Bleak Devotion (21 page)

She'd do everything she could to save Monique and her baby's lives. She wouldn't leave them to the fate of her own parents and Blade's mother. If it was in her power, she would keep them from the brutality that was infecting their lives. She'd somehow keep them all safe and alive.

The miles between them and the house multiplied. Way too many miles. The way she turned on the highway must have been the wrong way to town. Of course she did. If she kept going, she wouldn't get the photo to the aliens who needed to see proof of Monique. She clenched her teeth. Stupid, time-wasting mistake. Forget the camera, what she should have looked for was a map.

As she flipped around, she wondered what else she could do to foul up this plan. They drove and drove and drove. Passing time made each worry grow. The biggest one, what if the others from the house found them out here? It was a worry when they were close to the house, but now that they had to turn around… What would she do if the others caught up to them?

Light brushed the horizon. Her stomach wounds burned from sitting up straight so long. Realizing she was breathing hard, she struggled to make her gasps for air come more evenly. As her breathing quieted, she realized Monique's breathing was coming harder than hers was. Harsh in the small space. Much too harsh. A glance over at the female sent a new wave of fear through her.

Monique's face scrunched in agony. Her hands balled into fists against her bulging belly. Sweat beaded her forehead. Not only that, but her pants were wet. Monique's water had broken.

Cursing her bad luck, Jessica searched for a place she could safely pull off the road. There was nothing for miles except sagebrush. Though the sagebrush would do a better job delivering a baby than she would. Taking care of James was the only experience she had even remotely close, which wasn't close at all. And if the others caught up with them because she had to stop, it would all be for nothing.

Monique moaned. It didn't matter, the girl clearly needed to stop and have her baby. Peeking at the camera on the dashboard, Jessica hoped they would still need it after this stop. Their friends finding them wasn't the biggest concern after all. If an alien found them while dealing with labor, death was certain to follow.

Chapter Thirty-One

Jessica stood on the pavement with the passenger door open, staring at Monique. What else could she do? The female swung her feet toward Jessica, then stopped and panted. Jessica gaped at her. There had to be something more useful than staring, but what? Delivery wasn't exactly something they taught during senior year.

Before she could make up her mind to either make Monique more comfortable in the car or move her to the dirt ground, a buzz reached Jessica's ears. Her throat tightened. Someone, or something, was headed their way.

Jessica tapped Monique on the leg and pointed to the oncoming car. The female's face immediately relaxed into a nonexpression, but her panting continued. Even her hands couldn't cooperate, clenching the fabric around her belly. Still, the girl had mettle.

She gripped the handle above her head to help her get out of the car. Jessica nudged her back in the car. Whatever happened, she had to stay close to Monique. If things were going to go bad for Jessica, they had to go bad for the female, too. Guilt tore at her for the thought, threatening to tear her apart even more.

The silver car loomed closer. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she recognized it, followed quickly by a curse. Her plan would fail unless she convinced whoever her friends sent after her that this plan had to be followed. Whatever happened would be soon, because the car zipped to them.

The car screeched to a halt in the middle of the road. The driver opened the door and got out.

“Blade,” Jessica whispered. Her heart fluttered inside her chest. She adopted the neutral expression on Monique's face. If the laboring female could remain impassive, so could she.

Blade slammed his door. He hustled over to them, his lips bunched together. “What do you think you're doing?”

Jessica swallowed, giving herself time to not react to the anger in his voice. “Didn't you get my letter?”

“
How could I miss the letter? It was sitting right where the SUV should be.”

“
If you're that upset about me stealing your car, you can have it back.”

Blade groaned. “Please tell me you're joking.”

“No, really. You can have the car back. You'll have to get someone to help you drive it back and I need to get the camera out of it. Though if you insist on having that back too, then please at least let me take Monique's picture first, then you can have whatever you want and we'll get out of your way.”

Blade sprang forward, grabbing each of Jessica's shoulders. “I'm not here for some stupid car. I'm here for you.”

It was too much. She wanted to rush forward, twine herself with him, and never let go. Only, that was the reason they got into this problem in the first place. Even more, it wouldn't help them fix the problem.

She fought against the urge to push his hands away and keep her voice from rising. To remain impassive and monotone. “If my plan works, no one will have to die and Monique won't have to be locked in the hideout with Ben. You should be thanking me for getting out of your life and taking care of the problem I created.”

“You are kidding.” Blade's arms fell to his sides. “You have to be.”

She backed away from him to lean up against the car. Her stomach ached, though probably not as much as Monique’s.

“You're not, are you? You're serious.” He rubbed his forehead and shook his hand through his short hair. “Jess, sending the aliens a picture of Monique might get them away from us, but they won't ever stop hunting you. No matter how far you run, they will come. This can't have a happy ending.”

The words crossed her lips without permission. “It will for you.”

He closed the distance between them, trapping her against the car with an arm on each side of her, making her heart race in a way that was very unconducive to keeping her facade.

Their faces were so close, his words were a whisper against her. “I can't have a happy ending without you.”

A warm surge tingled through her. How she wanted to believe that they could be together, that their happy endings were entwined. That the emotionless world had been thrust back to the way things were. The way love should be. She battled the feelings she wanted to have against the ones she needed to have. “I already ruined that path for us. Please let me fix it.”

“
It wasn't your fault. It was mine.”

“
You would have been fine if I hadn't touched you. But I did. I made you into a monster.” A throb threatened to break through. He had to see it, being so close to her, being inches from her. The tightening in her throat did nothing to help. The nearness of him was undoing everything she was struggling for.

“
No. I turned myself. I wanted so desperately to kiss you that I did before I was fully prepared to handle it.” His hand brushed along her cheek. “I would have spoken to you sooner, but I thought you hated me for changing and almost killing you. I hated myself.”

Could it really be? Had they both been blaming themselves? He didn't hate her for what she'd done to him? Would talking about it really fix their problems? Be enough to give them time to work through it all? Work through their eagerness to be together and their need to be apart?

“I don't hate you.”

As he gazed down at her, Jessica let the emotionless mask melt from her face. The moment it was gone, his own face softened into a smile. A smile so bright and glorious, she wondered why she didn't just talk to him in the first place. She would give anything to see him always smile like that. Not one tremor about it. Her pulse pounded in her ears as he leaned those oh so perfect lips closer to hers.

A groan sounded next to them. Blade pulled back to look at Monique, leaving Jessica wanting to give a groan of her own. “What's wrong with her?”

“
I think she's going into labor.”

Blade muttered under his breath. “Great. We've got to get back before someone catches us and she has the baby. Get her buckled. I'll drive the SUV and come back later for the car. Your idea with the picture may prove useful still if I can lead them off our trail with it, but it won't do us any good out here.”

The sound of an approaching car sent a surge of fear down Jessica's back. “Too late.”

A single car raced toward them. It could be full of alien males, but it would only take one to ruin everything.

Blade turned to her, reaching his hand toward her, but pulled away before they could touch. “Stay with Monique and act mute. I'll try to keep them away from you both.” He ambled to the back of the SUV like he didn't have a care in the world, but rapidly spoke to Monique in their foreign tongue.

On top of the gnawing pain, Jessica's stomach churned. There would be no hiding this time. There was nowhere to hide.

She glanced over at Monique. Her smooth face didn't give any indication whether or not she was going to give them away. Her breathing came in short gasps. How much longer until the baby come? It didn't matter. There was nothing she could do to prevent this. She prayed that they would somehow escape, but didn't count on her luck. If she had to go, at least she knew Blade didn't blame her for what happened. And maybe, just maybe, she didn't need to blame herself quite as much either.

The car pulled up behind theirs. This was it. This was the end. How could it not be?

Blade didn't move to greet them as they stepped out of the car. The three males looked at the girls, then directed their focus on Blade. Their words spluttered out in a jumble. She sent a mental thank you to Blade for having the insight to claim her mute. There was no way she would have been able to communicate with them and if she was supposed to be mute, there'd be no need.

The male in the center spoke. Prickles of fear pierced down Jessica's spine. It was the same voice that had taunted Blade while slamming cupboard doors closed while looking for her. She tried to calm her frantic heart, but it pounded on mercilessly.

The three males circled around Blade, despite whatever Blade was telling them. One hunkered closer to Monique and Jessica. They must know Monique was who they were looking for and that Blade shouldn't have her. Everything was for naught.

Almost dying the first time had been horrid. How much worse would it be to actually die? Jessica worked to keep her breathing slow and even, looking only at the ground. Her throat constricted. Their shoes. They had nice shoes. She focused on them, trying to force the fear out.

The one she feared most spoke again. Monique replied. Jessica's gut turned into a stone. She waited expectantly for Monique to walk away and the aliens to rip her to pieces. Her pulse darted through her like an out-of-control jet plane.

Still, Monique didn't move.

Instead, she touched Jessica's elbow. Looking up, Monique pointed at her belly, then her face contorted in pain. The baby couldn't wait. Suddenly, she grasped her stomach. Her face drained of color. She took a deep breath. The three males darted back to the rear of the car, but Blade came running toward the women. He spoke something to Monique. At her reply, his neutral expression changed to fear and quickly back again. Moving very close to Jessica, with his mouth facing away from the back of the car, he said, “Baby can't wait.”

Jessica's knees wavered beneath her. She grabbed Monique by the arm and helped her from the car. The three aliens stood their ground at the back of the car, hastily talking to Blade. Why wouldn't they just leave?

Jessica guided Monique to the back seat, but the female halted before Jessica could help her into the car. A scream suddenly tore from Monica, filling the air with its piercing finality. It stopped as quickly as it started, but not quickly enough. A metallic clang reverberated through the air.

Chapter Thirty-Two

A deadly blade whipped inches from Jessica's face. The males shifted too fast. The wound on her stomach twinged. Before she could move, the metallic clank multiplied.

She tried to push Monique into the back seat, but the female collapsed on the road. Something shoved Jessica down beside her. She looked up to see Blade's back to them.

She cried out as one of the monsters whipped his arm toward Blade. He held up a crowbar toward the monsters, fending them off. Jessica wondered where he got it, but before she could figure it out, metal rushed toward Blade. He parried the poisoned metal. The clank of metal against metal punctured her ears.

Beside her, Monique screamed again. Jessica scrambled over to her and froze. She had no idea what to do. Looking at the metal zipping close by, she wondered how to protect Monique from the monsters until it was time to deliver.

Metal whipped close enough for the hairs on her arm to stand on end. They were too close. Too, too close. If Blade couldn't stop them then she wouldn't be able to. Maybe she could distract them long enough to get them away from Monique.

The female groaned again, clutching her belly. It dawned on Jessica that the baby might come before the monsters left—unless they killed the women first. She pushed the inevitable from her mind and concentrated on the impending labor. The thought of helping a life into the world made her ill. Clamping her jaw down, she rummaged through her memories to find something that would help with the birth. She took off her extra sweater and put it behind Monique, trying to make her more comfortable despite the road and sounds of fighting.

Glancing up, adrenaline surged through Jessica. Blade was stuck. He couldn't maneuver away from the women without exposing them to one of the three monsters. The males were directly in front and to the sides of him. There was no way to hold off all three. How had he managed this long? The monsters lashed out, straining to get closer to their prey.

Jessica winced as Blade blocked another blow with his crowbar. Horror jabbed her skin as the crowbar split in two. Blade veered the jagged edge of the metal at the monsters’ faces. They jumped away from him.

With a flick of his wrist, he threw part of the bar at the monster in the middle. A flash of metal reflected the crowbar back toward them. Jessica threw her body over top of Monique. It hit the tire next to them, deflating the tire with a whoosh.

The tire distracted the monsters, making them back away for a moment in a way Jessica had never before seen. Blade glanced at Jessica and turned back to face the monsters so quickly, she wasn't sure it actually happened. But the look on his face, the one that said he'd protect them no matter the cost, would be engrained in her the rest of her life. No matter how long that might be.

“You will not hurt them!” Blade boomed. The monsters watched with greedy eyes as the metal on his arms flowed out into a poisonous, razor edge.

Jessica watched with horrified fascination. He hadn't changed until now; he had managed to fend it off. Not only that, it looked like he changed on purpose. Not a creature who was unable to control himself. The sleeves of his black shirt drifted around him like falling leaves. The twelve blades on his arms glistened in the morning sun.

He was like a fierce man protecting those he loved with unwavering defiance. Not even bending to the monster that fed his change. The monster he wasn't supposed to be able to control. But here he was, defending, not attacking, flicking his blades towards their attackers as if warning them off.

The monsters launched forward anyway. Metal swung through the air so fast that Jessica couldn't tell who was swinging. She struggled to make sense of their actions. It looked like the two on the sides were hanging back more than the other one, trying to avoid the fray. Their thrusts were slow and jerky, like they fought someone invisible. Or something inside them.

The clang of metal rang through the air. Fighting the urge to run, she prayed the sound would continue as clanging and not tearing flesh.

Monique screamed again and Jessica forced herself to focus. The female pleaded to Jessica with her eyes. The female was panting. Her glistening head kept rolling to the back or sides. Jessica worried about her ability to keep conscious. She took a deep breath and checked the baby's progress. That was something they did in the movies before the world ended, right? It must be. A little head, full of thick hair, peeked back. The baby was coming.

Crap
, thought Jessica.
Crap, crap, crap, crap.

She glanced at the fighting males. The two on the ends barely fought. They stepped farther back from the fight. Their movement backward was lurchy. She hoped they weren't trying to disengage from the fighting so they could circle around the car and attack the women from the side.

Blade swung his arms at the monster in the middle. Both males grunted as their arms thrust forwarded and backward, attacking and defending. The metal flashed in the sun.

Jessica turned away from the fighting. She wiped clammy hands against her pants, wishing she had something better. As she readied herself to somehow catch a newborn, she kept a watch on the side of the car for the two monsters. If they did show, she didn't know what she would do. Throw herself on the girl, she supposed. There was nothing else to do.

Monique opened her eyes with a vacant expression. Somewhere deep inside the female, Jessica saw something click. Though Monique struggled, her breathing steadied. She grunted with exertion. Jessica reached out to catch the babe. Several moments passed, Jessica trying not to think about anything but saving the baby.

When the small infant slid into Jessica's hands, her eyes filled with tears as she held the tiny new boy. He was perfect, though wet and screaming. Newborns were angry and kind of gross. But something sparked in her chest despite it all. For a moment Jessica forgot the violence taking place around her.

The infant reminded Jessica of her own baby brother. Once cleaned up, they'd be so much alike. His tiny fists flailed. The flash of metal on the back of his arms stung her back into reality.

She held him out to Monique. The female lifted her arms. Jessica thought she was going to be too weak, but her arms wrapped around him tight. She rested her head against the car and looked down at the small bundle with a smile. The thought crossed Jessica's mind that if the monsters killed this mom and babe right now, they would die happy.

She shook the thought away. Wishing she had something to wrap the baby in, she adjusted Monique to help keep the baby warm. She didn't know what to do about the umbilical cord either. Deciding there was nothing else she could do for the pair but protect them, she turned her attention back to the fighting.

The two males on the sides had disappeared from view. She worried they still might circle around for them, but couldn't do anything about it. Blade and the other male took turns shifting back and forth, closer and farther from the prey. One moment the fury of their fighting would have her hair dancing in its wake, and the next it would be lying flat as they moved farther from her. The brand new babe chose that moment to let out a shriek.

Jessica's breath caught in her throat as Blade paused in his attack. The male took advantage of it and swung straight at his chest. Blade's arm came up, barely blocking the metal before it penetrated. His right arm swung wide, making contact with the male's face. Blood seeped from the wound onto Blade's weapons. Jessica dry heaved. She wanted to turn her head away from the carnage, but couldn't bear to take her eyes off Blade.

The male staggered and groaned. Blade grabbed one of his arms, away from the dangerous metal, and swung him around. Picking up the male under the armpit, Blade threw him away from the girls. The monster rolled a few feet. He struggled to stand. Jessica's eyes widened as Blade turned toward them.

Memories of his blades slashing through her surfaced. Bile filled her mouth. They were in his target path. If he attacked everything he saw…

She fell over top of Monique and her baby. Covering them with her body as best she could, she hoped Blade would forget about them once he had slashed her. She held her breath waiting for her heart's truest desire to rip her apart. Her bleak devotion might at least save two lives, even if it never brought her more than a moment's happiness.

His footsteps raced the few feet toward her. She couldn't help but glance at him. At least if she had to die, her last image would be of the one she loved. The metal on his arms sliced into the car. Then he stopped.

She stared into his hazel eyes, waiting for his arms to flick toward her. To follow the monster inside him. Realizing she held her breath, she let it out and gasped for air. The wrinkles on Blade's face smoothed out. He turned his back on her. Jessica stared at him, stunned. Why hadn't he attacked?

Blade's tense form stood between the girls and their attacker, weapons still out. The male alien crumpled by his feet struggled to get up again. When the monster's efforts were unsuccessful, he swung at Blade from the ground. Blade shuffled back, but made no other efforts to attack or defend. The male at his feet howled and curled up in a ball. His twelve metal blades curved around the front of him.

Blade bent down toward him. A cry caught itself in Jessica's throat. He cradled the male up in his arms and took off running through the sagebrush.