Page 11 of Salvation
She nodded. “What about us? Should we make an attempt at a relationship?”
“Is that what you want?”
What she really wanted was to be bumping elbows with celebrities at some posh event. Maybe some would even wear her clothing and she might get a chance to warm the bed of one of the hot and famous. She would no way have settled down at this age. Her plans had been to stay single until at least thirty, when she might consider marriage if Mr. Right came along. With a bachelor’s degree in fashion design, she had hoped to start her own clothing line and had been well on her way to doing so when everything went south. Now she was about to become someone’s mother.
“None of this is what I wanted,” she blurted out and fought back tears that threatened her almost hourly. God, she hated these mood swings. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. Of course, I think we should think about us, considering we are going to have a baby.”
He cupped her cheek. “Luna, do you have feelings for me?”
“I… I honestly don’t know.” She wanted to but everything felt forced.
“Honest answer, and I will give you one as well. I care for you, and I want only your happiness and safety. Will we ever love each other?” He lifted his broad shoulders. “Neither of us can promise that. Especially in today’s world with this mate thing that we really don’t understand. Maybe we are meant to be together. I mean, this baby is a miracle.”
She smiled, knowing he was right. The baby growing inside was hope for everyone’s future. “Thank you. I guess I’m just being silly.”
“Your emotions are normal, and you know I’m always here for you.”
She nodded. “I know. You’ve been great and I’m grateful for all you’ve done.” Luna studied his brown eyes with their flecks of gold. He was a good man and if given a chance, maybe she could fall in love with him. “I think we should spend time together. You know, like dating.” At least it would be an attempt to see if there was anything between them.
“It would be my pleasure.” He looked around, then his grin widened and reached his eyes. “How about you have dinner with me tonight?” He laughed. “I know it won’t be steak and lobster, more like the special of the night, but we can sit and enjoy each other’s company while we get to know one another better.”
“I would like that.” She rubbed her belly. “My stomach seems to be settled now, so eating is more fun.” She looked down at her stomach, which seemed to expand daily. Since Wolfe had been the only man she had been with, that meant she was into her fourth month and, being as thin as she was, she had a pretty good bump going on.
“Do you think the angels will come back and check on me? I mean, how do we know if the baby is okay?”
“I would like to think they would. Especially if they sensed anything wrong.” He sighed. “I can’t believe with all these people here, we don’t have a medical person beyond basic training. I vow if it’s the last thing I do, I will get you to Kentucky.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t see the need to bring up them going it alone. At least not yet.
CHAPTERSIX
The smellof blood pushed her awake. There were humans on the move, and Aurora’s senses picked out five distinct scents. She also knew it was daylight and for whatever reason, she had yet to see the vampires living at the hotel out during the day. It struck her as odd, but then again, she knew so little about the species she now belonged to. Truth be told, she was dying to walk right up to them and introduce herself, but there was a tiny voice in her head that said to use caution. What if everything Lilith told her was true? What if they wanted to experiment on her? Well, she would learn nothing by staying here so she pushed herself up and pulled on jeans and a tank top then donned a pair of sneakers she had found recently. Reaching for the wooden box she kept tucked under her bed, she opened it and pulled out a hair tie. Funny how such a small item held big value in the world today. Especially if you had hair like hers that fell to the middle of her back. She had hacked it all off once, but within a few days, it had grown back to its current length. Seemed that her hair was going to stay the length it had been when she’d been changed. Outstanding.
Sweeping her locks into a ponytail, she stretched the purple hair tie around it a few times so the mess was off the back of her neck. She might actually kill for a couple of bobby-pins right now.
Finally ready, she raced up the stairs from where she slept and into the main part of the church. Sunlight streamed through the tall, narrow stained-glass windows and washed the pews in a kaleidoscope of colors. She took a moment to bask in it before she stepped outside. The air was still cool since it was early, and if not for the silence and the weed-ridden sidewalks and streets, she might forget that millions were dead. At least, that was what Lilith had told her, and she had no reason to doubt that fact. Not from what she had witnessed of the Red Death. The stench of it still filtered through the air. She had simply grown used to the smell of death and decay.
Outside, she lifted her nose to filter out all the smells until she locked on to the five humans. They were only a few blocks away and heading south, so she started in that direction too. Her pace was a jog, which to humans would be more like a dead run. It didn’t take but a few minutes for her to catch up before she spotted the five males. The air around them was thick with the salty smell of sweat, combined with the sharp notes of metal and gunpowder. They were also dressed in combat gear, which led her to believe they were on a recon mission. Most likely looking for supplies, which seemed to be difficult to find these days in LA. The city looked like it had been looted before she had arrived. Most all the stores had broken windows and only a few items remained. What cracked her up were all the flat screen TVs that had gone missing. What did people think they were going to do with them? It was times like this she was grateful she had been turned. Otherwise, being human, even if she had survived the virus, she would likely be suffering now trying to find food. Sporting fangs had its strong points.
The men stopped, and she hoped they hadn’t sensed her, though she had no idea how they could have. Not unless they had some special skills and were no longer fully human. Lilith shared stories about some humans who had survived the Red Death had turned into shifters, or witches, but that was usually after they had found their mates. The demon often made trips to Hell and would come back with news of what was happening in the world. Apparently, the demons knew more about what was going on than those living here did.
They moved again, so she continued to follow while she formed a plan in her head. The best thing she could come up with was simply to get ahead of them and step out in their path. Shooting behind a building, she raced down the street, around the burned steel frame of what once was a delivery truck until she came to the next cross street where she shot back toward the men. Seconds later, she stepped out in front of them, causing them to jump and raise their guns.
“Who are you?” The man with cropped brown hair and steel-blue eyes that lingered on her breasts for far too long before meeting her gaze stepped forward.
“My name is Aurora, and who are you?”
They all seemed to relax, but the other four kept their firearms pointed at her while he lowered his.
“Name’s Adam. Are you part of a settlement here?” He frowned. “I didn’t think there were any close by.”
She shook her head. “No. Besides the demons, it’s just me. The last people who were here moved on a few weeks ago.”
His brows arched. “Why didn’t you go with them? There’s not much left here for a person to survive on.”
Did she bother to tell them what she was? Maybe it wasn’t a good time yet, but she took a step forward. “They weren’t very nice people. I am better off on my own.” That was no lie. When she had tried to make nice, one man thought he was going to overpower her and force her into having sex with him. He had been wrong. Dead wrong because that was now what he was. It might have been why the rest had moved on because they left shortly after discovering his body with his neck ripped open.
Adam glanced back at the other men. “Lower your weapons.” Then back to her. “We're on a mission to the south, but our group is staying at the hotel a few blocks up."
