Kai tenderly kissed my lips one last time. “When you let him go, when he’s gone, I’ll be here. I’ll be waiting. I won’t hesitate then. I’ll sweep you off your feet and make you forget every wound he left behind. I’ll kiss away your tears and love you into a better tomorrow.”
I held Kai’s face, my hands shaking under the power of my emotions, the depth of my hurt. “You deserve so much more, Kai.”
He chuckled lightly. “Most women would argue that I deserve much less based on my past.” He sobered. “I’m not an angel, Leka. I’ve been a complete ass to many women before you.”
“Anyone can change.”
“You’re the only one I was ever willing to change for.”
The magnitude of his confession punched me - hard; it devastated my defenses and destroyed the ground beneath me. It sent me falling from an intimidating height, fear and excitement flooding me, irrationally swaying my heart.
Kai moved to the side, lying on the bed beside me and pulling me into him.
I kissed his chest; unease wrecked my soul. “I love you, Kai. In case you didn’t know, I do love you.”
He stiffened. “But?”
“No buts. I love you. There’s nothing anyone can do to change that.”
His body didn’t relax the way I thought it would. I peered up at him. The pained expression had returned.
“That only makes me hate him more,” he stated.
I didn’t know what else to do. I hugged him tightly, snuggling deeper into him. Maybe I couldn’t love him freely, but I still loved him. He deserved to know that love; and he deserved to know that he was loved.
Chapter 18
I opened my eyes; exhaustion still settled in my bones. He ran his fingers through my hair, coaxing me to relax further.
I looked up at him.
He smiled. “Good morning, sleepy head.”
I stretched, rolling over to look around the room. It was still night, but I had a feeling quite a few hours had passed. I looked at the clock on the nightstand. I was shocked to see it was already 5:31 AM.
I turned back to him. His head rested in his palm, the weight of his upper body was settled on his elbow.
“Want me to get you breakfast?”
I tilted my head. “You cook?”
“No, but I could get you something.”
I laughed. “That’s okay.”
I moved away, getting out of bed. I stood and looked at him from this angle. He was devilishly sexy lying in my bed, his muscled upper body on display.
“Like what you see?” He wagged his brows.
“Talk about cocky.” My brows waved back at him.
I frowned as everything from last night tumbled back to the forefront of my mind. “Did Drex come back?”
Kai shook his head negatively. “No, sorry.”
Guilt strangled me. It wasn’t Drexel’s place to be put in the middle of me and Kellan’s relationship. It wasn’t anyone’s place. This was all Kellan, not Drexel, Sanders, Auggy or Aunt Claire. I owed them all an apology. It wasn’t their fault my fiancé neglected his duties. It wasn’t their fault my relationship was falling apart, or so it seemed.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” I headed for my refuge.
I sensed him right behind me, watching me closely. I could almost feel the intensity of the concern in his scrutiny.
I found the ingredients I’d taken out last night still sitting on the island. Luckily, none of it was perishable. Even though I wouldn’t use the blood, it wasn’t rotten. I grabbed the butter and stuffed it back into the fridge, pulling out a fresh block along with a new container of blood.
I was going to bake each of them a cherry pie. I’d write that I was sorry on top of each one in whipped cream and give it to them. It was the least I could do.
Kai sat on a barstool. He silently observed everything that I did.
As soon as I put the final pie in the oven, I grabbed my laptop and powered it up. Within a minute, I was in my back office log, pulling my orders for the day. I nearly cried when I saw three full pages of requests.
That settled it. I was placing an ad today. I already had a delivery company. Now, I needed someone to help me bake the deliveries.
***
I called Sanders. Drexel wouldn’t answer my calls. He was hurt, and rightfully so. I’d done exactly what I said I never would. I kicked him out, asked him to leave. God, I was an awful friend. It seemed like I couldn’t do anything right lately.
“Are you alright?” Sanders’ gruff voice had a soft edge.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Is he there?”
“Yeah.”
“Will you two please come up? I promise not to be mean or cry. I’ll be a good pregnant vamp.” I bit my bottom lip, anxiety flooding my veins. The baby turned in my belly. I winced as it hit a sensitive spot low in my stomach.
Kai was at my side in a second. I held up my hand, holding him off. I was waiting on pins and needles to see if the guys would actually come to me or if I would have to go hunt them down.
I didn’t hear whispers, but Sanders and Drexel had always been able to communicate with merely a look.
“We’ll be up in a bit,” Sanders finally responded.
I immediately felt the weight lifted off of me. “See you soon.”
We both hung up.
“What exactly does that thing do in there?” Kai smirked, eying my stomach with curiosity.
I shrugged. “It moves around, which is usually fine. Sometimes, though, it hits a spot that’s oversensitive, or one of my organs, and I feel a stab of pain. It doesn’t last; it’s just a bit shocking at first.”
Kai nodded, accepting my response. He may have accepted it, but I knew he didn’t fully understand it. No man ever would; not even every woman would.
I moved back, grabbing a pie off the counter and handing it to him.
He smiled. “What’s the ‘I’m sorry’ for?”
“For crying all over your shirt and for all the other stuff after that.” I felt shame spread across my cheeks just thinking about our short, heated exchange.
“Never be sorry for that, Leka. Never regret loving me, please.” His voice was endearing, but there was a desperate edge to it, a hard plea that rounded out the final word.
“I’ll never regret loving you, Kai. I regret not having a better hold on my emotions. I wished I was more stable and level headed rather than a spastic, bi-polar…”
The door opened; Drex and Sanders entered. Sanders shoved at Drexel, sending him away from the entry, where it seemed like the big man wanted to cower.
My heart broke at the apprehension in his steps, at the ache in his eyes. Oh, he tried to steel himself against it, he tried to hide it, but I knew him too well.
I quickly moved to him. “Please forgive me.”
He stood, quietly staring down at me. He wasn’t looking at me though, he was looking through me. Talk about guilt. I’d never felt so small.
“Drex, please look at me.” I stood on my tiptoes and covered his cheeks with my hands, waiting until I had his attention. “I’m sorry. I had a bad moment and I took it out on the wrong people. It’s not your fault. It never was. It’s not your responsibility to be in the middle of me and Kellan. It’s definitely not your responsibility to report anything to me. Your loyalty isn’t being questioned. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle, and I’m sorry you were inadvertently pushed away.”
He slowly nodded his head. His brows relaxed as his eyes drifted. “It’s not my place to say anything, but I will say that you deserve more than he gave you. If my fiancé was pregnant, I wouldn’t leave her in the hands of others to run off on some secret mission.”
My hands began to shake as I listened to his words, prompting me to move them. “Thanks for your honesty.”
“Hey.” It was his turn to capture me; his hand cupped the back of my head as his thumb brushed against my cheek. “I’m not saying he doesn’t love you. I’m saying he doesn’t know how to hand
le himself. Your love is more mature than his. In time, that will change.”
Wanting to move away from the subject of Kellan – and the fact that he hadn’t bothered to call me since he left - I focused my desserts. “I baked you and Sanders each a pie.” I smiled, leaving Drex’s warmth.
I handed each of them an ‘I’m sorry’ pie. They both chuckled. “I’m really sorry, guys.”
“All’s forgiven if you have vanilla ice cream.” Sanders offered.
My smile widened. “Homemade.” I handed each of them a spoon from the silverware drawer as I retrieved the homemade ice cream from the special gadget. Grabbing a scoop from the drawer, I spooned two heaping mounds on top of each of their plates before packing away pies for Auggy and Aunt Claire, to be delivered later.
I busied myself cleaning the kitchen - which was mostly clean already – as everyone else ate. I kept trying to reel in my wondering thoughts of Kellan, as everyone else ate.
I was in the middle of wiping down the mixer, when all three guys yelled out simultaneously, “Done!”
My head shot up, and I was surprised to see three empty pie pans. I knew the shock was evident on my face. They all gave me a big, crooked grin. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at them.
“You three are too in sync. It’s a tad creepy.”
That’s when their faces changed. Sanders turned serious, as usual, appearing preoccupied. Drexel’s grin widened as his eyes flashed with enjoyment. Kai lifted a single brow, his lips full of unspoken questions.
I shook my head, studying them. “I really do need more female friends.”
“Um, speaking of females…” Drex pulled out a piece of notebook paper from his pants pocket and set it on the counter in front of me. “The note is different this time.”
I snatched it off the counter and flipped it open.
Look out, Lex. - CR
***
Kellan
He leaned against the side of the building; his ankles were crossed out in front of him and his arms were folded on his chest. He was about my height with a similar frame. His ash-blonde hair spiked up in a stylish fade. He wore dark jeans and a white tee with a leather jacket. His body language oozed confidence, the leather combined with the deep glint of his brown eyes gave him a rough edge; adding unpredictability.
I came to a stop in front of him, stuffing my hands in my pockets.
He pushed off the wall, giving me a once over. I didn’t let him rattle me.
“What’s the deal?” I decided direct was the best approach with him.
“Not here,” he clipped.
He took off at vamp speed down the street, around the corner and into a high-rise apartment building. He didn’t look back until he reached the elevators.
I was quick to observe my surroundings. There was nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary about this place. It was just another fancy, overpriced building in my opinion.
The elevator dinged and we boarded. The moment the door closed, he pressed the number nine and held down the button. Instead of going up, I realized we were going down. My gums began to ache as anxiety washed over within me like a tidal wave.
When the elevator stopped, we walked out into a concrete basement of sorts. One end was visible from the other, illuminated by fluorescent lights scattered across the ceiling. Metal poles jutted up from the floor, dotting the room, acting as the only definition to the cold box.
In the far left corner of the space was a bed, a floor lamp and a few duffle bags. To the right, several yards from the bed, was a complete office set up. Dual monitors dominated the desk’s top while several towers fed into them.
“You live here?” I asked.
“This is just my work space.”
My eyes traveled the massive perimeter.
I watched as he sat down in the executive chair. I collapsed in the only other seat; a wood dining chair that looked like it’d been pulled from a dumpster or used as a weapon.
He started tapping on the keys in quick succession. He broke through several encryptions before he pulling up a map. He clicked for a street view, enlarging the image. “This is where we’re going.”
“We?” That was a surprise.
“Before your pride is bruised, this is personal for me. Although she’s never met me, I’m Lexi’s cousin. My father was her mother’s brother from, you guessed it, Cesar.” He hunched towards me, pressing his elbows against his knees. “I didn’t know my grandfather, but I’m familiar with his mission.”
“And you alone want to carry it out?” I scoffed.
He frowned, his brows being dragged down. “No. I want to fucking destroy it. I don’t give a shit about vampeens versus vampires. I do give a crap about big C fucking up my business deals and messing with the innocents in my family, what few there are.” His eyes glowed with rage. Apparently Cecilia wasn’t just messing with me.
I sat back, crossing my arms as I mulled over his words. Family. Damn. Lexi had mentioned a whole page of names a while back, but she hadn’t brought it up since. And, to be honest, I didn’t bother asking either. I was too damn busy focusing on a female vampire who I was on the verge of believing was merely a myth.
He turned back to the computer, motioning to the screen. “This is where we’re going tomorrow.”
I stared at the two-story colonial home. It was on an expansive plot of land. I couldn’t accurately gauge the distance between the home and the forest that encircled the property, but I knew it was at least half a mile. No trees or bushes cluttered the lawn. It was wide open space.
Damn it. She can see anyone who approaches. “Looks like there’ll be no surprise attacks here.”
“Nope. We’ll have to go in with our guns blazing.” The sneer on his face curdled my blood. There was something sinister about this guy.
“What’s your name?”
He glanced over at me. “Derek.”
Chapter 19
Lexi
I walked into the conference room with a stack of new properties in my arms. I stopped short at the women sitting around the circular table. Mel, Gabi, Aunt Claire and Beth all sat, staring at me.
“Um, can I help you, ladies?” I set the stack on the tabletop.
“Yes, you can.” Gabi stood, shut the door and gently shoved me into a chair.
“We’ve been brainstorming, honey.” Aunt Claire searched me.
Absentmindedly, I rubbed my belly. “Okay. What does that mean for me?”
“You can’t do all of this while you’re carrying a baby, sweetie.” Beth tried to be gentle in her approach, but it still ruffled my feathers.
I sighed.
“Uh-huh. You are so not going to get all depressed and dejected over this, Lex. We’re your friends. We’re looking out for you even when you don’t seem to care.” Mel crossed her arms, narrowing her blue eyes at me. “Beth told us what she went through to have Kellan.”
I met Beth’s gaze. Her eyes were soft, full of compassion and understanding. She gave me a small, hollow smile that told me she wasn’t trying to bulldoze me, but rather, was looking out for me based on her own experience.
“Listen, y’all, I appreciate your concern. I have been taking it easier lately. I do more office work than fieldwork. Drexel and Auggy make sure I eat regularly.”
“Finally that man is using his brain,” Aunt Claire stated.
“I’m good, I promise. But I can’t stop or slow it down any more than I already have. My baking fills my mornings and working behind the scenes to locate Cecilia and Kalia has been my central focus.”
“Fine, then put us to work.” Gabi mashed her lips together, challenging me.
I studied each of them. Mel was the most casual of the bunch, dressed in skinny jeans that were tucked into her Uggs and a slim-fit tee. Her blonde hair was pulled tight on top of her head, not a loose hair in sight. She gave me an amused smile. She knew I was mulling it over. She knew me well enough to know I was already considering every angle and how I would best use them if I ag
reed.
Gabi was dressed in black skinny jeans, killer grey heels, and a lacy black tank with a cropped cream sweater over it. Her dark brown hair fell in waves around her smooth face. Her brown eyes met mine. Her lips were working, she was biting her tongue.
Aunt Claire adjusted her jacket. She wore a sharp, navy blue, women’s business suit with a pencil skirt that hugged her curves. A plum camisole peeked through beneath her overcoat. Shiny neutral heels gave her a polished, yet stylish, look. Her hair tucked into a loose bun just above her neck.
Beth sat primly in a dark teal, A-line dress that touched just below her knees. It had a fifties-housewife flare to it, a classic detail in the fit and design that reminded me of Lucille Ball’s fashion during her ‘I Love Lucy’ years. Her dark auburn curls cascaded around her heart-shaped face; although, it was her eyes that stole me. There was so much knowledge in their depths. She…
Suddenly, my stomach twisted - tight. The baby flipped, sending me on overload. I swallowed the rush of serum that hit my mouth. I gazed down at my stack of papers, trying to collect myself before I faced her again. “You know where he is.”
***
Kellan
The home looked just as it had on the computer screen. The red brick structure consisted of four walls made of windows framed in white. A blue front door was the only pop of color. Two brick steps led to the front door. Cecilia had a view in every direction.
“You ready for this, Dad?” I asked, glancing at him.
“Let’s do it.”
“We should go one by one. Three vamps running towards her would be a hell of a lot more obvious. We should split up. Each of us runs from a different side of the house.” Derek stopped, eyeing us. “The only thing is we don’t know which one of us she’ll see first and focus her efforts on. You guys willing to take that chance?”
Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. He was conniving. I knew there was probably a story to explain it, but I didn’t care. I was focused on the mission.
“Let’s go,” I snarled.
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