Page 62 of Blood Lust
“Calm the fuck down, Braden,” Zane said, his wolf and his usual dominant demeanor challenging the immortal.
Braden squared up to the brawny shifter, and even though Zane was tall and muscular, no one beat out the size and frame of Braden. Still, it didn’t intimidate Zane.
“Everyone stop!” I said, placing my hands on the tight chests of the vampire and shifter that were squared up to one another. “Fuck. We can’t turn on each other. Let’s go inside before the rest of them see that we’re losing it.”
We spent the next hour or so with everyone grumbling, trying to figure out ways to pretty much go into the pits of hell and achieve the impossible. This was driving me mentally insane. No one could do this except for the ones who lived in the dark and worshipped it. And a hunch told me, they weren’t going to fight against something they worshipped or gained power from.
“I’m going to bed,” I said, standing up. “I’m tired, and all we’re doing is running around in circles, chasing questions and ideas that we already have the answers to.”
“I’m with Elle. It’s only seven, and my ass is done,” Nakia said, gently taking my hand. “You cool with that?”
I smiled at his warm expression. “Of course. I just can’t do the anger and pissed off shit. It’s been a month, and we’re not even trying to move on.” I looked back at the group, “Let’s focus on that. I am pregnant, in case you all forgot, and who knows how fast these babies are going to grow in me since immortal vampire babies have been known to grow at any given rate in their mom. Maybe we should focus on the fact we have two innocent babies coming, and we all hate the world right now. Not a good way to introduce them to it. This isn’t their fault.”
“I would beg to differ!” A door flew open, and Val’s voice rang through the room like angels singing from heaven.
I blinked a few times to try and dismiss the hallucination. There was no way I was seeing what I was seeing. The smile that drew up in the corner of Val’s bright red lips told me this was very real.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Fucking Val…” Zac’s voice was cut off when the visual hit him as hard as it hit the rest of us.
“Yeah, fuck you too, asshole!” Val said with a laugh. “Alright, we got a lot of shit to talk about so get comfortable because it’s all about to get fucking real.”
Val! This is real?Oh my God. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything but stare in awe of some gift we were just blessed with and needed more than anything in the world.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ifinally found my legs and overcame my body wanting to collapse in happiness, gratefulness, and overwhelming love. Val was holding a toddler who had Zane’s eyes and Zane’s onyx hair. Her smile was mine, and so was her bouncing curly hair.My daughter. I ran to Val and stopped just as the piercing blue eyes of my sweet baby girl widened in fear? Shock? I had no idea.
Val looked down at her. “Go on, Aria, it’s your mommy.”
“Aria? Mommy?” I stammered, not able to take my eyes off the angelic little girl.
“Trust me, she’s your kid,” Logan’s voice snapped my head in the direction of the door Val just came through. “Hey, baby girl.” He held his hands open as wide as the smile that always took my breath away.
I ran into his arms, still uncertain if this was an evil trick, but needing to feel him alive and well. I looked up into his sapphire eyes. “Is this some nightmare sent to torture me?”
Logan kissed my forehead. “Well, if it is, then everyone else who’s been crying over me is tortured too.” He pulled back and smiled, “We’re back, baby, and I’m shocked you’re not taking that little pipsqueak and never letting her go.”
I hesitantly looked over at the little girl whose eyes seemed to see more than just me with Logan and the crowd of everyone standing around in shock.
“Mama,” the little girl said and reached her arms out to me.
“Take her,” Val said with a beaming smile. “Like I said, we have a lot of shit we need to talk about.”
I took the girl. “How old is she? I just had…”
“Time works differently from where Logan and I were with your daughter and the hosts. Logan and I weren’t at our chosen age to cross over, and your daughter was swiftly growing to it by the time The Charge released us back in our bodies to return to all of you,” Val said.
“Crazy shit, man,” Logan said when the vampires walked up to him. Zac was the first to pull the vampire into an embrace, forcing a laugh out of Logan. “And I’ll kick your ass later for being such a softy. Come on, man, you’re embarrassing me.”
Zac stepped back and clapped Logan so hard on his arm that it echoed in the room. I ignored all of them except for this sweet baby who looked like Zane’s mini-me. “Your name is Aria?”
“I hope you like it. I felt it fit her perfectly. Where the hosts held us, the name was given to her in meaningThe Unforetold One.” Val shrugged and in taking in the beautiful vampire woman, I recalled our friendship, and my heart leapt with excitement at all that was given to me as fast as it was taken from me. “She wasn’t part of any of the afterlife’s plan, fate’s desire, nor the dark realm’s plan. She is a gift, and along with everything else we need to catch up on, they allowed me to return as herSeerorWatcher.
“Seer?” Cole questioned. “The last watcher who walked the earth left decades ago. What the hell did you do to snag that status?”
Logan smirked, “Little Aria is a lot like her mother. Determined, feisty, and I swear to everything that lives, she will take your heart and run with it.” Logan laughed with Val, “Val was the only one who kept this little gemstone in check. She’s a gift to all of us,” Logan’s eyes were so beautiful when he looked at me, “but I think we knew that the minute she was born. God, I’ve missed you guys. Time runs so differently in that little all-white waiting room we were in. Feels like a lifetime since I’ve seen you all, but in reality, Aria aged three years while in that place, and so, for me, it’s been three damn years since I’ve seen my girl and my crew!”
“This is really happening,” I said with a laugh, hugging little Aria and realizing there could be no better name for her. Of course, she was unforetold, none of us expected a wolf to get a vampire girl pregnant, and no one expected her to die and come back to us. “Val, Logan,” I said, running my hands through my daughter’s soft black hair, never wanting to let her go, “tell us everything. Why so long? Why did they let you come back? I’m so confused. I have no idea what to say.”
