Chapter 7 Tess #3
“Yes,” she said, grinning. “It was a good idea. I think everyone really needed this but it never occurred to me.”
“I think we all deserve it,” Kal said.
“Come dance with me!” Tess said, tugging him in the direction of the dance floor.
Kal threw his head back, laughing even as he squeezed her tight. “I can’tdance. Vampyrens don’t dance.”
“You do now, Vampyren,” Tess said brightly. “C’mon!”
Tess wasn’t the only human woman dragging her boyfriend out to the dance floor.
She saw Mindy and Cassie doing the same, all but shoving their men into the crowd of grooving humans and egging them on.
Once they were out there, a few of the other Vampyrens joined in and it became a kind of game to try to teach them to mimic human dance moves and get them to findsomekind of rhythm which Tess discovered, they had no sense of at all.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard as she took Kal’s hands and tried to get him to move and sway along with her.
She was overcome with giddiness and kissed his neck and then the two of them were just making out, under the flashing lights and in the comforting thud of the bass as everyone else danced around them.
“Do you want a drink?” Kal said in her ear, speaking loudly over the music. “It’s a party after all! I’m told human parties involve a lot of drinking!”
“Oh!” Tess licked her lips. She wanted to be able to tell him the big news when they were alone; definitely after the party but before what battles were yet to come.
“No thanks! I don’t want to drink tonight!
” Kal gave her a disbelieving look as if she were somehow breaking an important oath and she said, “I’mstarvingthough!
I want some of those nachos I saw on the table! ”
The taco pop-ups that had sprung up around the city sold tortilla chips and guacamole among other things.
Crystal had gone all out and stocked up on fresh guacamole, salsa, chips, and a myriad of tacos.
Tess’s mouth watered and she loaded up a plate.
She was used to not eating much as a side effect of always being on-the-run was living like a monk.
But now she felt the appetite of pregnancy kicking in and allowed herself to be gluttonous.
Kal seemed amused and delighted by the whole thing and kept scooping more things onto her plate; beans, pico de gallo, slices of lemon, roasted peppers.
They sat down at one of the long tables with Crystal and Mark who were just coming back from the dance floor and Crystal immediately frowned at the sight of Tess’s non-boozy punch as she dug into her feast.
“What the hell is that?” Crystal said. “That better be spiked with vodka! We’ve got plenty of vodka.”
“Oh… I don’t feel like drinking tonight,” Tess said, trying to sound normal and not at all like she had just gotten a positive result on a pregnancy test.
She failed. The guys seemed completely clueless but Crystal’s eyes got big. “Tess—
“You did a great job!” Tess yelled over the thumping music, cutting Crystal off before she spilled the beans unknowingly. She raised her eyebrows, attempting to tell her friend psychically that this was not a topic of discussion. “Thanks for putting all this together! It’s awesome!”
Crystal opened and closed her mouth and glanced at the two Vampyren brothers who had fallen into a private conversation about the fabrics humans used in their clothes and how some of them were absurdly thin. She leaned over and whispered to Tess who was scarfing down her carnitas, “ Areyou though?”
Tess didn’t know if that was because she was having such a good night after so many bad nights the past two years or if it was because she loved her boyfriend but tears welled up in her eyes and she smiled as she swallowed a bite of her taco, nodding at Crystal whose eyes got big.
“We’ll talk about it later!” Crystal said, patting her hand. “You haven’t…?” She nodded at Kal who was looking away from them, happily chatting with his brother.
Tess shook her head. “Not yet,” she said after swallowing. “But I’m thinking about it. Might tell him tonight.”
“Then I’m happy for you!” Crystal said tearfully. She leaned over and hugged Tess, almost knocking over her food and Tess laughed, hugging her back. It felt like centuries since she’d had good female friends. It was like pulling on your favorite pair of jeans.
Hours later, the party had shifted in mood but was still going strong.
The music was softer and everyone was drunk or pleasantly buzzed.
Nobody was dancing now, but they sat around, some sitting in circles on the floor, talking and sipping drinks or nibbling on chips.
Some people had wandered outside, even though the evening was chilly, and Tess took Kal’s hand and led him into the moonlit night.
She had an urge to tell him now. Maybe it was because she was so happy, but it seemed like the right time.
Tess took them to a wooden bench under a tree that was just starting to green for spring.
Kal sat and yawned and he sprawled there with his arm around her and his long legs stretched out in front of him, she marveled that nobody would have realized he wasn’t human in the world before the invasion.
Even the gold in his eyes could’ve been explained as a genetic quirk.
He was himself; Kal, Vampyren, the man he had always been who was such an individual.
But he was human now too, she thought. As human as she was.
“You having a good time?” Kal said, raking his fingers through her short hair.
She cuddled up to him and held his hand. “This has been the best night I’ve had in a while, Kal.”
“Good,” he said, sounding proud. He kissed her temple.
“There’s something I have to tell you though…” She said. She summoned up her courage. She had done so many harder things than this. But not knowing how he would react was making her nervous as hell.
“What is it?” He murmured.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, looking up at him with wide eyes. “ We’repregnant.”
Kal blinked at her dumbly, and it looked kind of cute on his handsome face, a few locks of dark hair had come loose from his bun. “Oh,” he said. She thought he smiled a little but couldn’t be sure. “I… Are you… happy about that? Or not?”
It was hilarious to her that he was reacting just like a human man. But she had a feeling that if she were a Vampyren woman he wouldn’t quite be tiptoeing around her like this. “I am,” she said firmly. “Are… you?”
“Yes,” Kal whispered, and she saw that his eyes were shining. “Yes, Tess.” He kissed her for a long time then and she ended up in his lap, the two of them entwined under the moonlight before he finally gave up on the party and carried her up to bed.