Alec darted me a look then gazed ahead again as he sped down the corridor, the stairs, and through the high hall. ‘Dougal’s men sighted the lamia on the edge of the ward.’
No, no. Not now. My heart plummeted. ‘How did it know we were here? It can’t get in, can it?’
‘Not as long as the ward’s functioning. Wretched thing followed our scent.’
‘And if it fails? We’ll be unprotected.’
‘Dougal’s men are monitoring it.’
‘Get the generator going!’ Alec called to the sentries as we sprang out into the courtyard.
Cold air hit my cheeks.
All was pitch-black until the generator whirred to life. Inside the sepulchre, lights came on. Various pieces of medical equipment were assembled on tables along the walls. There was even a clock.
I wondered what the witch, Eithne, thought of these recent additions.
A layer of thick blankets covered the stone sarcophagus. Alec gently laid me on it and placed a pillow under my head. Other blankets sat folded nearby. I didn’t need them as Kari placed hot water bottles under my feet.
Alec donned his scrubs.
Jake came in and did the same. ‘How you doing, kid?’
‘Fine, I guess.’
‘Zero hour.’
Wish he didn’t put it quite that way. It was like waiting for a bomb to go off. ‘Baby hour, which could be still a few hours away.’ Mum—my aunt Eilene—said her baby had come roughly five hours after her waters broke. But my mother, Judy, gave birth to me less than forty minutes after hers broke. I hoped my experience would be like Judy’s. Who wanted a long labour?
Jake gave me a nod, then went around checking the equipment.
Alec took my pulse and checked my blood pressure and temperature. He then placed a monitor on my belly. ‘Baby’s doing fine.’ He sat at my side and held my hand. I smoothed the crease from between his brows. ‘Stop worrying. We’ve rehearsed this so many times and for every possible contingency. You’ve got everything down pat.’
‘I don’t take anything for granted.’
‘I know you don’t.’ I kissed my fingertip and pressed it to his lips. He clasped my hand and kept it there, kissing it back.
‘Good to go.’ Jake came to my side. ‘How are the contractions going? How far apart?’
I was about to answer when the next one hit, and I nearly bit through my lower lip.
Alec held my hands in both of his as I crushed his fingers in my grip.
Jake drew a curtain over the sepulchre’s entrance, giving me privacy from all those who’d gathered.
‘Lolly, I’m out here if you need me.’ Dear Kari. How could she possibly help? But I was glad she was near.
‘All’s good, Kari,’ I was able to say when the last contraction ended.
‘You’re at least nine centimetres dilated, honey.’ Alec got me prepped.
‘Hopefully it won’t take too long.’ I caressed my belly, crooning to my baby within. ‘C’mon, sweetheart. Mummy wants to see you.’
For the next four hours, I went through every relaxation and breathing technique I’d read about. Then the real pain began, like someone had taken hold of my insides and was twisting them into a massive knot. Mamma! Insides contorting, like a kitchen sponge being wrung out and squeezed dry till there was nothing left in it to squeeze. Why hadn’t I asked for an epidural sooner? Now it was too late. I always thought I had a high pain threshold. ‘Aarrggh!’
Until now.
The urge to push was unbelievable. ‘Baby’s coming!’
The cycle of contractions increased until I couldn’t tell when they began and ended. It was one long pull downwards, tearing my insides apart.
My eyes squeezed shut against the pain. I imagined myself reclining in a hammock on a tropical beach, the waves gently lapping at the sand beneath me.
But that did bugger all for me!
‘C’mon, honey. One more push.’
Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath and pushed until I thought my body would break. ‘Puuussshing! Aaarrgghh!’ Then blessed relief as my baby slid free of my body. ‘Ah!’ I lay back, breathing hard and utterly exhausted.
My baby’s cries rent the air and echoed around that stony chamber. A great cheer arose outside.
Alec’s eyes filled with tears. He cupped my face and kissed me. ‘She’s perfect!’
I wept.
Jake came to my other side, cradling our baby. He’d cleaned her and wrapped her in a blanket. He handed her to me. She opened her eyes and smiled.
I sucked in a breath, seeing my baby girl for the first time. Blue eyes. Stunning azure-blue eyes locked onto me. And she was smiling. No baby, as far as I knew, smiled at birth. My heart filled to overflowing with love for this tiny new human being, and a deep warmth spread though my soul.
‘She knows her mother.’ Jake stood proudly by, arms crossed over his chest, grinning from ear to ear. He then went to the entrance and popped his head through the curtain to those outside. ‘It’s a girl. Blue eyes. The curse is over!’
More cheering.
Tears trickled down the sides of my face. How I would’ve loved for Luc and Judy to be here to witness this moment. For Luc to hold his baby granddaughter and see the fulfillment of all his work. He should’ve been here. It wasn’t fair. And just then, someone whispered in my mind, Well done, ma petite. Gentle peace, like a comforting blanket, enveloped me, and I knew then that all was well. That somewhere, he and Judy knew and they were happy.
I looked at my husband, who gazed at his tiny daughter with such love and wonder, and I thought my heart would burst with too much joy.
‘Welcome to the world, my wee darling,’ Alec crooned. He leaned down and kissed her tiny head.
‘Say hello to you father,’ I said.
‘She’s beautiful.’
‘Like her mother.’ Alec’s own eyes swam. He stroked the length of my face, leaned down and kissed me. ‘You were marvelous.’
‘You helped.’ We both grinned.
‘She has blue eyes. Yours were lavender when you were born.’
I had been born under the curse, its sign being my eye colour. But the curse had no hold on our child. She had broken it.
Briefly, I closed my eyes and thanked providence. No more Ingenii. No more Ritual. No more fear of being abducted to serve as blood slave to rival vampire clans.
She was free.
Alec sat next to me, one hand cradling our baby’s head the other at my shoulder. ‘She’s free to choose her own destiny.’
‘My one wish for her is that she may be as happy as her mother.’
Alec swallowed hard, his eyes filled with such love as he looked from our daughter to me and back again. He leaned down and kissed her, the backs of his fingers tenderly caressing her plump little cheek. As his gaze panned back to me, an expression of utter astonishment crossed his face. ‘Your eyes are changing. They’re ... green.’
Jake came to us. ‘Laura, you need to push one last time. Get rid of the afterbirth.’
With my baby on my breast, I did as Jake asked, my brain processing what Alec had just said. My eyes were no longer lavender. ‘Do you have a mirror?’
Alec looked around. ‘Ah, no. Maybe this will do.’ He handed me an empty metal tray. The back of it was polished enough to see my reflection.
Emerald-green eyes stared back at me. It was surreal. Would I ever get used to it? ‘It’s definitely over then. I’m no longer Ingenii.’ And with that came the understanding that, like my daughter, my blood was free of the Ingenii mutation. ‘Does that mean I’m completely human?’
‘I don’t know.’ Alec studied me. ‘Do you feel any different?’
I peered around to read the tiny labels on some of the instruments ... and couldn’t. Too small. Nor could I hear any of the conversations taking place outside the sepulchre. The hubbub of voices and murmurs, yes, but no distinct speech. And most of all, I couldn’t hear my child’s tiny beating heart. My heart sank. Those vamp
ire gifts had been handy, even if for a fleeting while. Now, they were gone.
I cuddled my baby to me and sighed. Here today, gone tomorrow. ‘The extra hearing ... sight’ —I shook my head— ‘gone. I’m human.’
‘That’s not a bad thing, darling.’
‘No, it’s not.’ On impulse I reached out to pull aside Alec’s shirt. ‘Your tattoo.’ Would that disappear? It, too, was a symbol of the curse he’d inherited through Luc. As we watched, the sword-and-serpent tattoo slowly faded until nothing remained to mar Alec’s skin. I sucked in a breath. ‘It’s gone.’
Jake did the same, ripping off his scrubs and the T-shirt beneath. Both he and Alec grinned at each other ... and laughed. Full-bellied laughs that ripped through the chamber and beyond. They shook hands and slapped arms. ‘Think Marcus has noticed?’ Jake asked.
‘Go ask him.’
I didn’t know what I expected, but everything seemed so ... normal. No eerie lights or phantom voices, no humming or ringing bells. Apart from the excited voices outside, all was quiet.
The curse passed without even a whimper, except for my baby’s cries. She started to wail. Her little face puckered up and her screams filled the chamber.
Healthy lungs.
I put her to my breast and her sweet little mouth latched on immediately.
A tickling on my finger. As I looked, the serpent ring uncoiled and slipped off onto the blanket. Alec’s ring did the same, dropping to the ground and bouncing on the stony tiles.
‘It’s really over,’ I said.
His smile said it all.
‘I can’t stand it anymore! Lolly, are you decent? I wanna come in.’ Kari’s voice rang out.
I was still exposed ... the soiled sheets ... and feeding my baby.
‘Wait!’ Alec called out. He strode to the entrance and popped his head through the curtain. ‘She’s feeding the baby, right now. Give us an hour.’
Contentment flowed through me. I played with her tiny fingers as she fed, enjoying the feel of her velvety skin and the weight of her body in my arms.
Alec and Jake cleared everything up and covered me and the baby with a clean blanket.
‘It’s been an hour. Can I come in now?’ Kari’s excited voice came from outside.
I nodded, and Jake pulled back the curtain.
Kari burst in, her pretty pixie face alight with excitement and curiosity. Smiling faces behind her peered in, Dominik among them.
‘Can I come in too?’
Alec grinned and, with a jerk of his head, invited him in. Wherever Alec went, Dom was never too far away.
Hands behind his back, he shyly came to the foot of the stone sarcophagus on which I lay and craned his neck to get a good view of my baby. ‘Are they always that small?’
I laughed. He’d obviously never seen a newborn before. ‘Yep.’
‘Aww ... she’s soooo cute!’ Kari clasped her hands beneath her chin, rocking from side to side as she gazed, all starry-eyed, at my baby. Her arms shot out, fingers wiggling. ‘Can I hold her?’
My baby was comfortably curled up in my arms; her eyes wide open, seemingly checking out her mother. She looked so content that I didn’t want to disturb the moment. ‘Wait a bit, Kari. I don’t want her to cry and she might if I move her.’
She sighed and flopped on the end of the stone sarcophagus that served as my makeshift bed. ‘I always wanted a baby. But ...’ She shrugged.
My heart ached for her. Being a vampire, Kari would never have a child. Her womb was dead. Just as quickly, her mood changed when she took a long, hard look at me, and her mouth dropped. ‘Your eyes are green.’
‘It’s the new non-Ingenii me.’
‘It’s freaky.’
‘You’ll get used it, Kari,’ Alec said.
‘What’s her name?’
‘Yeah, what’s her name,’ Dominik echoed.
Kari slapped his upper arm.
Alec and I exchanged a glance. We had and yet we hadn’t exactly decided on a name, although we’d played around with one—Sophie. It had been Alec’s mother’s name, and we both liked it. It meant “wisdom.”
‘Sophie,’ I murmured and hugged her to me, savoring her sweet newborn scent. I could’ve happily sniffed her all night.
‘Sophie, Sophie,’ Kari crooned as she gently stroked her tiny head.
‘Kari, check your tattoo. Bet it’s gone,’ I winked at her. Being Jake’s juvy, she’d inherited the tattoo just as Alec had from Luc, and Dougal from Marcus.
She sneaked a peek beneath her flower-print cropped gym top. I tried not to giggle when she caught Dominik trying to have a look too and elbowed him roughly out of the way.
‘Dom, get over here.’ Alec grabbed him and pulled him over to his side.
‘Ohhhh! It’s all gone.’ Kari let the top snap back to her chest when she was done. ‘I kinda liked it. Made me look bad arse, you know?’
Alec laughed. ‘Kari, nobody could be bored with you.’
I snuck a look at Jake, who’d just walked back in. He must’ve heard what Alec had said, for he looked right at Kari and smiled, then seemed to check himself and began packing up the equipment.
I did not get that man. What was going on in his head?
Just then, the crowd at the entrance parted, and Marcus, Sam, Cal and Terens strode in. They’d removed their shirts. Not a single serpent tattoo was in sight, but each had their sword strapped to their sides, except for Terens. His two were strapped to his back.
I sent up a silent prayer for the ward to hold so they wouldn’t have to use them.
A strange shimmer filled the chamber, and a hushed female voice uttered the word “Choose.”
The witch.
This time, I’m sure everyone heard it. For Dominik wasn’t the only one with mouth agape, trying to locate the source of the voice.
Kari and Dougal together with Alec, Marcus and the rest of the men sank to their knees and bowed their heads. My grandfather and his men had waited nearly two thousand years, for this moment. Would any of them choose death over life?
Heart pounding, I waited. The shimmering receded, and a deafening silence descended. After what seemed like an eternity, one by one they raised their heads and looked about at each other.
A slow smile spread across Terens’s face. ‘So, I’m still stuck with you all, eh!’
Sam elbowed him as he rose. ‘Eternity brother, whether you like it or not.’
I released the breath I’d been holding as relief flooded through me. I was afraid that, just perhaps, one of them—my grandfather, in particular—might have chosen to be released from such a long life. The thought horrified me. I’d lost Luc and Judy, and I didn’t want to lose him too. Yet I also knew that after all the years of his long life, death would’ve been a blessed release for him. I couldn’t blame him if he took that choice because the ending of the curse didn’t really change all that much for him. For any of them. Luc had been right to be angry about the whole thing. There really was no gain. If anything, they were losing the precious hours of daylight they’d enjoyed imbibing the Ingenii blood. And with my blood reverting to back to human, there was no chance any of them would ever enjoy the daylight again.
I blinked back tears.
‘Don’t be sad, mea neptis.’ Marcus approached and touched my cheek. An affectionate smile graced his face when his lips brushed Sophie’s head.
She wriggled and slightly angled her head toward him.
‘It’s not fair. Nothing changes for you.’
‘Except that now I have the choice to die if I so wish.’
‘You don’t, do you?’
‘I have decided to live ... as you can see.’ He cracked a smile.
‘We all did, pet. I like being an uncle, and now I’m one twice over.’ Terens gave me a wink, the diamond stud in his ear blinking roguishly at me. ‘Who else is going to teach her sword skills?’
‘Not for a long time yet,’ Alec replied.
‘Our turn.’ Cal and Sam jostled Terens
out of the way to get a look at their new baby niece. ‘Hey, cuteness. It’s your Uncle Ca-al,’ he sing-songed. ‘When you’re old enough, I’ll teach you how to throw a dagger.’
‘Which I hope she’ll never need to use.’ Sophie was no Ingenii, but her father was still princeps of the Brethren, and he had enemies.
‘And her Uncle Sam will show her how to destroy her enemies with the click of a finger.’
Who would have thought it? These great and ancient vampire warriors showering gifts on a tiny baby like some kind of fanged fairy godfathers.
There was movement at the entrance. One of Dougal’s men ran to him and whispered in his ear. He’d stepped back to lean against the sepulchre’s entrance, a beaming smile on his face. That vanished and he turned and disappeared into the night.
Alec noticed it too, for his mouth tightened, and his gaze focused on what was going on outside. He brought the green serpent ring up to his face, and he swallowed. ‘Be back in a sec. I need to check something.’
As the guys cooed at Sophie, Alec slid past them to the entrance to look up at the night sky. His shoulders stiffened. That was enough to send warning bells through me. Something was wrong.
Dougal re-appeared, alarm written all over his face. He signalled to Marcus, who left my side to speak with him.
Even though my vampire hearing was gone, they weren’t that far away for me not to overhear.
‘Ward’s down. It’s coming in.’
‘Keep it contained. Use the nets. We’ll join you.’
The lamia!
Dougal nodded and sped off.
Marcus turned to Alec. ‘Get Laura and the baby into the safety of the fortress.’ Then he too was gone.
As one, Terens, Cal and Sam left my side and followed Marcus. The whoosh of metal being drawn from hard leather scabbards echoed in the night.
The blood drained from my face.
‘Old Stinky’s here?’ Kari’s face froze in an expression of horror before she crouched down and pulled a dagger from her boot. ‘Any chance your blood’s still toxic, Lolly?’
I shook my head. ‘I doubt it.’
Alec turned and our eyes met. We’d discussed the ramifications of me becoming human again. I clutched the blood vial hanging around my neck, and smiled. It was an immortality elixir. A gift from my father, Luc. He knew I’d need it, and I intended taking it.
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