Conversion Book Two: Bloodlines

by S. C. Stephens

  I sighed at that, relieved. The attack was on a Thursday night. If I somehow got through this with only one day missed, she may not can me. Feeling the dull ache at my neck return, I started to wonder how I’d explain that. I hadn’t looked at it yet, but I was positive the wound was much more than two tiny fang pricks that a turtleneck would easily cover. I’m pretty sure that bastard had used every chomper he had, and my skin looked like a pit-bull had mauled me. Swell.

  Teren still wasn’t looking at me, and I thought some of his earlier guilt had crept back into his features. A bit of the ice crept back into my stomach too. “Teren, please tell me you called in for me on Friday?”

  He peeked up at me from the corner of his eye. “I did.”

  I exhaled again. “Oh, good. I wouldn’t want to get fired.” I chuckled, but he didn’t laugh with me. He bit his lip; that worried me a little. “What did you tell them? What’s my story?” I was fairly certain he didn’t tell them a creature of the night bit me.

  He sighed and looked down again. I had the sudden image of a large hammer slowly lowering through the air. I wasn’t sure why, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. He sighed, confirming my suspicions. “I told them you were in a car crash.”

  I heard a gasp escape my lips as he looked up at me. Car crash seemed a little extreme for a neck wound. I suppose he was under a lot of strain at the time that he’d come up with it though, and I suppose I could hide my neck with a brace. Not exactly flattering, but, effective. He looked over my face and continued with, “I told them the crash put you into premature labor and the doctors were barely able to stop it.” My eyes widened even farther as the tale he’d spun grew. I didn’t see why he’d felt the need to expand on the lie. Wasn’t simpler, better? He swallowed and finished his cover story. “I told them…the doctors put you on bed rest until the babies are born.”

  I felt that imagined hammer land squarely on my head.

  “You what!” I yelled that, and my ears started ringing. Teren flinched and I’m sure his ears were ringing too. I guess I didn’t need to be so loud now, but some things can’t be helped. “They don’t think I’m coming back? Why would you tell them that?” I managed in a more level tone, and from where the vamps were still chit-chatting in the kitchen, I heard Halina mutter, ‘Here we go’.

  Teren sighed and put a hand on my cheek. “Because you can’t go back, Emma. You have to stay here…at the ranch.”

  His eyes looked sadly sympathetic. He knew I’d liked my job and had goals of moving up in the company. Being kept from there for months? Well, I wasn’t even sure I’d have a job to go back to, at least, not the same one I’d left. Clarice would most likely replace me. I’d have to start over, in the mail room or something.

  Feeling stubborn and childlike, I whispered, “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

  He looked away for a second, thoughtfulness on his face, and then twisted his head back to me. “I didn’t, you did.”

  Confused, I stared up at the ceiling. I didn’t remember anything over the past few days, but surely I’d remember basically throwing my career away. “I’ve barely been conscious. When did I agree to that?”

  He smiled and a cool finger traced the edge of my cheek before twisting to grab a long piece of my dark hair. With a half-smile he said, “When you told me I was foolish for staying in San Francisco, around all those innocent people.” I blinked at him and was about to start some sort of response when he lost his small smile and shook his head. “The fact is, Emma, we don’t know what’s going to happen to you.” He gave me a pointed look. “If you convert,” he looked down, away from me, “which is what I’m hoping happens, if your body can’t handle…”

  He didn’t finish that thought and looked back up at me. “You’ll awake just as hungry as I did. You’ll attack anything that moves.” His small, wry smile returned as he twirled the lock of hair in his fingers. “And you are the one that convinced me that the safest place for a creature about to go through that kind of transformation, was here, at the ranch.” His eyes looked over the room, as if he were taking in the land outside. “Surrounded by yummy cattle,” he murmured.

  I sighed softly, not really having an argument for that, since it was sort of my argument in the first place. Me and my big mouth. I never once imagined when I’d first said that, that I’d be referring to my own situation later on down the road. Yeah, the shoe on the other foot thing? Don’t like it.

  His smile grew at my silence and his fingers trailed down the strand of hair in his fingers before he let it drop. I could hear the individual fibers sliding over his skin. He sighed and his fingers shifted to my face, a light scent of grass on the tips, like he’d been plucking it outside. “I know, I didn’t like it either, but you were right and here is the safest place for you.”

  Knowing I’d sound foolish objecting, I tried to anyway. “But…I have doctor’s appointments to keep and the hospital is so far away now.” I knew I was spouting improbabilities. The odds of me surviving until my due date probably weren’t that great, but still, I was first and foremost a first time Mom, and I was a little worried about the whole “exiting” process. Doctors in white coats, with sterile equipment and vials full of drugs, were a very soothing thought. “I know you drive fast but-”

  He tilted his head at me, his brow scrunched. “You…can’t see doctors anymore, Emma. I’m sorry, I thought you’d see that right away. Your blood is mixed now, like mine, and it’s just too risky. We can’t let them examine you too closely. And really…a hospital birth was never going to happen. They would test the children’s blood. I’m sorry, I thought you’d see that.”

  Truthfully, I had made that connection, but I’d pushed it out of my head almost immediately. Denial was a strong thing. And so was fear. “Can’t see doctors? Can’t go to a hospital? I’m about to have babies, Teren. How do you expect me to do that without doctors?” And loads of pain meds.

  He smiled softly and ran his hand down my hair again in a soothing fashion, like he thought I was on the verge of hyperventilating or something. I heard supportive encouragement coming from both Alanna and Imogen, but blocked it out, focusing on the stubbly jaw of the man who, quite rightly, was keeping me from my building full of well trained professionals. “You can do it, sweetheart.” His grin turned a little wry. “And you’ll do it the same way women have done it for thousands of years.”

  I was about to roll my eyes and tell him he couldn’t possibly understand the turmoil that I was feeling over this new consequence to the events of a few nights ago, but he leaned down to kiss me softly and my objection died. “Besides, all the women here have experience in baby delivery. You’ll get all the help you need, right here.”

  I heard Alanna and Imogen agreeing with him, telling me that they’d take the very best care of me. Even Halina, said everything would be fine. Of course, her concern was more on the infants, than my pain level. Thinking about having a child in my luxuriously rich bed, the satin sheets feeling like liquid along my skin, I felt my chest tighten in anticipation. I was not a “natural” birth sort of girl.

  “Can my mom be here? She wanted to be with me for the birth.” Not that I was agreeing to any of this yet.

  He looked down and then slid his elbow down the silky sheet to rest his head on his arm, his face directly in front of mine as I looked over at him. “Emma, I don’t know about that. She can visit as often as she wants, of course, but the actual birth, may be…too much for her.” I nodded, tears sprinting into my eyes. Being like I was now, I had no idea what to expect from childbirth, assuming I even made it that far. I guess I really was stuck with vampire midwives.

  He kissed my nose. “I haven’t called her yet. If I told her you were in an accident, she’d rush right out here, and you needed time to…adjust before you saw her.”

  I sighed and looked down at his chest. “Oh.” I looked back up. “Ashley?”

  He nodded. “Ashley knows, I told her the truth.
She is dying to come see you, but I asked her to stay away until you called her.” I raised my eyebrow at that. He shook his head. “I didn’t mention to her that you may…not have made it.” He smiled sadly. “I painted it in the best light that I could for her.”

  I wondered briefly how he’d painted being attacked by a vampire in a good light. He was either very vague or underplayed things a lot. “Does she know you gave me your blood?” I said softly.

  He sighed and shook his head. “I only told her I saved you, I didn’t go into details.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “She didn’t ask either, so, I’m pretty sure she figured it out.” He sighed and kissed me again.

  I swallowed a painful lump, thinking my sister was probably going out of her mind and I should call her right away. I wondered if she’d talked to Tracey for me, explained about me missing work. Maybe she even told her that Hot Ben had been there and had been surprisingly very heroic. Maybe in the story, he pulled me from the wreckage or something. Either way, Tracey was probably waiting for a phone call too.

  I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by all the lies I’d have to tell soon, and heard words around the house drifting to me. Hot Ben was snoring, sleeping it off. Jack was watching TV while Alanna and Imogen started making dinner. Imogen and Halina started talking about eating outside tonight and my mouth started watering at the detailed conversation. I felt my teeth get longer and heard my own heartbeat quicken in anticipation.

  Teren’s hand came up to my cheek, bringing me back to this room, with him. I opened my eyes, surprised to find my breath faster. He was smiling softly at me, his eyes sympathetic. “You’ll get used to it,” he whispered.

  I sighed and nodded, surprised and grossed out over how much my body wanted even more blood. Apparently my pregnancy hunger had shifted to this kind of nourishment as well. I suppose staying out of the city was a good idea after all. I didn’t plan on biting anyone, ever, but the cravings in my body might try and convince me otherwise.

  Shutting out as many of my enhanced senses as I could, I focused on Teren’s calming, sky blue eyes. I could see flecks of gray in them that I’d never noticed before. As my heart and breathing returned to normal, I started relaxing. Feeling calm, I found I could will my teeth to retract. They moved slowly, and in my awkward mouth, I could hear the canines sliding against my gums and against the teeth next to them. I smiled when they were pulled in as far as I could get them and ignored how my jaw ached from creating space for the new, longer teeth to disappear into. Teren grinned at my normal looking smile and kissed me softly.

  Softly at first anyway. Our kiss started picking up a little bit and I heard Halina’s chuckle before she and Imogen left the house. As his tongue swept along mine, and I reveled that some things felt exactly the same, a stray thought pricked my brain. Pulling back, I playfully said, “So, are you sort of my father now? Do I call you Sire?” He grinned and I leaned in for a deep kiss. “Because that makes this a little creepy,” I muttered between our lips.

  He laughed and gently angled me to kiss me even deeper, his cool palms resting on my neck, soothingly. “Husband will be fine,” he chuckled.

  One of his hands staying on my wound, the other started trailing down my body and his leg started coming up over one of mine. I sighed and pulled him over, so the top half of him was over the top half of me; the bottom half just had too much belly in the way for him to lie on. His hand still came down to cup my backside though as he pulled my leg back over his hip. My fingers tangled back in his hair and that earlier connection we’d shared started burning under the surface. I wondered again if that bond was unique to us, or just a remnant of our terrible experience. His hand traveled over my stomach while I thought about that.

  One of the twins reacted strongly to Teren’s caress and kicked him so hard we both looked down. He laughed and rested his palm over them, feeling them squirm to get near him. I found I could hear their movements too. I closed my eyes and concentrated, tuning out every other sense I had. It took a minute, but then I heard it, the faint, fluttery heartbeats, the same as at the doctor’s office. I could hear them without any special equipment. I could hear the life flowing through their veins. It warmed my heart and tears were in my eyes when I opened them.

  Teren was watching me, his hand still on my stomach. “I can hear them,” I whispered, a huge smile on my face. Thinking of what Teren’s blood may have done to them, I frowned. “What do you think happened to them in all this? Do you think your blood…altered them in any way?”

  Teren’s hand rubbed my stomach and he shrugged, his face thoughtful. “I obviously don’t know for sure…but I don’t see why it would. Unlike you…and Grandma, really, when Great-Gran was turned, they were never entirely human in the first place. My blood was already in their veins…”

  I nodded, smiling again, feeling relieved by that. He smiled in kind and leaned down to kiss me again. Before his lips touched mine, I whispered, “Take them.” He pulled back, confusion clear on his face. “Whatever happens to me, if I die and convert, or die and just…die, take them.”

  He tilted his head, concern now clear too. “What?”

  I reached up and cupped his cheek, a calm peace flowing through me as I did. “Take them out of me, and do whatever you can to save them.”

  He shook his head, his hand from my stomach coming up to cover my hand on his cheek. “Emma, it’s too early. They won’t survive and we can’t take them to a hospital, not with their blood.”

  I searched his eyes, seeing that he clearly didn’t want to think about this yet. I needed him too. We needed every possibility covered, and the chances that I wouldn’t make it full term, were too great to ignore. “I know I’m asking you to do something terrifying, something that you know nothing about, and, I know it’s an exposure risk, for them and for you, if take them to get help, so all I can ask from you, is that you and your family try and save them. I trust whatever you all decide is best, but promise me, that no matter what happens, you’ll take them out of me. Promise me that you’ll at least try. That’s my deathbed request.” I took our hands from his face and put them back on my stomach. “Don’t let them die inside of me, Teren. Give them a chance…please.”

  He looked down at our hands resting over the bulge of our children. His eyes were wet when he looked back up at me. “I will, I promise. I love you, wife.”

  I smiled, knowing that it may not make any difference, they may not make it anyway, none of us might, but at least he would try and save them. “And I love you, husband.”

  Chapter 13

  Adjustments and Constants

  Teren stayed where he was, cuddled in bed with me. He pulled me over onto his chest and I wrapped my arms underneath his cool body. He tucked one of his hands under my aching neck, soothing me, then ran the other down my hair, calming me. As we embraced in that plush setting, I tried to forget the many uncertainties in our future and instead focused on my one constant – him.

  I closed my eyes and memorized all of the markers that made him unique. Most of the ones from my human senses, I already knew - the dark hair, pale eyes, course stubble, deep voice, cool skin - but I found that my other senses could pinpoint him even more accurately. Besides the odd sensation of feeling someone’s location in your head when that person is lying directly beneath you, I could also smell the way the world danced across his skin, the different fragrances mixing, mingling, and retreating from his own masculine scent. The cologne smell I’d always associated with him was more distinct this way as well, and I could almost taste the different notes in it. It made my mouth water.

  I could hear his slow, easy breath between the deep words he was telling me – words of love and devotion and encouragement. I ignored the words themselves and listened to the timbre, the feeling he inlaid into every syllable. As odd as it sounded, I could feel love, like it was some physical thing and not an intangible object. His words rumbled deep in his chest as he spoke, and the rise and fall of his lungs were a steady rhythm that I found mys
elf matching.

  Peeking my eyes open, I looked up at him. I watched the lamps in the room create a band of reflected light in his dark hair and noticed that the shade was different to me now. I could see the varying degrees of black in it - some so dark, they almost crossed into blue, others so light, they almost looked brown. It was nothing pure human eyes would even notice; to them, his hair looked one solid color. It was fascinating. I drifted over his sculpted face, clearly seeing the bone structure beneath it. He was strong, masculine, profoundly attractive and, I could easily see now, perfectly symmetrical. My eyes drifted over his watching me, as he continually spoke. The gray flecks I noticed before were still there, still clear to me, only now, I could actually see a pattern in the right one; it sort of looked like a small clover. It was beautiful and I smiled at seeing it.

  His lips smiled as well as he watched me take him in. My eyes drifted down to those lips - full, perfect, one edge curled up into a small smirk, hinting at the playful attitude inside of him. I watched those lips form words and phrases, watched the tongue enunciate sounds that could have been in Russian, for all the attention I was giving it.