Club Angel's Kiss

“Amber, dearest.” A strong hand grabbed my arm and shook, “Amber, can you wake up? We’re on the road leading to home.”

Home. How soothing and wonderful that sounded after the scarring dreams -- no, nightmares -- that made my quick nap a complete hell. So my nap only lasted about two minutes, but that was more than enough time for my mother to sneak in my head and leave images of dead babies in her wake.

The rest of the forty-five minute drive was spent with my eyes closed, listening to Jimmy talk to Daniel animatedly and answering random questions as I focused on the sounds of my family’s minivan (that we stole) moving over the cold, Chicago streets.

Only a few moments ago, the car had come to a complete standstill. But I did not want to open my eyes and face the coven…or Zacky. I had a distinct doubt that we wouldn’t be welcomed back with open, awaiting arms.

“Mama,” I felt Daniel climb into my lap. He put his tiny hands on my cheeks. “Mama, we’re at a really big house? Is this where the vampires are?”

I opened my eyes. Daniel’s face was only inches from mine and a huge, excited smile was place on his lips.

“That is right, kiddo!” Jimmy chuckled. “This is where your Mama is a queen to all the temperamental, nasty vampires.”

Daniel suddenly went pale. “Nasty?”

I smacked Jimmy’s arm and unbuckled my seatbelt. “Wow, Jimmy Boy. You’re going to make one hell of a father.” I pushed my car door open and climbed out, Daniel clinging to my neck for dear life.

Jimmy scrambled out of the driver’s side. He circled the car in seconds to stop at my side.

I opened the back door of the van, where Lavender and Joel were.

“Father? Uhm, no.” Jimmy laughed, shaking his head. “I gave up all hopes of being a father when I joined these insane vampires in their quest to live immortally.”

“Insane?” Daniel squeaked.

I looked pointedly at the quiet children in the back of the car. He shook his head, obviously confused as to what I was saying. Slowly, I set Daniel on the ground.

Why didn’t it make sense? I thought it was evident.

I unbuckled Joel’s car seat. “I didn’t bring these children here so I could take care of all three of them. I brought them here to keep them safe, and to give me coven a chance to have children when being a vampire killed their chances.”

“Jett.”

“And you.” I pulled Joel from the car and extended him out to Jimmy. “Johnny told me how you had to leave your pregnant fiance because you joined the coven. I wanted to give you a second change. Let you - and Rave - have the baby you had to leave.”

Jimmy gently took Joel. His face changed immediately from the familiar, joking, fun loving and trouble making Guardian to something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, to complete confusion.

I pressed my lips together.

“I feel like I should thank you.” He shifted Joel onto his hip. “But this isn’t right, my Queen. You took children away from people, from humans, who deserve to have babies. Unlike us, what we are. Vampires. We’re no better than your mother.”

“Yes, you are!” I cried. “You wouldn’t eat your own son, would you? Killing Joel would never cross your or Rave’s mind. I can guarantee that. Besides, these children were foster children. Their parents didn’t want them.”

“You still took them away from a foster agency who could have given them to humans who desperately wanted children.”

I raked my hand through my hair. “Listen, I did this because I love my coven. I love you and Rave, I love Jett and Brian. You four have waited long enough to have a normal life. And, as my first step as the real queen, I want to give you what you never had, what you had to give up to become a vampire.”

Jimmy repositioned Joel to his hip and fell silent. He mulled over my words quietly, staring at the ground.

I carefully removed Lavender from her car seat as well. I cradled her in my left arm and leaned into the van. My hand searched beside the seats. Finally, I touched the rough patchwork of the baby bags.

I grabbed the bags and yanked them from the car.

Anger was welling up inside me again.

“Amber.”

“What?” I slung the bags over my shoulder. “Are you upset with me? Because I kidnapped foster children? Are you going to hate me just like everyone else? I‘m beginning to think that I should have stayed at home and let Mom destroy me.”

“No.” Jimmy slipped his free arm around my neck, pulling me into a cautious hug. “I can’t be upset with you when you have proved to be the best addition to this coven in so many years. Thank you.”

I leaned against his chest. “You’re welcome.”

He pulled away.

I slammed the van door closed and walked around Jimmy toward the house.

Jimmy felt into step beside me, Daniel directly at my heels. Things were silent for the most part as we marched up to the front stairs, all except Joel who was crying a little. Probably from being woken up.

Grabbing Daniel’s hand, I jaunted up onto the porch and gripped the doorknob. I took a long, deep breath. My hand shook, but I slowly pushed it open anyway.

A beautiful sense of calmness watched over my body. All bad thoughts and pictures that previously haunted me, disappeared. I knew this feeling. It was the sentiment of being home, back in the place that I loved the most.

Although I had only spend a single day at the Sanders’ mansion, it wasn’t exactly the house had held significance in my heart.

The people inside did.

I stepped over the threshold. “Welcome home,” I breathed. “Well, Daniel. What do you think. This is your new home from now on.”

“It’s big,” he answered in awe.

Jimmy slammed the door behind us loudly. I dropped the bags on the floor, switching Lavender to my other arm.

“Yes, I’m home,” Jimmy muttered.

I sucked in a loud breath. He was obviously responding to a question, more than likely by Zacky. He was surely going to be mad because I came back, after he dropped me at my house…and after he failed to notice whom he was leaving me with, the bastard.

Oh-ho! Did I have some things to say.

“Brian, Jett, Rave, come here,” Jimmy said, grinning. “I need to show you something.”

I glanced down at Daniel. His bright eyes were traveling all over the white room in obvious amazement. It was quite hysterical, actually.

I poked the top of his head with my index finger. He glanced up at me quickly. I smiled, and he lifted his arms. I bent and hoisted him onto my empty hip.

“Do you like it here?” I whispered.

Daniel nodded. “I love it. It’s…pretty.”

“Mhm. Much bigger than our old house.”

The sound of quick footsteps made me look up to the winding staircase. Rave came dancing into view from the second floor. At first, she smiled at Jimmy. That faded when she saw the other people standing around him.

Her eyes flickered from me to Daniel, then back to me.

“My--!”

“SHHH!” I interrupted.

“He can’t know,” Jimmy whispered.

At least, not right now. I wasn’t prepared to be screamed at.

Rave slapped her hand on the railing and jumped. Daniel gasped. Of course, he had reason to gasp. A relatively small, hyper girl just jumped at least seven feet off a staircase. A human would probably not be able to withstand that.

Nonetheless, Rave landed gracefully on the wooden floor. It was weird. No, creepy how she landed flat on her feet in the absolute perfect stance, then kept walking in the next second like she had simply stepped down a few inches and not complete feet.

Daniel slowly looked up at her.

Rave trotted up to me and laid her hands on my shoulders.

“Zack told us we were without a queen from now on. He left you with your mother, right?” Her voice was extremely low, to where I would be the only one to hear her. “So, why are you here? Why are you back?”

“Not my mother,” I whispered. “A monster. Cassariah made her into one of them, a bloodthirsty, rampaging monster.”

Rave gasped. “You are shitting me!”

I shook my head. “And Cassariah kidnapped my elder brother after they went out on a date.” A sigh slipped passed my lips. “It’s…hard…for me right now.”

“I know, sweetheart, I know!” She moved her arms around my body to give me a hug, but, feeling the sudden change, Lavender let out a loud cry. Rave jerked away.

I deposited Daniel on the floor and rocked Lavender back and forth, patting her back rhythmically.

Rave scrunched her nose. “Why are their children here?” Her eyes switched from me to Lavender, to Daniel, and Joel, still situated in Jimmy’s arms.

“Only one good thing came out of this,” I explained, “and…Jimmy, would you like to tell her?”

Jimmy laughed shortly.

Rave sidestepped to her mate, her eyebrow raised and head cocked. Her expression silently demanded to be let in on the little secret.

“Amber’s mother was a foster agent…”

I zoned out. Jimmy’s explanation fell on deaf ears for all I could see was Jett standing in the kitchen archway, her eyes set on the whining bundle in my arms.

She looked…angry, and yet surprised.

Slowly, I walked across the floor boards. I took my time and bided her reaction, making sure she wasn’t going to completely flip out at the sight of the Lavender.

She hadn’t ripped me to shreds by the time I was two feet away, so I closed the gap.

“Jett,” I murmured. “Remember the conversation about babies? The day before yesterday?”

I got a nod in response.

“This is for you.” I held out Lavender. “She is for you. Her name is Lavender Lynn. She is a foster baby for my mother’s foster agency. I saved her today, when I realized my mother was longer a mother. I immediately thought of you.”

Jett slipped Lavender into her left arm. She pushed the blankets out of the baby’s face. Her thumb stroked over her soft cheek.

Much to my dismay, Lavender looked up at Jett’s glowing face and ceased her bawling.

Jett could make her daughter stop crying by just looking at her? For the first time ever?!

Please be happy, please be happy.

“You are…an angel, Amber. You’re, you’re--” Jett slapped her hand over her mouth to suppress a dry sob. She dropped to her knees, heaving tearless sobs, all the while cradling Lavender.

I ran my hand over her hair. Honestly, I didn’t know how to calm a hysterical woman, vampire or not! So, I petted her hair from where I stood with Daniel ducked behind me.

“Jett? Jett!” Brian bolted in from the backdoor. “What’s wrong? What the hell happened?”

I remained silent, having no true answer to give him.

Brian gripped Jett’s hips and pulled her to her feet. He whipped her around.

With a hiss, Jett yanked from his grip. “You’ll wake her!”

“What? Wake who?”

“The baby.” She looked pointedly at Lavender. “Our new baby, thanks to Amber. Her name is Lavender.”

Brian glanced quickly at me. I grinned.

I half-expected him to freak out or at least question me, but he didn’t. Instead, he simply smiled and nodded, as if he understood what I was doing and why I was doing it. He knew that out conversation yesterday had a major reason for it.

We broke eye contact.

He went back to ooh-ing at the baby, and I turned on my heel.

Rave had stolen Joel from Jimmy and was playing with him in the floor, making him laugh like a hyena while Jimmy watched on like a true father would watch his wife and toddler child.

My first Queenly obligation was now fulfilled. I heightened the lives of four loved ones, gave them children. The last thing on my mental list involved Zacky, myself, and our son.

I looked at Daniel’s little face. He smiled.

“You made people happy, Mama,” he said.

“I know I did.” I heaved Daniel back into my arms. “Except us, honey.

Daniel rested his head on my shoulder. “What do you mean? Are you okay, Mama?”

“I don’t know, Daniel,” I answered honestly. “I’m just a little…sad. I don’t know if Zack will be happy to see me. He wanted me to stay away from here.”

Daniel poked my cheek.

I patted his back and sighed.

My heart pounded against my ribcage. It felt hard to breathe. I didn’t want to face Zacky. I was not prepared to stare a possible heartbreak in the face, especially with Daniel on my hip.

How could I subject him to that? How could I make him watch his new parents scream at each other? He would be scarred already! After being in the family for a total of five minutes, the poor boy could maybe receive mental issues.

What a terrible mother I already made.

I blew out a loud breath.

“He might not even want you here, or Joel or Lavender. Who knows.”

“But…he’s supposed to be my new dad, right? Why…why wouldn’t he want be my dad?” Daniel’s voice broke. “Why?”

“Don’t cry, sweetheart.” I rocked him gently back and forth. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Everything will be fine.”

First onset of mental issues? Check.

“Would you like to go meet him? Hmm? Maybe he will be glad to see us, and you. You never know until you try.”

Daniel nodded.

I slipped away from the love fest and dragged myself onto the first step. Something stopped me, though. It felt like someone was watching me, staring me down, trying to freak me out so I would run.

Instead, I raised my head to look to the top of the stairs where Zack stood, hands on either one of the walls, staring at Daniel and me like we were unwanted murderers.

“Zee!” I gasped, hoping this would gain the attention of the other coven members around me.

“Amber, why are you here?” Zacky said in a low growl.

I took a step backwards onto the floor of the living room. “I-I, uh.” Why was I back here? Shit!

“I thought I made it clear that you were not to come back here. It owed you away for your own safety!” His voice was dripping with ferocity and anger. “Why are you here, Amber?! And why have you dragged children into this?”

“Stop yelling,” I demanded. “Not in front of my son, please.”

“Then you shouldn’t have brought him here!”

“Stop!” I backed away from the stairs. “Stop yelling! Stop being evil! You haven’t heard my story yet, Zacky. You have no clue what I had to go through after you dropped me with my mother!”

Jimmy and Brian joined me on either side. Daniel shrank closer to me, hiding his face.

Zacky swooped down the stairs and stopped at the bottom.

“Tell me.”

I turned to Jimmy and held Daniel out. Jimmy brought the boy to his arms. I nodded toward the kitchen, and they, getting the message, rushed Jett, Rave, and the babies away from the war site, leaving Zack and me alone.

“Why are you back here?” Zacky growled.

“Why did you abandon me?” I responded.

“I took you home because I thought that was what you wanted. I did it because I loved you, Amber, and I wanted you to be happy, dammit.”

I clicked my tongue in aggravation. “I came back because you left me with a psycho vampire! Cassariah bit my mother! Mom ate her way through my father and ten foster children! Jimmy barely made It in time to save me and the only three children left.”

Zacky took one step closer. I copied him.

“She almost killed you?”

“Yes, and then I threw up, but that’s beside the point!” I let out a frustrated cry. “And what the hell do you mean ‘loved’ me?”

“I loved you.” He shrugged. “The night I decided to take you home, I convinced myself that I would be fine without you. I made myself fall out of love, in a way.”

My jaw dropped open. “You bastard?”

Zacky moved in front of me. “Or at least I thought I did.”

Tears sprang to my eyes.

Asshole, heartless vampires! Why did I even want to come back here, where I knew I wasn’t wanted?

“Do you know how fucking hard the passed day has been?” I whispered, shaking. “You’re my everything, my soul mate. I cannot live without you. And now you don’t feel the same.”

“Or at least I thought I did,” he repeated. “Last night was the hardest decision I had to make in my entire, long life. And today…was terrible. Every time I turned around, I expected you to be there. I expected you to be sitting in the kitchen, eating your disgusting human food, or see you sprawled out, asleep, like always.”

He grabbed my upper arms.

“I wanted to kiss you, to watch you get dressed, and hear your laugh. I needed to listen to you say my name, hear how you say it in your own special way, how you sound like I’m some kind of Saint, like your life depends on it.”

“It does…Zacky.”

In a split second, his lips crashed into mine. Instinctively, I circled my arms around his neck and returned the kiss with every inch of anger and sadness I had bottled up inside my body.

Zack seemed to be doing the same. His fingers dug into my arms. It felt like he wanted to crush me, but he was restraining deeply.

The tears from earlier started falling. Everything fell on my shoulders at once, and the thought of Adam suddenly rushed into my head. I still didn’t know anything about his whereabouts. He could be dead, and I would have no clue about it.

I sobbed, pulling away, breaking the kiss.

Zacky ran his hand over my cheek. “Amber, what’s wrong? Wh-why are you crying?”

I buried my face in my hands, my entire body beginning to tremble. I couldn’t answer…I could barely breathe, in fact.

Zacky grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

I took a step away, ducking under his arms.

“Why are you crying?!”

“A-A-Adam,” I wailed. “Cassariah…took him. I d-don’t know w-where he is! He’s gone! I think he might be d-d-….dead.”

“Adam?” Zacky ran a hand through his hair. “Your elder brother?”

I nodded.

Zacky made a face.

I wiped the backs of my hands across my cheeks. Another sob slipped my lips, and I came extremely close to collapsing on the floor, but I managed to step back and sit down on the end table beside the couch.

I laid my shaking hands against my bare knees.

“Did Cassariah tell your mother where she took Adam?”

“I don’t know!” I cried. “I wasn’t exactly going to risk it and ask my bloodthirsty mother a series of questions involving Adam.”

Zack reached out to touch my hand. “You have no proof that he’s dead.”

“Yes, I do! He was taken by Cassariah, the person who killed Inez and Matt. She would have no hard time killing someone she doesn’t even know. Someone who loves the one she despises most…me.” I cast my eyes to the ground.

Poor Adam. My imagination couldn’t begin to fathom what he must -or had- been growing through. And it was my fault, yet again. Just like Matt. All my fault. His death would forever hang on my shoulders…

Oh, eternity sounded so sweet, didn’t it? Obsessing over those that died on my behalf. I could smell Schizophrenia coming on shortly.

I choked back my urge to sob again.

“We’ll get him back,” Zacky whispered. “I promise. Anything to make you happy again.”

“Okay, okay.” I coughed. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what?”

“Like the fact that you have not met your son yet.”

Zacky grinned. “Can I meet him? Now?”

“Sure!” I jumped off the end table. “Daniel, come here! Come meet your new father!”