CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Ah we meet again. How about we start over this time?"
Cole appeared in front of Willow as she was walking back to the training facility after lunch. Her day was going weird enough without seeing that idiot, but she was trying to stay positive.
"No thanks." She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder and continued walking at a leisurely pace.
"Look, I know last time I creeped you out a little, but that honestly wasn't my intention. I just thought that if you knew I wasn't a bad guy, then you'd give me a chance." Cole continued to walk backwards so he stayed right in front of her. She'd hoped he'd trip or walk into something, but the bastard was entirely too graceful.
"You thought wrong."
"Oh come on."
"What exactly do you think you have a chance for here anyway?" Willow stopped walking and it took him a few seconds to realized and go back to stand right in front of her. She could feel his breath on her and she didn't like it.
It wasn't Chase.
"To be friends, of course."
"Oh yeah? Friends? That's all you want from me?" Willow snorted. She had little doubt that he had other things on his mind. All men did.
"Yes. Just friends. We're both relatively new in this region and neither of us is winning any social butterfly awards. I just thought we could both use a friend. Seriously, I'm not looking for anything else. I understand you have something going on with Chase and I—"
"I do not."
Cole furrowed his brow and tilted his head. "You aren't with Chase? I got the distinct feeling that he thinks otherwise."
Willow shrugged. "I can't be held responsible for what he thinks." Even if part of her wanted it to be true. Maybe.
"Fine, then you're not with him, but that doesn't change anything. I'm still just looking for a friend."
"Okay friend, then maybe you can do me a favor, you know, since we're friends."
"Uh, okay." Cole furrowed his brow and waited for her to elaborate.
"You meet with Samuel about the security job?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I have another friend who's interested in the job too." The word friend rolled off her tongue surprisingly easy. Willow thought for a moment that she even liked the way it sounded. Then she shook it off. "I was thinking about approaching Samuel about considering her. Any advice on how to talk to him?"
Cole still looked confused, but he followed along. "He's not the most trusting, or friendly. I say you just be yourself. Go right in there and tell him why your friend deserves this job. At this point, I think they're looking for as many good people as they can get. Can I ask who this friend is?"
"Why do you care?"
"Just curiosity." Cole held his hands up. "If I know who it is, maybe I can put in a good word in case anyone happens to ask me."
"Why would you?"
"Because we're friends now and that's what friends do."
Willow wasn't really sure what friends did to be honest, even though he was trying to be cute. She'd never had a single friend in her life. Other than her twin and he really didn't count.
"Are we?" Willow slid her hand up to her hip and waited for him to defend his position. She was ready to tell him they weren't friends, that she didn't even know him, nor did she care to. Instead, he smiled and nodded, melting her resolve.
"You know I'm growing on you."
"Fine. We're friends." Willow pushed him aside and continued on her way to the training facility. She needed to hit something or do some magic. Something had to get her back to her normal self. She wasn't sure what was up with her today, but she was definitely off her game.
In fact, she'd been so distracted she didn't notice before she turned a corner and walked straight into Samuel.
"Watch where you're going, witch." Samuel wiped off the front of his clothes as if she might have contaminated him in some way.
"I could say the same to you." She looked over him with her lip curled. It was no secret that Willow didn't care for the arrogant vampire. He just strolled in and acted like he owned the joint. Okay, so maybe some could say the same thing about her, but she wasn't bothering anyone. Samuel was.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" He raised an eyebrow and glanced over her. It was clear that Samuel thought he was better than Willow. She was used to males like him. She'd been around them her entire life.
"Maybe, but I tend to be the queen of bad decisions."
"Then it's time you started making better ones."
"You could be right." Willow figured it would be better to be cordial since she actually wanted something from the asshole. "I did want to speak to you about something."
"Coming to my office would have been a better idea than slamming into me on the street."
"You're probably right." Willow gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "So can you spare a minute since I've already run into you?"
"Make it quick. I have things to take care of."
"It's about the new recruits to the security team."
"What about them?"
"I've had the opportunity to see Ember in action, when she helped save Gabriel. I think she would be an excellent choice. You should give her a chance."
"I've already interviewed several people and chosen two more to join us. I'm not sure we need a volatile dragon-shifter in our ranks."
"Don't be such a bigot." Willow huffed. "She is an excellent fighter and dragons tend to be the most loyal of all the others, much more so than vampires."
"You don't think too highly of your own kind, blood witch. You are half vampire, are you not?"
"I am, but it is my witch side I embrace."
"Good to know."
This wasn't going how she intended. It wasn't like she was invested in Ember enough to care one way or the other, but she did give her word that she would speak to someone, so she owed her good name at least that much.
"You can at least talk with her and make up your own mind."
"Why do you care? I got the impression that you didn't associate with anyone but your twin."
"That's not true. And because she's a friend, not to mention the best choice for the job anyway."
"Are you willing to stake your reputation on that?"
Was she?
"Yes."
The word came out of her mouth before she'd even had the chance to think it over. She hardly knew Ember. Sure the bitch could fight, but that was one time and Gabe's life depended on it. Since he was her best friend's mate, she was highly motivated. So, that could have been an adrenaline-fueled fluke.
"Okay." Samuel nodded. "I'll consider speaking with her, but more so because Gabriel already asked me to consider her."
"Asshole."
"Excuse me?"
Willow intended to say that in her head, but the words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them. It was the truth though. He had to know that about himself, and if not, she was doing him a service by letting him know.
"I think we both know what I said." Might as well own it.
"Is that how you always ask for favors?"
"Yeah. Look, either you can consider her, or not. I don't even care." With that, Willow turned on her heel and sped away.
She shouldn't have talked to him that way. Michael was happy in this place and he wanted to stay. It wasn't right for her to do things that would jeopardize his happiness. He deserved that much, at least. But she couldn't help herself. Or maybe she could, but she just didn't want to.
Willow was sick of males like Samuel. They thought they were better than anyone under them, especially females. She wasn't going to play that game with any male ever again. If she had something to say, she would say it.
Though she really did care about Michael's happiness.
He never really talked about what went on with him and Julian when they were held as his slaves. She knew the awful things that happened to her, but Michael refused to talk about what he went through. Willow still wondered what horrors he endured. Of course he told her it wasn't that bad, but that was Michael. He wouldn't want to worry her.
Guilt pulled at Willow. It wasn't a feeling she let creep in too often. She owed Michael more than that. Which meant she'd have to apologize to that asshole Samuel. There were only so many strikes against them that would be tolerated before they were asked to leave the region. And since it was looking like Michael was finally finding someone he was into, she didn't want to ruin that for him.
She just wasn't sure she could avoid it.
***
"You wanted to see me? Is everything all right?" Chase stormed into the room toward his sister.
"Yes, everything is fine. Calm down. I've just been going stir crazy here and Kaia is sick so she can't come over and put the babies at risk. Why are you so hyped up?"
"You mean you didn't look into my head the second I got here? Or maybe while I was still in the hallway?" Chase flopped down in the chair across from his sister. He wasn't in the mood to have his privacy violated as usual around her. He knew she couldn't control it since she was pregnant, but it didn't piss him off any less.
"I do try to stay out, you know?" Ari was paler than usual and her stomach was probably twice the size as the last time he saw her.
"Doesn't make it any less annoying, sis."
Ari sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."
"So how are you and the spawn? Any more weird pains?"
"Not really."
She was lying. He always knew.
"And we're fine. Dr. Song says that baby A is still growing faster, but she doesn't see anything that we should be concerned with."
"Not that she really knows. Has she ever seen a case like this? A part nephilim knocked up by a vampire?"
"No, but the midwife has. You know that Alexander's father and his wife were in nearly the exact same situation, right?"
"I guess. Except that Lily is more nephilim than you."
"Than us. You're the same as me, Chase."
Chase laughed. "Not anymore though, sis."
Chase tried to completely forgive his sister for having him turned into a vampire, but he probably would never get over it completely. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his new strength and abilities. Or that he wasn't grateful to be alive, if that's what you called it. It was more that he wasn't given that choice. She took it from him and decided what she wanted was more important and he wasn't sure he could ever fully forgive her for that.
Ari looked down at her swollen feet, well in the direction of them anyway. Chase was sure she couldn't actually see them past her huge belly. "You know I'm sorry about that."
Except she really wasn't.
Chase knew that Ari would make the same choice every time, even if she had a thousand more times to make it. She couldn't bear to lose her twin and he understood how that felt. After almost losing her, he honestly got it. But that didn't make him any less bitter.
"So what does the midwife say?" Chase shook off his ill feelings and tried to focus on the fact that he loved his sister more than anything in the world.
"She thinks it's not going to be much longer. She said that Lily's baby grew normally, but there was only one of him, so it's hard to know how a normal set of twins might act in this situation."
"You ever consider that maybe one baby is vampire and the other is like you? Maybe the little vamp is sucking the other twin dry."
Ari's eyes widened and she swallowed hard.
Clearly she'd never thought of that possibility.
"You think that's possible? They don't have fangs yet, right?" Ari clamped her hands over her belly and Chase heard her heartbeat triple.
"Hey, calm down. I'm sure they can't do that. Lex would have said something by now. He knows how vampire babies act in the womb, doesn't he?"
There weren't a lot of vampire births, but they weren't so rare that the vampire king shouldn't know what the norm was. Then again, he was so preoccupied with Vampire City affairs and the missing kids, who knew if he would even notice anything was wrong.
Chase knew he wasn't being fair. Alexander loved his sister. There was no doubt about that. That didn't mean he had to like him. Or think he was the best mate for this twin. Even if maybe he was, as far as vampire mates went anyway. Chase would much rather see Ari with a nice human male, but it wasn't like he could pick someone out for her.
"I guess so. I mean the midwife deals with other births regularly, so she must know. Right?"
Ari was close to panic, and of course, that was his fault. Chase couldn't seem to handle anything right these days. He could blame it on being a new vampire, but that would be a load of shit and he knew it.
"Of course, sis. Everything is going to be fine. You know, I bet it's just because baby A is a boy. He's going to be a big guy and is getting a jump start. Your little girl is going to be a little petite princess. Literally, right? These kids are royalty so they're going to be prince and princess? Or is that just if they are vampires? This shit is so confusing."
"It doesn't matter whether they're vampire, nephilim, or human. They technically will be prince and princess, but we are so not calling them that."
"Right. Don't want them having their father's ego."
Ari snorted. "Certainly not."
Chase laughed. It was rare that she said anything negative about her beloved vampire king. Usually, when Chase joked about him she defended him. Did Chase sense a little trouble in paradise? And why did a little part of him internally smile at that thought?
"Everything all right with you two?" He had to ask. You know, to be a good brother.
"Yes, Chase. Everything is fine. Are you waiting for the day that I tell you it's not?"
"Of course not." Chase answered quick, hoping she wouldn't pick up on the doubt even he had about his answer. She raised one eyebrow. Too late. She'd picked up on it. She was probably listening in right that moment to his ridiculous internal dialogue.
"Uh huh." Ari shook her head and popped an apple slice into her mouth.
"Okay fine. You know how I feel about him and we both know I can't hide that. Even when I try. I just want to make sure you're being taken care of."
"I'm not helpless, Chase. I can take care of myself."
Chase wanted to be the kind of guy that believed in female empowerment. He wanted to think his twin could handle anything this world could throw at her. But he didn't. He'd seen her nearly die and he never wanted to have her in that situation again. He knew she was weaker than most of the people she came in contact with. How could she be anything else? She was surrounded by vampires and witches, and hell, even dragons.
"Are you sure, sis? Because around here, I'm not so sure."
When life was normal and they'd lived on their own, Chase never treated Ari like she was as strong as him. She wasn't weak. She held her own in any competition, but speed, and he still treated her like the weaker one.
Mostly it was because he didn't understand just how badass his sister was. Now that he was vampire, Chase was stronger than Ari. There was no doubt about that. But he had to admit, before, she was on nearly equal footing. He just wished he'd let her know that back then.
"What I lack in vampire strength, I make up for in big strong egos surrounding me to take care of the damsel in distress." Ari rolled her eyes and huffed.
Chase laughed. "Okay, sis. You can take care of yourself.
"How are things at the training facility? Kids being kept safe?"
"Isn't Lex talking to you about what goes on there?"
"Not really. He's been holding a lot of meetings with his cousin Samuel, Gabe, Dex, and Finn. He always seems like he's in a bad mood when he comes out so I don't bring it up."
"For good reason. A fourth kid went missing. No matter what we do, or how closely we watch them, it keeps happening."
"Any suspicions?" Ari absently rubbed her hand over her belly as they spoke.
"If you can believe it, Samuel thinks Finn was involved. He's kicked him off watch duty until he can prove he's innocent."
"You're kidding? Finn is such a nice guy. He would never hurt children. Would he?" Her eyes widened and Chase thought he could hear the wheels turning in her mind.
"I don't think so, but what do I know? I've been working with him for the last few months, but really, how well do you get to know someone at work?"
"I think Alexander would pick up on it if something wasn't right about him."
"Maybe not."
"Why do you say that?" Ari popped another apple slice in her mouth and returned to rubbing her belly.
"I'm sure there's something going on between Finn and the blood witch, Michael. If Finn really was involved, I'm sure he could get his boyfriend to cook up a little spell that could help his cover. Don't you think?"
"I suppose, but both Finn and Michael seem like good guys to me. The only thing they seem to be hiding is their relationship for some reason. But I guess I could be wrong. You really think he's involved?"
Chase put his feet up on the coffee table and slumped back in his chair. It had been a long day and he was tired. "No. I don't think so, but I guess you never suspected I would betray you not that long ago either."
Chase would never get over the guilt he held on to for his role in Ari's abduction. It didn't matter that he was under the influence of vampire powers, thanks to Lex's crazy, now dead, wife, or that a witch cast a spell on him to hide his forced intentions. He'd done what he'd done and nothing could change that. It was something he would always have to live with. Just like the time he almost drained his sister dry of blood.
"You didn't betray me. None of that was your fault."
"That's easy for you to say, sis. But I'm never going to see it that way. I can never forgive myself for my part in what happened. You don't know what it's like to hurt someone you love that much." And he hoped she never would.
"I hurt you." She met his eyes and her mouth fell into a frown.
"What are you talking about?"
"I had Dex turn you into a vampire. You never wanted that and it's on me."
"Don't be a twit, Ar. I understand why you did what you did. I'm not mad at you for that anymore."
"And I'm not mad at you for what you did, while not even in control of your actions."
"Touché. But in all honestly, what I did was way worse."
"Are you sure Dad would have seen it that way?"
Chase wasn't sure how their father would have seen it. Becoming vampire was the one thing none of them ever wanted. It was a fate worse than death. At least that was how he used to feel about it. Without becoming one, it was hard to imagine how different you might feel.
But vampires did kill their parents, older sister, and nearly everyone they'd ever knew and loved. When Chase first woke up and realized what he'd become, he hated his sister for doing that to him. It was his worst nightmare. Now that he'd had a chance to live as vampire, he felt differently about it. And more so, after almost losing Ari, he no longer blamed her for making the decision.
"Dad loved us more than anything in this world. He would have found a way to deal with our current situations." Chase was trying to reassure his sister, but he wasn't sure he believed his own words. He doubted his father would have understood Ari being pregnant by a vampire, on purpose, or him being one of them. They'd all agreed that if any of them were ever turned, whoever was left, would put them out of their misery.
"Oh my God."
"Hey, I know that dad felt strongly about vampires, but he would have come around. You can't worry about that stuff anymore anyway. Dad is gone, so it's just us left to decide how we're going to live our lives."
"No, not that, Chase." Ari's eyes grew wide and her heartbeat sped up enough for Chase to hear it thump in his own head.
"What's wrong?"
She gripped her belly and groaned. "My water just broke."