He sighed, and rubbed his face with his hands. “Ugh, Kiddo, why can’t you just be normal?” He looked at me and smiled faintly. “Sometimes I wish you could have had a normal life, free from the limits of being a werewolf. You could have gone to school with your old friends, you could have eventually married Quinten and had normal children, and there wouldn’t have been a crazy psychotic werewolf and a revenge-driven vampire trying to kill you.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted that kind of life.”
“But–”
“But nothing, Dad. Believe it or not, I’m happy with the way my life is turning out. At least, I will be when this is all over and Quinten and I can start our real lives together. I’ll have these children and we’ll raise them in a safe environment, surrounded by people that love and adore them. Then, once they’re a little older, I’ll go back to school, and Quinten and I can support our family. Then, someday down the road, hopefully you’ll be able to walk me down the aisle and give me away at my wedding.
“Dad, my life is not ruined; it’s on its way to being perfect. I get to spend eternity with the man I love, and I get to have my father by my side for just as long. And hopefully my children, too. How many people get that?”
He eyed me with an amused expression on his face. “You really love him, don’t you? I always knew. Ever since the day you were turned, you were so worried about not being able to keep him in your life, I knew you were in love with him, even if you didn’t yet. At least Quinten was smart enough to know it.”
I shoved him gently. “Speaking of love, what’s going on between you and Jenna? She looked so relieved when she said you would be alright, I just couldn’t believe the two of you weren’t together. You know, you’re never too old to get a second chance at happiness. I know most werewolves don’t try it, but I think you should.”
He smiled again. “You really think I should try it? You wouldn’t be, I don’t know, unhappy? You wouldn’t think I was just trying to be happy by any means necessary?”
“Dad, if you’re over Carmen enough to move on, you should do it. Nobody would blame you for moving on to someone more loving, caring, and warm. I mean, I still don’t know Jenna all that well, but you two seem to really like each other.”
He nodded. “We do.”
“I know she’s not your soul mate, but–”
“Alanna, you don’t have to spend your life with your soul mate. Our mates give us what we need in life. Yeah, my soul mate turned out to be a psychotic, murderous bitch, but without her, I wouldn’t have had the most important person in my life. Without her, I wouldn’t have had you, and I’ll thank Carmen for that for as long as I live. Now, you need to get back to sleep,” he said, kissing my forehead. “I’m finally well enough that we can start planning our next move. Hopefully we’ll be ready for Roger’s next attack.”
“Goodnight, Dad.”
I headed back to the room that Quinten and I were sharing with Darren and Jax–who were now sharing a bed as well–and climbed in next to Quinten. His arm slid around my waist, pulling me closer, and I leaned into his touch, falling asleep almost instantly.
Chapter Six
The next morning was horrible. Before we’d even started our breakfast, Dennis and Haley came bursting through the backdoor. Both looked winded, and Haley looked a little frightened. Ray immediately stopped what he was doing and he gathered everyone in the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“Roger revealed Alanna to the entire werewolf community. They know about Quinten and the twins. Everyone is not happy! They held a meeting here in town, and there was talk of hangings and fights. We have to get her out of here before it’s too late,” Haley said, looking at me. “If you stay here, you’ll be hung, or slaughtered. They don’t want these babies to ever be born, and they’ll do anything to keep it from happening, even murder one of their own.”
“Even though they could end centuries of fighting?” Darren asked incredulously. “I don’t see what’s so wrong with these babies. It’s not like they’re gonna be murderous, bloodsucking monsters. They’re not even born yet and people want them dead!”
“They’re scared of what these babies might grow up to be,” Jax said, looking at Quinten. “They might be more vampire than werewolf. We don’t know. They might be perfectly fine, growing up to be normal people capable of love and honesty, but they might also be savages, incapable of anything but bloodshed. We have to understand that. I can see why the Council is so upset.”
“They’re not monsters,” I said, glaring at Jax. “They’re babies, and what they might do doesn’t excuse what the werewolf community wants to do to them. They haven’t hurt anyone yet, and they won’t,” I said, positive that the babies I was carrying could never be monsters of any kind.
“I agree with Alanna,” Quinten said. “They haven’t hurt anyone, and they won’t. It’s wrong for us to assume the worst about an innocent child.”
“We’ll have to wait until they’re born to be sure,” Jenna said, looking at me. “If what you told me is true, then they might be shifting because they’re restless or because they’re running out of room and trying to make more. If that’s true, it may be time for you to deliver sooner than I originally thought. It could be as early as this week.”
I immediately clamped down on my fear, refusing to let anyone see how terrified I was, and I met Jenna’s eyes. “Whatever needs to be done. If they need more room, we’ll give it to them.” I wasn’t sure if I was one hundred percent ready to be a parent yet, but I figured nobody ever really was.
Ray cleared his throat. “I have a few phone calls to make. Hopefully I can get some more people on our side. It sounds like we’re gonna need all the help we can get our hands on.” He shut himself in his study, which was quickly becoming the babies’ room.
Dennis spoke next. “Violet and I are going to teach Quinten to fight today. He does pretty well for someone that hasn’t had formal training, but pretty well won’t keep him alive during the upcoming fight. Anyone else that wants to learn, or maybe just pick up some new techniques, you’re welcome to come with us.”
Darren and Jenna took Dennis up on his offer, and I was secretly glad. During our fight with the Council members and their body guards, it quickly became apparent that Jenna was a healer, not a fighter. If she was going to survive this fight with Roger and his cronies, she’d have to learn to defend herself, and soon.
If she died, what would happen to Ray? He’s finally getting to the point where he could move on with his life, with someone else, and he might lose that. Would it destroy him even more the second time around?
I took my breakfast and followed the others out to the backyard, where Dennis and Violet were going to be teaching for the next few days. Darren and Quinten were seated in the grass, and I joined them. Quinten pulled me closer, and I picked at the food on my plate as everyone watched Dennis and Violet demonstrate some basic but powerful moves.
Dennis and Violet looked a little uncomfortable around one another, and I thought it might be because Dennis didn’t have any good experiences with vampires, and Violet didn’t like werewolves because of Roger. She was helping me because it meant she would finally get her revenge against the man that had killed her mate, but I didn’t know if she actually liked me or not. Probably not, since I was just a means to an end for her.
The lesson began with Dennis lunging at Violet, trying for a wild haymaker to the head. Violet ducked and spun under his arm, coming up in front of him. Her foot lashed out, landing a snap kick to his thigh. It buckled from the force of her kick, and she hooked her leg around his bent knee, yanking it out from beneath Dennis. He pitched forward, and Violet flipped over him and straddled his back, using her left hand to shove his face into the dirt.
Dennis brought his elbow back, slamming it directly into Violet’s face. Her nose shattered and started gushing blood, and Dennis bucked her off, rolling out from under her and jumping to his feet. He wrapped an arm around her throat, cutting off her air s
upply, and she struggled to break his hold.
Finally, she grabbed his wrist and twisted hard enough to make him let go. He cursed, and she spun away from him, bringing her foot up in a wide roundhouse kick. It connected solidly with his face, and Dennis dropped to the ground like a rock, and he moaned once.
“No fair. I thought we were refraining from fancy moves,” Dennis said, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Sorry,” Violet said sheepishly. “I got carried away. I’ve been doing this for many years; it’s hard to fall out of my old habits.” She offered Dennis her hand, which he slowly took. “Alright, let’s show them how to dislodge an opponent from their back. That’s always a useful skill to possess.”
Violet and Dennis spent the next hour showing the move, and they helped Quinten, Darren, and Jenna to practice. It was almost painful to watch Jenna try and fight, but Dennis remained patient with her, offering encouragement and advice when necessary. However, Quinten and Darren both appeared to have a knack for fighting, and excelled at almost everything Dennis and Violet showed them.
After awhile, Ray joined us outside, and he took a seat next to me in the grass. He glanced quickly at my stomach before looking away, and he sighed. “I’ve spoken to some other old friends, and I think I might have more help coming. I’m not sure yet, though. I’m running out of people to call and favors to call in.”
“Dad, I think we’ll be fine the way we are. A lot of people don’t support Roger anymore. Not since Quinten and I went on trial and he was exposed for keeping the dhampirs in his dungeons. Now people know that he’s batshit crazy, and they want nothing to do with him. Plus, having Ilene standing by his side probably isn’t helping his recruiting process any.”
“I know, but he’s been alive for a very, very long time, Alanna. He’s got many friends that owe him favors, and he won’t hesitate to call those people in. Most of them are skilled fighters and could pose a very serious threat to us. We can’t take Roger’s allies lightly.”
“I know. We won’t.” Darren tossed Quinten to the ground, and he swept Darren’s legs out from beneath him. The two ended up laughing in the grass, and Darren shoved Quinten’s shoulder playfully. “They’re having fun with this,” I said, surprised. “They’re getting ready to fight for their lives, and they’re laughing about it. After everything that’s happened, don’t they realize how dangerous and serious this is?”
Ray nodded. “I’m sure they do, Kiddo. They’re enjoying themselves right now. Let them; they might not have much more to laugh about in the coming days. If they can find happiness for now, I think that’s a very good thing. Perhaps you should try it.”
Ray got to his feet and jumped into the play fight going on in the grass. He tackled Quinten to the ground, before snagging a laughing Jenna around the waist and pulling her into the dirt next to him. I watched everyone giggling and playing around, and strangely enough, I had the urge to join in. Everything was so serious and dangerous right now, it would be nice to have some fun before everything goes down.
“You know, your father’s right,” Maria said.
I looked over my shoulder. She was leaning against the side of the house with her arms crossed over her chest. An involuntary shudder ran down my spine as I took in her angelic, child-like features that were paired with her dead, glassy eyes. Anyone that knew about the supernatural world could never mistake her for an ordinary child.
Ever.
It always took me a minute to realize that she was a cold blooded killer, and it creeped me out that she always seemed to be staring at my stomach. It was hard to miss, and I caught the others looking at it from time to time, but it was different with her. Her eyes rarely left my stomach, and I thought I saw something sinister behind those blue eyes of hers.
“I know he’s right. Ray’s always right. The next few days are going to absolutely horrible, and they may even die. If they can have fun now, they should do it. I just think our time could be spent better. Until everyone is a good fighter, they should put practicing first.”
“The doctor will never be a good fighter,” Maria said flatly. It was amazing how lifeless and uncaring her voice sounded, almost as if she was talking about the weather instead of a person’s life.
“Then I’ll settle for decent. She’s too important for us to lose.”
“Why? Because she’s in love with your dad? Or because she’s the one that’ll end up delivering your babies?”
“I like Jenna, and I certainly don’t want to see her get hurt, but yes, those are good reasons to keep her safe. My dad deserves another chance to be happy again, and I don’t trust anyone else to get me through the actual labor.”
“Not even your father or soul mate?” she asked, eyeing Quinten and Ray, who were wrestling nearby. “I thought you loved them. I mean, we are doing all of this just so the two of you can be together, right?”
“That isn’t the only reason we’re doing this,” I said, feeling the need to defend myself from Maria’s piercing gaze. “I would never ask anyone to risk their lives just so Quinten and I could be together. This is about making our world a better place for both vampires and werewolves. If we can survive the next few days, we might be able to stop the fighting between the sides.
“And yes, I do love them, but as far as I know, neither of them has ever delivered a baby before. Let alone a half-vampire baby. Let alone twin half-vampire babies. If I have any chance of surviving this, I’ll need Jenna by my side to do it.”
She nodded. “Have you thought about what’ll happen if you don’t make it?”
“Yes. Quinten and I have talked about it,” I told her. I didn’t like the way she asked the question, almost like she expected me to die in the process. “He’ll raise them as best as he can, with Ray’s help. He won’t let anything happen to them. He promised.”
She looked at me with something that almost seemed like amusement in her eyes. “If you die giving birth to these babies, you don’t actually think your mate will raise them, do you? He’ll become an emotionally devastated wreck, and having to look at the things that killed you won’t help him much.”
I glared at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Right, because I haven’t been alive for more than a thousand years.” When she stopped laughing, she looked at me again, and the cold, lifeless look was back in her eyes. “The time I came from was notorious for death during childbirth. I had several friends growing up that killed their mothers during labor. Their fathers never forgave them, and your mate won’t ever forgive your children. They can’t see past the fact that their wives died to bring their children into the world.”
“You’re wrong,” I said stubbornly. “Quinten would never blame them. He and I talked about it, and he understands it’s not their fault.”
She rolled her eyes in obvious disbelief. “Ok, whatever you say. You’re right and I’m wrong. If you think believing that will magically make everything alright, you’re welcome to think however you want. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. That man will never be the same if he loses you.”
Maria turned and headed back to the house, completely ignoring everyone else around her. When she was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. It was sometimes hard to breathe around her, and I wasn’t sure why. It might have been because she was just so ancient that she’d experienced more than most others, or maybe it was just because she was so unbelievable creepy.
I’d never met anyone quite as unnerving as her, and I hoped I didn’t ever again.
I leaned back against the side of the house and watched Quinten and Darren fight. It was hard to tell who had the advantage, if either of them actually did. Quinten was a newly made vampire that had just recently gotten his sight back, but Darren had spent years in Roger’s dungeons working on his pain tolerance, and he had about as much fighting experience as Quinten did.
They weren’t bad. They were actually better than Jenna was, but the two needed plenty of pr
actice. It looked like Dennis and Violet were incredibly gifted at training others how to fight, because even Jenna seemed to be learning something. She looked wobbly and unsure of her stance, but Ray stepped in and helped her fix it so that it was near perfect.
Everyone except for me was in the backyard either learning to fight, or teaching others to fight. And I just sat in the grass, watching them. It was strange to see everyone that I cared about plus everyone willing to help fight for me together. They were all training so hard, just to help my family and what it stood for. Watching them all working together–werewolf and vampire–was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was so moving, so uplifting, that I finally realized that I would owe these people for the rest of my life.
No matter the outcome of the next few days, these people would always be an important part of my life. Right here and right now, I felt so loved and appreciated by everyone around me. Even though some of them like Dennis and Haley weren’t standing with us because they were my friends, they were here because they believed that what Quinten and I had was right, that it was ok, even though everyone else disagreed with us.
Quinten detached himself from the fighting and took a seat next to me in the grass. He draped his arm across my shoulders, and like I usually did, I curled up against his side and set my head on his shoulder. “How are you holding up?” he asked, looking at my stomach. “Are they still kicking up a storm?”
I nodded. “Yeah. For the last couple of hours it seems like it’s been almost nonstop.”
“I think that means you’re about to go into labor,” he said. “We could be parents any day now. Can you believe it? We’ll have to change our first diapers, and learn how to bathe them, and feed them–”
Arena Wars Trilogy Page 42
