The Born Vampire series: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Complete Series, NSFW Edition)

by Elizabeth Dunlap

  I have thought long and hard about what happened to Anastasia. What drove her to madness? I had known other first-generation Born vampires, and none had ever behaved as she had. I replayed every memory, and I spoke to everyone who had survived, in secret of course. It turned up nothing, so I went further.

  Anastasia’s human mother, the Countess of Bathory, was as infamous as her child. Anastasia was born when her mother was married to another man. As soon as the baby vampire took her first breath, one of us was there to pick up the child and take it back to our castle. The vampire that had been at the birthing was dead, but some of the human witnesses were not. I found them, and I used mind control to find out what happened when Anastasia was born.

  The witnesses had only seen part of the birth, but they all agreed that something abnormal had happened. Something about Anastasia’s birth was different than a regular Born vampire birth. And so, I reasoned that perhaps Anastasia was not a normal vampire. We had all seen her powers, her beauty, and her cruelty.

  I found out nothing else about her, and though I searched the world a dozen times over, I could never find her again. Her bewitching smile and her destructive nature were lost forever. I found myself both relieved and broken to know I would never see her again.

  This book is the only written account of what happened when Anastasia Bathory destroyed us. I am breaking my vow of secrecy and risking death as the result, but I have never believed in keeping it a secret. Our kind should know what happened. Everyone should know about the wrath of Anastasia Bathory.

  Written by the faithful hand of James, a Born vampire.’

  I don’t know how long I sat there looking at the book in my hands, but it was well after I had finished reading it. The signature and seal at the bottom of the page confirmed that the book had been written by the James I knew, and not another less insane James that I wouldn’t mind asking about it.

  My memory recalled his conversation with me on the first day I’d been his slave.

  “Have you ever wondered why there are so few older Born?” he’d asked me.

  “Sometimes,” I’d answered.

  Then he’d said, “I’ve often thought about it. No one really knows for sure why. There are so many rumors surrounding the topic that one can hardly discern any actual facts.” Now I was confused. Why had he said that? Maybe in his insanity he’d forgotten about her? Or maybe it was his oath. But why bring it up in the first place?

  And Anastasia Bathory. I knew the name, knew even more so the story of her mother, the Countess of Bathory, a supposed serial killer of young maidens. Her daughter, it seemed, was just as ruthless.

  The mysterious circumstances of Anastasia’s birth stuck with me. James had penned in how different she was from other vampires. Could it be that she was the product of an Incubus and a vampire? Her mother certainly had had a lust for blood, though by all accounts she had been human. I knew well enough how much history had been altered over the centuries, it stood to reason her story had been as well.

  I had too many questions, and the only person who could answer them was James. Fuck me. That was perfect. I had to not only see the man that bit and controlled me for weeks, I had to personally invite him over. I rubbed a hand over my belly and tried to convince myself it would be worth it.

  Stiff from sitting for so long, I got up, stretched enough to feel some bones pop in my neck, and put the contraband book back on the lamp table. I walked over to the door and prepared to turn the handle before I heard shouting outside it.

  “Lisbeth? Lisbeth, answer this damn door before I break it down!” Arthur was shouting outside my office. I remembered I’d locked the office door, and I had no idea how long I’d been in the hidden room. Quickly, I pulled the light string and left the dark room. The panel clicked closed behind me when I pushed on it. I hurried over to the office door and swung it open after flipping the lock.

  “You woke me up!” I shouted at Arthur. Olivier was beside him trying to stop him from denting the door, but he already had. My beautiful doors were marred with giant knuckle holes dotted in red.

  “You were sleeping?” Olivier asked in utter disbelief. “We’ve been out here for half an hour. No one sleeps that hard.”

  I shrugged, looking at Arthur’s bloodied fists with a frown. Why had he freaked out like that? “I do. Sometimes. Especially while pregnant. Also, you ruined my doors.”

  He dropped his hands to his sides in defeat. Some emotion passed across his face, and if I had to put a name to it, it was relief. “We thought you’d been taken.” I almost felt bad, since he looked so uncharacteristically upset.

  “I’m fine,” I assured him gently. “In fact, I’m going to go back to my nap now. Did you need anything else?”

  Across the hall, Marie gasped, drawing my attention to her standing next to her desk. She had her desk phone pressed to her ear, and whatever she was hearing was causing her great distress. Had they found Othello? If they had, her face said he was dead. She calmly hung up the phone with as little movement as necessary, and stood silent for a few moments, just staring off into space.

  “Marie?” I asked her as calmly as I could. “Who was on the phone?”

  She was very composed, in a way that was completely abnormal for her. I felt like she was about to burst into pieces. Since she hadn’t answered me yet, Arthur and Olivier turned to her and were equally wary of her behavior.

  “Tha…” She faltered and swallowed to clear her throat. “That was the Order Qiángdù. They had news about the Order Gennadi.”

  “Don and Faith are there,” Olivier said, naming the Hunters Arthur had dispatched to that Order. “What happened?”

  Marie finally met my eyes. “The turned attacked all of the Born there and executed them.”

  We were all frozen in horror.

  “What about the Hunters we sent?” Olivier asked quietly.

  Swallowing again, Marie met her eyes too. “There were no survivors.”

  17. A hard choice

  It seemed that every horrible event that had happened to me during that year was steadily getting worse so that each time it progressed up the scale of suck, I was at least a little prepared. Except that I wasn’t prepared for this news.

  An entire Order of Born vampires slaughtered.

  The turned had even filmed the affair and sent it to every Order as a message which very clearly indicated that this was what they had planned for all of us.

  We were in deep shit. And that was an understatement.

  I paced my office trying to figure out our next move. I was tired from my pregnancy, not to mention it was well past midnight. Even though I was the head of the Order and could technically make all the decisions by myself, I still needed to pretend that the other Born had a say-so. And that meant I had to patronize their constant arguing about what we were going to do.

  “We have to contact the other Orders,” one commanded.

  Arthur watched my pacing, wiping the blood off his hands with some tissues from my desk. “Any number of them could be compromised by now,” he countered. “We have no way of knowing if the turned have overthrown more of the Orders.”

  “Olivier,” I interrupted. “Each Order still has Hunters there, right?” She nodded. “Let’s contact them. They’re loyal to us, and the turned will be hard pressed to overpower them. They can help get the Born to safety.”

  “On it,” Olivier said, whipping her phone out.

  “So, all the Born are going to come here?” someone asked.

  “This is the safest Order right now,” I told him. “The turned are gone.”

  “Not all of them,” he said back. Olivier froze, and I felt everyone give me a meaningful glance, indicating they had all been thinking this but hadn’t vocalized it until that moment.

  “No,” I argued wearily. “Not them. Cameron and Renard live here.” That was one thing I couldn’t bear.

  “No one will feel safe with them here. Not after Gennadi.” What he really meant was WE don�
�t feel safe.

  Olivier looked up from her phone to scowl at the people around her. “So you’re going to pin the deeds of the turned on them? They had nothing to do with anything that’s happened, and all of you know it.” I glanced at Arthur for his opinion on the matter.

  “Cameron and Renard are on our side,” he admitted, tossing the tissues away. “But…”

  “But?” Olivier interrupted in a huff, whirling on him. “But??”

  “If they don’t feel safe, they won’t come here. And then they’ll be in danger,” Arthur finished.

  Olivier looked like she wanted to make a phone shaped dent in his skull. “And that means you’ll throw out my mate just to make the other Born happy?”

  “No,” I repeated to him. “Cameron and Renard are non-negotiable. They stay.”

  I thought that my word would be final, but of course, it could never be that simple. Before I’d even sat down to rest, one of the other vampires said one phrase that summed up my future.

  “It seems as if you would put your personal feelings before your position as our leader?” Bitch what?

  Laid out very neatly in front of me were my options.

  Option 1. Evict Renard and Cameron

  Option 2. Evict Cameron and Renard

  Once again, I had to put Cameron and Renard second, and the needs of the Order first. This really did feel like an ‘us or them’ thing, which was exactly what had started the turned rebellion in the first place.

  Olivier finished texting the Hunters without a word or glance at me, but several meaningful scowls at Arthur. “Five of them haven’t answered,” she grumbled after a few minutes. “The other seven got the message. They’re gathering the Born and will escape as soon as possible.” She pocketed her phone and left the room without another word.

  The others didn’t notice her departure, or didn’t care since we’d already stabbed her in the heart, me included. I was a turncoat now, so I could add that to my list of fuckups. As if I needed more things to feel guilty about, now I had to throw out my friends.

  I dismissed the other Born until it was only Arthur and myself in the room. He stood silently by, waiting for an order, or for me to leave so he could follow me. Standing up, I braced myself with one hand on my desk and the other on my belly. Had my belly grown heavier since I’d sat down? I rubbed it and felt a responding nudge from my baby.

  Now would’ve been the perfect time for a vision of Knight to appear and comfort me. Try as I might, he didn’t appear, and I felt like a wilted rose, leaning against my desk.

  “I guess this is the price I have to pay to keep my people safe.” The words left my lungs like acid, burning all the way up my throat. Knight, please come. I need you. My eyes closed to stave off tears and despair, but suddenly someone was there, holding me in their arms. My heart leaped for an instant before I realized it was… Arthur.

  “This never happened,” he declared gently, his large hands splayed across my back. He was so warm, despite his constant frosty attitude, and I snuggled into him, trying not to think about who I was hugging. The precious few seconds in his arms was enough to put the pieces of myself back together.

  I brought a hand up to rest over the sword tattoo on his chest, covered by his black t-shirt. A feeling deep inside me was welling up, a feeling of safety and strength, one I’d only ever felt in Knight’s arms, and it was making me feel something for the icy man I’d held in contempt for so long. That brought me out of his embrace and a few steps back. I cleared my throat, unwilling to meet his eyes.

  “Arthur,” I said with a low voice, though no one could overhear us. “I need you to do something for me when they’re gone.”

  He responded without a single moment of hesitation. “As long as it’s not illegal.” Anyone else would’ve said that with cheek, but Arthur had no sense of humor.

  I relayed what I wanted, and he approved it before we left my office, as if the hug had never happened. He followed me down the long hallway, past the kitchen, and into the entryway of the castle. Olivier had apparently gathered Cameron and Renard already, and they stood next to her amidst the other castle residents. The strength of everyone’s fear, and the absolution of their glares directed at Cameron and Renard, erased any hope I’d harbored that I could somehow talk my fellow vampires out of this. Gennadi was etched into their minds forever, and their mistrust of the turned was fortified. I doubted they would ever trust the turned again.

  Renard looked forlorn. His home was betraying him after all he’d done in service for us. Cameron’s face was determined, and he met my eyes without sadness, only a nod of understanding for my position on the matter. It should’ve made me feel better, but it didn’t.

  I tried to speak and my voice refused to comply. My vocal cords had already given into my sorrow even if my brain did not. With a deep breath and a quick throat clear, I managed to say something.

  “I regret to…” No. That sounded too formal. They were my friends. “I’m sorry, but…” Shit, that was wrong too. How could I possibly say that I was sorry when I was the one carrying this out? No one spoke up for me to finish what I had to say. I was alone. “You all know what happened at Gennadi. The massacre of Born vampires at the hands of the turned has poisoned any affection that we…” The words rose like bile that I swallowed down firmly. “…that we feel for those that would slaughter the innocent. And even though we know that the two turned housed here had nothing to do with it, the Born do not feel safe anymore. Not around the turned.” I clenched my hands at my sides until I felt my nails pierce the skin. “As such, your companions have been dismissed, and you will quit this house immediately with no possessions and no financial assistance.” On cue, the large double entrance doors were opened. “There’s the door. You are no longer welcome here.”

  My eyes would no longer focus, and I couldn’t see past the tears flowing down my cheeks. The sound of two pairs of shoes exiting my home echoed in my ears, and I could bear it no longer.

  I wanted to yell at everyone who stood there beside me. I wanted to ask if they felt better now. If throwing out my family somehow increased their safety, but I was tired. I was tired of this year, tired of the pain, and I wanted it to be over already. Instead of unloading all of that in front of everyone, I turned and trudged slowly up the stairs until I couldn’t see their faces anymore.

  18. He’s not what I thought

  I didn’t want to see anyone. Losing Cameron in such a fashion had broken me. I had no strength to face anything now. If I spent the rest of my pregnancy in bed alone, I’d be fine with it. I’d bring back the custom of the confinement before birth. I was more than familiar with solitude.

  The next morning, I wasn’t surprised when I heard my bedroom door open, even though I’d locked it. Who had come in, though, I had little doubt it was anyone except my former captor.

  I snuggled further under the covers. “Fuck off,” I informed the intruder. I smelled scones with cherry jam and a pot of vanilla tea. Arthur set a tray down on my nightstand, and he retreated from my bed, sitting down in the wicker reading chair I’d put next to the built-in bookcases. He glanced at the book I’d been reading, one about Djinn and weather controllers, and picked it up to read the jacket. He put it back down when he realized it was chick lit. “Get out,” I ordered him.

  “Eat,” he countered, pointing to the tray. I reached a defiant hand out from the covers and took one of the scones, dipped it in the cherry jam, and took a large bite. It was good. Damn him. He sat in the wicker chair while I ate, saying nothing.

  Eventually, I had to sit up so I could drink the tea. I dragged myself out of the tangle of blankets and pulled my long curls back into a ponytail. The tea was warm and soothing, but alas, it didn’t help soothe me. Talking probably would, but it wouldn’t make it better. I studied the simple white china and ran my fingernail along the bottom of it in thought.

  “Did you regret it?” I asked Arthur. He looked up at me, still silent. “Did you regret killing your mate
and child?”

  “She broke the law,” was his answer.

  I took another sip. “Not what I asked.” I scraped at the teacup again and set it back on the tray. “I just evicted my family. A man who means more to me than anyone here, even Olivier. And why?” I scoffed with a sigh. “I don’t even have the excuse of following the law. It was because of fear. And don’t think I’m not taking what the turned are doing seriously, because I am. But Cameron never betrayed us. He and Renard were loyal in their service, and still. Still. They were turned out like criminals. As if I needed more reasons to hate myself.”

  I slumped back against my pillows and rubbed my hands over my belly to comfort myself. Everything inside me was wishing Arthur would take me in his arms again, and the mere idea of me wanting that was putting me at unease. I’d just started closing my eyes again when I heard Arthur speak.

  “Yes.” My eyes popped open in shock. He was standing at the windows on the other side of the room so I couldn’t see his face. “I regretted it.” Was he crying? I would’ve thought it ridiculous, but this felt like a vulnerable moment for him. He’d seen me exposed emotionally, maybe I’d see him like that too. “Her blood frenzy could’ve been avoided.”

  “So you blame yourself?”

  “No. Blame, no blame, it doesn’t reverse what happened. But it could’ve been prevented. And I hated myself for betraying her for a long time. It changed who I am inside. I have no line between guilty and slightly less guilty. There’s only innocent and lawbreaking. That’s why Olivier left the Hunters. She couldn’t follow someone who wasn’t lenient.” He scrubbed a hand down his jaw. “I’m not the type of person to hate who they are, but it’s been a long time since I could say I liked myself. Lately though, I think I’ve been changing. And I’m not saying I’m completely different now, because I’m not. But I will say this. No matter how necessary it was, and I do believe it was necessary, Cameron and Renard did not deserve to be cast out like that. They were trustworthy. And I know you feel guilty about having to carry out the other vampires’ wishes, but it wasn’t your fault. They were in the wrong, not you.”