Page 80 of Shadows of Eternity

“Probably not.”

“Has your life as a vampire been so bad? Would you rather have spent the last three hundred years rotting in a grave”

“That’s not the point,” Rohan said curtly.

“What is?”

“I guess mainly I’m angry because it wasn’t a life I’d chose.”

“And if I’d given you a choice, what would you have said?”

Rohan frowned. Whatwouldhe have said?

In a move too fast for even Rohan to follow, Josiah sank his fangs into Rohan’s throat. Speaking to Rohan’s mind, he said,I’m giving you a choice now, vampire.Life or death?

It’s not the same thing,Rohan retorted.

Yes, it is. What will it be? Life or death?

“Life,” Rohan said, his voice heavily laced with anger. “As you knew it would be.”

Lifting his head, Josiah licked his lips. “You would have made the same decision if I’d asked you back then.”

“How can you know that?”

“Because you’re a survivor, like me.”

Rohan snorted.

And Josiah laughed. “It’s true, whether you like it or not. So, your friend, Trent, sent his family away,” he said with disdain. “As if I couldn’t find them.”

“Leave them alone,” Rohan snapped. “I don’t care what you do to Frumusanu, but his wife and kids are off limits. She’s Leia’s best friend.”

“Human entanglements are never a good idea,” Josiah remarked with a shrug. “And what I do is none of your business.” Slapping Rohan on the back, he said, “Thanks for the drink,” and vanished from sight.

Rohan stood there for a moment, thinking about what Josiah had said. His sire was right, he thought. Given the choice all those hundreds of years ago, he would have chosen life. And it would have been the right choice, he mused. Had he chosendeath, he would never have met Leia. Whistling softly, he willed himself home.

The days flew by. Leia spent most of her time getting ready for the wedding. She ordered a small cake, worrying and wondering how they’d explain why the groom didn’t eat any. She also picked up a bottle of wine and some champagne. She ordered flowers for herself, her bridesmaid, her mother, and the church altar, boutonnieres for her father, Rohan, and Trent.

She went to the theater with Rohan Friday night. She never tired of watching him dance. She noticed the applause was always longer and louder for him. He never said much about performing. She guessed he must enjoy it or he’d quit. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be admired by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people.

On Saturday, she checked in with her friends from school to make sure they were ready. She had called Rosemary earlier and asked her to be her matron of honor, since Janae couldn’t be there.

Sunday morning she got up early and went to church, feeling guilty because she hadn’t gone for such a long time. She almost laughed out loud when the minister announced the topic of his sermon was accepting those among us who were different.

When she got home, Leia called her mom and dad just to say hi. Both seemed a little reserved, leaving her to her wonder what was wrong.

Later, she sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. A hundred channels, she mused, and not a single thing she wanted to watch. She finally settled on an old Western …

The wagon train stopped for the night when the sun started to go down. Leia climbed down from the seat, one hand massaging her sore back. Some of the men went hunting, returning with a deer, which was split between the five families who were heading West to Colorado. She was traveling with a family she didn’t know. For some reason, it seemed perfectly normal.

It was almost dark when the Indians attacked. It happened so fast, she saw everything in quick glimpses—painted warriors armed with bows and arrows or rifles. Confusion reigned. Men fought. Women screamed. Children cried and hid their faces. The scent of gun powder and blood hung heavy in the air. It was over in moments. The men had all been killed, the women and children taken captive.

Leia trembled with fear as one of the warriors lifted her onto his horse and then swung up behind her. His name was Shadow Dancer. She didn’t know how she knew that, or why he seemed familiar. They rode until well after dark, then made camp along a shallow river. Shadow Dancer lifted her from the back of his horse, letting her body slide intimately against his own as he set her on her feet.

Later, after everyone had eaten, he spread a blanket on the ground away from all the others and gestured for her to lay down. Her fear left her when he stretched out beside her and drew her into his arms.

“Who are you?” she asked. “Why do you seem so familiar?”

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