Epilogue
Eighteen
years later
Glancing at the clock, Elena ran up the
stairs. “Kaitlyn, do you know what time it is? If you don’t hurry,
you’ll be late for school!”
“I’m ready, Mom,” Kaitlyn said,
smiling.
Elena paused in the doorway,
momentarily taken aback as she stared at her daughter. Where had
the years gone? It seemed only yesterday Kaitlyn had been a little
girl, learning to walk, to talk, going to kindergarten for the
first time. How had she grown up so fast? She was breathtakingly
beautiful, with thick black hair and her father’s deep blue
eyes.
Elena blinked back her tears. They had
been truly blessed. None of the things Elena had worried about had
happened. Drake had told Kaitlyn early on about her heritage and
the Fortress, and when she had expressed a desire to see it, they
had gone there one year for vacation. Kaitlyn had loved the castle
and the people in it, and had formed an instant bond with Liliana,
a bond that continued to this day, Elena thought, but she wasn’t
surprised. Everyone who met Kaitlyn loved her.
And now she was about to embark on a
journey. Today was her last day of high school. She was graduating
tonight; tomorrow she was leaving for college in America. It was a
day for celebrating. Andrei and Katiya and their children would be
arriving after sundown, along with Liliana and a number of Drake’s
brothers. She wondered, not for the first time, what Stefan was
doing. They hadn’t heard from him since he’d left the Fortress so
many years ago.
Elena walked her daughter down the
stairs, other memories crowding her mind—ice-skating in the winter,
swimming in the summer, picnics by the lake, horseback riding
through the forest, shopping sprees in the city. She had taught
Kaitlyn to cook. Drake had taught her to drive. So many happy
recollections. Sometimes she wondered what she had done to have
been blessed with such a loving husband and daughter. Kaitlyn had
brought them nothing but joy. And now, too soon, she was leaving
home.
Drake was waiting for them by the front
door. Folding Kaitlyn into his arms, he kissed her cheek. “We will
see you later.”
“Sure thing,” Kaitlyn said. “See if you
can cheer Mom up, will you? She’s crying again.”
“I will take care of her,” Drake
promised.
Elena hugged Kaitlyn, then stood in the
doorway, watching her daughter slide behind the wheel of Drake’s
new Jag. A cheerful wave, the roar of a powerful engine, and she
was speeding away.
Her last day of school, Elena thought,
and wondered again where the time had gone.
Drake closed the door, then drew Elena
into his arms. “We knew this day would come.”
“I know. But I didn’t think it would
come so quickly.” She looked up at him, sniffing back her tears.
“What will we do without her?” She had wanted more children, would
have loved a dozen, but it was not to be.
Drake had no answer for her. He loved
his daughter with all his heart, but Elena was the light of his
life, the reason for his existence. Though she had wanted more
children, he had been relieved when she failed to conceive again.
The thought of losing her filled him with quiet despair. Needing
her as never before, he kissed her deeply, felt her willing
response.
A thought carried them to their room.
He undressed her quickly, then shed his own clothes. Lifting her
onto the bed, he stretched out beside her, his body yearning for
her touch, his heart aching at the thought of losing
her.
Elena clung to him, eager, as always,
to be in his arms. The fire between them burned as hot and bright
as it always had. In his embrace, she forgot everything else. There
was only Drake, his mouth working its familiar magic, his strong
hands gentle as he caressed her, arousing her; his voice deep and
husky with desire as he whispered that he loved her, adored her,
couldn’t live without her.
She ran her fingertips over his face,
traced the muscles in his arms, rained kisses on his chest. She
knew every inch of his body as well as she knew her own. The
passing years had had no effect on him. His body was still firm and
well muscled. Without an ounce of fat. Soon, too soon, the years
between them would begin to show.
Elena pushed the unwelcome thought
away, her lips hungrily seeking his. When he whispered her name,
she nodded, and then smiled as she felt the graze of his fangs
against her throat, the sweet sensual pleasure of his bite that
made their joining all the more exciting.
Moaning softly, she closed her eyes
while waves of ecstasy rolled through her, carrying her away to
paradise.
Later, lying in his arms, she smiled at
him. “Thankfully, some things never change.”
He nodded, his expression solemn as he
gazed into her eyes. The years had been kind to her. Though she was
almost thirty-nine, she looked ten years younger.
“Stay with me, wife,” he said, his
voice thick. “One lifetime will never be enough.” His fingers
tangled in her hair, as if to hold her close to him forever. “I
cannot bear the thought of living without you.”
She knew what he was asking. They had
not talked of it since the night he’d told her that it was possible
for her to extend her lifespan and then explained how it could be
done. All she had to do was drink his blood—every night for the
first year, then once a week, then once a month, then once a year.
Doing so would slow the aging process, so that she would only age
one day for every year.
At the time, with her whole life ahead
of her, she had been certain she could never do such a thing. But
that had been almost twenty years ago. Mortality weighed more
heavily on her now. With each passing year, the thought of leaving
him pained her more. Though she would have said it was impossible,
her love for Drake had grown stronger, deeper, with every passing
day.
“Elena.” His voice was raw with
emotion.
“You’re right,” she said, sliding the
tips of her fingers back and forth over his lower lip. “One
lifetime will never do.”
“You mean it?” He drew back, his gaze
searching her face.
She nodded, and then sighed. The
decision, once made, seemed right.
“Elena!” His arm tightened around her,
his dark eyes alight with happiness.
“Tomorrow night, after Kaitlyn leaves,”
Elena said with a smile. “Although I doubt if even an eternity in
your arms will be time enough.”