Steven started to leave the hangar when Jo grabbed him by the arm. She shook her head, and Steven stabbed a thumb at the plane. I imagined she was trying to convince her dad to allow Jack and me a few moments to air out some things.
“Layla, you realize it’s an abomination for you to be pregnant with a vampire baby.” Jack’s deep baritone voice punctured my eardrums.
I snorted at the word abomination but wasn’t surprised at his reaction. I more than understood why he thought it was a disgrace, a monstrosity, a curse. We were vampire hunters—generation after generation of hunting the bloodsuckers who had killed several of our family members.
“Maybe it is a curse, Uncle Jack. Maybe it’s also fate. Maybe I’m carrying Sam’s baby for reasons beyond what you and I could ever imagine. But I can’t do anything about it now.”
His grayish-blue eyes darkened. “You most certainly can.”
My blood instantly boiled. I’d had a hard time coming to terms with my plight, but I wasn’t about to end the life of my unborn child. “I’m not getting rid of it, if that’s what you’re saying.”
It wouldn’t be easy to raise a little Mason with fangs, but I’d chosen to sleep with Sam. Even if I’d known I had that rare blood type, I wasn’t sure the outcome would’ve been any different. He and I were drawn together like magnets—polar opposites, but we fit together, completed each other. We might rankle each other’s nerves, but that worked for us. I was meant to be with Sam. It became more apparent with each passing day. He was my yin, and I was his yang. The universe or fate wanted us together, and I was sure the reason or reasons would reveal itself in due time.
He sat on the arm of a seat. “You just keep throwing oil on the fire. When will you learn, Layla?” His tone softened as though he’d given up on me. “You’ll be hunted. Is that what you want?”
I inched closer to him and settled four rows away. “By who? You? Noah? Rianne? Then so be it.” I kept my tone even. I was tired of arguing with Jack. “I love Sam, Uncle Jack.” Sam didn’t know that yet. I’d been about to tell him when we walked off the plane. But he had to patrol the airport, and we’d been minutes away from meeting with my uncles.
Jack threw his hands in the air in a huff. “You were raised to kill those creatures”—he pointed out the window toward the hangar—“not give birth to one or fall for one.”
I itched to stomp my foot like I had when I didn’t get my way as a three-year-old. “When will you hear me? Those people out there want the same thing as us—to protect humanity.”
He gaped at my stomach. “That has nothing to do with your situation.”
“Maybe not,” I said. “But let’s focus on what we’re up against. Uncle Ray set us up. He sold Sam for his DNA.” I was 99.9 percent sure on that. “Which means we have bigger problems. I know you agree with me on that point.”
He rubbed his fingers along his nape. “We do see eye to eye on that. I will not stand by and watch humans become supernatural predators.”
I sat on an arm of a seat, relief flooding my veins that we agreed. “Uncle Jack, I’m tired of fighting with you.”
He lowered his shoulders, defeat washing over him.
I had a perfect opportunity to say my piece one last time, although I’d thought I’d done just that when he and I had a tense conversation at his Montana ranch not that long ago. But the topic then was about sleeping with a vampire, not about being pregnant with a vampire baby. Still, if he chose to shun me, kick me to the curb, so be it. “I understand where you’re coming from on my pregnancy. Well, on all of it. I’m having a difficult time too. I mean, my father dating a vampire, my mom’s admission on her deathbed that her bloodline is part vampire, and now my situation.” I twined my fingers in my lap. “I struggle to make sense of Sam and me. But he and I fit together. I believe I’m in his life, and he’s in mine, for a greater cause… and that’s humanity.” I swallowed the dryness in my throat, fidgeting under his scrutiny. “I’m so, so sorry about Ray. As much as I wanted to strangle him, I didn’t want him dead.”
He gave me a sad smile. “I know. I’m trying to figure out how I missed Ray’s setup,” Jack mumbled. “I’d been so blinded by Noah going missing and his scheme to kill Sam.”
I tilted my head. “Didn’t you want Sam dead?” Uncle Jack wanted all vampires dead, though he’d never hunted the Masons. My gut told me it was because he knew he didn’t stand a chance. The Masons were the most powerful vampires among their kind.
“Killing him would only start a war that we would never win,” Jack said on a sigh. “My parents wanted to, but my father had decided a long time ago that it would be suicide.”
My intuition was right. “You know, Noah, Rianne, Ray, you, me—we want the same thing. We’re just going about it differently. Granted, Ray’s actions were driven by money, but he wanted the human race to thrive. Noah and Rianne do as well. I know Rianne is trying to protect me.” I loved my sister for that. “In your gruff sort of way, you’re trying to do the same as her. I appreciate that, Uncle Jack. But what we’re facing isn’t about me or you. It’s about humankind.”
Originally, Jack’s son, Noah, and my sister, Rianne, had teamed up to kill Sam, but were unsuccessful. Then Noah had conspired with our uncle Ray to kidnap Sam. As far as Rianne’s whereabouts, that was still a mystery. She’d disappeared shortly after she helped Noah string Sam over a firepit at our old hunting grounds in Montana.
“We need to push our differences aside and fight with Steven and the others,” I said. “I’m not suggesting it because I love Sam. The Masons and the Vampire Navy SEALs know how to handle a situation like this. They’ve done it before.”
His tired gaze never wavered from mine. I prayed he truly absorbed every word. “I’m exhausted, Layla. I don’t want to fight with you anymore. You’re headstrong and stubborn like your father. I guess that’s why I’ve been an asshole to you. You remind me of him. And…” He looked at his boots or the floor, rubbing his lips together before shoving his hand through his hair. “I blame myself for his death.”
I remembered Aunt Tab sharing that last sentiment with me. Still, to hear his confession had my eyes bulging.
“Your dad was only trying to find proof of what your mother told him. He’d been searching to find if she had any relatives.” He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “I should’ve listened to him. I should’ve helped him. He’d been so distraught over not knowing who your mom really was, and he wanted answers.”
I’d wished my dad would’ve confided in me. Maybe I could’ve helped him. But I couldn’t change the past. “Is that where Kendra comes in? Or is she the one who murdered him? I’m a little confused about her.”
He looked around. “By the way, where is Kendra?”
I rolled a shoulder forward. “I guess she took off.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I don’t blame her. Ray was eager to stake her. Anyway, your dad had been spending a copious amount of time with Kendra. I’m not sure who she really is or if she is responsible for your dad’s death.”
