Smiling, I shook my head as I walked over to Teren. "Well, I guess it all started when Teren died." He looked down at me as I slung an arm around his waist.
Enfolding me in a hug, he looked over to my mom. "I may be a vampire, but I was conceived and born in the same way that humans are. For most of my life, I was just as alive as you." My mom smiled tentatively as she sat on the couch, Ashley resting her hand on her arm. Mom knew some of the facts, since she'd witnessed me being an alive vampire, but she'd never been set down and had what Teren and I were specifically spelled out to her.
Tilting his head, Teren listened to the sounds of our children quieting. Letting go of me, he walked directly in front of my mom. He said nothing until the sounds of breathing upstairs was light and even. While we didn't try and hide our history from our kids, we didn't need them having nightmares either. Squatting in front of her, he quietly continued. "Emma and I were taken by a man who," he paused, twisting his lips, "who didn't believe that my kind had a right to exist."
"Taken?" My mom's brows bunched together as she flicked a glance at me standing behind Teren. I smiled reassuringly but she frowned. "You were kidnapped by a man who wanted to kill vampires? When did this happen?"
Teren and I both looked up as I heard my children stir. Mom followed our gaze, knowing we were hearing things that she couldn't. "Teren, maybe we should continue this upstairs," I whispered.
He nodded and stood, extending his hand to my mom. Smiling crookedly as she stood, he cocked an eyebrow. "Want to feel a rush?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, then slowly nodded. He scooped her up and streaked her upstairs. Her early worry gone for a moment, I heard her laughing while I helped Ashley stand. I grinned at her. "Want to try it?"
She looked at our matching height and weight. "Can you lift me?"
Snorting, I easily tossed her over my shoulder and blurred up to where I felt my husband. Both my mom and Ashley were laughing when Teren shut the door. They stopped when they noticed the sounds of traffic and city life stopping. Mom looked around. "Wow, it gets quiet in here."
Teren shrugged. "We had it soundproofed so the kids wouldn't hear us."
Ashley started giggling and I poked her ribs. "When we want to talk, Ashley."
My mom flushed and looked anywhere but our bed. Ashley bit her lip to stop giggling and Teren ran a hand through his hair, avoiding looking at the bed too. Rolling my eyes, I dragged Ash to the edge of it and made her sit down. Once the embarrassment filtered out of the air, Mom sat down on it too.
The seriousness of our conversation coming back to her, Mom asked, "So...you and my daughter were kidnapped. How did you get away?"
Teren sighed and looked down. His shuffled his feet, seemingly unsure what to say. Not wanting him to admit his part in it, I twisted to my mom. "The man was going to kill us...so I killed him first."
Her mouth dropped open as her face paled. Tears sprang into her eyes as she looked between Teren and I. Teren had the look of an objection on his face and I gave him a glance that clearly said, don't say a word. As awful as it was to admit I'd taken a life in self defense, I didn't want him to admit that he'd drained the man of his life-force. I wasn't sure how much truth Mom could take in one sitting...and I didn't want Teren to think about it anymore than he already did.
Ash reached across me to pat Mom's knee and she looked over at her. "Did you know about this?" she whispered.
Ashley shrugged, then nodded. "I knew most of it." She looked back to me. "The rest I...pieced together."
I looked down and then Ashley and my mom's arms were around me. Closing my eyes, I savored feeling comforted for just a moment. Even though the event had happed awhile ago, I did still have nightmares every now and again.
Teren walked up to me and cupped my cheek. His smooth skin bringing my attention to his eyes, he smiled warmly. "She was amazing. She saved my life." He looked back down at my mom. "Well, sort of. The hunter injected me with something that killed me, forced my conversion." My mom looked at him blankly and he explained. "Turned me from a living vampire to a dead one."
Her hand went to her chest as her eyes watered even more. Reaching her hand up to clasp Teren's, she softly said, "I'm so sorry, Teren."
Dropping his hand from my skin, he clasped her hand between his. "Thank you, Linda." Shaking his head, he continued. "Anyway, what the hunter injected me with was stolen by the man we saw tonight." He raised an eyebrow. "He stole it from Gabriel...and Gabriel would like to speak with him about it."
Mom twisted her lips. She'd heard all about Halina's boyfriend from the twins. While Mom had never met him herself, she was aware that he was pretty powerful, and pretty smart. After the birth of the twins, we'd told her about the shots that were keeping my heart beating, shots that Gabriel had created. Mom looked between Teren and I. "This man won't survive a meeting with Gabriel...will he?"
Teren bit his lip. "Most likely not, no. As Gabriel is getting closer to him, he's getting a little desperate. His message to us was to give a warning back to Gabriel, so Gabriel would leave him alone. I don't think Gabriel plans to." A tension filled the chillingly quiet space and Teren threw on an effortless smile as he glanced around the room. "But, whatever bad blood is between those two doesn't directly involve our family, so you really have nothing to worry about." He patted her thigh and then my sister's. "Staying with us is just a safety measure, so we all know where the other is until this blows over. Alright?"
Both my mom and my sister woodenly nodded, each looking thoughtful. Seeing the fear in their features, I slung my arm around each of them; they both shivered as their heat leached into me. "It's just for a few days. Gabriel is close, I'm sure he'll have him soon."
Teren nodded, his hands coming up to rest on his hips. "Especially since he stupidly popped up on Gabriel's' radar. Now that he knows he's in the area...it's just a matter of time before Gabriel catches him."
I nodded, exhaling in a long, steadying breath. "Then this will all be over with."
Having my family close, being able to hear them constantly in my home, was a tremendous relief to me. I stayed up late into the night once Mom and Ash turned in, just listening to everyone breathing. Teren beside me squeezed my hand, still awake as well. "Get some sleep, Emma." Laughing into my ear, he kissed my neck. "You're going to need your strength with a full house."
I twisted in our bed to face him, his arms slipping under me as he held me close. "Maybe we should all go out to the ranch? Maybe it would be better if both our families were together?"
The glow of his eyes washing over my face, he considered silently for a second. "We'll see what Gabriel says tomorrow, after Great-Gran has talked to him." Leaning in, he kissed me gently. "I don't want to disrupt everyone's lives if he is right on Malcolm's tail." He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe all this will be over by the morning?"
I nodded, curling into his body and hoping he was right. Even still, I listened to everyone's breaths for quite awhile longer.
Gabriel called right as Teren would have been getting ready for work; he'd decided instead to work from home, so he could stay in the house and keep an eye on everyone. Shutting our door so he didn't wake our super hearing children, Teren sat beside me on the bed as Gabriel started asking him questions. After inquiring about every detail of our encounter with Malcolm that a person could think of, Gabriel assured us that we would be of no further interest to him.
"You've served you purpose, I don't suspect that he'll bother you again. Besides, we've narrowed down all of his possible haunts in the area. We've cut off every connection he has. We've already ended his monetary source and he's running out of places to hide. Trust me, Teren, this will all be over soon and the person responsible for your early demise will be brought to justice. You have my word."
Gabriel had a reassuring way of talking and I did feel soothed by his conviction. Before hanging up the phone with Teren, he added, "Just for your own peace of mind, I have sent a couple of mixed your way. Extra eyes are always...helpful." There was a smirk to his voice as he hung up the phone with Teren and I raised my eyebrow at hearing it.
Teren shrugged and patted my leg. Feeling a little better about the whole incident with the mysterious Malcolm and his ominous message, I got ready for another typical day of work. I didn't really want to leave my family, but knowing that some of Gabriel's devotees were already on their way to us made me okay with it. That was, until Teren called me later and I discovered just who Gabriel had decided to...saddle us with.
"He what? Are you serious?" Clarice across from me narrowed her eyes and shook her head, like me being on a cell phone during business hours was a sacrilege.
Teren sighed into the phone. "Unfortunately, yes, I'm serious. They're here now...looking through the various rooms." Sighing again, he muttered, "I think they want ours."
I groaned into the phone and dropped my head into my hands. "I can't believe of all the people he has down there, he sent Starla and Jacen to protect us," I muttered under my breath.
Teren chuckled into the phone. "Well, you know how he loves to kill two birds with one stone. This way, he's given us some extra protection, and he doesn't have to listen to them make out...constantly."
I exhaled dramatically as Tracey popped into the room with some reports. Her face was peaceful and serene, like nothing odd or bad had happened last night. I quietly thanked her as she tapped a picture of her finalized choice for the bridesmaid dresses on the top report - they were the teal ones I'd had Halina implant on her. Grateful that at least Halina's powers seemed to be working fine on Tracey, I said to Teren, "Well, I'll help you deal with it when I get home."
He sighed and in the background I could hear Starla smacking her gum and complaining about the firmness of our mattresses. "Okay...please hurry." Hearing Starla loudly exclaiming that she couldn't believe our sheets were cotton, of all things, he added, "Are you sure I can't go hunting with Ben?"
Laughing softly, I firmly told him, "Yes, I'm sure about that."
I almost reconsidered sending Teren out to help get this guy, to get our lives back to routine, when I was sitting at home later in the evening, surrounded by friends and family. Our house was packed. Except for Halina, who was on her way back from Gabriel's, everyone was there - Teren and the kids, my mom, Ashley, Alanna, Jack, Imogen, and even Hot Ben, and then, of course, our vampiric protection...Starla and Jacen. Our home was moderately sized for the city, but felt about as big as a postage stamp with all the noise and movement bombarding my senses.
I did relish having everyone close and everyone safe though. Imogen and Alanna talked with my mother over recipes. Alanna loved cooking, even though Jack and the kids were the only eaters left among us. My sister kept the kids in a constant state of laughter, tickling them or playing hide and seek, which was really unfair when it was the kids' turn, since they could hear the specific thump of Ashley's heart anywhere, even in our packed house.