by Lane, Terri
“Really?” I asked.
“Yep, she had your features, but my skin tone. And she had your eyes…” he smiled.
“Have you thought of names any?” I asked.
“I’ve been thinking only about boy names until now. Well, really just one boy name,” he said. “Kai Junior.”
“As much as I like your name and think it suits you…Perhaps we should have several options. Then when we see the baby for the first time, we’ll name it,” I said.
“That’s fair, so what’ve you got?”
“Micah, Caleb, or Seth for a boy and…Iliana, or Violet for a girl,” I said.
“I like Violet…I like Seth too,” he said. “I’ve gotta brainstorm a few names,” he murmured.
“We have time,” I said.
“You already have a baby bump, that’s crazy,” he said. I put a hand on my stomach and felt warmth from the life inside me.
“The baby will be born in six months,” I said.
“I heard that hybrids live longer than vampires…have you ever heard that?” he asked.
“The stories I’ve heard regarding hybrids had to do with how dangerous their existence was. That killing one required a great force because they were so powerful,” I said.
“Do you think some still live in hiding?” he asked.
“Probably, yes,” I nodded. Kai finished his food and washed the dishes.
“I wish we could go out together now,” he sighed. I glanced outside, it was a beautiful day. There weren’t any clouds in the sky and the city was blanketed in the softest fog.
“I’m sure we can think of something to do inside,” I said.
“You’ve got shadows under your eyes,” he observed.
“Really?” I felt fine, still sustained from the blood he gave me just the day before.
“Yeah, look,” he said, pointing to an oval mirror mounted in the living room area. I went to it and did see emerging shadows. They were from lack of sleep and too much thinking—too much worry.
“I haven’t slept in a while,” I said.
“That’s it,” he said. He picked me up from the breakfast bar stool and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. He set me down on the bed and made quick work of undressing me completely. I watched him with a fond smirk as he quickly got out of his own clothes and settled into bed behind me.
“How can I sleep like this?” I asked him in a soft voice.
“Just close your eyes…” he murmured, then kissed the back of my neck. Tingles ran down my spine, bringing lethargy with the sensation. I drifted off.
* * *
I woke in slow degrees. Instinctually I assumed myself to be in the coven house, but then Kai’s warm scent surrounded me. Brief panic sizzled through me and I opened my eyes. Thankfully the studio was still bathed in bright midday light. I mustn’t have slept more than three hours.
“That was three times a nap and a third of a good full sleep,” Kai said. I rolled onto my back and found him stretched out on his side, smirking at me with bright hazel eyes.
“I must want to spend time with you subconsciously,” I said.
“Subconsciously?” he asked, chuckling. I smiled and leaned forward to kiss his jaw.
“And consciously,” I murmured. His skin smelled like nutmeg and clean skin. “You’re like a drug to me,” I said.
“I feel the same way for you. Uncanny huh?”
“Truly.” I smiled and wrapped my arm around his waist, pulling him closer to me. He rolled me onto my back and splayed his hand across my belly. I reached for him, but he caught my wrist and pinned it with the other over my head. I would have gotten out of his hold, but he slid his hand lower and moved his fingers in between my folds. He rubbed my clitoris and my hips moved towards him instinctively. My eyes closed in a flutter and a soft moan escaped my lips. He pushed two fingers inside of me as his teeth pulled the delicate skin of my nape. I moaned again.
I wanted to touch him, but he wouldn’t allow it. I arched my back so that my breasts pressed against his chest. He removed his fingers to hold my wrists on either side of my head while he straddled my legs and bent to kiss my breasts. He sucked and nibbled on the puckered tips. His lips hardly left an inch of me un-kissed.
“Kai…” I panted his. I felt fully on fire and needed him inside me. He finally positioned himself at my entrance and slowly pushed inside. He laced his fingers with mine and began to rock back and forth. My orgasm came blindly and felt icy hot as it coursed through me. Kai kissed me deeply and became more urgent in his thrusts. My next orgasm wasn’t far off and after the third I lost track of nearly everything except Kai and the sensations he was eliciting in me. When he found his release, he held onto me tight and my name left his lips in a gruff whisper. We stayed tangled up with each other for a few minutes before he slowly pulled out of me and rolled onto his back.
“Kai, I can’t move,” I mumbled. He chuckled and lazily pushed hair out of my eyes.
“I can draw a bath and carry you to it,” he suggested.
“That sounds perfect,” I said. He got out of bed lazily and I drifted off while he ran the bath. I liked him taking care of me, it felt…nice. I wasn’t worried about a coven or bored with the long life both behind and ahead of me. I was living happily in the moment with Kai and I wanted that every day. He came back and carried me to the claw foot tub. I got in on my own and he settled in behind me.
“I like this…being with you, it’s nice,” I said.
“I just realized that I’ll be one of the few lucky people on this planet to be happy for most of my life,” he said in a soft voice. I turned slightly to look at him after he kissed my shoulder.
“You aren’t afraid of jinxing this?” I asked, only half joking.
“No. I…I love you Sophia. Even as crazy as it may seem for how fast it happened. But I know that when two people are in love, good things happen out of that. It’s a pure emotion,” he said. My heart filled with the warmth only Kai brought me, to the point where tears actually pricked my eyes.
“I love you too Kai,” I whispered. He smiled and then pressed a kiss to my neck, inhaling my scent as he did. We had four more hours together and spent it mostly naked, simply enjoying each other’s company and agreeing on a shortlist on possible names. Our child would either be a Violet, Seth, Kai Junior, or Raven. I left the studio thirty minutes to eight and drove back to the house in a love-addled haze.
As I drove through the main gate, and down the long drive, I noticed a few other black Mercedes sedans parked in front of the main entrance. I parked the car in the underground garage and practically held my breath as I rode the elevator up to the main floor. It was just past dusk, which meant that whoever had arrived were of pureblood. Which usually meant notable figures in the vampire world. As I made my way towards the library, Alexis emerged from my private study, wide eyed and unsure.
“There you are…Sophia, your father is here for you. He’s been waiting two hours to speak with you,” she said.
“Two hours? What did you tell him?” I asked in the faintest voice.
“That you often went out for walks just before dusk,” she said. “I became aware that he does not know of your pregnancy so I didn’t tell him. But he is concerned for you,” she said in an equally small voice.
“Thank you, Alexis,” I murmured. She gave me a brief nod and then gestured towards the study. My father, Wraith, was sitting behind my desk reading a rebound leather book.
“Father,” I greeted him. He looked up at me, his expression indiscernible, then carefully set the book down. A breath of unease traveled down my spine.
“Alexis, please give us a moment, but don’t go far,” he told her. She inclined her head, then silently left the room. “Where have you been Sophia?” he asked.
“Downtown…with my thoughts,” I told him. He studied me for the length of a breath.
“Are you keeping something from me?” he asked. My heart was incapable of beating faster than ninety beats, but my chest did
constrict a bit with brief panic.
“What would make you think so?” I asked.
“Alexis behaved strangely when I spoke to her. As though perhaps there is something about you I do not know and she is too loyal to tell me herself,” he said.
“It isn’t that she’s too loyal to me, it is because what she’s keeping is only my business to share with you when I am ready,” I said. He squinted at me briefly then gave a curt nod.
“Fine, I figure it can’t be treasonous, or else she would have said something,” he said.
“Of course, father,” I said. “So, what brings you back so soon?” I asked.
“The conference. I managed to pull all the covens of this region together early. The Hunter infestation has touched all the Northwestern covens and all feel the great importance of handling them swiftly,” he said. “I’ve even managed to draw a few powerful coven leaders spanning the south. They’ve heard of the decimation in the Northeast and know that if the Hunters aren’t dealt with now, they will only continue to advance throughout the continent,” he said.
I quickly hid my surprise. I planned on being a few days into my new life in Canada before the conference took place, so I would not be included in any fighting obligations. I couldn’t accept any responsibility in the war when I’d be leaving soon, very soon. Not only that, but it would be an even greater dishonor to my father to abandon and embarrass him by neglecting fighting orders.
“When does the conference convene?” I asked.
“In three hours. I need both you and Alexis present,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt to have one of your higher-ranking fighters come along as well,” he added.
“I’ll have Alexis fetch Case,” I said.
“Good, we leave in a half hour. Please, be quick about things,” he said while picking up his book.
I left to find Alexis. She was in the library, pacing.
“So, what is it he needs?” she asked.
“The conference I told you about, it’s happening today. My father needs us both to be there, Case too. Can you both be ready to leave within the hour?” I said.
“Of course,” she said. I followed her out and changed my clothes to something more befitting the occasion. I wasn’t one for formal dresses, but it was often a requirement for a large conference of coven leaders. The black floor-length dress was slim and form fitting with elbow length lace sleeves and a tasteful slit up the side. I paired it with black heels and blood colored jewelry. I left my hair as it was, tousled and loose around my shoulders. I emerged from my room just in time to meet my father, Alexis, and Case in the foyer.
“Does Porter know he’s in charge?” I asked Alexis, she nodded.
“He and Nathaniel can handle things for the time being,” she said.
“Good, now that we’re all ready, let us go,” Wraith said. He’d brought four escorts with him. They ushered us to the vehicles outside and we were off.
* * *
Kai
The faraway howl sounded about two miles away from where I was running, searching for Hunters. Searching for Hunters seemed like all we did. The vampires weren’t around. They’d retreated, perhaps. But the Hunters were becoming a real threat. More of the forest parks and preserves around Portland were being infested by them.
I tore through the woods, cutting dangerously across two hiking trails before I reached Erickson. He was cornered by two Hunters, taunting him. They weren’t all dressed up in military gear like the ones Sophia and I had encountered. These Hunters were in hiking gear with what looked like Glock 9s at their hips. Good thing I tore in right behind the Hunters. With my teeth, I grabbed one by the collar and thrashed him to the ground. Erickson quickly sank his teeth into the other one’s shoulder and threw him to the ground as well. I tore at my prey’s waist, dislodging the gun holster and gouging a good chunk of flesh from his hip. The Hunter screamed and I was quick to swipe him across the temple, knocking him out and giving him a long scar with my claws.
Erickson was even fiercer than I was. He practically bit the other Hunter’s throat out. We both shifted back at the same time.
“Let’s torch ‘em,” he said.
“This one is still alive,” I said. I studied the Hunter I took down…his chest wasn’t moving. “At least I thought he was,” I mumbled. Erickson was already lugging one of the bodies to a small clearing in the trees a few feet away from us. Once the bodies were in a relatively safe place to be burned, we got some dead leaves and branches piled up over them. I helped him get a decent mound over the bodies before he flipped open his Zippo and lit the makeshift pyres. We stood back to make sure the fire behaved.
“We can’t keep going like this,” Erickson murmured.
“Yeah…I hate to think it but, soon we might have to put a curfew on roaming hours. Hell, we might have to find new running grounds altogether,” I said.
“That’s exactly what they’re trying to do, Kai. Either kill us, or bar us from our running grounds. These Hunters are getting out of control and bold,” he said angrily. “Just the other day Lacey almost lost her life to one of them,” he added. Lacey was Erickson’s mate. Nearly losing her really messed with him. I hate to imagine what it would be like if anything happened to Sophia and our baby.
“We’ll figure out a way to manage it until the alphas meet under Ephraim,” I said.
“You’ve been sounding real vague on the Hunter trouble ever since you got out of Gifford Pinchot,” he said.
“What are you, my shrink?” I asked.
“All I’m saying, is we need to start taking them seriously. You of all people should be on board with that Kai, with all due respect,” he said.
We both glanced to the left at the sound of sirens approaching fast. The park rangers were on point. We both shifted back to wolf form and absconded the scene. Usually we’d leave a fallen hunter or vampire where they lay. But Erickson was always the kind to send a message to his enemies. Hopefully it’d be a truck full of Hunters about to find their own. They’d know that wolves aren’t easy pushovers.
I felt each of my pack-mates while in wolf form. I knew that out of the thirty of them, twelve were shifted. Fifteen had come out to the woods for a run. Thankfully everyone was still alive. When we got a few miles away I howled long, letting the pack know to head out of the woods. We met up at the end of the longest hiking trail and shifted back. It was rarely used by humans because it was far from the other trails and was joked to be meant for loners or writers.
“That was the shortest run ever Kai, what’s up?” Kevin asked. The other wolves were annoyed as well. The animal nature of a werewolf needed to be wild every once in a while, or we got cabin fever in the worst way. It made us irrational and violent. It’s why wolves have a history of mauling humans, why some folklore said we eat people.
“The Hunters are on alert in these woods. I don’t want to chance any of your lives,” I said. There was a collective groan and angry curses. But we left the woods anyway.
“What are we going to do about these Hunters?” Kevin asked me. We were walking back to the hiking trail’s parking lot. I’d ridden with him from my apartment.
I said, “Taking out a few Hunters here and there every time we go out for a run won’t cut it. Something definitive has to happen…we’ll see what new strategies come up at the meeting Ephraim called.” I hated being so vague, but soon I’d have nothing to do with the brewing Hunter war.
“Things are going to get really ugly in Washington and Oregon. I mean Armageddon. If the Hunters mess with the vamps, they’ll go back to drinking from people in the streets, and if they keep us out of the woods then we’ll go to attacking people in the streets,” he said. I almost laughed.
“Don’t be dramatic,” I said.
“It’s kind of true though,” he said.
“The vamps may be planning something against the Hunters,” I said.
“Yeah…it’s weird not attacking them on sight anymore. They aren’t the main target. Hell they look
right over us. They talk to us. It’s like the end of the world or something,” he scoffed.
“You’ve talked to a vampire?” I asked.
“Nah, just the one who was looking for you. How’d that go anyway?” he asked.
“Inconclusive. It didn’t lead to anything real, I don’t think. Otherwise she would’ve followed up with me,” I said. Kevin nodded. He wasn’t the type to look too deeply into things. That and he trusted me entirely. I was Alpha after all. I wondered what he’d think when I would disappear. He’d be the pack’s new head and he’d have to step into full responsibility as soon as people figured out I was gone. They’d most likely assume I was dead rather than having run off with a vampire to be with and raise our hybrid baby.
We reached Kevin’s Jeep and got in to head back to my ‘on the books’ apartment.
“Do you think your dad will want to get the entire North Pacific back together? Organize us, get us some weapons to fight those bastards?” Kev asked.
“That’s honestly the only option I see for us. Use firepower against firepower. There’s only so much we can do in wolf form. We’ve gotta get smart. Those Hunters are sophisticated,” I said.
“I have yet to run into any of the ones like you described. Were they sporting real military gear?” he asked.
“Yeah. I think they might keep the real elite Hunters to the bigger preserves,” I mumbled.
“That’s gonna be some epic fight then,” Kevin said. I snorted. It seemed almost inevitable that a big confrontation would happen in that god-forsaken forest. But I didn’t want to go back to that hell. I’d much rather my own slice of heaven with Sophia, safe from the Hunter drama.
We were just around the corner from my place when my father called me. I answered on the second ring. “What’s up old man?”
“Respect your father,” he said. His tone was always gruff, happy or sad, the guy was like the Great Wall of China. I knew he had a sense of humor; some jokes and jabs of mine he let slide.
“Yes sir,” I said.
“All fifteen alphas are attending the meeting,” he said. My eyes widened a bit. Ever since Ephraim split up the original North Pacific pack to run the increasing wolf population, not all had ever come together at one meeting before.
