Arena Wars Trilogy

by Hoffman, Samantha

  “Alanna, I don’t think I can spend the next nine months wondering if you’re going to die giving birth to my devil spawn.”

  I immediately bristled at that, and he noticed. “Don’t call him that.” I wasn’t sure why I was feeling so defensive of a baby that I hadn’t even come to terms with yet, let alone a baby that very well might kill me, but I felt the strangest urge to defend it from anything, even snide, angry remarks. “This is our baby, Quinten. Don’t forget that. None of this is his fault.”

  “His?” he asked. “You’ve already decided it’s a boy?” he sounded almost horrified, and I chose to ignore that. “Alanna, this thing might kill you!”

  “Stop!” I ordered, silencing any further arguments. “This is our baby, not a devil spawn. End of discussion.”

  “I think Alanna’s right,” Jax said, surprising us both. “This baby didn’t ask for any of this, Quinten. Imagine if that was you; he didn’t ask to be conceived. He’s just there for now.”

  Quinten sighed. “I know; I guess I just want someone else to blame other than myself.”

  “Dad?” I asked. “I’m not feeling very good, so I’m gonna go see if I can’t get some rest. I’ve been really tired and hungry lately, and this day’s been kind of…surprising.”

  “Alright, get some rest Kiddo. You need to find a doctor to confirm everything, and then you need to call me again. Don’t make me wait too long or I’ll have to do something stupid like hunt the two of you down for information.”

  “Alright, Dad. We’ll call as soon as we know more.”

  “I love you, Kiddo.”

  “I love you too, Dad.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I slept for almost twelve full hours, and after a massive breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fruit, Violet took both Quinten and I to a friend of hers. She told us that her friend was a human doctor, but knew about the supernatural world. Apparently, a lot more people knew than I would have originally thought. We were supposed to keep our existence a secret, but apparently nobody did that anymore.

  The doctor gave us both hesitant smiles, and I couldn’t help but notice that she looked incredibly uncomfortable shaking Quinten’s hand. She didn’t look much happier to see me, and I wondered just how much of a friend she was to Violet. “Don’t worry about Annabelle; she just doesn’t like meeting strange vampires.”

  “Should I?” Annabelle asked gruffly. “Most times they’d rather rip out your throat than shake your hand. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met a good vampire. At least, not one that didn’t keep secrets from everyone they know.

  “True,” Violet admitted. “And you should know that I only keep secrets when absolutely necessary, like right now for instance. I’m sorry I was so vague on the phone, but I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure we were alone and you could see us on such short notice.”

  “Yes, well, this had better be important, because I had to move a hell of a lot of appointments around to fit you in. Now,” she said, turning to me. “What is so important that I had to see the two of you right now?”

  “She’s a werewolf that’s pregnant with her vampire soul mate’s baby,” Violet said.

  There was a moment of stunned silence, and I could almost see everything working its way through Annabelle’s mind. After a minute, she said, “Oh. I see.” Her eyes drifted down to my stomach, and I had the strangest urge to cross my arms over my stomach and shield my baby from her piercing stare. “Well, alright then. Let’s take a look at you.”

  She led us to an empty, private room, and locked the door behind us. Violet stood off to one corner, looking much better today than when she left the apartment last night. She no longer looked jealous, and that made me feel better about being around her. Annabelle patted an examination chair, and I turned my attention back to her.

  “Hop up here, and we’ll see if we can’t get a look at your baby. Can you tell me how far along you are?”

  I was too ashamed to tell her I didn’t understand a lot about pregnancy, having had only Ray to fill in the pieces, so I just shook my head. I hadn’t paid much attention in Health class my freshman year, and I didn’t have any friends with babies, so my experience with pregnancy was limited to what I’d seen on television. I didn’t even know how to figure out a timeline to establish a due date.

  Annabelle looked at me with a well-trained eye. “Alright, roll up your shirt just a bit, and I’ll give you a squirt. You know that jelly stuff they show on television? Well, it’ll be a little cold, but nothing you probably can’t handle. Now, if you’ve just realized you’re pregnant, you can’t be more than seven or eight weeks, if that, so you probably won’t see much on the screen, but we’ll see.”

  She squirted a glob of cold jelly-like stuff on my stomach, grabbed a small, handheld machine, and she placed it against my bare skin. It tingled a little, and I took a deep, calming breath. Despite everything we didn’t know about this baby, I had to admit I was kind of excited. I knew Quinten was terrified he was going to lose me, but after what Jenna had said last night, I started to think.

  Maybe she’s right. Maybe this baby is meant to be. I shouldn’t be able to have children with the man I love, but here I am, pregnant with his baby. It has to be fate of some kind.

  I’d spent most of last night wondering if I’d make a good mother, and if I’d even live long enough to find out. I should have been more scared than I was, and I was absolutely terrified last night, but now it was all kind of just numb. There was a dull excitement, but not a lot else. I didn’t know what Quinten thought about all of this, because he refused to talk about the baby, but I hoped he’d eventually love this baby.

  Annabelle tensed, and I instantly picked up on it. She frowned. “That’s…strange.”

  “What? What is it? Is he alright?” There was a slight hysteria to my voice I hated, but I didn’t care right now. Was Annabelle about to tell me I’d lost the baby, and probably my only chance to have the baby of the man I loved?

  She sighed. “Well, I can’t actually see the baby yet, because you’re not that far along, but it seems to be fine.”

  “Then what’s wrong?” Violet asked, stepping forward. “You look…confused.”

  “I am. You said you only had sex for the first time nine days ago, right?”

  “Ten now. Why?”

  She took a deep breath. “You seem to be much further along than that. I’d say, judging on the size of this baby, that you’re at least a month along, if not six weeks.”

  My jaw dropped. “How is that possible? My body shouldn’t even be registering the fact I’m pregnant yet, right? How am I almost a month along?”

  “The only thing I can think of is that this fetus for some reason grows much faster than a normal one would. Don’t ask me why or how that’s possible, because I haven’t the faintest clue. That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own.” She looked at me closely, and I felt the urge to squirm under her appraising gaze. “Are you sure you’ve only been sexually active for ten days?”

  I nodded, and so did Quinten. “Yes, we’re both sure,” he said tightly. “It was her first time. Trust me. I’m the only guy Alanna’s ever been with, and ever will be with. Maybe you’re just looking at it wrong,” he said.

  Annabelle frowned. “I’m not looking at it wrong. I’ve been doing this for eight years. There is a very distinctive difference in the age of this fetus, and the amount of time you’ve been sexually active. I’m not sure how it’s physically possible, but at least now you know that you are indeed pregnant.”

  “Is the baby healthy? Can you tell that kind of thing from an ultrasound?”

  “Well, the baby’s heartbeat seems strong and sure and there doesn’t seem to be any fetal distress or anything to indicate a possible miscarriage. So, for now, I’d say your baby is healthy, even if it does grow abnormally fast.”

  “Judging by how far along she appears, and how long you know they’ve been sexually active, can you determine a possible due da
te?” Violet asked, and I flinched. I was the mom-to-be; shouldn’t I be the one asking those questions? No, I was too worried about other, less important things.

  Annabelle shrugged as she wiped off her instruments. “It’s impossible to say right now. The baby’s rate of growth could slow down, or even speed up. I’ll need a little more time to determine anything for sure. Come back in…oh, let’s say two weeks…and we’ll check the baby out again. Ok?”

  I nodded, since there wasn’t much else to do, and she put her hand on my shoulder. I tensed under her touch and barely resisted the urge to snap at her hand, which I thought was too close to my baby for comfort, and immediately felt ashamed. What’s wrong with me? I just considered attacking her for being near my shoulder. That’s definitely not normal behavior!

  “Now, over the next few weeks, you may experience some more symptoms like heartburn, nausea, increased appetite, frequent urination, and mood swings. Don’t worry; these things come standard with pretty much every pregnancy in the history of mankind. If you feel the urge to talk, call me at this number,” she said, handing me a white card. “My office number is on the front, and my cell number is on the back.”

  “Thank you,” I said, touched that she would offer me support. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “No, I don’t,” she admitted. “But to be honest, I’m more than a little curious about how this all plays out in the end. I understand that this is not the first dhampir born, but the first one born to a werewolf, and I would like to have some questions answered.

  “So, I would suggest you go home, get some rest, and then start looking up whatever information you might find. A lot of stuff on the internet will be ridiculous and made up, but there might be some truth in it. Just keep looking.”

  “Thank you, Annabelle,” Violet said, shaking hands with her “friend”. “We’ll give you a call if she needs anything. But for now, rest is probably a good idea.”

  “I don’t need to rest,” I complained. “I slept almost twelve hours last night! If I get anymore rest, I’ll go insane.”

  Annabelle chuckled. “Honey, you’re pregnant. You’ll be getting quite a bit of rest once you start to get bigger. You won’t wanna move around so much, and you’ll be begging for bed rest, just to ease your swollen ankles, stiff neck, and sore back.”

  “Headaches, heartburn, weight gain, swollen body parts…jeez, is there any part of pregnancy that’s pleasant?” Quinten asked, speaking for the first time in a few minutes.

  Annabelle smiled. “Of course there is. Feeling the baby kick for the first time is often one of the happiest moments of any parent’s life, that is, until you actually get to see and hold your baby for the first time.”

  “Well, we might have a while to wait for that.”

  “And you might not,” Annabelle said seriously. “You need to start planning for this baby, and soon. It’ll need a crib, diapers, clothing, toys, bathing supplies, etc. The list goes on and on, and babies can be very expensive. Have you thought about how you’re going to support a child?”

  Quinten visibly flinched. “We’re still working on that.” I knew that being unemployed, on the run, and in constant danger did not sit well with Quinten. He wanted to be able to settle down somewhere and take care of me, like I’d been doing for him over the past few weeks.

  “Well, good luck to the two of you,” Annabelle said, ushering us both from her examination room. “I’ll see you both soon. Take care of yourself, and that baby, until then.”

  *****

  Back at the apartment, Violet immediately ordered me to lie down on the couch and kick my feet up. She brought me a tall glass of water and ordered me to stay hydrated, while she and Quinten took up places in front of an ancient looking computer. They began searching the internet for any mention of dhampirs, looking for any information we didn’t already have.

  I forced myself to sip at my water, even though what I really wanted to do was get up and join them. I didn’t like being the one sitting around acting useless; I just wasn’t used to it. I wanted to be up and making plans, and figuring everything out. Now, I couldn’t even get to the fridge myself.

  Before I even got off the couch, Violet shot me a look. “Don’t move. Whatever you need, I’ll get it.”

  I sighed. “I’m perfectly capable of walking to the fridge, Violet.”

  She bit her lip for a second, before nodding. “Alright, just be careful. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

  “All I’m doing is walking to the fridge, Violet. I’m not going to get into a fight, or slip down a flight of stairs, or fall out of a window. The surface of the floor is flat, and there’s absolutely nothing for me to trip on. So, please, just relax a little.”

  She rolled her eyes, and went back to peering at the screen over Quinten’s shoulder. If she was treating me like glass now, I couldn’t imagine how bad she’d be when I started to show. I wouldn’t put it past her to lock me in a room and feed me through a slot in the door, all to keep me off my feet and from accidentally hurting my baby.

  Why is she so interested in this baby’s welfare? She seems like a nice person, but she’s only known us for a few days. She’s going way beyond what any other friend would do for us. Then it hit me. Her mate was killed for loving her, because they thought it was wrong. When I have this baby, it’ll prove that she wasn’t crazy, that werewolves don’t only have to love other werewolves…

  She needed this baby to be born happy and healthy, so she could prove that she wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. On the one hand, I knew that it meant she would probably help take great care of both me and the baby, but on the other hand, I felt kind of strange knowing she depended so much on this baby.

  I dug around the fridge for a few minutes, before coming away with the makings of a turkey sandwich, and a bag of baked pretzels from the cupboard. I snacked on the pretzels while making sandwiches, and when I was done, I wrapped two in napkins and handed them to Violet and Quinten. “You guys need to eat, too.”

  Quinten took his without looking away from the screen. “Thanks,” he mumbled around a mouth of turkey. “Look at this. I stumbled across it while just randomly surfing through websites. Read what it says.”

  The page was almost entirely blood red, with black, demonic angels in the background. The title of the page read: Demon Babies. Fact or Fiction?

  In this world, there are many different creatures of myth. To name a few: werewolves, ghouls, shapeshifters, and fairies. There are hundreds more though, and each culture has their own name and version. The most common of these creatures is the now romanticized vampire.

  However, vampires are not the lonely, brooding, soulful men seen in today’s modern Young Adult fiction books. They are in fact soulless, heartless monsters that would kill a child just for the sheer thrill of the hunt. Blood is not the only thing a vampire will take from its victim.

  On occasion, a vampire is often known to seduce human woman, and sometimes the woman will find herself unexpectedly pregnant. What to do in such a case where the baby growing inside of your own body doesn’t feel “right”? Do you head to the nearest clinic and destroy the baby, or do you give birth to the child of a monster?

  The baby is not compatible with its wholly human mother, and will destroy her during birth. That child then grows up without anyone to guide and teach it, and will kill indiscriminately for years, until caught and destroyed. All because there is no parent to teach it right from wrong.

  What if the mother of the child weren’t human herself? What if she were strong enough to survive birthing such a creature? Could these monsters be taught some morals? Could they become safe enough to survive in a populated area without arousing suspicion?

  What kind of woman must it take to survive such an agonizingly painful birth? Another vampire is out of the question. Vampires remain unchanging from the moment they are turned, and a woman’s body must go through many changes during pregnancy. But what about werewolves?

>   Werewolves are thought to stop aging once they shift for the first time, but it is common belief that they revert to a more animalistic cycle of fertility. A female werewolf is thought to go into heat twice a year, in which time it’s possible to become pregnant. If she were to become pregnant with a vampire’s offspring, would she be strong enough to survive the birth?

  Rapid healing and a higher pain tolerance would come in handy, but nobody can know for sure what the outcome would be. However, if anyone were to survive the birth of such a monster, surely it would be a monster of equal strength and terror?

  I finished reading the webpage in silence and, when I was done, I looked over at Quinten. His face was tight with worry, and I hesitantly squeezed his shoulder. Instead of pulling away like I’d expected, he leaned into my touch. “What do you think?”

  “That if anyone can survive this baby, it’s me,” I said, kissing his cheek. “We can do this, Quinten. Trust me.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  *****

  Quinten and Violet shut off the computer a while later and he joined me on the couch. I curled up beside him, and he instantly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me as close as possible. I knew he was more worried about my health than ever before, and I couldn’t say I blamed him.

  The webpage he found didn’t inspire much confidence, and it didn’t help that Quinten now considered himself a monster for “doing this to me”. We’d only known about the baby for approximately two days, and already he had developed a habit of lapsing into long, uncomfortable silences. Whenever he stopped talking I would shift uncomfortably and wait for him to come back to reality. Sometimes I would have to wait for hours before he would start talking again, and I always worried when that happened.