“What was that all about?” Elena asked. “Why did she leave so suddenly?”

“I am not sure,” Drake said, “but I think you may have just found the chink in my mother’s armor.”

Elena slept most of the rest of the day. Toward evening, Andrei and Katiya came to see Elena and the baby. Elena couldn’t help feeling a little guilty that Kaitlyn was strong and healthy when Katiya’s son hadn’t survived.

“She is lovely,” Katiya said with a wistful smile. “May I hold her?”

Elena nodded. “Of course.” She noted the sadness in Katiya’s eyes, the regret in Andrei’s.

Katiya cradled the baby in her arms, but only for a moment. Elena couldn’t imagine what she would have done, how she would have felt, if Kaitlyn hadn’t survived. Her daughter was only a few hours old, and yet Elena already loved her beyond words, had loved her even before she was born.

Andrei and Katiya didn’t stay long. Murmuring that Elena was probably tired, Katiya placed the baby in her arms, then quickly turned away, but not before Elena saw the tears in her eyes.

Andrei paused at the door. “Have you decided when to have the ceremony?” he asked.

“We will let you know,” Drake said. “Thank you for coming.”

When their visitors had gone, Elena glanced at Drake. “What ceremony?”

“It is customary to hold a naming ceremony a week after a child is born.”

“I see.” She smiled as she stroked the baby’s tiny hand. “Are we supposed to send invitations?”

“No.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “We will tell the Council when we decide on a date, and they will spread the word to the others in the Fortress.”

“Everyone is invited?”

Drake nodded. “There is nothing for you to do,” he said, lightly stroking his daughter’s downy cheek. “It is a simple ceremony, merely a way of introducing our daughter to the residents of the Fortress.”

“How many are there?”

“It varies. There are usually forty or fifty here at any given time.” He paused, his expression melancholy. “I would have liked Stefan to be here.”

“Isn’t there any way for you to get in touch with him?”

“No.”

“He’s your favorite brother, isn’t he?”

Drake nodded. As the oldest, he had always felt duty-bound to look after his little brother. Because Stefan was the youngest, there had been little competition between them.

“Hmm. It seems odd that you can read mortal minds, but not those of your own kind.”

“You think so? Would you like to be able to read the minds of your family members? Or have them read yours?”

Elena thought about it a minute, then shook her head. “No, I guess not. But I’d like to be able to read your thoughts.”

He grinned at her. “If there is anything you wish to know, wife of my heart, you have only to ask.”

“How long are we going to stay here?”

“Until after the naming ceremony.”

“I hope Katiya will be all right. She looks so unhappy.”

“Her sadness will lessen, in time. They will try again next year.”

Elena sighed, wishing that everyone could be as happy as she was. “I miss Stefan,” she murmured. He wasn’t only Drake’s favorite, but hers, as well.

Drake nodded. “Sooner or later, he will come home.” It might take years. It might take centuries, but sooner or later, Stefan would have to come home. It was in his blood.

Elena glanced at her daughter, sleeping peacefully in her arms. “Do you think we’ll be able to get pregnant again?”

“I do not know,” he said, waggling his brows at her, “but I am willing to try as often as you wish.”

Chapter 36

In spite of all that Drake had told her, Elena wasn’t sure what to expect when they went to the naming ceremony a week later. Drake wore a pair of black slacks, black boots, and a blindingly white shirt. Elena wore a dress of delicate white lace that had been a gift from Liliana. The baby wore a long white silk gown, also a gift from Liliana.

Entering the Council room, Elena saw that the members were all present. Like Drake, the Council members and male guests wore black trousers and white shirts. The women were all dressed in white gowns. What must have been a hundred white candles lit the room with a warm glow.

Katiya smiled reassuringly at Elena.

Drake took his place on the dais, with Elena seated at his right and Liliana at his left.

“We are gathered here to celebrate the birth of my daughter, and to give her a name, that she might be recognized throughout our Coven.” Turning, he took the baby from Elena. Lifting his daughter in his arms, he said, “From this day forward, this child shall be known as Kaitlyn Liliana Sherrad, daughter of Drake Sherrad and Elena Knightsbridge Sherrad, granddaughter of Liliana Sherrad.” He smiled down at his daughter, who stared up at him through wide blue eyes. “Welcome to our Coven, Kaitlyn Liliana. May your life be long and filled with peace and happiness.”

One by one, those in the room came forward and swore to protect Kaitlyn and reaffirmed their allegiance to Drake. And then, one by one, they welcomed Elena to the Fortress. It seemed odd, considering all that had happened before, and yet, their softly spoken words of welcome made her feel as if she did, indeed, belong.

Elena was ready to go back to their apartment when it was over. The birth had been difficult and she still tired easily.

She tucked Kaitlyn into her crib and then, stifling a yawn, Elena climbed into bed.

“What did you think?” Drake asked, drawing the covers over her.

“It was very moving,” she replied. “For the first time, I feel like I belong here.”

“Of course you belong,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “You will always belong wherever I am. Rest now.”

Late that night, after Elena had fallen asleep, Drake left the Fortress. Standing outside on a snow-covered bluff that overlooked the valley below, he lifted his head and for the second time in twenty-four hours, he offered a prayer, this one of thanks that Elena and the baby had survived.

Elena had asked about the possibility of more children, but as far as he was concerned, one was enough. He loved his woman too much to put her life at risk again.

Tomorrow night, he would free the drones. He doubted if any would choose to stay, but now that the sheep had been freed, there was little need for the drones. Releasing them would be the last step in abandoning a way of life that had existed for over a thousand years. But it was time. The world was changing.

He was about to return to the Fortress when the air around him shimmered. A moment later, his mother stood beside him. He studied her from the corner of his eye. She wore unrelieved black. Her face was paler than usual. Her pale blond hair fell like a mantle down her back and over her shoulders.

They stood together in silence for several minutes before she said, “I was not pleased when you defied your father’s wishes and rescinded his annulment. I knew you did not love Katiya, but I felt she was right for you and hoped that, in time, you would forget Elena and learn to love one of your own kind.” Pausing, she took a deep breath. “I see now that I was wrong. You would never have been happy with anyone else.”

Drake stared at his mother. Stunned by her words, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I envy what you and Elena have,” Liliana went on quietly, still not meeting his gaze. “My marriage to your father was arranged, as is the custom among our people.”

She stared into the distance and Drake had the feeling she was no longer speaking to him.

“I loved your father from the first time I saw him. He was handsome, as you are, strong and proud and stubborn. I knew he did not love me. I knew he would take other wives. There were times when he was cruel, and yet I stayed at his side. I wish now that I had told him I loved him, but I lacked the courage to say the words out loud. Perhaps because I knew he would not say them back to me.” She shrugged. “It does not matter now. He is gone, and he will never know how much I cared for him. And now,” she said, speaking so quietly he could scarcely hear her, “before I go, I want you to know that I love you, and that I am proud of you.”

Knowing she was about to leave, Drake laid his hand on her arm. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean. That little speech sounded a lot like a last good-bye.”

She turned her face away, but said nothing.

“I have lost my sire,” Drake said, his hand still holding her arm. “I will not lose you, as well. You have a granddaughter who will need you, sons and daughters who care for you. I want your promise that you will not destroy yourself.”

“And if I refuse to give it?”

“Then I will lock you in the dungeon until you come to your senses.”

“You are more like your father than I thought,” she retorted, but Drake heard the smile in her tone.

“I will not ask Elena to live in the Fortress,” he said. “There are too many bad memories here for both of us. But I promise you we will come to visit often. And you are welcome to visit Wolfram whenever you wish, for as long as you wish.”

“Drake . . .”

His hand tightened on her arm, his gaze drilling into hers. “I will have your promise before you go,” he insisted.

“You have it,” she whispered.

He nodded, and then he did something he had rarely done. He kissed his mother on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” she replied, her voice thick with unshed tears. “Good night.”

He remained outside for several minutes, remembering the past, thinking of the future, and then he returned to his quarters. He had expected to find Elena asleep, but she was sitting up in bed, nursing their daughter.

It was, he thought, the prettiest sight he had ever seen in his life.

Elena smiled when she saw him in the doorway, and Drake knew he would ask nothing more of his existence than to go on loving her for as long as they lived.