A Guardian's Love Read online

  “I like women.”

  There was a dead silence. When she looked up at her mother, she saw Jemima’s eyes slowly beginning to burn with anger again. “What do you mean, you like women?” The words were uttered softly, but Inger knew that Jemima was trying very hard to rein in her anger. Inger hopped up onto on the edge of the table. Her leather-clad pants leg swung back and forth and she rolled her eyes at Jemima.

  “Just what I said, Mom. I’m attracted to women. I’ve been dating women since I was sixteen.”

  Inger waited for her mother’s outburst, but nothing came. Instead, Jemima turned slowly to look at Tahlia who stood quietly in the center of the office.

  “No, Jemi, before you blame me. I did not know. I might have suspected it, but I did not know.”

  Inger jumped to her feet. “What’s the big deal anyway? You’re in a lesbian relationship. I thought you would be happy for me! ”

  “No, you didn’t; otherwise you would’ve told us a long time ago that you’re a lesbian.” Jemima snapped. This time Jemima’s eyes were glowing a deep red and Inger threw a panicky look at Tahlia.

  Tahlia walked over to where a quivering Jemima was trying hard to check her temper. Gently she lifted Jemima’s chin and stared into the blue eyes.

  “You will have to calm down now, my love, because you are really starting to arouse me.”

  Inger smiled when she saw the red ebb from Jemima’s eyes as her mouth fell open in shock. Way to go, Mother! Jemima burrowed into Tahlia’s arms and lifted her face for a kiss, but before their lips could meet, Inger rudely interrupted them.

  “Hello, I’m still here. Your impressionable daughter, remember?”

  Smiling intimately, they moved away from each other. Tahlia lifted her head and looked at the door.

  “It seems your guests are looking for you. I will take things from here and...I promise that I will be tough on her.” Tahlia said, turning to Inger.

  The blue eyes that were smoky with desire a few moments ago once again frosted over. Inger sighed heavily.

  “Next time you don’t answer your phone, I will come look for you myself, Inger. And don’t think this is over.”

  Jemima turned to leave the room, but before she turned the knob, she turned back, walked over to Inger, and pulled her into a tight hug. Inger wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she thought she felt a sense of desperation in the way her mom held her.

  “Be careful out there. I love you.” With a quick kiss on the cheek, she was gone.

  “Let us go for a walk in the park.” Tahlia said to Inger as she grabbed her jacket.

  “I can do with a bit of fresh air,” Inger replied. At least it’s all in the open now. What a relief!

  †

  Paloma lifted a shaky hand to her lips. She could still feel Inger’s lips on hers. She wondered how Inger was doing. It wasn’t her intention to get the girl into trouble. She had offered to accompany the small family to the gallery, more in support for Inger than to explain her involvement. Her offer elicited varied reactions. Jemima had stared at her with complete mistrust and antagonism, whereas Tahlia had simply shaken her head ‘no.’ Inger’s reaction was what mattered most to her and the one she found most memorable. The girl had turned to her, a look of pleasant surprise on her face. With a beautiful smile, Inger had thanked her and assured her that she would be fine. It took a lot of willpower to watch them walk away. With Inger gone, the night had lost its luster.

  She left the noisy club in search of a quieter place where she could make sense of her growing feelings for the young woman. Returning to her empty mansion on the hill, she found herself replaying the kiss over and over in her mind. Each time she added a new detail as she fleshed out the brief kiss to a full make-out session before her fireplace.

  Sighing, Paloma turned away from the window and sat in the leather armchair, picking up the book she’d been reading. But after reading the same line for more than half-an-hour, she put the book aside and closed her eyes. As much as she was attracted to Inger, nothing would come of it. Tahlia probably would not condone a relationship between the two of them. After all, Inger was human, albeit a very strong psychic and Tahlia probably would think her daughter wasn’t ready for an intense relationship with a vampire.

  Since becoming a vampire, she’d had a few flings with humans here and there, but nothing serious enough to make her want to stay with one person forever. Nor was she ready to follow Tahlia’s example of waiting her whole life for a lover’s reincarnation only to bury her at the end of a short human life. She knew that she wasn’t strong enough to go through that repeatedly.

  Paloma closed her eyes and gave in to the paralyzing feeling that had been her companion for so long—loneliness. She was so desperately lonely that the place in her chest where her heart was supposed to be felt hollow. She raised a hand to her cheek and groaned when it came back stained with blood. She quickly came to her feet. There’s no use sitting here, feeling sorry for myself. I’ll go out and take a long brisk walk.

  In the past three years when she’d felt like this, she usually ended up at the campus. She would sit on the balcony outside Inger’s bedroom, listening to her moving around in her room, as she got ready for bed. Other nights she would just follow her around town, admiring her extraordinary fighting skills as she worked diligently at ridding the city of renegades.

  Tonight Inger was with her parents, and she wasn’t going to tempt Tahlia’s wrath by seeking her out.

  †

  The park was quiet except for the occasional hooting of an owl. Sipping on her takeaway coffee, Inger turned to look at Tahlia who sat silently next to her on the bench.

  “Why don’t you want me to date women?”

  Sitting up straight, Tahlia shook her head, her eyes tender. “It has nothing to do with your sexual orientation, Inger. Your mother is just upset because you did not confide in her—in us. We know so little of what is going on in your life since you moved out.” When she saw Inger shiver slightly Tahlia leaned over and pulled Inger close to her. “I knew about you and Rita, but I wanted you to come and tell us yourself.”

  Shocked, Inger looked up into Tahlia’s black eyes.

  “You did?”

  Tahlia couldn’t hide the smile. “Yes, I did. If you ever tell your mother I knew, I will deny it.”

  Laughing softly, Inger nestled deeper into Tahlia’s warm body and sipped her coffee.

  “So you don’t mind that I prefer women?”

  “Not at all, honey. As you said earlier, your mom and I are lesbians, too.” Tahlia gently brushed Inger’s hair away from her face. “Maybe we overreacted a bit, but it would have been really nice to have you sit us down and tell us. The three of us used to talk about anything and everything. What changed?”

  Inger sat up straight so she could look Tahlia in the eyes. “I wish I knew the real reason for not telling you, but I don’t know why. All I know is that I thought I’d get a mouthful from mom about my sexual preference. She scolded me over everything. Sometimes it felt as if she didn’t want me.” Inger looked away as a hurt look crossed over Tahlia’s face. “I’m sorry.”

  Tahlia tightened her arms around her. “Do not apologise for your feelings, my child. I must say that I never knew you felt like that.”

  They sat in silence for a long while before Tahlia spoke again. “She loves you very much. I know that, because the day we found you, she was locked in a battle fighting for her life. I had to make a choice between whom to save that day.” Tahlia smiled. “I chose you, knowing that upon my return, Jemima might be dead and lost to me forever.” Inger felt a shudder go through Tahlia and rubbed her cheek against Tahlia’s chest. She knew how much her moms loved each other. “But she fought back valiantly,” Tahlia continued, “knowing that calling to me for help would mean putting your life in danger. She did not want that. Nor did she want to break my heart by dying.”

  “Why would you take such a big risk not even knowing me?”

  Tahl
ia gently cocked her head to the side so she could look into her daughter’s eyes. Inger smiled at the warm look in the expressive eyes. “I felt something when I touched you that day. I felt as if you belonged to me. When I returned to Jemima, I found that she had managed to survive the battle, although she was gravely injured. It was then I decided to give her the most precious gift I could. I offered to raise you with her.”

  Inger wiped at her eyes. She wasn’t even aware that she had started crying.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “Jemima fell in love with you the moment you grabbed hold of her pinkie.”

  Inger laid her head over Tahlia’s heart. “Thank you for telling me. I understand her so much better now.”

  “I am glad I could help, baby.”

  For a long while, they sat in companionable silence.

  Inger replayed the earlier events of the night in her head. She specifically recalled the desperate way Jemima had held her. Maybe she should learn to place herself more in her mother’s shoes to understand why she reacted the way she had. It seemed as if Paloma completely rattled Jemima, and Inger could see why. For all her sexy appearance, Paloma was a dangerous woman. Just like her, Jemima must have sensed Paloma’s deadly aura. She smiled. Tonight she resembled a lioness guarding her only cub. And what a lucky cub she was.

  Inger hoped that one day she would be half the mother to her own children as Jemima was to her. Inger smirked inwardly. Children? She didn’t even have a girlfriend, nor did she seem to be able to hang on to one. Children were definitely not something she could envision in the foreseeable future. She first needed to work toward finding someone she could consider raising kids with. A pair of silver eyes swam before her mind’s eye, and she swallowed.

  “Tell me more about Paloma. Why haven’t I heard you talking about her until now?”

  Tahlia looked down into Inger’s blue eyes. Inger was mildly curious by the lack of surprise or any other emotion in her mother’s eyes. She wondered if Tahlia had expected the question.

  “You like her, huh?”

  Inger shrugged. “Who wouldn’t? She’s incredibly beautiful and very sexy.”

  “Do not forget dangerous.” Tahlia added calmly.

  “I didn’t sense any malice coming from her. If you were childhood friends, wouldn’t you know if she was evil?” Inger set the empty cup aside.

  “No. Paloma is not evil.” Tahlia gently pushed a lock of dark hair behind Inger’s ear. “About 500 years ago, Paloma just disappeared. We all thought she was killed in battle. It was only that night nineteen years ago when I found you—that I saw her again. While we were fighting Gillian and her band of renegades, I left to hide you not very far from here. After the battle, I came back to get you and saw Paloma fighting off Gillian to protect you. That was how I knew she was alive and that she still was my friend.”

  A warmth infused Inger’s heart. Paloma saved her! That must mean something…or is it fate at work? Soon after she started training as a slayer, her grandfather had told her about the night Tahlia found her. His version of what happened that night left out what Tahlia had told her about Jemima’s sacrifice, and there was no mention at all of Paloma. Paloma knew her all this time. The thought made her stomach clench with a strange emotion.

  “Why did you doubt her in the first place?”

  Sighing deeply, Tahlia rubbed her eyes.

  “The lifespan of a vampire is very long and after a while it becomes a bland and bleak existence. I had many good friends who grew tired of living and simply chose to walk into the dawn, destroying themselves.” At Inger’s soft gasp of shock, Tahlia pulled her even tighter against her.

  “Some became corrupt by the power they wield and the fortunes they amassed over the centuries. Murdering innocents and the weak became the order of the day for them if it meant they could gain more power. Those we hunted and killed.” Tahlia inhaled deeply, and Inger knew what Tahlia was going to say next would not be pleasant “That was what Paloma has been doing for centuries. All that killing does have an effect on a vampire, and I was not sure if Paloma was able to hold on to her soul in the end.”

  No wonder the woman’s aura screamed violence. Nevertheless, the gorgeous creature she’d met tonight in no way resembled a soulless killer. Then again, looks could be deceiving. But that kiss didn’t lie. Before she could delve deeper into the memory of the kiss, she became aware of Tahlia’s eyes on her. She wondered how long her mother had been watching her and how much she’d given away with her thoughts.

  She scanned her mother’s face. “You're older than most. How did you manage to stay sane?”

  Laughing softly, Tahlia rubbed Inger’s hands between hers, her eyes were infinitely tender. “Your mother saved me. Our love kept me from self-destruction.” Tahlia gently brushed her lips over the cool knuckles of Inger’s hand. “I first met her a year before I was made a vampire in 32 BC. Her name was Aurora and we fell in love. Since then, I have waited every century for her to be reincarnated. Twenty years ago, I had to convert her to a vampire to save her from Drake.” Tahlia’s eyes glowed with love as she whispered. “She saved me.”

  They sat in silence for a while, listening to an owl hooting nearby. At that moment, Inger made herself a promise. She wanted what her mother had and she wouldn’t settle for second-best. Once again, she was reminded of Paloma. What was it about the woman that made it so difficult to keep her out of her mind? They had barely spent an hour together, and the woman now consumed her thoughts. Maybe this was fate.

  “The attraction between us is mutual. Would it bother you if I try to see if things can work between Paloma and me?”

  “You are a grown woman, Inger, but I am not sure if you are ready for a relationship with a vampire—let alone a master vampire. Paloma has many enemies who, by way of association, will become your enemies, too. It might become too much for you. All I ask of you is to think about it carefully. The only person who can give you firsthand experience about the kind of life you are letting yourself into is your mom. Talk to her first.”

  At Inger’s nod, Tahlia came to her feet and in a fluid movement swung Inger in her arms.

  She grinned down into Inger’s glowing eyes. As a kid, Inger loved it when Tahlia picked her up in her arms and raced through the streets with her. She fastened her arms around Tahlia’s neck, her heartbeat accelerating with anticipation.

  “I am taking you to your room and then I need to go get my beautiful wife and take her home.”

  Using preternatural speed Tahlia streaked off in the direction of the campus.

  †

  The next day after class, Inger rushed over to the Melton Hotel and down to the safe house. Tahlia and Jemima were sleeping and would rise in another four hours or so, but meeting her parents wasn’t what brought her here. She opened the door to the library and smiled.

  Good. Joan was here. If there was anybody who knows almost everything about Vampire folklore, it was Joan. Except for a few grey hairs here and there, for a woman pushing sixty, Joan still looked beautiful and young. Soon after she found out the truth about why her parents could never attend her extramural activities during the day, she had spent a lot of time in the library with Joan. Thanks to Joan, she eventually was able to process her hurt and fear and saw that her mothers may be scary vampires but their love for her was deep, and she had nothing to fear.

  As always, a bespectacled Joan was deeply engrossed in a book.

  “Hi, Joan, how’re you doing? I haven’t seen you around for quite some time.”

  Joan looked up and smiled, putting down the thick leather-bound volume she’d been reading.

  “I had a lot of research to do.” She took off her glasses and gently folded them. “Our European branch needs some info on a group of medieval vampire slayers. It seems that some kind of an underground slayer organization is operating in Europe and are indiscriminately killing and maiming vampires.” She shook off the thought. “But enough about that,” she said, smiling. “What brings
you here?”

  Closing the door behind her, Inger sat next to Joan. Before she could say anything, Joan held up her hand.

  “Before you drag me into anything illegal, missy, I should warn you that your parents are asleep downstairs and that they will be able to hear everything you say.”

  “They know already. I just needed some info on a certain Paloma Soleil.”

  Joan picked up her reading glasses, and, with a frown, studied the young girl intently.

  “What a strange request. Paloma Soleil was last seen alive in 1530. Many believe that she was killed in battle. Why the sudden interest in her?”

  If Paloma wanted to stay undetected, Inger wouldn’t blow her cover. Strange that both her mothers knew about Paloma, but the Consortium was still left in the dark. She would have to ask her mother why.

  “I’m just fascinated by her. The other day Bryan Collespi from the Consortium rumbled off a list of vampire warriors and her name just stuck. What else do you know about her?”

  Putting on her glasses, Joan walked over to a shelf and pulled out a book.

  “Tahlia will actually be able to tell you more about her, seeing as they grew up together and were made vampires around the same time. Tahlia wore the crown of the Vampire Queen, and Paloma was the official Protector of the Vampire Race. After the three Royal Vampires, she was the most powerful and feared warrior. Her fighting skills were legendary, and it is rumored that she had killed more rogue vampires and overzealous slayers than any other vampire in existence.” Joan paged through the book for a few minutes before speaking again.

  “It is said here she was ambushed by a group of vampire slayers near Naples and was decapitated. Nobody could authenticate the event, but the slayers belonged to a group who called themselves the ‘Servants of Redemption’.” Joan quickly sat up straighter. “Oh my! This is the same group that the European branch is investigating.”