"Not much. We will know because we'll be able to smell it, but it's odorless to humans. We won't have more than a day's notice at best, maybe even less," I told him.
"What if you do that whole soul exchanging thing with us?" Molly inquired.
Bethany's fingers dug further into my skin and I couldn't help but feel pleased that such a thought irritated her. "No. There would be no exchange between us; we would take until there was nothing left of you," Rosemary answered.
"Ok so the soul sucking thing is out," Jenna confirmed.
"I gotta say I'm kind of relieved about that one," Bret admitted.
"If I can find some supplies I will take a look at your blood again," Bishop said. "It's worth a shot, especially if they release a new gas. I'd rather die from your blood than turn into one of The Frozen anyway."
"I have to agree," Lloyd said.
"Fine, that's all well and good," I told them. I turned toward Rosemary. "I need to know what you have for supplies that will help us when we get on that ship."
She frowned as she tapped her foot. "Not much. Most of our supplies were used to take over the encampment. We have some ammo left, a couple of bullet proof vests, and four flash grenades but that's about all."
I wasn't entirely sure I believed her but then I wouldn't divulge all of my secrets and supplies to her either. "Bishop, with the supplies we have on hand, can you make me something that if I get into this room, would be able to render whatever is inside of it unusable?" I inquired. "I don't care if it's a gas or a pill, or whatever, I just need something that could ruin a water supply and anything else that may be in that room."
Bishop frowned as he shook his head and opened and closed his mouth. "I've got something that will blow it to smithereens," Lloyd informed me.
I glanced at him. "I'll need that too, but I'd like something a little less 'here I am' also."
Bishop's frown cleared as his mouth parted and a sparkle lit his gray eyes. "I do, or I should be able to find supplies to make something like that. It may take me a couple of days, maybe even a week but I can do it."
Relief filled me as I nodded at the young doctor. "Good."
I turned as the door opened again and Jessica stepped through it with Leo and four other Tintagelians. In her arms was the little girl Jenna had waved to earlier. Her chubby fist was shoved into her mouth and her chocolate hair had been pulled into two pigtails that curled at the ends. I frowned at the child, unable to place what she was as her scent completely threw me off. It wasn't human or perhaps it was as she tilted her head and examined me from deep brown eyes.
"She wouldn't stay away any longer," Jessica said.
Rosemary was smiling from ear to ear as she moved around the table and held her arms out for the girl. I heard the increased beat of Bethany's heart as she grabbed hold of my arm with both hands. "Cade." My name was a bare whisper on her lips as Rosemary took the child from Jessica's arms and hugged her close.
I frowned as I watched the two of them. The child wrapped her arms around Rosemary's neck as she turned to face us again. "She's yours," I stated.
"She's ours," Rosemary said with a nod toward Greg.
"She's fine?" Bethany asked in a choked voice.
"She's fine," Rosemary confirmed with a smile.
"But then why didn't they want you to have children if you had married Greg with their knowledge?"
Rosemary's upper lip curled. "We couldn't be allowed to weaken our DNA by mingling it with the humans. They would have destroyed any child that we created."
"Amazing," Bethany whispered.
I felt my own heartbeat pick up as my gaze slid to Bethany. There were tears in her eyes as they met mine with a hope and joy I'd never seen in her gaze before. I wanted to pull her against me and kiss her with everything I had, but that hope in her eyes terrified me. Offspring would have been expected from Jessica and me, but I'd never even considered the thought of allowing Bethany to have my child.
Now she was looking at me like I'd just handed her the moon and Rosemary was holding living proof that a child hadn't destroyed her, or at least it hadn't destroyed an alien carrier. "You are not human though," I said.
I felt like the worst form of life when Bethany's shoulders slumped and her grip on my arm slackened. Rosemary's smile only widened as she adjusted the young child in her arms. "There are two human women here who have survived the birthing process."
Her breath was warm against my neck as Bethany stepped even closer to me. Through the fabric of our clothes I could feel the heat of her skin. The missing piece, that's what she was to me, the piece of myself I'd never even known was missing until she walked into my life. She was the only thing that could make me feel as scared and excited as I felt right now.
She could have my child. If I survived what we proposed to do, she could become the mother of my children. Our child, excitement trickled through me at the astonishing prospect of such a thing.
Our child.
Bret stepped closer, his gaze slid toward me but I didn't acknowledge the condemnation I saw in his eyes. He'd moved on from her, I knew that, but he still cared for her and didn't want to see anything bad to happen to her, but this was none of his business.
I kissed Bethany's temple as I nuzzled her hair. There was so much hope out there for our future. I just had to make sure we survived to see it.
Chapter 16
Bethany,
I remained silent as the last of our group filtered out of the massive gates to rejoin the others. "I wish you would rethink your decision," Rosemary said.
"We have to speak with the others, it needs to be their decision too, and we can't leave them out here. We'll talk again in the morning," Cade assured her.
"We'll leave the gates partly open. If anything comes you must get inside them quickly or our cover could be blown."
"We will."
"Cade." He held me up as he turned back to face Rosemary. Lloyd stopped beside me and though he was still looking at me as if he was tempted to shoot me he had loosened up a little. "We are your allies in this. We only want the same thing as you."
"And what is that?"
"To ensure the continuance of the human race and put an end to the tyranny of ours."
Cade's hand tightened on my waist. "I can agree with that," he said quietly.
Rosemary bowed her head before slipping back inside the gates. Darnell was eyeing us both like bugs he wouldn't mind stomping as he approached with caution. "What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Lloyd muttered as he ran a hand through his hair and stared at the gates.
"Are we leaving here?"
"No," Bishop answered. "No we're not."
"Is it safe?"
"Is anything?" I elbowed Cade in his ribs for that response. The scowl slid from his face as he rubbed at his ribs and took a deep breath. "It's safer than anywhere else we've been in awhile. It won't hurt us to stick around for a bit and for you to hear what they have to say. We can go inside tonight if you would like but I thought you'd prefer to talk first."
Darnell's scowl deepened as he rubbed thoughtfully at his chin and focused on Bishop and Lloyd. "You agree with this?"
"I don't agree with any of this, it goes against everything in me to work with them, but I think this may be our best chance and I really think they want what's best for their... what would you call them? Your people?" His blue eyes focused on me as he asked this question.
"No, that is not what I would call it," I informed him.
"Apparently not," Cade replied. I frowned as I looked back up at him. He's starting to get a sense of humor, I realized. I didn't know if it was because of what we had exchanged or if because for the first time there wasn't as much pressure on him anymore. He could finally give into the urges that he had been fighting for so long with no fear of what would happen to me.
"Perhaps it's the closest thing to an actual soul mate any of us will ever see," Bishop said as he rubbed at his chin. "Perhaps this alien-human conn
ection is what spawned that term in the first place." I felt my eyebrow quirk as I glanced at Cade and wondered if Bishop was right. "It may actually be her soul you see."
"Well it sounds like I have a lot to learn." Darnell lowered his gun to his side. I couldn't meet his gaze as he continued to stare at me as if he didn't know me. It would be a long time, if ever, before they forgave me or at least started to trust me again. "And I'd like to start hearing it."
Cade nodded his agreement as the others gathered around us. "Away from the gates would be preferable."
Darnell nodded and fell back as Cade led the way toward the edge of the forest. They gathered in a circle around us while Cade, Bishop and Lloyd began to fill them in on the details. I settled onto the ground and pulled my knees against my chest as Abby sat beside me. "You could have told me," she whispered.
I couldn't bring myself to look at her as I shook my head. The firelight played over Cade's skin, highlighting the contours of his face and the shadowy hue of his eyes. Though he didn't seem to radiate the warmth of Rosemary, there was something different about him as he actually conversed with the others instead of remaining distant and cold.
A child, we could have a child. My heart soared like a bird just freed from its cage as dreams I had thought impossible unfurled before me. There were many things I had thought impossible now but to have this one thing back was one of the greatest gifts I'd ever been given. To bring a child into this world wasn't something that I wanted to do, but if we won, if we managed to somehow beat them back we could have a child, a family. It was one of the best things I'd heard since this entire mess had started.
"No, I couldn't have. It wasn't my secret to tell." The look of betrayal in Abby's eyes was a knife to the chest but there was little I could do to ease that. "I'm sorry, I really am. But just as I'll always protect you, I'll also protect him."
"You don't need to protect him from me though."
"No, but I had to protect you. It was a big secret Abby, one that you shouldn't have been burdened with. You have enough on your plate right now."
"I'm not a child anymore."
I took her fingers within mine. "I know, but I would like it if you could be for just a little while longer."
Some of her anger with me seemed to ease as she leaned against my shoulder and rested her head against mine. "Are you going to be ok Bethany?"
"Of course."
"The side effects that you've been experiencing..."
"I'll be fine Abby, they're not so bad. At least I don't walk into everything anymore and I don't trip over my own feet. You heard Rosemary, I'll be fine," I assured her with a smile.
Her breath was warm against my chilled cheek as she chuckled. "True. That little girl was cute."
"She was," I agreed.
I closed my eyes and inhaled the smoky scent of her hair. I didn't realize I'd drifted off until I felt the solid strength of Cade's arms wrapping around me. Sliding my arms around his neck, I buried my face in the hollow of his throat and sighed contentedly. "Do they forgive us?" I whispered.
"That will come in time."
I shivered as he pressed his lips against my temple. My toes curled as I felt the increase of his pulse beating against my lips when I pressed my mouth to his neck; I wasn't sure if it was passion for him though, or the spark of hunger that shot through me at the smell of his blood that caused the heightened beat of his heart. His hand tensed on my thigh as his heated mouth brushed over my forehead.
"Bethany," he whispered against my skin.
I reluctantly forced myself away from him. My eyes fell to my hands as they lay curled within my lap. He stepped around a large oak and settled the two of us onto the ground. I found myself unable to meet his gaze as he seized hold of my chin and turned my head toward him. There was a gleam in his eyes that made my stomach feel as if there were thousands of butterflies fluttering within it.
I could see the flicker of the torches from the compound as they sparked and danced amongst the trees. They were a reminder that we weren't alone out here but when he was looking at me like that I felt as if we were the only two people in the world.
He brushed the hair back from my face. "Why didn't you tell me about the side effects?"
His thumb rubbed over my cheek as his lips brushed over mine. I didn't know if he expected an answer, but when he was kissing me like that there was no way I could think of a reply. My fingers curled into his shirt, a small mewl of protest escaped me as he pulled away. My gaze focused on his full mouth as I trailed my finger over his bottom lip.
"Because I didn't want to burden you," I finally lifted my gaze to his. "And because I didn't want to acknowledge them either."
His hands clasped hold of my cheeks as he pulled me away from him. There was a fever in his eyes that I'd never seen before as anguish caused his mouth to purse. "I didn't... I never meant..." his voice broke off as he kissed me with an intensity that robbed me of my breath. "I never meant to burden you with this. I never meant for you to know what it was that I lived with."
"Don't," I managed to gasp out. "This is why I didn't tell you. Don't blame yourself, there's nothing else you could have done."
"Apparently I could have given in and tasted you," he whispered. His mouth tickled against mine as he spoke. "You wouldn't have to be going through this right now."
I clasped his hand against my face and turned my mouth into his palm. "You couldn't have known," I assured him. "You did everything you could to keep me alive, and I'm here. I can live with a little craving for raw meat as long as I have you."
His eyes glimmered in the torchlight before he bent to kiss me again. Yes, I could definitely deal with a little craving for blood as long as he was holding me and kissing me with such reverence that the world slipped away and I forgot about everything else. His heated breath filled my mouth when his tongue slipped in to temptingly tangle with mine.
My fingers slid through his thick hair, I felt something within him rising up to enter into me. I pressed closer against him as the part of him that sought my soul coursed into my body with the flowing ease of a melody from a songbird. I felt when it latched onto a piece of me, and when something inside of me reached out and latched onto him in return.
A subtle growl escaped him and he pulled me more firmly against him. Before he'd been almost hesitant with me but after today he seemed to have realized that I wouldn't break. That he could take from me as much as he needed and I would still be here and I would still be me. I felt my soul being pulled from me in forceful tugs that made my knees go weak and my bones turn to liquid.
I could feel pieces of his soul entering me and moving throughout my body. Heat pooled through my extremities, my body went limp as he blended and moved effortlessly through me. He invaded me completely as I brought him deeper into me, joining with him in an intimate way that went beyond sex, beyond anything I ever could have imagined as I felt him entwining with my soul.
He was panting as he broke away from me and his mouth fell to my neck. I clung to him as my body continued to float in a haze of bliss the likes of which I never could have imagined. "Dangerous," he murmured against my skin as his lips traveled over me.
"No," I assured him as I gently took hold of his hand and pressed it against the place where my heart beat so fiercely. "I can feel you here, inside me. It's where you belong Cade, where you've always belonged."
His striking eyes searched my face as his hand slid around my back and he slipped the knife at my waistband free. "There's something more you want though."
I didn't want to admit it, didn't want to look but a tingle of anticipation gripped me as he lifted the knife between us. His eyes never left mine as he unfolded the blade and drew it across the inside of his wrist. The smell of his blood was potent in the crisp air as he lifted it to me. I tried to pull away but his hand in the small of my back held me steady.
"Denying it will only make it worse and you more volatile. Drink from me tonight Bethany and tomorrow I'll take yo
u into the woods and teach you how to hunt so that you'll be able to feed yourself if the situation becomes desperate."
His unspoken words caused my throat to clog. In case he didn't return from the ship. In case he died. I couldn't think about that now though I wasn't sure I'd be able to function if I did.
The blood glistened on his wrist as he held it out to me. Something inside of me screamed to take it and drink it as saliva rushed into my mouth. The part of me that was still human, and repulsed by the notion cringed at the idea of doing such a thing. He lowered his head to look up at me before biting into his bottom lip. A low groan escaped me as a bead of blood swelled onto his lip.
I didn't have time to protest as he pulled me against him and captured my mouth once more. My hands pressed against his chest as his tongue swirled into my mouth, along with his blood. Whatever fight I'd had in me vanished as I slumped against him. A low moan escaped me; I grasped hold of his biceps in an attempt to keep myself grounded. His blood was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted as I nibbled at his lip.
Pleasure raged through my long denied body as his blood coalesced with mine. A small sound of discomfort escaped him when I bit down harder than I'd meant to on his lip. I recoiled, horrified that I'd hurt him and would continue to do so if it meant getting more of what I yearned for.
He didn't give me a chance to get far though as he grabbed me and pulled me back against him. "Don't fight it Bethany, as much as you wanted to do this for me, I want to do it for you. Don't fight me, please."
It was the burning look in his eyes that made me cave to his wishes. "Cade..."
Before I could finish speaking he was kissing me again and then I just didn't care, not anymore. I lost myself to the taste and feel of him as he broke away to offer me his wrist again. I brought his wrist to my mouth as his lips traveled over my neck and down to my collarbone. Even the distant flicker of firelight faded away as my entire world became focused on him and the pleasure that he so willingly gave.