Kayleb and Vanessa (5th in werewolf series)

Chapter Five

Vanessa was beginning to believe that neither Steven nor the vampire were going to show up. It was nearly two in the morning and Faith had long since fallen asleep. Vanessa curled up in the bed with the gun in her hand and wrapped her free arm around her daughter's tiny waist.

She was just drifting off to sleep when she heard voices outside.

"You can't go in there, sir. These ladies are under police protection."

"That's my damn daughter in there. I have every right to go in there. What kind of man tells another man he can't see his daughter." Vanessa groaned inwardly and stood from the bed. She stuck the gun in the waistband of her jeans and opened the door.

"It's okay. He can come in." she said to Tyler. Then she looked at Steven. "Faith is asleep and after the night she had last night, I would like to keep it that way."

"Of course you would." Steven replied with a snort and she could see the red, sleepy look in his eyes that proved he was high on something. It had been a long time since he hadn't been high. Just a little over three years. "You never let me be a real father to her."

"That's because you're a drug addict." Vanessa whispered angrily as he walked in and she shut and locked the door. Scout barely looked up from where he was sleeping beside the bathroom door and Vanessa rolled her eyes at the useless bodyguard.

"I am not an addict." Steven replied harshly and Vanessa shushed him. "I have to have drugs to deal with your ass."

"Oh yes, it's always someone else's fault whenever you do something wrong."

"Shut-up Vanessa. I can't believe I was ever married to you." Steven said flopping himself down in the chair next to the bed. Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." she replied. She watched Steven as he looked at Faith in the glow of the lamplight and she felt a moment of sympathy for him when she saw a mixture of love and regret in his blue eyes. There had been a time when he had been a pretty good man. He had always been lazy and had always refused to take responsibility for anything but he hadn't been a drug addict and he had been a good dad.

Then their little Matthew had died one night of SIDS and Steven had gone off the deep end. She had tried to stick with him but he had refused to get help and she hadn't loved him enough to hang around. She had taken Faith and left him and she and her daughter had been on their own ever since.

"Did you ever really love me?" Steven asked quietly and Vanessa realized he was looking back at her. She was caught off guard by the question and bit her lip as she thought about her answer.

"Yes." she replied honestly. "But not enough and the love I did have has been dead for a long time." Steven nodded and then looked back down at his daughter. Faith had her father's blond hair and pointed nose. She was really the perfect blend of the two of them.

"Can I stay here for the rest of the night so I can see her when she wakes up? I'll sleep right here in the chair." Vanessa wanted to say no but she knew Faith would be disappointed if she didn't get to see her daddy so she nodded. Besides if the vampire did show up, Steven would be one more thing she could throw at it as she ran away.

***

Tyler couldn't stay awake any longer. He looked at his watch and saw that it was four in the morning. Only two more hours until dawn but it was more than he could do. He sat down on the sidewalk and leaned his back against the rock wall of the motel. He closed his eyes and was just nodding off when he felt something rush past him.

His eyes flew open and he looked around the parking lot. He couldn't seen anything in the fluorescent glow of the motel sign. He laughed nervously and cursed himself for being too on edge before closing his eyes again.