But Luca worried that Samantha’s usually fair skin looked a lighter shade of pale. Despite her best attempts to hide it from him, he could sense she was suffering from malaise. It didn’t make sense. He was very careful with their blood exchanges, ensuring that he never drank too much from her and that she’d always drank his in return. Energizing and virile, his blood should have had her blushing pink with vitality.
Deciding to surprise her he lit the candles in their room, turned on soft music and lay naked on the bed, awaiting her presence. Fifteen minutes went by before he lost all patience. Annoyed, his worry rose yet again. Stubborn woman, must still be cooking when she doesn’t need to do that. What she needs to do is rest.
Sliding on a robe, he exited the bedroom and spotted Samantha lying still on the floor. He felt a surge of an emotion he’d long forgotten, terror. Had she fallen down the stairs? Was she alive? He breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her normal heartbeat. Rushing to her side, he scooped her up into his arms. “Samantha, darlin’. Come on baby. Please wake up,” he begged.
Slowly Samantha’s eyes fluttered open. “Ummm….what happened? How’d I get here?”
“Dear Goddess, I’m so glad you’re awake. What happened? Are you in pain? I’m calling a doctor.” He knew doctors existed who served supernaturals. Kade had called for one who’d checked him out after he’d been kidnapped. He reached for his phone and frantically flipped through his contacts list looking for the number.
“No, Luca. I don’t need a doctor. Please just call Ilsbeth; she can look at my aura. I think it must be the magic. Something’s wrong. I’ve been using a lot of energy when I’ve been training. I told you it was exhausting. I just need to close my eyes and rest,” she insisted.
There was no way in hell he was letting a witch diagnose his wife-to-be. Sure, he’d call her, but he was also calling the doctor. “Okay, stay here. I’m going to go get your robe, a glass of water and make the call. Don’t move,” he ordered.
After calling both the doctor and Ilsbeth, he phoned Sydney and Kade to ask them to come over. They waited outside his front door for the doctor to arrive. Within thirty minutes, Kade escorted the doctor downstairs. Luca was surprised to see how young the woman doctor was, given that he had no recollection of her from when he’d been ill.
She extended her hand. “Good day, I’m Dr. Sweeney. Do you think we could move the patient into the bedroom so I could take a closer look at her?”
“Certainly.” Luca gently cradled a sleeping Samantha in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and pulled a sheet up over her.
Ilsbeth poked her head into the bedroom, having come in late. “May I stay, Luca?” she asked quietly.
Luca shot her a look of irritation, blaming her ‘training’ for Samantha’s health issues. “Come in, but let the doctor work,” he growled.
Luca and Ilsbeth watched patiently as the doctor took blood and pulled out her small lab kit. “Exactly how long has she been dizzy?” the doctor asked.
“This is the first time she’s passed out. She never even told me she felt sick. I noticed she was pale upstairs, and I insisted she rest. Right before you got here, she said she’d been exhausted from her training with Ilsbeth,” he sneered. “Did you have to work her so hard?”
“Magic would never do this, Luca. If anything, she should be getting stronger, healthier. She’s been taking your blood. I can see it in the brightness of her aura. In fact, her aura is the healthiest I’ve ever seen it. Quite extraordinary, really. It’s almost iridescent. It’s almost as if she’s…” Ilsbeth shook her head, not wanting to speak without the doctor’s consent. It was not her place to tell Luca what she suspected. Deciding to leave the room, she left him and the doctor to work alone.
Samantha slowly woke up, hearing voices in the room, and was surprised to find herself a specimen under several pairs of peering eyes. “What’s going on?” she said with a hint of annoyance. “Oh my God. Did you call a doctor? I told you that I’m fine. I just need rest. You took blood?” She looked down at the band aid on her arm. Irritated with the unnecessary attention, she pushed with her hands and sat straight up in bed, much to Luca’s dismay.
Dr. Sweeney sat on the edge of the bed and held Samantha’s hand. “How are you feeling? Can you please follow my finger with your eyes?” she requested, shining a light into her pupils. Flipping off the light, the doctor glanced down at the blood results. While most doctors sent out for results, Dr. Sweeney carried a basic lab kit with her, since most of her clients were supernatural in nature. She ran a full lab out of her office.
“I’m fine. I can’t believe Luca called you. I’m afraid my fiancé overreacted. Really, I’m just a little lightheaded. This is so embarrassing,” Samantha said, trying to convince everyone she was fine.
“Well, it’s good to know you plan on getting married,” Dr. Sweeney commented nonchalantly and began to efficiently pack away her supplies.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Luca was pissed. The doctor was supposed to be diagnosing Samantha and she was talking about marriage? He had a mind to call Ilsbeth back into the room.
“What I should say is congratulations, you’re pregnant.” She smiled ruefully and walked over to the door. “Now of course, this is quite a special event. It is rare that a vampire can breed, but I’m certain that as a witch, you knew it was a possibility.”
Samantha couldn’t have been more shocked if the doctor had told her she was going to the moon. It couldn’t be. No, Sydney had said vampires don’t have babies; they’d discussed it at length during one of their lunch dates. She wanted children but that didn’t mean it could actually happen. And while Luca said that he also wanted children, she’d assumed he meant they’d adopt, not literally create one of their own.
Luca was sure his heart had stopped beating. A baby. He couldn’t believe it. He’d queried Ilsbeth weeks ago, but hadn’t given a thought to birth control, considering how seldom it happened. He couldn’t help the broad, proud smile that broke across his face. He jumped into bed with Samantha, needing to be closer to the mother of his child.
As the shock wore off, Samantha held a protective hand to her belly. “A baby?” she whispered, and beamed at Luca.
“A baby,” he repeated. “My precious Samantha, we’re going to have a child. I love you so much.” Luca embraced her on the bed, not caring that Kade, Sydney and Ilsbeth had come into the room. Despite having spectators, Samantha and Luca kissed each other gently.
“A girl to be exact,” Ilsbeth noted. “Babies who are born of vampires and witches are girls. And your little girl will bring her own special magic into this world. She will be quite exceptional, of that I am certain.”
“Well, of course she will be. Just like her mother. Beautiful and magical!” Luca could not stop smiling. A baby. A family. A home.
Sydney and Kade wrapped their arms around each other, happy for Luca and Samantha. It was unbelievable how this little witch had transformed Luca. Once cold and serious, he now was truly enjoying life, exuberant about the future.
“Okay, everyone, as much as I enjoy sharing this phenomenal news, I really need a bit of privacy. It’s time to get ready for the party,” Samantha stated as if she hadn’t just fainted.