Page 54 of The Dawning
Frustrated, I was combing a hand through my hair when Layla screamed.
22
LAYLA
Blinking rapidly, I clutched my chest, hoping beyond hope that the dream I just had of my daughter wouldn’t play out in real life. I inhaled and exhaled, attempting to regulate my breathing as the machine behind me went haywire, the sound annoying as hell.
The door burst open, and Sam flew to my bedside. “Layla, another nightmare?”
I flinched when he moved strands of my sweaty hair off my cheek. “Something like that.”
He jerked away, a cavernous dent marring the space between his eyebrows.
I reached out for his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s not you. Just a wicked-bad dream.” Oh, God. I didn’t want him to think I was afraid of him. On the contrary, he was a sight for sore eyes.
His black hair was tied at the nape of his neck. He was sporting a beard. His long lashes contrasted with the ruggedness of his strong jaw, and his black SEAL T-shirt stretched across his broad, muscled chest. If that wasn’t enough, the love pouring off him wrapped around me like a protective blanket.
“Breathe, baby doll. I got you.” Sam’s husky voice was soothing and warm, adding another layer to the cover of safety.
Webb stood in the doorway with a smile in his sharp blue eyes. “I’ll call Dr. Vieira,” he said, then left.
The familiarity of the room took the edge off my frayed nerves. I shouldn’t be nervous, but the dream felt real and gut-wrenching. “You know, we need to stop meeting in places like this,” I teased, yawning.
A lopsided grin lit up his face. “How about we find a better spot? Maybe Jo’s house in Maine.”
I squealed. “Really? When are we leaving?”
He chuckled. “Soon. We need to clear it with Doc first.”
Suddenly, I frantically examined myself, checking my teeth to see if I had fangs, then my fingernails as Noah’s hellish features danced in my vision, nail-piercing shivers crawling along my spine.
“Did I, or am I…” I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question.
He held in a grin. “Are you like me?”
I blinked once, nodding.
“You are one hundred percent Layla and my baby mama. The shit didn’t damage or alter your DNA or affect the babies.”
I pushed out a sigh of epic proportions. “I told you not to call me that,” I said playfully.
He dipped into his back pocket and handed me the scan of our little ones. “This says you are.” He laughed.
Goose bumps galore popped up on my arms as I obsessed over the image. I could barely keep my eyes open when Dr. Martin had been performing the ultrasound. “We need to think of names, Sam. Oh, and the nursery. Shit. Furniture, clothes, diapers.”
He ghosted his nose over mine. “I know. We can discuss names while we’re in Maine, sitting on the sand, watching the waves roll in.” He kissed my eyes, my cheeks, then dragged his lips to my ear. “And maybe I can devour that beautiful body of yours as we fuck under the stars. If you’re up for it.”
I swallowed the dryness in my throat, my body humming as arousal hit quick and fast. “Anywhere and anytime, vampire.” I was readynow. “Skinny-dipping too?”
He straightened and belted out a laugh. “I doubt the water is warm enough in April.”
How time had flown since that day at the nightclub when I tried to capture him. I shuffled through the events of that night like a deck of cards until I landed on Rianne, then the cloud of lust around us skated away.
“Rianne,” I said in an unsteady voice. “Is she dead?” The heart monitor sang behind me. I sliced open the box of my feelings to discern how I felt about her. Sifting through my emotions, I couldn’t find anything other than disappointment and retribution. Did I want her to die? Absolutely not. Then why didn’t I stop Sam? Maybe I was lying to myself. She wouldn’t stop coming after me until she took my life or that of my babies. Regardless, I wouldn’t fault him for what he’d done.
Sam chewed on the inside of his cheek, debating on what or how to tell me. “Honestly, I don’t know. Her heart was slowing down when I threw her.”
I closed my eyes briefly and sighed, even though my emotions were suspended between Rianne as my enemy and Rianne as my loving sister. “If she is still alive, she’ll keep trying to come after us.” Then something occurred to me. “Your dad told me the other day that if I know what’s coming, I can stop it. Since we know about Abbey’s vision of Rianne killing me, we’ve been able to prevent that from happening. But how many more times will we be successful?”
