Child of the Outcast (Born Vampire Book 2)

by Elizabeth Dunlap

  Oh right, I was supposed to answer.

  “Yes.”

  “We shall proceed.” She sat down and straightened her jacket. I was having a complete déjà vu. Had I travelled back in time? No wait, Othello’s jacket was different. “In our previous session, you mentioned something about the child’s smell. Could you please repeat what you said?”

  I thought back, and repeated my words verbatim. “He didn’t have their scent. He smelled human.”

  She looked satisfied. “Your words were the turning point. You testified that the Lycan child still smelled of human. Therefore, no matter what he will become in the future, he is still considered a human, and therefore is worthy of our protection.” She stood up, starting a chain reaction of all the other Council members to also stand up. “As a result of your testimony, the Council has decided, after a vote of 8 for and 4 against, that you are absolved of all crimes and may go free.”

  I could pretend that I was excited about this, but in truth, I had a tiny fear in my head that they’d change their minds and say, nah never mind, off with her head! I mean, they’d been debating about my sentencing for months. That meant that more than a few of them had strong opinions about the outcome of my trial. Plus, she’d said that four of them voted nay. What if they suddenly decided to bring this up again and locked me in my room for another five months? Would I ever be truly freed? Now that I had my child to think of, freedom meant the rest of my life with her.

  Castilla studied me. “You are not pleased.”

  “Woah, no, I am absolutely pleased. I’m just a little scared you might decide you made the wrong choice in five minutes and lock me up again.”

  “Our judgements are final. We never revisit a case that has been closed. You are free for the rest of your life. Unless,” she added with a tiny hint of humor, “you decide to break the law again.” Hahaha, what a kidder.

  They all stood staring at me for a minute, expecting me to do something. Thank them? Beg for forgiveness? One of them caught my eyes, and I noticed him nod his head towards the door. Oh right. They wanted me to leave. I thanked them, and left the bigger drawing room. Arthur was behind me when I stopped walking just outside the doors.

  “I expected you to lead me out,” I commented.

  He almost shrugged. “You’re not a prisoner anymore. I have lost the right to hold you in your suite and oversee your movements.”

  “No more arm grabbing?” He didn’t answer, he just walked away. For the first time in almost six months, Arthur was not within ten feet of me. I pumped my fist in victory. “Yesssss!”

  I heard him hiss from further down a different hallway, “Keep silent, you imbecile! The Council can hear you!”

  “What? I can’t hear you over the sound of FREEEEEDOOOOM-OH CRAP!” I ran before a quickly approaching Arthur could catch me.

  The first thing I wanted to do with my freedom was spend some time away from the castle. If I had to look at my vanilla colored walls for one more day, I was going to die.

  Sadly, I had to go back to my room to pack a bag. Sitting on my sofa was the duffel bag Olivier had given me when I first started running. How had it gotten here? I’d left it behind in the teal convertible when I went after Knight. Then I noticed a large sticker on one of the handles that said, ‘EVIDENCE.’ Of course.

  The duffel had all my comfy earthy clothes. Oddly enough, even though I was finally back to my designer wardrobe, I’d missed my old clothes. Maybe they suited the new me better. I found a small bag in my closet and filled it with the clothes from the duffel. My bird was singing to me as I worked, and when I was finished packing, I picked her cage up carefully and brought her with me.

  I was finally free. I wanted to just drive and keep driving until I saw… something. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to see. But, I couldn’t. I was pregnant, and that meant I was chained to my companions. I couldn’t leave town without them, and I had a feeling they weren’t going to say yes to a road trip. If I had my way, I’d just get new companions, the type that would obey me, but contracts and legal things and blah blah blah. I was stuck with Benjamin and Alfred until I gave birth. Then I could choose a new companion. Someone fun. Maybe an artist. We could paint together in my sunny living room and make smores over vanilla candles. Maybe we’d paint the walls of my suite together and turn drab to fab.

  My bird was chirping happily in the front seat as we drove into town. I’d fed from Benjamin before the trial, so I didn’t have to be back at the Order until late afternoon to feed from Alfred, and then I could leave again until morning. Maybe I could get them housing in town so I could save a trip. I’d ask Othello later.

  I parked near the center of town and took the bird cage with me. Nearby was the park I had often walked in with Balthazar. I brought a hand to my small round belly. I regretted the decisions that created my child, but that didn’t mean I regretted becoming pregnant. I was even a little bit excited behind the fear.

  A baby. My baby. Would she have dark hair like me? Balthazar’s hair was the same color, so it was a safe guess. His eyes were blue, mine were purple. What would hers be? Would she be pale like me, or peach like him?

  Or… would she even be normal. What would she be? She could end up being a monster. There were enough legends about Incubi being evil sadistic creatures, even if Balthazar wasn’t like that. Maybe he was just different than the others. Would my child be evil? I hated to wonder.

  My bird started singing and I heard the same bird calls coming from the trees around me. She was talking to her own kind. I brought the cage up to my face and stared at her. She’d gotten plump from the birdseed I was feeding her, and she stared back at me with a happy look. Should I just let her go? Maybe she’d be happier with her own kind. But then again, I’d had her since she was a hatchling. She couldn’t survive on her own. The other birds around us kept calling to her and she danced around her little cage in excitement. Maybe she needed a friend?

  I found the nearest pet store on my phone, which had also been returned to me along with the duffel, and started walking in the direction my phone lead me. It beeped with a text from Cameron.

  ‘Did you leave?’

  ‘Just for a bit. I needed to walk.’

  ‘Crap. I should’ve given you my phone. I need to hatch my eggs.’

  ‘Eggs?’

  ‘YOU ARE SO OLD.’

  I chuckled as I reached the pet store and put my phone back in my pocket. The store smelled like sawdust and birdseed, and was alive with the sounds of dozens of animals and the hum of tank filters.

  “Welcome to the store,” the owner said cheerfully from behind the counter. He looked down at the bird cage in my hand. “Oh, look, you have a wild bird.” He was almost reproachful, but wasn’t about to toss me out and lose my business.

  “She was abandoned. I have a license.” Both were true. Cameron had gotten me the license after he gave her to me.

  The store owner relaxed. “Lovely! So, what can I help you with?”

  I set my bird cage on the counter. “She needs a friend.”

  He then proceeded to list off perfect matches, and obviously, he was suggesting the most expensive birds. He knew a high roller when he saw one. However, he made one crucial suggestion that I couldn’t ignore.

  “Her cage is too small,” he added when he was finished showing me the birds he had. “Cardinals like to fly. She’s not a baby anymore, she needs space.” I logged his suggestion away. His top choice for a companion was a Lovebird. He had one that had never mated, and would be more receptive to a new friend. It was a little purple and white bird, the same purple as my eyes. He took it out of the cage and put it into a little cardboard box that had holes in it. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in a larger cage?” he asked slyly as he was ringing up the Lovebird. All the cages he had were metal and boring.

  “No thank you. I’m an antique kind of girl.” I paid him and left with my two birds. I went back to the park and sat down on a bench to do a quick search with my ph
one. I found some industrial looking aviaries like the pet store had had, but eventually decided to commission a custom cage. I threw the idea and a large amount of money at the best designer I could find and said, “Impress me.” I probably made his day.

  The thought of something new in my rooms gave me an idea. Redecorating. I quickly texted Othello (he hated phones, his secretary always answered for him) and received a reply within a few minutes.

  ‘You’ve been assigned new rooms. No need to redecorate. You can begin moving as soon as you return to the Order.’

  New rooms! That was definitely a reason to not stay away from the castle. I’d forgotten that protocol for a confirmed pregnancy was moving the mother and her mate to a bigger room. Even without a mate, I would still need more space than I currently had.

  Things were looking up. Finally.

  CHAPTER 7

  I ARRIVED AT THE ORDER several hours later. I’d hired a taxi just to drive my birds back home so I could go shopping and not have to worry about them. I instructed the cab driver to give them to Cameron and texted him to put my new bird in with the cardinal so it wouldn’t be stuck in the box.

  Olivier was waiting in the foyer when I returned, holding my bird cage and glaring at me. “You sent a taxi.” I didn’t answer, so she continued. “For birds.”

  I shrugged with a smile. “I couldn’t take them into the store. What would you have done?” I was carrying a few shopping bags, but I managed to take the cage from her with my free hand and checked on the birds. They were sitting on the little perch chirping to each other.

  “I would’ve just opened the cage door and let nature do its thing.” She furiously wiped the hand that had held the cage on her leather dress.

  “Pet hater,” I threw over my shoulder as I started walking up the staircase. Othello’s secretary had given me my new room assignment via text, so I headed up to the top floor, which was reserved for visiting guests, like the Council, and the oldest vampires. I had the seniority to live up there with the big boys, but I’d preferred my old room on the third floor. Until now, that is.

  I eventually found my new room after passing several groups of Council members sitting in the top floor lounge. I had a feeling the ones glaring at me were some of the 4 people that wanted me to die. Nice talk, gentlemen.

  The key was already in the door to my new suite, so I turned it and stepped inside. Completely bare of color and furniture, it had a similar layout to my old rooms with a corner window spread, but it was larger and had five bedrooms instead of two. One for the couple, one for the child, and three for their companions.

  I sat down on the floor, set the bird cage and my bags down next to me, and hugged my knees to my chest. I felt tiny in the huge space. It was meant for a family. I was alone. My birds were still singing to each other. I looked over at them and saw they were already getting along.

  At least I had them.

  Olivier interrupted what was turning out to be a lovely decorating plan by bursting into my new rooms without knocking. I’d carried my desk and chair up from my old rooms and was sitting at it, pen and paper on one side and the bird cage on the other.

  “Where’s the fire?” I asked her. I was joking, but she looked way too serious. “Ummm, did you tear someone’s arm off again?”

  “You jest, but I am about to tear something in half downstairs and it won’t be pretty if it happens.”

  I got up and walked to her calmly. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s the turned. You know I’ve been teaching them on my own, and that’s been pfffft.” She made a raspberry sound with her tongue. “I am capable and smart, but I’m not you. I need you back. Get your job back. Please. I am begging you. The Princess of Morocco is begging you.” I hadn’t forgotten she was actually a princess, I just never remembered it when I thought of her. The fact that she was mentioning it showed how serious she was about this. And probably how serious she was about tearing something in half.

  “Alright alright, calm down. I’ll try to get my job back.”

  Olivier grabbed my hand and kissed it, then held it to her brown forehead. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou…”

  I patted the top of her short curly black hair. “There there. Now, what’s going on with them that’s so aggravating?”

  She straightened and growled, “Everything!” She paced the floor. “They don’t listen to me anymore. At every turn, it’s ‘Why can’t we do this?’ and ‘That’s a stupid rule!’ and ‘You can’t tell us what to do!’ It’s a nightmare! Plus, Renard is with them so he gets to see me yelling at them just to keep them in line!”

  “Yelling isn’t the preferred method,” I pointed out.

  “I’m not you,” she repeated. “I don’t solve things with words and explanations. I solve them with a gun in their face.”

  “Please tell me you haven’t tried that.”

  She angrily crossed her arms over her chest. “Othello said I couldn’t have a gun.” I raised my eyes to the heavens in thanks. “I feel powerless. When I was out as a Hunter, I knew what was expected of me, how I was supposed to react, and how things would play out. The turned are wild cards. Especially this group.”

  “I hear and acknowledge your words. I will go see Othello right now to get my job back.” I went back to my desk to put my shoes on.

  Olivier waved a hand at me. “I can go for you.” She sounded like she was just trying to be helpful, but she had a look on her face that didn’t speak helpful. I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “He’s not the father, I can see him whenever I want to.” She put her hands up in a ‘if you say so’ shrug. I rolled my eyes and left, pushing her out the door with me.

  I had to wait outside Othello’s office while he finished whatever he was doing. His secretary and newly bonded mate, Marie, made sure I knew how much she hated me by acting like I wasn’t there for a few minutes. After I threatened to smash a hole in her desk, she told me he was absolutely busy and couldn’t see me. Instead of punching her in the face, which would have made me very happy, I sat in the waiting area and sucked on one of the mints Marie kept on her desk. It tasted like soap. Why would she have soap that looks like candy?

  Sitting there, it worried me that the turned were acting unfavorably. They always questioned things we did, but they usually accepted our answers and moved on. Although, knowing Olivier, she was just blowing it all out of proportion. She had a very short temper, as Renard could attest. That didn’t mean she was making it up, or that I didn’t believe her. I was open to both sides of the situation.

  Othello came from his office just then with Castilla, of all people. They shook hands and said a few business pleasantries before they noticed me. I tossed the mint wrapper into the bin next to my chair and stood up.

  “Elisabeth,” Castilla said with a nod. “We were just making arrangements for the Council members to be sent home. Your castle is extraordinary, but I can’t say I’m not excited to see Spain again.”

  “I’m sorry everyone had to stay here for such an extended time,” I apologized, feeling no guilt whatsoever. Now that I wasn’t under trial, Castilla had much more warmth to her, and she smiled at me like we were friends. So not.

  “You should be honored we were here for so long. We have a profound respect for you. There are very few of us that are as old as you. It would have been an utter tragedy to end your life, and I’m very glad it did not come to that.” She stepped over to me and kissed me on both cheeks. “May I?” she asked. I didn’t know what she meant until she gestured to my belly. I nodded, and she placed a hand on my stomach before closing her eyes. “Mmm, a sweet child. She will be strong, like her mother.” She. Great. More spoilers. Castilla stopped smiling and concentrated on what she was sensing. “She’s different. I can’t tell what I’m seeing.” I lifted Castilla’s hand from my stomach. I didn’t want her delving too much. I should have never let her do that. She straightened and tried to smile. “I’m sorry, I must be tired. I’m known for baby reading. I can tel
l things about children when they’re still in their mother’s womb. That was… strange.” My hands automatically went around my stomach, as if I was trying to protect my child from her. She shook her head and smiled wider. “Ignore me, I’m an old soul. I saw love. This baby will bring you much happiness.”

  I thanked her and she left.

  Othello smiled when I turned to him. “Lisbeth. What can I do for you?”

  “I need to discuss a few things.”

  He held out a hand towards his office. “Come. We’ll talk in my office.” Marie tried to follow us with an entitled smirk, but Othello shut the door in her face. He sighed heavily and went to sit behind his desk. “You’re wondering why I chose her,” he said. Actually, I didn’t care. He was free to do whatever he wanted. “She’s annoying, I won’t lie. But I needed a mate. I thought if I was mated, they might let me oversee your trial. It didn’t work.” As usual, he made a pointless gesture for me and didn’t think of himself first.

  “Now you’re stuck with her forever,” I said. He looked unhappy, and I felt slight guilt over it. Slight.

  He shook it off. “So. What did you need?”

  “I’d like my old job back, if that’s acceptable. Olivier needs my help with the turned.”

  “Done. Anything else?”

  “Just like that?” I asked in surprise.

  “Just like that,” he answered.

  “You do remember I was on trial, right?”

  “And you were pardoned. There’s no reason to keep you from doing anything.” He stood up and retrieved some paperwork from a file cabinet, which he brought for me to sign. “The papers for getting your job back.” I signed them and handed the stack back. He took it to his desk and put his seal on them. “I’m sure you’ve been informed that the turned have been a bit unruly as of late. I expect you and Olivier to report any changes to me. It’s your job to control the turned. Find out what’s going on down there and end it.” I nodded and waited for him to dismiss me. Instead he came out from behind the desk and stood in front of me. “People think your child is mine. That’s why Marie is acting like that. Not that she was much better before. I assume you know of this rumor?” I wasn’t surprised he was bringing this up, but it made me uncomfortable.