“Please! Stand up. There was no harm done.” I reach to touch the man’s shoulder, but Grant pulls me back, shaking his head.
“Th… thank you, Miss Kelly. Thank you.” Drew remains on his knees as if he is expecting more.
Not knowing what else to do, I stand in silence, waiting for someone to say something. I am out of my element.
“Drew. Kelly has been generous in offering you her forgiveness.” Alexander turns away and has his back on Drew.
“Kelly, my apologies for my assistant. I hope this will not sway your first impression of me.” His blue eyes caught mine, and I feel pulled closer to him.
I stop myself from taking a step toward the King of vampires, shaking off the fuzzy feeling. “Um, no… King. Or do I call you King Alexander?”
The King chuckles and smiles. “Grant is like a brother to me, my right hand in all things. You are pledging yourself to him tonight. I would like you to consider yourself now part of my family. Please call me Alex.”
I feel a swarm of butterflies flying in my belly. “Thank you, Alex.”
Alex motions both Grant and I to the fireplace. “Grant, would you like to introduce Kelly to the coven?”
Grant wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me closer. “My friends, I would like to introduce Kelly Kennedy. She will pledge her loyalty to me tonight and I have asked you all here to witness it.”
Strangers murmur to each other. My nerves get the better of me as sparks of static prickles my skin.
I glance around the room until I lock eyes with Nick. His gentle smile reassures me I am not alone. He winks.
Relax, Kitten.
I hear his voice in my mind and frown. There is no privacy around vampires. Nick’s smile grows wider.
I will teach you how to guard your thoughts, Kitten. I promise.
The sooner the better. Wait. I need to stop thinking about leaving. I can’t afford to have Grant find out I’m not convinced this is where I belong.
I turn my head and look up at Grant. His green eyes were darker than usual. I knew he heard every thought of mine, and he isn’t pleased.
You promised me, mo chroi.
His reminder floats through my mind, and he is right. I had promised him thirty days. It wasn’t necessary for me to respond to him. His face softens the moment I realize I need to keep my word. I promised him thirty days, I will give it to him. I may not have my freedom, but I still have my integrity.
Grant leans down and brushes his lips on my forehead and whispers to me. “Thank you, mo chroi. Let me show you the life you would have with me. Give me a chance.”
He watches me as I unravel what he just said. My life with him. I turn away from him as I gather my thoughts. This isn’t a game to him.
I want forever if you’ll give it to me.
His unspoken words float through my mind.
“You don’t even know me.” Biting my bottom lip, I turn back to him. “Forever is a long time.”
“Let’s worry about the task at hand, hmm?” Grant is at least a head taller than me, and he looks right over my head at the crowd behind us. “We have time to discuss your future. Our future.” He pulls me in to a tight hug. “But first, it’s time for you to pledge your loyalty.”
His grin is infectious, and I return his smile. “Okay.”
I wait for him to give me some clue to tell me what I need to do. Whatever it is, I will show loyalty to Grant. He promises to give me more freedom if I pledge myself to him. I promised I would give him thirty days of my loyalty.
Grant’s smile fades.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m hoping you will want to give me more than thirty days.” He kisses the top of my head as Alex gets started.
Alex moves to stand next to us and addresses the small group. “We are here to witness Kelly’s pledge to Grant. Please move in and create a semi-circle.”
I watch as Sofia, Nick and Tony move closer to me. The others wrap around in a small semi-circle, leaving Alex, Grant and myself in the center.
“Kelly, kneel in front of Grant.” Alex commanded.
What? He wants me to kneel? I want to argue. These vampires were far quicker and stronger than me, and I didn’t have a chance in hell to fight my way out of here.
I make eye contact with Grant and ease myself into a kneeling position. He looks down at me with a self-satisfied smirk. Seriously? His smugness irritates me, but I hold myself in check. It’s just thirty days.
“Kelly Kennedy by your own volition do you swear your loyalty to Lord Grant, to follow and obey him in all things?” Alex waits for me to respond.
“Um. Sure.” Sweet sarcasm falls out of my mouth before I can stop myself. “Lord Grant, seriously?”
Both of the vampires standing in front of me frown at my inappropriateness.
“I’m sorry. I’m just nervous. I have done nothing like this before.” I offer.
“All is forgiven, mo chroi.” His words exonerate me, but the cool expression on his face says otherwise. There is danger radiating from him, daring me to ignore the unspoken threat.
I give him a little shrug and stay silent. Grant looks to Alex and nods, encouraging him to continue.
“Very well. Lord Grant, do you accept responsibility for Kelly Kennedy, providing for her, protecting her for all of eternity?”
“I accept her as my responsibility now and all of eternity.”
My mouth opens from the shock of Grant’s words. All of eternity? What exactly have I done?
“Lord Grant, if you will.” Alex waves his hand between us.
Grant removes his suit coat and hands it over to Nick. He then rolls up his shirt sleeves, baring his toned arms.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“The blood exchange, mo chroi.”
“Wait… what?” I try to move away from Grant, but Alex quickly pushes me back in front of him.
“Did you not swear your loyalty to Lord Grant, Kelly?” The power in Alex’s hand seeps into my neck as he holds me, waiting for an answer.
“Yes, but…”
“Then we must complete the ritual.”
Grant raises his wrist to his mouth and bites down drawing blood. He moves closer to me and offers his wrist. “Drink.”
Horrified, I panic. “Please, I can’t…”
Grant reaches out and draws me closer to him, placing his wrist to my mouth. “Drink, mo chroi.”
I squirm in his grasp but acquiesce by touching my tongue to his wrist. Surprised by the sweet taste of Grant’s blood, I lick a drop from his wrist. His essence warms my mouth. A warm dark chocolate flavor coats my tongue. I can’t help but release a small moan.
“That’s it, mo chroi. Drink.” He pushes his wrist just a little more until I finally latch on to him, taking the first swallow.
He presses his thumb down on my chin after a few swallows. I release my lips from his wrist, licking the remains from the sides of my mouth. He then licks his wound to seal it closed. Vampire's saliva has healing properties that quickly seals up bite marks.
I look up at Grant, feeling a little lightheaded, and wasn’t sure what to do next.
“It’s my turn mo chroi.” He kneels down in front of me and with no warning, wraps himself around me.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“Taking what’s mine.” Grant latches onto my neck and bit into the carotid artery, drawing my blood into his mouth.
I scream in panic and hit him with my free hand on the shoulder.
Settle, Kitten. The Boss won’t harm you. Be calm.
A strange sense of serenity comes over me until I realize Nick was speaking to me.
“Get out of my head, Nick.” I squirm underneath Grant but cannot move him.
Grant moaned, enjoying every drop he pulls from me.
“Boss?” Nick hesitates to interrupt but knows this has gone on long enough.
A menacing growl from Grant warns Nick to not interfere.
Alex has given Grant ple
nty of time to secure the bond and agrees with Nick. This needs to end. Alex steps near the two of us and is about to pull Grant away from me when I feel a burst of energy.
A white light propels Grant into the air and swiftly across the room. Blood trickles down his chin as the paralyzing light holds him high against the wall.
Nick cautiously approaches me. “Kitten, are you okay?”
A white light glows over my body. Nick reaches out to help pull me up from the floor.
“Crap!” Nick yelps and draws his hand back. “What did you do?”
I have no idea. I am feeling more lightheaded and my energy is slowly draining away. “I… I’m sorry.”
“Everyone, please give us a moment.” It isn’t a question. Alex commands the group of onlookers to leave. Nick turns to leave with Sofia. “No Nick. You will need to assist.”
Once the room is clear, Alex kneels down. He breaks through the white glow of energy and gently licks the open wound on my neck and shutters. “Kelly, I need you to listen.”
We lock eyes, and I try to focus on his voice.
“It seems we have unlocked an energy source from within you. I want to help you disperse the buildup. Will you allow me to help you?” Alex remains calm and waits.
“I don’t know what to do...” I pant. “Please. Help me.”
“I will help you drain and discharge the pocket of energy that has engulfed you.” Alex whispers something into the universe and suddenly becomes engulfed in a clear red light. He places both his hands on my legs.
A buzzing sensation crawls up my body. Once it reaches my chest, I can no longer breathe. Little black pinpricks clutter my vision. I feel myself losing consciousness as I desperately grasped at Alex.
“Let go, princess.” His soothing voice forces me to do just that. I let go.
Chapter 16
Grant
Alex pulls away from Kelly as she fell unconscious. I fall to the ground when the invisible force harnessing me midway up the wall disappears.
“Nick, please carry Kelly back to her room. I feel she may be out for a while and would like her to be comfortable.”
“Yes, Sire.” Nick bows his head to Alex and gathers up Kelly. He has become protective over our little human and will take care of her until she wakes.
Alex stands and glares at me as I remain slouched against the wall. “You knew she was more than human and didn’t think to mention this to me?” The king is more than annoyed. He crosses his arms against his chest. “What were you thinking? She is part fae. Grant, don’t tell me you didn’t know this.”
“I didn’t know. Well, I didn’t know for sure.” Rubbing the ache in my neck, I straighten into a sitting position but continue to use the wall for support.
Alex moves across the room and sits in the large leather chair facing me. “She doesn’t know.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t sure if she came from the light court or the dark until now.”
“Well, based on the light show, I imagine she is from the Seelie court, the Light Realm.”
I know the power that pushed into and through me is white energy. And the fact I cannot push it out of me on my own is a sign she is from a strong Seelie fae line.
Drew steps back into the room with a drink in each hand. “Sire, would you like a drink?”
Drew is the most annoying assistant the king has had. He has been in Alex’s service for less than a year now. Alex wants to pawn him off to one of his underlings, but he must find a replacement beforehand. The one good thing about Drew though, he knows when a glass of scotch is in order.
Alex takes the offered glass and sips. “Thank you, Drew.”
Drew tilts his head downward and then offers the second glass to me. “Lord, Grant?”
I take the drink and thank him.
“That will be all for now, Drew. Please leave us.” Alex waits for Drew to depart and takes another taste of the scotch. The warmth floods his throat. Vampires rarely become intoxicated, but we still enjoy a slight buzz from hard liquor.
“Start from the beginning, Grant. All of it. I want to know how you came in contact with your new ward.”
“The beginning. Right.” The ice rattles in my now empty glass. I watch the ice swirl around the clear tumbler.
“Seven months ago, Nick and I found one of Finn’s minions in the back area of the casino designated for employees only. We pulled him into my office and interrogated him. He was proving to be a real pain in the ass, and it pissed me off. It got bloody.”
I pull myself up and sit in the chair next to Alex. “Nick and I are in the middle of this when my door swings open and Kelly and her father, Joe Kennedy stood in shock, staring at Finn’s bloody minion begging for his life. I move to enthrall them both, but it only works on Joe. Kelly is still in control of herself. That’s when I knew.”
“She is your mate.” Alex sighs at the realization.
“Yes. I couldn’t let her leave and told Nick to glamour her. We told Joe that he worked for me at the Contessa. Nick stopped Kelly and told her she would recall none of what she saw in the office and planted the idea in her mind of Joe being an employee of ours.”
“Why didn’t you just take her then? You were well within your rights to claim her then. Why wait?”
“She’s not eighteen years old. She is very young, Alex. I wanted a plan in place to bring her into our world without overwhelming her. Her birthday is coming soon, and I wanted to wait until then. Prepare for her.”
“So, what went wrong? Why is she here then? If she’s not eighteen, and you were waiting, what happened?”
“Finn happened. Remember when you asked me to go to Finn’s card game? Well, when Nick and I arrived we saw that Finn had invited Joe to the party.”
“Why would he invite a human?” Alex taps the side of the armchair.
“Why indeed. Joe incurred a gambling debt with Finn that night. Finn wanted to collect what Joe owed him. I had Nick and Tony shadow Joe.”
I stand and raised my empty glass to Alex. “Care for another?”
Without a word, he offers me his glass. I continue my explanation as I pour us both another drink.
“Finn gave him a week to come up with the fifty thousand he owed him, or he would take matters into his own hands. Joe could not come up with the funds to pay Finn back. We found out that Finn told Joe he would take Kelly to pay off his debt. Paid in full.”
Alex’s narrows his eyes. “Blood slave or death, I imagine. Finn was always a barbarian.”
I offer him his glass.
“Thank you.” He swirls the amber liquid in his glass. “So, you took it upon yourself to protect her?” Alex’s stoic expression gives nothing away.
“Yes. I did. I had Nick and Tony take her from Finn’s men and had them bring her here.”
We sit in silence for several minutes. I wait for Alex.
“Is she here by her own free will?” Alex already knows the answer.
I straighten in my chair and exhale.
Alex leans in. “If she is not here willingly, Grant, this will be a problem for us.” Alex stretches his legs and steps toward the fireplace. He watches the orange and yellow flames dance across the wood.
“How is this a problem? I have not harmed her. Kelly has a beautiful room, clothing, protection. I assure you; she is well cared for.” I now stand away from Alex, keeping a healthy distance from my sire.
“She’s part fae, Grant! Do you not see the political ramifications? Taking her hostage? The last thing we need is a war with the Seelie King himself. Let her go.”
“No. I will not just hand her over until we know what we are dealing with. No. She has not been harmed, nor will I harm her.”
In a split second, Alex have moved across the room and his hand wrapped around my throat. A low growl comes from Alex, “Do not defy me, Lord Grant.”
“I do not wish to do so Sire.” I force myself to swallow.
“Then you will release her once she is awake.” He let go of
me.
“Sire. I won’t release Kelly. I will claim her as my mate.”
Alex tightens his hold around my throat once more. I could have fought my way out of the choke hold; however, this was my sire. My king. I have no choice but to endure Alex’s punishment.
Alex releases me. I can see the amusement playing on his face at the prospect of Kelly agreeing to be my mate.
“Your mate? The girl that blew you into the wall with an unimaginable amount of pent up energy, has agreed to be your mate for eternity.” Alex chuckles.
My sire annoys me with his inability to understand my desire for Kelly. “I’m so happy I can amuse you sire, but I’m very serious about this. I knew from the moment I lied eyes on Kelly that there would be no one else. She is mine.”
Alex calms down and sits again. “I will ask her what she wants to do. If she agrees, then we will have the ceremony.”
I close my eyes and hope to convince Alex. “Sire. Alex, please. She has only known me a few weeks. I need more time to… convince her she is mine.” I sound like a lovesick fool but continue to stand my ground. I will not give her up. Not yet, anyway.
Alex scrutinizes my words. “I made you my offspring over 300 years ago, and never once have you disobeyed me.” He shakes his head, knowing he is making a mistake. “You have one months' time to convince Kelly to become your mate. You will educate her in all things related to our world. At the end of one month, I will return to perform the ceremony… or to release her.”
Alex stands, and I follow him.
“You are my right-hand Grant, and I will allow this because you are loyal to me. You have always completed everything I have asked of you without question. This one-month time period is a gift. Do not try me or take advantage of this situation.”
“Thank you.” I bow my head in respect.
“I’m off. I must find that worthless assistant of mine and get back to work.” He turns and heads toward the foyer. “One month, Grant. I will return to see you and the lovely Kelly. I wish you luck my friend.” Alex chuckles as he enters the elevator and disappears.
Paid in Full: Kelly Kennedy Series (Book One) Page 13
