Carpathian Vampire, When You've Never Known Love

  *

  They woke late in the afternoon, groggy but refreshed from their first experience together in vampire psychic space. Alex again breastfed little Andra, cuddled and kissed her, that tiny warm and precious being. "Who are you?" Alex asked of her. "Do you have a father?" She thought she managed to get a smile out of the tiny infant.

  They took the liberty of going downtown to a jewelry store. Mikhail said, "We become immortal vampires with obvious aspirations of saving the world, and the first thing we do is go shopping?" They bought three identical eternity rings of tarnished silver with pentagonal lapis lazuli insets containing pyrite flakes that sparkled like stars in a deep-blue firmament, what the ancients knew as the "stone of heaven." They each wore it on the third finger of the right hand. They joined hands and said, "Forever and ever, throughout eternity."

  Once back at the Estate, Alex breastfed Andra again. She was perpetually hungry and always fell asleep while feeding. Just as Andra finished nursing, Catherine returned from the Monastery. Daniel had accompanied her to the door. They were obviously taken with each other, and Catherine had found what she believed had been her old cross.

  "I'm infatuated with Daniel," she said. "And overcome by how much he reminds me of my late husband. He's like a reincarnation. What am I to do but fall in love?"

  Alex had been anxiously anticipating Catherine's return because Shadowrise was upon them. "I want us all to go out to the gazebo," she said. "You must meet someone, or at least I want someone to meet you." Alex had wondered if anyone besides herself could see Catalin, and this was as good an opportunity as any to find out.

  While nursing little Andra, Alex had noticed that her own skin felt cool compared to her baby's. She checked her body temperature and found it to be ninety-two. She'd started to cool and realized that if she kept it up, she'd soon be room temperature. Catherine bundled up especially warm in Alex's heavy coat with its fur lining and collar and put the baby inside next to her breasts where she'd be warm as toast.

  They all walked out to the gazebo to watch Shadowrise.