The Vampire's Special Daughter (The Vampire Babies Book 3) Page 9

  David said that sounded great. “But what about Chrissy? We don’t want to make her walk home, too, if she doesn’t want to. Maybe we can drop her off first, and then take a walk.”

  Piping up from the back seat, I said I didn’t mind walking home at all, which was the truth. David and Jen said okay; we all got out of the car; and after saying goodnight to them, I began walking toward the house. With my mind on Jake and Paul, I hadn’t walked very far at all before disaster struck.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  There was a distance of at least a quarter-mile between my house and the other houses on the property. This distance was filled with tall grass, a large barn, and some woodland with a narrow stream running through it. Depending on how a person cut across, they could also find the berry fields, or the creamery. A narrow footpath connected these places to the house, and there was also a footpath that led more or less directly from the other houses on the property to my own. A little further south, there was a third footpath, if it could even be called that. Bordered by tall trees, it was basically just a faint groove in the dirt, with overgrown shrubbery blocking the way half the time. This particular path was only very rarely used, but on this particular evening, I decided to head down it, simply because of the way it meandered around, not really heading west in a straight line. This would allow me more time to walk, alone with my thoughts, before reaching the house. As much as I wanted to find out how my dad was going to deal with Kevin, I’d started to want to do some quiet thinking even more.

  In the near-dark, I started down the path, strolling around a few fallen branches in my way, while a pearly, bright moon rose in the sky. Somewhere nearby, in the tall trees, an owl hooted. And for a minute or so, I just enjoyed the relative quiet and peace of the woodland.

  However, stepping around some sort of an overgrown thorny bush to get back on the path, I snagged my dress on some thorns just good enough to make me do a funny little stutter-step in my wedge-heeled sandals. Simultaneously, an owl hooted loudly, and this sudden noise, combined with something suddenly tugging on my dress, made me feel for just a split-second that I was being attacked. Yelping, I twisted my whole body to the side, away from the source of the thorny “attack,” but because I’d taken a funny little step not a half-second before, this action made me lose my balance, teetering on my heels. Somehow, instinctively grabbing at the thorny bush to try to regain my balance, I went down, landing on the side of my hip, gasping.

  Having landed on a surface that was fairly grassy, it wasn’t my hip that hurt, but my right hand, which was the one I’d grabbed the bush with. I’d probably been pricked a few times; however, that wasn’t my only problem. I was also experiencing pain in my left ankle, maybe having twisted it a bit when I’d gone down.

  Before I could even try to stand on it or examine it in any way, someone shouted my name, startling me. Whipping my face up, I looked down the path the way I’d came, and I saw a moonlit figure running toward me.

  “Are you okay, Chrissy?”

  It was Jake. Shocked to see him, I found I couldn’t respond to his question, and he repeated it. Finally forcing myself to speak, I said I was okay.

  He’d reached me by now, and he knelt beside me. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  With tears springing to my eyes for some bizarre reason, I tried to smile. “My pride is probably hurt more than anything. I don’t think I’ve ever so clumsily wiped out like that in my entire life.”

  “Well, it is dark, and it looked like you caught your dress on that thorn bush, and it was probably hard for you to keep your balance in those sandals. It could have happened to anyone.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, other than your pride, are you hurt anywhere else?”

  “Not badly. I think I just scratched up my palm a little…and I might have wrenched my ankle a bit.”

  “Do you mind if I take a look at it? I can see better than you can in the dark.”

  Knowing that because he was a vampire, that was very true, I told him to go ahead and take a look, lifting my possibly-injured ankle a few inches while I did so. “It just hurts a bit on the side.”

  Gently propping my calf up on his forearm to bring my ankle a little closer to him, Jake had a look, soon saying that the side of my ankle was swelling a bit already. “You probably sprained it.”

  I could barely process this information, nor did I really care. All I could focus on was how good Jake’s skin felt against mine, even if it was just the skin of his forearm against the skin of my calf. I wouldn’t have thought that that would be such a heavenly combination of skin touching skin, but it was, to the point that my heartbeat began accelerating. Realizing that I liked Jake very, very much, I thought how any part of his skin would probably feel good against any part of mine, even if it was just the skin of his elbow against the skin of my own elbow.

  After having a quick look at my other ankle and making sure I hadn’t injured that one, too, he asked if he could give me “a lift” to the house. I asked him what he meant by “a lift,” and he said he’d just carry me in his arms.

  “If you feel comfortable with that, anyway.”

  With the skin on my calf still tingling where he’d touched me, I was pretty sure I would be more than okay with being carried home in his arms.

  Mutely, I nodded. “That would be just fine.”

  Demonstrating his superhuman strength, he picked me up and brought me to his chest in one smooth, swift motion, with the action not seeming to strain him in the least. “Wow. You’re light as a feather, Chrissy.”

  That wasn’t even remotely true, but I smiled, glad that at least I wasn’t going to make him exert himself by carrying me home.

  With his blue eyes silvery in the moonlight, he began walking up the path with me in his arms, deftly stepping over fallen branches every so often. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I realized that not only did I feel comfortable with him, I also felt completely safe and secure, knowing that he’d never let me fall.

  After maybe a minute or so of quietly walking, he glanced at my face, smiling a little. “I wasn’t creepily following you down the path, you know. Or, at least, I wasn’t trying to.”

  The thought of him “creepily” doing anything hadn’t even occurred to me, although I had wondered how it had happened that he’d seen me fall. Answering my unspoken question, he continued.

  “I was a few houses down, talking to one of the other new guys out on our front porch, when I saw you start to walk off alone. I wanted to say hello, but at first, I wasn’t sure if I should follow you, thinking that maybe you wanted to be by yourself after a bad first date with Sean or something. I watched you until you were out of sight, then sat thinking some more, until I eventually decided that with so many Warrens in the area, I should probably at least make sure that you got home all right. So, I started down this path, but you were already a few hundred feet ahead, and at that point, I didn’t want to come up and scare you. I was thinking about ways to possibly not do that when I saw you fall. Please just know that I wasn’t trying to be stalker-ish or creepy.”

  Becoming more and more relaxed in his arms with each passing moment that I spent in them, I gave him a little smile. “I know you weren’t…and I’m so glad that you happened to be near when I fell. If you hadn’t been, I’d probably be limping home right now, hurting my ankle even worse.”

  With moonlight illuminating a little smile playing around his full lips, Jake briefly tightened his arms around me, saying that he was glad he’d been near me, too.

  A short while later, he asked me if I’d heard about the “craziness” that had happened with Kevin, and I said yes.

  “Sean told me all about it.”

  “Well, you’ll probably be happy to know that your dad has already sent Kevin packing. And when Kevin started protesting, saying that he had a ‘right’ to a second chance, your dad added an uppercut to his jaw to the marching orders. Kevin is lucky that’s all your dad did to him, too. From what I’ve heard, wh
en your dad heard what Kevin said he wanted to do to you without your consent, he was just about ready to literally kill him. Your mom, Sam, and Eric had to force him back into the house to make him cool down for a minute. Lucky for Kevin that your mom, Sam, and Eric were around.”

  I agreed, saying that Kevin sounded like a total scumbag, but that I was glad that my dad hadn’t outright murdered him.

  Jake said he was glad, too. “With the Warrens adding to their ranks lately, I think this Watcher community has enough to deal with these days without the Watcher elders questioning your dad about some supposedly unjustified killing or something.”

  I said that was for sure, putting my face against Jake’s hard chest without really even thinking about it. However, once I became aware of what I’d done, I immediately became self-conscious, and I lifted my face from his chest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to just cozy up to your chest like that.”

  With silvery light from the stars and moon revealing amusement on his face, Jake said there was nothing to be sorry for at all. “I really liked that, actually…just the feel of your face pressed against my chest.”

  Smiling but still a little embarrassed, I put the side of my face against his chest once more. “All right. I guess I’ll just leave my face here, then, I guess.”

  “That’s more than okay with me.”

  For the rest of the way to my house, we both remained silent. Holding me tightly, Jake walked with strong, sure strides. Clinging to his neck, I kept my face pressed against the warmth of his chiseled chest. When we arrived at my front porch, I couldn’t remember a time when I’d ever been so disappointed. However, my disappointment was soon to turn into sheer joy.

  CHAPTER 12

  Just a few steps away from my front door, Jake set me on my feet, or at least one of my feet, the only one I was able to put my full weight on. “I guess I should let you down here, just in case your dad is still on the warpath from Kevin. Maybe he wouldn’t be especially happy to see you in the arms of another newcomer right now.”

  Smiling a little, I exhaled in a rush. “Yeah. Knowing my dad, you’re probably right about that right now.”

  For a long moment, Jake and I just looked into each other’s eyes. Sparkling in the warm glow of the porch light, his eyes were a clear light blue with dark blue flecks at the outer edges, reminding me of the ocean. When he spoke, his deep voice somehow reminded me of low-toned, churning ocean waves, too.

  “So, I completely quit smoking.”

  Without removing my arms from around his neck, I smiled a little. “That’s great. What made you decide to do that?”

  His beautiful eyes twinkled.

  “Well, I just wanted to be able to do this without having to make you smell something similar to an ashtray.”

  Before I could ask him what “this” was, he dipped his head and pressed his warm, firm lips against my cheek, instantly causing a riot of butterflies in my stomach. When he pulled his face away after a very long moment, I had the idea that he might try to kiss my lips next; however, because of what he’d said about my dad being “on the warpath,” I couldn’t be sure that he was going to go this far. So, I felt the need to verbally encourage him, telling him to kiss me.

  “But this time, on my lips.”

  As if my wish was his command, Jake brought his mouth to mine. In complete rapture, I found the feel of his lips against my own to be one of such intense pleasure that I curled my toes inside my sandals. Teetering a bit on the only foot I could put my full weight on, I kissed him back, and he tightened his arms around my waist to keep me supported and take some weight off my injured ankle.

  My first kiss didn’t last nearly as long as I wanted it to. Just as Jake began deepening our kiss, probing my lips apart with his own, loud quacking pulled me out of my reverie. After pulling my mouth from Jake’s very reluctantly, I saw a small white duck waddling toward the porch steps. Just a second later, Jen came tearing around the side of the house, followed by David. Approaching the porch, Jen slowed to a walk, then scooped up the little white duck and planted a kiss on the top of his head, making him quietly quack.

  Then, after giving Jake a lightning-fast little glare before shifting her gaze to me, she apologized for the interruption. “Johnathan’s just being really ducking naughty this evening. When we went to go check on him and the others, he was the only one not sleeping, so we thought we’d take him with us on our walk. But then, he wanted to be sneaky, and he scurried away without us even realizing it for a minute. I guess I might need to get a leash for him or something to take him on walks. Maybe he can borrow one of Wanted’s.”

  By this time, Jen had climbed the porch steps with Johnathan in her arms, and she now took a step closer to me so that I could inspect him. To my surprise, just because he was a duck after all, he seemed perfectly content in Jen’s arms, and he looked at me with bright, intelligent-looking little eyes.

  “Here…kiss him,” Jen encouraged me.

  Not quite sure if I should, I surveyed Johnathan some more. “He won’t try to peck me or bite me or something?”

  Jen said no. “Pecking and biting are two things that aren’t even in the list of things he does. He only does loving things. Well, and sometimes, some running away things. So, just go ahead. Just give him a kiss. Right on the head or the bill, or even on one of his beautiful little feathers; doesn’t matter to him.”

  Knowing that Jen probably wouldn’t be satisfied until I gave her “son” a kiss, I tentatively leaned in and gave Johnathan a little peck on his head. From kissing a gorgeous vampire to a little white duck, I thought. This is actually my real life.

  As if expressing thanks for my kiss, Johnathan quacked quietly a few times. I couldn’t deny that he was awfully cute, and also remarkably tame and well-behaved for an animal that wasn’t usually considered a pet.

  After giving him another kiss herself, this time right on the end of his little orange bill, Jen smiled at me. “Well, I guess me and David should get going. I’ll probably just walk with Johnathan right in my arms so that he doesn’t get too adventurous.”

  Jake and I had removed our arms from around each other when Jen, David, and Johnathan had come on the scene, although Jake had kept an arm around my waist for support. However, just then, even with his arm, it suddenly became too difficult for me to maintain my balance just standing on my one leg alone, with just the toe of my other leg touching the porch.

  Stumbling a little, I grabbed onto Jake for support, wincing while I had to momentarily put a little weight on my injured ankle. “Ow.”

  Jake immediately grabbed me to hold me up. Eyes wide, Jen asked me what was wrong.

  I told her I was fine. “I just took a little tumble walking home, and I think I might have sprained my ankle. Fortunately, Jake was nearby, and he found me right after it happened.”

  “Oh, no.” Frowning, Jen knelt and examined my ankle in the glow from the porch light for a moment, then stood. “Yup. It looks a little swollen all right.” Shifting her gaze to Jake, she glared at him. “And you didn’t even carry her home, even though you have superhuman vampire strength? She should be held up in your arms right now.”

  Jake began protesting, saying that he had carried me home. “I only set her down when we got up here to the porch because I thought her dad might fly off the handle if he saw me carrying her without knowing the reason why.”

  Jen snorted. “Well, I’m about to fly off the handle if you don’t pick her up and carry her inside right this second.”

  Wordlessly, Jake picked me up, and Jen opened the front door, shifting Johnathan to one arm while she did so. In protest of being jostled, he quacked a few times, lightly flapping his wings.

  Once inside, we found the kitchen dark and empty. Jake set me on a barstool, and Jen turned on all the lights, saying that she was going to call Nora, who was our community doctor. After Jen had made the call, she had a seat at the island with me, Jake, and David, setting Johnathan right on the island. Proving to be a curious litt
le duck, he waddled around a little, poking at a pen and notepad with his bill, before climbing right on inside a large, empty wooden fruit bowl, where he promptly sat down with a few quiet quacks.

  Wearing a little smile, Jen looked at him approvingly. “What a smart son I have. He knows all the best places to sit, and he also knew that the bowl would fit his little body in it perfectly.”

  Just then, a repeated thudding sort of noise faintly sounded from somewhere out in the living room, and within a few seconds, Wanted emerged from the hallway at a trot, slamming on his brakes when he entered the kitchen. Normally, he wouldn’t have stopped, and would instead have leaped right into Jen’s arms. However, wide-eyed, he’d clearly seen Johnathan sitting in the fruit bowl. Quietly woofing at him, Wanted began backing out of the kitchen but then changed course a little tentatively, barking.

  Shushing him, Jen hopped off her barstool, went over to him, and knelt down beside him, telling him to be nice to Johnathan. “He’s your new nephew, you know, since he’s my son, and you’re pretty much like my little brother.”

  Barking once, loudly, with his focus on Johnathan, Wanted seemed dubious.

  A few minutes later, when Jen had finally gotten him somewhat settled down, he went to sit in one corner of the kitchen, keeping one eye on Johnathan.

  Jen had just hopped back up on her barstool when Carol and Mark came in the kitchen, both of them in bathrobes.

  Mark immediately stopped short, eyeing Johnathan with a frown. “Uh, Jen? Why is there a duck on the island? The island where some members of this household eat.”

  Jen heaved a sigh, raking a hand through her long red curls. “Dad, I don’t mean to embarrass you, but the duck sitting in the fruit bowl is your grandson, Johnathan…who you’ve met. Three different times today, actually. Remember?” Without waiting for a response, Jen sighed again, turning her focus to those of us sitting at the island with her. “They say with grandparents, it’s pretty common for them to have memory issues; so, I probably should have expected this.”