The Vampires' Birthright (25 page)

“You’ll be glad you did this. Remember, we all feel the same about it… that it will bring peace and closure so your heart can move on…”

awoke on my own at 9:52 a.m. For a moment, I thought it was still dark outside. But once I saw the dimly illuminated crisscrossing steel beams above us through the windows on either side of the passenger cabin, I remembered that Kazikli and Chanson had told me the plane would be moved inside a nearby hangar until we were ready to resume our trip around the world.

The overhead lights remained on inside the passenger cabin, and my first priority was to check on Alaia. She was already awake. Smiling as she lay inside a Moses basket, an adorable pink outfit with ruffles had been set out for her on the chair nearby. A slight hyacinth scent clung to the fabric, and I realized Nora was the one to do this. I smiled at the tenderness shown to my baby girl.

The plane felt deserted. Although I knew my companions were fast asleep in the room next to the passenger cabin, it seemed like all of Racco’s staff had left the airplane. I listened intently, and all I could hear was my child’s breathing and her soft coos.

We were definitely on our own―at least until dusk, unless the staff returned early.

I played with Alaia until shortly after ten o’clock, and then when my stomach began to rumble, I realized neither she nor I were likely to get fed until we left the plane. I carried her down the aisle toward the bathroom, pausing long enough to steal a peek at the row of expensive caskets I recognized from my brief stay in China months ago.

I went into the bathroom to start getting ready and saw a note taped to the mirror. Well, first I saw how bad my makeup had smudged since yesterday, along with the destruction of Yangani’s efforts to create a lasting hairstyle from the previous afternoon. The note was from Chanson, reminding me about the outfit I was to wear that day along with my makeup, and that everything was waiting for me next to the vanity. She also gave me instructions on how to avoid tumbling down the portable stairs when I exited the plane with Alaia, as well as what doorway to go through in order to meet our limousine. After adamantly reminding me to be outside the hangar door and ready for the limo no later than 11:30 a.m., her last instructions were to make sure that Alaia and I were back inside the hangar by seven o’clock that night at the latest. Beneath her signature was a curious ‘P.S.’ It read: “Enjoy your date.”

“What in the hell is she talking about, Alaia?” I said. I bathed and then dressed her in the precious outfit. She looked like a princess in waiting, and seemed almost as intrigued as I was, kicking her legs and waving her tiny arms while she smiled.

It’s moments like these that make me feel as if I could live through anything and be happy. Just as long as the unconditional love of my daughter remains that way.

“Mommy’s gonna take a quick shower and get ready to take you someplace special today.”

The water was a little cool, which helped me stay on a mission to get ready quickly. I planned to look for something for my baby girl to eat in the plane’s kitchen area before leaving. After I dried my hair, I was only slightly surprised at the summer pantsuit picked out for me. Anne Klein. Not the most expensive thing on the rack, which actually suited me better. The light burgundy top and beige pants were a closer fit for my personality than the crazy-expensive stuff that the vampires seemed to prefer. Even the low heel Hinkles looked great, and this entire outfit still worked well with the expensive handbag from Nora. But it wasn’t your typical ‘date’ thing, which only added to my intrigue about whom I’d be meeting with that afternoon.

Once I finished my makeup, we still had almost half an hour before our eleven-thirty deadline. That left plenty of time to look for something for my baby. Almost everything was locked up in the kitchen area, except for a small cooler compartment with a bottle of formula already made. I heated it up in the bottle warmer and tested it on my wrist and laughed having the new mom thought that my perfume these days is more often either spit up or formula, and decided that the pantsuit was definitely probably a good idea.

While feeding her, I turned on a small television set in the kitchen, wondering why there wasn’t a TV of some sort in the passenger cabin. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it until that moment, and I couldn’t believe the subject never came up during our flight. Maybe this was another trick of Kazikli, to make sure this rendezvous with whomever I was supposed to meet went without a hitch. Lord knows the trick of making me fall asleep worked like a charm. I felt fine, with no ill effects from crossing two continents and the Atlantic Ocean to get to Nashville. But it seemed a little odd that no one was interested in the latest news going on, both locally and throughout the world.

My hunger was beginning to gnaw and my stomach growled. I was more than a little curious as to who my mystery date could be and then it hit me… like a ton of bricks… in the face.

Peter?

It couldn’t be. Peter had gone back to school in Knoxville. That’s what everyone told me that he’d do. That’s why he was sent back to America from France right after he fathered Alaia.

This made complete sense, and I felt like such an idiot for not considering it earlier. Granted, jetlagged crazy sleep could make anyone not think straight. Not to mention I had no idea I was coming back to Tennessee until it actually happened.

So, lunch was going to be with Peter and someplace in Nashville. A limousine was picking me up at 11:30, and this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce father to daughter.

The images on the television screen forced me to forget everything for a moment. It was a news report talking about the President of the United States and his latest address to the nation concerning the ongoing martial law. The report said it would continue indefinitely until the ‘Chupacabra Menace’ had been contained. As the reporter droned on about the danger of these poor infected individuals, I zoned out for a moment. That they were calling them Chupacabras made me think that
someone
from our side was working with either the press or the government. Maybe both. That had to be good, right? That must have been what Kazikli was talking about before when he talked about the governments helping out. My attention was drawn back to the screen when a graph popped up showing nearly seventy thousand people had been killed worldwide since last November. Nearly one third of the deaths coming from the U.S.A. The carnage was staggering.

“No fucking way…”
I whispered in utter disbelief and dismay.

Images of trucks loaded with soldiers and tanks rolling through residential streets in Boston and New York paraded across the screen, and in the foreground was a soldier carrying an assault rifle. For a moment, I was hopeful that places like Richmond and Nashville had been spared, but the report went on to mention the additional deployment of troops from the National Guard and even the Army Reserve in every American city numbering over ten thousand residents. Not only that, but the mandatory seven o’clock curfew mentioned by Chanson was reinforced on the TV screen.

I was so lost in watching this shit that I lost track of the time. When I finally glanced up at the clock on the wall, it was already 11:26, which only gave me a few minutes to get us out of the plane and across the hangar to our appointed meeting spot with the limousine.

In my rush, I almost forgot Chanson’s warnings, and she was right; it was treacherous heading out of the plane and I almost did tumble down the steps. But, I somehow managed not to break my neck or my little girl’s. From there, I hoofed it as fast as I could to the hangar door. Luckily, enough sunlight crept in through the high windows to illuminate my path clearly enough.

A white stretch limousine, much larger than needed for a single mom and her baby in a basket, idled outside the door. A man, eyes shaded by mirrored sunglasses, stood beside it wearing a suit and a driver’s cap.

The bright sunshine made me squint and a thin sheen of sweat courtesy of the mid-south’s May humidity had me second-guessing the pantsuit. It occurred to me just how nocturnal I was becoming myself.

“Txema?” asked the driver.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“She’s absolutely stunning, just like her mom,” he said, motioning to Alaia. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the middle door and motioned for me to climb inside. “My name’s Mitch, and obviously I’m your driver today. You’ll want to strap your baby into the car seat. It’s fairly easy to use, but if you need my help, I’ll gladly show you how it’s done.”

“I believe I can handle it just fine.” I slid past him and gently set the basket in the car before climbing in after it.

He waited politely for me to secure my baby in her car seat, staying on hand in case I ended up needing help after all. Fortunately, I have a niece that I baby-sat in high school, so finding my way around any standard car seat was a snap. I efficiently moved Alaia to her seat and strapped her in, and then fastened my own seatbelt. I offered Mitch a smug smile. It’s so nice to be able to do things for myself sometimes. “Got it done,” I added to let him know we could get going.

“When I spoke to your friend Nora early this morning, she said y’all were going to the Cascades Restaurant at the Opryland Hotel,” he said, as he prepared to shut our door. “Have you ever been there before?”

“No, I haven’t.” I was ready to get this show on the road. “First time to Nashville for me and my baby.”

“Now that I think of it, that’s also what Nora said. Well, I’ll get you there right away.” He closed the door, but reopened it a second later. “Sorry about this, but do you have your passport with you? I don’t need it, but the soldiers at the airport exit will want to see some sort of ID. Nora told me that you don’t have your driver’s license with you, so the passport will do. You’ll also need it to get through security at the hotel.”

“I’ve got it right here,” I said, fishing through my purse, and trying not to feel panicked when I didn’t see it at first. Nora had stashed it inside a hidden compartment for safekeeping. I showed it to him, and then he finally closed the door.

“We should arrive at the hotel in about twenty minutes, if there ain’t a line waiting to get out of here,” said Mitch, once he returned to the driver’s seat.

I could tell he really wanted to strike up a conversation with me, but I wasn’t comfortable doing it. I’m rarely one to bullshit with someone else, and I usually speak my mind plainly. I couldn’t really talk about current events with him, which would be an awkward conversation in its own right.
Oh, really? Vampires attacking? Since when? Yeah, I kind of have been living under a rock. Mostly because I was hiding from those vampires because they were kind of looking for me. Oh, they killed your aunt? Yeah, really sorry about that Mitch.

Mitch glanced back at me after a slight snicker escaped my mouth. I avoided his mirrored eyes and looked down at my baby girl. Although so young, I had the queer feeling she was somehow listening to the odd assortment of thoughts rolling around in my head. Her mirthful expression that was years beyond her tender age told me as much. Or maybe she was just a happy baby.