Julien Gregg's Twilight in Babylon: The Vampire Saga Chapter 10

 Chapter Ten
EJ

Suddenly Elfric was on the phone with Renee and they were planning an extravagant wedding. Edward and I rolled our eyes at this. The marriage was for us. The wedding was for everyone else. Archie was upset that he wasn’t in on the planning. I told him to talk to Elfric and he did that. Then there were three wedding planners. We just went on with our lives. I worked every day from nine to six at Petals and Edward was in and out all day. Kale was doing the flowers for the wedding. He was busy putting them together along with all of the orders from customers. He told me this was his nirvana. I laughed at this.

Charlie was working a lot too. The town was getting ready for the wedding of the century. Charlie was making sure that there would be no criminal element to ruin the day for me. Then we had our marching orders. I was to choose four groomsman, one of which would be my best man. Edward was to do the same. For him it was easy. He chose Archie as his best man, Jasper, Emit and Roman were the groomsmen. I chose Mitch as my best man and Mike, Eric, and Seth for my groomsmen. Then I had a cake tasting which was silly because Edward couldn’t eat it. He assured me that he could eat small portions of it and reminded me that we were to feed each other a piece to start the reception. I laughed at this.

Slowly the house in the woods was transformed into what looked like a floral castle. There were roses, carnations, freesia, tulips, and calla lilies everywhere. They’d moved logs to form rows and erected a stage of sorts at the back of the yard in front of the river. White wooden chairs were set up in rows of twelve. I had no idea how many people were invited to the wedding. I had my guest list. It included the tribal wolves and Emily. Edward had his guest list. I had no idea who was on it. We sent the Council Di Vampire an invitation to the wedding. Brendan and Jessup had sent back their RSVP and added plus ones. That was fine with me. Gabriel’s brother, Mikey that Kale had fallen in love with would be there with his fledglings and their Forsaken. That’s all I knew about who was coming.

Charlie made noise about having to be fitted for his suit. Renee went to be fitted for her dress. The rest of us went to tux fittings. Edward bought each tuxedo and everyone was thankful. We were measured from feet to neck and arm to arm. Then the tuxes were on us and we could see for ourselves what we’d look like in a few days. We now had our tuxes and flowers to pin on the lapel. I was safely in my bed the night before the wedding. Edward was with his brothers doing the Gods knew what. I’d had a long talk with Charlie and Kale about my leaving the house and moving in with the Maxwells. Charlie was sad to see it happen. I told him that this was the way it was supposed to be.

Renee had her talk with me and told me what to expect from marriage. I just sat and let her talk. My marriage was going to be a lot different from hers. She didn’t need to know that though. In the end I just hugged her tight and told her I was so happy that she was there for the event. Hell she’d planned parts of it. I had her to thank for the tulips. They were her favorite flower. I’d had Kale make a bouquet of different colored tulips to be delivered to her hotel room from me the day before. She’d squealed and thanked me over and over again for the flowers.

Now I was alone in my room trying to sleep and failing. I was getting married tomorrow and then I’d be changed into the immortal hybrid. It was happening. I was both nervous and excited. I would be the husband of Edward Maxwell. I’d be a Maxwell myself in a few hours. Gone would be Beau Swan. In his place would be Beau Maxwell, the ultimate hybrid, loved by the Gods and adored by the Council Di Vampire. I suppose I should be happy that the council accepted me at all. I would have to change one of them into a hybrid so they’d have one on the council but that wasn’t going to be hard.

Then Isis and Elle flashed into the room with me, startling me. I sat up as they materialized at the foot of my bed. They smiled at me for a long moment saying nothing. I saw that Isis was wearing white and gold. Elle was in a flowing white robe. They had things in their hands. Isis handed me a blue handkerchief. “Something blue,” she said. While Elle handed me a golden rod. “Something borrowed,” she said. “We are here to bless this union.”

“Thank you,” I said, beaming at them. “I’m so happy but I’m both nervous and excited.”

“You are about to be married,” Isis said. “It is a blessing to have one to share life’s struggles with. Yours will be different but I assure you that you will persevere. You will thrive.”

“Thank you,” I said, hugging her. Was it right to hug a Goddess? She hugged me back and then I was in Elle’s arms. She held me tight for a moment. Then she let me go and they were just standing there.

“Darias is with Edward,” Isis said. “He is one of Darias’s favorites. You are another.”

“I love him,” I said. “He and Ren are what started the lines that came together to make me. I love them both.”

“They so love you,” Isis said. “We won’t be visible at the ceremony but we will be there.”

“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot to me. You were all instrumental in keeping me whole when Edward was forced to leave me. Thank you for that.”

“You’ve no need to thank us,” Elle said. “We’re your Gods. We’re supposed to be there for you.”

“You must sleep,” Isis said. “Lie down and I’ll help you.”

I crawled back into bed and she put a hand on my forehead. The next thing I knew Charlie was telling me to get up for the wedding breakfast. We went to the diner and had breakfast with Kale. I laughed at this but knew that to them it was serious so I kept the laughter inside. Charlie talked about how hard it would be for him that I wasn’t upstairs with Edward. Kale said he’d miss me at the store. I told them both that I would visit. They told me I’d better. After breakfast I was at Edward’s house getting touched up by Roman and Archie for the actual wedding. They actually put make up on me. It was subtle and no one would notice but it felt weird to have make up on. They left me to dress and have time with my mother and father.

“You look amazing,” Renee said. She was crying and I hugged her but she pushed me back. “No messing this up.”

“Right,” I said. I sat at the table and looked at Charlie.

“Congratulations Beau,” he said. “I hope Edward makes you happy. I truly do.”

“Thank you, Dad,” I said. “Just know that I love you and I wouldn’t be here without the two of you.”

“Beau,” my mother said. Then she put her hand over her mouth. “That was the nicest thing to say.”

“I meant it,” I said, though I probably meant it in a completely different way than what she thought. I just couldn’t voice that to her.

“Go get married, boy,” she said, grinning at me through tears.

“Yes, married, ok,” I said, sighing. I got up and looked in the mirror. I was good as I was going to get.

My mother walked me down the aisle once we were outside. The music changed as my groomsmen and new brothers walked down the aisle arm in arm. Then the music flourished as I made my way down the aisle with Renee. Edward was already there. I locked eyes with him and smiled. His answering smile was radiant. We got down the aisle and my hand was in his. Then the ceremony began. We said the words. We exchanged the rings. We kissed at the right moment. Then they were congratulating us as we walked back up the aisle together. The reception was in the house so we didn’t have far to go. We went in and had pictures taken and then I met so many vampires. I met Mikey, Tommy, Ian, and Kent. I met their Forsaken drones as well. Then I was shaking hands and being congratulated by Jessup and Brendan who looked wrong in the light. Finally we fed each other a piece of cake and then went upstairs to change into other clothes.

We danced the first dance alone and then they joined us on the dance floor. We had a great night. I danced with a few others including Jacob. Then it was time to leave for the honeymoon. He still hadn’t told me where he was taking me.  We were already packed. Archie took care of packing for me. All of my stuff had been moved to Edward’s room. I guess it was “our” room now. I’d get used it eventually. We got in the limo and people threw bird seed at us. We went to the airport and boarded a plane. Then we were in a cab and headed through the streets of a city I couldn’t name. Then we were on a dock and climbing aboard a speed boat. Edward handled it expertly. He pointed but all I could see was light. He told me I’d see it better when we got a little closer.

I did see when we got closer. It was a large building on an island. The house or structure took up most of the island. It looked like a Hawaiian hut but with extras. He pulled up to a dock and we carried our bags into the building. It turned out to be a house and I could see much of the house in Babylon in this structure right down to the wall of windows in the back. He kissed me and asked if I’d like to go for a swim. We stripped naked and walked into the ocean. In the moonlight we embraced and kissed some more. I couldn’t believe we were married. It had happened so fast. Now I was on my honeymoon in a place that was clearly owned by the family.

“This is Isle Elfric,” he said when I asked.

“It is?” I asked. “How does Elfric have an island named after him?”

“Gabriel bought it for him as a wedding gift when they got married,” he said. “They thought we’d like to spend some time here on our honeymoon.”

“They were right,” I said. “This place is beautiful. All of the birds and animals are so colorful.”

“They’ll leave us alone, don’t worry about them,” he said. “Tonight is about us.”

We made out in the water for a while and then we went inside. We dried off and crawled into the bed. His kisses became more insistent as did my own. Then he kissed down my neck and chest. He kissed down my stomach until he reached my pubic bone. Then he took me in his mouth. He was an expert at this. I chalked it up to his vampirism. He had me on the brink of orgasm in no time. Then he was crawling back up my body to kiss my mouth again. I copied what he had done and went down on him as well. I wasn’t as good at it as he was but I got the job done. He pulled me back up to kiss me again so he could calm down. Then we joined together with me inside of him in that tight, warm, and wet entrance. I fucked him slowly, savoring the feeling and driving him crazy. Then I picked up the pace and really fucked him. He liked that. I fucked and fucked and fucked. I stopped a few times to kiss him then I went right back to what I was doing. Being inside of Edward was more than I’d ever dreamed it could have been. This wasn’t our first time but it sure felt like it was. When I was spent we kissed and caressed each other for a few minutes.

Then he was inside me and I got to feel what he felt. It was amazing this feeling of fullness, the friction on my sphincter, and his body lying on mine. He fucked me for so long that I had a second orgasm all over my stomach. That spurned him on and he fucked me harder. Then he cried out, threw his head back, and buried himself in my ass. He was having his orgasm and his were much more powerful than mine. This was because of his vampire nature. I couldn’t wait until it felt like that for me too.

We did more than just have sex while we were there. We snorkeled and I got to see very colorful and beautiful fish. He cooked for me and I ate grand meals every day. We took the boat out and just enjoyed ourselves a time or two. Then the cleaning crew came while we were sitting in the living room. They gave us an odd look and then went to clean the kitchen and bathroom. I looked at him and he shrugged. It was probably because we were men and were sitting together the way we were. Fuck them if they didn’t like it. He was mine finally and I wasn’t afraid to show my affection in front of the likes of them.

Then my swim trunks didn’t fit. They were too loose. I was losing weight. He cooked me more meals and I ate enough for three. I didn’t fill back out though. Now it seemed when I lost weight it was permanent. He looked at me with worried eyes as I ate yet another large meal. I hadn’t morphed I didn’t know what was going on. But after I’d lost about ten pounds he called Gabriel and told him what was happening. Gabriel told us to come home. We boarded a flight and flew in to Corpus Christie. Then we drove to Babylon and straight to the house. I called Charlie to let him and Kale know that we were back. Jacob happened to be with them so he knew as well. All three of them came to the house to see me. Charlie winced when he saw me.

“Beau, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m losing weight like I morphed but I didn’t morph,” I said. “And it’s getting harder to put the weight back on.”

“You’re eating big meals, right?” he asked.

“I’m eating enough for six people now,” I said. “I’m not starving and I have to force myself to eat. But I just keep losing weight. I think it’s finally catching up with me.”

“Gabriel can’t you do something?” Charlie asked.

“Everything that is usually done for this hasn’t worked on him,” Gabriel said. “At this rate he’ll be dead in two weeks. He’ll die of starvation and there’s nothing I can do about it. Nathan has even checked his heart and lungs. They’re all fine but he’s losing weight. He loses up to two pounds every day. This morning it was six pounds gone.”

“There has to be something that can be done,” Charlie said. He was crying now. He knelt in front of me and I took his hands.

“There are a few more things I’d like to try,” he said. “I’m even considering human blood.”

“Would that work?” Kale asked. “He is a hybrid after all.”

“That’s why I’m thinking of trying it,” Gabriel said. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Will turning him save him?” Jacob asked, saying his first words since coming into the house.

“Yes it will,” Gabriel said.

“Then turn him,” Jacob said to Edward. “Turn him and save his life.”

EDWARD’S POV

I lifted Beau off the couch and took him upstairs. I put the plastic sheeting on the bed and stripped him. Then I laid him on the plastic and bit him for the first time. His blood was like the elixir of life. It spilled over my gullet and I saw so much about him. He truly did love me. But all too soon his heart changed rhythm and I had to give him blood back. I bit my wrist and held it up to his mouth. He clamped on and held me in place as he drank from me. It went on for a while and then he fell back already in his death sleep.

“Let it all out, My Love,” I said. “You’ll be immortal when you wake up.”

I went back downstairs. I looked at Gabriel and nodded. Charlie looked at me. “He’s in his death sleep. When he wakes up he’ll be, well he’ll be what he will be.”

“You mean he won’t be a vampire?” Jacob asked.

“He’s going to be more than a vampire, Jacob,” I said. “He’s a human, witch, Forsaken hybrid now. Now that I’ve turned him he’ll just add vampire the mixture of the hybrid. Let’s just wait and see what it he is in five nights.”

“It takes five nights?” Charlie asked.

“Three to ten actually,” Gabriel said. “Some wake up in three days and some take the entire ten. It just depends on how long it takes his boy to expel all that was human.”

“This is supposed to be our honeymoon,” I said sadly. I didn’t even know what I was sad about. This was what I wanted. I wanted to turn Beau into a vampire. Now he would be much more than just a vampire. We wouldn’t be the same species when he woke up. That’s what made me sad I think. It was that no matter which phase of life he was in he would always be a different species than what I am.

“I’m sorry, Son,” Gabriel said.

“I’m all right,” I said. “It’s just that we’ve never been the same species since I met him and when he wakes up we still won’t be the same species.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Gabriel said. “Turning him this way may cancel his hybrid nature and make a vampire. The rest he was born with. Sure my blood tipped the scales in his makeup but he wasn’t a vampire hybrid then either.”

“We’ll see,” I said with a sigh as I sat down next to Jacob. “Thank you for giving me permission to turn him.”

“I want him alive, Edward,” said Jacob. “It doesn’t matter to me which species he is as long as he’s alive.”

“Oh I agree with that whole heartedly,” I said. “I’m just whining a little. I’ll be fine.”

“Did he at least enjoy the island?” Elfric asked.

“We had a very nice time on the island until he started to lose weight,” I said. “The island is magical, Elfric. Thank you for suggesting it as a honeymoon location. I suspect we’ll want to go back or maybe I’ll buy Beau an island. Who knows?”

“Well you have time to think on that,” Elfric said. “And Beau will really be a part of the family soon. I mean he is because he’s married to you but this will solidify it.”

“Someone is coming,” Archie said, standing up. “Someone we don’t want here but will be powerless to make leave.”

“Who?” I asked, reading his mind and seeing my sister’s face in it. “Laura.”

“Your sister?” Gabriel asked alarmed.

“That’s who he’s seeing in his vision right now,” I said. “Laura Moreau is coming to House Maxwell.”

“We were ordered to never go near her,” Gabriel said.

“We haven’t gone near her,” I said. “She’s coming near us.”

“She’s not the only one coming,” Archie said suddenly. “I don’t know who the rest of them are but they’re all coming. Ten of them in total.”

I saw them in his mind. I thought that three of them were human. Two had ears like Elfric and really long hair. Elves. Two were a bit taller than the rest. Those had to be fairies. The three humans could be Godlings or Immortalis or Evo. I didn’t know from looking at them. Why were they all coming? And why was Laura among them? It made no sense. We all went to the porch, following Archie. They came out of the forest as a group. Laura was at the head of them.

“Brother,” she said and smiled.

“Sister,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to be with Beau,” she said. “Isis told us he was in his death sleep.”

“Isis came to you?” I asked. “You know she loves Beau.”

“She told us that,” she said. “We’re not here to harm him, Brother. We’re just here to witness.”

“She gathered us together with threats of death,” said one of the ones I thought might be human. “My name is Grady and I am the son of Poseidon and the demigod woman Lyla. I am a Godling.”

“My name is Preston and I am a Demigod,” said the second one. My father is Eros.”

“My name is Parker and I am an Evo,” said the third. “This witch cannot kill me but a hybrid is in his death sleep. That was enough to draw me.”

“I am Forest, son of Leaf,” said one of the elves. “I am an Elf of the Stone Forest Clan. I am also half Evo.”

“I am Storm, son of Rain,” said the second Elf. “I am and Elf of the City Clan. I am uncomfortable in the presence of those who live on blood.”

“We will not harm you,” I said. “We only hunt criminals.”

“Yes, that’s what Laura told us,” said Grady.

“I am Ronan, Fairy,” said the dark haired fairy.

“I am Lena, Fairy,” said the blond haired female fairy.

“I am known as Michael Townsend,” said on the trio that I couldn’t tell their species. “I am Immortalis.”

“I am known as Paul Kemp,” said the second of the trio. “I am Immortalis.”

“My name is John,” said the third. “I am Immortalis.”

“Why have you all come here?” I asked.

“She told us we had to come here,” said John. “We want nothing to do with your kind. She told us our lives depended on coming here.”

“Laura what is this?” I asked.

“My revenge, Brother,” she said with a smile. Then she shot past me and into the house. I followed.

Everyone was on their feet. They didn’t know what had happened but they knew that something had happened. I raced up the stairs to our bedroom where Beau was sleeping and found her. She was riding him! She had  his dick out and had used magick to make it hard and now she was riding him. At first I was too shocked to move. Then she was standing beside me, smiling at me. “I now have the one part of him that you could never have. I’m with child now.”

“Don’t you understand what you’ve done?” I demanded. “You used him to create a super drone. It will kill you as it’s born. They’ll come for all of us for making it.”

“It won’t kill me,” she said. “I’m a witch with immortality. They won’t come for anyone. I’ll take the child and leave.”

“If you think we’re going to let you leave, you’re crazy,” I said. “That’s my family you have inside you. My child.”

“You’re the crazy one,” she said. “I could kill you where you stand.”

As she said it Isis flashed into the room along with Darias, Ren, and Ra. “Behold,” said Isis. “A witch that I gave power that she used to corrupt life forces to serve her. I have taken your power, Laura. You are no longer a witch. The child inside of you will break your bones and claw its way out of you. It will not be a super drone, Edward. You don’t have to worry about that fate. It will be a hybrid just like Beau. The child will even be part vampire. What you fear is not in her womb but relax, I will not allow her to leave this place until the baby is born. She will die then and you can raise the child with Beau.”

“I will take her soul,” said Ra. “I’ve already taken all of the souls she’s claimed to give her immortality. She’s mortal now.”

“Why have you done this to me?” Laura screeched.

“Because you have used your power for evil,” Darias said.

“Did you think that we would sit back and let you continue forever? When you came and defiled Beau we decided to step in,” said Ren.

“What is he?” she asked.

“He’s mine,” Darias said.

“He’s also mine,” said Ren.

“He’s also mine,” said Isis. “You worked your magick on the wrong being.”

“So I’m trapped here until this child breaks me and kills me to be born?” she demanded.

“That is your fate,” said Ra. “You chose the road now you must walk it.”

One by one the Gods flashed out of the room. Laura looked at me. She was crying. I was furious with her. I’d never been more angry with any living thing in my life. How could she do this to us? I hadn’t gone near her. I’d given up on her. Isn’t that what she wanted? Why now? Why Beau? She’d said she was taking her revenge, but what the revenge being taken for? What slight had I committed against her? I walked out of the room and down the hall to the stairs. I didn’t expect to get an answer from her so I went to tell the others what had just happened to Beau. Laura came down behind me. She looked at everyone and cried harder.

“You could save me if you wanted to,” she said to Gabriel.

“No, I’m afraid I couldn’t,” he said. “I’ve been present at one of these births and tried my hardest to save the female but she bled to death before I could intervene to save her. With you I won’t try.”

“What? Why not?” she demanded.

“Because you defiled one of my sons,” he said. “Beau is a part of my family. You used magick to defile him and get pregnant with his child. Why?”

“Because my brother has lived this charmed life for over a hundred years and I’ve had to watch it from afar,” she said. “My parents died of Range Fever but you saved Edward. I had to save myself. There was no vampire doctor for me. I cured myself with magick. Then I used the life force of those born to the family without magick and made myself immortal. I thought that would mollify me but it did not. I still snuck off to spy on you all. I saw that Edward was happy when I was not. So I decided to take revenge for his not coming to me to show me the path to immortality.”

“You amassed a battalion of supernatural creatures and brought them here,” said Elfric. “I would know why.”

“They were to aid in my escape but now it’s  hopeless,” she said. “Isis bound me to this place until the baby is born and I die then Ra says he’ll take my soul.”

“She also said the baby won’t be a super drone,” I said. “He’ll be a hybrid just like Beau. He’ll even have vampire blood because of who his father is. We always thought that you weren’t a vampire until you woke up. This means you’re a vampire as soon as the death sleep claims you.”

We set her up in the empty room. We gave her all she needed, a television, a telephone, even a bed to sleep in. We did not move medical equipment into the room. We simply left her alone. She came down for food now and then but mostly she stayed in that room. That was fine with me. I wanted to kill her. If she wasn’t carrying my husband’s child I would have snapped her neck by now. As it was I couldn’t wait for the baby to be born and kill her.

The only person that went to talk to her was Charlie. The rest of us talked with the supernaturals outside. They were staying until the baby was born. I told them that they were welcome to food from in the house. I even brought it out to those who would eat it. For the Elves and Evo I made vegetable dishes and brought them to them. I talked with them a bit and learned more about their species. I knew that Immortalis stayed away from witches for the most part. Witches liked to study them to find out what magick was running through their veins. They were fascinated that I was a witch and a vampire. I told them that Beau was a witch, Forsaken, Vampire. That made them sit up and pay attention. Yes, he would be a new species but the second of his species would be born just days after he woke up. The baby was going to be just like his father.

Laura got bigger and bigger. I went to see what state she was in when Gabriel told me that it would be any day now. Perhaps she would have the baby in a matter of days instead of weeks. I suspected the Gods were involved in this. She didn’t go into labor that night or the next night. She didn’t get any bigger either. It broke her ribs and she’d screamed, bringing me and Gabriel to the room. Nathan wouldn't go near her for any reason. He hated her for what she’d done to Beau.

Gabriel did an ultrasound and saw that the child was male and almost a fully grown infant. It had some growing to do yet so she wasn’t in danger so far. I checked on Beau every morning and night. By the fourth night his eyes opened.

BEAU’S POV

I woke to such an awful smell. It was all around me. That’s when I noticed the plastic I was lying on was now covered in filth that had come out of me. I could smell it so well because now I was also a vampire. I stood up and went to shower. Edward stood in the doorway watching me the whole time a small smile on his face. I washed the filth off of me and dressed in clothes from my bags in his room. Then I went to check on Laura. Yes I knew all about what she had done to me. I knew that she was carrying my son, my Edward Jacob. I’d call him EJ.

They were all shocked that I knew about Laura and what she had done. I didn’t bother to tell them that the Gods talked to me in my death sleep. I just let them think what they wanted. Edward still couldn’t read my mind. I took the plastic sheeting to the back yard and set it on fire with my mind. He watched me walk through the house and burn the filthy plastic but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t touch me either. He waited until I was ready to come to him. Right at that moment I was marveling at being an immortal who could see so much more clearly than the human I’d been. I could smell and hear much better, too. I found a mirror an stripped so I could see my body. I had abs! I’d never had those before. The vampire blood had healed all of the scars and imperfections on my skin. I had smooth skin for a change. Gone were the scars from learning to ride my bike along with the scars from being a klutz. I was perfect. My eyes hadn’t lost their color. They were just ringed in black. It made them look even more like contacts.

“I love you,” I said as I took Edward in my arms.

“As I love you,” he said.

“EJ,” I said. “Edward Jacob Maxwell. That’s his name.”

“He isn’t here yet,” he said.

“He will be here soon,” I said. “And we’ll be rid of your sister.”

Then I went outside. Something was bubbling under my skin and I had to let it out. They all followed me. The supernaturals all came to see what I would do. I stood there for a long moment and then willed whatever it was to happen. I felt the world tilt and then I was a wolf. I howled and took off into the trees. The Evo followed me. I ran and ran. Then I found the river and looked at my reflection in the water. I was a regular wolf. Well not regular. I was a bit larger than a regular wolf but nowhere near as large as a Forsaken or a tribal wolf. I was sleek and agile. My fur was dark brown like the hair on my head but it was streaked with gold and red and light brown. My muzzle was golden brown. My paws were golden brown.

I ran back to the house and found Edward waiting for me on the porch. I went to him and rubbed against his leg. He reached down and patted me. Then the world tilted again and I was human or whatever again. I was naked. Edward had brought me clothes and I quickly dressed. The Evo came to the porch and looked at me from head to toe. I was a new species after all and they wanted to know all about me. Suddenly I knew I was hungry. It wasn’t blood I wanted, though I was sure I’d need that eventually. It was food that I craved. I went to the kitchen where the Forsaken were eating and made myself a plate. Edward started to step forward to stop me but thought better of it and allowed me to sit and try to eat. The food tasted like it always had though this was much better food than I was used to.

It amazed me that I could eat like a human. I cleaned my plate and then put it in the sink. I went to the basement and took my first human. He was as tall as me with flaxen blond hair. He reminded me a bit of Brendan. I sank my fangs into his neck and saw all of his crimes. This man was a serial rapist that had started to kill his victims. I drank him dry and then burned him to ash. Larz was in the basement on duty. He produced a small vacuum and sucked up the ashes. I went back upstairs.

“So, human food and blood,” Edward said as I sat next to him on the sofa in the family room.

“So far,” I said. “Who knows while I’m a wolf I might hunt my food.”

“Change me,” he said. “I want to be what you are.”

“Can we wait until EJ is born?” I asked. “That way neither of us are in our death sleep when he comes.”

“Well-reasoned,” he said, smiling at me. “You think of everything.”

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“They’re working on our surprise,” he said. “I’ll tell you now it’s a house apart from this one but still on the grounds.”

“I want to buy the mountain,” I said, shocking him.

“You want to own the mountain where you killed James?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I want to build a house there on the clearing where it happened. We won’t live there but we can go there from time to time to celebrate the fact that we survived the attack whole and unscathed for the most part. None of our family or friends died. That’s worth celebrating.”

“It will be as you say,” he said.

Archie, Jasper, Emit, Roman, and Elfric came in then. They were whispering low enough that I couldn’t hear them. They came to where we were sitting and Archie handed me a key. I took it and smiled at him. “Happy birthday,” he said.

“I stopped aging when I went into my death sleep,” I said.

“Well we’re celebrating anyway,” he said with a grin. “Suck it up.”

“Okay,” I said.

He pulled me off the couch and led me out the back door. We walked across the new bridge over the water. I marveled at the bridge that was construction of stones from the mountain. A path had been cleared to the structure in the woods that had been crumbling when Edward had brought me back here to show me the property lines. Lights alerted me that something was different now. I looked and saw a small house with a dark slate roof, a large picture window in the front, and black shudders on all of the windows. It was constructed of the same dark brick that the old structure had been made of. The chimney was belching smoke so I knew there was a fire burning inside.

“Well, what do you think?” Archie asked.

“I love it,” I said. “It’s perfect. When did you do this?”

“Mostly while you were in your death sleep,” he said. “We took turns checking on Laura and building the house. We got the structure up really fast. We’re vampires after all. The interior was all Elfric. He wouldn’t let us inside once he started to decorate.”

I used my key in the lock on the rounded door and opened it. Archie and Jasper backed away from us. I barely noticed. I walked into the house with Edward on my heals. The living room had a step down it was sunken. The fireplace was directly across from the step and doorway. The fire crackled nicely inside it. There were book shelves on either side of the fireplace with all of my favorite books and some I’d never read by the same authors. I smiled at this. There was a small kitchen that looked like it had been put in last minute. It was functional though complete with a dishwasher and a trash compacter. A small table sat against the wall with three chairs. The next room I saw was EJ’s room. It had a baseball theme and looked amazing in blues and yellows. He had a small closet and two chests of drawers that looked like lockers.

Then we went to the master bedroom or the master walk-in closet. It took up the entire back of the house. It was stocked with clothes. Most of the clothes were expensive items that I’d probably not wear. There were shoes lined up on the floor. A drawer opened and held watches, rings, and bracelets. Another drawer had necklaces. Jeans and denim were in one section. Cotton and cotton mixes were in another. Then the clothes got more expensive with silks and satins. I looked at some of them and shook my head. Archie, I thought.

We left the closet and walked into the bedroom. Here was the white bed from Isle Elfric that I had loved so much. It was an exact replica. I sat on the bed and looked at Edward. He came to me and knelt down to kiss me before he sat beside me. We sat there in silence for a long time. I wondered for the umpteenth time what he was thinking. I know he wondered what I was thinking all of the time. Finally I just took his hand in mine. He leaned against me.

“Why are we having trouble?” I asked. “We didn’t have trouble when I was human.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It isn’t that I don’t want to. It’s just that you just woke up this morning. You should be hungrier than any of us and a bit erratic but you’re not. It’s strange.”

“I’m sorry but I’m not a normal vampire,” I said. “I’m a hybrid. Maybe we’re just different.”

“That’s part of the problem,” he said. “You’re just as strong as I am but for all I know I might be the one in danger of being broken now. You might be even stronger than me.”

“I doubt it,” I laughed. It was ludicrous to think that I could be stronger than Edward.

“Don’t dismiss it,” he said. “It’s possible. We don’t know anything about hybrids or how they work.”

“Well I am one,” I said. “Why don’t we just go for it and see what happens?”

“Just don’t hurt me,” he said.

“Oh Edward,” I said as I took him my arms. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

We threw caution to the wind so to speak and began to devour each other with kisses. I had him naked in record time. Then I was naked and inside of him I don’t even know how that happened but I was balls deep in his ass and he was loving it. We kissed and rocked back and forth pushing and pulling my dick in and out of him. It went on for a very long time. He was moaning more in pain than in pleasure at one point finally my orgasm approached. I fucked him faster and then unloaded in him. We traded places and he was inside me in no time. He felt amazing and I loved every moment of it. He didn’t last as long as I did but when he finally had his orgasm it was loud and his body shook. Then we lay spent in each other’s arms on the bed.

“That was incredible,” he said. “There after a while I think my sphincter was a bit raw from fucking. You lasted a long time.”

“I did,” I agreed. “Maybe it’s a hybrid thing.”

“It might be,” he said. “I wish EJ would hurry and be born so you can change me.”

We got up and showered together then we got dressed and headed back to the main house. When we got there everyone was moving around quickly. I read it in their minds. Laura was in labor. I went to her and Gabriel was already there. She was screaming and holding her stomach as it moved in strange ways. She sat up and screamed bloody murder as the baby unfolded out of her. Gabriel cut the cord and Laura slumped. She was dead. Her heart wasn’t beating. EJ began to cry as Gabriel handed him to me. He was all bloody and gross but I quickly cleaned him off and wrapped him in a blanket. I looked down at his dark hair and smiled. He opened his eyes and they were mine in his face. I loved him so completely as I looked at him.

“He’s beautiful,” Edward said beside me. “We have to do something about Laura’s body.”

“We’ll burn it,” I said. “That way there’s no explanation to be asked for by authorities.”

“I suppose it’s best,” he said. Then her body was a mass of flames that only burned her and not the bed underneath her. She became ash in seconds and then Edward really looked at me. “Was that you?”

“Of course,” I said. “The decision was made so I did it before it could be second guessed.”

I put a diaper on EJ and then let him sleep for a while. We took him back to the house and placed him in his crib. Then I went about changing my husband into a hybrid. It was a simple blood exchange. He fell to the floor and seemed to convulse for a few seconds and then he was on his feet. He morphed into a white wolf in front of me. Then he changed back and had to get dressed again. I wondered where the clothing went when we morphed. We went to bed and slept. I knew he was tired from the conversion. The next morning I made breakfast in our kitchen while I fed EJ. Edward came in and we sat at the little table and ate our meal. He was surprised that he could eat the human food. I told him he’d need blood later. He nodded at this.

I changed EJ and then dressed him in shorts and a t-shirt. We went to the main house to find Jacob standing in the living room talking to Gabriel. It seemed that he was looking for us. EJ chose that moment to morph into a wolf pup in my arms. I held him and he morphed back. I had to put a diaper on him again. We didn’t have clothing for him in this house so he was just in a diaper as Jacob held him for a bit. Jacob had a lot to tell us that morning. He was just as shocked as Gabriel that Edward had eaten an entire human meal with me that morning. He looked into his eyes, took his pulse and blood pressure. Then he took blood from both of us. He looked at it under his microscope and sighed.

“There the same yet different,” he said. “The cells are the same but Beau has what looks like light between them. Edward doesn’t have that.”

“It’s probably because he was a vampire before I changed him,” I said. “I wasn’t.”

Then EJ reached his hand up and put it on my face and my mind was filled with images of his crib, the feeling of his clothes, and finally what it felt like for him to morph. When it was over I looked down at my son and found that he had fallen asleep again and that’s what ended the onslaught of images and feelings. I put him in the crib that was in the room and told them what had happened. They smiled at me when I was done telling them what I saw and felt.

“He’s gifted,” Edward said. “Just like his daddies.”

“Well not just like us,” I said. “He’s got a very effective way of communicating though.”

“Sam wants to be alpha of the pack,” Jacob said suddenly. “I don’t know what to do. I didn’t want to be alpha to begin with. To be honest I don’t like being a member of the pack.”

“Well what do you want to do?” Edward asked.

“I want Beau to change me into a hybrid so I can leave the pack and let Sam have what he wants,” Jacob said, flooring me. He wanted to be a hybrid? Was he serious? Could I change him from a tribal wolf to a hybrid?