Darkness Falls (36 page)

Swallowing thickly, he looked at Malorie with desolate, guilty eyes. “I staked your mother that night.”

Malorie gasped softly but didn’t say anything, letting her father speak without interruption. “I thought, I
hoped
, I could reason with her but she attacked my men and I had no choice. She didn’t even recognize me, Malorie, even when I let her get close enough to slash me with her talons. She recoiled in disgust when she touched me and I staked her.”

“They don’t like our blood,” Malorie said lamely, not knowing what else to say. She felt cruel for not caring more about her mother but she was more concerned about the outcome of that night, her brother. At her father’s blank expression, she clarified her comment, “Vampires don’t like our blood, father, it repulses them. Yet if they drink enough….”

“Malorie?” Gus said as she trailed off. At her look, he arched an eyebrow, which looked even more intimidating in his gaunt face. “Yet if they drink enough… what?”

“If they drink enough of our blood, they change back. No, that’s not quite true. If they drink enough of our blood, they become Breeders,” she muttered, looking down at Tari who was still mindlessly drinking. Giving a little tug, she felt the resistance as Tari held tight so she sighed and relaxed. The woman could drink plenty more before it became an issue. Meeting her father’s eyes, she continued, “I know this because Jack….”

“Jack was a vampire?” he gasped, his eyes widening in horror. Of course, he hadn’t known Jack had become a vampire or how he had almost drained her dry and killed her. At her nod, he shook his head, “God, I am so sorry.”

“They’re testing my blood to see how much is needed to neutralize a vamp or possibly even cure it,” she offered with a shrug instead of dwelling on Jack. “There are plenty of vamps still out there even though Feryn has destroyed so many of them.”

A little gasp came from Tari but it didn’t slow her drinking, making Malorie smile. “Still, it will be nice to have another weapon to use against the blood suckers if or when they make a comeback.”

“Jesus,” he swore. “How much have you been through?”

“A lot,” she blurted before pressing her lips together to keep from saying anything more.

“I should have come back for you and Toby,” he groaned, anguish twisting his features. “But I thought you would hate me for falling in love with an Aradian since I’m the one who told you they were our enemies.”

“And I thought you would hate me for the same reason.”

“Yet you kept looking for me,” he said mournfully. Guilt and remorse flooded his eyes and she knew that he was beyond exhausted to let so much emotion show. In that moment, she was grateful to see that he
did
care. “You said you risked everything for my… son. What did you do?”

“I gave him his freedom,” she said simply. “He’s with someone I trust and he’s safe and that’s all I can say.”

“But at what cost?”

Capturing her lower lip between her teeth, she looked at Tari to keep from seeing the concern in her father’s gray eyes. “Feryn is avoiding me as much as possible. He even tried to remove his mark but I didn’t let him.”

This time, Tari pulled her teeth from Malorie’s arm, her lips parting in surprise, “Feryn doesn’t avoid anything or anyone. He faces adversity head on.”

“Yeah, well, he’s avoiding me,” Malorie repeated glumly, her thoughts swirling in her head: Feryn, Varick, Toby, Jack. Nodding her head to her arm, she asked, “Are you still hungry?”

“Ravenous,” the Aradian growled, sinking her teeth once more into Malorie’s flesh.

With a chuckle, Malorie turned to her father, “I see why you’re so drained.”

“Malorie,” he slurred, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

“Get some sleep and we’ll talk after you wake up,” she murmured gently. There was so much to tell him, about Taella and the vampire attack and Toby and Varick but he was already asleep. With a soft chuckle, she looked down at Tari and they shared a matching grin, even as the Aradian managed to do it with her teeth in Malorie’s wrist.

After a few minutes of continuous sucking, Tari finally pulled her teeth free and looked at Malorie in wonder. Pressing one of her hands against her stomach, she breathed, “Something has changed.”

Feeling woozy from blood loss, Mal stared at the Aradian as Tari kept eying the little droplets of blood and licking her lips, Malorie asked, “Do you need more?”

Without answering, Tari sank her teeth into an unmarred patch of Malorie’s skin, her eyes closing in ecstasy. Malorie sank further into the couch and closed her eyes, letting the Aradian take her fill, knowing that she’d stop the woman if it got to be too much.

With her eyes closed, she felt herself drifting in the world between sleep and wakefulness. A slight smile curved her lips as Feryn’s scent wrapped itself around her and she sank into his phantom embrace. All of the problems between them disappeared when her eyes were closed and it was just the two of them in her head, bound together forever. Whether he freaking liked it or not.

The next thing she knew, her arm felt like it was being torn open as Tari was shoved out of the way and strong arms were wrapped around her. A mouth was hot against her wrist and it sent shivers through her body as a tongue moved over the bite marks. Frantic hands were pushing her hair out of her face as a low, desperate voice growled, “Malorie, my love, open your eyes!”

Slowly, she blinked and found herself staring into the beautiful green, panicked depths of Feryn’s eyes. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and offered a bewildered smile, “What are you doing here?”

“I felt your pulse weakening and I thought you were in danger,” he rasped, running his hands over her face, his eyes taking in her appearance. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t the only one in the room. In that moment, she knew that nothing else mattered to him but her safety and she loved him a little more. There
was
hope that they could work through their differences. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, ridiculously happy that he was there and she couldn’t prevent the smile that curved her lips. She was barely aware of the cushions shifting as her father got off the couch and she simply stared at her mate.

“How did you get in here? We’ve warded the place against Aradian travel,” Gus asked from the floor. Looking past Feryn, Malorie saw that her father’s arms were wrapped around Tari as she stared at Feryn in horror while a ripple of pain moved over her face.

“I go where my mate goes,” Feryn growled as he continued examining Malorie. “What do you think you were doing, letting an Aradian feed from you? You know that it can’t be good for our baby!”

“Malorie!” Gus ground out in a deceptively calm voice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Oh, please,” Malorie scoffed, holding Feryn’s eyes as she spoke to her father. “As if you can say anything. You knocked up an Aradian.”

Her words and her calmness seemed to penetrate Feryn’s frenzied brain as he sat back to look around. Tari was now holding her stomach and panting like mad, something Malorie instantly recognized as one mother to another. Sliding out from beneath Feryn’s arms, she kneeled on the floor and took Tari’s hand in hers, “Dad, the baby’s coming.”

Despite the terror that she knew was flowing freely through her father, Gus remained outwardly calm, nodding his head as he took charge. Propping a pillow beneath Tari’s head, he looked at Feryn and said firmly, “I need hot water and some towels, a pair of sterilized scissors and no questions until we get this child out.”

Stunned, Feryn stood and did as he was asked while Malorie continued to hold Tari’s hand and helped her with her breathing. “Look at me, Tari. Concentrate on breathing.”

By the time Feryn returned, Tari was stripped from the waist down and a blanket was draped over her spread legs and she was screaming obscenities at Gus for doing that to her. Gus calmly took it all as he measured the progress of their child, grimacing every time Tari cried out in pain.

Malorie looked up and offered a smile to Feryn before she noticed he was absurdly pale. Holding out her free hand, she whispered, “Come sit with me, Feryn.”

Woodenly, he crossed the room and sat behind her, his breath thundering in and out of his chest. Reaching behind her with her free hand, she wrapped it around his cold fingers and squeezed, glancing over her shoulder at him. Pursing her lips, she blew out short puffs of breaths to help him breathe. His stiff body relaxed and he smiled uneasily and she smiled back even though his skin was still pale. With one last look to make sure he was okay, she turned back to Tari, trying to keep the Aradian breathing through the pain.

Within minutes, Tari’s face was beet red as she pushed and Malorie feared she’d never have feeling in her hand again as Tari squeezed even harder. Without saying a word, Feryn eased his hand between hers and the Aradians, taking the brunt of the pain and leaving Malorie free to wipe the sweat from Tari’s brow and to assist her father.

Feryn was still too pale but he murmured encouraging words to Tari, ignoring the threats and curses coming from her mouth, some of which were very colorful. “I’m going to twist your penis into knots and wear it around my neck, Gustav, because I am never going through this again! May your balls shrivel up and die a horrible, painful death and once they’re the size of raisins I’ll cut them off and bury them in the yard and grow a testicle tree and I will burn every testicle that grows!

“How has the human race not died out before now?” she screamed, her violet eyes focusing on Malorie in a combination of fury and accusation. “Why would you allow a man between your legs when this is the result?”

“Um, sex is really enjoyable,” Malorie blurted as she met Feryn’s eyes before a subtle
ahem
reminded her that her father was sitting right there. Her cheeks reddened as she turned her head and saw his grim expression and it was enough to make her feel like an idiot. Except he wasn’t looking at her; his attention was fully on Tari. Ignoring the embarrassment, Malorie looked down at the blood pooling on the floor and bit back her gasp of dismay. Scurrying down next to her father, drawing a cool rag across his forehead, she murmured, “What do you need me to do?”

He shook his head, speaking in an undertone that the Aradians wouldn’t hear, “There’s too much blood. There shouldn’t be this much blood.”

“She’s not human,” she reminded him. “And an Aradian female has never given birth so maybe this is normal.”

He swallowed thickly, his eyes glazing over as he stared at the feisty woman lying on the floor with her legs spread wide and blood seeping from between her thighs. Her large belly rippled as the baby struggled to escape. “It’s too much blood.”

Damn it, he was going into shock. Nudging her father out of the way, she whispered, “Go wash up and then come back and comfort your mate.”

Blankly, he turned his head and looked at her, as if just realizing she was there. “I don’t know what to do, Malorie.”

“Go get cleaned up,” she repeated. “I’ve got this.”

Putting her fingers where she never expected to put her fingers, she checked the baby’s progress, surprised to find the head already crowning. Tari was displaying no signs of blood loss, keeping up a continuous stream of invectives, almost all of them aimed at Gus. Her color was also normal, if not a little heightened. As Malorie moved in to help, Tari tried to clamp her legs shut, trapping Mal with her hands on the baby’s head.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tari asked in a low, deadly growl.

Malorie froze, holding Tari’s violet eyes, watching as the purple irises swirled with power. If she said the wrong thing, she could be thrust into another dimension and there’d be no one there able to help deliver the impossible baby. “Tari, I’m just easing the baby out.”

The color deepened and Malorie could feel the air shimmer around her. Holding Tari’s eyes, she murmured, “Feryn, she’s freaking out. Do something to calm her.”

Pulling his hand free, he clasped Tari on either side of her head and forced the laboring woman to meet his eyes, “Focus, Tarialeis. Focus. You are the first among our kind to experience labor and birth, you must be strong.”

Her violet eyes narrowed dangerously at Feryn’s well-intentioned but not well-timed pep talk. Malorie cried out, “Father! You’re her mate. Make her hear you.”

Gently, Gustav slid his hands beneath Feryn’s and turned Tari to meet his eyes. “Sweetie, Tari my love, look at me.”

Tari blinked, focusing her eyes on Gus. Distracted or lost in her agony, Tari didn’t even flinch when Malorie pulled the baby out with a quiet breath of relief. With quick, efficient movements, she wrapped the baby in a towel and smiled, “Father, I have another brother…. Crap, she’s still bleeding.”

Handing the baby to Feryn, she grabbed some towels to try to stop the watery blood that was now gushing out. In the background, she could hear her father trying to reason with Tari who showed no signs of weakening but it barely registered because she had to staunch the blood.

“Malorie,” Feryn’s calm voice penetrated her panicked brain. “It’s not Tari’s blood.”

Slowly turning her head, Malorie blinked her eyes and stared at Feryn. His lips were moving and it took a moment for his words to register. “It’s your blood and your father’s blood. It isn’t hers and it has to come out.”

“All of the blood she drank was for the baby,” she said dumbly, turning back to the mess on the floor. “That makes sense.”

Gently taking the baby back from Feryn, breathing in the newborn baby scent, Malorie scooted along the floor to Tari’s and her father’s sides. “Look, Tari, you have a son.”

Tari’s anger suddenly vanished as her eyes landed on the small bundle in Malorie’s arms. The little guy had strong lungs as he took a breath and wailed, making Malorie laugh. “A son?”

“And he’s perfect,” Malorie assured her, lowering the baby down to show Tari her child.

Tears filled the Aradians eyes as she ran a slender finger along the baby’s smooth cheek. Smiling up at Gustav as a tear spilled over, she rasped, “Look, Gustav.”

“He’s beautiful,” Gus said.

Malorie transferred the baby to her father’s arms, smiling at the new family. “Dad, take Tari and the baby to the bedroom while I clean up.”