Author's Note:
Hey everyone!
First, I just wanted to apologize for the late update, I've been a little busy plus this chapter is going to be the longest I've written yet! A lot of things are happening in this one - Beau begins learning how to use his shield, some sweet moments playing out between the siblings and spouses in the family, Jules coming to terms with her relationship with Beau, plus we get a little more background on Adelaide and hybrids in general and also get to hear Nisa's story (mild content warning though: there's a bit of violence in there), the return of the Denali clan, and of course some more Beau and Edythe fluff as well :)
I also wanted to take a moment to talk about Beau's shield projecting ability itself - I'd always wondered if, since Edward couldn't read Bella's mind at all even as a human, she would have been able to project her shield as a human too and if it were possible, how that would've looked and felt for her, so I had a lot of fun experimenting with that in Beau and Edythe's story! Another thing I was playing around with was Edythe's role in Beau's training - in Breaking Dawn, Edward played such a huge part in Bella's training sessions as the "guinea pig" which Kate tested her shocker on. For this version though, I felt I had to come up with something a little different because I figured it probably wouldn't have been the best idea for the family to test Kirill's power out on a pregnant Edythe right from the get-go, so I tried to find a way around that while also (sort of) staying true to Breaking Dawn which resulted in one of my most favorite little moments to "bend" - you'll see :D
Recently, I've also been going through some of my chapters again just updating them a little bit (i.e., fixing minor things like grammar, word choice, flow, etc. and adding more internal dialogue in some places) if you wanted to check that out but I did not alter any major plot points or anything like that, just enhanced what was already on the page. Plus, just in case you missed it, I'd completely rewritten my preface a few months back to more closely resemble the one found at the very beginning of Breaking Dawn, which I'd finally finished reading and loved!
One last thing! Gosh, I can't believe it's been almost exactly a year since I first published Life, Death, and the Breaking Dawn on here - I feel I've learned so much working on this story as well as from all of you and I've gotten a lot more confident as a writer since my early days on the site and have (hopefully!) improved since then as well. It's been a wild ride!
I hope everyone is doing well! As always, thank you for reading and for all the support, you guys are amazing. Please enjoy :)
40. TRAINING
Nisa led me to the living room and everyone else followed in behind her.
"How exactly does your gift work, Nisa?" Edythe asked. I helped her into a large red armchair and she showed me a smile, bringing her hands in to rest on her stomach as I stood behind her, leaning myself on the backrest. Nisa looked up towards the roof, like the words were going to pop out of midair for her there.
"It's - how might I put it? - rather malleable. I can manipulate it in any way I please – for example, I can imagine it wrapping around my targets like a blanket, or envision it as a dome over myself and my target's head, a bit like an umbrella, perhaps. There are two projections I can sense – one is my own, in that it surrounds myself and myself only – I project this one automatically and as do you, Beau, since your wife is unable to read our minds. The other had taken me more time to develop – that is, the shield which I can project onto someone other than myself. Adelaide was the only other person I had ever projected my gift on, but I can easily cover her for very wide distances, and I'm sure that protection can extend to multiple other individuals if I so wished it."
Wow, that was impressive. I had so much to learn, and we only had a week, quite possibly even less than that. Would I seriously be able to pull that off? How?
"So, how exactly do we do this?" I asked, looking at my palms then up at Nisa.
"You have to visualize it – that is what I do. Come, and I'll show you." She took my arm and guided me to the place in front of their large TV, turning to look at me. "The aim of this demonstration will be to shield your friend here-" her finger moved over everyone behind me and like a shot in the dark, she landed right on Jules, "from your wife's ability to read minds."
"Me?" Jules gawked, pointing at herself.
Nisa nodded. "Yes. It's just a simple demonstration. I'd like for you to think of a number; any number. Go on." It was like watching one of those magic acts on those televised talent shows. Jules shrugged slightly, a little weirded out, but nodded anyways and gave in. Nisa's eyes slid shut as she turned towards my best friend, palm up and out. Then she twisted her body a little to look at my wife, eyes still closed before beginning to speak. "Give it a try. What number is she thinking of, Edythe?"
Edythe tilted her head, pulling her mouth over to one side of her face. An intense look of concentration flashed across her features and was soon replaced by that frustrated look I knew so well on her, a small crease forming in the space between her eyes.
"I can't see a thing." She fell back, her voice incredulous.
Nisa's eyes fluttered open and she showed my wife a smile, bringing her hands back in to rest at her sides and successfully pulling that invisible shield away. "Very good. Now try again, you should be able to see now."
It only took Edythe half a second to guess it. "Seven. You're thinking of the number seven, correct?"
Jules' mouth popped open. "Wow. Right on the money." She shook her head, astonished, and jabbed a finger in Nisa's direction. "That thing really works."
"Thank you. I'm sure Beau here will get the hang of it soon enough as well. Would you like to give it a try?" She turned her body in my direction.
"Yeah, sure." I nodded, banking on our good luck to last me through training. I had to make this work, it was the only way I could be of use; the only way I could protect everyone.
"So, how exactly do I do… that?" I motioned to Nisa, thinking about that magic act she just pulled with Jules and Edythe.
"It's simply mind over matter." she answered with a little shrug. Mind over matter, huh? I threw a knowing glance in Edythe's direction and she smiled just for me. I returned it, feeling already ten times stronger when she looked at me like that.
"It's a matter of visualization. As I'd mentioned earlier, it is entirely malleable. You can manipulate it in any way you please; envision it to be whatever form of coverage works best for you. That really is the long and short of it, so give it a try. We'll do the same thing as earlier." Nisa's lips curved up gently at the ends and she gestured to Eleanor this time, beckoning her forward. El was over to us in a fraction of a second, a cheery grin lighting up her strong, beautiful face. She cracked her knuckles just for kicks and came to stand beside Edythe.
"So, I just… I just visualize?" My voice was doubtful.
"Precisely."
"Alright, then. Let's do it." I shook myself out and began to stretch like I was an athlete in pre-game mode, touching my toes then doing some side-crunches and cracking my knuckles like what El did just a second ago. I heard her snicker at that, but no matter - I was going to make this work. I mean, it sounded simple enough, right? Taking my arm, Nisa moved me a little to the left and had me stand in the middle of the living room, feet apart. There, we set to work right away.
…
Okay, so I was actually hugely and majorly wrong, big surprise there.
I mean, it was just so hard. There was nothing to get a hold of, nothing solid to work with. I had only my raging desire to be of use, to be able to keep Edythe and as much of my family and friends as possible safe with me.
But that didn't mean I was any good at it.
Edythe's gaze flicked to where Earnest was standing, Royal right next to him. "Earnest? Royal? Can you guys go pack us up and check us out of the hotel room?"
"On it." Earnest gave an affirmative nod and he and Royal left in a blur. I understood why Edythe was asking them that - by the looks of it, we were going to be here for a while. We were only at it for probably no more than half an hour and I was already exhausted. Over and over I tried to force that nebulous shield outside of myself, with only faint, sporadic success. It felt like I was wrestling to stretch an invisible rubber band - a band that would change from concrete tangibility to insubstantial smoke at any random moment - and then it'd snap, slamming right back into me with the pummeling strength of a monster truck that I'd stumble backwards three steps. It went on like that for another hour or so, and then I was keeled over on the floor, red-faced and sweat covering my brow. Edythe flew to my side and held me to her, pressing my head to her chest. Her cool embrace felt amazing on my burning skin.
"Please, let's stop this for now – just look at him, he needs a break."
"We're not done yet, he almost has it! Again." Nisa said with the airs of a drill sergeant – I didn't really expect that from her, she was pretty chill and soft-spoken when we first met.
"No." Edythe spoke for me, her voice hard.
"Time is of the essence here, Edythe, for your family's sake." Nisa pushed. Edythe was about to say something again but I shook my head, pressing a hand to her cheek. "It's alright, Edythe. I'm – I'm fine. Really." I said and with us still holding hands, she helped me to my feet and I took a deep breath, trying to assuage the burning of my fatigued muscles. Nisa was right – we didn't have a lot of time, and I had to master this somehow, and very, very soon at that, too. So, I closed my eyes and tried it again. Visualize, visualize, visualize… I chanted in my head over and over like a mantra. I forced that invisible smokescreen out from me one last time, overriding the push and pull of resistance in my mind which was locked in a perpetual game of tug-of-war. I ground my feet into the carpet and pushed that invisible force even harder through the space between me and Eleanor, feeling the strain in my voice as it ripped from my throat with the effort.
And then, I felt something.
It was… warm. I could feel that invisible band just barely reaching around El's strong shoulders, like I just grazed it with the back of my hand in passing her by, only I was nowhere near her at all right now.
"Guys, I think I have something!" My voice strained but I could feel the excitement bubbling in my stomach and making it sort of tickle.
"Very good, Beau. Keep pushing through – you're almost there." Nisa encouraged, her voice genuinely impressed and even kind of proud.
I clenched my jaw and felt the base of my gums tightening, my eyes squeezing shut as I threw the force out even farther from my body and imagined it coiling around El like a string of colorful lights wrapping around a Christmas tree.
"Is it working? Or can you still read her thoughts?" I said through my teeth with a pained wince, turning in Edythe's direction. She closed her eyes and gasped.
"Amazing," she breathed and let out an incredulous laugh, falling back. "No, I can't. I can't see anything."
That meant that I did it. Oh my god, I actually did it! I threw my fists in the air like an Olympic track star who just won all the gold for his country. I felt my shield snap back to me but I managed to stay standing, feeling like I could jump straight up through the clouds.
"And there it goes again." Edythe shook her head a little, chuckling softly. She turned her gaze back on Eleanor, an amused smile playing up at the corners of her lips. "Seriously? Why exactly are you thinking of bears right now, El?"
El showed her an embarrassed half-grin, a hand coming in to cover the back of her neck. "Guess I'm just a teeny bit hungry. No worries, though. I think I'm still good for another week or two."
"I can't say I don't know the feeling." Edythe sighed and moved her hands over her stomach, looking down. "He's a little hungry, too."
Right on cue, the front door swung open. "Arch texted me. He said that you might be needing this." Royal appeared in the doorway and held up Edythe's pink water bottle, I'm assuming freshly refilled though I tried not to ponder too long on that particular image, and Earnest was right behind him. Carine went to greet them.
"Welcome back, you two." She hugged Royal and kissed Earnest on the cheek, wrapping her arms around his waist. He kissed the top of her head and with his arm draped over her shoulders they walked back into the living room together, exchanging these lovey-dovey glances like he'd been away for two months instead of two hours and they were talking very quietly, smiling at each other the whole time.
"Catch." Royal tossed Edythe her water bottle and she caught it in midair as it sailed straight past my head. Narrowing her eyes, she showed her brother this mocking but appreciative half-smile and he smirked in return, bringing his hand in to touch down on the top of her head as he passed her by. No words were spoken between them but you could tell they understood each other completely - I guess that's what it was to have siblings. When Royal's hands were free, Eleanor threw herself into his arms and he spun her around, kissing the top of her head. I could hear their laughter from here.
"Did you bring anything for me too, Roy?" El's voice was light; playful.
"Yep, sure did – me." He pointed at himself, a joking smile rising to his lips. "What more could you possibly want, babe?"
El laughed and they kissed again before she excitedly filled him in on all my progress. He nodded and pushed his bottom lip out a little, silently impressed, and gave me a small "thumbs-up" sign. "That's… actually pretty amazing, Beau. Nice job."
"Thanks." I felt my already-red face turn even redder hearing him compliment me like that – it was nice to hear, even nicer to think that maybe he didn't totally hate my guts anymore like he used to.
"Let's continue." Nisa interrupted my thoughts and led me back to that spot in front of the TV.
…
Slowly but surely, I got the hang of it.
I could still only shield one other person at a time completely from Edythe's mind-reading ability and it was only for a couple of seconds, but that was still one more person than I could have possibly hoped I'd even be able to do. Nisa was amazingly able to shield every one of my in-laws plus Edythe and Jules all at once – she'd demonstrated it to me at least a dozen times. I guess it just came naturally to her – judging by that, if it did come to a fight I knew Nisa would have to cover a majority of everyone on our side, however many that will be. I tried to make myself feel a little better about that by acknowledging the fact that I can still protect vampires and wolves – vampires and wolves! – from mental attacks at all even as regular old human me, and I was this close to being able to shield two of them at once – it just needed to stretch out about another half foot, something I was making steady improvement with.
"You're doing so well, Beau." Nisa encouraged.
"But I do wish we could try to see if he can shield someone from a more active defensive ability, though. Telepathy, while impressive, is also passive in the sense that it does not inflict any real substantial damage - like pain - on the target whose mind is being read." Adelaide lamented as she came to stand beside Nisa. My head snapped up, panicked.
"Wait, wait, wait – by a more "advanced" defensive ability, do you mean something like what Jonathas and Alecia could do? But wasn't that the whole point of this training, though? If I could shield someone from Edythe's telepathy, couldn't I also shield someone from what the twins can do, too?" My voice grew more frantic with every word. What good was my shield if I couldn't protect someone from the twins' powers?
"In theory, you should be able to deflect those more advanced defensive attacks when projecting – if their powers can't affect you, it is only natural that the shield which you project also carries that same immunity. But I don't know the limitations of such a gift when you are still fully human, Beau." she explained, shaking her head. "If only there was some way to find out, if we found another vampire with a similar defensive ability as the twins-"
"Say no more." Arch stood up, a giant grin on his face. "While you were in the midst of your Jedi Training over there, I made a call to Alaska just to be safe because I heard someone talking about that exact same thing in a vision earlier."
"And when exactly were you planning on telling us that, Arch? Christmas?" Royal's voice was stony as he crossed his arms tight over his chest.
"Chill, bro. I just texted Kirill literally less than twenty minutes ago – that's our cousin, he can generate an electric current through his skin – basically, he can shock you with a touch." Arch explained to Adelaide and Nisa with a little shrug like it was the most normal thing in the world to do then turned his gaze back on the rest of the family. "He and the rest of the Denali clan sans Ivan will be here by morning. I was just going to tell you guys when Beau was on dinner break."
My stomach growled super loudly at the mention of dinner and my cheeks turned even redder than they already were. Edythe laughed at that, wrapping her arms around my waist.
"How very cognizant of you." Adelaide showed Arch a grin. "And, speaking of dinner, I'll start on some spaghetti for the two of us and your friend Jules over there, Beau. How does that sound?" Thank goodness we had a half-human girl here, I was starving and I'm sure Jules was, too. Adelaide probably had lots of stuff on hand for us.
"That sounds honestly amazing. Thank you." I showed her a smile and she returned it as she disappeared into the small kitchen attached to the other room. One TV show later, Adelaide called us to the dining room table and set a steaming plate of spaghetti with two giant meatballs down in front of me, getting the same for herself and Jules. Edythe sat down next to me and I gave her some – technically, it really only helped the baby but that was enough for Edythe to willingly share a meal with me – while everyone else gathered in the living room to watch a movie. Edythe's pink water bottle was next to her and though she refrained from taking any sips while I was there - probably out of courtesy to me - I couldn't not be aware of it. But again, it was something else besides my aversion to blood that kept me thinking about it: that was the second-to-last bag we had left for Edythe and I knew she couldn't afford to use up the remaining stash too quickly. At this rate, we really were going to have to break into a foreign country's blood bank or find some way to fake a trip to the hospital to get us that refill or Edythe was going to have to hunt - hunt a human, that is - in the area, which was the absolute last resort. A mysterious death way out here after Silas' and his brothers' execution would only draw unnecessary – though a highly debatable term in this context – attention to us, so we were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Hopefully our cousins brought their own stash with them – maybe we could borrow some from them if they did, and I was pinning all my hopes on that.
…
After dinner, I volunteered to help Adelaide with the dishes but she insisted that she and Nisa had it. Offering me the couch in the living room and Jules the guest bedroom down the hall, she took out two more spare fleece blankets from the closet in the main hall, nearest to the master bedroom and handed them off to us after pointing out where the bathrooms were again.
"If either of you need anything else, feel free to give me a shout. Fair warning though, I'm quite the heavy sleeper, at least according to my wife over there." She chuckled, pointing in Nisa's direction.
"Ah… so you really can sleep, huh? How long do you need to every night?" I asked.
Adelaide nodded. "Yes, I can. I'd say probably the same amount as you, too. We're more alike than you may think." While I still had her, I thought to ask her a little more about herself so I can learn more about what our own child might be like as well. The first question that came to mind was how slowly did she age, if at all? Even if she was part human, did she still have immortality? I thought about how I should phrase it.
"I see… but then, did you age like me, too? For how long? Do you remember what year you were born in?" I assumed that since our child had Edythe's genes they were probably going to be around for a long, long time even if they were part me, and looking at Adelaide, that seemed to be the case - a good thing. I just wanted to make sure though, so here I was asking Adelaide – Delia – her age, something I was taught you should absolutely, positively, never, ever do to a lady under any circumstance but I figured her being part vampire and all, she probably wouldn't have minded in the slightest. It was a valid question after all.
"I was born in the early 1660's, I believe." she answered with a little shrug.
"So, I take it you've been this way for… a while?" I asked, motioning to her from head to foot and back again. She nodded.
"Yes. I grew at the same rate which any normal human child would and reached full maturity in my mid-twenties – but I have not aged since."
That was good news. I could feel my shoulders move up and down as I heaved a big old sigh of relief. But then my face changed when I remembered another pressing question, the one I was probably the most afraid to ask after the one about hybrids and immortality.
"And… the thirst?"
Judging by the look on her face, I could tell she disliked the question – not really my having asked it I don't think, but of how she was going to have to answer it; how she was going to have to confront that part of herself.
"Under normal circumstances and especially if I had been consuming human foods for a while, it doesn't affect me much if at all." Another answer I liked, she could live entirely on human food, too – I guess that meant I'd have a burger buddy in a few years, and I smiled thinking about that. But then she clicked her tongue and her eyes narrowed, so I could tell there was something more. "However, there are still times no matter how rare they are when I am unfortunately reminded of that part of myself."
"What do you mean by that?" I had to know the triggers; see how Edythe and I can eliminate them after our child was born.
She shook her head and looked in the other direction, sucking a breath in through her teeth. "Let me put it this way: I suppose I can be rather… sensitive… to the smell of blood. Take for example when you first walked into my bar - it did not take long for me to seek you out. Even when you were surrounded on all sides by members of your wife's family, and your friend the shapeshifter, it was your scent which I had picked up on first. It aroused in me a desire I had never felt so strongly before – an urge to have even one taste of that rich and decadent blood." Adelaide let out a quiet chuckle and covered half her face with her hand and looked down, almost ashamed. I guess even she wanted to kill me the first time we met, too. Awesome. Seriously, why did I have to smell so darn good to vampires? Like she could read my mind, Adelaide quickly cut in, "Luckily, it was easy for me to keep that…craving… in check. I acknowledged the thirst and overrode it within the very same thought, for I am still part human after all. It was a scent, though a thousand times more enticing, whose nodes I was rather familiar with; the very scent of my own self." Her two hands came in to touch at her chest. "For that, I can attest from personal experience that self-control was never an issue for me and I have little reason to believe it would pose an issue to your child as well." I let out a sigh of relief but apparently it was still too soon, because she looked me hard in the eyes and held a stern finger up. "Of course, I do advise that you take my words with a grain of salt, as every individual has different tolerances." she explained, a little regretfully. But to me, it was better news than I could have ever hoped to hear. By the looks of it, our child might just be a lot like me after all, and I was happy about that.
When we got to Jules' bedroom door near the end of the hall, I saw it was opened a crack and Adelaide waltzed right in, handing Jules the other blanket. Jules, sitting with one leg under her and the other dangling over the edge of the small white-framed bed which took up the most space in the little room, showed our host a half-smile.
"Thanks." She'd just finished unpacking and kicked her suitcase under the bed.
"You're very welcome. I hope the room is to your liking – it's mainly used for storage you see, though I have entertained a weary traveler or two in my day, usually a human who had gotten lost in the woods or had been hurt but it is quite rare, not many have the courage nor stamina to venture this far out from the trails." She motioned around the small room. On the nightstand, there stood a small lamp with a beige, floral lampshade and one of those old mini clocks in red with the bells on top. The walls had this vintage mint-green floral wallpaper that reminded me of the one in Mom's childhood bedroom at Grandma's old house in California. The bed already had a frilly white comforter and a mountain of powder-blue ruffle pillows on top of it which were most definitely not Jules' style by any stretch of the imagination and we exchanged a knowing smile, holding back our laughs.
"You two have been good friends for a while, haven't you?" Adelaide asked, putting a hand on her chin.
"Yeah. Best friends." I easily replied, looking at Jules with a big old grin on my face.
"I knew it before I even glimpsed into your pasts. Goodnight, then." Adelaide smiled warmly at us, leaving the room to give us some privacy.
"Goodnight." we said right back and I showed her a little wave. She closed the door behind her and I turned to look at Jules.
"Hey, you." I gave her shoulder a jab.
"Hey." She responded right back, poking my arm. "So… how's that Jedi Training coming along, young Padawan?"
"Just living the dream." I chuckled but then sighed really loudly. "I am freaking exhausted." My shoulders hunched over my lap and I held my head in my hands. "I really, really hope I'll be able to get the hang of it. I mean, it's the least I can do, you know? I just feel totally useless."
"Hey, cheer up loca." I felt her hand on my back.
I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to bite back the smile I could feel rising to my lips. "Um… still a guy here, Jules." Honestly, I don't even know how she came up with that – I knew for a fact that she'd taken Spanish since freshman year of high school so if she was going to be calling me "crazy", couldn't she have at least used loco instead?
"I know. That's sort of what got you into this situation in the first place." She snorted, moving her head a little from side to side and flashing me a bright grin. Oh god, there goes my cheeks again. I covered my face with one of Jules' frilly pillows.
"Yeah, Beau – you and your Olympic gold medalist swimmers over there, am I right?" Eleanor whooped from the living room for all the world to hear, her thunderous cackle so loud I could hear it straight through the closed bedroom door. I choked when I realized just what she was referring to and then down went Jules, who was literally dying of laughter at my expense just rolling around on the floor with her arms folded tight over her stomach, her cackles becoming nothing but breathless wheezes and she didn't stop for a good five minutes. Throwing the spare blanket over my head to hide my tomato face, I dove sideways into the bed and wondered very seriously how far away the nearest hole was so I could crawl into it and die.
"You guys really suck." My voice was muffled under the blanket but I'm sure they both could hear me just fine.
"Oh, Beau." Jules yanked the blanket off me and sat up, leaning her head back against the mattress. "I mean, you have to admit, it is kind of… impressive." She snorted and I thought she'd bust up laughing again.
"Can it," I warned.
"Don't worry, I am totally serene now." She chuckled, throwing her hands up a little. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she hooked her arms around them and looked right at me, showing me a smirk. I tried to give her my most annoyed face but she saw right through it.
"Aw, come on - I know you love me." She flashed her eyebrows.
"Of course I do, Jules. Forever." And that was the truth.
"Yeah. And I think it's finally starting to be enough." She sighed then, a little sadly but also in a way relieved, and moved up to the bed, leaning her head on my shoulder. Putting my arm around her, I pulled her in close and wrapped her up in a tight hug.
…
I stayed with Jules until she fell asleep.
"'Night, Jules." I whispered, pulling the blankets higher up over her. My gaze lingered on her peaceful face – her eyes were closed and her long eyelashes fluttered, her caramel lips gently pursed like a little kid during naptime in preschool. I laughed despite myself - she was totally adorable. My best friend who gave up everything for us. There was still this huge part of me that felt guilty for putting her through all this; for putting her in danger and yet, I couldn't help but feel so incredibly grateful to her for being there for me – without her, I didn't think I could face the music, if you know what I mean – not the reality of becoming a dad, not the danger our family was potentially in, none of it. She, like Edythe, made me strong, too. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was just about midnight now. Switching off the lamp on the nightstand, I got up very slowly so I wouldn't wake her and crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind me. Making my way back to the living room area, I found the main hall empty – Adelaide was probably asleep in her own bedroom by now, Nisa in there with her. Carine, Earnest, Archie and Royal were sitting down reading some newspapers in the dining room, so I assumed Jess and Eleanor were taking a walk outside or something. When I turned the corner into the living room, I saw Edythe in the dim glow of the white lamp curled up on the couch in a nest of blankets, reading my old, beat-up copy of Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I don't think she saw me right away, and I could just barely make out the sound of her soft voice speaking, though not to me, as I came up to her.
"Hey." I smiled, sliding my hands into my jean pockets. "Doing a little nighttime reading?"
"Oh! I didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah, I could kind of tell." I laughed.
Laying the book open on the couch, Edythe brought her other hand in to touch at her stomach and looked down, smiling. "I'm just reading to him. We're having a wonderful time with Captain Nemo and his friends."
"I don't know if that's very baby-friendly material…" I shrugged, biting back a smile.
"We'll let him be the judge of that." she shot right back with a laugh.
"Fair, fair. You know that's my favorite book, right?"
"Yes, obviously – and soon it will be his favorite book as well, I can tell. He's enjoying it very much. Like I said – two peas in a pod." It was kind of sweet to think about that – we had so much in common already. Leaning down, I kissed the top of Edythe's head. Shaking out the spare blanket Adelaide had given me, I wrapped it tight around Edythe's shoulders then moved to where we'd put one of our carry-on bags in the back corner of the room.
"I'll be right back." Fishing out my pj's, I went to the bathroom and changed into them, brushing my teeth and washing my face right after. Piling my old clothes into my arms, I walked back to the living room to put them away in that carry-on again and dove in beside Edythe on the couch.
"And I'm back. Did you miss me?"
"Mm… I did, actually. You were gone for a while." Her voice was quiet – she must've been referring to when I was in Jules' room earlier. I was happy to spend that time with Jules of course, but I hated that I'd left my wife feeling lonely for so long. To apologize, I held her even tighter and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh, Edythe." I said her name – it was like scripture to me. "Don't worry - I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm very glad to hear that." She chuckled, dropping a kiss on my shoulder.
…
So, the couch was actually extremely comfortable – or maybe it just felt that way because of the exhaustion, literally every muscle in my body was aching. It was easily big enough for two and Edythe laid beside me, curling herself up against my chest.
"My favorite spot," she reminded, flashing a teeny little smile just for me. I kissed her forehead, combing my fingers through her hair.
"Mine's wherever you are."
"The feeling's mutual." She sighed, twisting her body closer into mine. We were quiet for a moment and then she began to speak again, her voice coming out very soft. "I'm so proud of you, Beau. Every obstacle you've faced I didn't think you could overcome, and yet here you are, surpassing all of my expectations and leaving me speechless every time. I love you for that, Beau. I know you might think of yourself as the weakest link here, but not me. To me, you're the strongest one of all. You're wonderful."
"Come on, you give me way too much credit." I felt my cheeks go red and I looked away. Taking my chin, she turned me towards her again and smiled at me with a look I didn't entirely recognize—it was tender, but also awed and even exasperated. "I'm serious, Beau. When will you ever see yourself the way I do?"
"Probably never." I shrugged. "I don't even know what you see in me."
"You should though, Beau - your kindness, your compassion, your strength, your resilience… I see it all in you. And what a beautiful view it is." Edythe's voice didn't even shake and she kissed me for a long minute, giving me a tight hug.
"Thank you, Edythe." Gently, I brought her face in towards mine and this time it was my lips which covered hers. She was still smiling when we pulled away.
"Time for bed now?" she asked, pointing to the glow of my phone screen. I saw that it was almost one and, a little reluctantly, I nodded. Turning off the last lamp in the living room, I dove under the covers with Edythe, continually staring at her the whole time. The light of the stars from outside the window glinted in her eyes and I realized I was holding my breath as that beautiful sight struck me anew. Unable to help it, I went in to kiss her again, gently at first but then that one kiss turned into kisses, growing deeper and deeper as the seconds ticked by. Before I knew it, her lips pushed even harder against mine until they were totally interlocked, the force of my own increasing to meet the vigor of hers like a wave and then my arms were wrapped tight around her shoulders so her body was crushed against mine. She let out the faintest hint of a moan and I could feel her hands running up and down my arms, my muscles suddenly forgetting their fatigue when she touched me like that. And then I climbed on top of her on this couch … that wasn't mine… situated in the middle of the living room for all to see. And then I wanted to smack myself hard for it because that was the textbook definition of rude house guest. It took everything in me to tear my body away from hers and I laid back down beside my wife with a heaving sigh. No, I couldn't do it.
"Beau?" Edythe asked in a breathless whisper that made me dizzy. Her doing that wasn't very good for my heart and for a split second I thought I'd forget all of what "being careful" should entail in a semi-stranger's house. But there wasn't anyone around right this minute…
Okay Beau, stop being so… hormonal.
"I'm just really wishing we had that hotel room again," I said regretfully, my face turning red.
"My sentiments exactly." She giggled into my shoulder and rested her hand on my chest, I'm sure easily feeling the beat of my erratic heart pounding away against it. She pulled the blanket higher over our shoulders and wrapped both her arms around me now, burying her face in the crook of my neck and I pulled her closer to me. Being in an unfamiliar place, I couldn't fall asleep right away but I was sort of happy about that, too. It gave me time to just be here with my wife; go over everything we've been through these past few months and just unwind with her by my side.
"So… how are you?" I whispered into her hair.
"That's very first date material Beau, don't you think?" She laughed, wrapping her arms tighter around me.
"Still a valid question, I'd say. So would you just tell me? And be honest - I want to know how you feel."
She sighed before answering me. "Of course, I'm still scared. There's just so much uncertainty. It's frightening. I just want him to be safe; I just want us to bring him home." Her voice got very quiet as her hand came in to touch at her stomach and she shook her head. "I never thought – never dreamed – that something like this could ever happen to me and it made me so happy, Beau. But happiness… can be a truly fragile thing, can't it? Do you think-" she sucked in a quick breath through her teeth, "do you think they'll listen to us? Do you think they'll let us go?" Her eyes were wide on me; scared, serious.
It was a question I wanted to answer in the utmost affirmative but I just couldn't do it right then, even when she looked at me like that.
But I knew she was counting on me.
"I'm sure of it." I finally managed. "Don't worry, Edythe. No matter what happens, we're going to be okay. I promise."
Even if I didn't know whether that was true, it was nice hearing the words out loud. She looked at me, hopeful again; relieved. I ran my hand down the gentle curve of her body and rested it on her stomach. I felt those little movements start up again – amazing.
"I can't believe we're going to be parents."
"Oh, Beau. You're going to be such a wonderful father."
"You sound very… confident in me."
"That's because I am."
"But I'm scared to let you – the both of you – down. I mean, look at Charlie, and Earnest – how am I ever going to live up to that?" I sighed. "I never saw myself in for the whole dad thing before, Edythe."
"You're not happy?" She pulled away, suddenly looking scared again.
"Of course I'm happy, Edythe. I'm just scared. About a lot of things. Big things and little things."
"Tell me."
"Well, about the meeting obviously, for one thing. Whether or not I can protect you."
"You always protect me, Beau. In every way that you can. And look at you now – what can take even a vampire years to refine you've managed to figure out in twelve hours, not even a day. For that, I think you're even better than Superman. In addition," she held a finger up, "thanks to you, I really do think we might have a chance now no matter how slight, and I'll never stop believing that. Please promise me you'll do the same, Beau. Promise me you won't ever lose hope."
I kissed her forehead. "I promise."
I fell asleep with my wife in my arms.
…
I'd woken up pretty early. Turning on my phone, I saw that it was only eight.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." Edythe's musical voice greeted me.
"Good morning, beautiful." I said right back, brushing a kiss on her lips. I was about to ask if our cousins came, but Edythe was already answering me before I'd spoken – she was good at that.
"Arch, Jess, and Earnest just went to pick them up at the airport. They should be here in another hour or so."
"Ah, okay." I thought about how today was going to be and started feeling all nervous – who will be the unfortunate victim Kirill tests out his super-shocker on? Someone's going to really be hurting unless I can project properly, so how was I going to train with that sort of pressure on me?
Nisa popped her head into the living room. "Morning! Breakfast is served, you'll need to be at your strongest for today's training. Your friend already started on her share." I laughed at that – I mean, what can I say? Jules knew how to eat. It was probably one of my most favorite things about her.
"Thank you." I showed Nisa a smile. She returned it before heading back to the kitchen.
Letting out a ginormous yawn, I stretched my arms high over my head, getting up off the couch and moving to our carry-on bag to grab a change of clothes - I'd left my toothbrush in the bathroom already, so I was just going to get dressed in there. I turned around just in time to see my wife slamming a book shut and eyeing the colorful cover, I realized it was one of those self-help parenting manuals you'd find in the back of a bookstore – never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd have any use for something like that myself but as with most everything in life, things never really go to plan, do they? And life's all the more interesting for it, I'd wager.
"Interesting book you've got there. Where'd you get it?" I asked, pointing at it. Edythe smiled.
"Arch bought it for us a little while ago and I just got around to reading it last night – I'm going through it a second time though already."
"You read the entire thing in one night?" I asked, my voice incredulous. It had to be at least a good five inches thick.
"I'm a very fast reader." She smirked.
"You're literally amazing." I didn't just mean that for this one thing either, and I leaned down to kiss her again.
…
Holding hands, we walked to the kitchen together. I could smell the delicious scent of bacon and eggs wafting from the plates on top of the dining room table as we entered. I slid in beside Jules and Edythe sat next to me so I was sandwiched between them both.
"Morning." I greeted Jules who was polishing off the last piece of toast on her plate. She showed me a little grin, sliding me an open jar of orange marmalade and pointing at it, nodding her approval. "That's good stuff. Try some." And so I did. Taking up the knife Nisa had set down for me, I spread the marmalade carefully on my piece of toast and took a bite – Jules was right, it was totally delicious.
"It's the hybrid's recipe." Jules motioned a finger in Adelaide's direction. "She's super cool."
"Yeah, she is. This is awesome." I nodded and left some for Edythe, holding it out to her.
"More human food... how lovely." Edythe narrowed her eyes but took the toast from me anyways, taking one small nibble of it.
"Does he like it?" I asked with a grin.
"Infinitely more than his mother does."
"Well, that's good to hear." I laughed, dropping my hands onto her stomach. "You just wait and see, kid - my cooking will knock your socks off."
It was something to look forward to, and if I spoke the words out loud, wished for that outcome with everything in me and treated it as the only option, then maybe it just might be – a future together where we'll get to see our child grow up, where everything will turn out fine in the end. There was no other outcome I'd accept but that and as far as I was concerned, it was the only option. It had to be.
Edythe looked at me with soft eyes and I brought her hand to my lips, brushing a kiss on it.
…
After breakfast, we all gathered in the living room again, getting ready to greet our cousins. They were going to be here soon but until then, I thought I might start up a conversation with our hosts to pass the time. "So… how did you two meet? How'd you find each other?" I asked, my eyes moving from Adelaide to Nisa and back again. I knew there had to be an interesting story behind that pairing – the hybrid outlaw and the shield. It made me insanely curious. We all sat down to listen.
Nisa smiled a little. "Adelaide found me first. I grew up in a small village in Malaysia. I was never what you'd call extroverted, and I often kept to myself – I suppose that is where my shield came from. My mother and father had very little, but we led a life full of love – I think of them to this day." Royal gave her a sympathetic look and nodded – I knew he understood her completely. She continued, "In my twenty-third year, I met a man - a rich man, a powerful man - who promised me the world. I thought we were in love." Anguish weighed down her tone.
"Was he… the one who changed you?" Edythe asked, trying hard to guess at what was in Nisa's head, her questioning reminding me a little bit of how it was when we first met; when I was telling her about why I moved to Forks.
Nisa shook her head. "No – but he was the reason Adelaide had found me."
"Adelaide was the one who changed you?" Edythe asked, eyes wide.
"Yes. That man left me for dead. Adelaide smelled all the blood in the air and came to find me." She looked to Adelaide who was seated beside her and took her hand, kissing it. "She saved me."
That stuck out to me for a couple of reasons: one, that like pretty much everyone in this room, Nisa's story did not have the happiest beginning – but looking at how far she'd come now, in finding happiness with Adelaide, I knew she was an amazingly strong person and it made me admire her even more. The second thing was that we knew now that Adelaide, even as a hybrid, was venomous – it made me wonder if our child would be, too. And it also kind of made me panic about what we were going to do about that. I mean, babies bite. It's just a normal thing they do. Maybe we'll have a few months while their teeth grew in, but after that, it's fair game. I wasn't sure how we were going to address it, and I filed that thought away in my head for later.
"What exactly… happened?" I asked but then quickly started to backtrack, not wanting to push her. "That is, only if you're comfortable sharing it with us, of course."
Nisa nodded and took a breath before continuing. "I fell pregnant, you see. I was so young; so afraid. And yet, I wanted my child with all my heart. I tried to hide it at first - we were not married, and to bring that kind of shame upon my family was a terrifying thought. I begged that man to marry me or take me somewhere far away so that we may be together and I would not dishonor my parents. We agreed to meet in the forest behind my kampong that very night, under the shade of a grove of banana trees." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, hard. "He told me that it could not be; that if word got out he would be ruined; that I - and our child - would ruin him. From his pocket he took a small vial of liquid and forced it to my lips. It was bitter; acrid – and I knew what it was. I knocked it away and it flew into the trees. I felt the back of his hand across my face and then he threw me down." Her hands burst out in front her, imitating the movement. "And then he began to beat me; hitting me over and over again until I lost my child. He buried their remains somewhere and I tried to get away but I couldn't! He continued to beat me; he wanted to silence me. There was blood… so much blood. I was bleeding out; I was dying." Her eyes looked wet. I felt my own eyes tearing up and my mouth had fallen open in shock - every muscle in my body ached for her.
"Adelaide found me the next morning – I thought she was an angel. She held my hand for what I thought would be the last moments of my life and I was grateful. She offered to end my suffering swiftly and painlessly or, if I would have preferred it instead, the chance at a new life and told me all it would entail, though she confessed that she had never done it before. And so, knowing I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, I agreed. Adelaide stayed by my side throughout my transformation. I can still remember the excruciating fire which burned in me for three moons, mending my broken body and turning it into something completely new; something that I could not recognize. And then the pain was gone, and all I could feel was the thirst. When I had awakened for the first and last time as an immortal, I nearly killed Adelaide because of it. She was quick to defend herself though, and soon taught me how to hunt. She told me all about who – and what – she was; the ways in which we were alike, the ways in which we were different, all that I could do. She offered to walk alongside me in my new life if I so wished it – I agreed, and we have been together ever since." Her quiet voice was filled with love, and she gave Adelaide's hand another squeeze.
"That man… did you ever get the chance to bring him to justice?" Carine asked.
"You might say that - I made him pay for what he'd done to my child and I. You see, in my village we grew up with stories about the Pontianak, a malevolent female spirit who came back from the dead to terrorize the living. She was often depicted as a very beautiful woman, pale-skinned, red-eyed, with long black hair that would lure her victims in, taking on a much more frightening, monstrous form once her prey was in her hands. Usually, these spirits came to enact revenge on a man who had wronged them in their life, targeting his village and those around him. It was said that she'd kill her victims by using her long, razor-sharp fingernails to eviscerate them, gutting them like animals. I remember fearing such a creature with all my heart growing up - that is, of course, until I had become a part of the folklore myself." She smiled a little, but it was a chilling one. "I hunted him down and, making a game of it, broke every bone in his miserable body – it was like snapping twigs in two. Every terrified scream, every empty apology, every begging, imploring plea to spare his life was like music to me. I gutted him like the pig he was and slit his throat with one fingernail, piercing his flesh as easily as if it were melted butter." She let out a breath. "Those old stories weren't totally off the mark now, were they?"
"My god." I shook my head in disbelief and felt that tightening in my chest again. "I'm so, so sorry."
Nisa sighed. "Yes, that is my story. But you need not pity me for the misfortunes of my previous life for truly, I have come a long way in the years since then."
"Sor-" I started again but stopped myself.
Nisa showed me a small, understanding smile and began to stand up. "Well, enough about me, we should be expecting your cousins very soon. Why don't we start practicing for today?" She motioned to me with one hand.
Right on cue, there was a knock at the door and in walked Arch, Jess, Earnest, Kirill, Dimitri, Elena and Carlos, filing into the cottage in a single line.
"Thank you so much for coming." Carine and Earnest did all the introductions. Kirill and Dimitri's eyes doubled in size when they went up to shake hands with Adelaide.
"So it is you – you were that child we saw in that village all those years ago." Dimitri's voice was incredulous.
I guess seeing herself in the brothers' memories, Adelaide nodded once very slowly. "I still remember that day as clearly as if it had happened yesterday: the execution of Jure Grando. It was the first I had witnessed with my own eyes."
"So that story you told us on the tour – it really happened?" Edythe asked, corking up an eyebrow. Adelaide nodded.
"Yes. Of course, I had to spin my own version of it in order to protect myself and my family's kind, but he very much was a real man who paid the price for his actions."
"Our cousins had told us your story and further explained to us why we have come." Kirill interjected when there was a pause, indicating my general direction.
I nodded and quickly explained to him all about my training, what I was able to do, and what I was working on.
"That is truly phenomenal, Beau. I can only imagine what you'll be capable of once you become like us."
Edythe's back stiffened up at Kirill's comment and she crossed her arms tight over her chest, like she was cold. I don't think he saw.
"Alright - let's get started, then." Nisa became a drill sergeant again.
And so, we did the same things as yesterday, me trying to push my shield out as far as it would go and trying to cover as much people as I can. Its breaking point flexed out more and more, and it snapped back to me with less and less force – I was learning how to control the speed of that snap-back now too, and I wasn't stumbling backwards anymore even when I'd widened the expanse of the distance my shield could cover. I was now able to protect almost five people at one time; it was getting stronger. This went on for the rest of the day and the next morning, when Nisa thought I was ready for the next step, she had me do one final test in a clearing behind the cottage which went a little something like this:
First, we split off into two groups of people – me, Jules and my in-laws were on one side of the field and Adelaide and our cousins were on the other, probably a space of about seven feet between us. Nisa acted as referee and she along with Edythe, who was wearing my gray sweater over a dress under her unzipped peacoat, were in that middle space. Though it had stopped raining, it was still pretty cold out and the tall grass was wet. The floor was damp and mucky, and the tips of my hiking boots were getting splattered with mud every step I took - good thing they were waterproof.
"Are you ready?" asked Nisa. I nodded and she counted down. This is it. My breath came out in a huff. I locked my jaw and shoved, trying to heave that resisting, resilient safeguard farther from myself. Inch by inch I drove it towards everyone on my side of the field, fighting the reaction that fought back with every fraction that I gained. I could feel the strain of every muscle in my body and my head felt like it would explode but I pushed through. Further… further… further…
"Edythe! Tell me what you see." I half-pleaded, my voice coming out a hoarse shout.
My wife's eyes slid shut a moment and then she indicated my side of the field with her hand.
"I can't read anyone's thoughts over there – not my siblings' thoughts, not my parents' thoughts, nor Jules' either. Beau, you are astounding." She gave me the brightest smile and my heart stuttered in my chest – the energy that look filled me with could power an entire stadium, and I felt my shield almost burning now – not painfully, but like the embers from an open fire reaching for the sky in the dark.
"You're doing very well, Beau." Nisa smiled. "The last thing I'd like to try is this…"
Nisa motioned to my wife. "Edythe, I need you to stand beside your husband. Beau? Try and shield her if you can manage."
In an invisible movement Edythe was beside me and I jumped back from the shock. That made her laugh. "Sorry." She mouthed before dimpling up. I narrowed my eyes at her, holding back a smile. I still had a good grip on the shield even with her as my admittedly very welcome distraction and I envisioned that forcefield including her, pushing that invisible cloud out from me inch by inch until I was certain she was under my protection.
Nisa nodded from across the way. "We're going to do something a little different now: my wife, your cousins – are you able to read any of their thoughts from inside your husband's shield, Edythe?"
Edythe looked at them hard and then gasped a little. "How fascinating," she murmured under her breath. "It's like a one-way glass. I can read everything they're thinking," she motioned to where our cousins and our host were standing, "but they can't reach me behind my husband's shield, can they? And I can hear my family's thoughts clearly though I couldn't at all when I was on the outside." She quickly turned to look at me, "But I still can't hear your thoughts, Beau." She pushed her bottom lip out a little in disappointment looking so totally adorable without her realizing it. I guess that meant my mind was still on the AM radio for her. I was kind of relieved, though – my head had seriously great potential to be literally the most embarrassing place in the universe.
Nisa had Edythe move to that middle space again and we did it one last time – Adelaide timed me while Nisa gave instructions. It was my highest record yet: seven minutes, everyone on my side of the field totally covered.
But I was so totally exhausted.
Pulling the shield back to me, my shoulders heaved as I made to sit down on an empty chair on the veranda by the cottage's sliding backdoors and I laid my head back, covering my face with both hands, my breath escaping from between my fingers in smoky clouds of white. I didn't even care that the chair was soaked through by the off-and-on windy rain showers throughout the week. Nisa didn't even push me.
After having a little bit to eat, I actually felt a lot better and we were all back in that wet field again. At least it'd stopped raining and the sun was finally coming out of its nearly week-long hibernation, the air feeling just a little bit warmer. Kirill was across the patio from me, his hands almost touching with these very ominous-looking strings of light zapping between them, widening and shrinking as he moved his hands further then closer to each other and he had a big grin on his face – even when you couldn't see his teeth, there was something pretty threatening about that look he was giving us and I gulped.
"Now - who would like to start first?" he asked in the most amiable tone of voice - a clear invitation. But the look on his face from earlier made me think it was just an attempt to hustle us.
"Not me. I'm all human here." Jules was the first to move away.
"Well, and I'm half." Adelaide chuckled then stepped back with Jules.
Eleanor cracked her knuckles, throwing her palms out – of course, I should've known she'd be all too happy to go first. "Wimps." She chortled then stepped up to the plate, "I've totally got this."
Kirill nodded a little, that strange smile still on his lips. "Don't worry – it's on the lowest setting, I assure you."
El showed him a smug grin and held her hand out. "You got me covered, right Beau?"
"I don't think I do," I whimpered.
Nisa counted down again and I could feel my muscles tensing with every number. "Three, two, one."
I pushed my shield out again; felt it pulse from my body. I thought I had it, then-
"Ow!" El's other hand grabbed her wrist. "God! What the hell was that?" She shook her hand out like she'd just touched the top of a stove she didn't know was on. "I thought you had my back, little bro."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I ran up to her and quickly took her hand, totally forgetting that a body like hers couldn't possibly get an electric burn. Plus, like the twins' power, the pain was probably all mental, anyways. It didn't make me feel any less bad about it, though. El laughed then pushed me away, holding me by the shoulders. "It's fine, Beau. We'll just try again, no big deal." She turned back around to face Kirill, her eyes now two angry slits. "No way in hell that was on 'low', you jerk wad."
Edythe sucked a breath in through her teeth and laughed. "Sorry to say this sis, but it actually was. I read his mind the entire time."
"Bogus," El muttered and pursed her lips. "C'mon, we're doing it again."
And so, poor Eleanor received shock after shock from Kirill while I grappled incompetently with the insides of my head.
"Again." Nisa and Kirill demanded at the exact same time.
El winced. "Oh god, no. Can someone else please take over for me now? I'm seriously done, man." So, even the indomitable Eleanor Cullen who laughs at wrestling with anacondas had finally met her match and it was kind of my fault. That was actually pretty amazing in the opposite sense.
"Why don't you let me try?" It was Carine. But even with her, we got much the same results. I smacked my head twice with the palms of my hands, this close to giving up. It seriously sucked to see your strong, kind mother-in-law crumpling into the ground because of you.
And then we just enlisted everyone to sort of divide the pain equally amongst us – after Carine, Earnest stepped up, Arch then Jess, Dimitri then Elena, Carlos, Jules then Adelaide and back to Eleanor again. Even Royal offered himself up. Naturally, we'd all mutually agreed to keep my pregnant wife out of it without even saying the words. I was getting very slightly better at it, and I managed to offset Kirill's "low" setting more than a couple of times.
But I still had a lot to work on.
"Ow, ow, ow!" It was Royal's turn to shake out his hand now, our latest victim. I apologized for the hundredth time.
Focus, Beau. Focus. "Again, Kirill," I grunted through my clenched teeth.
Kirill pressed his fingers to Royal's open palm.
He winced in anticipation but when that stinging blow didn't come, I heard him sigh in relief. "Hey, there was actually nothing that time."
Kirill raised an eyebrow. "That one wasn't on low, either. I am impressed."
"Good," I huffed.
"Get ready," he told me, and reached out to Royal again.
This time he shuddered, and a low breath hissed out between his teeth as he crumpled into the ground.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" I grimaced like I was the one getting zapped instead. Seriously, why couldn't I get this right?
"You're doing an amazing job, Beau." Edythe cheered on from the sidelines, clasping her hands to her chest. Then she turned to look at Royal and made this face at him, a low, devious little chuckle escaping from between her lips. Royal narrowed his eyes at her, but you could tell he was holding back a smile; that even despite the pain currently being inflicted on him and the tiny bit of joy Edythe took in witnessing that, they had some sort of sibling understanding – I wondered if she thought it was retribution for all his "pigheadedness" over the years as she'd like to say and it made me laugh, too.
"Again." Kirill demanded. "This one will be back on low."
I pushed the shield out from me again and we started from square one, steadily working our way up the varying levels of intensity Kirill had in mind. I was finally able to consistently prevent Kirill's "low" setting from incapacitating Royal but other than that, he was out of luck.
"Alright, I'm done. Would anyone else like to take over?" Royal gave up on me - not that I could blame him for it, though.
And so, we went through the list again. Every person we tested on, I was managing to do even a fraction better, little by little – I was finally getting the hang of offsetting even Kirill's "medium" a few times but still, I always ended up leaving our host, my best friend, and my family members in constant pain at multiple points during the entire period. Given how often I'd apologized these past couple of hours you'd think "Sorry!" was the only word I knew in the entire English vocabulary – I'd repeated it so many times that I could make an old, broken record sound brand-new.
"He's obviously got tremendous ability, and we're only beginning to touch it. But he can do better, I'm sure. He's just lacking incentive." Kirill put a finger on his chin. There was a flash of intuition on his face just then, his golden eyes quickly moving to where Edythe was standing. But then he turned away just as quickly, a look of shame now creeping up in his features.
And then I realized exactly what he'd contemplated the moment before.
I started backing away and shook my head, hard. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened in horror at his unspoken suggestion – I thought we'd agreed to keep her out of it. Quickly, I brought Edythe to my chest. "No. No way. Absolutely not! Are you crazy, man?"
Kirill lowered his eyes and looked away. "Under normal circumstances, I would not have even considered it. But I'm afraid we are running out of options here, Beau; running out of time."
"No." I reiterated in a hard voice, slicing my hand through the air in front of my chest as I looked him head-on in the eyes.
Carine came to stand in front of Edythe and I, palm up and out towards Kirill. Gently, she shook her head. "I'm going to have to side with Beau on this one, Kirill. We'll try again with everyone else, we'll-"
"I'll do it."
I swiveled around and looked at my wife in horror. Everyone else turned to look at her now, too, expressions of shock flashing across all our faces.
"Edythe, you're not serious, right? You saw, I - I just can't do it, you and the baby could seriously get hurt and it'll all be-"
She shushed me, pressing her finger to my lips.
"Don't worry, Beau. I trust you."
I knew just how wrong she was going to be and I hated myself for it; terrified at the prospect of certain failure when I had so much on the line right this minute. I looked straight at her and my head moved from side to side, my lips pressed so tight together they hurt.
"We can start from the lowest setting, and then-" Kirill began but was immediately cut off.
"No. I want you to try your highest level on me, Kirill. It's the one that will benefit him most." The way Edythe said it, it was like she was posing some sort of ultimatum.
"No way, Edythe. Don't do this, I can't-"
"Yes, you can do it, Beau. I believe in you." She squeezed my hands.
Defeated, my shoulders fell and I kissed her for a long moment before pulling away. "Just so you know, that was my apologizing in advance. The second you feel even the teeniest surge of electricity, promise me you'll move far away, Edythe. You've got to promise me that." My voice was hard as I made this plea.
"I promise." she assured me, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug.
"Remember - this one is on the highest level, Beau. Please try your very best." Kirill's tone was grave and he held his hand out. Edythe gave my fingers one final reassuring squeeze and flattened our hands against the front of her stomach. Through all those layers of fabric I felt another fluttering movement, like it was reassuring me, too - I guess that meant I had two cheerleaders now who were counting on me. Edythe smiled and for one tiny second, I thought I could believe in myself, too. She let go of my hand and took a step back, closer to her cousin.
Three, two, one. Nisa started counting down again and Kirill moved into position, a look of deep concentration flashing across his face – he was probably trying to render his power as best as he can to do the least amount of damage possible if my shield failed me; ready to pull away that electric shock the instant Edythe would've shown even the slightest hint of discomfort.
Focus, Beau. Focus. I closed my eyes and pushed that invisible part of myself out towards my wife who was my guide; my compass - I felt her energy, and our child's: warm, glowing. Lights in the dark. I held my hands up and out and slowly, I imagined myself wrapping my arms around the both of them, reaching, reaching, reaching…
My breath hitched in the back of my throat and I clenched my jaw tight behind my lips, feeling the strain of my shield as it separated from me, rushing in to cover them both.
"Go." I whispered.
Kirill's hand inched closer and closer to my wife's palm and everyone was holding their breath, silent - even the air seemed to still. That was good – I could concentrate better like that. His hand touched my wife's and -
"Nothing." Edythe didn't even sound surprised.
I let out the biggest sigh of relief and looked up to the sky, pumping my fist triumphantly.
"Well done." Kirill nodded, awed. I think he was relieved, too, that he didn't have to hurt Edythe or the baby. I'm sure it wouldn't have weighed well on his conscience otherwise, and I was proud of myself for protecting him in a way like that, too. Cutting across the space between us, I wrapped my arms around Edythe and pulled her into the tightest hug I could manage, kissing her head twice. Everyone erupted into cheers behind us like I just scored big for the home team and I could feel the red creeping up my neck again, so I hid my face in Edythe's hair before my cheeks could betray me as well.
"Oh, Edythe." I laughed, the sound muffled by her curls. "Why'd you do that, huh? You could've really been hurting there, I mean, you saw how-"
And then she kissed me again to shut me up.
"It's because I knew you could do it, Beau. And I was right."
"Thank you." I whispered, holding her face in my hands. "Thank you for believing in me."
She nestled her head against my chest and hugged me.
…
We continued to work on that for the rest of the day – everyone was a little more open to being our guinea pigs after I'd protected Edythe and I was finally able to protect everyone else consistently from Kirill's "medium" and more often than not his "high" setting as well, though we still had a little more work to do on that. I was happy I was getting better at it, but I was also bone-tired from the effort.
It was currently Jules' turn, and I'd successfully gone up most of Kirill's ladder of levels with her.
"Very good," Nisa complimented but she'd spoken too soon - with a sharp gasp, I felt my shield recoil like a rubber band stretched too far, snapping back to its original shape. I'd finally been pushed past my human limits.
"Can I have a minute?" I wheezed out, hunching over my knees then falling onto them. Edythe was by my side in an instant and got to me before I could faceplant into the mud.
"He's had enough for today, don't you think?" Edythe's voice rose as her eyes found Kirill's and Nisa's.
"Edythe, I'm fine." I touched her wrist. "I just need a sec."
"No. I'm bringing you inside. Come on." She helped me up and crutched me all the way to my couch-bed in the living room, untying my hiking boots and putting them away for me while I protested all the while.
"Edythe-"
"Shh." She shushed me before gently pushing me down onto the couch and tucking the sheets tight around me. I could feel the splotches fighting their way up my neck and face at her fussing over me like I was a baby.
"Seriously, I'm completely fine." I had to get back out there, practice some more…
"Nope, I won't hear of it. Wait here, I'll get you something to eat as well." She ran her fingers over my cheek and left the room in a blur. She came back a couple minutes later with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a paper plate in one hand and her pink water bottle swaying by her side in the other.
"Thanks." I took the sandwich plate from her and kissed the top of her hand. She showed me a smile, lowering herself onto the seat beside me. I pointed to her own… um, snack.
"That the last one?"
She nodded, not making a sound.
"I think I might have to make hunt soon. I know I swore to myself that I'd never do it again, but… but…" She struggled with her words - it was just so human of her, even when what she was saying was anything but. I knew just how hard that decision was for her to make and I hated that I couldn't do anything to help her.
"Edythe – you're alright, okay? Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find another way. But if not, we've got to do what we've got to do, right? Just think - like before, you'll be saving more lives than you'll be taking, it's as simple as that."
"Thank you, Beau. I could never say that enough to you." she whispered, showing me a tiny smile. "Now eat up."
She brought me a cup of milk from Adelaide's fridge and still wrapped up in the blanket I began to eat, Edythe of course watching me the entire time, and I saw her smiling to herself every now and again like my eating was some sort of miracle or something. From out of the corner of my eye, I saw Arch arranging some flowers in a vase on the kitchen table, probably as a token of gratitude to our hosts for helping us out. But even then, I could see in the way his face fluctuated - aware, then blank, then aware again - that he was searching the future, navigating around the blind spots Jules, Adelaide, the baby, and, by extension, Edythe created in his visions. He picked up the vase and began carrying it away, probably aiming to set it up on the windowsill behind the kitchen sink and I turned back around to look at my wife.
I didn't see it when the vase slipped from Arch's fingers. I only heard the whoosh of the air whistling past the crystal, and my eyes flickered up in time to see the vase shattering into ten thousand diamond shards on the wood tiling. We were all still as the fragmented crystal bounced and skittered in every direction on the kitchen floor, all eyes now on Arch's back.
Now, let me be clear - I have never seen a vampire drop anything by accident. Ever.
"Arch? Arch, what's going on?" Edythe was next to him in a fraction of a second, her voice rising and eyes so big they looked like two glowing red saucers.
"Oh no." Arch's voice was barely above a whisper, his empty hands shaking out in front of him. "No, no, no, no, no."
"What is it?" I put my sandwich plate down and sprinted over, being careful not to step on the broken glass while I tried to control the tone of my voice.
"They're turning around; they're coming back. They know that we're with Adelaide. They know everything."
"What are you saying, Arch?" I whispered in a shaking breath.
"It looks like we'll be meeting them sooner than we'd anticipated."
It took a moment for the weight of his words to drown me, and all I got from them was this: there was no more time for me to develop my shield. No more time for us to gather Carine's friends. No more time to give our child even a fighting chance in this world. My heart was gripped with despair.
Yes - we were out of time, and we were out of luck.
Small, flocculent wisps of white began to fall from the sky, melting into the cold, bleak earth outside the window. All I could hear was silence.