“It’s more like a miracle.” Using his fingertips, he wiped the tears from her eyes. “Come on, let’s go tell your folks the good news.”
Roshan and Brenna looked as stunned as Vince felt when Cara told them the news later that night. Once their initial shock wore off, they bombarded Vince and Cara with congratulations and questions. Vince accepted the hugs and handshakes; as for answers, he didn’t have any.
Later, sitting in the living room, Roshan proposed a toast, and then, after having giving it some thought, he said, “I’ve never heard of a vampire who could reproduce, but Cara’s pregnant, so it must be possible. I think it’s a combination of two things: Mara’s ancient blood and the fact that Vince has been a vampire for such a short time. I would imagine that, as he grows older in the life, his power to reproduce will gradually disappear.”
Vince nodded. It was as good an explanation as any, but only led to more questions.
Cara voiced one first. “What about the baby? Will it be half vampire? Is such a thing even possible?”
Roshan shook his head. “I’m afraid we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Cara nodded, but Vince saw the worry in her eyes.
“This is such wonderful news!” Brenna exclaimed. “Cara, I’m so happy for you. And for me,” she admitted with a smile. “I never thought we’d have grandchildren. Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Cara replied, “as long as it’s healthy.”
“Of course, that’s the important thing,” Brenna agreed.
Cara stared out the window as Vince drove them home. Her initial joy at the thought of having a baby had paled as thoughts of having a child that was half vampire filled her mind. Would she have a baby who couldn’t go outside during the day or that needed blood to survive? Would she give birth to some kind of inhuman monster?
“We should start looking for a new house,” Vince suggested as he pulled into the driveway. “One with a big back yard.”
Cara nodded, only half listening to what he was saying. Would the doctors discover there was something abnormal about her baby before it was born?
“Cara?” He turned off the ignition and killed the lights. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She turned to face him, tears shining in her eyes. “What have we done?”
“What do you mean?”
She placed her hands over her womb. “I’m afraid.”
“I know, darlin’.” If he had known she would become pregnant, he never would have made love to her. The worst part of it was, there was no precedent; he had no idea if the baby would be normal or if she would be able to carry it to full term. Damn! He took a deep breath. “Do you want to abort it?”
She looked at him, her eyes wide. “No!” She shook her head. “How could I kill our baby? How can you even suggest such a thing?” She stared at him. “Is that what you want?”
He shook his head. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” she murmured, “I’m just afraid for our child, afraid it won’t be normal…”
Getting out of the car, he went around to open the door for Cara. Lifting her into his arms, he kicked the door shut with his heel and carried her up the walkway and into the house.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He locked the door behind them. “Taking you to bed.”
“Oh.”
In their bedroom, he stood her on her feet, his eyes gazing deeply into hers as he summoned his power.
“From now on, you won’t be afraid,” he said, his voice low. “You won’t be sick in the morning and you won’t worry about the baby, do you understand?”
She nodded, her gaze trapped by his.
“Good.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then slowly undressed her, his hands gliding over her skin, lingering on her stomach as he tried to imagine his child growing inside. He still couldn’t believe it.
He carried her to the bed and laid her on it, then stripped off his own clothes and sat on the mattress beside her.
“Turn over,” he said, and when she was lying comfortably on her stomach, he massaged her back and shoulders, easing away the last of her tension, until her even breathing told him she was asleep.
He sat there for a long time, trying to sort out his feelings about being a father. Under any other circumstances, he would have been ecstatic. Before he became a vampire, he had dreamed of having a large family. That dream had died when Mara brought him across. Now, there was a very real possibility that his dream would turn out to be a nightmare. Whatever the product of their union, he was strong enough to handle it, but what about Cara? If the baby was abnormal or deformed, how would she feel about it? About him? Would she blame him? Would she hate him for not telling her what he was or for not using protection when they made love? Could he blame her if she did?
He swore softly. He hadn’t prayed since Mara turned him, but he prayed now, prayed that his child would be born normal and healthy, not only for the baby’s sake but for Cara’s.
“If someone has to be punished for what I’ve done,” he murmured, “then let it be me.”
Blowing out a sigh, he stretched out beside Cara and drew her into his arms.
His last thought before sleep claimed him was that it was going to be a long seven months.
Chapter 42
Anton Bouchard invited the two gray-clad women into his house, bid them make themselves comfortable, and offered them refreshment. He had only recently returned to town, having decided that a lengthy vacation would be good for his health. He had spent the last several months enjoying la dolce vita. During his absence, he had enlisted two of the witches from his mother’s coven to keep an eye the DeLongpre-Cordova families.
Now he was back and eager to hear of any developments that had taken place while he was away. Enough time had passed that DeLongpre had probably forgotten him, Anton thought, but he would never forget them—not the vampire who had killed his father so many years ago, and not the people responsible for ruining his mother’s plans so that, instead of raising his father, she had raised a monster.
He listened carefully as Estelle, the older of the two witches, brought him up to date, ending with the news that Cara Cordova was pregnant.
Anton stared at her. “Pregnant!” That was something he hadn’t counted on. “Are you sure?”
The witch delved into one of her voluminous pockets and withdrew Cara’s medical records. “She’s due any day now.”