Birth of Jaiden by Jennifer Malone Wright Page B

and sat in
one of the chairs by Jeremiah’s table. He felt no pain when
Jeremiah stuck the large needle into his skin.
    He closed his eyes and let
it flow through his veins. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.
For some reason, he had expected it to be a bit more
eventful.
    “ I don’t feel anything.”
He opened his eyes to find Jeremiah staring at him
intensely.
    “ You’re not supposed to.”
Jeremiah sat down across from Alex. “Now, we wait until sunrise and
see if it really works.”
    Alex glanced at the clock.
It was only twelve thirty. So, he had to wait around for hours to
see if he was going to die. He rolled his sleeve back down and put
his jacket on. Jeremiah went to his computer and started typing
again.
    “ Let’s go outside.”
Danielle took his hand and led him up the staircase and out the
door. Once on the porch, they seated themselves on the wooden swing
which hung from chains attached to an overhang.
    Alex thought it was a
perfect place to sit. There was a spectacular view of the lake,
which was surrounded by lush, tree covered mountains. The
glittering stars of the night made their way around a half moon and
were mirrored in still waters of the lake.
    “ Are you afraid?” Danielle
asked him.
    “ Yes.”
    “ You were never afraid
before.”
    “ You tell me not to be afraid…to
trust you, and I do, but I’m still scared of burning to death. Now,
there is so much more at stake. I want to be alive to see all this
through.”
    Danielle examined his
face. “So, you are starting to care for Jaiden already.”
    He laughed lightly. “How
could I not?”
    Danielle continued, “And I
know you, Alex, I know you are beginning to have feelings for
Isabella.”
    Alex sighed. “I can’t help
it. She’s just so great with Jaiden…and beautiful too. I don’t know
how I’m supposed to live around her for so many years. Yet at the
same time, I don’t think I could stand being away from her
either.”
    Danielle giggled. “Well,
it sounds like you have quite a problem on your hands.”
    “ You mean,” Alex feigned a
look of shock, “you aren’t going to give me any advice?”
    “ Do you need some?” she
asked teasingly.
    “ Nope, I’m just going to
have to get over it.”
    “ You know, Alex, over
time, love has driven people to do great things.”
    Confused, he asked her,
“What are you trying to say?”
    “ I am trying to ask you if it would be so bad for you to fall in
love.”
    “ Danielle , she is mortal . Someday, I would have to decide if
I want her to die or if I want to make her immortal and there is no
guarantee that, if I did, she would be able to defeat the evil as
Chris and I have.”
    “ Alex, there are people
who see someone one time and that is it for them. They fall in
love, then they never get to see that person again, yet that moment
of love is what drives them for the rest of their life.”
    “ You don’t make sense,
Danielle. I have to live with Isabella and Jaiden until Jaiden is
grown, so how does that fit our situation?”
    “ It doesn’t.”
    Alex hated how she could
get him so frustrated with her brief answers. “Danielle, I could
never bring myself to make another vampire.”
    “ Your decisions are yours to
make. But remember, sometimes, it is better to live in the moment
and have some fun than to worry about what might have been or about
what is going to happen.”
    “ Are you trying to tell me
that I am no fun?”
    She sighed dramatically. “I’m
sorry to tell you this, Alex, but lately, you have been quite boring.”
    “ What ?”
    “ You heard me.”
    Alex pretended to be
wounded. “I am not boring; I am a very deep, intellectual
man.”
    “ Yes, and that is why I am
telling you this. I am sure Isabella will want to go on a date to
the library .” Danielle’s voice was unusually sarcastic as her lips
curled into a smile.
    “ Why are you, of all
people, trying to encourage this? I thought you would be like Chris
and tell me to deal with it as