5 Darkness Falls (7 page)

They were close. We were unguarded, undefended. They could have jumped us
right
then and there, but they didn’t. That sp
eaks
volumes.

As I
inhaled
a deep breath, I heard a faint
blip
. I cocked my head, perking my ears to listen for its origin. A moment later I heard it again. I held my breath, trying to be as quiet as I could. Another
blip.
There were a few seconds before the next
blip
was audible; this time though, it continued. Like water dripping from a faucet, like a wind tunnel being opened and closed in quick succession, a steady swish sound softly came into range.

Kellan pulled to a stop at a red light. Our eyes met, recognition hitting us at the same time. We smiled in unison. He unlinked our hands and slid one across my belly.

Our baby officially had a heartbeat.

And, in that magical moment, nothing else mattered.

***

Kellan

Hearing the heartbeat made it real. This was happening. I was going to be a father.

That meant I had to get my shit together. I couldn’t pansy around anymore. I couldn’t have the same uncontrollable bursts of rage. I needed to get a tighter grip on my archaic side, on the beast within me that le
a
d
s
me to act on instinct rather than
intellect
, especially around Lexi.

My first order of business was to protect her and our baby.
As soon as
she fell asleep, I was going to the vamp army and the Bladangs. I was on both teams now. I was a strategist and weapons specialist for each entity. I’d earned my place, and I’d earned their respect. They would give me back up
,
or I would raise hell.

I would always go to whatever lengths I had to
in order
to keep my family safe.

Chapter 6

Flour dusted my clothes
,
as I worked steadily on my list of new orders. My baby’s heartbeat had become a
rhythmic
melody that my body natural worked to
,
since first
hear
ing
it a few nights ago.

The mixer was on high in the background
,
as I struggled to fit another pan of brownies on the baking rack. I blew out a long breath
, closing
the oven door, careful not to jostle the rising pastries. That was part of the reason why this business took as many hours as it did. I needed more ovens. I didn’t have enough space in my current double oven to keep up with my growing list of requests
from my clientele
. Today’s list was longer than the day before, and
likewise, yesterday’s had been longer than
the day before that.

The High Authority, the Bladangs and Jack were on their way. I’d already accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to look presentable. I wouldn’t have time to shower, change,
and
finish my work.

“Need any help?” Kellan asked
, walking
into the kitchen.
Typically, he
holed himself up in the bedroom with his laptop while I baked.

I turned off the mixer, grabb
ing
the bowl and another baking sheet. I’d have to wait until something else came out before I could put the next order in. “I need more ovens. If you could magically make them appear, I’d love you forever.”

Kellan’s gaze traveled
across
the kitchen. “We could knock out the cabinets on the end and install another double oven there.” He pointed to the area I
currently
used as a pantry
on
the far end, next to the wall. “We could do the same with the island, though we could only squeeze a single oven there.”

“I would have to get a better storage system
,
or more cabinets elsewhere
,
if that’s the case.” I surveyed the space. There were possibilities, but I was overwhelmed by the thought of remodeling.

Kellan wrapped his arms around me, not bothering to protect his clothes from my dusted ones. “How about I go get the architectural drafts of our kitchen from Will. I’ll go talk to a designer about meeting your business’ needs while not disturbing what you have going on right now. I’ll even bring in a professional organizer if you want.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If I had an ounce of baking talent in me, I would help you
fulfill
every order. But, since I don’t, I’ll just have to settle on
doing whatever it takes to make
it easier for you
.”
He kissed my forehead.

“Thanks. That would be great if you could do that. I don’t want it to cost a fortune though. This is coming from my business account.”

“And if I pay for it?”

“I still don’t want it to be an expensive overhaul.”

He tilted his head back
,
studying
me for a minute. “Alright.”

He captured my lips, giving them a nip before
caressing
them with his own. Tiny shivers of awareness
shook
through me as I leaned into him. His hands slid up to cup my face as he gently pulled back, smoothing his thumbs across my cheeks. “Drex will be back up in a second. When he gets here, I’m going to leave before everyone arrives.”

“Oh! Will you send my area managers an e-mail reminding them about the conference call in
…”
I broke away
, looking
at the clock. “Holy sugarplums. Um, in thirty minutes.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” I
carefull
y
slid from his
embrace,
running for a pair of oven mitts to remove a tray of cupcakes. I set them down on the island before putting a new tray in the oven.

“How many more orders do you have to fill today?”

“Five. I have a few treats baking for my meeting right now, otherwise I would be done.” I headed for the fridge
, grabbing
the container of blood to create the ooey-gooey bloody center for the cupcakes.

“Okay. Need me to do anything before I go?”

“Nope. Just the e-mail,” I replied, setting the ingredients and utensils on the counter beside the cooling trays of desserts.

He nodded. “You got it, babe. Call me if you need anything
at all
.”

“I will,” I assured him.

He started for the bedroom as I began to pour the blood into a mixing bowl. Seeing the thick, rich substance reminded me of Kalel, who shipped a fresh case to me each week. “Kellan?”

He stopped and faced me. “Yeah?”

I
bit
my bottom lip as the many possible reactions of my company passed through my mind. “Do you think they’ll be okay with this?”

“Does it matter?”

I considered his question. “I guess not.”

I gazed down at the blood in the bowl. As much as I wanted everyone to accept my pregnancy
and
accept me and Kellan being together, chances were, not everyone would. It was a play on statistics. For some it would be an issue because I wasn’t married at the time of my child’s conception; for others, my age will be their hang up. For
a
select bunch, the fact that Kellan
’s
a vampire and I
’m
a vampeen would be a cardinal sin of
epic
racial proportion. Slowly, but surely, I was discovering that I would never be able to appease everyone. I was
also
gradually accepting that not everyone would agree with
all
my decisions, but at the end of the day, as long as I had no regrets, that
’s
what mattered
most
. I couldn’t live for anyone but myself
, and
I couldn’t live anyone else’s life but my own.

I jumped as Kellan’s arms came around me. I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t heard him mov
ing
towards me.

He turned me to face him. A single
finger
slid beneath my chin
,
tilting
my head up to face him. “Lexi, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. This is about you and me, not you, me and the world. Don’t let the opinions of others dictate how you live or how you feel. The important people will never judge you; they’ll never turn their back on you. If they do, then they don’t deserve to be a part of your life or a part of our little miracle.”

I shook my head. I knew he was right, but it
still
didn’t erase my insecurities. I cared about everyone that I let in. To have them reject me now, after I’d bonded with them, would tear me apart.

“I love you.” I closed my eyes as his lips gently
brushed against mine.
His fingers drew circles on my back. “Don’t let them dissect your life, babe. It’s your life, your body,
and
your experience
…
not theirs.”

“I love you.” I smiled up at him.

“I’ll be there through it all. You may lose a few people, but you’ll always have me.”

The prophecy
came
slamm
ing
into my mind, stealing my breath as his words
echoed in my head.
God, I hoped I would never have to suffer a loss so deep; I prayed my child was never faced with it either. I couldn’t imagine a world without Kellan.

I couldn’t picture my life with one less person than what I had now. Everyone added something to my crazy, spicy world.

The timer dinged, pulling me from my reverie.

Kellan released
, allowing
me to tend to my baked goods. “Don’t worry, okay?”

I nodded, giving him a wistful smile. How I wished it was easier to let go. “Okay.”

I bustled around the kitchen pulling pans from the ovens, preparing to decorate and pack them into my
new
company boxes until Drexel returned. Kellan gave me a kiss before he scurried out the door.

I stared at the direction of the door long after he’d left. I knew Kellan was right.

“What’s running through that pretty head of yours?” Drexel asked, coming to stand at the island.

I looked at him. He was watching me, analyzing me. His years undercover really did help him ga
u
ge people well, too well at times.

“I’m just worried about telling everyone.”

He chuckled. “Why do women over
think everything?”

“Why do men
under
think everything?”

“We’re not afraid of risk.”

“Obviously.” Slowly, I felt a smile spread across my face as I considered the truth of his statement. “I guess I am worried about the risk. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

“If you lose them over this then you never really had them on your side to begin with.”

A knock sounded at the door. Drexel immediately checked the security screen. “It’s Kalel.”

I swallowed hard. “I guess it
’
s show time,” I said
, scrubbing
my hands
down the front of
my clothes.

My feet felt heavy
, my
stomach churned
and
my pulse quickened as I went to the door.
Just act normal, Lexi.
I took a breath, grabb
ing
the doorknob and open
ing
the door.

Kalel stood on the other side
,
dressed in a pair of black slacks, a button up black shirt and a professional jacket. His shirt was open at the top; combined with the absence of a tie, he looked slightly more casual.

“Don’t you look dapper?” I smiled.

He tucked his phone in his pants pocket and gazed at me, a searching look that
left
me feeling exposed.

I felt heat
filling
my cheeks. “I know
;
I’m a mess.” I brushed at my clothes, but it didn’t improve my appearance
any
.

He pursed his lips, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. “Do you have something to tell me, Leka?”

Now,
I felt the color drain from my face. My hands
were shaky
as I met his gaze. If I had to guess, he
looked
disappointed. His eyes took me in, but it was the slight
angle
of his head
and
the tiny creases of tension around his lips that gave away his unease. “I think we
can’t
both hear
now,
and
it’s obvious.”
I looked down at my stomach to where my baby’s heart was beating, the only sound between us in that second.