Waiting. It's always the worst part of living. You're always waiting for something. Tonight, in my case, I'm waiting for several things. I'm waiting for my time to run, to flee for my life. I'm also waiting for the moment when I have to say goodbye to my baby girl, and there is nothing more devastating than holding your daughter and knowing it could be the last time you will ever get to see her. Walking away was the only way to keep her safe.
As I sat in the bedroom of our small house, I watched her as she slept, smiling with her little dimples on her tiny pink cheeks. I ran one hand gently along the rail of the cradle that Dominic had made by hand, tracing the intricate details he had carved into the wood. I smiled to myself, thinking of how much he cared for our daughter and me, knowing he would do anything for us. I looked around at the room, which wasn't much bigger than a walk in closet, and realized how little time we had spent at any location since we had fallen in love. We had only been at this home for two months, and I hadn't bothered to decorate because I knew we probably wouldn't be here long.
I looked back at Nevada, smoothing her blonde hair so like mine. The gesture caused her to stir and she slowly opened her eyes and peered up at me. At only four weeks old, her eyes were already a bright emerald green and held an intensity as if she had already experienced the world. She looked so much like her father, Dominic. Smiling sadly to myself, I held her tiny form close to my chest, cherishing every moment I could have with her.
The door burst open and I jumped, poised for battle and ready to kill anyone unwanted. Seeing it was Dominic, the love of my life, I let out a shaky breath. It only took me half of a second to realize that something wasn't right. His lip was split and bloody, and he had a gash on his left temple that was bleeding down the side of his face. I glanced at the sword in his hand and realized it was covered in blood. My thoughts suddenly flashed back to before guns had been invented, when the fae races had slashed their way through battle fields. The clang of swords filled my ears and my heart stopped. However, the crazed look in his eyes brought me quickly back to the present, making everything all too real.
"We need to go. Now!" Dominic said as he stepped into the room.
I backed away shaking my head, "I can't do this."
"Lana, we've talked about this over and over again. We have to. There isn't another choice." He replied gently. He held his hand out, trying to coax me towards him.
"Please, Dom! Our daughter must stay with us. We have to protect her and teach her about her magick!" I pleaded with him even though I knew it was pointless. "How is it so easy for you to give her up?"
I knew my words weren't fair and almost immediately regretted them. But I couldn't take them back now and I bit my lip to try and hold my tears at bay. Dominic was my knight in blood-stained armor, the backbone to my strength. As the oldest Folmorian prince, he had to teach himself to steel his emotions and not let anything cloud his judgement in battle. As I studied him in the dim bedroom light, I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch but saw no other visible reaction to my words.
"Nevada will be fine. She is our daughter after all. We'll see her again, my love." Dominic took another step towards me, still holding out his hand. His voice was still calm as he continued, "It's time to go now, Lana. We are running out of time. Some of Torch's people have already come."
I didn't know much about Torch except for the stories I had heard. Everyone said he was an ancient and powerful Folmorian who was always in search of more power. He was greedy and cruel, and came from one of the original Folmorian families. The rumors had told of a man that had always resented the fact that his family had not been royalty. Because of that, he used everything he could get his hands on to terrorize the world in revenge.
But those were just stories, rumors created from what base truth I didn't know. The fact that I had never seen the man had always left a niggling doubt in my mind, but the constant fear and running from attacks were enough to remind me that whoever he was. He was dangerous and wanted our lives.
Panic gripped my chest and the bitter taste of fear filled my mouth at the mention of his name. Torch had been chasing us for months after he had first gotten wind of our marriage, and had only fought harder after he had heard of the conception of our child. We had been told the prophecy as children like a bedtime story, but never did I imagine it would be my life that would set everything into motion.
I had known for weeks now that this moment was coming, but I still wasn't ready to let our baby go. Rationally, I knew that this was the best thing I could do for her and that one day she would know the truth. One day, she would be given the chance to grow into the woman she was meant to be, but she wouldn't be safe with us. We wouldn't be able to give her the life she needed and deserved while on the run, fighting for our lives.
I took a deep breath and ignored the tears that blurred my vision as I took his hand. Dominic returned his sword to its sheath on his hip, but rested his free hand on the hilt in case he needed to act quickly. I had never liked swords, and liked guns even less, but I knew that it was necessary for our survival. So, of course I knew how to use one, and very well. It was messy business to cut off a head without a sword, even in the twenty-first century.
As we crossed the threshold and entered the low light of the hallway, I was immediately greeted with the metallic stench of blood. Nothing but silence and the sound of distant traffic greeted my ears. I glanced up at Dominic.
"You really did a number on them, I guess," I said dryly, but not entirely without enthusiasm.
Dominic flashed me a grin and gave a soft chuckle as he led me down the hallway. We were headed towards the side door entrance that led out onto the carport. I was saddened by the thought that we were headed towards our last journey as a family.
"Yeah, but what can you expect from an evil monster such as myself?" Dominic replied quietly, referring to the fact that he was Folmorian which are known for brutality.
He may have had a smile on his face, but I heard the bitterness in his voice as he spoke and my heart ached for him. I knew the power of his magick even though he kept most of it hidden, and I knew the strength and danger he possessed but owned with a passion. But I also knew how kind and gentle he could be.
"You're not evil, Dominic. You can pretend to think differently if you want but that doesn't change the facts," I told him, giving his hand a squeeze. I thought back to the first time we had kissed and how angry our parents had been. A Braelyn princess and a Folmorian prince? Unheard of, basically treason.
Coming from a royal family meant everyone was always watching and having secret affairs with the enemy of your family was not thought of very highly. I remembered his rage when my father had back handed me and how Dominic could have killed him, but instead he had held me close and promised to always keep me safe from that moment on. And he had.
Dominic paused with his hand on the door knob leading to the carport and looked back at me. He gazed at me for a moment, studying me in the dim interior light. His eyes were that same intense emerald green as Nevada's and his hair was dark brown, unkempt and had grown longer than normal over the last few weeks. A few strands had fallen down across his face and I reached up, brushing them slowly back as I stared up at him. He placed his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me closer, his lips so close to mine that I could almost taste the whiskey on his breath from earlier.
"And that, my Darling, is why I am so in love with you," he whispered. His lips touched mine and he kissed me with a hunger that made my knees go weak. When he pulled back, I was breathless, my lips felt tingling from his touch. "Now, we have to go."
He turned, pushing through the door and we hurried towards the car. As we walked, we heard glass break at the front of the house that was followed by shouting. I realized that we had lingered too long and now more of Torch's goons had come. Silence and stealth would be our greatest allies as we attempted to escape the yard unnoticed.
There were only two street lights on our block, so we had the advantage of darkness on our side as Dominic put his finger to his lips and pointed towards the vehicle. We crept through the grass, cloaked in shadows as we moved, trying to keep an eye on the front of the house.
"They must be inside the house, searching for us," Dominic whispered, glancing quickly towards the darkened structure.
The car was parked across the road, ready for a quick escape. As I reached for the passenger door handle, I felt heat rush by my head followed by the scent of singed hair. Looking to my right, I saw a hole burnt into the tree in the yard nearest to me. They had discovered us and were closing in fast. Spheres of magick filled the night sky, hurtling towards us in crackling flames and sparks of electricity.
"Dominic! We have to hurry!" I yelled as I scrambled into the passenger seat, clutching Nevada tightly to my chest.
I bent forward over my bundle of joy and did my best to shield her from the world as it fell apart around us. Clenching my eyes shut, I listened and could hear yelling along with small explosions happening all around us as magick was deflected or missed its target.
I heard Dominic cursing and felt his building power as he fought someone in the middle of the street. Fear froze me in place and I couldn't bring myself to look at the chaos unfolding around me.
Suddenly, the driver door burst open and Dominic jumped in and quickly started the car before we sped away into the night. Slowly, I straightened in my seat and looked over at him. He was breathing hard but I could barely hear a sound. The side of his face that I could see was streaked with blood and his dark brown hair was drenched in blood and sweat. However, the thing that took my breath away was the obvious rage etched in his face and the stiffness of his body.
Power flowed from him in waves, angry and jagged, while his skin held a shimmer to it that was proof that he had used magick. I could see the bloodlust in his eyes but when he met my gaze, they softened a little and I saw there was also relief. I couldn't help but smile at him.
"We made it, love." He said, taking my hand as he drove.
"Yeah, we escaped... again. But how long until we have to run again? How long will we have to fight for our lives?" I replied bitterly, looking out of my window.
"As long as it takes to keep our baby girl safe," he answered, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "I know this is hard. It's not any easier for me to let her go." He paused. "You know I've had to do this before with my son, but it's the best thing for her right now as it was for him."
I thought of the baby boy he had with the common Folmorian woman, the one that had pissed off his entire family, before I came along. The king, his father, had been furious and had threatened to exile him and murder the child. We had already fallen in love by the time the child had been born but I knew that Dominic loved him just as much as he loved our Nevada. Sending the woman away and never seeing his son again had almost destroyed him.
I sighed, "I know, but that doesn't make this any easier." I paused and looked down at our daughter. "My dearest Nevada, I hope you know that we love you very much and how sorry we are to do this but it really is the best thing for you. You'll be safe this way."
Tears welled up in my eyes again but I forced them away as I looked at her. She was awake and staring at me with the same intense calmness that reminded me so much of Dominic. I tried to picture what she would look like as she grew up, and hoped that maybe she would be able to meet her half brother someday, without the threat of evil over their heads. I wanted her to be strong and powerful, but happy and safe above all else.
She was staring up at me with a look that seemed to stop time and then she smiled. Her toothless grin melted my heart and I couldn't keep from laughing. I leaned down and kissed her cheeks.
"This goodbye is not forever. I told you that August is waiting for her at the hospital to take her to a family where she'll be safe. He'll protect her if Torch comes for her, and he'll make sure she's safe to grow up," Dominic reminded me as he carefully maneuvered the car into the parking lot of the emergency room downtown.
The moment had come to let her go. I stared at the doors of the hospital, dreading the moment I would have to go in. I knew I had to harden my heart against the pain threatening to overwhelm me and do what she needed me to do. Looking at Dominic, I saw my own pain reflected in his eyes which was enough to let the tears flow. Tearing our world apart was the only thing that would protect our secret, the key to the prophecy. I looked back at Nevada and saw that she had fallen back to sleep, her world peaceful as it should be.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my door and careful climbed out. Dominic met me at the front of the car holding a small wicker basket. I could feel tingles of magick coming from it and I knew he had given her extra spells of protection as his last gift to her.
"It's perfect," I told him, my voice thick with emotions as I placed her inside the basket.
I had written a letter weeks ago in preparation for this moment and it was in that moment that I decided to leave her with the necklace. Dominic tensed when he saw me place it inside of the envelope with her name on it but he didn't say a word. Together, we walked into the hospital.
The receptionist desk was empty, the nurse most likely slipping off to the bathroom or to sneak a smoke break. Looking around, I saw that the waiting room was empty except for a homeless man sleeping in a chair in the corner. The fluorescent lights were dim and flickering, but I finally noticed a man standing in the doorway of an office at the side of the emergency room. He was dressed in jeans and a black button down shirt. I stepped closer to Dominic as the man began to approach us.
As he drew nearer, the first thing I noticed was his jet black, shaggy hair and his bright silver eyes, captivating and entrancing. I glanced up at Dominic who was watching the man with a slight smile on his face but otherwise said nothing. When the man stopped in front of me, I held the basket as tight as I could, watching him warily.
"You must be the wonderful Lana I've heard so much about," the man said politely, studying me. He looked down at the basket, "and this must be my precious cargo."
I flinched, "She is not your's."
The man stood probably six and a half foot tall or more, and I could tell he was a vampire. I could feel the magick that animated him coursing through his veins.
"I am August Maines," the man introduced himself instead with a slight bow. He looked to Dominic, no more smiles and all business. "They don't know I'm here but they're close behind you. You can't linger."
"I know, we have to go," Dominic replied as he gently took the basket with our baby girl from my arms. "We have to go, Darling. August will take care of her, I promise."
I felt like I had been kicked in the chest and I wanted nothing more than to grab my baby and run out of the hospital, never looking back. Instead, I wrapped my arms around myself and forced my thoughts under control. After almost seven hundred years, emotional suppression becomes almost easy, except for now. Nodding shakily, I watched August take my daughter into his arms.
"If anything happens to her, I will find you and I will kill you in the slowest way possible," I promised him in a surprisingly calm voice.
"She's safe with me, I promise you, Alana. I will keep you as up to date as the situation will allow. I won't ever be far from her," August promised us both. Unsure of why, I felt as if I could trust this stranger even as he turned and walked away with my daughter.
I wept as we drove away from them. My life had been turned into a chaotic mess and now an innocent child was going to grow up not know the truth of who she is, thanks to the stranger Dominic seemed to trust.
It wasn't fair to anyone. Dominic and I had gone through hell to be together and we had lost so much. Torch was the reason we ran, the reason that we had to give up our daughter. Anger began to overrun my other emotions; and I let it consume me.
"Let's go kill that son of a bitch," I said calmly without looking at Dominic.
He laughed and said, "Now that's my girl. Yes, let's do that. Nothing would make me happier right now than to go on a murderous rampage with the love of my life."
And then, our journey began...