Chapter 13

No Longer a Prince

 

It seemed that Sophia knew better than to disturb them today. She and Ethan had spent hours together, uninterrupted. While it wasn’t their home, the accommodations were nice. But it was nearing dinnertime now, and they both knew Sophia would need to bring food soon.

Right on cue, as usual, there was a soft knock at the door. It was Sophia and Nadia, both carrying trays filled with more of Ethan’s favorite foods: steamed salmon, mashed potatoes, filet mignon, shrimp, and of course, curry. Not to mention pumpkin pie, and sticky toffee pudding, and some more chocolate cake.

“You’re going to be so sick.”

“It’s absolutely worth it. Tomorrow I’ll be wishing I could feel painfully full.”

“And you’re sure there isn’t any other way around this?”

“I think they would have come to us if they’d figured out something new. And I, for one, have not been thinking about that…”

Danielle couldn’t help but blush with that comment made right in front of Nadia and Sophia. Who appeared to not notice as they took a seat on either side of Danielle on the slip-covered sofa in this large bedroom suite. “How do you feel? Have you had morning sickness?” Nadia asked.

“Yes, a few days of that, but I’ve been okay for the most part.”

“May I?” Sophia asked, as she leaned over Danielle’s stomach to listen.

“But the baby is only about so big…” She held her thumb and forefinger a little under an inch apart. “You won’t be able to hear anything yet.”

Sophia’s ear was already against Danielle’s belly, and she had her eyes closed. “Shh, darling, I can hear just fine.”

“You can?” she asked and then glanced at Ethan, who’d just shoveled a spoonful of curry into his mouth.

When he gave her a knowing look, it clicked. Of course the vampire could hear already, even during the day when the curse was at its weakest. “Oh.”

Sophia listened for a while, after which, she sat upright, tugged Danielle into a hug and then kissed her on the cheek. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you frightened?” Nadia asked.

Yes, terrified. “A little bit.” She slanted a glance toward Ethan catching the look in his eye that said he knew that wasn’t true.

While the idea of a baby did appeal to her, it was the pregnancy itself that conjured up fears in her heart, mainly because it also meant a guaranteed hospital stay and multiple doctors’ visits. Though she could concede, even despite herself, there were many worse things to worry about.

“You’d better eat before Ethan manages to scarf it all down,” Sophia said, eyeing him with a bit of shock at his lack of manners.

Ethan tried to look innocent while holding a half eaten slice of cheesecake.

“And…” Sophia continued, as she motioned to a covered dish. “We brought something special, just for you.”

“Really?” Her eyes widened as Nadia lifted the dish from the table, set it on her lap, and removed the lid. “Oh! How did you know?”

“Ethan mentioned you’d been craving them.”

“Yes. Thank you,” she said to her husband, then addressed Sophia. “And this is the worst time of year to be craving chocolate dipped strawberries. Where did you get them?” Danielle asked as she lifted one by the leafy stem and bit into the chocolate-smothered end.

“We special ordered them this morning, right after that … meeting.” Frowning deeply, Sophia and Nadia didn’t appear pleased with the turn of events.

“Nadia, I’m sorry. This must be so upsetting for you—”

“Stop it. Did you not see how excited Max is to go back?”

“I noticed,” she said looking at Ethan. “But now you’re mortal and he’s not, or rather, won’t be in a couple hours.”

“We’re together in this, you and I,” said Nadia.

“I feel so bad. Aren’t you in danger now too?”

“Just by association, yes. But it’s easier for them if we stick together. Both Max and I will be going with you two to Glenwood Springs. We can plan for this baby together. Decorate the nursery and shop…. It should be so much fun!”

“Wouldn’t you prefer getting your own place?”

“We did purchase something in Colorado. And we had a flat in the city too. But, not only is it easier if we’re kept together, it’s safer too.”

“I see.” Danielle bit again into the berry and savored the way the chocolate and fruit mixed inside her mouth.

“May I have one?” Nadia asked, her fingers hovering over one of the strawberries.

“Of course.”

Nadia snatched the covered berry and took several minutes savoring it. Watching her enjoy food was almost as much fun as watching Ethan eat. The former vampire’s emerald eyes rolled back with pure content as she moved the flavor and textures around in her mouth. When she’d finished everything but the stem, though it looked like she’d considered eating that too, Danielle couldn’t help but offer her another while she took one for herself.

Despair settled around her, however, when she then noticed the sun was setting as they’d finished with dinner and Ethan was groaning happily while he held his full stomach.

The door opened soon after that, and Max, Beon, Cedric and Seth entered, all of them wearing grim faces. It felt to her like jailers had come to take Ethan away permanently. The sentence decided and about to be carried out. There was no way to protest this, and her saddened gaze slid to him. She knew he’d given up many things to become mortal, now he had to give up the things of mortality that he’d embraced so fully, and so happily.

Ethan rose from his seat, brushed the crumbs from his lap and tugged Danielle into his arms. “I’m sorry about this. But it’s the only way. Please, forgive me?” he whispered against the flesh just below her earlobe. “I love you so much, you must know that. And I’ll do anything it takes to keep both of you from harm.”

The tender words weakened the fear threatening to strangle her at that moment. And the comforting warmth of it rendered her speechless, though there was so much she wanted to say. “I love you too,” she barely managed on a trembling breath.

He kissed her then, and it was the kind of searing kiss that would have embarrassed her in front of this crowd, but not this time. “Can’t I come?” she asked when he pulled away, and wondered where the words came from because she wasn’t certain she had the nerve to witness that.

“I’ll come back in the morning. Don’t wait up for me.” He turned to Sophia. “Would you please bring her some bedtime tea?”

Sophia glanced once at Danielle and then nodded curtly.

She then felt Nadia wrap her arms around her in a hug that felt strangely like a restraint. “Let’s play cards. I’m in the mood for a game.” She then wondered if Nadia was really attempting to restrain herself from desperately grasping onto Max.

The men left, and she was almost surprised they hadn’t bothered to force Ethan, or even needed to. He went willingly and she didn’t like how that made her feel.

 

* * * * *

 

Danielle stared at her hand of cards without being able to really see them. She felt numb and worried about how things were going to be from this point on. How would this affect their relationship? Would they be able to defeat so many vampires rising against them? Would moving to Colorado help? Or would that just drag out the inevitable? Would Ethan be willing to go back after this? Or would she be stuck raising a child with a vampire for a father? What sort of fairytale was she living where the prince turned back into a frog?

Nadia’s sweet voice cutting into her thoughts made her jump reflexively. “It’s your turn, Danielle.”

“Hm? Oh…” Her gazed dropped to the cards, the cards she still couldn’t see, and she lowered them to the table. “Sorry, my heart just isn’t in this game.” And she felt really tired. So sleepy, in fact, that she wondered if Sophia had spiked her tea, or was it just being pregnant that was sapping her strength so quickly? Regardless of the reason, she was grateful for it, wanting to sleep and forget her worries, or at least be unconscious, so they couldn’t keep plaguing her mind.

Danielle watched through her heavy lashes as Nadia yawned, and then said, “I’m completely wasted, let’s go to sleep.”

She agreed mutely with a lethargic nod.

They both climbed into the large bed because it was the closest one available.

Seconds later, she felt her body melt into the mattress as nothingness surrounded her in its comforting blanket of zero thought.

 

* * * * *

Her brain was still drunk with drowsiness when she stirred, and she couldn’t remember where she was.

But she knew she wasn’t alone. She pushed her heavy eyelids up. “Ethan?” she slurred, and then when her vision focused, she blinked at the sight of two big green eyes staring back at her.

Not Ethan.

“Morning,” Nadia said, sounding as out of it as Danielle felt.

“Morning,” she replied, and realized she sounded just as bad.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.” She frowned. “Like I was drugged.”

Nadia laughed. “Yes, I would say they definitely spiked our tea.”

“With what, do you think?”

“Probably some herbal concoction. Sophia remembers some of the herbs used back when that’s all they used.”

Danielle remembered that look Ethan gave Sophia before he left, and realized that he’d communicated a lot with that one sly look. “Why would they do that? How could they do that?”

“I’m certain they noticed how much we were both stressing over this change. And you and the baby clearly needed some sleep. I’m sure it wasn’t anything that would hurt the child.” Nadia considered her frown for a moment. “Are you upset they put us out?”

Danielle pondered that, and then replied, “It was a relief, to be honest. I didn’t want to think anymore.”

“I know what you mean.” Nadia rolled to look toward the window. “The sun is coming up. Do you think they’re done?”

“How long does that change take?”

“I don’t know. It tends to be different for every person, and since they’ve both been vampires before it could have taken less time.”

Danielle swallowed, but couldn’t say anything. This was real, they really did it. She wasn’t married to a prince any longer, but a frog instead. Knowing she had to stop thinking like that, she recalled that she had thought of Ethan as her very own Mr. Darcy when he’d been a vampire. This can’t be as bad as she was making it, she tried to reason thinking this too could be partly due to hormones messing with her emotions.

Noise drew her attention to the door as it opened and Ethan and Max entered. Sophia followed with a tray of breakfast in her hands.

She thought she’d be able to see the change in him, but when she couldn’t, she got this crazy hope that maybe they hadn’t gone through with it.

As Sophia set the tray between her and Nadia, Ethan reached over her, snagged a piece of sausage and took a bite out of it. Hope wrapped around her until he pulled a face and dropped the remainder of the meat back onto her plate. “That’s just wrong,” he complained, picking the rest of it out of his teeth with a finger as a look of disgust puckered his lips.

And she knew … he was a vampire.

Nadia had already begun to devour her food as Danielle’s gaze dropped to hers. The smell of the eggs attacked her nose, and she felt sick. She didn’t know if it was the stress of the situation, or just being pregnant or maybe even a combination of the two. But the stench of those eggs sent her over the edge and she scuttled off the bed and sprang for the bathroom.

After dry heaving over the toilet until her stomach ached, she felt Ethan lifting the hair from her face. “I thought you were past this. Are you okay?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe being drugged did this to me.” She said the words, but deep down, she didn’t believe this had anything to do with the spiked tea.

He settled down onto one knee next to her, and looped one arm around her. “I’m sorry about that. You needed to rest, and I knew you’d be up all night stressing. What Sophia gave you was completely harmless.”

“I don’t need ... I don’t…” I don’t know what to say.

“Are you angry?”

Danielle leaned back against his chest and groaned. It was still comforting to be near him. Again she reminded herself that he’d been a vampire when she met him. It couldn’t be that different now…. “No. I was glad to be out of it.”

“Are you upset about this change?”

He caught her chin with three fingers and tipped her face so he could look into her eyes. She shuddered because that magical, trance-like effect had returned to his gaze.

“Dizzy?”

She closed her eyes, and nodded. She feared that sensation would make her feel queasy again.

“Look at me,” he whispered gently.

She did, and she was right, as soon as his blue gaze filled her view, she was forced to shove away from him and lunge for the toilet again. She still couldn’t get anything out of her already empty stomach, and Ethan’s distressed reaction to it was practically tangible.

“Please tell me it’s not the magic that’s making you nauseated.”

“It is ... a little bit.”

“You don’t like that anymore?”

“Not right now, I don’t,” she snapped right before another heave of her gut caused her to groan.

That was enough for him to leave the room, muttering a soft apology.

 

It wasn’t long after her stomach had finally settled that Danielle decided she could rejoin the others and possibly eat some of her breakfast. But before she got too close to it, she asked Sophia to remove the eggs.

“I’ll have them,” Nadia said, digging her fork into the fluffy yellow pile of stink on her plate.

The newly restored mortal had them polished off in no time and then left the room with Max and Sophia. Danielle settled back onto the bed and reached for her fork. She was in the mood for the waffle, but she wasn’t sure about the sausage. She avoided it, worried that it may not sit well either, and she really didn’t want to taste it twice.

Though she tried, Danielle couldn’t ignore her husband who was seated on the sofa with his face in his hands. When she’d finished off what she could stomach of her food, she called to him. “Ethan.”

He came to the bed with a hesitant look on his face, sat down next to her, and enveloped her into a tight hug. “I love you so much; I can’t bear to see you upset with me like this.”

As he buried his face into her hair and clutched at her like he’d be lost without her, she finally said, “I love you too. No matter what you are.”

She didn’t want to prevent the eye contact he was again searching for when his head lifted. This time it didn’t make her feel sick, just dizzy enough to nearly knock her out again.

“Please tell me you’re feeling better.”

“I am. The waffle helped,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes, trying to get the room to stop tipping like that.

He didn’t buy it. “You don’t look okay.”

She fell limply back to the bed. “I’m all right.” She wondered if he noticed how those words squeaked out of her.

Feeling the mattress depress on either side of her, Danielle chanced a peek. Ethan was looking down at her. “You’re fibbing.”

She held onto his gaze even though it was causing the bed to start rocking. “It’s hitting me harder. I’m sorry.”

His hopeful expression fell as though the idea crushed his world.

“I’ll get used to it. I did before,” she said, trying to soothe the look of total heartbreak on his face.

Ethan’s gaze landed on her plate and he frowned. “You didn’t eat enough. That might have helped.”

Shuddering at the idea, she complained, “I can’t eat eggs right now, and that sausage...” Another shudder moved over her as she trailed off.

He reached for the glass of orange juice she’d neglected to finish, tugged her upright as he supported her with one arm, and held it to her lips. “Drink your juice and I’ll be satisfied.”

Silently, she accepted the glass and downed it slowly while he watched her. She wondered what he was thinking until he noted, “You’re color is better than earlier.”

Danielle set the empty glass on the tray. “What’s next? Are we going home to pack?”

“Yes, and no.”

“Huh?”

Ethan took her by the hand and led her to the sofa with him. She noticed he watched her closely, probably to see how steady she was. Danielle knew he noticed that wobble when his eyebrow lifted. But what disturbed her more was the sense that he had more bad news to confess.

“You’re going straight to the airport with Cedric, Merrick, and Richard.”

Her eyes rounded as her eyebrows lifted. “The Black Prince?” she asked slowly.

“Yes.”

“Without you?” Hearing the panic rising in her tone, she swallowed thickly.

“I’ll be going home with Gillian, who will be dressed as you, to let them see us hunting together. Max and Nadia will be going out to eat driving a car exactly like the one you and I will be in. Beon will be driving another, and so will Seth. We plan to lose them with four cars that look the same, all going in different directions. And we need to put you in a disguise.”

Another twinge of nausea roiled inside her gut when he mentioned Gillian. That pretty vampire was going to be in her home, with her husband? “When will you come to Colorado with me?”

“I’ll follow as soon as I can.” He combed his fingers through her hair, and then tugged her close for another kiss and hug.

Even feeling his arms encircle her, she couldn’t smile, this pout that she felt on her face was the only expression available.

With a chuckle, he pulled back to meet her gaze and said, “I know, you need to know the exact amount of hours until we’re back together.” Those blue eyes of his danced with mirth.

“If you knew that, then why didn’t you just tell me in the first place?”

“Because I don’t know the answer. I need to stay until we think they’ve bought into Gillian being you.”

“If you stay too long, they could figure out that she isn’t me.” And I would continue to stress about you being with her.

“I’m trying for a week.” He held her close again, his cheek resting against her hair, like he sensed her internal distress. “Will that work for you?”

She thought a week sounded like a really long time at the moment as her chin settled onto his shoulder. Instead of expressing that to him she asked, “And I’m going to be safe with three vampires, two of whom, I don’t really know?”

“I know them. You’ll be fine ... or I’ll kill them,” Ethan threatened and she knew from the menace in his tone that he meant it.

They separated and she leaned against the back of the sofa. “I don’t have anything to take with me on the plane.”

“Beon took care of that. He went to our place and packed a bag for you, along with your purse, and your passport.”

“Beon packed? Why didn’t he send Sophia, I think I’d trust her more…” with things like underwear.

“Beon didn’t feel like it was safe for her.”

“But—” The door opening again silenced her, and Beon walked in carrying a purse, not the one she normally used, but a different one. Danielle figured he’d probably left the luggage in the car. She realized it was time for her to go, and she slung her arms around Ethan’s middle. It didn’t take much more than that for the tears to come.

Ethan cupped the back of her head and rubbed her back with his other hand. “Shhh, everything will be fine. I need you to trust me, and the others.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good, now let’s get you into your disguise.” Ethan lifted a sack from the floor, led her to the bathroom, and started pulling out items for her to put on. It was the type of outfit she would never wear, and she realized why they’d chosen it. She would have been hard to recognize in it. There was a curly, blond wig, a crocheted Bohemian skull hat, a pair of holy jeans, a baggy sweatshirt, and a pair of brown hiking boots. It all came together for a sort of nature-girl meets hippy-chic.

She slipped out of her dress, and tugged on the clothes. Ethan helped her with the wig, and hat, trying to make it look as natural as possible, and then advised her to put on makeup that also made her look different.

“How is my passport going to match this new look?”

“They have a camera ready. Cedric can fake it for us, and then we’ll go, or rather, you’ll go.”

“He’s that fast?”

“He’s the Order’s computer nerd.”

“Hm. I see.”

When they were done, he towed her back to the room and she was greeted with her three escorts. She recognized Merrick and Cedric who were both dressed as business men. But she had never seen the man she assumed to be the prince, and noticed that he was dressed to match her grungy look with faded jeans, a gray t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Apparently they meant to make it look like they were a couple.

“Shall we?” Cedric said, offering his arm.

Which she didn’t take, spinning back toward Ethan, she clutched him close and kissed him goodbye. He chuckled and returned the sentiment, then shoved her gently toward Cedric, who gathered her to him and tugged her from the room with Merrick and Richard following. Cedric took her picture, worked his fraudulent passport magic, and then they left for the airport.