by Martha Woods
She managed to muster a weak smile, “I’m alive, aren’t I?”
He slowly mirrored her expression, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “We’re halfway there,” he breathed to her. Kristian then pulled back enough to help her to her feet. Tessa slumped into his side. Each breath of air was forced and accompanied by a sharp pain. It would take a while, but she knew that it would all level out and she would feel normal. “We should get you somewhere to lie down,” he murmured.
Tessa shook her head, “No, let’s get to the clinic.”
“What? Tessa, you need to rest.”
“I’m well enough to get through one procedure. I’ll rest afterward. Some of the others can take the witches to Edna’s house,” Tessa stated firmly. “They said it takes like three to five days for the embryos to incubate or something, right? I would rather get that going so that it’s one less day we have to stay human.”
Kristian studied her face for a long moment. He eventually shook his head, running his thumb across her cheek, “You’re so damn strong,” he breathed to her. His face then turned toward the others, “Alright, let’s head out.”
Everyone began to filter out of the house, vampires taking gulps of Calla’s blood from flasks so that they could endure the sunlight. Tessa stayed pressed into Kristian’s side for the much needed support that she required to even walk. Kristian opened her door and helped her into the seat before buckling her in. Typically speaking, Tessa would have prodded him, saying that she wasn’t a child but she was so sore and tired she knew that she would have struggled to do any of it on her own. She relaxed back into the seat, her eyes unable to stay open any longer than they had to be. She was faintly aware of the sounds of Kristian getting into the car, as well as Jared and Calla into the back. The car started to move, and Tessa was lulled into a hard slumber. There was no dream or anything of the sort, just a deep blackness.
The next thing she knew, however, someone was shaking her shoulder. She jolted awake, her eyes rounded as she looked over to Kristian’s concerned face. “Hey… Easy there. We’re here… Are you sure you are up for this?” he questioned, his voice dripping with concern and worry.
Tessa caught a glimpse of herself in the side mirror of the car. God, she did look rough. The bags under her eyes had bags, and dark circles completely surrounding them. She shook her head back and forth, doing her best to make herself alert. Sitting up from her slouched position. “I’m fine. We’re already here, might as well get it over with.”
Having to use her body weight to open her car door, Tessa managed to step out. Kristian rapidly rounded the car and joined her side, looping an arm around her waist to pull her into the safety of his side. They walked across the parking lot, Tessa squinting her eyes to read the metal sign that hung above the entrance. Even through all of her exhaustion and ache, Tessa was thinking clearly. This walk to the door was one directly changing their future. As a family, as a couple, as individuals. In just months’ time, they would be parents, a word that was so foreign to her that it almost felt wrong. Yet when she tilted her chin to glance up to Kristian, she realized that it couldn’t have been more right when she was taking into consideration who the father was.
Looking back to Calla and Jared, a sleepy smile spread her lips. They were a stunning couple who contrasted one another perfectly. Calla was kind and forgiving with a tender soul, but still had such a strength and power to her. Jared was a stone wall with only warmth for the petite, curvaceous woman tucked under his arm—one that he would gladly lay down and die for. It was the kind of loyalty and love that Calla needed when she felt like she belonged nowhere else in the world. They were starting on their future as well. Once Calla was finished having Tessa and Kristian’s child, they could have one of their own. Tessa also knew it probably wouldn’t be long after that, that Jared would turn Calla into a vampire. They would be set just like Tessa and Kristian. And they were all embarking on the journey together, as friends and family. Like all families, they had their issues, but they were being overlooked to bring life into the world. Tessa was overwhelmed by admiration for the two. Without them, none of it would be possible.
“Ready?” Kristian questioned.
The sound of him opening the door caught her attention, and Tessa looked directly into the building into the clinic waiting room. With confidence she had never had before, Tessa nodded, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
* * *
Tessa, Jared, and Kristian all waited nervously in the living room. It had been a full week since Calla had the fertilized embryos implanted. The doctor had warned them all that it was possible it wouldn’t take the first time, but they all prayed it would. Another two weeks… Kristian just wasn’t sure if he could take the stress, though he would if he had to. He chewed his lip to the point where he started to taste droplets of blood. His hand gripped Tessa’s hand in both of his, holding it to his mouth even though his lip was caught between his teeth. It comforted him to have her close, and breathe in the scent of her skin.
Jared sat across from them, bent in half with his head in his hands. Kristian couldn’t imagine what all Jared was going through mentally. How he was going to have to see his woman ripe with pregnancy, hold her at night, and know the child wasn’t his. It wasn’t an ideal situation for anyone, but it was one that they were making work. Closing his eyes, Kristian found himself praying like a fool who actually believed in that mess, reaching out to any potential god that could be listening. He wanted the procedure to have taken that much. Even as he prayed, Kristian was laughing at himself mentally, and yet couldn’t stop. The few minutes that Calla was in the bathroom felt like days. His gut wrenched at the possibility of her emerging, informing them that she wasn’t pregnant. What if it didn’t take, and she backed out on them? What would they do? God, Kristian felt so selfish… He couldn’t help himself.
The moment he heard the soft click of the door opening, Kristian was on his feet and staring with wild eyes at the door. Jared was over to her in the blink of an eye, towering over her with hands falling on her shoulders. Calla stared down at the little plastic stick before looking up to the room, ocean eyes filled with salty tears, causing his stomach to drop. What could that mean? “Well…” she began, licking her lip before sucking it into her mouth. Calla nervously shifted her gaze up to Jared, her hand shaping a fist around the test to hide it from his view. Kristian forced himself to take calming breaths, needing to keep his heart from pounding in his ears, wanting to hear whatever she had to say—no matter what it was. “I-I… I’m pregnant…” she finally got out, turning her face into Jared’s chest.
Kristian’s knees dared to buckle underneath him, but managed to steady himself. She… she actually was? After weeks of planning and preparation, and the words having just passed her lips, it was taking him eons to process it. They were actually having a child. The thought simply didn’t seem real. He had waited centuries for an opportunity to have a child… And to know that it was with the only woman he had ever truly felt a deep, passionate love for… It was overwhelming. He didn’t even realize he was weeping with joy until Tessa hugged him and he felt the tears smear against his skin when he pressed his cheek to her hair. His arms locked around her, and could feel her body shaking with sobs as well.
They stayed like that for an unmeasurable amount of time, Kristian needing to relish the moment that he learned his child was in existence. It may only be cells big at that point, but already it was the most important thing to him. Once he finally managed to compose himself, he looked over to Calla and Jared with tears still coursing down his pale cheeks. “Thank you both, so much. This isn’t something I ever plan to treat like a small favor. I assure you, we will make sure it happens when your time comes.”
Calla was still buried in Jared’s chest, his fingers sifting through her wild crimson curls. Jared looked to Kristian with a stern expression, even though his crystal blues were glossy from the desire to cry. “You better come through with that, I te
ll you that much,” he hoarsely called over.
Kristian gave one confident nod while making eye contact with him before burying his face back into Tessa’s hair. He breathed in the scent of it, trying to find his center once again. Still, his stomach roared with butterflies and his head was light from the shock. Even if he tried, Kristian couldn’t keep up with his own thoughts. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if it would ever stop racing. Eventually, Tessa pulled back from Kristian a bit, lifting her face to wipe her eyes. She then crossed the room and hugged Calla from behind. Calla turned from Jared to hug Tessa properly. Inhaling deeply, Kristian crossed the room as well. The four of them all exchanged hugs, admittedly the one between Kristian and Jared was a little awkward, but not terribly so.
When they all finished the moment, Tessa sniffled and cleared her throat. “What do we do now? What’s the next step?”
“You guys becoming vampires again,” Jared answered simply.
Kristian and Tessa looked at one another, both realizing that he was right. The thought was terrible. They had just found out they were having a child, and they were going to have to stay locked away from Calla for potentially months. It was a silly thought to have, but Kristian couldn’t help but think how willing he would be to endure that pain tenfold if it meant he could come back home and be there to see the process through. That wasn’t possible, however, and the quicker they got the transformation out of the way, the sooner they could be with Calla and the child. Then, an idea came to Kristian. He looked over to Jared, “I want you to be the one to turn us.”
Jared was genuinely taken back by the notion. He scoffed in disbelief, “You’re not serious.”
Kristian nodded excitedly, “I am. We need to be turned, and who better than the man who is helping us have a child?” When Jared looked away in dismal, Kristian continued. “I also want to show you that we’re dedicated to our friendship, to being one big family.”
He knew it wasn’t something that Jared took lightly. He didn’t like the thought of others feeling dedicated to him like a vampire was with their maker. Kristian also knew that Bridget had really messed up his perception of the bond, as well as love. His only hope was that Jared recognized that Kristian knew the gravity of the request, and how serious he had to have been to suggest it. Jared simply stared at him, analyzing every detail of his face only to realize just how serious Kristian was. Running a hand down his face, Jared looked off as he weighed the options. “Fine. I’ll do it,” he murmured.
Kristian’s heart was lifted with learning that he was going to. He was so glad that Jared would be the one to change them. It would truly take their friendships to a new level of connection. They watched as Jared kissed Calla and murmured for her to go up to their room. Turning to them, Jared nodded for Kristian and Tessa to follow them. Grasping her hand, he trailed behind Jared. They walked outside, Kristian’s eyes looking up to the starry night sky. Even though he was about to awaken to a world of pain, he found himself blessing each star. He was finally going to be a father, Tessa a mother, and Veronica would be an aunt.
Jared led them away from the main cabin, down into the woods. They walked for a good hour before they finally reached a small, one room cabin that was on their land. Walking into it, Jared walked over to the fireplace, tossed a few chopped logs in, along with some ripped newspaper before following it all with a match. Slowly but surely, the flames grew to produce a small, warm fire. Kristian paced over to the bed with Tessa, sitting down on the edge. Never once did he let go over her hand, knowing she would need comfort just as much as he did.
Anxiety couldn’t help but to rush through his veins as Jared stepped their way. He felt like a child seeing a dentist—or perhaps a pig seeing a butcher. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kristian nodded to Jared, signaling for him to just go ahead and do it. When Jared raised his wrist to his mouth, Kristian turned quickly to Tessa and gave her a deep kiss. It would be their last kiss as completely human. He savored the warm touch of her skin, even though it wasn’t much warmer than his own. He could feel her trembling from fright. Pulling back from the kiss, he sounded, “Shh, shh,” against her lips. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through it. It’ll take time, but we’ll get through it.”
Tessa’s chin quivered but she nodded. “I love you, Kristian.”
“And I love you,” he soothed her. “I’m thankful that I get to go through this with you, rather than all alone.”
“Same here,” she agreed.
Sharing their last, last kiss as humans, Kristian then turned to Jared. Lowering his arm to Kristian’s face, Kristian formed his mouth around the puncture wounds that Jared had given himself with his fangs. It didn’t take but a mouthful to get the job done. The bitter blood caused his face to scrunch as soon as it hit his tongue. God, he had forgotten how bad vampire blood tasted when you weren’t a vampire yourself. He managed to get himself to swallow it, however, and watched Tessa as she followed suit. Jared stepped back then. “Calla and I will be leaving tomorrow. No, I’m not telling you where we will be. Not until you’re out of your official newborn stage. We’ll be safe, though, and hopefully out of the Calder’s reach.”
“Are you taking protection?” Kristian questioned, meaning a seasoned vampire.
“Of course,” Jared nodded.
“Good, good… Thank you, Jared,” Kristian murmured.
“You’re welcome.”
Then, he was gone. Kristian only had the time to look at Tessa before a tsunami of pain crashed upon him and he instantly doubled over. “Kristian!” Tessa cried out. He held his stomach, moaning and groaning in pain. It was like the blood he drank suddenly had claws and was tearing apart his organs. Just a moment later, Tessa screamed in pain of her own, and fell to the floor. Kristian allowed himself to fall as well, knowing he didn’t have the strength at the time to simply kneel down onto it. He did, however, manage to scoot himself against her back, holding her from behind. His face planted between her shoulder blades. Like a wildfire, pain sieged his body like a dry forest. He was aware of every vein, every muscle, every organ. Each was screaming out for help. All Kristian did was grit his teeth and hold Tessa closer to him. He could feel her quaking. Each shake and every sob broke his heart a little more, but he knew they would get through it. It was only a matter of waiting it out. His lips pressed kiss after kiss into the space between her shoulders, trying to comfort her in any way he could, despite his own excruciating pain.
Part Three
Two Months Later – The Rocky Mountains
Calla didn’t feel like moving much at all. While she didn’t regret her decision in the slightest, it didn’t make the days more bearable. Her mother and aunts hadn’t lied about how horrendous the nausea and excruciating growing pains. Witch pregnancies were only six months, if going to full term, and progressed much more intensely than human pregnancies. Just over two months pregnant, and Calla was already starting to show. It was subtle, but to the point of being noticeable.
A cool hand pressed to her warm forehead. “I think it would be good for you to get some fresh air,” Jared softly cooed to her.
Calla leaned further into his touch, needing his icy touch. She had become ridiculously warm, and she had already been hot natured before pregnancy. “I don’t want to get up,” she grumbled.
His arms slid underneath her, “Let me help you then,” he said, though not giving any warning before cautiously lifting her from the mattress. Even though he was slow and careful, Calla’s stomach still heaved. Her head pressed to the skin of his shoulder, praying the nausea would subside as she took long, deep breaths. Jared carried her through the room, and out into the hallway. The stairs were the worst part, but he did his best to keep her from bouncing, his strong arms holding steady to keep her level. All she could focus on was her breathing, knowing if her mind strayed to anything else, she would vomit all over him. She didn’t want that to happen… again. Her eyes were closed, but she could hear the sound of the balcony door sliding open.
/> She was sat softly down on one of the cushioned lounge chairs. Her eyes finally opened, looking up at Jared with a weary smile. Jared sat down on the edge of the chair and pointed to the table next to her. She looked over to see a tall glass of ginger ale, a chicken sandwich cut in half, and two rows of saltines next to it. “How didn’t I know this was for more than fresh air?” Calla mumbled.
“You need to eat, Calla. You haven’t kept anything down in a couple days.”
“Well, it isn’t my fault,” Calla frowned, though she did reach for the glass of ginger ale. The fizzy drink tingled against her tongue, and refreshed her dry mouth. When was the last time she had drank something? Honestly, she couldn’t remember. Most of her days and nights were spent trying to sleep through all the nausea and discomfort that pregnancy had brought upon her.
“I know that, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat,” he gently pressed on. Calla grimaced. She was actually not feeling that close to vomiting at the time, and didn’t want to gamble on bringing the nausea back. However, she knew that Jared was right and she needed to at least try and get something on her stomach. Reaching for the plate, she picked up half of the sandwich, inspecting it to see what all he had put on the sandwich. “Don’t worry. Nothing but meat and bread. Figure it would be easiest for you to keep down.”
Calla nodded and sank her teeth into the sandwich. Food had been so repulsive in recent times, that it felt wrong to even have it in her mouth. She did her best to ignore it and focused just on chewing it and getting it down. Managing to finish the half, Calla sat back and gave it a break for the time being. As she took a sip of the ginger ale, her eyes shifted back over to Jared to find him staring at her. “What?” she questioned, self-consciously wiping the corners of her mouth, thinking perhaps crumbs had lingered on her.
