Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long

Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long Twenty-Four: Bond

Warmth. It surrounded me as I slowly awoke my senses coming back fogged over at first and slowly coming too. The scent of bacon, eggs and fresh bread caught in my nose. The sound of my own breathing and the howling wind outside. The taste of Viktor’s lips still lingered on my lips, and I wondered how long I had been out for. I opened my eyes seeing the mini feast for one sitting on the nightstand before me.

Warmth… all around. Wait. A hand, on my stomach was rubbing it gently, the hand was warm, so was the chiselled chest my back was pressed against. Warm. I jumped out of bed quickly in a fluid motion landing in a crouch my by disregarded pants grabbing a paralyzing needle and turning. Viktor stared at me his one eyebrow raised in question.

I stared at him for a moment keeping the needle in my hand. “You’re warm,” I stated a little bit of shock in my voice.

He smiled and beckoned me closer. I put the needle back in the kit, the last thing I needed was to step on it later. Yeah… that would be fun. I sat back down on the bed facing him, realizing I was naked still I pulled the blankets over myself. Viktor just grinned at the brief show I’d given before sitting up himself. “I’ll stay warm till the infant grows out of its human traits,” Viktor explained. “If I stayed as cold as I typically am I could give the baby a cold or flu and well… that might not end well.”

“So the child won’t be impervious to human sicknesses?” I questioned.

“The child will be born human, I was, my father was, we grow up and eventually our fangs come in, we start needing blood instead of food, our skin becomes nearly impenetrable, and our temperatures drop along with our heart stopping.” Viktor explained to me, I thought about it, these revelations worried me. At least when I thought I was having a vampire child I figured it would be safe from any harms that may come it’s way. Learning that it wouldn’t worried me.

There was three quick raps on the door and Griever and Xavier came in backward. “Sorry guys, but Xavier just informed me your father is coming and well if I’m out there… I’m going to get my ass handed to me.”

“No problem,” Viktor replied as he slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom with some fresh clothing. Griever waved at Xavier sending him with the prince. Xavier didn’t look so happy. I blushed remembering the night before… knowing the sounds I made, and remembering who was guarding right outside the door.

I resorted to looking over to the delicious food and pulled the tray onto my lap. I assumed Griever brought it while we were sleeping, he knew how Viktor would occasionally forget I need to eat.

I took a bit of the fresh bread that had a light coating of melted butter, I grinned happily eating it quickly. I moved on to the scrambled eggs they were already getting a little cold so I ate them with haste, saving the best for last. Bacon. Mmmm. I savoured it trying to remember the last good meal I had eaten. Viktor came out and I could smell lavender on him. “How was your breakfast?” He asked me.

I grinned, “delicious,” I put the plate over on the side table again and picked up the glass of orange juice drinking it back.

“You want a bath now?”

“Damn right I do,” I replied getting up carefully keeping the sheet around me. Viktor handed me some clothing and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “are these a little… swanky?”

“No,” Viktor replied looking a little bummed out.

“Excellent,” I walked toward the bathroom realizing I had a follower, I looked over my shoulder to see Xavier. “I don’t think so buddy.”

“You are holding the heir, you are under protection as well,” Xavier replied.

“And its daytime so that means you are the protector for Viktor since he can’t take sunlight.”

“Fine, then Griever can go in with you.”

I looked furious as I tried to come up with an argument, finding none I just walked into the bathroom Griever respectfully turning his back as I bathed quickly in the rose water, the lavender I smelt on Viktor was a shampoo, I looked at the different kinds, I took some of the peppermint kind and washed up quickly. I couldn’t help it, I rushed, I needed to see Viktor again, like five minutes ago. This was all taking so long. I got out and dried quickly putting on undergarments before looking at the clothing that Viktor had handed me.

It was a dress, a baby blue square neck with a gold band under my breast, it fell to my feet, just above the ground so I wouldn’t trip in it. I put on a pair of white flats that were nearly invisible under the dress. I glanced in the mirror, just like Viktor had said it was appropriate, still tasteful though.

I walked out and was met by Viktor’s embrace, I didn’t understand but I was happy, the worries and need that I felt in my rush of getting ready were gone. He seemed a little surprised by it all and we let each other go.

“The King and his mate were like that as well,” Lucid said, I was a little shocked, I hadn’t even realized he was there, along with Vincent.

“We can’t help it,” Vincent said, “the bond of mating demands that you stay together. When your out of sight of each other it causes each other to worry. Its worse for the male because not only is he worried of the welfare of his mate, but also of the child. Its for the best you two stay together for the next month.”

“Month?”

“Trust me,” Vincent said with a grin, one that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, that made me instinctively put my arms over my still flat stomach, one that made my heart race with panic.

“You’re carrying a special child,” Lucid explained, “one that will be born human, but is not human. A Night Child heir grows fast.

“A month,” I repeated quietly, this frightened me, I thought I had nine months to get use to everything.

“Anyways, I just wanted to make sure everything had gone as plan, by the end of November, your child will be born. Healthy and strong.” Vincent said leaving, Lucid following loyally behind.

I looked to Viktor he was staring at my hands covering my stomach, “are you alright.”

“Yeah,” I replied letting my hands fall to my sides. Everything in my being was screaming NO! Something was wrong, I felt it in my very core. Something was very, very wrong. Vincent… he wasn’t telling something, he had some sort of hidden agenda. I swallowed the fear down though, “will you take me to see Alana… I want to know more about the pregnancy stuff.”

“Didn’t your mother teach you it?”

“Well one, my mother never though I’d be mating with a Night Child, second of all deep down both her and I thought I’d live my entire life as a male.”

Viktor shrugged, “alright, lets go.”

Xavier came with us since it was day light, Griever went to get a meal. I found that a little odd, normally he seemed pretty happy when we were seeing Alana. Then again he told us before he left that she may still be in berserker so not to press her.

Viktor kept close to me, our arms ran across each other when we walked, we knocked on Alana’s office door. She opened it. Her eyes blurred with what should have been my equivalent to tears. Night Children can’t cry, but you can tell they are trying when their eyes mist over to nearly a white.

“Lanni?” I spoke her nick-name rolling off my tongue, “you alright?”

She pressed her hand to my stomach rubbing it like Viktor had been doing earlier. I just smiled at her. She turned around suddenly and looked like she was about to berserk. “This is so wrong!” She screamed her eyes started flickering and I heard Xavier pull his sword out.

“Lanni, I just wanted to know if you’d tell me about some of the pregnancy stuff,” I said lightly. She turned her eyes wild. Viktor pulled both me and Xavier out of the room and shut the door.

“For some dumb reason, berserkers have troubles with doors,” he said quietly. Had the situation not worried me so much I might have laughed.

Why did my question throw Alana over the edge? A shudder ran down my spine. Something wasn’t right here.