Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3) (21 page)

~ Chapter Twenty-Two ~

We both turned to quickly survey the scene around us. Were we safe standing there? It seemed nearly over, but Sam put his arm protectively around my shoulders and led us off the path, behind a tree. From here we could watch, but be less noticeable.

Tom and Erranase had both destroyed the vampires they’d been fighting, and now stood near Crystal, watching her finish off the last of the group she’d fought. Angelica was standing over the now broken and crumpled body of Zunios. Michael was walking around kicking the remains, possibly ensuring there was no further movement from any of them. It seemed safe now. Everyone was safe, with one possible exception.

Michael walked toward us, calling out as he approached. ‘Quickly, the haze is lifting, and people will most likely start to come in again. Crystal, grab those bodies and let’s get them out of here,’ he said.

Then he turned to Sam and me. ‘Get them out of here, Sam. Take them to our house … we won’t be long, we just have to clean up this mess.’

Sam took a step back and smiled at me as he reached to take my hand. I couldn’t tell … had he changed at all? Was he human? He looked the same as he always had—or did he?

‘I will always love you, throughout eternity. Never forget that, Lili, no matter what happens,’ he said—his voice soft and low.

A lump started growing in my throat—so fast I wasn’t sure I could speak. My mind raced with questions. Did he feel himself changing? Was that why he was telling me he loved me? Was he becoming human? Could he feel the change taking place? What would that mean? Could we have a normal life? Or was he going to die? How would I know? How long would it take?

‘Oh Sam … and I will love you throughout eternity as well,’ I managed to whisper.

He took my hand in his, and I was surprised by the softness of his cool skin. Had it always felt like this? Or was he changing already?

I swallowed hard, desperately trying to hold back my tears. I wanted to be strong for him—but it was taking all my strength just to stand there, holding Ceylona.

His eyes twinkled and his hand squeezed mine. Was it as strong as it always had been? Or was it weak, like that of an old man? My mind continued to race with the possibility that I might lose him—and then with the possibility that I might not. He could become a normal human. Crystal could have been wrong all this time.

I could barely see for the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I was afraid to keep looking at him, but I couldn’t turn around either, for Ceylona was still clinging to me, her arms clasped tightly around my neck. If I turned, then she would be looking right at him. So I started backing up instead, slowly, looking down at the ground. Then I heard Angelica’s voice behind me, talking to Ceylona.

‘Come, dear. Let me take you. Your mother is very tired right now, and I think she needs to talk with your father. Come, let us see to Zane.’

Strong arms lifted Ceylona from me, and I turned to see Angelica taking Ceylona in her arms to carry her the same way I’d been doing. I hesitated, but Angelica nodded at me, and smiled ever so slightly, and it seemed right—letting her take Ceylona. I continued watching as she started walking in the direction of Zane’s lifeless body.

I drew in a long shaky breath and turned to look at Sam. He seemed to be the same—strong, and powerful, although perhaps a bit dishevelled from the fight. But his face was still as handsome as ever, and his eyes still twinkled, staring at me with so much love.

I don’t know how long we stood like that—neither of us daring to breathe. It could have been just a few moments, or it could have been hours. Time was meaningless. But eventually I heard Michael’s voice. It sounded as if he was miles away, but he may have been just behind me.

‘Sam—come on, get the lead out. Take Lili to our place. Crystal, I’ll finish cleaning up the last of this mess. I’ll meet all of you at home in a few minutes.’

I felt an arm go around my shoulders, and Sam was there, whispering to me that everything was fine now, everything would be alright. Crystal was standing beside him.

‘You’re in shock Lili, that’s all. You’ll be fine. Come—we’ll do as Michael says and go home,’ she said, her voice calm and soothing.

I swallowed hard, wondering if I’d be able to speak. ‘Where’s Ceylona? Angelica took her.’

‘She’s fine—yes, she’s with Angelica. They’ve picked up Zane and gone to our house. Come, there’s nothing for us here any longer,’ she said, gently encouraging me.

I looked at Sam, and he nodded in agreement.

‘But Crystal … her tears … Sam?’

‘Yes, I saw them. But nothing is happening. Not yet, anyway,’ Crystal answered, calmly.

‘You mean … Sam’s still a vampire?’ I asked, hearing the desperation in my own voice.

‘Yes.’

‘And … if her tears were going to remove the vampire contagion, wouldn’t it have happened already?’ I asked, a slight tinge of hope starting to chip away at my anxiety.

‘I would have thought so … but I can’t say for sure, Lili. You know I’ve only done this a few times. I don’t know how long it could take with someone as … old … as Sam.’

I heard hope in her voice too. She didn’t know, so was being cautious. But I could tell that she too hoped that Ceylona’s tears didn’t carry the same healing ability that hers did.

That would do for now. There was hope. I felt stronger, encouraged by Crystal’s words. I smiled at Sam, and took a step up the path. And together, the three of us walked through the gardens, past the scene where the battle had taken place, and out into King Street. There was still hope that everything could be fine.

~~***~~

As we approached Crystal’s house it occurred to me how upset Ceylona would be. She’d lost one of her beloved dogs. I took a deep breath and steeled myself in preparation for the pain I knew I’d see in her eyes. I couldn’t cry now. I had to be strong for her. Dhampira or not, she was just a child.

When Crystal opened the door I saw two very different things happening. On my left, in the study, Michael, Tom and Erranase were deep in conversation. Whatever it was, I knew I couldn’t deal with it—not yet. I looked at Sam, and he smiled and whispered that everything was going to be fine.

‘I’ll go in and talk to them, but you go to Ceylona. She needs you now,’ he said, squeezing my hand before releasing it.

I reached up to stroke his cheek, and it felt as it always had. He seemed no different than he ever had, with one exception. The love in his eyes was stronger than ever. I could only pray that he was going to be fine.

He bent down and kissed me, briefly, but that little kiss gave me courage and strength. Everything would be fine. It had to be. I nodded to him, and he let go of me and joined Michael and Tom, who had stopped speaking, and were both watching us. Did they see something changed in Sam that I couldn’t see? I could only pray they didn’t.

I turned and focused on the back of the house where I could just make out the voices of Angelica and Ceylona. To my surprise, Ceylona sounded happy.

Crystal waved me on as she too entered the study with Sam. I continued down the hallway by myself. When I’d walked some way, I could see them—they were in the courtyard at the rear, and Jackie and Zane were both sitting calmly beside Ceylona as she talked to Angelica.

I shook my head, thinking I must have gone mad. Zane was dead, or if not, he was terribly injured—I had been sure of it. The way his body crashed to the ground, and that dreadful yelp that escaped him, followed by deathly silence. He couldn’t have survived that, could he? And even if he did, surely, that leg was crushed. Yet he sat beside her like nothing had happened.

When she spotted me, Ceylona came running.

‘Mommy, Mommy, look—Angelica fixed Zane. He’s fine. His leg isn’t even sore now.’

I lifted her up into my arms, and could swear she’d put on another ten pounds since I’d last held her only a few minutes earlier. Or maybe I was simply exhausted.

Following right behind her was Angelica. She was smiling, but her eyes narrowed as they made contact with mine. Was this woman for real? There was definitely something wrong about her. As much as I was happy that she’d helped Ceylona, I was still very suspicious of her.

‘Lili, I am so sorry that you had to see all that today. But Ceylona is safe, and in the end that is all that really matters, is it not?’

I didn’t quite know how to answer her. In the one breath she’d sounded both sympathetic and blasé. I stood there, dazed, yet relieved to find Ceylona in such good spirits.

Jackie and Zane walked over and then after sniffing me thoroughly they both began licking Ceylona’s legs. After a few moments I felt the weight of Jackie as she leaned into me, and it was almost as comforting now as it had been on the ladder.

‘Jackie likes you, Mommy. Zane does too, but Jackie really does,’ Ceylona said with unbridled love in her voice.

‘And I like her very much, too. And I also like Zane, of course. And I’m so glad he’s okay. I was very worried for him. I mean, he looked … well, I thought he was quite badly injured,’ I said, turning to look at Angelica now.

‘He was Mommy. But Angelica fixed him. She laid him on the table, there,’ she said, pointing to an outdoor setting in the middle of the courtyard, ‘and she put her hands on him, and she whispered some things that I couldn’t hear. Then he lifted his head and he whined a little, and then he jumped down off the table!’

‘Well, isn’t that wonderful. Aren’t you lucky to have a friend like her?’

‘Yes, I am. And so is Zane.’

Angelica bent her head down and scuffed her feet on the ground. When she looked back at me, I could swear she was blushing.

‘Yes, you’re right—especially Zane. Now, Ceylona, I don’t know about you, but I am very tired. If Michael says it’s okay, I’d like to take you home now. Are you ready to go home? Your grandmother will be very worried about you … about all of us.’

‘Yes, we’re ready,’ she replied, nodding toward her dogs.

‘Angelica, thank you again for everything you’ve done … for Ceylona.’

‘It was nothing,’ she answered, looking up at me through her eyelashes the way I’d seen her look at Ben.

I nodded back at her and then, still carrying Ceylona, I headed back into the house and down the hall to the study. Sam, Michael and Crystal were still there, speaking quietly, but Tom was gone.

‘Lili, you look exhausted. I think it’s time for the three of you to go home, and get some rest,’ said Crystal, walking up to me and holding out her arms to take Ceylona from me.

I relinquished the hold on my daughter and smiled at Crystal as she gently put Ceylona down on the ground. The smile seemed to take the last of my energy and a dull throb began just behind my eyes.

Sam put his arm around my shoulders, and bent over to kiss the top of my head. ‘Everything will be fine now,’ he said, his voice warm and soothing.

‘We’ll talk tomorrow. I’ve rung your mother—she was worried sick about you, but she did as you requested and stayed at the house. She’s made dinner for you, and is looking forward to you coming home.’

The dull throb intensified when I heard Crystal speak about Mom. I wasn’t sure I could cope with telling her what had happened. The look on my face must have told Crystal what I was thinking.

‘You won’t need to talk about it anymore tonight. I told her enough about what happened—for now. There will be plenty of time for talking, later.’

I just nodded, thanking her with my eyes. As we walked outside I shivered, possibly as much from exhaustion as from the temperature. It wasn’t cold, but it was dusk and there was no longer any warmth in the last bits of sun. When I shuddered Sam tightened his arm around me, and Ceylona looked up at me, and took my hand. Jackie and Zane were right behind her, watching her every move.

‘It’s okay, Mommy,’ she said in a voice much too grown-up to have come from my little girl. ‘They’re all gone. It’s safe now.’

I heard the door click behind us, and then Sam looked at me and smiled, his eyes twinkling with love. ‘Yes, they’re all gone now … everything is going to be fine.’

Then we walked the few short blocks to our beautiful home in silence.

~ Chapter Twenty-Three ~

It took forever to get Ceylona to bed—she was so restless from all the days’ activity. In the end we agreed that Jackie and Zane could stay in her room, and this seemed to help. I peeked into the room fifteen minutes after the light had been turned off, and I could see Ceylona sleeping peacefully. Two sets of eyes met mine from the end of the bed however, but I didn’t scold them. Tonight, they could sleep on Ceylona’s bed with her. After everything they’d been through today it was the least I could do for them.

When I walked back into the kitchen Sam was still sitting there quietly, waiting for me to return. Mom had gone to bed, exhausted from her worrying. Ben and Henry had come in, been given a brief account of what they’d missed, and they’d gone over to see Michael and Crystal for a full rundown. They felt terrible that they’d missed everything, but I was glad their trip had taken them out of the area for the day. My emotions had been through enough without worrying about them too.

‘Is she asleep yet?’ Sam asked; his eyes were warm with affection, but he looked tired.

My heart skipped a beat, but I refused to give in to worry. I put on a brave smile and replied, ‘Yes, she’s sound asleep. Jackie and Zane are standing guard. Well, not really standing actually—they’re on the end of her bed. But I daresay anyone or anything trying to get to her would find them a force to be reckoned with.’

‘I think you’re right about that,’ he replied.

I sat down across from him, and folded my hands in front of me on the table. Then I stared deeply into his eyes. Were they different somehow? Had their intensity faded? Was he changing?

‘And how about you, Sam? How are you? How do you feel?’

‘I feel fine—I mean, I don’t feel any different,’ he replied, reaching across and taking both my hands in his cool ones. They felt the same as they’d always felt. Surely, that was a good sign, right?

‘That’s a relief.’

We sat for a few more minutes before I dared to speak again. I had to tell him what I was thinking. I owed it to him.

‘You know, there was a moment there … when I spotted the tears … that I questioned whether Crystal had been right,’ I began. When he smiled, I continued. ‘I mean, I knew—at that moment—what you must have been thinking when you’d asked her to make you human.’

‘I knew what you meant.’

‘Sam, I could never ask you to take that chance. I mean, I wouldn’t let you take that chance. But when it just … happened … so suddenly, I mean,’ I paused, not knowing how to express the feelings I’d had.

‘I know … I wondered the same thing. And you know what flashed through my mind? Fear. Fear that I might die, and lose you. And that settled it in my mind. I said to myself right then that if I didn’t change … if Ceylona’s tears didn’t have the same ability as Crystal’s, I would accept who we are, and never again ask to be changed.’

‘Oh, Sam, I couldn’t bear to lose you,’ I cried, tears running unashamedly down my face.

He reached across and wiped the tears away, and gave me the most incredible smile. ‘And I couldn’t bear to lose you. We’re perfect as we are, Lili. I know that now. And I think everything is going to be fine. I don’t feel any different. I don’t think her tears had any effect.’

‘You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that,’ I said, sighing loudly.

‘And you don’t know how relieved I am to be able to say it. I wasn’t so sure, earlier,’ he said, a beautiful smile lighting up his face.

‘I don’t think I can talk about this anymore … not tonight anyway. I’m exhausted,’ I said, suddenly feeling more tired than I’d ever felt in my life, and wanting nothing more than to curl up beside him under our warm doona.

‘There’ll be plenty of time to talk. For now, I just want to hold you, and watch you sleep, my love. You look exhausted.’

He stood, and flicked off the lights, then took my hand and led me up the stairs.

~~***~~

The next few days were like an emotional rollercoaster. One minute, I’d be so happy and everything seemed to be perfect: Sam and I were in love, and there was no longer any doubt in my mind that he wanted us to be together; I was surrounded by my family, with Christmas and the New Year upon us; and summer was treating us to fine days and beautiful sunsets. I refused to talk about the day in the gardens, and tried my best not to even think about it. That was the past, and I wanted to forget it.

And then, without warning, at the most unexpected times, my heart would start to race and I’d feel a surge of panic, and I would search Sam’s face, looking for changes. But I couldn’t see any changes. Each time I looked at him, he seemed exactly the same as he’d done the time before. And he said he felt exactly the same too. So as the hours passed I felt more and more hopeful that, for whatever reason, Ceylona’s tears had not done what Crystal’s would have.