Melted By The Vampires: A Paranormal Menage Romance (17 page)

I agreed with that, but the only problem was that the length of my light beams seemed to top out at around twenty feet or so, which would make it difficult for me to help in a fight and still remain a fairly safe distance away.

After Maria and I parted ways, I realized that despite all the talking we’d done that day, I hadn’t remembered to tell her about my infertility, which I’d been meaning to do, since we’d already got everything else out in the open. However, I figured it wasn’t that urgent of a detail, and besides, I hadn’t even had a chance to tell Abbott yet, and it almost seemed like I should tell him first anyway.

That evening, I didn’t see him or Dan, but I did get a simple three-word text from him.
I miss you
. I texted back that I missed him, too, which was definitely the truth. The moment his text had come in, I was curled up in bed with the part of the blanket that still held his scent.

Shortly after awakening the next morning, I sipped a cup of coffee in the kitchen, realizing it was Christmas Eve. And suddenly, I realized something else, too, something very strange. After slowly setting my coffee mug down, I tiptoed over to a wall calendar hanging from a hook by the fridge, feeling afraid to make a sound for some funny reason. After staring at the calendar for at least five solid seconds, I finally blinked, unable to believe my eyes. I was late for my period. And just a single day, but the calendar didn’t lie. I was late.

*

Since I’d first gotten my period at thirteen, I’d never been a single day late for a twenty-eight day cycle, not even one single time. My cycles were what my gynecologist had once funnily referred to as “bizarrely regular.”

So, when I saw that I was a day late, a rush of adrenaline flooded my veins. With shaking hands, I grabbed my phone from the counter but then just held it, motionless, not knowing who to call or exactly what to say. After a few seconds, I decided that getting a pregnancy test should be my first order of business, so I dialed Maria’s number. She answered on the first ring, and I immediately asked her if she had any pregnancy test kits in her apartment.

“And if so, could you please bring it up here as soon as possible?”

“Just give me ten minutes... maybe less. Sylvia should be here soon.”

After hanging up, I realized that my rush of adrenaline had suddenly made my bladder feel like it was going to explode, even though I’d already used the restroom that morning not an hour earlier, before my first cup of coffee. Thinking that maybe I’d just try to empty my bladder halfway, to save some urine for the test, I dashed off to the bathroom. And just a second after sitting down on the toilet, a certain sight dashed the bubble of hope that had risen in my heart.

My pale pink cotton underwear were streaked with scarlet. I hadn’t even finished using the restroom before I burst into tears, burying my face in my hands.

I was still crying when Maria knocked on my door a few minutes later. The moment she saw me, her jaw dropped, and she came inside and shut the door behind her.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

With fresh tears streaming down my face, I shook my head. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry for tears. This is a huge deal, finding out if you’re pregnant or not.”

“No. No, it’s not that. I’m sorry for calling you up here for nothing.”

“What do you—”

“In the five minutes between us hanging up and you coming up here, I got my period. Sorry.”

Maria’s expression of concern now blended with one of understanding, and she put an arm around my shoulders and began leading me out to the sun-filled living room. “Oh... hey. Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m just... I’m stupid. I’m just a complete idiot. I actually thought there could be a chance... just because I was a single day late. I was just hoping... just thinking that maybe by some miracle...” I sat down on the couch beside her, shaking my head again. “I’m sorry. I just feel so dumb.”

With her arm still around my shoulders, Maria gave me a little squeeze. “Hey. You’re not stupid, or idiotic, or dumb. You’re perfectly normal. Do you know that when Noah and I first got married, I took a pregnancy test the day
before
my period was even expected, and I did this
all
the months before I got pregnant with Claire? I was always that anxious to find out if I was pregnant or not.”

Sniffling, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “But this is different.”

“How? Other than the fact that you were actually a day late. And other than the fact that you actually had the fortitude to restrain yourself from jumping the gun and taking a bunch of tests ridiculously early like I did.”

“You had a reason to take all those tests.”

“Well... you had a reason to take the one that you called me up here for. I mean...you’re a frozen woman, Harper. This is what we do. We get pregnant. Sometimes really fast.”

“But—”

“True, maybe expecting to get pregnant your very first month after being thawed was a bit optimistic, but I certainly can’t blame you for hoping. I did, too, right away. I know it’s hard to help it when you’re really looking forward to becoming a mother, and when you’ve also developed very strong feelings for the man you’ve been paired up with. Or, well... one of the men you were paired up with, in your case. But you know what I mean. I know you’ve probably been hoping to become pregnant with Abbott, not only to give him increased strength, but also because you really love him.”

“I really do.”

“Then, don’t worry. After all this stuff with Dedrick, Dan, and The Saints is resolved, you’ll have plenty of time to become pregnant with Abbott’s baby. And this way, it will be even better when you
do
become pregnant, because then you can immediately be certain that the baby you’re carrying is Abbott’s. Just think about it... if you really were pregnant right now. There would be a fifty percent chance that the baby would be Dan’s... and can you imagine how disappointed you and Abbott might be? Sure, I know the both of you would love the baby and everything, but wouldn’t it just be so much better if the baby was for sure yours and Abbott’s? With no anxiety-producing paternity testing or anything like that involved?”

I nodded mutely, wanting to tell Maria the truth, that I was infertile, but just not able to get the words out.

With the cheery sunshine streaming in through the windows seeming to make a mockery of my devastation, she gave me another squeeze. “Just trust me. I know you’re disappointed, but I really think things will be better this way. The next time you think you might be pregnant, you can even take a test with Abbott right there with you, because Dan will be completely out of the picture. It will just be a happier, easier time all-around. You’ll probably end up very glad that you got your period today.”

I nodded again, realizing why I couldn’t seem to tell Maria the truth. I needed to tell Abbott first. Not only did he deserve to know first, but I also suddenly felt like I could barely take another breath until I knew if he’d still want to be with me once he found out I could never give him a child. And if he still did, I needed to know that he could be completely happy.

After Maria had said a few more things, trying to be comforting, which I appreciated, I told her that I wanted to call Abbott. “I’m going to see if he can even slip away to come here to the building so that we can talk in person. I just need to tell him something very important, and I feel like I need to see his face and his expression while I do it.”

“Of course. I understand. I’ll be just ten floors down if you want to talk some more, or if you need anything else at all. I’m also good for taking you over to the cafe for some hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.”

I thanked her, and she soon left. After taking a second to splash my hot, tear-stained face with cold water, I grabbed my phone and dialed Abbott, annoyed when the phone just rang and rang, for what felt like a hundred rings, when in actuality, it was only four. On the fifth, I expected to get his voice mail, so my annoyance turned to surprise when it sounded like he’d picked up, but without saying hello.

I waited a second, then said hello myself. “Are you there, Abbott? Can you hear me?”

“Well,
I’m
here, but I’m not Abbott. He’s a little busy right now, getting his ass kicked so hard I expect to see his eyeballs come flying out of his head any second.”

It was Dan. The moment he’d started speaking, my blood had seemed to turn to ice water.

“Oh, God, Harper... you should really see this. I mean... Dedrick really seems hell-bent on torturing him for a bit first before stabbing him through the heart and decapitating him. Guess he figures that would be too kind of a death for a vampire who’s been a thorn in his side for hundreds of years. I think that’s why he didn’t care too much, either, when I told him that your powers didn’t survive your freezing and thawing. He said you shooting Abbott with a beam of light before stabbing and decapitating him would be too quick and relatively painless anyway. And just between you and me, I think Dedrick also had some doubts as to whether or not you’d really have the stomach for decapitation.
I
barely do, and I’m a person who guzzles blood like some people drink soda pop.”

I couldn’t speak. I could barely even breathe. I could hear muffled sounds in the background that sounded like they might be groans of pain, and I knew they were likely Abbott’s. Something bitter began rising in the back of my throat.

“What’s the matter, Harper? Are you disappointed that the job you were frozen to do is now being done by someone else? You really shouldn’t be, since Abbott and I weren’t the ones who killed all your witch friends anyway, and that’s the truth. Or are you so quiet because maybe you developed a particular soft spot for one of your intended targets, specifically the one who’s getting mauled by ten Saints right now. Well, if you did, no matter. Abbott will soon be dead, and then you’ll just have me, and I wasn’t kidding when I said something to you along the lines of thinking we’ll make a good team. Once you get all your boo-hoos about Abbott out of your system, I know we will. You can think of yourself as ‘first lady of New Detroit.’ That should cheer you up.”

“If you kill him, Dan, I will kill you.”

With adrenaline flooding my body for the second time that morning, suddenly I could speak again, as the ice that had seemed to flow through my veins at the sound of Dan’s voice became something like hot lava.

“And I mean it. If you kill him, or allow him to be killed, or even allow him to continue to be hurt, I’ll kill you. And if I don’t do it myself, I’ll at least see that it gets done. I’m sure all the many vampires still loyal to Abbott are charging to help him right now, as we speak.”

“Well, no, that was so three minutes ago. They tried to charge, but they got a little caught up in a line of Saints. A single Saint is strong enough to take on at least ten Darkness Coven vampires at a time, you know, at least. Which will be helpful to me when I turn all Dedrick’s own men against him eventually.”

I suddenly found myself jamming tennis shoes on my feet without even being aware of having decided to do so. “Where is Abbott, Dan?”

“Oh, well... let’s just say that he himself is on the street in front of the building, beneath a pile of Saints, but the vast majority of his blood is now all over the white awning in front of the café. Really, it’s a red awning now. But I’ll tell you what. I haven’t exactly been enjoying the tone you’ve been taking with me during this conversation, so I think Dedrick and I are going to bring the show up to you. Just give us a minute to grab our vampire punching bag, and we’ll be right up. Have a look out your bedroom window.”

CHAPTER 13

After dropping my phone, I ran into my bedroom so fast my tennis shoes barely touched the hardwood. Trembling from head to toe, I threw open one of the windows and the screen, causing a blast of wintry air to rush my face. I hardly even felt it, though. I was too focused on the top of the building across the way, knowing this was where Dan intended to have his little show.

I wasn’t going to let him. I was going to do whatever I had to do to save Abbott’s life, even if that meant putting my own at risk. After all, I knew he’d do the same for me.

After a quick, dizzying look down, seeing what appeared to be a teeming swarm of several hundred vampires on the street far below, my brain did some kind of a funny short circuit. Maybe half a minute passed where I had no awareness of what I was doing, and no recollection of it once I finally “came to.” Even days later, I wouldn’t be able to remember the half a minute, if that’s how long it was, that went by after I looked down at the street. I was never able to recall it, in fact. Never able to remember the moment when I must have hopped up on the windowsill, and then out on a narrow steel beam thirty-nine stories above the ground. I was never able to recall if I took a deep breath beforehand, or said a prayer, or even briefly passed out from sheer terror but then came back around, gritted my teeth, and then just forced my body to do what it needed to do.

All I knew was that one moment, I was glancing down at the street far below, and then the next moment that I had any awareness at all, I was maybe halfway across the steel beam between the two buildings, putting one foot in front of the other carefully, but at a pace that wasn’t exactly slow. Someone was saying something, and almost instantly, I realized that the words I was hearing were coming from my own mouth.

“We just put one foot in front of the other... just like that. Then we do it again. It’s actually easy. Step... step... step. That’s it. Just a few dozen more... maybe twenty. Maybe forty. We just keep stepping. Just... like... this. Each time, nothing bad happens, we just get closer. Just closer... with each... step... step... step. Just like that. It’s not hard. It’s actually easy. And everything... is just fine. Step... step... step.”

I wasn’t looking down. I knew that doing so would cause disaster, probably even death, unless one of the Darkness Coven members on the ground happened to catch me. However, from what I’d seen from my glance down out my apartment window, it looked like everyone’s focus was surely on what was happening on the ground, not up above.

I could see
below
just kind of from the bottoms of my eyes as I held my head up, gaze squarely on the length of steel beam in front of me. But
below
seemed like some hazy background to an impressionist painting, and that was exactly how I wanted it to stay. How I
needed
it to stay.

My talking was somehow keeping me upright and pulling me along, or at least, I
thought
it was, which felt like pretty much the same thing. I had the sense that if I just kept doing it, nothing bad would happen, and I was certain to keep moving right along without a bobble. It was as if my muscles were almost being directly powered and steadied by my talking.

So, when a stiff breeze that was probably always present that high up intensified, I began talking a little louder, a little faster. “Just a step... a step... and a step. Maybe just ten more. Getting close now. Step... step... step. Still easy. Still just one foot... and one foot... and one foot... right in front... of the other. Piece of cake, Harper. Piece of cake... a step... and a step.”

I’d never been more grateful for my tiny, block-y feet in my life. And actually, it was the first time I’d ever been grateful for them. A person might have thought that the smaller the feet, the less stable of a base they’d make, but I was honestly finding the opposite to be true. It felt like my smaller feet were serving me much better than larger ones would, because with the steel beam being maybe five inches across, give or take an inch, my feet had more room for minute little missteps and errors that might have made a person with larger feet have to curl their toes to keep balance.

With only two steps to go, though, even the inch of extra space my feet had to maneuver couldn’t help me when a strong gust of wind threatened to tip me. Instantly, every pore in my skin seemed to exude boiling hot sweat, despite the fact that the wind was positively icy, and I was only dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

Acting on instinct, I bent my knees and held my arms out to my sides, “surfing” the wind, in a way. “Just steady... steady. Just keep your eyes right on the duct. We’ll make it there.”

I wasn’t exactly sure if the duct I was referring to actually was even a duct or what. It was just some sort of large metal outcropping on the upper western corner of the flat roof of the building I was approaching. It might have been a heating vent or some sort of air conditioning unit. It also vaguely resembled an ultra-wide and tall smokestack, like one that might be on the top of a manufacturing plant. Regardless of what it was exactly,

I was just thinking of it as
metal duct
, and it was what I planned to hide behind in order to ambush Dan, Dedrick, and any other Saints they brought with them when they got Abbott up onto the roof. From behind the large metal duct, I’d shoot my beam of light at each of them in rapid succession, and then try to use the light to “stab” them by shooting each of them through the heart with it. I’d then try to decapitate them by repeatedly shooting beams of light at their throats. If that didn’t work, I figured it would at least injure them badly enough to buy me a little time to get some help for Abbott.

While I’d been racing to my bedroom after Dan’s call, it had occurred to me that I might be able to shoot at The Saints from the safety of my own bedroom window, but I’d quickly rejected the thought. That would be a distance of at least fifty feet, and the furthest I’d been able to shoot my light beam the previous day had been about twenty feet. And I knew it was unlikely that my “throwing” distance would just suddenly increase just because I wanted it to. So, the idea that I had to cross the beam to get to the roof of the adjacent building had immediately come to my mind.

Once the gust of wind had passed, and once I felt sufficiently steady, I straightened up from my semi-crouch and continued down the remaining length of beam, a distance of just a foot or two. “Last steps. Doing great.”

Except that I knew I was running out of time. I knew Dan and The Saints would be leaping up to the roof at any second, and I could hardly believe they hadn’t done so already, being that my journey across the beam had felt like hours. In reality, probably only a couple of minutes had passed since I’d left my bedroom window.

When only an inch of steel beam separated me from the roof, I paused for just a second, determined not to mess up now that I’d come so far. “Just one more step. Steady. And... go.”

The moment my foot connected solidly with the surface of the roof, which was some pale gray shingle-type substance that appeared to have the texture of coarse sandpaper, I took off at a run, not wanting to waste precious seconds in getting to the metal duct. And it was a good thing I didn’t.

Not ten seconds after I’d concealed myself behind the duct, which was gleaming in the bright sunlight, The Saints made their appearance, rocketing through the air above the building, then descending and landing on the roof slowly and gracefully, like a bizarre group of murderous angels. Peeking out from the duct, I swallowed. I hadn’t expected there to be quite so many of them.

Six of The Saints, all men of average height and build, and identical pale, sickly complexions, I didn’t recognize. Then there was Dan, who was blood-spattered and grinning, and next to him, Dedrick, tall and terrible-looking, with a short, jet-black beard and eyes of a similar dark shade. Abbott, limp and bloodied from the top of his head to the tips of his boots, was slung over Dedrick’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The sight just about cracked my heart in two.

Immediately, Dedrick slammed Abbott to the roof, the force of the impact causing a tremor beneath my feet. “Get up! Get up, you filthy, Darkness Coven scum! At least make some attempt to fight like a man!”

The very sound of Dedrick’s deep, gravelly voice made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t believe I’d ever trusted him. I momentarily hated myself for it.

In response to Dedrick’s commands, Abbott barely stirred, groaning. Knowing it might only be seconds before Dedrick stabbed and then decapitated him, I decided to make my move. Trembling, I took a deep breath. But before I could spring out and begin shooting beams of light at The Saints, something curious happened. Though maybe
remarkable
would have been a better word. Or
thrilling
.

On his back, just kind of feebly writhing around, Abbott suddenly drew one muscular leg back, paused for just a split-second, and then kicked Dedrick right in the shins. Which maybe wouldn’t have been
that
remarkable, though certainly heroic, considering how badly injured Abbott appeared. But what was stunningly remarkable was that Dedrick literally went flying from the force of Abbott’s kick. And flying so fast and with so much backward velocity that it seemed as if he had some massive, tight metal spring attached to his back, and it had yanked him off the roof at warp speed. But, I’d seen with my own eyes that it had only been Abbott’s kick.

As Dedrick soared backward, above the apartment building, Abbott kicked another Saint, sending him soaring away as well. He then immediately leaped to his feet with a growl, raking a hand over his eyes as he did so, clearing away blood that was probably obscuring his vision.

As hope swelled in my heart, I silently willed Abbott to keep on fighting.
I know you can do it.

But the remaining Saints, along with Dan, were all attacking him now. Fists and feet flying, moving so fast they were almost a blur, his six opponents were punching, kicking, and slashing at him. One of the Saints had bared his teeth and elongated his fangs, and he was now trying to get at Abbott’s throat, presumably to bite it out.

Abbott was fighting back, though, and not just holding his own, but appearing to be doing some real damage. Seeming suddenly possessed by some rush of incredible strength, he grabbed one of The Saints by the collar and head-butted him so hard that the sound was like a bat connecting with a baseball. Immediately, blood poured from a wound on this vampire’s forehead, and he slumped to the ground just in time for Abbott to turn to another Saint who was charging his way again after being shoved away.

For a while, I just watched the “show,” as Dan had said it would be. I was sure he hadn’t expected this particular kind of show, though, because this was clearly the Abbott show. It didn’t seem that my light-shooting power would be needed at all.

But before long, Noah joined the scene, clearly shocked when he surveyed what was happening and saw Abbott not only alive and standing, but quite obviously kicking ass. Taking advantage of Noah’s shock, Dan charged him and right away managed to knock him to the ground. The force of the impact shook the roof like an earthquake, and Noah went motionless. Dan was still moving with all speed, however, and within a blink, he had produced a knife and was drawing it back, looking like he was about to stab Noah through the heart. With Abbott very occupied with several Saints, I knew I had to shoot a beam of light, even though I knew that doing so would reveal that I was on the roof, putting me in danger. But with Noah’s life on the line, I didn’t feel like I had a choice.

Stepping out from behind the duct, I shot a beam of light that hit Dan right in the side of the head just as he was moving his knife in a downward arc toward Noah’s chest. Howling, he fell over, the sound and movement alerting the rest of The Saints, and Abbott, to my presence.

From that point on, everything became pure chaos. One of The Saints tried to charge at me, but Abbott got to him first and body-slammed him onto the roof, causing the roof to shake and rumble again, as if from an earthquake. I was pretty sure I even felt the building sway a bit, a split-second before the roof began falling into the floor below with a sound of screeching metal as loud as two freight trains colliding. I screamed, but I couldn’t even hear the sound myself above the other noise.

The light gray surface beneath my feet disappeared, and I felt myself falling through thin air for a second or two before I was caught in strong arms. Though my eyes were squeezed shut, I didn’t even need to open them to see who’d caught me; I already knew who had. I could tell by the feel of his strength, and the smell of his masculine, woodsy scent.

Abbott began carrying me off somewhere with lightning-fast speed. Even with my eyes still closed, I could just sense him practically flying. Immediately, the sounds of fighting, and shouting, and twisting metal receded, and I tried to open my eyes but found I was too dizzy for some reason.

With a low, soothing voice, Abbott whispered near my ear. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Within seconds, I found myself back in my bedroom, which I identified by the scent of lavender-vanilla linen spray I’d just spritzed on my sheets that morning. Once Abbott had placed me in my bed, I finally managed to open my eyes, though I was still dizzy, and becoming incredibly so.

“Abbott? Please go help Noah and everyone else in the city who needs it, and then please come back to me. The room is kind of spinning.”