Chapter Eleven:

Growing Resources

The day continued on and eventually I decided I should try to be a big girl and face the crowd, no matter how much I wanted to stay in bed. Damon picked me up in his arms and brought me downstairs to the living room to join the others. A couple of werewolves were sitting down on the couch but they soon dived out of the way when they saw who was coming and who he had brought with him. They were fast learners, I can tell you that.

I curled up in a blanket and detached myself from the conversation between the men over by the large table behind the couch. Patrick, Cal, Ben, Ian, and Damon were all standing around talking about recent events and how this game plan of theirs was going to go down. The wolves that were left over migrated outside to play a game of football. Honestly, anything was more interesting than listening to the boys bicker so I drifted over to the window that overlooked the backyard and stood quietly, spectating from afar.

Most unexpectedly, I was taken by surprise by the one they called Connie. She was a small thing for someone so strong, with light hair like her superior's and tan skin. Anyone who had seen her on the sidewalk would have assumed that she was from a warmer climate like California or Florida. As she approached me, she was very quiet and I barely noticed her footsteps coming towards me. She tapped on my shoulder to get me to pay attention to her and smiled. "I wanted to give you something, as a baby gift. I suspect you aren't planning on getting many of those, since the pregnancy was so quick and all." She bent her head to look down as she retrieved something from her pants' pocket. With a grin, she handed it to me. "It's a dream catcher. Before I joined the pack, I lived not too far away from an old Native American reservation. A shaman there taught me how to make these. It's supposed to capture evil spirits and prevent them from creeping into your dreams and causing nightmares. It might help your baby sleep soundly at night."

The dream catcher was primarily made of dark brown leather. On the tassels at the bottom, there were different colored glass beads and crows' feathers attached at the ends.

"Thank you," I beamed.

"Oh, it was nothing. I just hope we'll all see this vampire thing through to the end." She smiled once more and returned to the game in session outside.

I held up her present in the sunlight and examined it from every angle. It was kind of her to give a gift to a perfect stranger. I barely knew her name and she was already worrying about my child's dreams before she was even born. I suppose, coming from a large group of guys, she had to cling to the little things like that. She never wanted to have children because she knew what he or she would become but she had a descent and sympathetic soul towards them and would never want to see any harm come to one.

Ben wrapped his arm around my shoulders and glanced at the gift in my hands. She'll be okay, Evie. You can't condemn her to unhappiness before she's even born.

I know, I thought as I heaved a sigh. But that doesn't mean I have to stay so hopeful. I don't even know if she'll have the chance to be born. Tomorrow night, Alphaeus could waltz right in like last time and kill us where we lie. We have no real way of protecting ourselves now that a full moon isn't due to appear for at least twenty days or so. Does a werewolf bite even work when it's not in wolf form?

Do you want to find out the hard way?

I'll pass.

Then stop worrying so much about whether we're going to live through this and just keep on living like we're not waiting for anything.

That would be unwise of us to do so. If we sit around and play games then we're not preparing ourselves for what's coming. I need to be able to help you guys fight.

Who's to say that there will be a fight?

I looked up at him with a scowl.

He hugged me closer to him and rested his head on top of mine. We should have enough time. Alphaeus is probably rounding up his troops or whatever which gives us plenty of time to have this baby out and about. Any day now, she'll be kicking and screaming like any other newborn. Just you wait and see.

Sometimes I felt like Ben actually believed the crap that he was spouting out at the rest of us. At least he wanted to believe it. It was like he was the man who kept us all working at our best while everyone else was in top gear already. He brought the stragglers back to pace and sent them on their way to jolly land. Whatever he was doing, it made others happy. It didn't really matter if it was a lie or not. What needed to be said needed to be said and that was that.

But I still wanted to fight and there was nothing he would be able to say that would change that.

He understood that fact soon enough and sighed in compliance. I'll go make a call. He stepped away with his cell phone in hand and went outside to be alone.

Two hours passed and I was still standing by that window, watching those wolves play football. No one seemed to want to change their activities. It was an unspoken agreement that we would entertain ourselves until the last moment came upon us. Waiting around like a bunch of pansies was not our style. We had to keep ourselves busy and act like every moment of our lives was not spent sitting by awaiting our executions. What kind of life would that be?

A car pulled into the driveway and the door slammed. The sound was accompanied by heavy footsteps and displeased grunts. Whoever was here wanted to be anywhere else in the world and yet she continued up the walkway and pounded on the door until Ben leaped out of his seat to answer it.

"Grandma Rose, thank you for coming. She's right this way."

Grandma Rose? Damon wondered. The witchy woman? What the hell is she doing here?

"Damon, be nice to our guest," I warned without moving from my window. The woman at the door would not have heard me speak.

"But what is she doing here?"

"I don't know," I replied curtly. "We'll just have to be patient."

He slumped onto the couch and patted the seat next to him. "I hate being patient."

I giggled lightly and made my way to the spot he had indicated. "I am well aware of that." I placed my head on his shoulder and was right at home as he surrounded me entirely. I could still smell the candles from our room on his ebony dress shirt.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked quietly before Grandma Rose had time to enter the room.

"No," I said, weaving my fingers through his. "I'll be fine. You?"

"She'll live to see another day, if that's what you mean."

Only a few seconds had passed in the time it took for Rose to come into the living room and head towards the seat across from us. As the two humans entered, Ben settled in the third spot next to me and sat motionless.

"You remember Evie, of course. This is her husband Damon." I already explained the situation. She knows all about your magical pregnancy and what she's here for so don't say anything to upset her. She doesn't really want to be in a vampire nest right now and any word could set her off.

But what is she doing here? I don't understand, Ben.

"Yes, yes. I remember. I'm not an Alzheimer yet. I still have my mind in my old age," she responded in a dramatic, sarcastic sort of way. "So we better get started training you up right if you expect to be in tip top shape before the beasty comes to snatch you in the night. Point me in the direction of the learning area. I need a pliable aura."

None of those words made sense to me, but I stood as Ben did and led the way out to the garden where I assumed we were headed anyway. Damon never let go of my hand and refused to once he realized the purpose of the old lady's visit.

I don't like this, Evie, Damon complained.

"I know but be nice or she might turn you into a toad," I whispered.

Would you kiss me and turn me back into a prince?

Teasingly, I replied, "No. You would have to be a prince originally in order to turn back into one. But I can give it a try if it makes you happy."

You little devil. We're picking this conversation up later.

"Thanks for the warning."

We went passed the confounded wolves to the center of the rosebushes. Grandma Rose stood beside the fountain and forced us with her powers to sit down on the benches.

"Listen up, kids. There is only one spell you're going to need against this Original fiend but here's a few to get things going. First, surround your battlefield. You don't want the whole world getting bloody. With a simple spell, you can contain any blast or incantation within the confines of the battlefield. It will help ward off side effects that will spread across the town. Second, know your enemy and specifically know how many. You don't want some bloodsucker—no offense—getting the drop on you. Third, blast them skyward and make sure that if you go through with this fighting thing, there are no survivors. If even one of those bullies gets away, they'll be after you for the rest of your life and it will be a never ending cycle of revenge and battles for you folks. Now, Ben. Go stand over there." She was not one for polite gestures, at least not in her current environment. Although, she would rather be here at a vampire's resting place than inviting us into her home. She would never be able to sleep again without wondering if one of us was going to creep through her bedroom window and have her for dinner.

Ben got up and stood on the other side of the garden like he had last time we tried practicing our spells.

"Good," she said tersely. "Contain your battlefield."

With a big wave of his arms, he managed to create a big bubble. Against the snow, you could see the little splotches of sapphire that coated the force field.

Hoping to be able to prove her student was the best she picked up a stray stone and tossed it at the barrier. As it made contact with the blue, there was a colossal spark before it quickly bounced back. She allowed herself a half-grin and glanced at me. "Your turn."

I gently unfolded my hand from Damon's and traded places with Ben, waddling to the spot in a way that made me want to die of embarrassment. I may have wanted to learn how to fight but this was ridiculous. My body was too big to accomplish anything right now. As we passed each other, he wished me good luck. I was going to need it.

"Remember, your power derives from concentration. If you can't concentrate on what you want, something will go wrong."

I nodded, letting her know that I accepted the advice openly and clenched my fists in concentration. This was it. If I could prove to her that I was worthy of her teachings, she might ignore the fact that I was no longer one of her own kind—and pregnant—and she would continue to help me expand my knowledge. Force field. I copied the hand motions I had seen and looked up at the sky. As the words were said in my mind, branches of violet spread around the outside of the garden.

Purple. Figures, the old woman thought. A lover's shield. Haven't seen one of those in a while. "Nice work." For a vampire. "Ben."

We switched places again and he saw how broken up I was over her prejudice. I never really thought of myself as a vampire because I wasn't the kind that killed people or caused children to have nightmares. I only wished to survive. Didn't everyone? He would have a talk about this with his teacher. He never wanted me to be upset ever again.

As Ben took his stance, he patiently awaited his orders.

"Pull in your shield until it just barely misses everyone but you and use the elements to destroy your foe." Was this woman a fairytale addict or what?

He performed the first step once again but brought it closer to him at the last second. I could see it right in front of me but I was no longer inside it like I was before. Before I could wonder about what she meant by her last request, the inner part of the bubble burst into a tornado of flames with Ben at the eye of the storm.

The old woman saw the look on my face, the look of a worried sister, and reassured me. "He's fine. A spell caster is never harmed by his own spell. Magic is kind that way." That is unless you're using black magic.

Soon the fire disappeared and her words were suddenly more comforting. Not a hair on his head was singed or a pinch of fabric charred. He was indeed okay.

"Your turn," Ben said with a smile. He could see I was impressed.

"It's best to leave this for another time," Grandma Rose corrected. "Evie is still new to this and we don't want her burning down the house." Then she abruptly looked in my direction. "Let's have a talk." She went through the maze of bushes and left me to wonder what the heck she could possibly want to talk to me about. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

She just wants to explain something to you, Ben said confidently. She thinks there is something you should know.

I crossed the way and entered the maze. The first turn was easy enough, but I had no idea where to go from there. I glanced down and almost smacked myself in the forehead for being such an idiot. As a vampire, I could distinctly see every footprint as if my eyes were only an inch away. I followed them until I reached another small alcove I never even knew was there. As I entered, the way closed behind me and I was suddenly concerned for my life.

"Please, sit," she commanded, gesturing to the cushioned chair across from her.

I did as I was told and relaxed in the chair in the niche that couldn't possibly exist.

She leaned back and folded her arms, keeping as far away from me as was humanly possible in the minor enclosure. "Ben has been telling me that your child was magic born. I thought you should know how it happened."

Intrigued, I listened closely to every syllable.

"When you and your husband were enthralled as one entity," she began, making my cheek's burn red with another person's blood. This sounded like the odd beginning to a child's first sex talk. She noticed my embarrassment and tried to cover her half-smile as she pushed on. "You two truly became one person. His will combined with yours and together, you were able to push passed the boundaries and laws enforced by Mother Nature to create a life. All magical abilities are rooted within a witch's desires. The desire to protect, to begin a new life, to vanquish an enemy. It all fuels a magical person's powers and when that desire is placed among other natural forces, sometimes miracles can spring up in the middle of a terrible time. It wasn't merely that you wanted a child, but you wanted a renewed life, a way to continue to make a human mark on the world. At any rate, your husband is just as much at fault for the event. If it wasn't for his need to give you everything that you wanted, your child would never have been conceived." She scoffed as though this was an atrocity sent to rid the world of all its goodness, but her words and thoughts conveyed her true feelings.

I smiled despite the harshness of her tone. Grandma Rose had called my baby a miracle and no amount of sarcasm was going to convince me otherwise. She talked a lot of smack about vampires but she was a sucker for a child and a love story. Two vampires changing what it means to be human and bringing a beating heart into a grim world with their pure desires alone was hard to turn your nose up at, even for her. "Thank you," I said with sincere benevolence. I could tell why Ben liked going to her house every Sunday even though he often came home with a few more bruises each week from all of the slaps on the back of the head that she handed out freely. She was a unique kind of person who said exactly what you needed to hear, even if she made it sound like something you didn't want said in a million years.

She pursed her lips as if being addressed by me directly gave her displeasure but she returned the sentiment. "You're welcome." Although, you won't be thanking me if something goes wrong…

"What could go wrong?"

Her head shook to establish the fact that this was the extent of her knowledge on the subject and stood. "Let's return you to your precious husband before he burns down the garden looking for you." She stepped in front of the hedge and was about to conjure her entranceway when I stopped her.

"Wait," I pleaded as she avoided my touch.

She looked at me for a moment, wondering what it was that I desired from her this time. As if the answer no longer mattered, she nodded and sat down once more. "What is troubling you?"

Astonished once more at her wisdom, I continued after a moment's hesitation. "I've been having strange dreams. Could that have anything to do with the baby?"

This fascinated her. Vampires dream? "What sort of dreams?" Her voice told me that she didn't really care, but her thoughts said otherwise.

"Well…" Most of them were odd and embarrassing. They all seemed to feature my affections towards other men and my desire to abandon the one thing that I held dear above all else.

Grandma Rose grew impatient from the waiting. Even a few seconds of silence was too much for her to bear. "Dear heavens, me. What is it, child?"

I frowned a bit and let the details pour out like word vomit. "The first one started a little over a month ago. The great darkness was sweeping over the land and I ended up here. Then a couple days later I had a nightmare about Alphaeus and his sister burning down the town and eating my friends. The last of them happened a few days ago. I saw my husband and my daughter when she was sixteen and Ben with his wife and kids…" And then Ben kissed me and I turned him into a vampire witch using both spouses as sacrifices. Tell me it means I'm psychotic.

Her lips pursed as she rested her chin gently on the back of her hand, thinking. Ben must not have told her about his other gifts if she is coming to me with such a question. They sounded like they told each other everything. Nauseating, really. "It's a side effect of being a pregnant witch. Normally, a person of power would have to call upon the spirits for aid to be granted with that sort of vision, but every once in a while we can channel them without such formalities." It truly can be a curse.

"Are you saying those dreams I had were real? They're a part of my future?" What kind of awful person was I going to become?

Rose leaned forward so she could whisper, as if she was losing sight of the fact that I was a monster who could hear her from a great distance. "Yes, your pregnancy causes these dreams, but not everything is set in stone. Some things are but you must realize that the journey of life has so many different possibilities. A single action can change the course of a presumed destiny. Your dreams are all possibilities of the future." She returned to her former upright posture and continued, "The hormones don't help either. They tend to stretch the truth just a little. Your deepest desires, those that your current state wishes you to fulfill, entwine themselves into the messages from the spirits and cloud the meanings."

"Huh…" Now that she mentioned it, all of my dreams seemed to do that. They would start out making perfect sense—or at least seem possible—and then they would turn a sharp corner into even weirder territories. But could those really be my desires? Did that mean I wanted to kiss Ben? Alphaeus? I shivered at the latter of the two. I guess Ben kind of made sense, but the crazy Original who was trying to kill us was at the top of the list of guys who never had a chance with me. Cal was a close second on that list. But Ben? Sure, maybe my mind got the brotherly vibe confused with something else but I would never kiss him in a million years. Other than our first kiss as children, we never…

I couldn't dwell on it any longer. I quickly stood up and thanked her for answering my questions and stood.

She did the same and walked over to the hedge. With a wave of her hand, it bent to her will, reopening the magical passageway that had been there before to allow us entrance into the tiny nook. She waited there in the light of the sun until I followed her out, the greenery closing once again behind me to seal off the place that would never exist again.

We joined the others who were waiting outside by the back door and immediately noticed that Grandma Rose's conclusions about my husband's inevitable reactions were correct. Damon was bombarding Ben with snarky comments about how if I didn't show up with the "creepy witch lady" soon, he was going to track her down and tear her head from off her shoulders.

Ben let out a sigh of relief. Close call, huh?

I grinned, trying to think of anything else but the nightmare I worried about the most. No kidding. As we came closer to them, I returned to my rightful place by my love's side and his arms coiled around me as if by habit. It was a warning for everyone to stay away. If one more person took me away, forcing him to break his promise, the world would run red with their blood. In other words, he was feeling a bit more overprotective than usual and now was a really good time to keep back or he might go off like a roman candle.

"Would you idiots gather 'round before I change my mind?" Rose beckoned to the non-magical supernatural beings.

Without really knowing what was going on, they did as they were told and formed an uneven circle around the four of us. Honestly, I think some of the wolves were afraid of the old woman while the other more sensible members of the pack were simply extending the proper respect that an elder deserved. Cal exited the living room for neither reason. It was his own curiosity that moved his feet. Ian, on the other hand, simply didn't know what was going on—having not heard the stern command from the woman in charge—so he followed the young brother out of the house.

Rose stood there with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for her commands to be met. Once all were gathered, she folded her arms and glowered. This was definitely the kind of woman who had to express her discontentment whenever it was felt. Otherwise, she just wouldn't be herself. "Alright, you guys. Let's see what you can do." She looked over at the werewolves and nodded towards the open grass. "Everyone line up in pairs and try to land a hit."

I didn't understand at first what she was trying to do, but then as I looked into her thoughts it was clear. She wasn't just going to help by instructing me. She was also going to get the others in shape. Her main priority was keeping the civilians safe and she didn't want any of us to muck that up.

Two by two, everyone paired up: Patrick and Connie, Rick and Jeremy, Terrance and Ian, etcetera, leaving Damon and Cal to go up against one another. With a groan, Damon detached himself from me and walked over to where Cal stood waiting with a delighted expression. He'd been longing for a reason to punch his brother in the face and somehow fate had granted him a chance. It was evident to me that my advice from earlier had gone misunderstood. Despite my wishes, he wasn't going to give seeing me as a sister a try. Thinking of me as family was just as weird to him as believing he had a chance was to me.

Ben stood by my side, taking Damon's place, and shook his head at the two brothers. He could hear Cal's thoughts and wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face himself.

Once everyone was put into pairs, the antagonistic forces went head to head, doing their best to land a hit on their opponent. My eyes were glued on the Morettis' fight, watching as Damon stood there thinking that this was all a big waste of his time. As Cal came toward him without holding back, Damon saw for the first time today how this was really going to go down. Cal was going to shoot higher than the meager requirements that Grandma Rose had set out for him, all in the pursuit of revenge.

At the last minute, the eldest Moretti was able to move out of the way of the youngest brother's fist. For my vampire eyes, it was like watching the Matrix, their hands and motions slowing down so that every detail was clear and not a second of the match was missed. Now at his brother's side, Damon went for a shot of his own only to be dodged. And so the fight went on in a similar fashion, one brother trying to knock out the other with all their might while the other successfully dodged. Over and over and over again. That is until eventually Damon grabbed Cal by the shirt with both fists and slammed him on the ground with a painful looking head-butt, finishing him off with one clean jab to the chest.

I hadn't noticed until then but all of the other pairs had ceased their displays to watch the Moretti brothers quarrel. In their minds, each member of the pack had already guessed, betting on who they thought would be the winner. Most were not wrong while the few who guessed incorrectly were disappointed as Cal was buried in the snow. Everyone else cheered while Granny Rose, with arms still folded, looked on the two boys and saw just that—a couple of boys with a brotherly dilemma. However, she had to admit that their skills were more than adequate and she felt she had little to teach those two except perhaps some self-control. To say the least, she wasn't an expert in fighting seeing as she spent most of her life incanting spells and curses and what-not, but one does not grow up without a rudimentary level understanding of self-defense. She was also born in a kind of neighborhood where one had to learn these things quickly or else they wouldn't be able to make it in the world, which contributed a lot to her skill in the art of combat. Many of the concepts she taught herself about fist fighting worked its way into her performance in the magical arts. Discipline, strength, persistence, and focus were all necessary traits that were important for both.

After giving herself and the others some time to calm down from all of the excitement, she called them to order. "Alright, you vagrants. Straighten up and let's get serious." The others returned to the line formation that they had been in before and paid close attention. "Good. Well, it looks like you young'uns have at least a basic knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. You, blonde kid," she said gesturing to Connie.

Connie didn't quite understand what the purpose of calling her forward was but she obeyed the wanton woman without indecision. That woman scares me… I'm afraid she's gonna eat my liver for dinner or something. What do witches eat, anyway? Toads?

"The most important thing to remember when fighting your opponent is it can never be a fair fight. He or she might have capabilities that you do not and vice versa. No matter what, assume that your opponent is thinking the same thing and that they'll do whatever it takes to bring you to your knees. Second, the best defense makes a good offense. By anticipating your opponent's movements, you can defend yourself until the moment you see an opening to make your move. Last and most important of all—I can't stress this enough," she breathed. "Don't play the hero. If you see someone going down and you are already in a bind of your own, destroy first and aid later. You're not helping anyone if you're dead. Now, here are a couple of things to keep your rear out of the meat grinder." Glancing at the girl in front of her, she nodded for her to come at her and waited patiently.

Connie immediately thought the "old broad" was crazy. After thinking about how bad she wanted to hit someone in the face and the opportunity that was being placed before her, she shrugged and put up her fists.

This next part might have been my scattered pregnancy brain but one second Connie was going for a punch and the next she was lying face down in the snow behind Grandma Rose.

Everyone was just as amazed as I was when I glanced at their faces and overheard their inner exclamations.

Did she really just take down Connie? Old lady got game!

She's gonna show us how to do that, right?

Cal didn't care, still shaking out the snow from his hair. He caught my gaze and did nothing to hide his smirk. Maybe I should leave it where it is. The wet, grunge look seems to be working for her. Man, I can't wait until that baby is out of the way…

Easy there, tiger, growled Ben mentally. That's my little sister you're talking about.

As you can imagine, I never got to see any of the action going on with Rose and the wolves. It was hard to get passed the bickering and Cal's wild imagination… and my daughter. Before she was even out of the womb, she was communicating with me and her Uncle Ben through our minds. He sat me down on a bench and we conversed with my unborn child about all the things we would do with her once she was among us. She mentioned several times how she loved the sound of our internal voices and how we could speak while she felt so alone inside me. But she felt warm and safe knowing that I was protecting her and she was protecting me. Nothing else really compared to that bond the three of us shared as we spoke with one another. It was something only we could do and therefore it made our ties very special.

Eventually, the lesson ended which meant Ben, the baby, and I no longer had time to chat, for the moment. All of our warriors filed into the living room so that those with a pulse could get away from the chill of frostbites and snowy weather long enough to cozy up to the fireplace. The only one who would have normally fit under that classification refused to spend any more time with those she despised. That's when I saw what I wasn't meant to see.

Uh oh…

Don't worry, Ben exclaimed. She won't be a burden. You'll hardly ever know she's there.

I'm not the one you'll have to convince.

Grandma Rose walked straight up to Ben and asked, "Where is my room? I'd like to rest before dinner."

Damon overheard the barely opened conversation and flipped his lid. "Excuse me? What do you mean 'your room?'"

"Damon," I whispered, trying to calm him.

"No, what do you mean? You're not… Are you?" He absorbed the serious expression set in place on the woman's wrinkled face and sighed, too tired to care anymore. Great… Add her to the collection. You've officially turned this house into a bed and breakfast. Why don't we just put a sign up in the front lawn that says "Newlyweds desperately seeking company elsewhere?" It seems just as blunt.

I flashed over to his side, almost regretting the decision when the baby kicked in protest. To make the distance worthwhile, I gave him a kiss and let him carry me up to our room. I'd had enough excitement for one day and I was ready for a good night's sleep. Ben would talk to Rose and reassure her that she was nothing but an asset to our team. He would find the right words to say and no harm would have been done. I could retire to my room with my husband and spend the time that others waited for chaos dreaming of better days to come.