(Piya's POV)
(6 months later...)
6 months had come by quickly. Our baby was growing healthy and strong inside of my womb. Abhay never left my side. He made sure I was eating and sleeping well and taking care of myself. Diana had taught me how to communicate with the baby. I could talk to it now, and it could hear me. Abhay was already able to do this, and I was getting jealous of it.
Tonight was a full moon. I was excited, because tonight I would learn of our baby's gender. I stroked my hand over my bump, and I felt the baby kick. I jumped in surprise, as it was the first time I felt it kick.
"Abhay! Come here!" I said gleefully.
"What happened Piya?" He asked. I took his hand and placed it on the bump.
"Baby, can you kick again for papa?" I said smiling wide. And sure enough, it kicked again. Abhay smiled and kneeled down in front of me, kissing the spot where he felt the kick. Then another kick. I giggled in delight.
"Our baby is so naughty, it's demanding more kisses from me." He laughed. "Reminds me of you." He teased. I smacked him with a nearby pillow.
(Abhay's POV)
Mom knocked on the door and entered with a plate of cut fruits. She smiled at us and set the plate on the table.
"Piya, I want these gone soon." She said laughing. Piya giggled. "And Abhay, make sure she eats them."
"I will mom." I placed my hand on Piya's bump and connected with the baby. *Are you hungry, baby?*
*Yeah.* It said, and with that a kick. I smiled. Mom did a routine check-up of Piya shortly after. She had spent her years of immortality in getting a further education, primarily in gynecology.
"The baby is doing fine. Strong and healthy. Soon we'll know the gender too." She said. She instructed me to feed Piya the fruits and left the room. She would bring Diana when she got here.
"Piya, time to eat. Baby is hungry." I grabbed the plate and brought it to the bed.
"But Abhay....I'm not that hungry." She whined. Then she jumped, clutching her belly.
"What happened?"
"The baby kicked again.....hard."
"That's what you get for refusing jaan." I teased. "Never refuse a hungry child."
"Then you feed me."
"With pleasure jaan." I popped the apple piece into her mouth.
Diana was to arrive soon. I made sure Piya ate the remaining fruits before that. She was busy talking to it in secret. I watched in secret, admiring the unique glow on her face she got from our child. She became like a child, always happy and cheerful. I found myself lucky to have her. She was my ultimate happiness, my special light.
I heard the doorbell, assuming that Diana had arrived. Sure enough, mom came back to my room along with her. She had a long pendant in one hand and a small glass vial in another. Piya was overly excited to see her.
"Finally you are here Diana." She said eagerly.
"Shall we start?" She said. I nodded. Mom went to get her everyone.
Piya was made to lie down on the bed. But before she did, Diana handed her the glass vial with a purple liquid in it.
"It's a potion needed for the spell. Drink it. Don't worry, it won't harm the baby." She assured. Piya nodded and drank it.
I sat next to her and kept one hand on her head and held the other. Everyone had arrived by then to witness. Diana pulled out the pendant and chanted something. The pendant was frozen in the air, no movements whatsoever.
"This will only take a few seconds." She said, then began chanting. She touched the pendant to Piya's belly and concentrated. After a few seconds it began to swirl in circles repeatedly. After making sure it didn't change its course, she stopped.
"So?" I asked.
"It's a girl." She smiled. "Maybe a little version of Piya." She giggled.
"Sid, did you hear that? Our niece!" Shweta squealed. She was the most excited of all of us. She hugged Piya tight. "I hope she is like Piya. She would be beautiful as an angel, like her mother." Piya blushed.
"Congrats my son." Dad rested his hand on my shoulder. "Never thought I would be a grandparent one day." He chuckled.
"Thanks dad. Well now you have gotten that blessing." I said.
Everyone cleared out of the room, leaving Piya and I alone again. I connected with the baby again.
*I'm going to call you angel. Do you like that?*
*Pretty.* She said.
"She is our angel." I told Piya. She smiled.
"That's a perfect nickname." She said. She began talking to angel again. I decided to join the conversation.
"Come out soon, okay? Mama can't wait to play with you." She said. Angel kicked in response. She sure loved to kick a lot.
"Just 3 more months." I said. Time flew by when you didn't notice. I cupped Piya's face in my hands and caressed her cheeks with my thumb. She was stressed about the baby's arrival, but I assured her that they would both be fine.
"I love you Abhay." She threw her arms around me and smiled. I kissed her head.
"I love you too Piya." Angel then became jealous and kicked again. Since I was leaning against Piya I could feel the kick. I lifted Piya's top to expose the bump and placed a gentle kiss.
"I love you too Angel." I said. Piya giggled. "Now sleep Piya. Don't stress too much. I'm here for you. Okay?"
"I know." She gave a small smile. I laid her comfortably in bed and let her sleep. I kept a protective watch over her. I felt like something sinister was brewing. We still did have the superiors to handle. I needed to talk to dad about this. I left Piya safe inside our room and began to descend down the staircase when I heard several voices coming from the study. I went to investigate.
Everyone grew silent as I entered the room. The superiors were here, and they looked highly displeased. This made me angry.
"Abhay.....would you like to explain to us what is going on?"
"There is nothing to explain." I snarled. "My wife is pregnant with my child. Simple as that."
"Do you realize the consequences that this child, this abomination could bring us?!? Such a child cannot exist in nature. It will only bring harm!" My hands balled up into fists. The monster inside me was threatening to emerge. Dad spoke to me in my head.
*Abhay, calm down. Don't let your anger control you.* I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.
"How can you guarantee that this child will only bring harm?" I hissed at them. "She is special yes, but special doesn't mean bad. I will bear any consequence to see my wife and daughter with me, unharmed. Do you get that?!"
"Then you must take full responsibility for proving that she poses no danger to us."
"I already have taken that responsibility. A young child is as innocent as one can be. She will never mean any harm. Now if I see any of your men around Piya and trying to harm my daughter, then I will kill them without any second thought. Do I make myself clear?!"
They all went silent. I wanted to snap their necks one by one, but I managed to control myself. I wanted them gone from my sight. I waited for any kind of movement from them. They seemed satisfied with my answer. One by one, they strode out of the room.
(Piya's POV)
I had heard everything from outside the study. I had snuck out behind Abhay. Five men walked out, one by one. One of them saw me standing there and stared at me for a few moments before walking off with the others. I had to get back to my room before Abhay came out. I pictured the room in my mind and chanted a teleportation spell. Within seconds, I was back and under the covers, trying to hold back tears. I heard footsteps, then the sound of a shutting door. It was Abhay. I peeked out of the corner of my eye and saw him open the window to get some fresh air. He removed his shirt and tossed it hard against the couch. He looked angry. I shut my eyes quickly when he turned to look at me. He walked over and laid down next to me, kissing me gently on the forehead.
"Jaan, I know you are awake." He said. I still pretended.
"And I also know you heard everything downstairs. I sensed your presence. Look at me." I finally did open my eyes and let the tears flow freely.
"Abhay, why did they want to kill angel?" I said frantically. He took me in his embrace.
"They don't know any better in this matter jaan. Everything has been solved now. Our angel will be with us. Don't cry. I don't like to see you cry, nor would angel."
"I'm scared." There could be many others who didn't want angel to be born.
"There is no need to be afraid jaan. Anyone who wants to harm angel or you will have to go through me first." He paused, seeing my tensed expression. "I guess I need to lift someone's mood again. And I have the perfect way to do that." He gave a light smooch and stroked my hair. I was relaxing solely to his touch.
"Relax jaan. Tomorrow morning will be much better. I'm already planning something special as we speak."
"What?" I asked as he wiped my tears.
"It's a surprise." He buried his face in my neck, and began to place soothing kisses there. "Just relax jaan." He whispered. His kisses were so soothing. I melted in his embrace. I curled up next to him and fell asleep. I had full faith in him, that he would always keep me happy.
(The next day...)
Abhay had planned to reveal his surprise at night. He bought me a new dress, loose enough to wear comfortably with my baby bump. It was a white dress, fluffy and finished with the perfect yellow embroidery. I loved it. I found my matching flats and got ready as he told me to. He got ready himself, and soon emerged into view. He was wearing a full black suit with a black tie, looking completely drool-worthy and sexy. It was tight enough to expose his strong and muscular build. He took me in his arms swiftly but carefully.
"You look beautiful Piya." He brushed his fingers down my cheek.
"And you look very handsome Abhay." I blushed.
"Swoon worthy handsome?" He smirked.
"Obviously." I giggled.
"Shall we?" He asked politely. I nodded.
"After you, my darling." He kissed me quickly and led me downstairs. He helped me into the car and fastened my seatbelt for me.
"Do have your cloaking ring?" He asked. I nodded. "Although I do love your runes, no one else should see them."
He drove down the road quietly, steering with one hand and holding my hand with the other. I was getting impacted to know where we were going.
"Abhay...please tell me na!" I insisted. He smirked and kept driving silently.
"Patience Piya. We are almost there." He said. "Close your eyes."
"Abhay!" I whined.
"Please?" He said. I relented and closed my eyes.
I waited for five minutes. Then the car stopped. I could hear the voices of people and smell food.
"We're here jaan. Open your eyes." I did so, and gazed out the window. We had arrived at a five star restaurant. I smiled real wide.
"But Abhay, what will you do here?"
"Feed my beautiful wife and daughter, of course." He caresses my cheek. "It's become a hobby." He smirked.
He opened my door for me like a gentleman and took my hand. He linked arms with me and we walked to the stone pathway, which split in two directions. A waiter was standing there, and Abhay signaled him over.
"Welcome sir. All the arrangements are ready. Right this way." He ushered.
"Come jaan." Abhay said.
We followed the waiter down to a special gazebo. It was decorated with beautiful flowers and surrounded by a quiet waterfall. In the center was a dinner table, in the middle, a few candles. Abhay led me up the steps and pulled a seat for me. I sat down carefully. He sent the waiter on his way and pulled his chair closer to me.
"This is so beautiful Abhay. Thank you." I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight.
"Anything to make my Piya happy." He whispered. "Now what will she like to eat this evening? Any special cravings today?" He asked.
"Something spicy. Anything. But it has to be spicy." I said.
"Coming right up." He called the waiter over and ordered a few things. Then he turned his attention back to me. "I can't wait for angel to be born." He smiled. He loved the feeling of being a father for the first time.
"I can't either Abhay. But what to do? These things take time." I giggled.
Suddenly I heard a loud rustling in the woods nearby, and I jumped and smacked my hand on the sharp end of the knife. I cried in pain. Abhay quickly took my hand. A small cut formed deep into my palm. Blood was oozing out of it. Abhay was slowly losing control of himself. I pulled my hand away and hid it behind my back. He growled and balled his hands into fists. His fangs were peeking out and his eyes had shifted color.
"Abhay...relax. Let me take care of this." I assured him. I made him sit down. He took deep breaths and retracted his fangs. I walked carefully over to waterfall nearby and sat on the bench next to it, assessing the wound. But normally I would heal it quickly, but I didn't want to. Blood trailed down to my wrist, and I wanted it. I was craving it. Mindlessly I took the cut to my lips and licked the blood clean off. What the hell was happening? Was angel craving it? She was half vampire, so it made sense.
Freaked out to the core, I healed the wound as fast as I could and turned to go back. I found Abhay standing behind me a short distance away. He saw what had happened. I rushed to him.
"Abhay.....I...I don't know what's happening! I'm craving blood all of a sudden...and...." He put his finger to my lips.
"Jaan relax. I knew this would happen sooner or later. Mom warned me and explained beforehand. Angel is beginning to crave blood, and she can only get it through you. Her vampire instincts are slowly developing."
"I understand that, but why is it appealing to me!?"
"Angel is simply altering your taste to make you like the taste of blood, so that she can get more of it. But I don't want to make her dependent on it, so she will only get it twice a week for now."
"But Abhay....I...." He pulled me into his embrace.
"I know you will feel uncomfortable with this Piya, but I'm here for you. Think of Angel whenever the time comes, you will keep her healthy and happy. Okay?" I nodded. "Now come, your dinner is ready." The waiters had just arrived with the food. This time he lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the gazebo. He set me down and began to feed me all the food.
"I remember when I used to cook this stuff in the palace..." He smiled to himself. "Sid and I used to throw flour at each when we were little." He chuckled.
"You used to cook?" I asked. He never mentioned it.
"That was my job. I was a servant after all."
"Then how come you never cooked for me?" I asked, upset.
"Who do you think has been preparing your meals for 6 months then?" He frowned. I gasped.
"You?!" I said. Then I laughed. "I didn't my husband could make such great food."
"I'm also good at other things jaan." He winked.
"Like making me smile?" I asked.
"That's my best talent." He kissed my hand. Then he fed me the rest of the food. I was feeling sleepy afterwards.
"I think it's someone's bedtime." He lifted my chin. I nodded. "Let's go home my darling."
Once we were home, I changed into my nightgown and lied down in bed. Abhay joined me, again shirtless. I curled up against his ice cold body. We talked for a while when someone knocked on the door. Abhay swiftly reached the door and opened it. Mom was standing there. She smiled and walked in.
"So I hear my granddaughter is craving blood now?" She asked, sitting next to me. Abhay stood to the side. I nodded. "Nothing to worry about Piya. This is normal for her development. But I know it must be very uncomfortable for you, since you are not one of us."
"I understand, but I'll do anything for Angel." I said, caressing my bump. She kicked lightly in response. I gave a small smile.
"That's great Piya. I'll leave Abhay to decide how much he wants to give you. The sooner she learns to control her bloodlust, the better." She caressed my hair and left an empty glass for me on the nightstand. "Sleep well dear."
"Abhay, make sure you take care of my daughter-in-law. I have my eye on you." She said. I giggled.
"I will mom. Have I given you any chance to complain?" He said.
"Well roaming with your shirt off gives me the impression that you plan to completely exhaust Piya and break the bed in the process." She smirked. I bit my lip to avoid bursting into laughter. She left the room, leaving Abhay dazed on what the hell just happened. He chuckled and joined me once again.
"You know? I just maybe could do that. Make love to my beautiful wife? Anytime." He smirked. I blushed shamefully and ducked my face under the covers. He uncovered me and gave me a passionate smooch. He nuzzled my neck and nicked his teeth there. I let out a small moan. It stung, but soon I felt his swirling tongue and cool lips massaging the bite.
"Abhay....."
"What? Don't you like it?" He inquired. I did love it.
"Who said I don't like it?" I blushed. He growled sensuously and bit down in my wet skin. He marked his love all over my skin. I surrendered myself to him, letting him explore every inch of my body and claim me as eternally his. My pulse raced as he sparked the nerves in my body with his passionate and wet touches. He slid his hand up my nightie and stroked my belly with his hand. I grasped the bed sheet in my fists, my body moving to his actions. He lowered his hand and played with his fingers at my hips. However, my slightest movements were tiring. My breathing grew heavy and my heart was beating out of my chest. Abhay stopped immediately, and instead laid his ear over my thumping heart. He grabbed my wrist and tried to slow my pulse. It slowly worked.
"The sound of your heart is music to my ears." He said. "I could listen to it all night." I giggled and ran my fingers through his dark and silky hair. I fell asleep with him in this position, his head over my heart and our hands entwined with one another.
All we had to do now was wait for our little angel to join us.
Time went by as normal. Abhay began to give me blood twice a week for angel. I drank it as fast as I could every time, while Abhay watched. It did feel awkward, but each time I drank it, angel would throw small, light kicks in satisfaction. He limited the amount of intake to little. He wanted angel to get used to drinking little amounts at certain times in order to teach her self control. I watched him as he explained it to me. He would make the perfect father for angel. I could sense a special bond between the two that I didn't quite understand, it was too deep to be understood. I had woken up once in the middle of the night without him knowing, and found him talking to her for hours. One night in particular, the light was on for the small empty room adjacent to ours. There was a door that connected it to our room. Inside, Abhay, Sid, and Shweta were making a nursery for her. The room was cleaned, painted a bright yellow, and had toys and a large crib set up, ready to welcome its new guest. I used my magic to see through the door without opening it further and gazed around, showing angel as well.
*Do you like it?*
*Yeah. Only mine?* She said.
*Yes angel, only yours. Papa made it just for you.* I caressed my bump. She kicked in delight.
It was supposed to be a surprise, but I had found out too early. I tried to act like I was surprised again. But I was genuinely happy when he finally showed me. A new addition I found in the nursery was a rocking chair in the center.
He took me in his embrace, trying to contain my excitement. I could picture ourselves in here all day, playing with angel from sunrise to sundown.