Expecting Darkness

by Mandy M. Roth

“What? Already?” Searc asked, lunging forward and grabbing the file. He looked through it, his emotions swarming him, making it hard for him to focus. When he saw how far along Jessie was in the pregnancy, he flinched.

  Jessie eased back from him. “What’s happening? What did the tests show? Do they know why I lost a weekend almost four months ago?”

  Malik offered a sympathetic look. “Jessie, the tests show that you’re pregnant. The doctors are guessing you’re about four months along now.”

  Her hand went to her stomach.

  Searc read the file again and froze when he saw the results listed before him. His mind couldn’t wrap around them. He knew their labs were leaps and bounds above those humans used. He also knew that their doctors were beyond cutting edge. That didn’t change the fact he was unable to fully accept what he was seeing. “This cannae be right.”

  He looked up to find his teammates watching him.

  Blaise grunted. “Should have wrapped it up, dude.”

  “You do nae understand,” said Searc, shaking his head. “Jessie and I slept together for the first time today. We dinnae have sex months ago.”

  “So you’re not the father?” asked Blaise, pursing his lips.

  Searc snarled at him. “The child is mine!”

  Blaise gave him a soft look. “Dude, calm down.”

  “Months ago I woke from a dead sleep, positive something was wrong with her. It was also the time she…” Searc stiffened.

  “It’s when I blacked out and lost days,” she said softly, her hands on her stomach. Her bottom lip trembled. “When my nightmares of being tested on started.”

  Malik closed his eyes a moment. “Searc, Auberi told me about you falling behind enemy lines nearly a year ago. He told me all of it. Everything you told him.”

  Searc thought harder on it, on the tests he’d endured. On the scientist who had jerked him off, taking samples of his semen. Gasping, he realized what Malik was saying. The samples taken from Searc had been used on Jessie. His gaze whipped to her. “She’s already four months pregnant and it’s my child?”

  “Yes,” said Malik softly. “Boomer is finishing up on a video conference with our team, but James, our doctor, confirmed all the findings for you. The baby she’s carrying is yours. Labrainn has headed out to meet with his people. Additional information about the labs on campus have come up as well.”

  Jessie’s hands remained on her stomach and Searc could feel her confusion washing over him. Her fear. Her worry that he’d reject her and what she was carrying—their child.

  He got his bearings and covered the distance to her quickly, sweeping her against his body. Dipping his head, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with every emotion he had for her spilling through him. As the truth of it all washed over him, he found himself increasing the intensity of the kiss. She was his mate. His woman. And she was already carrying their child.

  He lifted her, his mouth never leaving hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, returning his kiss. Vaguely, he heard someone shouting and he tuned them out, assuming they were only trying to get him to quit making out with Jessie in the parking lot of the bar.

  It wasn’t until his demon reared up within him that he realized danger was near. He broke the kiss and set Jessie on her feet before spinning around to survey the situation.

  Malik was close to him, his arms out, claws extended on his hands as he did his best to keep the swarm of hybrids from getting close to them. How had Searc missed it all? Had he really been that swept up in Jessie that he’d let the enemy near?

  Yes.

  The rest of his team was engaged in battle already.

  Searc shoved Jessie behind him more and twisted just in time to catch a hybrid by its neck. He thrust it away, keeping the majority of its neck in his hand. The thing on the ground, left withering in pain, smelled a lot like a vampire, but with a chunk of ghoul in it. It was revolting and looked like something out of a storybook for nightmares. He wasn’t sure tearing its throat out would do the trick.

  Jessie screamed and Searc found himself turning to check on her rather than paying attention to what or who was charging him. He took a direct hit from a hybrid and went down hard.

  Never one to give in easily, he snarled and grabbed the beast’s neck, snapping it quickly. When that only seemed to slow the thing, his eyes widened. What the fuck had been done to the supernaturals?

  Another scream came from Jessie, this one sounding farther away than before. Deep down he knew what that meant. The bad guys had his woman.

  “No!” he shouted, punching out and striking the beast on him in the face. He came up fast, allowed his nails to lengthen and then rammed his clawed hand through the hybrid’s chest. Searc wrapped his hand around the thing’s heart and held it, ripping his arm back, keeping the vital organ with him. Finally, the hybrid fell away, its lifeless eyes staring up at him.

  He sensed danger to his left before he saw it and ducked, just missing a hit to the head from a partially shifted hybrid.

  “Someone here had their energy drink for breakfast!” yelled Blaise, knocking a rather nasty-looking hybrid away from him. His gaze snapped up. “They don’t want to die.”

  “Remove the heads or hearts!” yelled Malik, taking on two hybrids at once.

  “Okie-dokie,” said Blaise, spinning and slashing out, removing the hybrid’s head with one fluid motion. He grinned as blood splattered all over him. “Sweet!”

  Auberi dropped down from above, landing crouched, and looking pissed. He touched the smallest of scuff marks on his designer shoes and lifted his head, his gaze menacing as he glared at a hybrid. “For this, you die.”

  Boomer rolled past him, looking slightly worse for wear. He came to a stop and lifted his head, grinning. “Seriously. The asshole threw you like thirty feet in the air and what pisses you off is your shoes?”

  “They are great shoes,” added Daniel, ramming his fist through the chest of a hybrid and seizing hold of its heart. Blood dripped down his arm, coating his jacket. He sighed. “My dry cleaner hates me.”

  “He’s not the only one,” added Blaise, laughing as he ran at a group of hybrids.

  Searc charged the hybrid nearest, turning and lopping off the thing’s head. As the head rolled away, he spun in a circle, looking for his mate. She was nowhere to be found. All he could see were his friends there fighting a seemingly endless array of hybrids.

  “Where is Jessie?” he called out as three more hybrids rushed him, slamming into him and knocking him backward into a parked car. The car’s alarm went off as it rocked violently and dented in from the weight of Searc’s body. Searc managed to gain the upper hand with the hybrids but not before one bit a nice chunk out of his left upper arm, rendering it useless until he could have time to heal. He used his right hand and tore out the throat of the hybrid who had bit him. Wasting no time, Searc then yanked with all his might, tearing the thing’s head from its shoulders.

  He had to use the parked car to help push off the ground, a sign he was slowing from blood loss. As he glanced at his teammates and friends, he saw they were wearing down too.

  “Where the fuck are they all coming from?” asked Boomer, bloody, battered, and missing a few piercings.

  Searc ripped out the heart of another of the hybrids near him and looked up to see the other’s head falling to the side. Daniel was behind it, his gaze snapping instantly to Searc’s arm.

  “I really hope you do not turn into one of them. They stink,” said Daniel.

  Searc groaned and reached for his friend’s extended hand. “Jessie? Where is she?”

  Daniel’s expression grew dark. “A large group of hybrids swarmed in and took her. They were headed eastbound. Go. We will handle things here.”

  “Assholes are coming up through the sewers!” yelled Boomer.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jessie tried to scream but there was a huge, slimy hand over her mouth. Whatever had her was massive. Bigger than any supernatural she’d
ever encountered. And it smelled like garbage on a sweltering summer day. Not that it helped any that she was down in the sewer with them. It was difficult for her to see due to the absence of light, but the things carrying her off didn’t seem to have any issue with visibility.

  “Searc!” she yelled and then tensed as she thought about the melee outside of the bar. Everything had happened so fast and with such overwhelming numbers that she wasn’t sure if Searc and his men were all right or if they’d been injured—or worse.

  She couldn’t think like that. Losing Searc wasn’t an option.

  One of the creatures had lunged for her and had managed to grab her. It and some of its buddies had then dragged her down the street and basically tossed her down an open manhole in the road. The thing holding her now had been what had caught her and broken her fall. Thanking it seemed pointless since it was more than likely carting her off to her death.

  It’s probably going to make me its main course.

  She yanked at the blue-colored hand covering her mouth and finally got it free. “Let go of me!”

  Ignoring her, it continued to run with her as if she were a sack of potatoes rather than a person. Its buddies surrounded them, moving like a pack of wild dogs in unison through the underground tunnels. Muck and water splashed up at her and she winced as the smell of it all nearly made her lose what little she’d been able to eat through the day.

  She struggled against the ironclad arm around her waist to no avail. Screaming again sounded like a great idea, but it had gotten her nowhere to date. She was better than this. More than a damsel in distress. She was a Buchanan and they didn’t take crap from anyone.

  Okay, her father didn’t take crap from anyone. Jessie pretty much just liked to read and learn things. She was a far cry from a warrior and a master vampire like her father, but if the last day had proven anything, it was that she wasn’t totally helpless. She’d knocked Searc over more than once with power. Magik she hadn’t even known she’d possessed. All she had to do was concentrate.

  Focus.

  She tried, but it was difficult bouncing around as hard as she was. The more the thing holding her tightened its grasp around her waist, the greater her concern became for the child she’d been told she was carrying.

  Something began to build deep within her. A strange resolve grew with each bounce, each clench of the creature’s arm. The harder and faster it ran with her, the greater her determination became. It was then she felt the telltale buzzing that had accompanied her power each time she’d used it. The feeling of bees swarming her began, at first small and then bigger and bigger.

  The creature holding her loosened its grasp on her enough for her to squirm free. Jessie landed on one knee in a dry area of the tunnel.

  She had a half a second to do a silent thank you for that small mercy before her hands suddenly felt as if she’d dunked them in a bucket of ice-cold water. Gasping, she lifted them and looked down, noting they were nearly as blue as the creature that had been holding her.

  With a shriek, she aimed her hands at the things in the tunnel with her, the deep-set knowledge that if they got their way she and her child would be no more driving her onward.

  There was a blast of white light that came from her hands and for a second she thought she blew up. As the white light hit the creatures in the tunnel, it didn’t just knock them backward; it acted as if a tornado had been unleashed from her. Gusts of wind and power continued to shoot forth from her and she stood there, too stunned to move or do much of anything beyond scream as she let her frustration out on them.

  They would not harm her or her child.

  They’d never harm anyone again if she had anything to say on the matter.

  There was a high-pitched whistling noise, much like the sound of a train approaching as the creatures were flung in the opposite direction. The two who were closest to her actually burst into dust, blowing away instantly with the wind. She heard metal scraping and then the faint sounds of car alarms going off from the streets above.

  Jessie stopped screaming and swayed, feeling tired, but still too worried about protecting the child she’d only just learned she was carrying. She wouldn’t let anything happen to the baby. Already she wasn’t sure if its father was alive or dead. She’d not risk one hair on its head. And the things that had the nerve to attack her would pay.

  The buzzing died down and with it so did the wind. Finally, she was left standing in the darkness, barely able to stand on her own, but unharmed beyond that.

  There was a grunt from the far end of the tunnel and then she saw a lone figure there. It was too dark to make out who or what it was.

  “Och, lass, you finally knocked someone over other than me.”

  Joy surged through her at the sound of Searc’s voice. She made a move to run to him but realized she’d expended far too much energy. Instead, she swayed and then fell against the wall of the tunnel. There was a small squeak followed by scurrying noises and she knew then that rats were by her. In that moment, Jessie went full-on girl, swatting, screaming, and backing up.

  A strong arm eased around her. “Lass. Enough.”

  She paused, her heart racing. “Rats. There are rats down here.”

  “Aye, and before you unloaded a can of whoop-arse there were hybrids. They’re far bigger than wee rats. And deadlier. ’Tis them you should have been worried over. Nae mice.”

  She stilled. “Hybrids?”

  “Aye. Supernaturals made in labs. They’re verra strong and hard to kill. Well, hard for the rest of us. You made it look like child’s play.” He held her to him. “Are you hurt at all?”

  “No,” she managed, turning in his arm, realizing he was only holding her with one. “But you are, aren’t you?”

  “I’ll be fine once I feed. My wounds will heal then. My only worry is for you and the wee one.” He snorted. “Yer father will be pleased to know yer powerful enough to send every manhole for the last four blocks skyrocketing and you even lifted a vehicle in the air from the force of what you can do. I cannae be sure but I think I saw hybrid bits flying out of a manhole too.”

  She cringed. “You did.”

  “That is my girl,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Now. Let’s get you out of here.”

  Jessie lowered her gaze. “All I could think about was that they were going to hurt our baby.”

  “I’d have moved heaven and hell to get to you, lass,” said Searc. “No one hurts my mate or my babe.” He glanced around the tunnel. “Seems I wasnae needed though.”

  Jessie laughed through her pending tears and held Searc tight. “Can we shower? I smell like sewer tunnels and bad guys.”

  “Lass, you smell divine.”

  “Your sniffer is clearly broken.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jessie sat in the exam area of PSI with a blanket wrapped around her, dressed in a pair of hospital scrubs. They’d been given to her after she’d showered. She remained on the end of the table, trying to process everything that had come to light.

  Searc hovered close but didn’t make contact with her, as if he was worried how he’d be received. His arm had healed after he and his men had stood around drinking bagged blood, each giving accounts of how many hybrids they’d killed. She strongly suspected they were beefing their numbers.

  Blaise smiled. “Sixteen for me.”

  Boomer laughed. “Like hell!”

  Malik glanced at her. “I believe Jessie’s count beats all of ours put together. Well done.”

  She blushed and lowered her gaze. “Uh, thanks.”

  “Your woman is fierce,” said Auberi to Searc. “A warrior.”

  Jessie nearly laughed. She was no warrior. She was scared, tired, and hungry. “Pfft. I’m no warrior.”

  “Tell that to all the dead hybrids the cleanup crews are working on right now,” said Boomer with a wide smile. “It was awesome. I turned around and there were bad guys shooting out of the street like a geyser. One went like twenty feet in the air.
Sweet as fuck!”

  Daniel sighed. “Cat-shifters are so unrefined. And it was more like thirty feet.”

  “I thought Scots were the unrefined ones,” said Blaise.

  Searc flipped him off.

  Blaise waggled his brows. “Eat me.”

  “Boys,” said Daniel.

  Blaise shrugged his shoulders. “And you’re both wrong. It was nearly forty feet. Did anyone else see the car she lifted off one manhole?”

  “Yes,” said Malik. “It flew past me. It was raining hybrids and vehicles for a moment.”

  “Better than raining men,” said Blaise, humming a song from the early ’80s.

  Auberi glanced around, his eyes widening. “Says you.”

  Boomer groaned. “He doesn’t ever stop. There is no off switch on him.”

  “I have a get-me-off switch,” said Auberi, flashing a suggestive smile.

  Boomer pulled his hand over his face. “I keep asking my mate to let me kill him. She says he’s funny.”

  “He is,” said Jessie with a smile.

  Auberi blew her a kiss.

  Jessie’s jovial mood soured as she thought about her father and what he’d do to Searc. She touched her stomach. “My father is going to go batshit crazy when he finds out. He suspected it and it made him go nutty then and summon Searc.” Gasping, she looked up at Daniel. “He knew. He sensed it on me and knew Searc was involved somehow.”

  A slow blink was Daniel’s response.

  “How?”

  “He’s a master vampire and he sired Searc. It would stand to reason he’d be able to easily pick up on Searc’s ties to your child.” Daniel bent in front of her. “On some level I suspect you knew as well. As did Searc. He told us he challenged Cormag at his nightclub over being near you. That is something only an expecting father would do to protect his mate.”

  “Do you think I’ll ever fully remember what happened to me four months ago?” she asked.

  “I do not know,” replied Daniel. “I believe we all have a fairly good idea.”

  “Islay knew, didn’t he?” she asked, a hiccupped sob coming from her.