Night's Touch (43 page)

"What do you mean?"

She placed her hands over her womb. "I'm afraid."

"I know, darlin'." If he had known she would become pregnant, he never would have made love to her. The worst part of it was, there was no precedent; he had no idea if the baby would be normal or if she would be able to carry it to full term. Damn! He took a deep breath. "Do you want to abort it?"

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "No!" She shook her head. "How could I kill our baby? How can you even suggest such a thing?" She stared at him. "Is that what you want?"

He shook his head. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," she murmured, "I'm just afraid for our child, afraid it won't be normal…"

Getting out of the car, he went around to open the door for Cara. Lifting her into his arms, he kicked the door shut with his heel and carried her up the walkway and into the house.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He locked the door behind them. "Taking you to bed."

"Oh."

In their bedroom, he stood her on her feet, his eyes gazing deeply into hers as he summoned his power.

"From now on, you won't be afraid," he said, his voice low. "You won't be sick in the morning and you won't worry about the baby, do you understand?"

She nodded, her gaze trapped by his.

"Good." He kissed the tip of her nose and then slowly undressed her, his hands gliding over her skin, lingering on her stomach as he tried to imagine his child growing inside. He still couldn't believe it.

He carried her to the bed and laid her on it, then stripped off his own clothes and sat on the mattress beside her.

"Turn over," he said, and when she was lying comfortably on her stomach, he massaged her back and shoulders, easing away the last of her tension, until her even breathing told him she was asleep.

He sat there for a long time, trying to sort out his feelings about being a father. Under any other circumstances, he would have been ecstatic. Before he became a vampire, he had dreamed of having a large family. That dream had died when Mara brought him across. Now, there was a very real possibility that his dream would turn out to be a nightmare. Whatever the product of their union, he was strong enough to handle it, but what about Cara? If the baby was abnormal or deformed, how would she feel about it? About him? Would she blame him? Would she hate him for not telling her what he was or for not using protection when they made love? Could he blame her if she did?

He swore softly. He hadn't prayed since Mara turned him, but he prayed now, prayed that his child would be born normal and healthy, not only for the baby's sake but for Cara's.

"If someone has to be punished for what I've done," he murmured, "then let it be me."

Blowing out a sigh, he stretched out beside Cara and drew her into his arms.

His last thought before sleep claimed him was that it was going to be a long seven months.

Anton Bouchard invited the two gray-clad women into his house, bid them make themselves comfortable, and offered them refreshment. He had only recently returned to town, having decided that a lengthy vacation would be good for his health. He had spent the last several months enjoying la dolce vita. During his absence, he had enlisted two of the witches from his mother's coven to keep an eye the DeLongpre-Cordova families.

Now he was back and eager to hear of any developments that had taken place while he was away. Enough time had passed that DeLongpre had probably forgotten him, Anton thought, but he would never forget them—not the vampire who had killed his father so many years ago, and not the people responsible for ruining his mother's plans so that, instead of raising his father, she had raised a monster.

He listened carefully as Estelle, the older of the two witches, brought him up to date, ending with the news that Cara Cordova was pregnant.

Anton stared at her. "Pregnant!" That was something he hadn't counted on. "Are you sure?"

The witch delved into one of her voluminous pockets and withdrew Cara's medical records. "She's due any day now."

Anton read the report, then, muttering a vile oath, he wadded the paper up and threw it across the room. As much as he wanted revenge, he wasn't sure he could destroy Cara while she was pregnant. Of course, he could take the baby from her. There were spells that required the blood of an unborn child…

He shook the thought from his mind. He would not go down that path. His parents had both dabbled in Dark Magick, and both had met untimely ends.

Not that he was above using a little Dark Magick now and then. In the months he had been away, he had sought out the world's most knowledgeable wizards. He had practiced his craft until he was certain that he was more powerful than DeLongpre or his witch wife. Now, certain that he was invincible, he had returned to exact vengeance on those who had killed his mother and destroyed his father. He would make no mistakes this time. It
no
longer mattered if Roshan and the others knew who it was who killed them, or if he saw their faces as they died. It was regrettable that Cara was pregnant, but that was her misfortune, not his. He had only to wait until they were all together and then he would have his revenge. A spell he had learned in Italy, a fire, and all those who had harmed his family would at last meet their doom.

Cara sat in front of the fireplace, rocking softly, one hand resting lightly on her swollen abdomen. She could scarcely believe that the baby she had never expected to have was due any day. The time had flown by. Of course, they had been busy. They had spent two months looking for a house before they found the perfect place. Cara had walked in the front door, took one look around, and said, "this is it."

Like her parents' house, this one was located on a large piece of property at the end of a quiet street. There were, in fact, only three other houses on the block, all separated by brick walls. The house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fair-sized living room, and a large family room. Vince had taken a look at the large kitchen and dining room, then looked at her and grinned. Even though he hadn't said anything, she knew he was thinking that it was a waste of space, but Cara had plans for the dining room, thinking it would make a wonderful playroom. It would make it easy for her to keep an eye on their baby while she was cooking or doing dishes.

Her parents had helped her and Vince move in. No doubt their new neighbors had thought it strange that they moved in at night, but it didn't matter. She was too happy at the idea of having a house all her own to worry about it.

As soon as they were settled, Vince had taken every possible precaution to protect their home from intruders. It still amazed her that he held such power and that he could surround their house with wards to repel anyone who might do them harm.

Three weeks ago, Sarah Beth had given Cara a baby shower—at night, of course, so Brenna could attend.

Two weeks ago, Cara had quit her job so she could stay home with the baby.

Last week, she had put the finishing touches on the nursery. It had become her favorite room in the house, with its cheerful yellow walls and white curtains. The crib was set up, diaper service had been ordered, and all was in readiness. She could hardly wait to hold her child in her arms.

Every day, presents for the baby arrived from one set of grandparents or the other, ranging from the practical to the comical—a stroller, blankets, a football in case it was a boy, a rag doll in case it was a girl. Her father's latest gift had been a fat, stuffed vampire, complete with long black cloak and tiny white fangs. Cara had put it in the crib, thinking that her child was going to know the truth about its father as soon as it was old enough to understand!

She smiled as she felt the baby kick. At her last visit, her doctor had assured her that everything was fine. The baby was growing as it should, the head was in position, and he expected her to go into labor within the next day or two, three at the most.

A rush of anticipation made her heart skip a beat when she heard Vince's key in the front door. Married seven months and as big as a house with her first child, and she still felt a warm thrill of excitement every time she saw him.