the spirits have spoken. It is her destiny.”
“Tell me of this vision,” Vlad prompted in a soft tone.
Virginia shook her head. “It is not my place. But I can tell you this: fate put you in her life for a reason. Her destiny cannot be changed…nor can yours.”
“I will not hurt her,” Vlad assured her. And he meant it.
The old woman’s gaze softened. “It is not her that I fear for.”
At any other time, Vlad would have been insulted by her comment. “Do not concern yourself with me. I have been alive for a very long time.”
“As have I,” Virginia quipped. “But things change. I never thought I would be eating dinner with a group of vampires, yet here I am, doing just that.”
She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and continued. “Since the day I drew my first breath, I have been taught of your evil. I learned to fear you, track you, and kill you before I reached puberty. Your kind and mine have fought for centuries, killing one another to the point where we’ve nearly become extinct.”
“Not all vampires are evil,” Vlad pointed out, offering her a chair.
She took a seat and smoothed her brown skirt. “Perhaps you are right. Some of the shifters will be unable to accept the change that is coming, and unfortunately they will pass away to be with the old ones.”
Vlad knelt in front of her and clasped her hands in his. “What change?”
“I do not know,” she answered, her weary eyes sparkling with sadness. “Protect my Nita at all costs, and the spirits will protect you in return. She carries your blood now, and that is something that only death can change.”
“I will never let her die,” Vlad vowed, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. You have my word.”