Chapter
36
In spite of all that Drake had told
her, Elena wasn’t sure what to expect when they went to the naming
ceremony a week later. Drake wore a pair of black slacks, black
boots, and a blindingly white shirt. Elena wore a dress of delicate
white lace that had been a gift from Liliana. The baby wore a long
white silk gown, also a gift from Liliana.
Entering the Council room, Elena saw
that the members were all present. Like Drake, the Council members
and male guests wore black trousers and white shirts. The women
were all dressed in white gowns. What must have been a hundred
white candles lit the room with a warm glow.
Katiya smiled reassuringly at
Elena.
Drake took his place on the dais, with
Elena seated at his right and Liliana at his left.
“We are gathered here to celebrate the
birth of my daughter, and to give her a name, that she might be
recognized throughout our Coven.” Turning, he took the baby from
Elena. Lifting his daughter in his arms, he said, “From this day
forward, this child shall be known as Kaitlyn Liliana Sherrad,
daughter of Drake Sherrad and Elena Knightsbridge Sherrad,
granddaughter of Liliana Sherrad.” He smiled down at his daughter,
who stared up at him through wide blue eyes. “Welcome to our Coven,
Kaitlyn Liliana. May your life be long and filled with peace and
happiness.”
One by one, those in the room came
forward and swore to protect Kaitlyn and reaffirmed their
allegiance to Drake. And then, one by one, they welcomed Elena to
the Fortress. It seemed odd, considering all that had happened
before, and yet, their softly spoken words of welcome made her feel
as if she did, indeed, belong.
Elena was ready to go back to their
apartment when it was over. The birth had been difficult and she
still tired easily.
She tucked Kaitlyn into her crib and
then, stifling a yawn, Elena climbed into bed.
“What did you think?” Drake asked,
drawing the covers over her.
“It was very moving,” she replied. “For
the first time, I feel like I belong here.”
“Of course you belong,” he said,
kissing her on the forehead. “You will always belong wherever I am.
Rest now.”
Late that night, after Elena had fallen
asleep, Drake left the Fortress. Standing outside on a snow-covered
bluff that overlooked the valley below, he lifted his head and for
the second time in twenty-four hours, he offered a prayer, this one
of thanks that Elena and the baby had survived.
Elena had asked about the possibility
of more children, but as far as he was concerned, one was enough.
He loved his woman too much to put her life at risk
again.
Tomorrow night, he would free the
drones. He doubted if any would choose to stay, but now that the
sheep had been freed, there was little need for the drones.
Releasing them would be the last step in abandoning a way of life
that had existed for over a thousand years. But it was time. The
world was changing.
He was about to return to the Fortress
when the air around him shimmered. A moment later, his mother stood
beside him. He studied her from the corner of his eye. She wore
unrelieved black. Her face was paler than usual. Her pale blond
hair fell like a mantle down her back and over her
shoulders.
They stood together in silence for
several minutes before she said, “I was not pleased when you defied
your father’s wishes and rescinded his annulment. I knew you did
not love Katiya, but I felt she was right for you and hoped that,
in time, you would forget Elena and learn to love one of your own
kind.” Pausing, she took a deep breath. “I see now that I was
wrong. You would never have been happy with anyone
else.”
Drake stared at his mother. Stunned by
her words, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I envy what you and Elena have,”
Liliana went on quietly, still not meeting his gaze. “My marriage
to your father was arranged, as is the custom among our
people.”
She stared into the distance and Drake
had the feeling she was no longer speaking to him.
“I loved your father from the first
time I saw him. He was handsome, as you are, strong and proud and
stubborn. I knew he did not love me. I knew he would take other
wives. There were times when he was cruel, and yet I stayed at his
side. I wish now that I had told him I loved him, but I lacked the
courage to say the words out loud. Perhaps because I knew he would
not say them back to me.” She shrugged. “It does not matter now. He
is gone, and he will never know how much I cared for him. And now,”
she said, speaking so quietly he could scarcely hear her, “before I
go, I want you to know that I love you, and that I am proud of
you.”
Knowing she was about to leave, Drake
laid his hand on her arm. “What are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know damn well what I mean. That
little speech sounded a lot like a last good-bye.”
She turned her face away, but said
nothing.
“I have lost my sire,” Drake said, his
hand still holding her arm. “I will not lose you, as well. You have
a granddaughter who will need you, sons and daughters who care for
you. I want your promise that you will not destroy
yourself.”
“And if I refuse to give
it?”
“Then I will lock you in the dungeon
until you come to your senses.”
“You are more like your father than I
thought,” she retorted, but Drake heard the smile in her
tone.
“I will not ask Elena to live in the
Fortress,” he said. “There are too many bad memories here for both
of us. But I promise you we will come to visit often. And you are
welcome to visit Wolfram whenever you wish, for as long as you
wish.”
“Drake . . .”
His hand tightened on her arm, his gaze
drilling into hers. “I will have your promise before you go,” he
insisted.
“You have it,” she
whispered.
He nodded, and then he did something he
had rarely done. He kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thank
you.”
“Thank you,” she replied, her voice
thick with unshed tears. “Good night.”
He remained outside for several
minutes, remembering the past, thinking of the future, and then he
returned to his quarters. He had expected to find Elena asleep, but
she was sitting up in bed, nursing their daughter.
It was, he thought, the prettiest sight
he had ever seen in his life.
Elena smiled when she saw him in the
doorway, and Drake knew he would ask nothing more of his existence
than to go on loving her for as long as they lived.
When she held out her hand, he heeled
off his boots, shrugged out of his shirt, then sat on the edge of
the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little sore, that’s
all.”
Drake kissed her, then brushed a
feather-light kiss across his daughter’s downy cheek.
Elena felt a tug at her heart as she
watched Drake kiss their daughter. “I was missing
you.”
“As I miss you,” he murmured, “whenever
we are apart.”
“Tell me the truth. Do you think our
daughter will be like you?”
“Yes. Vampire blood is strong. Our
genes are dominant.”
“So, they’ll completely overshadow her
humanity?”
“It’s possible, but doubtful. I think
her vampire side will prevail, though I doubt if her need to feed
will be as compelling. I am guessing now, but I think that, because
of her human half, she will always be able to eat mortal food and
walk in the sun.” He smiled as he ran his fingers through a lock of
Elena’s hair. “She may be weak in some areas, stronger in others,
but I think our daughter will be blessed with the best of both
worlds.”