The Return (The Edge of Forever Book 3)

by D. C. Gambel

  “Wait? You did tell him you were leaving?” Shawn’s eyes drop to the ground. “Shawn!” I scolded.

  “I just need a break Gabs. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately, but he hasn’t been himself and I honestly don’t like who he’s become.”

  I put myself in Clive’s shoes and hated the way it felt, but Shawn was my best friend, so I left the issue alone. The rest of the evening, the fact that Shawn left without letting Clive know where he was, ate at me. I remembered how horrible it felt when Grayson was gone and how just knowing he was alive might have eased my pain. If fact, it would have changed everything for me. So I decided that even if Shawn would get angry with me, I had to tell Clive. Sending him a quick text message I told him that Shawn was staying with us and just needed some time to cool down and to please not show up until Shawn was ready. I saw when he read the message and waited for a reply, but nothing came. I even sat there for some time afterwards worrying that Clive would do the exact opposite of what I asked, but by midnight when there was still no knock at our door, I decided to try for sleep. I curled up next to Grayson and thought briefly about waking him. With Shawn in our home, I couldn’t bring myself to. I didn’t want to punish my best friend with hearing our lovemaking. Sleep finally came without being orgasm induced.

  I didn’t want to leave Shawn alone, but with the wedding almost upon us, I couldn’t take the day off, so I drug him along using him as my bodyguard for the day. He didn’t complain as I ran errands or made phone calls. He kept quiet as the sunset and we headed to my mother’s final dress fitting. When we got back to the apartment though, he disappeared into the guest room. I wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to be alone or because he wanted to give me time alone with Grayson. Maybe it was both. The moment I heard Shawn’s door close, I felt a shift in the air. I saw the change in Grayson’s expression. He was becoming the hunter and I was the prey, but I still didn’t want Shawn to hear us.

  Just then I heard the music click on in the guest room. My best friend wasn’t oblivious. I had talked to him enough about my sex life for him to know how difficult it was for us to refrain, even on his account.

  Grayson stalked towards me stopping when there was just a whisper of space between us. His nose found the side of my neck and even though he wasn’t touching me, I still felt my body react.

  “You smell intoxicating tonight,” he whispered.

  “Grayson,” I warned. Still, having Shawn in the next room with his supernatural hearing, made me uneasy.

  “He can’t hear us tonight. It’s the new moon.” He grabbed me by the back of my thighs lifting me. My legs wrapped around him instinctively. “Join me in the shower?” He asked, but didn’t wait for a response. He walked at a human pace all the way into the shower.

  We were three days out from the wedding. I was still dragging Shawn everywhere even though he had told me he’d be fine on his own. Partially because I was being a concerned friend and the other was because I was enjoying his company. We walked into the bakery to make the final payment for the cake. I was prepared for the delicious scent of baked goods, but what hit me made my stomach churn. Within five seconds I had done a complete scan of the room and found the closest trash can. Speeding over to it faster than I should, I emptied the contents of my stomach.

  “Gaby!” Shawn was by my side a few moments later, pulling my hair back. Once the heaves stopped, I was handed a napkin. I looked up and saw it was Philippe, the owner and head baker. His face was morphed between concern and disgust.

  “Madame Carmichael, are you all right?”

  “Yes,” I answered automatically, then thought about it and realized I was fine, but my stomach was uneasy.

  Shawn spoke up and explained our visit. He gave Philippe the final payment. As we prepared to leave I apologized for the gift I left in their trash can.

  “Please Madame Carmichael. Do not concern yourself with it. We are actually quite use to it.”

  “Use to it? That happens often?”

  “More often than you might believe. Many expectant mothers still enjoy having their nice weddings, even if things are rushed.” Expectant mothers?

  “No, I’m not…” before I could finish he was being called by an employee.

  “Please excuse me,” he spoke before leaving us at the door. The words expectant mothers still hung heavy in the air.

  “I didn’t think vampires got sick unless there was something really wrong,” Shawn mentioned as we walked out of the building into the crowded city.

  My mind flashed to when Grayson couldn’t hold down human blood then to the crazy night we had just had a few weeks ago. Had it been a few weeks already? “They don’t.”

  “Gaby, what if…”

  “It’s not possible,” I cut him off.

  “Well Gabs, it’s actually quite possible. I mean I know the actual process is a bit different for vampires, but after what you told me about that crazy monkey sex escapade you all had, don’t you think…”

  “Shawn!” I shouted a bit louder than I meant. “I’m sorry, but can we please not talk about this.” Hearing him push the same idea Philippe had mentioned made me feel queasy again. My mind was already buzzing with the same concept but I couldn’t talk about it while my head still reeled. I knew how the mechanics worked. I knew what happened between Grayson and I that night, but I also knew that it wasn’t easy for vampires to conceive. So how could I the first time? I started trying to convince myself that it was all in my head. My mother was stressing me out and vomiting must have been from bad blood. It all made perfect sense. Right? It had to. There was no way that we were ready. That I was ready.

  When Grayson came home that evening, I was sitting alone on our bed. He smiled when he spotted me. He probably thought I was waiting for him because, with Shawn staying with us, shower time became the only time I’d give myself over to Grayson.

  When my smile didn’t reach my eyes, I watched as his expression changed to concern.

  “Is something wrong?”

  I wanted to tell him my suspicions, but how could I when I wasn’t even convinced that they had merit. I was busy trying to persuade myself that it was anything but. I couldn’t burden him with inklings, not unless I had real evidence to support it and even though vomiting wasn’t normal, it didn’t mean what Philippe had insinuated.

  I shook my head. “No. I’m just ready for these next few days to be over. I’m feeling the stress of it.”

  “Stress, huh?” he stripped down until he stood there in his boxers. “I know a great stress reliever.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but Grayson grabbed my ankles pulling me to the edge of the bed. He threw my thighs apart. With my panties pulled to the side, his mouth claimed my sex before I could even get over the elation of his move.

  “Grayson!” I half shouted, half moaned. When I heard how loudly, I quickly covered my mouth with the back of my hand while trying to push him off with the other. He grabbed the wrist and pinned it to the bed. My body was against me and no longer took orders from my brain. I felt my thighs open more, welcoming him in. When he stopped to remove my panties, the lust cleared from my brain long enough for me to start crawling backwards away from him. Grayson, again, grabbed my ankles and pulled me back to the edge.

  “As much as I’m enjoying this cat and mouse game we have going on, there’s no need for it. I know why you want me to stop, but Shawn left as I came home. He said he’d be gone for a while. Now,” he dropped back to his knees and slowly slid his hands up my thighs grasping my panties, pulling them down my legs. “Let me help ease your stress.” He lowered his head, but didn’t touch me. I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin making me writhe. I finally nodded before falling into utter bliss.

  It wasn’t until the next morning as I sat in the kitchen finishing up my coffee, laced with blood, that I remembered the real reason behind my stress relieving night.

  Shawn walked in shortly after Grayson left and dropped a paper bag in
front of me then moved to sit across from me.

  “What’s this?” I asked dumping its contents out. A pink rectangular box fell out. It was a box that every woman probably recognized. I turned it over and saw the telltale signs that I was right. Printed in bold font were the words Pregnancy Test. I took a deep breath. “Can you talk to me about anything other than this?” I wanted something to distract me from what was already plaguing my thoughts.

  “I know you told Clive I was staying here.” I wasn’t sure if that was a better subject or not. I braced myself for my friends well placed anger. Seeing me tense, he explained. “I’m not mad. I went to see him yesterday. I figured you and Grayson might need some time alone. I’m guessing you didn’t talk about…” he gestured to the box. I shook my head. “I talked to Clive about it. He was actually the one who told me to get this. I wasn’t sure if it would work because of what you are, but I figured pregnancy hormones are the same.”

  “I appreciate this, but Shawn…”

  “I know you have a lot going on today and tomorrow, but I read the box and it says for best result to use it first thing in the morning. Something about morning pee being the strongest. So you can’t even do it today if you want the most accurate results.” I smiled over the fact that my best friend would get me and read the directions for a pregnancy test.

  “Tomorrow is the wedding though.” It was my parent’s big day. A day they deserved after giving up so much of their time together. It was also a day that I had put a lot of effort in to make happen. I didn’t want my news, no matter which way it went to distract me from sharing in the joy of their marriage.

  “Gaby something is always going to be happening in your life. Take the test tomorrow morning. If you’re worried the results will make the day harder on you then don’t look at them. I’ll do it for you. If at any time you want to know, I’ll tell you or I can wait until the day is over. I know you could wait until the morning after, but what if not knowing is what eats at you.”

  I put the box back in the bag and gave it back to Shawn who put it under the sink in the guest bath. My curiosity was piqued, but I didn’t know which way I truly wanted the results to go. The idea of having Grayson’s baby, having a little piece of him growing inside of me made me giddy, but then again I wondered if we were we ready? It hadn’t been long since his kidnapping. We were still trying to find our routine. There were issues that we were still dealing with, but I couldn’t help but hope that the test was positive even though I knew that everything would change forever.

  After my shower with Grayson that night, I came out of my room to grab a drink and heard Shawn on the phone.

  “No, I think she’ll take it tomorrow morning. I’m pretty sure I’ll be the first to know since she’ll not want the results to affect her parent’s big day…After Gaby and probably Grayson. No Clive it’s there news.” I could hear Shawn’s voice becoming hostile. “It’s not mine to share…Because they should be the ones who decide who knows and when. I only suggested looking for her because I wanted to make the news easiest to deal with. If it’ll help her to know or to wait until later is completely up to her.”

  I could hear the conversation turning into a fight and not wanting to ease drop I slipped back into my room.

  I laid there until I heard Grayson’s breathing change. After a few minutes, I slipped out of bed being careful not to wake him. I dressed quickly and was out the door with no sound. I could still hear Shawn on the phone. I had thought about asking him to come with me, but decided the best option was going alone.

  As I slipped from the apartment, I sent a quick text message before disappearing into the city.

  I stood in front of a familiar building. I knew the person I wanted to see was there, having received a text back. I walked up the steps and headed inside. The area was empty, making the building appear abandoned. I headed to the stairs. Checking my phone again, I saw which floor I needed, and used vampire speed to get there. If anyone saw me, no one would care or think it odd.

  I stood outside the door, but didn’t even knock before I was pulled inside.

  “What the hell!” I exclaimed feeling startled.

  “You said you didn’t want anyone knowing you were here. Knocking could have alerted them.”

  Not wishing to argue, “You’re right Doctor B.” Doctor Bethany Jennings, had become immortal over a decade ago, but still enjoyed medicine. She continued to study up on new advancements in human medicine, but had also taken a strong interest in vampire health care.

  “Why are you here in secret, Gaby?” she asked, slipping into her doctor persona with no effort.

  I let out a long breath. “I need a pregnancy test. Something more accurate than a stick you pee on.”

  She smiled sympathetically at me seeing my unease. “How long since the possible conception?”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “A few weeks maybe.”

  “Okay. Let’s do a blood test. I can have the results for you later tonight.”

  “No! I mean, I don’t want to know. Not tonight.” I could see the confusion on her face. “Can you call me leave a message on my voicemail? I don’t want the results to interfere with the wedding. That way I can check it whenever I’m ready.”

  “You know, if we were human, I’d say no, but I don’t think the privacy act really plays into vampire lives, so I will do that for you, only because I can’t be reached during the day.”

  “Thank you Doctor B.

  The next morning, I slipped out of our bedroom and sat down at the bar, fingering my phone nervously. I could see the voicemail Doctor B left for me last night. I briefly looked at the screen debating if I wanted to hear her message. I wasn’t ready to hear the news either way. Startled by Shawn’s sudden appearance, I quickly averted my eyes from my phone..

  “I just wanted you to know if you need me to look…” I shook my head.

  “I went and saw Doctor B last night.”

  “So you know?” He grinned huge. He seemed excited by the prospect.

  I shook my head again and held my phone up. “The results are in, but I’m not ready to hear them.” He wrapped his arms around me in a firm hug.

  “I’m going to go out for some coffee,” he whispered. “Go do what you need to distract yourself,” he gestured down the hall to the room where Grayson still slept. “Just text me when it’s safe to come back.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. He smiled at me as he headed out the door. Knowing that I had Shawn’s support was almost enough to ease the stress I was feeling. At any moment today I could check my voicemail and I’d know or I could ask Shawn to listen and he could relay the information gently. However I chose to do it, it was enough just knowing that I wouldn’t have to wait longer than a few rings of the phone. I turned and entered my room. There I found the man of my dreams waiting for me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I barely had time to breath much less time to think about what might be happening inside me. I ran around like a crazy person ordering people here and there. I had to make sure all the deliveries were correct. The place we were renting dishes through tried giving us all spoons and no forks. There was forty-five minutes that I was never going to get back as I explained to the delivery man that we needed forks and that we ordered forks. Luckily, I carried around a notebook full of order forms and invoices. I was able to present him with a copy. Fortunately, he had just brought in the wrong cases. Apparently, someone had really ordered a bunch of spoons for an event. Either that or had checked the wrong box, but still I was never going to get that time back.

  A few hours before the sun set I had to send drivers to get my mother and those of her bridal party that slept during the day. They would be loaded as if they were cargo and brought to the venue. We had decided it would save them time to awaken here, giving them extra time to get ready.

  Not soon after, I found Damien wandering around.

  “This is all wonderful, Gabriella.”

  I smiled. “And you said this,”
I held up my left hand showing off my engagement ring, “was such a human notion, yet here you are beating me to the punch.”

  He chuckled. “You do not realize how young your mother is. She has not been around as long as I. Unlike myself or even you, she was once human and sometimes it is difficult to get over those preconceived notions.”

  Grinning, I pressed, “But as I recall you asked her to marry you, not the other way around.”

  “Because I knew it would make her happy. During my long life, I have only ever loved once. If claiming that love before a father who’s turned his back on me will make the one I love happy, then I would gladly do it, and a great many more things.”

  “You really can’t say it, can you?”

  “What is that?”

  “That you, Damien, father of the undead, wanted to declare your love for my mother to the world and beyond.”

  “If I did, do you not think that would make me a hypocrite?” He smirked.

  “No,” I grinned. “I think it would make you sound like a man in love. I am glad you found your way back to one another.” Something over my shoulder caught Damien’s eye causing him to smile softly. I turned and saw Grayson watching me in a way that he thought would go unnoticed.

  “And I am glad you found your way back to the man you love as well, even if it did hurt someone significantly close to me.” His eyes drifted over to Sebastian leaning against the wall farthest from the entrance. Unlike Grayson, Sebastian was looking anywhere but me. “I reminded him that the tie between Grayson and yourself is stronger than the bond you and he share, but then again, I told him this before. He did not listen so I doubt my words are of any comfort now.” Damien kissed my cheek and began moving through the room greeting guests as he went.

  I let me eyes drift over both men who cared for me before making my way to the one I would choose over and over again. Grayson’s hand found its way to my waist pulling me close.