by Amy Robyn
“You aren’t the only Neanderthal it seems.” Hailey says as she continues to laugh and Emmy joins in. Drake and I both shake our head. If the shoe was on the other foot they would understand why we are so protective. After a lifetime of existing but not existing because there is a part of you missing, when you find that part of you, you protect it and cherish it. I pull her back against me.
“It must be a vampire thing.” Emmy says as she hiccups.
“Dang it, the hiccups are back. I swear it’s either me or the baby hiccupping these days.” Emmy says as she rubs her protruding tummy. Hailey gives a wistful sigh.
“May I?” She says as she holds her hand out toward the baby bump. Emmy gives a giggle.
“Sure.” She says as Hailey presses her hand to the round mound of Emmy’s stomach. Hailey gives another wistful sigh before her face lights up.
“The baby kicked me.” Hailey says and her eyes widen with wonder.
“He or she must like you.” Emmy says as she presses her hand over Hailey’s. I lean in and whisper in her ear.
“Soon that will be you.” I tell her and she jerks her hand away. She looks up at me with a frown.
“Do you want children?” She asks me and I smile down at her.
“Yes, I want a child with you.” I tell her but she doesn’t look at all happy with my answer. Her eyes fill with tears.
“You sure did get the short end of the stick with me. I can’t have children. The chemo destroyed my reproductive organs.” Hailey says before she looks away. I pull her against me and kiss the top of her head.
“Remember just yesterday you thought you wouldn’t live long either. Give it time, they might have healed with your cancer but if you can’t have any, I am content to just spend the rest of my life with you. I’m sure these two will have many grandkids for me.” I tell her as I turn her face to mine and kiss her soft lips. She finally relaxes against me and kisses me back.
“I want at least two more.” Emmy says and Drake turns white.
“Fuck no. Did you forget the childbirth videos we watched yesterday? No way am I watching you go through that that many times. You have got to be kidding me.” Drake says as he shakes his head vehemently.
“I’m going to show Hailey to our room.” I tell the others as I lead her away as they bicker about child birth. We head toward the stairs but are stopped several times as we are congratulated on our bonding. Hailey is polite with everyone even though I can see that she’s tired.
We get to our room and I show her around and empty out some drawers for her as well as make some closet space for her hanging clothes. She starts putting away what little she has and I watch her as she moves around our room, making herself at home. I have never been so happy or content. My mate is home with me. I have finally found and claimed the woman that completes me in every way. I will never think of her as anything less than the gift she is. She has brought so much to my life already and we have only begun the first chapter.
“Why don’t you get some sleep. I must go meet with the others. We need to rescue the other fledglings before they do irreparable damage to them.” I kiss her cheek and she huffs out a breath.
“Let me guess because I am a girl I wouldn’t have any input or good ideas.” I stop mid-step and turn back toward her.
“It’s not like that. We are making battle plans. I don’t want you in this fight.” I say sternly yet with no real heat behind my words.
“I can still help you plan it. No I don’t want anywhere near the violence but I do think I have valuable input.” She says as she crosses her arms over her chest. The last thing I want to do is fight with her.
“The man who attacked you will be in the room.” I tell her and she frowns at me.
“He was also on the plane and I understand the situation he was in. I forgave him. Maybe I haven’t told him that yet but I have. I’m no shrinking violet. I can take care of myself.” She huffs and I know that she is just warming up for and argument. I shrug.
“Fine. I will be happy if you can help us plan this battle. I don’t want my men injured or killed.” I tell her and she smiles up at me. She runs over and jumps into my arms. I catch her. She kisses my face repeatedly.
“Thank you.” She says as she continues to kiss me. I groan as my cock hardens. Damn it. I sit her down and adjust myself. She giggles as her eyes follow my hands.
“Think it’s funny do you. You won’t feel that way when I am stuffing your mouth with my cock after this is over.” I tell her and she licks her lips. I groan.
“You’re a menace. Come on before I forget my men and take you to bed.” I lead her away from temptation. There is never going to be a dull moment with this woman.
Chapter 8.
I’m so excited that he trusts me enough to help him plan his attack on the weird doctor’s lab. I never thought I would be sitting at a table with so many vampires. If you had told me I would be a month ago, I would have laughed. This is my reality now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had given up on finding a husband and having a family. Now, I have William and he seems confident that we will be able to have children. I really hope so. It was always a dream of mine.
“His facility is here.” Morgan says as he points at a map. We all lean forward to look. At least it’s in Colorado and they will not have to travel as far. It will be nice to have them home the same night they leave. I would hate to spend a night away from William.
“When is the best time to attack?” William asks Morgan. Morgan is the vampire that attacked me. He is a very good looking man in his prime, though not as good looking as William. Not many can hold a candle to my William.
“I think mornings are best. For some reason, he thinks we are weaker during the day. I never told him otherwise because I slept most during the day.” He shrugs his shoulders before continuing.
“He has the least amount of security guards in the morning. They block these exits.” He pulls up another paper that is the layout of the laboratory.
“He will expect you to come through the exits but there is another way in. He doesn’t even know that I have seen it. If we come in from the roof we have the best chance.” Morgan says as he taps the page. Terrance clears his throat.
“Is the address 135 Maple Court?” He asks as he types away on his computer.
“Yes.” Morgan tells him.
“I’m in their security feed right now.” He sits his computer on the table and we all stare at the screen as it flashes through cameras. It only stays on each camera for a few minutes before moving on to the next. We all watch in rapt fascination until it stops in a room of cages. You can see the individuals sitting in their cells. Some are pacing and some are just sitting there staring at the wall. They have people in fucking cages. Then the camera changes yet again. It shows a woman in what looks like an operating room. She is strapped to the bed while men stand over her, shoving needles into her arm.
“I thought your Uncle didn’t have any women?” Gabriel says with a growl. Morgan is frowning.
“I didn’t know he did. He said he wanted one. I guess I just assumed he didn’t.” Morgan says as we all turn back to the computer. The woman is obviously crying out and her fangs have lengthened.
“She is a fledgling but not as young as the rest of you are. She was changed about a year ago,” William says. We watch as one of the doctor pulls out a very large needle and shoves it into her stomach. Her back arches off the metal table. Michael starts growling. The camera changes back to the original screen. Michael continues to growl.
“We go tomorrow morning.” Michael says as he glares at each of the men. William narrows his eyes at him for a moment.
“Fine, then let’s get this planned out. I refuse to go in blind.” William agrees and for the next two hours we hatch out a plan. Believe it or not, I helped them. They always think far too big. I reminded them of the little things, like fire alarms.
Chapter 9.
The morning comes before I want it to. We staye
d up most of the night making love. I can’t seem to get enough of her and the more we make love the healthier she becomes. This morning with the light shining in through the window, she seems to glow. Her skin is no longer pale with a yellow hew. Her cheeks are rosy and she no longer has the pain that was slowly eating away her energy. She is breathtaking. I do not want to leave her warmth as she presses herself against me in sleep.
“Hailey.” I press her back into the bed as I wrap myself around her and kiss her soft, billowy lips.
“Mmmm.” She responds as she kisses me back. I hate that I must leave at that. I pull away from her and brush the hair out of her face.
“I have to leave.” She pulls my head back down to hers.
“What if I keep you here?” She says before taking my mouth with hers. I moan as I allow the kiss to deepen for a moment. I lose myself in her until a knock sounds on the door. I groan as I move away from her again.
“I’ll be right out.” I yell through the door.
“Damn straight you will be. I had to leave my mate’s bed too.” Drake shouts and I chuckle. I go over and pull out a pair of my black leather pants. I only ever wear them when there is going to be fighting. They move easier and let’s not forget the blood just beads off it. I have been fortunate enough not to need them often. I feel her arms wrap around me from behind.
“You’ll be extra careful, won’t you?” She asks and I love the feel of her warm breath against my back. It makes me want to arch into her touch and purr like a kitten.
“You know I will. I will always come back to you.” I tell her as I turn in her arms and take her mouth again.
“Seriously, come on man. You can suck face later.” Drake shouts through the door. Now the man is starting to piss me off. I pull away from my nirvana and growl at the idiot at my door. It only makes him laugh. Jack ass. I turn back to the dresser and pull out a black t-shirt and black socks. I grab my black combat boots from the back of my closet and quickly put them on and tighten the laces. I look up when I feel her eyes on me. She is worrying her lip and looks like she is about to cry.
“Sweetheart, come here.” I pat the bed next to me. She comes over and sits down.
“Why are you worrying so much?” I ask her and she frowns at my question.
“Because I love you.” She says and my heart starts racing like it does every time she says it.
“I love you too, baby. You do know we’re pretty hard to kill and I will make sure not to take any unnecessary risks.” I tell her as I take her hand in mine. I hate that she worries, but at the same time I love that she loves me enough to worry.
“If you come home with so much as a scratch on you, I will be so pissed at you.” She says and I wrap my arms around her and kiss her lightly. Another knock sounds on the door and I growl but I’m already standing up and reaching for the doorknob.
“I promise, I’m coming back to you.” I tell her again before opening the door. I growl at Drake who has his hand up and ready to knock again.
“Remind me to annoy you next time you are spending time with your mate.” I tell him as I walk past.
“You have several times. Pay backs a bitch.” He chuckles. I just shake my head. It’s a good thing he has Emmy who has given him a sense of humor again. Too bad I may have to kill him for it.
The men are all waiting at the front door.
“Let’s roll.” I tell them as I walk past them. They all follow me outside. We plan on taking several cars and we will park several blocks away, which is fine since we move faster on foot than we do in vehicles. Everyone seems to be in good spirits, except Michael who is more quiet than normal. He is usually the most boisterous of the group. We hop in our respective cars and I lead the men to the address of the laboratory. I only hope that I can ensure all the men’s safety and I can keep my promise to Hailey.
***
We get to the area where we agreed to park our cars. I climb out and ask the men to gather around. Terrance hands us all microphones that fit in our ear and explains how to work them. I put mine in as he hacks back into the security system. We watch as the day crew comes in to take over for the night crew. Morgan was right. There aren’t as many this morning. It’s a good thing Morgan is showing dependability. It will go a long way when he goes before the council.
Thomas pops the trunk and starts handing out tactical gear. Bullet proof vests and dart guns. We want to knock them out not kill them if we can help it. The doctor will die and so will the technicians but the guards should live since they didn’t know what they were guarding. They are not allowed in the levels where the fledglings are kept. Therefore, they could be completely innocent in this. Those that have performed atrocities on our people will pay for what they have done, with their lives.
We must protect ourselves and humans must remain ignorant of us. If not the hunters will grow in numbers and already they are a nuisance. This is the burden of being an elder. These decisions do not come easily and without remorse. I will do what I must to protect my people. My family.
“Drake you know what to do. Terrance cut the video feed.” Drake nods before taking off silently but with great speed. He will go in and pull the fire alarm that Hailey described to him last night. Every building has them, she assured us.
“Cameras are down.” Terrance calls out as the camera feed goes dark.
“I sent them a computer virus that will last at least an hour. Will we be out by then?” He asks me.
“I sure as hell hope so. Remember men. No man is left behind. Move out.” I shout as we all start racing to the building where innocent fledglings are being kept.
We race to the building. Michael is in front of us all. I’m not sure what is going on with him. He’s probably just as eager to free the fledgling as the rest of us. I only hope we are in time to save them from the worst of what they planned for them. I hurry to keep up but not so fast that I leave them behind. With my mate’s blood in my system, I could probably be there in half the time. It is my priority to ensure their safety as much as my own. I do not lead because I want to be leader. I lead because I care for my people.
We arrive at the laboratory and I give the hand signals. Three men shoot the grappling hooks to the roof and I grab the first one and climb. I look over to see Michael has already crested the high wall. I shake my head. The man seems overly eager. By the time, I reach the top, he has the door open and is already making his way in. The man is going to get himself killed if he doesn’t slow down. The sound of the fire alarm sounds shrilly through the open door. The men still on the ground are shooting darts into the people coming out of the building.
Everything is going as planned, except Michael is nowhere to be seen. Red lights are flashing making visibility more difficult. Drake is directly behind me as we come around the bend of a long hallway. He taps my shoulder and points to the right, so I go left, knowing he will cover the right. This hallway is just as long as the other, only there are doors along my right side. I open the first door and find a room full of cages like the ones we had seen on the computer. They each have a fledgling inside.
I call out to the first fledgling I see. He sits up in his bed.
“Where is the keys?” I ask him and he points to the wall. There is a long strip of hooks with keys dangling from them. They are labeled to correspond with each cage. I grab the first key and go over to the cage with the fledgling who showed me where the keys were.
“My name is William. I am a vampire like you. You have been lied to and treated terribly. I am going to take you to my home where you will be taught how to control your bloodlust with people who will not harm you.” I tell him and he jumps up from his bed and backs away from me.
“The doctor says we are all evil and would kill our own mothers. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” He says and already I like the kid.
“You would not. They are lying to you. Yes, you will have a difficult time controlling yourself initially but we will teach you how to resist and how to survive off bagged b
lood.” He takes a deep breath but nods his head. I open the cage and he steps out beside me.
“Help me get everyone out and tell them what I told you.” I point to the keys and he quickly starts helping me free everyone. It takes some of the precious time we have but we get everyone free and they all follow me out the door. I press the button on the earpiece.
“I have six fledglings. We are going to need a bus to get them all home.” I say to Terrance, who stayed back with his computer. That is where he shines the most. Terrance’s voice comes through after a few seconds.
“I just rented a bus. I’m sending Thomas to get it now.” That boy and his hacking skills have really been key to this whole operation. He surprises me at every turn.
“ETA?” I ask as we leave the room single file. Once in the hallway again, I make my way to the next room. I open the door and see laboratory equipment. I shut it and move on to the next.
“fifteen minutes. We will be at the rendezvous point.” I smile as I open the next door. Here I find Morgan with an older man. He is holding him by the throat.
“You lied to me, Uncle.” He shakes him making the guy’s glasses fall to the ground. He takes a step and crushes them under his heavy boot.
“Vampires aren’t evil. We have mates and can have children. We can love. I have seen it with my own eyes. You made me believe you.” He shakes him again as murmuring amongst the fledglings starts up.
“We can have children.” I could hear among other things they’re mumbling.
“You are the evil one. Goodbye, Uncle.” He jerks his neck and you can hear the audible pop of his neck breaking. Morgan drops him to the floor and turns to us. He sees the fledglings behind me.
“He lied to all of us.” He tells them. I go over and clasp his shoulder.
“It’s over now. Let’s save the fledglings.” He nods his head as he walks over to the other fledglings.
“I’m sorry for my part in this. You will all be happy where we’re going.” He turns and walks through the door. I follow him as we try more doors. Our side of the floor is clear. We head back in the direction we came. Michael is nearly to the door carrying a woman in his arms. I do not stop him, especially when I hear two sets of heartbeats. That explains Michael’s erratic behavior. He recognized his mate through the camera. I couldn’t be happier for my old friend. Drake is running toward us with six more fledglings behind him.