A stir in the air brought his senses to immediate alert. A moment later, Mara materialized at his side. Moonlight haloed her long black hair; her full-length gown, also black, outlined every curve. Once, he had thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but that had been before Cara entered his life.
“Good evening,” she murmured.
“Hey.”
“Lovely night for a hunt, don’t you think?”
“Not tonight.”
“No?”
Vince shook his head.
“Why is that?” Sitting down, Mara spread her skirts around her, like the petals of an ebony rose. “Your little mortal is asleep. She won’t even know you’re gone.”
“It’s my wedding night,” Vince said with a smile. “How would it look if I went off with another woman?”
“You married her?” Mara exclaimed.
“Yep.”
“Unless you bring her across, she’ll just die and leave you.”
“Is that why you never married?” Vince asked. “Because he’d leave you?”
She sighed softly. “I lied to you before. I did marry once, many years ago. I knew I would regret it, but I loved him and he refused to bed me without the blessing of the church.” She laughed softly. “Truly, a man unique among men.”
“Were you happy together?”
“Yes, for many years, until he began to grow old and I did not, until he began to hate me. The older he got, the stronger his hatred became, until it soured everything between us.”
“What happened to him?”
“One night, as I held him in my arms, he drove a knife into my heart. Had it been a silver blade, I wouldn’t be here now. When he realized he hadn’t killed me, he ran out of the house. A passing carriage struck him and killed him instantly.”
“I’m sorry, Mara.”
“As I said, it was a long time ago.” She looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. “You’d think it would have stopped hurting by now.”
Uncertain of how she would react, Vince slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She stiffened in his embrace, and then she relaxed. It took him a moment to realize she was crying. Two large teardrops slid down her cheeks like crimson rain. Vince captured them on the tip of his finger and carried them to his mouth. It was like tasting liquid fire.
Turning her head, Mara kissed him on the cheek. “I hope you will be happy,” she said, and vanished from his sight.
No sooner had she gone than he heard the door open behind him and Cara stepped out onto the porch. “Vince?”
“I’m here, darlin’.”
“I thought I heard voices.”
Rising, he kissed her on the cheek. “There’s no one here but me,” he said, and taking her by the hand, he led her inside and locked the door behind him.
The next week was the most wonderful of Cara’s life. She took a week off from work and Vince closed his shop. They stayed up late and slept late. He reached for her when he woke up and they made love late in the morning. He read the paper while she ate breakfast and then they made love again; she went shopping or cleaned house or took a nap while he took his rest. At night, they went to the movies or for walks, stayed home and watched TV, or just went to bed early. She never tired of touching him, watching him, or being near him.
They spent Christmas Eve with her parents. Cara ate dinner before leaving the house. They spent a pleasant few hours with her mom and dad. After they opened their presents, they shared their favorite Christmas memories.
Later, back at home, Vince and Cara sat in front of the fireplace, sharing a glass of red wine while they admired the lights on the tree. Christmas carols played softly in the background.
They spent Christmas morning in bed, making love. Later, while Cara made herself something to eat, Vince called his folks to wish them a merry Christmas.
Cara was putting the dishes in the dishwasher when Vince came up behind her. “Close your eyes,” he said.
“Why?”
“Just do it, darlin’,” he said, and when her eyes were closed, he slipped a gold bracelet onto her wrist. “Okay, you can open them now.”
“Oh, Vince,” she cried, “it’s lovely!”
“Just a little something I thought you might like. Merry Christmas, darlin’.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Don’t I get a kiss?” he asked.
“Oh, yes!”
It was the best kind of kiss, one that led them back into the bedroom, and back to bed.
Life would have been perfect, Cara thought a few days later, except for her constant bouts of nausea in the morning. She didn’t mention it to Vince or her parents, didn’t want to think what it might mean. Had Vince been mortal, she would have thought she was pregnant, but such a thing was impossible. She couldn’t help thinking of all the horrible possibilities, all of them fatal, but if she was dying, she didn’t want to know.
She managed to hide her illness from Vince until he rose unusually early one morning and caught her vomiting in the bathroom.
He quickly wet a cloth and handed it to her, his brow furrowed with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing,” she lied as she wiped her mouth.
“Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. I’m fine now.”
Lifting her to her feet, he gazed into her eyes. “Has this happened before?”
Her gaze slid away from his. “No.”
“Cara, don’t lie to me.”
She looked up at him, her eyes welling with tears. “Every morning this past week. Oh, Vince, I’m so afraid!”
“Shh, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said, drawing her into his arms. “It’s probably just the flu or a bug of some kind.”
She sniffed. “But I don’t feel like I’ve got the flu. I don’t have a fever…”
“Have you called the doctor?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m afraid of doctors. They never give you anything but bad news.”
“Well, we’re calling one now.”
She tried to change his mind, but he was adamant, and because she refused to call, he made the appointment for her.
“Four o’clock tomorrow,” he told her, “and I don’t want any excuses. It’s Monday, and you don’t have to go to work.” He took her chin in his hand. “And don’t think about missing it. If I have to, I’ll make the appointment for later in the day and I’ll take you myself.”