5 Darkness Falls (2 page)

Will had stated something similar before. I knew he wasn’t trying to make my life more difficult
,
or sway my choices based
on
what he read and believed, but it did feel that way at times. Everything he said was drawn from his knowledge of the prophecy, when
all
I wanted
was
the true William
-
answer
,
derived from him, not his blind faith
in the prophecy
.

“I’ll try to remember that.” I mashed my lips together.

“Do try, Lexi.” He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes at him, finally noticing how disheveled he appeared. I cocked my head, taking in his attire. His button up shirt was wrinkled
and
untucked
,
hanging over the waistline of his khaki pants
, and
the top few buttons were undone. His hair was standing every which way
,
instead of
parting off-center and
lying neatly combed to the side
.
His eyes were bright and clear, unlike the somewhat exhausted state I typically
see
them in, despite his vamp vision.
The
final detail
giving
him away though
was his
lips
;
they
appeared slightly fuller, as if they’d been kissed hard and the blood was just beginning to disperse.

I gasped;
I know my face was lighting
up. “You’ve been with a lady! William!” I giggled. “I didn’t know
you
had it in you.”

He blushed. “Please keep your voice down. I am the owner of this building still, and those are my employees,” he said in a rushed whisper. He glanced back
,
worriedly
,
at the concierge counter.

I looked towards Drexel. Even
he
was simpering.

I continued to rile him.
“You didn’t even try to deny it. O.M.G. You so were.”

“I’m not here to discuss my personal life.” He tugged on his shirt,
nervously
trying to straighten the creases.

“So you can read about
,
and study
,
my
personal life all day
long
, but I’m not allowed to know one tiny detail about yours? I’m not even asking her name, where she
is
or how long you’ve been seeing her.”

“I suppose that’s fair,” he conceded
, continuing
to avert his eyes.

“I’m going to let you stew on that for a while.” I tried to
keep a straight face,
disguis
ing
my smile
,
but I was enjoying this new revelation too much.
Notwithstanding,
Will looked defeated
.
“I’m sorry, Will. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m actually happy for you. Whether you admit it or not, you need this. You
already
seem less uptight and
less
stressed. It’s a much better look on you.”

He sighed. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“I’ll talk to you later. Whoever this woman is, please
,
give her a big ‘thank you’ f
rom
me.”

“I will
do no such thing,
but I
will
be seeing her again. If things work out, I will introduce you at some point; after all, she needs to know my life’s work.” He finally met my gaze.

I shook my head. “That sounds good. Have a good day, Will.” I patted his chest playfully
,
before
skipping off towards the door.

Chapter 2

My heart thundered in my chest
,
as I approached the door. I t
ook a long, deep breath before
lift
ing
my hand
to knock.

Kai opened the door; his brown eyes widen
ing
marginally as he took me in. “Leka, hi. Come in.”

Stepping over the threshold,
I
offered
him a small smile
.

“How have you been?” he asked on his way to the living room.

“Um, okay. How about you?”
 
Are we really making small talk?
 
At least it was momentarily distracting me.

“Good. Did you stop by for anything in particular?” He faced me
,
raising
a single, expectant brow
.

I couldn’t blame him for his speculation. Lately, I’d only called if I need
ed
something, which ma
kes
me a lousy friend.

“No.” I shook my head.

We gazed at each other for a minute. I allowed all else to fade away; my heart’s steady pumping
,
and our rhythmic breathing
,
were the only sounds I heard. The longer we stood there, the easier it was to feel his soul, a palpable presence
– it seemed like
it was reaching out to
me.
I studied the
contours
of his face, the slope of his nose and
the
curves of his lips.
Staring into his eyes, I appreciated the familiar tones of honey and chocolate in their depths.

“Is everything okay, Leka?” he asked hesitantly.
Pursing
his lips, concern
weighted down
his brows as he watched me.

I
diverted my eyes
and moved
a few steps away from him, bringing my hands together in front of me.
A knot of fear tightened
my stomach. I didn’t know how he was going to react.

“I, um, actually came to talk to you. I wanted to tell you something.”

After hearing this, he
seemed to perk up
.
His lips curled up in the corners
,
anticipating good news. “Go on.”

I
balled my fists against my
sides
,
trying to gather myself. I inhaled deep
ly,
blowing out the air
slowly. Feeling shaky, yet
still
focused, I lifted my head
to meet
his gaze.

His lips slowly began to turn down
,
as the seconds ticked by.

“Kai, I’m pregnant.”

His
mouth fell open
, and
his eyes stared through me
,
rather than at me
.
His whole body quaked
, as
he stumbled
backwards
, bumping
into the closest chair. His jaw flexed
,
and
his features twisted.
Tears quickly gathered in his eyes, and my
gut tightened, feeling like it’d been punched
.
“He has you, doesn’t he?” The pain in his voice sliced
through
me
.

“He has my heart, Kai. I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes, working to regulate his breathing through silent sobs. He clasped his hands together, leaning his forehead into them. I watched helplessly as the tears dropped one by one to the floor.
This was
the first time Kai didn’t hold anything back, and for the first time, I felt truly awful about my circumstances. Guilt
was
threatening to
destroy
me, shredding me from the inside out.

He looked up at me, blood staining his face. I bit my lip, trying to control the tremble working through me. He sighed. “Aw, Leka, sweetie. Don’t cry,” he cooed.

And
just
like that, the dam burst.
I was no longer able to contain my remorse.
“I’m sorry, Kai. I never meant to hurt you. I…I didn’t want this.”

He stood
up, pulling
me into his chest
; he kissed my head repeatedly
. His fingers combed through my hair
and
caress
ed
my back. “Shh. It’s okay, Leka. You’re going to be okay. I’m not mad; I’m just shocked, and
maybe a little
hurt. But I love you. I’ve always loved you. I want you to be happy, and if Kellan’s the one that makes you happy…” His words trailed off
,
as he continued to soothe me.

The
tears
began to fade, and slowly, I backed out of his embrace.
He wiped the last few tears from my face and placed a kiss on each cheek. I closed my eyes
, leaning
in
to
feel
his touch. When
my eyes
opened
,
I found him
inspecting me closely.

Our eyes locked, and he waited
until my focus was solely on him. “If he ever makes you unhappy, if he ever hurts you or endangers you, I’ll kill the bastard.” His tone was serious, but a smile
playfully
lifted his lips. “I’ll always be here for you. Maybe it won’t be in the way
I
want, but I
will
always
be here
…
in whatever capacity you allow me to be.”

“Kai.” His name was a soft whisper on my lips. I shook my head negatively. “I don’t want that. I’ve been honest with you. I love you, but I love Kellan more. I can’t give you what you want and you shouldn’t be accepting scraps from me; you should be with a woman who…” I sighed
and
shook my head, regrouping. “You should try to find someone else to make you happy, Kai
…
in
every
way. You deserve that kind of happiness with someone who
…”
Tears
spilled, cascading down my cheeks.
My emotions overpowered me, causing my chest to tighten and forcing me to pull away.
He looked so broken, like my words were stinging. How
did I ever allow
myself to hurt someone
that I care about so deeply?

“Don’t blame yourself, Leka. I let my feelings for you grow to what they are. I’ve controlled myself, kept walls up with every other woman
, but
I chose to let you in
…
and I’ll never regret it.” He gazed down at me, determination
etched
in his features.
As he faced me, his body visibly tensed; I could tell he was trying to punctuate his words with a deeper emotion.

“Kai-“

“Don’t.” His nostrils flared
,
as his lips pressed into a thin line.

I swallowed hard,
surrendering
with a nod of my head. I wiped away the last of my
newly-fallen
tears.

“How far along are you? I don’t hear a heartbeat yet.”

“I’ll be six weeks tomorrow.”

I heard
his teeth grinding.
He took a deep breath, expelling it in a long
-drawn-out
sigh. He tilted his head
tenderly and stood motionless, silently studying me.
Slowly the tension disappeared. He relaxed his body, as if finally coming to terms with what was happening,
choosing to
accept it rather than fight it. “Are you happy?”

“It’s not what I had planned, but I’m not angry. I know everything happens for a reason.”

“A baby is something to be happy about, Leka. Don’t let anyone rain on your parade.” A smile lifted his lips. “How about we go shopping? I’ll buy you your first baby item.”

I smiled softly. “Sorry, but Beth and Aunt Claire have you beat.”

“Have they given it to you yet?”

“No.”

“Ah, then I can still be the first.” He grabbed a set of car keys
from
the fireplace mantel. “Let’s go.”

“Drexel is waiting out front.”

“Of course. Tell him I’ve got you
and the baby
covered. I’ll drop you off at your condo later.”

“Okay.” My heart swelled with relief and love. In this moment I loved Kai a little more. The woman he ended up with
-
the right woman for him
-
was going to be a very lucky
lady.