Eclipsed by Midnight (6 page)

“Baby, baby, oh my angel. It’s going to be okay,” she soothes as she gathers him up into her arms.

“You will fix me up since you are a doctor nurse?” his vulnerable voice rings.

A pained smile is heard through her heavy sigh as she gazes at him and walks slowly back across the yard, trying not to jostle him around too much. “Baby bear, we are going to go to Mommy’s work and meet some special friends of mine who will fix you up.”

He nervously looks up to her. “You won’t leave me?”

“Oh, never, baby, never ever,” she coos. The scene shifts rapidly into the next and the next. Every game they played, every injury they got, the woman was there to cheer them, save the day, or be goofy with them. It flashes in rapid succession as the two brown-haired boys grow before our eyes. Suddenly, the onslaught of images slows to allow one clear one to come through from one of the boys’ perspective as he sits on the bed next to his twin, their awkward teen bodies shuffling about.

“Something’s not right with Mom and Dad,” the other boy whispers.

“Yeah, Dad’s never home and Mom only seems happy when she’s with us. Have you ever seen her just sitting on the couch, staring at the wall?” Their voices contain more conflicted emotion than one mother can bear to hear stemming from her children.

“A few times. She doesn’t seem to have a life outside of us and seeing Ang.”

“I am worried about her, bro, especially when we leave for college.”

My heart drops as I watch the vision, apparently plucked from Aiden’s head, unfold.

“Do you think we need drop out and stay here? What if she goes suicidal or something?” This grips his throat and he tries to cough it away.

“I thought about that too. But I think we will regret not going. Maybe we should talk to Ang so she can keep an eye on her?”

“Yeah, bro, let’s stop over there soon. I walked in on her staring into the bathroom mirror like a statue yesterday. She wasn’t crying or anything. She wasn’t really anything at all. Almost thought she wasn’t even breathing until she saw me, and then she came back to life or something.”

The last words echo away and fade into the darkness as sadness suffocates me. I thought I had hid those dark times well from them. Most of it was a blur, pure will to survive and do right by them.

“Wow, that was crazy.” Aiden’s body shifts next to me.

“You really thought I’d try to kill myself?” I clear my throat.

Aiden squeezes our interlocking hands tighter. “We didn’t know what to think. Ang told us not to worry and that she’d look after you. I had forgotten how much you were there for; everything you did was for us.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

I turn to look at his beautiful chocolate eyes. “Thank you, son. We all just want to help you two.”

“I’m scared.” And there it is, one thing he’d be hard pressed to admit in front of his brother for fear of appearing weak.

“Me too. But, it seems as if I can no longer protect you from the one thing I tried so desperately to hide.” Now my voice is the unsteady one as the impact of this moment rushes upon us.

“Ethan thinks it’s all kinda cool. He’s worried but not as much as he is excited about it all.”

“You should have seen Ang when I told her. She geeked out and thought I was being stupid for being scared.”

“Ang knows?” His nose scrunches as his eyes become lost to the onslaught of thoughts.

“She has from the day I found out what I was.” He is bound to find out anyway.

“She never—”

“She kept the secret to keep you safe; she loves you like her own too.”

“This is really happening, isn’t it?”

“Yes, baby, it all is out of our control.”

“But if Niall hadn’t met grandma and had you—”

“Stop, son. Don’t go down that path. Niall is a good male who really had no idea. He’s done a lot to try to make up for it in the small amount of time that I have even known, but that all, too, was out of his control. He hates it as much as we do.”

“Okay,” he peacefully replies.

“Okay, really? Just like that?” That was a weird and sudden shift in him.

“For some reason, I feel better now, about it all.” He shrugs his broad shoulders.

“Promise me one thing, son.” My hesitation grows in the moment as I think what could happen if he turns with that chip on his shoulder, one that may have shrunk through this experience, but continues to exist.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t take it out again on these vamps or your brother… or anyone else. If you need to release the anger and work it out another way, talk to me. I might know a thing or two about all that.” I wink at him, trying to lighten the heavy mood and gnawing in the pit of my stomach.

“Yeah, ya do. My mom—the badass.” He chuckles, finally looking his age again.

“You ready to go back?”

“Sure.” He shrugs and takes one last look at the vast darkness spread out before us. Something passes across his face before his youth reclaims it.

“You really loved us that much from the start?”

“From the minute I knew I was carrying you two in my belly.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, son.” Wrapping around him in a tight hug, I transfer us back through the seal and into our bodies.

With a gasp, and one last surge of energy, our connection is broken. Collapsing backward into Etienne’s waiting arms, Aiden drops his hands to the cool cement and wretches his guts out. Ah, yes, I remember those days. Shaking off the waves of exhaustion threatening to pull me under on the spot, I drop by his side. Ethan kneels by me. I wrap my arm around his waist as the other circles Aiden’s back in an attempt to comfort him. Taking in my sons, my heart reaches out in prayer. If they go through the transition with demons gnawing at them, they are at a large risk for turning dark and going rogue right away.

“Well, boys, looks like we are done for the night. Erik, can you get the car?”

“Sure thing.”

Guess I am going to have to push breakfast with Ang and her family back a tad and let these boys rest a bit first. I need to keep them healthy and full of positivity.

Chapter 4

“The greatness of a man is not how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” ~Bob Marley

Sasha

Sitting around the dining table has become a bit awkward all of a sudden. Brunch with Ang should be simple, right? Only it’s not. Christian and the girls even showed up, all too curious about the mysterious man I married. Now that they are all here? No one seems comfortable in the slightest, all seated around this spread Molly so lovingly made in her ecstatic state over having new guests. Christian is emanating walking death as he tries to muffle his groans of discomfort and subtle, dry coughs. Elizabeth and Alissa, or Liz and Lysa as we like to call them, keep anxiously fiddling with their napkins as they sneak glances at Etienne and blush. Ang, my dear friend with her sunken eyes and paled skin, seems like she is about to drop face-first into her plate from the stress of everything. And then there’s Etienne, siting back coolly, critically assessing all the new humans in his house, cool as a cucumber yet conflicted over his internal disgust—something only I can pick up on, thank goddess.

I still don’t get his repugnance over humans. Shit, he married one. Well, a half-breed. But hey, we can deal with that another time. Right now, we need to survive this sullen and inaudible brunch.

“So, girls, how is school going. Did you pick a major yet?” I bravely attempt as my fork scrapes too loudly across my plate when I chase a runaway steamed veggie. Liz and Lysa glance at each other in question as well as surprise that someone had finally spoken before turning their attention back to me.

“Um—we dropped out this semester,” Lysa begins in a timid voice, allowing her long, dark hair to fall forward into her face.

“Yeah, we tried talking them out of it, but hey, they are eighteen and do what they want, I suppose.” Ang grunts before attempting another pathetic bite, her heart not quite into anything at the moment. Why the heck had Ang not mentioned that sooner? We talk almost every damn day. Then again, the conversations have been short and her head not quite in it.

Jesus Christ, even the boys look like they might pass out into their Eggs Benedict from sheer exhaustion. We should have just cancelled this. I tried, but Ang insisted for some ungodly reason.

“Christian, how have you been feeling?” I attempt again, but then quickly chastise myself for even asking such a stupid thing.

“Like I’m dying?” he deadpans, and the room falls motionless.

Well, shit.

“Hey man, you catch that Bronco’s game?” Etienne finally speaks, his thick accent ringing out over the room and lighting up Christian’s face like nothing else could. The season has just begun and that means so has fantasy football—well, all things football. Ang has done nothing but bitch about how all Christian wants to do is watch stats on his phone or the game on the big screen when they should be out and about, knocking off a bucket list of sorts. Come to think of it, that’s about all I’ve heard about, and work crap grinding on her nerves. Isn’t it nice how we’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes and my mate just now decides to speak up and break the tension with this jewel I didn’t even know he knew anything about. He knows I’ve been over here struggling, obviously. I think he actually likes to watch me squirm. What am I saying—I know he does. One of his finest qualities—not.

Bastard even has the gall to wink at me as he moves smoothly into engaging Christian in a deep conversation over sports and the politics of, or something like that, and completely ignoring that the rest of us exist.

“How have you guys been feeling? Any better?” Liz pipes up and asks the boys. Ethan and Aiden grumble some classic, generic teen boy replies, attempting to avoid the topic of their health with a ten-foot pole. The girls’ faces immediately fall into a dejected state as they clearly see that they are being put off by two more men they care about. It’s bad enough their father has withdrawn.

We have to fix this. The girls need to bond with their dad now, and they are going to need closure with the boys, as that chapter is going to have to end too. Once the boys turn, they will have to phase themselves out of their lives. None of these kids know it yet, but that is the cold, hard truth. Sure, they’ve been as close as siblings their entire lives, but this world is too dangerous for the girls to be involved. It is bad enough the boys are getting a crash course. As my mind wanders down a “how can we fix this” path, Erik and Roman scents hit my nose as they stroll in.

“Well, isn’t this a fabulous family meal of sorts, and to think we weren’t invited.” Erik harrumphs with a pout as he leans against the polished wood of the dining entry way and Roman hangs in the back. The girls, as well as Ang, shift uncomfortably with the new presence, and the girls can’t seem to take their eyes off the two either, fully entranced by the testosterone in the room.
Shit
.

“So glad my annoying brother from another mother decided to join us—” I mutter. “Everyone, this is my adopted brother of sorts and Etienne’s personal assistant, Erik. The lurker in the back is Roman, one of Etienne’s er—uh… employees and family friends.” Damn it, where is Niall when you need him? This stuff is just too hard. Explaining our life with human, acceptable explanations while protecting them from the truth is damn near impossible. I tend to be too honest and straightforward these days. How the hell I kept my secret for eight years after turning, I will never know.

Everyone begins to exchange pleasantries when Erik leans over me and steals the Danish off my plate. I smack his arm, hard, ready to take the fucker down right then and there to get it back when Etienne’s hand comes to rest on my shoulder, reminding me of our present company. With a growl from my end and an evil snicker from Erik, we let it go. That is, until Erik sticks his tongue out at me and I sneak a gust of my essence to trip him. He lands on his ass right next to Lysa and Liz, causing them to giggle and his face to momentarily flush before brushing it off. Etienne shakes his head, turning back to Christian to resume their conversation. I ignore them all to dig back into my food as if nothing happened.

“So, Elizabeth and Alissa, I’m told you two play ball, too?” Erik grins like a Cheshire cat, smoothly getting up from his ass-plant with eyes locked on Liz, which causes both the girls to wiggle in their seats and hormones to blaze. I know he comes off as attractive to some, but I just don’t see it, and now, he is playing with fire.

“Yeah, we do,” Liz nervously replies. Aiden doesn’t take kindly to this as his energy shifts darkly and his eyes narrow at Erik.

“Awesome. This brunch seems pretty lame for all you youngins. Why don’t you all come join Roman and me for a game of three on three?” Erik seems innocent enough in his delivery, but the thought of Ang’s girls being alone with my currently volatile sons knowing full and well how heated the four get when they play ball together doesn’t seem smart at all.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” I gingerly wipe my mouth and shoot Ang a look.

“Yeah, these four get a bit competitive,” Ang adds.

“Babe, they will be fine. Let them go if they want to,” Christian interjects, paying attention for once.

“Roman and I will babysit. It will be fun. If they get too rowdy, we’ll have a dance off or something,” Erik jests, causing the scowl on Aiden’s face to deepen. I see the shadows shift in Aiden as Ethan tries to placate him.

“Come on, bro, no harm no foul.” Ethan stands and motions for the girls to follow them outside.

Worry for Aiden has me calling air to me and whispering under my breath a small message to be delivered to my son’s ears only.
Deep breaths, my son. He is harmless, and it is his way of trying to help.
Sitting back, I intently watch Aiden’s face for a reaction. Within seconds, he looks up at me, startled. Taking a moment to settle himself, he nods and gets up to trail after the others. Wow, that actually worked. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I turn back around to the other adults with a smile and find Etienne watching me intently.

“What?” I innocently mouth. He grunts, throwing me one of his classic looks before turning back to Christian, spouting off some player or another’s stats.

“Ang, wanna head into the parlor?” She nods in relief as if she needs a break while these two yammer on.

Walking behind her, down the hall and into the cozy room with a roaring fire, I notice how thin she’s getting and how grey her energy has become. It is a far cry from the ball of fire I’ve known far too long.

“Girlfriend, what is going on?” I ask as I pour tea from the pot Molly had set out. That female has always had a sixth sense with these things, and for that, I am truly blessed. It is the little things in life.

“You already know.” Ang picks up the teacup, kicks off her ballet flats, and slips back into the chaise.

“Last I knew, you and the hubs were hammering out a bucket list and trying to live it up. Instead, you two are now depressed and are both looking anorexic.”

“He’s tired all the time, constantly going through the stages of grief and taking it out on us in a subconscious way. He seems like he regrets not starting treatment yet still refuses to try. I’ve come so damn close to asking you to use your mind mumbo-jumbo on him but can’t bring myself to do it. He needs to process how he needs to. Do you know, we’ve never even been to Disney world and I can’t get him to consider it?” Her dark brown, almond eyes dampen as her lips slowly sip on the porcelain cup with Japanese cherry blossoms. My eyes linger on the lovely blossoms adorning the cup as her fingers grip it for dear life. She sniffs back the reservoir of sadness wanting to pour forward.

The fire pops in the background, the hiss and sizzle giving me an idea. There’s a reason why that element and I have been tight from the beginning.

“Ang, you said Christian’s bucket list destination was Japan and you just wanted a family getaway like Disneyland, right?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes find mine, widening in curiosity.

“Well, we’ve got a few dilemmas I think we can take care of with my grandmother dearest’s money. First, you were right—about the boys being more like me.”

“Oh, God in heaven. I am so sorry, Sasha!” Her eyes begin to well again with slick tears and she reaches for a napkin. I hadn’t told her on the phone because it needed to happen in person—another reason for this breakfast.

“Ang, it’s okay. We are dealing with it. I am not gonna lie; I didn’t tell you sooner because it hasn’t been easy at all. Shit’s been hard and Aiden even tougher, but I think we made some headway last night. Anyway, I don’t want you to worry.”

“Sash, I am worried. You don’t realize how close our kids are—Liz and Aiden especially,” she gently imparts.

“What do you mean? They’ve always been buddies; that’s nothing new.” Bringing my cup to my lips, I allow the warmth and herbal flavor to roll over my tongue, inhaling the steam as I go to intensify the experience.

“No, Sash, like really close.” She blows her nose as my eyes cut to hers.

“No,” is all I can manage.

“Yes, they’ve fallen for one another. It’s been coming, friend. The whole bunch has always loved, fought, and played like brothers and sisters, but those two have always been different with each other.”

“I said no!” I yell and jump to my feet, my cup falling from my hand to drench the padded carpet below as Molly comes in the room with a tray of fruit and cheese.

“Sasha, sit your ass down. There is nothing that we can do about it,” Ang scolds with a fierce hiss.

“This is unbelievable. This is what happens when I am locked away in a fucking prison, then swept up in trying to get my head right and deal with my husband’s family bullshit? My kid goes and falls in love with your kid and I don’t have a fucking clue? This? Really? In the midst of Christian’s illness and the boys impending change? You have no idea what this means! They can’t be together, Ang.” My heart leaps into my chest and my stomach drops to the floor.

“And why the hell not, Sasha? Is she not good enough for him? Is that what this is about?” Immediately on the defense, her instincts jump into overdrive.

“You know damn well that is not even the issue at all. You know I love your girls like my own!” Our voices are getting heated and beginning to draw attention as our respective momma bears growl. Etienne and Christian come from the dining room to poke their heads around the corner only to be shoo’ed away by Molly, standing guard.

“Why can’t our kids have a fraction of happiness in the midst of all this other shit going on?” Ang is suddenly in my face, nose for nose, a romantic fighting for fledgling love.

“They are vampires, Ang. They are going to turn and could die in the process. Then, if they even fucking survive—goddess willing—they will spend months learning to control themselves so that they don’t make a snack out of your girls!” I holler in anguish, the possibility of losing my kids washing over me and tearing me apart all over again. Ang’s arms drop to her side as her face freezes in an “oh” moment. “They are going to be dangerous, Ang. This world is not meant for humans. I would die a thousand, tortuous deaths if anything happened to you or your family because of me and mine. Don’t you get that?” My eyes dampen as her face screws up, ready to bawl.

“Why did you let me in then? God, this all sucks!” she wails and comes around the coffee table to collapse into my arms, the weight of world too much for either of us.