"I think you know where you can put your superior skill," she said sweetly and as they began playing, Meghann reflected that no one but Simon could have made the past five weeks of enforced bed rest not only bearable but also actually enjoyable.
An icy tentacle of fear still wrapped around her heart when she remembered that night five weeks before when she had gotten out of bed and felt a warm gush of blood run down her legs. Only Simon"s unruffled calm had kept her from complete hysteria while he hurriedly summoned Lee.
An ultrasound had revealed placenta previa a condition of pregnancy where the placenta attached itself to the lower half of the uterus, partially or entirely covering the cervix. Lee had explained that placenta previa could cause hemorrhaging and usually necessitated a caesarian delivery. He had gone on to explain that any bleeding during the pregnancy could irritate the uterus to the point of contractions, thus bringing on premature labor.
Fortunately, Meghann had experienced no contractions and the bleeding had stopped as inexplicably as it started. Lee had said the ultrasound revealed the placenta was only partially, as opposed to completely, covering the mouth of the uterus, which was good news. Since there hadn"t been any sign of fetal distress, it was decided Meghann"s pregnancy could continue but Lee had ordered complete bed rest.
Since the disturbing show of blood, Meghann"s pregnancy had progressed uneventfully, though she was often tired and had started catnapping throughout the night. When she was awake, she felt restless and bored, though Simon, Charles, and Lee did all they could to bolster her spirits.
"Thank G.o.d it"s only three more weeks," Meghann said, triumphantly placing a hotel on Boardwalk. In three weeks, she"d reach the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy. According to Lee, that was the perfect time for a C-section. He"d explained that natural childbirth was dangerous because contractions could cause severe bleeding, endangering Meghann"s life as well as the twins if she hemorrhaged. In antic.i.p.ation of premature delivery, Lee flooded her system with beta methizone to develop the twins" lungs. Fortunately, they didn"t appear to have a vampire"s immunity to drugs and the latest ultrasound showed their lungs were so mature they might be able to breathe on their own even if they were born now.
"Will you concede defeat?" Simon taunted after Meghann had a disastrous turn, landing on one of his hotel properties for the third time in a row.
Grimly, Meghann mortgaged most of her property and came up with the necessary money to pay her debt without going bankrupt.
At the next throw of the dice, Simon seemed about to breeze past Boardwalk but one die mysteriously turned over from a three to a two landing him smack on Meghann"s hotel.
"Pay up!"
Simon reached across the board and yanked her into his lap. "Using your power to cheat at a game you must pay a forfeit."
Meghann wrapped her arms around him, kissing him hungrily and cursing the d.a.m.ned placenta previa that barred s.e.xual intercourse.
A sudden thump made all the pieces on the board scatter as Max jumped up on the bed.
"Game called on account of dog walk," Meghann said when Max handed Simon the leash carefully balanced in his mouth.
He cuffed the setter affectionately and attached his leash. "I know you have no desire to walk alone since that foolish hunter mistook you for a deer. Aren"t you fortunate he merely grazed your hind leg?"
"Have fun," Meghann called as they left the room. She knew the hunter"s body had landed in the ocean after Simon had fed on the idiot that almost killed her dog. She returned the game to its box and made a few notes on a yellow legal pad concerning Jimmy Delacroix"s care. Since she"d become bedridden, Charles had taken over his therapy with the a.s.sistance of Meghann"s directives. He too was puzzled by Jimmy"s condition. Though he drank blood docilely and groomed himself, Jimmy made no attempt at communication. Meghann refused to speculate that perhaps this zombielike state was a full recovery, that Jimmy would make no further progress. If that were so, she"d have to consider beheading him rather than let him spend immortality as a vegetable and she simply couldn"t bring herself to do that, not when she was so sure she could reach past that inexplicable blankness and bring him back to complete awareness Maggie, help me! Please help me!
The desperate howl went through her head like a knife. As she put a hand to her aching temple, Meghann"s eyes flew open frowning when she saw no one in the room with her. Could that scream really have reverberated only in her mind? It was so loud she would swear it was audible and not mental Maggie!
"Jimmy," she whispered, feeling joy in spite of the pain in her invaded mind.
Without another thought, she got off the bed and sprinted, as much as her bulk would allow her to, toward Jimmy"s room, grateful that he was installed on the same floor so she wouldn"t have to attempt the stairs.
Maggie, don"t let him hurt me!
It"s okay, Jimmy, she tried to tell him, unsure if he heard her or not. Poor Jimmy why hadn"t she foreseen this? Imagine coming out of a catatonic state and waking up in a strange room he must be terrified. And his last memory was probably of Simon transforming him no wonder Jimmy was begging her not to let her hurt him.
Maggie!
Meghann staggered into the wall, the force of Jimmy"s terrified plea striking her like a physical blow.
I"m coming, Jimmy, she thought back and felt the panicked presence boring down on her recede slightly. No one, not even Simon, had ever invaded her mind like this. Then again, Simon had never called out to her in a state of hysteria, with no idea what the raw power of a vampiric scream could do to its receiver. For all she knew, Jimmy might not even know yet that he was a vampire what was that little surprise going to do to his newfound sanity? She"d have to break the news of his immortality very gently.
Meghann straightened up and hurried toward Jimmy, startled when she saw that the door to his room was ajar. He was stuck in that room until Simon released him maybe his howls made the door swing open? She ran down the hall and stopped dead in the doorway, shocked by the tableau before her.
Simon stood over Jimmy, curled up in the fetal position. Jimmy"s eyes were still unfocused and his lips were trembling like he was trying to speak but couldn"t quite remember how.
"What are you doing to him?" Meghann cried. She clung to the heavy bra.s.s doork.n.o.b to stay upright, overwhelmed by the malevolent force that emanated from Simon. She looked down at Jimmy and knew that her abrupt appearance was the only reason Jimmy"s mind wasn"t obliterated Simon was focusing all his power on destroying Jimmy; that"s why he hadn"t been aware of her presence.
Meghann thought of the past few months of that mysterious block in Jimmy"s mind that prevented recovery. Not so mysterious now that she saw Simon towering over Jimmy he"d been coming in here and undoing all her work, suppressing Jimmy"s mind with the power of his own. All Simon"s vows to leave Jimmy in peace were lies treacherous lies. With a sudden sense of foreboding, Meghann wondered what else he"d lied to her about.
After a long moment, Simon raised his eyes from Jimmy and looked Meghann over coolly, not at all perturbed by the aghast fury in her eyes.
"Get back into bed this instant," Simon said in greeting, his tone brooking no refusal.
"Bed?" she repeated before she remembered her condition. No matter what Simon had been up to with Jimmy, he was right about the need for her to get off her feet. Never moving her eyes from Simon, Meghann inched over to Jimmy"s twin bed and gingerly eased herself down.
Simon sat down next to her, giving her a rueful smile. When she tried to spring away from him, one hand lashed out to imprison her wrists in an iron grip.
"I"d hoped this could wait until you"d delivered." he said and gestured to Jimmy, still curled up on the floor.
"What did you hope could wait? Jimmy"s been getting better, hasn"t he? You despicable b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she said, her voice full of the old revulsion and anger that hadn"t colored her conversations with Simon for months. "How long have you been undermining Jimmy"s progress creeping in here and holding him down?"
"Meghann "
"G.o.dd.a.m.n you, how long?" she screamed and bit at the hand clamping down on hers with her blood teeth.
In one fluid movement, Simon wrapped his free hand around her neck and forced her head back against the headboard. He loomed over her, gold eyes blazing with the air of simmering menace that always made her quake and back down.
"Don"t you look at me like that!" she shouted, working furiously to suppress her tears. What was the matter with her wanting to cry like a child because the dreamlike sweetness of the past few months had vanished the moment she saw Simon leaning over Jimmy and she realized every honeyed word out of Lord Baldevar"s mouth had been part of a calculated plan to make her drop her guard and trust him?
Nothing had changed, Meghann realized. With a sinking heart, Meghann asked herself how she could put her heart in the hands of a creature with no love inside him, just a sick desire to dominate and hurt everyone around him.
"Don"t be melodramatic. I have no intention of harming you. I"m simply restraining you until you"re capable of discussing this matter calmly and not biting me like some savage, untrained dog."
"There"s nothing to discuss," she said shakily, trying without success to move away from the hand locking her head into place. "I asked one thing of you "
"You asked a great deal of me including that I shelter your friend, a friend that caused our needless separation. But I did that gladly, just as I forgave your stake and running off to my enemy forty years ago. I was even willing to overlook your cheap promiscuous ways all the years we were apart. But I must draw the line when you have the gall to expect that I"d stand by and allow you that wretch on the floor."
"Allow?" Meghann questioned and burst into bitter, slightly hysterical laughter.
"How could I forget I"m not allowed to have anything the lord and master doesn"t approve of, am I? Like a family and people to love! You took all of that away from me the night you forced this d.a.m.ned cursed existence on me never letting me contact my family, forbidding me to have any friends. G.o.dd.a.m.n you, Simon Baldevar you"re not going to take Jimmy away from me!"
"I did not think I"d have to," Simon said, giving her the overpleasant, sardonic grin that made her skin crawl. "You did a rather good job of removing yourself from Mr. Delacroix"s life. Or will you not admit that you neglected your patient shamefully once you rediscovered the joys of my bed?"
"No!" Meghann shouted, hardening her eyes. She wouldn"t let the b.a.s.t.a.r.d see how his words cut into her, that he was right about her ignoring Jimmy over the past five months. Meghann sagged into the bed, and squeezed her eyes shut. A h.e.l.lish vision floated into her mind, not the appalling picture of Simon leaning over Jimmy but over another man Johnny Devlin.
Johnny, her childhood sweetheart, wartime fiance and her first victim.
Meghann saw herself, deathly ill from transformation and frenzied with the desperate need for blood. Oh, she"d been desperate but not desperate enough to do as Simon ordered and kill her terrified, half-conscious fiance. It was only after Simon dragged her to him, keeping her head firmly positioned over his jugular, while he kept pressuring her to drink, drink, drink, that she finally sank her blood teeth into Johnny"s neck and drained him of life.
Meghann had never forgiven herself for Johnny but her one weak consolation was that if she had a second chance, she"d have found a way to refuse the hideous choice Simon put before her. Now even that pathetic straw was gone. Once again, Simon Baldevar got her to betray a man she professed to love.
But what happened to Jimmy Delacroix was far worse than Johnny. How could she have done this seen the pathetic sh.e.l.l Simon had reduced Jimmy to and still fallen back under his spell?
Because it was easy, Meghann told herself with loathing. So much easier to f.u.c.k Simon than fight him, easy to stop struggling and put her faith in him faith he"d just ripped out of her, along with her heart.
"There"s no need for weeping, little one," she heard him whisper. Now that she lay broken and sobbing on the bed, the overbearing brute was gone now Simon would offer his silly little doll some more of his false soothing.
"Leave me alone," she sobbed, moving away from the arms that tried to pull her against him.
"You"re being foolish," Simon said softly, though he did remove his hands.
"Why castigate yourself for making a wise choice? Really, sweetheart, only a complete featherhead would continue to battle me. Naturally you chose to accept love and all the comfort I wished to bestow upon you in place of that futile resistance. Why should you have held yourself chaste and bitter, slaving in behalf of a witless creature, instead of embracing me and all I can give you?"
"I don"t want anything from you!" Meghann screamed and slapped him across the face with all her strength, wondering if he"d dare strike her back while she was pregnant.
Simon only smiled, rubbing his wounded cheek. "I"d heard breeding women have black moods and unpredictable behavior. You need to rest, little one. I"ll take you back to our room so you can calm down and stop endangering our children"s health with all this aggravation "
"Get your filthy hands off me before I bite them off!"
"Stop behaving like a wayward brat," Simon said, ignoring her furious struggles when he tried to gather her up to carry her away from Jimmy"s room.
"Put me down, d.a.m.n you! Put me down!"
Roughly, Simon grabbed her, giving her a small shake about the shoulders.
"Cease that caterwauling and fighting immediately. Do you wish to bring on premature labor?"
"Leave me alone " she started to say, and Simon simply clamped his hand over her mouth, all her frenzied attempts to pull away from him having as much affect as a fly against his impenetrable strength.
"Get off her, motherf.u.c.ker."
Meghann felt Simon"s arms slacken as they both turned stunned eyes to the figure standing by the door Jimmy Delacroix, looking more than a bit bewildered but ready for battle with the leg he"d ripped from the solitary wood chair in his room serving as a makeshift stake.
"Jimmy?" Meghann said hesitantly, peering at him from her position behind Simon. She couldn"t believe that her eyes weren"t deceiving her, that Jimmy Delacroix was really standing and talking, the hateful blank stare replaced by a guarded expression that made Meghann smile in spite of her misery.
"Don"t worry, Maggie," he said brusquely, not moving his eyes from Simon or his appraising amber gaze. "I"m not gonna let this freak hurt you anymore."
"Jimmy!" she said joyously and took advantage of Simon"s momentary shock, leaping past him to fly toward Jimmy, her arms open to embrace him.
But Jimmy took a step back, looking at her body with bewilderment. "What the h.e.l.l happened to you?"
"Huh?" she said and then realized what a shock her swollen figure must be to him. She stopped cold, her arms falling limply to her sides while her face suffused with a blush of deep humiliation.
But Jimmy didn"t seem upset. Shaking off his momentary disconcertment, he swept her off her feet and planted a huge kiss on her surprised lips.
"What the h.e.l.l"s been happening, Maggie?" Jimmy said gleefully and kissed her again. "Have I been sick? I mean, Jesus, when did you get so pregnant?"
"What?" she asked, acutely disturbed by Simon"s continued silence.
"Have I been sick?" Jimmy repeated and then he glanced at her in perplexed confusion. "Maggie, something"s the matter with me I feel different."
"Oh, honey," she whispered, feeling an aching wave of pity for the man still cradling her to him. "You you"re a vampire now, have been for nearly eight months."
"Eight months?" Jimmy echoed and sank to the floor, Meghann petting his long hair consolingly. "No, it"s not possible, it " But he broke off and Meghann saw that he knew it was true. Besides being in her bloodline, Jimmy was far too young a vampire and too distressed for his thoughts not to reach her. She saw his bewilderment at the odd strength that coursed through him, the suddenly keen hearing that made him hear the tide of the ocean as clearly as though he stood on the sh.o.r.e though he was in this homely room he"d never seen before. And worse, there was a need a sudden craving "No!" Jimmy howled. It was on him, a desire for blood a thousand times stronger than the worst time he"d ever needed a drink.
Meghann left him momentarily, reaching into the small refrigerator in a corner of the room. She returned to him with a transfusion pack of blood that Jimmy looked at for a split second with a mortal"s loathing before he s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her grasp and drank thirstily.
"It"s okay," Maggie whispered to him while he devoured the blood. G.o.d, how she knew what he was going through, knew what it was to hate yourself for enjoying the taste of copper and iron, for feeling a sudden sense of well-being and power.
Do you see now? Meghann said and felt a brief moment of amus.e.m.e.nt at Jimmy"s shock to hear her unspoken words. Most likely, Simon would hear every word but she had to try and bar him from these words she meant only for Jimmy.
This is the blood l.u.s.t? Jimmy questioned back, looking like a shaky toddler just learning to walk when he answered her back telepathically.
Meghann nodded and stroked his long hair comfortingly. This is why I never wanted to transform you, Jimmy. Maybe we do gain longevity and some powers I"ll teach you but there"s always the blood l.u.s.t. That"s the curse of a vampire"s existence. It"s bad enough fighting it myself I never wanted to see you struggle with it too.
But what changed your mind? Why did you transform me?
Oh, Jimmy "Wait," Jimmy said and tossed the empty plastic bag away. At the unwanted memory, the ability to speak telepathically abandoned him and his agonized shriek filled the room. "You didn"t transform me it was oh, G.o.d, no!"
"It doesn"t matter," Meghann said and glared at Simon, lounging on the bed and looking more like a hawk than ever with his tawny eyes focused on her and Jimmy a hunter ready to swoop down on his prey but holding back, savoring their terror before making the kill.
Finally, Meghann looked away, turning her attention back to her shattered lover. Over and over she crooned that it didn"t matter who transformed him, he was still capable of finding peace within his new existence. She and Charles would help him tame the blood l.u.s.t and he"d never have to do anything that shamed him or made him feel he was some unholy monster.
"Jimmy," she said, forcing him to look at her. G.o.d, she prayed, don"t let this shock make him slip back into the catatonia. "When that fiend transformed you, he deliberately made it difficult he wanted you to fall into the insanity that makes so many transformations a failure. And you did Jimmy, you were out of your head, completely mindless and unable to focus on anything but your need for blood. But I kept talking to you, pleading with you to come back, and you heard me you got your mind back! No vampire has ever recovered his sanity after a bad transformation only you! That proves how strong you are, that you"re capable of anything, anything at all "
Slowly, Jimmy raised his head from her tear-drenched shoulder and took a sniffling breath. "Yeah," he agreed and gave Meghann a timid, hopeful smile. "I kind of remember hearing you. It was like I was at the bottom of a well and your voice was coming at me. I wanted so much to tell you I heard you but he held me back." From Meghann"s protective embrace, Jimmy threw Simon, still eerily quiet, a ferocious look.
"You"re right, Maggie," Jimmy said firmly and stood up, helping Meghann to her feet. He clutched her shoulders and gazed lovingly at her bloated body, causing Meghann to give him another puzzled glance.
"Wow," he said and his hands grazed her abdomen gingerly. Then, he raised his eyes again and gave her a reprimanding glance.
"You shouldn"t have done this, you know," he said reproachfully and indicated Simon. "Don"t think I"m not grateful that you saved me from whatever h.e.l.l he had me living through but Jesus Christ, Maggie! You didn"t just risk your own neck this time what if he hurt our baby?"
"Our baby?" she repeated numbly and then heard the malicious laugh behind her. Turning, she saw Simon rise off the bed and make his leisurely way toward her.
Before she could move, he came behind her, putting one hand around her stomach while the other shoved Jimmy away when he moved to protect her.
"Get the f.u.c.k away from her!" Jimmy growled and Simon laughed again, keeping a firm hold on Meghann, squirming and clawing at the arms encircling her.
"You may rest a.s.sured I will not harm her." Simon ran his hand over Meghann"s cheek, purring out, "Mr. Delacroix seems confused as to the paternity of your child, little one. Shouldn"t you enlighten him or may I have that delightful task?"
"Maggie, what the h.e.l.l is he talking about?" Jimmy questioned uneasily, and Meghann saw the appalling knowledge bloom in his eyes as Simon"s hands caressed her distended stomach with familiar, loving hands. He knew Simon Baldevar wouldn"t touch her that way if she were pregnant with another man"s child.
"Maggie, no!" he screamed, eyes and voice pleading for her to refute the hideous truth Lord Baldevar put before him.
Meghann brought her foot down with all her strength, feeling grim satisfaction when she heard Simon"s big toe crack under the a.s.sault. He loosened his grip and she ran to Jimmy.
"It"s true," Meghann said quietly and took a deep breath, determined that her confession not be the victory Simon wanted. "But he raped me that night he killed Alcuin and kidnapped me "
"I know, Maggie. When I went to the house to rescue you, I saw what he did to you. f.u.c.king rapist," Jimmy snarled and hurled the chair leg at Simon"s heart.
Easily, Simon sidestepped the missile and stalked toward Jimmy but Meghann placed herself between them. At the amused scorn in Simon"s gaze, something cracked inside her. Meghann was past anger, past any sane emotion, her only desire to make Simon hurt as badly as she did. "It used to make me sick, knowing I was carrying the child of a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like you," she said coldly. "But I love my children enough to overlook the unfortunate accident of who their father is. And I"m going to spare them that knowledge these children will never know you, never! Alcuin was right you destroy everything you touch. I don"t know why the h.e.l.l I didn"t listen when he begged me to see through all your phony love. Kill me or let me leave this room with Jimmy, Lord Baldevar.