I wanted to unleash my banshee scream as frustration, anger, and many other emotions had me in a ball of knots. It seemed every day I was fighting, running, praying, and trying to save a loved one.
Jordyn needed positive vibes, not crying and brooding. I considered her more headstrong than me. She was always the light in our dark times. She was the one who made Rianne and me laugh when the two of us were in our doom-and-gloom moods.
“I hate this, Dr. Vieira.”
“Believe me, I do as well. The best thing you can do is get some rest. When was the last time you slept?”
I lightly chuckled. “Sleep isn’t in my future.”
He gave me a doctorly yet fatherly look. “I order you to. And don’t tell me again that you’re fine. You’re not, Layla.”
Busted.“I want a break from the madness. Something has to give.”
“I have good news for you,” he said. “Your children are healthy and wonderful. They’ve gained an average of four pounds. They’ve grown anywhere from two to three inches in five weeks. Their progression is surpassing a human baby’s, which falls in line with how fast they grew inside the womb. I would speculate they’ll be crawling soon and probably walking by eight to nine months.”
I laughed hard, and it felt great. “They’ll be teenagers before long.”
“One thing is certain: we’ll have our hands full with them.”
“We?” I tilted my head.
A deep furrow appeared between his eyebrows, contrasting sharply with the exuberant grin stretching from ear to ear. “You and Sam aren’t parenting alone, Layla. I’m here to help. Besides, you realize that you have a large support network here.”
“I do. It’s hard for me to absorb all that has happened—good, bad, and indifferent.” The outpouring of love since I’d arrived at the medical facility was overwhelming. But it was also a beacon of hope and the pillar of strength I needed to fight in the coming days or months or years. And I knew we had battles ahead of us, particularly if witches came out of the woodwork because of the prophecy.
“Dr. Vieira, have you confirmed yet if my children are all vampires or witches or both?”
“Preliminary results show that they’re all vampire witches,” he said. “I pulled blood from them today just to confirm my findings. If you remember, we had some mix-up in samples right after they were born. I don’t suspect the second set of data will show anything different than the first, but I just want to be sure.”
“Vampire witches.” I rolled those words around on my tongue. “Ellie and Luna haven’t had blood yet like Rorie and Orion. Is that normal?”
He chuckled. “Nothing about your children is normal. And considering I don’t have experience with inhuman babies, I can’t give you an answer. However, I would guess that it’s just a matter of time before Ellie and Luna show signs they need blood. All four have the vampire gene, and each of them have the blood type of a witch.”
“Vel negative?” I asked. “Like me?”
“Yes and no. Once I have the complete set of results, I can go over that with you and Sam. For now, just try and relax.”
“I’m not sure I can. If they’re all vampires, then which one will turn witches into vampires?”
“Breathe, Layla,” he said. “Now that you’re a witch, at some point when I have more time, my plan is to run some lab tests combining your children’s DNA with yours. I can’t guarantee the results will tell us the answer you’re seeking, but I’m curious about the genetics of your children in general.”
Of course he was. I was the second case of a woman in the last eighty years to have given birth to inhuman babies. The last case was Emily Crawford, who’d given birth to twins, but Emily had died during childbirth. And to date, we didn’t know if those twins were alive or anything more than that they had been born. Her case file had some pages missing, and we’d searched high and low for them—with no luck.
Doc started for the door. “I have a conference call in a few minutes. Alia has offered to watch your children. They’re in a hospital room with her. I suggest you visit with Jordyn for a few minutes longer, then join your children. There’s a bed for you to sleep in next to them. Wendy will show you the way. And Layla, no arguments. You’re no good to Jordyn if you don’t take care of yourself. Do you understand?” He nailed me with a doctor’s glare.
I wanted to argue, but he didn’t give me the chance as he waltzed out in a hurry. Then again, I knew I wouldn’t win against him.
Above that, I was feeling drained, and my eyelids were heavy. Maybe I could sleep for a couple of hours. I was also dying to see Ellie and Rorie. If anyone could put a smile on my face, it was my children. Plus, I didn’t want to burden Alia Costner. She had her own issues to deal with, especially the death of her son Matthew.
I kissed my sister on her forehead. “I’ll be back later.”
Then on doctor’s orders, I went in search of my children.
15
SAM
Webb was absorbed in his laptop, addressing an urgent email. My dad left to take a call from Jonah, a vampire guardian who worked for my father. Tripp had done the same, only he was talking to Sawyer, and Dane was also on the phone, catching up with his brother Cooper.
