Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) (19 page)

It took nearly three hours to find
Isaiah. By that time Nathaniel was starting to panic. Okay, he had started to
panic after two hours. It was when they returned to the house for lunch that
they found Isaiah under the table building a castle out of empty pill bottles,
and pills. The staff insisted that he had not been there ten minutes earlier.
Nathaniel sent a text message to Noah to let him know they had found Isaiah,
and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m going to make sure Hannah has eaten
lunch,” Nathaniel said.

Justin stopped him. “I’m sure she’s
already eaten. She’s been napping a lot during the afternoon so maybe you
should let her sleep. This pregnancy has been really hard on her, and the
medication I gave her to help with the nausea makes her pretty sleepy.”

The visit with Trish had unnerved
Nathaniel, and he wanted to see Hannah to reassure himself that everything was
still okay. Reluctantly, he agreed to wait until dinner, or until she came out
of the room.

Justin took Isaiah back to his room, and
Nathaniel decided to go for a ride to distract himself. He sent Drew to sit
close to Hannah’s room, and assured himself that it was just in case she needed
something when she woke up.

After his ride, he couldn’t wait any
longer. He tapped on Hannah’s door, but she didn’t respond. “Have you seen her
leave the room at all?” he asked Drew who was just down the hall.

Drew shook his head.

He knocked a little louder. “Hannah?”

When she didn’t respond, he cracked the
door and peaked in. Her room was ominously silent. The bathroom door was wide
open, and the room was empty.

Rage surged through him. “Damn her!”

Drew peered into the room nervously.

“Ursula!” Nathaniel shouted.

Ursula came immediately, and placed a
gentle hand on his shoulder.

“When was the last time you saw Hannah?”
His voice shook with fury.

“This morning at the stables,” she
replied.

“That’s not right. You walked back to
the house with her,” he argued.

Ursula gave him a sad smile. “What you
were doing was wrong.”

“So you betrayed me?” He was stunned,
hurt, confused. “How?” Then the biggest shock came. “It can’t be.” He shook his
head, his voice weak. “Not Noah. He wouldn't do this to me. Noah would never
betray me like this.”

With shaking hands he pulled his phone
out of his pocket and called Noah.

“Hello.” Noah’s voice sounded sad and
weary.

“Why?” he asked more hurt than angry. “We’re
brothers.”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you,” was Noah’s
only reply before the line went dead.

The only stops they made were to drop
Trish off at her house, and more than a dozen bathroom breaks. Noah had somehow
managed to get her phone back from Nathaniel, but the service had been
disconnected with a message directing people to call a new number that she
recognized as Nathaniel’s. It had a lot of pictures on it so she was still
relieved to have it back. The truck was fully stocked with food for the trip.
Noah assured her that there was enough for three days. The first day, Noah
drove until late at the night. Finally, he stopped at a motel, and admitted
that they would need to replenish the food supply before they went any further.

The next day was much less hurried. Noah
seemed confident that they had made it a safe distance from Nathaniel, and was
willing to stop for meals. At one point they even stopped at a bank so Hannah
could take out money. Noah wasn’t at all comfortable with the transaction, but
Hannah assured him that Nathaniel didn’t even know where she banked.

Noah was tired so they only traveled
until sunset that day before stopping for the night.

Day three Noah assured her that they
were almost there. Hannah had finally started to relax and felt giddy with
relief. She was free!

Noah seemed on edge all morning, and
barely spoke to her.

Finally, he broke his silence. “I need
to talk to you about something. I’ve been avoiding this conversation, but I
can’t any longer.”

Hannah waited a long time for him to
speak again.

He pulled the truck to the side of the
road, and turned toward her. “I’m taking you to my mother.”

It took time for the words to sink in;
when they did, Hannah slapped Noah as hard as she could, and climbed out of the
truck.

Noah jumped out and followed her as she
walked along the side of the deserted road. “Hannah, stop! I’m sorry that I
didn’t tell you sooner, but I couldn’t.”

“Oh, I know,” she spat out, “there is
always a reason to lie to me.”

“In this case, yes, there was a damn
good reason to lie to you.” He grabbed her shoulders, and spun her around to
face him. Despite her struggles he held her in place. “I’m not going to let you
walk off down the highway in the middle of nowhere, Hannah.”

Her rage crumbled around her, and misery
replaced it. “Why would the two of you lie to me about something like this?”

“Hannah, the only person, other than me,
that knows is Ursula. You were with Nathaniel, and then I just . . .”
His voice trailed off. He blew out a frustrated breath, and raked his fingers
through his hair. “I didn’t want to admit to one more lie so I’ve been holding
off on telling you, but you’ll be meeting her in less than an hour. This is not
going well at all, is it?”

Hannah remained silent as she let her
mind process yet another shock. Finally, she nodded her head, walked back to
the truck, climbed into the passenger seat, fastened her seat belt, and said
the last thing Noah expected to hear. “I’m sorry that I hit you.”

He gave a humorless laugh. “I deserved
that and more.”

She placed her hand on his, and smiled.
“That’s true, but I know you have a good heart. It’s one of the reasons that I
love you.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he
didn’t dare look at her.

Then she continued. “You’re like a
brother to me.”

“Great,” he grumbled as he started up
the truck.

The modest house sat nestled in a wooded
area at the end of a very long dirt road. As they neared the house, Hannah
realized that she didn’t even know what state they were in anymore. She had
been distracted with her own thoughts for most of the trip.

“This is it,” Noah said.

“How long are we going to stay here?”
Hannah’s hands were a little shaky as she unfastened her seatbelt.

“You're going to stay until after the
baby is born, longer if you want. I’ll be here for a few days to help you get
settled in, and then I need to go home.”

“You’re going back there?” It was more
accusation than question.

He looked guilty as he admitted,
“Nathaniel is my brother and I still love him. Besides, it will be easier to
keep you safe this way.” That was only part of the truth. It was getting harder
every day to deny his own feelings. He needed to get away from her before he
did something to ruin their friendship.

The door to the house opened, and a
stunning woman walked toward them.

“Oh my God! Your mother is Snow White!”

Noah laughed. “She hates that Disney
movie, so you might want to avoid mentioning that to her.”

Noah’s mother glided across the yard.
She would make Hannah’s own mother look graceless. Her black hair glistened in
the sunlight. It was cut in a shoulder length bob that framed her delicate
face. Her wide eyes were blue, like the older Disney version of Snow White, and
her ivory skin was flawless. She wore an ankle length tiered skirt, and a white
peasant blouse that was belted loosely at her tiny waist.

Noah climbed out of the truck, and
lifted her off of the ground in a hug. She was so tiny that her feet dangled in
the air.

“Noah!” she squealed. “Put me down, you
silly boy.” There was no mistaking her British accent. “I’m so glad that you
made it here safely.”

He kissed her cheek. “It's good to see
you, Mom.”

Hannah stepped out of the truck, and
stood to the side. Her shock at discovering Noah’s secret was still fresh, and
she felt like she was seeing a ghost.

Noah’s mother walked to Hannah, and
grasped both of her hands. “This must be Hannah, and my unborn grandson. I’m
Lenore. Please no mentions of Poe!”

Hannah felt the tension ease from her
body. “It's nice to meet you.” Then she asked, “Why does everyone keep
referring to my baby as a boy?” It had been bothering her, but there were so
many other things to worry about.

“It's genetics.” Noah explained. “We
only produce male children. You really should have asked Justin to explain it
before we left. I’m not really sure of the specifics.”

“I had other things on my mind, and
Justin is kind of a prick.”

Lenore laughed, and hugged her with one
arm. “I assume Justin is the name that Jeremiah is using these days.” She
continued when Noah nodded. “He was a very grumpy little boy. Of course, I only
knew him for the first couple of years of his life. Ursula has kept me up to
date on two of his name changes, but not the latest one.”

“He’s still pretty grumpy, so I guess
the only thing that’s changed is his name.” Then Noah remembered Caitlin. “He
has picked a mate.”

Lenore seemed delighted. “Oh, is she a
nice girl?”

Noah thought for a moment, and then
said, “No, she’s not very nice most of the time.”

“Well, perhaps she’s nice around him,”
Lenore suggested. “Are they happy together?”

“She is even meaner around him, and it’s
really fun to watch. They aren’t actually together yet. Justin wants to wait
until she finishes medical school first,” Noah explained. “Sadly, she hates
him.” Noah didn’t look like he found this sad at all. It seemed to amuse him.

“She doesn’t hate him,” Hannah argued,
and then she yawned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so tired. All I’ve done
is sit for the last couple of days.”

“It’s the stress.” Lenore squeezed her shoulder.
“Come inside, and I’ll fix you some tea.” She steered Hannah toward the house.
“It will relax you after your long trip.”

“Please don’t go to any trouble,” Hannah
protested.

“Humor an old woman.” She seated Hannah
at the breakfast nook in her kitchen, and then started the water for the tea. “Are
you hungry?”

The mention of food made Hannah’s
stomach rumble. “Excuse me,” she said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Noah gave her a reassuring smile. “What
do you feel like eating? I’ll run into town, and pick up whatever you want.”

Hannah shook her head. “You don't have
to go to all of that trouble.”

He rubbed her belly gently. “My mother
is already trying to figure out a way to get rid of me so she can spend some
time alone with you. We may as well make it easy for her.”

Hannah gave him a list of the foods she
was craving. Now that she could hold down food it was a pretty long list.

Lenore assured him that she wanted
nothing, and he headed off to town. Hannah was moved to the front room, and
seated in an old rocking chair that Lenore referred to as a waiting rocker. It
was there that she waited for her tea.

“Here you go, dear.” Lenore handed her
the tea cup. “Did you want sugar or milk in your tea? I’m afraid I don’t have
any lemon or honey.”

“I'm not much of a tea drinker,” Hannah
admitted.

“It will soothe your nerves,” Lenore
said. “You’ve had far too much stress lately. Would you like me to read your
tea leaves?”

“You read tea leaves?” Hannah asked.

Lenore nodded. “I come from a very
superstitious family,” she explained. “I think that it rubbed off on Nathaniel
more than Noah. I taught Nathaniel to read palms when he was only four years
old. Roman was livid when he found out.” Her eyes became moist with tears.

“Did you . . . Never mind
I don't want to pry.”

“You don't need to be so formal with
me,” Lenore assured her. “Right now you’re very confused, and I want to help
you get through this. You are the mother of my grandson, and the woman who
holds my son’s heart.”

Hannah looked down at her tea. “Nathaniel
doesn't love me.” The mere mention of Nathaniel made her cringe.

“Nathaniel is obsessed with you. He
wants to possess you, just like his father wanted to possess me.”

A look of bewilderment came over
Hannah’s face. “I don’t understand. You just said that I hold his heart, so I
assumed you meant that he’s in love with me.”

“I have two sons.” Lenore sipped her
tea.

Hannah stared at her open-mouthed.
“Noah? Why would you think that?”

“I had my suspicions when he was
arranging your escape. He went on and on about your many fine qualities. Those
suspicions were confirmed when I saw the way he looks at you.” Lenore seemed
more than a little pleased. “Noah would do anything for you, including denying
his own feelings. You were with his brother and he believed you were both
happy, so he tried to keep his feelings hidden. Now he believes that you need
his friendship more than anything else.”

While Hannah hadn’t consciously allowed
herself to think about it, the idea didn’t seem strange at all. “Nathaniel did
all of the things that they do in romance novels, and he made me feel special.
He seemed perfect. I never told Nathaniel that I loved him, and I couldn’t
bring myself to accept his proposal. I kept thinking that we just hadn’t been
together long enough.” Hannah felt lost all of a sudden.

Lenore nodded. “I understand how you
feel. Both of my sons are a great deal like their fathers, and I went through
some of the disillusionment that you are feeling when I was with Roman.”

“How did you meet Nathaniel’s father?”
Hannah asked to change the subject.

“I was thirteen years old when I met
Roman, just a child. I was the oldest of five children, and my parents could
scarcely afford to feed us. I had a talent for palm reading. My parents feared
my talent, thinking me cursed, but they needed the money so they used it. One
night, when we were in town trying to earn extra money I met Roman. He was in
London with two of his brothers. He offered my father a small fortune to have
me read his palm. I suspect that my father knew he wanted more than a palm
reading.” She sighed, and smiled sadly. “Roman was handsome and wealthy. He
sent food and supplies to my family. From the moment I met him, his coldness
frightened me but his world dazzled me.

“The first time that he invited my
family to his home I was so swept up in the moment that I had no idea what was
really happening. As soon as we arrived, I was taken away and dressed in a
beautiful gown. When I came downstairs for dinner, my family was gone. They
didn’t even say goodbye to me. That night I wed Roman.”

With her mouth agape, Hannah struggled
to speak. “You were just a child!”

“It was a different time,” Lenore
explained. “Girls that age often married. If it makes you feel any better I was
nearly eighteen the next time I saw him. In that time, I learned to read and
write. I ate better than I had in my entire life. When Roman returned to begin
our marriage, I was more than agreeable. He was an attractive man, and I knew
that I had it better than other women in my class.”

“What changed?”

Lenore frowned. “I’m not sure how to
explain it. Roman was never really happy. He started to look for excuses to
avoid me. If I did something wrong, he would lock me in a room for days. I
think he loved someone else, and I looked like her. I’m guessing that he
married me, because I reminded him of her, and then hated me because I wasn’t
her.”

“How did you meet Noah’s father?” Hannah
asked.

“I was very lonely. Roman rarely spoke
to me. I used to spend a great deal of time at the stables. I loved horses, even
though I never learned to ride. It was there that I first met Noah's father,
Colin. He was the stable master. He would listen to me talk for hours, and he
spent a lot of time just playing with Nathaniel. I loved him. When I found out
I was expecting Noah we ran off. I knew Noah wasn’t Roman’s child. I hadn’t had
relations with Roman in well over a year. I admit that it was a shock. I had
assumed that a human couldn’t get me pregnant. Obviously, I was mistaken. We
moved to this country, thinking we would be safe. Those were the happiest five
years of my life.” Lenore smiled sadly; her eyes were misty, and distant.

She shook her head to force herself back
to reality. “Unfortunately, Nathaniel never stopped asking about Roman. When he
found out how to contact him, it was all over.” She swallowed back a sob. “Roman
came for us. I don't know how it happened, but the house we were living in
caught on fire. Luckily, Roman managed to get Nathaniel and Noah out safely.
Colin didn't realize that the boys were safe, and he continued to search for
them. Ursula got me out of the house after I fainted from the smoke. She
convinced Roman that I had died in the flames. Colin didn’t make it out.

When I awoke I had a note from Ursula,
assuring me that the boys were safe and that she would update me on them when
she could. That ended up being harder than we expected.”

Hannah struggled to find words to
express her sympathy, but there weren’t any.

Lenore gave her a weak smile. “The
hardest thing was losing my sons. It took me several decades to find Noah, and
I know that I can’t contact Nathaniel unless I want to return to Roman. There
have been many times when I considered it.”

Silence hung between them for several
moments.

“Are you positive that the baby will be
a boy?” Hannah rubbed her belly.

“Nothing is guaranteed in life,” Lenore
admitted.

Hannah’s eyes were suddenly filled with
a glimmer of hope. “What would happen if the baby is a girl? Would she still
need to feed on energy?”

Lenore shrugged. “The study of genetics
is new, so I really don’t know. There’s never been a female child, to the best
of my knowledge.” When her gaze met Hannah’s she saw the hope in Hannah’s eyes.
Hope was good, but not when it would only lead to disappointment. “Having a boy
doesn’t mean he will be a bad person. Just look at Noah. Even if your child
chooses to feed on energy that doesn’t mean that he will behave like Dominic
did with your cousin. Most of the men are very careful to protect the humans
they feed off of.”

“I suppose you’re right. I don’t really
like Justin but he seems like a good man, and his brother has always been very
nice,” she admitted. “I know it’s crazy, but I really feel like the baby is a
girl.”

Noah’s return interrupted their
discussion. He must have overheard her, because the first words out of his
mouth were, “If it’s a girl that would explain a lot. Justin has been going on
and on about how strange it is that you don’t need extra iron.”

She looked at him, loaded down with bags
of food. Even though Nathaniel had given her a lot, he didn't do things for her
like Noah. Nathaniel would have ordered food, but Noah drove all over to get
her what she wanted.

“I passed by a maternity shop on the
way, and picked up a few things for you to wear.” He put the bag beside her.