She shook her head in disbelief. This was a real game-changer. She couldn’t just go blasting in there and risk her life to save Nik. She had to be careful now.
From her seat in the back of the plane, she pressed her palm to her stomach. Margarita patted her hand. “It is a good thing. A miracle.”
Yeah, no shit. Miracle was right. She wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant with someone from another species. Like cats and dogs, right? If she lived through this, she had a few words for Aleksandra and her absolutes. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. And then, in spite of herself, she smiled. Nik’s baby. She’d never really thought about having kids—she’d never met anyone whose kids she wanted to have…until now. Her heart stuttered. Nik’s baby was growing inside her right now. And that was awesome.
Stefan and Ricardo were in the cockpit. Had Stefan not laid this little bit of news on her, she would never have agreed to let him fly her. She would have done this on her own and owed a debt to no one. Somehow, that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered now was keeping this baby safe while rescuing Nik, offing Fydor, and ending this war, regardless of how many favors she’d owe when it was over.
Stefan walked back and joined them in a seat facing across a table.
“Who’s flying this thing?” Elena squeaked.
He smiled and relaxed against the back of the seat. “This plane practically flies itself. We are over the ocean on a straight course. Relax.”
Planes didn’t fly themselves. “I don’t like this.”
“You are immortal. You would survive a crash, though that will not happen, I promise. I only want to speak with you for a moment.”
“Could we talk with you back at the controls?”
“If you would feel more at ease, then, yes. Please join me.”
He held out his hand, and she took it. He squeezed. “You still have a charge in your palms. Do you feel threatened?”
“No.” She followed him to the cockpit. Not threatened. Just terrified. Terrified of everything. Of failure. Of losing Nik. Of somehow losing this baby.
She perched on the little jump seat behind the two pilot chairs, probably intended for a flight attendant or assistant of some kind. The panel had tons of controls and knobs that would be impossible to keep straight. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Fuel.”
“Oh God. Do we have enough?”
“Not for the plane. Fuel for you.”
“Oh no. I’m great. I have a whole box of protein bars. Thanks.”
Ricardo turned in the copilot’s chair to face her. “You know exactly what he’s asking. I’m not nearly as polite and polished as the Time Folder, so allow me to clarify. You are a Dhampir. You don’t need blood to live, but it fuels your powers. You need as much power as possible before we land. We don’t know what you will face at the fortress.”
Oh God. There was no way she could do this. She wasn’t some superhero Uniter thingy. She was just a woman. One frightened, confused woman who was powerless to face a foe she didn’t even understand.
“You are far more than that,” he said. “You may be confused, but you are far from powerless, and you absolutely can do this. You are the Uniter destined to stop the war.”
Holy shit, could he read her mind?
“Yes, I can.”
Fuck.
“I can do that, too.” He laughed, and despite herself, she laughed along with him. It felt good to laugh. Stefan smiled, shook his head, and stared out at the blank nothingness through the windshield.
“Okay then, what about fuel did you want to tell me?” she asked.
“You need some,” Ricardo answered. “You need blood. You need mine.”
Wait. No. She couldn’t. She went all horny and practically dived into Nik’s pants the last time she drank blood. “I can’t.”
“It won’t be that way with me. I’m not your mate.” He waited for her to calm down a bit. “It was his blood that changed you. No one will hold the same appeal for you. You’ve nothing to fear.”
Stefan shifted uncomfortably in the captain’s chair and cleared his throat.
“Well, someone doesn’t agree with you.”
Ricardo glared at Stefan, and she knew it was true. Something was up.
“Nothing is up,” he said. “The Time Folder is not worried about you. He’s worried about me. I’m the one likely to lose control. I don’t have a mate, and vampires are not like elves and Time Folders. We have multiple options. Like humans, our mates come by choice, not destiny, though once we make our choice, it is firm.”
“Why not Stefan?”
“He’s of a race not even of this world. It won’t fuel you.”
“Margarita?”
“She is centuries younger, and her blood is not as fortifying.”