Without speaking and finally caring about the rain, they moved at a speed faster than human. About halfway to the car, the baby started to scream again.
Alex didn’t even bother trying to hide the growl that escaped from his throat.
“What’s wrong with her now?” he asked and helplessly looked at Danielle.
“She is probably hungry.”
“So what do we do?”
As Danielle started to chuckle, her brown eyes glistened.
“Don’t laugh; the last time I took care of a baby, the only thing they ate came out of their mother.”
“Yes, yes, I know,” she managed to say between chuckles. “Don’t worry; we’ll just have to stop at the store.”
They picked up the pace and arrived at the car in no time. Alex felt relief wash over him. He handed the screeching baby to Danielle, who quickly slipped into the passenger seat, and then got behind the wheel and started the engine. “What store?”
“Any store,” she said impatiently.
Alex sped to the closest grocery store, pulled into the parking lot, and killed the engine.
“Are you coming in?” he asked when she didn’t look like she was going to move.
“We can’t take her in screaming like this.”
“Well, I don’t know what to buy. You go.”
“No, you go; get bottles and formula; it should all be in the same section.”
Going into the store by himself to buy things for an infant was the last thing he wanted to do. He began to plead with her. “Please come in with me.”
She raised her voice, which stunned Alex. “Alex! Get in there and get the stuff so that we can feed this baby!”
“All right, all right,” he muttered while he slowly got out of the car and shut the door with more force than necessary. Surprisingly, the window didn’t shatter. As he walked through the parking lot to the entrance, he could still hear the crying baby.
Damn it.
He sloshed his way through the aisles of the store and read the signs which hung from the ceiling. Finally, one told him the baby stuff was in isle six.
“Oh no,” he whispered as he gazed around the shelves of isle six. Who knew there were so many different kinds of formula and bottles? Carefully, he read the labels until he found a formula that said it was most like breast milk. The bottles were easier; he chose a couple that simply stated 0-3.
There were more diapers on the wall of isle six than he could imagine anyone would ever need. Which ones, which ones. “Ah, newborn!” He grabbed the largest package he could find and made his way to the checkout counter.
Alex put the stuff on the counter in front of a cute brunette woman who wore a red apron. She eyed his items and asked, “Late night emergency?”
Then she started to slowly ring up the formula.
“Um, yeah.” Ya think.
She finished bagging his items and handed him the bag. He snatched it from her hands, managed a quick and unfriendly “thank you”, and left the store as quickly as he could manage without scaring people.
Water splashed up as he ran to the car and jumped in.
“I got it!” He held up the bag with triumph. “So how do we do it?”
He opened the bag and took out the can of formula, then tore off the lid. Once it was open, he stared down in disbelief.
“It’s powder, Danielle, how is she supposed to drink this?”
Danielle was trying to comfort the baby and rocked her back and forth. She explained, “You mix it with water.”
“We don’t have any water.”
“Let’s go, then.”
He peeled out of the parking lot, spraying water up in a wave when he turned the car toward the freeway, and drove like a mad man all the way home. All he could think of the entire way was what could silence the screaming child.
Bite her.
He pulled into the driveway, parked right in front of the doors, and without even helping Danielle, he bolted out of the car and into the house.
When Danielle finally made it into the house, he handed her a bottle full of formula.
She carried the baby into the den and sat on the sofa. The first attempt at giving the bottle to the baby failed. She turned her little head away while she screamed and waved her arms around. Apparently, she was trying to emphasize what she wanted to say.
“What’s wrong with her?” Alex asked, as he collapsed onto the chair across from them.
“She doesn’t know how,” Danielle said softly. Patiently, she worked with her until the baby figured it out. When it happened, she latched on for dear life.
Alex leaned back in the chair and sighed with relief; it was finally quiet. After a couple of minutes, Alex took the small lap blanket from the chair by the door and gently handed it to Danielle, who wrapped it around the baby.
Alex broke the silence. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but as you can tell, I’m not really cut out for this.”
Danielle glared at Alex.
“What?”
“Alexander, you were destined to find this baby; it’s part of a larger plan; you and this child were meant to be together.”
“But I’m a vampire, and that,” he pointed at the bundle in her arms, “is a human baby; how can this possibly work?”
“Listen to me closely: You will raise this child like you are meant to. This little girl is a very important part of the fate of the human world. You are going to be her teacher and her father. You are going to protect her.”
“This is completely insane.”
“No, this is what you wanted. It seems crazy now but you will adjust.”
“I will adjust, are you kidding me?”
Danielle only shook her head.
“Why does that baby look just like my daughter?” Anger welled up inside of him as he thought of how cruel this joke was.
“This is your chance to see your daughter grow up.”
“My daughter is dead!” he roared at her. “That is not my daughter and she will never take her place.” He got up and started to pace the length of the room.
“Alex, calm down. Come over here and hold her.” Danielle held out the child that was finally sleeping peacefully.
“No,” he snapped. “I don’t want to hold her. We need to find someone else to take care of her!”
Danielle knew Alex would give in. “There is no one else, Alex, it is up to you. She will need much protection in the years to come. There are many, good and bad, who have been waiting for the birth of this child, and some of them are only waiting to get rid of her.”
Alex plopped down in the chair. “Why me?”
Danielle shifted the baby closer to her chest. “You’ve been asking for this for years; you should be grateful the Lord has listened.”
He bent over, put his elbows on his knees, and lowered his head into his hands.
“Why does she need so much protection?” he mumbled into his hands.
“This child here,” she looked down at the baby, “is a very powerful natural witch; she has powers she won’t be able to control. Some witches spend years trying to perfect their powers because they don’t have enough natural blood in them, but she will spend years trying to control too much power.”
He didn’t care how much power the baby had. “You still haven’t answered my question; why me? She should be left with a witch, someone who can teach her about all that.”
“You will hire someone to help you with that but she needs to learn to love. If she grows up full of resentment and hate…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “She could annihilate us all.”
“I don’t know if I can do this. I’m nocturnal; children need sunlight to grow, and they need to go to school. They need parents, not blood sucking monsters.”
“This child will see the sunlight and, with Jeremiahs help, you may also.”
His head jerked up. “Did he have a breakthrough?”
Just the thought that he may someday see the sunlight almost brought tears to his
eyes.
“Not yet,” she answered. “You know, Alex, I only know so much and we will both be left with some unanswered questions. You must not worry, though; remember, everything happens for a reason.”
She held the baby out to him with both hands. Alex knew that if he took her, he would be accepting responsibility. He looked at the sleeping baby; her breathing was slow and regular.
How can someone so little have so much hair?
Memories came flooding back to him. He remembered thinking the same thing when he had held his own daughter in his arms for the first time. Reluctantly, he wandered toward the sofa, bent down, and took her into his arms. Her slumber was so deep that the shift between Danielle and himself did not rouse her. Once she was securely in his arms, he and Danielle met each other’s eyes with understanding.
After all these years, he would have to be a father again, but he had no idea how to be one. Danielle stood and touched her soft hands to his cheeks. “Alex, the Lord has given you this child. This is your second chance.”
“I know.” He looked down. “She just looks so much like her.”
“That is also part of the gift. You loved your first daughter so much and now you will see her live.” She pulled her hands away. “You must give her a name; we can’t just keep calling her the baby, or the child.”
He would never give that baby his daughter’s name; he just couldn’t bear for her to carry that name. “I think I will call her Jaiden. I have always loved that name for a girl and it seems to fit her.”
“It’s beautiful.” Danielle clasped her hands together. “The birth of Jaiden.”
6
Stewart tossed and turned. The muted television projected a luminescent glow throughout the room which caused shadows to crawl eerily over the walls. The hustle and bustle of late nights in the city echoed from the streets below.
Something isn’t right here.
He flung back the comforter on his narrow twin bed and put his bare feet on the cold hardwood of his apartment floor. He stood and stretched, and then went to the kitchen wearing only his blue boxer shorts.
He squinted his eyes against the blinding light when he opened the fridge and cringed when all he saw were only four day old take out boxes and a bunch of condiments.
“Ugh!”
He slammed the door shut with so much force it shook the whole refrigerator. When he turned around, he was face to face with Malcolm.
“Oh. Just great!”
Malcolm’s long black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail secured at the base of his neck. Stewart met Malcolm’s green eyes with his own, refusing to let himself look away.
He marveled at Malcolm’s bright red lips, but upon careful scrutiny, he became convinced that Malcolm was wearing lipstick and eye makeup around his eyes to make himself look meaner. Not to mention the black suit and cape. Who does he think he is, Dracula?
“Get out of my house.”
Despite Malcolm’s costumed appearance, Stewart was frightened of him. However, he was never one to back down from anyone.
“You little fool.” Malcolm’s deep voice resonated through the kitchen. “Have you decided yet?”
Stewart held his head high. “I will never betray the council.”
Malcolm laughed derisively. “Oh really. I suppose you need one more day to think about it.”
“No. I won’t change my mind.”
Malcolm grasped his black satin cape on both sides and fingered the soft fabric. “You have never known what you’ve wanted, Stewart.”
“Your mind games won’t work with me. I’ve played them my whole life. Besides, it’s none of your business what I want.”
“Of course it is, Stewart, you are my key weapon.”
“I will not betray the council,” Stewart repeated.
“You mean the old man who picked you up off the streets?”
“Don’t you dare speak badly of Jeremiah. Besides, the council is the closest thing to a family that I’ve ever had. I will never turn my back on them.”
“Just because your own family didn’t want you doesn’t mean that a bunch of idiots who want to run the world want you.”
“Shut up!”
“I can give you a better life, Stewart.”
“I said shut up!”
“One way or another, I will get my way.”
“You always underestimate the council and their army.”
Malcolm reared his head back and bared his fangs as he laughed. “Think about it, Stewart. You don’t have much time left.”
“Get out!” Stewart waved his hand at the door in dismissal.
“I will come for you tomorrow night.”
Malcolm menacingly waved his cape in front of his face; then a huge cloud of smoke appeared and he was gone.
Stewart shook his head.
“What a freak,” he said loudly. “I don’t care if you can hear me,” he said even louder.
He returned to bed and pulled the blanket over his head, fully knowing he would begin the next morning without having had any rest. He only lay there thinking, just like Malcolm had said he would.
7
Alex paced the floor with the baby. Overwhelmed, his mind skimmed over all the things he had to do. There were so many things he needed to buy; they still needed to find a witch for the baby, not to mention whatever was going on with Malcolm.
Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid spreading onto his arm. He cleared his throat. “Danielle.”
“Yes.”
“I think we forgot something.”
From the sofa, Danielle raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“A diaper!” He wondered how he was ever going to manage this. Gently, he laid Jaiden on the sofa and spread out the blanket which had been swaddled around her. He heard giggling and glanced over his shoulder. “Danielle!”
Her hand flew up and covered her lips.
“This isn’t funny,” he snapped at her. “Will you grab those diapers?”
Danielle stood. “It’s nearly dawn. Why don’t you go to sleep and let me take care of her until you wake?”
Surprised at the time, Alex nodded. “Thank you.”
Jaiden sighed and puckered her lips in sleep. Danielle smiled and waved him off.
Once in his coffin, he lay silently and waited for sleep. He felt resigned to his sudden responsibility though he wasn’t sure if he was doing it for God, the child, or himself.
Well, no matter what the reason, it’s a done deal now, he thought.
For the first time in a while, Alex enjoyed a peaceful and dreamless sleep. Although he wasn’t totally confident about being able to handle raising a baby, he awoke to the realization that it was part of believing in God.
Sometimes, he will throw things at you which you cannot control. Or things you won’t necessarily like, such as letting one of his children get turned into a vampire, but you have to stay strong and trust in him.
Invigorated from the potency of his thought, Alex went to greet Danielle and Jaiden in the sitting room. Jaiden was wide awake and lay on a blanket on the floor. Danielle sat Indian style right next to her.
“Hello.” He entered the room and sat on the floor across from Danielle.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked him.
“Yes, actually, I did. Did she?” He nodded at Jaiden.
“She slept most of the day. I think the exhaustion has already run its course.”
They both gazed at Jaiden while they spoke. She wore only a diaper, looked freshly bathed, her red hair shone and her soft pale skin glistened.
Alex’s body shook visibly as a terrible thought occurred to him. How could this be the answer to his prayers if he had to watch her grow old and die?
“Alex, you need to stop thinking about all that.”
“I thought we agreed not to invade each other’s minds unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Danielle ignored him and picked Jaiden up. She held her out toward Alex.
“Here, Alex, it’s ti
me to start learning how to be a father.”
“Danielle,” he whispered, “I’m afraid of her. I‘m afraid that if I learn to love again she will only be taken from me. I feel like I am setting myself up for failure.”
“Now is not the time to worry about these things.”
Alex reluctantly cradled the baby in his arms. Jaiden looked up at him with her beautiful eyes and made a cooing noise. He touched his finger against the palm of her thin hand; out of reflex, she clasped onto his finger. Alex looked at Danielle and whispered, “Are you sure this is what is right?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Victoria will be here soon with a prospective witch for you to meet. Her name is Isabella Preston; she is a strong natural witch who pretty much raised her six siblings.”
“She does know I’m a vampire, right?”
“Yes. There is no need to worry about that. Isabella is a good friend of Deanna’s; Deanna put in a few good words for you.”
“And she understands that she will have to live here?”
“Yes, Alex, and you can talk about all that when she gets here.”
He grinned at her with a sparkle in his eye. “We get to go shopping.”
Danielle laughed a loud belly laugh. “You really are something else, Alex.”
“I know.” This might actually be kind of fun, he thought as he looked down at Jaiden.
The door bell rang. Danielle jumped to her feet. “I’ll go.”
She returned a few minutes later with Victoria and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
His gaze was first drawn to her long, straight, blond hair which hung to the middle of her back. Then his eyes moved slowly to meet her emerald eyes which were surrounded by long, brown lashes. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and cheek bones. Tall, slender, gorgeous.
“Why don’t we all have a seat down by Alex?” Danielle held her hand out toward him.
Isabella immediately sat down next to Alex without looking at him, but Victoria had to have a fit about everything.
“Why would you make an old woman like me sit on the floor, Danielle?”
“I’m not making you do anything. Sit wherever you want.”
Alex was amazed that Danielle could be so patient with someone as unpleasant as Victoria.
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