Secret Worlds (332 page)

Valerie didn’t bother following me into the basement and I’m glad. I needed time to figure out exactly what options I had. The more I fiddled under the hood, the more I realized it was as much of a crapshoot as stepping off our property into the unprotected world.

The one thing mortality gave me was perspective.

My time was finite now and I wanted a long happy life with Naomi, and a hoard of children. The light flickered above me and I glanced up from the underside of the hood, catching the sway of the single bulb.

I leaned to the side, and caught her blank stare.

“What are you doing?” Naomi asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Tinkering.” I grabbed the hand cloth and wiped the grease off my fingers, stepping around the engine into full view.

“Why?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” I answered and tossed the rag onto the side of the engine block.

Worry bloomed in her eyes and I crossed the distance between us. I stopped and stared down into her upturned face, wondering how in the world I would survive without her. Instead of voicing my concerns, I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers in a soft kiss.

“What are you doing up at this hour?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I had a nightmare.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and shivered. “It seemed so real and when I woke up, you weren’t there.”

I knew what that was like. Our nightmares were a blend of the near death experiences and Lucifer’s promises. She sometimes woke screaming, trying to unwrap from the blanket like they were the beasts assaulting her. Those were the ones that made my blood boil. Even though Lucifer never made good on his promise to make her his whore, it still played havoc with both our minds. The rest of them involved seeing each other die in various excruciating ways. I didn’t know which flavor she had tonight and I really didn’t want to know. Not after the real-world news I’d been turning over in my head the last couple of hours.

“Sorry, babe,” I said and lead her back to the stairwell leading to the underground tunnel. I grabbed the flashlight before flipping the switch off on the overhead bulb. Drenched in darkness, I reached for her, finding her hand before flipping the flashlight on.

She didn’t speak as I led her back to the bedroom in the main house and I didn’t press her for details. We both still had nightmares and only the word was necessary.

“You died,” she said when we reached our room and I closed the door.

Naomi couldn’t shake that nightmare. She described it once, saying her blood left me like it had the other vampire and she crumbled, unable to fight Lucifer. It always ended with her scream of terror as he came for her.

I ran my palm over her cheek and pulled her to my chest. My nightmares didn’t end with her dying. In mine, I lived long enough for the sun to burn and Lucifer to ravage her before I turned to dust.

“It wasn’t the usual.”

Her tone surprised me and I searched the shadows of her gaze looking for insight but found none. I lifted my eyebrows waiting for her to enlighten me.

She shook her head. “Just go clean up and come to bed,” she said and who was I to argue.

After washing my hands and brushing my teeth, I stripped down to my boxers and climbed into the bed. Her back was to me and I curved around her, pulling her to my chest and planting a kiss on her shoulder.

“Are you all right?” I asked when silence blanketed the room.

I thought she had fallen asleep, but she shifted and sighed.

“I’m not sure.”

I waited, knowing if I pushed her, she’d just clam up until she was ready. Finally, when she didn’t continue, I propped myself up on my elbow and leaned over her, getting a glimpse of her face in the splintered moonlight. The glistening paths on her cheeks gave me a start.

“Are you crying?”

Naomi met my gaze and the gloss filling her eyes confirmed my question and tugged at my heart.

“Babe, it was only a nightmare.”

In a flash, her arms encircled my neck and she pulled me down into her grasp.

“I lost everything,” she whispered.

I held her tight, whispering, “shhh.” until the quakes rocking her form settled.

“Naomi,” I said when she stopped shaking. She peeled away and stared into my eyes. “I’m not planning on dying any time soon,” I added when I had her full attention.

“Sometimes planning and reality don’t meet,” she said and sniffled.

“Neither one of us is clairvoyant,” I pointed out.

She wiped her eyes and nodded. “I know, it’s just... it was disturbing.”

Her trembling lips propelled me forward and I covered them with mine, tasting the soft saltiness of tears mingling with her natural sweetness and I sighed, breaking the kiss. She palmed my cheek and attempted to smile. It didn’t work quite as well as she might have thought, but I let it go. I really didn’t want to hear about whatever nightmarish horror she could dream up.

Instead, I snuggled down into my pillow, pulled her back into the spoon position, and ran my fingers slowly through her hair. It wasn’t long before she dropped into dreamland and her chest started the soft rise and fall of sleep.

I woke facing away from the window and my gaze landed on the sunlight painting the walls with the outline of the windowpanes standing out like giant Braille relief map. Instead of the usual freak out, I sighed and studied the patterns that so many take for granted.

The door to the bathroom opened and I rolled onto my back, looking down beyond the foot of the bed at Naomi. Her hair glistened in the morning sun and the soft smile on her lips created a heat through my entire form. I sat up, returning her smile.

“Valerie is taking me to the doctor. Did you want to come?”

My smile faded. Neither of us had left the safety of the property since the battle with Lucifer and just the thought left me chilled. All the
what-ifs
hit and I stared at her. Instead of voicing the shit flinging in my head, I gave her a nod and threw the blankets aside. Any hope I had of morning sex went out the window and I headed for the bathroom, catching a quick kiss on my way by.

If she was nervous about leaving, I couldn’t tell, but that’s par for the course. She could hide her nerves better than I could. Yesterday was one of the first times I had ever seen her hesitant about anything. Naomi usually barrels along without much of a thought to her mortality. It’s both refreshing and frustrating, and one of the many reasons I love her.

The warm water of the shower didn’t quell the chill in my bones either and I wondered if we could get someone to come here instead of venturing out. Sure, I had gone to the garage, but that place is almost as secure as this one. The only saving grace was it was bright and sunny, so the monsters that hunted at night wouldn’t be on the prowl.

That left demons.

I hate demons. Those crazy fucks didn’t have any sort of moral code. They plundered, tortured and killed with glee.

By the time I stepped into the living room, I had worked myself up into a foul mood.

“What time is your appointment?” I asked with a clip in my voice that turned both women’s heads.

“What crawled up your ass?” Valerie shot back.

I leveled a glare in her direction. “We haven’t left the house since...” I stopped, pressing my lips together and shifting my stance. I knew Valerie’s motives were purely to make sure Naomi was okay, but I don’t think she considered what could happen on the outside.

“I’ve been coming to and from without incident.”

She had a point. Even with Uncle Ted off on vacation, no one bothered her. I nodded and met Naomi’s gaze. “What if demons are watching the place? We have to be prepared for the worst.”

That annoyed crease appeared between her eyes and her arms crossed. She didn’t need to speak to broadcast her irritation, but underneath the fire burning in her gaze, I saw the first hint of hesitation.

“How does one prepare for a demon attack?” she asked, opting for the snarky sarcasm that always steeled my nerves.

I shrugged. “I used to be able to smell them coming.” My hands found their way into my pockets and I dropped my gaze.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

My gaze snapped to hers and I bit back my comment. There was no way in hell I was going to let her go without me. I turned to Valerie.

“Do you have your uncle’s pistol?”

“You don’t have a permit to conceal and carry. Besides, the hospital frowns upon firearms on the premise unless you’re a police officer,” she said.

I just stared at her because anything that came out of my mouth would have turned into a rant. Instead, I just nodded and clenched my jaw. “Fine,” I uttered after her challenging stare down.

Valerie crossed into the kitchen and opened a drawer. It slammed closed and she stepped back into my line of sight tossing something in my direction. I caught the small pouch and stared at the potpourri wrapped in sheer webbing. “There’s already one in her pocketbook. Put it in your coat pocket and whatever badass is in the neighborhood leaves you alone.”

“What the hell is this?” I snapped.

“It masks the scent of our bloodline.”

“How?” I asked, this time with more patience, bringing the bag up to my nose to take a whiff. I pulled it away fast but the sickly sweet stench hung on the air making my eyes water.

“Michael gave them to me.”

“He had a way to... hide you from...” I trailed off, looking at the small package again. The scent was repulsive, yet familiar. I blinked and the origin of that smell slammed into my brain, making my gaze snap back to Valerie. “With demon blood?”

Both Naomi and Valerie blanched at the revelation. Naomi even moved her purse farther away from her body in an unconscious reflex of disgust.

“It works,” Valerie said.

I didn’t want the thing to touch me and I put it in the side pocket of my jacket, zipping it almost the entire way closed. Wiping my hands on my jeans, I gave a nod. “So what time is her appointment?” I asked again, but this time without the edge.

***

Valerie drove with Naomi and me crammed in the small back seat of the truck. The tiny side windows were tinted and the back had a stencil of the American Flag blocking the window, so we were virtually invisible to the outside traffic. Even so, I still tensed when we got into a more populated area.

The half glances toward the truck had more to do with the rumbling engine than the occupants, and by the time we drove into the medical center in Torrington, I had relaxed enough to let my guard down. The moment the truck shut off, the nerves jumped into action.

Valerie stepped out of the truck and pushed the seat down for us to exit. I got out and my gaze bounced around the quiet parking lot before I turned and helped Naomi out of the cab. I felt like a secret service agent protecting the President in a crowd, my gaze couldn’t move fast enough over the black top and cars, looking for threats. By the time we got to the door, I was wrapped so tight I almost attacked an old woman who pushed open the doors on her way out of the office building.

Valerie and Naomi gave me that shocked expression that I was used to and I let out a small laugh. I knew my strength and speed was superior to most humans, but if we encountered a demon, I would only be as effective as a fly swatter.

In the waiting room, I sat next to Naomi and my leg bounced in nervous anticipation. My back was safe against a wall, but the office had a half dozen other women in attendance and just the proximity to anything remotely dangerous left me on edge.

Naomi placed her hand on my knee and I turned meeting her gaze.

“Everything will be okay,” she whispered pushing down until my leg stopped moving.

I covered her hand with mine and gave it a squeeze, exhaling and offering a tight smile. It was a long half hour wait.

“Anna Andreas?” the nurse asked.

Naomi didn’t respond at first, but I gave her hand a squeeze and nodded toward the nurse.

“Oh,” she mumbled and collected her purse. She gave Valerie a quick glance and stood. I followed suit and the nurse gave me that high browed what do you think you’re doing glare.

“It’s okay if my husband comes in with me, right?” Naomi asked when she caught the nurse’s less than subtle glare.

The nurse dropped her gaze to Naomi’s and it softened. She nodded, but when it drifted back in my direction, the hard lines filled in around her mouth. When Naomi disappeared into the bathroom, I started nibbling on my nail, waiting for her to return. The nurse waited patiently, but ignored me long enough for my nerve endings to tingle.

“I guess you see a lot of nervous husbands,” I finally said to break the ice but the look she sent my way chilled me further. There would be no ice breaking with this one. I peeled off my coat and hung it on the chair, crossing to the window. I did a quick scan of the asphalt view.

“How old are you anyway,” the nurse asked and I glanced over my shoulder.

When she asked my age I caught my smirk in the reflection of the glass and wondered how she’d react if I told her my real age. Instead, I turned, meeting her gaze. “I’m twenty-five.”

“Pft. You shouldn’t be thinking about a family yet. Get established first,” she scoffed at me but at least the hostility was waning.

I glanced at my coat. Maybe it was the sachet that made her act like the ice princess and the minute I took my jacket off and put some distance between me and my coat, she thawed. “We’re good,” I said and crossed my arms, leaning on the windowsill and waiting for Naomi.

“Do you realize just how much raising a child costs?” she chided.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m aware,” I said. “I’m also aware of what the projections for college are,” I added for good measure, punctuating it with a smile.

Her frown eased and she gave me a nod just as the door opened and Naomi stepped inside, handing her a cup of urine.

“The doctor will be with you in a moment,” the nurse said and stepped out with the offering.

Naomi took a seat and I stepped to her side, taking her hand in mine.

“I think those things Valerie gave us make normal people hostile,” I whispered. “Either that, or the nurse needs lessons in bedside manners.”