A Vampire's Life Book 2

A few words from Patrick...

Time had passed with a blur, Lilly now in the final stages of pregnancy, her belly so heavy the doctor has ordered her into bed rest. The doctor had stated at the scan that there were three in there, all of them healthy and growing well, as was expected. So now that she was ordered to the bed, someone had to look after Ivy. Of course that was me, but still very new at this fatherhood thing, I knew little. My mother and Olivia were always helping, as was Lilly's many sisters-in-law's. But with all things in life, this didn't last very long. My parents were already pregnant, a sibling due any day now. I suspected that Olivia was pregnant too, but nothing had been said officially. And as for Lilly's brothers and their wives, well, life was busy for them. There were maids to help, meals prepared and I would have hoped for nappy changes but Lilly wanted her toilet trained. For all that Ivy is a great kid, she can have moments of difficulty, which I suspect is a trait that comes from her mother. I think she knows something is going on, she is smart, even though she is only eighteen months old. And she is going through a possessive stage. If anything was ever lost, there was only one place that you needed to look. Ivy's bedroom. The cook couldn't find his favourite recipe book, under her cot. The television remote, in the toy box. Pillows, she had a thing for pillows. The ones off the lounge, out of the bedrooms, they all ended up in her room. If I turned my back on her for a second, she would be out of sight and off searching for her next object. Then there were the tears. When I took back the items she cried and cried. Ivy wasn't using many words at this stage, but one rang loud and clear. Mine. Everything in the house went out of arms reach but still somehow she managed to get to them. When I looked at Lilly and that swollen belly, all I saw was three more Ivy's, we were only a few weeks away from a complete nightmare. Three screaming babies and a toddler that was having behavioural problems. I thought we were doomed, completely out of our league.

Out of the blue, Miranda turns up with Jonah in tow. A play date she called it. Lilly had ventured from the bed to the lounge, the maid fussing around with morning tea for the three of us while Lilly and Jonah played on the lounge floor.

"So, how's life?"

"Great." Lilly groans.

Miranda chuckled as she sipped her coffee. I watched Ivy up to her usual antics, hoarding all of the toys. Jonah, a few years older than her was completely fascinated by her. He let her have many toys even if he had just picked it up. All except one. It was a fire truck, an old toy of mine that he was enthralled by.

"Mine." Ivy tries to take it from him.

"No." Jonah holds it away from her.

"Mine!" she stomps her foot.

He ignores her and continues to drive it around on the carpet, she watches him as her eyes darken. I was about to say something to her when I felt Miranda's hand on my arm. I look up at her and she shakes her head, smiling at me warmly.

"Mine!" she says louder.

Again, he ignores her. It was a blur as she dived onto him, struggling to get the truck from him. Great, now my kid's aggressive as well. Then she bites him. I was shocked and was about to pull her off him. He never cried, he never got angry. He just pushed her off him and bit her back. Ivy plopped onto the carpet completely shocked and then the tears started. Jonah took the truck and climbed up onto Miranda's lap. Ivy clambered up and onto my lap.

"Owie." she held out her arm.

"You bit him first Ivy."

She stares up at me, those big green eyes brimming with tears.

"You say you're sorry."

Ivy tries to snuggle into my neck, ignoring what I said.

"Ivy say sorry."

The bottom lip quivers and I look at her, eyebrows high, giving her the don't mess with me look. She turns to Jonah.

"Sowee."

Jonah looks at her as his fingers play with the wheels of the truck.

"Can you two play nice now?" Miranda asks.

Neither of them respond and I put Ivy back onto the carpet. She sat herself onto the carpet, the tears still welling in her eyes.

"Your blood is so sweet." Jonah says as he holds the truck out, leaning on the edge of Miranda's knee.

I gape, Lilly sits up from her seat, I look at Miranda. She looks back at me, just as astounded.

"Jonah honey, what did you just say?"

He sits back on her lap, looking up at her.

"Ivy's blood is so sweet, it is yummy."

"Is it sweet like mummy's?"

"No much better." he said with a big grin.

He climbs off her lap and drives the truck on the carpet around our feet.

"Oh snap." Lilly chuckles.

"Oh snap indeed." Miranda says with a smirk. Then she sighs. "Ok, this is how we are going to deal with this... them. Play dates, lots of them. I'm sure you two will need her occupied in coming months anyway. And the social interaction will help with that." she gestures to Ivy finally getting the truck from Jonah. "And we let them discover it for themselves. Let them grow up together, let them find their love for themselves."

"So we don't tell them that they are each other's soul mates?"

"Yes. They will find each other, it is the way that it happens, you just need to give them time."

I watched as my daughter rather shockingly gave the truck back to Jonah, willingly giving up the toy that she so desperately wanted.

"See? It's already started."

"My god, she's not going to be knocked up at sixteen is she?"

"I certainly hope not." Miranda says with a raised eyebrow. "They will possess a friendship for many years and then one day out of the blue..." she shrugged with a smile. "Who knows what will happen."