Angel's Messiah (5 page)

He laughed again. “Helena Malakh
, I love you.
”

I smiled and cried some more. It was nice to cry proper salty tears again and not blood. I didn’t look like an immortal freak anymore, just your regular blubbery kind.

“How long does morning sickness usually last?” Danny asked.

“
Usually
by the second trimester it’s gone, but with me, who knows?”

“I hope you’ll be able to keep some food down soon. You’ll need to keep up your strength.”

“Danny, I know this sounds really weird, but maybe that’s why I’ve been wanting to hunt werewolf. Maybe I need something other than vampire blood.”

“It’s possible. Do you think it’s a wise idea though?”

“No,” I snorted, “but we’re running out of options, aren’t we?”

“Tomorrow?” he asked.

“Tomorrow,” I sighed.

Danny climbed onto the bed and I crawled into his arms. He rested a hand on my stomach and traced little circles.

“What are you hoping for?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you hope it’s a boy or a girl?”

“I’ve never had to think about a child before, never mind what I’d like,” he drummed his fingers on my stomach while he thought about it. “A little girl.”

“Why?” I asked.

“A beautiful little girl to dote on. What more could a father ask for?”

“She may not be beautiful, you know.”

He smiled. “She would be beautiful to me, and that’s all that matters.”

“Would the baby be immortal or part mortal?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Never in the angelic histories — we’re making
history
here, Helena — has such a thing occurred. I guess we’ll find out when the time comes.”

“Do you think it’ll be a standard nine month pregnancy?”

“We’re not elephants, Helena,” Danny laughed. “I think nine months, give or take, would be more than enough, don’t you?”

“
Definitely.
”

“What about you, boy or girl?”

“I don’t care,” I said excitedly. “I thought I’d
never
have children. You’re right, it is a gift from God. As long as the baby is healthy and happy, that’s all I care about.”

Danny kissed the top of my head and I yawned. It was time for a well-deserved nap. I’d probably want more sleep over the next few months. I imagined it would be a very exhausting time, being pregnant, particularly if the start was anything to go by. Just when I thought I was getting by on less sleep, this happens, and everything is thrown into chaos. Wonderful, unpredictable, though thoroughly welcome, chaos.

It was dark when I woke. Danny had a book open, resting on my stomach. He was reading aloud, very quietly. He hadn’t noticed I was awake. I looked down at the book and listened to him talk. He was reading mortal nursery rhymes.

“Nursery rhymes?” I asked.

“It was a book from one of your memories, when you were very little. You’d enjoyed it and I thought the baby should know about her mother’s heritage as well, fact and fiction.”

I leaned to one side of Danny so we could see each other.

“
Danny,
” I said fiercely, “there are things about my life I’d rather she
didn’t
know.”

“She doesn’t have to know everything, at least not until she’s old enough to understand.”

“No,” I said firmly. “She doesn’t need to know anything about my life
before
you, and when I was
without
you.
If I find out you’ve told her I’ll whoop your arse!
”

Danny chuckled. “I see you’re going to be suffering from mood swings as well.”

I started crying. I just burst into tears for no reason at all. I wasn’t unhappy and I wasn’t upset with Danny’s comments about mood swings, but the tears came anyway.

“Yep,” Danny said, handing me a handkerchief, “definitely mood swings.”

I didn’t think I’d heard him use the word
yep
before. Was I influencing his vocabulary as well? First
shit
now
yep
. What was likely to be next?

Live together, grow alike. So when are some of his more angelic and virtuous qualities going to rub off on me?

“What’s the time?” I asked.

Numbers flared in the air to the right of me. We still had at least another three hours until sunrise. I waved the numbers away.

“There goes my idea of getting you a watch to tell the time with,” Danny sighed. “I know how you like to keep track of time.”

“I haven’t had a watch in years,” I laughed. “Why don’t you give me a digital camera instead? We’ll be wanting to take lots of photos soon enough.”

“You know we won’t ever forget anything, not even the smallest detail?”

“Yeah, but I’d like to have family albums to flick through to remind me of how the time has flown, and then there’s all the photos I’ll want to cram on the mantle above the fireplace. Maybe when the baby is born you can give me a locket as well,” I said excitedly. “I’d like a photo of you on one side and the baby on the other. You know the type of locket I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. When the baby is born you shall have your locket.”

“Danny, you do know that once the baby is mobile we’ll have very little privacy for a number of years. We’ll need to be selective about when and where certain things happen.”

“Are you talking about sex?” Danny chuckled.

“Yes,” I hissed.

“It’s not a dirty word, Helena. It won’t corrupt the baby —
sex, sex, sex.
”

“Stop it,” I said.

He rolled his eyes. “Great. Morning sickness, mood swings and now you’ve turned into a prude.”

“I have not,” I snorted. “I just don’t want the baby knowing about some stuff until it’s old enough.”

Danny grinned. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly. “I haven’t really had any good role models. I’ll be relying on you a lot for help with parenting. I’m expecting you to be a very hands-on dad.”

“I’ll help however I can, Helena, except for breastfeeding.”

I blushed. It takes a lot to make me blush and I didn’t think I’d ever blushed in front of Danny before. I hadn’t given any consideration to feeding the baby and truthfully it embarrassed me. I could dance butt naked in front of a crowd of wild and rowdy men and engage in all sorts of sexual games, but breastfeeding? I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to handle that.

“Your cheeks are red,” he said. “Are you feeling okay?”

I waved my hands in front of my face to stir the air. I could still feel the heat in my cheeks.

“Haven’t you ever seen anyone blush before?” I asked.

“No. Why are you blushing?”

“Because for some stupid reason I found the thought of breastfeeding, and maybe having you watch,
embarrassing.
I know it’s the most natural thing in the world to do, and I shouldn’t feel embarrassed about it, but I am.”

“I find it hard to imagine you getting embarrassed about anything.”

“I know,” I said. “That’s
why
it’s so bizarre.”

“Hormones,” Danny said, nodding his head.

I rolled my eyes. Danny was going to analyse absolutely everything to do with this pregnancy and store it for future reference. I was going to be the subject of much curiosity over the next few months, and none of it mine.

“I’m hungry,” I complained.

“You’re always hungry, but at least now we know why. There are only a few hours to sunrise, then I promise I’ll fetch you a werewolf or two.”

“No, Danny, you don’t understand. I feel the need to
hunt
them as well.”

“That might be a bit dangerous,” he said.

“I can’t help how I feel, and I feel like I need to do this. You can catch them for me, I just need to run and join in the hunt.”

“Are you sure?”

I rolled my eyes. “
Yes.
I wouldn’t be saying it if I didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do. I promise I’ll head back to the cottage if I feel even slightly sick or dizzy. I’ll even come back if I think I’m going to cry, if that’ll make you happy.”

Danny thought about it for a moment. He was weighing up his options, trying to decide which way to go.

“You stay behind me at all times, at a pace of my choosing. No overtaking or running backwards and definitely nothing that might put you or the baby at risk,” he lectured.

I held up my right hand, the palm facing outward, as I made a solemn pledge, “I promise.”

I turned onto my side and snuggled into Danny, smiling. “You know, we could put the last few hours of darkness to better use.”

Danny chuckled. “You’re incorrigible, Helena. I don’t know how you do it.”

“Well,” I said cheekily. “First you put one hand here …”

A couple of hours later, as the pre-dawn light broke the gloom, I sighed contentedly. Danny kissed my cheek.

“Shower?” he asked.

“Yes please,” I said.

“For someone who was so weak yesterday she couldn’t even stand, you sure found energy from somewhere.”

“Don’t you know that I’m an energy vampire,” I teased. “I sucked all the energy from you.”

Danny shook his head and mumbled, “Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.”

I smiled and followed Danny to the bathroom.

Towel.

A towel appeared in my hand and I flicked his butt. He jumped, not expecting an attack from the rear.

“Get along little doggy,” I said playfully, “or Momma’s gonna have to spank you some more.”

He turned around and scooped me into his arms.

“Try and spank me now,” he laughed.

“No fair,” I said, “you’ve got my arms pinned.”

Towel, smack his arse anyway.

The towel complied with my wishes.

“Hey,” he complained. “Talk about fair, you’re not even using your hands.”

After we’d showered, dried and dressed we sat on the garden swing outside. The sun was starting to touch the horizon. We waited until it was well and truly up before venturing off.

“Remember, you’re following me, not the other way round,” Danny reminded me.

“Sir, yes sir!” I yelled, saluting him.

“And keep the noise down. Don’t forget that werewolves have very good hearing.”

“Okay,” I whispered. I was just excited to be out on a hunt.

Danny took to using hand signals, not unlike those employed by Drake’s specialists, to tell me where we were going and how many scents he’d picked up. We were on the trail of two werewolves — I was glad it wasn’t three — and they had about a twenty-minute head start on us.

I was itching to run as fast as I could, yet I’d promised —
when did I start making promises?
— I’d follow his lead. Here I was, barely two months pregnant and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I wanted to have what I was sure were the first of many restrictions lifted.

Danny knew I was getting restless and as I seemed to be fine he picked up the pace.

This is more like it,
I thought.

The wolves were drinking from a stream when we caught up with them. It seemed such an ordinary thing to do. I almost envied them, being able to drink the cool, clear water. To be able to eat and drink whatever you liked seemed like a distant memory to me.

Danny signalled for me to stay under the cover of the trees. I didn’t like him going out there on his own. As long as there were only two he should be able to handle himself.

We should have realised they rarely travelled in twos. We didn’t stop to think they might be heading off to meet up with one or more of their own kind. I should have let my vision range out well before we reached this spot, to make sure it was safe.

As soon as Danny walked in their direction three more werewolves ran out of the forest. They leapt from the other side of the stream to where their companions had been drinking, and hurtled towards him.

“
No,
” I yelled out, running to his side.

The wolves were distracted by my shout. Thinking I might be an easier target, they changed direction and charged me. It all happened so quickly. One knocked me backwards to the ground and I felt sharp pain, as three sets of teeth sank into my flesh. My reflexes weren’t as fast as they had been pre-pregnancy.

I could hear Danny yelling in the distance and saw the flash of angel fire. I heard other sounds as well — whimpers — and thought it was the wolves Danny was tackling.

The pain didn’t get any worse. Shouldn’t they be ripping and tearing me like mad by now, the bloodlust having taken over? What I felt was no worse than the initial bites. In fact I felt fantastic, as if I was getting stronger while they remained where they were. Maybe I really was an energy vampire. There was no doubt that I
was
a living magnet for strange things.