EBONY'S POV (The creature)

I sat up on my very soft bed and pulled my legs into my chest as I buried my face into my knees. I hated this time. I hated being the only one awake during the daylight as that left me to my own thoughts. Drowning in memories that were slowly creeping back to me like trickles of water into a river of darkness and fear. The worst part of it all was that some of those memories weren't mine....they were hers. They were memories of growing up in that awful cave with no one but vampire Carter. He treated us so badly...he loved seeing us cry. He enjoyed watching us cower in his presence and then everything changed. I could see visions of him laughing and smiling, I could hear his voice in my head telling me everything will be okay and I could feel him calling out for her...just like he was right now. He was calling for Ebony to come home to him. He was begging her to return to him. He was destroyed and I was the one slowly destroying him.

It had been two weeks now and I had seen him five times in total. He avoided me at every turn and when he did have to speak to me he would be polite and then make an excuse to leave. I was making this harder on him with my mere presence and it was killing me because I wanted nothing more than to know him. I wanted to help him. I wanted him to feel something again, but he can't and he never would because I'm not her and I had no right to be here. These are her thoughts and I just wanted to rip my head off to make all the noise stop.

"Stop," I whispered to the human. "Please, stop." I saw a memory of them dancing slowly in the snow as it fell above them and then I felt his soft lips gently touch mine. I felt his hand in my hair as he pulled me closer to him...I felt him kiss me deeply as he picked me up in his arms.

"Stop," I yelled out in frustration. "This ridiculous. What do you want from me, Ebony?" I hit the bed in anger and kicked over the lamp on the bedside table. "I can't do this anymore. I'm not you. I will never be you...." I sighed loudly. "I'd give anything to be you but I'm not." I stood up and walked over to the mirror. "It's kind of ironic that he fell in love with both of us for completely different reasons. Your soul and my face." I stared at my reflection watching my eyes twinkle in the moonlight as Ebony let me know she was there. "I'm sorry, I cannot do this anymore. Your baby is safe and Carter needs to grieve you. I can't be here anymore. It's just too hard on everyone. I need to be focused on killing the darkness not making out with vampire Carter. I have to finish what we started. We need to stop this once and for all." I felt butterflies in my stomach and then slight pain raiding down my side. "We need to focus on the darkness. Vampire Carter needs to heal and he can't with me around. It's just better for everyone If I leave."

The sound of Cayden crying suddenly filled the room through the baby monitor and I felt a pain in my chest as the screams got louder.

"No, he has his father now. He doesn't need me." The screams grew louder as the pain got worse and the house began to shudder around me. "Cayden, stop. You will be better without me. You have your family now. Please, don't do this." I fell to my knees clutching my chest as the pain spread through me like fire. I felt tears fall from my eyes as the pain become unbearable and I screamed out loud as I fell to the floor praying for death over this pain.

"Ebony.." I heard a voice through the screams. "Oh my lord, Ebony." I felt his strong arms around me picking me up off the floor and holding me tightly. "Hold on, just hold on a little longer." I heard his voice in my ear and his lips touch my skin. "That's it, don't let go." He said softly as I wrapped myself around him and held on tightly. Carter the vampire suddenly stood up and carried me as I yelled out feeling the pain jolt through me again.

"I can't do this." I cried out wrapping myself around him. "I can't do this anymore."

"Shhh, everything will be ok. I promise." He said in my ear as we entered the baby's room and the screaming ripped through me like shards of glass.

"Stop!" I screamed out throwing my head backwards. "I can't do this..."

"Yes, you can. Just focus on me. Ebony, look at me." Carter the vampire said calmly again. "Cayden needs you. He won't stop for anyone but his momma. Ebony, look at me." I felt his hand on the back of my head. "Look at your son." I gasped for air as I heard the sound of a normal baby crying. "He needs his you. Come back to me, Ebony." I focused on the sound of his deep voice and took deep slow breaths as the pain disappeared just as quick as it had started. "Shhh, little one. You can't scare your momma like that. We don't hurt each other in this house young man."

I suddenly sat up and stared into Carter's bright aqua eyes. He looked so calm and peaceful as he rocked his son against his broad chest. I looked at Cayden who was watching me with the eyes of his father.

"What was that?" I whispered almost out of breath.

"Apparently, your son wanted his mom and no one else would do." Vampire Carter looked over to the back wall where the others were all laying on the ground rubbing their heads and pulling glass from the broken window out of their sides. "Here you go little one, here's your mom." Carter handed me a happy gurgling baby and placed him in my arms. "Next time you want momma, my boy can you resist throwing your uncles and your big brother against the wall." Vampire Carter smiled touching Cayden's cheek softly.

"Nearly broke me in half." Jake the vampire moaned loudly trying to stand up. "I mean I like rough but that was next-level shit."

"I can't feel my ass." Mr Callan groaned sitting up. "Oh, I have a knife in my ass cheek. Really Cayden? Really?"

"I need a drink." Leon the vampire said shaking off the glass from his clothes. "And probably medical attention." He pulled a shard of glass from his neck.

"I don't understand? Why did he...Why did hurt me?" I felt tears fall from my eyes as I looked down at Cayden. "I don't understand."

"I Don't think he meant to cause you pain. He just doesn't know how to control anything yet. He wanted you and was desperately trying to reach you." Vampire Carter said touching my arm softly. "What happened that made him panic the way he did? We're you hurt or something?"

I closed my eyes trying to stop these tears as they fell down my cheek.

"Ebony, you can tell me anything. Did something happen to you to make him react like this? We need to know to help him in the future. Are you okay?" He touched my shoulder and I sighed loudly pressing my lips together.

I can't do this. I can't pretend that I belong here anymore. I can't pretend that I'm alright with any of this. I'm not her.

"Ebony, please. I know your hiding something from me. I'm worried about you. I lost you once...I can't do it again. I couldn't take it. That would break me....please." I felt his hand cup my face. "What happened baby?"

I opened my eyes and looked up at his handsome face. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach like I always did when she looked at him. I could feel her calling to me..begging me to say something.

"I...I can't do this." I stuttered out feeling a hole in my chest.

"Do what?" Vampire Carter pushes my hair from my face. "What can't you do?"

"This. Ebony. I can't be her. You want me to be her but I cannot. I want to be her so badly but I'm not. This is her life. This is her baby. You are her....you are her everything. I can't be here anymore. I'm sorry." This time I couldn't control my tears and they poured down my cheeks like a waterfall. I felt my mouth become dry and my stomach churn at my words. "I can't be your Ebony...I can't be.." I hung my head down and closed my eyes as Cayden began to cry again. "I'm sorry Cayden. I know you want your real mom. I'm sorry."

"You are his real Mom." Vampire Carter said pulling my face up to meet his. "He wouldn't exist without you. He cries for you and no one else. He protected you from the darkness and he brought you to me. I know I've been withdrawn lately and I apologise. I had to morn my wife and come to terms with losing everything...but I just realised that I was being selfish. I didn't even think about how this might be affecting you or our baby. I'm the one who is sorry." He pushed my tears away with his thumb as I looked up at him. "From this moment on, I promise you both that I will be there for you. I have been given a second chance here and I'm pushing it away. I miss my wife with every fibre of my being but I need to remember that you had no choice in this. You are a victim of this as well and I'm here for you."

"I miss her too." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry she was taken from you."

Vampire Carter nodded his head. "I know. I realise this now." He dropped his hand from my face. "Look, I know you must be scared as hell right now but I want you to listen to me. You are welcome in our home for as long as you want. Our baby clearly needs you and is worried about you and quite frankly so am I. I want you to stay here with us...with me. This family needs to regroup and start again. I need to take control of my life again and that includes being there for you. Whatever you need...I'm here."

"Won't it be easier without me around?"

"Absolutely not. You are the mother of my child and that makes you family but you are not a prisoner here. I will not keep you against your will. You are free to leave if you choose to do so."

"I'm so confused by all of this. I don't like having feelings and thoughts of my own. It's hard."

Vampire Carter laughed softly. "You have no idea."

"Are you sure about this? I don't want to burden you with..."

"Look at your son." Vampire Carter said touching Cayden's soft black hair. "You gave me hope. You gave me something even my Ebony couldn't give me and for that, I am eternally grateful. I don't know who you are and I don't think you quite do either but let's give each other a chance. At least for the sake of the sound barrier and this house. I don't think I would last through another cry like that." Vampire Carter kissed the top of Cayden's head. "No more hurting your momma little one. You hurt the ones that hurt her. That's your job."

"Thank you. I don't know what to say." I brought Cayden up to face and kissed his cheek.

"You don't need to say anything. You just need to make yourself comfortable and keep your boy from worrying about you." He gave me a smile that hadn't seen before. It was a genuine smile of happiness that made me know that everything was going to be okay. I might not be his Ebony but I was someone and now I had to discover exactly who that was.