The fire died suddenly, and I was enveloped in a sea of darkness. Blinking rapidly to adjust my vision, my breathing increased. As if someone had flipped a switch, the double white lines on the road beamed a vivid orange. Bright stars glistened in the inky-black sky, twinkling like tiny diamonds. A red ring circled the radiant moon that seemed ten times larger than I’d ever seen.
“Over here,” the young boy called.
I oriented my vision ahead of me.
A five-year-old boy surrounded by an iridescent glow held out his hand. “We need to go.” Fear coated his small voice.
I was frozen to the heat of the pavement.
“Please,” he begged. “She needs your help.”
My limbs unlocked, and I jogged toward the little boy with black hair and eyes so familiar I lost my breath.
“Who needs my help?” I asked as I reached the boy.
“My sister,” he said with a slight lisp. “You’re the only one who can help her.”
“I don’t understand. Why me?”
His green eyes were high beams in the dark of night. “Because you have the power.” He tugged on my fingers. “We don’t have much time.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m your son,” he said, as if I was supposed to know that.
A gasp tore from my lungs as I shot up from the pillow, disoriented. I pushed out a heavy sigh, running my hands through my sweat-dampened hair.Holy crap!Was I having twins? I’d been having the same recurring dream in a way—fire, flames, dark road, a little boy, a girl needing help. But until tonight, the boy hadn’t revealed who he was.
I pulled my T-shirt away from my heated skin and climbed out of bed. Maybe twins were the reason my stomach was bigger than normal for eight weeks. Dr. Vieira claimed it was bloating, hormones, and my uterus preparing for the baby’s growth, which made sense. Still, twins would not surprise me. After all, they ran on both sides of the family.
The clock on the nightstand flashed 1:30 a.m. A chill skittered through me. I’d been waking up at the same time for over a month, and I would bet my life that one thirty in the morning was relevant for some reason.
I needed to clear my head, cool my skin, and feel the crisp air filling my lungs. Another two weeks had passed, and Sam was still in a coma. In total, a month had gone by since Sam had asked me to marry him. A month of long days and sleepless nights.
I had planned to do some research on my mother’s ancestors, but I’d never gotten around to it. My days had been filled with working out in the base gym, mainly to expend nervous energy in the hopes it would help me sleep better. In part, the yoga and practicing my fighting skills had enabled me to fall asleep, but my problem was staying asleep. In addition, I sat with Sam for hours, reading about pregnancies, deliveries, and anything related to giving birth. When I wasn’t at the gym or with Sam, I cooked for Harley and Jordyn when she wasn’t in Boston. Or I baked yummy cakes and cookies, which I devoured.
My stomach growled at the thought of the chocolate cake in the kitchen. But the sugar would only keep me awake. Maybe a spin on the bike in the gym would help burn off my adrenaline. Or maybe Dr. Vieira was in the infirmary, and I could talk to him about my dream and twins.
I decided going to the gym first would be best since Dr. Vieira was probably tucked into his own bed, even though he’d been known to work through the night.
That familiar tingling wormed its way from my belly into my chest as I threw on a pair of yoga pants. I was regularly experiencing more and more of the fluttering sensations as each day passed. But I had yet to encounter any sort of magical abilities.
I rubbed my stomach and laughed. If I was having twins, that meant my belly would be fucking huge. I giggled again, but this time it was because of nerves. I’d put on weight and would continue to do so. How would Sam react? I was confident he would pounce like a sex-starved man when he laid eyes on my humongous tits. But by the time I delivered, I would be bigger than a two-story house. I puffed my cheeks. No sense in worrying about my weight. I just had to stay in shape and healthy.
I shrugged into a clean T-shirt, stepped into my suede boots, and grabbed a jacket off the chair in my military-style bedroom—twin bed, a dresser, a chair, a small closet, and a table for a nightstand, much like the rooms in the women’s barracks. Harley’s house was initially designed for navy recruits who had graduated from boot camp and were temporarily stationed on the base. I wasn’t complaining. I had a bed and a roof over my head. I could’ve stayed in Sam’s apartment, but I preferred the company, spending time with Harley when she wasn’t working or with Jordyn, who was staying with us. She was helping Sawyer and had a temporary cubicle alongside his.
Both Harley and Jordyn had kept me abreast of the SEAL activity as much as they were allowed. The SEALs had been scouring Chicago and Montana nonstop for Carly Aberdeen and her team of fuckups, including my family, but they’d struck out. Apparently, no one was surprised that they’d seemingly disappeared. Five years ago, when the SEALs had been at war with Edmund Rain, he constantly moved his location to throw them off track. In addition, there was no sign of Dane Gray. His family and pack had been hunting from New England to Chicago, searching for him.
On top of that, Webb and Jo had set out to find the scientist who had developed the chip. Peter Landon worked for Cobra Technologies, who’d partnered with Camden Industries. After digging deeper into both companies, the tech team learned Peter was no longer with Cobra. Jordyn had found out in one of her chat rooms that there was a contract out on Peter’s head. I wished upon a star that Webb and Jo found the man. I believed he might be the only one who could help Sam.
Aside from the tension hanging over us, the living situation in the three-bedroom house reminded me of when Rianne, Jordyn, and I would hang in front of the TV, drinking, laughing, and talking. But Harley wasn’t Rianne, andIwasn’t consuming alcohol. Still, the three of us chatted about everything and anything, including baby names.
Harley suggested Liam, if I had a boy—a name that meant a strong-willed warrior and fit Sam’s personality perfectly. Jordyn liked Liam, but she preferred Marcus. I added both names to my list, but I wouldn’t be able to decide until I saw his or her face. Plus, Sam needed to weigh in with his choices.
I tiptoed down the hall by the other two bedrooms, careful not to wake Jordyn or Harley. The floor plan was much like Jo and Webb’s home—spacious kitchen, living room, and arched doorways, but with one exception. Jo’s house had been remodeled and decorated to give the home a lived-in feel rather than the sterile environment of Harley’s abode.
When I slipped out the front door as quietly as I could, my bodyguard, Lane, jerked to attention. His charcoal-colored uniform blended in with the blackness surrounding us. If it weren’t for his dirty-blond hair or the steam from his breathing, I wouldn’t have known he was standing guard.
He climbed the four stone steps, snatched my coat from my hands, and helped me into it. “Put this on. It’s below zero out here.” The cold didn’t affect him in the least. Vampires seemed immune to the frigid winter weather.
