The Accidental Vampire(66)

population down. If we didn't, with our life expectancy we'd quickly outnumber our

blood source."

Elvi waved that away impatiently. She couldn't care less about the reasons behind the

law. "Are you saying we can have children?"

"Yes." Victor tilted his head, examining her expression.

Elvi bit her lip, then asked more specifically, "What about if we couldn't, or had trouble

having them as mortals?"

Victor examined her face, and then murmured, "Brunswick said your daughter died in

a car accident. Did you have trouble conceiving her?"

Elvi moved away, pretending to look at another mirror, but in truth she wasn't seeing

anything in the store just then. She was seeing the past.

"I always wanted a lot of children," she admitted quietly. "Five or six at least. But I had

six miscarriages before Casey was born, and then nearly died giving birth to her. They

said no more children."

Elvi didn't hear Victor approach, but he was suddenly there, his hand moving

soothingly up and down her back as she continued, "Casey was doubly precious

because of that. She was the perfect baby; always good tempered, rarely cried, and

she started sleeping through the night almost at once. And she stayed perfect, every

parent's dream. She grew into a beautiful young woman, never going wild or breaking

curfew. She got good grades, had lots of friends, was a hard worker, and got a

scholarship to university."

"Casey," Victor murmured. "You named Casey Cottage after her."

Elvi nodded.

"She's dead," he said quietly.

It wasn't a question, but Elvi treated it as if it were. Nodding, she said, "She used to

come home from university on weekends. Usually I picked her up from the train

station, but the last time it was Harry, my husband, who went to get her while I stayed

home making a special dinner for her." Her hand tightened on the mirror frame.

"Halfway home, he suffered a stroke and they crashed. The stroke killed Harry at once

they think, but Casey—" Elvi paused and bit her lip when her voice broke, then took a

deep breath and, ignoring the tears suddenly veiling her eyes, said, "Casey was trapped

in the car. They had to use the Jaws of Life. She was awake and in terrible pain, but lost

consciousness by the time they got her out. She died in the hospital that night."

"I'm sorry," Victor murmured. Sliding his arms around her waist from behind, he rested

his chin on her head and held her as she wept silently. Then she pulled free and turned

to face him.

"Are you saying I might be able to have another child?" A new baby wouldn't replace

Casey, but it might help to fill the hole her loss left behind.

Victor nodded solemnly. "If you wish it. You won't have problems conceiving. The

nanos will already have seen to it that your reproductive system is in perfect order.

And they'll be immortal children."

Elvi closed her eyes as silent sobs shuddered through her. She'd never imagined she'd

ever again hold a baby in her arms. Not her own. Now he was not only telling her she

could, but that it would be an immortal baby she wouldn't need fear losing to

childhood illness, or drowning, or car accidents.

If only she'd been turned before the accident, Elvi thought suddenly. If only she'd been

able to turn her daughter. If only…

"Elvi?"

Giving a start of surprise. Elvi blinked her tears away and turned to peer at the woman

moving up the aisle toward her. Louise Ascot. She was the same age as Elvi, but an inch

or two shorter and thin as a bird with short salt‐and‐pepper hair and a look of concern

on her face.

"Are you all right?" she asked, stopping beside Elvi. "Why are you crying?"

Elvi groaned inwardly. Louise had gone to school with Mabel and Elvi and had been a

huge gossip even then. She'd only got worse with age. She was the worst possible

person to run into in Wal‐Mart while sobbing like a baby. The story would be all over

town within fifteen minutes.

"I'm fine, Louise," she said, dashing away the tears and managing a smile.

She obviously didn't believe her and glared at Victor as she said, "Well, okay, but I

hope you know that if someone" —her glare deepened on Victor—"were bothering

you, there isn't a person in Port Henry who would hesitate to take care of him."

"Fortunately, there isn't, though," Elvi assured her, then turned to Victor and said, "I

think I'll take the wooden one that suits the house. Shall we go get a cart?"

Victor shook his head. "I can carry it."

He ignored Louise's continued glares and bent to pull one of the boxed mirrors off the

shelf, then started back up the aisle with it.