Page 59 of Shadows of Eternity

With his presence cloaked, Josiah followed his fledgling to a relatively modern apartment building on a quiet street lined with trees. He frowned as Rohan went inside. This was hardly the kind of place a vampire would choose for his lair, therefore, it must be where the woman resided.

The woman. Leia. He smiled as he thought of her. She was young and lovely. There was no doubt that his fledgling had the hots for her. Who could blame him? But was Rohan interested in more than her blood and the carnal delights of her curvy little body? Did he care for her as a woman, a mate? And if so, how deeply? Love was rare among his kind. Loving a human woman ultimately led to heartache, whether it came from watching them grow old and wither away, or leaving them before that happened. In the past, he had loved many and married several times, until he couldn’t face another loss. Since then, he had taken lovers, always careful to leave them when he felt himself beginning to care.

With a sigh, he continued on down the street, wondering how long it would take his fledgling to learn that it was better never to love at all.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Smothering a yawn, Leia stood in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee maker to produce her morning cup. She had tossed and turned all last night, troubled by the appearance of Rohan’s sire and wondering what it meant for their future—if they had one.

Rohan was resting in her bed. Although he hadn’t said so, she knew he was afraid to leave her alone in her apartment. The fact that he was worried spiked her own fears.

He was supposed to dance tonight, and Saturday. The theater was dark the rest of the week. She had hoped to be there for every performance the rest of this week and the next, but now she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t sure about anything, she thought glumly as she carried her coffee mug to the table and sat down. When this gig was over, she needed to do some serious thinking about her future and whether she still wanted Rohan to be part of it. Rohan couldn’t father a child, but lots of couples couldn’t have children, and they could always adopt. And lots of men who weren’t vampires slept days and worked nights.

She could handle that, too. Then there was the age thing. Rohan looked thirty and would always look thirty. It wasn’t a problem now, but, eventually, she would age and he wouldn’t. How would she feel when she looked forty, fifty, sixty, and he still looked thirty? How wouldhefeel when she began to look like his mother instead of his lover?

The words he had spoken soon after they met suddenly rang out in her mind.The whole vampire thing isn’t going to go away, Leia. It’s part of me, a part I can’t change.He had also said if they stayed together, she would have to make changes. She had wondered several times since then what he’d meant and now, suddenly, she wondered if one of those changes referred to making her what he was. That would certainly change her! Funny, she had never considered that option. And she refused to think about it now. Surely no one ever willingly chose to be a vampire. It was a life against nature, unnatural, abnormal. Abhorrent.

But what if becoming a vampire was the only way for their relationship to survive? Was she willing to sacrifice her humanity to spend her life with him? That was the $64,000 question, she thought, chewing on her thumbnail. She just wished she knew the right answer.

Waking from the dark sleep, Rohan was instantly aware of where he was. He knew the sun had just set. Leia had finished cleaning up after dinner and was standing at the front room window, deep in thought about what had happened last night, but more concerned about what the future held for the two of them. Sadly, that was something she had to figure out for herself.

He rose effortlessly, showered and dressed. Showtime was eight o’clock. He had two hours to get to San Diego and get ready for his first number. After running a comb through his hair, he left the bedroom.

Leia looked over her shoulder when he entered the room. She had known he was awake. She’d heard the shower come on. Their gazes met, his impassive, hers troubled.

Rohan swore inwardly. He was about to read her mind to determine what she was thinking when she closed the distance between them. Eyes bright with unshed tears, she clasped her hands behind his neck.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she whispered brokenly. “Please tell me there’s a way for us to be together.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and stroked her hair with free hand. “This is a decision you’ll have to live with,” he said. “And only you can make it.” He brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “I didn’t mean to involve you in my life,” he said, gazing into the distance. “I thought I could love you for a little while and then leave, but … ” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve never been in love like this before, darlin’, and never again.”

Love shouldn’t be this hard, she thought. Other couples met, fell in love, married, and if they were lucky, they lived happily-ever-after.

“But we’re not like other couples, are we?” he asked quietly.

Leia sighed as his hand stroked up and down her back, sending little shivers of delight dancing in the pit of her stomach.

“I know you’re afraid you’ll have to become what I am, but you don’t. I will love you and care for you as long as you live.”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with doubt. “Is that how you want to spend your future? Looking after a decrepit old woman?”

He laughed softly. “I won’t let that happen.”

“Oh? Have you discovered the Fountain of Youth?”

“In a way. My blood can slow the aging process. You will be young and beautiful for a long, long time. Other women will envy you and wonder what your secret is.”

“I don’t believe you. That’s not possible.”

“I’ll prove it to you, my love, when you get older. Right now, I have to get to the theater. Are you coming with me?”

She bit down on her lower lip, then nodded.

They didn’t have time to drive that night so Rohan transported them to the venue. Not wanting to leave her alone, he took her into his dressing room while he changed into his breechclout, tied an eagle feather in his hair, and pulled on a pair of exquisitely-beaded moccasins.

Leia watched with fascination as he painted his chest and face. It was just a bit of red and black paint, yet it transformed him from Rohan to the warrior, Shadow Dancer. Tall and muscular, his skin the color of old copper, his hair as black as midnight, he looked gorgeous and dangerous.

“Are you doing a new dance tonight?” she asked. “I’ve never seen you wear moccasins.”

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