"No. I'm fine, but I had a terrible dream. I'm afraid this time of joy is about to end for us. We are about to be separated." She shivered and winced with the pain the movement caused her battered body.
Tessa was what humans referred to as psychic. She dreamt of things yet to come and regularly had feelings about people or things that proved amazingly insightful. She usually knew when Griffin needed to leave to meet his parents before suspicions arose. She knew little things, such as a phone that would soon ring, and bigger things, like when he would need to leave her for a time. That prediction was the last thing Griffin wanted to hear. He would not leave his family. The thought nearly broke him. He watched a single tear slide down Tessa's too-pale cheek.
Just then, the door flew open and Griffin jumped to his feet, turning so fast to shield their child that Tessa couldn't even follow his movements. In the doorway stood Mason, Griffin's lifelong best friend. He was the only person who knew about Tessa and their situation. He had helped hide Tessa and had procured a midwife with knowledge of both human and vampire births to assist with the delivery.
"We have a problem. Griffin, you need to come with me now, or they will come looking for you," Mason quickly explained.
"Who will come looking for him?" Tessa demanded.
"The council," Mason replied. "I believe they may know."
"That's not possible! We've been very careful!" Griffin argued.
"I'm afraid the midwife has broken her vow of silence. It seems there's more money to be made by talking to the right people. We have to leave now, Griffin," Mason growled. "We will deal with her treachery later."
Stunned by the news, Griffin handed the baby to Tessa after kissing her tiny forehead and gently brushing his hand over the white streaks in her hair. Then he brushed his lips over Tessa's and promised, "I will be back as soon as I can. I love you both more than my own life." He kissed her sweetly one more time and ran out the door, eyes glistening.
Tessa watched Griffin leave, and the nightmare of just moments ago returned to her in a painful rush. She'd dreamt of being ripped away from Griffin, and no matter how she fought, she just couldn't hold on to him. Tessa knew it wasn't just a dream; it was a premonition. Mason was watching her with a remorseful expression. He dropped the small duffel bag he had carried with him onto the end of her bed. He stepped forward and bent to kiss the sleeping babe on the head.
"I'm so very sorry about this, Tessa. I hope this will help. It's the very least I can do for you and my godchild. Please open it quickly and leave as soon as possible. There will be a car waiting for you outside." He left, closing the door softly.
Tessa opened the bag and retrieved a letter placed on top of stacks of cash and a gun. Still in shock, she opened the letter and, as she read it, began to cry.
Several months later …
Griffin was losing his grip on sanity. He'd been searching for his missing mate and their baby for months. He'd had a hell of a fight with his parents the day Soleil was born. They wanted the baby, but he didn't know why, since they were adamant that admitting a human into their family was unacceptable. Griffin didn't want to believe they would have his child murdered. They would likely hide his baby girl from the prying eyes of vampire society. They wouldn't want their house name tainted by a half-breed baby. His mate, on the other hand, would likely not fare as well. To buy him some time to move his family, Griffin promised to go get the baby and bring her back for their inspection. The midwife who'd betrayed his trust had disappeared, and he had to relocate his family before his parents found her, because she'd delivered the baby in their home. They had no idea where he and Tessa had been living since their mating. He had a separate property purchased in Mason's name. He'd finally made it home hours after leaving his weak mate to fend for herself with a newborn vampire who was, so far, refusing to suckle her human mother's breast. Griffin feared what he would find in the condo. What he did find was worse than anything he ever could have imagined: Tessa and their baby were gone. They'd just disappeared. Griffin destroyed his condo in a blind rage directed at his meddling parents. He could feel the warm buzz of his mate's soul in the back of his mind, but he could no longer reach her. The connection their bond had created became weaker with distance, but they were in love, so it never mattered to Griffin. Their emotional connection was stronger than blood. But that hadn't helped him find her in the months that had passed since that day. The longer they were apart, the more Griffin questioned Tessa's safety. At times, he felt her and knew she was safe-sad and lonely, but safe. Other times, he feared his heart was playing tricks on his mind.
His mother viewed this time in his life as a youthful rebellion that he would regret when he was older. She had made it her mission to save her son from a life of scorn and embarrassment.
Griffin was at his parents' home in upstate New York. He returned with them from a council meeting instead of going to his own home, at his father's request. His father, Lloyd, a tall, attractive, middle-aged-looking vampire with the same dark hair and steely blue eyes as Griffin, entered the room after wrapping up a business call. He caught Griffin staring out the window onto the perfectly manicured lawn, which somehow remained green even in the winter. His mother would have it no other way.
"Griffin, my boy, it's really past time for you to stop bereaving the loss of your little fling," Lloyd scoffed.
Griffin interrupted. "Father, I don't want to have this conversation with you again. You've made your feelings abundantly clear."
Lloyd shook his head in disgust. "I have been avoiding telling you this, in hopes you would move on willingly, but it seems you will not, until you know the truth." Lloyd paused. "Your mother began to search, against my wishes, after we were made aware of your indiscretions and you returned without the child, as we had requested. She is very resourceful when she wants something," Lloyd huffed.
"I bet she is. She learned from the best," Griffin replied sarcastically.
In a flash, his father crossed the room and dug his nails deep into Griffin's shoulder. Griffin went to his knees with a yelp of pain. Griffin was strong, but he was still very young. Unlike humans, who became weaker as they aged, vampires became more powerful.
"Listen to me, boy! I have had enough of your disrespect! I am your father and a leader of our race! You would be wise to remember that and act accordingly!" He released Griffin and helped him calmly to his feet, as if he hadn't just nearly snapped his shoulder. "It is time for you to take your rightful position on the council, and you are not nearly ready. My patience grows thin, Griffin."
Carrying a basket of fresh-cut flowers, Griffin's mother, Adele, entered the room through the French doors that led out to the garden and the hothouse. Adele was a tall, statuesque woman with golden-blond hair in a tidy twist at her neck and warm, caramel-brown eyes. Her heels showed no signs of dirt, in spite of her romp through the garden. She always moved as if she were floating rather than walking.
"What seems to be the problem here, darlings?" his mother asked, sounding equal parts concerned and annoyed. She was a lady above all else, and she never tolerated dramatics.
She put down the flowers and removed her gardening gloves. As she moved closer, she eyed the new holes and fresh blood on Griffin's shirt. The wounds had already begun to heal. Her eyes widened as she looked to her husband. Griffin would not allow anyone but his father to attack him without retaliation, and she knew it.
"Adele, love, your timing is perfect. I was just about to inform Griffin of the result of your search," he purred to her. His father knew she would be displeased with him for ruining her son's tailored shirt. His father avoided upsetting his mate at all cost.
"Everything is fine, Mother. We were just doing a little male bonding. Why don't you come tell me about this big secret you and Father have been keeping?" he insisted.
"Well, darling," she stuttered. Her uncharacteristic stumbling sent a chill over Griffin. "Give me a moment to go gather the information I've been collecting." She left the room quickly, and Griffin looked to his father with questioning eyes.
"I think it's best if we wait for your mother to return. Otherwise, I'm sure you won't see the truth."
Adele returned carrying a large, brown envelope and wearing a solemn look on her perfect face. She sat in the chair closest to Griffin and beckoned him to sit across from her, which he did. Griffin's father walked to his side slightly behind him, with a comforting hand on the shoulder he had sunk his talons into just moments before. It was unsettling to Griffin. His parents were not the comforting type. He knew it wasn't a good sign.