by Sage S Wolf
“You hear that, Phoenix James Valtor, you papa loves us.” I bent and kissed Phoenix’s hair just as he let out a small cry. He was hungry.
Ben smiled. “I’m glad we settled on that name for him. I think it’s quite fitting.” It was.
Our boy had built himself from impossible circumstances. He was a true Phoenix.
I smiled at Ben as I settled Phoenix on my breast.
“Me too. How long do you think he’ll eat like a normal human?” I asked, wondering if at some point my son would try to take more than milk from my breast.
Ben reached over and stroked Phoenix’s head. “We don’t know. It would be nice to know someone like him to tell us, but we don’t. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Doesn’t matter much to me either way to me. Whether he needed milk or blood, I would gladly give him both.”
“I know you would, Charlotte. That’s what makes you special enough to birth a vampire.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s because our love is just that strong. It defies the laws of nature.” I smiled lovingly at my husband.
We’d gotten married a few weeks after I’d gotten out of the hospital. I wanted to have the same last name as my son.
“Maybe it’s a mixture of both.” Ben leaned in and kissed me before kissing the top of Phoenix’s head.
“I love you, Benjamin.”
“I love you too, Charlotte.” He looked at our son and reached out to stroke his cheek. "I love you too, our little Phoenix."
∞∞∞
One month later…
I was on the couch breastfeeding Phoenix while Ben and Cid talked about work when there was a startling loud knock on the door. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a door hit that hard. The guys immediately went into protect mode, putting themselves between Phoenix and me and the front door.
Cid held his hand up to signal Ben to stay put. “I’ll get it.”
“Be careful,” Ben warned, clearly concerned for his brother.
Phoenix chose that moment to finish his meal and let out a small cry. He needed to burp.
“Shh, little Phoenix, mama's got you,” I cooed, lifting him to my shoulder.
We still hadn’t found anything new about baby vamps. We were just taking it one day at a time and enjoying getting to watch our little miracle grow.
“I won’t let anything happen to either of you.” Ben’s voice pulled my attention to him. He meant those words. I could feel it in our bond.
I smiled. “I know, babe. I’m not worried. Between you and Cid, I know we’re safe.”
We heard Cid open the front door and start talking to a female. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Ben could. “I don’t believe it.” He said, meeting my eyes. “Stay here.”
The fear in his eyes had me just nodding my head in agreement as I watched him slip out of the living room and into the foyer. He made sure to close the doors behind him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Benjamin
I had been alive long enough to have the honor of meeting a few gods and goddesses. The last one I expected to show up at my front door was Hela. The goddess of death was standing in my foyer looking like she might kill my brother at any moment.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, breaking their tension-filled moment.
Hela turned to me with a sad attempt at a smile. “No, Benjamin, there is no problem. I just came to congratulate you on your new addition.”
“You could have sent a card or a stuffed bear.” Cid snarked.
“Cidrick, that’s enough,” I warned. The undead should not be poking the goddess of death. “I appreciate you coming, Hel. Would you like to meet our little Phoenix?”
“That’s why I’m here.” Hela’s voice held no emotion.
“This is not a good idea, Benny,” Cid warned as I opened the sliding doors to the living room a little so I could speak to Charlotte.
Charlotte immediately looked over at me. “Everything okay?” She asked. Phoenix was cradled in her arms and fast asleep.
I smiled at my beautiful family. “Yes, my sweet. I have someone here that would like to meet our son.”
“Of course. Bring them in.” We’d had a variety of visitors in the last few weeks.
Vampires that wanted to see with their own eyes the vampire baby. Other supernaturals had come as well. Our little phoenix was the main talk of the supernatural world right now. We had been extra cautious with how close they got to mother and son. Phoenix was special of course, but so was Charlotte. She was still human and we didn't know if this was a one time thing or if we'd be able to have other vampire children. No one knew.
I turned back to my brother and Hela.
Opening the doors the rest of the way, I gestured the goddess ahead. "Come on in."
Hela went ahead with Cid very close behind her. My brother was almost more protective of Phoenix than myself sometimes. He was a tentative uncle.
“May I?” Hela asked, holding her hands out toward Phoenix.
Charlotte looked at me and I nodded. “Sure. He’s just fed so I can’t promise you won’t get puked on.”
Hela’s eyes went wide with surprise. “He’s drinking human milk?”
“Of course, he’s a baby,” Charlotte answered before Cid or I could.
“I see.” Hela lowered her face and sniffed Phoenix’s hair. “Yet he still smells of death.”
“He’s both life and death, Hel.”
“Wait. Your name is Hel? Like the goddess of death?” Charlotte asked nervously.
Hela let out a disturbing chuckle. “One and the same, my dear.” Charlotte gave me a terrified look. “Don’t worry your pretty head, Charlotte. I didn’t come to harm your child. He’s the subject of many discussions among the gods and goddesses right now. I had to come see him for myself. I’m intrigued to see he’s as human as he is. That will change as he ages of course.”
I sat down and pulled Charlotte against my side to comfort her. “We figured as much,” I said, kissing the side of my mate’s head.
“I don’t trust it,” Cid said from where he was standing behind Hela. He was practically pressed against her back as he towered over her and watched his nephew sleep.
Phoenix yawned and stretched out his little arms before starting to fuss.
The look of panic on Hela’s face had me fighting a laugh. “Back to your mother you go, little one.” She handed Phoenix back to Charlotte. Both women looked instantly relieved. “I’ll be going now. That one is going to be very powerful. Know that we will be watching him closely as he grows. If he can’t control his powers, he might have to come home with me.”
Cid moved so fast, he had Hela pinned to the wall before I could stop him. “You won’t touch him ever again!” The power of is command rippled through the room and Charlotte shuttered.
Hela laughed a hollow haunting laugh. “You think your compulsion works on me, you undead idiot? I rule half of you!” Hela placed her hand on Cid’s chest and he began to scream in pain.
I went to his aid, pushing Hela away from him, breaking their connection.
Cid dropped to his knees as Hela stumbled away.
“Please leave my home, Hel,” I dropped to my knees to help my brother.
“As you wish, Benjamin.” Hela turned to leave, stopping at the entrance of the living room. “Enjoy the rest of your life, Cidrick.” With that, she snapped her fingers and vanished in a puff of black smoke.
Cid grabbed my arm and looked up at me with an expression I couldn’t understand until he spoke. “She made me human.”
“That’s impossible,” I said, realizing his touch was warm on my arm.
“Impossible like a vampire having a baby with a human? Nothing is impossible, Benny.” The expression my brother was wearing was fear and uncertainty.
I should have recognized it since Charlotte wore it a lot in the first month of her pregnancy.
“Why would she do that?” Charlotte asked.
“I don’t know, my
sweet. I think because she wanted to show Cid that she wasn’t to be challenged.” I helped Cid to his feet. “You knew better than to threaten the goddess of death, Cidrick. Let’s get you turned back. Come with me to my upstairs office and I’ll bite you.” Cid looked so human. The color had come back in his face and his aura was radiating life and the possibility of so many things that weren’t available to vampires. “Unless you want to stay human for a while. You could have children of your own.”
Cid glared at me. “You mean human children that I’ll have to watch die? No thanks. Let's go upstairs and get this over with.” He turned to Charlotte. “Will you come with us? I don’t feel safe leaving you two down here alone.”
Charlotte laughed. “You’d think sometimes you were my mate, Cid." She stood from the couch. "Phoenix and I would love to join you while you get turned back into a vampire.”
“I’m only looking out for my family, Charlie. Believe me, if you were my mate, you’d know it.” He winked.
I punched him in the shoulder forgetting he was human and sending him falling backward.
I reached out and caught him. “Shit, sorry, little brother. Forgot the human thing.”
He rubbed his shoulder. “It’s fine. More reason to hurry this turning.”
We went upstairs with Charlotte between us. I agreed with Cid that she shouldn’t be alone right now. Phoenix would be sleeping in our room until things were more certain.
Once in my office, I shut the door and turned to Cid. “You ready for this?”
“To share blood bites with my brother. Why not?”
Charlotte giggled from where she sat in my office chair. I was glad she was amused by the awkward situation.
“We can do wrist bites if you’d like instead of neck.” I offered.
Cid shook his head. “Nope. The neck is quicker. Let’s get this shit over with.”
I removed my dress shirt so it wouldn’t get blood on it. Cid did the same.
“Now this is what I’m talking about,” Charlotte said, her eyes roaming over my bare chest.
“Later, my sweet,” I promised before stepping closer to Cid. “Ready?”
Cidrick gave a hesitant nod. “Ready.”
I won’t lie and say my brother’s blood wasn’t good. Most human blood is. We drank from each other until I felt his heart slow and then pulled apart.
He was weak and unsteady from losing so much blood so I guided him over to a chair to sit down while the change started. It wouldn’t be long now.
After what felt like forever nothing happened.
“Do you feel anything different?” I asked.
“Nothing.” Cid’s voice was just as tired as he looked. “It didn’t work, Benny.”
It had been a long time since I’d felt bone-deep defeat. “We’ll try again when you feel better,” I assured him. I wouldn’t lose my brother because a goddess had a temper tantrum. “We will figure this out, Cid.”
“I do not doubt that you’ll fix me, big brother.” Cid tried to stand but only fell back into the chair.
“That I will. Let’s get you to bed.”
I picked Cid up and carried him to the guest room next to mine and Charlotte’s room before calling my butler, Murdock to come look after him through the night.
“Do you really think you’ll be able to turn Cid back to a vampire?” Charlotte asked later that night while we lay in bed.
“I won’t stop trying until I do. I can’t lose my brother, Charlotte. He’s one of the few things that has gotten me through over three hundred years of being a vampire. I can’t accept a life that doesn’t have him in it.”
Charlotte kissed my chest before snuggling closer. “That’s sweet. I feel that way about my dad. I hate knowing I’ll have to say goodbye to him someday.”
“I could change him if he wants.”
“Hmm, I don’t know if he’d want that. He’s willing to accept that his son-in-law and grandson, and possibly his daughter are vampires, but I don’t think he would want to be.”
I chuckled and rubbed her back. “Well, know that the option is always there for both of you.”
“I know, babe.” She lifted her head and pulled me down for kiss her. She still made my heart pump normally for a few seconds. I had begun to love the feeling even though it made me a little dizzy. “I love you, Benjamin.”
I grinned and kissed her again. “I love you more, Charlotte.”
“For now you do." She said with a tired smile. "Eventually, I’ll possess the ability to love just as deeply as you.” Her eyes drifted shut.
I gave one last look at our little Phoenix asleep in his bassinet before turning off the lamp and snuggling under the covers with my mate.
When I felt Charlotte's breathing slow, letting me know she had fallen asleep, I whispered into her hair. “You already do.”
The End
Cidrick's story will be coming soon. . .
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