Séraphine (Eternelles: A Prequel, Book 0.5) (3 page)

Adri’s expression morphed from rage to pity. Sera’s belly knotted up.

“All right, now you must tell me what’s wrong.”

Her mother returned to the chair and reclaimed her hand. “My love, I hate to tell you this but…Harcourt is a vampyre.”

“Yes, he bit— Oh my God.” Sera felt herself go limp as the wind—what little she had left—was knocked out of her.

“If I hadn’t felt something was wrong, if I hadn’t found you,
ma chérie,
I can’t bear to think what would have happened to you.” Tears streaked Adri’s cheeks, a weakness she never showed anyone.

Sera gazed in wonder upon her face.

“Mum, you never cry.”

“No, I don’t.” She sniffed, wiping away the moisture with the back of her hand. “But I almost lost you, my only daughter. I can’t imagine…” She sniffed again.

“But you haven’t. I’m here with you, and life is about to get exciting.” Sera tried to imbue her voice with enthusiasm, but couldn’t quite manage.

“Sera, we must talk,” Adri said gravely, her face kind, communicating how much she loved her. Loved her like no other living thing. She squeezed her hand and focused on it, as though searching for the right words.

“Please, Mum.”

“If Rafe drank your blood, and then I fed you mine within the hour, it can only mean one thing.”

Sera’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that? “That I’m now like him?”

“Yes.”

“God, how am I going to explain this to William? He doesn’t even know what I am. What
we
are.”

“You won’t”

“But won’t he notice if I don’t…”

“Age?”

Sera nodded.

“
Ma fille
, there’s more.”

When her mother hesitated, a treacherous thought stabbed at her. The woman was
never
short for words.

“Tell me, how long have I been asleep?”

Adri kept stalling, but at Sera’s direct gaze, she finally gave in. “Two weeks.”

“Two bloody weeks! You let William sail without us? Why on earth didn’t you have me carried on the ship? Did I need some special medical treatment? I never get sick, or if I do, not for long.”

“And what was I supposed to tell your fiancé or the physic on board? That a vampyre bit you? I am still unsure how you will react to the sunlight. Too many questions, and not many answers so far.”

“I don’t understand how it took me this long to recover.”

“You had some waking moments. I…slipped something in your tea.”

Sera threw her hands up in frustration. “Why?”

“Something happened. I wanted you to rest, to get your strength back. You’re going to need it.”

Sera’s warning glance brooked no argument.

“All right, then,” Adri said on a sigh. “
Mon coeur
, the ship…there was an accident. It sank…they had a dire issue with the lifeboats and many passengers died. I spoke to some people, who kept me abreast of things, and I saw the list of survivors…” Her voice trailed off at the end.

“William didn’t make it,” Sera said in a barely audible whisper.

“I’m so sorry.” Adri ran her fingers through Sera’s hair, hooking a wayward strand behind her ear. “You need to be strong.”

William, happy, kind, loving William. My William.

“Strong … you mean deal with losing everything in a blink of an eye as though nothing happened.” Sera looked at her mother with fresh eyes, suddenly despising her. “That’s how you always handle difficult situations, right, Mum? Forget they ever happened, dust yourself off and move on.”

“Oh, Sera, please—”

“Don’t! Don’t preach to me how I should act! This is
my
loss and I’ll manage it
my
way, if at all.” Sera hadn’t realized how loud her voice had gotten until Adri’s startled expression made her pause. She’d never spoken like this to her parent.

“Why didn’t you let me die? If you hadn’t fed me, I wouldn’t be alive to feel all this grief!”

“Séraphine—”

“Don’t!” She huffed for breath. “Go. Just go away!”

In the deserted mews behind her home this woman had saved her—twice. One time too many.

Deflated, she closed her eyes and wished she were dead. Wished her mother had just left her on the street to breathe her last breath. She could barely wrap her mind around the idea she’d lost her beloved.

Lost her innocence, her will to go on without him.

She opened her eyes then and let them seek her mother’s form. Inside her entered a new guest, one she’d never had before.

Hate—the destroyer of all things beautiful.

Mum, I’ll never forgive you for this.

And she wondered—would this world ever be big enough to hold the two of them?

Would she ever be able to stand in the same room with this creature who’d nurtured and raised her, without getting sick or going insane?

Only time would tell, and time was something she had a lot of.

THE END

Check out Adri’s prequel:

ADRASTEIA (Eternelles: A Prequel, Book 0)

http://www.amazon.com/Adrasteia-Eternelles-Prequel-Book-ebook/dp/B00D45D0AU/

Also, read more about Sera and Adri in the Eternelles series. Find INESCAPABLE (Eternelles: The Beginning, Book 1) and subsequent books at all major online retailers.

INESCAPABLE on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Inescapable-Eternelles-Beginning-Book-ebook/dp/B00CNBW1XS/

Indomitable

Eternell
es

Book 2

A war is coming...

Immortal Adrasteia 'Adri' Dionysios has looked Death in the face...and realised her own father wants her perdition. Two-thousand-nine-hundred years after, Greek god Dionysos is finally here to exact his revenge on his unlikely offspring. But Adri has more pressing matters to attend to. Her daughter appears to be the unwilling key at the heart of a plot to open the
Shadow Bridge portal and let Evil return to Earth, and the creature she has given her heart to isn't playing a spotless game, either.

Seraphine 'Sera' Dionysios awakens to the reality that she must take her destiny into her own hands. If only she could come out alive and unscathed from the prophecy she finds herself embroiled in, and if her mother would finally cut the umbilical cord... Not to mention that her maker has decided the time has come to claim her, and he is staking his territory by winning her body and her soul little by little.

Unknown forces are at work to breach the portal and release a bloodthirsty kind that will enslave humanity and all other supernatural races. Besides, twin witches who can bring on the Apocalypse risk making their appearance, too. The world will come crashing down—unless Adri and Sera can stop the deviant plot before it's too late.

Zee Monodee

Author, smitten wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween boy, best-buddy stepmum to a teenage lad, bookaholic, incompetent housewife desperate to channel Bree van de Kamp & Nigella Lawson (and failing miserably!)...

Zee hails from the multicultural, rainbow-nation island of Mauritius, in the southern Indian Ocean. Shamelessly addicted to Supernatural, Glee, and Gossip Girl, she did put her brain to good use by getting a degree in Communications Science. Romance remains her big love, though, and she likes nothing more than writing strong, kick-arse heroines.

Other books by Zee Monodee:

Once Upon A... series (multicultural 1NightStand @Decadent Publishing)

Once Upon A Stormy Night

Once Upon A Second Chance

Corpus Brides series (espionage/romantic suspense thrillers)
Walking The Edge
Before The Morning

Find out more about Zee and her work at http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com.

Natalie G. Owens

Pink velvet and black lace. Light and darkness. A world of contrasts exists in
Natalie’s stories because every rose has its thorn. Her favorite stories to write are romances with a dark edge featuring brooding heroes, strong heroines, and a good dash of fantasy.

Married, with one son, she now calls the beautiful island of Malta home after eleven good years in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not working or writing—or muttering to myself about it like a batty old maid—she enjoys spending time with family and friends (both online and offline), reading, cooking, watching a good movie, taking trips, and ogling shoe store displays.

Other books by Natalie G. Owens:

The Valthreans series (paranormal romance)

An Eternity of Roses

A Lifetime for Revenge (coming in 2013)

Moonlight Dating series

Something to Live for

Everything to Lose

Find out more about Natalie and her work at http://www.nataliegowens.com.