by Tina Folsom
18
Maya arrived at the same time as Eddie and Gabriel rushed into the back office of the bookstore. With shock in her eyes, she stared at the scene in the small office for a second, then leapt into action, dropping to her knees next to the woman.
“Can you feel the baby’s heartbeat?”
Thomas nodded. “It’s getting weaker.” He pointed to the stab wounds on her belly. “Chances are the knife injured the fetus too,” he whispered, leaning closer to Maya so Sergio’s mate wouldn’t hear him. If she thought that her baby wouldn’t make it, she would probably give up immediately.
Maya leaned over the woman and placed two fingers at her neck, feeling for her pulse. “Did somebody give her vampire blood?”
“Oliver did. But she didn’t drink much.”
Maya gave him a grave look. “We’ll have to turn her to save her. Her injuries are too severe.
We can’t heal her.”
“I was afraid you’d say that. I guessed the same.” Thomas glanced back at the woman’s face.
He finally remembered her name: Helen. Her eyes were closed now.
“I have to get the baby out first. If we turn her while the baby is still inside her, it will die,”
Maya continued.
“What can I do?”
Maya reached for her bag and rummaged through it. “I’ve got no scalpel, and there’s no time to get one from my office. I need a knife.”
“You’re going to do a Cesarean?” Thomas felt a shudder go through him. Without anesthesia Helen would suffer unbearable pain.
“We can’t get the baby out through the birth canal. It’ll take too long.” She glanced at Helen’s face. “She doesn’t have that kind of time.”
Thomas pulled the silver knife from his boot and handed it to Maya, careful that she didn’t touch the blade. He noticed how she swallowed hard, her hand trembling. He wrapped his palm around her hand as it gripped the knife and squeezed it. “If anybody can do it, you can.”
“She’s in shock. She won’t feel much of this. But just in case she does, I need you to distract her. Can you use mind control on her?”
Thomas nodded. From the corner of his eyes he saw his colleagues look at them with bated breath. “Give us some space, please. And somebody find us something clean to wrap the baby in.”
Then he concentrated on Helen, laying his hand on her forehead. Going deep inside himself, he reached out to her.
Helen, can you hear me?
There was a soft murmur.
You feel gentle hands stroking you, massaging away all pain. Your body relaxes and you inhale a cleansing breath. You feel all tension flow from you, all anxiety gone.
Over and over, he repeated the words in his mind and noticed how Helen’s breathing calmed.
For an instant, he glanced back to where Maya bent over her belly, the silver blade slicing her open. He noticed how carefully Maya cut through the skin and muscle, not going too deep in order not to hurt the baby inside.
When Maya laid the knife to the side and reached her hands inside Helen’s belly, Thomas turned his head. He didn’t need to see this. Instead, he doubled his efforts to calm Helen with his mind, control her sensations, her feelings, and with them, her life.
Seconds ticked away, yet they felt like hours. Then a high-pitched cry cut through the silence in the room. Helen’s eyes flew open.
“She’s beautiful,” Maya announced. “Beautiful and healthy.”
Thomas looked at the bloody, moving bundle Maya held in her palms, the umbilical cord still attached to it.
“My baby,” Helen whispered, her breath labored.
Maya brought the baby to lie on its mother’s chest and Helen looked at it.
“The baby was lucky; the knife didn’t get her anywhere,” Maya said to Thomas in a low voice. She continued just as low. “Turn her now. Do it.”
Thomas shook his head. He couldn’t do it. His blood was evil, and he’d never subject Helen to the same kind of battles he was fighting each day. “Cain, please. You have to do it.”
Cain instantly crouched down and opened his wrist, but Helen turned her head. “Sergio is waiting . . . ”
“No!” Thomas said. “No! Helen! Your baby needs you.”
Cain looked at him, hesitating. “What do you want me to do?”
“Sergio,” she whispered as her last breath rushed from her lungs and her head rolled to the side.
Thomas felt a tear roll down his cheek. He pressed his hand to her neck, feeling for a pulse.
Then he lifted his head. “She’s gone.”
“We have to cut the umbilical cord. Now,” Maya said and reached for the knife again.
Thomas snatched her wrist and stopped her. “It’s silver. The baby will feel it.”
“What then?” She let her gaze wander around the room.
“Your claws, cut it with your claws,” Thomas suggested.
The baby girl cried again, and Thomas stroked his hand over her head, soothing her while Maya cut the umbilical cord with her claws. Lifting the baby off its dead mother’s chest, Thomas looked up.
“Do we have anything to wrap her in? A towel? Anything clean?”
Oliver came running from the store, two large sheets of paper in his hands. “Here, that’s all I could find.”
Thomas stared at him. “Gift wrap?”
Oliver shrugged. “It’s clean, and it’s almost as soft as tissue paper.”
Having no choice, Thomas took the paper from Oliver’s hands and wrapped the baby in it, then pressed her to his chest, rocking her.
When he heard hasty footsteps coming from the shop, his head whirled to the door. A moment later, Samson rushed in, his eyes darting to the body on the floor, then to the baby in Thomas’s arms.
“Sergio?” he asked.
Gabriel pointed to the dust on the floor. “We have to assume that he was staked. His mate said that they made him watch.”
Samson closed his eyes. “Oh God.”
It was easy to see what he was thinking: being a blood-bonded vampire himself, the father of a small child, the horror of what Sergio must have felt was written on Samson’s face. When he opened his eyes, he issued his orders.
“Gabriel, call the mayor. This can’t be made public. Scanguards will deal with the cleanup and the investigation. We need our own forensics team here. Get the mayor to clear the way for us and use his powers to keep the police out of this. We need to find out who did this.”
“We already know,” Cain announced.
Samson’s head whipped toward Cain. “Who?”
“Four of those newcomers. Oliver and I saw them enter earlier in the evening.”
“And you didn’t stop them?” Samson barked.
Thomas rose. “They weren’t doing anything suspicious. Cain and Oliver aren’t at fault. I am.”
“Explain!”
“I saw those four last night, out on patrol. I didn’t get a very good look at them. But I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t enter them into the database until earlier tonight. Cain and Oliver didn’t know they were already on our list of people to watch.”
“I would have expected better from you!” Samson bit out.
Eddie took a step forward. “If this is Thomas’s fault, then it’s mine too. I was on patrol with him. And it’s true, we didn’t get a good enough look at them. Only their voices.”
Surprised that Eddie stepped up to defend him, Thomas looked at him.
“Be that as it may, you know the procedure. Both of you.”
Eddie nodded, dropping his head.
“What did you overhear?” Samson asked, looking back at Thomas.
“Talk about takeovers. And of a boss. Only fragments. Not much to go by.” But it had sounded suspicious, particularly since he now suspected them of being Kasper’s disciples, even though he couldn’t tell the others that. Samson was right about chastising him. He should have reported it immediately. And as the more senior bodyguard at Scanguards, it was his du
ty, not Eddie’s.
“We’ll put a team together to search for them,” Samson announced. Then he looked at the baby in Thomas’s arms. “What are we going to do with the baby?”
“I have an idea,” Maya said, her eyes locking with Gabriel’s. A second passed, then her mate nodded. She smiled and announced, “She’ll have a good home with parents who will love her like their own.”
19
By the time the forensics team arrived at Sergio’s bookstore and collected all the evidence there was, Thomas had replayed his decisions a hundred times in his mind. Could he have prevented this tragedy?
He stepped onto the sidewalk and inhaled the cool night air. The bar across the street had closed and his and Eddie’s motorcycles were now the only ones parked there. When he heard steps next to him, he turned his head and saw Cain join him.
“They would have done it either way,” Cain said.
“What?”
“Those four vampires. If not tonight, they would have gotten them on another occasion. It looked deliberate. Planned. And we can’t be everywhere at the same time. Even if those descriptions had been up earlier, there’s no guarantee that Oliver and I could have stopped them or been close enough to them to know what they were doing until it was too late.”
Cain put his hand on Thomas’s shoulder and squeezed.
Thomas gave a bitter laugh. “It’s not making me feel any better.” Because it still didn’t wipe out the fact that the crime had Kasper’s signature all over it. Were they trying to send him a message? Was this a direct threat?
“You and Maya saved the baby. Isn’t that worth something?”
Slowly, he nodded. At least one innocent had been saved. “It is. Good night, Cain.”
“Night, Thomas.”
With a heavy heart, Thomas crossed the street and approached his motorcycle. He put the key into the lock and swung himself onto it, when he noticed that something was wrong. He looked down to the tires.
“Shit!”
Thomas jumped off the bike and inspected the damage. Both tires had been slashed, front and back, and were completely deflated. Angrily, he hit his boot against the back tire. Why would somebody slash his tires? Was this another message?
“Something wrong?” Eddie’s voice addressed him from behind.
“Some asshole slashed my tires.”
Eddie came into view and looked at the bike. “Oh, crap!”
Thomas shoved his hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he glanced back at Eddie. “Can you give me a ride home so I can get the van?”
Eddie’s eyes blinked in the dark. The moment’s hesitation confirmed to Thomas that he was apprehensive about being physically close to him again. Thomas was about to say that he could take a taxi, when Eddie suddenly nodded.
“Sure, no problem. Hop on.”
Eddie mounted his bike and swept up the kickstand with his left foot before turning the bike toward the street, then turning the key. Thomas swung himself up behind him, putting his arms around Eddie’s waist. When the bike accelerated and pulled into the street, Thomas felt himself jerked backwards and tightened his grip around Eddie’s midsection. He noticed that as so often Eddie hadn’t put his helmet on. They both liked to ride without it, and tonight the cool air blowing past his ears was exactly what Thomas needed.
He couldn’t remember when he’d last ridden on the back of someone else’s motorcycle, but he remembered that he’d never much liked it. But tonight, he was glad not to have to concentrate on traffic, and instead let his thoughts wander.
Holding onto Eddie gave him a strange sense of peace and comfort. Of feeling safe, when he knew that he was never truly safe, neither from the external threats that came from Kasper’s disciples, nor from the threat the dark power within him represented. Still, feeling the warmth from Eddie’s body seep into his chest gave him a feeling of home that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Because Eddie represented home for him.
Thomas sighed and moved his head closer to Eddie, inhaling the scent of his hair and skin, his masculine odor. Of their own volition, his thighs pressed harder against the outside of Eddie’s thighs, and it felt as if Eddie were pressing back into him. At every point where their bodies connected, Thomas felt as if on fire. If he didn’t get off this bike soon and away from Eddie’s tempting body, he would burn up. Or he would do something stupid, like pulling Eddie off the bike at the next stoplight and mauling him.
When the motorcycle leaned into the next curve, Thomas’s hand slipped and landed on Eddie’s thigh. He gripped it for support until Eddie pulled out of the curve, straightening the bike again. Underneath his palm, Eddie’s muscles flexed, and he could sense his body stiffen as if trying to ward off an attack.
Disappointed at Eddie’s reaction, Thomas removed his hand from Eddie’s thigh and brought it back around his waist. Eddie’s jacket was open in the front, and Thomas’s hand accidentally slipped inside, feeling the hard abdominal muscles under Eddie’s T-shirt. Heat radiated into his palm as he let his hand wander. He wanted to touch him so badly, wanted to explore his body, arouse him again.
Thomas shifted his hips and unintentionally rocked against Eddie. A grunt came over Eddie’s lips. Quickly, Thomas brought as much distance between them as the seat of the motorcycle allowed, and was glad when they finally turned into his street.
Eddie pressed the garage door opener and the gate lifted. He drove in and brought the bike to a stop. Thomas hopped off as quickly as he could while Eddie killed the engine and engaged the kickstand, parking the vehicle as he got off.
Without looking at him, Eddie asked, “Do you need help with hauling your motorcycle back?”
Thomas headed for the van and opened the door. “No. I’m good.” He could almost hear the silent sigh of relief that Eddie released as he walked toward the stairs leading up to the house.
Clearly, Eddie couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Thomas jumped into the van and slammed the door shut. It was better if he was alone anyway. In his current state, there was no way of knowing what he’d do to Eddie.
20
The baby, now cleaned, dressed, and wrapped in a clean blanket, was sleeping. Cain looked down at it as he walked up to the garden gate and opened it. The barking of several dogs instantly sounded an alarm to the occupants of the small cottage. The baby began to wail and Cain rocked it softly.
“Maya had better be right,” Cain mumbled to himself as he reached the door and rang the doorbell.
He only had to wait a few seconds before the door was opened. Haven, Yvette’s mate, filled the doorframe. Behind him, two Labrador puppies barked, excitedly running through his legs. A larger dog popped his head out from the kitchen door, looking at the spectacle before disappearing again.
“Cain? That’s a surprise,” Haven greeted him.
From the living room, Yvette’s voice called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s Cain, baby.”
Cain pulled back the blanket from the baby’s head and turned it for Haven to see. “I come bearing gifts.”
Haven’s eyes widened as he stared at the baby and then back at Cain. His chin dropped and he took a step back. “You’d better come in.”
When Cain walked into the living room—Haven following him closely, the puppies in tow— he almost bumped into Yvette. She wore leggings, accentuating her long, slim legs, and a casual T-shirt—without a bra, he noticed instantly. Yet her boobs were firm. Haven was one lucky son of a bitch to have landed such a beauty as his mate. Cain couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have sex with a woman like her. Not that he’d ever dare touch another vampire’s mate.
It was practically a death sentence to any man who tried.
“Hey, Yvette. Sorry to disturb so late, but there was an incident.”
Yvette inhaled sharply, her eyes instantly dropping to the bundle in his arms. Her mouth opened wider. “Oh my god!”
Cain looked down at the cute baby in his arms
. “She’s a hybrid. Her parents were murdered tonight. There’s no other family. Maya had to cut her from her dying mother’s womb. She’s a perfectly healthy baby.”
Yvette reached for the baby, and Cain passed her into Yvette’s arms.
“That’s horrible,” Haven said. “What happened?”
“Four of the newcomers we’ve been tracking attacked Sergio in his bookstore, killed him and stabbed his blood-bonded mate. It’s a wonder the baby survived. We have a description of them, and are investigating.”
Yvette caressed the soft hair on the baby’s head. “She’s perfect.” Her eyes glistened with moisture as she looked up and sought Haven’s eyes.
Cain smiled, glad about the reception Yvette was giving the baby. He set the bag he’d slung over his shoulder earlier onto the couch and pointed to it. “Delilah packed a few essentials.
Diapers, formula, clothes. Just to get you started.”
“To get us started?” Haven echoed.
“Yes. That is if you want her. She needs a home.” His gaze moved from Haven to Yvette.
“And a good mother.”
A tear rolled down Yvette’s face and her lips opened, but no words passed over them. Haven put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. Then he looked back at Cain, moisture gathering in his eyes too.
“Of course we want her. She’ll be like our own flesh and blood. I can promise you that.”
Haven’s voice cracked.
A sob tore from Yvette’s chest as she lifted her face to her mate. “Thank you.” She stretched to press a kiss on Haven’s lips.
“Baby, don’t thank me. Thank fate for having blessed us with this gift.” He stroked his hand over the baby’s head. “She’s precious. Thank you, Cain. I can’t tell you what this means to us.”
Cain pushed back the feelings that threatened to unman him. He wasn’t one to give in to his emotions, but the sight before him tugged at even his heartstrings. Yvette glowed as if she were the woman who’d given birth tonight. He had no worries about the little girl in her arms. She would grow up in a loving home with parents who’d worship and protect her. She would be safe now.