5 Darkness Falls (4 page)

Kellan met my gaze
and nodded
, acknowledging my presence
.
As much as it was like staring into the eyes of
an
enemy, I couldn’t deny respect
ing
him for making her smile. “You need to make this happen more often,” I said, tilting my chin towards a beaming, bawling Leka.

Kellan’s eyes softened as he focused on Leka. “I plan to.”

“Good.” My answer resounded in my chest. It was good for Leka.

She turned towards me, wiping her face. “I feel like a blubbering mess,” she laughed self-consciously. She shook herself, as if refocus
ing
. “Thank you for today, Kai. I really appreciate
everything
.”

I set the box
down
on the floor
, placing
the bag on top of it. She immediately threw herself at me, squeezing me tightly. I pulled her into my chest, reveling in the feel of her heart beating against me.
Inhaling her scent, I allowed it to
fill
my lungs, burning
into my memory.

She kissed my cheek. “Thank you.” Her words
came out in
a soft whisper
,
fluttering over my skin, warming me
and
kindling my spirit.

I kissed her forehead. “Go enjoy this.”

She pulled away, sadness dampening the sparkle in her eyes
and guilt dampening
her glow.
Though,
I knew I wouldn’t be able to erase it
.

“Thanks for the baby stuff,” Kellan said. I met his gaze. He seemed sincere.

“You’re welcome.” I turned to Leka. “I’ll be by this weekend with Kalel, Gabi and the High Authorities to discuss the vamp guard’s statistics and issues.”

She grimaced. “Alright. I’ll bake some goodies
;
that
should
soften everyone up.”

“You can try.” I never
could
turn away her desserts. No one knew
her secret,
even after watching her bake, but
everything she
m
akes
is always so
delicious.

I reached for the door
and
glanced back over my shoulder,
seeing
Leka leap into Kellan’s arms, wrapping herself around him. I forced myself to look away
, stepping out and closing the door behind me
. I took a deep breath
and stared at the door - for what seemed like a very long time - before finally leaving.

***

Lexi

I squeezed Kellan tightly, my emotions getting the best of me. I didn’t understand why I was so emotional lately. The house was beautiful. I
t
felt like I was
outdoors,
in a meadow
full
of flowers
.
The beautiful variations of blue and pink bulbs colored the subdued palette of our apartment; the fragrance made me want to take deep breaths. I wanted to bathe myself in the delightful scents wafting through
our home.

He wrapped
one
arm around my waist; his other
hand
gently caressed my cheek.
Leaning into his touch, he
pressed his lips to mine
,
softly, sensually. His lips were smooth, fitting perfectly against my own. His tongue
teased the edge of my lips,
allowing me to taste him
…
a sweet
,
delicious flavor
that’s
all Kellan. I smiled against his lips.

“They’re beautiful.” I gazed into his emerald eyes.

“You’re beautiful.” He secured my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. “Come with me.”

He led me into the bedroom,
guiding
me along the trail of flower petals pointing to the bathroom. Vases of flowers
were covering
every available surface in the bedroom
too
. It
all
seemed like a
fairytale:
every girl’s dream come true. I strolled through the bedroom
by his side,
taking in the glory of it all. When we arrived in the bathroom, I was in awe. The lights were off; candles flickered colorful rays of light throughout the space.
With
no windows
,
the glow of the lights reflected off the tiled walls, giving it a calming, romantic ambiance.

“I drew hot bath
for you
right when you arrived.” He pulled me in front of him
, kissing
the back of my neck.

“This is amazing. I don’t know how you did it, but I love it.” My gaze continued to travel the room. Rose petals floated atop a high pile of bubbles floating on the water. A bottle of blood and an array of food sat along the edge of the large tub. He’d
attended
to every meticulous detail. “Thank you.”

He spun me around in his arms. “Thank
you
. Thank you for putting up with my mood swings, my outbursts and my general dick
i
ness these last few months. I was wrong
when I said
certain things to you
, and
I was wrong to take my anger
out on you when I’m frustrated
with myself
.
That wasn’t fair. I’m sorry. The biggest thank you comes
from
right here though.” He pressed a hand to my lower belly. “Thank you for carrying my baby. And since I was such a moody prick to you, I won’t take offense if you’re equally as mean to me over these next nine months.”

I smiled. “Are you giving me a free pass, Mr. Bancroft?”

He took a deep breath
, playfully cringing
as he spoke, “Yes, I am.”

I laughed. “I’m not going to be that bad. I don’t think vamps react
to pregnancy
the same way humans do
.
Dr. H said that I might want human food more than blood and that it’s normal to sleep longer hours, but he didn’t say anything else.”

His face was solemn. “Regardless, I don’t want you to think that I’
m
ever unhappy with you, babe.”

“I’ve never doubted your happiness with me, Kellan; I’ve doubted your happiness with yourself. You just need to figure out who you are and what kind of vamp you want to be.” I rubbed my palms up and down his arms
, leaning in to kiss
the tip of his nose. “I still love you
,
whether you’re an angry bear or a squeaking mouse.”

“I know. Doesn’t make it any easier to face the fact that I’ve been a disappointment.”

“You haven’t disappointed me, babe. You’ve disappointed yourself. There’s a big difference.”

He pursed his lips, considering my words. His eyes darted to the bathtub behind me. “Take your bath. Relax. Call me if you need anything.”

“What if I need you to join me?” I grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

“You want to cuddle with an angry bear?”

I shrugged. “I’m a vamp. I can handle it.”

He smiled, his dimple winking at me. “Let’s go then, Miss Bear Tamer.” Kellan
ripped
off his shirt
, tossing
it aside.

Chapter 4

Kellan

The
feeling her soft body pressed
tenderly
up against the
firm pl
a
n
e
s of my stomach and
my chest was euphoric.
I encircled my arms around her waist. Absent
minded
ly
,
I rubbed her
belly,
marveling at the fact that a little baby was
growing inside her.
My rhythmic moves seemed to have a calming
effect
on Lexi. She closed her eyes,
nuzzling
deeper into me.

I could lay here with her forever. Reality seemed a world away as I cuddled with her in the warm water. For once, I felt impenetrable; I felt like no assassins
or
ninjas
-
no enemies of any kind
-
could get to us in this moment. It was just her
and
me, and our baby.

I listened to
the rhythmic beating of her heart, calm and steady.
Her pulse began to slow down, the first sign she was slipping into slumber. I couldn’t
even
imagine the exhaustion she must be feeling to be
able to
fall asleep so easily
,
and
lately,
so often.

I kept one hand on her lower stomach,
using my
other to sweep her hair away from her face. She didn’t move a muscle; she was
already
deep asleep
.

I studied her profile. Her
pale complexion matched the creaminess of her
eyelids
.
Her nose had a perfect slope
, leading
down to an adorable button nose. Her cheeks were contoured, the fullness angling down to her chin
,
creating a heart;
her
nose and chin were the center points, the beginning and end that bowed out to surround her full, rose-colored lips.

Through the bubbles, I
watched
her chest ris
e
and fall in tempo. Her arms were flaccid,
and
her palms
were
resting on my legs. I smiled. She was beautiful. Even before her transformation, when she had more curves
…
I loved her.
And though
time
has passed
, I’d yet to
actually
define my love for her. It was indescribable
;
a passion
-
a pull
- drawing
me to her
, forming
an inseparable bond that
could never be denied.

When
ever
she was gone,
my chest felt hollow and
my gut
stayed
tense until the moment she fluttered back into the room.
As soon as
my eyes land on her, all my fears and worries
disappear, and
for a split second
,
my heart
feels like it’s leaping
out of my chest towards her. I couldn’t
bear the thought of never feeling relief from
seeing her every day; I couldn’t imagine the
bleak
idea of never laying eyes on her again or
never
being able to touch her. In
some strange
way, I felt for Kai. I knew he loved her, but I
would never want to endure
the torture of not being able to
truly
love her
…mind,
body
and
soul.

Lexi rolled onto her side, pressing harder into my chest. I slid one arm
under
her knees; the other cradled her shoulder. I hoisted her effortlessly into me as I stood. I grabbed a towel off the counter, awkwardly wrapping it around her with one hand, trying not to jostle her too much. I carried her into the bedroom.
Pulling
back the comforter
, I gently
laid her down.
Immediately, she
turned into the center of the bed, cuddling
up
against one of the pillows.

I pressed my lips to her shoulder
and
a drop of water trickl
ed
over her skin
,
landing on
my mouth. With the towel lying beneath her, I
carefully
lifted it up
,
over her body
. I lightly patted
her dry
,
as
best I could
,
before tuck
ing
the comforter over her shoulders and under her chin.

I returned to the bathroom and blew out all of the candles. Grabbing another towel from the linen closet, I dried off before throwing on a pair of
old, worn,
athletic shorts and a thin
,
black
,
V-neck
.
I checked on Lexi one last time before heading to the living room.