He shook his head. How do you always know I’m here? Rising, he strode silently across the roof, took her hand, and helped her the rest of the way up.
I know your energy signature now.
His brow furrowed. I’m glad Seth can’t detect me so easily. I doubt he’d respond well to learning I’ve been . . . visiting.
She thought he might be right on that one. Her husband Marcus wouldn’t either, if he knew.
Seating herself, Ami waited for Zach to reclaim his spot, then withdrew two lollipops from her jacket.
His lips tilted up in a faint smile. Which one do I want tonight?
She offered him a green one. Apple.
The smell of fresh fruit—Granny Smith apples and ripe strawberries—filled the air as they unwrapped their treats and let the flavors coat their tongues.
This was the sixth or seventh time she had met him up here. She alone seemed capable of detecting his presence.
She still didn’t know who he was, but sensed he posed no threat to her.
He rarely spoke. That didn’t bother her though. She hadn’t been much of a talker either after Seth and David had rescued her from her torturers. And the first time she had met Zach he had been riddled with wounds and trembling with pain.
Ami understood pain.
She also understood a reluctance to trust.
Wind buffeted her, rocking her on her perch.
Zach unfurled his wings to shield her from the breeze.
So, he drawled, surprising her, how are you?
She turned her head and found him studying her intently. You know? she asked.
About your pregnancy? Yes.
Only a handful of people had been told, so either he had overheard it or he had detected the baby’s heartbeat and, unlike the others, knew it didn’t belong to one of the kittens.
Dr. Lipton said the baby has a strong, healthy heartbeat.
I didn’t ask about the baby. I asked about you. How are you doing?
Shrugging, she lowered her gaze to the lollipop wrapper and began to fold and unfold it. The nausea is pretty bad. Lollipops are the only sweet things I can stand to smell or eat. Anything else makes me throw up. As did most foods. Marcus was worried that she wasn’t getting enough nutrition, because almost everything she put in her stomach came right back up again.
Are you afraid? he asked softly.
Ami’s throat thickened. Her vision grew hazy as tears welled in her eyes. Raising her head, she met his gentle gaze. Terrified.
Zach’s chest constricted when tears spilled over her lashes and trailed down her cheeks. Ami was the kindest, gentlest mortal he had encountered in his long existence. Ironically, she was also one of the fiercest, most determined fighters. To see her so vulnerable made his heart hurt.
And Zach hadn’t even realized he had a heart.
I wish I could see the future, he said, so I could tell you how this will turn out.
She smiled and brushed at her cheeks. At least you didn’t tell me everything will be all right.
Is that what your husband does? he asked curiously.
She shook her head. Marcus never lies to me. A sad smile tilted her lips. So he says very little. He asks how I feel and does everything he can to make me happy, help me feel better, keep me from stressing over what might happen, all the things that could go wrong. More tears welled. And tries to carry all of the burden himself.
Zach swallowed. There really wasn’t anything he could say to ease her mind and steal away her despair. It surprised him that he even wished to try.
Did you know, she asked, sniffling, that before I came here I had never seen a pregnant woman?
No. He couldn’t imagine it, and sometimes forgot that she was from another planet.
She smiled. The first one I saw had a belly so huge I thought something was seriously wrong with her.
She must have wondered what the hell was in that belly. How is that possible? he asked. Don’t people on your planet reproduce the same way we do?
She nodded. Visitors came to us from another solar system under the guise of friendship and used a virus as a bioweapon against us. No one died from it, so we thought it was an accident, that they hadn’t known they were carriers, and didn’t think much of it until we realized that almost every woman on our planet had been rendered infertile by it. Those who weren’t usually miscarried. Successful pregnancies that go to term are practically nonexistent now. And female children are just as likely to be infertile. It’s one of the reasons I came here. I hoped to find some Earth women who might like to either serve as surrogate mothers or marry our men and help us repopulate.
And the other?
She shook her head. To warn you that the beings who tried to eradicate us are on their way to eradicate you.
Lovely. And for that you were ruthlessly tortured for six months.
Yes. She was quiet for a long moment. I never thought I would be a mother. Another minute passed. Marcus never thought he would be a father.
The odds of either were . . .
Well, hell, he would have thought it impossible even without knowing her people’s history.
Congratulations.
She stared at him. Moisture once more welled in her eyes.
Again Zach’s chest tightened. He cupped his knees in his palms, slid his hands over the soft leather anxiously. Should I not have—?
She shook her head, lips curling into a trembling smile, and brushed the tears from her cheeks. I’m sorry. It’s just . . . you’re the first person who has congratulated me. Everyone else . . .
Is concerned.
She nodded.
He looked at her stomach, hidden beneath one of Marcus’s large sweatshirts. May I?
She nodded.
Zach leaned close. Placing a hand on her stomach, which was rounder than he had expected beneath the soft material, he concentrated on the life it sheltered. The babe seems healthy. Maybe a little large.
She smiled, her face lighting a bit. That’s what Seth said. Marcus is large, too, though, so that’s the one thing that doesn’t concern me.
He hoped that was the explanation. A mixture of gifted one and alien DNA with the vampiric virus thrown in . . .
No one knew what the hell to expect.
And all feared the worst. Those who knew, anyway.
You know what I think you should do? he said, drawing back.
What?
Enjoy the moment. Live like there is no tomorrow. You have a healthy babe in your belly and a husband who loves you. Let the others worry about the what-ifs. Stressing over what might happen isn’t good for the baby.
She nodded. I’ll try.
The front door opened and closed below them.
“Bon soir!” Lisette called, stepping into view as she donned a motorcycle helmet.
“Good night,” Sarah responded cheerfully.
“Good hunting,” Roland added.
A moment later, the French immortal sped away on the back of her motorcycle.
“Want to run home?” Roland asked as he and his wife strolled into view.
“Do you mean literally run?”
He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her body against his. “I know how exhilarating you find it. And I love anything that lights your beautiful eyes with excitement.” He kissed her.
Her eyes began to glow as she sank into him. “We’ll be all sweaty when we get home.”
He kissed her again. “We’re going to get sweaty once we’re home anyway.”
She emitted a throaty laugh. “Shall we make it interesting then and race?”
“How about we race naked? If I catch you, we make love wherever I tackle you.”
“And risk having vampires catch us in flagrante delicto? I don’t think so.”
He laughed. “Perhaps another night then.”
She stepped back. “On three?”
“On three.”
“Okay. One. Two.” She took off, her slender form blurring as she sped off into the night. “Three!” she called from half a mile away, laughter trailing after her.
Roland’s usually dour face broke into a wide grin as he took off after her.
Zack looked at Ami and found her smiling.
What’s it like? he asked, curious.
What?
He started to say love. Affection. Friendship. Nothing. Never mind.
She grimaced. Ech. My stomach is starting to churn again. I’d better go. I doubt David would appreciate it if I vomited all over his solar panels.
Zach thought David wouldn’t care if Ami puked all over his dreadlocks. The elder immortal just wanted her to be happy and healthy and safe.
Rising, he walked with her over to the ladder and steadied her as she found the rungs with her feet. She didn’t need his aid. She was as sure-footed as a cat. Her condition just made him feel protective.
He frowned.
Would you like to come with me? she asked.
No, thank you.
She smiled and descended the ladder.
Zach retook his position in the center of the roof. Tucking his wings in close, he listened as she returned the ladder to its hangers and went inside.
Quiet enfolded him, broken only by the occasional conversation filtering up from the house.
What the hell are you doing, Zach? he asked himself. Why was he so drawn to this place? To these people? What had changed?
Was Seth right? Had he changed?
He heard Darnell greet Ami inside as he collected kittens from immortals and returned them to whatever basket or box they kept them in. “I’m heading downstairs to challenge the Seconds that are training tonight. How much you wanna bet I beat them?”
Had Ami been the one to make the challenge, Zach knew every dollar would be placed on her. But she hadn’t sparred with the others since she’d learned she was pregnant.
“All at once?” Richart asked before Ami could respond.
“Nah. One or two at a time.”
“I’ll bet a thousand on you,” the Frenchman declared.
“No way,” Etienne said. “There are too many. They’ll tire him out. A thousand on the other Seconds.”
“You’re on.”
“Can I get in on this?” another asked.
“Me, too.”
“Where are you going to get a thousand dollars?”
“Bite me.”