by Bonnie Dee
“You’re being ridiculous. Calm down.” His measured tone only served to further infuriate her. How dare he be cool when she was burning with anger? “You know Jacob would never force himself on you. Neither of us would. You’ve been a willing participant in everything we’ve done together.”
“I wouldn’t have been if I’d known it was all a ploy to get me knocked up.” She was beyond being reasonable and close to screaming in frustration, her emotions tumbling beyond her ability to control them. “I don’t want to listen to you anymore. Just call the damn pilot and get me out of here.”
Valarian started to reach for her again, but dropped his hand to his side, instead. “As you wish. I’ll keep my promise.”
Akila turned sharply on her heel to march from the room, but tripped on her flip-flop and almost fell before she recovered her balance and scurried away. Her graceless exit pissed her off even more.
By the time she reached her room, she was blinded by tears. She grabbed her suitcase from beneath the bed, opened it and began stuffing it full of her clothes, sniffling and wiping away the blur from her eyes all the while. Was she overreacting? Valarian had made her question herself. It was true she’d been an equal participant every step of the way. No one had forced her to sleep with Jacob or with Valarian, and contraceptives were never one hundred percent proof against pregnancy.
But it was the vampire’s lie of omission that upset her so much. He’d known information and withheld it from her. Like Miguel and his cheating ways. Even when she’d caught that bastard with Gloria, he’d claimed nothing physical had happened between them. Trying to have his cake and his cream pie too, Miguel had convinced Akila that Gloria was sad after a breakup and he was merely listening to her as a good friend should. The weasel had convinced her for a while, but eventually she’d uncovered the truth—in the Sent folder of his email. Akila read a flurry of explicit emails that linked him and Gloria in ways even Miguel couldn’t explain away, and she’d kicked Miguel out of her apartment and her life the next day.
She shoved the last of her dirty clothes in the bag and struggled to zip it. If Valarian kept his word, by the time Jacob returned tomorrow she’d be gone. Was that fair to him? Was any of this his fault or was he as clueless as she? She might call him and find out, but it wouldn’t change anything. Right now, pregnant or not, she simply needed to get away from both men and sort things out on her own. And she didn’t want her budding feelings for Jacob—or Valarian—to influence whatever decisions she might make.
When she was finished packing, she returned to the computer terminal where she’d been so happy just an hour before. She sat, prepared to make flight reservations, but realized she didn’t know when she’d be returned to the mainland.
Valarian appeared in the doorway. “My private plane will be here soon. I’ve booked you a flight from Miami to Chicago for early evening. No layover. You should be home well before midnight.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“Will you reconsider, Akila? I’m sorry I misled you, but everything else still holds true. You’re needed here. And wanted. Apart from all this prophecy business, I’ve become extremely fond of you. And I believe Jacob is halfway in love with you as well.”
She held up her hand. “I can’t hear that right now. Please don’t try to convince me. I need some time and space. When can I expect the plane?”
“Within the hour.” Valarian remained poised in the doorway another minute that felt like an excruciating year. She thought he might say more, but in the end he bowed his head and left her alone.
With time to kill, she decided to text a few of her close friends and tell them to expect her back in Chicago. Then she checked incoming messages that she’d lately been ignoring.
Her mom’s last text was menacingly curt. “We need to talk. Return my calls!”
Of course she was pissed. Why wouldn’t she be? Akila had been keeping her out of the loop ever since she’d lost her job and couldn’t find another. She hadn’t wanted to call until she had good news to report—and definitely hadn’t wanted to explain her position working for Valarian Kaspan. Well, she couldn’t deal with her mom today. Soon enough she might be calling to tell her the very unwelcome news that she was pregnant.
Akila decided to wait at the airstrip for the plane to come in. The longer she stayed in this house, the more she felt her will to go weaken. But she couldn’t flee without at least saying goodbye to Valarian. She found him in the living room, feeding his birds, arm outstretched into their cage. The birds perched on his long fingers and fed from his palm. How delicate and careful he was with tiny creatures he could so easily crush or devour. She wished he’d been as careful about telling the truth to her.
When he turned his gaze on her, she felt her insides begin to go mushy. All she had to do was forgive him an omission of facts and step into his arms. She knew he’d welcome her. The memory of them having sex—right over there, pressed against the glass—swept through her.
“I won’t ask you again to reconsider,” he said, shoring up her eroding will. “But I hope that after you’ve had some time to yourself you’ll come back to us. Jacob and I will be waiting for you. While you’re home, be watchful. If you see anyone out of the ordinary or feel you’re being watched, let me know. If Overton knows about you, I’m concerned for your safety.”
“Thank you.” She hated that she felt grateful for his concern. She hated that just the thought of being back in Chicago was making her miss both Jacob’s soulful warmth and Valarian’s playful sense of humor. She’d come to care for these two men so quickly.
It was hard to rouse her earlier righteous anger. She needed it now to sweep her the rest of the way out the door. But she’d have to do it on her own.
“Goodbye.” She turned and walked out of the room with her suitcase rolling behind her.
Within fifteen minutes she was buckled into a seat on a plane taxiing down the runway. The blue-green ocean flashed past the window, the strip of white sand, palm trees, flowers. But she couldn’t see Valarian’s house until the bird rose in the air, then she got a great view of the building’s red-tiled roofs before it receded in the distance.
She’d been on the island for only a little over a week, a week in which her life had been altered forever. Flying back to Chicago no longer felt like returning home. Akila very much feared she could never return to “normal” life and that this trip was only an illusion of escape from her destiny.
For better or worse, her place was now with a vampire and his thrall. And if that wasn’t the pitch for a blockbuster movie, she didn’t know what was.
Chapter Thirteen
Long before Jacob heard Valarian’s voice on the cell phone, he knew something was wrong. He had the phone on vibrate as he sat at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing, and it nearly drilled a hole in his leg with its constant buzzing.
Finally, he slipped the phone out of his pocket and read the text message. Jacob, take next flight to Chicago. Akila’s gone home. I’ll join you soon.
His stomach dropped. What the hell had the bloody bastard done to send her running? He mentally cursed his master as he stuffed files in his briefcase and made an excuse of ill health to the lawyer sitting next to him. Then he made a hasty exit from the chamber, flipping open the phone and dialing home.
“What happened?”
“I told her there’s a possibility she’s already pregnant. She got mad and wanted to leave. I couldn’t keep her, but I don’t want her out there alone. You need to go to Chicago and keep watch over her until I get there. I’ll fly as soon as it’s dark.”
Jacob’s head whirled, trying to wrap around the abrupt change in circumstances. When he’d left home early that morning, everything had been fine. Following an uneventful trip, he’d made his obligatory appearance on Valarian’s behalf at the hearing on aid to third world countries.
He descended the steps of the House office building and stood in the shade to hail a taxi. “What do you mean, she mig
ht be pregnant? I thought Akila was still on birth control. She told me she wasn’t ready to commit to this baby plan yet.”
A gusty sigh came from the phone. “Just go. I’ll explain later.”
“You can tell me while I’m on my way. Listening won’t slow me down.” He refused to let Valarian hang up without an explanation.
“It seems Overton’s opponent Wieser has died, leaving the playing field pretty open for him. Akila asked again if I would come out as a vampire, releasing her from the need to bear this child. I told her it’s a destiny she can’t escape and that the Sisters had said nothing would stop it.”
A taxi stopped by the curb. Jacob dashed through a patch of sunlight, climbed into the car and told the driver his hotel address. “So you promised Akila the choice was hers but it wasn’t true? And you dragged me into your lie. She probably assumes I was part of it. Did you even bother to tell her I was your puppet too?”
Dead silence gave him his answer.
“I’ll call her,” Jacob said, speaking aloud to himself. “Tell her I didn’t know.”
“I think it’s better if you don’t.” Of course, Valarian would say that. Since Akila was angry at him, he wanted Jacob to take some of the heat. “Anyway, she’s on a flight and probably has her phone off. Just get on a plane and get to her. I’m nervous about Overton since she said she felt she was being watched outside her apartment.”
“That was probably me, playing stalker for you,” Jacob said bitterly, “and now you want me to do it again.”
“Guardian angel, not stalker. She could be in danger. Are you going to leave her alone and vulnerable?”
No, of course he wasn’t. He’d be on the next plane whether Valarian told him to go or not, but he was damn tired of having his master pull his strings. “I’ve got to call the airport and book a flight. I’ll talk to you later.”
He ended the call without offering a goodbye and glared out the window at the busy Washington streets. Anger at Valarian warred with nervous panic as he considered what Overton’s minions could do to Akila—assuming they knew of her existence. He wished he was an angel with wings to fly across the country straight to her. He’d hover over her and keep her safe whether she wanted him to or not.
Jacob winced and leaned back in the seat, rubbing a hand over the gathering headache in his temples. This was bad. He cared for her too much, far more than she probably cared for him, or she wouldn’t have left without a word, without waiting to hear his side of the story. Not even a phone call or text. That cut like a knife. He’d thought he meant a little more to her than that.
But it didn’t matter. Whether she loved him or despised him, he would be there, close by, keeping her safe. He lifted his phone and called the airline reservation desk.
Valarian stared at his captive birds and felt like one of them. He was trapped in this house until the sun went down and he could fly away. His reservation from Miami airport was set, and his private plane awaited him on the airstrip. If the pilot wondered about making three trips to and from the island in one day, he would certainly never question the man who paid him so well.
But the sun’s rays lingered like a curse. And seeing the birds in their cage reminded him that no matter how spacious, it was still a cage. He suddenly hated the sight of them. He opened the door and left it wide, but not one of them ventured out. He’d kept them incarcerated too long and they’d forgotten what freedom meant.
Like him. Growing placid and flaccid on this bit of paradise. He hadn’t been out in the world scrapping and fighting for far too long, an aged warrior with his boots off and his feet up in front of a fire. Now he was ready to go out and take back his honor.
Akila had had every right to confront him about revealing his true identity to the world. He might hide behind the idea that knowing the truth about vampires would upset a delicate balance between normal and paranormal. But the truth was that he was afraid. What if his billions of dollars weren’t enough to protect him from villagers with pitchforks and torches? What if the U.S. Army or some other organization decided he needed to be caged and studied, or even put to death? What if the rest of the vampire community decided to destroy him for exposing them all?
None of these possibilities was appealing. And that was exactly how Akila must feel when presented with an ultimatum about becoming pregnant in order to save her species. The prophecy and even the visions he’d been shown were vague about what exactly their progeny would do. Why should Akila give up her youth and freedom to become a mother when she wasn’t assured of the necessity of it? And why shouldn’t she expect just as much of a sacrifice from him?
He’d once been a lion, devouring everything in his path. Surely he could step forward now and bare his teeth once more. After he went to Chicago and checked that Akila had arrived safely and that Jacob was watching over her, he’d call a press conference.
Then the world would have a revelation such as it had never known.
Her trip from Miami to Chicago had been completely uneventful, but Akila was exhausted by the time she climbed the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door. She wanted to collapse on her bed and sleep, forget about Jacob’s sad eyes, which haunted her, Valarian’s lie. which taunted her, and erase the visions of babies dancing in her head. But on the taxi ride from the airport, she’d swung by a pharmacy and picked up a pregnancy kit and she couldn’t wait until morning to find out the truth. The results might give her a sleepless night or lay her fears to rest.
Who was she kidding? No matter what the results she wouldn’t rest easy, because she still had a decision to make about her future. Would she return to Jacob and Valarian and take on destiny, or continue on the meandering path of a twenty-something trying to make her way in the world?
Her apartment smelled so familiar, a little stuffy but air-freshener sweet. She flicked on the light switch and looked around her place at her furniture, her books, her overflowing desk, her kitchenette and bed all contained in one ratty studio apartment. It wasn’t much after the luxury of the past week, but it was home—or should have been. She felt the way she had when she’d visited her parents during her college years, like the place she’d always called home didn’t fit her anymore. She’d gained a few pounds and needed a larger size.
Akila left her suitcase standing near the door and tossed the pharmacy bag on the counter. She thought of Jacob and suddenly missed him with a sharp pang of longing as if she hadn’t seen him for days instead of just that morning. She turned to close and lock the door behind her.
The door crashed open and a man lunged through it and grabbed her. His hard hands encircled her arms and jerked her toward him with powerful strength. Akila opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, a second man entered behind him. He seized her nape in a viselike grip and something sharp stabbed the side of her neck. Almost immediately, her vision went blurry and her brain unfocused. The faces of her intruders warped and hazed.
Akila fought against the drug infiltrating her system, but her efforts to remain conscious were futile. The last thing she knew before she passed out was that the strangers were carrying her away.
A fuck-up at the airport delayed Jacob’s flight. Some security situation that required guards to visually scan every compartment of the jet kept the passengers idling in the terminal.
Jacob alternated calling and texting both Valarian and Akila, but neither responded to his summons. Valarian’s phone was probably off because he was in the air. Jacob left a message for him about his own flight delay.
The sound of Akila’s voice giving her voicemail message made his heart twist. Jacob told her he was sorry Valarian had withheld the truth but that he hadn’t been a part of it. Even though it was the truth, he thought the message came across a bit like one boy trying to blame another after the teacher had caught them both cheating.
Although he hadn’t known Akila might become pregnant despite birth control, Jacob hadn’t really been worried about the prospect either. Maybe there was a par
t of him that was a little thrilled by the prospect of her carrying his child—his, not Valarian’s, no matter what the prophecy said. Perhaps he felt a secret flush of ego and pride because his sperm were potent enough to plow through man-made barriers and claim her as his mate.
Waiting for hours at the airport was a frustration beyond endurance when all he wanted to do was be with Akila, look her in the eye and convince her he’d never meant her any harm and would be with her for all time, if she would have him. The intensity of his feelings for her frightened him, but the idea of not seeing her again frightened him even more.
And as for his feelings about Valarian…the usual mixture of annoyance, exasperation, loyalty and love applied. No matter how angry Jacob got with his master sometimes, he could no more separate from the man than sever a connection to a conjoined twin.
As he finally stood in line to get on the plane, Jacob felt a crackling along his spine, a preternatural sense of danger that his body picked up like a long distance antenna. His phone rang and he seized it from his pocket. Valarian, at last.
“Where are you?” Jacob demanded.
“Chicago. Phone was off for the flight. Where are you?”
“About to board in D.C.”
“Don’t. Stay there. I think something’s happened to Akila. Her apartment door was open when I arrived and she’s missing.”
Jacob stopped walking and let the people behind him shuffle forward. “Maybe she didn’t go to Chicago. She could’ve changed her mind and her ticket and flown to her parents’ house. Or maybe she’s staying with a friend. What makes you think something happened? Are there signs of a struggle?”
“No. I just know. I can feel she’s in danger.”
Jacob didn’t argue with Valarian’s premonition. The vampire’s connection to those he’d claimed as his with a bite sometimes made him aware of them as if they were an extension of his body.
