Expecting Eternity (Vamp Life #2) (5 page)

At first I wasn’t dancing with anyone in particular.  The music was just pumping me into a wild fury.  Suddenly, I was dancing between two p
artners.  Marcus was pressed against me from the front.  I remember smiling as my hands traced over his biceps.  His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine.  Then, another pair of hands found my moving hips from behind. 

“
Evelina, why do you toy with the human when you know you’re mine?”  The familiar accent seduced me.  “First love never dies.”  Antonio spun me around to face him, pulling my face to his to kiss me passionately. 

In a blur of motion, both men hands were on my body and I was spun around again.  Marc grabbed a handful of my ass ben
eath my short skirt, jerking me to him with aggression.  “Why do you linger on the past when I know you’re happier than you’ve ever been?”  He nudged my head to the side as his lips found my neck.  I thought he was going to bite me, that he’d become a vampire as well.

The scene changed and I was pinned facing up against a wall. The winner was claiming me as his prize
with the rough motions of his hips.  Try as I might, I couldn’t tell which man was making love to me.  A distorted voice whispered into my ear.  “The child is mine.”  My hand fell down against my stomach, but it was flat. 

Gasping for air, I sat up straight in the bed.  I was hot and I was sweating.  Again, my hand immediately went to my belly. 
Just a dream.  My gaze went to Marc who was still fast asleep.  Quietly, I slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom.  The cold water was refreshing as I splashed it on my face. 

The dream had made me angry.  I’d made my decision and married Marcus.  Why was Antonio still
taunting me in my sleep?  Then it hit me.  Every time I had guilt weighing on my mind, the dreams started.  The dream wasn’t about who I loved.  It was about the father of my child.  Unfortunately, dreams rarely got me any closer to the right answers.

Marcus had requested the morning off to join me at the doctor.  He had worked his way up to the lead motorcycle mechanic in a short time and he hadn’t requested any time off before.  Ashley and Fate were taking care of things at the veterinary clinic.  There was nothing major on the schedule for the early hours.

I was still dwelling on the dream from the night before as we sat in the waiting room.  A good rest was becoming elusive.  Perhaps, Marc was right and I should take it easy, I thought.  He was making enough money to c
over the bills but just barely.  My job distracted me from the worries going on in my life and I felt like I made a difference in the world doing it.  So, I decided it probably wouldn’t help to take any time away.

The sound of a laughter erupted from a child nearby and I looked over.  My husband had been making goofy faces at the boy.  I
found myself smiling.  It was a waste of energy to worry so much. 

“So, what do you honestly want it to be?” 
I asked the jester of the waiting room.

Marc
gave a shrug.  “Don’t matter.  I told you before.  Though, a girl will probably be more trouble.  Like her mother.”

“Oh, whatever.”
  It was true, but I figured I had to argue the fact and defend myself.

“
Evelyn Hart.”  The call to come back interrupted any further debate.  It was time.  We’d been waiting for at least an hour to be called back.  “Let’s get your weight and blood pressure then we’ll hopefully find out what the bundle of joy is!”  The woman’s overly bubbly attitude made me uneasy.  I wondered if I was some sort of freak.  Shouldn’t I be happy and excited about finding out?

I stepped on the scale reluctantly as Marc stood
back with crossed arms.  His impatience was contagious.

“Well, your weight is a little higher than normal, but it’s nothing to worry about.”  The nurse said as she recorded the information.

Great…she was calling me fat.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marcus crack a grin.  Hilarious, really…I rolled my eyes as she took my blood pressure.

She led us down a short hallway and into the ultrasound room.  “The doctor will be in shortly.”

“Thanks.”  I said and we were alone, once again waiting.  I really hated going to the doctor.  How can an appointment be set and it take as much as two hours to be seen?

“I told you not to eat that extra piece of cake.”  Marc was in a joking mood, but he should have known better than to go there by now.

My teeth clenched slightly before I spoke.  “The baby was hungry.”

His laughter made it hard to stay mad.  I closed my eyes.  The chair was ac
tually pretty comfortable.  The next thing I knew there was a brief knock and the doctor entered the room.  For a moment, I was confused on where I was, but I shook the doctor’s hand when he extended it to me.  Strange that I would fall asleep peacefully in the doctor’s office and not at home.

“Trouble sleeping at night?”  He asked with a smile.  “It’s not abnormal.”

“A little.” I conceded. 

The doctor nodde
d.  “Maybe you’ll rest easy after you know if the baby is a boy or girl.” 

Marcus piped up.  “I know I will.”  As if he
ever had trouble sleeping.

The assistant and the doctor set everything up and put the cold goo on my belly. 
“Alright.  He’s being cooperative.  How lucky.”

“So what is it?”  I asked.

“He….  He?  The doctor said he!  It’s a boy!”  Marc was out of his chair, looking closely at the screen. 

I followed the pointing of the doctor as he explained all the parts.  It was amazing looking at the little person. 
“He.”  I said simply, feeling more emotional than I had expected. 

They printed out a photo for us and answered Marcus’ questions before leaving us alone to get ready to leave.  I hadn’t said much.  I didn’t want to cry in front of people.
  If I spoke, I knew I’d lose control of the emotions. 

“What’s wrong?” 
Marc’s smile faded slowly.

I put my hand up to
my mouth, giving a small shake of my head.  “Nothing…he’s just….” And then it happened.  The flood gates let loose.  In my long, seemingly never ending life, I’d never loved anything more.  Until then, it hadn’t seemed real.  The disconnection I had been feeling was finally gone.

Marc
pulled my head against his chest, letting me cry.  “I know, love.  I know.”  I took the tissue he handed me and blew my nose.  He absolutely didn’t know, but I appreciated the comfort.

“Sorry.”  I gave a small laugh. 
“Stupid hormones.”

“Are you sure you want to go to work?” 

Briefly, I considered going home and climbing back into bed.  “No.  I have to show Ash and Fate the picture!”  I told him with genuine enthusiasm.

Marc
snickered.  “Alright, then.”

When we reached our car, I noticed a piece of paper underneath my windshield wiper. 

“Isn’t illegal to put advertisements
on people’s cars?”  I asked as I picked up the folded piece of paper and opened it up.

Marcus shrugged.  “
Dunno.”

The paper had letters cut out from various sources to spell out the
words,

Dangerous secrets.

“Evey?” 

I didn’t respond.  What did it mean?  Did someone know I was a vampire?  That my baby might be Antonio’s?  Or was it a warning?

“Evelyn!”  When Marc raised his voice, I looked up.  I frowned deeply and he came around to my side of the car to see the paper for himself.  “What kind of deranged bastard leaves a vague note on a pregnant woman’s car?”  He opened my door.  “Get in.”  I didn’t argue.  I couldn’t help but wonder if I was being watched.

“It’s probably just a joke or something.  Maybe it doesn’t even have anything to do with us.”

“I don’t know.  I’m reluctant to leave you alone now.  Do you have to go to work?”  Marcus was stealing glances at me as he drove.

Always…always something.
  “I won’t be alone at work.  Besides, you know I can take care of myself.”

He gave a scoff.  “Right….”

“I’ll call you if even the slightest thing seems odd.  Promise.”

“You better.”  His finger
s entwined with mine as he took my hand. 

It didn’t take long to reach the clinic.  I leaned over and gave Marc a kiss.  “Thanks for going with me to the doctor.  I love you.”

“Love you more, baby.  Pick you up at five.”  He watched me as I made my way to the door before driving off.

When I pushed open the door to the building, I was assaulted with the smell of blood. 
Fresh, human blood and in copious amount.  I turned back toward the street, but Marcus was already long gone.  It would have been smart to call him right at that moment, but I was concerned for my friends. 

I hadn’t carried my gun in a long time, but I did have a can of
pepper spray.  It was better than nothing so I pulled it out of my purse, holding it at the ready.

“Hello?” 

Yeah.  Probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done.  The jingling bell atop the entranceway would have already alerted everyone to my presence when I walked in. There was no response to my greeting so I followed the scent toward the operating room.  The door was slightly ajar.  When I looked down there was a trail of crimson fluid leading into the room. 

“Oh god….”  I tried to steady my arm in fro
nt of me as I held out my only weapon.  Then, I pushed the door open.  Ashley was slumped over in a sitting position on the floor with her head limply leaned forward.  I rushed across the room, falling to my knees in front of my best friend.  Frantically, I put my fingers on her wrist, searching for a pulse.  It was futile.  I knew her heart wasn’t beating before I crossed the room. So much blood….

Gently, I touched the wild mess of curls atop her head as tears streamed down my face.  There was nothing I could do for my friend. 
Her throat was slit.  I tore myself away.  Fate…she would have been there as well.  I pulled myself together as best I could to search for her. 

It didn’t take me long to find her.   One of the operating tables had a cloth thrown over top of it.  Fate was hiding underneath, rocking back and forth.  I waved my hand in front of her face, but she just kept staring in the direction of her dead mother.  She was completely unresponsive when I spoke to her.  I had to get her out of that room.  With a little tugging and urging, I was able to get her out from underneath the table.  Her arms
wrapped around me and she buried her face against my shirt, but she didn’t make a sound.  I led her outside of the building, sitting down on the sidewalk with her as I called 911.  Then I called Marcus.

“What’s up?”  He asked loudly before turning down the car radio. 

My lips trembled and I could hear the sirens already in the distance.  “Ash.  Someone killed her.” 

There was a loud squealing of tires and horns blaring
from the phone as he turned around.  “Did you call the police?”  He was trying to be calm. 

I’m not sure how he could understand anything I was saying through my sobs.  Somehow, I managed to tell him yes.  I think.  The smell of my friend’s blood was making me sick to the core.  I didn’t know how I would ever feed again. 

“I’ll be there soon.” 

I didn’t say anything else, but kept the phone up to my ear.  The police, ambulance, and Marcus arrived at a
bout the same time.

“You’ll have to stay back, sir.  This is a crime scene.”  The men putting up the yellow tape told him.  Fate and I were being led toward an ambulance.

“Fuck that, man.  She’s my wife.”  I saw him point in my direction just before he pushed by the man towards me.  Several of the people moved to hold him back, but their boss shook his head and they let him by.

I looked up at him as they were guiding Fate gently into the ambulance.  “This must be my fault.  Why would anyone hurt Ashley?”

One of the paramedics perked up, listening. 

“
Shh.  You’re in shock.”  He gave a small nod in greeting to the paramedic.  “Do you want to ride with Fate?”  Marcus looked me over, checking for any injuries.  “So long as you’re sure you aren’t hurt?” 

That’s what I had to do…pull myself together for Fate.  “She needs me.”  I wiped the tears from my face
for them to be instantly replaced by new ones.

“I’ll follow you to the hospital, okay?”  It seemed like he was talking slowly to me as if I were a child.  “Okay?”  He asked again and I nodded. 

“We’re ready to go, miss.”  The paramedic held the door open for me to climb inside. 

I looked toward Marc and he told me to go before walking back to our car.  The last thing I wanted was to leave him, but Ashley would have wanted me to take
care of her daughter.  I understood that better than ever since I’d had my first look at my own child.

The entire ride I held Fate’s hand.  They had given her a sedative
shortly after we climbed into the ambulance.  She had starting screaming at the top of her lungs.  Finally, she was sleeping.  I kept hoping that when she woke up, she wouldn’t remember seeing her mother murdered.