A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(6)

Lucas, from what I could tell, did not seem happy about the proposal, despite the hums and nods of approval across the room. “Yeah, send our grandkid into the fire first, why don’t you?” he grumbled to Cameron, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. “Why don’t you go ahead and put Avril’s name forward, too, while you’re at it?”

“I won’t have you mollycoddling Scarlett like you tried to do with Jeramiah for the longest time—keeping him out of the loop on missions and such!” Cameron retorted. “She’s a big girl. And as for Avril…” He shot Lucas’s wife Marion a conspiratorial glance. “I think that’s a fine idea. Her tracking skills are among the best GASP has to offer, and Scarlett will be delighted.”

Lucas scowled, but before he could reply, Marion placed her hand over his and spoke in her liquid French voice, “Mon cher... let Avril go. She has been waiting for this.”

“Come on, you old curmudgeon.” Claudia piled on.

Lucas grumbled incoherently, a scowl still set on his face, before heaving a sigh. He knew he’d lost the argument before it even started—GASP’s ethos was to encourage its young recruits to face danger and develop their skills and bravery—but I couldn’t exactly blame my great-uncle for being overprotective of his children, given the trauma he had gone through during all those years in The Underworld.

“All right, then! We have Scarlett Hendry-Novak and Avril Dupont-Novak, the Bullet and the Hound Dog.” Field smiled. “Do we have anyone else we’d like to put forward now, off the top of our heads?”

Yelena and Benedict exchanged glances, nodding briefly. Benedict raised his hand.

“Yeah… If Scarlett and Avril are going, Fiona will kill me if I don’t drop in her name,” he said with a grin.

“Our girl is strong,” Yelena announced loudly, reminding me so much of Fiona in that moment, with her vivid auburn hair.

“Okay, so we have three vampires put forward,” Field said, then glanced around the table again. “Who else?”

“Aida, you should definitely go.” Serena winked at me. “You’ve wanted to go on a field mission since they erected the base here!”

“Nah… it’s okay.” I feigned a lack of interest. “Let the younglings go. They need the experience more than I do.”

“Younglings? What does that make you, then?” Hansa scoffed. “Or me, for that matter?”

“What’s up, Sis?” Jovi chimed in with a grin. “Thought you’d be the first with your hand up!”

They were cornering me now, making me blush. I glanced at Field, who gave me a reassuring smile and nod. I exhaled slowly.

“I can’t go,” I replied. “I’ll be a bit… busy.”

“Doing what? Calling the rest of us ‘old’?” Hansa smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Nah, I’ll be busy with… this baby that Field and I are going to have,” I shot back, beaming as I placed my hands on my belly.

All of a sudden, silence engulfed the room. Everyone stared, stuck somewhere between shock and exhilaration. Field dropped a short, sweet kiss on my temple, spreading warmth through my body. I wasn’t showing yet, but I’d taken a pregnancy test the night before, and I’d already broken the news to him.

Field was over the moon. Due to his unusual genetic makeup—half Hawk and half… half-blood—we hadn’t even been sure if he was fertile, but it seemed his Hawk genes overpowered his vampire ones. He was terrified of the prospect of being a dad, just like I was of being a mom, but so genuinely happy and excited, it made my heart swell in my chest.

My mom, Grandma Vivienne, and River were the first to squeal with sheer joy and jump out of their seats, followed closely by Serena and Vita. They all came around the table and hugged me, without bothering to wait for me to get up. My dad, Jovi, and Grandpa Xavier also huddled around me and showered me with affection and congratulations. I laughed, feeling tears brimming in my eyes as they covered me with kisses.

“You’re going to make me a grandmother so soon?” Mom croaked, getting emotional even as she laughed. “I can’t wait!”

“Well, our family just keeps growing!” Grandma Vivienne enthused as my grandpa dropped a tender kiss on her temple, then another one on mine.

“Oh, my days, I can’t believe it!” Serena squealed.

“Congratulations, honey!” Vita beamed at me. “Wow, this… this is amazing!”

“And scary.” I chuckled. “But yeah, ‘amazing’ would be a good way to describe it.”

“It’s surreal!” Serena added. “I am so… so happy for you! For the both of you!”

“I’m way too young to be a great-grandfather!” Grandpa Xavier quipped, then gave me a soft look. “But I promise I will be the best out of all the old goats in The Shade!”

“Who are you calling an old goat?” Derek asked, slapping him on the back.

“It’s Mr. Old Goat to you, sonny.” Sofia raised an eyebrow at Xavier, then gave Derek a nudge.

“Well, this will give all you ‘old goats’ more stuff to talk about, won’t it?” I chuckled. Field moved closer and hugged me, glowing with love and pride.