I could hear someone speaking to me, but only in a whisper like someone was standing beside me. As I turned and turned, trying to find the source, there was none to be found. Was I going crazy? Had to be. There was no one there. There was no one but Gordon, Beth, and Chase who were now staring at me like I had lost my mind. I was beginning to agree with them. The voice was so small, and so minute that I could almost barely hear it. I realized something in that moment. It wasn’t coming from an outside source. It was coming from an internal one. I looked down and placed my hand on my slightly swollen belly where our little bean was growing. Our baby was speaking to me. I wasn’t sure how or why, or even what it was saying, but I knew with certainty that I was being spoken to by the life I was growing. My eyes welled with tears and I looked up at Gordon. He looked confused and I knew this was something I would have to explain to him once we were out of danger.
Gordon ran to me, placing his hand over mine on my belly with eyes full of concern and absolute terror. “Are you okay?” He dropped his voice to a murmur. “The baby?” I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. All I knew was that I was okay. We were okay. Actually, we were perfect, even surrounded in the chaos. I nodded because I didn’t know what else to do. A tear rolled down my cheek and I watched Gordon’s face fall. He thought I was confirming his fear. I wasn’t. I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze, hoping it would soothe him instead of scare him. It had the opposite effect as I saw the horror of what it could imply cross his features.
“Everything’s okay. I promise,” I whispered to him, kissing him softly. “Everything’s perfect.” I saw a range of emotions in his eyes as we stood there, the last being relief. The feeling was contagious and I smiled. Then the rain started. At first there was a strong hiss in the air as the drops hit the blazing fire, and then a torrential downpour had us blinking past our wet eyelashes. Gordon kissed my cheek and wrapped me in his arms, trying to shield me from the rain. He didn’t seem to care that we were in the middle of a nearly deserted place where danger was everywhere we stepped.
“Let’s go home,” Gordon said, soft lips brushing against my ear as he spoke. Then the soft wisp of speech was back like our child was speaking in agreement. He took my hand. The roughness of his skin after being tarnished in Hell was a welcome feeling. We began to walk to the car, Beth and Chase watching us carefully, not sure what just transpired. They would know soon enough. Once I had that stick in my hand with a little plus sign on it. That would be the only way they would believe it.
We all piled into the car, Gordon taking the driver’s seat, and pulled away from the grisly scene. I couldn’t help but take a glimpse past Beth and Chase in the backseat and into the flaming darkness we had just left behind. The vampires would be out soon. Lilith would be out soon. She would see this and know I was to blame, and then she would come for us, but when? I wasn’t sure, but she always seemed to have a plan before I was even aware of her very presence. How she did it? I wasn’t sure of that either, but I knew we had to be prepared for her no matter what curve ball she threw. I was just now learning the potential of what Lilith could create and I was sure I hadn’t seen the half of it. Then again, she hadn’t even seen a quarter of what I was capable of, and I was learning more every day.
Chapter 10:
Certainty
We had gotten in safe and sound and loaded everything into the house. We had still managed to get a good amount of supplies, but nothing that would last four people longer than two weeks. The tests were poking me from within the pocket of my cargo pants, begging me to rush to a bathroom and unwrap them. We pushed canned goods and plastic shampoo bottles and all other manner of things in different cabinets throughout the house. Things were stashed away in places you wouldn’t think they would go, but were placed out of necessity. It wasn’t like there were a lot of things to put in odd places. After all, most of the city was dead, leaving it a ghost town of a place, which was strange for Los Angeles.
I remembered it as it was; a bustling city, people always moving and always busy, busy, busy. That was the way my life used to be, but now it was surrounded by darkness and chaos and death. I would’ve rather had the old city back, but we could rebuild it. That was only if it wasn’t too late. I was still unsure of how far Lilith’s reach had gone, but I would find out soon enough. I couldn’t worry about that now. The still small voice that had spoken to me was no doubt the most beautiful and slightly unnerving sound I had ever heard and I wanted to hear it again. Our child was trying to communicate. If only I knew what he or she was trying to say.
Before doing the deed there was one thing I needed to check on first. Once everything was put away I went to check on Sam. No one else seemed to be worried about her, but I knew I was. She was still getting used to living on the surface. In Hell she felt fear and terror and that was about it. She hadn’t felt anything else in God only knew how long. I opened the door as quietly as I could and took a peek inside. Sam was curled into a ball on the bed, eyes closed and snoring ever so softly. To avoid waking her I closed the door as softly as possible and tiptoed away. I would let her rest.
I made my way to the bathroom upstairs adjoining my bedroom and closed the door with a soft clicking sound. Only Gordon would know what was happening and would no doubt let me have my time alone to do what needed to be done. I dug the test out of my pocket and I held it out in front of me, staring at it like it was the bright light at the end of the tunnel. My hand was shaking I was so nervous, but I knew what it would say. The magical voice of our child had confirmed it for me, but I knew Gordon needed more reassurance. I saw it every time his face fell at the thought of the baby not being a reality and I wanted so badly to ease his fear. I tore the perforation on the wrapper and moved to the toilet, pulling down my pants and sitting down in one smooth motion. I removed the solid blue cap and tried to stop my hand from shaking as I used the test.
Once finished I placed the test on the bathroom counter and waited, flushing the toilet. I was anxious even though I knew the outcome. My heart was beating like a jackhammer. I could hear it like the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings and I wished there was something I could do to slow it. I decided, after what felt like an eternity, that I had waited long enough. I stood on unstable legs and looked at it, spying a very obvious little blue plus sign.
Tears of pure joy began to flow and I could hear that tiny voice speaking to me yet again, confirming the reality that I would be a mother and Gordon a father. I had my doubts when I rose from Hell that I would still be expecting, but a small part of me knew it with absolute certainty. I picked up the test, gripping so tight my knuckles were white, and flung the door open and then walked through the bedroom to reach for that door. I opened it to find Gordon on the other side. He quickly took in my expression and the test in my hand, a smile spreading on his face. He picked me up and spun me around with a sound of elation.
“Honey, you’re about to make me throw up.” It wasn’t a lie. The nausea springing to life in my gut was indeed as real as the positive test in my hand. He put me down on the ground, wrapping one arm around my waist and placing his other hand on the nape of my neck, his thumb tracing my jaw. He was practically giddy as he looked deep into my eyes, breathing heavily against me. As he gazed down at me I was still trying to hold onto the lunch we had eaten before we left the house. He was so happy about fatherhood that he could barely contain himself. I could feel his happiness enveloping me and the vibrations of his energies caused my skin to tingle and goose bumps to form. I was a raw nerve in his presence and I had a feeling he knew it.
Then he kissed me, deeply and passionately. Every kiss felt like that and this was the moment I knew that I could face anything that came our way as long as he was there with me. Nothing could stop us. We could bring the world back to its former glory of light and love. We had more to fight for now. Much more. We couldn’t let Lilith take this away from us. We would fight for it with all we had in us, and then some.
He broke c
ontact just long enough to tell me he loved me, and then kissed me again, pressing me against the doorway. I melted into it and I felt the beast move within me again, stirring and reveling in the sensations. I couldn’t keep my hands off of Gordon. I let the test fall from my hand and skittered across the floor to make its way down the stairs. This was our moment and no one could ruin it. Not even Lilith and her band of crawlers breathing down our necks.
I could hear footsteps at the base of the stairs, and then Chase cleared his throat. We pulled away from each other, straightening ourselves up as we spotted him holding the blue and white test in his hand. Beth following close behind, understanding plain on her face once she spotted Chase holding the stick between his fingers, face pale and eyes halfway shut. He was processing what it said and I wasn’t sure just exactly what his expression meant. I found myself shaking with nerves again as the beast quieted and I began to wring my hands once more. Why was I nervous about this? I shouldn’t be. They would be supportive, right? This was truly something to be excited about. Bringing a new life into a world that was broken. You never knew, and I had a feeling a new life could fix it somehow. Or at least that was what I had hoped.
“Chase?” Beth said, “What is it?” Chase only managed to hand the stick over to Beth, who took it while watching Gordon and I with a wary expression.
I was frozen in place, hands now at my sides and prepared for the worst. She was supportive of our relationship from the beginning, but this was a whole other story. This was a blending of demon and Executioner, which we had no idea what it would create. There wasn’t a single part of me that was worrying about that. I was thrilled and excited, but others may not feel the same way. Beth turned her eyes to read the result and I wasn’t sure what I saw cross over her face until I saw a smile creep across her lips. I was prepared to hear a loud squeal of excitement.
I realized I knew her all too well when she confirmed my thoughts and howled loudly, jumping her way excitedly up towards me. Before I had a chance to say anything she was right in front of me, wrapping her arms around me as tight as she could. I almost couldn’t breathe. I placed my hands on her back as she hugged me and awkwardly looked at Gordon. He was standing with arms crossed and a grin on his face watching the show. He looked so smug. Then Beth pulled away from me and ran to Gordon, enveloping him in a bear hug. Now it was my turn to look smug. I mimicked his stance as the surprised look crossed his face. He wasn’t sure what to do. He stood there with Beth crushing his crossed arms between them. After a few minutes it didn’t seem like she was going to let go so I moved over to their still forms and placed my hand on her shoulder. It was shaking. She was crying, but I wasn’t sure if they were happy tears, sad tears, or angry tears. The excited yelp wasn’t enough of an indicator for me since some people acted happy at first and then realized how upset they were over it.
I realized she wasn’t ready to let go of him just yet and let her be, backing away a few steps to lean against the wall. Gordon forced his arms from between them and embraced her, which only caused her to sob harder. Chase was still at the bottom of the stairs watching the whole exchange, but never said a word. I opened my mouth to speak but then he put his hands in his pockets and walked into the living room. It seemed like one person in the house that wasn’t happy about the news.
All of the commotion of our accidental announcement had woken Sam up. She emerged from the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. I couldn’t help but notice that she was still wearing the same clothes she had come back into the world in. Not that I minded, but I was sure she would want a shower at some point.
“What’s going on?” she yawned, raising her arms over her head in a long stretch. There was no harm in telling her since everyone else knew. I had hoped to sit them down to tell them Gordon and I were having a child. It was better now than never, right? I wasn’t sure if I had waited that I would’ve been able to get the nerve up to do so.
“Gordon and I are having a baby,” I said, the smile was back on my face as soon as the words left my mouth. Sam grinned and came up the stairs, enveloping me in a hug and voicing her congratulations. If only everyone had reacted this way.
Chapter 11:
Precious Moments
The sun was hanging high in the sky. It was around noon I guessed and time for bed. The day time was the best time to sleep. Crawlers could go out in the daylight, but preferred the darkness of shadows and, well; vampires were nestled in their cocoons of cold gloom. We were now lying in bed, Gordon in a pair of sweat pants and me in a tank top and shorts. It was slightly warm in the room with the blackout curtains drawn across the windows. The door was shut, holding the near suffocating heat in. At least I was hot. Gordon seemed fine as he lay next to me. In the little light making its way past the edges of the curtains I could see the sweat resting in a fine sheen on my skin. Gordon’s was perfectly smooth.
I was lying on my back using my arm as a pillow and he was on his stomach watching me. I was exhausted and knew the life growing inside of me was taking its toll as it adjusted to being on the surface again. The nausea kept coming and going, but I swallowed it. The miniscule amount of energy I had left was being used to keep my eyes open for another second. Gordon shifted, moving to his side and placing his head on my stomach and his hand on my belly. I could feel his thumb moving along my skin in a sweet and gentle way, caressing me like he was trying to feel the baby inside. He could feel the energies rumbling within. Only I could hear the still small voice.
I placed my other hand on his head, intertwining my fingers in his soft dark hair as he continued to rub my slightly distended abdomen. I wasn’t sure if I was showing or if I was bloated, but either way I knew there was a wonderful reason for it. I heard him sniff and then felt a drop of wetness land on my flesh. Gordon was crying.
“Hey,” I whispered. It was like I was scared to wake someone. There was no one to rouse from sleep but the darkness made you want to speak only in soft murmurs. He turned and looked at me, placing his head ever so gently on my belly. There was a slight glimmer of tears in his eyes that I could see in the near pitch black. I reached down and wiped one lonely tear away. He took my hand and kissed my palm, placing my hand on his warm cheek. I couldn’t help but smile.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off of his face as we lay in perfect stillness. His eyes continued to well with tears and I wasn’t sure why. I opened my mouth to speak, and that was when he finally felt I needed more answers about him and his life before he became a demon. Before he was Gordon. When he was Radu. I had to admit that most only knew about Vlad because of his taste for blood, but not many spoke of the betrayal of his younger brother. I just happened to be one of the few. He hadn’t explained much when we were trapped in Hell, but I knew he was willing to share a bigger part of his life before demonhood. I wanted to know everything about the father of my child. We hadn’t had enough down time to discuss it.
“Robin, I want to tell you more about my life before all of this. Before I became Gordon the demon. I was human once and I want to share that part of me with you.” He paused and sat; crossing his legs I did the same. I could feel butterflies spring to life in my belly as he looked at me. The nervousness made me wonder if I was ready to know everything.
I laid my hand on his knee and gave a reassuring squeeze and said, “If it’s too hard we don’t have to do this now. It can wait.” I was trying to buy myself time. I knew some of his history, but not on such a personal level and had always doubted the existence of the dark prince as a vampire until he confirmed his past identity as his brother.
“No, I feel I should. We’re having this baby. I need you to know everything. No secrets.” He stopped and cleared his throat like the words were stuck. “I’m not that secretive and sinister demon anymore. I’ve become more since we met but it may not seem like it from the outside.” He took my hand and placed it over his heart where I could feel it beating feverishly. “It’s in here.”
I nodded and let him continue. There was
no reason for me to stop him just because I wasn’t ready to hear it all. He was ready and I wasn’t going to stop him. Not when he was so willing.
“I wasn’t a good man. I chose others over my own family and betrayed my brother in favor of the Ottoman Empire. If you’ve heard the history you should know this already, but I wanted to make it clear that the history books were right. But I was much more vicious than anyone believed.” He took a deep breath and I could feel his heart skip a beat with anticipation of the next words. “I had a wife and a daughter. I never got to see my daughter live a full life. This is why I hold this so dear.” One single tear escaped his eyes. “They say my death was unexplainable, but soon after I knew exactly what had happened. When I betrayed my brother I triggered something in my soul that turned me into something unrecognizable. A demon and the most viscous in Hell. One of the most beloved creations in the realm. I’m not that man anymore.”
This last fact was something that I knew in my mind, heart and soul. You could feel the change in him from a truly dark soul to one who began to embrace the light.
“I had been Radu for so long, but felt I needed a new name to reflect the new me. I changed my name before I ventured out of Hell and, believe me, it was the hardest journey I’ve ever had to make.”
He let me pull my hand away and place it in my lap. “What made you leave?” I was petrified to hear the answer, but curiosity got the best of me. He smiled.
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