The last thirty minutes before dawn was Sam’s favorite time of night. Well, morning. But it was still dark, so it felt like night.
She often took this time to meditate, read, or just enjoy a hot cup of tea on the patio while she listened to the heavy silence before the birds started singing for a new day.
That’s where she was now, relaxing in her favorite cushioned lounger, a steaming mug of cocoa in her hand and a letter from AKM’s medical department resting in her lap. After Panya woke up and returned to her bedroom about an hour ago, Sam had finally gotten around to opening the previous day’s mail. But if she’d known this letter had been waiting for her, she would have opened it hours ago.
Lifting the letter, she smiled proudly as she read the introduction.
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted into AKM’s Nursing Program.
Without telling Micah, she’d submitted her application on a whim about a month ago. As a former Army medic, she’d hoped they would see enough potential to give her a chance, but, honestly, she hadn’t been confident. After all, she was a human. Well, not exactly a human, anymore, but she definitely wasn’t a vampire. The job she’d applied for involved providing medical assistance to vampires. The biology was bound to be at least a little different.
Against all odds, she’d been contacted for a phone interview a couple of weeks ago. That had gone well enough that she’d been asked to interview with someone named Cora Snow. Dr. Cora Snow.
She had met the doctor in a small café downtown one night while Micah was working.
“So, you’re Micah’s mate?” Dr. Snow had said.
“Yes.” Sam hadn’t been sure if being Micah’s mate was an asset or a detriment.
“Micah and I seem to be running into each other in the trauma ward a lot lately.” The doctor let out a quiet laugh as she stirred creamer into her coffee, smiling fondly. “You know, he’s really turned around in the last few months.” Her indigo blue eyes pointedly met Sam’s. “Since about the time he mated you.”
In other words, the good doctor gave Sam credit for Micah’s new state of mind and behavior.
“I hear he used to be a lot . . . different.” That was putting it mildly. To hear Trace and the others—including Micah—talk about what he was like before she came along was like listening to tales of a completely different person. One hellbent on self-destruction and taking everyone around him down with him.
“He’s better now, thanks to you.” The doctor sipped her coffee.
“I’m still learning about the whole vampire mating thing, but I guess when a male takes a mate, it does something to him.”
Dr. Snow laughed. “You can say that again. It does a whole lot of something, but sometimes I think mated male vampires are worse than human females when it comes to hormonal issues.” She raised her hand. “No offense.”
“None taken. As a former human, I know full well how bad hormonal peaks and valleys can be.”
“Multiply that by a hundred, and you’ll have a mated male vampire. They’re such divas.”
They had laughed about that, because Sam couldn’t deny that Micah could be a handful when it came to going all me-Tarzan-you-Jane on her. And his calling. Just . . . she’d never experienced anything like that as a human. That shit was for real. So, yeah, she could believe human female hormones had nothing on the hormones of a mated male vampire.
After a couple more minutes of small talk, Dr. Snow had asked her a few questions about her experience and training and had seemed impressed, but Sam honestly hadn’t thought she would make the cut.
She glanced down at the letter, which had been signed by Dr. Snow herself. Looked like she’d been wrong about not having a chance.
Now came the hard part. Telling Micah.
She knew she shouldn’t have kept her application a secret from him. It’s a miracle he never saw it in her thoughts, but she tried not to think about it around him. Not that she feared his reaction. This was just something she’d wanted to do on her own.
Sometimes, she missed certain aspects of her human life. She’d always been so self-sufficient. She adored her life with Micah, but there were times when she wanted to be more involved. More active. She’d always been a fighter, and sitting at home made her restless. She felt like she should be doing more. Making use of her medical background seemed like the perfect solution.
She just didn’t know how Micah would take it, especially now that he no longer wanted to work at AKM.
“Hey.”
Speak of the devil.
She set the letter back in her lap and held her hand out to her mate as he leaned out the sliding patio door. “Hey, baby. I was starting to worry you wouldn’t make it home before dawn.”
In the last few minutes, the eastern horizon had turned from black to dark blue, and a few birds had started to chirp and whistle their greeting to the coming day.
Micah took her hand, leaned in, and kissed her. His lips were tight, reserved. He was holding something back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
One corner of his mouth lifted, and then he glanced down at the letter. “What’s that?”
She let go of him and dropped her hand onto the sheet of paper, fingers splayed to cover it. “Nothing.”
A dark chuckle rumbled from deep inside his throat, and he gently pulled the paper out from under her hand. “Liar.”
“Micah . . .” She reached for the letter, but he pulled it away.
“From AKM. The medical department.” He gave her a knowing smirk, making her frown.
Maybe he had seen inside her thoughts, after all.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
His gaze slid left to right as he read her acceptance letter. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you didn’t want me to.”
“But . . . aren’t you angry.”
His strong brow bowed inward. “Angry? Why?”
“Because I did this without talking to you first. Without asking you.”
“Shit, no, I’m not angry. I’m proud as hell.” He set the letter on the patio table then crouched beside her and layered his palm over her stomach. “You don’t have to get my permission to follow your heart.”
She had a feeling she could expect his hand on her belly a lot over the next nine months. “You sure?” She placed her hand over his.
“Absolutely.” He kissed her again. This time his lips softened, tasting her more deeply.
He motioned to join her on the lounge chair, and she shifted to the side to make room. His arm fell around her shoulders then folded her against him as he gazed up at the stars that were beginning to wink out one by one.
There was something different about him. Something calm yet tense. He reminded her of someone taking his last look around before being locked away for the rest of his life. It was like he wanted to remember everything just as it was in that moment. The stars, the sky, the trees, how a gentle breeze lifted the ends of his hair. Her. How she felt in his arms.
She could sense he had something to tell her, but she knew better than to ask. He would get to whatever it was in his own time.
Instead, she curled against him and laid her cheek on his chest. Together, they listened as more birds awoke and broke into morning song, ready to greet the sun. Within minutes, a few distant chirps turned into a symphony.
“This is nice,” he murmured.
“Mm-hm.” She closed her eyes and listened to the thump-thump of his heart. The beat was steady and calm, heavy in its strength. He was so much calmer than he’d been a few hours ago.
Sounds of life emerged from inside the house. Brenna and Mya were awake, preparing to get the older children off to school. In one week, that would change. School would let out for summer, which meant until the new dorms were built, the house would be a hive of children’s activity seven days a week, from dawn to dusk.
Micah kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go inside,” he whispered. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“I know you do.”
“I know you know.” He smiled at her as he helped her off the lounge chair and grabbed her letter off the table. “I can’t hide anything from you.”
“Does that bother you?”
He took her hand. “Nope.”
“Why not?” She couldn’t help teasing him just a little.
He stopped just outside the door and pulled her to him. “Because we’re partners. You’re my life. You’re as much a part of me as my own flesh and blood. How can I keep secrets from something that’s a part of me?”
She pulled the letter from his fingers. “But I kept a secret from you.”
He grinned. “Trust me. You didn’t.”
She laughed softly. “Have I mentioned that I hate your mindreading abilities.”
“Once or twice.” He reached for the door handle. “Now, come on, we have a lot to discuss.”
This sounded serious. Given the grim set of his brow, she wasn’t sure if she should be nervous, scared, or excited. A little of all three? With Micah, anything was possible.
She greeted Brenna and Mya and gave them a quick rundown about Panya’s nightmare as Micah stole a few pieces of bacon and some toast off a platter.
The two females assured her everything was under control and wished her and Micah good night, and then Sam grabbed a handful of bacon and toast for herself and followed Micah downstairs. He was quiet. Too quiet.
Something else must have happened tonight. Something big. Bigger than finding out Ronan was his brother and his father was still alive.
Once in their bedroom, she stuffed the last bite of toast in her mouth and dusted bacon crumbs off her fingers then pulled open the dresser drawer that held the tank tops and boy shorts she used as pajamas while Micah stripped and made for the bathroom.
“Just let me take a quick shower. Then we’ll talk.”
“Okay.”
Normally, he would ask her to join him, but she got the feeling he wanted the extra time to get his thoughts together before he told her whatever it was he needed to say. Besides, she’d already showered an hour ago, before she took her reprieve on the patio.
While she waited for Micah, she changed into a pair of red boy shorts and a pink tank top then rubbed lotion up and down her legs and arms. Then she climbed into bed and waited for Micah to join her.
She didn’t have to wait long. Two minutes later, he shut off the shower. Less than a minute after that, he reentered the bedroom naked as the day he was born. God, could that man—male—rock a birthday suit. Just . . . damn!
But he wasn’t oozing let’s-fuck-like-rabbits-for-the-next-hour like he usually did. Tonight, he was all business. The grim set of his brow and the tension in his jaw made it clear he was worried about her reaction to what he was about to tell her.
Sam hugged her knees to her chest as he pulled on a pair of black flannel pants and a black T-shirt.
“The suspense is killing me,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted amid all the strained silence shooting out of him.
“I’m sorry.” He released a thick exhale and painted a stiff smile on his face as he shut off the light on the dresser. The only light remaining came from the small lamp on her nightstand. “It’s just been a long fucking night.” He brushed his palms down his face. “A lot of shit got thrown at me after I left you at the apartment.”
“I’m starting to get that impression.”
He approached the foot of the bed, climbed over the low footboard, and crawled up the mattress. He pushed her knees apart, slid his torso between them as she settled back against a mound of pillows, wrapped his arms around her, and laid his head on her stomach. “But now I’m here. I’m with you”—he lifted his head, pushed up her tank top to expose her belly, and planted a tender kiss just below her navel—“and with my babies.” He kissed her stomach again, right next to the scar left over from her human life, a reminder of the hell she’d lived through to get here. “Can you hear me in there?” His whiskers brushed her skin.
She combed back his hair with her fingers, smiling at the way he stared at her stomach as if he could see the twin babies growing inside her.
What could she expect from carrying a vampire’s young? Was it harder than carrying a human baby? Would the morning sickness be more ruthless? She’d heard Micah talk about how sick Tristan’s mate, Josie, got during the first trimester of her pregnancy. Tristan had even taken a leave of absence from AKM to tend to her, it was so bad. Could Sam expect the same?
“God, I can’t wait to meet you.” He kissed her tummy again then placed his palm over her belly and fell still.
She knew he could feel them through their energy. No doubt, he was monitoring them to make sure there was nothing wrong.
“Can you tell what sex they are?” she asked, holding still.
He moved his hand a little to the right then closed his eyes. When he opened them, he smiled. “Yes.”
“And?”
“Are you sure you want to know? You don’t want to be surprised?”
“I want to know.” Were they having two girls? Two boys?
“One’s a boy and one’s a girl.”
Even better. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“How can you tell?”
“A boy’s energy resonates at a lower frequency than a girl’s. I feel both.”
“How sure are you?”
“Ninety-nine point nine percent.”
Okay, so they were definitely having a boy and a girl.
“Can you tell how long I’ve been pregnant?”
He pressed his hand against her belly again and closed his eyes. “Maybe three weeks.”
Not even a month. She tried to think back and come up with when she conceived, but it was impossible. She and Micah had a lot of sex. Almost every day. He was damn near insatiable. Then again, so was she.
His eyes slowly opened before he nestled against her again, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his cheek to her stomach. “I love you. I love you so damn much.”
“I love you, too.” She played her fingers through his hair, letting her nails gently scratch his scalp.
Perfect moments like this—sublime, peaceful, and time-stopping calm—were rare with Micah. There always seemed to be something happening. Some crisis that needed his attention. Fires that destroyed dormitories, for example, thrusting them into emergency mode to ensure everyone was safe and had a roof over their heads. She loved the excitement and diversity, but she loved this side of her mate even more. The side he didn’t get to show her nearly enough, but which she knew existed even when he was kicking ass and taking names.
She allowed the transcendent moment to go on for a couple more minutes then said, “So, what is it you need to talk to me about, baby?”
After all, perfect flashes in time aren’t meant to last. They’re meant to grant the recipient a greater appreciation for the good times when they happen.
He sighed, kissed her belly one last time, and pushed himself away from her body. “I liked what you thought just now. About perfect moments.”
She was too at peace to be angry at him for peeking inside her mind again. “You did, huh?”
He settled beside her, reclining against a mountain of pillows, and wrapped his hand around hers. “We don’t get these moments nearly often enough.”
“No, we don’t.” Why did she feel like this had something to do with what he wanted to talk to her about?
He inhaled deeply and released his breath in a long, heavy exhale as he squeezed her hand. “You know what I told you earlier? About quitting my job?”
She bit her bottom lip. She hadn’t yet decided how she felt about that. On one hand, she liked the idea of him being around more. On the other, she worried he would just get in her way out of boredom. And now that she was going to be working at AKM as a nurse, him quitting his job wasn’t really going to give them more time together, anyway.
“What about it?”
He lifted her hand onto his lap and encased it with both of his. “There’s been a change in plans.”