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I walked the doctor out of the bedroom and went to find Gabriel. I found him at the front of the yacht, holding the rails and looking into the abyss of the night.
“Gabriel, what’s wrong?” I asked. “Something impossible came true. Aren’t you happy? Do you realize what this means?”
Gabriel turned toward me with an awry expression on his face. “This means the prophecy was true.”
Chapter 21
"Prophecy?” I asked. “What prophecy?”
Suddenly, he returned to his old self and rushed to hug me. “Do not mind me. I was overwhelmed with excitement,” he said. “I always feared you would feel like something was missing when I told you we couldn’t have kids. But now the fates have blessed us. What a joyful moment.”
His words felt truthful, but his jubilance felt forced, especially after I witnessed his initial reaction. Still, I didn’t wish to start something I didn’t know how it would end. I planned to take things slowly and, in time, see where events would lead us. One thing I knew for sure, something wasn’t right. Be it his vampiric beast’s uncontrollable urges or something much deeper.
The following day, I called my parents, who were having dinner at their house, along with my aunts. Once they heard the news, a never-ceasing tirade of squeals spurted from my phone. Followed by Aunt Sue’s words: “I told you she’s gonna get pregnant as soon as possible.”
But Mom didn’t care what her sister mumbled. She was going to be a grandma, and that mattered most.
I also called Mei, who couldn’t believe it at first but was very happy for us. Her parents, who also heard the news, said they’d prepare a gift for when the baby arrived.
Gabriel returned to his usual self, though he upped his doting tendencies to a new level. If he could find a way for me to walk on pillows, he definitely would. His only adversary to his incessant preoccupation was me. No way was I going to sit on my bum all day and him going supersonic and bringing me strawberries in the middle of the ocean.
Unfortunately, he insisted on ending our honeymoon earlier as the rocking motion of the yacht would send me regularly to the bathroom. Though it was necessary, I felt quite saddened by the situation, with the only silver lining being Gabriel’s promise to return to the island and yacht next year with our baby.
The man knew how to negotiate with anyone, even with his cranky pregnant wife.
After returning to the castle, I mostly played with Shadow, went shopping for baby clothes, and slowly dwindled in boredom. Gabriel, though busy as always, noticed my apathetic state and came up with an idea. The following day, he brought Kira. She became my assistant, entertainer, and, eventually, my only friend at the castle.
The best part was she loved to talk, and sometimes she would share snippets of the vampire life. I was especially interested in finding out more about Gabriel’s life up until now, but I soon realized Kira was given orders not to speak on the subject ever.
Months passed, including the holidays, and my belly began to swell up like the bread Mama Nica loved to cook. Every morning and night, Gabriel would kiss me and my belly and talk to it about everything he planned on doing as a family once the baby got out. After discussing it, we decided to find the gender once the baby arrived. I didn’t mind it, as even the opportunity of having one made it seem like a miracle.
While spending time with me, Gabriel always adorned his signature radiant smile and looked overjoyed to do things together. But once he returned to his study, his mood always turned brooding. Gabriel never enjoyed anything except being with me. I didn’t exactly know what vampires did for a hobby, but Gabriel didn’t seem interested in anything besides work and spending time with me. Whenever I would surprise him with a visit, Gabriel always seemed preoccupied, somber, and deep in his thoughts, but once he saw my face, he would change immediately.
One time I visited the study and asked him while I sat on his lap, “How is it to have everything? You’ve seen the world in time, you’ve amassed a fortune, and we are finally together. Are you truly happy now?”
“Of course, my love,” he said. His words seemed genuine, but his eyes looked sad.
I couldn’t pinpoint the reason why since everything turned out as Gabriel planned. “Is there something bothering you?” I asked.
“Only that you’re not in your bed and resting.”
I knew he was deflecting the question, but I couldn’t force it out of him, so I played by his rule. “I was in search of a top masseuse around here. Do you, by any chance, know anyone with nimble hands?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” he said, smiling knowingly.
This usually ended in several ways, but never with me getting some sleep.
Once January hit, so did the pains of the final trimester. I could barely walk from the study to the bedroom. Gabriel would offer his supersonic help, but I always refused, arguing I needed exercise. Not an easy thing for Gabriel to accept.
In the following weeks, he was supposed to travel to London, so he assigned Shadow and Kira to keep me company. It was the first time he would leave for such a long time, but he promised if something happened, he would be back in just a few hours. It was then I felt ready enough to accept Kira as a close friend. Mei had been my only friend since forever, but she was far away, and I really needed someone to talk to.
One day while we were having breakfast, I asked her, “Gabriel told me humans had to choose to turn into a vampire. What was your reason?”
The question surprised her, making me think I might’ve been too intrusive. “I hope you don’t mind me asking such questions, and please don’t feel like you have to answer. Soon, I’ll probably turn too. And I’m curious about the whole process.”
“No worries, Milady.” Kira smiled. “I would love to tell you my story but be warned. It is not a happy one. I was but a young girl during WWII, living with my family in Poland. Dad was sent to war and never returned. Many of my younger brothers and sister had died of hunger or dysentery. In order to save our family, we fled to Czechoslovakia but eventually reached Romania, where my mother searched for a suitable man to marry me. I was but nineteen then and my family’s only hope. Mother met His Majesty at the funeral house alongside several other men and women. She thought he looked young and hopefully rich enough to save us all from famine.So she asked him if he would like to marry me.
“He looked at my mother’s desperate face and said he was already married but could be of help in another way. Without questioning anything, Mother accepted His Majesty’s offer. Little did she know, his offer was to turn me into a vampire. Once I entered his castle and realized what would happen to me, His Majesty remained an honorable man and gave me a chance to leave. I chose to stay. There was nothing good waiting for me out there. Unfortunately, when my mother saw me exiting his castle with silver eyes and white hair instead of blond, she ran away in terror. His Majesty said that I should get used to it, for when humans run away from us, it is a blessing in disguise.”
