Page 49 of Midnight Enchantment

“Oh?”

“I’m hoping she can find a way to drive the blood-demon out of Raedan.”

“He’d still be a vampire, Lily. And not one of us.”

“So, if Raedan was Hungarian, you wouldn’t have a problem with him?”

“Not as much of a problem.”

“Are you ever sorry you married Dad?”

“No, of course not!”

“I sense a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” Lily remarked.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” Callie said. “But if I’d never met your father, I would have married an ordinary man, or a witch, and lived an ordinary life. Perhaps had more children.”

“Why didn’t you have more?”

“Even though it’s possible, conception is rare.”

Callie frowned. She had never really thought about it, but now that she was, she realized very few women married to the vampires had more than one or two children and all the kids were boys. Her frown deepened as she realized that if she married Raedan, she would never have any children. They could adopt, of course, but it wouldn’t be the same as having a child conceived by their love for one another.

She shook the thought away. She hadn’t known Raedan long enough to be thinking about marriage. Sure, she was in love with him, but their relationship was still new. She didn’t believe in long engagements, but it certainly took longer than a few weeks to really get to know someone. There were still things she didn’t know about him. Perhaps things she didn’t want to know.

“Is there something going on with you and Raedan I need to know about?” Callie asked.

“No.” Lilly held up her hand to stay the question in her mother’s eyes. “We haven’t done more than hold each other close and kiss, so stop worrying.” And even if they did, there was no fear of getting pregnant out of wedlock. “I’m going out to soak up some sun.” Pushing away from the table, she kissed her mother on the cheek. “Have a good time with the other ladies. I’ll see you when you get home.”

Callie was about to go upstairs to change her clothes when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw Ava’s name. “Hi!”

“I need to see Lily,” Ava said. “How soon can she be here?”

“Excuse me? What’s this all about?”

“I’ve crafted a talisman that I hope will warn her when Transylvanian vampires are nearby. It works on the same principle as the medallions I made for the Knights. The thing is, we need to try it in the presence of a vampire to make sure it works.”

‘Why does she need one? There aren’t any of the other vampires here.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Ava said. “What if Varden discovers her whereabouts and decides to come looking for her?”

“I doubt he’d be stupid enough to come here.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past him. The man is obviously mad.”

“So bring one of them here.” What was she thinking? Such a thing was strictly forbidden. The penalty for doing so was death. It had taken decades and a lot of bloodshed on both sides to clear the land of Transylvanian vampires. “Forget I said that.”

“I know there’s a bit of a risk,” Ava said, “but if Raedan stays here with us, she should be safe enough.”

“I don’t know,” Callie murmured. “I think the bigger risk is sending her back to the States. I’ll have to discuss it with Quill.”

“Of course, dear. I’m also working on an invisibility cloak she can wear that will make her invisible to all vampires but not to humanity. It’s a little tricky, but I can think I can make it work. Anyway, call me as soon as you talk to Quill.”

Muttering, “I will,” Callie ended the call.

Quill was against sending Lily back to Ava’s, as Callie had known he would be, but in the end, he agreed. She didn’t like the idea, either, but she knew that, sooner or later, Lily would insist. There had been a strong connection between Lily and Ava ever since Lily was a little girl. At times, Callie had been jealous of their relationship, and yet she understood it, having felt the same bond with Ava when she had been a child.

Lost in thought, Lily sat on the grass in the backyard, her thoughts wandering—where did Raedan keep his lair here in Savaria? Or did he rest elsewhere? Were Dominic and Maddy enjoying their honeymoon in Hawaii? The last she’d heard, they had decided that instead of coming home next month, they were going to extend their honeymoon and visit Australia and New Zealand, and maybe some of the other islands.

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