None of these ancient ones looked a day past twenty-five years old and every single one could make the front of GQ or Vogue magazine. And all of them stared at her. She wanted to squirm around like her baby son under their intense gaze but that was considered impolite. Plus, it would display her fear. Something she should never show.
“You are the first vampire to have been converted in over a hundred years. We expected you to lose your mind or die already. Then we found out your father is Imants Tautmilis, from House of Amber. Unbelievable. A half-blood hidden away from us for several decades. You and your son survived conversion because of your father, Sarma. Never doubt that.”
Sarma wiggled her toes in the bottom of her boots. She couldn’t imagine where he was going with this, and she had to let off her nervous steam somehow. They couldn’t see her feet moving. Part of her wanted him to get to the point, but she knew better than to say a word.
He grasped the carved wooden chair arms. “You know that as a species, we have struggled to survive. As it is, our existence hangs in a delicate balance and soon we still may go extinct. But I see in you a potential that never occurred to us before.”
Reinis glanced at her. His eyes widened, and he cleared his throat. What did they see in her?
The rest of the elders sat stone still, waiting for him to finish, though they seemed to know where he was aiming.
“If you survived conversion, then all of the half-bloods that have been born could possibly be changed over. We need more pure bloods to enliven our kind, to raise our numbers. I am going to ask the half-bloods if they would like to convert. Are you aware that some half-bloods never develop abilities? Their human genes somehow wipe out the vampire ones thus making our chances at survival even slimmer. Yet somehow, here you are. And Auseklis is here. In almost perfect condition.”
She linked her hands together and pulsed her toes again. Nothing he said had occurred to her before. Sad painful thoughts and emotions had dominated her since the conversion. None of the benefits had surfaced from her inner turmoil.
“That’s why we brought you here. To congratulate you for bringing a new insight to our kind. Without you, we never would have realized that we could try to convert half-bloods to have more pure bloods among us. There would be risks, but those who would volunteer could lift us.”
Down the line of elders, a few of their lips tugged up into a smile at her. After all the hell they’d put her through, she couldn’t believe her ears. How could this be? Several months ago, they argued over allowing her into the coven or not, even after she’d been converted to a vampire. Disgust and relief stirred in her emotions. In one way, she’d have a safer position in their coven, but at the same time, they now congratulated her?
Aivars stood. “But there’s one more thing.”
Power radiated from his aura and he pierced her with a sharp glare. He clenched one hand in a fist. Sarma took a step back and Reinis gripped Auseklis. The smiles dropped off the other elders’ faces.
“You must feed Auseklis blood. He was born for the good of all vampires and you can’t play around with his health. We know he was weakened by the conversion, but his future lies in your hands.” He hit his palm with the fist. “If you do not feed him, we will be forced to strap you down, remove your blood, and give it to him ourselves. We prefer not to do that. But consider yourself warned. You have three days to make a turn around. Are we clear?”
Sarma nodded and gripped her fingers.
He sat down. “We will follow through. Understood? I give you permission to speak.”
She bowed her head again. “Yes, sir. I understand. I will feed Auseklis as you have asked.”
The horrifying memory of Velta biting her neck slammed her. Pain rocked her body like it was happening all over again, shooting down her neck through her limbs. Disgust for herself rose in her throat in a bitter bile. They’d strap her down if she didn’t agree. She’d survived the conversion but faced losing herself to save her son.
Chapter 19
“I just need a night off, Reinis. To get myself together. Please. I’ll be back in a few hours. Time off will help me relax to be able to help Auseklis.” Sarma tried to convince Reinis to let her go to Liepāja.
“Now is not the time. We need to focus on our son. You heard Aivars. You have two days left before they strap you down. This isn’t a game.”
She grasped the side of her head. “Don’t you think I know that? I’m not stupid, Reinis, just hurting. I need a few hours by myself. To get a cup of coffee and unwind. What’s wrong with that? My son is always my priority.”
Behind them, stirring a new tea for Sarma, Laima shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Let her go, Reinis. Auseklis will be fine. The city is only a half an hour away.”
He craned his head toward his mother. “She’s never gone that far alone and we need to prepare to help our baby.”
Laima faced them and put her hands on her hips. “A few hours won’t make a difference except to help your heartmate. She’s an adult and can take care of herself. Don’t worry about the baby. We’ll take care of him.”
Sarma adjusted her purse on her shoulder and eyed her phone. Almost seven o’clock. “I traveled all the way to Latvia by myself. Don’t you think I can handle a short drive? It’s not even snowing yet.”
Reinis sighed and cracked his neck. “Fine. You’re right. You’re an adult. But you haven’t been doing well. I’m worried about you. That’s all.”
She kissed him and Auseklis, then grabbed the car keys. Not a good idea to test her flying skills yet. She needed more practice. “See you in a little bit.”
On her way out, Imants approached the house. “Going out?”
She opened the car door and paused for a moment. Funny, she’d never given him a hug since they’d met. But she wasn’t ready for that. “For a bit. I’ll see you in a little while.”
Imants waved to her as she started the car and then he went into the house. That male had saved her life. And Auseklis’ life. And the fact that Gunita rejected him didn’t rest on his shoulders. She was about to fix that. Her parents would never get back together, but at least she could have both of them in her life.
She gunned it toward Liepāja, driving the familiar route lined with fields and patches of forest. She never tired of the bucolic, Latvian countryside. The beauty of the open farmland with stork nests planted on top of chimneys and evergreen trees always took her breath away. When the snow descended in December, they would light up winter solstice night with candles and songs.
Liepāja’s stone houses and church spires appeared on the horizon, and she took the streets toward the café, then parked nearby. Her new favorite spot since it opened, she adored the quaint glass door framed by vines. Within minutes, she stood within the cozy space with sparkling displays for desserts and bread, a crystal chandelier, and close-together tables. She ordered her favorite—a mocha with whipped crème.
The creepy-crawly sensation of someone’s eyes tingled her backside. She picked up her mug and pivoted. Her mother sat in the corner of the room, hunched over a cup of coffee and a plate of typical open-faced sandwiches. Two eyes peered over the edge of the mug, pegged on Sarma.
A chill ran over her skin and down her spine. For a moment, no warmth shone in Gunita’s expression. Then in the next second, a wide, cheery, smile, spread across her cheeks. Seemed like Sarma caught her reflecting on something bad. While staring at her. Ugh. Maybe coming was a mistake. Well, she already arrived so might as well make the best of it.
Gunita put the cup down. “You didn’t bring your son?”
First words out of her mother’s mouth. What a greeting. Careful not to share any names or any more information than necessary, she said, “He stayed home with his dad. He’s so small still and it’s cold.”
Gunita scrunched up her nose. “How quaint. Daddy’s taking care of him.”
Sarma slouched her shoulders and let the bag hit the table. “Really? Is that how you’re going to start off? I thought
you wanted to get to know me again.”
“You’re right. Please sit. Let’s start over. You look so beautiful. So refined.” Gunita searched her face. A wisp of admiration passed through her expression but faded quickly.
She pulled out a chair and took a seat with her coffee warming her hands. “How’s the trip so far?”
“Old Town Riga is lovely. Liepāja has so many new places to visit as well. I just…can’t stop thinking about things. Things that meant so much to me and that were ruined.”
She averted her eyes and for a moment didn’t speak. Sarma sensed that old pain pass over her face like a shadow. Her mother never got a break.
Sarma was tempted to reach across the table and take her hand, but Gunita wasn’t affectionate. Making her uncomfortable was the last thing she wanted to do. Her mother looked up at the window then back at Sarma.
“Mom, I know I’m a disappointment to you. In every sense of the word. I did everything you didn’t want me to do and failed at the things I did do. I came here to stay forever and I know you hate that. You don’t want to admit it, but you despise who I am. I can’t change a thing. Only try to make the life I have the best I can.”
Gunita twisted the mug around the table and peered down at it. Then she glanced up at the window. Again. “You’re right. I’ll never accept that part of you, and I’ll never visit you in your home. That would…scare me too much. But I’m old. I want to meet my grandson. Maybe I could come back in the summer when he’s a bit bigger?”
“Sounds like a plan. But before you leave Latvia, I really want to know a few things. Please, Mom. You’re the only one who can tell me the truth.”
She winced and smoothed her fingers across the table then gripped the edge. “If you want to talk, we should go for a walk. I don’t want…people to hear.”
They gathered their things and headed for the door. Gunita abandoned her half-eaten sandwiches and Sarma her coffee. Oh well. This was too important. Outside, a blast of November air swooped through their hair. The cold no longer affected her, but she glanced at her mom and wished she had another jacket to share. Poor thing shivered in the wind.
“Let’s head to the beach. I love the park over there and it’s not that far,” Gunita suggested and stepped down Peldu Street toward the ocean.
“Are you sure? You’re freezing.”
“I have an extra shawl. Besides, I miss the Liepāja coast.” She grabbed a thick, wool cloak out of her shoulder bag and pulled it on.
Heavy, iron-colored clouds covered any stars that glowed above. Gunita scanned the street over and over with each step they took down the sidewalk. Why did she keep looking around? She’d done that in the café as well. Was she waiting for someone?
“Why did you stop seeing my father? He imprinted you. You must have loved him the same I love Reinis, so why did you stop seeing him?”
Gunita adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “You sure get right to the point. What do you know about imprints? And who’s Reinis?”
“He’s my husband. But we can talk about that later. I’m afraid if I tell you, you’ll leave and never come back. Promise me you’ll at least hear me out. I know what I am now. I don’t accept it still, but I want you in my life. My son needs his grandmother.”
Gunita slapped her hand against her forehead. “Married to a vampire. With a vampire child.”
“I met Imants. He told me about how you met, the circumstances. Is he who he says he is? Why did you stop seeing him if you loved him?” Sarma exhaled. She’d torpedoed her mom but there was no other way.
“Great. Just great. You have no idea the hell you’ve entered. You told me the details over the computer. Part of me didn’t want to believe it. Seeing you in person, you have that supernatural beauty and glow of one of them.” Gunita almost choked on her last words. She froze for a moment like she didn’t want to continue then glanced down the dark street lit up with yellowy circles from the street lamps.
A cold prickle jagged across Sarma’s skin, and not because of the outdoor temperature. Third time she’d checked the area. She suspected something was going on, but what? First off, her mother had never been this forthcoming about anything in her entire life. Why now? Second, she kept searching their surroundings. Yet, even with her rattled nerves, she couldn’t stop walking forward. She needed to know all of this. No one else had these answers. Besides, what could her mom do? Like she said, she was alone, here to help Sarma finally understand.
Gunita continued on down the street while she rubbed her thumb against the strap. Her mouth tightened until the wrinkles around her lips became deep creases. “He is who he says he is. Why did I leave him? Because he already had a wife and children that he did not tell me about. Because his crazy vampire laws prohibited us being together. Because I was a big ugly secret to him, and the best reason? Because he’s a nasty monster of a beast.”
Sarma exhaled again, her mouth dry, her throat tight. She couldn’t blame her mother’s anger. Her mother’s eyes reflected the pain Sarma always sensed hovered inside her, but now it proved evident in her lined expression. “I was converted this year. But, Mom, because of all of that you stopped seeing him and lied to me saying he committed suicide?”
Gunita’s lower lip trembled and her step faltered. She caught herself. “It was the only way to get him out of our life. I did that. And I would do it again in a second. But I see I’ve failed. Completely failed. My nightmare has become reality. Everything I tried to protect you from, you have become. The imprint faded on its own when my love for Imants turned to hate, but I recognized it in you. I simply didn’t want to admit it.”
Sarma paused. They were down the street from the park and she contemplated turning back. Large flakes floated around her mother’s tight face. She hadn’t thought about looking at the weather. As a vampire, that was something she no longer worried too much about. “But you didn’t fail. I’m so happy. Even if I don’t exactly like who I’ve become, I still love Reinis with all my heart, and we have a beautiful son.”
Gunita marched on and headed into the landscaped park that bordered the beach. “Nothing you can say will ever convince me differently. Nothing. The only reason I came down here is to explain things. I’m getting on in my years, and I don’t want to end up alone.”
She followed her mother into the stark, empty grounds. Bare, pale Birch trees swayed in growing gusts, and the snow came down harder. She hadn’t been in this part of the world long enough to know how quickly storms brewed. She started to worry.
They wound through the area on concrete paths, passing by moss-stained fountains and play equipment until they reached the sand. A distinct eerie sense that someone watched hit her, but when she glanced around, she saw no one.
Still, the memories of House of the White Swan stalking her the first time she came to Latvia flooded her. Doubt crept inside her, but she had one last question. Her memories.
“Imants told me many things about my childhood, things I cannot for the life of me remember. How is that?”
Gunita caught her breathe and stammered, “I took you to a hypnotist and paid him my life savings to erase every memory of your father. I didn’t have to tell him the awful truth about that species. I only described a few simple things and he manipulated your mind. I told him he abused you and I needed to help you out.”
Erased her memories? Sarma gasped as if someone socked her in the stomach and the back of her neck suddenly prickled with cold. This situation worsened by the moment. “You wiped my mind? How could you do that to me? To your daughter?”
Up ahead, the shore opened before them with dark, furious waves crashing onto the sand in front of the monument to the mariners lost at sea. The statue was of a woman shielding her eyes from the sun with one arm, her shawl billowing behind her in a frozen form. Whether she gazed toward the water with worry or protection, Sarma didn’t know. The stone form disappeared as the wind howled and the drift thickened until Sarma could barely see her mother.
They s
hould’ve turned back earlier. No lights shone around them. A wall of white and darkness surrounded them as the storm closed in. They had made a huge mistake coming here.
“Turn back! It’s a blizzard. We need to get out of here!” Sarma shrieked at Gunita, reaching for her. She spun around searching the area, but even with her vampire vision, everything closed in as a white blur.
“Sarma? Sarma? I can’t see you. Where are you?” Gunita cried out but Sarma couldn’t see her anywhere.
Panic ripped through Sarma. Her pulse slammed in her chest so hard it hurt. Cold sweat broke out over her forehead. Her hands shook. She took a deep breath. Tried to steady herself. One step forward. She could do this. She could find Gunita. Footsteps thumped across the sand. She lost her footing on slippery ice and crashed down. Her palms scraped on the frozen, rocky, ground. Where was her mother? Who was running on the beach at this time of night?
“Sarma. Help me. I can’t see a thing.” Gunita’s voice pleaded.
She squinted into the storm and made out a bulky outline. She’d get her home. With her palms planted firmly on the earth, she tried to stand but a foot walloped her ribs, knocking her face forward. Sharp pain rattled her head. The person knocked the air out of her. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see who it was. Another kick to her side, shoving her forward. Then a fist whacked the back of her head. Light flashed before her eyes.
“Help, me, Sarma. Please!”
Sarma groveled on the beach, the pain so great, she couldn’t move. Wooziness and agonizing aching raked through her. Her mother was going to die in a blizzard because of her. Why had she come here? She’d never see her son again. Her son. She needed to get home to Auseklis.
Chapter 20
Reinis shoved his coffee mug aside and checked his cell phone for the third time in five minutes. He rubbed his temples and crunched an empty cookie package in his fist. Damn it. Sarma should have been home by now. She should have called to check in. Granted, they hadn’t been separated since she had become a vampire, but she wouldn’t leave him hanging like this.
Darkness Born: Paranormal Vampire Romance (Immortal Desire Series Book 1.5) Page 9
