Fate Unchanged (Quinah & Norminah)

Chapter Fifty-Two

~

NORMANI

The ebony led Dinah to where everyone would be sleeping for the night. The beds weren't as comfortable as the ones back at the lake house, but they would still do the job. After getting settled in, everyone sat across from each other on their respective beds, Quincy and Adeya still floating in hyper sleep across the room. Solàna typed away on her laptop, making sure that they weren't followed, and that the hideaway was virtually nonexistent. Aiden was now awake, observing everything around him with wide, curious eyes. Normani smiled down at him as he locked eyes with Victoria and Kehlani, the couple beaming at the newborn before the ebony handed him over to them.

"Hey, little guy," Kehlani cooed. "I'm Aunt Lani. That's Aunt V."

"No wonder there are people going through this much trouble to find you," Victoria said in her baby voice. "You're so dang cute!"

Aiden cooed happily at the couple as they held him close. Normani chuckled at the sight before bringing Dinah into her body. She could feel just how exhausted the blonde was. Her body desperately needed to rest. The ebony held her close as she left a lingering kiss on the nape of Dinah's neck, the Poly melting into it as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. She then looked over to Quincy and Adeya.

"They'll be okay in hyper sleep for a few more hours?" she asked.

"They will," Normani replied. "Once they wake up, they won't remember a thing...you know, aside from Aiden being born."

The couple got comfortable on the bed before a beep was heard.

"It's HQ," Solàna announced. "I'll fire up the hologram so we can all see it."

An image of Aisha and Shay appeared in the middle of the room, Normani now at attention.

"Are you guys alright?" Aisha asked.

"We're safe," Normani confirmed. "We're at a hideaway point further up the mountain. We'll stay here 'til morning."

"Good," the chief of police said. "We did our best to track the men who came after you, but we found no traces of them."

"Are they military?" Kehlani asked. "Military men are the only people I know that can get their information wiped from the face of the earth...as if they never existed."

"They're too sloppy to be military," Shay thought aloud. "Too ruthless. Plus, they managed to touch down in the mountains almost as soon as Dinah gave birth, which tells me that they were already in the state, and that they knew about Dinah's pregnancy."

"That doesn't make any sense," Dinah said. "How could they have known that if we did everything possible to keep that hidden?"

Normani sat in deep thought before realization struck.

"The party..." she said.

Kehlani and Solàna locked eyes with her before realization hit them as well.

"Give us the rundown, Hamilton," Aisha asked.

"Every couple of years," the ebony began, "Daemon has a party at his estates for his immediate and extended family. Close business partners are the exception."

"You think these guys were family members?" Solàna asked.

"I'm not sure," Normani answered. "But I wouldn't deny that possibility. Callie said once Aiden was born, every vampire in the community would know. Daemon might be the exception of that, but only because Halle has him wrapped around her finger."

"If that's the case," Aisha said, "Then we'll need more members in position than just the four of you."

"We can't have too many," Solàna said. "It would make us too obvious. All we'll need is two more people, max."

"Any suggestions?"

Everyone sat and thought before Kehlani spoke up.

"I didn't want to bring her in," the tatted said, "but Vic could help out a lot. She can deescalate a situation, which is something we might need at this party.

Aisha nodded.

"Anyone else?"

"I can go in," a voice sounded from the hologram.

Solàna smiled at the sight of Melissa coming into view. The young model sent a wink Solàna's way before continuing.

"I can be the muscle. Can't let all this heavyweight lifting go to waste."

"We could definitely use her," Solàna chimed in.

She playfully rolled her eyes at the sight of Kehlani and Normani eyeing her knowingly.

"That's all we'll need, chief," Normani confirmed.

"Sounds good," Aisha said. "I'll have Melissa debriefed before she meets you all at the estate. And Dinah?"

The brunette looked at the hologram expectantly.

"Congratulations on your baby boy."

Dinah smiled before looking at her son, who was still eyeing Kehlani with all the wonder in the world.

"Hopefully you'll meet him real soon," the Poly said.

"All of you rest up and stay safe. We'll rendezvous back at HQ in the morning."

The transmission ended just as Aiden let out a yawn, stretching his tiny arms in the process.

"Someone's sleepy again," Dinah smiled, retrieving him from Kehlani before getting his bag.

Normani opened it and found a note inside, smiling as she read it. She handed it to Dinah before she read it as well.

Even though I'm not new to parenthood, this is my first time fathering a child who's half vampire. I wasn't really sure what to get for him, but I do know that vampires need blood to survive. So, with your moms' help, I got him some formula with one percent, purified blood. I wasn't sure how you felt about the idea of breast feeding yet, so I decided to play it safe. Of course, I got all the obvious stuff he'd need – diapers, blankets, binkies, all that good stuff. Adeya picked out a little teddy bear for him to snuggle with when he sleeps. Now that our family is getting bigger, I don't want us living apart from one another. It would mean the world to me and Deya if you moved in. Our lives would be that much more complete. A house is never a home without its queen. Ever since Mani died, I haven't felt at home much. But with you...I finally feel it again. You don't have to answer right away. I know with our little man just being born, you're not gonna want to move around too much. So, take your time in deciding.

I love you so much, Dinah Jane...always and forever...

Normani smiled at the letter as she saw Dinah's eyes get glossy. The ebony wouldn't be surprised if Quincy proposed to the brunette soon. She wasn't mad about that fact. It actually excited her. The idea of a three-way marriage was becoming more and more appealing to her. The sound of Aiden's cooing brought her out of her thoughts, watching him snuggle up next to his small bear as Dinah held him close. The ebony held the two of them close as everyone succumbed to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, one that they had to be prepared for...