She jerked again, and her heart rate settled.
“Come back, Ella. Come back to me and Nate. We love you.”
****
Marcus dipped the spoon into the pureed carrots from the small plate and pretended it was a train. “Choo…choo…come on, buddy, open up so the train can get to the station and pick up the passengers.” He messed with Nate’s blond curls and the boy smiled in his highchair.
His son’s big blue eyes followed the movement of the spoon and he giggled as Marcus ducked it low and shot the utensil way up high. But as soon as he tried to get the vegetable into his mouth, he wouldn’t cooperate. He grinned, displaying two tiny white teeth in front.
“Boss, look at the breaking news. They’re reporting multiple casualties in London after an unprovoked attack by a group of vampires. It’s being streamed everywhere, and there are reports of other incidents happening in Europe,” Jake said.
Placing the plastic spoon down on the tray of the highchair, he watched the news feed coming through the monitor. The video was panning around a busy Trafalgar Square. It was nighttime, but there were no stars in the sky. The video zoomed in on a pretty girl posing by the fountain, surrounded by tourists; the light chatter of conversation could be heard, but seconds later the camera shook, and screams sounded out from the girl being filmed. The position of the recording changed, as if the camera had been dropped, and a flurry of footsteps raced past. The view shot up, into a close-up of a vampire sinking its fangs into a victim’s neck as blood splattered on the lens.
It was getting out of control. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he lifted it out.
“Roman…are you seeing what I’m seeing?” he said as Nate flicked his food, sending a dollop of mashed-up carrot flying and hitting Bear smack in the face.
“It’s why I’m phoning. My take on this is that these vampires are there specifically to cause trouble. There’s no provocation. Either they are newborns randomly killing humans or they’ve been given direct orders by a rogue vampire, just like all the other incidents. We have a pattern emerging here. This goes against our laws, exposing our kind in this way, and yet Gabriel is doing nothing to stop it.”
“Shit. What the heck,” Bear said.
Marcus covered his phone and directed his focus back into the room as Bear wiped the mushy orange slop off his face. He frowned at him, but the man licked his fingers and smiled.
Marcus shouted across at Bear. “Hey…watch your language around Nate. I don’t want the first word to come out of his mouth when he sees his mother to be a swear. Ella will blame me.” Hearing Roman ask about Ella, he refocused back on the conversation with the vampire.
“Sorry, I have Nate, and it isn’t easy with Isabella not here either. I’m doing my best, but he misses Ella.”
“She still doesn’t remember you or Nate?” Roman asked.
“She hasn’t woken up yet. After Zephra removed that creature that was devouring her memories, she’s been asleep. All her vitals are fine, but she hasn’t regained consciousness. I stayed through the first night, but Zephra has taken over. She said there is nothing to prevent her waking up. She will when she’s ready. She needs a calm environment, not stress, and apparently, I’m a major source of that. Besides, I feel useless there, and with these reports popping up all over the place, I’m better here at least trying to work, and look after Nate.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, it isn’t easy here. With the city on lockdown, people are being arrested left, right, and center. My team is doing their best to seek out the truth behind the rogue vampires who attacked the humans in New York. I need to discover where they are from and who created them. I have my suspicions, but I need proof. Any news on Isabella?”
Bear tickled Nate’s cheek and Marcus watched the tender exchange as the big softy strolled away. Right then, he caught his son’s blue eyes straining on his spoon and the plastic utensil floated several inches in the air.
“Hang on a second.” He strolled over to Nate, watching the spoon dip into the food and levitate by his son’s mouth. Unbelievable. Roman continued talking but he couldn’t take his eyes away from the scene unfolding as he watched his son eat and grab the spoon.
“Shit…” he said. Nate has a psychokinetic ability. He gazed around to see whether anyone else had noticed. The command center carried on as normal; no one had paid any attention.
His son, meanwhile, squirmed in his seat, smiling. “Dada…look.”
Again, the spoon hovered and dipped into the pureed carrot, scooping it. The boy opened his mouth, eagerly waiting for the delivery.
Leaning in close, he whispered, “Good boy, but not here.” He ruffled his curly hair as he stared at Nate, who held the spoon, dipping it into the food to try to feed himself. This wasn’t something he wanted everyone knowing, not until he had digested and analyzed the implications. Even then he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone knowing. Lifting his son out of the chair, he gripped him tight as the boy smeared a dollop of squishy carrot over his black Henley. He strolled passed the news feed as it reported more violent clashes in London as the humans marched through the city, demonstrating against the attacks and calling for action from the government.
“Drayton, are you there? Is that Nate?” Roman asked.
It would be laughable, if it wasn’t so damn frustrating. He had been bringing Nate to work with him ever since the doctor had taken her own life. Spending all this time with his son, without Ella, had strengthened the bond between them in a
