Thank fuck.
Best news ever.
I blew out what felt like a mountain of air, trying to shake the nerves, the rage, the need to destroy something. My family didn’t need to see me angry. This was supposed to be a special day and not one darkened by the likes of Roman Brown, Adam Emery, Rianne Aberdeen, and Matthew Costner. Although I was pushing Matthew to the side for now. I found it hard to believe he would side with the enemy. He’d hated when my uncle Patrick changed him into a vampire. Roman had to have put the fear of God into Matthew. That was the only plausible reason I could latch on to.
The baby crying zapped my concentration. I came to an abrupt halt outside the entrance to the birthing suites, shoved my fingers through my hair, gave myself a pep talk, plastered on a smile, and stalked in.
A medicinal odor washed over me as I oriented my vision. I’d only seen this part of the new wing once before Layla had given birth. Doc had been excited to show off the apartment-style rooms for mothers-to-be and the nursery.
The hallway was wide and long with doors closed along the right and left with the exception of one, which I would guess was either Layla’s room or the nursery. As I headed in that direction, butterflies took flight inside my stomach. I was about to meet my son and daughters. I’d been thinking about this moment since I’d found out Layla was pregnant. The curiosity was killing me. Who would they look like? What type of powers would they have? Were they vampires or witches or both?
The baby’s cry grew louder, and I picked up my pace, feeling as though one of my kids was calling to me, almost as if his or her cry was saying, “Hurry, Dad. I want to meet you too.” Weird and odd. But shouldn’t be. My kids were inhuman.
Halfway down the hallway, Layla’s siren voice tickled my eardrums, and goose bumps covered my body.
“Shhh. Here you go, little guy,” she cooed.
Pure happiness flooded my veins, and as I broke out into a fast-paced walk, the baby stopped crying.
Doc waltzed out of the open door of the room, wearing a goofy smile. “I thought I heard footsteps.”
His grin was a far cry from the panic he’d had earlier.Halle-fucking-lujah.
Still, I had to ask, “Everyone is fine?”
He tucked his hands into his lab coat pockets. “Surprisingly so. The healing blood I gave Layla worked wonders. She bounced right back within the hour. Your son too. Your blood did the trick for him.”
I wrapped Doc into a bear hug. “You’re fucking awesome, Doc.” The man’s intelligence and medical knowledge were remarkable.
I couldn’t count how many times he’d saved the lives of Webb, Jo, and the SEALs, including me. If it weren’t for him, I might not be alive. A long story for another day.
“Can’t breathe, Sam,” he squeaked out.
I let go of him. “Sorry. I can’t thank you enough. I know it’s your job, but you and Dr. Martin, Jo, and the nurses deserve medals of honor.” I didn’t see any of the medical staff or hear them nearby either. “Where is Dr. Martin, by the way?”
“He’s in my office, making some calls and following up on his other patients at the local hospital.”
“Sam?” Layla called, excitement in her tone.
Doc tipped his brown head of hair at Layla’s room. “Go meet your son and daughters, though the girls are sleeping.”
As I stepped inside, I felt as though I’d walked out of hell and into heaven. Instantly, a magical aura blanketed the room. Four tiny hearts beat loud and strong, their blood zipping through their veins. My gaze rounded on my wife, who was sitting up in bed, beautiful, glowing, and like her children, her heart banged as though it was calling me home. Iwashome. I seriously felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. The evil world outside this room was a microcosm, and nothing belonged in here except happiness and fucking joy.
Layla’s electric-blue eyes glistened beneath the soft glow from the lights above. “What are you waiting for? Cat got your tongue? Legs not working? He’s stunning, vampire. He has your green eyes, black hair, and is a miniature Sam.” She blinked away a tear and then another before she returned her loving gaze to our son cradled in her arms, sucking on her finger. “Your papa is here,” she uttered. “He can’t wait to meet you.”
Tears shot free, sliding down my face like a rushing waterfall. The last several hours had been hairy, maddening, death-defying, and downright soul splitting. But now my heart was overflowing with so much love that I was feeling high and weak in the knees.
Doc came up beside me. “It’s going to be a nice change to have newborns around here,” he said. “They will balance out the tension we’re all under.”
If he’d heard Adam’s speech to the nation or Rianne’s fake message or even Matthew’s monologue, he might change his tune. Or the fact that we might be going underground could be the thing to change it. If we couldn’t keep humans from amassing an army of their own and coming through the gates, then we would either shoot to kill or run. I didn’t see Doc leaving his lab or newly constructed medical wing. The vampire doctor would go down with his ship. But I wasn’t about to burst his bubble.
He nudged me with his elbow. “Don’t be shy.”
I was far from shy. I was just taking it all in, feeling the magic tingling along my arms, absorbing Layla’s happiness as it seeped into my pores, and imprinting the image of her holding our son into my memory so I could replay it again and again.
“Your daughters are sleeping, Papa,” she said. “And each of the babies weighs about four pounds each, give or take a few ounces.”
My gaze landed on the four bassinets along one side of her bed.
