if he had lived, he would have married her and claimed Anton as his son. She believed it with every fiber of her being, her surety growing more unshakeable with every passing year, until she had convinced herself that Anthony had not only loved her, but married her before he died. If DeLongpre and his witch wife hadn’t destroyed her beloved, Anthony would have been hers for all eternity.
Even though her beloved was gone, Serafina refused to let him go. His clothing filled her closet. His books and journals were in a trunk in her basement. Each Beltane, she made a list of seven reasons why she loved Anthony Loken. When her list was complete, she drew a circle of power on the floor of her bedroom. She sat on one side of the circle and on the other she placed a life-sized rag doll that she had dressed in Anthony’s clothes. Sitting in the circle, she read her list. The reasons were different each year. When she finished reading her list, she took her make-believe Anthony’s hand in hers and said, “I will love you forever because you’re you.”
She kissed his image, then placed the photograph on her dresser. Soon his death would be avenged and when the deed was done, she would join him in the After World where they would finally be together forever.
With that thought in mind, Serafina crawled into bed, one of Anthony’s handkerchiefs clutched to her breast.
She would dream of him again tonight.
Chapter 3
Roshan DeLongpre looked up as his daughter entered the room. She was a lovely child, he thought, though at twenty-two, he supposed she was no longer a child. Still, she would always be his little girl. Her hair, the color of ripe wheat, fell to her waist in soft waves. Her eyes were as blue as sapphires, her skin smooth and unblemished. How had she grown up so fast? It seemed like only yesterday that Brenna had found Cara’s mother in an alley giving birth. Roshan had spread his cloak beneath the girl; Brenna had helped bring the child into the world.
He remembered that night clearly, especially the look of wonder in Brenna’s eyes as she wrapped the tiny, newborn infant in her cloak.
“You have a beautiful little girl,” Brenna had said.
“Take her,” the mother said. “I don’t want her. I don’t want to see her.”
Brenna had looked up at him, her arms tightening around the infant.
He shook his head. “Don’t even think about it.”
“But she does not want it.”
“Brenna, what would we do with a baby?”
“Love her.”
“No. It won’t work. There’s no way…”
The mother glanced at Brenna. “If you don’t take her, I’m just going to dump her in a trash can somewhere. I can’t take her home with me.”
“Surely the baby’s father…”
“I don’t know who he is.” The teenager was pulling on her discarded jeans as she spoke. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, one hand braced against the wall behind her.
“What are you doing?” Brenna asked.
“I’m leaving.” A sob rose in the girl’s throat. “Do whatever you want with the baby.”
How quickly that baby had grown, Roshan thought again. It was hard to believe he had not wanted her. Now, he couldn’t imagine their life without her. She was vibrant and alive and he loved her more than his own life.
“Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked as she sat down on the sofa beside him.
“Yes.”
“Where did you go?”
“I went for a drive and then I stopped at a nightclub. It was a strange place.”
Warning bells went off in Roshan’s mind. “Strange?”
She nodded. “Everyone was dressed in black, like something out of an old horror movie, if you know what I mean. I met a guy there. He seemed nice.”
“What was the name of this place?” Roshan asked.
“The Nocturne. It was like Halloween inside, you know? Lots of people wearing black. The valet wore a black suit and a hooded cloak. And then, to get into the club, you have to walk under this black canopy, and then down some stairs. Talk about a creepy atmosphere! The door was carved with all these mystical signs. It was awesome. I’ll have to take you and Mom there sometime.”
Roshan nodded. It was all he could do not to demand that she never go there again. The Nocturne! There was no telling what kind of man she had met in that place. It was a hangout for vampires and other creatures of the night. Of course, he rarely let any other vampire remain in his town too long. Like all of his kind, he was a territorial creature, not disposed to sharing his domain or his food source.
“Where’s Mom?” Cara asked.
Roshan smiled inwardly. His wife was outside, dancing under the stars. She did that from time to time. He enjoyed nothing more than watching her, but tonight she had wanted to be alone.
“Why don’t you go up to bed,” he suggested. “I’ll find her and send her up to you. I know she’ll want to hear about your evening.”
“All right.” Cara kissed him on the cheek and then, humming softly, she went upstairs.
Roshan stared after her a moment and then, muttering, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he went out the back door.
A wide path lined with night-blooming flowers wove its way through the yard. Wrought-iron benches were placed here and there along the way. A small white headstone occupied a small bower, marking the final resting place of Brenna’s cat, Morgana. He had expected Brenna to find another cat to take Morgana’s place, but when he had asked her about it, she had simply said that Morgana couldn’t be replaced, and that had been the end of it. Of course, they’d had their share of pets once Cara got old enough to want one. Dogs and cats, birds and turtles, mice and fish had all come and, thankfully, gone.
Roshan found his wife in the middle of the yard in the midst of a circle of tall trees. He paused in the shadows, watching her dance. It reminded him of the first night he had seen her. She had been dancing in the nude then, too. It was one of his favorite memories, burned forever in his mind.
Tonight, her fiery red hair shimmered like flame in the silvery light of the full moon. Her deep green eyes were flecked with gold and sparkled with delight as she twirled in the moonlight, her only covering the waist-length hair that fell down her back and over her shoulders like veils of crimson silk as she dipped and swayed to music only she could hear. A necklace of amber and jet circled her slender throat. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
After a moment, she stopped dancing, a seductive smile playing over her lips as she turned to face him.
“Come,” she beckoned, holding out one slender hand. “Dance with me.”
“Another time,” he said, stepping out of the shadows. “Our daughter is home and asking for you.”
“Oh.”
