A Vampire's Honor

by Carla Susan Smith

  Chapter 17

  The sound of classical music suddenly filling the air made us all jump. Thanks to Gabriel’s determination to broaden my musical horizons, I recognized “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It took me a minute or two to realize where it was coming from. “Is that my phone?”

  “You said you didn’t really care for the ring tone, so I reprogrammed it,” Gabriel confessed. I couldn’t deny it. Katy Perry had been driving me batty for a little while now. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

  I took the mobile from his outstretched hand, my irritation with him forgotten the moment I checked caller ID. It was Laycee. I got to my feet and headed out of the room. “I gotta take this.” I said it as a general apology. It seemed wrong to have any type of normal conversation within the same four walls where Aleksei had just described the slaughter of his family.

  “Is everything all right?” Gabriel asked when I returned five minutes later.

  I nodded. “It was Laycee. She’s had the baby.”

  “Oh, how wonderful!” Anasztaizia exclaimed, squeezing Aleksei’s hand and looking genuinely pleased by the news.

  “She wants to see me,” I said, looking at Gabriel.

  He knew how much this meant to me. I hadn’t been sure that Laycee would ever reach out to me again, not after refusing to invite Gabriel into my old house once she and Jake became its new owners. Laycee didn’t want vampires in her life, and though I could understand her reasons, I was also saddened by her decision to exclude Gabriel. Now I was overwhelmed by his generosity at buying me the apartment, which was the perfect compromise. He understood—better, I think, than either Laycee or I did—just how important we were to each other. And how difficult and unnecessary severing our friendship was. And now she had reached out to me with an olive branch.

  “Of course she wants to see you,” Gabriel said, putting his arms around me and brushing his lips over mine. “And you must go to her. I’ll drive you and I’ll stay in the waiting room while you visit.”

  It was going to be a long time before I was allowed to go anywhere by myself. I couldn’t blame Gabriel for being protective, and truth be told, I felt better knowing he would be with me. But as excited as I was about seeing Laycee and Jake’s baby, I felt bad about leaving Aleksei and Anasztaizia.

  “No, you must go,” Aleksei said. Sensing my reluctance to leave, he got up from his seat and came to me. “I think this would be a good time for Anasztaizia and me to spend some time alone.” He swallowed up my hands in his. “This has been difficult for her to hear, so I’m thinking a time-out, yes?”

  I nodded my head in agreement. That sounded like a very good idea.

  * * *

  Laycee’s new daughter almost made her entrance into the world in the back of her father’s police cruiser. Her mother, however, had other ideas. Hell would freeze over before Laycee would let her child slide out onto a seat that had last been graced by the butt of someone with possible criminal tendencies. Needing no other incentive than the threat of never having sex again, Jake hadn’t taken any chances. Hitting the cruiser’s siren, he’d committed more than a few traffic violations on his way to the hospital. Thirty minutes and a half dozen hard pushes later, his daughter greeted the world.

  Laycee had waited until after the rest of her family had all left before calling me. She said she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be pestered by any awkward questions about Gabriel. I knew her intentions were good, but I wished she hadn’t felt it necessary. I could deal with questions about Gabriel, awkward or otherwise. Of course, I had no intention of telling her that.

  Propped up in bed, hair brushed, lashes tinted, and wearing just a hint of lip gloss, Laycee looked gloriously radiant. Like Madonna. Jesus’s mom, not the singer.

  “Hey you,” I said, kissing her brow, “where’s the proud papa?”

  “I hope at home in bed, sleeping,” Laycee said, giving me a smile that couldn’t quite hide her weariness. “He’ll be back in the morning.”

  “With coffee?” I had no idea about hospital food, but I doubted they were going to serve Starbucks.

  “He’d better if he ever wants to sleep with me again.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for a visit?” I asked. “Not too tired?” It was after midnight.

  These days most hospitals are pretty flexible when it comes to visiting hours, even on maternity wards, but I wasn’t overly confident such accommodations extended past the witching hour. I’d forgotten, however, that I’d brought a secret weapon with me. Gabriel, all charm and smiles, had convinced the nurse on duty that we just wanted to say a quick hello to the new mom and baby and then we’d be on our way. Scout’s honor, cross my heart. I don’t know why I was even worried. The guy could pretty much get anything he wanted, and the gushing nurse only touched his arm three times.

  “Nah,” Laycee replied, “but if you do see me nodding off, just give me a poke. I might as well start getting used to it.”

  I chuckled and let the feel-good moment wash over me before asking, “So, how bad was it?”

  At any gathering where Laycee’s female relatives were present, the conversation inevitably got around to childbirth. Laycee and I had listened to horror stories that covered such topics as weeklong labor, breech births and forceps delivery, unsympathetic doctors aided by concentration camp nurses, and everyone’s favorite—drunk husbands. It was a miracle that any female in her family actually agreed to procreate in the first place, much less do it more than once.

  “I don’t really know,” Laycee told me with a sigh. “I mean, I know it was painful, especially as there wasn’t time to give me an epi or anything—”

  “Epi?”

  “Epidural.” I nodded as though I knew exactly what it meant to forgo this procedure. “But it was all worth it,” she finished, glowing like one of those big old lights they use for Hollywood premieres. Which was probably how she felt.

  At that moment, the door opened, and the nurse who had been gushing over Gabriel now wheeled in a bassinet that was filled with a bundle of adorable pink. She parked it by the side of Laycee’s bed.

  Once the nurse had left, I pointed to the bassinet. “Can I?”

  Laycee nodded. The emotion at seeing her daughter, accompanied by the enormity of the moment, rose up to temporarily rob her of any form of speech. Carefully, I scooped up the bundle and stared down at the wondrous sight in my arms. “What happened to Baby Jake?”

  “Guess you can’t trust everything you see in an ultrasound.” The beatific smile she gave me only further enhanced the Madonna impression.

  “I think you took your mama and papa by surprise,” I cooed at the small face looking up at me from the crook of my arm. “They were expecting you to be a Jake, but I know they’ll enjoy having a little girl first so much more.”

  At the sound of my voice, Laycee’s infant daughter scrunched up her tiny face, yawned, and promptly went back to sleep. I stroked the back of her hand with my pinkie, marveling at the perfection of her tiny fingers, her nails, the intoxicating new-baby smell she had.

  “Jake and I decided to name her Jenna Rowan DuPree,” Laycee said softly.

  It took a couple of swallows before the lump in my throat shifted enough so I could speak. “Can you do that? I mean is it okay to use DuPree before you and Jake are married?” This was not a point I was well-versed in, never having had a reason to give it much thought before now.

  “Um, actually we already are.”

  Laycee might not have had an epi-whatever, but I wondered if they still gave women in labor some sort of gas. “Are what?” I asked, confused.

  “Married.” I couldn’t tell which was worse, her guilt or her embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Rowan, but it all kind of happened so fast. Jake’s divorce came through, and we went ahead and had a civil service two days ago.”

  “Oh.” My feelings were hurt, but I tried to understand where Laycee was coming from.

  “Look, we’re going to have
a proper church do in a few months, once I’ve got my figure back,” she said, the words almost falling over themselves in her haste to apologize. “And I promise it’ll be an evening ceremony, or at the very least a late-afternoon one.” She reached for my free hand and squeezed it. “Please say you forgive me.”

  Of course I did. How could I not? She was my best friend and had been since grade school. And because of me, she had been through the most horrific experience a person could possibly have. I would forgive her anything. Even getting married without me.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” I squeezed her back. “And you don’t have to make wedding plans to accommodate us. I can be there whenever, and Gabriel can always swing by after dark as long as you’re okay with that. I’m sure we can come up with a plausible excuse to explain his absence to Jake.” I dropped my voice to a conspiratorial whisper for the last part.

  She looked relieved, actually more than relieved, but it occurred to me this might be the result of fluctuating hormones more than needing my forgiveness. I gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile and then turned my attention back to Baby Jenna in my arms. Although I felt an instant connection to Laycee’s baby, I knew in a moment of absolute clarity that I would always be one of those women who make a much better “aunt” than mother. That’s not to say that I didn’t feel a pang of reluctance when I returned the small pink bundle to her mother.

  “Speaking of Eye Candy,” Laycee said conversationally, “I don’t suppose he came with you . . . did he?”

  I nodded. “He’s out in the waiting room.”

  “Oh.” She gave me a disappointed look. “Does he have a problem with babies?”

  I stared at her. Um no, it’s more like you have a problem with vampires, or have you forgotten? Of course I didn’t say that to her.

  Do you think it’s hormones?

  Yeah, actually I did. I mean why else would she ask if Gabriel had a problem seeing her baby? Her hormone levels were definitely out of whack.

  “No,” I said slowly, thinking how best to answer her question. It was something Gabriel and I had actually talked about on the drive to the hospital. “I think he was more concerned about how you would feel having a vampire around your baby.”

  A newborn, her mom, and a vampire . . . it sounded like the start of a really bad joke.

  “Well, that’s just silly,” Laycee said, giving me my first taste of her mom-logic. “Besides, there’s something I want to ask him.”

  “And what would that be?”

  She told me, and I swear to God, it was the last thing I ever expected.

  Chapter 18

  Laycee had used my absence to re-comb her hair and freshen her lip gloss. Something that ordinarily I wouldn’t think twice about but now I found strangely annoying. Did she think primping was going to have an effect on Gabriel? If he refused her request, assuming that he could do what she wanted in the first place, then no amount of champagne-pink pearly lip gloss was going to persuade him otherwise. I was about to say something sarcastic, but the sudden feel of strong fingers tightening around my hand stopped me. Gabriel’s firm reassurance prevented me from possibly hurting the feelings of the one person who, until recently, had been the most important in my life.

  I watched as Gabriel took Laycee’s hand and kissed her chastely on the forehead. “I think motherhood agrees with you.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “The birthing went well?”

  “Um, yes, very well, thank you.” Flustered by the intimacy of Gabriel’s greeting, Laycee was as startled as I was by his question.

  I couldn’t speak for her, but I know my astonishment wasn’t so much at the odd phrasing as the fact he’d even asked the question in the first place. The kiss on the forehead I could accept, but asking about the birth process seemed inappropriate to me. But maybe I was overreacting and it was no more than vampire politeness.

  “Would you like to see her?” Laycee asked. One hand fluttered nervously around her throat while the other pointed to the bassinet.

  My astonishment changed to stunned silence as Gabriel parted the blanket with his long fingers for a better look. He murmured appreciatively, and while his voice didn’t have quite the seductive tones that could liquefy my spine, I wondered if he would have used the same modulation had Baby Jenna actually been Baby Jake.

  He can’t help himself; it’s the way he responds to the female aura. Just be thankful you’re the only female who can bring him to his knees.

  My inner bitch, who was keeping me company less and less these days, sounded slightly amused by my nascent feelings of jealousy.

  Is that what you think I do to him, I snorted back inside my head, bring him to his knees?

  Oh yeah . . . every single time he looks at you, and trust me, honey, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “She is very beautiful,” Gabriel said, “and obviously favors her mother.” His compliment made Laycee blush. Returning to my side, he pressed his lips against my temple and linked his fingers with mine. Sometimes my inner bitch gets it right, and knowing I was all Gabriel would ever want gave me the confidence to smile at Laycee with genuine warmth. “Rowan tells me there is something you wish to ask of me.” His voice was suitably solemn.

  Laycee licked her lips, taking off most of the shine, which told me she was nervous, and rightly so. I now had to wonder if this was the real reason she had waited before calling me. A reason that had nothing to do with saving me from her family’s version of the Spanish Inquisition regarding my love life. What she wanted from Gabriel was something she would never share with her family . . . or her husband. My only concern was which worried her more. That Gabriel wouldn’t be able to fulfill her request . . . or that he would.

  “How safe am I from that crazy bitch?” Laycee asked in a low voice.

  I was leaning against Gabriel’s chest and felt him stiffen. “I assume you mean Katja?”

  Laycee nodded and narrowed her eyes. “I know you told me she was taken away by . . .” She frowned as she struggled to recall the dark-haired vampire’s name.

  “Ryiel,” Gabriel said softly.

  “Yes, that’s right . . . by Ryiel.”

  There was a slightly dazed look to Laycee’s eyes as she repeated his name, which I found a little disturbing, but I was willing to blame it on postpartum whatever rather than any real desire.

  “Why are you asking about Katja?” I asked, refocusing Laycee’s attention.

  “Well, surely you of all people can understand where I’m coming from? If she comes looking for you, there’s a good chance she’s going to find me first, and somehow I don’t think she’s going to want to friend me on Facebook.” There was a slight frostiness to Laycee’s tone as she chided me. “Only it’s not just me anymore, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder every time I leave your house. Especially at night.”

  “It’s not my house anymore,” I muttered under my breath, but not low enough.

  “I doubt that crazy bitch actually knows that, and even if she did, do you think she’s going to give a damn?”

  Of course not.

  “But Katja is with Ryiel—” I began.

  “I know that!” Laycee snapped irritably. “Stuck somewhere in the Himalayas or wherever the hell it is,” she paused, taking a breath and putting aside her exasperation. “But can you say, with absolute certainty, that she will stay there until me and my kids and grandkids are all dead and buried?”

  She was upset, and I wanted to calm her fears. I opened my mouth to speak, offer some meaningless platitude, but Gabriel interrupted me.

  “No,” he said in a voice that was firm and decisive. “There are no guarantees, Laycee. The only certainty is death, which comes to us all. Even vampires.”

  “Strangely, I don’t find that very comforting,” Laycee told him, doing a poor job of hiding her disappointment. Baby Jenna, sensing her mother’s change of mood, suddenly wailed, and Laycee went into immediate maternal mode. For the next few
minutes, no one said anything while the fractious newborn was soothed. When Laycee did look up again, she seemed apprehensive.

  “What is it you think I can do for you, Laycee?” Gabriel asked, his hands moving to rest on my shoulders.

  “I want you to protect my baby from Katja . . . and any other vampires.” Saying the word made her shudder and caused an unexpected tremble to sweep through me. I held onto Gabriel’s arm. Even though she had told me what she wanted to ask him, it was still a shock hearing her say the words. Especially after what she’d been through with Katja.

  “What you ask is no small matter,” Gabriel said quietly.

  His words startled me. “You mean you can do this?” I blurted as I glanced up at him over my shoulder. His expression was serious, but the uncharacteristic downturn of his mouth said that whatever he could do to ease Laycee’s state of mind, there would be consequences. The kind that Laycee might not want to know about. But she was my friend, and even though our relationship was moving in a new direction, I would always care about her and her family. Something that was even more important after hearing how Aleksei had lost his.

  “I can’t un-see what I’ve already seen, and I can’t pretend you guys don’t exist. If all vampires were like you, and Ryiel and the big Russian guy, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” She paused and gently rocked the baby in her arms. “But I know what an unhinged, crazy vampire can do, and take it from me, it wasn’t pretty. And as for the creepy guy—”

  “It wasn’t his fault he was like that,” I interjected, coming to Oscar’s defense. “It was because Katja had deliberately starved him.”

  Oscar had been as much a victim of Katja’s scheming as both Laycee and I, and even though I knew that, given the chance, the starving vampire would have drained me dry, it made no difference now. Of course, it’s easy to be magnanimous when the threat to your life has been decapitated.

  “You know, I still can’t decide which was worse,” Laycee continued. “Seeing Ryiel remove creepy guy’s head with his bare hands, or watching psychotic Vampirella rip my best friend’s neck open.”