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Tino perked up. "Can I come? I like Elsa!"
Shanna folded the letter. "You saw her television show?"
"No. I met her when - " Tino bit his lip.
Shanna glimpsed some alarming visuals in her son's mind. "Oh my gosh. What have you been up to?"
Tino winced. "Nothing."
"Tino." Roman gave him a stern look.
He squirmed in the chair. "Everything would have been fine if the wild pigs hadn't shown up."
Roman arched a brow. "We'll all go to the gatehouse together, and you will tell us what happened on the way there."
Tino slumped. "Okay."
Roman ushered the children out the door. "Come on. Let's get the van out of the garage." He glanced back at Phil. "Ian should be here soon. He can find someone to teleport you to Alaska. If Howard needs anything, just let us know."
"Yes," Shanna agreed. "Please tell Howard how sad we are for his loss and how much we love him."
"Yeah," Tino shouted from the hallway. "Tell him to come home soon!"
"I will." Phil nodded. "I have a few hours before I can go. I'll be with Vanda till then." He hurried off in search of his Vamp wife.
"I'll be along in just a second," Shanna called out to her husband as he escorted the kids to the front door.
"Can I tag along?" Darlene asked. "I'd like to see what they're doing with the gatehouse."
"Of course," Shanna agreed. "Wait here. I'll be right back." With vampire speed, she zoomed back to the bedroom, threw off the baggy sweatpants and T-shirt, and put on some tailored pants with a matching top and blazer. She brushed her hair, slipped on some nice sandals, then zoomed back upstairs. "Better?"
"Yes." Her mother looked her over. "You're trying to impress somebody?"
"Sorta." Shanna strolled down the hall with her mother. "Howard asked me to convince Elsa that he's a good guy, and I thought I'd be more believable if I looked presentable. I feel so bad for him. This seems like the only thing I can do for him right now."
Darlene nodded. "So he's courting Elsa?"
"He's trying. Poor Howard. He let Elsa know that he's a were-bear, and it's giving her some serious doubts."
Darlene winced. "It would be tough to find out your boyfriend is a grizzly bear."
"I know. It reminds me how freaked out I was when I discovered Roman was a vampire. I was so attracted to him, but at the same time, I was afraid he'd attack me."
"Are you feeling any better about your situation?"
Shanna sighed. "I realized something the other night when I was watching The Little Mermaid with the kids. Tino was upset that Ariel had given up her voice and her tail to be with the prince. I said something about there always being a price to pay, and that's when it struck me. If I'm going to live in my husband's world, I have to be willing to pay the price."
Darlene nodded. "So I guess the question is: are you willing?"
Shanna snorted. "I have to be. I don't have any choice in the matter now."
"But I heard there is a choice. Toni told me about a woman named Darcy who was a vampire and turned back to being mortal."
Shanna nodded. "I know about the procedure. Roman did it."
"Have you considered - "
"No. I mean, yes, I thought about it, but no, I won't do it. There's a twenty-five percent chance of death, permanent death, and I'm not taking a chance that my children will lose me completely. At least now, they've only lost me half the time."
Darlene frowned at her. "Do you love them half as much?"
"No, of course not!"
"Then don't say they've lost you."
Shanna swallowed hard. "You're right. I just miss seeing them during the day."
"What if you kept the kids up all night and let them sleep during the day?" Darlene suggested. "You'd have more time with them then."
Shanna shook her head. "I won't subject them to a life of darkness. They're already staying up till midnight. That leaves them waking around noon without us, but Roman and I both agree - they need some sunshine to grow up healthy and happy."
"That's probably true. I'm certainly enjoying my time with them. Caitlyn's babies are a joy, too." She smiled. "Of course I'm not prejudiced in any way."
Shanna slanted a curious look at her mother as they approached the front door. "It still amazes me how quickly you adjusted to it all."
Darlene shrugged. "There's no point in denying reality when it's right there in front of you."
"Yeah, but . . ." Shanna wasn't sure she should mention this. "I don't understand why Dad thought he had to control your mind so you could deal with stress. You handle things really well on your own."
Darlene snorted. "The operative word there is control. Sean is a control freak. He wanted me to handle everything his way."
"Does he still call you every night?"
"Like clockwork."
"You . . . still hang up on him?"
Darlene shrugged. "Lately, I've been letting him talk for a little while before I hang up. I get a perverse pleasure out of hearing him wallow in misery."
"Has he ever apologized?" Shanna asked.
"Many times. But then he ruins it by claiming he did it for my own good."
Shanna groaned.
"But for the last week or so, he's been taking all the blame. He admits he was wrong, and he begs me to forgive him."
"What do you say to him?"
Darlene sighed. "At first, I was so angry, I just wanted to hurt him. But now, I try not to even think about it. Cause if I do, it hurts me something awful. I have eighteen years that I can barely remember. It's like he stole all that time from me and I can never get it back."
"Mom." Shanna hugged her. "I'm so sorry."
"He wants me to turn," Darlene said softly.
"What?" Shanna leaned back, completely caught off guard, which didn't happen often to her.
"Sean wants me to join him as a vampire. He says I could have centuries, and it would make up for the time I lost."
"Oh my gosh," Shanna breathed. It had been shocking enough when Roman had transformed her father in order to save him. But her mother? A vampire?
Darlene smiled sadly at her. "I said no. As silly as it might sound, I actually like my life as it is now. I get to see Tino and Sofia every day. And I spend a lot of time with Caitlyn and her twins. I don't want to give up my days with my grandchildren. I suspect Sean is afraid of spending the next few centuries all alone, but that's his problem, not mine."
"You're sure? There are plenty of mortals around here who can babysit during the day - "
"I'm sure." Darlene patted her on the arm. "I'm very happy now. Besides, I doubt I could last five minutes with Sean without wanting to stake him. I'd never last a few centuries."
Shanna hugged her again. "You are so strong. Dad always underestimated you." She heard the sound of a car braking outside. "They're here. Let's go."
Darlene stepped out onto the front porch and smiled. "Now that's a sight. A vampire husband driving a van filled with children."
Shanna's heart filled with warmth. She was so blessed. She had a wonderful husband, two adorable children, and two parents still alive, or semi-alive in the case of her father. She had a brother and her sister, Caitlyn, and her family. And then there was the big extended family - shifters, Vamps, and mortals like her dear friend, Radinka. She was surrounded by people she loved.
Poor Howard. He'd lost his father, his girlfriend, and his best friend. "I feel so terrible for Howard."
Darlene nodded, her eyes growing misty. "I'll never forget the sound of his roar. So much pain. I thought his heart was breaking."
"We have to help him," Shanna whispered. She took a deep breath to steady her resolve. Somehow, she would convince Elsa Bjornberg that Howard was the perfect man for her. Even if he occasionally turned into a bear.
Chapter Twenty
"What a lovely family," Aunt Greta whispered to Elsa on the front porch.
"Yes." Elsa smiled as she watched Tino and his little sister scamper around the driveway. The floodlights had been turned on, and the children were pretending they were in a spotlight, with Tino singing and Sofia dancing.
