I swung the door open. I was met by Caressa and Noah's surprised expressions as they looked over my shoulder seeing Rhett buttoning his pants. They practically plowed me over to enter, pushing me to the side.
"What did you do?" Caressa said with a smile plastered across her face.
Noah waggled his brow in my direction. "I know what she did." He stood beside me and placed his arm over my shoulder. It was an innocent gesture, one he's done dozens of times, so neither of us thought anything of it until we saw the enraged look on Rhett's face right before he lunged at Noah.
He grabbed Noah by the neck, pinning him against the wall. "If you ever touch her again, I will drive a stake right through your heart."
"Get him off me." Noah managed to squeak out.
Caressa and I struggled to get Rhett away from Noah and suddenly I felt a case of deja vu coming on. It was only last year we had to do the same thing with Noah when he tried to attack me.
We finally pulled them apart and Rhett collapsed to his knees holding his head in his hands. Noah attempted to go help him up, but I grabbed his arm and held him back. I knelt next to Rhett and ran my fingers through his dark shoulder length hair. He stood and wobbled a bit before I caught him. I walked him over to the sofa and sat him down.
"Shit Noah, I’m sorry. I didn't..."
"I know you didn't. I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I was first turned. Gia is like my sister so I wasn't thinking about how you would react by me touching her."
"It’s okay, no need to explain anything to me. It was my fault."
"It's not your fault." I interjected. "You have no control over it. It will take some time to get used to your new powers. Sometimes you'll get so out of control with rage and you will have no idea where it came from. But, that's what we're here for."
"She's right." Caressa placed her hand on Rhett's shoulder. "You're a part of this family now. You showed your dedication to us last night and we are so grateful to you. We would be proud to have you in this coven and we promise to take care of you just as you have taken care of us."
I glanced up at my sister and for the first time in my immortal life I wish I could have shed a tear. Though she and I have rarely ever seen eye to eye, she welcomed Rhett into our small circle with open arms. I mouthed a 'thank you' to her as she smiled back at me.
Caressa shooed Noah out the door. "We should leave you two alone for a while. We'll be close if either of you need anything."
I waited until the door was closed before I sat closer to him. "How are you feeling now?"
He glanced at me, then brought my hand to his mouth. He rubbed his lips over my knuckles softly. "Better."
"You need some more rest. You'll start to feel better soon, I promise."
"I'll rest on one condition."
"What's that?"
"I want to feel those sweet cheeks under me again."
I had forgotten how much male vampires craved sex. It was definitely going to be a very interesting experience for both of us, but one I wouldn't change for the world. "Haven't you had enough for one night?"
"I will never have enough of you. Are you tired of me already?"
"No, I just think it would be best for you to get some sleep."
He nuzzled against my neck. "But I'm not tired. I have plenty of energy left."
"I can see that. Rhett?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
He lifted his head to meet my gaze and ran his thumb over my lips. "I love you too sweet cheeks."
Chapter Nine
“Noah, you can’t do that. You'll be killed." Caressa yelled from across the room.
She'd been trying to convince him that going out to recruit more vampires was a bad idea and I have to agree with her on this one. We need to come up with a better plan than to go around carelessly making vampires out of any human. Some people would definitely not make good vampires. Marcus was a perfect example of that.
"I've left the club before Caressa. I'll be fine."
"That was before the Hunter’s attack. They are getting bolder with their plight." She argued.
"That is all the more reason for us to make ourselves a small army to protect this coven.” Noah waved his arm around. “We cannot live in the shelter of this club forever. There is more to life than this place."
"Then you should have thought about that before you asked me to turn you." She retorted.
I could see the pain on her face because she thought she had made the wrong decision by turning Noah. I know my sister well enough to know that was exactly what she thought. She stomped off into the direction of the kitchen and left the room.
"Caressa wait!" Noah yelled after her, but she didn’t stop.
"Awkward." Keira said to me in a hushed tone.
I shot her an annoyed glance. "You're not helping Keira." I turned to Noah. "She'll be okay; she just loves you so much. She doesn't want you to get hurt or killed and I happen to agree with her. I know, it's a shocker, but I do."
Rhett interjected. "Aw c'mon sweet cheeks you can't be serious."
"I am serious and stop calling me that when people are around please. You and Noah are New Bloods. You're still learning to cope with your newfound strength and powers. The Hunters can smell you coming from a mile away. These humans are trained from birth to hate our kind and they will stop at nothing until we are extinct. I think we should wait until we come up with a plan that we all agree on."
"Does anyone care what I think? Keira said.
"No." I replied, ignoring her completely.
"Well, I'm going to state my opinion anyway. I have been saying from the very beginning we should be making more vampires. We've been cooped up in the club for two years and I'm tired of sitting here on my ass not doing anything about the damn Hunters. If Marcus were here..."
"Marcus was wrong. He was wrong about so many things, but we were so blinded by his conniving ways and endless manipulation that we believed everything he told us." This was the first time I have ever voiced my opinion aloud about how wrong Marcus' teachings were. "There are so many things he lied to us about so he could remain in control of our minds and this coven. Caressa is our leader now and I think it's time we all give her the respect she deserves for keeping us safe all these years."
"I guess you're right." Keira agreed. She stood and walked to the back of the club. "Whatever you guys decide on, I'll stand by you one hundred percent."
She entered the kitchen leaving me alone with Noah and Rhett.
Noah ruffled his short brown hair then slid his hand down his face in aggravation. "I guess I should go and talk to Caressa."
I nodded and watched him leave. Rhett sat in the booth next to me and pulled me onto his lap. "Talk to me."
I gave him a quizzical look. "About what?"
"Why are you so insistent I never leave here? You do know I can take care of myself don't you? I did kick some Hunter ass while I was still a human. Imagine what I can do as a vampire."
I attempted to stand but he held me in place. I hate that he makes me feel things so strongly at times. I still find it difficult to express myself, but he continually forces me to. I can't refuse him anything even if I tried, so when he presses me, I cave. "How can you not understand how I feel? How would you feel if I left the club by myself?"
"I wouldn't let you."
"See what I mean? I don't want you to go. Rhett, you are the first person I have ever cared about and I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Gia, I understand how you feel, I really do. But you're not being realistic. We can't stand by and cower any longer. Changes have to be made and soon."
I know he's right, yet I can't stand the thought of losing him. With a heavy heart I relent. "Fine. I'll talk to Caressa again. Maybe if I speak to her privately she'll feel less inclined to deny our requests."
He brushed his lips over mine. "That's my sweet cheeks."
I smile reluctantly. That endearment means the world to me no matter how muc
h I try to hide it. “Always." I try to get up from his lap a second time, but he held me in a tight embrace.
“What else is bothering you? You’ve been really quiet these last few weeks and you don’t look so hot.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m dead you genius, I’m not supposed to look hot, but thanks for lovely compliment and letting me know I look atrocious. You really know how to capture a woman’s heart.”
“Now you’re just being a drama queen. You know what I meant. You just don’t seem like your usual self.
What could I tell him? I knew exactly what was wrong with me. The only problem was I couldn’t tell him because I have no idea how it happened myself. It was an impossibility for any vampire as far as I knew, yet here I was, sitting on my eternal lover’s lap…pregnant.
I couldn't tell him. He made it perfectly clear to me that he never wanted children. It was one of the reasons that made it an easy decision for him to become a vampire. What was I going to say to him? I know you said you didn’t want kids, but you’re going to be a father anyway. He’d hate me. He’d leave for sure and never return again.
Besides, I don’t even know if this pregnancy will be viable. A vampire wasn’t made to carry a child and what would happen to the baby if it were to be born? Would it be living or dead? Would it stay a baby forever if it was born a vampire? I don’t know if I could take care of a baby for an eternity.
I shifted a little, bowing my head. I clasped my hands together and picked at the peeling red nail polish to keep busy so I didn't have to look in his eyes. His finger lifted my chin and he glanced at my lip, which was now quivering from fear of his expected reaction to the news I was withholding.
“Hey, what’s wrong? What are you hiding in that little brain of yours? You know you can tell me anything right?”
His voice was so warm, so soft and seemed to float all around me. I wish I could’ve wrapped it around my body and covered myself in its protectiveness.
My throat seemed to close up when I opened my mouth to speak. It felt like someone was choking me from the inside and I couldn’t get free of its hold.
He brushed a long red lock of my hair out of my face and gently placed it behind my ear. “Gia, I know something is bothering you, please tell me.”
My vision began to blur and I did something I haven’t done since I was human so many centuries ago; I cried. Tears fell from my eyes in big fat drops, streaming down my face. I couldn't wipe them away fast enough. My chest tightened at the thought of losing Rhett over something that was never supposed to be a problem for us to begin with. “Rhett.” I said, in between a sob. “I…I.”
He took my face in his hands, bringing my mouth close to his. He gently rubbed his lips over mine. “Shh, it’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together, I promise.”
I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt and cleared my throat. “Rhett, I’m pregnant.”
He dropped his hand away from me the instant those words left my lips. He just sat there with wide eyes and his mouth gaped open, clearly shocked about the announcement. “What?”
“I’m pregnant.” Before he had a chance to say anything else or had time to think of a much needed escape plan, I hurried to apologize. “I’m so sorry Rhett. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t know how this happened. All vampire women are sterile. I have never heard of this happening in all the hundreds of years I have been immortal. I don’t know what else to say. I know you don’t want children and…” How do I tell him I want this baby? I want this baby more than I have ever wanted anything in my whole life. I tried to fill in the empty space that now settled between us. “Rhett, please don’t be angry…”
He placed his finger over my mouth to quiet me. “Why would I be mad at you? This is not something you need to be sorry for. It isn’t your fault Gia.” He tilted his head to get me to look in his eyes. “You want this baby, don’t you?’
More tears filled the brim of my eyes as I nodded and choked out a response. “More than anything.”
He smiled. “Good, so do I.”
“What? I thought you didn’t want kids.”
“Well, that was before I knew I was going to be a daddy. Gia, I love you. This is something that we created together. This baby is something that no one else has ever given you in all the hundreds of years you’ve been in existence. I think this is a pretty special gift, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes, but what if this baby dies before it’s even born. What if it’s born a vampire and stays a baby forever? There are so many questions we don’t have the answers to, including how this even happened in the first place. What will the others think? We can’t afford having a baby around for eternity. It will weaken this coven. There will always be a weak link in our chain for the Hunters to easily break.”
“Do you love me sweet cheeks?”
“Of course I do.”
His hand reached for mine, bringing it to his full lips. “Then we’ll figure everything out together. I promise everything will be okay.”
“But we don’t even know where to start. How can we figure it out when we don’t have a clue, not one clue?”
“Okay, think back over the last couple of weeks. Is there anything you did differently?”
I sat there for a long moment, trying to come up with something, anything that would explain this rare phenomenon, but I couldn't come up with anything. “No, I haven’t done anything different. Nothing other than trying to starve myself to death.”
Then a tiny thought entered my mind. “The blood.”
“What blood?”
“The synthetic blood Noah and Caressa gave me when I wasn’t feeding. Do you think something was in that blood that made reproduction in my body possible? Caressa said that the lab she contracted went under new management. Do you think they made the product wrong and inadvertently came across a cure for sterilization in vampires?”
“I don’t know, but that’s a great place to start looking for some answers. Don’t worry, just remember that no matter what happens, I will always be here for you.”
Chapter Ten
After the initial shock of the news, Caressa and I began to investigate the lab where the synthetic blood was being manufactured. Our research didn’t come up with much and it has been weeks since we sent a sample to a different lab to have examined. This was time we didn’t have to spare. We don’t know what will happen to the baby I’m carrying or if it’s safe for me to do so, but there’s no way I can terminate the pregnancy even if I had to.
It’s not like I could walk into a doctor’s office and have tests done like a normal human being would do. So, we’re here stuck in this hole in the ground waiting around for answers that we may never get.
I did my best not to think of all the things that could go wrong. I sat at the kitchen island going over the sales reports for the week, just to occupy my mind and keep busy. The club has been doing great and we were already looking into buying a bigger place soon. We’ve always had the money to do it, but never had enough security to hold the place down.
I’ve spoken to Caressa about making more vampires to protect the coven because ordinary security would never do against the expertise of the Hunters. We need soldiers of our own kind and she finally relented to the idea. We’ve been keeping an eye on some of the regulars that come into the club and would most likely be turning some of them very soon. It’s about time we started taking control of our own destiny rather than having others make the decisions for us.
“You feeling okay?” Rhett said as he twisted my hair. He settled the long locks on my shoulder and placed a soft kiss on my neck.
“I feel fine.”
“You’re looking much better. You even have some color to your skin too.”
I lifted my arm comparing it to his and it did in fact have a definite glow to it. It was not as pale as it had been for the past few hundred years. I almost look…human. “You’re right. I’ve been too worried to even notice. I haven’t looked
like this in a long time.”
“You’re beautiful.”
I leaned my head back against his chest wondering how I’d become so lucky to have him in my life. I never thought I would have found someone that I could spend eternity with, but he was a welcome surprise. Looking back, I don’t know how I made it this far without him.
I turned in the stool to face him. He leaned down to kiss me, but was halted by a knock at the door. I bowed my head in aggravation. It seemed we never had enough time alone together since I found out we were going to have a baby. One of my sisters and even Noah were always checking in on us despite our insistence on being fine.
Rhett chuckled and kissed my forehead lightly. “I’ll get it. You know, we seriously need to do something about them. I miss having my sweet cheeks all to myself without being interrupted every five seconds. They are giving me serious cock block.”
I laughed. “I’m going to have to agree with you. They’re just worried about us.” Another hard knock echoed through the room. “Now go open the door before they break it down."
Rhett twisted the knob. Caressa and Noah come barging in like they own the place. Well, technically they do, but this is my personal space and we’re all going to have a serious discussion about that very soon. When Rhett was about to close the door, Keira popped her head in the doorway.
“Please come in.” Rhett said after they’d already entered the apartment.
I shook my head at him, muffling another laugh. “What are you all doing here? Can’t we get some privacy once in a while?"
Keira looked at my belly and arched an eyebrow at me. “I think you’ve had enough privacy. See what happens when the two of you are alone.”
I rolled my eyes at her as Caressa walked toward me, handing me a folder filled with papers. I glanced at them and saw it was the results from the lab that we’ve been waiting for.
“What does all this mean Caressa?”
“Well, according to the report, the second batch of blood we had made contained HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), plus elevated levels of progesterone and estrogen. I’ve put that batch to the side until we know more about what’s going on.”
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