Shadows of Eternity

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I n the morning, Leia spent several minutes admiring her future husband’s physique while he slept. It was becoming a habit, she mused, but she never tired of looking at him. He slept on his back, one arm thrown across his chest, the other at his side. Sometimes she imagined him dancing around a campfire with other warriors in the middle of a Lakota village, or hunting buffalo on the Great Plains, And sometimes she imagined herself lying naked beside him on a pile of buffalo robes in a hide lodge. But none of her daydreams were as wonderful as the real thing.

Smiling, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, then slid out of bed. Grabbing her robe, she headed into the kitchen, only to come to an abrupt halt in the doorway. Dozens of colorful bouquets in sparkling crystal vases were lined up along the counter and on top of the refrigerator. A delicate vase holding a single red rose stood in the middle of the kitchen table. A white envelope and a small, black velvet box stood beside the vase.

With trembling hands, she opened the envelope and withdrew a small card.

Leia,

I hope the ring is to your liking. If not, we can go shopping later and you can pick one you like. I will love you for eternity.

Rohan

Leia took a deep breath before she lifted the lid on the velvet box. Inside, nestled in a bed of dark blue velvet, she found the most beautiful engagement ring she had ever seen.

“It must have cost a fortune,” she murmured as she lifted it out of the box, turning it this way and that, dazzled by the way the diamonds sparkled in the light. Blinking back her tears, she tucked the ring back into the box and closed the lid. It was all she could do not to run into the bedroom and throw herself in Rohan’s arms, but she hated to rouse him so early. If only she could make time move just a little faster!

Not wanting to disturb his rest, she tiptoed into the bedroom, grabbed her underwear, jeans, and a sweater, and dressed in the living room. Scooping up her handbag and her cell phone, she left the apartment.

In the car, she called her favorite hair dresser to see if she had any openings. Luck was with her. Barbara had had a cancellation and could see her in thirty minutes. Next, she called around until she found a place to have her nails done. Anything to make the day go faster, she thought, as she turned on the engine, backed out of her parking space and headed downtown.

Later, with her hair and nails done, she went to a matinee.

It was five o’clock when she returned home. She smiled as she picked up the little black velvet box and again admired the ring Rohan had chosen for her. He had exquisite taste, she mused, and couldn’t wait to tell him so. Box in hand, she was about to head into the bedroom to wake him when he appeared in the kitchen clad in his usual black briefs and nothing more.

“Rohan!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. “I love it!”

He hugged her tight. “Do you?”

“Yes!”

“Then why aren’t you wearing it?”

“I wanted you to slip it on my finger.”

Pleased, he lifted the engagement ring from the box, took her hand in his, and slid the diamond on her finger.

“It fits perfectly,” she said, turning her hand from side to side. “But it must have cost a fortune.”

“It isn’t polite to ask the price. But if you think it’s too much, I’ll take it back.”

Seeing the crestfallen expression on her face, he grinned at her. “I’m kidding, love. It’s yours.”

She kissed him then, thinking she had never been happier, or loved him more. She shivered as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck.

“A taste?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer, just brushed her hair out of the way, sighing with pleasure as he carried her to bed. His bite was sometimes tender, sometimes quick, and sometimes, like now, arousing.

They were in the middle of making love when Rohan’s cell phone rang. He ignored it and it stopped. Then it rang again. Muttering an oath, he snagged it from the bedside table. “What do you want?” He listened a moment, murmured, “I’ll meet you there,” and ended the call.

Leia watched his face, wondering who had been on the phone and why he looked so grim.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as he dropped the phone on the bed.

“Magdalena’s dead.”

Leia blinked at him. It was hard to think clearly when all she wanted was for him to finish what he had started. And then she chided herself for thinking of her own pleasure when a woman was dead. “What happened?”

“A hunter found her.”

“Do you think it was Trent?”

Rohan shrugged. “What difference does it make? She’s just as dead.” He stood and reached for his jeans. It was likely Trent, he mused. As far as he knew, Frumusanu was the only hunter in town.

“Where are you going?”

“That was Josiah on the phone. He wants my help.”

“Now?” she asked, and hated the whine in her voice.

“He’s my sire,” Rohan replied, an edge in his voice. “When he calls, I have to go.”

“What does he want you to do?”

“He didn’t say, but if I had to guess, I’d say he wants me to dispose of what’s left.”

Leia clapped her hand over her mouth. Horrific images flashed across her mind as she recalled the gruesome ways to destroy a vampire.

Rohan pulled on his boots and a shirt, bent down, and kissed her lightly. “I won’t be long,” he promised, and was gone.

Magdalena’s corpse lay face up in a shallow depression in a vacant lot, shielded from view by a six-foot hedge. A thick wooden stake had been driven deep into her heart, anchoring her to the earth. Her body had been partially burned. Dark-red blood stained the dirt around her.

Josiah stood next to the body, his expression implacable. He glanced over his shoulder as Rohan materialized beside him. “Bad way to go,” he remarked tonelessly.

Rohan snorted. “Is there a good way for our kind?”

“I guess not.”

“So, what am I doing here? It doesn’t take two of us to dig a hole.”

“I’m not familiar with this town. Do you know of any place where we can bury her so she won’t be disturbed?”

Rohan stared at his sire, surprised by the barely suppressed emotion in his voice. “I thought you were bored with her. Sounds like you still care.”

Josiah glared at him. “She didn’t deserve to be dumped in a vacant lot like a dead cat.”

“There’s an old cemetery about thirty miles east of here. It hasn’t been used in decades, maybe longer. I don’t think any of the people buried there would mind a little company.”

Josiah wrapped the body in a blanket. Rohan took hold of his shoulder and transported them to the cemetery. From the look of it, no one had been there in years. The headstones were broken, the graves sunken or covered with weeds.

Rohan led the way to the oldest grave. With his preternatural strength it took only moments to uncover the casket which was, surprisingly, still intact. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the lid, and grimaced at the remains.

Almost reverently, Josiah lowered Magdalena’s body into the coffin.

Rohan closed the lid. “Did you know she wanted me to help her kill you?”

Josiah chuckled. “She was a feisty thing.”

“Is that why you destroyed her?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t do it. If I had, the body would never have been found.”

Rohan hadn’t yet refilled the grave. Now, he lifted the lid again, took a deep breath, and swore.

“What is it?” Josiah asked.

“I know who killed her.”

Leia was sitting up in bed when Rohan appeared in the room. She looked at him anxiously, a dozen questions in her eyes.

“We buried her in an old cemetery,” he said, removing his boots and socks, his shirt. “As you suspected, Trent killed her.”

Leia stared at him. She didn’t really know Magdalena yet she felt a wave of pity for the other woman. Josiah and Magdalena had been lovers. She wondered if Josiah would avenge her murder. “Is Trent in danger?”

“Probably. Josiah seemed upset by her death.” Which surprised the hell out of him, Rohan mused. He wouldn’t have credited his sire with any tender emotions. He shook his head as he stepped out of his jeans and slid into bed beside Leia. “There’s no way I’m getting into the middle of any war between Frumusanu and Josiah.”

“Think about Janae. She might get hurt. And what about her kids? They haven’t done anything wrong.”

Rohan cursed softly. Entanglements with humans were always complicated.

“At least warn him that Josiah might be coming after him.”

“Fine. What’s his number?” Rolling out of bed, Rohan pulled his phone from his pants’ pocket and punched in the numbers Leia gave him. The phone rang twice and then Trent picked up. “Who is this?”

“Rohan.”

There was a brief pause. “What the hell do you want?”

“You killed a woman tonight. Her ex-lover found the body. He’s not too happy about it. I’d advise you to take your wife and kids and get out of town for a while.”

“How do you know about him?”

“He’s my sire, and one of the oldest vampires I know. He’s pretty pissed off.”

Another pause, longer this time. “Thanks for the warning,” Trent said, and ended the call.

“It’s been a hell of a night,” Rohan muttered. Placing his phone on the bedside table, he slid back under the covers.

Leia nodded, disappointed that he hadn’t taken her in his arms. But she couldn’t really blame him, not after all that had happened.

“Now,” he said, reaching for her. “Where did we leave off?”