He traveled longer and farther than he’d ever traveled while carrying me in his arms.  Instead of stopping abruptly as he had in the past, he gradually slowed, giving my body the opportunity to adjust.  As a result, when he finally landed us on top of a majestic Canadian mountain I was able to enjoy stable legs that allowed me to walk about immediately.   I stood still, waiting for the purging of my stomach to begin.  To my surprise and delight, I felt a little nauseous, but nothing came forth.He took me by the hand and pulled me along behind him.  I noticed his breathing was a bit labored.  Another fallacy uncovered.  Vampires eventually get tired.When we reached a large flat surfaced boulder positioned securely against the mountainside, he pressed on it lightly and it swung open. With my hand in his, he led me down a long underpass until we reached the other side. My breath caught in my throat at the vision of beauty be

It took several hours before the horns sounded the arrival of a visitor.  Drake was led into the great room of the castle with all the fanfare royalty deserved.  Jack and I stood at the end of the massive hall.   My heart broke as I watched his tortured face rotate emotions as he took in the scene of us standing together as king and queen… host and hostess.  It was clear to all with eyes that Jack and I were a bonded couple that would be impossible to separate.When Drake finally stood before us, he looked at me with tortured eyes, but said nothing.  He didn’t need to.  It was clear I’d made my decision and it was equally clear I’d broken his heart.  My guilt over hurting him forced me to look away.“You always were an excellent tracker,” Jack said with a smile as he extended his arms in greeting.“It’s easy to track a sloppy vampire,” Drake teased as he embraced his f

It took Mark and his troop a few more hours to reach us.  The soothing effects of the brandy wore off just before he marched into the courtyard. My body was so tense I could barely move to greet him. Grateful for their presence, I positioned myself between Jack and Drake for support and comfort.Without any pretense of civility, Mark immediately cut to the quick.“You have something of mine. I’ve come to get it back,” he said in a demanding and arrogant tone.“It is a human being, brother,” Drake hissed.“Don’t call me brother.  You’re nothing more than an embarrassment to me,” Mark said.“I should think it would be the other way around,” I bellowed. I was suddenly angry on Drake’s behalf. “Most bastards would be grateful to be acknowledged by their legitimate sibling.”Drake placed his hand over mine and squeezed.  I wasn’t sure

When afternoon came around and there was still no sign of Jack, the entire castle was in an uproar.  Since I was the last to see him, the sergeant at arms interviewed me extensively.  Unfortunately, I was of little help.As the day wore on, I heard whispers from a few disgruntled residents blaming me for Jack’s disappearance. They pointed out that I’d only been there a few days and already they’d had more upheaval than they’d had in the last century.  I felt horrible.Drake heard the whispering as well and decided to stick to me like he was stuck with glue.  Short of going to the toilet, I was not allowed to be alone. He sat in a chair while I napped and offered me his arm when I went downstairs to dinner.  I could have stayed in my room to eat my meal.  I think a few of my dinner companions would have preferred it, but I wanted to be there to hear any news of Jack, should it come in. Light conversation

When Vicki returned to a more normal looking vampire, she shoved a gag in the man’s mouth and bound his wrists and ankle in a way that made it impossible for him to even fidget, let alone move. She tossed his big bulk over her petite shoulder with surprising ease, held her finger to her lips to let me know I needed to keep quiet, and tip toed out of the door Sara passed through not long ago. I was amazingly light footed as I hurried behind Vicki. We made our way to the dungeon below.  We slipped into alcoves and behind doors to avoid meeting up with an occasional vampire.  Fortunately, the majority of the black king’s subjects eagerly left to join in on the ambush, leaving us with only a skeleton group to deal with. At one point, Vicki stopped to take more nourishment from the bundle over her shoulder.  I watched the robust color I knew to be her natural state finally return. That last feeding brought a resurgence of power to her