Chris stared directly into Alex’s eyes. “If she is truly as important as Danielle says, than Malcolm will come for her sooner or later. We will just make it sooner and be ready for him.”
“I said no!” He could not let them do this.
“Alex.” Danielle took his hand. “Chris is right. It could work.”
“What if it doesn’t, what then? You are the one who keeps telling me I need to protect her, to keep her safe. Now you are telling me to throw her to the lions!”
“Malcolm knows of Jaiden’s power. He wants her.”
Christ continued to elaborate on his plan. “When Malcolm realizes we rescued Stewart right out from under his nose, he is not going to be the happiest vampire in the world. In other words, he’ll be determined to get his revenge. What if we spread word to the right people? Somehow, it will get to Malcolm that we are going to drive cross-country with the baby. It would give them the perfect opportunity to strike against us.”
“That’s crazy,” Victoria said to him. “Why on earth would we be driving across the country?”
Chris curled his lip impatiently. “I don’t know; it’s just an idea.”
Damion shot Victoria a dark look and, for once, Victoria held her tongue.
Alex could see Damion’s mental wheels turning. He nodded. “I think this is going to work.”
“No!” Alex shouted again. “She is a baby.” He felt as if they had all ganged up on him.
Damion went on with the idea. “What if we take Jaiden to see Corrine?”
Corrine was the mother of witches. Any natural witch who was branded with her mark was bound to be exceptional. She lived deep in the back woods of northern Idaho. Some said she had found the fountain of youth because she didn’t appear to age. Of course, she would never reveal her secret, either, although Alex had his suspicions.
Alex knew Jaiden would have to eventually make the trip for her dedication anyway but he didn’t want it to be under those circumstances.
He watched Deanna as she rubbed her left wrist at the mention of Corrine’s name. She wore the mark of her dedication there; red, raised skin in the shape of a circle with a small eye within it.
Damion had seen Alex staring at Deanna’s mark and persisted, “See, it could work.”
“But we don’t know when he would attack,” Deanna countered. “Also, we can’t jeopardize Corrine’s safety, either.”
Damion’s wheels were still turning. “We can travel in large groups with the slayers.”
“I don’t think so,” Alex interjected. There was absolutely no way he was going to ride around with a bunch of vampire slayers with wooden stakes and flaming bolts.
“I agree.” Chris raised his hand.
Deanna shook her head. “They won’t hurt you; they know all about you and Chris. They know you have a human heart and how you try so hard to evade the evil which plagues the vampire species.”
“Like I said before, no way!” He tried to remain calm but he felt increasingly agitated.
Danielle crossed to him and laid her soft hand on his shoulder. “Alex, we all need to be part of this for it to work. We are much stronger together than apart. Besides, the slayers would have no chance against the amount of magic we possess together.”
He knew he was outnumbered, defeated. The group acted as if his silence was an agreement because they immediately began discussing the plan while they cleaned up the mess of what was left of his table. It was decided they would leave in two nights.
Alex and Chris were simply going to have to suck it up about the slayers and just go. Isabella had to go as well. She had to take care of Jaiden. Alex knew Corrine would want to see her too. Well, at least he got to go on the mission like he originally wanted.
He thought of Jaiden. In the few weeks she had been alive, she had already been through so much and the rest of her life was going to be like that. It appeared she might be more cursed than he.
24
Once the members had left, Alex joined Isabella and Jaiden in the den. Isabella was lying on the sofa with Jaiden rocking back and forth in the swing beside her.
She turned her head when she heard Alex enter. Normally, she smiled widely when she saw him, but this time, her face stayed flat when she said hello. She looked totally wiped out.
“How are you doing?” he asked her.
“Oh.” She sighed. “I’m really, really tired.”
“Well, you were amazing in there.”
“I didn’t think it would work.”
He smiled. “But it did, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Now I understand what you meant when you said I would have to see it to really understand it.”
“Yes, but I have never moved someone I haven’t even seen before, and it wears me out when I do it.” She yawned.
“Well, I hate to tell you this but we are going on a road trip.”
“What?” Isabella’s eyes widened, frightened at the prospect of going anywhere right at the moment.
Alex waved his hand loosely in the air. “No, no, don’t worry. We aren’t leaving until night after next.”
“Whew.” Isabella sighed with relief. “I thought you meant right now.”
Alex examined her face. “Don’t you want to know where we’re going?”
She returned his gaze. “Honestly, I don’t think I do.”
He didn’t blame her. She had been through quite a bit in the other room and she had also witnessed the secrecy the council required so she probably suspected it would be dangerous. But, he wanted to talk to her about it. Out of all of them, she would be the one person who would be on his side, the one other person who would say no.
Unable to keep it to himself, he selfishly blurted out, “They want to lure Malcolm to us, using bait.”
She lifted her head a bit. “Huh?”
“They all say it will be fine, but…they want to use Jaiden to draw Malcolm to us. We can’t find him so they think this is the best way.”
The exhaustion which covered her face turned to worry. “What? No! That sounds way too dangerous.”
“It is, but it’s necessary. Besides, I have fought with Malcolm before; we can predict his moves and the tricks he may try.” He paused. “And there will be vampire slayers along for the ride.”
She simply shook her head. He saw anger twisting and turning inside her green eyes, trying to make its way to the surface.
“And you agreed to this?”
Alex was simply shocked she thought he would have. “No! I was the only one who didn’t want to do it. I lost by majority.”
She sat up slowly. “Alex, I would really like to get to bed now.”
He felt terribly guilty for saying anything about it. Eventually, he would have had to tell her, but he could have picked a better time. He had taken advantage of her because he knew she would side with him.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “Do you want me to carry Jaiden up for you?”
“No, I can take her. I’ll be fine.” She rose and lifted the sleeping Jaiden out of the swing. Jaiden was wrapped in her little pink blanket and her lips were pursed like she was waiting for a kiss.
Alex decided to let Isabella cool off before they spoke of it anymore. He said his goodbye as she slowly maneuvered the staircase with Jaiden. She called a soft goodbye over her shoulder and disappeared.
He needed to pray, to let things out.
He let himself into the church and then rushed up the isle to the altar. The flower arrangement of the day was white roses with tiny red carnations placed amidst the pure white petals. He lowered himself to his knees in front of the open bible.
“Lord, I know it is your way to reveal what is supposed to be, over time. I have relented and accepted to be a protector of this child. How is it that I can agree to do this, yet be outnumbered when others want to put her in danger? I cannot defy the council; the decision has been made by majority. I can’t possibly go against the decision because they all believe they are doing your will.
I have so
much faith in you and what you want. Have I gone too far to be so trusting of Danielle, simply because she is an angel, as well as my friend? She is earth bound so I have no idea what really goes on with her and any communication with you. Is it wrong for me to doubt an angel? These kinds of thoughts would never make me love her less; I just don’t know if it’s right.
She tells me it is all right that we are going to use Jaiden to get to Malcolm but it doesn’t feel right to me. Not one bit. It seems just wrong to use a baby as a trap.
But, then again, I thought Stewart was a traitor and it turns out he is not. I saw parts of him today I never saw before and I feel guilty for not having tried to know him better. I couldn’t get past his attitude and lack of manners.
Lord, I have a feeling what’s coming is huge and I am humbly asking for strength and guidance to make the right decisions when the time comes. Please keep us safe on our journey to see Corrine. If something happens to Jaiden or Isabella, I don’t think I could bear it. The thought of losing my new family tears me apart. Please, Lord, keep your angels around them.
In your precious name,
amen.”
On the steps outside of the locked church, Alex scanned the sky. Dawn would be coming soon. He had to get home quickly.
He sped through the clear, crisp night with his windows open and the music pumping.
The house was dark and quiet with only a single porch light burning for him. He entered the house quietly and made his way to his room. Instead of dressing in his bedroom, he grabbed his pajamas on his way through the room to his chamber.
Troubling thoughts of the nights to come flashed through his mind in that watery state between sleep and consciousness. He kept asking himself how he could consent to it, but on the other hand, she would be at risk for the rest of her life.
“I am her protector, her teacher and her father,” Alex said aloud and repeated over and over until he fell asleep, comforted by the sound of his own voice.
The next evening, when Alex woke and went in search of Isabella, he discovered she was still in bed. He peeked in and heard Jaiden fussing in her bassinet, but not loud enough to wake Isabella.
Alex went to the side of Isabella’s bed.
“Hey, Isabella.”
She didn’t answer.
“Isabella.” He raised his voice above a whisper.
“Whaaa.” She rolled over toward him.
“I’m sorry to just come in. Jaiden was fussing.”
When she heard that, Isabella quickly sat up. “Oh, she was? I’m so sorry. I didn’t hear her.”
“Don’t worry,” Alex assured her. “She wasn’t even that loud. I was just trying to find you two when I heard her.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll take her downstairs with me so you can sleep some more.”
Isabella’s lips spread into a grin. “That would be nice. That thing yesterday wiped me out and I was up with her for a while too.”
Alex nodded as Isabella lay back down onto the pillows. He couldn’t help but notice she slept in a tee shirt instead of a nightgown. That was part of what he liked so much about her; she was practical and normal. Not like some women he knew who wanted everything handed to them on a silver platter. Isabella was tough, and he liked that.
“I’ll take her but you will have to get up after a while because we have to start getting ready to go. We have a lot to do.”
“Ok. Wake me when you need me.”
Alex picked up Jaiden. Picking her up seemed to be getting less awkward each time.
“Sweet dreams,” he told Isabella as he walked out with Jaiden.
He took her into the sitting room and he sat on one of the recliners with Jaiden in his lap. “Well, Jaiden, it’s just you and me for a while.”
She gurgled something.
“What?” he asked her.
She gurgled again.
“Is that so?” Speaking to her like she was grown, he continued the conversation. “Tomorrow night, we are going on a really long trip. It is going to be kind of dangerous but I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you.”
She stared up at him intently, her black eyes wide with the wonder of innocence.
“I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you. Ever.”
Suddenly, Alex realized he liked sitting with Jaiden. Time passed all too quickly while he and Jaiden bonded. He didn’t realize they had been sitting there for an hour and a half until the door bell rang.
He stood with Jaiden, who hadn’t yet fallen asleep, and went to answer the door. On the other side, Deanna and Chris were waiting to be let in.
“Hi, Alex,” Deanna said. “So, I had an idea last night and I wanted to come by and try it out.”
“Come in.” Alex moved aside with Jaiden in his arms and Chris raised his eyebrows as he passed by. Apparently, Chris didn’t know what it was about, either. They followed Deanna into the sitting room, anxious to know what was on her mind.
“Ok,” Deanna began. “I know you two are really nervous about being around slayers. So, I thought maybe I could come up with some kind of protection spell that will keep you safe if something does happen.”
“So, you’re not sure it will work?” Chris asked.
“That’s the thing. I have never done a protection spell on a vampire before.”
Chris looked a little skeptical. “So, how will we know if it does work?”
“We will have to test it.”
“How?”
Deanna sighed. “Relax, Chris, we can figure that part out later. But, you two will have to try to stay out of danger. Even though we are doing this, it’s not an excuse for you to provoke any of the slayers.”
Alex knew it was a good idea but he did have reservations. He had been around plenty of magic but someone putting a spell on him of any kind wasn’t something he wanted. On the other hand, something was better than nothing.
“Ok. Let’s do it.” He lay out a blanket on the other side of the room for Jaiden and lay her down on it.
Then, he and Chris stood side by side with Deanna in front of them. She took two small crystals out of her pocket and palmed them. Careful not to drop the crystals, she placed one hand on each of their chests and began to speak.
“Those I touch are good of heart. A perilous mission we shall start. When danger threatens, keep them safe. Take them to a safer place.” She removed her hands from them but Alex noticed that she lingered a moment longer on Chris than on him.
“Is that it?” Alex asked.
She nodded. “That’s it.”
“I don’t feel any different.”
“You’re not supposed to, silly.” She stepped back a bit farther. “Unless, of course, someone decided to throw a wooden…stake at you.”
In the pause between wooden and stake, she had put out her hand and a stake had appeared in it.
She ruthlessly and perfectly hurled the stake toward Alex’s chest.
Time seemed to suspend into slow motion as Alex watched it come toward him. End over end, until it was maybe two inches from his chest. Alex closed his eyes in fear.
Nothing happened.
He opened his eyes and discovered, much to his relief, that he was behind Deanna. The stake had lodged into the wall behind where he had previously been standing.
“Oh,” he muttered.
Chris stood in the same spot with his mouth hanging open. The whole thing had happened within a matter of a few seconds. Even with vampire speed, he probably wouldn’t have had time to react.
“See,” Deanna said while she turned around, “it works; now, you are in a place to protect yourself.”
“Oh, I get it. Take them to a safer place.”
“That’s right. Chris, close your mouth.” She bounced over and lifted his chin to shut it for him.
“Sorry…but, you threw a stake at him.”
Impatiently, she responded, “Oh, for crying out loud, Chris. I could have made it disappear before it hit him. Don’t be such a baby.”
Chris didn’t reply.
Deanna went over to Jaiden and picked her up. “She is absolutely the best baby in the world, hardly ever cries.” She lifted Jaiden higher up, onto her shoulder, and wrapped the pink blanket around her. “I’m going to see Isabella; I’ll take her with me.”
Alex called out to her before she got too far. “Tell Isabella to start packing. There are suit cases and duffel bags in the hallway closet next to her room.”
“Ok,” Deanna said from the hallway outside the sitting room door.
“So…” Alex turned to Chris. “What’s going on with her?”
No embarrassment whatsoever appeared on his face. “It’s nothing.”
Alex sat in the recliner. “That,” he pointed toward the door, “didn’t look like nothing to me.”
“Ok, fine. We have a thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at her. Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t do it if you had the chance?”
Alex shook his head. “I’d rather not answer that. So, what’s the problem, then?”
“It’s just…she acts like we are together, like in a relationship together. You and I both know I can’t have any kind of a relationship with her.”
“Why did you sleep with her, then?”
Chris sighed. “It just happened, ok.”
He plopped down on the sofa.
Alex leaned forward. “Maybe you should just talk to her about it.”
“Oh yeah, and piss her off. That’s a really good idea. You’ve seen what she can do to people.”
Alex grinned. “You’re afraid of her.”
“No.”
“Then talk to her.”
“I’ll think about it but I think I’ll wait until after the little trip we’re going to take with her buddies, the slayers.” He emphasized the last word, mockingly.
“Chris, would it be so hard for you to maybe just date her? There is no law that says you have to be in love and have a long-lasting relationship.”
“She is also a mortal.”
“There is also no law against dating a mortal, only that you can’t make them into vampires.”
“Do you really think I should lead her on like that?”
“I think you should tell her that you like spending time with her and dating is fine but you’re not ready for a serious relationship. And if you tell her why, I think she is grown up enough to understand.”
Birth of Jaiden Page 15