Miriam jumped a little off the couch in surprise of how her unborn child had already grow so strong. She had thought she would have gotten used to it after a couple of weeks, but to her own surprise she had not.
“Are you alright?” Riley asked. His face showed the worry he has been showing as soon as he found out she was pregnant, “Do you need more food?”
In two steps he was already at the stove putting a big steak on a plate before she could answer his question. He knows food, meat in particular, calms the baby down.
“No, I feel fine for now. Ask again in twenty minutes though” Miriam looked into his big green eyes with a grin around her lips.
Riley studied her facial expressions while sniffing in the air so he could judge how her chemical balance was at the moment, making sure she was okay. She was sitting on the long couch piled up on pillows to support her enormous bump. Her head leaning backwards with her long black hair falling over the back of the couch. He smiled when he looked at her face. A blush coloured her pale skin, her eyes closed and her lips curled into a smile. She seemed to be relaxed and in no pain. He moved his eyes from her face to her enormous bump and noticed her caressing it gently while humming a lullaby to the baby inside of her. His baby.
With a sigh he turned his gaze back to the plate with the steak on it. With a quick move he just grabbed the steak and swallows it. His child? What would it look like? A werewolf is what the humans had named his kind.
“Riley Wulfe Jr, stop staring at me this very moment like you’re still hungry before I get off the couch and smack you around the head, that steak was supposed to be for me.”
With a big grin on his face he looks at her sheepishly, “You will have to be able to catch me first.” He laughed and leapt to stop in front of her as she tried to get off from the couch. He lifted her up quickly but gently before she could fall and sat her in the couch again.
“Miriam, love, you are unbelievable. First you fall in love with a werewolf, then you fall pregnant with his child and now as enormous as you are tries to outrun him,” He sighed, “I hope our little pup has your determination”. He stared into her eyes that turned from a loving to a furious look and frowned, “I was just teasing you, I won’t call our child a pup. I promise.”
She relaxed and rested her head against the back of the couch. He leaned his head over her bump to give it a kiss. He pulled back and listened to Miriam's breathing and heartbeat. She appeared to have fallen asleep. He rested his head on the bump.
“Be good for your mummy little one,” he whispered before falling asleep with a sigh.
Something was prickling his nose. An irritable smell. A familiar smell that had not been there for a while. And then he recognised the smell...vampires!
Riley abruptly lifted his head up. Quickly checking if he had not awaken Miriam. She was sleeping peacefully. He turned his head towards the front door, sniffing the air, focusing his hearing. They were getting closer to the house. How did they manage to find him?
He should have listened to his brother and stayed at home with Miriam in the safety of the family's basement. Instead he and Miriam had decided to stay at her house until the baby was born, just so it would be the two of them at the baby's birth. Intimate, without others around.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he quickly but gently picked her up off the couch and into his arms. He would take her to the attic if there was any danger. They could flee from there if needed. He walked up the stairs and opened the door.
Miriam opened her eyes, the sound of a door opening alerting her. She looked around and knew something was wrong. She looked up to his face and shivered when she saw the expression on it.
“What is going on?” the question burning in her eyes. He did not answer. “What is it Riley?” she asked, this time her voice firm. He did not look at her but answered her question
“Vampires,” he sat her down onto the bed. For the first time in her life she felt afraid. She had not been afraid when Riley had told her his secret because she knew he had a good heart and would not hurt anyone innocent. Vampires... the word itself made her shiver.
She tried to swallow, the fear was causing a lump in her throat and her voice seemed to come from far away as she asked, “Are they coming for us?”
“Yes,” he sensed her fear and added “but they will be dead before they have a chance to get to you.” She could feel his muscles tense next to her and a growl coming from his chest. He held her face between his hands gently pressed his lips to her forehead, tears trickled down his cheek.
“Miriam, love, stay here,” he started walking towards the door.
“But Riley...”
He stopped suddenly and raised his hand as she spoke, his back still to her.
“Please Miriam. Listen to me. Stay here. Do not come downstairs no matter what you may hear. My brothers should be here soon, they will be able to protect you when I no longer can,” his body was tensed and his hands turned into fists hanging next to his sides.
She felt the tears welling up into her eyes, “What do you mean?” Her voice was strangled as the tears caused her throat to tighten. “Are you saying you won’t be coming back?”
“I love you,” he whispered the words gently and let his hand fall by his side. He tensed his muscles all over his body and raised his head. His body rippled. He willed himself into his alternate form. The clothes on his body seemed to melt into him as his body enlarged and his skin hardened. Hair bristled all over, and sharp claws shot from his finger. His mouth pulled itself forward and teeth like razor blades glistened in the soft light of the attic. His back bent as the ceiling approached. In his hybrid form he was too tall to stand in the attic. He crouched down on his hands.
Suddenly he felt Miriam's hands on his back. She must have somehow managed to get off the bed while he was changing forms. He turned around slowly so he could face her. She hugged him around his waist, her fingers scratching his skin in between the coarse hairs.
“Please come back to us,” he could hear the despair in her voice.
He nodded once, turned around and was out of the attic in one jump, closing the door behind him
He waited anxiously in the living room for the vampires to show their faces. He could hear the footsteps coming closer and their smell was so strong now that it agitated him. There were at least three, possibly more, but there were three close to the door. The others might be waiting outside. He hoped his brothers would not take long. He could not handle even three by himself.
Then there was a short knock on the front door. Without warning the door flew off its hinges. So maybe the knock had been a warning, but he had expected them to wait for him to answer it. They glided into the room, their feet barely touching the ground. Shadows surrounded them, and they were wearing their traditional clothes, black silk shirts, black trousers, shiny black shoes and a long black cloak with a hood that hide their faces deep within its shadowy fold. He waited as the three of them entered, intent not to let them get the upper hand.
“Why are you here?” he asked followed with a low growl.
The vampire standing in the middle of the threesome lifted his head up, pulling his hood back so that it rested on his shoulders. He was slim, his skin very pale and his face had big crimson eyes. A smile seemed to unfold itself in the general region of his mouth. He was everything the myths said they should be. Except he had walked across the threshold uninvited. Stories were hardly ever true, but sometimes people used them to their advantage.
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“So it is true. He's here just like she had predicted. But...” the vampire looked around with a frown on his face, “where is the girl and the child?”
Riley stiffened and snarled loudly. How did they know about Miriam and the baby? He threw his head back, straightening his back and let out a loud howl. It would only be a matter of minutes now before his family was here.
Ignoring Riley the vampire on the left looked at the one who had just spoken not even bothering to reveal its face.
“Our Divinist said they would all be here”, his voice filled with anger.
“Calm now Stefano”, the vampire in the middle said. He turned his face to Riley, his lips curling into an evil smile before he moved his gaze to the door of the attic, “Our timing is perfect. It seems the child is still in its mother's womb,” He looked back at the vampire named Stefano and gestured to the stairs behind Riley.
“You know what to do Stefano. Kill the child. You can have the girl for dinner but save some for me before you kill her,” his voice was filled with amusement.
Riley watched the vampires carefully and lowered himself into a fighters crouch. They would come for him soon. How had they known about Miriam? A Divinist? They had one of those now. It had been so long since they had reared their ugly heads, so long that his family thought they had quickly sunk into oblivion.
Stefano shifted his weight and he moved with an unnatural speed, zigzagging towards the attic door. Riley's arm shot out and grabbed Stefano by the throat. The vampire might be fast, but Riley's reflexes were faster. The vampire stopped in its tracks as its feet were lifted off the ground. The other two vampires just stood and watched. Stefano clawed at Riley's huge hand as it tightened around his throat and lifted him into the air. His legs thrashed, kicking out at the werewolf.
Riley twisted and slammed the vampires head into the nearest wall. Stefano stopped struggling and became limp in Riley's grip. Riley watched for a moment though, to make sure he was unconscious. With vampires it was hard to tell, their hearts didn't beat fast enough for you to check the pulse, they barely beat at all. Same with the breathing. He couldn't wait around long enough to check if it was breathing. So he assumed the best and dropped Stefano lifeless on the floor.
Riley turned his head slightly and could hear his brothers coming from the howls in the distance. Then he turned his head back to the place where the three vampires had stood earlier to realise there was only one grimacing vampire sanding there. Where was the other vampire? The one who had not made any sound? The one still standing there smiled, and for the first time in its long life the smile reached its eyes.
“You know, Romulus, those red contact lenses really suit you.”
“Thank you. But don't you think you should start running?” Romulus pointed at the ceiling. Riley could see a small bit of smoke where the other vampire had gone through the roof. He had that ability? It wasn't something he had expected.
A scream came from the attic, the sound of it ran a shiver down his spine. Miriam!
He was up the stairs in one jump, pulling the door out of the wall. He stretched his head through the empty door frame. Across the room he saw Miriam sitting on the bed. Her face covered with fear, her neck stretched upwards, and her hands gripping the bedsheets in a white knuckled grip. Behind her sat the last of the three vampires, pulling her hair tight and running a long-nailed finger along her throat. Riley stiffened and snarled loudly.
“Take your filthy hands of my wife”, he growled angrily taking s step forwards.
The vampire just smiled at him and stretched his hand forward, holding his fingers up so Riley could see. He seemed to be examining them, twisting them in the soft light. Then he raked them across Miriam's bulging stomach, gouging lines into her flesh and tearing her dress to shreds. Blood started to flow down her soft skin.
Riley leapt forward as the vampire sank its teeth into the throat of his wife. He wasn't fast enough and could see the colour begin to drain from her face. He lashed out with a huge fist and collected the vampire in the side of the head. It lost its grip on Miriam and was flung across the attic, slamming back first into the far wall. One of its teeth had broken off in Miriam's neck and was still dripping blood. She looked pale.
Released from its grip Miriam fell into his arms. Her body covered in blood. So weak she could barely get the words out she said, “You came back to us. Like you promised. I love you.”
He would not have heard the words if he had not been a werewolf. Then she lost conscious. Her head fell sideways. Rage filled his head as he thought about his wife and child. He needed to get them away from here and into proper care.
“Riley, hand her over to me,” the voice came from the little window that led out of the attic. It was his brother Vaiko, and he was hanging onto the drainpipe on the side of the house. He did not hesitate and reached out to hand Miriam to him, kissing her on the forehead. As he was leaning out the window to hand Miriam over he felt a thump on his back and then a cruel laugh. Pain lanced into his neck as the vampire sank his remaining tooth through his skin.
He couldn't let go though, he had to make sure Miriam was safe. He could feel the vampire start to poison him by pumping its blood into his veins through his tooth. More was sloshing into his fur as the broken tooth pumped the blood as well. He wouldn't have long, once the vampire’s blood was in his system it was a matter of minutes before it stopped his heart. Maybe even seconds if he couldn't get the vampire off him.
“Take care of her and our child” he said as he finally managed to hand her to Vaiko.
Vaiko simply nodded and then disappeared into the dark, howling for his brother who was about to die.
He reached over his shoulder and grabbed the vampire by the head. Pulling him over his shoulder and dangling him in the darkness out the attic window.
The vampire grinned, “Lights out mongrel”
Riley tightened his hand breaking the vampires jaw before he snapped the vampire's neck. The body fell onto the floor. Unconscious. Not dead though, it would regenerate in a matter of hours. But it wouldn't be able to chase after Vaiko.
He could hear the tussle below. The rest of his pack were fighting and he was now sure there were more than three vampires. But Romulus was of the old ways, and would not go down easy. He would have brought plenty of vampires to make sure things went smoothly.
It was only a matter of moments before he could hear the howl that called for a full retreat. Either the vampires had an edge, or the werewolves had done what they could. All he had to do now was die. He could feel his veins start to tighten as the vampire’s blood made its way around his body.
He sank to his knees and then slid to the ground, his muscles burning with a cold so cold it seemed hot. His eyes started to feel painful. He blinked a few times. Footsteps sounded and his eyes closed. He opened them one last time to see Romulus standing over him.
“Damn I hate wolves,” Romulus said as he kicked Riley in the side of the head.
The whole world went black.