Page 70 of Shadows of Eternity

“I’m afraid it is.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“The man’s a vampire. Are you going to tell me you didn’t know?”

“Of course I know,” she said, her temper rising. “And it’s still none of your business.”

“Dammit, Leia … ” He paused to take a deep breath. “He’s a bloodsucker. You must know you can’t have any kind of normal life with him.”

“I know that,” she said, her patience wearing thin.

“It’ll be a short marriage,” he warned. “There’s a hefty price on his head and I intend to collect it when the time is right.”

Leia stared at him, too shocked to speak. She had known he was a hunter, but he was also a friend. Or so she’d thought. Foolishly, perhaps, she had expected him to leave Rohan alone. “He isn’t hurting you or anyone else. He doesn’t kill those he … he feeds on. Why can’t you just leave him alone?”

“The man’s evil. I know you can’t see it, but it’s true. He’s killed before and he’ll kill again.”

“I wonder what Janae would say if she knewyouwere a killer.”

Her barb hit home. Trent reeled back in his chair. “I’m not a killer, not like him. I’m a government employee doing my job.”

“If you’re so proud of it, why haven’t you told your wife and kids?”

“I can’t.”

She had momentarily forgotten that there was a stiff penalty if a hunter revealed what he was to anyone, including his family, and the penalty was death. “Maybe you can’t, but I can.”

“Is that a threat?” he asked.

Leia shrugged. She would never knowingly put Janae’s life in danger.

Trent stood abruptly, his face dark with anger and frustration. For a moment, he glared at her, and then he left without another word.

Leia’s mother arrived a few minutes later. “Are you ready, honey?” she asked, enfolding Leia in a hug. “You have no idea how I’ve looked forward to this.”

“Me, too.”

“I remember dress shopping with my mom,” Cynthia remarked as they left the apartment. “It’s one of my fondest memories. Do you want to drive, since you know where we’re going?”

“Sure!” Leia said, as if she would pass up the chance to drive her mom’s Porsche.

It took only a few minutes to reach the bridal shop. Leia paused, wide-eyed, just inside the door. She had never seen so many wedding dresses. How was she ever going to pick just one? They came in all styles and colors—from modest and white to daring and black and every style and shade of the rainbow in between. She supposed she wasn’t technically entitled to wear white, but she didn’t care. She was only going to be a bride once and she wanted a long, white gown and veil.

“What kind of dress did you have in mind?” her mother asked.

“Something long and sort of sexy,” Leia replied as she walked toward the nearest rack. She perused gowns made of silk and satin and lace. Gowns with long sleeves or short or off the shoulder. So many choices. How was she ever going to decide? She grinned as she recalled Rohan telling her to pick something easy to get out of.

Her mother made it fun, reminiscing about when she bought her own gown and how she had finally flipped a coin to decide between the two she liked the best.

Leia tried on a dozen or so before she found the one. It was long, with a flared skirt, and long sleeves made of delicate lace. The same lace edged the neckline. She found a matching shoulder-length veil. Unlike a lot of bridal shops, this one carried many of their dresses in the most popular sizes. Fortunately, Leia’s size was one of them, which meant she could take the gown with her. If she’d had to wait for them to order one, it might have taken months. She also found a pair of shoes she liked.

When Leia stepped out of the dressing room, tears welled in her mother’s eyes. “What do you think, Mom?”

“It’s beautiful,” her mother murmured, with a sniffle. “You look just like a fairy princess.”

To Leia’s surprise, her mother insisted on paying for everything and then suggested they stop for a late lunch and hot fudge sundaes on the way home.

“Thanks for going with me,” Leia said as she pulled up in front of her apartment and put the car in Park. “Do you want to come in for a while?”

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