33. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
With Vadik now gone for good, I shifted back and sagged against the shovel, my body finally admitting the beating that it’d taken through this whole ordeal.
Unfortunately, this was just the beginning and I had to get back to the others to see what happened with the battle in the cafeteria. But first, I needed to grab the baby.
Deciding it was safer to just walk the long way through the garden then to cross over the sea of glass, I made doubly sure to avoid any and all plants along my way, even more convinced that they were all out to kill me.
Reaching the lab, I searched the area for any type of clothes, and was pleased to find a pair of scrubs and black plastic boots that you’d wear to water the garden in.
I grabbed everything and washed myself off in the emergency shower meant to wash off a chemical spill, but it did the job to clean me off from all the blood, dirt, and glass.
Digging out glass from my feet was not super fun, but I didn’t want to have my body heal around it, seeing how fast it was repairing itself already.
Dressed and presentable enough to grab the baby without traumatizing her further, I headed back down the walkway.
My hands started to sweat as I approached the room with her still crying, although not so loudly as before.
Taking a deep breath, I entered the room, glass crunching under my booted feet, making me extremely glad for them.
Peering down into the crib, I looked her over, making sure Vadik hadn’t done any damage to her but her soft pink skin looked fine where I could see it outside her white onesie.
The dusting of hair on her head was white blond, with a hint of purple a little deeper than Violet’s.
She looked up at me with wide beautiful amethyst eyes, as her crying stopped and a smile bloomed on her face that made me gasp.
My own eyes welled up with tears. She might have been born from Violet’s DNA, but however they managed to create her still left her unique in her own way.
Reaching down, I picked her up, grabbing the blanket that was in her crib and wrapping her up in it, making sure she was snug and warm.
“Hello, little one, it’s nice to meet you. ”
She just kept watching me with a smile on her face, as if she somehow knew who I was to her. “Seems we need to give you a proper name, because the only name that counts is the one your parents give you,” I murmured to her as I headed out, making my way back to my mates.
I was surprised I hadn’t heard from them since I wandered off.
Maybe Tyler told them where I was. Checking on our mate bonds, I knew everyone was here and alive, but their emotions were a little all over the place for me to get a read on them.
“Let’s see, I named your sister after a dainty little purple flower because that just seemed to fit her.
Your big sister I named Hope, because I knew that was exactly what she represented for our kind—hope for a new beginning. ”
I’d made it through the garden and now stood at the double doors that would lead us back into the main part of the facility.
It seemed the security was needed to get in, but they weren’t as worried about getting out, probably because of all the dangerous plants inside…
or whatever fail-safe they have set up in here.
Either way, when I approached the door, it opened to reveal the sight of my seven mates, and friends with crowbars, saws, and any other power tool you could think of to get through this door.
“Holy fucking hell, you’re alive.” Koit blurted out, wrapping me up in a hug.
It didn’t last long, as I was ripped out of his hold and turned to face Rik’s stormy expression.
“What the fuck, Vivianna? Do you know how worried we all were? Tyler told us you got in here somehow, but no matter how we tried to contact you, we couldn’t.
Imagine how we felt knowing you were locked in there with Vadik and who the hell knows what twisted shit he created with no backup. ”
Oh, you in big trouble, he used your full name.
You think?
You might want to pay attention to this—he’s still ranting.
“Seriously, going off like that to the only area no one has access to. I thought we had gotten past your impulsive, throw-away-your-life portion of this relationship… wait, is that a baby?” Rik asked, finally noticing.
Smiling down at the little girl in my arms, I ran a finger along her cheek, making her wrinkle her nose just like her sister Hope does. “This is Iris… she’s our other daughter.”
“Wait, are you telling me that you’ve been pregnant for a week and already popped out a full-grown baby? This one looks like Orion’s handy work too—what the hell, man?” Koit grumbled, punching Orion in the shoulder.
“No, I didn’t give birth to her in the traditional sense of the word.
She is a clone from Violet’s DNA that Vadik managed to create here in this secret lab.
Iris is very much like her sister, but still different, making her into her very own person,” I explained, looking up at them.
“Seems like I had triplets, wouldn’t you agree? ”
The guys looked from Iris to me then back to Iris, dopey grins blooming on their faces. “I’m so going to rock this girl dad shit,” Koit announced, reaching out with grabby hands.
I shifted her over to him and he cradled her like she was going to break, even though he’d run through the mountains with our other daughter.
“Hey, man, don’t hog her. You got to spend the most time with Hope. You should have to sit this one out,” Darius grumbled as he ran a hand gingerly over Iris’s head.
“Anyone care to fill me in on what I missed?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Ah… we won,” Bentley shared with a shrug.
“Once Christian and the rest of the rebellion got in, it was over. Sadly, we did lose some in the battle, with how many guns there were going off but to say that Jason’s men were wiped out is an understatement.
If they didn’t have the symbol of the crown on their uniform, they were a casualty of war. ”
My heart ached at this, even though I knew it needed to be done. None of us could risk having people who would work to undermine us and the new beginning we wanted to start. There would be trouble ahead for sure, but why set ourselves up for retaliation if we didn’t need to.
“Jason?”
“Yeah, Okami and Tav had lots of fun with him… let’s just say things got really messy,” Koit informed me as he handed Iris off to Darius. “There is no fear of his ass ever coming back from the dead. Vadik?”
“Head chopped off and eaten by a flesh-eating flower.”
The guys all flinched at that. “Damn, that’s one way to go, but good riddance is all I can say,” Tristan muttered as he pulled me against his chest. “All I care about is that they are gone, and we are all together and safe—finally.”
Wrapping my arms around Tristan’s waist, I let myself relax. Rik came to box me in, so my back was warmed with his presence. “You ready to get out of here and back to the ranch and Hope?”
“Fuck yes, but what are we going to do with all the people that were held here? I think we need to do a sweep of the whole place to make sure no one is left behind or trapped somewhere,” I argued, even though I wanted so badly to be done with this night.
“We have the Crown Guards sweeping the place as we speak. One of them got the head of security to unlock the whole place for them to search,” Rik explained.
“As for the people who were here, Graham is sending over buses to take people back to the ranch. That way we can deal with sorting all this out tomorrow. We’re all dead on our feet and have wounds to be tended to. ”
I wanted to argue because it felt like the right thing to do, but he was right.
We needed rest and clear minds to deal with the mess that taking down this lab was going to cause.
I wanted to just blow this place up and never look back, but even just the short time here I knew there was too much dangerous and valuable information locked away in here.
“Alright, let’s head back for the night. It will be good for our family to be all in the same place for once.” I sighed, letting Tristan guide me in the direction we needed to go.
It was decided the Crown Guards would stay at the facility to keep an eye on things just in case there were any unforeseen issues.
They also showed us where the fleet of vehicles were kept so we didn’t have to run the whole way back to the ranch.
Yeah, it took longer, but I was just fine with that, especially with the sleeping bundle in my arms.
Once we made it back to the ranch, it was a flurry of activity with so many new people getting situated for the night and finding them places to sleep.
I knew we would be pushing it on space, but our Crimson Rebellion people were more than willing to double up in rooms so we could keep the newcomers in one section of the lodge.
“Dama, I hope you don’t mind, but I moved you to that cabin I had set aside for you,” Graham shared when we entered the main room of the lodge.
“I thought it might be best to keep you away from here for the night, plus it was easier to set up the crib in that space. Maria is already there with Hope and a few others acting as guards.”
I gave him a tired smile and kissed him on the cheek. “Graham, what would we do without you?”
“See, that’s where you’ve got it all wrong, missy. Without you, there wouldn’t be anything worth fighting for. Now go on and get some sleep. It will all still be here in the morning,” Graham instructed.
One of our people led us to the cabin, which glowed with a warm inviting light, setting me at ease. Rik went in first with Darius, as if they were ready for something to jump out and attack us but all they found was Maria in a rocking chair with a sleeping Hope.
“Goodness me, you seem to be multiplying rather fast, aren’t you?” Maria chuckled seeing Iris.
“It’s a long story,” I confessed. “This is Iris, Hope and Violet’s little sister, and triplet of sorts.”
“It seems your family is filling out nicely. Good thing the next one will be a boy. Can’t let your mates get outnumbered now, can we?” Maria said with a wink and a smile as she handed off Hope to Bentley.
Not having the energy to react to her prediction, I handed Iris off to Rik and walked Maria to the door. “Thank you—for everything. Knowing you had Hope and would keep her safe made an already impossible task easier. Now we can finally start to rebuild this civilization of ours, brick by brick.”
“Oh, Vivianna,” Maria murmured, cupping my cheek with her hand.
“I’ve been waiting all my life for someone like you to come.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve you and your family.
As I said before, I’ll be here right by your side until you tell me you don’t need me anymore.
” Leaning in, she kissed my forehead before stepping out the door.
“Sleep well, Dama, there is much still to do.”
Closing the door, I turned to find my men sitting in the living room with a fire burning, exhausted but alive and in one piece. In their arms were two of our children, sleeping soundly, marking the dawn of a new day for our people.
Resting a hand on my belly, I felt the spark of life that was growing, assured that nothing that happened today had caused it any harm. Let’s hope Maria was right about it being a boy, because I could already tell these fathers were going to be wrapped around their little girls’ fingers.
I wanted my children to have everything that I didn’t get to have growing up—parents who loved them unconditionally, the freedom to be whoever they wanted to be when they grew up, and finally, to live in a world where they would be respected for the value they bring to the world, not just based on their gender or breeding ability.
This was the world I would create for them and damn anyone who got in my way.
Now you’re talking my language. Okay, I know what our new motto should be for our reign—fuck around and find out.
It’s perfect, right? Right?.
Oh come on, like you could come up with something better.
I just smiled to myself as I joined my mates to enjoy this quiet time together before we had to test out that new motto of ours.