by C. J. Pinard
“Will, don’t please. Just don’t. Go get a nurse, please,” she begged.
Will ran into the hallway and grabbed the first woman in a white nurse’s uniform he could find. “Please help, my friend, she’s in the bathroom, she needs help.”
The nurse ran with him to the restroom door and just yanked it open. Kathryn was doubled over, crying, blood oozing down from under her dress between her legs and splashing on the cold, tiled floor.
“Oh, sweetheart, let’s get you some help.” She turned to Will. “Go fetch me the wheelchair in the hallway, son,” she ordered. After he left, she looked at Kathryn and grabbed her hand. “How far along, sweetheart?”
Kathryn was sobbing and shook her head. “Two or three months, about…”
The nurse also shook her head. “I’m so sorry. We’ll get you to a doctor, okay?”
The nurse grabbed a towel and handed it to Kathryn, who shoved it between her legs as she sat in the wheelchair. Will used one of David’s extra bed blankets to cover her with.
“You stay with him,” the old nurse said, pointing at David. “I’ll come get you when your friend here is done with the doctor.”
Will nodded. After Kathryn left, he put his head in his hands and cried.
Two days later, she was on the mend – physically anyway – being told she’d had a “stress miscarriage” due to all the trauma she’d endured in the last few days.
She sat at David’s bedside when the doctor came in to make rounds. “Hi, Mrs. Jones. How’s our guy doing today?”
He was a nice-looking young doctor with bright red hair and friendly green eyes. He was tall and thin and looked extra pale in his white lab coat.
“He’s the same,” she replied, staring at him.
The doctor began his tests, starting with feeling for a pulse. Kathryn watched the doctor’s relaxed demeanor turn stiff as he searched for a pulse on first his wrist, then his neck. He laid his head on David’s chest, then stood.
“Nurse! Paddles!” he cried out as he slammed the head of the bed down flat and ripped the pillow out from under David’s head.
The older nurse who had helped her days earlier came in with a large set of electric paddles and handed them to the doctor.
“Clear!” he yelled before placing the bulky paddles, which were attached to a large white machine, onto David’s chest. His body lifted violently off the bed as the paddles shocked him, but he continued to lay still.
“What’s going on?” Kathryn cried, tears streaming down her face. “What’s wrong with him?”
“Stay back, honey,” the nurse said, pushing her back towards the door of the room.
The doctor shouted, “Again, clear!” He placed the paddles on and shocked poor David once again.
After a third round, he felt for a pulse again and shook his head, his eyes sad. He looked at his watch and said quietly, “Time of death, nine-twenty-two a.m.”
“No!” Kathryn screamed.
∞∞∞
Somewhere in the Northeast U.S. – Present day
Malina was asleep on Serina’s couch. She went over and placed a pink blanket over her and crept into the kitchen to fix some tea. She saw the light blinking on her cell phone and picked it up to see she had three voicemails. She sighed and dialed the voicemail. All three were from Thomas. She knew he had to be worried sick, and she was tempted to shoot him a quick text message to tell him Malina was all right, but she promised Malina she wouldn’t.
Serina was sitting in an armchair drinking her tea when Malina began to stir.
“Did you have a nice nap?” Serina asked, smiling.
Malina looked around. Her wavy brown hair was sticking up in spots and she instinctively reached up and smoothed it down. She pushed the blanket off and sat up, her large belly resting on the lap of her jeans.
“How long was I out?” she asked with a yawn.
“About an hour.” Serina was walking to the kitchen.
“I needed that,” Malina said quietly.
Serina returned with a small white china teacup and saucer and handed it to Malina.
“Thank you,” she said, sipping it cautiously.
Serina watched her curiously. She swiped a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and smoothed out her pink dress. “Thomas has left me three voicemails.”
Malina slowly turned from her teacup and looked at Serina. “What did he say?”
“He’s worried sick. Why will you not at least tell him you’re okay? He must think you’ve been kidnapped or something.”
She shook her head. “I packed a bag. He’ll know I left deliberately.”
“That’s almost worse. You could have at least left him a note.”
Malina set the teacup down and sighed. “You don’t understand and I don’t expect you to. I just need to come to grips with this. I don’t think anyone has ever been in my situation before. It’s just hard.”
Serina looked at her, confused. “What do you mean? Sylphs have babies all the time, I’m sure I will also grieve my immortality when I have children, too.”
“Yes, but not like this. My child’s father is an Immortal. He and the child will go on without me. Especially if the baby is a girl.”
“Didn’t Thomas say he would stop taking the Enchantment?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I couldn’t ask him to do that. Nor to Jonathan. Thomas is like a brother – no, not a brother, a son to him.”
“Has a sylph ever tried drinking the Enchantment when becoming human? Maybe you could take it. I will make it for you,” Serina smiled, taking a sip of her tea.
Malina smiled sadly. “Yes, they’ve tried. It doesn’t work.” She sighed. “I have even tried making it for other sylphs to take before they gave birth. None of it worked.”
Serina’s blue eyes widened and flickered with a quick lightning flash. “You did?”
She nodded. “Yes. On five girls. None of the elixirs worked. I tried all different spells.”
Serina got up to sit next to her and grabbed her hand. “Honey, everything will be all right. I promise. If your baby is a girl, I promise I will look after her long after you’re gone. Of course, she will be an adult by then, perhaps with her own children. Right?”
“I just need some more time to sort this out. Can I stay a few more days?” Malina looked at her with pleading amber eyes.
“Of course. However, you might have forgotten in all your musings, but your Immortals are due soon for their Enchantment dose, and if you don’t give it to them, I’m your backup.”
“You can do it. Just wait a few days, okay?”
She smiled. “You got it, girl.”
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon
Kathryn was lying in Jonathan’s bed on her side. It was mostly dark with moonlight streaming in through the slats in the shutters. A blue glow lit the room as she stared off into the night, thinking.
She heard his thoughts before she heard his footsteps as Jonathan stepped into the bedroom and closed the door. He slipped off most of his clothes and slid into the cool sheets with her. He cradled his body up behind hers and nuzzled his face into her hair.
“Hi. How was your day?” she asked, still facing away from him.
“Good,” he murmured. “You?”
“Fine. Busy. The usual,” she responded.
He swiped her hair away from her neck and began running kisses up the back of it.
She shivered as goose bumps peppered her body. “What do you think you’re doing? Maybe I just want to spoon tonight.”
“Haven’t you heard? Spooning leads to forking.”
She giggled. “You are awful. Where did you hear that?”
“Internet. Where else?”
“Ah,” she snorted. “But seriously. I’m worried about Malina. Aren’t you?”
He stopped kissing her and propped himself up on his elbow. He turned her around. “Don’t worry about her. She can take care of herself. She’s over two hundred years old. And let’s be real here.
She is kind of an emotional person, and the pregnancy just makes it worse.”
Kathryn shook her head. “That’s not nice.”
“The truth hurts. Now kiss me.” He rubbed his thumb along her jawline and looked down at her lips.
She leaned up and kissed him, putting her hands in his wavy hair.
He ran his hands the length of her body and started to tug her shirt off.
She broke the kiss and asked, “But where do you think she is?”
He sighed. “I think she’s safe. In fact, I know she’s safe. She can take care of herself. Can I undress you now?”
She kissed him again and he pulled her tank top off of her and threw it to the floor and then he pinned her flat to the bed and pulled off her boy-shorts. He kissed her neck again and whispered in her ear. “You’re so beautiful.”
She murmured, “I love you, John.”
Alone in the next room, Thomas was lying wide awake in the dark, worry a pit of pain in his stomach. He absently twirled his wedding ring round and round his finger with his thumb.
Where was she?
Chapter 14
∞∞∞
Phoenix, Arizona – 1926
With too much loss and too much pain associated with Los Angeles, Kathryn said her goodbyes to William and Andrew, sold the bungalow, and quit her job. Much to Stu’s delight, she did continue to dance for about a year after David died, but it wasn’t the same. She would look down from the stage and see a stranger occupying the seat David used to sit in and would have to fight everything inside not to cry while in the middle of a show. She gave it a good run, but that chapter in her life was over, and it was time close the book.
She enjoyed Phoenix when she had gone for her honeymoon, and decided to ask Andrew to call the head of the Phoenix coven, Scott, to see if she could join. Scott quickly and happily accepted her into the fold.
Without the distraction of being married and having a baby on the way, Kathryn dove head-first into the business of being an Immortal. Scott and the Phoenix coven completely embraced her, and without the interference of a job, she trained in martial arts, boxing, and even some sword instruction with a katana.
She met another Immortal named Annette who also had the gift of mind-reading and had taught her how to master tuning out the thoughts of others. She trained Kathryn on ways to delve into people’s minds only when she wanted to or needed information. There were very deliberate things she could do to stop from listening if she didn’t want to hear the thoughts of others. It took a solid two years to learn to master this, but eventually, Kathryn got it under control.
One day after a day of training, she and Annette decided to go have dinner at a small Mexican restaurant.
“So, Annette, what’s your story?” Kathryn asked as she forked some Spanish rice into her mouth.
Annette smiled, her red hair pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head. Annette had freckles covering most of her body but had a beautiful pale elfin face with cherry red lips and light brown eyes. She wiped her mouth on a napkin. “I was born in 1850 in Nebraska. My parents were farmers and I had six brothers and sisters. After we were grown, we all kind of scattered and I ended up here in Arizona on my way to Los Angeles looking for work when I was just nineteen. But I never made it to Los Angeles because I found a job here instead.”
“And what was that?”
She grinned again. “Bartender.”
Kathryn laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Glamorous, right? No, but in all seriousness, I married the bar owner – Tim was his name – and we had a good ten years together. He was killed by a vampire one night when he was out back taking out the trash.”
Kathryn shook her head, her fork frozen in her hand. “I’m so sorry. How awful.”
Annette smiled sadly. “Yes it was. Scott had been following the vamp, though, and ended him. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for me, I had witnessed the whole thing. Scott took me under his wing and the rest his history.”
“What about you?” Annette asked, throwing back the shot of tequila that the waitress had just brought to their table.
“Similar story, actually. I grew up in Chicago but came to L.A. when I was twenty-two, wanting to start over after my father died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Annette said.
Kathryn smiled ruefully. “Don’t be, he was a bastard.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I met David the instant I got into town and we fell in love right away. He was an Immortal, though. I didn’t find out until my honeymoon. The council gave him permission to let me join the coven, and a few years later, I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t know I could get pregnant, and of course I was happy but worried, too.”
“Why were you worried?” Annette asked.
“Oh just the regular pregnancy worries, plus what we would do when the child grew up and old and we didn’t.”
Annette nodded. “Gotcha. Go on.”
“Well a shifter who didn’t like David attacked him in front of the theatre one night. A man from our coven, William, had also been tailing this shifter and shot him when he attacked us. Unfortunately, David was also shot, right in the heart. Apparently, David had only been an Immortal two or three years when we met so he was a fairly young one and didn’t survive. I guess the older we are, the better we can heal?”
Annette nodded and forced the food she had been chewing down. “Yes, it’s true.”
Kathryn nodded. “Well the trauma of that caused me to lose the baby. It was a terrible time.”
“Oh, honey. Sounds like a hell of a year.”
“It was.” Kathryn nodded, swallowing back fresh tears.
“Well I’m sorry to hear about David. Sounds like he was a great guy.”
“He was. I miss him every day,” Kathryn replied sadly.
Annette had another shot sitting on the table and she lifted it. Kathryn looked at her and lifted her own.
“To David and Tim,” she said.
They both threw back the shots and then ordered more.
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon – Present Day
Night Crawlers, Portland’s biggest nightclub, was in full swing. Saturday nights were always the busiest, and tonight was no exception. Rhianna pumped through the speaker system, and the entire establishment was buzzing. Writhing bodies danced on the massive dance floor.
Darius was sitting in Pascal’s former seat, and he looked like a true regal king on his throne. His shopping trip was a success, as he now had on a black three-piece suit with a red button-down shirt under it with no tie. His head was shaved q-ball bare, and he was wearing dark sunglasses, which did nothing to impede his new vampire sight. His new shoes were so shiny, the strobe lights pulsated in their reflections, making his feet almost look animated.
Angel was at his side in skin-tight red leather from head to toe, complete with black leather studded choker and wristbands. Her nails were painted crimson and she had black rhinestone stilettos on.
The younger vampires were on the dance floor and she, Darius, and Mike all sat in the balcony watching them. Mike, always faithful, sat on the other side of Darius in jeans and his black Night Crawlers tee with the vampire teeth eating the words “Night Crawlers” as the emblem on the back of it.
Vania made her way up the staircase. She was in a black lace dress and black and white striped stockings, and her hair was in two low pigtails. She walked to Darius. “Hi. Can I get you anything?”
He pulled his sunglasses down a fraction and looked her up and down. “You look like the bride of Beetlejuice. What’s your name again?
She laughed nervously. “Vania.”
“Van-yuh? How do you spell that?” Darius asked, replacing his sunglasses and looking down at his fingernails.
“V-a-n-i-a,” she replied. “Now, would you like a drink?”
He measured her with a long stare that started to make her uncomfortable. “Rum and Coke, babe.”
“You got it,” she replied. “Angel
?” she asked, pointing to the vampire.
Angel shook her head no.
She pointed at Mike. “You want something?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You gonna slip something in it?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. You know I still love ya.” She winked one of her long eyelashes at him.
“Go fetch Darius his drink,” Mike replied and then looked away from her.
She turned on the heels of her combat boots and bounded down the spiral staircase.
“What’s her deal?” Darius asked.
Mike shrugged. “She was just one of those Pascal turned at the Vortex. She was a homeless kid, I guess.”
“Why did you ask if she was going to drug you?”
Mike blew out a breath. “Because she did the day Pascal was… killed. She knew I wouldn’t allow that, so Brandon,” he jutted his chin towards the dance floor, “stole some meds from the hospital, and I guess she got the job of jabbing me with the needle.”
Darius shook his bald head. “Damn.” He put his hand to his chin and stroked it, staring at the dance floor. “I think those kids are up to no good. Tomorrow evening, I’m calling a meeting.”
Vania was at the bar, waiting on Jack to make the rum and Coke. She was sincere when she’d asked Darius if he wanted anything. She knew right away Darius was going to be in charge, he had that air about him – plus his older looks just made him look like a leader. She knew the illegal things Brandon, Bryan, and the others were doing was going to get out and she had already decided which side she wanted to be on when the shit hit the fan.
The next step was to win back Mike’s trust.
∞∞∞
On the other side of town, the Pole Cat was also very busy, and it was decided that Tyler and Jason Swift would go together, as they wouldn’t be recognized by Seth and Malachi. Jason was thrilled with the idea. Tyler? Not so much.
As they entered the club, Eminem was pumping through the speaker system, and their attention was immediately drawn to the stage. A dark-skinned woman wearing nothing but gold body paint was doing a dance that made even Tyler blush. Jason was intrigued but quickly remembered why he was there.
