Ben nodded and pulled a lighter from his pocket. While he got to work on completing his task, I sank into Teren’s body. Exhaustion, a residual fear, and remembered pain washed through me, but it was nothing compared to the joy of knowing that Julian was coming closer. I wrapped my arms around my husband and sighed.
Pulling back from me, he tenderly ran his fingers down my cheek. His eyes searching mine he whispered, “Are you okay? I was so scared…”
He bit his lip and cupped my cheek. Smiling, I put my hand over his. “Julian’s coming…I’m great.”
Smiling, he nodded then switched it a wry turn of his lips. “Did you seriously deck that guy?” He raised an eyebrow, his expression both amused and concerned.
As the acrid smell of smoke hit the air, I shrugged, looking toward the indistinguishable body parts that Ben was adding to the growing pile. “I couldn’t let him get away,” I muttered, watching Ben duck into the barn, only to come out moments later with a gas can. Soon his timid fire was a raging inferno. Luckily there were no nosey neighbors out here in the middle of nowhere.
Teren’s hand on my face turned me back to him. “He could have…” Stopping his words, he shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
Exhaling slowly, I rested my head against his, nuzzling my cheek over the harness of his stubbled jaw. “You take me home…me and the kids.”
Squeezing tighter, he nodded. “That I can do.”
As Teren and I started to drift away from the pungent smell of Malcolm’s demise, Gabriel and Halina walked over to join us. Attached to his side, Halina was rubbing his blood soaked chest, staring at it in wonder. Her fingers poked and prodded for holes in his skin, but I knew she wouldn’t find any. Whatever Teren had done to him, he’d already healed from it.
As Gabriel clapped Teren on the shoulder, Halina gazed up at him. Her eyes were completely different as she stared up at her ancient boyfriend. No anger or fear remained in them, just an obviously deep well of love. Whatever reservations she’d had about being with Gabriel before, I was sure they were gone now. Thinking someone was dead had a way of making all of the impossible obstacles suddenly seem…possible.
Shifting her eyes to a softly smiling Teren, Halina shook her head. “That was all fake? You were bluffing?”
Teren shrugged. “He needed Gabriel dead. I made him think he got his wish.” Teren’s smile shifted to a cringe as he met eyes with Gabriel. “I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you. He would have heard.”
Gabriel rubbed his hand near Halina’s on his stained chest. “Yes, well, I almost didn’t have to pretend. You came extremely close to my heart, Teren.”
He raised an eyebrow at Teren and Teren cringed even more. “Sorry, I needed it to look real.”
Gabriel smirked and shook his head. “Another couple of inches and it would have been.”
Teren released me, putting a hand on Gabriel’s arm. “Thank you for playing along, for understanding my plan.”
Gabriel nodded, then twisted his lips. “I wasn’t entirely playing.” He looked down at the mess on his chest and shook his head, rubbing the area over his heart. Peeking up at Teren, he grimaced. “That was exceedingly painful.”
Teren chuckled a little, shaking his head. “Sorry.”
I squeezed him a little tighter, grateful that Halina hadn’t lashed out more aggressively and immediately killed him. Halina seemed to be thinking the same thing. Sighing, she released Gabriel and walked over to Teren. I took a step back from him as she started a long Russian sentence. Teren met her gaze, nodding a little. When she finished with her speech, she stroked her fingers along the neck she’d been cinching tight earlier then cupped his cheek. Shaking her head, she swept him into a hug.
In words I could finally understand, she whispered, “I’m so sorry, Teren. I truly don’t know what came over me.”
Teren pulled back, smiling down at her. “You thought I staked the man you loved.” He shook his head, his pale eyes looking over to me. “Situations reversed, I don’t think I’d have reacted any differently.”
Halina sighed and rested her head on his chest as Gabriel and Teren stroked her back. Feeling Alanna and Imogen nearly on us, we all stopped and looked over to the field where they were approaching. I started getting antsy, needing to be with my son again.
Teren and Halina broke apart, both looking antsy as well. Teren’s eyes took in the bonfire of destruction that Ben had going. Standing before it, his body highlighted in the orange flames, Ben was tossing bits and pieces of evidence into it, wiping his hands off after every toss. Twisting back to the fields, Teren raised his chin in that direction. “Come on, let’s go get our boy.”
Not wanting Julian to see what we’d done, I nodded eagerly and streaked off, towards him. I could feel the other vampires right behind me as I blew across the empty fields. Whatever had been growing out here was long gone, and only weeds and overgrown tan grass impeded my progress.
Not wanting to collide with the approaching blurs, I slowed to a regular run along with the others. As if we’d planned it, Alanna and Imogen arrived at the same time. Like someone had adjusted the lens on a camera, their hazy streaks suddenly snapped into focus. Beaming brighter than I’d ever seen either of them, they humanly ran the distance between us. My vision hazed as what Alanna was carrying became clear to my enhanced eyes.
My son. My external heartbeat. My carbon copy of the man who seared my soul. Julian.
My legs trembling so hard I could barely keep running, I watched Julian start to struggle against Alanna. She set him down, letting him run on his own. As he shifted into overdrive, I sank to my knees. He collided with me right as I connected with the dirt.
Clenching his arms around me, he buried his head in my neck and trembled. Leaning back on my heels, I held him to me so closely that I had to remember to relax, so he could breathe. Teren’s arms were instantly around him from the other side as he dropped to the ground as well. Holding him between us, sandwiched in the middle of our bodies, we both exhaled at the same time.
“Oh thank god, thank god,” Teren murmured over and over, stroking his son’s back and kissing his dark head.
Our glows highlighted the shaking child in our arms and I felt the emotion of his homecoming rising up my throat. Holding back a sob, I swallowed repeatedly, kissing Julian’s forehead as I did. He nuzzled into me further, one of his hands reaching out for Teren. Holding us both tight, he sniffled. “Mommy, I didn’t like that.”
A small sob breaking free, I clutched him tighter. “I know, baby. I didn’t like it either.”
Lifting his tiny face up, his completely glowless eyes locked onto mine. Hoping the hypnotic sensation our eyes could give calmed him down, I held gazes with him. His sniffling stopped as he stared at me, his breathing evening out. Cupping his cheek, I tried to brush off the tear-streaked dirt on them. When he seemed calmer, I studied him. I saw no scratches, no marks of any kind. He didn’t have the sunken look of someone underfed or dying of thirst. Just as Malcolm had said, he looked fine. Even so, I wanted to take him home and pump him full of all of the treats that he loved the most. Whatever he wanted…he could have.
As Teren and I gazed at him, searching for injuries, all I did see was a weary-to-the-bone tiredness. As Halina and Gabriel dropped down to touch him, kiss his head, and Alanna and Imogen squatted down to put an arm on mine and Teren’s shoulders, Julian blinked, looking at all of us.
His voice worn from days of exhaustion, he looked over at Teren and croaked out, “Daddy…I want Nick.”
Gabriel and Halina stayed behind with Hot Ben, making sure all traces of the vampire were hidden away from the world, the world that had no idea what had gone down tonight. Teren picked up Julian, walking him back to our car; he was asleep by that time he got him into it.
I sat in the backseat with him, not able to even be apart the space of a few feet. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever part from Julian again. It didn’t help matters any that I still couldn’t feel him. Eve
n sitting at his side, holding his relaxed hand while he snored, I couldn’t sense him. It was disorienting and I hoped that Malcolm wasn’t bluffing about the drug he’d given him wearing off soon.
Not wanting to leave his side either, Alanna and Imogen piled into the car with us. Alanna sat next to Teren, her hand over his as he sped us to our daughter. Imogen sat beside me, her arm wrapped around mine as I kept my eyes glued to Julian.
He’d only been gone a few days really, but it felt like years and I studied every attribute he had. The shape of his nose, the curve of his lips, the slightly elongated fangs as he slept with his mouth partly opened. There was nothing my eyes didn’t notice, didn’t memorize. They especially locked onto the red prick points on his bicep, from where Malcolm had injected him twice a day, every day. As a rage boiled within me, I was immediately grateful that Malcolm was already a pile of ash. Otherwise I would have stopped at nothing to turn him into one.
When we arrived back at the ranch, all of the lights were on. It being late in the night, just an hour or so before dawn, I frowned. But, then again, if I’d been Mom, Ash or Jack, and I knew what my supernatural loved ones were doing, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep either. Just wouldn’t have happened.
As Teren pulled the car to a stop, the front doors busted open. Julian snapped awake when they did. A euphoria in his face that I hadn’t seen in so long it made my eyes water, he looked over to the tiny being that had shoved open the massive doors, scrambling to get to him.
Screaming at the top of her voice, Nika skipped out to the car. “Julie! Julie! Julie!”
My eyes filled as I immediately unbuckled his restrains. Hopping out of his seat, he opened his own door. “Nick!”
The rest of us piled out of the car as the others hustled out of the house. None of us speaking, we all watched the two empathically joined twins reunite. I was crying long before they did.
Their little bodies colliding together, their arms wrapped around each other tight. Nika was giggling, her face as joyous as Julian’s. I hadn’t heard her laugh in an eternity; it overjoyed me that she hadn’t lost the ability to do it.
“I missed you, Julie!” she exclaimed as she laughed.
“I missed you too, Nick” he laughed right back.
Pulling apart, they stared at each other. Nika twisted her head. “You were scared.”
Julian nodded. “You were too.”
Nika peeked up at Teren, standing close beside me, holding my hand. “Is the monster gone, Daddy?”
Teren nodded, smiling down at her. “No more monsters, baby.”
Nika nodded, turning back to Julian. “Grandma said we can have cocoa. Want some?”
Julian nodded and clasped her hand. Giggling like they’d never been apart, like they each hadn’t just experienced something horrifically awful, they dashed into the house. I shook my head, marveling at the resilience of children.
Chapter 23
What Family Does
Once Nika had her reunion, the rest of the family loved on Julian. As he noisily slurped down a steaming cup of cocoa, Mom and Ash alternated in planting him with kisses. Jack had tears in his eyes as he clapped Teren on the back.
I could see the rings of exhaustion in Teren’s eyes as he smiled back at Jack. I imagined from the look on his face that when Teren did finally succumb to sleep, he was going to stay in it for awhile. As my hands never strayed far from Julian, I wondered if I’d be able to relax enough to sleep. I didn’t want to lose a second with him. I’d lost too many all ready.
Jack beamed down at Teren. “You did it, son.” He shook his head, weariness in his eyes too. “I’m sure I don’t want to know all the details of what went down tonight…but I am so very proud of you.”
Teren swallowed and looked away, towards his son. “Thank you,” he whispered to his dad.
I smiled at the three generations of amazing men in my life, then wrapped my arms around Teren’s waist. He smiled at me, his gaze not leaving Julian. I had a feeling that those watchful eyes that I loved wouldn’t be straying long from our son for awhile. “Are you alright?” he asked, darting a quick glance at me from the corner of his eye.
Laying my head on his shoulder, I waited for the aches and pains that would have come with my human body after a night like tonight. I should have had a bruised hip, a cracked skull and an aching jugular. I felt fine though. Not even trace of pain lingered in my recently brutalized body. Thank god for super healing. Definitely my favorite new ability.
Nuzzling my head in his neck, I murmured, “I’m great…I’m perfect.”
“I know,” he whispered, smiling into my hair as he planted a kiss on my head.
Clutching him tighter, I felt the emotional drain of the past few days leeching strength from my body. That was one thing that super healing didn’t fix. A body needing rest wasn’t broken, even if it felt that way. I yawned, covering my mouth at the last second.
A chain reaction of yawns went around the room, my kids the last to give into it. I laughed lightly and smiled at the warmth and peace I felt. Chuckling himself, Teren went over to pick up Julian. Removing the mug that he was now licking clean, Teren propped him over his shoulder. Julian giggled, the long-absent sound tightening my stomach.
Nika laughed too, feeling joy from her brother instead of the constant state of terror that he had been in. Clapping her hands, she raised them to Teren. “Me too, Daddy.”
Grinning ear to ear, Teren leaned down and lifted her, easily plopping her over his other shoulder.
“Alright,” he laughed, twisting the kids around in a half circle, “It’s time for munchkins to go to bed. Give everybody goodnight kisses.” He started to parade them around the room but Julian squirmed and sat up straight.
Teren adjusted his hold on him, careful to not drop Nika in the process. His son’s pale eyes widened and glistened as his arms went around Teren’s neck. I stepped forward and rubbed his back, my brow furrowed. He was obviously upset about something, more than just being told it was bedtime. He nearly looked terrified.
Nika, sensing it, raised herself up and put a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes locked on Teren, Julian whispered, “Monsters come when you lay down, Daddy.”
He started to breathe heavier, his heart starting to race. My arms were around him instantly, my fingers soothingly stroking through his hair as I suddenly understood. He’d been taken from his bed while he’d been sleeping. Then he’d largely been left alone, terrified, and now, now that he was back, he was petrified to go back to bed, afraid he’d be snatched again. Kids were resilient, but they weren’t impervious. My dead heart wanted to break in two. A little bit of his innocence had just been lost, and he wasn’t even four yet.
Teren quickly shushed him as Julian lightly started crying. “It’s okay, it’s okay, Julian. Mommy and Daddy are going to lie down with you.”
Julian’s little face relaxed, the terror in his eyes fading. “All night?” he whispered. Teren nodded, tears in his eyes.
I ran soft circles into Julian’s back, the way that Nika told me he liked. He looked down at me just when I felt a tear spill from my eye. Quickly brushing it off, I smiled. “All night, baby. All night, every night…as long as you need us.”
Nodding and relaxing, he slumped into Teren’s shoulder. Nika put her head on his arm supportively. I heard vague sniffles around the room but my eyes were locked on Teren’s. Leaning his head against his son’s, his eyes were glossy as he held gazes with me. “As long as you need us, Julian. We’re always here for you. You won’t ever be alone again…I promise.”
By the time we got the kids upstairs, taking them into our room here at the ranch, they were already asleep. I took Nika from Teren and he gently laid Julian down. Julian whimpered and reached out for him. Teren sat beside him, putting his arm around him and Julian nestled into his chest, his body stilling into peace. As I laid Nika on Julian’s other side, her arm protectively wrapping around her brother, Teren looked up at me.
Nodding at Teren, I laid beside my daughter and stared down at Julian. How much damage had been done in the few days he was gone? Treated like royalty or not, he’d still been ripped from his home, he’d still been terrified. Could we erase that memory by immersing him in love and affection?
Reaching out to rub his back, I watched a smile creep into his sleeping face. His eyes fluttered, like he was dreaming. I glanced at my daughter and she smiled too, dreaming as well. Looking between the two of them, I saw the same peace and contentment.
Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe we could erase the one dark spot in an otherwise idyllic youth. Leaning over, I kissed his head. That would be my goal, every day.
Conversion Book Three: 'Til Death Page 45