Page 80 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“I saw your face last night. How upset you were, and I thought that it might matter that it didn’t seem to be entirely within her power.”

“Thank you for telling me,” she paused, dropping her eyes to her plate. “Though I don’t think it will matter much after all.”

Lucy frowned. “Is she not in her room?”

“No, and while I don’t want her here, I also don’t want…” she trailed off, unsure of how to explain any of this to Lucy. Especially not after her experience last night.

“You don’t want her to die,” Lucy said gently.

“I thought she was different. That she could be different, but now I feel foolish. I don’t even know why I’m upset that she’s not here, because I don’t know if I ever want to see her again.”

“You do. I’m sure it’s plenty complicated, and I won’t pretend to know everything between the two of you, but you want to see her again.”

Caroline rubbed her eyes. Everything had gotten so out of control, and she didn’t know how to regain the control she so desperately needed.

“I’ll let Mrs. Thomas know you have the rest of the week off. You can visit your mother to get away from here for a few days.”

The side of Lucy’s mouth lifted to a smile. “I’m not sure spending the week with my mother is much of a vacation. I’ll never refuse time off, though.”

Lucy left, and Caroline was grateful Mrs. Thomas hadn’t yet returned. Once again, Caroline was torn between her duty and what she wanted. The only thing she wanted was Valeria. The only thing she had ever wanted was Valeria, and she couldn’t see that changing, but at what cost? How much could she be expected to turn the other cheek to her wrongdoings, even if she did love her with everything she had?

Hell, she didn’t even know if Valeria loved her in return. One time she had, but who knew if vampires could even feel such emotions.

* * *

The day passed Caroline by in a haze. There was so much for her to do, but she didn’t accomplish anything beyond napping. Mrs. Thomas didn’t leave her side the entire day. Every time she woke up, the housekeeper was working through the pile of mending on her lap. Usually, she slept on her back, but that day she slept on her side facing the window.

Waiting for nightfall, of course.

She sent a stable boy into town to send a note to ask Dr. Murnau if there were any new patients, and his response said it had been a quiet night. It didn’t do much to make her feel better since chances were Valeria killed whoever she fed from immediately, but she hoped that maybe if she hadn’t left people alive, there would be fewer victims.

Still, she waited for nightfall. Since Lucy had left, she made the decision that she wanted to see Valeria again. To have Valeria tell her precisely how many people she killed through the night before she removed her from her life forever.

When she couldn’t bear being in bed for another moment, she dragged a chair to the window and folded her arms on the windowsill, resting her chin on her hands as she looked out at the world.

Her eyes weren’t focused as she lazily watched the front grounds. A rust colored fox chased a small brown blur that was likely a vole. Even though the little guy was smaller and weaker, he still outsmarted the fox to escape into the forest.

A black carriage rolled down the drive, and she shot up from her seat, the chair clattering to the floor behind her. It was black lacquer with gold detailing and black curtains. It looked expensive, like something her uncle would have, but she had never seen this carriage before. She wasn’t sure who it could be, but she ran down the stairs to greet them all the same.

Throwing open the heavy wooden front door, Caroline ran outside just as the carriage rolled to a stop.

The carriage looked large from upstairs, but up close it was massive. As were the black stallions that drove it. Thick black curtains were tied shut at all the windows so she couldn’t see inside. A driver wearing a thick coat and a hat pulled down over his face sat in the driver’s seat, but he didn’t move to let out the passenger, and no footmen traveled with the carriage.

The carriage door creaked as it opened and a pale hand wrapped around the door frame. She felt the air rush from her body as if she had been punched in the stomach.

Edgar had returned.

* * *

“You don’t need to fuss over me, my sweet,” Edgar rasped as she poured him another cup of tea.

“You need your strength.”

Edgar looked dreadful. She felt bad for thinking it when it was so clear he wasn’t well, but his appearance was jarring. It had only been a few weeks since they last saw each other, but he looked as if he had aged more than a decade. His thick brown hair had thinned and was threaded with silver. He had always been pale, but it looked as if all the color had been drained from him. The whites of his eyes had a yellow tinge, and there were many new lines around his mouth and eyes.

His cheeks were sunken as if he had lost a lot of weight, but she couldn’t tell what else had happened to him. His collar was high, and he had been so reluctant to part with his overcoat that she knew he wouldn’t take off any other layers, even if she begged one of the male servants to examine him.

For bites.