Cara sat in front of the fireplace, rocking softly, one hand resting lightly on her swollen abdomen. She could scarcely believe that the baby she had never expected to have was due any day. The time had flown by. Of course, they had been busy. They had spent two months looking for a house before they found the perfect place. Cara had walked in the front door, took one look around, and said, "this is it."

Like her parents' house, this one was located on a large piece of property at the end of a quiet street.

There were, in fact, only three other houses on the block, all separated by brick walls. The house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fair-sized living room, and a large family room. Vince had taken a look at the large kitchen and dining room, then looked at her and grinned. Even though he hadn't said anything, she knew he was thinking that it was a waste of space, but Cara had plans for the dining room, thinking it would make a wonderful playroom. It would make it easy for her to keep an eye on their baby while she was cooking or doing dishes.

Her parents had helped her and Vince move in. No doubt their new neighbors had thought it strange that they moved in at night, but it didn't matter. She was too happy at the idea of having a house all her own to worry about it.

As soon as they were settled, Vince had taken every possible precaution to protect their home from intruders. It still amazed her that he held such power and that he could surround their house with wards to repel anyone who might do them harm.

Three weeks ago, Sarah Beth had given Cara a baby shower-at night, of course, so Brenna could attend.

Two weeks ago, Cara had quit her job so she could stay home with the baby.

Last week, she had put the finishing touches on the nursery. It had become her favorite room in the house, with its cheerful yellow walls and white curtains. The crib was set up, diaper service had been ordered, and all was in readiness. She could hardly wait to hold her child in her arms.

Every day, presents for the baby arrived from one set of grandparents or the other, ranging from the practical to the comical-a stroller, blankets, a football in case it was a boy, a rag doll in case it was a girl. Her father's latest gift had been a fat, stuffed vampire, complete with long black cloak and tiny white fangs. Cara had put it in the crib, thinking that her child was going to know the truth about its father as soon as it was old enough to understand!

She smiled as she felt the baby kick. At her last visit, her doctor had assured her that everything was fine.

The baby was growing as it should, the head was in position, and he expected her to go into labor within the next day or two, three at the most.

A rush of anticipation made her heart skip a beat when she heard Vince's key in the front door. Married seven months and as big as a house with her first child, and she still felt a warm thrill of excitement every time she saw him.

"Hey, darlin'." Leaning down, he kissed her, then placed his hand on her abdomen. "How's our baby doin' tonight?"

"I think he's playing leapfrog. Here," she said, moving his hand a little lower, "feel that?"

"Does it hurt?"

"No, it feels wonderful." She loved being pregnant, loved the thought of Vince's child growing inside her.

Vince grinned. "With a kick like that, he's bound to be a soccer player, or maybe a punter."

"It might be a girl, you know."

Vince shrugged as he sat on the sofa beside her. "Well, girls play soccer, too. I don't know about pro ball, though."

Cara laughed. "The baby's not even born yet and you've already got him, or her, playing soccer."

"I don't care what he does for a living," Vince said, nuzzling her neck. "I just wish he'd get born so I could have my wife back."

The doctor had warned her not to have intimate relations with Vince during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. It wasn't easy on her, either. They'd been married such a short time, sexual intimacy was still new. Not that they didn't spend hours cuddling and caressing each other, she thought, smiling.

"Did you take your vitamins today?" he asked. "Drink lots of milk?"

Cara blew out a sigh of exasperation. "Honestly, you're worse than my mother!"

"Hey, I just want to make sure that you and the baby are both healthy. After all, we may never have another one."

"I know. And yes, I took my vitamins and drank my milk like a good girl." She didn't tell him it was chocolate milk.

"I'm going upstairs to take a quick shower," Vince said, "and then I'll come down and rub your back.

How's that sound?"

"Heavenly."

He kissed the tip of her nose, then went upstairs.

Reaching for the remote, Cara turned on the TV. She was truly blessed, she thought, smiling. Vince treated her like a queen. When she'd had a craving for watermelon in the middle of the night, he had gone to the store to buy her one. As her pregnancy advanced, he refused to let her do anything too strenuous.

He rubbed her back and her feet every night. He mopped the floors, dusted the furniture, vacuumed the rugs, scoured the toilets, and took out the trash-and he brought her flowers or candy at least once a week.

Sometimes, when she thought about it, it made her laugh out loud. After all, vampires were supposed to be ravenous, bloodthirsty monsters, not housekeepers!

She glanced up when she heard the shower come on, her mind immediately filling with an image of Vince all soapy and sudsy. Thinking how lucky she was to have him, she pushed herself off the sofa and waddled into the kitchen for a can of soda.

She was filling a glass with ice when her water broke. Startled, she dropped the tumbler. For a moment, she stared at the ice cubes and shards of green glass scattered in the puddle on the floor, and then she gasped.

She was in labor. The baby was coming.

Upstairs, Vince turned off the shower. Though he had never mentioned it to Cara, he grew more nervous about the baby with each passing day. Sometimes he wished he could hypnotize himself the way he had Cara! He had talked with Roshan and Brenna privately only to find out that they were both just as worried as he was. What if the child was abnormal? What if it needed blood instead of mother's milk?

What if it was some kind of freak? He could just imagine Cara's horror, the doctor's shock, and the media circus that would ensue. And the child, it would be subjected to endless tests, ridicule...

Shaking his morbid thoughts from his mind, he slipped into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and went downstairs.

"Cara?"

"In here."

He found her sitting on the kitchen floor, one hand pressed against the small of her back. Water, ice, and shards of glass littered the floor around her.

"What happened?" he asked, skirting the mess.

"My water broke." She groaned softly. "The baby's coming."

Bending down, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the living room. Cradling her to his chest, he picked up the phone and called the doctor, and then her parents.

Next, he carried her upstairs to put on some dry clothes. He handed her the bag she had packed for the hospital and then, not trusting himself to drive, he took her in his arms and transported the two of them to the hospital.

Minutes later, she was on her way to the maternity ward and he was pacing the floor, waiting for them to assign her to a room so he could join her there.

Roshan and Brenna arrived just as the nurse came to tell him what room Cara was in.

"How is she?" Roshan asked.

"I don't know. I'm on my way up there now."

Roshan nodded. "You two go on. Brenna, let me know how it goes?"

With a nod, she and Vince took the elevator up to the third floor.

Cara smiled at them when they entered.

"How are you, sweetheart?" Brenna asked, taking Cara's hand in hers.

"I'm good."

Standing on the other side of the bed, Vince brushed a lock of hair from her brow. "You're going to be fine, remember? Nothing to be afraid of."

"I remember. It's a nice room, isn't it?"

Vince glanced around. In addition to the bed, there was a sofa, a table, a couple of chairs, and a TV.

Except for the bed, it didn't look anything like a hospital room.

A short time later, a nurse came in to check on Cara. When she finished, she patted Cara's hand, then smiled reassuringly at Vince and Brenna. "It won't be long now."

To Vince, it seemed like an eternity. Watching Cara, feeling her pain, he would have given anything to be able to endure it for her.

At one point, when he didn't think he could stand watching her any longer, he started to leave the room, only to have the nurse stop him.

"Your wife can't leave," the nurse said sternly, "and neither can you."

With a nod, Vince returned to Cara's side. He rubbed her back and held her hand, and when he couldn't stand to watch her suffer anymore, he cupped her face in his hands and gazed deep into her eyes.

"Look at me," he said. "Only me. You don't feel the pain anymore, just a little pressure, but it's not bad.

Look at me, darlin', that's it. This will all be over soon and we'll have a beautiful baby."

Half an hour later, the doctor came in and delivered the baby. Watching Cara expel the child from her womb, Vince knew it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. His heart swelled with an emotion he had never felt before as he listened to his child's first lusty cry. To his ears, it was the most beautiful music in the world.

"It's a fine, healthy boy," the doctor said. He looked at Vince. "Would you like to cut the cord?"

"Sure."

When it was done, the nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket and took it aside to clean it up. Relieved, Vince smiled at Brenna. The baby looked and acted like any normal child, although it was quite small.

Vince was watching the nurse weigh his son when a gasp from Cara sent him hurrying back to her side.

"What is it?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't know," she said, panting.

"Oh, lordy," the doctor said, reaching for a fresh pair of gloves, "here comes another one!"

Vince sat on the sofa in Cara's room, his stocking feet propped on the coffee table. Cara was sleeping soundly. He still couldn't believe she had delivered identical twin boys. Like Vince, Roshan had been in shock. With a baby in each arm, Brenna had been in seventh heaven. Cara was simply exhausted.

Roshan and Brenna had gone home several hours ago, but Vince was spending the night, at least until dawn.

Rising, he walked quietly to where his children lay sleeping peacefully in their little beds, distinguishable only by the blue and white ribbons on their tiny wrists. Because he and Cara hadn't yet come up with names they liked, the infants were known as Baby A and Baby B.

During Cara's pregnancy, they had spent hours trying to come up with names they both liked, but to no avail. Inevitably, they had ended up laughing over suggestions like Archibald and Throckmorton. They would have to come up with something soon, Vince thought with awry grin, and then shook his head.

Twins. He still couldn't believe it.

They'd have to buy another crib, more diapers, more clothes. They needed to hire a nanny or a

housekeeper to help Cara during the day. He figured Brenna would be there most every night, at least for a while. As for himself, Vince shook his head. He was going to have to leave the house just before dawn to get to the garage and wouldn't be able to return home until after dark.

He glanced out the window as his hunger made itself known. It had been several days since he had fed.

As much as he hated to leave Cara, he had learned through experience that it was best to feed when the need arose-best for him, and definitely best for those who crossed his path.

As he was leaving the hospital, he thought he saw two women clad in long gray cloaks on the sidewalk, but when he turned for a second look, they were gone.