Stepping from the shower, he wrapped her within a towel and carried her back to the bed. He crawled in beside her and pulled her against his side. She curled against him, her tiny hand clinging to his chest as she drifted to sleep. He stared at the ceiling as she breathed steadily; her body was warm and comforting against his side.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sera tossed the last of her clothes into a box and closed the lid. She was unbelievably tired and so grateful the packing was finally complete. The past few months had seemed to stretch on for years. Her classes had been endless, and she struggled every minute just to get through them. Where once her whole life had been books and good grades, now it took every ounce of strength she had just to sit through them.
She spent her nights with Liam, but the time apart during the day was torturous. Not to mention the police inquiry into Jacob's disappearance lasted for over a week. Liam had wanted to take her away, but she was determined to stay and face it. If they ran, they would look guilty, and without a body, there was nothing the police could do to any of them. Other than Michelle revealing to the police she told Jacob where Sera was; they had no proof Jacob ever came to see her. Eventually, he was written off as an unsolved disappearance, and the police left them alone, and finally so had Michelle.
Sera was unbelievably grateful they wouldn’t be starting their new lives as wanted criminals, on top of the other complications they already had and would always have. Their lives were never going to be normal, but she didn't care. They would always be happy.
She turned to Kathleen who was sitting on her bed. For the first time since the beginning of the school year, Kathleen's side of the room was immaculate.
"I can't believe it's over," Kathleen murmured.
Sera smiled weakly at her, silently thinking the same thing as she slid onto her bed. "Why don't you come with us?" she asked.
Kathleen smiled wanly. "I don't know; Oregon isn't exactly my idea of a happening place."
Sera absently fiddled with the edge of the box. Oregon had never been her idea of a happening place either, but they found a house there that was perfect for all of them. It was a large cabin, on a lake, and surrounded by woods. The nearest neighbor was five miles away, and the town only had a population of three hundred. Most people wouldn't even know they were there, let alone bother them. For the first time, she saw what their powers were capable of as they were used to help acquire the house.
"It's peaceful there," Sera said.
"I guess, but I thought you wanted to get your master’s degree?"
Sera didn't know how to tell Kathleen she wouldn't need her master’s or any other form of education. She only finished off this year because she had come this far, and stopping mid-semester of her senior year seemed like a waste. Now, she just wanted to hide herself away with Liam and the others. She just wanted to start a new life, to have a home and a family.
"Not anymore."
Kathleen's eyes were questioning as they met Sera's. She didn't say she thought Sera was giving up her hopes and dreams for Liam; she had said it often enough in the past couple of months. Then again, Kathleen didn't know what Sera was now. If their roles were reversed, and it was Kathleen in her position, Sera would be thinking the same thing.
Besides, there was something more, another reason why she had to go, why she wanted nothing but shelter and protection.
"I'll be in California, I'm sure we'll see each other often," Kathleen said.
Sera smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm sure we will."
Kathleen looked doubtful. "Well, at least I know I'll like my new roommate, but it won't be the same."
"You and Danielle will have fun. Think of all the parties you guys will go to."
"Yeah, all the parties you're going to miss out on," Kathleen replied pointedly.
Sera smiled as she shook her head. "I couldn't party anyway." Kathleen lifted an eyebrow questioningly. "I'm pregnant, Kathleen."
Kathleen's mouth dropped open as she stared at her in surprise. "Sera, are you sure?" Sera smiled as her hand instinctively fluttered to her stomach and the tiny life inside. "How far?"
"Three months."
"How could you not tell me?"
"I wasn't sure until last week."
She couldn't tell her she’d been completely petrified and unsure of what to think or do. Unsure of what exactly was growing inside of her. "Does Liam know?"
"He does."
"What did he say?"
Sera smiled as she recalled his exact reaction. At first, he’d been elated, hugging and kissing her as he yelled happily. Then, reality sank in. The same reality that crashed on her and knocked out the joy, the same reality that robbed her of all the happiness she’d initially felt. David contacted his friends in Pennsylvania, while Sera and Liam sat anxiously by, hoping and praying she wouldn’t have to get rid of their baby.
David's friends assured him it was all right, that she wouldn’t give birth to a monster and everything would be okay. According to them, her child would be a vampire at birth and would grow until maturity, after that it would age no more. They assured David there was no harm to her or the child and there had been others of their kind born, and they had all been normal, or as normal as they could be.
Sera was still frightened though, and so was Liam. Although, most of his worries centered on her, while hers centered upon the life growing inside her. Their child would have no choice in its life. It would be born into a world of blood and death, and she prayed it wouldn’t grow to resent them for it. Prayed David's friends were right, and everything would be fine. She had already grown to love the baby inside her, and she wanted it more than anything, but she was scared.
"He's happy," she finally answered. Which was true, he was happy, he was just frightened something would happen to her, and that fear overshadowed everything else.
"And you?" Kathleen asked.
Sera smiled as her hand stroked her stomach. "I'm very happy." Kathleen studied her intently, obviously not fully believing her. "I'm a little scared; we're both a little scared."
"Well, that's to be expected." Then, Kathleen grinned as she climbed to her feet. "You always wanted a big family. Are you two going to get married?"
Sera bit back a laugh. She had never even thought about a wedding; their relationship went far deeper than marriage. Their relationship was different, stronger, eternal, but of course, Kathleen would think of marriage as the ultimate bond.
"I see you told her,” Liam said.
Sera looked up as Liam appeared in the doorway.
"Move." Jack shoved roughly by Liam as he strode into the room. "Like you need a stupid piece of paper," he mumbled as he grabbed boxes off the floor. "You two are sickening enough now."
"Thanks, Jack," Sera replied.
He grinned at her as he shuffled the boxes in his arm. "It's true," he defended.
"Yeah, it is," Mike said.
"So what do you say? Do you want to get married?" Liam asked.
Sera gaped at him. "Liam—"
"I bet you always dreamed of a big wedding, with a cake, and a beautiful white dress."
Now Jack, Mike, Doug, and David were gawking at him. Sera grinned at him. As far as she was concerned they didn't need any vows, they had already made them, but she had always dreamed of a wedding. He strode across the room and knelt before her as he took hold of her hand.
"So, will you marry me?"
His eyes twinkled merrily as he gazed at her. Sera grinned back at him. "Yes."
He smiled as he stood, wrapped his hand around the back of her head, and kissed her. The touch of his lips instantly sent a bolt of lust through her. She pulled back before she could completely lose herself to him. "Oh!" Kathleen cried happily. "We have so much planning to do! We'll need a dress and a caterer, and we're going to need to find a hall! I'm sure Oregon has some beautiful places! We'll have to start looking immediately. Unless you want to wait until after you have the baby, then it will be a winter wedding!"
Kathleen continued to prattle on about the plans.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Mike interrupted. "Could you make these plans on the plane, before we miss it?"
Sera's grin widened as she slid her arms around Liam's neck and kissed him again.
"Oh, congratulations!" Kathleen cried as she threw her arms around them both. "I'm so happy for you!"
Sera laughed as she wrapped her arms around her friend.
Epilogue
Sera rested her arms on the railing of the porch as she watched Liam glide across the lawn. Behind him, the lake was bright with the setting sun. The mountains loomed high above it and stretched for miles across the vast sky. She loved the coziness and security their home provided. The warmth enveloping it.
A seductive smile curved his mouth; his eyes sparkled as he caught her watching him. David's friends had been right about everything. Their children were happy and as normal as they could be for not being human. The children didn't fully understand that yet, but one day they would. David was also right about their desire for each other not dimming but growing stronger. Their love was more intense than ever, and it continued to grow every day.
"Mommy!" Ethan cried as he left his father's side. Sera moved to head him off as she was trying to rid him of his habit of running upstairs. In his overwhelming, four-year-old exuberance, he was more than likely going to fall.
He mounted the top step and raced across the porch to her. His black hair was tousled and windblown as he flung himself into her arms. She scooped him up and held him close as his mischievous green eyes twinkled merrily. He looked so much like his father it was shocking.
"You're not supposed to run up the stairs," she scolded.
He grinned as he flung his arms around her neck, knowing it was enough to get him out of trouble. Liam stepped onto the porch; his head cocked as he studied them. Sera shrugged and grinned; she didn't feel any shame. He shook his head disapprovingly as he smiled and shifted their two-year-old daughter, Isabelle, in his grasp. Her chubby arms wrapped around his neck as she lifted her golden head to smile at Sera.
Liam moved swiftly across the porch as Ethan slid down her leg and bolted through the open sliding glass doors. Isabelle instantly wanted down to follow her brother. Liam set her on her feet so she could toddle through the door after him. "You're a wonderful disciplinarian."
Sera grinned as he braced his arms on the railing behind her. Her hands instantly fluttered to his chest. "I can't refuse you either," she told him.
"Damn right."
His kiss sizzled through her body, causing her to melt as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against him. He pulled her closer, ravishing her mouth as the evidence of his need for her pressed firmly against her belly. Sera moaned softly as she eagerly responded to his kiss.
"It's the middle of the day! Go to your room!" Sera pulled away to grin happily at Jack. He was standing in the open doorway with Mike, Doug, and David by his side. "Did you have to be right about everything?" he demanded of David.
David leaned against the doorframe. "The way you guys are going there's going to be a hundred kids in this house," Mike said.
"Maybe then you guys will move out," Liam replied teasingly.
"Don't count on it. What time do Kathleen and Danielle come in?" Doug inquired.
"Four thirty," Sera answered.
"Why don't you guys pick them up," Liam suggested. The four of them scowled back at him. "Or at least two of you."
"And what would you like the other two of us to do?" David asked with a smirk.
Liam took hold of Sera's hand and pulled her toward the doors. "Watch the kids."
David shook his head as Jack threw his hands up in surrender. "A thousand kids," he mumbled. "I'm going to the airport; these two make me sick."
"I hate being right," David said.
"I'm glad you were," Sera replied with a laugh. "We'll be right back."
"No, we won't."
Liam pulled her through the door and down the hall. Sera laughed as she broke away and raced up the stairs with him on her heels. She had only a moment to realize they were never going to break Ethan's habit of running upstairs if they were his role models before Liam pulled her into his arms and his mouth descended on hers. All rational thought fled from her mind as she was swept away by him.
The End.
Turn the page to continue reading book 2, Destined.
Destined
The Vampire Awakenings, Book 2
Prologue
Ethan poked his head around the corner of the alley; his eyes instantly went to the diner across the street again. Light pooled from the streetlights, it spilled across the road and sidewalk, illuminating the cars parked along the road. Light from the diner blazed out of its big, plate glass windows. The woman who had captured his attention was sitting in one of the booths; her blonde head bent over the table as she read through something laying open in front of her. She looked oddly familiar. Biting his lower lip, his brows knit together as he studied her more carefully. He knew he'd seen her somewhere before, he knew her somehow, he just couldn't remember where or how.
He pulled his head back and leaned against the cold stone wall. He closed his eyes, searching his memory for any hint of who she might be. He had been doing the same thing for the last five minutes, and it was proving to be a useless endeavor.
"What are you doing?"
He jumped, his eyes flew open as Mike and Jack stepped out of the shadows of the alley. "Don't do that!" he snapped.
They grinned as they exchanged amused glances. They knew he hated it when they cloaked their presence from him and popped out of nowhere to try scaring him. It often worked. What aggravated him the most was he couldn't do it to them. He couldn't control his powers as well as they could, and they knew it.
"So, what are you doing?" Mike asked again.
Ethan scowled at them as he glanced around the corner again. "I was looking at that woman in the diner."
"Ah hell," Jack groaned. "Don't tell us you're going to turn into your mother and father!"
"Hardly!" Ethan snorted, the thought alone made his stomach turn. "She looks familiar, but I can't place who she is."
Mike and Jack exchanged a glance before Mike poked his head out of the alley to look. "Where?" Mike asked.
Ethan leaned around him and pointed to the small, pudgy woman in the diner window.
Mike frowned thoughtfully, then his eyes widened in astonishment, and his mouth dropped. "It's Kathleen!"
"What?" Jack demanded, shoving his way past them. "Wow! It is! Crap, is that what we'd look like now?"
"She seems to have aged pretty well," Mike said thoughtfully. "She must be what, forty-seven?"
"How old are you, dumb ass?" Jack retorted sarcastically.
Mike scowled at him before turning his attention back to the diner. "Forty-seven," he muttered.
Jack smiled at him before turning his attention back to the diner. "There you go. Well, I guess she doesn't look bad. I'm just glad we don't look like that. Wrinkles," he said with a shudder.
"Shut up, Jack. Ethan, go over there and talk to her," Mike commanded.
"What?" Ethan demanded as he rounded on him in disbelief.
Mike nodded toward the diner; his short blond hair fell around his face. "Go over there."
Ethan stared at him incredulously. "You go over there," he retorted.
Mike and Jack looked at him like he was an idiot.
"We knew Kathleen in college, if she saw the way we look now, she'd probably have a heart attack," Jack explained slowly as if Ethan were dumb.
Ethan suddenly remembered who she was. Kathleen had been his mother's best friend in college, but he hadn't seen her in over fifteen years. He glanced back at the diner in disbelief. "What am I going to say to her?"
"Just go over there and see how she's doing. I'm sure your mom would like to know. Now, go on," Mike encouraged.
Ethan scowled at him. "I'm a little too old for you to
be ordering around."
"You're not that big yet, now go."
He would have stayed and argued with them, but he knew it was pointless. They always won, and besides, he was more than a little curious to see how she was doing. He left the alley and jogged across the rain-washed street to the diner. The bell above the door rang as he entered, and the smell of human food instantly assaulted his senses.
Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he glanced down the line of booths to the middle-aged blonde sitting in one of them. Her short blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and strands of it fell free to curl around her small, heart-shaped face.
He was unable to move as he stared at her. She was not the woman he remembered. This woman had lines around her mouth and eyes, her forehead was creased, and her skin was beginning to sag around her neck and chin. Strands of gray streaked her hair. This is what his mother should look like, he realized with a start. The thought was incredibly sad and more than a little frightening. For the first time, he truly understood his immortality.
"Can I help you?"
Ethan blinked as he was pulled from his reverie by the cute waitress who stepped before him. An admiring gleam lit her brown eyes as she openly surveyed him. He returned her smile without thinking.
She moved a little closer, the menus in her hand brushed against his chest. "Would you like to sit?" she asked.
"Oh, ah no," he replied, casting a glance at Kathleen as he recalled why he was here. "I just came to see someone."
Her mouth pouted as she stepped back. Ethan brushed past her, instantly forgetting her existence as he made his way toward Kathleen. He hadn't seen her since he was ten years old, he highly doubted she would remember him, but he might as well try and talk to her. Besides, Mike and Jack would be pissed if he went back with nothing, and he didn't feel like dealing with the two of them.
"Hi, Kathleen, right?"
Boxed Set Page 29