He was f**king light-headed.
But as he reached the arched passage to the conservatory, he stood on the threshold and something in his heart started to ache. Vojalie and Davido both stood to either side of Samantha, but very close, staring down into their new baby’s face.
Samantha, holding Bernice, looked happy, much happier than at any time last night, but he’d noticed that infants often had that affect on females.
Right now, however, as a wave of nausea washed through him yet again, he wanted that to be his child, for Samantha to be wiping tears from her cheeks because of their infant, which of course made no sense at all. He hardly knew the woman, the daughter of Andrea who had betrayed him, as well as her kind, who could have prevented the tragedy at Sweet Gorge if she’d wanted to. Andrea had long-served Ethan’s Guard with visions of imminent Invictus attacks and she would have had a vision of the attack at Sweet Gorge. But instead of contacting him, or any of his men, she’d abandoned Bergisson for good.
And his family had died.
These thoughts at least served to anchor him, to remind him why it would be best to let Samantha return as quickly as possible to Shreveport. His history with Andrea alone, was enough warning to keep the connection to Samantha at bay.
And all he needed to do was gain some control over Ry and she could leave his house and go where she wanted without danger of being kidnapped by a realm madman.
“Hey,” he called out, straightening his shoulders. “I’m heading out. Just wanted to say good evening.”
He thought he’d pulled it off, laced his words and movements with a casual air. But all three turned to stare at him, the tenderness of each expression giving way to wide-eyed shock.
Davido apparently spoke for them all. “Ethan, my good man, what the hell has happened to you? You’re the shade of that Infidel, Dracula. By the Goddess’s pink ni**les, when was the last time you fed?”
“Just an hour ago, maybe less. Angela stopped by.”
“Angela?” Samantha this time. She passed the infant to Vojalie. “Ethan, you had a doneuse here? Why didn’t you come to me? I think I have enough blood right now to feed an army.”
Ethan didn’t know which was worse, that she would have willingly fed him but he’d missed the opportunity or the image of seeing her offer up her vein to an entire hoard of vampires.
He lost it. “Because it wasn’t f**king appropriate, that’s why?” His voice boomed through the conservatory. “You’re my guest, not a donor. And, it doesn’t matter. I’m fine.”
As the scent of her drifted over to him, his mouth filled with saliva and it was all he could do not to groan long and loud. At the same time, probably because he’d been shouting, the baby started to cry.
Vojalie must have said something, because Davido put his feet in motion, hurried in his quick troll-like way, and caught Ethan’s arm. He tugged him in the direction of the doorway. “Of course you’re right. I spoke foolishly. Let’s leave the women-folk with the baby. You’re fine. You’re fine. I can see that now. I take it you’re off on patrol?”
“Yes.” He wanted to turn back and apologize but Davido was doing for him what the social niceties would not allow him to do on his own; to make a much needed exit.
He let his friend usher him from the conservatory and out into the hall.
“Now that we’re out of earshot of the ladies, let me be frank. You look bad, Ethan. I didn’t want to alarm my wife or the lovely Samantha, but you’re black-and-blue beneath your eyes and your skin is the color of goat’s milk. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine or I will be once I get away from this latest nightmare. Shit, a blood rose. I was holding my own but her presence has made everything worse.”
“Right, right. I’m sure you’ll feel more fit when you leave the house. I can see how she must be the problem.”
Davido took him all the way to the foyer and even opened the massive front door for him. “Goddess speed.”
“And you.” Then Ethan flew straight up into the air and didn’t look back. The farther he got away from his house, and Samantha, the better he felt. The nausea passed and his stomach eased up. Sort of.
He met up with Finn near the Erishold Grotto, not far from the Fae Guildhall, but the look on his second-in-command’s face told him the same story that Davido’s had.
“I’m fine, damnit, now give me your report.”
Chapter Four
“The Guildhall is very beautiful.” Samantha lifted her gaze the entire height of the round, domed building. A narrower dome on top of the roof supported a golden minaret, on the pinnacle of which was the statue of a winged woman, an ancient mythical faery. “The lines of this building are unlike anything I’ve seen in my world, I mean the human world, except maybe Catalan architecture.”
Vojalie had brought her to the fairgrounds and had already introduced her to a number of fae. What surprised Samantha the most was how everyone knew her mother, or of her, and was sorry to hear of her passing.
Sweeping a hand to encompass the front door, Vojalie said, “I think generally we prefer the arc, whether the circle, dome or archway. It’s everywhere in our fae society. There’s something very complete about it and I especially like the term ‘full circle’.”
“You’re thinking of me and my mother.”
“Maybe. I’m also hoping that now that you’re here you’ll be able to solve the riddle about why she left. I’ve never completely understood.”
“I’m hoping so as well.” She turned to survey the grounds and was astonished all over again that they looked just as they had in her earlier vision. Dozens of colorful tents bearing flags on top rippled in the light, cool breeze, realm-folk moved about, haggling enthusiastically over prices, in the distance a fiddle and a flute played, and of course the smell of food was everywhere, constantly changing from booth to booth.
Because the vision looked just like this, she had every reason to believe that at some point the rest of the images would start unfolding as well, which kept Samantha’s nerves on edge. When she’d shared her fears with Vojalie, that she was now living out the vision she’d foreseen, the woman had patted her shoulder reassuringly and said, “Trust me in this one thing: When the time comes, you will know exactly what needs to be done. It’s the true gift of the vision, that the foreknowledge prepares the soul for future action. Trust in that.”