Epilogue

The house of Vlad was in an uproar as the holidays approached. It had always been Evangeline's favorite time of the year, and he insisted upon a fully decorated home in honor of her…every year. He was just coming out of his study when two pair of feet came racing down the main staircase at breakneck speed, only to come to a sudden halt at his menacing scowl.

"What do we have here, hmmm? Am I surrounded by wastrels? Vagabonds? Scoundrels?" His tone was harsh, but his eyes twinkled as the two giggled and launched themselves at him.

"Papa!" came their glad cry, and then came hushed whispers of how the excited four-year olds spent their morning. Secrets were exchanged, and bargains met, for the recipient of the celebration had yet to make an appearance, so all felt now was as good a time as any to get the particulars out of the way. Unbeknownst to the three conspirators, a slight figure came limping through the library's double oak doors just then, and a soft voice enquired with amusement,

"And what are you three up to?" A trio of guilty looks were thrown her direction before a silky-smooth Vladislav sent the children off and sauntered over to scoop her up in his arms, take her back into the library, and settle in a deep comfortable chair.

She smoothed swatch of dark hair back behind his ear and rested her cheek against his…giving a sigh of contentment. "Vladislav…esti cealalta jumatate a sufletului meu… te iubesc… (1)" Before she could get anymore out, he was kissing her with an intensity that bordered on obsession, murmuring his love for her in Romanian and English…and memory took him back.

Flashback

He flew over treetops following the sharpening scent of his lifemate's blood. He could hear her voice, dull with shock and pain…the life draining out of her with each contraction of her womb. Too exhausted to even cry out any longer, she barely made a sound, although pain continually ripped through her body…he could feel it as though it were happening to him. My love…something is not right…our baby…I am so…sorry…she trailed off into silence. Fear lanced through his chest with the impetus of a lightning bolt. My darling…do not let go, please…I am coming for you…do not leave me beloved…there was no other sound from her…and his heart nearly skipped a beat.

The scent of her blood was now mixed with the stench of man-wolf, and the three Carpathians alighted in a clearing just west of the caverns where she was being held. Vladislav paced the small clearing swearing viciously in several languages as the other two rested for a moment.

"We know where she is kept…let us make haste!" he hissed showing a bit of fang.

"Vlad, we cannot leap in unprepared…our mission will fail. You know this…" Gregori attempted to placate the furious vampire.

"Mission…mission? Would that be how you describe the rescue of YOUR lifemate? As a mission?" Vlad had Gregori by the shirt front, feet dangling, as he was spitting mad by this time, each word dragged forth as if from the very fabric of his soul. "Fa! You disgust me coward…leave then, and I will do this alone!" In great revulsion Vlad cast him aside only to be brought up short by a very stubborn…very brave…very angry Carpathian female.

"I'll take it as a great personal favor…" said Giselle with a purr in her voice, "if you would not man-handle my mate any further…"

"Out of my way" he hissed, "or you shall see why I am feared by many and known by few…"

Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Do not threaten me, Prince. I cooperate because I wish too." Her growl was low and rumbling. "but I know that we shall succeed in our endeavor if we work together. Please…your mate is dying…she needs all of our skill to survive. He waits…" her head came up and she sniffed the air. "Come, it is time…"

Without looking back at him, she loped off in an easy run until she hit the tree line…then…she was gone. He swore inventively, looked back at Gregori, who shrugged eloquently, then they both followed.

Their combined senses led them to the low, dank cavern filled with the rotten, decaying corpses of the forgotten meals the man-wolf left when he discovered her. Why eat decaying meat when fresh blood and flesh were available? The stench was that of despair and fear, it was all they could do to quiet their minds to venture forth and attempt contact with the creature. Succeeding only brought a heightened sense of self-loathing upon them, for the beast's thoughts were as alien and horrible as its monstrous countenance. Coming around the last bend in the complex maze of the cavern, they finally spotted the pair, and Vlad nearly gave them away by crying out in horror at the sight of Evangeline. She lay supine on a pile of old clothing, covered in blood from her waist down, her hands covering her belly. Sweat poured down her face and dampened her hair…and she shuddered from time to time with each contraction, and blood still seeped from her womb. The monster was enthralled by her pain, the scent of her blood and he was so focused that he did not see the three until they were right on top of him. Snarling he turned and confronted them. Making an enormous effort to control the animal within, he strove to communicate his intentions in a more rational manner.

'You...are too late Vladislav, she will...be Mine soon…one life for another. A fitting...tribute to my dead brother."

Vlad circled him, Evangeline never out of his sight. He was so aware of her that he could feel her heartbeat as it slowed…slowed…

"Era noastra nu ii apartine ei, Andrei, elibereaz-o. Trebuie sa terminam asta odata pentru totdeauna. (2)" He bowed gracefully, tempting the man-wolf away from his wife. "Do I frighten you, wolf?"

His mocking tone did the trick and Andrei lunged for him, with a snarl and a flash of red-eyes they tumbled out of the stone archway into the darkness beyond. Giselle raced to Evangeline and knelt, shoving Gregori away when he tried to kneel as well.

"No! I know what to do…I think…go, help Vlad. He needs you more than I…"

Gregori looked deeply into his mate's eyes…then gave a short, curt nod. "So be it." He turned to go…then spun back and kissed her…hard…on the lips. "Go with the gods…" she whispered against his ear, then…he was gone. She turned to the dying girl and set about trying to save all of them.

Vlad was entangled in blood, fur, teeth and sweat. He hissed a curse as he felt the man-wolf take a hunk of muscle from his shoulder, but held fast to the beast's neck. "You can never overcome me, Andrei…you know this. Give in to your need for rest…daylight draws nigh. You need to release this form to heal your wounds…"

"NEVER!" the beast's roar shook the very foundations of the cave and rocks began to crumble from the ceiling. Struggling with renewed energy, biting and clawing with renewed vigor, what once was Andrei Lixandroiu used every trick within his grasp to free himself from his avowed enemy. "I will NEVER….cease to fight for my...brother's vengeance…and you will pay...with all you hold dear for his death! A lifetime is...never enough for what you have done! Despair and Die!" With the last theatrical statement, Andrei reared back and lunged for Vladislav's throat…

A strong rush of wind blew through the tunnel, momentarily blinding both combatants. When it cleared, Vlad was holding Andrei's body…and Gregori was holding his head. On the opposite side of the cavernous room. Gasping, attempting to speak with vocal chords no longer in existence…the light in the man-wolf's eyes slowly…slowly went….out.

Vlad collapsed against the stone wall on suddenly useless legs. It was over. Over. Gregori looked sharply at him, worry etched on his face at the near bloodless countenance of his friend. "Come, Vlad. We must let you feed. You may take sustenance from me right now. Your mate needs you sorely."

At that Vlad looked up sharply…"she lives? And the child?"

"Take and eat first, then we shall see." Taking a sharp fingernail, Gregori made a deep cut in his wrist and held it up to Vlad's mouth, urging him to consume as much as he needed. Closing his eyes, Vlad gratefully did as instructed, knowing it was life or death at the moment…and he needed nourishment if he were to feed his mate…which he must after the loss of blood she suffered. At the memory, he pushed away Gregori and stood abruptly.

"We must get back, she is dying…I can feel it…"

"Push…come, Evangeline stay with me…you must push your babies out…Push!" Giselle's voice stayed strong and relentless whenever she noticed her charge's eyes droop again into the dream-like state of shock and semi-consciousness. "It is up to you now…do you want your children to die? What kind of mother are you?"

The harshness of her tone was regrettable but necessary, as it put some artificial color back in that colorless face, that pale-as-death countenance which frightened the kind-hearted Carpathian immensely. Her ears perked up when a quivery voice asked softly, "ch-ch-children? But…I thought…"

"I can sense two heartbeats my lady. Two! But they slow, even as we speak. You must hurry! None of you are safe until they are born. Push, Evangeline…with all the strength you have left!"

Where she found it, the reservoir of strength, she knew not. But she pulled it out of herself for the miracle of seeing the faces of Vlad's children…children they created together. Awe came over her at the sight of her first-born son. He was held up for her to see…"Your name shall be Victor…" she whispered, "for through you I have had victory over all fear and doubt."

Her daughter was held up next, face red and squawking in temper at the indignities of the world outside the womb. Evangeline smiled a little before proclaiming in a voice growing ever weaker…"and you my love, shall…be Victoria…for with you…I hold…victory…through…love…"

Her voice faded, as the light dimmed and all sound ceased. Her spirit floated free of her body, weightless now and she was drawn ever closer to a bright shining light.

Was this death? This peaceful, benign existence surrounded by light, this floating, weightless feeling? I do not like this. I do not want this. Vladislav. Where is my husband? Where are my children? I will not stay here. I will not stay here. I WILL NOTSTAY….and I woke with a gasp. Vlad was beside me, holding my head in his lap, tears streaking down his face. "Nu muri, te rog nu muri (3)" That alone impacted me more than all his love words combined. This strong, proud, stubborn man was crying…for me.

I reached up a shaky hand and said in a voice almost gone…"it's time…" He looked down, startled, then smiled a warm and loving smile. "Time." He agreed.

He drew his shirt sleeve up, and using his dagger, sliced a line in his wrist. Drawing my head up he patiently guided my lips to the cut and helped me latch on. As I began to suckle, the most incredible taste flooded my mouth…like sweet ambrosia, the delectable liquid flowed easily down. Humming with pleasure I sipped it as though indulging in my favorite raspberry wine, all the while driving my husband wild with physical pleasure. (I did not realize this, but there is a strong…intense…physical bond between lifemates who share the blood bond. I would come to know this when I sufficiently healed.)

His hips bucked against my side and he moaned into my hair as I continued my assault on his senses. I lapped at him with my tongue, and nibbled to make the flow faster…knowing instinctively that I wasn't hurting him. He responded with growing enthusiasm, his hardness pressing into the side of my thigh, the only place on my body that wasn't injured. When I hummed in pleasure again, he reacted as though I had touched him with a lightning rod…the effect was so electrifying…

I had to do it again. I hummed and mmmmed to my heart's content and soon his thrusts were timed exquisitely. I suckled and lapped and licked until he gave a great shout and orgasmed with me firmly attached to his side, and the twins firmly ensconced in the arms of our grinning friends. I nuzzled his neck with bloody lips and he crushed them beneath his own.

"I thought I had lost you soţia mea iubita…" his voice was harsh with emotion. I reached up a hand and wiped away a tear that had leaked from his eye.

"I am still here my love. Take us home."

He swept her up into his arms and the three of them took his wife and the babes back to their home.

End Flashback

Sitting with her now, safe and sound, he still felt that crushing weight of sorrow when he remembered the light that had faded from her eyes as she had died in his arms. He had pleaded with her not to leave him as tears had poured down his face…unheeded and unnoticed. Even Gregori and Giselle had been affected by this unusual display of emotion, for they too knew that one day they may be forced to watch the other perish. He was still lost in thought when he felt her small hand brush the side of his face.

"My love, what is the matter? Why is there such sorrow in your eyes? Tonight, is for rejoicing…indeed we have much to be thankful for." Her green eyes were misty as they gazed into his.

His eyes narrowed as he contemplated her earnest face. "Indeed…I am truly thankful that I have a willing red-haired wench to warm my bed at night…" his tone was teasing.

In mock indignation, she lightly smacked his shoulder. "Wench?! I demand to know her name sirrah, so that I may scratch her eyes out!" He was chuckling by this time and his arms tightened around her as he gave her a hard kiss of appreciation.

"You, my dear, are a delight. Have I told you how much I love you today?"

She tapped her finger on her chin…"hmmm, yes…but you could always say it again." She began to nibble on his chin, earning a gasp of approval from her spouse. Popping open the buttons on his silk shirt, she murmured "Preferably in a more…demonstrative way…" then bit his earlobe lightly, causing a zing of pleasure to shoot straight to his groin. He smiled and allowed her the lead, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she felt so comfortable with the act of intimacy with him.

She nibbled his throat as she worked her way down his shirt front, shaping her hands around his muscles. He laid his head back and closed his eyes feeling the rush of sexual desire, that heady…intoxicating sensation that fueled his soul. She opened his shirt further and placed open mouthed kisses on his chest, before zeroing in on his nipple and laving it with her pink tongue. His hips rose involuntarily and he moaned softly in his throat.

Looking up and gauging his reaction, she smirked to herself before standing abruptly and crossing the room rapidly, heading for the door.

I grinned to myself as I beheld his reaction to my abrupt departure. Astonishment was clearly written on his face when I looked back over my shoulder as I walked out the door. I gave him my best "come hither" smile and made a valiant effort to put an extra swing in my hips, which wasn't easy as I walked with a decided limp from an injury I suffered during my capture by Andrei…the man-wolf. It worked though, for he narrowed those beautiful dark Romanian eyes and stalked toward me. Squealing, I took off at a stumbling run…laughing delightedly.

He could have caught up with me, even with my new strength and abilities, but he allowed me to stay ahead of him…giving the illusion of power that ran straight to my head like several glasses of the finest champagne. At our chamber door, he sped up, catching me at last, and swung me over his shoulder…giving me a smart slap on my behind. I yelped in protest and he rubbed the offending spot warmly with his wide palm before putting me down gently.

"That, my darling one, was for being a merciless tease…" he stated firmly, but the twinkle in his eye told me it was all in jest. I smirked at him…then, attacked. His mouth was hot, molten lava and he tasted of cinnamon and nutmeg. I pulled his shirt off his broad shoulders as he was yanking the front of my gown apart. Buttons flew everywhere and I broke the kiss to laugh breathlessly.

"Are we impatient, my love?" I purred into his ear, and he shuddered with the sensations.

"I wish to touch you, wife…I desire to suckle at your breasts, to worship your body as you deserve." His voice wove a tapestry of seduction that my body responded to…swaying toward him as though I were the instrument and he the soloist. "I want to watch your eyes as I unfold the petals of your most secret flower, and taste its dew, then I will make love to it with tongue and mouth until you scream with ecstasy, begging for more…always more…" his voice grew husky with longing, desire, love, and a healthy dose of lust for me.

My legs were shaking by this time, and I clung to his strong arms. After all this time, all these years…it was wonderful indeed that we still had a potent love life. He could affect me greatly by merely speaking. The juncture of my thighs ached for him to fill it…I longed to be swept up in his arms and be spread out on our marital bed for him to do as he wished. Gods! I was soaking wet merely by listening to his words alone!

My moan of longing must have convinced him because at last he did steer me toward our divan and gently push me down. Having divested me of my gown, he impatiently started on my undergarments, muttering obscenities in Romanian. I giggled happily as I ran my small hands up his muscular thighs, stopping just short of his thickness. He managed to rend asunder my shift, and stood staring at my nakedness, awe written clearly across his face…I decided to press the issue…so I pulled my feet up and spread my knees wide apart.

In a voice husky with longing I said, "does my husband like what he sees?"

He swallowed hard, twice…before he could answer. Settling large hands upon my knees, he spread them further and took one long, elegant finger to stroke my mound. I cried out with the pleasure that washed over me. "Vlad! Atinge-ma (4)!"

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw in an attempt to hold himself in check. When he opened them again…the irises were ringed in red…and my blood heated. I scooted back on the mattress and showed my fangs, hissing an invitation to my mate. Wantonly stretching my length, I rubbed my skin against the cool silken comfort of the sheets and purred my pleasure, before rolling to my hands and knees…flirtatiously showing my backside, and glancing over my shoulder to my husband who was yanking off his leggings. I bent at the waist and waved my bottom in the air, the pink petals of my flower burgeoning with passion and spreading the sweet scent of my arousal all around the room.

A dip in the feather mattress gave ample warning of my immanent peril. I grinned, giving my hips another impudent shake. A warm hand snaked across my back and dipped into the crevasse of my bottom. A long, gentle caress held me still as it penetrated the warm, wet opening it found and I gasped at the glorious sensation. Pushing down I forced the penetration deeper, then began to rock my hips as though making fierce love to an invisible lover. His breathing turned ragged behind me and he began to pull his finger out and push it in in counter to my movements and I cried out in wonder at the beauty of it all.

Suddenly, I felt a tickle…a tug…then his mouth on my quim…oh, god! He pushed another finger in my tight fluttering sheath stretching me gently, while lapping up my juices with a loving, glorious suction. I bit my own arm and rocked…rocked…rocked my hips, spreading out my knees in surrender to the ecstasy he alone could bring me. It began as a nameless tingle in my extremities…building, always building…becoming a tightness in my belly as my hips rotated faster and sounds came tumbling from my lips.

"Uh…uh,uh…uh…uh,uh…uh" I grimaced as Vlad hit a particularly sensitive spot, and he noticed that my breathing changed…so he went back again…and again…and again… I began to quiver, and quake, as I clutched the sheets beneath my hands I cried out again and spread my legs further…granting him full access to every part of me. He took full advantage. With a grunt and yank he pulled me up and off the bed entirely. I glared over my shoulder at his abrupt cessation of activity.

"Don't stop!" I growled in all my Carpathian glory. "Don't you dare stop Vladislav Dracula, not unless you wish to be warming your own bed for all your long years of life!"

He chuckled painfully, aroused even more by his wife's show of her power. By all he held most dear, he loved her…but never as much as in these moments…when she showed no fear, no loathing of his presence. She was his equal, and therefore he would cherish her for all his long life. "It will be my pleasure inimămea, for I wish to be one with you as quickly as possible…"

She gasped as he pushed her up against the wall, face first, and prepared her by spreading her open wide. With ruthless care, he lifted her up and enter her slowly…stretching her entrance and whispering encouragement when she squirmed and bleated in ecstasy. At last, he was seated to the hilt, and it was hot, tight and so incredibly good…

She was breathing heavily at this point, feeling stretched painfully thin at this angle, pulled taut by his fullness and filled to overflowing. "this won't work…" she wanted to shout…but then she felt his hand move to her taut nub, and two generous fingers rubbed it gently. On a silent shout, she began to move, taking the lead away from him. Holding on to her for dear life, he had to fight the urge to let go and simply ravish, instead he settled into a mind-blowing counter rhythm. Lifting her slight figure and taking, he entered her tight passage from behind and she could feel herself opening, flowering for his thrusts. He felt her body begin its climb and sought out the artery beside her shoulder blade. As she began to push down in earnest…timing her thrusts with his…spreading her legs further to feel his skin slap against her as their centers met, merged, parted, met and merged over, and over again, then he opened his mouth, allowed his canines to burst forth, and plunged them into the side of her neck.

I never felt as full as I did with him seated to the hilt within my tight, aching channel. This wasn't right…this wouldn't work! Vlad crooned to me, a wordless sound meant to both comfort and seduce. I relaxed enough for him to work his hands under my hips and then…Ah! Then I felt his strong fingers plunge between the sensitive folds between my thighs and skim the very heart of my desire. Opening my mouth, I gave a silent cry and began to move my hips, impaling myself on his iron shaft…causing violent ripples of ecstasy to invade my system and wreak havoc on my senses. Not able to stop once I had begun, I simply opened my thighs further and pushed harder.

The pleasure was immense, the pain minimal now that my arousal was pooling my juices around my thighs. Moaning my joy, I clutched uselessly at the wall and held on as Vlad shifted subtly inside me, hitting that one vital spot, and…I screamed his name as he plunged his teeth into my neck and a shock went through my body and into his. Rigid now, I squeezed his shaft mercilessly as my orgasm ripped through my body. He ignored the siren call of his own burgeoning completion, and ruthlessly rode me through mine until I was writhing in the throes of an even greater one.

The sensations were enthralling, intensely erotic…incredibly addictive…his hips pistoning back and forth, his breath harsh in my ear, the scent of my blood heavy in the air mixed with the scent of my excitement…I heard Vlad shout in victory behind me when at last he released his seed deep into my welcoming body…bringing with it a wave of ecstasy so powerful, my mind could hardly comprehend it. I screamed once

more as a burst of pleasure poured over me, so powerful, so intense…that I lost consciousness for a short time.

When I came to, I was clean and lying on our bed, cradled in the loving arms of my adoring spouse. He was running his hand through my hair in a gentle, soothing manner. When he saw I was awake, he swooped in to steal a soft kiss.

"I must remember to take care with you dulceata," he whispered. "I could not bear it if you ever looked upon my countenance with fear or loathing…"

I reached up a shaky hand and placed it against his soft lips. "Nay, my love. Were you to withhold your affections from me, that would break my spirit, and my heart. I need you, Vladislav my husband…so much." My voice grew anxious at the end, and he smiled tenderly down at me.

"Right now, my love, you need to feed. Come, let me nourish you as you have done for me." At her nod of approval and the shine of love in her eyes, he made an incision over his heart and pulled her gently to him. "Take from me, my heart, for I shall sustain you for all eternity."

Tears sparkled in my eyes as I nestled against him and fed. He gave of himself so generously, so unselfishly…this proud, fierce warrior, who loved so deeply.

And so, thus ends my tale. My life indeed has changed dramatically, but that is not to say that the change must be an unwelcome one. An existence such as ours is not for everyone, on this I must agree…for only those strong of will and stout of heart have the ability to survive the horrors of what we may face in our day to day encounters with the unknown.

The difference is…we stand as one…united in common purpose. To make the world a better place for both our kind, and humanity. And how do we hope to survive?

We have hope because of love…for without love, there would not be life, there would only be fruitless existence.

1. You are the other half of my soul, I love you

2. Our feud is not hers, Andrei, set her free. Let us finish this once and for all.

3. don't die, please...don't die

4. Touch me!