Wolves in the Shadows (The Wolf Clan Chronicles) Read Free

not?”  Elizabeth winced at her words.  Something about Sir Marcus made her feel like she had to say whatever dumb thoughts came into her head.  It was getting frustrating.  “How can you be sure?” 
    Fortunately, Sir Marcus did not seem annoyed by her impertinence.  “Because Romulus likes you,” he said simply. 
    Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and looked down at Romulus.  The wolf had turned and stood staring up at her with his bright yellow eyes. 
    “Romulus has been with my father for well over 600 years,” Marcus said.  He stopped just before they reached w here the wolf had stopped.  “If my father had any intention of harming you, Romulus would know and want nothing to do with you.”  He seemed more serious than Elizabeth had seen him since she had met him.  “As it is, he has already told you his name and is helping you see the world as he clearly as he sees.  And beyond that, I would not take you to my father if he was going to harm you.” 
    Elizabeth grimaced as a sudden pain shot through her temples.  A strange sensation overtook her as half formed images shimmered before her eyes. 
    “Romulus,” Sir Marcus said sharply. 
    The pain and the images vanished before Elizabeth could make any sense of them.  She blinked in surprise, unsure of how to respond. 
    “Forgive him,” Sir Marcus said. 
    “What was that?” asked Elizabeth.  She was glad that they were standing still at the moment.  She felt like she needed a moment to get her thoughts organized.  She ran her fingers through her hair nervously. 
    Sir Marcus did not reply.  He just looked at Romulus and then looked back at Elizabeth. 
    “Is he a were-wolf or something?” 
    “He’s something.”  Marcus replied
    “So your father,” Elizabeth said when it became clear that he was not going to explain exactly what Romulus was. “Lord Reginald Wolfrick was it?”  Elizabeth tried to think how to ask it without sounding absurdly ignorant.  “When you say he’s you father, what exactly does it mean?”  She hoped it wouldn’t come across as rude, but she was just curious.  She had never met a vampire before and wasn’t quite sure how to talk to him yet. 
    “It means he’s my father and my father.” 
    Elizabeth failed to stifle a chuckle. 
    “What’s so funny?” Marcus asked.  His looked genuinely perplexed. 
    Elizabeth shook her head.  “Your answers to my questions seem so simple, but I have no idea what you mean.”  The words were out before she could stop them.  “It’s like you’re speaking in riddles.” 
    It was Sir Marcus’ turn to chuckle.  “You are a forthright and inquisitive girl aren’t you?” 
    Elizabeth shrugged.  There was no point in trying to answer when he already had made up his mind.  He had a frustrating way of getting her to say exactly what she was thinking. 
    “I am the natural child of Lord Reginald and his wife, Lady Anya daughter of Aldo the Silversmith,” said Marcus.  “When I was in my early twenties, he turned me at my request.  So he is my father and my father.”  There was a hardness in his face as he spoke that made Elizabeth shudder.  His expression was one of pain mingled with burning anger and hatred and something that Elizabeth could not quite identify.  She did not have the courage to ask him why he had asked to be turned.  She could tell instinctively that it was a horrible story, and she doubted that she would be able to hear it. 
    “So vampires can have actual children?” She asked instead, hoping to steer the conversatio n towards something less frightening.  “Or did Lord Reginald become a vampire after you were born?” 
    Marcus’ expression softened a bit.  “My father was turned hundreds of years before I was born.”  He seemed slightly amused b y her ignorance.  “It is possible for a mortal woman to become pregnant by a vampire, but it is very rare.  Often the child is stillborn or too weak to survive beyond the