Five months had passed and Ryan took a leave of absence from his job as a detective. His new occupation was trying to make me happy. I had begun to show my pregnancy after a few months of unbearable vomiting up my breakfast. I spent more time hanging my head over the toilet than sleeping. I knew the inside of that commode better than I knew how I looked which wasn’t pretty. Not the toilet or I.
When morning sickness became a thing of the pass, I was grateful to get back to being me because some mornings I thought I would die. Ryan would sit at my bedside and watch me all night. I didn’t know if that was for my benefit or his. I didn’t know if he was guarding against someone coming to kill me or if he wanted to keep Sebastian away. But if Sebastian wanted to see me, nothing would stop him, and especially not Ryan.
I woke one of those mornings and he was sitting in a large chair sleeping. “What are you doing in here?” I asked, yet I was grateful that someone cared enough.
“I had to make sure you were alright.” I knew it was that but much more. He had heard me talking to someone and he knew who it was even if he didn’t want to admit it.
We had been adjusting to each other. He didn’t appear to sleep and I slept all the time. Now I had gotten used to the idea that I would be with him. And the thought of us marrying had crossed my mind. But Ryan asked me once and we left that open. For some reason I knew he would never ask me again.
It was up to me now to say what I wanted and felt for him before he committed himself. This became a difficult decision to make. He didn’t want to be hurt and neither did I by rushing into a marriage. I wasn’t ready to let go of Sebastian no matter how much I had convinced myself of this.
“Ryan you may not like what I’m about to say, but I need to see some friends. I have no one,” his eyes shot to me, “but you.” I didn’t say it right. I never knew how to say things to Ryan because he had been hoping for something that wasn’t there.
“Sure. Anything, but I thought you didn’t have any friends but Terry.”
“That’s right all I have is you and Terry and I want to see her. We can travel by plane and then rent a car. I know where their cabin is located in Alaska.” He weighed my words, then stood and walked to the window and peered out at the ocean, with his back to me.
It was difficult reading his face until he turned with a raised eyebrow, a closed smile and he inhaled.
“If you really need to see her I can’t see any wrong in going to Alaska. Maybe I’ll fish. I understand that the Salmon is plentiful there.” His face appeared to brighten.
“I really want to see her. I need her to be the godmother to my son if something happens to me.”
“Nothing will happen to you, and I’m here to take care of you and your child. Why would you want Terry?”
“If something happens to me, how can you raise a half human and half vampire child? There are things he will need to know and do to survive and Terry and Lauren are more equipped to handle something like that.”
Ryan walked over to me and sat on the bed and reached for my hand. “If something happens to you, I don’t want to be without you. With your child I will always be with you.”
“But he has a father.”
“I will be his father. The father’s not here, and the father made me promise to take care of you and marry you.” There lay a deep silence between us. We were never going to come to an agreement about me and my child. I knew that now. Ryan had already assumed the role of father and husband and nothing was going to deter him from that part he wanted to play in my life.
“I still need to see, Terry,” I whispered. “Let me make arrangements.” He glanced down at me and shook his head in agreement.
“Do as you wish.” His voice drifted into silence.
And he left the room after giving me a kiss on the forehead. I could tell he wanted and needed more, but he was a patient man and patient men will wait for what they want for as long as it takes. I suspect Sebastian had that way about him too. Why else would he go all those years watching over me? He could have gone on with his life such as it is and found someone else.
But then he did and then along came Samantha to destroy everything he had waited for—me. And if I let her she will eventually kill me and my baby. She will perhaps destroy me if I’m not cautious, but I will die before I let her get near my child.
It was then I made up my mind about Ryan.
I made the arrangements to travel to Burrow, Alaska to see Terry and Lauren. We had one last stop in Anchorage and then our final stop in the North of Alaska. It was good not worrying about whether it was day or night or whether Sebastian had eaten or not. It was good to be with someone of my own kind, I thought.
Waiting at the airport for us stood Lauren and Terry holding hands. Two of the palest and handsomest couple. As they stood together waving at us as we entered the terminal, people would turn and admire them.
The admiration made Terry smile and happy. You could see it on her face and because we were there to see them.
“Look at you,” Terry said turning me around. Then she hugged me and we stayed in that embrace much longer than we should have. I could tell Ryan didn’t know what to say to Lauren. He just glared at him. Lauren had a distrust of Ryan especially since he was a policeman, and a self-styled vampire hunter.
“So Ryan, kill any werewolves or vampires lately?” That was Terry’s way of making a joke. I gave her my patent look, narrow eyes, and she didn’t go any further.
“No. But the day is still young,” Ryan said with a wide smile and he glanced at me. I raised an eyebrow. That was not the way I wanted to start out.
“I came here for a good time and to be with my dearest friends,” I said to Ryan who mumbled something under his breath. Terry heard him as we walked away and out of the terminal to the car after retrieving our checked bags.
“What do you have in here?” Lauren asked as he helped Ryan carry the luggage and a sack.
“A crossbow,” Ryan said, “it belongs to Zoey. Just in case Terry can’t keep her mouth shut and Aare and Samantha finds us.”
“Terry won’t put Zoey in danger because it will put us in the same spot. And as far as the crossbow, be careful it’s not used on you.”
Ryan didn’t say a word and kept walking but then he turned to Lauren, “And that goes for Sebastian too. He may be stupid enough to look for Zoey and lead them to her knowing she’s in hiding. And Terry, I hope she stays away from my island,” Ryan said.
“You can bet your ass I wouldn’t be caught dead on that island. I don’t know how long Zoey will be able to tolerate an isolated place like that anyway. She’s a city girl, remember,” Terry said to Ryan. He ignored her and kept walking to the garage.
Looking around, Ryan said, “I don’t think I can live in a god forsaken place where it’s cold year round and there’s a cloud cover like this,” Ryan said looking up before his eyes searched mine.
“If Aare or one of his vampires got a hold of you it wouldn’t be a choice. You would come here and pray they never found your ass. It’s just arrogance and stupidity on your part,” Terry said. Ryan glared at her.
“Please don’t. Let’s be civil to each other,” I begged.
Biting my lip I wished Ryan would let up so I could enjoy my stay. I would prefer not having this conversation because of the strain it put on my visit.
I glanced at him letting him know I wasn’t happy about him talking about Terry. It wasn’t fair and Lauren wouldn’t appreciate him criticizing his wife especially since we had to be there a few days. Look to Ryan, he lowered his eyes apologetically he knew he had gone too far but he wouldn’t apologize to Terry or Lauren.
Lauren had better manners than Ryan, and Lauren although hundreds of years old still felt like a teen and tried to respect his elders or he knew he was stronger than Ryan and he didn’t have to show it.
Looking at Ryan shivering even with a heavy coat, I knew he didn’t want to be in the coldest part of Alaska, and he felt uncomfortable around Terry and Lauren, and his way to mitigate that uneasiness was to act like a dick. That was one part of him I didn’t know about until now. But then there were so many things I didn’t know about him or Sebastian. I hoped there were no more surprises coming soon.
Finally Lauren answered Ryan. “Terry isn’t the one you have to worry about,” Lauren said with an unexpected smirk. He opened the car door for Terry, and Ryan opened the door for me. As soon as we entered and buckled up, Lauren zoomed away. He and Terry never bothered to put their seat belts on. Why should they? They were dead already.
It took fifteen minutes to their home facing the Chukchi Sea. The car came to a sudden stop. “This is beautiful, Terry. Could you find a more remote place and it’s so cold.”
“We came here on our honeymoon and then we bought this house, and well, we’ve been here alone ever since,” she glanced at Lauren and they both broke into a smile.
“I’m glad you like it. We’re just getting things together. I apologize if it’s not as comfortable as what you are used to. I hope when you have your baby you would come and visit me and Lauren more often. Not Ryan of course,” Terry said as we entered her beautiful two storied red wood house.
I walked through the house and to the back to see a wide deck. “Do you use this?”
“We sit out here at night and count the stars,” she side with a grin. “We lay out here and fuck under the stars. We fuck all the time.” Her eyes sparkled. She turned to see Ryan listening to her. “Are you doing any fucking lately, Ryan?”
I knew she would get in a dig. It wasn’t like Terry to let anything pass especially since she thought Ryan didn’t like her. I don’t think it was Terry he didn’t mind, he just didn’t think he would be caught up in this kind of life style surrounded by werewolves and vampires.
But then Ryan should have been used to this. His business was murder and mayhem. This should have been easy yet he was having a hard time with it. I saw it in his face. I heard him groan at Terry.
“You should be hungry Zoey. I’ll have your food ready soon. I’ll probably have a bite with you,” Terry said.
“I didn’t know you ate food?” Ryan said.
“I don’t, but maybe I’ll have you for dinner,” she said and flounced into the house with a mischievous look on her face. She glared at Ryan and then winked at him.
Ryan turned to me wide eyed. “She’s just kidding. Don’t you know when someone’s just kidding?”
“Normally I would, but these aren’t normal people.”