Naomi

Shit.

Lanore was gone. And this was his fault- he should have been there, to protect her. This was his fault- he’d been late, and now she was gone. He had to find her. Get her back. God knows what they would do to his Lanore if he didn’t. Raising his nose to the sky, he checked the air for a scent trail. He caught the faintest trace of her scent, blown by the breeze. His lips pulled over his sharp teeth, a snarl ripping from his throat. They weren’t messing around, obviously. This was going to suck. A brisk September breeze blew, ruffling the dark brown hair, slightly drying the liquid brown eyes, though it was nothing a blink couldn’t fix.

He stood in the middle of the road- the late night sky was pitch black, sprinkled with yellow stars. A waning moon was the centerpiece, the star of her own show. Even if she was lonely, with just her millions of children for company. There was not any other source of light, except for a lone street lamp. The river rushed by, it’s dark waters appearing warm and inviting, though he knew the truth of its cold clutches. It had been years ago, but the memory was still fresh in his mind. It couldn’t fool him. Keeping his distance, another irate growl escaped his throat.

Aiden struggled for a second. To think like them. Where would he have taken her, if he was them? A small idea popped into his head. It was a long shot, but it might be worth it.

Using his mind to transport himself to the destination in mind, he swept over the area. Nothing. Not a damn thing except for a few horses roaming in their pasture. One looked at him, pinning its ears back. Trotting as close to Aiden as the fence would allow, the horse strained his neck, then gave up at any attempts to drive off the intruding male with brute force. The black and white returned to his harem of mares, but didn’t relax his posture, his eyes trained on Aiden, daring the man to try and enter his territory. Aiden ignored the horse, walking towards the barn. A barn would certainly be a good place for torture. Especially one in which the victim has (or had) felt comfortable in her whole life. Lots of privacy, so no one can hear those annoying screams. They excite you at first, but after a while, they just ring in your ears, and not in a good way. At least Lanore wasn’t human. That should be able to help her survive long enough for him to find her. Goddamnit all to hell and back again. It was hard to force yourself to stay calm when your adrenaline is pulsing through your veins, and the voice in the back of your head is urging you forward, to find your woman and kill the abductors.

This was like a cliché Vampire romance novel. The damsel in distress gets taken, leaving the ‘hero’ (more like love interest) to track down and beat an impossible foe, all because ‘love conquers all’. Bull shit.

Reality check folks- when the big dogs fight, it gets real ugly, real fast (Wasn’t there a saying that when great dogs fight, a small dog gets the bone?). Just because you love someone hard enough, doesn’t mean you’ll be able to make it through the trials of Hell and walk out the other side with your lover. You might make it out alive, but she may be dead. Or he. Depending on your preference.

There where not any screams, or at least, none that he could hear. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Aiden hauled the large barn door open. It was your classic American barn, red with white trim, a rooster thing on the top to tell you where the wind is blowing, or something. The beams above where home to numerous spider webs. A rat scurried to its hidey hole. There was a loft where the hay and tack and all that other good stuff was kept. Man, one match and this place would light up like well, a haystack. A few horses snorted nervously, pawing the ground. A whinny sounded out, but nothing else.

Deciding not to waste precious time, he closed the door, than looked elsewhere.

As the clock tick-tick-tick-ticked, the non-existent walls started to close in on Aiden. Every second wasted was a second that put Lanore –and the baby- in danger. And that was not something he could afford. There was only one last place where he could think of, before he would allow himself to panic.

The park was dark, other than the street lamps that littered the sidewalks. The first thing that came to mind was the significance of the park. The exact spot he was standing in, to be specific. Standing where we first locked eyes. He thought to himself. The second thing was that there was a lot of blood in the air. It hit him like a sledge hammer to the gut, and he fought to not drop to his knees when the blood registered. Lanore. Frantically searching the area, he saw her- if it wasn’t for his enhanced sight, he might of missed her. Aiden cautiously approached her, not exactly knowing how she would respond while in pain, especially with a child to protect. He knew how these instincts work. The urge to defend your next generation, even at the cost of your own life. Her violently red hair was underneath her, as if she’d been laid there gently after her assault. His heart caught in his throat at the sight of her- torn to hell, covered in blood. She looked so small and helpless.

He snarled viciously, a primal swell of rage building inside him, threatening to erupt. He dropped to his knees beside her. Picking her head up gently, he was then aware she was still alive. Barely.

“Lanore…” He trailed off… what was he going to tell her? That wasn’t some sort of retarded cliché. You’ll be fine. It’s just a flesh wound. Whatever. It was a load of crap and she knew it. They both knew she wouldn’t make it. This was just… there where no words to describe the feelings he was suffering. He heard the steady, though slowing, thumping of both Lanore and the baby’s heart beat.

“Aiden… the baby…” she forced out, coughing up blood and gasping a bit.

“Will be fine, I promise. I’ll wait until-” He cut off, not wanting to say it. There was a silent understanding between the two that she was dying, and nothing could change that. At his words, her fiery spirit kicked back into gear- that couldn’t be good. She had that look that she always wore when she was about to strong-arm him into something. Her way or the highway.

“No.” She growled. “Do it. Now…. Every… second… after I die… the baby… won’t… make it… Do it.” She commanded. “I’m in too much pain… as it… is… a little more… won’t matter… in the … long run….” Lanore fought to get the words, even though her body clearly was protesting against her speaking. One of his hands slipped under her neck without him telling it too. Stroking the back of her neck, she slightly relaxed at his touch, the way she always did. She probably would have made that odd little noise at he back of her throat that she always made, that sounded like a content purr, if it wasn’t for the stress it’d put on her vocal cords. The other made its way slowly across her swollen belly. He looked into her emerald eyes as his claws did their job, and she didn’t even seem to register the additional pain. He had to fight to tear his eyes away from hers, just long enough to pull out the baby. Just because he knew she was dying, and had accepted it, didn’t mean he had to like it in the slightest. His blood ran cold when he heard the sudden drop in Lanore’s heart rate. He seemed momentarily shocked when he saw the baby, as though he wasn’t entirely certain about what he was looking at. Still attached to Lanore through the umbilical cord, it had no reason to cry yet.

“It’s a girl.” He whispered, though he was certain she could hear him, even if she was too far gone. He felt his anger dissipate at the sight of the little girl. It would come back eventually, and he’d be compelled to get his revenge. And there would be hell to pay.

“Naomi…” He barely heard the name escape her. Lanore’s heart slowed, and stopped. He cut the cord from Naomi, and the baby cried, clearing her lungs of the fluids she’d lived on for nine months.

She slowly blinked, looking at him with blue eyes; the faint little wisps of hair on her head promised that she'd have hair as red as her mothers.

“Naomi.” He repeated after his dead mate. He held the baby girl close to him, pulled his female to him as well, protecting both from the September chill.