Page 15 of Wedlock
I frown at her. Clearly, she’s hiding something.
“It would seem to me,” I try to sound equally as nonchalant, “that since I’m a prisoner on death row, a prisoner destined to watch her husband marry someone else while the world considers me crazy or dead, that I should at least be privy to the reason I’m being kept. I mean, it’s not as if I can tell anyone, even if I wanted to.”
“I’ve shared too much with you already,” she says firmly, rising to leave, “there are things you know about this family, about vampire rites, that human women are forbidden to know outside the royal circles, and even then. All these secrets will die with you, and that’s a fact and a comfort, if I’m honest.”
“Then why tell me anything?” I snap. “If you’re so relieved to see me under the ground with those secrets buried with me?”
She stares down at me,her face pale.
“Because I thought you were the one, Angelina. I thought with your heritage that you were the woman who could change the course of history. With Falcon by your side, loving you, I hoped you could change vampire rites, stop the terrible things they do. Instead, I’ve sealed humanity’s fate — or rather, you’ve sealed its fate by making Falcon distrust human women more than ever. He’ll never support change now.”
I open my mouth to argue, to try to understand what she means, but she holds up her hand to stop me speaking, her expression livid, and leaves the room.
Long after she’s gone I run back over my conversation with her. She’d told me only a handful of things that she considered forbidden, and I hadn’t reminded her that it was actually Asumpta who had told me most things, no doubt to stir trouble. Eleanor had just confirmed them. After all, Asumpta had told me about the firstborn daughter ritual, thank God. The only thing Eleanor had told me that might be forbidden knowledge was that Viper was only a half-brother to Falcon. But by her mentioning theforbidden,she’d unintentionally told me something else — feeding the baby was something more than just ceremonial.
Somehow, and I don’t know how, I’m still important to Falcon’s reign.
12
“I tell you, I’m convinced your bitedidwork on her,” Mother says as I stab my fork into my steak, refusing to look towards the other end of the dining table where she sits. “Falcon, you must listen to me.”
“Ridiculous,” I mutter, swallowing the steak and reaching for my wine. “If that were true I’d be able to control her now, sense where she is — I feel nothing.”
‘Nothing except pain whenever I think of her. Nothing except longing knowing she’s sleeping just a door away from me now that I’ve returned home.’
“I know.” Mother puts down her fork and eyeballs me. “But very little is known about hupotasso if the mother is bitten while pregnant. I’ve had Attracta undertake research through the royal libraries. Virtually nothing is known about the bite beyond the small entries made by vampires here and there when hupotasso was all about control and less about immortality. It could very well be that there is some anomaly, some difference in how it affects pregnant humans…”
“Mother,” I growl, “please. The bite didn’t work. End of story.”
“Then how is she healing from the baby’s feedings so quickly? How is it she recovered from the birth within a day or so? Such things are not normal for humans, Falcon. Even the doctor was astounded.”
“She’s a strong, healthy, country woman,” I shrug, “they’re born breeders.”
“Oh,rubbish,”Mothersnorts,rising.“There’ssimplynotalkingtoyouwhen you’re in a mood like this.”
She walks to where I sit, glass raised, and places her hand on my head.
“Something is askance with Angelina, I’m sure of it. I’ll get to the bottom of it, with or without your help. In the meantime I am glad you’ve come home, my darling boy.”
She leaves the room before I can reply. I doubt very much she’d be happy if she knew justwhyI’ve returned.
Rising,I pick up the remaining half-bottle of red and head for my study.
My guards had informed me that Sophie was still confined in Spider’s castle, and no word had leaked about whether she’d yet given birth. I think, if my timing is correct, that she’s overdue. Either way, I’d promised I’d rescue her, and taking on Spidernow might be just the distraction I need. I have a small army to assemble, but before then, I have to get some affairs in order.
Once at my desk I begin writing my instructions for Viper should my mission fail and the title fall to his shoulders, because there’s no guarantee I’ll return from this fight, no guarantee at all.
Although I’d told Wolf I had every hope of success in finally destroying Spider and claiming his pregnant wife for my own, in earnest, I hadn’t wanted him to accompany me because I didn’t want him to fall if I should. And part of me, deep down, isn’t really fazed if I should meet my maker. At least then I wouldn’t feel like I was walking around with a hole the size of China punched through my chest.
I try to concentrate on the logistics now, but Mother’s assertion that Angelina is under my thrall is on my mind. Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I bend my concentration on the room I know my wife is being held in to try to sense her emotions. If Mother is right andmy bite worked I should be able to get some impression of her.
‘Nothing!’
I had more of a sense of her just by knowing she was sleeping in the room attached to mine, that just a piece of wood, one timber door, stood between us.
‘And the stake she’d thrust into my chest, invisible but still there. She’d just as effectively wounded me as if she’d done so, the bitch.’
Snorting at my own foolishness I sort ineffectually through the pile of correspondence on my desk relating to business matters, but my mind keeps slipping back to the woman upstairs. It’s stupid, it’s ridiculous, and I know it will lead to nothing but more pain. But I need to see her.
