I took a deep breath, steeling myself. Derek was clearly a big question mark; he was unpredictable thus far. “I need you to take me - or at least give me directions - to Cecilia’s.”
He pursed his lips, mulling for a while. His gaze had hardened, but the smirk was still firmly in place, as if he was teasing me. “Alright. But if I get darted one more time, I’m never speaking to you again.”
It was my turn to laugh. I was finally beginning to understand Derek. He put up massive walls around himself for protection. He’d clearly been hurt, and if I had to guess, it was by someone close to him. “You like me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here and you certainly wouldn’t consider helping me.”
“I admit nothing.” His eyes sparkled with humor. And like that, one of his barriers seemed to crumble in front of me. “When are we leaving?”
“Tomorrow.”
His expression grew solemn. “I expect a private jet and five-star accommodations.”
“That’ll happen the day hell freezes over.”
There was a dark glint in his eyes. “I’m a dangerous man; I never back down from a challenge. I also have a way of making the impossible happen.”
“No private planes unless it’s necessary and I don’t even stay at five-star hotels so you can get over that one,” I firmly stated.
“I’m definitely chalking that one up to the preggo hormones.”
What was up with everyone making me out to be this emotional basket case of a pregnant woman who goes from one extreme to the next? Sure, I’d cried a lot lately, but I had a reason to. “You’re on thin ice, buddy.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Alright. I’ll lay off." He sat up in his seat. “What time tomorrow and where?”
“Where are you staying?”
He shrugged. “Around.”
I frowned. How crappy would I feel if I found out that he’d been on the streets…?
“I’m not slumming it, alright. I’m not hurting financially, but I’m not loaded either. I can afford a few nights in a room, no problem.” His saucy attitude was back. It was definitely a defense mechanism.
“I could use some company aside from Drex.” I decided to throw it out there.
“Where’s your boy toy?”
“Boy toy?” My face twisted in reaction to the humor of his wording.
“Boy toy. Fiancé. Whatever.” He shrugged.
I grew solemn, averting my gaze. My gut twisted as I thought of Kellan. “We broke up.”
“Oh shit.” His response was a surprised gasp.
“Yeah, so, if you want to come around, come around. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow morning at 7am at Charleston International Airport.”
I stood, grabbing my purse out of the chair beside me. The baby decided to move at that very moment. I glanced downwards. I couldn’t help but smile at seeing his strong movements rippling my dress. I didn’t have Kellan or Kai, but I had my baby boy. That’s all that mattered.
“I’ll see you later tonight, primo.”
I looked at him. His features had softened. He didn’t exactly exude compassion, but there was something in the depths of his eyes that had wilted the hardness of him.
I flashed a reserved smile. “See you later.”
Chapter 35
Kellan
I knocked on their door rather than barging in. I knew I was welcome, but I was coming to them for something. I didn’t feel right walking in and asking them for help as if I expected it.
Her ring burned a hole in my pocket. Its weight seemed to tug every part of me down; it was an anchor pulling my spirit, a chain squeezing my heart.
“Kellan?” My mother frowned as she looked at me. “Why didn’t you just come in?”
I shrugged.
She cocked her head, her keen eyes seeing what no one else would. “What happened?” She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, closing the door behind me.
“Is Dad here?” I didn’t hear him.
“In here, son,” he called out.
We moved into the kitchen, surrounding the island, just as we had the night Lexi told us she was pregnant. The memory was so vivid. I could still picture her fidgeting; I could still hear her heart pounding in fear, fear that I’d leave her or screw it up somehow…which I did.
I pulled the ring out of my pocket and set it on the island between us all. It said what I hadn’t been able to tell anyone.
“Oh, sweetie.” She yanked me into her arms, hugging me. Even though I towered above her, even though I was technically an adult, she somehow knew how to bring me to a child’s level and comfort me. Her warmth surrounded me.
When she finally released me, I felt marginally better… until I saw the ring. It reminded me of all I’d lost. I didn’t just lose Lexi; I’d lost my son too. I frowned. I hadn’t even told them.
I swallowed hard, meeting their concerned faces. “It’s a boy.”
My dad smiled cheerlessly. “Congratulations.”
Tears welled in my mother’s eyes. “What happened, Kellan?”
My chest tightened. Somehow telling them the truth seemed like the hardest thing. I’d disappointed them so many times; I knew I was doing it again. “I messed up.”
“Talk to us, son.” Al placed an arm around my mom's shoulders.
I turned away from them, unable to look at their faces as I confessed my sins to the angels. “I have anger issues. I don’t deal with things. I’m impulsive. Those three things collide sometimes. I’ve lashed out at her.”
My mother gasped.
My throat seemed to swell as my gut twisted. “I swear I’m bi-polar sometimes. I can’t seem to control it. I’ve done it in front of others; I have no filter.” I shoved my hands in my jean pockets. “The final straw wasn’t that bad compared to other times before. I guess it’d been building inside her too.”
“What happened?” My mother pressed.
“She was crying over Kai, again. She’d been crying all week. I’d been good with her, patient for once. We’d all been sensitive to her feelings. But she just seemed like a zombie. She wasn’t herself. I wanted the old Lexi back. I snapped, sort of.” I shifted, knowing I needed to face them. I took a moment to gather my courage before turning back to them. I couldn't look directly into their eyes, not brave enough to face the disappointment I knew I would find there. “I told her she needed to pull herself together for me and the baby; that she couldn’t cry forever. I guess I made it sound like she was milking it because she went off, lighting up and giving me back the ring. This time I didn’t stick around to make it right. She went to the room and I went to Craig’s.”
“I’m sure you had the best of intentions, sweetie.” My mother sniffled. Shit. She’s crying.
“You’ve got to learn to think before you speak. We’re not mortal. We don’t have the luxury of letting go of our sins on a deathbed. We have to live with our mistakes forever.” His words were like a spear piercing my rib cage. I took a deep breath, lifting my head. My mother smiled softly. She wasn’t judging me. Worse. She was empathetic towards me.
I met my father’s eyes. He gave nothing away. “How long did it take you to accept who you are? How long did it take you to come to your senses, stop rebelling and embrace your new title as a vampire?”
I immediately knew where he was going.
“When you love someone, son, you’re there for them, even if it means getting caught up in their storm. You can’t control it, the same way you can’t control them. The only thing you can do is be there for them. They may not appreciate you during their trial, but one day, they’ll look back and respect you; they’ll love you even more for never abandoning them, even when they probably deserved it." His eyes reflected the wisdom he had gained from experience.
His words were powerful, compelling, reminding me of all I’d put them through. They had been there through it all. They never shunned me, despite me threatening my father’s position in the army because he refused to arrest or detain his own son. They never judged me. In fact,
they did the opposite. They’d assured me that they were there and would be there when I was ready to talk, when I was ready to leave it all behind and move into an inevitable future. Their love had been invaluable. I didn’t always regard it with appreciation; I’d been a complete asshole. They loved me through it. They loved me through two years of bullshit, yet I snapped at Lexi after a week.
Damn it. Thinking deeper on it, she was probably overly emotional because it drudged up feelings about her parents’ deaths too. She was having a compound reaction to everything over the past year. Being pregnant didn’t make it any easier.
“I need to get her back. I need help winning her back.”
“I love you, son, but I love her too. She’s like a daughter to me. With a baby on the way, and knowing what I do after your mother’s experience, I don’t want you going back to her as you are. You need to work on yourself before you can be, or ever will be, the strong vampire I know you are capable of becoming; the strong vampire she needs.”
“Your father is right, sweetie. You can’t take a couple days and think you’re a changed man. What are you doing, or what do you plan to do, to ensure it doesn’t happen again? I know you have good intentions, but intentions aren’t actions. Intentions don’t equate to perfection.” She watched me carefully, delivering her reasoning with tenderness.
“What do you suggest then?” I was desperate. I couldn’t picture Lexi having the baby and me not being there. I couldn’t picture not seeing my baby smile for the first time. I didn’t want to miss those precious moments.
I also didn’t want to be without her. I never realized the balance she brought to my life. I never realized how much her presence meant to me until I didn’t have it. Even though we didn’t speak, just knowing she was there calmed my spirit. I’d had time to consider it; I’d had time to reconsider my life’s path. It never changed though. My heart longed for her and her alone. My soul was deflated without her. Anger consumed me without her moderate dose of logic. She kept me grounded. She kept me from being the stupid impulsive vamp I otherwise would be. She kept me safe. I hadn’t realized how much she protected me from my worst enemy - myself.
“A schedule,” Al stated.
“What?” I chuckled lightly, confused.
“Routines help minimize the unexpected, which helps minimize your unexpected reactions,” he explained.
“Makes sense, but the unexpected always comes.”
“You need to work time into your routine to meditate, to workout; you need to somehow get your aggression out so when the unexpected arises, you don’t have a build up that erupts under the added pressure. If you want, I’ll go to your place every day at a certain time and we can spar in the open gym downstairs.”
“Other residents will be there.”
“Not before 6 AM. I’m sure we can get a key from Will to use before or after hours.” He was trying. He was aiming not to push me, but to press me still. It was a delicate balance that he mastered.
“Alright. I’m staying with Craig right now at his place, but we can meet there in the mornings around 4:30.”
“We’ll get through this together, son.” He walked around the island and pulled me in for a hug.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He released me as my mother fought her way in.
She squeezed her arms around my waist. “We’ll help you get yourself together, and then we’ll help you get her back. We want this for you as bad as you want it for yourself.”
I breathed deep, quieting the storm of emotions raging in my chest. They were always there. They represented all I wanted to be to my son. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Now,” she grabbed my arm and jerked me towards the living room, “You have to see what I’ve done to the office. It’s so adorable. Now that I know it’s a boy, I can start decorating with blues and greens. I was thinking of painting the wall a true blue. Not a pale wimpy one or a dark morbid one, but a solid blue. I could use accents of green and white, which would make the espresso furniture I bought stand out more. Of course I haven’t selected the crib bedding set yet, and that will certainly have an impact on the color pallet.”
“Good luck, son.” My dad shook his head and laughed, as my mother continued to drag me towards her showroom. It was nice to see her so enthusiastic over her grandson when he wasn’t even here yet.
Chapter 36
Lexi
“You ready, guys?” I asked as we stepped out of the airport. The cold air stung my skin, sending a shiver through me. Drex took off his jacket and wrapped it around me. “Thanks.”
“Wimp,” Kalia scoffed.
We’d used our vamp powers to give the airline and airport security the idea that Kalia was a prisoner being transported back to Canada where the Canadian police would be waiting to take her in and prosecute her. Not exactly the truth, but it let us keep her in handcuffs and allowed us to bring weapons aboard.
“We’ll have to take separate taxis. Derek, go with Lexi. We’ll take the brat,” Drex said. He yanked on Kalia’s arm, pulling her towards a cab.
I couldn’t blame him. She didn’t shut up the entire flight. She ridiculed us and taunted us. She was trying everything she could to make us crack. She was grating, tiring. “Alright. Have your taxi follow us.”
Derek opened the door to the cab in front of Drex and Christian’s. I slipped into the back seat, immediately scooting over so he could get in after me. He gave the cabby the address.
“How far is it from here?”
“About two hours.”
I sighed. “I hope they don’t kill her by the time we get there.” I glanced backwards. Through the windshield I could see Kalia squished between Christian and Drexel. Her mouth was going and the guys were glaring forward. I could sense their regret.
“She’s building their character,” Derek said.
“Hmm. More like building the tension. One of them is going to snap. My money is on Drex.” I faced forward as we took off. I rubbed my belly. I hoped I was making the right decision, but in the moment, I couldn’t think past the fear that I’d made the wrong choice.
About an hour into the drive, my phone went off. “Hello?”
“Where the dickens are you, Jackson?” he barked.
“Dickens? Since when did you become British, Auggy?”
“Don’t get sassy, Lexi. We’re concerned,” Aunt Claire huffed.
“I’m in another country at the moment doing something I need to do.”
“What exactly is that something?” Auggy hesitated; I think he sensed what I was doing somehow. He knew I wouldn’t have left without telling them otherwise.
I took a deep breath, centering myself. “I have to try.”
“Damn it!” he growled.
“What is she doing? Where is she?” I heard the panic in her voice.
“She's going- Err! Do you know how stupid of a move that is? Jarrod is here with your team so I know you don’t have back up.” His tone was harsh, but it came from a place of worry.
“Auggy, I’m going to be a mother. I lead an army of my own too. At some point, you’re going to have to let go of the reigns with me. I can make my own decisions. I’m not asking that you support them, but you do need to respect them.”
“Don’t get uppity with me, Jackson.”
“Don’t get surly with me, Augustine.”
He huffed loudly into the receiver. “If I have to bury you, so help me God.”
“I have several trusted people with me, Auggy. I promise I won’t do anything stupid."
“Send me the location before you get there in case you need back up. How close are you?”
“About an hour away.”
“If I don’t hear from you in two, I’m sending my men in.”
“I can handle that. Yay for compromise,” I chuckled.
“Would someone please tell me what the heckle stein is going on?” Aunt Claire yelled.
“Okay, you all have been hanging out with Craig way too much lately. Please stick wi
th English.”
“This isn’t funny, Lexi.” Auggy’s voice was low, controlled. He was scared. The big, tough army commander was afraid.
“I know. Little in life is. We all have to face our enemies at some point though, right? We can’t run forever, and I don’t want to be running with a baby in my arms.”
I heard him breathing. Aunt Claire had gone quiet in the background. “I don’t like it, but I do respect it. Just…just come back safe, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“I’m serious about that address. If you don’t send it, I’ll just pull up your phone on the satellite.”
“You sneaky bastard. When did you hack this phone? I just got it a month ago.”
“Never underestimate me, Jackson.” I heard the smile in his voice. “Take care.” He hung up.
***
We had the cabs pull along the side of the road about a mile from our final destination. I froze as I watched Christian tug Kalia from the cab. They’d rotated her cuffs so her wrists were clasped behind her rather than in front. I couldn’t hide my amused smile as I saw the socks stuffed in her mouth. She was pouting, big time.
Drex stepped out, smiling wide. “How was your ride?” he asked, sweetly. I immediately knew they were his socks stuffed in her mouth. They must have threatened her for her not to be trying to spit them out.
I paid the drivers and waited for them to turn around and disappear down the road. I spun back to my small team. “Alright. First things first. All of us are putting on a helmet. We’re walking up in a straight line with Kalia as the leader. If we stick right up against each other and walk straight towards the door, they won’t have a clear shot. The head gear ensures that.” I unzipped the duffle bag and passed them each a helmet.
They glared at me. “Pink?” Derek frowned.
I shrugged. “It was all I found last minute.” When none of them made a move to put one on, I got tough. “It’s not a new fashion; it’s armor. Stop being babies and put them on. They’re to protect you for a short time, not to be worn out and about.”
That got them moving. I snapped one on my head before passing them each a dart gun. “They’re not lethal, they’ll just slow somebody down, so don’t get cocky,” I warned.
5 Darkness Falls Page 24
