Dracula's Groom

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN: A Celebration Interrupted

Dracula

At forty five thousand feet there wasn't even a hint of turbulence. It was smooth sailing from here on out. I sat in the cabin with a firm drink in my hand as I took a sip and tried to contemplate my life as a daddy. The word sounds foreign to me but I know deep down that I should feel excited, if not more. I sat down the empty glass as I waved the flight attendant over and kindly asked that she refill my drink.

"Make it a double." I said and she nodded, turning to leave towards the front of the plane.

"Please tell me you're not planning on getting drunk tonight," Nathan said coming from the bedroom, holding the baby in his arms.

"I'm not. I'm quietly celebrating. There's a difference."

"Right. And that makes drink number three, does it."

I waved him off as he sat down on the couch across from me. "How's she doing?"

"Sleeping like the dead. A trait she must've inherited from her father, no doubt."

"Damn straight. About time that girl gets some of my gene's."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I want to make an appointment with Dr. Sweet as soon as we land."

"Okay. I'll set it up."

Just then the flight attendant returned with my drink. She bent over, the ample of her cleavage peeking through the top button of her shirt. Her proud breasts pressed tightly together as I noticed the vein in her neck throbbing just below the surface. She wanted me to bite her; to drink from her. I sucked in a breath and could smell the scent of blood nearby, coming from my drink. I tried to reason with her, but it was Nathan who spoke up first as he handed me the baby.

Wrapping his fingers around her ponytail, he yanked her head back and exposed his fangs. I stared at him with wide eyes and a raging hard on. The instant his fangs bit in her smooth, tender flesh I nearly came. Barely a peep was uttered from the flirty flight attendant as Nathan drank deep. When he finished, he let the body slip from his grasp as she landed on the floor. She was alive, but barely.

Nathan didn't seem to mind as he wiped the blood from his lips with his tongue and retracted his fangs. "Feeling better are we?" I asked.

He pursed his lips, glancing down at the half-dead girl. "Much better."

A shift in balance turned my attention to the little bundle of joy in my arms. The baby's tiny hands emerged from the safety of the blanket as she yawned and tried to stretch, her eyelids fluttering rapidly. Then when they opened, I was forced to suck in a breath as the sheer shock slammed into my body like a bullet. Her eyes were truly beautiful. The deepest green imaginable. One look and I was already captivated.

Nathan came over and sat on the armrest. "Aww. She likes you. I think you've stolen her heart, babe."

"Yeah." I whispered. "The feeling is mutual."

A half hour later we arrived home safe and sound. With no nursery yet to speak of, the baby slept on a pillow in a drawer that we placed on top of the nightstand next to our bed. The setting was only temporary while Nathan spent the rest of the night picking out things like the crib, the changing station and the rest of the furniture. While I stayed in the room and gave our daughter a bath.

Afterwards, I dried her off and placed her back in the blanket as she went to sleep. When I turned to walk away, I felt a tug on my arm as I glanced at the tiny hand holding onto my finger. "Ah shit," I muttered. "I'm in trouble now."

"Yeah you are," Nathan replied, standing in the doorway. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"Why hasn't she connected with you yet?"