~~***~~
When I woke again, the sun streamed into the room. The air was warm, and the sounds coming through the open window told me that the city was awake. It only took me a moment to remember where I was, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face when I rolled over to find him lying beside me propped up on one arm. He must have been watching me sleep.
‘Good morning, beautiful,’ he said, his smile lighting up his handsome face.
‘Good morning, yourself,’ I said, yawning and stretching my arms up over my head. ‘What’s the time? I feel like I’ve slept for ages.’
‘It’s just after seven, so you did sleep for ages. I dare say you needed it—I suspect you wouldn’t have slept much on the plane. Not to mention all the exercise you had last night,’ he said with just the slightest hint of a laugh in his voice.
‘Oh, yes, well …,’ I stammered, embarrassed as I remember I only had his unbuttoned shirt on, and it was now broad daylight.
‘Do you need to ring Debs and tell her where you are? I didn’t think of that last night—I guess I was a bit preoccupied.’ He grinned, almost shyly, and it made my whole body tingle again.
‘No, it’ll be alright. When she gave me the keys yesterday she said I could come and go as I saw fit, and that she wouldn’t worry about me.’
‘So,’ he said, reaching over and playing with a lock of my hair, ‘you told her that your vampire boyfriend was considering this magical cure that might kill him and that you needed to go seduce him to take his mind off the idea, and she was fine with that?’
I reached over and thumped his chest with my fist. It was like hitting a wall. He laughed and grabbed my hand, opening my fist with ease. Then he kissed my open palm and held it to his lips. When he stopped, he gently turned my hand so the underside of my arm was facing up.
‘What’s this?’ he asked with concern in his voice. It was hard to see his face with his back to the window but even so I thought his eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.
‘What’s what?’ I asked quite innocently, not sure what he was talking about.
‘This bruise. It looks like finger marks.’
‘Oh, that. It’s nothing really,’ I said, remembering how I’d gotten the bruise.
‘It isn’t nothing. Someone grabbed you hard enough to make a bruise on your wrist. Who did this?’
‘Umm, it was just …,’ I really didn’t want to tell him about David. David was history. But I couldn’t see any way around it. ‘It was just an old boyfriend of mine. He came over, and when I tried to walk away from him, he grabbed my hand. It didn’t hurt. Really, it was nothing.’
He didn’t speak for a moment—didn’t move or make a sound. Then I thought I could hear his teeth grinding. His nostrils flared slightly as he nearly growled his reply. ‘Well, it’s a good thing this old boyfriend of yours lives half way around the world, or I’d be paying him a visit to show him how easily he too could be bruised.’
I had to change the subject, so I climbed up on top of him and pushed his arms down onto the bed.
‘Oh, you’re in trouble now, mister,’ I teased. ‘You’re late for work, and I’m going to make you even later!’
‘I already rang Tom and told him he’s on his own today. He wasn’t half jealous when I told him you were here. He got excited for a second, hoping it meant that Claire had come with you,’ he said, as he rolled me flat onto my back again.
‘Hmmm … you’re too quick,’ I said, screwing my face up into a pretend pout.
‘Aren’t I just,’ he laughed.
‘Well, she’ll be back soon enough. Claire will, I mean—at Christmas. Tom will just have to wait,’ I said, giggling a bit as I reached down and wrapped the shirt around my bare chest—my bravado short-lived.
‘And what about you?’ he asked. ‘Are you still planning to come back at Christmas too? Or are you going to stay, now? Does your Mum know about us? Or did you tell her you were just coming to see the police, or what?’
‘Hmmm … well, I didn’t actually say too much about dates. I mean, I suppose I could go home and then come back here at Christmas.’
‘Is that what you want to do? Is your Mum expecting you back soon?’ he asked.
‘I suppose … well, you know, since I didn’t know what Crystal wanted, I wasn’t entirely sure how long I’d stay. I mean, I guess I hoped I’d be staying.’
He nodded, but said nothing for what felt like hours. And the longer the silence went on, the more nervous I became. Had last night been a mistake? Of course, I wanted it to happen. I think deep down inside, every girl wants to be swept off her feet the way Sam had swept me off mine, but now, in the cold light of day, was he glad we’d done it? Did he want me to stay? Was that behind all these questions about my flight? I wanted that to be the case, but when he didn’t speak, I started doubting everything.
Finally, he spoke, and I nearly jumped.
‘Have you told her much—about us?’ he asked, grabbing the bottom edge of the shirt with his free hand, and rolling it around between his fingers.
‘Not too much. I think she suspected something, but she didn’t ask many questions.’
‘And so you didn’t tell her about me then?’ He frowned, seeming to be concentrating on the shirt as he continued to roll it between his fingers.
‘Well, not exactly. I mean … yes of course I told her that I’d met you, and that we’d gone out, but you know, I was never quite sure how to tell her that I wanted to come back here to stay.’
‘Okay. But you will tell her about us, won’t you?’ His voice gave little away, but when he looked up at me his eyes stared deeply into mine, waiting for me to answer. His eyes looked so dark, almost black, as he lay with his back to the light.
‘Sure, I mean, I’ll have to tell her something, won’t I?’ I still didn’t know where he was going with this, and as much as I wanted it to mean that he wanted me to stay, he wasn’t actually saying that. Had last night meant as much to him as it had to me? Could that be possible?
‘And if there was a reason for her to come here, do you think she might … you know, come over to meet me?’ He looked down at the corner of the shirt again, still rolling it between his fingers.
I started to laugh, then stopped myself abruptly when I saw his reaction. He dropped the shirt and met my gaze with a startled expression on his face.
‘Come here? My mother? The woman who has never even been on a plane and is petrified at the thought of flying? I don’t think so!’
The startled expression faded, and determination took its place as he spoke. ‘Not even, for instance, if it was for, say, a wedding?’
‘A wedding?’ I looked him squarely in the face, trying to read his eyes but it was so hard with the light behind him. Was he teasing me again? I couldn’t see laughter in his face or hear it in his voice.
‘Sam, are you … are you proposing?’
‘Yes, I am. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’
I suddenly felt very naked there beside him, even with the shirt wrapped around me. All the joking was cast aside, and he was, quite seriously, asking me to marry him; to have and to hold and all that goes with it, including ‘until death do us part’. Only I knew that it would be my death that would cause us to part, not his. But at least, for a time, we would be together.
‘Yes. Yes I will. In fact, I would love nothing more than to be Mrs Samuel Benjamin Todd.’
~~***~~
My stomach wouldn’t stop growling and it was getting embarrassing. I couldn’t even remember the last real food I’d eaten—drawback of dating a vampire. But rather than go home to Debs’ place I decided to ring and invite myself over to Crystal’s for breakfast. When I said we’d be there in a few minutes, she sighed with relief. She must have realised that ‘we’ meant Sam would be coming with me.
I did ring Debs, and apologised that I’d fallen asleep, although I didn’t say where. But I was pretty sure she’d figured it out when she
asked me to tell Sam that she looked forward to seeing him again soon.
When we walked into Crystal’s, Sam shook his finger at her and gave her this look like you’d give a naughty child. She just laughed and walked up and gave me a big hug, smiling the whole time.
‘Am I forgiven, for calling in the A-team?’ she asked, looking over to Sam.
‘Yes, Crystal, you’re forgiven—but only because I know you had my best interests at heart. And speaking of my best interests, has Lili mentioned that she has agreed to become my wife?’
Crystal stepped back and threw her arms up in the air and did this whoop whoop whoop thing that looked so funny I couldn’t help but laugh. Then, taking my face in her hands, she kissed first one cheek then the other, and gave me another big hug before stepping back.
‘I couldn’t be happier for you both,’ she finally said.
‘Thank you, Crystal. I’m pretty happy myself,’ I said as I moved over to stand next to Sam.
‘Can I help you plan the wedding? Do you think your mother will come? It would be so wonderful to meet her.’
‘Well, she’s terrified of planes. She’s never even been on one. But maybe this will be enough of an incentive for her to try.’
‘I hope so. Now, am I allowed to suggest that this wedding be planned for a date very soon?’ she asked, suddenly looking quite serious.
‘Soon? Like, how soon? We haven’t really talked about dates yet, but I suppose it would be nice to have Claire here too—she’s coming over for Christmas break. She arrives on the fifteenth of December. Is that too soon?’
‘Well, that all depends.’ She looked at me, then at Sam, and then back at me. ‘Hmmm … perhaps just after Christmas could work. You’ll have had your baby by then, and he can be whisked away safely before the wedding. However, if you want to be married before the baby is born, then we’ll need to move quickly.’
I turned to Sam, and he looked as surprised as I felt. I started to ask him what was happening, but before I could speak, he shook his head and sort of shrugged, and nodded toward Crystal as if to say, ask her.
I turned back to Crystal. ‘Baby?’
‘Yes, you’re going to have a baby. I can see it in your eyes.’
‘You’ve got to be joking, right? I mean, you are joking, aren’t you? Seriously,’ I replied indignantly.
‘No. I’m not joking, not at all. Your baby will be born in six weeks from when you conceived. And I assume that was since you’ve arrived?’
I stood there, speechless. What the …? Pregnant? I mean, already? And six weeks—what on earth was she talking about? That was barely time to come to terms with the idea of becoming a mother, let alone actually giving birth and having a baby. Six weeks? I vaguely remembered something Sam had told me about Michael, something about how fast he grew … but it hadn’t occurred to me that it could actually happen like this. Not to me.
Crystal stared at me with a smile that touched not only her lips, but her eyes as well. She looked so happy. Why wasn’t I?
I finally found my voice. ‘Yes of course … last night. But six weeks? Are you sure? I mean, that hardly seems possible. Six weeks?’
‘Yes, six weeks. Oh, but don’t look so scared,’ she said, taking my hand and rubbing it gently. ‘Really, it isn’t as bad as you think. Your body won’t get anywhere near as large as a normal pregnancy. The baby will be born quite small—he will weigh less than two pounds at birth.’
‘Crystal, are you sure about this? I mean, I can’t believe you’re serious,’ I said, looking down at my stomach. Could there really be a baby in there?
‘I’m quite serious. Sam, be a dear and take her into the living room. You two sit down, relax. I’ll make us something to drink. I’ll be with you in a moment.’
Sam led me into the living room where we sat down on the sofa. I looked at him, hoping to find some answers in his eyes, but he just smiled as he kissed my cheek and held my hand.
In a few moments Crystal came in, carrying two steaming cups.
‘Here, it’s just herbal tea—very refreshing. It will make you feel better.’
‘Will it? Really? I mean, I’m sure I heard wrong. I must have heard wrong,’ I said, very much in denial.
Crystal sat on the sofa next to me, and handed me one of the cups. ‘You didn’t hear wrong, Lili. You are pregnant, and assuming Sam is the father, you will have your baby in six weeks.’
‘I don’t understand. I mean, babies take nine months. Everyone knows that,’ I trailed off as I tried to come to terms with the fact that my baby would be a dhampir—like Michael, or like Crystal. My baby wasn’t going to be human … it wouldn’t take nine months.
‘Would you like me to explain? Would that help?’ she asked, looking first at me, then at Sam, then back at me.
I took a deep breath, and then took a sip of the tea. It was sweet and refreshing. I nodded and she began.
‘What I’m about to tell you is what Mladen taught me. There are no books we can refer to, and you won’t find any articles on the internet about this.’
‘Okay,’ I said, steeling myself for yet another story that would no doubt be incredibly difficult to believe.
‘As you know, dhampirs are the offspring of a vampire father and a human mother. We are on this earth for one very important reason: to prevent the total destruction of the human race. If allowed to go unchecked, vampire populations would simply grow and grow until there would be so many of them they would completely wipe out the human race. Dhampirs are the vampire’s only natural predator. You understand this, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ I said, glancing over at Sam, remembering what he’d told me previously. I turned back to Crystal, hoping it would all make sense.
‘Out of fear of us,’ Crystal continued, ‘vampires are very careful about not being seen. Indeed, most vampires live fairly solitary existences, keeping their encounters with humans brief. Unfortunately for humans, most encounters are for one reason only, and the human doesn’t have a chance to speak of it afterwards. However, occasionally, if there is a very strong attraction, a vampire may reveal himself to a human woman for reasons other than the usual one.’
Sam squeezed my hand when she said this, and when I turned to look at him he smiled shyly. Crystal cleared her throat, and when I turned back she continued.
‘Lust is a powerful emotion, and it can make even a vampire behave differently to his natural disposition, just as it does with humans. The vampire may take chances that he wouldn’t normally take—like risk being discovered. But just as it is with humans, when the lust has passed, it is easy for the vampire to regret his actions.’
I looked at Sam again when she said this, suddenly fearful that he might be regretting last night. But when I met his eyes he smiled and his look reassured me. Satisfied, I turned back to Crystal.
‘In nature, the strong survive, the weak don’t. With dhampirs, it is similar. Not all women will conceive from an encounter with a vampire. It takes something special in them to actually enable them to conceive. They must be strong and fit, both physically and mentally. If the conditions are right, the dhampir will be conceived.
‘From this point, however, it is not just their fitness that helps them survive; it is also their growth rate. A full grown dhampir is virtually indestructible. Only the strongest of vampires would stand a chance against one. However, a foetus, and indeed an infant dhampir, is vulnerable.
‘Consider this. A woman falls pregnant to a vampire who is full of lust. He leaves, but has nine months to consider his actions. In many cases, probably most actually, he would return to kill the foetus before it has a chance to grow into something that might live to hunt him one day. So, for the dhampir foetus to have the best chance to survive, it must grow quickly: both in the womb of its mother, and once it is born.’
I took a deep breath and raised my hands as a signal for Crystal to slow down for a moment while I absorbed what she’d said. I suppose I was prepared to accept what she was
saying. After all, I’d already accepted the existence of vampires and dhampirs.
‘May I continue?’ she asked. When I nodded, she began again, ‘Your baby is already growing incredibly quickly—much faster than that of a normal human baby. When he is born, he will be a little less than the size of a premature baby; however he will be incredibly strong. His lungs and other organs will be fully matured, and within a few days, he will be the size of a human baby born at full term.
‘After that, he will grow at approximately six to seven times the rate of a human, until he reaches maturity within three or four years. I’ve known Michael since he was just an infant. By the time he was four years old he looked exactly as he does now.’
She paused on her own this time. I just sat staring at her in awe.
‘Lili, are you okay? Is this making sense to you?’ She had this look on her face as though worried she’d fried my brain or something.
‘Yes, I think so,’ I answered, ‘I mean, it does make sense I guess, but it’s just so hard to believe.’
‘Yes, I imagine it’s a lot to take in. But you’ll see for yourself, soon enough. In six weeks when you give birth, your baby will be small, and your body will not have undergone too much stress. Then, once born, he will continue to grow incredibly fast, so that by the end of the first week he will be larger than the average newborn. Then, after two weeks he will be nearly the size of a three month old baby. By the time he is one month old, he’ll be the equivalent of a six month old human. And so on. By four years, he will be a fully matured adult.’
I swallowed hard, then reached over and picked up the now lukewarm tea, and took a long sip.
‘So, I suppose for the next two weeks I’ll pretty much look normal, but after that I’ll start looking fatter and fatter?’
‘You’re so fit—I suspect you’ll look great right up to the end. You won’t get huge. And I’ve got creams that you can apply. You shouldn’t even get stretch marks.’
Sacrifice (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 2) Page 6