I forced a reassuring smile. “Everything’s alright, buddy. They’re just dreams. Mommy is fine and so is the baby. It’ll be here soon so no need to worry ok?”
“You mean she, mommy. She’ll be here soon.”
“Ok, then,” I said humoring him. “She’ll be here before you know it, and everything is going to be fine, alright?”
“Ok,” he said. And then it was as if something changed. His serious demeanor snapped back into his childlike state and he turned, running up the stairs as he always did when he was anxious to go play.
***
All through dinner and into the early evening my thoughts were preoccupied with Kenzie’s visit and Ryan’s revelations. Gavin noticed that I wasn’t really there engaging with them and after the dishes had been put away he took me aside, sitting me down at the kitchen table. “What’s going on?” he said.
Given Gavin’s attitude toward both Aries and Kenzie I decided to lie. Even though he had warmed up to Kenzie considerably from the time he first met him, I could tell that he wasn’t one hundred percent fond of him. “I’m just preoccupied with baby things,” I said, working hard to keep the other two men out of my thoughts, lest they break through to his.
“We have everything we need don’t we? Is there something I need to do?”
My husband, god bless him, was always willing to jump into action if I said I needed something. I reached across the table, taking his hand. “No, we have everything. We’re ready. I’ve just got baby on the brain,” I said. Although it wasn’t the truth, it wasn’t completely a lie either.
It was early in the evening but in winter darkness fell more quickly and easily. I had been thinking about it all day and finally I couldn’t stand it any longer. I needed answers. “Listen,” I said putting my boots on. “I need to go for a walk. You stay with Ryan ok? I just need some air.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just walking. I need a little bit of time to myself to walk and to think. I won’t be long.”
“Ok then,” he said, kissing me on the cheek, but giving me a look of suspicion as he did so.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
I took off out the back door and kept a slow rhythmic walk until I was well into the woods. Once I was sure I could no longer be seen from the house I broke out into a full run. I wasn’t sure where to look exactly. I never was, but it never seemed to matter. Something told me it wouldn’t be much of an effort. Aries always appeared when I went searching, as if something in him, some homing instinct, knew I was coming.
I stopped when I caught a glimmer of light off in the distance. It looked like a fire and there was no reason anyone other than satyrs would be out here in the middle of winter this deep in the woods. As I made my way toward the light a rustling sounded. Not from the light but from directly behind me. I released my fangs, unsure if I was under threat or not and turned sharply to face whatever was following me.
“Easy,” he said putting his hands up as if to surrender. “Put those away, woman. You’re looking for me, I suspect?”
I drew my fangs back and saw the familiar face, smiling at me with one eyebrow raised in cockiness. He was every bit as handsome as I remembered and he looked me up and down, taking me in with his large, dark eyes, his hair moving ever so slightly on the wind as he examined me. “It’s good to see you, little one. You look exquisite. I only wish that were another son you were carrying for me.”
He came forward, extending his hand toward my belly. “May I?”
I was hesitant but I felt the influence of the pheromones, not in the way that I usually did, probably because I was already pregnant and mating with me wouldn’t serve the purpose of producing an offspring, but I felt it as a type of warmth, an affection almost. I nodded yes and he gently laid his hand on my stomach, smiling wide and closing his eyes as he did so. “There is nothing more wonderful is there? A new life. New hope. A story that has yet to be written with all good things ahead of it.”
“Aries, I’ve come to talk to you about something.”
He took his hand away, opening his eyes and hardening his expression. “I know.”
“How do you know? Have you been spying on us? We told you not to come near.”
“I know, and I haven’t. Not for my own sake but for the boy. If Gavin kills me then Ryan is as good as dead too.”
“But you’ve seen him in another way haven’t you?”
He hesitated, looking guilty. “Yes, I have.”
“I want you to stop. You’re telling him things that scare him.”
“You have to understand, Rachel, that it is a process that cannot be stopped. Neither the boy nor I have anything to do with it. It’s naturally what happens to prepare him. I couldn’t stop it from happening even if I wanted to. I was wondering if he’d take the dreams seriously enough to warn you. I wasn’t sure he was old enough to understand but it looks like he does because you’ve come.”
“Aries, what is it you’re trying to say? What message are you trying to send?”
He took a deep breath, turning from me as he did as if trying to find the right words. “You realize, that because he is my blood, he comes from me, we are connected. You know that right?”
As much as I tried to suppress the knowledge I did indeed know it. “Yes,” I said.
“And when he was growing inside of you, he and you were one. Therefore if he and I are one, you and I are also one. You, as mother of my son, are bonded to me. Do you understand?”
“I’m bonded to a lot of people, Aries. To Gavin, to Ryan, to Alexander. It’s not inconceivable that I’d be bonded to you in some way as well, I guess.” For someone who lived totally alone up until I met Gavin I seemed to have a long list of ties.
He dropped his head as if in disappointment. He didn’t seem to like the list either. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. You being the mother of my child makes me able to sense when you’re happy, when you’re sad, and when you’re frightened or come under threat. Recently I feel more and more that you need protecting. If your mate did not have an impulse to kill me I’d keep a closer eye on you. If you were human I’d be camped out in the shadows next to your house right now.”
“Why? What is it you feel I need to watch out for?”
“I’m not entirely sure, little one,” he said turning toward me once again, taking my face in his hands. “I swear to the gods if I knew I’d tell you.” His eyes flitted to my neck and his brow furrowed with worry. “Where is your pendant?”
I pulled my sanctuary pendant out of my shirt and showed it to him. “No, not that one. The other one. The one you had on the night I came to see you at the sanctuary. Where did you get it anyway?”
He was talking about the pendant that Zale had given me, the pendant of Vagitanus the god of the newly born. “Its home. I got it from a satyr in Halifax. Wait,” I said, only now realizing what he’d said. “When you came to visit me in the sanctuary? When was this?”
He cocked a single eyebrow once more. “Oh, they didn’t tell you? You vampires like to keep your secrets don’t you? Go home and ask your mate. I won’t be the one to let you know what happened on that night. You should talk about it with him.” He smiled his familiar conceited smile for a moment and then became serious again.
“Rachel, listen to me very carefully. Your child is under threat. You go home and put that pendant on right away. Put it on and keep it on all during her first year. Never take it off. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. “But why?”
“If the time comes when you have to use it you’ll know. I know you’ll do as I say because there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to protect your children. I sensed that in you, and it’s why I wanted you to mother a child for me. Would it be too much to hope that perhaps you’d consent to a second someday?”
“I think perhaps that would be a bit much. Ryan’s loss will be painful. It’s already painful and it hasn’t happened yet.”
He nodded in understanding. “
It’s not an easy task we ask of our mothers, but a necessary one. Go home now,” he said. “As much as I would love to keep you here with me forever, you have a job to do.” He planted a gentle kiss on my cheek before giving me a sad smile. “We will see each other again, Rachel. When the time is right, I will see you again.”
As I turned to walk away I heard him whisper something under his breath. “S’agapo,” he said.
I turned back upon hearing the unfamiliar phrase. “What?”
“Nothing, just saying good night. Good night, Rachel.”
“Good night,” I said, and turned for home.
Chapter twelve
I slid the drawer of the small wooden antique desk in the corner of our bedroom open and retrieved the box containing the pendant that Zale had given me. Zale…I tried not to think about him, but he crept into my thoughts more than I cared to admit. Especially when I thought about Ryan. The children he had fathered were as good as dead. There was absolutely no chance to save them from dying when their transitional fever hit and it was all my fault. I had murdered their only chance for survival. He would never be able to scoop them up to complete the ritual and make them part of the herd.
I ran my fingers over the long horn shaped charm as I slid it on my neck, feeling unworthy to do so. He had given me this to protect me and my son, and I had turned around and betrayed him. I was under Christina’s influence at the time, but I could still see the look on his face, and hear the last words he ever said to me. “I forgive you.”
I was holding it in my hand when Gavin walked in. His face twisted with cold anger as he saw me slip the pendant around my neck. “You’re putting that on?”
I nodded.
His eyes burned and his fists clench at his sides. “Why?”
I was at a loss for what to say. I tried to think of an excuse but nothing fit. I had to come clean. “Aries told me…”
Before I could finish my thought, Gavin interrupted me, screaming. “Aries? Rachel please don’t tell me you went to see Aries.”
When I didn’t answer he sat on the bed, crossing his arms in disgust and turning his back on me. “What possible reason could you ever have for going to see him? For god sake Rachel, the one person we’re trying to protect our son from and keep away from us and you went to see him, and now you’re wearing that…thing.”
“Gavin, today Ryan came to me and said some strange things. I had to go see him to find out what was going on. Aries feels our baby is in danger somehow. He told me to wear this.”
“What in the world makes you think that he has even the tiniest bit of concern about our baby? Aries only cares about what affects him. Look what he did to you? He’s selfish and if he’s telling you that then he’s trying to trick you somehow. He’s up to something. Don’t be stupid enough to fall for it.”
Although he wasn’t saying it out of cruelty, I took his words as an insult. I was hurt and became defensive. I fired back: “Tell me about his visit to the sanctuary after you brought me home from Halifax. He told me he came to see me, you’ve never mentioned it. Why?”
Gavin’s face dropped. His expression went from anger to shock as he turned to face me. “There was no reason for you to know.”
“Know what?”
“Rachel,” he began, leaning forward. “When we got you back here, you were dying. Christina had poisoned your blood and…” his voice broke with the memory. “We needed to induce a fever. There was no other way. Aries did it. It worked because you were pregnant. He did to you what he does to the children when they transform. We didn’t know if it would even work, but it did.”
“So he saved my life?”
Gavin stood up, screaming. “Your life wouldn’t have needed saving if he hadn’t put you in harm’s way in the first place. The least he could do was try to save your life. We got lucky and it worked. We could have lost Ryan or the ability to have any more children because of it too. I bet he didn’t tell you that, did he? It was a huge risk but one we had to take, no thanks to that filthy fucking beast. How can you be so blind? And how could you see him behind my back?”
I opened my mouth, about to fire back once again. I had gone to see Aries and with good reason. I didn’t appreciate him questioning my judgement. Ready to shoot him down I was suddenly stopped cold when I felt something happening in my body. There was a loud gurgling sound and then a massive whoosh as a river of liquid came roaring out. Gavin’s face went from anger to concern as he flitted over to where I was standing, lifting me up and placing me down on the bed.
“Oh my god, it’s happening,” I said. “This baby is coming right now.”
“I’m on it,” he said, getting out his cell phone. He hit a few buttons. “Holly? Get here! Now!”
That was all he said before hanging up. I could already feel the head emerging even as I lay there. “I don’t know if she’s going to be fast enough. You might have to do this.”
“I’ll do it,” he said, his voice steady and firm. “Everything wil be alright, Rachel. Don’t worry.”
Chapter thirteen
Although a relatively painless and uncomplicated process for vampires, birth is still a harrowing and life changing experience. The baby, strong but still human, can be vulnerable to any number of things. All of this I worried about, but Gavin had a calm and steady take charge attitude that I’d never seen before. He delivered our baby, who was out after about three pushes and had it wrapped in a little yellow blanket by the time Holly arrived.
“Dangit!” she said walking into the bedroom, where Gavin was clutching the flailing, screaming infant to his chest.
“You almost made it, sis. If you’d been two minutes sooner you’d have caught it.”
Holly laughed. “Well it seems you guys did ok on your own, yet again.”
Gavin handed me the baby and I looked down in awe.
“Well, boy or girl?” Holly said.
Gavin’s face dropped. “Oh my god. It happened so fast I forgot to check.” We looked at each other for a long time, almost dreading the moment. Holly simply stood off to the side, confused.
I quickly lifted the blanket and made the inspection, followed by the announcement. Aries and Ryan had been right. “It’s a girl,” I said.
Ryan came into the room just then, and sleepily rubbed his little eyes. “She’s here?” he said.
“She’s here, buddy. You were right,” Gavin said, lifting him gently into the bed to get a closer look.
“What are you going to name her?” Holly asked.
Gavin and I had been throwing names around but hadn’t settled on anything concrete. We figured we still had another week or so to go. “Her name is Jade,” Ryan said.
“Jade huh?’ Gavin said. “What do you think, Mommy?”
I smiled. I knew right away that I loved it. “It’s as good a name as any. Why did you pick that one?”
“I didn’t,” he said, matter-of-factly. “It’s who she is.”
We all exchanged a look. It seemed that Ryan was tapped into something that none of the rest of us were. After a moment of glancing around, Gavin put his hand on his new baby girl’s head, and she let out a soft cry. Then she settled down, staring at Ryan with her large blue eyes. “Welcome Jade,” he said, kissing her sweet little dark curls.
After a few more moments, Holly gave her a quick once over, pronounced her ‘healthy as a horse’ and then left us alone. I nursed her and watched as she fell asleep on my chest. Gavin put Ryan back to bed and then came in, laying down next to me, as both of us just stared at the tiny, peaceful creature.
“Jade,” he said, laughing just a little. “It wasn’t on the list was it?”
“No, I like it though. Love it actually.”
Gavin reached out, taking her tiny hand as Jade clasped his finger, squeezing with all her baby might as she slept. “So do I. Jade,” he said again. “It’s simple, yet unique and beautiful.”
“She is unique and beautiful.”
“She can’t help it. She takes af
ter her mother.” He leaned in, softly placing his lips on mine. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to get so upset.”
“Hey, it’s forgotten. I understand how you feel about Aries and everything that’s happened. I don’t blame you for reacting the way you did. I should have talked to you first.”
“Rachel, I swear no harm will come to her. I’ll die protecting all of you if I have to.”
“I know that you would. You have nothing to prove to me.” I decided it was time for the truth. “Gavin the reason I went to see Aries is because Ryan told me about dreams he’s been having. He’s been dreaming about Aries.”
Gavin rubbed his forehead. “How is that possible?”
“Aries says that it’s normal, that it’s part of the process. It’s preparation for his transformation and that neither one of them can stop it. It’s going to happen more as time goes on. It was Ryan that told me the man in his dream said that our baby was in danger. That’s why I went. Ryan seemed so sure of it that I had to see him. I had to ask him if he knew what she is in danger of.”
“And what did he say?”
“Nothing really. He said he just senses it, that’s all.”
“Oh great. Well, that’s helpful. What did you tell Ryan? You know, about the man in his dreams?”
“I told him they were just dreams and nothing to worry about.”
“Good,” he said, pulling the blanket up over all three of us. We had a bassinette in the room to keep the baby close and Gavin motioned to it. “You want me to put her down?”
“No, not tonight. I don’t feel like sleeping so she’s good right here. I just wanna hold her.”
“I don’t feel like sleeping either,” Gavin said. And with that we settled in, watching Jade sleep until the sun came up the next morning.
Chapter fourteen
We had a flurry of visitors in the days that followed. Human neighbours and vampires alike came to congratulate us and get a peek at the new arrival. A lot of them said she looked like me, but I didn’t see it. I thought she looked like Gavin. Her eyes were as blue as his and she had the same little mouth. You could see already that she’d inherit the same wide toothy grin as her dad. The only thing she did have of mine was the dark hair, which already was plentiful and curly.
The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: Progeny Page 9