EPILOGUE

When Aro and his guards returned from Russia to Volterra, Sulpicia was there to greet him. "Aro, my love! How I've missed you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed. Renata looked at the floor uncomfortably. When Sulpicia pulled back she had an exaggerated pout on her face. "It's not fair Aro. I don't like being locked up in this castle!"

Aro smiled at his wife. "Well you should have thought about that before going on and making a mess of things. That entire plague of immortal children was your fault! You nearly got us thrown out of our rule! If all the other vampires knew what I let you get away with it would be the end of us all, you know that." Aro stroked Sulpicia's hair. "Now this is for your own good. You must never leave the tower again and Athenodora has promised to keep you company. Be grateful that you have such a kind sister."

Sulpicia giggled. "I like children though. They are so fun to play with! You never play with me anymore, Aro." Her face returned to a pout.

Then he whispered in her ear "We'll play tonight." Then Aro turned to Santiago who was standing nearby. "Where are Caius and Marcus?"

"In the turret, my lord," Santiago answered.

Aro made his way up the stairs and met with his partners. "Marcus! Caius! So glad to see you. What are you working on?"

Caius was standing over a map of Europe and answered "We're continuing with eradicating the werewolves. The bad news is that they are much harder to track down when they are in their human form. It's almost impossible to tell what they really are under the surface. The good news is that they are much easier to kill in this state."

"Excellent. And Marcus, how are you this day?" Aro asked his friend who sat in his wooden throne.

Marcus looked at Aro with a blank expression on his face. "Fine." That was about all that Marcus would ever contribute to a conversation.

When night rolled around Aro took the time to 'play' with Sulpicia. When they were through they lay in their bed together and Sulpicia hummed a tune. Then Aro thought he heard a sound, a sniffle perhaps. He jumped out of bed and headed straight for the closet.

"Aro, no!" Sulpicia cried out.

Aro flipped open the doors and there on the floor sat a boy. Aro recognized him. It was the same boy that he had seen dressed as a Jester on St. Marcus Day. Horror and shock washed over his face as he realized that the boy had no heartbeat. Sulpicia had changed him and kept him a secret.

"Sulpicia, what have you done?" Aro asked.

The little boy ran out of the closet and jumped onto the bed with Sulpicia and she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't take Daniel away from me, Aro," she begged. "He's the only one I care about. I only made the others so he could have playmates. Please Aro, let me keep him."

She reminded Aro of a child who had brought home a stray puppy. "You know that this cannot be, Sulpicia! We've discussed this!"

Sulpicia started to cry and held the boy tighter. Aro's heart was softened toward her. He never wanted her to be unhappy. "You can come out tonight to say good bye to him. But that is all the leniency you will get from me."

They got out of the bed and walked hand in hand, following Aro down the stairs. Aro asked Afton and Corin to accompany them. When the others saw the child, they grew uneasy. No one had known the boy had been living there. They followed Aro out the back entrance to a cemetery. Aro nodded to Sulpicia to let her know that it was time to say good bye.

"Good bye, little Daniel. I will miss you." She sadly kissed his forehead.

"Are they going to kill me?" Daniel asked his creator.

Sulpicia nodded sadly.

"Where do vampires go when they die?" he asked her innocently.

Sulpicia tried to think. "I don't know. But I think there will be songs and dancing. I think it will be a peaceful place."

Aro put his hand on Sulpicia's shoulder and pulled her back. "It is time," he said.

Corin stepped forward and met resistance from the child as he tried to sink his venomous teeth into him. Afton helped to hold the boy down and Corin was able to paralyze him. The two worked together and began dismembering the boy and burning the pieces. As Daniel's consciousness began to fade out a new image appeared to him and only to him.

He saw a beautiful red haired woman who looked so kind. Next to her was another woman. She was also beautiful and she had dark hair. Her expression was sad and she played an enchanting tune on the violin. Daniel had never seen these women before but he felt comforted by their presence.

The dark haired woman spoke out to him. "It's alright Daniel. Don't be afraid. We'll take care of you now."