by T. S. Ryder
"What happened?"
"I'm not that young," Cheri said. "And I'm afraid my heart isn't as strong as it used to be. Not that I ever had a particularly strong heart."
Leila returned to join them. She clapped a hand on Henry's shoulder, causing Rachel to raise her brows. Her little sister hadn't touched Henry since they arrived. She went out of her way to avoid accidently brushing against him. Was she putting herself in a position where it would be easier to use her magic on him, or actually offering comfort?
"What have your visions said about this?" she asked, eyes on Rachel.
"I haven't seen any of this," she admitted. "And I haven't had any dreams since we arrived."
"What does that mean?" Becky's eyes were wide.
"I don't know."
Henry released Cheri and held Rachel. Leila took a step back. The Seer felt better in his arms and leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes with a sigh. If she could only stay here forever… then maybe she would know what to do now. She couldn't help but shiver at the implications of what Henry had said, that he wouldn't let his father harm her. If the king was determined to see her dead, how could Henry stop him?
And what if the reason she couldn't see the future was because she no longer had one?
"Does the blood of a witch smell different to the blood of a non-witch?" Cheri asked.
She sounded a little breathless, but the color was starting to return to her cheeks. Rachel wished she knew more healing spells, but what little training she had was hardly enough to take the sting from scrapes, let alone anything else. Leila was good at fighting spells, but healing wasn't one of her strong suits. Self-healing, yes, but it was far different to heal oneself than another person.
"Does your blood smell the same?" Henry's brow furrowed, still holding Rachel as he turned confused eyes to Cheri. "Why do you ask?"
Cheri sighed. She trailed wrinkled fingers along Henry's cheek. Rachel wondered if she should be jealous of the obvious intimacy between the two of them. From her visions, she had never thought she would have to share Henry's affections, but she didn't mind–at least, not with Cheri. There was intimacy, yes, but it was the intimacy of shared memories. It was something that she hoped to have with him one day, which would take the time to develop.
If it was Becky stroking Henry's face, would she feel differently? She stole a glance at the redhead. She was a beautiful woman, slender next to Rachel's thickness, with graceful features and kind eyes.
No. She wouldn't be jealous of Becky and Henry. It was odd, but Rachel found she really didn't mind the idea of sharing, especially now, when it was so likely she was going to die. She wanted to make sure there was somebody here to take care of Henry if that happened.
"Cheri, I ask you again, why do you want to know if your blood smells like witch's blood?" There was a note of panic to Henry’s voice that told Rachel he had already guessed, but she still didn't have a clue as to why Cheri was asking.
"It's clear you can't stay here," the old woman said calmly. "I'm old, I can't go with you. If you took my heart—"
"No."
"—and gave it to your father as proof of Rachel's death—"
"No!"
"Then it would give you time to leave."
"No!" Henry jumped to his feet, his head shaking. "No, that is unacceptable. I won't kill any of my brides, I won't do that. I love you, Cheri. How can you think that I would accept your death?"
Rachel's blood ran cold at the idea. She didn't want anybody to die for her! She opened her mouth to say so, but Cheri spoke over her, shaking her head at Henry.
"I am going to die soon, anyway. I'm old. I can't go with you when you leave. I'm not strong enough."
"That doesn't mean that I am going to kill you."
"Then give me a knife. I'll do it myself."
"You are not dying because of me," Rachel interrupted firmly. She squeezed Cheri's hand. "I won't allow it. I would never be able to live with it. We'll find another way. Maybe the king will see reason."
"He won't. He's too set in his ways." Cheri shook her head. "You will have to run and leave me, anyway. Do you think he will show mercy to me when he finds that you have left, Henry? I'm old, but I still have blood."
Henry shook his head more emphatically. "No. No, my father wouldn't allow anyone to drink from you. But he won't simply let us leave, either. He'll hunt us. I will take Rachel away, but for the rest of your sakes, you need to stay here. My father won't harm you, I am sure of it. I'm his son and you are my brides. He knows the pain of losing our beloveds, and would not wish to alienate me."
Rachel got to her feet and stopped Henry's pacing. She grabbed his hands, squeezing lightly. "You are certain that he'll spare them?"
The prince nodded.
"I'm going with you," Becky said. She got to her feet, expression determined. "I have some medical training. I took a few semesters before I ran out of money. Not that it's much good, but I'll be able to help with the pregnancy a little at least."
"And if you think I'm staying behind, you are sorely mistaken." Leila came back into the room. "I'm not leaving my sister and that's that."
Rachel's brows rose as her sister threw a backpack at Becky and another at Henry. She hadn't even noticed that Leila had left, let alone that she had had time to pack some bags. Leila handed the third pack to Rachel and slipped another onto her back.
"What is this?" Henry asked.
"Some extra clothes, food and water," Leila told him. "I've been planning how to escape since we were first brought here. I might trust Rachel's visions, but I certainly don't trust you leeches. I've been gathering supplied and stuff to sell on the surface since the first night. Good thing I'm prepared, though, isn't it?"
Henry gave her a small nod as he pulled the pack on. He turned back to Cheri, pressing one last, gentle kiss to her lips. Cheri's fingers knotted in his hair for a moment before her hand moved to his chest and gently pushed him away.
"Go. Quickly, before your father comes to check on you."
Rachel took Henry's hand, not allowing herself to feel fear. She knew if they were caught trying to escape, the king would kill her at once. This was the only time they had to get away. As much as she hated to tear Henry away from the woman who had shared his life for decades, she knew she had to. She could only hope Cheri would be okay.
Henry gripped her hand tightly as he backed away, holding Cheri's gaze.
"I love you," he said softly.
Cheri rolled her eyes. "I know that. Now go."
Leila headed out, Becky trailing after her. Henry moved slowly until Rachel tugged on his hand. His eyes met hers, and she saw determination swell up in him. Taking her hand more firmly, he strode forward, taking the lead as he led them out of the underground city.
Chapter Six
Getting out of the city was easy, as Henry had expected. The entrances to the city were well hidden, and most humans didn't believe that vampires even existed. Those that managed to get into the city, whether by accident or curiosity, never returned. There was no need for guards, and so there were no challenges as he led his three young brides from the dark confines of the vampire kingdom.
It was only when his eyes began to stream and he felt his skin sizzling that he even remembered about the sunlight. He had lived his whole life in darkness and was more sensitive to the light than the Hunters who ventured to the surface regularly.
"What is it?" Rachel asked, squeezing his hand when he stopped.
"Sunlight." Henry covered his eyes. "It burns."
"I can hardly see a pinprick," Leila complained. "You're seriously wimping out at that little bit of light?"
Henry hissed at her. His relationship with Leila had not improved much since she had first arrived. For Rachel's sake, he was trying to get along with her, but he doubted Leila would ever like him.
"We didn't think about sunlight," Rachel said. "Does anybody have a pair of sunglasses?"
"That's not going to be enough," Leila pointed ou
t.
Rachel turned a frown on her sister. "Magic, then. We need to build some sort of barrier between Henry and the sun. It would be easier if we knew if it was the light or UV rays that harmed vampires. Let's start with a sunblock spell. Go for as strong SPF as we can. Hopefully, that will be enough."
The sisters took up positions on either side of Henry. He eyed Leila warily but trusted that Rachel wouldn't let her sister do anything to harm him. They began chanting, and a field of energy spread out from their fingertips. The energy surrounded him before shrinking down and absorbing into his skin.
Instantly the pain in his eyes faded away. His skin felt a little tender, but no longer like he was about to burst into flames. Henry's brows rose as he inspected himself. His appearance hadn't changed at all.
"It feels better."
Rachel took his hand again and they started up the long tunnel. They emerged into yet another tunnel, this one slightly brighter than the last. Water splashed around their feet. Henry choked on the unpleasant scents of dead and rotting things that hit his nose. Beside him, Leila made a disgusted noise.
"We're in the sewers. I don't remember this part."
"We were unconscious," Rachel reminded her.
"I wasn't." Becky stepped up beside them and shivered. "Let's get out of here."
Henry reached for her hand to comfort her, but when their skin touched she pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. Without a word they continued, the sunlight getting brighter and stronger. Henry kept waiting for that sizzling feeling to return, but to his relief it never did.
Eventually, they emerged onto the surface. Henry's eyes widened and he gasped. His father had brought him up here a few times when he was a boy, but always on nights of the new moon. Even then there was something about the surface that had made him feel sick, and he had never wanted to return. But the world he saw now was completely different from those times. In awe, he stumbled from the hole they had emerged from and moved to the nearest bush.
"It's so green," he said, touching the leaves. "Such a bright color. And those flowers! And the sky!"
He had never seen anything so colorful. There was so much color that he felt dizzy. It looked unreal like he had just stepped into a movie or a painting. He didn't think colors like this existed in nature. And yet they did. And the sun! He raised his face to it, feeling a peculiar warmth as if he was sitting by a fire. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.
"Come on." Rachel took his hand, laughing. "We need to find a place to stay before night falls."
***
Becky was the one who found them a place to stay. The sun had sunk below the horizon by the time they got there, but Henry hardly noticed, too wrapped up in observing the human town they were in. It was so amazing. So many colors, so many smells, so much to see. It was all too much. More than once Rachel had to take him into the dark bathroom of a store and hold him until he could reorient himself.
It was so different from the world he had grown up in.
The place Becky found for them, a warehouse, was huge and empty. Smells echoed around it, making Henry gag, but Becky took them to a small room below the surface, and it wasn't so bad there. Henry had to lie down at once. Perhaps it was the sun still sapping his energy, or maybe it was the sheer amount of stimuli he had experienced, but he found himself weak and shaking.
"Becky and I will go get blankets and stuff," he heard Leila muttering. "The vampire doesn't look so good. You'll probably have to… you know. Feed him."
Henry's mouth twitched, but he didn't have the energy to correct her. Or maybe she did mean sex, and just didn't want to say it out loud. He heard the two women leave and Rachel returned to his side, lying beside him. Just having her near helped him feel a little better. As her hands tugged at his shirt, he cracked an eye open.
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do," Rachel interrupted. "I might seem like I'm in full control, but this whole situation… it's freaking me out a little and I need to reconnect with you."
Henry understood what she meant. He gazed into her beautiful chocolate eyes and wanted nothing more than to banish the fear that was in them. He gripped her hips as she shifted, straddling him, and lifted his face to hers when she bent over him. He was well used to this, giving his bride control. He preferred it that way, as it meant he could know she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Not that he had to worry about that with Rachel.
She manipulated his clothing expertly, shifting it out of the way so she could reach her goal. Henry moaned as he felt her against him, his skin tightening. That delightful heat that he could only experience with a woman filled him. He watched Rachel as she moved, taking him into her mouth to prepare him. His back bowed at her gentle touch.
His heart filled so much that it hurt. "I love you."
She glanced up. "I love you, too."
His father couldn't know what this felt like, to hear those words from someone he would willingly give his life for. He grasped Rachel's shoulders, turning her onto her back so he could remove her clothing as well. The sweet smell of her arousal filled him as he kissed him way down her body, focusing between her legs. Her gasps filled him, her taste making his own arousal that much more powerful.
When she began shaking, Rachel flipped him back onto his back and straddled him, her eyes bright. Henry moaned, bringing himself to Rachel as she took him. Her eyes met his. Sparks blossomed in his blood, the connection building between them as he stared into her eyes.
He had heard about human notions of heaven before, but until this moment, when Rachel smiled and whispered she loved him again, he had never thought that heaven was possible.
Now he knew differently.
Chapter Seven
Fire.
Lights flash. Blue, green... Blackness fills her vision. She gasps, pain lancing through her. It curls around her abdomen, squeezing her. My baby. What's going to happen to my baby? She screams as the pain comes again. Smoke curls around her nose. The room is on fire. Hands are on her shoulders, pushing her down, holding her in place. Outside the sun is shining, heedless of the battle. A baby starts to cry.
Rachel screamed as she jerked awake. Beside her, Henry woke with a start. He was on his feet in an instant, a knife in each hand as he searched the room. Nearby, Becky and Leila both started awake as well. Leila lit the room with magic, peering around while she blinked blearily. Rachel closed her eyes, her heart pounding.
It had been just over eight months since the four of them fled from the vampire king. They hadn't seen any sign of vampires in that time, not that that meant anything. Henry was afraid they were being hunted by his father, so they moved every few days to a new location. The store of items Leila had pilfered from the palace to sell was almost out. Even though they tried to stretch their money, and took up what odd jobs they could, it wouldn’t be long until they ran out of funds.
Worse were the dreams. Rachel hadn't had any visions for almost four months, and then the dreams of smoke and fire came and they wouldn't go away. They were getting more frequent as the birth of the baby got closer.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. Her throat was dry and scratchy as if she had actually been breathing in the smoke. "It was another dream."
Henry sank back down beside her, running a hand over his face. Leila joined them while Becky grabbed a bottle of water. Rachel's heart was still beating hard in her chest, but the smell of smoke was slowly dissipating.
"Are you alright?" Henry stroked her hair as Rachel rubbed her aching belly.
She felt the baby moving. There was no more room to kick, but he squirmed and stretched. He was a strong baby, and sometimes Rachel was afraid he was bruising her.
"I'm fine. Usually the pain goes away when I wake up, but—" Her stomach clenched. She could feel it tighten under her hand, and her eyes widened. Slowly she brought her eyes up to Henry's. "It's probably just false labor."
Her voice came out whispered and choked. A wave of nausea
coursed through her. Henry's muscles tensed, but in the next moment, Becky was pushing both him and Leila out of the way. Her hands probed Rachel's stomach, brow furrowing. Even though she only had some medical training, Rachel felt better with Becky here.
Though they knew that she would have to go to a hospital to give birth, they had all agreed that, except for a visit to the emergency room once in a while to make sure that everything was okay, they couldn't risk regular doctor's visits. Henry's father, if he was looking for them, would be looking in hospitals, since he knew that Rachel was pregnant. She didn't like to think of what might happen if he found them.
The images of fire and smoke came back to her and she shivered. She knew exactly what would happen if–when–he found them.
"It feels like the baby is changing position," Becky said. "We'll wait and see what happens. This could be just false labor. If the contractions end up strong and regular, then we need to go to the hospital when they're five minutes apart."
Rachel nodded and squeezed Henry's hand. "Everything is going to be okay."
"Except chances are we'll be attacked in the hospital. I wouldn't think my father would make a move like that, not when it could reveal the vampire kingdom. But we have to trust your visions."
"I'm not sure it will be at the hospital."
"That's where you will be when you go into labor." Henry chewed his lip. "Leila and I will go now so we can scout the area and plan our defense."
Rachel nodded, though she wanted to beg Henry to stay with her. Her hands shook and she was tense waiting for the next contraction. Would it even come? She hated not knowing. If only her visions were just a little more clear-cut, they could at least be able to plan for what they were going to do, and how they would defeat whoever was sent after them.
Henry kissed her forehead and Leila squeezed her hand.
"Don't worry," her sister said. "I'll look after Princey-Prince for you."
The vampire rolled his eyes, but Rachel just smiled her thanks. Leila had started becoming softer towards Henry lately. Rachel was grateful for that, even if her sister still wasn't exactly nice to him.
