Twice Bitten (42 page)

Her lips began to tremble, and a single blood tear formed in the corner of her right eye. Before it could stain her cheek with an uneven stream to her chin, I used the corner of my robe to catch it and wipe her cheek clean. She let me do this while her lips still quivered. But, unlike Tyreen’s breakdown at the palace at Christmas, Chanson caught herself before she fully gave in to her emotions. Even so, she allowed me to take her in my arms and hold her. Bound by the same bloodline, I truly felt as though we were sisters across time. I fully knew in that instant she’d never betray my daughter or me—no matter what became of the unstable political vampire alliances that had already pitted immortal allies against one another.

“Am I wrong to assume that I’m still the ‘source’ of Ralu’s ire that you mentioned?” I said, once her trembling had ceased. “If so, I must also assume it’s not just me, it’s anyone carrying the birthmark.”

“You are correct,” she said, pulling away to study my face once more. “You’re marked as the very reason a world war among vampires looms on the horizon, and since only a very small number need your blood to maintain their status in the vampire world, the Kingdom of Europe and our smaller allies in North and South America are in danger of extinction. Ralu and his allies—including the Chinese Empire who had once been neutral—would like nothing more than to see us fall.”

“Then, where can Alaia and I go? What place on earth would be safe enough—other than someplace like here, this very village?”

“I don’t honestly know,” she said. Her eyes grew sad—sadder than I’ve ever seen them. “As long as Ralu lives, he will want to destroy the only thing that truly stands in his way to full world domination—both vampire and human combined. Gustav will always be his enemy, unless Ralu wins and Gustav and the rest of us become Chupacabras, like Ralu.”

“So, now it’s a race to either kill him or me…and Alaia,” I said, rehashing the obvious. “You may be in danger, too.”

“No, Txema. Since I’m no longer human the mark I bear is of no concern to them,” she said. “Unless Racco can come up with a way to make an infertile vampire a fertile human again, the only threat to Ralu’s full conquest is you. You and Alaia.”

I have to admit, for a moment my own irritation rose at the mention of her and Racco in the same context as making babies. It brought me right back to that raw emotion I experienced when Kazikli mentioned it for the first time back in January. I so badly wanted to grill her about what happened three hundred years ago and what it meant to her relationship then and now with Racco. But this wasn’t the right time—especially in light of what we faced together. Hell, at the very root of this crisis was the fact Chanson’s sacrifice to watch over her daughters’ continuation of our sacred bloodline would count for very little if that effort finally died in me and my daughter.

“Perhaps Kazikli can come up with something,” I said, not immediately thinking of how this statement would be received.

“How so?” She sounded suspicious.

“Well, he made himself into a pretty impressive pterodactyl to bring me here and do you know anyone else with a cane that emits purple lightning bolts?” I said, choosing to stay with common knowledge, since these were facts she surely already knew. No sense in bringing up what I learned about Xerxes’ chief magician later teaching Racco how to become a master alchemist. “If nothing else, he might know of another hiding place, if it looks like Alaia and I won’t be able to remain here for long.”

Plenty of truth and enough fact avoidance to pass for a crafty politician…or so I hoped.

“Perhaps you’re right about that,” said Chanson, her tone and expression softening.

“I hope so,” I agreed. “I really do.”

She might get irritated if she ever learns what I withheld from her, but I knew she’d quickly forgive me. Just as I’d forgive her for never mentioning her long ago romance with the man I was on the verge of falling in love with hundreds of years later, when we were in France the past November.

I knew it all for only one reason.

In that very moment, I had already forgiven her.

Chapter 10

I will never forget the night my daughter was born to the world…born to an audience of midwives, monks, and vampires.

You don’t see that every day on General Hospital.

In all seriousness, it was a magical experience in so many ways. Of course, it was also the most agonizing hell I’ve ever gone through, as well. The contractions began soon after dawn and grew steadily more intense, until I thought I’d either kill one of the Nepalese servants standing closest to me in a rage or scream myself into unconsciousness. If not for the constant attention from the midwives and the gentle strokes from the women who had nursed me along since my winter arrival in their village, I don’t know how I could’ve possibly endured this. But I’m beyond thankful that I did, and hearing Alaia’s first cries as she greeted us all pulled on my heart and soul more than anything I’d ever felt in my life until then.

While the older women bathed her, I was drawn to the moonlight pouring into the hut and the presence of my long-lost vampire protectors gathered near the doorway. I realized then that Chanson had been by my side during the latter portion of my ordeal, as I recognized the purple sarong she wore. Tyreen and Raquel had also been close by, offering soothing words while all three delivered soft, cool strokes along my face, neck and arms to ward off the burning heat surging throughout my body as my daughter sought to exit my womb.

“She is perfect in every way, and every bit as beautiful as I knew she’d be!” gushed Kazikli, dressed in a dark cloak and carrying the infamous cane he favors. He peered over the shoulder of the woman holding my daughter while one of the midwives finished wrapping my baby in a soft green blanket.

Garvan and Armando joined him after he motioned to them and one other female vampire to come have a look. The female’s look of joy and compassion easily surpassed Kazikli’s from a moment ago, and she looked over at me.

“Txema, she is so, so wonderful!” she said, and even before she removed her hood, I recognized Nora’s distinct British accent. “The name ‘Alaia’ does indeed befit her.”

A slight scar crossed one cheek that bore the redness of a fairly recent injury. I never thought something like that could happen to the undead, but that night I learned how Huangtian Dadi’s poisonous claws when he morphs into his dragon form could prove fatal—even to immortals—depending on the wound he chooses to inflict. The heartless emperor of China had left one of the kindest vampires I’ve ever known with a ‘going away’ present upon her banishment from his palace.

Nora had suffered on my account, and yet her compassion never waned. I vowed silently to myself that if I ever did become a vampire, I wanted to be like her…so elegant and noble, and with such an unselfish heart.

“She is ready for you, Txema,” said Yangani, after the midwives spoke to her and anxiously pointed to the vampires in the room. It was the first time I had seen them so nervous, and realized the sheer number of undead spectators had pushed these poor women out of their comfort zone. “Would you like to hold your daughter?”

“Please!” I motioned for the midwife holding Alaia to bring her to me. “I’m ready to take her.”

Even as the midwife approached, I could feel my daughter’s presence. So much more than could be contained in the closed confines of my little hut was wrapped inside the blanket. And she was beautiful—in every sense of the word!

Yes, I’m sure some of this is simply a proud new momma’s altered perception. We all think our kids are perfect. Right? And without being there with me—with all of us—there would be no way to substantiate the awe and wonder that filled my hut. No, it wasn’t anything like Jesus’ Second Coming either. But, there was something about her that we all noticed. Beyond being so precious in the classic sense…she carries something quite powerful within her soul.

“She has the aura of a princess,” said Yangani, after the oldest midwife spoke to her excitedly. “There have been two yogis born in this region during her long lifetime, Nagira says, and she claims this child carries the same kind of aura.”

Chanson and Kazikli nodded approvingly. Meanwhile, Alaia stared into my face with the most peaceful expression…such innocent love. The room was too dim for me to clearly see her eye color…somewhere between dark brown and hazel. The twin ‘tear drop’ birthmark was faintly visible on the left side of her neck. She opened her hands, and I placed my right pinky inside her left one. Too new and fragile to grip anything, she closed her hands around it anyway.

I could feel her determination to rule her tiny body, despite being in the first hour of her life. At that moment, I suddenly realized my ability to read other’s thoughts had lessened significantly since Alaia’s birth. I couldn’t read her thoughts. As I gazed around the room, I heard only a mumble in my head, where before I could hear the local Nepalese dialects that I treated as background chatter. Worse yet, my vampire companions eyed me curiously, as if my mental privacy no longer remained secret.

“Oh shit,” I whispered, to which my daughter made a whimpering sound that drew my focus back to her.

She was smiling at me.

***

The moon was slightly shy of its fullness, and from the moment of Alaia’s birth until the moon reached its zenith point above the Kosi River two nights later, my protectors stayed among us. By day they slept in a nearby cave, and at dusk they returned to my hut. As intense as their care and protection had been for me during my initial move from America to France and then to my ill-fated stay in China, it seemed even more fervent now. They took turns gently coddling my baby, and I was especially surprised by Garvan’s ability to get Alaia to stop crying the quickest when she was hungry.

“It certainly appears that like most young girls, this one has fallen for a cute blonde!” Raquel quipped, watching Garvan from my bed. I was changing into a colorful sarong brought for me by Chanson, and that Tyreen said she helped pick out from several silk chests they stumbled upon in Kazikli’s castle fortress. No one had revealed the fortress’s exact location yet, although it had to be somewhere in the same climate region as the village, based upon the India/Nepal border information they’d given me earlier. “But watch out for when Alaia grows up—she’ll break many more hearts than you could ever dream of, pretty boy!”

“As long as she stays safe from harm, I’ll be delighted to teach her the fine art of flirting and hiding the secrets of her heart!” he said, beaming as he gently bounced her in her latest blanket—a bright yellow one—while casting a devilish look at both Raquel and me. A sudden breeze blew into the hut and drew our collective attention toward the doorway.

Chanson and Tyreen flanked Armando as they stepped inside the hut, dressed in similar attire to the rest of us. We were definitely ready for a little party, Nepalese style this time. I hoped we kept things respectfully quiet for my gracious hosts who seemed less than keen on Western festiveness.

“You would teach our dearest Alaia how to effectively flirt—is that the crock of burning beetle dung that a moment ago singed my nose and stung my ears?” taunted Armando as he slid away from the ladies and peered over Garvan’s left shoulder at my baby girl. “Don’t listen to this blonde headed fool—only take advice from the very best at the game of love—
me!”

He blew a kiss through his fingers at Alaia and lightly pinched Garvan’s nose before rejoining Tyreen and Chanson. They all snickered, along with a merrier giggle from Raquel.

I couldn’t help chuckling myself, which drew a wounded look from Garvan, until I gave him a hug while reclaiming my child.

“If you can care for her as you’ve cared for me, she’ll always be in great hands,” I told him, and kissed him lightly on his cheek.

“That, Txema, is something you’ll always be able to count on from me,” he said, as his dimpled grin turned sheepish. “I’ll always be there for both of you!”

“I know you will,” I said, offering him a warm smile. I turned my attention to the rest of our group. “Where are Kazikli and Nora?”

“They’re already at the riverside,” said Chanson. “We’ll need to leave in a few minutes to be there on time.”

“Now, what are we doing again?” I knew we were planning something beyond the waking hours of everyone in the village except Suddhodana. But the details given earlier were sketchy.

“It’s a surprise, silly!” Raquel instantly moved from the bed to my side, and resumed an earlier game of peek-a-boo with Alaia. “Don’t get all stuck in the details, or it won’t be as much fun.”

I’ve said before how I hate when they move like that, but my daughter’s widening smile made it easier for me to chill. Still, the mention of words from my thoughts in Raquel’s reply was beginning to annoy me. They had all done this several times to me during the past two days. It would take some time getting used to their unfettered voyeurism inside my head again.

“It’s merely a formality for how we mark the beginning of a new bloodline era,” said Chanson. “It will be quick, painless, and yes…fun. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime event, I assure you.”

Despite wanting to believe them, I felt nervous about taking my newborn to a river that had several deep, swirling pools close to the shoreline. I assumed we’d be going someplace near the same spot where Kazikli caught our dinner four months earlier. The women of the village frequently traveled back and forth from the same general area, but I had yet to venture out of the village since my arrival. Maybe my own isolation is what made me so nervous.