“Yes. Truly, I am. I’m just so tired all the time. And I can’t eat anything at all,” Carolena explained.
Carnage had rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his head pressed up against the side of hers he stuck his tongue out at Enthrall and made gagging noises at Enthrall. “Awl day. Awl night,” he explained, then made more gagging noises.
Carolena slapped at his hands where he held her. “Let me go, you baby making machine,” she grumbled. “Go make me some tea.”
Carnage grinned, then winked at Enthrall. “My make baybees,” he said proudly, strutting toward the kitchen and nodding his head smugly over his shoulder as he went. He dutifully filled the teapot with water and set it on the stove top before striking a flame below it to heat the water.
Enthrall watched as Carnage carefully took the teacup down from the cupboard and placed a pinch of dried sarsaparilla root and tea leaves into a cheesecloth before tying it into a knot and dropping it into the cup.
“You have him trained,” Enthrall said.
Carolena looked over her shoulder at Carnage and smiled lovingly. “Yes, I do. He takes really good care of me.”
“When Lore told me about the baby, I wondered how long it would be before you noticed. I was excited, but knew I couldn’t say anything until you figured it out,” Enthrall explained.
“We didn’t notice,” Carolena said.
“Did Lore end up telling you?”
“No. Lily did. She said she wanted her little brother to hurry up. She said she was tired of waiting, and she had lots to teach him, so to please hurry up and help him finish growing.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, really. Then two days later I started with the morning sickness. That’s when we knew for sure. He’s been strutting around like a rooster ever since.” Carolena pointed at Carnage, who was grinning ear-to-ear in the kitchen, listening to her explaining about Lily telling them about their baby.
“I’m very happy for you both, Carolena. No one deserves it more.”
Carolena looked at Enthrall, really seeing him. While he was happy for her, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes as well. “You do.”
“I’m working on it,” he replied.
Chapter 10
Felicity had taken off the ladies suit she wore for business the moment she got home and slipped into the soft, gauzy skirt and matching blouse Mamaie had made for her. She’d tied them with the colorful scarf Mamaie gave her for use as a sash and made her way to the dining room. She made small talk until she realized that Enthrall still wasn’t back. Then she opted to skip a late lunch, which had Mamaie spitting mad. But she couldn’t help it, she had no appetite. So, she’d spent the late afternoon hours, lying on the settee in her bedroom, thinking of Enthrall, wondering at the strong emotions he evoked in her. Reliving every moment of the brief interlude they’d shared just the night before when he’d made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was his. She wanted to be his. But he had so much explaining to do. He’d been gone all day, with no word of where he went, or when he’d return. If she was his, wouldn’t he have left word? And even more pressing than that was the fact that she’d seen him just disappear. She kept going back and forth between it was just the shadows playing tricks with her mind and knowing what she actually saw. But either way, he wasn’t here to explain it to her. And even if he was here, that didn’t mean he’d take her into his confidence. But something was up, of that she had no doubt. Making a decision, she stood, then left her room and made a direct path for the kitchen. She was going to do some exploring on her own before it got dark.
Felicity gathered the long skirt of gauzy fabric Mamaie had made for her and stepped barefoot off the back bricked patio onto the cool, green grass. She curled her toes and smiled while she looked down at her feet on the thick, lush lawn. Rarely did she allow herself such freedoms. She dropped the long skirt to fall as it would and started slowly making her way to the back area of the grounds. She lied to herself and said she was just enjoying being outside, but she knew where she was headed. It was the last place she’d seen Enthrall. The place she’d seen him vanish into thin air. She wandered this way and that, plucking a leaf from this tree or that shrub as she went, eventually meandering her way about until she ended up in almost the exact same spot she’d seen Enthrall. She looked back at the house and her windows, then adjusted her position to be sure she was as accurate as possible. Then she looked around herself. The grass underfoot, the trees surrounding her, the shrubbery. But there was nothing. No marks of any type, no evidence. Just a normal yard, albeit a huge acreage of one, and the trees that grew on it.
Felicity sighed, and looked around once more before wandering farther from the house. She ducked under a branch and looked up at the dusky sky — the sun was almost set and purples, dark pinks and dark blues were beginning to paint the early evening sky. Felicity decided to sit and enjoy the last few moments of the sunset. She faced away from the house, toward the west and smiled at the pleasure she got just from watching all the colors the sky offered as it kissed the sun goodnight. Suddenly, Felicity knew she wasn’t alone. She turned this way and that, looking about herself, but she saw no one. There was a slight breeze and the grass a short distance from her began to flatten. Then Enthrall was standing there. His boots depressing the grass exactly where she’d seen it flatten prior to his arrival. A sly smile Felicity wasn’t even aware of graced her face; she was not afraid. She was actually rather pleased with the confirmation that she was not crazy and had in fact seen what she thought she’d seen. Felicity didn’t stand to greet him. She waited to see if he’d notice her.
Immediately upon arrival, Enthrall looked toward the house. “Damn,” he cursed under his breath. He hadn’t planned to be gone for so long. But being home and visiting with his people had caused time to just get away from him. He brushed his hands down his slacks and started to walk toward the house. He jolted to a stop when a very lovely, very familiar voice greeted him.
“Welcome home, Enthrall.”
He spun on his heel, eyes huge, stunned into silence, to find Felicity sitting, relaxed, her legs stretched out in front of her, leaning back on her hands, her hair down and blowing free in the gentle breezes of the early evening.
“Felicity! What… what are you doing out here alone?”
“Alone? Why does it matter that I’m alone? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Especially in my own yard.” She looked around the grounds belonging to the house, “Well, not exactly mine, but I live here, so… mine.” She smiled sweetly at Enthrall and cocked her head to the side, waiting for his next move.
“Oh, well, yes, it is as much yours as any of ours. I, uh,” he fumbled for something to say, “can I help you up?” he finally offered, holding his hand out toward her for her to grasp, so he could pull her up.
“No. I’m fine. Thank you, though.”
“Oh, well. Okay.” He pulled his hand back awkwardly. “Did you have a nice day?” he asked, trying to move her focus to anything other than the fact that he’d just ghosted into being right before her. And the look on her face said she’d seen it all. But she’d not asked yet, so maybe she was willing to let it go.
“I did. Did you?”
“Yes. I did. Very nice. Visited with friends and family for a bit.”
“Wonderful. I didn’t know you had family. You never speak of them.”
Enthrall nodded sheepishly. “I do. And you’re right. I should tell you more about me. And my people.”
Felicity thought that was a strange way to put it, ‘his people.’ “Yes, you should.”
Enthrall nodded. “I will. I promise.”
“Very good. Let’s start with where you just came from.”
“I told you, I was visiting family and friends.”
“Yes, you did. Now tell me how you got there and back,” Felicity said, smiling smugly, single eyebrow raised, daring him to try to tell her she imagined his disappearance and reappearance.
Enthrall sighed. He stuck his hands in his back pockets. Apparently she wasn’t willing to let it go. He didn’t know where to start, how to explain so that she wouldn’t be afraid of him. He looked imploringly at her, he gave his head a slight shake. “You’re not ready to know.”
Felicity's mouth dropped open, and she looked at him as though he’d sprouted extra heads. “I’m not ready? Is that what you said?”
“Yes. You’re not ready to hear the truth. I’ll tell you, but only when you’re ready to hear it. I don’t want you to fear me.”
Felicity looked down at her toes and ankles stretched out before her. Slowly she pointed her toes, stretching them again, then nodded her head slowly while taking a deep breath. She got to her feet before he had a chance to help her stand and started walking past him.
“Felicity?” he started.
She stopped in her tracks, turning back to him and holding a hand up to halt his words.
Enthrall stopped speaking and waited for her to give some signal she was ready to hear him, or to speak herself.
Instead she just shook her head and turned from him, walking away again.
“Wait, Felicity, please.”
“No.” She called over her shoulder without looking back. “I’ve decided you’re not ready.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“I’ve decided that you aren’t ready for me. And since you’re not ready for me, I don’t want to know why I watched you disappear last night, why you were gone all night and all day, and then watched you reappear not twelve feet from me. You’re not ready.”
“Lici, please…” he called, hurrying after her.
“No. My name is Felicity. I deserve no less than the truth. Until then you don’t deserve me, nor a desire from me to want to know. Leave me be, Enthrall. You’re not ready, and I’ve not got the time to waste on games.”
“Felicity, I want to tell you…”
“I don’t want to know. Maybe you can go back to wherever it is you’ve been. Obviously they are worthy of your honesty, yes?”
They’d been walking the entire course of their conversation, Felicity making a beeline toward the house, despite her repeated coughing from the exertion her body clearly wasn’t happy with. Enthrall hot on her heels, very sincerely regretting his decision to tell her she wasn’t ready, was very aware of her cough. “Lici, please slow down. Your cough…”
“Is my business,” she retorted without looking back.
Felicity opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen. Mamaie was clearing away the dishes from dinner and cleaning the kitchen. She turned to see who’d just stepped inside.
“Lici! Good gracious, child. You shouldn’t be walking around with no shoes on. It’s not warm enough yet in the evenings. You’ll catch your death out there.”
“I already have, Mamaie,” she mumbled.
Mamaie froze. “What did you say, child?”
Felicity tried to smile at Mamaie, but it was very strained and looked more like a grimace. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
The door was pulled open, and Enthrall rushed inside. “Lici, I was wrong.”
Felicity closed her eyes and fisted her hands at her side. “My name is Felicity.” Then she turned to face Enthrall, eyes fierce. “And yes, you were. But I no longer care.”
She turned and started her walk out of the kitchen, but Mamaie called after her.
“You missed lunch and dinner. I’m bringing your food to you in your room!”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Then I’ll bring some soup, but you need something.”
“That’s fine,” Felicity answered without turning around.
Once she’d left the kitchen, Mamaie turned to Enthrall. “What did you do, now?”
Enthrall looked greatly pained. He flopped onto a kitchen chair and propped his head on his hand. “I told her she wasn’t ready to hear about me.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad.”
“She’d just watched me ghost into place twelve feet from her. Apparently she watched me ghost away last night as well.”
“Oh. Well, then, it wasn’t a very smart choice to tell her she wasn’t ready to know about you.”
“But why? She isn’t. If I tell her the truth about me, she’ll fear me. Then she’ll run from me. I can’t lose her because of what I am.”
“So, it’s better to tell her she’s not smart enough, not strong enough, not open-minded enough to receive the knowledge of who and what you are.”
“No! Of course not. That’s not what I said!”
Mamaie chuckled and nodded her head as she placed food for Felicity on the plate and sprinkled the special spices onto it before mixing it in. “Yes. It is exactly what you said. In so many words.”
“No, I didn’t, I said…” Enthrall just deflated, realizing that it was exactly what he said. “It wasn’t what I meant.”
“For such a powerful male, a powerful creature, you are just as dense as every other man.” Mamaie laughed as she hefted the tray with Felicity’s food on it and left the kitchen. “And Felicity is as clueless as any girl I’ve ever met. The two of you will exhaust me before you finally figure it all out. I’ll need to lead you around by the hand — both of you!” She complained as she headed to Felicity’s room. Felicity had made a remark that gave her pause. She’d said she’d already caught her death, and now Mamaie wanted to know what exactly it was that Felicity knew about her own health.
Enthrall sat at the kitchen table, toying with the sugar bowl still sitting there. Mamaie was right. Didn’t matter how many creatures respected him, nor how may people abided by his laws and rules, he was no match for his own female. She held power over him like no other ever had or could. He had no choice. He had to tell her everything. Absolutely everything. If he couldn’t trust her with the very truth of what and who he was, then she wasn’t the right female. She deserved more trust and respect than he’d given her. And he’d been a fool. He had no right asking her to love him, to be his, if he wasn’t willing to reveal his true self to her. He stood and pushed the chair back under the table. He was tired of dancing around the issue. He had a lot of confessing to do.
Chapter 11
“Felicity, open the door, child. I have your dinner,” Mamaie called.
The door opened just a bit, and Felicity peeked outside. Assured that Enthrall wasn’t there with Mamaie, she opened the door wider and ushered Mamaie inside.
“You changed quickly!” Mamaie remarked.
Felicity looked down at the wine colored silken dressing gown she now wore and the matching house slippers she’d slipped her feet into. “I wanted to feel pretty.”
“You are pretty.”
“Thank you. But I don’t feel it. And I was angry, so I decided feeling pretty would make my anger lessen.”
“And did it?”
Felicity pursed her lips. “No.”
“Why are you angry?” Mamaie asked, placing the food laden tray on the small table by the settee in Felicity’s room.
“Because he doesn’t trust me. I thought we’d made progress. Thought that we meant something to one another, but I was wrong. He doesn’t trust me.”
“Maybe he is just afraid.”
“Of me?!” Felicity said, incredulously.
“Not exactly. He’s not afraid of you, he’s afraid of losing you.”
“But…” Felicity started, but couldn’t even finish. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, so she couldn’t say how she’d react. “I don’t know what to say.”
“It will all work out in time. Or it won’t. Either way, you’ll be fine,” Mamaie said. She filled a cup with her special tea for Felicity and handed it to her. “Here. Drink this. Then you can eat your dinner. You should really take better care of yourself, you know.”
Felicity sat there and stared off into space, sipping her tea.
“How do you feel, Lici?” Mamaie pressed.
Felicity shrugged and continued sipping.
>
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Sometimes,” Felicity answered evasively.
“I said you shouldn’t run around barefoot because you’d catch your death. You said you already had. What did you mean?”
Felicity shook her head. “I don’t know. I was just angry.”
“You were. But there’s more to it, isn’t there?” Mamaie insisted.
Felicity finally met Mamaie’s eyes, a bit of fear in her own. “I don’t know. My chest hurts all the time. I have no energy. I can’t move about as well or as much as I used to. My skin is sallow, and I have dark shadows under my eyes no matter how much rest I get. Then with you slipping these herbs into everything I eat and hiding bits of leaves and bags of powder and dirt about my room, it only adds to what I already suspect.”
Mamaie grinned, pleased that the girl was much smarter than she’d given her credit for. Felicity’d not been fooled by her at all and knew of all the things Mamaie’d been secretly slipping into her food, well, almost all. She still had no idea about Enthrall’s blood. “I’m only trying to help build up your strength, Lici,” Mamaie confided.
“I know. And I appreciate it. And I know that you wouldn’t hurt me. So I just went with it.”
“Do you feel any better at all?”
“No. But I don’t feel any worse either. And that’s a good thing, I think.”
“What do you think is wrong, child? Have you seen a doctor?”
Felicity shook her head and looked down into her cup. “No, I haven’t. But whatever it is, is in my lungs. I can’t breathe well. And the more activity I do, the harder it is to breathe.”
“Then we shall take you to see a doctor. We’ll find out exactly what we’re up against and how to win.”
Felicity looked up at Mamaie and very sadly said, “I don’t think we can.”
“Why would you say that?! Of course we can.”
“It’s like when you know you’re getting a cold, or when a woman knows they’re pregnant even before they have symptoms, or you know when you’ve met the one. You just know. And I know. It won’t matter. We can’t win.”
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