Vilmo's Wrath: Deglon Blood (13 page)

“Either I’m missing what you’re saying or I am just dumb,” she says as she stares blankly at Robbie’s reflection in the mirror.

“Nora, you were shot by Uncle Rod. He needed you to die so that you could accept your father's life. He shot himself so our children could accept his.”

Nora felt the air leave her lungs. Her eyes fill with tears as she looks down at Robbie’s hands. She slowly places her hands over his, where the small bump sits. Robbie gently kisses her neck.

“How could I have missed this?” she whispers.

In her state of shock, Robbie decides now is the best time to relieve some stress. After his lips slide down the side of her neck, barely touching her skin, her body agrees with him.

“So, you see, all in one week, you became my wife, a mother, and a god. How do you feel?” he asks, whispering into her ear, sending a cool breeze down her spine.

“I still want my dress,” she whispers.

Robbie smiles.

“Yes, ma’am.”

His hands caress her as she turns and kisses him. He lifts her into his arms and kisses her body as he enters her soul. They let their passion take them to the sea. They hold tightly to one another as the waves slam them into each other over and over. The water seems to hum music made for only them. With every wave, their bodies rock to a harmonious tune. Worry and fear no longer exist.

N
ora sits for hours thinking about her uncle and all that he sacrificed for her. Rod risked more than his life-saving her unborn children. He was banned from returning to Boligon the moment he shot Nora. For hours, she weeps in Robbie’s arms.

“How will I ever repay them?”

“Win this war and save the world they fought for,” Robbie answers.

Nora wipes her face and looks at him.

“There is something different about you. You’re hiding something. I feel it.”

Robbie smiles.

“Nora, I sent out a request for help in finding your mother.”

“Has anyone replied?”

“Yes. Your father's warriors are now being led by another of his childhood friends, Zen. They saved Mia from Aria. They tracked her through a slight bond that Aria’s Szion still holds.  Mia was in pretty bad shape when Zen and his group found her. I hope you don’t mind, but I have asked them to come over tonight. We will see what Mia knows and in a few months we will destroy the Shadows.”

“Robbie, why wait? If we have all this power, why do we need to wait?”

“Nora, be patient. You have limited power until you give birth,” Robbie says.

“Aria’s Szion? Do you think he loves her?” Nora asks.

“No, it's not about love. He was never given a chance to love her or any other. The Szion here on earth no longer follow the old rules. He will have a slight connection with Aria, until he bonds with another, or until she is dead. That is how it is supposed to be, but I plan to remove the bond the moment I meet him,” Robbie says.

“When will they be here?” Nora asks, fidgeting with her hair.

“Soon,”

Robbie smiles and grabs her shaky hands.

“It’s okay to be nervous, Nora,” he says, kissing her head.

Nora looks up at him and smiles weakly. She trembles with fear, yet has never been more excited.

“It’s 10:00pm Robbie. Are you sure we should do this tonight?”

He nods, then they hear knocks at the door. Again, Nora’s hands start to tremble. She begins to think about what she is going to say to her mother.
Do I thank her first for protecting my life or should I hug her and then say thank you?
Robbie kisses her and sends a calm through her body. He takes her hand and they open the door together.

Zen steps in first, then Mia. She stops just inside the door entrance and stares at Nora. Everything Nora could have said to Mia, are now lost words. She only smiles and sighs. Nora stands still, almost frozen. Mia can hear Nora’s fear, but knows of no way to comfort her. Mia’s bottom lip starts to tremble, and her hands slightly shake as her eyes fill with tears. Nora glances over to Robbie still gripping his hand tightly. Although she wants to speak, Nora remains silent. Robbie smiles and pulls her close to him. He kisses her cheek and whispers in her ear.

“You okay?”

Nora nods and looks at Mia again.

“Let me help,” Robbie says easing the uncomfortable, paralyzing fear that travels through Nora’s body.

He kisses Nora’s head and squeezes her hand tenderly. As Mia and Nora’s eyes meet it sends Nora to the edge of her emotions. Her heart opens to Mia. The tears in Mia’s eyes and the warming smile on her face moves Nora straight into her arms. Although Nora was only an infant the last time her mother held her, the moment Mia wrapped her arms around her, she remembered the songs Mia sang to her as a baby. She remembered Mia tucking her in at night, and she remembered how Mia smelled when she held her close. Nora thinks of her father. She wished he could be here to witness this moment. Nora squeezed Mia a little tighter.

They hold each other for a long moment. When they pull away from each other. Robbie leads them into the family room.

“Thank you,” Nora whispers to Robbie.

He smiles and kisses the back of her hand as they sit. For a long, uncomfortable moment, all is silent. Nora watches Mia, so fond of the sight of her. She loves the way Mia sits so angelically with her legs crossed on the sofa. Mia brushes a strand of hair from her face with such grace that Nora completely overlooks the fact that Mia’s clothes are covered in dirt and blood. Although Mia appears to be happy, Nora senses pain.

The silence almost eats Robbie alive, but starting a conversation was something no one was quite ready for. The sound of the rain beating against the window and the crackling of the firewood is the only sound, and that seems to be enough for everyone. Nora stands and reaches for Robbie’s hand.

“Well, maybe we can try again later. We have extra rooms and a warm bath. I understand how urgent our conversation is, but you two need to get comfortable,” Nora says, looking from face-to-face.

Everyone seemed to be relieved to end the awkward silence.

Zen and Mia follow Robbie and Nora to the spare rooms.

“I will get the two of you a change of clothes and…”

Nora pauses. When she opens the first room door, she notices a suitcase on the bed. She looks at Robbie. He cannot suppress the grin that grows on his face.

“They will be staying awhile. Zen and I have agreed that this is the safest way for us all,” Robbie says.

“Are you sure? We don’t want to be a bother,” Mia says, grabbing Nora’s hand.

“I know this is sudden, but it is best for everyone if we stay together. Zen’s crew will be here in the morning,” Robbie says, opening the other room for Zen.

“Mia, I have bought everything you will need. I followed Nora’s style in clothing, so I hope everything is to your liking,” Robbie says.

“Thank you, Robbie,” Mia replies.

Zen approaches Nora with a smile. He bows slightly and reaches for her hand. Nora hesitates a moment, then allows him to take her hand.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, your highness. Your father, uncle and Robert were my best friends, I am sorry for your loss,” he says.

“If they were your friends, then it is a loss for you as well and I am sorry. But this bowing stops here. We are family. You will not bow to me or do any of that weird stuff,” Nora says pulling her hand away quickly.

Robbie and Zen laugh. Mia jumps a little startled by Nora’s reaction.

“I’m sorry, but please call me Nora.”

Nora smiles and kisses Mia good night. Zen and Robbie share one last laugh and Zen closes the door to his room.

“Robbie, not that I don’t support your decision, but…”

“Yes, we have room,” he answers before she can finish.

Nora glares at him for not letting her finish.

“Let me guess, another one of your gifts,” she says.

He nods.

“Yours too.”

“What? We can read minds?”

Nora almost jumps out of her skin, with excitement.

“Only each other’s, but we can also block one another,” he says.

“Show me,” Nora begs, tugging at his arm, like a child trying to convince her parents to allow her to open a Christmas gift early.

Robbie laughs.

I don’t need to show you. I have been just blocking you, and now I’m not
, he says, using his mind.
Oh, my god, this is so fun. Do it again!
she giggles without words.
Come on, let's finish looking at our home,
Robbie silently says.

At the end of the hall, another hall is attached with four more rooms.

“We definitely have space,” Nora mumbles.

They walk into the room at the end of the first hall, the room right next to Zen’s.

Nora’s heart weakens at the sight of baby colors. Two of everything, one side pink the other baby blue. Cartoon animals cover the walls bringing life to the large room. She wraps her arms around Robbie’s waist.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asks.

“For loving me. Look at this, you thought of everything. It’s a bit early for all this, but it's great.”

He laughs.

“You still don’t get it. Nora, you are not human. You will deliver in three months. You will get only a little bigger than this.”

“What? Babies need room to grow. How are they going to get strong and healthy if I don’t get much bigger, there will be no room in here for them and me,” Nora complains.

“So you want to get fat?” Robbie jokes.

Nora playfully punches him in the arm.

“No, but I want healthy babies.”

“Trust me when I say our children will be healthy,” Robbie says, kissing her cheek.

“Wow! Three months. That soon, huh?”

“You’ll be fine.”

They go to their room and climb into bed. Robbie rubs Nora’s stomach until they fall asleep.

Darkness holds Nora completely still, her breathing echoes, bouncing from wall-to-wall. Screams for help, make her heart stop, and a tightness forms in her chest. A child screams. Panic stricken, she runs blindly toward the sound.

“Please tell me where you are!” she yells, but no one answers.

The cries only grow louder, sending blood-chilling fear through her.

“I’m coming!” she cries as she searches for the voice in the dark. She runs faster and faster, gasping for air until she reaches a white door. The screams stop. The intense silence freezes her, petrifying her worse than the screams themselves.

“Hello?” she repeats a few times, hoping for just a whisper that tells her aching heart that she wasn’t too late.

For a long moment, she hears only the thud of her beating heart. Suddenly, one horrible long scream from the child pierces her ears, almost bringing Nora to her knees. She needs to get through that door, but fear keep her still. “Nora, they need you,” A soft, familiar voice says, sending to her core a desperate need to protect whoever is on the other side. Swallowing her fear, Nora slams herself through the heavy door and braces herself for action. Never has she seen such horror. The walls are splattered with blood. A young boy whose face she cannot see holds the lifeless body of a young girl. Nora jumps up. Robbie turns on the light.

“Did you feel that?” she asks, still trying to catch her breath.

“Yeah, but I didn’t see it.”

“Can you see it?”

“Yes. Close your eyes,” he says.

Nora does as she’s told. He gently kisses her lips. After a few seconds, Robbie jumps out of bed.

“How many times have you had that dream?” he snaps.

“Uh—I don’t know, a few. Why? What does it mean?”

“I don’t know, but—”

Robbie stops talking and his expression softens when he notices the fear in Nora’s face. He then gives a false warm smile and climbs back into bed.

“I don’t know what it means. I’m only concerned that the block I have placed on your nightmares is not holding them. They’re getting worse, aren't they?” he asks.

Nora shrugs her shoulders.

“I’m still sleeping through the night,” she says, kissing him.

Robbie smiles.

“Let’s make breakfast,” he says.

The kitchen is full of happy smiles and the smell of bacon. Although Nora doesn’t know anyone that sat in her kitchen, she is thrilled to have them there. A family that she had once only dreamed of having.

Mia stands over the stove cooking and Zen stands next to her with plates. Everyone laughs as Jonny balances a spoon on his nose. Marina sits at the table, covering her plate of food with her hands so that Rocco doesn’t take any more bacon from her plate when she wasn’t looking. Mike and Dave sit with empty plates in front of them, laughing with Mia and Zen as Jonny moves the spoon from his nose to his mouth with his tongue.

Mia is the first to notice Robbie and Nora standing in the corner of the kitchen. She smiles and races over to hug them.

“Good morning, baby. Good morning, Robbie,” she says, kissing them both on the cheek.

Nora and Robbie laugh. Zen holds up his coffee, offering some to Robbie. Robbie accepts and he and Nora sit on the stools next to the comedian with the spoon.

“Everyone this is Robbie and Nora!” Zen announces loudly.