I thought I had already experienced my greatest fears, but what was happening now surpassed them all. As I drove away from the house, leaving my children in the care of others, I had no idea what our next moves were going to be. I glanced at Emelia. “Do you have plans beyond tonight?”
“No.”
“I can’t leave my children for so long––I won’t. You must figure out a way we can be together again.”
“That may not be possible for a while. We must ensure that no one can get their hands on the children, especially Santan. If anything were to happen to his son, Basarab would lose all focus. If that happens, the Dracul family will lose control and humankind will be annihilated.”
“I could help protect them.”
Emelia reached out and laid her hand on my leg. “No … no, you cannot protect them because you will need protection, too. Only our kind can fully save them from harm now. If the wrong individual gets hold of you, you will be expendable. The count will not care what happens to you––leastwise, not above his duty to his throne––and you can be assured, Radu and Elizabeth know that.”…
I had an idea growing in my head, but it would take some planning. I glanced at Emelia and felt a twinge of guilt…
I tiptoed from the building and headed to the car. Just as I was putting the key in the car door, I heard the sound of a motor approaching up the driveway … Around the corner came a familiar red Volkswagen … The car came to a halt behind my vehicle, blocking my exit. Randy jumped out, and ran to me … and then, Vacaresti approached us. “What are you doing, Virginia? Why is Emelia not with you?”…
My feet felt like lead as I walked back to the office … my plan had failed…
