"I felt guilty that I had forced you to walk back to the club that night, though I'd had the best intention," Quail said. "I knew you would be the only one to help us out of the mess we were headed toward—a war between vampires and hunters—because you had taken a stand to protect a vampiress that the hunter vowed to kill. I hadn't had time to prevent the vampires attacking you. And for that I'll forever be sorry."
"Don't be. I might not have returned to the club and we wouldn't be where we are today," Selena said, squeezing Atreides's hand. "Thank you for killing the rogue vampire for me. You saved my life."
"And countless others," Daemon said, agreeing. "We're glad to have both of you in the clan."
One thing that seemed to be causing a bit of trouble was the fact that Eliza and Brittany were getting so many offers of dates from both vampires, who insisted the hunters turned should be with them, and the hunters, who wanted to have a huntress turned in their court. As mates, they could really use the special vampire conditions the newly turned vampires had. But the problem was that the vampires lived such long lives that the hunters lost out in that regard. And a vampire, even half, mated to a hunter meant losing him at some point in their mated lives.
Which was another reason Selena was glad she had a vampire to love. She didn't have to drink blood very often, but it didn't bother her at all like she thought it would. She hadn't bitten anyone other than her mate yet, and she was just as happy about that.
The fringe vampires and hunters were more receptive to the rules of the vampire clans and League of Hunter's council, though they still didn't want to join either force. But communication was better.
And the issue with the three hunters she and Atreides and her hunter turned vampire friends had to deal with in the border town? The hunters were history. Rogues beware—whether they were hunters or vampires. They would be swiftly taken care of.
"So what do you think?" her mother asked Selena.
Selena realized her thoughts had been a million miles away as they all sat down to the Thanksgiving feast and she wondered what she'd missed out on. "About?"
"What you're going to shift into," Daniel said. "You said you've been trying to shift into something, and we were just curious as to what."
"Mist." Not that mist was the form she was shooting for, but it was the only thing she'd managed this early on after being turned.
"Can you do it?" Rosa asked, her eyes wide.
"Sure."
"Show us," her dad said, sounding just as intrigued.
So she did, turned into mist at the table, drifted off and around them, seeped under a door and seeped back in, then returned to her seat and didn't shift back. Damn it. She knew she shouldn't have shown off. At least she was nearly done with her food.
"That is so cool," Rosa said. "You can shift back now."
She wished. She couldn't even telepathically communicate with Atreides when she was in this form.
"It might take a few minutes," Atreides said, attempting to reassure her family, and her.
She knew it could. Or sometimes hours, like the first time she'd shifted into mist. She'd ended up having to sit next to Atreides on the couch binge watching a vampire series, which he said was not at all realistic, and she would have told him it was supposed to be fiction, but of course, she couldn't say anything.
Everyone continued the conversation around her, eating and drinking and being merry. That would teach her to turn into mist at the dinner table from now on. Atreides smiled at her as if he were truly seeing her sitting there, and then just right when dessert was brought to the table: pecan pie and pumpkin pie and even a chocolate cream pie, she shifted back.
Her mother smiled. "The chocolate did it."
Selena wondered. Atreides kissed her. She felt foolish that she had showed off and couldn't shift back right away, but her mother only smiled at her and said, "Well done."
Selena was glad her parents had been so approving of all the changes in her life when she truly had believed they would feel differently. But maybe they had been because it had opened up a new world to all of them. One in which they might have a better handle against the rogues—either hunters or vampires.
Rosa and Daniel were both enjoying their new status with the vampires and hunters. But there were still those on either side who didn't like the way things were changing.
Suddenly, she heard a faint heartbeat coming from inside her belly, and Atreides glanced down at her belly, then his gaze met hers. He smiled. She was pregnant?
Just when she thought she was beginning to get the hang of things—fighting as a huntress turned, shifting—as mist, anyway for now. She wanted to be a wolf. Getting to know everything now that she'd been turned.
A baby? In the middle of all this?
Everyone had grown quiet as he placed his hand on her stomach and smiled. Their baby. No telling what it would be—vampire? Hunter? A mix of both? But born, not turned?
Then she smiled. "It looks like Atreides and I are pregnant." Which meant no champagne for her. For whatever reason, when Daemon was serving it, she'd felt chilled and couldn't drink any. Was her body warning her not to drink it? She remembered her mother couldn't drink alcoholic beverages before she learned she was pregnant. Even the thought made her ill. Iced tea too, which, now that Selena thought of it, she hadn't been able to drink for the past few days either. Not iced tea, but hot tea.
Everyone had a glass of champagne to celebrate the happy occasion, though Cook brought her a glass of milk before they dug into the pies.
"Congratulations to yet the newest member of our family—in a few months," Daemon said, rising to his feet and toasting them.
Everyone followed suit—her mother wishing their first grandbaby the best health, her father vowing to turn him or her into a fine hunter, her brother saying he couldn't wait to teach him a hunter trick or two, her sister telling them she would outfit the baby prince, or princess, to the nines, and Atreides promising to be the best father ever—including changing diapers. Daemon was ready to give the new prince, or princess, his or her first set of wheels—a tricycle, and Tezra and Rosa said they would help Atreides and Selena decorate the baby's room.
But they would have to wait until they learned what the baby's sex was.
Atreides wrapped his arm around Selena and gave her a hug. "I love you."
"I couldn't have found a better mate than you," Selena told Atreides and kissed him. "I love you, Atreides."
Atreides kissed her back, thinking on the day he had first seen her, proud, head held high, ignoring the vampiresses who had exposed their fangs to her, taunting her, hissing at her, and something deep inside him had wanted to get to know the huntress better, when he knew he should have let well enough alone. He never would have wished a rogue vampire to tear into her like he had, but Atreides was glad he had danced with her and she had felt enough of a connection to him to come to him for help.
Now, he was having a baby with her—then he listened, thought he'd heard something else, but he had to be mistaken. Just as soon as he heard it, Selena's jaw dropped, and she turned her attention to him.
He leaned over and listened to her nearly flat belly and then heard what he thought he had heard. Everyone had gotten quiet again, watching him, waiting to hear what was wrong. He lifted his head, beaming. "Two babies. Twins."