by Martha Woods
Jared cracked a small smile, “Nothing. Just taking you in.”
“Taking me in, huh? As if you don’t see me every day.”
“Your beauty still gets to me.”
She couldn’t resist raising a brow at him. Calla certainly didn’t feel beautiful. Her hair was frizzy and in complete disarray, she was sporting the same oversized t-shirt she had put on two days ago, and definitely needed to get around to taking a shower. While she was well aware her stomach was expanding due to pregnancy, it still made her feel frumpy and fat. Calla’s eyes shifted away bashfully, “You’re being silly.”
“I am not,” he insisted. Touching her chin, Jared made her look back to him. Calla waited for him to say something, to shower her with his usual spiel that would leave her flushed. However, Jared’s eyes softened in a different way as he rested a hand on her stomach. “Motherhood looks phenomenal on you.” His voice was as soft as velvet with raw emotion coming through every syllable. It caused her throat to run dry and tears collect in her eyes. His thumb grazed across the fabric of her shirt. “I can’t wait for it to be our turn.”
Calla’s teeth nibbled on the inside of her lip, trying to keep herself from crying. She could try and lie to herself, say it was all hormones, that one compliment wouldn’t get to her like that—but she knew better. It was more than just a compliment, it was a declaration of their future together. Jared wanted to have a child with her, and while they had been toying with the idea since Kristian had offered to connect them with the witch, they hadn’t decided whether or not they would act on it. They had just wanted to have the option to have one. Jared was saying that he had made up his mind, that he wanted to actually have a child with her. With tears glistening her eyes, Calla placed a hand over his. “Are you sure?” she asked in a whisper.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” Jared assured her. His thumb gently rubbed back and forth over the fabric of her shirt, running over the bump. “And it’s not just the insatiable jealousy of seeing you glow so much with pregnancy and it not be my child… But because this time of it just being the two of us has made us so much stronger than ever before.” Jared paused, “I’ve loved you for a long time. Like I’ve talked about before, I have trust issues… After what happened with Bridgette…” His voice trailed off into nothing, knowing that he would just be jumping down the same rabbit hole that her name always produced. Shaking his head, he reached for her hand with his other, holding it firmly, his icy thumb stroking the back of Calla’s soft hand. “I know that just because I’ve been hurt and burned in the past, doesn’t mean that it’ll happen with you. You’re not her and you never have been. I love you, Calla. I want to go on this,” brushing the hand on her stomach all the way across the firm bump, “special, once in an eternity journey with you. Then I want to make sure I have you forever.”
The floodgate gave way and tears rushed down Calla’s cheeks. Her heart was beyond touched by his words. The wound Bridgette had left on Jared’s heart had been deep and effected every relationship he had in life. She knew that no matter how much she yearned to heal it for him, that it wasn’t in her power. The only thing that could heal the wounds a lover leaves, was time. Calla didn’t have the words to describe how elated it made her to know that Jared was then at a point to be able to move past the hurt and see her, and the love she had for him, for what it was. And while having a child so soon into a relationship was a terrifying thought, she knew that they were ready for it. Jared leaned toward her, both hands moving to her face to cradle her cheeks and brush away her tears. Still unable to piece together her thoughts enough to speak, Calla managed to express her gratitude by crashing her lips into his.
Jared’s fingers instinctively pushed into her fiery curls as he kissed her back with equal zeal. In a way, it was affirming their future—like a handshake when making a business deal. They were on the same page, and neither of them could be happier about it. The love they had for one another was undeniable. Even on their worst days, Calla was still crazy for Jared, and Jared wouldn’t hesitate to die for her. Nothing in the world could make her happier than being with him.
Once they finally managed to pull away from one another, Jared leaned his forehead against hers. A sly smile tugged on his lips. “I’ll take that as you concur,” he breathlessly chuckled.
Calla grinned as her porcelain cheeks flushed, “You definitely should.”
His eyes then burned into hers, pushing loose strands from her face. “I’ve never loved anything or anyone more than I love you.”
The confession stole the breath from her lungs, but Calla quickly recovered, drawing in a deep breath before replying, “I don’t think I will ever love anything more than I do you.”
Jared chuckled, brushing his lips against hers. “I suppose only time will tell. And I promise you, we’ll have all the time in the world.”
Leaning into him, Jared’s arms wrapped around her waist and held her close. Even though Calla was still feeling ill and was in need of a shower and a change of clothes, the moment was so perfect. More than ever, Calla was sure that Jared was her forever.
* * *
Dried leaves and thin twigs didn’t even crunch beneath their feet as Tessa and Kristian moved through the trees as swiftly as the wind itself. Even from dozens of yards away, Tessa could smell the savory blood of the cougar that lurked just over the hill. The couple was on their final hunt for animal blood, making the transition to the blood bags the following day, along with moving back into the family house. Their time in the cabin had been wonderful, despite the horrible transformation period. The following weeks, Kristian and Tessa had focused solely on strengthening their relationship. They talked about every painful memory until they were exhausted of emotions, made love until they memorized every inch of one another’s bodies, and fantasized about the future with their child with every imaginable outcome.
Tessa tossed her arms around the trunk of a tree she passed to still herself as Kristian went in for the kill. She watched in the faint moonlight as his pale form dove at the furry beast with assassin-like precision. The aroma of its blood amplified, filling Tessa’s nose and making her mouth water. They had already hunted some smaller animals that night, and were going for their main entrees then, wanting to make sure their newborn hunger was completely satisfied for the upcoming day. Kristian had told her that he had gotten to the point in his age, that he could go days without blood. Being a newborn once again was completely different. They had to feed daily, and they had to practically consume their body weight in blood in order to keep the cravings at bay. It wasn’t a distant memory for Tessa, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.
Kristian’s posture straightened, his tongue flicking to the corner of his mouth to get the droplets of blood that threatened to dribble down his chin. As his lips twitched into a sly smirk, he nodded in the opposite direction, indicating they should head down the hill. In the blink of an eye, Tessa was at his side, speeding down the mountainside. Within just seconds of running, she caught the whiff of a deer—and based on the potency of the aroma, it was a large one. Cutting between the trees with precision, Tessa followed the scent until two large antlers came into sight from behind an unruly, full bush. There was no stopping and pouncing, knowing that the deer would spook and attempt to run. When hunting a deer, the last thing you wanted to do was get it to move at all, making it possible to lose aim and risk impaling yourself on an antler.
Her feet hardly touched the ground, not making a single rustling as she rounded the bush and projected herself at the buck. It was possibly the largest deer Tessa had ever crossed, having to be more than two-hundred pounds. Excellent. Hopefully this would completely satisfy her so that she wouldn’t have to hunt another. As her feet left the forest floor, her fangs extended and arms reached outward. In the split second that she was in the air, the buck’s pupil dilated at the blur approaching him as fast as a freight train. The fear in its eyes lasted only for that millisecond. In the very next
, Tessa’s strong jaw was clamped around its jugular, the wild beast tackled to the ground. Dark crimson fluid gushed into her mouth, and Tessa’s eyes closed. Like every time she drank from an animal, she focused only on the small amount of satisfaction it gave her. The warmth, the relief that it provided her parched throat, as well as the contentment of her stomach filling. She had to focus on these sensations, remembering all too vividly the taste of the fresh human blood that was served to her at the Calder compound. Human blood was saltier and had more of a metallic taste. Animal blood tasted like the equivalent of “diet” blood, like someone had mixed human blood with distilled water or something.
Sucking on the thick hide of the deer until all of its movements completely stilled, and the final drink of blood was swallowed, Tessa moved from the beast. Her eyes couldn’t help but fall back to the deer on the ground, drawing in a deep sigh. One would have thought that even the process of becoming a vampire would have made one cold-hearted to the thought of murder, that it was just a way of life. Tessa never quite got used to the sight of dead animals, knowing that its life had been sacrificed just for her to make it one more day without going utterly mad. Kristian had comforted her before, saying that in the grand scheme of things, dead animals were better than a slew of dead humans. Animals wouldn’t seek vengeance and wouldn’t try to hunt down their entire family upon finding out their existence—humans would.
An arm looping around her shoulders pulled Tessa’s attention from the corpse. As her chin tilted to look up to Kristian, his fingers gently traced her jawline. “Full?” he asked softly. When Tessa nodded, he turned on a heel and began the way home. They didn’t run, but walked. They had a few hours before sunrise, so there wasn’t any rush. Tessa allowed herself to get lost in random, fleeting thoughts, wanting to do her best to forget the face of the fallen stag. If Kristian were to ask her what she was thinking about, she honestly couldn’t have said. Not a single thought was solid enough to pin down. It didn’t bother her, though. Tessa was never bothered by much of anything on their walks, allowing herself to take in the serenity of the night and the time spent together. She knew that it wouldn’t always be like this and she wanted to savor those moments while she could. “So… I’ve been thinking,” Kristian began again, cutting through the fog of thoughts Tessa was in. She peered over to him, noticing his lips flicking into a nervous smile. He opened his mouth again to speak, but then stopped himself. One of his brows rose inquisitively. “Have you given any thought to baby names?”
She blinked rapidly, admittedly caught off guard by the question. An anxious smile of her own appeared on her lips. “A little bit.”
“Oh? What names have you thought of?” he questioned, his arm tightening around her.
Tessa shrugged shyly. “I don’t know… I have this feeling that it’s a boy… I kind of like classic names for a boy.”
“Like?”
“Maybe like Winston or Simon… I don’t know.”
Kristian’s nervous smile warmed. “Simon, I really like that.”
Her own nerves departed at knowing her name choices hadn’t been off-putting to him. “What about you? Any names in mind?”
Tilting his head side to side, as though he were debating with himself, he finally admitted. “Only one.”
“Oh? Do share,” Tessa grinned, curiosity burning just underneath the surface.
“Well… It’s a girl’s name. It means ‘gift from God’, which is why I like it so much. I’m not the most religious guy, but I see the opportunity we have gotten as a miracle. Even though this journey together has been nothing short of a rollercoaster, it led us to having this chance. Without you and without all the choices and mistakes we’ve made, I would have never been turned human and we would have never been put on this path, you know? Typically, I rule everything as a coincidence, but there has to be something at least a little divine about this. Too many coincidences came in line for this. Having a child is something I have wanted for a long, long time. God, I am rambling,” he murmured. Clearing his throat, Kristian’s eyes shifted to Tessa. “Anyways, the name is Mikelle. We could call her Mickie for short… I don’t know, I thought it was cute but maybe it’s—”
“No,” Tessa interrupted, stepping in front of him and hugging his neck. “That’s perfect.” She nuzzled into his chest. It took her breath away how much thought he had put into the name, and she thought it was adorable. If her heart could still beat, it would be fluttering. It still didn’t feel real that they were having a child, but a dream. Things had been far too perfect and calm, which made her stomach want to twist into nervous knots. In the pit of her being, she knew it was the calm before the storm, but there was nothing that they could do to keep the storm from coming. They were taking all the precautions they could, having round the clock security detail with the witches that assisted in her transformation, and keeping Calla and Jared far, far away in an undisclosed location. Veronica had been continuously building their family as well, having gotten them back to their original size, and expanded it as well. Tessa couldn’t think of anything else that they could do to prepare.
Kristian held her close, pressing his face into her hair. “Everything is going to work out. We’re going to have our family,” he whispered to her, as though he could read her thoughts. Tessa cuddled into him closer, her arms tightening around him. “I love you, Tessa.”
She let out a steady breath before replying, “I love you too.”
Lingering in the embrace for just a few seconds more, they pulled away and joined hands before continuing on the path to the house. The names they discussed rang through her head, trying to get a feel of how they sounded with hers and Kristian’s names. It was insane how much realer it felt with names attached to the baby. No longer was it an idea, but fact. The baby was a person that would have a name, feelings, needs, and desires. It was overwhelming, invigorating, and nerve-wracking all at the same time. Tessa had a hard time caring for herself, let alone a person that would completely depend on her to survive. Yet, she knew with Kristian by her side, there was nothing they couldn’t do, especially this. They were ready, and it was just a matter of preparing for it.
* * *
Morgan’s fingers drummed impatiently against the faded wood of the witch’s dining table, his eyes scanning the china cabinet filled with various containers which he could only assume held various herbs, bones, and whatever the hell else witches used for spells, for the thousandth time. Edna’s two bedroom house, which Morgan was sure a cozy, comfortable home for the lonely witch, had become a prison to him. It was a shoebox in his mind, one that was trying to fit three witches, two vampires, a demon, and… whatever Benjamin was considered to be. It was insanely boring, yet incredibly tense all at once. Enemies from all sides were squeezed into the small house, in a complete deadlock.
The only thing that was keeping him moving through the days, were texts and calls from Veronica. He would be lying if he said the age-old anxiety hadn’t returned surrounding their relationship. Morgan and Veronica hadn’t had to spend nearly any time apart since their reunion. She had never done well with the distance—which he wasn’t blaming her for. Amy used to keep him gone more than he was home, and that wore on any relationship. While Veronica occasionally tried to convince him to go home for a week or so at a time, he simply didn’t trust the witches enough to leave them alone. Sure, there were two other vampires and Charley, but he just didn’t trust it. He wanted to personally have an eye on them.
The floorboards creaked to the left of him, shifting his eyes away from the cabinet over to the kitchen. Edna, wrapped in a black wool blanket, shuffled to the stove to place a kettle of water on a coil. Morgan watched as she lit the pilot with a simple snap of her fingers. He didn’t think he would ever fully understand witches or the differences between the clans. At one point, it was as though Firehaven were the good and the Calder were the evil, but Morgan wasn’t so sure anymore. He was starting to think they were just two sides to the same, rancorous coin
.
Edna didn’t bother to face him as she spoke, “Guess you wouldn’t like some tea.”
“Can’t say that I do,” he murmured, finally ceasing the drumming on the table.
“I always found it interesting how becoming a vampire changes the taste buds so much. Getting a taste for blood I can understand, but finding everything else disgusting… It’s intriguing to say the least,” Edna rambled tiredly as she busied herself by pulling down multiple canisters of tea leaves and piling them into a mortar before pulverizing them with a pestle. Morgan had nothing to add. Maybe he would have if he wanted anything at all to do with the old woman, but he couldn’t say that he did—not in the slightest. If things were Morgan’s way, none of this would have happened, and he would be curling into his king-sized bed with Veronica as the sun began to brighten the night sky. He wasn’t looking to stand in the way of Kristian’s happiest, however, and knew that it meant a lot to Veronica as well… even if she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the choice in mother.
With the few moments of nothing but the soft sound of Edna twisting the pestle into the stone, Morgan had become completely immersed in his own thoughts. If he had been conscious of how easily his mind had slipped, he would have blamed it on sleep deprivation. He was in utter confusion when Edna spoke again, “Would you like to know why you crave it?”
Blinking rapidly, he tried to gain his wits, circling his thoughts back to what on earth she was talking about. Blood. Right. Frankly, he wanted to decline her input on the matter, not caring at all what would spill from the witch’s lips. However, with one quick glance to his cell phone, he knew that there was no chance of one final call from Veronica. More than likely she had fallen asleep at her desk, no doubt mapping the surrounding areas of their home to figure out where to recruit from next. A sigh escaped him, yearning to be there to scoop her into his arms and tuck her into the silk sheets and feather duvet. “Sure,” he mumbled, sliding the phone into his front pocket, deciding he would hear her little spiel before retiring to the couch.