New Life on the Way

After returning from a rather dismal attempt at being social in the city’s spice district, Delmarya Fier (Deli) approached her father, Asher.

Her sisters, who returned with her, went straight to bed, tired from the outing and tired from running to escape the downpour that was courtesy of the thunderstorm that suddenly erupted.

Deli was tired too, but in a different way. She was tired of being a weak vampire, wanted to experience the sun without fear again, and no longer cared about what it would cost her.

Asher couldn’t have been happier: his daughter was embracing her powers and finally seemed to be accepting that, like him, she was a vampire.

The next day (after Deli’s graduation ceremony went off the rails—more on that next time), Cora (Asher’s 11th child (3rd generation)) came to visit her parents for the first time since they moved. For an elderly woman, Cora had amazing wrinkleless skin. Was it because of her skincare regime, her immortal parents, or her refusal to cater to stereotypes—who knew? Regardless, her mother, Adelise, was overjoyed to see her.

While visiting, Cora imparted some elderly wisdom to her much younger siblings. Adelise had been exhausted and couldn’t spend as much time as she wanted with her daughter, a daughter who ironically and somewhat sadly was older than her in many ways. Adelise only just managed to sit down for a nap on the couch before passing out. Was she finally aging? Surely not…

While she napped, Rashad, who was never ever too busy to spend time with one her younger daughters, came around for his daily visit, flirting with Dysis as she finished her college assignments. Dysis rewarded him with a massage for his daily trek to her home. The two had been dating for a while, but they never spoke of marriage or even of Dysis moving somewhere with Rashad. Were they waiting for her graduation, just taking their time, or neither?

Adelise woke refreshed. With her brain cleared she instantly realized what was causing her fatigue: pregnancy. Baby #17 was on the way.

Adelise called her Asher over. Initially, he suspected that his wife needed his superior strength to help her with something, but when she didn’t he was flummoxed and then became impatiently excited as he guessed what she was going to tell him.

Asher and Adelise were odd with their eldest children being generations older than their youngest. But as immortals it was the life they knew and they were ready to welcome Baby #17 to the family.