A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (24 page)

“Oh!” He looks surprised by my response. “Thank you for explaining and I appreciate your offer.” We rejoin the others as Roman, Alex and the kids head to the bedrooms.

Venting my anger, I yell at Christien. “What’s wrong with you Christien? Kayle has done everything you have ever asked from him without complaining and exceeded your expectations. You reward him by acting like a jealous vampire that had his favorite toy taken away. I consider Kayle a trustworthy friend and I find those hard to come by. If you continue treating Kayle as if he’s a challenge for my affection, you may find yourself alone. I am not anyone’s property. I am a person that needs my mate to be as confident in my loyalty as I am in his.” I push past Christien and leave the room in tears.

Chapter 18

My temper has abated when Christien finds me sharpening my daggers and knives in the basement.

“Hello,
ma chatte petite
.” Christien sits in the chair next to mine.

“Hi.” My response is quiet, barely a whisper.

“I have apologized to Kayle for my unfounded comment. I am here to show you that I do trust you and Kayle. I know that there is nothing going on between the two of you.” He brushes his knuckles across my cheek.

My body responds to his touch and I sigh like a lovesick teenager. “How do you do this to me?”

“It is love.” He states. “Love makes us do and say things out of character. Normally, I am not a jealous and insecure man. You drive me crazy. I become insanely jealous seeing you with any other man, even when I am certain there is nothing going on.”

“I have been reading on pregnancy. Women in their first trimester can become more sensitive to the environment around them. Do not worry
chérie
. You are still the hardheaded, stubborn and reckless woman I fell in love with. Soon this stage will pass and you will feel more like yourself again. It has not helped that you are gaining your angel powers at the same time as your pregnancy. You must truly feel different from your normal self.” Christien is gently rubbing my back in soothing circles. “You will eventually change when the baby is born, but I have faith in your maternal instincts.”

Stubbornly, I mumble, “We’ll see about that.”

I can feel Christien laughing beneath me. He raises me off him and turns me towards him. “I have to go Jess. I am certain the Vampire Council will be here by tomorrow and I have a lot to do. If you see Phedora, I would like you to stay away from her. Knowing that you would not dream of doing what I ask, I want you to know that I need to talk to her before you kill her. If you could capture her instead, I would be grateful.” He gives me a wide pleading smile.

I lock up tight then return to the family room and join Alex and the kids. Alex and I try to put the kids back to bed, but they are too wound up. We allow them to play as we get to know each other better.

“It’s easier if I show you.” I stand up and shift into a poodle. I walk over to the children playing and Isabella laughs in delight. Alex is watching me with her mouth open as I sit next to Isabella. The little girl pets me before she picks me up and hugs me.

Minutes pass before she finds her voice again. When she is able to speak again, she asks, “You are a shape shifter? I have never heard of a shape shifter that can move as fast as a vampire can. There is no such thing. How can that be?”

I smile. “I told you. I am unique.”

“But I thought you were a vampire. I’ve seen you drink blood. You move like them too.” She points to me.

“I am a vampire, but that’s not all I am.” My response is brief. “Let’s get the kids into bed. I can’t really discuss more than that until after Christien speaks to the Vampire Council. I would like to ask you to keep what you know about me between you and Roman. The Council cannot know about me or they will kill me. I promise to answer your questions after this mess is over.”

“Are you dangerous?” She truly looks concerned.

“I’m only dangerous to those who try to kill me.” I reply honestly.

We put the kids in bed and I return to the bar area alone. Bored out of my mind and too anxious to sleep, I call to check up on Roman and Kayle. “Hey Roman, is everything going okay? Did you find Phedora?”

“I haven’t seen her. Kayle is still looking for her though. I’m pretty busy here rounding up vampires so why don’t you tell me why you are calling?” His comment is to the point, but his meaning is telling me that he’s concerned.

“I can come and help you guys out. I hate being stuck here.” I reply.

“It’s only a little while longer. I know you don’t like being on the sidelines. You are like me. You enjoy the adrenaline rush of the chase. For now, consider this your first vacation. Think about how you are going to plan your life around a child.” Roman suggests.

I think about what he tells me and cringe. “You’re right. I do have a lot to think about now. I better let you get back to work.”

“We’ll be back before sunrise.” Roman replies then the line goes dead as he hangs up.

I close my phone and begin to panic.

I am not going to be able to work in a couple of months until the baby is born. Then after the baby is born, what am I going to do? I do not know anything about children.

I rush to the bedroom and pull out my laptop. I connect to Christien’s wireless network and begin researching information on children.

A few hours later, I fall asleep with my laptop on my lap as I become overwhelmed with all the information I have been reading about.

“Hello sweetheart.” She smiles. “It seems you can call me by merely thinking about me. Normally once an angel comes into her power, she loses the ability to call other angels. I guess because you are my child, we will always have that bond.”

I put the laptop down on the table beside me to talk to my mother’s shimmering figure, unaware that I am moving objects while in my dream state. “What can you tell me about what I should expect?”

“You will be fine. Your vampire has had children before when he was human. He will be there to help you. Plus, the woman in the other room has children. Why do you not ask her?” She asks.

“I didn’t even think about asking Alex. She is practically a stranger to me. How could I ask her such an intimate thing when we hardly know each other?” My voice strains with frustration.

“I wish I could give you more information, but my time as a mother in the flesh only lasted a few hours. I can only tell you that while I was pregnant with you, my life changed extremely fast and I was thrilled every moment of my pregnancy.” She finishes and beams at me.

“I am not a doctor, but my all day nausea did pass around two or three months after I found out about you; somewhere around the time I was showing and felt you move inside of me. Do not worry, sweetheart. I am sure you will adjust once your mind gets used to the idea of having a baby. I’ll be around to see my grandchildren.”

“Shocked by her comment, I quickly correct her. “Nice try mom. I’m only going through this once.”

“If you say so sweetheart.” She smiles knowingly before floating across the room. “You never know. You may change your mind and have a house full of children. Forever is a long time to know for sure that you only want one child. Your thoughts may change.” A flash of concern crosses her face. “There are vampires outside the house, be on alert.” Lily says before she disappears.

My body jolts awake from her abrupt departure, snapping me back into my physical body, but I manage to gain my wits quickly and move to the window to look outside. I can sense vampires and see their shadows but I am not certain who they are. I am not familiar with Christien’s vampires so I don’t know if the vampires are his or not.

I run downstairs to the basement. Just as I grab my weapons, I hear footsteps around the house upstairs. I shift my shape into a cat and run upstairs. I immediately smell multiple vampires and run to the guest bedroom. I see a vampire at Alex’s door about to open it and I jump onto the vampires back. The vampire hisses as he spins around trying to pull me off him. Finally losing my grip, I tumble to the floor and slam against the wall. I retreat to another room to catch my breath. The vampire chooses not to pursue me. I shift back into human form and attack the vampire again as he is entering Alex’s room. With my Katana out, I pierce his heart and twist my wrist while removing the sword. A pile of ashes remains where the vampire stood. I barge into the room, ready for more vampires but I find the bedroom empty.

“Alex?” I call out softly.

At first, there is no answer. Then I hear sounds coming from the bathroom. I open the bathroom door and barely dodge a knife aimed at my chest as Alex throws it at me. I catch the knife and take cover, calling out to her in a loud whisper. “It’s me Alex. It’s Jess!”

“Jess?” She asks reluctantly.

“Come on, let’s go!” I reveal myself to her and pick up the little girl as Alex grabs the boy. “We have got to get out of here. The vampires are in the house and all over the estate. We need to leave.”

“Can’t we just go downstairs into that room again?” She asks. I can taste her fear and my vampire instincts cause my fangs to extend.

I try to send my thoughts to Alex telepathically, but she blocks the message. I have never had a human mind resist me so it makes me wonder if Alex is more than just human.

Alex takes a step back away from me, takes a deep breath or two, and smiles. Her fear dissipates and I am able to regain control of my blood thirst after a little internal struggle.

My fangs slide back into place as we leave the room. I can hear vampires all over the house. I give Alex one of my daggers and whisper softly. “Do you know how to use this?”