okay, not much to say. same story, but with more details and more backstory included. the old version was nagging at me for the longest time, so i went in for do-overs. i'm much happier with the results, and i hope all you will be too.
eerian
Chapter 1--Prologue
August 29, 1972
Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Mara Donnavan had been so happy when she left the hospital with her baby girl in her arms. The girl was vibrant and healthy, and looked nothing like her father which was a blessing. If the baby had shown any demonic traits aside from unnaturally green eyes, she probably wouldn't have been allowed to keep her.
She had broken with her mate's traditon of waiting until the baby's tenth birthday to name her. After all, he wasn't here—hadn't been for months—and something had to be entered on the birth certificate. Crimson Vengence would be angry if he ever came back, but she didn't expect that after hearing no word from him for almost ten months. Mara had named her daughter Clover.
The human woman's joy turned to fear when she turned from the baby's car seat and saw her mate's brother standing on her front porch. Like Clover, he was half human, and his demonic heratige could only be seen if he removed the gloves from his clawed hands. She didn't bother to wonder why Silver Blade was there; she knew.
He was there to take the baby.
"You can't have her," Mara said.
"I don't think you're in a position to say anything about that," Silver Blade told her as a full demon stepped out the front door.
"Crimson…" she whispered.
"Hello, Mara." Crimson Vengence looked at his mate with eyes the color of their daughter's. "You knew this was going to happen, beloved. My daughter must be raised with her people. She cannot learn all she must in your world."
"When will I see her again?" mara knew now that she had been a fool to agree to this when she had told him of her pregnancy. Tears of anger and grief spilled from her eyes.
Clover, sensing her mother's distress begain to wail at the top of her lungs.
Crimson Vengence stepped off the porch and walked to his mate. "When she is old enough to understand and control all that she is."
Mara felt her heart break as her mate lifted their child from her arms. She was dimly aware of reality bending to allow a portal to Crimson's home as the strength went out of her legs and she fell to the ground. The demon stepped through with his daughter, and the human woman began to sob as the portal closed behind them.
She didn't notice when Silver Blade stepped off the porch and walked over to her. And she was too devastated to cry out when he struck her.
It was an hour before she could stagger into her house to call the sherrif.
