5 Darkness Falls Read Free Page A

though.”
    Drexel crossed his arms, flexing his muscles and glaring in Kai’s direction. “Do you trust him to protect you?”
    I grabbed one of Drexel’s hands, pulling his attention back to me. “Yes, I do. So don’t worry about me.” I leaned in closer, lowering my voice as not to expose his secret. “Sanders gets off work at six today. Why don’t you plan a nice , little romantic night for the two of you?”
    Drexel grunted, but his eyes shimmered with amusement. “I see when I’m not wanted.”
    “Oh, stop.” I laughed. “I’ll see you later.”
    “Take care,” Drexel said. I turned , heading back towards the front door when , all of a sudden , he glided past me , making a beeline for Kai. I froze, unsure of what I’d do if they started fighting. “If she gets so much as a scratch on her, I’ll burn you alive.” Drexel’s voice was sickeningly sweet, but the tone he spoke in sounded more menacing than his usual gruffness.
    “As much as I’d like to see you try … she’ll come back unscathed. They’ll get to her over my dead body,” Kai assured him.
    I breathed a sigh of relief when Drexel walked away, shaking his head in acknowledgement .
    “Have fun, Baby C akes,” Drexel winked as he strolled back to the car.
    Standing at the door, Kai lifted a brow when he heard my nickname. I shook my head, ambling towards the house and him. “Don’t ask.”
    ***
    Baby shopping with Kai was surprisingly fun. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” I asked as we browsed the clothing section of a huge baby store.
    “I’m sure.”
    “Do you want kids?”
    His expression hardened, and then, only his eyes softened as his thoughts seemed to drift away. “My life is too dangerous to bring a child into. Security precautions are just that… a precaution. You can never truly escape danger when you’re a powerful target, and as a leader, I’ll always be a powerful target.”
    His words weighed heavily on my spirit; he was right. I , too, would always be a target because of my lead in the vampeen guard.
    I focused on the pale yellow, one-piece outfit in front of me. Booties were built into the bottom of the piece; snaps lined the inside of the legs and up the center of the frock to the collar. I ran my fingers over the fabric. It was soft to the touch, like a chenille blanket. There was a grey and white owl stitched on the left side of the chest.
    I didn’t realize I was crying until Kai reached over and brushed the moisture from my cheek. “I’m sorry.” His voice was soft.
    I bit my lip, looking at the outfit. “Don’t be. It’s the truth. Unfortunately, it’s too late to change things now.”
    “You and Kellan are working on that though. I may not like him, but he’s driven just like you. You’ll both make it happen.”
    I swiped away the last of my tears. “I’m going to make sure of it.” Somehow, saying those words out loud reignited the fight in me.
    “I know you will.” He picked up the outfit I’d been staring at. “Now let’s go look at the fun stuff.”
    “What’s the fun stuff?”
    “Toys.” He beamed, grabbing my hand and le a d ing me towards the infant toys.
    We spent a good hour fiddling with every toy on the shelf. Eventually we wandered over to the bouncers and swings. Kai helped me pick out a swing. The one he selected could sway in two different directions and had a built - in music player with sixteen soft melodies . Rather than something hanging down over the baby, it had a mirrored light show. What I loved most about it though , was that the white and off-white fabric draping around the swing gave the illusion that the baby was being carried by a stork for delivery, or as Kai had put it, being delivered to me by an angel.
    He carried the box with the swing along with the outfit to the register . After paying, he handed me the small bag with the outfit to hold as walked to his car .
    Watching him struggle to squeeze the large box into the small trunk of