Conclave (Hypernaturals 3)

Rachel's Favor

When I exited the room, Rachel waited for me.

"Adrian." She started, then fought with something for a second. "Adrian. I need to ask a favor."

"Anything." I replied. Kissing Helen, feeling her vital life under my lips did a great deal to pull me from my distance. I am out of my head enough to hear the plea in Rachel's voice.

Rachel regarded me seriously, with some nervousness "I know one child can never replace another. That this loss will be with you and Helen always."

I wasn't going to let her pretend she lost nothing today. "And you, Rachel. You as much as I. You may not show a great deal of emotion, being all professional news person and all, but you wanted this baby too. It is our baby we lost."

In the same way that one cannot lie to me about some things, I could suss out other truths via my senses. When Rachel talked about the baby, I could sense her happiness. Her satisfaction. Those have scents too.

Rachel gave a quick half sob, put a hand on my shoulder to steady herself, regained control quickly. I reached out to make sure she is steady. I wish I knew how she is doing it. "I did. More than I knew. As did Helen."

Rachel looked over at the door of the room, raw emotions etched across her features that are painful to observe. That she is not hiding them from me an honor. "Yes: Helen wanted that child far more than she knew, too."

I know Rachel knew this, but it bore repeating. "I may have had mixed feelings about how Helen got pregnant. I never had them about the baby."

Rachel smiled wanly "I am sorry to say I have mixed feelings about that too. You'd think after all these years it would be something I am past, and about most women it is. Just not Helen." Rachel held my eyes to let me know how serious she is. "When the time comes, and Helen is ready, would you cooperate in giving her another child?"

It cost Rachel a great deal to ask me that, so I felt cruel but I needed to ask. My turn to hold Rachel's brown-eyed gaze. "You want me to sleep with your girlfriend and get her pregnant again? Really? Truly?". The last words are not challenges of any kind. I need her to be sure she knows what she is asking. Like I am somehow the old experienced one here. It is perhaps laughable in retrospect.

Rachel smiled and made a small joke. "I am not concerned about the sleeping part. Only that you have sex with her." She gestured vaguely in the direction of the garage. "I suppose there are other ways to get her pregnant, what with that quite amazing medical suite you have over there, but we don't really know everything about how this happened, and, no offense, I am not worried about losing her love to you."

The corners of my mouth turned up. "No offense taken. In the Vampire world, I am not sure one loses love without being a complete asswipe. I mean, doing something that makes you unloveable. I am learning it is possible to love more than one person at a time. Even prickly cantankerous blondes" I took a deep breath. Filed my reservations away. "The blonde we both love. When this is all over, and she is ready. If she wants it, then of course. Absolutely."

Rachel looked back at the door to the room very sadly. "Of course" she agreed very quietly. After a pause, she added,"You are a very unusual man, Adrian."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. Lots of men like me out there, other than the fact they are not Vampires and all that kind of thing."

I looked at Rachel. The tension in her muscles. The set of her jaw. Saw the anger and the control. I proceeded to say a very male thing. It surprised me, even as it is true down to its core. "We'll never get that baby back, or the simple happiness of that surprise, but we'll get the King. We will. I promise. We'll have a happy family, Rachel. A weird, Vampire style extended one, but a happy family. We might break a few Vampire, human, and gods know what else, rules along the way, but we are going to do it. It's my only goal now. It's how I am putting one foot in front of the other."

Rachel looked at me, a faraway warmth shining from the depths of her control. "I like that goal. It is mine as well."

I leaned over the balcony, saw Jessica looking up expectantly. Vampire hearing. She heard everything we are talking about. I waved her up.