Defiance

by Adrienne Monson

  Leisha shook her head. “They’re too vague to really understand. But I can’t imagine our child being something bad.”

  He changed the subject. “Mudiwa means beloved.”

  Nodding, she studied the man’s features. “He is beloved, isn’t he, Tafari?”

  After an awkward hesitation, he cleared his throat and answered. “Of course. Though, I must admit to feeling a bit confused right now.”

  Uncertain of what to say, she looked down at her son. “What do you think? Does Liam sound like a good name to you?”

  The babe unlatched and gave a drowsy smile as his eyelids slid lower and lower until he was soundly sleeping.

  “I think that settles it,” Tafari said quietly. “I like the name Liam also.”

  Surprised at the warmth and tenderness in his voice, Leisha looked up and smiled at Tafari. He looked into her eyes for a moment before leaning down to kiss her softly.

  “Seriously, can you guys not paw each other every two minutes?”

  They both looked at Rinwa with tolerant expressions. She ignored them and placed a large bowl on the floor beside Leisha. “Is it alright if I wash him now?” She held her hands toward Liam.

  After kissing his head, Leisha handed the baby over to her daughter. “Try not to wake him,” she said.

  Rinwa nodded and handled her brother with gentle care. Leaning back against the pillows, Leisha closed her eyes. Lethargy was hitting her in full force, and she gave into it, hoping that she would be healed by the time she woke.

  Chapter 32

  Samantha couldn’t bring herself to put Liam down. He was wrapped in a blanket that Tafari had cut down to size so it would fit around Liam’s tiny body. The babe seemed to be sleeping peacefully and was the perfect picture of innocence.

  The image of his small hand literally clawing its way out of Leisha’s body briefly flashed into her mind, but she pushed it aside. She admitted that Liam made her a bit nervous. No one knew what to expect from him, but at the moment she simply cradled the baby and smiled at his sleeping form.

  Tafari had shooed everyone out of the bedroom so Leisha could get some rest. The vampire was so exhausted that she didn’t even stir when her husband shifted her to a prone position.

  Samantha could relate. She was pretty tired herself. She hadn’t slept much, and was still recovering from her injuries. On top of that, she could feel Leisha pulling on her energy through their bond. She was certain that her vampire friend didn’t even know she was doing it.

  Rinwa and Tafari had taken the opportunity to clean up and change out of their ragged, bloody clothes. They were reclining on the old couch in the tiny front room.

  The door flew open, and all three occupants looked up as a smoking Nik rushed through with a wool blanket covering him. He closed the door, peeked through the blanket, then sat on the floor in the shadows, taking the covering off. Bloody sweat lined the part of his shirt beneath his armpits and the hollow of his throat was flaking.

  Rinwa raised a brow from her spot on the couch. “Looks like you couldn’t take the heat.” She made a show of sniffing. “Glad this rundown shack has plumbing, ‘cause you need a shower before you do anything else.”

  As usual, Nik remained unperturbed. “Actually, I need a lot of water.” He glanced to Samantha.

  She nodded and held the baby out to Rinwa.

  The immortal shook her head and gestured toward Tafari. “He can hold him.”

  Samantha threw her an insistent gaze, and Rinwa reluctantly took the sleeping infant and rolled her eyes, but Samantha could see the softening of her features as she looked down at her brother.

  Samantha grabbed four water bottles from the kitchen and handed them to Nik. Then she slid down next to him. “So I guess you’ve figured out that Leisha had her baby.”

  After taking a swig, Nik glanced down the hall. “And after I brushed up on my midwife skills, you guys didn’t even invite me.”

  Smiling, Samantha replied, “Blame it on Liam. He’s the one who decided to come out in the daytime.”

  They both glanced at the baby snuggled into Rinwa’s shoulder. Tafari was in his own world, watching his children with a small smile.

  Turning his attention back to Samantha, Nik asked, “And how are you doing? I didn’t get the chance to ask you if Annette, you know, hurt you.”

  Blood draining from her cheeks, Samantha’s lips thinned. “She did it to Leisha, not me.” Brow furrowing, she remembered, “Ptah told me if I became Leisha’s human servant, then Annette couldn’t hurt me in that way anymore.”

  The vampire nodded. “We used to be safe from Annette’s psychic assault, but I think her powers grew when we became vampires again. I shouldn’t have been able to lure her, either.”

  She studied Nik. “I could tell she was doing it to you last night, in the car.”

  As he examined the rotted wood floor, the vampire nodded. “She won our little staring contest.”

  Blinking, Samantha commented, “I didn’t really understand what you were trying to do to each other.”

  “We both have psychic powers,” he explained. “If I could have forced my power on her, she would have been temporarily in love with me, which means she would have done anything I asked of her.”

  “So when you two were glaring each other down, you were trying to be the first to use your power?”

  “That’s a close enough description. I guess you could say it was a battle of metaphysical wills.” Suddenly, Nik tilted his head to the side and looked at Tafari. “Leisha’s awake,” he stated. “It sounds like she’s trying to get up.”

  Shaking his head, Tafari stood. “She has not had enough time to heal yet.” He walked down the short hallway and into the bedroom.

  Rinwa got up as well. “Samantha, I think I’m going to go for a walk.” She lifted the sleeping baby in her arms. “Can you take him back now?”

  “Sure.” Samantha got up from the floor and went to Rinwa. Liam stirred a little when Rinwa handed him back to Samantha, but continued to slumber. “I’m glad you cleaned him,” Samantha commented. “Now he has that new baby smell. Isn’t it nice?”

  Slipping her sunglasses on, Rinwa smirked. “Yeah, so? Are you going to burst into song over it or something?”

  Samantha glared at her and gently bounced her bundle while Rinwa walked out the door.

  A few minutes later, Tafari strode into the room. “Leisha wishes to take a sponge bath, but I must help her as she is not recovered yet.” He looked at Samantha questioningly. “Would you tend to Liam?”

  Samantha smiled in relief. She’d thought he was going to ask her to help bathe Leisha. As tired as she felt, she really didn’t think she could handle doing something as awkward as that yet. “Sure, that’s no problem.”

  Tafari smiled his gratitude and headed back into the room. “Let us know when he needs to feed again,” he called over his shoulder.

  Snuggling Liam closer, Samantha glanced down at Nik. He’d downed three bottles of water and was resting his head against the wall.

  “You look exhausted,” she observed.

  Nik shrugged and closed his eyes briefly. “Yeah, battling off a horde of my associates and then spending the day being baked in a car can do that.”

  He’d said it casually, but Samantha could tell the vampire was hiding a hint of agitation. She hoped it was because of his situation and not her. It was quiet for a while. Samantha focused her attention on Liam.

  After a moment of contemplation, she offered, “What if I get the blanket from the bedroom to cover the window in here? That way you could lie on the couch and take a nap.”

  After mulling it over for a second, Nik nodded and tentatively smiled. “That’s thoughtful of you. Thanks.”

  Her body flushing at his compliment, Samantha went into the bedroom and grabbed the black cotton blanket covering the bed. She could hear small splashes in the bathroom and assumed Tafari was handling the situation fine in there.

  Handing the baby to Nik, s
he climbed onto the couch to hang the blanket over the window. She pierced the edge of the material with the nail heads sticking out of the wall. Once she finished, it was almost too dark to see.

  She started when Nik touched her arm. She hadn’t even gotten off the couch yet.

  Nik helped her down. “Thanks,” he murmured as he handed her the baby.

  Goosebumps rose on her arms at the idea of being alone in the dark with him. She mentally slapped herself; she knew thoughts like that would only make things between them more difficult. It was obvious that Nik wasn’t going to change his mind about the two of them.

  She watched Nik’s silhouette settle on his makeshift bed, then went into the kitchen. As she was sitting in one of the wood chairs, Liam began to stir. Knowing that Leisha and Tafari would need more time with the bath, Samantha stood back up and bounced as she paced back and forth across the small room. It was enough to coax the little one back into his slumber.

  Samantha felt like she was getting the hang of being a good aunt already. It made her smile. As she was passing the window, Samantha noticed Rinwa on her way back from her walk.

  When she saw the immortal pause in her peripheral vision, she didn’t think much of it and continued her pacing. But then the girl heard Rinwa talking and stopped. She stepped back to the window, and peered through it. Rinwa looked surprised and a bit pale, whoever was out there with her was hidden by a tree.

  Keeping Liam comfortably snuggled, Samantha stepped closer to the casement, practically pressing her ear against the pane.

  “What are you doing here?” That was Rinwa’s voice. It was difficult to listen, but she concentrated and was just able to make out what Rinwa and the stranger were saying.

  “It was easy enough to track you.” It was a male with a Cockney accent. Samantha recognized the voice, but couldn’t place him. “The council was getting curious about where you and Tafari kept disappearing to. You didn’t return today like you said you would.”

  “We already told them,” Rinwa stated. “We’re searching for the child. There’s a lot of leads to go through. Anyway, we missed our flight because we came out here on a bogus trail. I don’t understand why the council is so upset. We’re not the only ones out investigating.”

  “No, but you’re the only ones who are acting strangely.”

  Samantha swallowed, uncertain what she should do. Should she wake Nik? She brushed the thought aside. Nik would probably want a confrontation with this unknown immortal, and Samantha definitely didn’t want to deal with that today.

  “Everyone has been different ever since that debacle last year.”

  The man retorted, “No, that’s not it and they know it. Ever since we turned human, you two have been off. It didn’t change once we turned back into immortals again.”

  Rinwa spoke up, her attitude coming through clearly. “Why don’t you spell it out, Willem? I’m under suspicion? Of what exactly, besides doing my job?”

  “I don’t know.” He sounded frustrated. “I’m just supposed to find you and Tafari and see what you’re up to.”

  “The same thing everyone else is up to.” Rinwa took off her sunglasses and looked in Willem’s direction. “Now that you’ve discovered us, Sherlock, why don’t you go report and let me get on with my work.”

  There was a brief silence. Samantha pulled her head back a little so that she could get a better vantage point through the window.

  Liam began squirming and Samantha pushed her finger into the baby’s mouth. He immediately bit down, puncturing the skin, and suckled her blood. Clenching her jaw, Samantha tried to pretend she wasn’t really donating her blood to a newborn.

  Baby appeased, Samantha looked up to continue her spying.

  Rinwa turned to leave, striding toward the house while Willem caught up to her and stopped Rinwa by touching her hand. He was gently stroking his fingertips along hers, his expression intense.

  “I don’t know how much more I can take, Rinwa.”

  Putting her glasses back on with her free hand, the immortal was nonchalant. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Willem.” Her tone was cool, and clearly meant for him to drop the subject.

  Releasing her hand, the fellow immortal pushed his longish hair out of his eyes. “Sometimes, I think you’re bipolar, the way you treat me.” He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in close until their noses touched. “Do you forget how amazing it can be between us? It’s been a few months. Maybe I should refresh your memory.”

  Samantha watched Rinwa take a step back and give a half smirk. “Sounds like a hot invite, but I’ll have to rain check after I’m done looking into our latest lead.”

  Willem didn’t try to stop her as she walked away. “Do I really mean so little to you, Rinwa? Am I deluding myself in thinking that we have something here?”

  While Rinwa had her back on Willem, Samantha could see the pained expression on her friend’s face. Shaking her head, Samantha didn’t understand why Rinwa pushed Willem away.

  Liam’s frustrated yowl brought her out of the moment. Looking down, Samantha could see Liam was no longer appeased with only her finger to suckle. He was hungry, and he was just getting started with his tantrum.

  “There’s a baby here?” She heard Willem ask.

  Liam howled again. Samantha tried to put her finger back in the baby’s mouth. She winced when the newborn bit down again, and gulped the blood with vigor.

  “I told you that I was looking into it.” That was Rinwa, and it sounded like she was closer.

  Samantha peeked through the window again to see what was happening.

  Willem was keeping stride with Rinwa, and she stopped and turned to him.

  Hands on hips, Willem furrowed his brows. “This is where you’re staying. And the baby is here, too.”

  Rinwa shrugged and shook her head. “Yes, we’ve figured out that you’re great at stating the obvious.”

  The man’s mouth opened slightly before he recovered. “It’s the prophecy child, isn’t it? You actually found him.”

  “Please,” Rinwa said. “Why would you think that?”

  Chuckling, Willem reached over and rubbed her shoulder. “Because I know you. You wouldn’t be wasting your time here if it wasn’t. All you have to do is investigate him and the mother before you decide to move on. You had to have already looked into paternity and performed the ritual to see if the child holds an otherworldly essence. Now you’re babysitting for a couple of days or something? I don’t think so.”

  Samantha held her breath as she watched Rinwa’s reaction. Her friend was gazing up into the sky, as if she were contemplating something. After a few moments, she looked at Willem. “Okay, you’re right. It is the prophecy child.”

  Willem seemed to vibrate with excitement. “Well, why haven’t you taken him yet? We can fly him to the base tonight.”

  “Because,” Rinwa answered. “The mother is dangerous. I need to placate her for now and find an opportunity to take the baby when her guard is down.”

  Biting her lip, Samantha was uncertain if Rinwa really meant it. It sounded sincere. Was that why Rinwa had been so accommodating lately?

  Deciding she’d heard enough, she walked as quickly as she could out of the kitchen and into Leisha’s bedroom.

  Leisha was in bed, her long hair in a wet braid down her back. Tafari was sitting next to her, his fingers trailing over the inside of her forearm.

  As soon as Liam spotted his mother, he released Samantha’s finger to let out a piercing wail.

  Tafari was quick to get up and grab the baby, handing his son to Leisha. The vampire pulled down a sheet to reveal her nakedness for a second before Liam’s little head covered it.

  Leisha flinched slightly when the baby bit down, but her face quickly relaxed.

  “We have a problem,” Samantha said. Now that the infant wasn’t crying, she was finally able to bring herself to speak up. “Willem is outside and he knows that the prophecy child is in here. Rinwa’s trying to stall him.
I think.”

  Chapter 33

  Leisha’s heart constricted at Samantha’s news. “What do you mean, ‘you think’? You don’t know?”

  The girl simply shrugged. “She made it sound like she’s playing our side to help the immortals.”

  “Rinwa is a good actress when she wants to be,” Tafari intoned. “I believe she is doing her best to keep Willem out.”

  Closing her eyes, Leisha tuned out Samantha and Tafari and strained her ears to listen for the immortals outside. It didn’t take long to hone in on their conservation because their voices were rising.

  Willem was speaking. “Leisha, the vampire, is the mother of the prophecy child?”

  “I told you I was handling this, Willem. There’s a reason I’m biding my time and waiting for the right moment to take the baby.”

  “But you don’t need to do that now.” There was a pause before Willem spoke again. “Yes, this is Willem. Lock in on my location. The prophecy child is here, being held by vampires. We will retrieve the baby in exactly thirty minutes.”

  Leisha cursed. She could hear Rinwa protesting.

  “I told you I was dealing with this, Willem. How dare you take over my operation!”

  The vampire had heard enough and opened her eyes to see Tafari and Samantha staring at her. “We don’t have much time. Willem just called in a team to kidnap Liam.”

  Closing his eyes, Tafari looked disappointed, yet unsurprised.

  “What should we do?” Samantha asked. The whites of her eyes showed more than usual.

  Switching Liam to her other side, Leisha watched him nurse as she contemplated her next move. After a moment, she finally answered. “We don’t really have many options here,” she said. “We’ll have to make a run through the trees and try to lose them.” Keeping the baby latched, she scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. Her body wasn’t remotely close to healing yet, but there was no time to coddle herself.

  Putting a warm hand on her shoulder, Tafari stopped her from moving. “You are in no condition to run right now.” His eyes were dancing with emotion. “There must be another way.”