STEFAN (Completed)

Part 48

Lorena remained the same and Stefan stayed away from Devonne because he didn't want to risk running into her. It didn't matter how much his family tried to reach out to him. He could see them outside Devonne but as long as they offered a Familiar sanctuary, then he was persona non grata in his home land. Lorena was his prisoner and for his family to intervene, this was a betrayal.

Her biological father was a Shadow but she had grown up in a Renegade home and that made her one of them. She was not to be trusted and he couldn't believe how easily she had got his family to take sides with her, including his father who should have known better than to keep a Familiar in Devonne. Well someone had to be sane on behalf of the family and that person was he, Stefan.

*******

Dumitru sat beside Lorena on the bed. She had drawn away from him without a word but the ancient vampire was not deterred. He was going to bring her back to life whether she liked it or not. Stefan could make it easy by claiming her. It might take time to make her feel differently but that would be a major step in helping her out.

Her eyes were still haunted.

"I know how you feel." He told her. "I guess I don't since I have never lost a child. But I know that it must hurt. I want to help you. I could take the memory of that morning from you and make sure you never remember it. But I need your permission to do that."

She remained silent. She had been silent for months and Dumitru was very worried. He wasn't the only one. Liesl came to her every now and then as did Ilianu but she remained the same. She wasn't responding to anyone.

"If you need me to help you deal with the problem, let me know."

Dumitru told her. "I am so sorry that I didn't arrive in time to prevent the damage. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would do anything to ensure that you and your babies are safe."

Lorena said nothing but she was watching Stefan's Bunic. Why was he taking the blame for something that was her fault? What was he trying to do?

"You are wrong. None of these is your fault. You are not responsible for Miguel's abuse. It was a misplaced aggression. He was taking out his anger towards your mother on you because of your resemblance."

He had loved her mother, Lorena thought. There was no reason for him to feel angry towards her except he was upset that she had died and left him alone and saddled with a daughter who was a constant reminder.

Dumitru decided that it was time to tell her the truth about her paternity. She was in a more receptive mood. Previously, she didn't try to think about anything other than her babies but she was responding to him and that was a good sign.

"Miguel Banderas is not your biological father." Dumitru blurted out and her quick look of surprise would have been amusing under different circumstances.

What was he talking about? Lorena asked herself. Was he crazy? Miguel was her father.

"We all believed you were a familiar but we were wrong. You are not. Your mother was in love with a Shadow, a Duert van der Hassling and they were eloping when they were murdered."

That was not possible. Her mother had been a Familiar. No Shadow would have had anything to do with a Familiar. He was wrong. She understood his trying to make her feel better, although she couldn't understand why, but this was taking things too far.

"Ricarda was pregnant with Duert's baby. Miguel had kept her locked up for months but Duert came around and helped her escape. This didn't go well with Miguel. Ricarda was excited about her pregnancy and was looking forward to starting a new life with her true mate..."

The Enforcers had killed her mother. They wouldn't have done that if she was with a Shadow. Besides, even if she accepted that her mother had had a lover who was truly her father, her mother certainly couldn't have left her brothers alone.

"She didn't. Miguel lied to you your entire life. You were an only child. You had no brothers. He made that up to give you a reason to join his cause. Your mother was not killed by Enforcers. She was killed by a man who had tried to claim her against her will as his mate."

At first, Lorena didn't get it and then she did. Stefan's Bunic was saying that Miguel had killed her mother. That wasn't possible. Miguel had loved her mother. He worshipped her. He carried her photographabout.

"He was obsessed with her. She was going to be with another man and he couldn't handle that. He was ready to accept a Shadow's baby but Ricarda didn't want him. She had been with Duert before Miguel came into the picture. He ripped you out of her stomach after he had killed her. He had killed the Shadow first and in his anger, he took Ricarda's life.

"He could tell that the baby was still alive and he freed it. But he could tell that you were no ordinary baby. Unlike babies born of a vampire/mortal union, you were not a dhampir. That made you special. Do you recall all the tests run on you? It was intended to find out if there was a way to use your unique blood as a weapon. And when one couldn't be found, you were of no use to him. That is when the beating started."

How did he know about that?

"I went into Miguel's head. You are not to blame for what happened. If anything, Ilianu and I share the blame. We should have been able to tell that one of us was out there. We could have prevented your suffering. You would have grown up in the midst of Shadows and Stefan would have claimed you on your eighteenth birthday just like Nicolae claimed Sharon. You didn't have to go through all this suffering."

Lorena could almost feel the ancient vampire's pain and could tell that he actually believed that he was to blame. Why should he take the blame for something he knew nothing about? If what he was saying was true and that Miguel was not her biological father, then she could rest easy with the fact that she had not been violated by her father. Then again, if he wasn't her father and he had killed her real parents then it was good that Stefan was haunting him. The man had destroyed her childhood and he had killed her babies. He ought to pay for his crimes.

It took her time to digest what Dumitru had told her and he let her be. By the time he returned she had so many questions. A lot of things had begun to make sense to her. Words he had uttered in anger. The name Duert was no stranger to her. She had heard Miguel curse loudly a few times: "Damn you, Duert." But she had not taken special notice of this until now.

"You want to know why he hurt you and your babies?" Dumitru asked reading her thoughts. "He was jealous. He wanted you to himself but couldn't have you and so he was angry when he found out that you were pregnant for a Shadow. It was like a repeat of what happened with your mother. You had favoured an Enforcer and that didn't go well with him."

Miguel had no right to hurt her for what he perceived was a wrong done to him by her mother. Why did she have to pay for the sins of others? Stefan was punishing her not just for her mistakes but also for Marina's betrayal. She was sick and tired of all this misplaced aggressions. If only they had let her die in peace, she would have felt a lot better.

Where are my babies?

"I buried them after the attack."

She gave him a look which said "thank you." Then she asked to see them.

"Are you sure you are up to it?"

"I have been kept away from my babies for too long." She said, uttering words for the first time in months.

Dumitru nodded in understanding. He took her tiny hands in his and he felt her grow tense but he didn't let go. He needed her to learn to trust him. She had been hurt all her life and trust was something that wouldn't come so easily but it was going to come. He would ensure that.

"I won't let anyone hurt you anymore." He told her. "I have offered you my protection and it is a duty I shall not take lightly."

"Why would you do that? I am nothing to you."

"Let's just say that I cannot resist a damsel in distress. My Alicia, bless her soul was killed while trying to save my grandson Rudi's true mate Zoë from an abusive father and a forced marriage. And since her death a few millennia ago, things haven't been the same for me or my family. I have spent more time underground than above because of the pain of her passing. I love my grandson and I don't want him to go through life like I do. It isn't easy for me and I have lived longer than most."