Serendipity

Chapter 1

The door swung closed behind me as I left the party and made my way outside. It was a clear night and the stars winked down at me. An icy fist clamped its fingers around my heart and squeezed, robbing me of the breath that I was struggling to drag into my lungs. Against my will, I could remember a night, well over a decade ago when my wife and I had looked at the starry sky, my stepson just six years of age. My wife had described the stars that night as looking like someone had strewn diamonds across a large piece of black velvet.

My stepson was now an adult and was making his own reputation as warrior in his own right. Some people were already comparing him to Debbie Campbell or even myself, which was fair enough as I'd trained both of them, and many more over the decades.

I rubbed at the area over my heart in a futile attempt to ease the pain that had been my constant companion for the last four months. For what seemed like the millionth time, I wished that I had been in the plane instead of my beautiful wife. Even though she was human and looked twice my age, in reality, I was more than twice her age, she was still one of the most beautiful women on the planet to me. She was only forty years old when her light was snuffed out.

She had been visiting one of our strongholds in rural France and was flying to Paris before she boarded an international jet to return to Australia and home to my arms. Luke and my friends used to tease me about that. I would think nothing of wading into battle and sending scores of vampires to the hell that spawned them, but my human wife being out of my sight for longer than a couple of days terrified me. I had it bad, even after fifteen years. God help me if I ever found my mate. I was going to be a basket case.

A door slammed behind me, interrupting my thoughts. The gentle breeze carried with it a hint of vanilla. Even if I hadn't detected the scent, I would have recognised the sound of the walk anywhere. Hannah. The baby daughter of my best friend Peter was almost all grown up. It was her seventeenth birthday and I could see hints of the stunning woman she would become. It was hard to look at her and not see the chubby little baby who had introduced herself to me by using my leg as a support when she was learning to stand.

"Dieter? Are you alright? You left the party."

Boy did I feel bad right then. It was her special day, and I was wallowing in my misery. "Sorry Han. It's just hard to smile and pretend I'm not hurting like hell. Especially today. I love you and want to be happy for you, but -"

"But today is also the anniversary of when you met her."

I couldn't respond beyond a nod. Hannah wrapped her arms around my chest and I pulled her close, seeking the comfort she was offering. She stretched up to kiss my cheek, then lowered herself to the ground and ran her hand over my cheek, brushing away the tears that had started to slide down my cheek. Her head rested on my shoulder as I held her. If she wasn't my best friend's daughter, it would have been rather romantic.

She shifted in my arms and before I knew it, my head was lowering to hers. Our lips met in a kiss that was so sweet, so tender and full of innocence that it made heart ache. As I ended the kiss, my mind was reeling. What had I done? She was my best friend's little girl. I had changed her nappies when she was a baby and helped raise her. I couldn't do this to her. I couldn't do it to my friends.

My hand traced her jaw, then raised it so that her eyes to mine. As I feared. They held hints of infatuation. I had to get out of there. My voice hardened as I stepped back. "You're not ready for me Hannah. Stick with boys your own age. I'll be back when you're ready for an adult relationship."

I turned and strode away from her, not wanting to see the pain I had deliberately inflicted on her. As soon as I returned to my apartment, I started to pack. The door bounced off the wall and I didn't have to turn around to know who was behind me. "You don't have to worry. I'm going. I'll be on the plane to Sydney within the hour, from there, I'm going home to Germany."