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Seasons of Change Page 22

Thank God for the snow!

Dominic’s return to Halcyon took far longer than he’d hoped. The days were cold, but clear and bright, and he’d been forced to travel by carriage. Finally, when he was half a day out the skies clouded over and snow began to fall. Dominic left the carriage and flew the rest of the way directly .

He slowed as he approached Anne’s house, resuming his normal form again outside the front door. His anticipation had slowly been replaced by a sense of unease the closer he’d come to Halcyon. It was only as he stood there, about to knock, that he realized why. Normally he was aware of Anne’s presence when he was near her. The awareness was not at all like Anne’s special talent, one that had grown as they’d spent more time together, but he always knew when she was near. Now, however, he could not sense her presence and that worried him.

When he knocked it was Anne’s father who answered.

“Thank Heavens you’re back,” John Tyler said.

“Anne’s not at home,” Dominic said. He didn’t bother to hide his disappointment.

“When is she ever?” John shook his head and continued. “My daughter has not been the same since you left.”

Dominic could well relate to that.

“I tried,” he said. “Anne is very stubborn.”

John smiled, his expression wistful.

“She gets that from her mother. That woman was impossible to move once she’d made up her mind.”

Dominic tried to ignore the unease that continued to grow with every passing moment, telling himself he was just anxious to see her again.

“Do you expect her soon?”

John shook his head.

“She’s with a family who have newborn twins. And if she weren’t, she’d be somewhere else. She is almost never home.” He was silent for a moment before continuing. “She’s trying not to think about you.”

Dominic wasn’t sure whether that was good or bad. Given the connection they’d shared almost from the beginning, he knew Anne had to be missing him as much as he missed her. But that didn’t mean she’d welcome him back. She’d pushed him away too many times for him ever to take his position in her life as a given.

“Elizabeth and William?” he asked.

“They went into town. I know they were also planning to drop by the cottage William was renting. He left many of his belongings there when they went on their honeymoon. They should be back soon. You are, of course, welcome to wait.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “I don’t suppose you’d care for any refreshments ...”

Dominic could tell John Tyler was barely restraining the urge to pepper him with questions. Dominic had only filled him in on a little of what it was like to be a vampire. At the time John’s main concern had been for his daughter’s safety, and he’d been content with Dominic's promise that no harm would come to her. Dominic could see the intense curiosity in his eyes, but he was in no mood to indulge him.

“I am fine,” he said as he wandered into the sitting room. He stopped in front of the window and stared out for a full minute, watching the snow blanket the world in white. He couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.

Finally, he turned back to face John, determined to make an effort at civility. Anne’s father obviously saw right through him.

“I have some more notes to make on my observations last night,” John said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to finish those now.”

Dominic inclined his head, grateful he wouldn’t have to spend the time until Anne’s return making small talk.

With a nod, John turned and left him alone in the sitting room. Dominic frowned in concentration as he began to move around the room. He could detect only the faintest hint of Anne’s scent. He made his way down the hallway to the kitchen, but the same was true there.

Was she away from her own home that much? He longed to go up to her bedroom, to breathe in her scent which he knew would be on her bed linens and her clothing. He restrained himself, however, and returned to the sitting room to wait. They’d been apart for weeks now. Surely he could survive a few more hours.

When the front door burst open an hour later Dominic didn’t move. He already knew who it was. He’d heard Elizabeth and William’s breathless laughter as they’d approached the house.

Elizabeth stopped in the hallway in front of the sitting room, her back to him. She obviously hadn’t seen him. She shook snow from her hair as she faced William.

“That was hardly fair,” she said, trying to sound stern, but failing to keep the laughter from her voice. “You should have stopped when you changed. You move far too quickly in your current form. I had no hope of hitting you.”

“All’s fair in love and war,” William said as he stepped into Dominic’s line of sight. He’d just pulled his wife into a hug when he spotted Dominic. A large smile spread across his face.

Dominic rose as William crossed the room and clasped his hand.

“It’s good to see you again,” William said.

“You’re back,” Elizabeth said, her smile rivalling that of her husband’s. Dominic could detect a hint of relief in her voice. “Anne must be so happy. Is she in the kitchen?”

John Tyler entered the room just then. The look he gave Elizabeth was quizzical.

“You know it is still early for her to be home.”

Dominic’s unease grew when he saw her confusion and William’s frown.

“Anne should be home by now,” she said. Her gaze went to the clock in the hallway. “We saw her in the village two hours ago. She’d already left the Sanders house. She feared she was coming down with a cold and didn’t want to risk making the babies sick.”

“Perhaps she went elsewhere,” Dominic said, but he was not able to ignore the dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “She said she was coming straight home. We offered to walk home with her, but she wanted to be alone.”

“She didn’t look well,” William added. “She’s been pushing herself to the point of exhaustion.” The look he exchanged with Elizabeth was pained. “We should have insisted.”

Dominic cursed. Why had he ignored his own senses? He’d known something was wrong, yet he’d tried to convince himself he was just anxious to see Anne again and disappointed at finding her away from home. If anything happened to her ... His mind shied away from following that train of thought.

Without a word he brushed past everyone and made his way to the front door. He saw William squeeze his wife’s hand in reassurance, heard him tell John they would find her. He ignored them all, though. He could no longer deny something was very wrong.

He waited outside for William to join him.

“I’ll fly overland,” he said simply, anxious to be off.

William nodded.

“I’ll cover the route between here and the village on foot. I’ll call if I find anything.”

Dominic nodded tersely. He stilled, trying to pick up a hint of Anne’s presence. Knowing what he was doing, William waited.

“Anything?” he asked.

Dominic shook his head. Without another word he changed shape and headed towards the village. He lost sight of William, who was running along under him, when his friend entered the woods. Dominic resisted the urge to drop lower and follow him in. He could see further from this height. William would call out if he found her.

He’d just reached the village when he heard a howl. He stopped, waiting for William to call again. When he did Dominic had no difficulty pinpointing his location roughly midway through the copse of trees between the village and Anne’s house.

When Dominic reached them he froze. William was bent over Anne’s prostrate form. She was on the ground, partially covered by snow. He changed form and ran the last few steps to her side. William looked up at him.

“She’s alive,” he said.

Dominic felt the bands constricting his heart begin to ease.

William straightened and Dominic dropped to his knees by Anne’s side. Her breathing was shallow, but steady. He took comfort from the fact that he could hear her heart beating its normal rhythm, but her color shocked him. Her skin was almost as pale as the snow that partially covered her.

Her brought his hand to Anne’s cheek, almost afraid to touch her. Her eyes opened. He could see the surprise, and then the happiness that entered them.

“You came back,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course I came back.” He felt an irrational flash of anger towards her. “You were supposed to wait for me, not get yourself killed.”

His brief flash of frustration gave way to fear and he dragged her against him.

“What happened?” he asked. For a moment he wondered if one of his brother’s men had come back and hurt her. Anne must have read the thought, for she shook her head.

“I was tired,” she said, every word taking a great effort. “So tired. I stopped to rest. The snow was pretty ...”

Her voice trailed off and her eyes drifted closed. Her breathing was so shallow Dominic feared it would stop at any moment. He held her against him, afraid to let go. He wasn’t sure how long they remained that way before he felt William’s hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at the other man. William’s voice was sympathetic, but firm when he spoke.

“We have to get her inside so she can warm up.”

His panic was clouding his judgement. Thank God William was there to think clearly. He nodded and stood, lifting Anne effortlessly and cradling her in his arms.

“You need to give her to me. She’ll need my body heat.”

He looked down at her, taking in again her pale, almost lifeless appearance. She was shaking now, great tremors that racked her slight frame. His heart hurt at the sight.

He nodded and without a word transferred her to William’s arms. She instinctively curled closer against him, drawn to the heat of his body. Dominic felt worse than helpless.

“I’ll get her home as quickly as possible. You need to go to the village and get the doctor.”

The doctor. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

“Do you know where he lives?” William asked.

Dominic nodded. Although he’d only socialized a few times with the villagers during his stay in Halcyon, he’d made a point of learning as much as he could about them. His kind could never be too careful, and he’d personally made a few enemies over the years.

“Hurry,” William said, before turning and loping back towards the Tylers’ house.

Dominic stared after them for several moments, torn at the thought of having to let someone else watch over Anne when she was so vulnerable. William was right, though. At the moment she needed William’s body heat more than she needed him. Tearing his eyes away from their retreating figures, he changed shape and flew towards the village.

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