Shadows of Eternity

Chapter Thirty-Two

R ohan left Leia’s apartment and went for a walk shortly after she’d fallen asleep. He had a lot on his mind. His biggest concern was for Trent’s safety, with Josiah a close second, and Leia’s father a distant third.

He supposed he could let Trent and Josiah fight it out. That would be one less hunter to worry about, because if it came to a fight, Trent didn’t stand a chance. Vampires grew stronger as they aged and Josiah had the strength of hundreds of years. Trent might have a slight advantage if he could catch Josiah at rest, but even then, it would be negligible. Even at rest, vampires could sense when they were in danger.

As for Leia’s father … He shook his head. He had to give the man points for being suspicious as hell about him. Not many humans sensed that he was different, but Brian Winchester knew something was off. Rohan wondered briefly if any of Winchester’s kin had been hunters in days gone by. Not that it mattered. If Leia’s father got too nosey or too suspicious, Rohan would simply erase the doubts from his mind.

He had just dined on a lovely young female when Josiah materialized beside him. “I was hoping you’d left town,” Rohan muttered as his sire fell into step beside him.

“You’re never going to forgive me for turning you, are you?” Josiah remarked, seeming surprised.

“Probably not.”

“Has your life as a vampire been so bad? Would you rather have spent the last three hundred years rotting in a grave”

“That’s not the point,” Rohan said curtly.

“What is?”

“I guess mainly I’m angry because it wasn’t a life I’d chose.”

“And if I’d given you a choice, what would you have said?”

Rohan frowned. What would he have said?

In a move too fast for even Rohan to follow, Josiah sank his fangs into Rohan’s throat. Speaking to Rohan’s mind, he said, I’m giving you a choice now, vampire . Life or death?

It’s not the same thing, Rohan retorted.

Yes, it is. What will it be? Life or death?

“ Life,” Rohan said, his voice heavily laced with anger. “As you knew it would be.”

Lifting his head, Josiah licked his lips. “You would have made the same decision if I’d asked you back then.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because you’re a survivor, like me.”

Rohan snorted.

And Josiah laughed. “It’s true, whether you like it or not. So, your friend, Trent, sent his family away,” he said with disdain. “As if I couldn’t find them.”

“Leave them alone,” Rohan snapped. “I don’t care what you do to Frumusanu, but his wife and kids are off limits. She’s Leia’s best friend.”

“Human entanglements are never a good idea,” Josiah remarked with a shrug. “And what I do is none of your business.” Slapping Rohan on the back, he said, “Thanks for the drink,” and vanished from sight.

Rohan stood there for a moment, thinking about what Josiah had said. His sire was right, he thought. Given the choice all those hundreds of years ago, he would have chosen life. And it would have been the right choice, he mused. Had he chosen death, he would never have met Leia. Whistling softly, he willed himself home.

The days flew by. Leia spent most of her time getting ready for the wedding. She ordered a small cake, worrying and wondering how they’d explain why the groom didn’t eat any. She also picked up a bottle of wine and some champagne. She ordered flowers for herself, her bridesmaid, her mother, and the church altar, boutonnieres for her father, Rohan, and Trent.

She went to the theater with Rohan Friday night. She never tired of watching him dance. She noticed the applause was always longer and louder for him. He never said much about performing. She guessed he must enjoy it or he’d quit. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be admired by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people.

On Saturday, she checked in with her friends from school to make sure they were ready. She had called Rosemary earlier and asked her to be her matron of honor, since Janae couldn’t be there.

Sunday morning she got up early and went to church, feeling guilty because she hadn’t gone for such a long time. She almost laughed out loud when the minister announced the topic of his sermon was accepting those among us who were different.

When she got home, Leia called her mom and dad just to say hi. Both seemed a little reserved, leaving her to her wonder what was wrong.

Later, she sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. A hundred channels, she mused, and not a single thing she wanted to watch. She finally settled on an old Western …

The wagon train stopped for the night when the sun started to go down. Leia climbed down from the seat, one hand massaging her sore back. Some of the men went hunting, returning with a deer, which was split between the five families who were heading West to Colorado. She was traveling with a family she didn’t know. For some reason, it seemed perfectly normal.

It was almost dark when the Indians attacked. It happened so fast, she saw everything in quick glimpses—painted warriors armed with bows and arrows or rifles. Confusion reigned. Men fought. Women screamed. Children cried and hid their faces. The scent of gun powder and blood hung heavy in the air. It was over in moments. The men had all been killed, the women and children taken captive.

Leia trembled with fear as one of the warriors lifted her onto his horse and then swung up behind her. His name was Shadow Dancer. She didn’t know how she knew that, or why he seemed familiar. They rode until well after dark, then made camp along a shallow river. Shadow Dancer lifted her from the back of his horse, letting her body slide intimately against his own as he set her on her feet.

Later, after everyone had eaten, he spread a blanket on the ground away from all the others and gestured for her to lay down. Her fear left her when he stretched out beside her and drew her into his arms.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Why do you seem so familiar?”

“We have met before,” he said, lightly stroking her hair. “We will meet again.”

A shiver of excitement danced down her spine as he undressed her, removed his breechclout, and rose over her, a tall, handsome man with ebony hair and midnight eyes. He whispered to her, telling her not to be afraid. She cried his name as she lifted her hips to receive him, sobbed with pleasure as he possessed her …

Leia woke abruptly to find Rohan standing beside the sofa, gazing down at her. “Did you do that?” she asked, sitting up.

“Do what?”

“Put those images in my mind?”

He shook his head as he dropped down beside her. “Your cry woke me. What were you dreaming about?”

“The Old West. I was on a wagon train and you and some other warriors attacked us. You carried me away. You said we’d met before and would meet again. And then you made love to me.”

He grunted softly. “Sorry I missed it.”

“What do you think it means?” she asked, looking troubled.

“It was just a dream, darlin’. I’m not sure it means anything.”

“Do you believe in reincarnation?”

“No.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Do you?”

“I didn’t, but now I’m not so sure. It all seemed so right, so familiar. I felt like I was really there, that I had seen it all before.”

He grinned as her stomach growled. “Why don’t you get something to eat while I shower and get dressed?”

Her gaze ran over him, openly admiring his broad shoulders and long legs. She loved everything about him—his scent, his touch, the sound of his voice, the tenderness she heard when he whispered her name, the way he looked at her, the masterful way he made love to her, branding her his. She was sure there were some women who would find that offensive, but she gloried in his possession. It made her feel loved, cherished, protected.

She slid her fingertips down his arm. “It seems a shame to cover up that gorgeous body.”

His laughter filled the room. “You can take my briefs off later, but right now, you need to get something to eat. And so do I. Meet you back here in an hour.”

With a sigh, Leia shuffled into the kitchen. She hadn’t been to the store recently and her choices for dinner were few. She settled on breakfast for dinner—French toast, bacon, and a glass of milk. She watched the news as she ate, but found her mind wandering to Janae. She wondered if Trent would give her Janae’s phone number, or at least let her call Janae on his phone. She couldn’t help worrying about her friend and the boys. Problem was, she didn’t have Trent’s phone number.

She cleared the table, loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, and put the pans in the sink to soak. As often happened when there was food around, she found herself thinking about Rohan. What would happen if he ate a hamburger or a slice of pizza, or drank a Coke?

“I’d be violently ill,” he said, coming up behind her. “My body can no longer process mortal food.”

She turned in his arms and linked her hands behind his neck. “Have you tried?”

He nodded. “Soon after I was turned.” He recalled the incident all too clearly. He’d been with a lovely young thing in Italy when she offered him a bite of lasagna. Foolishly, he had taken it. Minutes later, he’d fled the restaurant and been violently ill for two days. He’s sworn never again then and there.

“Maybe it would be different now.”

He grunted softly. “Maybe. But it’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“That bad, huh?”

He shuddered with the memory. “You have no idea.”

“What are we going to tell my parents when we cut the cake and you don’t eat any?”

“Just tell them I’m allergic to eggs or whatever else cake is made of.”

“I guess that would work. You weren’t gone very long.”

“I couldn’t wait for you to undress me,” Rohan said with a sly grin. “Have you ever made love on a kitchen table?”

“No. Have you?”

“No. It’ll be a first for both of us.”

Leia glanced at the table, which was round and made of solid oak. “Sounds uncomfortable.”

“You can be on top.”

Laughing, she began to undress him, only to pause when she saw the bite mark on his neck. “It’s not healing,” she remarked, everything else momentarily forgotten. “It’s black and blue around the edges.”

Rohan ran his fingers over the ragged wound Josiah’s bite had left behind. It was about an inch wide and just as deep. During performances, he’d had to cover it with stage make-up. Occasionally, it hurt like hell.

Leia shook her head. “It looks bad.”

“Forget about it,” he growled.

She would have argued, but when he whisked away their clothing, he somehow managed to whisk away her concern as well.

With Rohan on the bottom, she discovered that making love on a table wasn’t bad at all.