I smirked. “Ha ha. Good night, Caleb.”
“See you, bro.”
We hung up just in time for the familiar black car to roll up the stretch of driveway. I hopped to my feet - well, as much as I could with my big belly - and went to the window. My heart leapt in excitement, but also nerves. With the determination still welling inside me, this was the perfect opportunity to talk to Pierce.
I could only hope that he saidyes.
16
Pierce
Despite my anticipation to see Benji, it became quickly apparent that our meeting would take a sour turn right away. As he carefully picked his way down the stairs to greet me with a smile on his face, it faded once he saw Margaret storm down the hall and slam the door. The upset expression on my brothers’ faces probably didn’t help the situation, either.
“Did something happen?” Benji asked me quietly.
“You could say that,” I admitted.
Theo, who was glad to have a friend in Benji, rushed up to him and began whispering loudly. “Margaret’s going nuts and it’s freaking me out!”
“Indeed,” Adriel added, briefly stopping by our little gathering. I could tell he was antsy to return to Margaret and bend to her whims, whatever they currently were - although there was no telling if she would actually want his help or not.
“She fed on five humans tonight,” I told Benji.
“Is that a lot?” he asked with a cringe.
“Yes. Far too many, even for a famished vampire,” I said with a scowl.
“I’m really worried about her,” Theo added sadly. “None of us know how to help her, and she’s only getting worse.”
Bless his heart, Benji forced a big smile as he said, “Hey, I did find out some good news while you were gone.”
I couldn’t help but mirror his smile. He put me in a good mood, despite the negative situation. “Do tell.”
“Well, I was going through Adriel’s library, like he said I could, and I found a book on vampire babies. Specifically, dhampirs,” Benji explained. “It turns out you were right. A dhampircancreate the fog and control it, but it said they need training in order to make sure the baby doesn’t lean too far in either parent’s direction.”
I understood the meaning before he could elaborate. “I see. Since most dhampirs are the result of an unwilling host, the childrebels, so to speak, and ends up dead because of its extreme actions.”
“Yeah.” Benji frowned for a moment, but then his grin returned. “But our baby won’t end up like that, because we’re gonna love them equally.”
“Yes.” I embraced Benji and kissed the top of his head. His belly bump had swollen considerably, and I had to be careful not to squish him. “Thank you, Benji.”
He blushed. “For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“For lifting my mood.”
“Oh. Well… You’re welcome.”
But then another frown appeared on his face. “What is it?”
“I, um, read something else in that book, too.” He cast his gaze on the ground. “It said that in my third trimester, I’ll want to… drink blood.”
“Ah,” I said. “I see.”
“That’s no big deal!” Theo said, trying to be helpful. “We have a bunch of blood wine in the cellar, remember? Unless you, uh, want a live host? I guess we could figure out a way to do that, too.”
“Theo,” I said gently, “that’s not the part that Benji has a problem with.”
Understanding appeared on Theo’s face and he deflated. “Oh. Right.”
