Chapter Twenty-One

Rose woke up in her luxurious king size bed. She stretched her arms over her head with a yawning growl. She looked to her side and saw that Devlin was already up and moving around. Little shit didn’t bother to wake me, Rose thought, guess I have to kick his ass for that. Rose swung her hips to the edge of the bed and nearly knocked over the I.V. stand. Devlin had been feeding her blood through I.V. for the last two weeks because he didn’t want her to get overwhelmed by the urge to feed all at once, but Rose thought this was getting old fast. Rose ran her tongue over her sharp fangs and nicked it slightly just so she could get the taste of it in her mouth.

Rose yanked the I.V. from her arm and then slipped on her night robe and slippers that had little red roses decorating them. He spoils me too much she thought, but then again who am I to complain? Rose walked over to a pair of glass double doors that led out to a small balcony. She opened one of the doors to step outside to enjoy the view of her new home. No matter how many times she did this, Rose couldn’t get over that she was living in a mansion. The estate was large and the grounds were kept up by lots of goats, but the hedging and trees were trimmed and pruned by Devlin. There was a large fountain at the center of the courtyard that had been converted into a drinking well for all the goats and doubled as a bath for birds and others animals. The mansion was surrounded by a large forest which made it hidden from prying eyes and it was teeming with life. The property had solar panel in different sections so the mansion had more than enough electricity. Rose never thought she would experience another hot shower after the firestorms, but now she had it all.

The first night here, Rose woke up with an I.V. of blood hooked up to her and was wearing silk pajama pants and a T-shirt that read “Rose is undead, This much is true, If she hadn’t fed, The next meal you would be too!”. Devlin explained that he had turned her into a vampire because he was afraid that she would die from the infectious bites from the ghouls. Rose took the news of being with Devlin forever better than he expected. He thought she would be furious at him for not giving her a choice in the matter, but Rose told him that it would break her heart to know he loved her and then had to watch her wither away and die while he lived on through the centuries all alone.

Devlin showed her around the mansion, but the one room he wanted to show her other than their bedroom was his screen printing room. He chuckled when she realized the shirt she wore was custom made by him while she slept during her turning. Devlin explained that he used it as a way to bring in income so he could afford to restore the mansion and upgrade it in case something were to happen to the power grid. He had one room filled with batteries that his mansion ran off and extra ones stored in a large shed. Rose was impressed by the fact he had hot running water but this kind of prep work made her time back in Melona look like she was living in primitive times which wasn’t far from the truth. The luxuries that Devlin enjoyed showed Rose that things could have been different had they had the resources at their disposal so she often wondered if had Devlin stolen the supplies for his home. How could a screen printing business pay for all this but then again he didn’t need much to survive on since he drank blood and only required a roof over his head to keep dry? Rose thought the T-shirt was corny and sweet so she made sure to wear it as a night shirt, if Devlin could keep hands off her long enough to sleep.

Devlin had been busy finding places for the children all over the world. He made sure that they were well rested and had several decent meals before he took them to their new foster villages. He had so many connections all around the world that Rose wondered if he like to travel a lot or wanted to be sociable because being a vampire is a lonely path, as he put it. Rose wanted to help with placement of the children but she got shot down by not only Devlin, but Duncan and Purah too. Purah helped by giving the gold nugget the magic required to make the portals while Devlin and Duncan ushered the children through and to ensure everything was safe. Rose felt like a third wheel but Devlin reassured her that he knew it meant a lot to her but with her transformation into her new vampire state, the hunger would be uncontrollable and she might hurt some innocent soul or one of the kids.

Purah would keep her company and it seemed her time with Duncan was helping her not only mentally but also made her more approachable, unlike the day they met when she told Penemuel to kill her for being a human. She confided in Rose that she felt like almost normal and more like her former self before her fall and Duncan was the catalyst for her change and one day hopefully her curse would be broken instead of her mind. Purah explained that it was a punishment and that she use to tend to those grieving and pain so they could move forward and grow from it. Rose couldn’t fathom what her life was like and she did feel bad for the fallen angel which Purah soaked up her sadness without trying.

Rose felt a gentle hand on the small of her back and knew it had to be Devlin. She looked up at Devlin with a smile as he leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against hers. She noticed that he had slipped something in her hand so Rose begrudgingly broke away from his smoldering kiss to see what it was.

“I hope don’t mind those, but I thought you would enjoy using them.” Devlin said with a grin.

Rose opened the small brown bag and saw that it had numerous seeds of all kinds, each one labeled and packaged. There were seeds for her to grow a variety of vegetables and plenty to create another fruit orchard like she had back in Melona. Rose looked up at Devlin as tears wailed up in her eyes and her bottom lip trembled, “All of these? For me? I love this so much! It’s a gift that I will put to good use! Thank you!”

Devlin hugged her - “I know the last two weeks have been difficult on you so I figured you would enjoy getting back to who you are by working with nature.” He waved his hand towards their property, “Pick an area for your garden and orchards and it’s all yours. I will do my best to deter the goats from devouring our crops.” Rose dragged Devlin down to her and kissed him passionately. Rose pulled back and asked, “Wait, we’re vampires. Aren’t we suppose to feed off blood?”

“This is true sweetheart, but it doesn’t mean we can’t eat real foods either. It’s how vampires have kept invisible from the world all these centuries. It pales to the taste of blood but when you don’t want to attract the eyes of those who want to slay you, you pretend to be human.” Devlin caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, “I have much to teach you but I hope in time you can do the same for me, Rose.”

Rose snorted, “Ha! The old dog needs to learn a few new tricks from his little kitten? What could I possibly teach you that you haven’t already mastered through the centuries?”

“I’m constantly learning new thing, it’s how I keep my mind sharp throughout the centuries and there’s a fountain of knowledge in that beautiful brain of yours that I’m sure has lessons locked away in it that I’ve yet to discover. All I ask is that you be open to the idea that I don’t know everything.”

Rose giggled – “I knew that already because mostly men think they do but rarely admit to saying they know nothing. It’s an ego thing, one that I enjoyed bruising in my lifetime. So if I know something you don’t, how will I know to teach you?”

“Sweetheart, we have many years to discover this so I can be patient. For now, we need to go down stairs, Duncan and Purah are waiting for you.”

“For me? Why didn’t you say so?”

“I just did, but I wanted a little alone time with you first.”

Rose snorted as she walked back into their bedroom, “When DON’T you want alone time with me? I swear you’re the greediest and the wickedest man that I’ve ever known in my life. Where have you been hiding all my life?”

“Behind you, admiring the view.” Devlin chuckled as he followed behind Rose. She smirked as she sashayed her hips as she slowly moved and was rewarded with a groan from her vampire lover. Rose looked over the railing and could hear Duncan and Purah talking, but not see them. They must be waiting in the study. Rose loved that all the walls in the study had built-in bookshelves and it was packed many of the classics as well as modern novels from before the firestorm. Devlin had good taste in reading material and at times she could find him curled up on the reading nook by the window, relaxing from his transport trips.

Rose thought about the study so much that without trying, she found herself sitting on the reading nook. Devlin teleported in next with a worried look on his but when he saw Rose, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Whoa, that was trippy!” Rose exclaimed as she held her forehead, “You never mentioned the light-headedness that follows afterwards.”

“That because you’re not ready to teleport. You need more blood and not from the bags I’ve been giving you. That’s why you feel so faint, my love. Blood is our life and also our energy, think of it in terms of your sorcery magic. When you don’t have much to use, it sucks but when you’ve got an abundance of magic at your disposal, you can move mountains.”

Duncan smirk, “Figures. Always trying to do more than you should. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Hey I’m down here and not on mandatory bed rest for the moment so you should be happy to see me. So what’s going on now that I’ve successfully teleported?”

“We wanted to inform you that all the children have been placed and enjoying their new homes.”

“Oh swell,” Rose slumped in defeat, “so you came here to rub it in my face that I’ve wasn’t needed for this huge job, is that it Duncan?”

“Actually no, there is a problem that requires your attention.” Duncan said devoid of all emotions.

Rose perked up with a grin – “Spill it, jackass. Don’t leave me hanging while I’m hung over from my personal jetlag.”

Duncan stepped aside and let Purah move forward towards Rose. She looked different in a way that Rose couldn’t explain. There was a shimmer in front of the fallen angel and she was walking funny. Purah was scooting her feet along the marble flooring but she didn’t appear to be hurt as far as Rose could tell. Purah’s lips curled slightly as the shimmering in front of her glowed a sapphire blue. It was her wings that she had in front of her body and when she spread them out, Rose became excited when she saw a familiar face smiling back at her.

“Danny!” Rose screamed as the little boy rushed over to her grinning ear to ear. She hugged the little boy in her arms as tears streamed down her face. Duncan smiled as he sat down next to Rose.

“We couldn’t take him anywhere because he said he wanted this place to be his home. Devlin is willing to let the boy stay but he wanted to ask you first.”

Rose’s gasped, “That’s why you brought me the seeds! So Danny could have it to eat whenever he wants it!”

“Yes that was my ulterior motive behind those.” Devlin grinned.

“I’ve healed his wounds and made sure he is well.” Duncan added as he messed up Danny’s hair.

Danny looked up at Rose with tears building in his little eyes and asked, “Will you be my new mommy?” Rose gushed as more tears fell as she nodded emphatically as she hugged him. She looked up at Devlin with concern and asked, “What about the hunger? I’m kind of scared that I might hurt him.”

Devlin sat down next to Rose and said calmly, “It will be a struggle at first, but there’s one thing that you have in you that will not only conquer the hunger, but never stir again in his presence and that is your mothering instincts. I witnessed it back at the palace when we first found Danny and I knew if things worked out for us all, then we could start a family and Danny is more than willing to stay with us. Nothing beats a mother’s love for a child and right now, you’re proving it.”

“Are you sure about that?” Rose asked but possessively held Danny to her.

“I am sweetheart. You’re far from sated and with Danny in your arms you have yet to go for his blood because of your mothering instinct. Children are sacred to our kind and any who hurt or drink from them are monsters that don’t deserve to live. Danny will always be safe here with us, I guarantee it.”

Rose blushed but felt confident that Devlin was speaking the truth to her and not simply telling her what she wanted to hear. Duncan stood up and walked over to Purah and took her hand and said, “Now that you two officially have a family, it’s time for us to go.”

“Go already? But you two just got here.” Rose said sadly.

“Yes but now I must make a long journey to finally come face to face with my parents.” He squeezed Purah’s petite hand and added, “I may be gone for a while but if you two ever need us, just say our names and we will come if we can.” As Rose nodded, both Duncan and Purah disappeared. Rose looked at Devlin with a smile as he put his arm around her.

“Do vampires have kids?” Danny asked as he look over at Devlin.

Devlin grinned – “I’m not sure but there’s only one way to find out!”

“Wicked vampire!” Rose replied with a coy smile as she pulled Devlin down for a group hug. Rose closed her eyes and thought of all the hardships that they’ve all been through and felt fortunate to be alive and well. She had a home surrounded by nature, but more important, Rose now had a family and a life time of love to give as the world rebalanced itself and the human race could live without fear from the ghouls. Life will be a struggle for people around the world, but now humanity could finally catch its collective breath and grow from this day forward.