“Layla, please,” my mom begged.
“I’m sorry,” I replied. “The light is too strong.” When the last word left my mouth, a meadow of wildflowers materialized.
Then, as if some imaginary being was guiding me, I floated to the ground before my bare feet sank into the soft, damp earth. I blinked several times, taking in a deep breath and the scene before me. A myriad of sweet, flowery scents floated in the air. Fluffy clouds dotted the deep blue sky, and a boarded-up farmhouse sat at the base of the mountain range in the distance. It took me a beat to realize that I was standing on my home turf in Montana. The farmhouse was the same one my sisters and I had grown up in. The barn next to it was where we’d kept our horses.
Instantly, memories of happier days accosted me. Mom teaching Jordyn, Rianne, and me how to ride a horse. My sisters and I watching Dad in his woodworking shop as he made the rocking chairs that Mom and Dad loved to spend time in on the porch in the evenings.
“Layla.” Mom’s soft voice drew me out of my reverie.
I spun around and gasped. My mother stood before me, looking more beautiful than I remembered. Her dark wavy hair fell to her shoulders, touching the yellow fabric of her sundress. Her cheeks were rosy. Her brown eyes swam with love, and an ethereal glow surrounded her.
“Sam needs you, Layla.”
I froze. “You know Sam?” That shouldn’t have been my first question. Then again, I didn’t even know where to begin. I had so many things to ask her. Still, given vampire blood ran through her family, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’d at least have heard of the Masons.
She smiled as if proud of my choice in men. “Of course not. But I’ve been watching over you. Plus, when I was alive, I had visions of him and you.”
I stiffened even more. “As in, you had magical abilities?” Holy shit. I’d had visions too.
She closed the distance between us and grasped my hands. The moment she did, a warm feeling traveled up my arms and spread throughout my chest. “If you want to call visions magical, then yes.”
I knitted my eyebrows. “So you knew I would fall in love with a vampire?”
“Not until a few months before I passed away. As I was approaching death, I began to have the same recurring dreams. At first, it was you meeting Sam at the nightclub. But each night, a little more of the dream played out until he was telling you he loved you. I didn’t want to believe it. I’d worked hard since my teenage years to make sure no one knew about my supernatural past, and truthfully, I despised bloodsuckers. After I witnessed a group of vampires killing three humans one night on my way home from a school dance, I chose to do everything in my power to make sure a human didn’t have to suffer at the hands of those creatures again.”
“So you married a vampire hunter,” I stated.
“I didn’t seek your father out, if that’s what you’re implying. I believe fate drew us together.”
“But why wait until you were on your deathbed to tell Dad about your heritage? I mean, I understand why you kept it from him. The Aberdeens would’ve murdered you. I don’t believe Dad would’ve, though. Still, why tell Dad at all? Maybe Dad wouldn’t be dead if you hadn’t told him. His brothers believe a vampire named Kendra killed him.”
She flattened a hand on my cheek. “I told him because I was afraid for you. I wanted him to make sure you and Sam never met. But your father didn’t believe me. He thought I was hallucinating from the drugs. Also, Kendra didn’t kill your father.”
“Then who? If you know, tell me, so I can seek justice.”
She was glancing around as if she was about to tell me a secret when dark clouds rolled in. “You must return to Sam and your babies, Layla. They need you. The world needs you.”
I could feel my eyebrows drawing down. “The world?” What the fuck did that mean?
“You and Sam are instrumental in making sure humanity survives.”
Confusion snaked through me. “You mean it’s up to him and me to stop the genetic engineering?”
She tilted her head slightly, frowning. “Yes, and…” Again, her gaze darted in all directions. “One of your children is prophesied to change the course of humankind, which will have a ripple effect that upsets the balance of the world.”
A shiver racked my body as I listed to one side. “Come again?” I’d heard her, but I had to make sure because my brain was having a hard time processing what she’d just said.
She quickly looked at the sky. “I’ve told you all I can. You must go. The door between the living and the dead is about to close.”
Oh, fuck no. “Mom,” I bit out. “You can’t leave me hanging like this. I need to know which of my children you speak of.”
She pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Find Kendra.” Then she released me. “I love you. Now, close your eyes and envision your beautiful babies and Sam.”
Hell no! I couldn’t leave. I needed to know more. Not only that, but what did Kendra have to do with anything? My mind was a jumbled pile of puzzle pieces.
Before I could open my mouth to fire off questions, she pressed a hand to my heart.
Instantly, a jolt of electricity zapped me as she faded. “You’re strong and resilient, Layla,” she said, her voice growing softer and softer.
