Chapter 27

ROSE

Demetrius and I took Eleanor to Iquitos. We had a house deep in the jungle that my family had constructed during the Spanish invasion.

Selene and I had been there when Aric and James were young to let them explore the wilderness of the Amazon.

Leaving France had been bittersweet. Selene and Orion had wished us well, though they disagreed with our actions.

James and my children had been more vocal, and I realized it had been the first time that I’d been away from the twins.

Aric promised to stay with them until we were able to return, even though he had plans with James to head to Singapore.

Eleanor had cried profusely at having to leave behind her horse but otherwise seemed unconcerned about moving to the other side of the world.

When we first arrived in Iquitos, Eleanor was head over heels for the place. Though I kept her as close to me as possible, she took every opportunity to explore.

We would trek through the jungle, and I’d point out the different species of spiders, snakes, and other creepy crawlies that came out at night.

She often wanted to go out on the boat to look for caimans or pink dolphins. I would find her, each morning, staying up late, sketching the animals on her drawing pad.

I got her learning a little Spanish as well as her normal lessons.

She grew more restless during her lessons. I would catch her, telescope in hand, staring up at the brilliant stars while I was teaching her fractions.

The first time she snuck out, I thought my heart was going to explode. I woke up in time to hear her pushing the front door of our hut open and running outside to the riverbank.

I ran after her but was forced back underground by the bright sunlight. I paced in our room, ignoring Demetrius’s glares. In the distance, I could hear her paddling out with the boat, humming to herself.

When she returned to the hut, I was on top of her in seconds.

“How dare you sneak out!” I seethed at her.

She regarded me calmly a let out a loud breath. “Calm down, Mother. I stayed within your hearing distance,” she replied, sitting on the sofa and taking her drawings out.

“Eleanor, you are not allowed to leave this house without us! Honey, you know the danger that you’re in!” I gasped at her.

“Mother. We live in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and there is ~literally~ no one around! And I went out in broad daylight!

“The most dangerous thing around here for me is you! And you can’t touch me in daylight!” she snapped.

“Eleanor,” Demetrius cautioned, stretching and picking up a blood baggie.

She glanced at him, then sighed and leaned back.

“Fine. Can I go out during the day tomorrow?”

“No!” I admonished.

“But Mother! I’m human!”

“Trust me, I’m well aware!”

She scowled at me deeply. “I can’t believe you!” she screamed, then stomped off to her room. I stood up to go after her, but Demetrius grabbed my arm. He shoved a blood baggie in my face.

“Drink.”

I snarled at him, but he just grinned. I sank onto the sofa, sipping my baggie.

“I believe that was our first glimpse of the infamous pre-teen behavior,” he said with a chuckle.

“How can she not understand how dangerous she acted?”

“Honestly, Rose, all she did was go out on the lake for a couple of hours.”

“She could have fallen in! She could have drowned.”

“She’s a strong swimmer.”

“There are anaconda and caiman in those waters!”

“Rose, you have to trust her.”

I glared at him. “Demetrius, I’m afraid for her.”

“I know but look.” He picked up the drawing Eleanor had left on the table. It was a detailed, colorful drawing of a white-throated toucan.

I leafed through the pages behind, drawings in brilliant colors of kingfishers, red and blue macaws, and bright blue butterflies.

“She’s getting good,” I admitted. Demetrius nodded in agreement.

“Rose, you know she cannot see in the dark like us. It’s natural for her to want to be out in daylight. Look at the world she sees in daylight.” He indicated her drawings.

“Look at her world now.” He pointed out the window to the pitch-black night.

“What are you saying, Demetrius?”

“I’m saying we change her schedule. She wakes up at say, 9 p.m., and bedtime at 1 p.m.? You can fit her classes in when she’s awake with us.

“And she can enjoy the end of her days outside, being very safe, of course. She’s more than capable of reheating herself some dinner by now.”

“She a child, Demetrius. I cannot let her wander the jungle alone.”

“She’s already ten years old, she knows the jungle off by heart and, she’ll have to stay within our sound range.”

“Fine.”

Eleanor was more than overjoyed when we told her of our decision, and I immediately noticed the change in her behavior and studies.

She grew more and more interested in astronomy, so we often started our days on the river, telescope in hand, discussing the starfields, the ancient suns millions of light-years away, the asteroid belts.

I drew her pictures of the starfields I had known in my life, showing her how some were always the same while others disappeared when new ones appeared.

We were on our boat ride when Demetrius called us back to the hut.

“This came from Aric.” He handed me the letter when we entered.

“What does it say?” Eleanor chirped.

“We’ve been formally invited to call on the king,” he said through tight lips.

I breathed out heavily.

“Okay, we knew this was going to happen. Damon told us.”

“Yeah, but he’s also invited, Eleanor.”

“I’m invited to see a king?” Her eyes were wide, brimming with excitement.

I glanced at Demetrius.

“No, you’re not going,” I snapped.

“Mother! Not fair!”

“Hush, Eleanor.” Demetrius put his hand on her head lightly.

“I called Aric. He said Elizabeth and Damon had visited in France, surprised that they didn’t find us there.”

“They weren’t surprised,” Demetrius shrugged.

“All the same, the invitation explicitly says Eleanor Mcnoxnoctis.” His gaze slid down to our daughter, who had busied herself making a cup of tea.

“Demetrius, have they voted?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck. The verdict?”

“Not good.”

“Weren’t we invited to the vote?”

“Yes, but we were here.”

“Fuck.”

“We have two options, but neither of them is good.”

“I’m aware.”

Demetrius sighed. “Aric spoke of the twins. The king has expressed interest in taking them in as his wards, seeing as we’ve, as they so delicately put it, abandoned our real children.”

“What does he want with the twins?”

“Well, he does have an unmarried grandson, and I believe he could easily find another suitor. The twins are a force of nature themselves.”

I snarled. “So basically, I’m being forced to choose between my children?”

“The king was forthcoming, saying that you and I, we’re not being charged with anything, seeing as the crime was committed before the law was passed.

“Rose, maybe we’re worried about this too much. Maybe he’ll just strip Eleanor of her title and send her to live a human life.”

I frowned at him. “He’ll have her turned. He has all his favorite humans turned.”

Demetrius pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep breath. “What do you suggest we do?”

I blinked at him.

“Can we go without her?”

“It’s very clear that we’re not welcome without her. She’s the main attraction.”

“Bugger.” I glanced back at Eleanor, blowing on her hot cup of tea. She was sliding down at the table, her astronomy book open, reading as she sipped her drink.

“Rose, we both knew our time here was limited. We both knew this was going to happen.”

I nodded slowly. I remembered the twins’ suggestion and shuddered at the thought. Eleanor’s blood, though always enticing, wouldn’t bring me any satisfaction.

“When do we have to go?”

“Three months.”

“Call Aric again. Tell him to expect us in Poitiers in a month.”

He nodded and squeezed my arm. “Rose, no matter what, we won’t let any harm come to her. You know that.”

I glanced up at him, staring into his wide moss-green eyes.

“I will hold you to that, Demetrius,” I mumbled. His hand moved up my arm. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me against him.

I wrapped my arms around his tight waist and buried my face into his chest. He kissed the top of my head and then rested his cheek on my head, breathing out slowly.