Chasing Shadows(64)

I smothered a laugh as I punched him in the arm and walked out, padding down three doors to my father’s room. I knocked softly, pushing the door open when he bid me entrance.

“Mida, darling, do come in,” Diarmid said from his place in the middle of his massive, king-sized bed. I noticed he had an I.V. in one arm and a second bag of blood in his hand, which he sipped from as if it were a pouch of Capri Sun.

“How are you?” I asked in an effort to be polite

He smiled. “Better than I was,” he told me. “That damn bullet left a scar. How is Mark, darling? How are you?”

The corner of my mouth quirked up. “That damn knife left a scar on Mark, and I’m doing a hell of a lot better now that he’s come back.”

“I thought I heard you shout. He is well then?”

I nodded. “The dogs actually woke me up. They knew something was happening before I did.”

“Animals have always been very sensitive to the supernatural,” Diarmid mused. “And though I know your heart is healing with Mark’s return from the dead, I hope you will forgive me for saying that you look rather tired.”

“I haven’t slept much these last few days because I didn’t want to miss it if Mark woke up. I haven’t eaten anything, either.”

He glanced at the blood in his hand. “I would offer you some, darling, but I know you’ve given up human blood. Still, I don’t like to see you looking so unwell, so please do eat something soon.”

Oddly, I found myself feeling touched at his concern and I tried vainly to shake that feeling off. To regain control of the conversation I cleared my throat and said, “I take it Lochlan told you what happened?”

Diarmid’s expression fell and he nodded. “He did. I am very sorry about Evangeline. I had no idea she was so disturbed. If only I could have seen it sooner, or perhaps shown her my love more often, I might have prevented all of this.”

“I don’t think loving her more would have made her hate me less,” I said. “I don’t think it would have mattered how much you loved her if you still loved me.”

He sighed. “I suppose you are right. Yet I cannot help feeling that I am to blame. You could have lost your bondmate, and had you I would have lost two daughters instead of one. I am thankful that Mark has regenerated, for I did wonder if that part of the legend was true also.”

I chanced a smile. “I’m thankful too. For Mark…and for you.”

When he looked up with surprise, I said, “You said you wouldn’t turn me in for being Vivian Drake, you were going with me when I realized that Evangeline was behind the attacks, and you were going to lead us to the basement to confront her. Had Martin not shot you when he did, I have no doubt you would have helped us deal with her and her puppets.”

Diarmid nodded. “I would have. From what Lochlan has told me, she really was quite mad. Again, I am sorry for the suffering she caused you. All of it.”

He looked down once more at the blood in his hands and, heaving another sigh, he said, “You do not believe me, Mida, but I am also sorry for the suffering I have caused you. I have been sorry for a very long time. I have tried to explain it to you many times before, but you would not let me.”

“I really don’t want to get into this again,” I said. “I don’t want to argue with you. Not today.

My father looked up at me. “Then hear me out, please. If only once more.”

I sighed myself then, and steeled myself for yet another of the explanations that I had always felt were worthless. “Fine. Go ahead.”

He nodded, and said, “It is true that I once did not care about your mother as I should have. It is true that I should have saved her, and I did not. I regret that I was so callous and cruel to have denied you the mother you deserved.”

“Why do you regret it though? Is it because you damn well should, or because learning of it drove your favorite child away from you?” I asked harshly.

“Both,” he replied. “Losing your love and respect have served to show me how foolish I was. As you know, I have tried ever since to make amends.”

“You tried in all the wrong ways. Lavish gifts and constant badgering are hardly conducive to forgiveness.”

Diarmid smiled ruefully. “I know that now, and I suppose I ought apologize for those actions as well. Mida, I know I can never truly make amends for not saving your mother, and I know that you have not needed a father for a very long time, but I am hoping that one day your heart will soften enough toward me that we can be friends. You are my only daughter now, and I do not wish to lose you any more than I already have.”

I thought about that for a long moment, then nodded slowly before turning to the door and preparing to leave. Looking back at him over my shoulder I said, “I cannot make you any promises about forgiveness. It takes time, and I have hated you for many years.”

His expression became crestfallen, but he nodded. “I understand.”

“You should know this, Father, and remember it well: Even if I do forgive you, I’m never going to forget.”



*****



Back in Mark’s room, I found him alone, sitting up in bed. Neither Lochlan nor my dogs were anywhere in sight.

“Where are Moe and Cissy?” I asked as I shut the door behind. “Where’s Loch?”

“He took the dogs outside,” Mark said, smiling as he patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Come on over here and join me.”

I grinned as I lifted the bedcovers and climbed underneath. “You’re looking awfully chipper,” I said. “Did you eat already? What did Lochlan give you, steak?”

“No, I haven’t eaten anything, though steak does sound awesome. I want it with a fully loaded baked potato and an ice cold two-liter of Mt. Dew. Please,” he added, leaning over for a kiss.

I giggled and met him halfway. Mark’s hand came to hold my head at the nape, and as his tongue probed my mouth, a smoldering fire began to burn in my veins.

Pushing him back, I said, “Mark, we can’t. It’s too soon—you just woke up for goodness’ sake.”

He grinned and took my hand, drawing it under the blanket to his lap, which I discovered was covered only by the blanket. “Lochlan said I’m pretty damn healthy for a man who was dead for three days. He recommends food, liquids, exercise and bed rest, not necessarily in that order.”

“Mark, I love you, and believe me, I want to,” I said slowly. “But I don’t want to hurt you when I just got you back.”

“Baby, I love you, too. But I already feel like I’ve missed too much, that I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for. And Loch did say exercise—if you can do slow and easy then so can I,” he replied.

I jumped out of the bed long enough to send my clothes flying, then climbed back into it and snuggled next to him.

“Okay. Slow and easy it is.”



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Epilogue


He waited until it was late before he sat at his computer and accessed a certain encrypted file. After keying in the decryption sequence, he set to work continuing the record he’d been keeping for the last five years.



Saphrona and Mark returned to the farm today. Although she has not told me the truth of why she was really gone for the last three days, she does not need to. Not only has the wyvern already done so (as recorded in my last entry), but I can see on Saphrona’s face that she has been through hell. Thank God for reanimation—had immortal humans not also been granted that capability, I have no doubt that these words would be very different… and my last in this history.

When I talked to her, Saphrona told me that her father was paying for a new barn, and that by Saturday, her animals would no longer be a burden to me. I told her that while I was worried during her absence, I had no doubt she would return, and reminded her that I was happy to help her out. The excuse she gave me for being gone was that her sister had passed from an undiagnosed heart condition, and I played my part by offering my condolences for her loss—though I can’t help wishing I could have told her that bitch Evangeline got what she deserved.

Forgive me. This is meant to be a historical record of Saphrona’s life, not a diary of my feelings on her sister’s insanity.

With Evangeline dead and Mark recovered, Saphrona will be able to rebuild her life and move on. And of course, I will be here to record the major events of that life for as long as she remains close by.