something,” She began. “And I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.” He stopped and turned to face her. “I am with child, Jack,” she said softly, her eyes searching his.
Jack froze, his mouth falling open, his eyes widening…he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly, yet somehow he knew exac tly what she had said. “You’re…what?”
“I am with child,” she repeated, slightly slower this time.
He had to remember to inhale to keep breathing, his eyes darting to the side. “A baby? We’re going to have a baby?” Panic started to rise as he thought of all the things that could go wrong…the upcoming battle, the vampire attack, all of the other wolves that would be coming here, Thorn’s vampires, the Elven warriors…too many fighters for her to be around…he had to protect her…
“Say something, Jack.” Her eyes began to tear up.
“We need to get you out of here, Nadia. It isn’t safe for you here.” He almost began to shake. “You need to go back to the island!”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Are you not happy that we are to have a child?”
“What?!” he exclaimed. “Of course I am, but I need to keep you safe! It isn’t safe here, Nadia. We’re about to fight a war ! You could be hurt, the baby could be…” He lowered his eyes to her stomach and his features softened. “ Our baby could be hurt.” He raised his eyes to meet hers, sadness rimming his features. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to either of you.” He pulled her to him and held her. “I love you too much to risk you…either of you,” he whispered in her ear. He could feel her tremble in his arms and it frightened him, the idea that anything could happen to her or the baby. “I need to get you home.”
“And I need to be with you.”
He pulled back from her, his eyes wide. “No, no…Nadia. We can’t risk that. We can’t risk anything happening to you now.”
She smiled at him and held his face, her tears running freely. “As long as you are with me, I will be safe. I know this.” She smiled. She kissed him fiercely. “I have foreseen it.”
He pulled back from her and stared at her hard. “A vision?”
She nodded, catching great gulps of air between sobs. “Yes.” She finally choked out, “A vision.”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t like it, Nadia. Not at all.” He still felt that she needed to be as far from this place as possible.
“I will be fine, Jack.” She pulled herself into his arms again. “I will be fine.”
He held her tightly and breathed her scent. He could feel her shaking in his arms, and he didn’t want to let go. The biggest part of him wanted to steal a truck and take her into the night and never look back. Maybe go back to the island; maybe make off for parts unknown. He didn’t care; he just wanted to be away from all this. Take her away from anything that might endanger her or the baby.
The baby…he was going to be a father! The thought struck him hard, yet it didn’t seem foreign. The idea of Nadia and him raising a child…it just felt right. Natural. Normal. He sighed heavily and squeezed her in his arms. “I love you so much,” he whispered into her ear.
“And I love you.”
4
Dominic knew that the sun would be up shortly and his time was limited. He needed to make better time, and the only way to do that would be to steal a car. He had found an old map in the trash and was able to figure out roughly where he was and where he needed to go. He was maybe an hour from Aviano by vehicle, but without money to rent a car or get a bus ticket, he was left with less than honorable means of getting there.
He found a few vehicles parked along the empty street, but they were too modern. Too hard to hotwire. Near the corner was an old Renault, a piece of crap if ever there was one, but old enough to hotwire. He approached the vehicle carefully and braced himself to knock out the window. Just as he was about to break the glass, he looked
Jack froze, his mouth falling open, his eyes widening…he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly, yet somehow he knew exac tly what she had said. “You’re…what?”
“I am with child,” she repeated, slightly slower this time.
He had to remember to inhale to keep breathing, his eyes darting to the side. “A baby? We’re going to have a baby?” Panic started to rise as he thought of all the things that could go wrong…the upcoming battle, the vampire attack, all of the other wolves that would be coming here, Thorn’s vampires, the Elven warriors…too many fighters for her to be around…he had to protect her…
“Say something, Jack.” Her eyes began to tear up.
“We need to get you out of here, Nadia. It isn’t safe for you here.” He almost began to shake. “You need to go back to the island!”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Are you not happy that we are to have a child?”
“What?!” he exclaimed. “Of course I am, but I need to keep you safe! It isn’t safe here, Nadia. We’re about to fight a war ! You could be hurt, the baby could be…” He lowered his eyes to her stomach and his features softened. “ Our baby could be hurt.” He raised his eyes to meet hers, sadness rimming his features. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to either of you.” He pulled her to him and held her. “I love you too much to risk you…either of you,” he whispered in her ear. He could feel her tremble in his arms and it frightened him, the idea that anything could happen to her or the baby. “I need to get you home.”
“And I need to be with you.”
He pulled back from her, his eyes wide. “No, no…Nadia. We can’t risk that. We can’t risk anything happening to you now.”
She smiled at him and held his face, her tears running freely. “As long as you are with me, I will be safe. I know this.” She smiled. She kissed him fiercely. “I have foreseen it.”
He pulled back from her and stared at her hard. “A vision?”
She nodded, catching great gulps of air between sobs. “Yes.” She finally choked out, “A vision.”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t like it, Nadia. Not at all.” He still felt that she needed to be as far from this place as possible.
“I will be fine, Jack.” She pulled herself into his arms again. “I will be fine.”
He held her tightly and breathed her scent. He could feel her shaking in his arms, and he didn’t want to let go. The biggest part of him wanted to steal a truck and take her into the night and never look back. Maybe go back to the island; maybe make off for parts unknown. He didn’t care; he just wanted to be away from all this. Take her away from anything that might endanger her or the baby.
The baby…he was going to be a father! The thought struck him hard, yet it didn’t seem foreign. The idea of Nadia and him raising a child…it just felt right. Natural. Normal. He sighed heavily and squeezed her in his arms. “I love you so much,” he whispered into her ear.
“And I love you.”
4
Dominic knew that the sun would be up shortly and his time was limited. He needed to make better time, and the only way to do that would be to steal a car. He had found an old map in the trash and was able to figure out roughly where he was and where he needed to go. He was maybe an hour from Aviano by vehicle, but without money to rent a car or get a bus ticket, he was left with less than honorable means of getting there.
He found a few vehicles parked along the empty street, but they were too modern. Too hard to hotwire. Near the corner was an old Renault, a piece of crap if ever there was one, but old enough to hotwire. He approached the vehicle carefully and braced himself to knock out the window. Just as he was about to break the glass, he looked
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