Page 75 of Shadows of Eternity

Leia nodded, disappointed that he hadn’t taken her in his arms. But she couldn’t really blame him, not after all that had happened.

“Now,” he said, reaching for her. “Where did we leave off?”

Chapter Thirty

Leia pulled the covers over her head in an effort to shut out the persistent knocking on the front door, but it didn’t go away.

Slipping out of bed, she pulled on her robe, shuffled into the living room and opened the door. “Janae! What are you doing here? It’s not even six a.m.”

“I just had to talk to someone.”

Leia blinked, only then noticing how pale Janae’s face was, the tears trickling down her cheeks. “Come on in. What’s happened?”

Janae collapsed on the sofa and buried her face in her hands. “It’s Trent,” she sobbed. “He’s a … ” Shudders wracked her body.

“A what?” Leia asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

“A bounty hunter. He works for some international government alliance that hunts felons and turns them in for the reward, like some Old West lawman. Dead or alive,” she exclaimed with a shiver. “I asked if he’d killed anyone and he refused to answer. You know that means yes. How am I supposed to live with that?”

“It’s no different than being married to a cop,” Leia said, hoping to calm her friend down. “They hunt bad guys and sometimes they’re forced to shoot them. It doesn’t make them bad people.”

Fresh tears dripped down Janae’s cheeks. “It gets worse. One of the bad guys is after him and is threatening me and the boys. Trent told me to take the kids and get out of town for a while.” Janae shook her head violently, as if she could shake the threat away. “I still can’t believe it! What are we going to do? I’m scared to death.” She dashed the tears from her eyes. “What doyouthink Ishould do?”

“I agree with Trent. I think you should pack up the boys and leave town just as soon as you can. Maybe go stay with your parents in Oregon for a while.”

“Maybe you’re right. The boys would like that. I’m sorry I bothered you so early,” Janae said, rising. “I’m probably overreacting, just like Trent said. But no one’s ever threatened my life before.” She sucked in a deep breath.. “Well, I’d better get going. I have a lot of packing to do.”

“Keep in touch,” Leia said, walking Janae to the door. “And try not to worry.”

Janae forced a smile, then hurried down the porch stairs to the parking lot.

Leia stared after her, praying that her friend and the boys would be all right, that Josiah wouldn’t kill Trent. Maybe Rohan could do something to protect the family. Yawning, she shuffled back to bed and crawled under the covers.

“Everything all right?” Rohan murmured.

“Go back to sleep,” she said, snuggling against his side. “We can talk about it later.”

He muttered something indistinguishable before the dark sleep carried him away.

Leia spent the morning torn between worrying about Janae and fighting off a bad case of nerves as she thought about introducing her parents to Rohan at the show that night. Sitting at the kitchen table, drinking one cup of coffee after another, she told herself Janae would be fine. She could stay with her mom and dad in Oregon until it was safe to come home again. As for her own parents, she could think of no reason why they wouldn’t approve of Rohan.

She forced herself to eat a couple slices of buttered toast and then, needing something else to think about, she dressed and went to the store. There was a certain odd sort of peace in pushing her basket up and down the aisles, checking brands and prices, making choices that weren’t life or death. She wondered what Rohan’s last meal had been before he was turned, before blood became the only item on his diet. Did he ever yearn for anything else?

Standing in the check-out lane, she thought about her favorite foods. What if she could only eat one of them for the rest of her life? How long would it take before she couldn’t stand the thought of eating one more slice of pizza or another plate of pasta?

She shook her head as she paid for her groceries and headed for her car, amused by her bizarre thoughts.

At home, Leia put her groceries away, then called Janae. She frowned when there was no answer. Had they left town already? Even if they had, it wouldn’t keep Janae from answering her phone. She waited a few minutes, then tried again, with the same results.

Worried now, Leia got into her car and drove to Janae’s house. Even before she knocked on the door, she knew there was no one home. Truly worried now, she drove back to her apartment, wondering if she should wake Rohan. Perhaps, withhis supernatural senses, he could determine if Janae and the boys were all right.

Trent was waiting for her when she reached her apartment. She didn’t invite him in.

“I just came by to tell you that I sent Janae and the boys to stay with her parents,” he said. “She left late last night.”

“Why isn’t she answering her phone?”

“I bought her a new one and told her not to contact anyone but me. I don’t know how powerful this vampire is but I don’t want him to be able to find her.” He shrugged. “Better to err on the side of caution and all that.”

---