Elizabeth must never see us feed, Meghann said, and Charles nodded. She saw Simon"s eyes narrow briefly but if he"d heard her he said nothing, merely held out his arms for her to give him Mikal.
As Meghann handed him the baby, something monstrous pa.s.sed before her eyes, a premonition of such evil she cried out in fear and staggered against Charles.
"Meghann?" Charles said in alarm while Simon stared at her anxiously, Mikal cradled against him.
"I"m okay," she managed. "Still a little woozy, I guess." She saw that Simon plainly didn"t believe her but what could she tell him? For one of the few times in her vampire life, the Sight had failed her. Normally Meghann"s visions were very clear but this this was no more than a brief flash of fear before it vanished.
Meghann had no idea what, if anything, she"d been warned against. Later, after Simon left, she"d try to clarify the vision through meditation.
Simon strapped Mikal into a car seat and shut the car door, shaking hands with Charles and Lee before he turned to Meghann. Their good-bye had been said on the beach; she knew there"d be no impa.s.sioned parting with Charles and Lee standing there.
Simon"s lips barely grazed hers as he leaned down to her. I love you, Meghann.
"Be careful," Meghann whispered fiercely into his ear, the premonition still disturbing her.
She felt his hands twine in her hair, then jerk a handful of hair to make her look up and blink nervously at the hard light shining in his gold eyes. What is it?
You"re mine, Meghann. I"d be most displeasured if you forgot that during the time we"re apart. With that silent directive, Simon spun away her from her and got into the car, not even turning around to give her another glance.
The h.e.l.l with you, Meghann thought in outrage as she watched the car lumber away. I"m not property to be called yours! Who did Simon Baldevar think he was?
And to think she"d been all but ready to canonize him a few minutes ago! Why, he hadn"t changed at all.
No, that wasn"t true Simon had changed. He"d changed a great deal if he"d give up the woman he"d fought and schemed for with all his power simply to make his mortal daughter happy. And he"d entrusted her care to Charles as well as Lee and Charles was one of his bitterest enemies only a few months ago.
What a complex mix of pure tenderness and absolute malevolence Simon was, Meghann thought as she watched the car carrying him and her son disappear from sight. A year ago she hadn"t understood that, hadn"t seen anything but the malice that allowed him to kill Alcuin and try to destroy Jimmy so easily. Now, though, Meghann knew however strong the evil inside him was, it was tempered by the love he had for her and their children.
But she worried about that evil for it was just as strong a part of him as any softness he might feel toward those he chose to love. Maybe it was a good thing he"d left, a good thing Elizabeth would never be tainted by the darkness in her father"s soul. She and Charles might be vampires, but they didn"t glory in causing death and pain the way Simon did.
Meghann shuddered when she thought of what Mikal might become with Simon raising him but could think of nothing to do to help her son. Nothing short of death would separate Simon from his son, and even if she did get Mikal away from him, Meghann didn"t think she was strong enough to protect her son from all those that would try to harm him. Nor did she wish to go into hiding and have poor Elizabeth raised like some hermit just because Mikal couldn"t be seen. No, it was better to let Simon take Mikal. She just had to pray Simon would honor his vow to her and bring Mikal up to be more than a bloodthirsty soulless killer.
Meghann heard a faint whimper inside the house and knew Elizabeth was waking up, ready to be fed again. As she started toward the house, she thought she had far more than she"d dared to dream of last year when she found out Simon was alive. She may have lost Alcuin and Jimmy but she had a beautiful daughter, her dearest friends at her side to help her raise Elizabeth, and the knowledge that Mikal would be safe with his father. She also had years to decide whether she wanted to be Simon Baldevar"s consort, despite all she knew about him.
I have all I can hope for, Meghann thought and turned to smile at her friends.
"Come on I hear Elizabeth crying."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Baker makes her home in New York and New Orleans. She is currently working on the third novel in the CRIMSON trilogy. She loves hearing from her readers; you may write to her c/o Pinnacle Books. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish to receive a response. You can also visit her Web site at www.crimsonkiss.com.