I’d put my heart and soul into trying to talk my sister out of taking the serum. But she was adamant about becoming a supernatural soldier in order to eradicate vampires—Sam Mason in particular. Her main goal was to kill my husband, and she felt the only way to do that was to be like him.
“We should end her suffering,” I whispered, feeling pangs of sadness in the pit of my stomach.
Steven clutched the sides of my arms, setting his soft gaze on me. “Dr. Vieira wants to wait a little longer as he runs more tests on Rianne. For the time being, I don’t want you to worry about her.”
I craned my neck to look up at Steven. “Thank you. I’m so grateful that you’re in my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better father-in-law.”
“You’re family.” He pecked me on the forehead. “I love you, Layla, like you were my own daughter.”
I hugged Steven. “I love you as well. You’ve opened your heart and home for me when you had no reason to, considering I was your enemy.”
Steven gestured for Sam to join us. “Come here, son.”
Once we were tangled in a warm embrace, I couldn’t help but cry. I hadn’t felt this loved or felt like part of a family since well before my mom passed away. Sure, I had my sisters and dad at the time. But we’d lost our connection to one another as each of us dealt with the pain of loss. Then my dad was taken from us, which had been the second hardest blow to our hearts.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of both of you.” Steven sounded choked up. “And never forget that I will always be here for my family. And Layla, that includes Jordyn.”
A host of emotions were making me one hot mess, and I cried harder as the two formidable vampires tightened their hold on me. I was home with a family that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
14
LAYLA
We were finally on our way to Jordyn’s hospital room. Steven and Sam chatted about the vampire government, enemies, Intech, Adam Emery, Roman, and military stuff.
Given the recent news about Noah, Jack and Tabitha flying in, and Rianne’s outlook, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the past and some of the good times the Aberdeens had had over the years.
In particular, the family gatherings at the holidays when we would sit at the dining table at my uncle Jack’s ranch, talking, laughing, and planning the next hunt. For everyone’s faults and flaws or the arguments we’d had or even the hatred we might have had for one another, no one deserved to die. Yet, here we were. My uncle Ray was dead. I killed my grandmother, Harriet. Ray’s wife, Deb, blamed me for her husband’s death and wanted me in a coffin. Noah wasn’t human. I’d lost my mom to breast cancer, and my dad had been murdered by Fred Emery. Then there was Rianne. It gutted me that she wasn’t human anymore. It ripped my heart right out of my chest that we would never be close again. Aside from my mom, everyone’s plight was because of Adam Emery and Roman Brown. Even Jordyn was suffering at the hands of those evil fucking assholes.
“Layla.” Sam’s soft but husky voice brought me out of the past as we reached the nurse’s station. “Where did you go?” He wiped a tear from my cheek.
To hell and back.
“Just thinking.” I rounded my gaze on a brunette nurse in pink scrubs. “Wendy?”
She’d been one of the nurses on my birthing team and had worked alongside that bitch Beverly, who’d been responsible for leaking my children’s information and their whereabouts to Roman Brown.
“Layla, it’s great to see you again.” She stood at the edge of the nurse’s station with a stethoscope around her neck, and her pink-painted lips curled at the corners.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Wendy. She’d been nice, but considering what Beverly had done, I had a bad taste in my mouth, even though Wendy hadn’t been part of Beverly’s scheme.
Steven must’ve felt my apprehension because he said, “I promise both of you, Wendy is trustworthy. I’ve read her mind.”
“No offense, Pops, but that doesn’t mean much anymore,” Sam bit out. “Vampires are becoming experts at blocking you and Jo.”
She rolled her shoulders back. “I’m so sorry about what happened to Orion and Luna.”
Sam’s jaw hardened. “Why? Did you do something wrong?”
Her brown gaze flickered to Steven for help.
Steven sidled up to Wendy as though he was her protector. “Son, ease up.”
Wendy held up her left hand, and the one-carat diamond on her finger sparkled beneath bright lights overhead. “It’s okay, Elder Mason. I feel horrible about what Beverly did.”
“Where is Beverly?” I asked.
I couldn’t recall what punishment Steven had exacted on the nurse. He’d killed Norman Collier, the guardian who’d been caught red-handed in the nursery that night at Jo’s house in Maine.
