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Alric entered their apartment at the mansion and stopped, his usually tidy living area looked anything but. It wasn’t even the books stacked on the coffee table; the pens that lay scattered across the place, many already having rolled under the couch; nor the balled-up pages torn from the notebook Eden had been writing in that had failed to make into the rubbish bin that had him sighing with frustration. Ever since Eden had moved in this had become the norm and while it grated on Alric’s nerves at first, he’d grown used to it; loved the warmth that it brought to the apartment he’d hardly used before.
No, it was the collection of empty bottles lined up by the recycling bin, more than should’ve been drunk for the two hours since Eden’s last class finished. More than even the two of them needed to consume over an entire day. And considering the study materials that looked half-abandoned Alric grew concerned as to where Eden was.
“Eden?” he called out striding through the apartment. “Where are you?”
“In here,” Eden’s groggy reply came, ratcheting up Alric’s worry.
He hurried to their bedroom ignoring the clothes that lay scattered over the bed, the floor and the half open draws and stepped into the attached bathroom, grimacing at the smell of sour blood. A smell that he couldn’t get rid of as it clung to the air no matter how hard he tried to cover his nose.
“Hey,” Eden said softly from his spot on the floor, half slumped against the toilet. He looked exhausted, his complexion sallow and considering the amount of blood Eden had consumed he shouldn’t be. He should be bouncing off the walls like a human toddler hyped up on sugar. But instead Eden looked hungover... sick, and for vampire’s that wasn’t possible... “So, I’m not feeling so flash. I’m hungry, but I can’t keep anything down.”
...except for one reason.
Alric twerked his lips and it only grew broader until he stared at Eden with a bright smile that confused his lover. Honestly, he couldn’t be happier, though he could do without the strung-out partner who was looking awfully attached to the toilet. Almost a hundred percent certain he knew what was happening to Eden as he helped Eden off the floor and pulled him into a tight hug. There weren’t any words he could think of, not in any of the languages he’d spoke over his lifetime that could express the happiness surging through him.
Laughed as Eden’s head thudded against his shoulder as it dawned on him what the cause of his sickness was. “I’m pregnant, aren’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Do I need to pee on stick or something... you know just to get some scientific proof behind your assertions,” Eden mumbled as he buried his head in the crook of Alric’s neck. His smile slipped at the strained tone of Eden’s voice suddenly fearing that Eden wasn’t as excited at the news as he was.
He grabbed Eden’s shoulders and pulled him away from his chest. Cupped Eden’s face, lifting it so he could see his lover’s eyes and Alric didn’t like what he saw in them. “You aren’t happy about this?”
“Timing could be better.”
“You don’t need to worry about your classes, I can get that sorted for you. It won’t be hard to do.”
“Money can achieve a lot of things, but I’d rather graduate on my own merits.” Eden huffed, shaking himself loose from Alric’s hold. He looked paler as his eyes darted to the toilet and Alric wondered if Eden was about to have another deep conversation with the piece of porcelain plumbing.
“I wasn’t planning on purchasing your graduate degree, Eden-” biting back the urge to snap at the insinuation he’d stoop so low. “-but I can speak with the department head and arrange for allowances to be made. It isn’t like classes can’t be recorded or streamed making it easier for you to take them at home... modern technology is marvellous like that.” He couldn’t hide the awe from his voice as he said it, when there had been centuries of living where the idea of a flushing toilet had yet to be dreamt of.
“How on earth can you do that?” Eden’s eyes bulged, hand flying to his mouth and his throat worked hard to swallow down whatever had decided Eden’s stomach wasn’t the place to be. “It’s not like you can say. “Hi, I’m Alric Drayton, elusive businessman and I need to you to make accommodations for my partner who is pregnant. No not my wife. My husband.” That will see you laughed off campus.
“That maybe if the head of your department were human...”
Eden through his hands up. “Of course, they aren’t. Why had that never occurred to me. Let me guess, there a vampire... no, a succubus.”
Alric pursed his lips tight trying to hold back his grin at Eden’s snark, a sure sign that he was feeling better. “They’re a wolf actually. Don’t need to worry about pesky things like daylight hours... and there are quite a few students and lecturers who aren’t human.” But it was obvious from Eden’s pensive look, he’d already discovered that for himself. “You’ve encountered some already?”
“Yes, earlier... ran into a group of them including a wolf who introduced himself as Weylen of the Silver Ridge Pack. Please don’t tell me he’s the head of my department?”
He laughed, easily imagining the reception Weylen gave Eden before realising who he was. The wolf liked to throw his weight around more than necessary often forgetting that he didn’t have as much power within Silverdale outside of his pack. “No, I can assure you that Weylen isn’t the head of your department. If I remember correctly he has something to do with the engineering department. No, it’s Professor Meile Fisher of the Fisher Pack. A whole lot nicer and less...snappish.”
“One of these days, Alric you really need to explain everything about this world I now walk in,” Eden said exasperated and Alric couldn’t really blame him. But being in the same room as Eden saw him become easily distracted.
“Trust me, you’ll probably learn more from the books in the library than what I could ever find time to tell you... more coherent too. Though maybe one day I could share some of my interesting exploits... some of them feel as though the happened yesterday-” guiding Eden to the bed and tucking beneath the covers. “-even though it’s more like several hundred.”
“I’d like that. I can easily imagine you and Albie got into a lot of trouble-” Eden reached out to stop him moving away. “-maybe you could start now?”
“Maybe later-” leaning down and kissing Eden’s forehead. “There is something I need to do now... a few enquiries to make about something that might make this difficult stage of the pregnancy more pleasant.”
“Ginger. My mum always swore by ginger for nausea.”
Alric screwed up his nose at the thought. While some vampires couldn’t stand the pungent smell of garlic, for him it was ginger. He couldn’t stand to be anywhere near it or anyone who’d recently consumed it. “Not if you wish for me to remain here. I can’t stand the stuff.”