Light shone brightly through the windows the next morning, alerting me to the start of a new day. Suddenly, the events of the night before came rushing into my mind. Leila was already up and Jase was out of his crib. He must have woken up and she didn’t wake me.
When I walked into the kitchenette, Leila was sitting at the table, feeding Jase, who was sitting in a highchair.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I said, and then kissed her lightly on the top of her head as I passed.
“Morning,” she replied with a smile. Her color looked good this morning, which was a relief. I could literally judge how she was feeling by the color of her skin. “Sit down and I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.”
“Don’t get up; I’ll get it,” I said, but she was already up and pouring the coffee.
“Sit,” she said, pushing gently against my chest. A moment later, she placed a cup of coffee and a glass of b
She nodded in agreement, but said nothing as she listened attentively.“The attackers last night were after my son,” I said. “So, if you take this position, you will not only be his nanny, you will also be his protector.” I looked directly into her eyes. “To be honest with you, I had my doubts about hiring you at first, but after witnessing how you handled yourself last night in the fight against The Outsiders, I became convinced.” Then, I leaned closer. “And what I’m about to say I will say only once. In offering you this position, I am trusting you with my son’s life. If anything happens to him while he is under your care, I will hold you personally responsible. Understood?” She nodded. “So, are you still interested in the position? I will pay you handsomely. Kellen here can tell you that I am good to those who are loyal to me.”Kellen nodded in agreement, listening, with his muscled arms propped
“Let’s meet your new babysitter, shall we?” I asked.Jase clapped his hands.When I opened the door, Adeline was standing on the other side, carrying a bag.One of the bodyguards was going through it. “She’s clean,” he said to me, and then went back to his post. Kellen had a team to switch out, so there could be a guard posted by our door at all times.“Thank you, Gregory,” I said, then turned to Adeline. “Sorry about that, but we cannot be too careful.”“I understand,” she replied.“What’s in the bag?” I asked, curious myself.She smiled. “Actually, it’s my Nanny Kit. I have books, cars, toys … lots of things that will help me to keep him entertained.” Then, she looked at Jase in my arms. “Hi, little guy! My name is Addie. What’s yours?”“Jase,” he said hesitantly. He was a bit shy, b
A moment later, we pulled down the Las Vegas strip. I never tired of the sensory overload, even during the day. We drove past the tall, white Tropicana hotel and MGM Grand, flashing images of famous actors on their billboard that were soon to appear. Then, we passed the Atria hotel on the left, a huge skyscraper building with an equally huge billboard flashed brightly. Next, we passed the huge, circular building of The Las Vegas Weekly on the right as palm trees swayed with the sultry morning breeze, lining the center of the road. One of my favorites was the Paris hotel on the right, complete with an Eiffel Tower replica. Caesar’s Palace was on the left, their billboard flashing neon along with the Mirage hotel, and the flashing lights of the famous Casino Royale were on the right. A few moments later, we pulled in front of the Southside Medical Hospital.As soon as the limo pulled to a stop, Lorenzo jumped out and held his hand out for Leila, as Javier opened my door.
I nodded. “Leila asked Elias to help her develop the cure in exchange for giving his father partial credit. She’s planning on asking you to help her, too.” I took a deep breath, not quite sure how to ask. “Amy, if Leila can’t do it, if she can’t work to find the cure, can you?”Amy’s eyebrows pulled together. “Why do you ask?”I said nothing.“You want to take the cure. Why?”I nodded. “Amy, it’s the only way that I can protect my family …”“Protect your family?” Amy asked in disbelief. “By being human?”I took a deep breath. “Amy, I don’t want this life for them! For Leila! For my family.” I stood and walked to a corner of the room, placing my hands on my hips to calm myself, and then turned back to her. “I don’t want this kind of life for them. The only way to protect them is for us to disap
Amy knelt down on the floor beside her chair and held her hands. “Leila, as you know, preeclampsia is an elevation of the expectant mother’s blood pressure and an excessive amount of protein in the urine … and you have both.” Leila nodded, taking a deep breath. “It’s a hypertensive disorder, but can be quite serious if left untreated.” Leila nodded again, regaining her composure. Amy rose and opened a hidden refrigerator, threw two blood bags into the microwave, and then clipped the straw that came from one and handed it to Leila. She immediately started drinking it down. “Leila, I’m going to start you on magnesium sulfate, which will help prevent you from going into seizures. It’s good that you’ve been taking prenatal vitamins, but you are to start taking them twice a day: one in the morning and one at night. As you know, prenatal vitamins are very strong, but because this is a dhampir pregnancy, taking them twice a
“Let’s go get something to eat before we go home,” Leila said. Beside me in the limo, she reached over and squeezed my hand.I turned my attention from the window, absently watching the scenery go by, and looked at Leila. “No.”Leila sighed. “Lance, you can’t treat me like I’m glass.”“Leila, you heard what Amy said,” I said, returning the hand squeeze. “You need to rest.” I turned my attention back out the window.Leila sighed. “Charles, take us to Maggiano’s Little Italy.”I sighed as I shook my head. It was a wonderful Italian restaurant, and I hadn’t been there in a while. Any other time, I would have been delighted. But now …“Yes, ma’am,” Charles said, and then looked at me in the rearview mirror for approval. I gave him a slight nod.Leila shook my hand, forcing me to look at her. “I haven’t
We were both quiet during our meal, and I really didn’t taste it, although I knew the food was exquisite. It was a lovely afternoon, but it was time to start heading back.“Shall we?” I asked, having already paid the bill.Leila nodded, dabbing at her lips with her napkin.“Man, you were hungry!” I said, reaching out to help her up. “I am definitely going to have to start feeding you more often.”Leila laughed. “It was delicious.”I smiled. “Then, I’ll have to order take out from here more often.”“That would be lovely.” She swayed a bit as she got to her feet, but I steadied her.Actually, I had planned to have all of our meals catered for a while … at least until after the baby was born, if not indefinitely. “Shall we?”I kept my arm around her waist, helping to steady her, as we headed out the front door where the limo was
“Well, little man,” I said, walking down the hallway and into the penthouse, “it looks like it’s just you and me.”I set Jase down onto the floor, threw three blood bags into the microwave, and made us both a glass of iced tea. A moment later, there was a knock on the door. When I answered it, Kellen was on the other side, wearing his signature blue jeans, white T-shirt, and jacket and sneakers.“Hey, guy,” I said, stepping aside. “Thanks for coming.”“Addie said that you wanted to see me,” Kellen said. “What’s up?”I walked over to the microwave and pulled out the blood bags. Kellen sat down on one of the club chairs, and Jase crawled up in his lap. I poured a blood bag into a sippy cup for Jase, and the other two into long-stemmed glasses for Kellen and me. Carrying the two glasses, I crossed the room and handed Kellen one of the glasses as I sat down on the couch adjace
LeilaJase started toward me, but Selestra held up her hand, stopping him. โWait!โโSelestra,โ Lance growled, his eyes flaring a brilliant green. โIf you do not release the children now, I will personally tear you to pieces.โโAs a show of good faith, Iโm giving you back the children,โ she replied. โBut Raif is crazed with vengeance. I couldnโt take his abuse anymore, and I left him and took your children with me.โโItโs a lie!โโLance, wait!โ I held my hand up, stopping her. โWhat if sheโs telling the truth?โ Then I turned to Selestra. โSo, give us the children. Once theyโre safe, then weโll talk.โSelestra nodded. โAgreed.โ She motioned for Jase and Addie to go to us, and they both rushed toward me and hugged me.โSheโs alone,โ Addie whispered, keeping her voice so low only I could hear.I nodded once. โJase, Sirena, go home with Raven. weโll talk when we get there.โJase looked between us and said, โBe safe.โLance pulled them both in for a quick hug, making it look good. But he ki
LeilaโI spoke with Kellen,โ Lance said, quickly crossing the room. โHeโs called an emergency and is locking down the castle as we speak. Heโs also agreed to stay with Sirena and Emma, too.โ He let out a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips. โIt may be overkill, but I donโt care. Sirena needs all the protection we can give her.โA moment later, there was a knock on the door.Lance held up his hand to me and quickly crossed the room. He looked through the peephole, opened the door, and extended his hand to Emma. โThanks for this. Iโm so sorry we had to phone you on such short notice.โโNot a problem. Iโm glad to help.โ She walked in dressed in a pair of jeans, a floral shirt, and boots, similar to what I was wearing. I was sure she had come prepared to fight, too.โThank you so much for this.โ I pulled her in for a quick hug. โAfter Kellen locks down the castle, heโll come stay with you.โEmma nodded. โThatโs fine.โ She pointed down the hallway. โIs Sirena in the family room?โI
LeilaโWhat do you mean โtheyโre missing?โโ Lance demanded, taking a step closer.Raven took a deep breath, the most flustered Iโd ever seen her. โAfter dinner, they were dismissed and were in their common rooms. One of the other students said that Jase got a call... from you.โ Her head snapped up toward me. โSo, he stepped out into the hallway with Addie and never came back in.โโFrom me?โ I asked in disbelief, shaking my head. โIt wasnโt me.โโWell, the student said your number popped up on his phone.โ Raven shook her head. โIโm so sorryโโโWho was the student?โ I asked.Raven let out a deep breath. โKian Medine. The Medine family is important in the witch community and very trustworthy.โI nodded. โCan you do a locator spell on him like you did last time?โโThatโs what I planned to do.โ She looked into Lanceโs eyes. โI knew you would want to be present.โLance nodded. โThank you.โ He gritted his teeth. โIf Raif and Selestra have them, there will be no place they can hide. Iโll tear
LeilaI nodded. โI know you will.โ I rose to my feet and pulled her in for a hug. โMy husband and I will discuss this and will get back to you. Thank you for coming.โโWould you like to meet our daughter before you go?โ Lance asked.Emma nodded. โYes, please.โ Her eyes brightened. It was clear that she loved children.I nodded. Whether or not we hired her, what harm could it do to introduce Emma to Sirena? โRight this way.โI walked down the hallway, and Emma walked beside me as Lance followed behind. When we entered the family room, Sirena was playing Chess alone, switching seats at each turn. It was the funniest thing Iโd ever seen. Then guilt filled my chest for not having anyone her age to occupy her. โSirena, honey, Iโd like you to meet someone.โSirena looked up and smiled, her game forgotten as she crossed the room purposefully toward Emma and thrust out her hand. โHello. My name is Sirena. Whatโs your name?โโMy name is Emma.โ She tilted her head to the side, smiling. So, you
LeilaEmma sat on the edge of her seat and smiled, folding her arms on her lap. โMy name is Emma Fitzroy.โ She had the type of British accent that I could listen to all day.Lanceโs head snapped up, a crease between his eyes. โFitzroy? As in โthe bastard son of a king?โโโLance!โ I scoffed, unable to believe what he had just said.โPlease, pardon me, both of you.โ Lance looked over at me and smiled. โThe word was more commonly used in our time. Please, forgive me.โI nodded cautiously. โItโs okay.โBut Emma smiled, unaffected. โItโs okay. I used to hear it all the time years ago. But not many people know the meaning or connotation today.โLance nodded. โSo, who was your father?โShe let out a deep breath. โMy father was King Henry I, and I am one of his illegitimate children.โMy eyes nearly bugged out of my head, but miraculously, I maintained my composure. โCould you explain that to us? I mean, how did you come to be in our coven?โShe nodded. โI was born the twenty-sixth of June, i
LeilaLance let out a deep breath. โAfter hearing everything, the Council agreed with my reasoning. They couldnโt believe all the threats Raif had leveled against you and the children, and they agreed that if he defeated me, he would also take over the Council, the vampire world, and the rest of the supernatural creatures. When I told them he wanted to be king, they agreed that we canโt let that happen.โโWell, letโs eat, and then you can take a shower before Emma gets here.โ I made a sandwich out of a biscuit, an egg, and a slice of bacon.Lance laughed. โWhat are you doing?โโI used to do this all the time when I was human.โ I picked it up and took a bite. โYou should try it! Itโs good!โโCan I have some?โ Sirena asked, looking at my biscuit sandwich with curiosity.โSure!โ I slid her onto my lap and made her a sandwich with the other biscuit, egg, and bacon. Lance got up and made another one for me and warmed up a bag of blood for her.โHere you go!โ I handed her the biscuit sandw
LeilaLance raised up and kissed my shoulder, smiling as he laced his fingers through my hair. โWhy donโt you shower, and Iโll fix the coffee?โ He traced lazy circles over my body, raising my nipples to peaks and sending chills over my body. โI would take a shower with you, but Sirena will be up in a few minutes, and her seeing her mommy and daddy naked may cause unnecessary trauma.โ He chuckled. โItโll cost me a fortune in therapy for the rest of her life.โI laughed, running my fingers through his dark brown wavy hair. โWe really need to find her a nanny.โHe laughed. โYes, we do.โ Then his lips descended upon mine in a passionate kiss as my tongue swiped over his, all heat and desire. He pulled back a moment later and gave me one last sweet kiss. Then he slid out of bed and slipped into his sleeping shorts and a white T-shirt.โAhh,โ I moaned, reaching for him. โCome back to bed.โHe chuckled, one corner of his lips curling into a sexy smile. โYou donโt know how tempting that is.โ
LanceI nodded. โSo, what say you? I will poll each of you. An answer of Yay will be in favor of banning together to fight. An answer of Nay will be against.โ I looked around the room. โXander.โโYay.โI nodded. โDrake.โโYay.โโAnnette.โโIf he would go so far as to threaten you and your family and then take over the Council, then my answer is Yay,โ she replied.I nodded. โFelicia.โShe let out a deep breath, a crease forming between her eyes. It was clear that she was not making her decision lightly. โYay.โโSo, itโs unanimous. We will stand and fight. I appreciate your support.โ I placed my hands on the table as I leaned forward. โIโll coordinate with you and will let you know when we plan to attack. But as of this moment, we are at war with Raif Cavanaugh, Leader of the East Coven.โ I let out a deep breath. โI asked Chef Faustino to prepare a special buffet for you. So, please. Enjoy.โ I motioned toward the buffet lined up against the wall, filled with all sorts of delicacies incl
LanceLeila and I went through several applicants for Sirenaโs nanny but didnโt find anyone suitable. The successful applicant needed to be a vampire with fighting skills, capable of protecting Sirena during a crisis. He or she would also have to have good nanny and child nurturing skills. Not an easy combination to find in one person.โSo, did you have any luck finding a nanny for Sirena?โ A smile spread across Kellenโs face as we headed toward the main conference room for the meeting with the Supernatural Council, consisting of the heads of all the covens and packs in Las Vegas.I scoffed. โNo. Not yet. Itโs proving to be as difficult as it was to find a nanny and protector for Jase.โKellen nodded, stopping just outside the door. โI think I may have a solution for you.โโOh?โ My eyebrows shot up.โI know a young woman that reminds me a lot of Addie, but she was a little older when she was turned.โโHow old was she?โโEighteen,โ he replied. โI think Addie was sixteen when she was tu