Chosen Mage: A Clutch Mistress Book 3
Page 18
Settling her onto the bed, he grabbed a chair to sit beside her as she moaned in anguish. Before his eyes, a large wet spot spread beneath the skirt of her dress.
Julian rushed in, taking the situation in stride. “Her water has broken. Blaze, go wash up. I’m going to need your assistance.”
Unused to being ordered around, he stared at Julian in shock.
“Now, Master Blaze!” He barked.
Nodding, Blaze did as he was told. It didn’t matter that she didn’t remember him, she needed him. He would do anything for his Mate. Flashing back to the bed, he didn’t know what to do as she whimpered, “It hurts, it hurts,” and fisted the sheets in an iron grip.
“Sora,” Julian soothed. “I’m going to remove your undergarments now and reposition your legs. Hold tight, we still have a bit more to go.”
“Just do it,” she growled, baring her teeth.
Without another word, Julian flipped up her dress and cut away her panties.
Blaze swallowed the growl that threatened to rumble from his throat as another man became privy to what was his.
Julian’s brown eyes flashed in irritation, “Master Blaze, you will need to control yourself, or I will have you removed. Is that clear?”
He jerked a rough nod. He would do whatever was necessary to be at her side.
“Talk to me,” she whispered with her starlit gaze meeting his. “Distract me, please.”
Her soft pleas drew him closer to her side. Uncurling her fingers from the sheet, he clutched her small hand, “What would you like to know, Love?”
Her brow creased, “Tell me the part that Viv missed. I’ve,” she sucked in a sharp breath and let it hiss out from between her clenched teeth. “I want to know what happened when I… died.”
He nodded, recalling the moment, “Okay.” Squeezing her hand, he began, “Julian,” he nodded to the man between his Mate’s knees, “discovered you had gone. I had told you that I would meet the sun if anything happened to you, so that’s what I did. Our entire Clutch met the sun’s rays, and through you, we were able to withstand the light. We raced to LA and quickly found the Pack, Felidae, and Protectors. But you weren’t there,” he growled in remembrance. “You’d gone ahead to save Giselle. I tore through the Council’s Mages in search of you. You’d taken the fight to the shore, though. I assume so there would be less casualties.”
Julian spoke as another contraction drew a cry from her lips, “She’s fully dilated, the baby will be here soon.”
Excitement lit through his body, he was going to be a father.
Sora clenched his hand and growled, “Continue!”
Sobering, he did. “When I found you next to a pile of muddy ash, you weren’t breathing. Giselle filled us in that there was a Vampire amongst the Council; Mage Thais. I assumed that the ash was what was left of the original. You were covered in blood and a black substance.” He shuddered, recalling the feeling of holding her lifeless body, “Your heart did not beat, nor did your body draw breath. I lifted you into my arms when, before my eyes, your belly lit with a bright light. More and more of the black tar pooled from your mouth. I turned you over just as your heart began beating. You vomited repeatedly, but never gained consciousness. Then I brought you home.”
“The baby’s crowning!” Julian shouted. “On my count, I need you to push Sora.”
“One,”
“What was the light, Blaze?” Her starlit eyes spun with dizzying speed as they slowly turned into liquid silver and met his gaze.
Stunned by her beauty even as sweat marked her face, he simply stared in amazement at the love of his life.
“Two,”
Her fangs descended with a snick and she screamed, “Tell me!”
“The baby. Our baby, she saved you both.”
“Three! Push!”
She screamed in pain and pushed as the contraction tensed her entire body.
“Okay, breath, just breath.” Julian soothed, “That’s good, very good. Push again when I say.”
Her soft pants met his ears and he leaned closer to her face, “She saved you.”
Viv burst into the room just as Julian began to count again.
“One,”
“The baby’s coming!?” She bounced excitedly at the foot of the bed.
“Two. Viv, shut up and go wash your hands!” Julian bit out.
Viv flashed to the bathroom.
“Three! Push, Sora!”
Her wail was worse than the one before.
Julian sucked in a sharp breath, “Something’s wrong. The baby’s stuck. Blaze, I need your hand here,” he lifted a blood-soaked hand and patted the area just under Sora’s ribs. “When I say push, push toward me.”
Blaze let go of Sora’s hand and placed his atop the bloodied part of her dress.
“Is the baby, okay?” She asked worriedly.
“Shh,” Julian soothed. “Just a minor complication. Have you thought of a name?”
She smiled softly, “Yes. Kalila, it means ‘dearly loved’. Lila for short.”
Kalila, he thought. His daughter had a name!
“Wonderful,” Julian said as Viv zipped to his side. “Ready for the next contraction? Blaze, on my count.”
“One,”
“Why is there so much blood?” Viv asked nervously.
“Two. Ready, Blaze?”
Blaze nodded as anxiety ripped through his chest. Was she okay?
“Three! Push, Sora!”
Her scream pierced his ears with its high pitch. Gritting his teeth, he pressed where he was supposed to as her cry cut off abruptly and a wet, ripping sound rent the silence.
The baby wailed as Julian quickly wrapped the her in a blanket and passed her to Viv.
Blaze looked down at his beloved Mate’s pale face. Her eyes slid closed as she took a shallow breath. “Julian!” He roared in a panic, “Do something!”
“She is still bleeding! The placenta has torn from her uterine wall!” His frantic gaze spoke volumes as he met Blaze’s hard stare. “I can’t fix this, she needs to feed!”
Lila wailed again in aguish, seemingly aware of what was happening with her mother.
Blaze bit into his wrist and gently opened Sora lips. Pressing the wound to her mouth, he silently prayed to the Goddess for her to live.
Slowly, her throat moved, swallowing his blood. Moment by moment, she drank faster.
Dizzy with the loss of blood in his already weakened state, he crawled onto the bed; careful not to break the suction of her mouth.
“The bleeding is slowing,” Julian said in a relieved voice. “She’s going to be okay.”
Chapter 17
Sora
I opened my eyes to my daughter’s ear-piercing wail through the baby monitor for her second feeding of the night. Goddess, how did people do this more than once, I wondered? Groggily, I pushed on Blaze’s thick chest, “Go get Lila, it’s your turn.”
Stretching, he grouched, “I never knew babies were so much work.”
I chuckled, “Tell that to my nipples. I’m a regular milk machine over here.”
While he went to get out daughter, I snuggled deeper into the blankets and reflected on our good fortune.
Viv had turned out to be right. Once I had tasted Blaze’s blood, everything had come rushing back with crystal clarity.
The Council was no more; at least on this coast. There were other Strongholds scattered throughout the globe, but I doubted that Thais’s corruption extended that far. I’d even received a letter from a Clutch in Europe, begging for an audience. It seemed that through me, every Vampire in the world could now walk in the sun. Natalie was eager to travel with Viv and Jackson as an emissary for their meeting.
Baby gifts had begun arriving on a regular basis as word spread about Lila. At three months old, she already had quite the fanbase.
“Shh,” Blaze rumbled through the monitor’s speaker. “I’ve got you, hush. I know, you want a booby. Again.”
I grinned. It was hil
arious to call it that, but a booby it was. My breasts had never seen so much action. It was to the point where I didn’t even bother with a cover anymore. She cried, the boob came out, period. It didn’t matter who was in the room with me.
A sniffle pulled my eyes open as Blaze settled Lila between us. Her silver starred eyes sparkled with an inner radiance; just like mine.
“Come here, little one,” I sang in an offkey voice. Lifting my arm, I pulled her closer as she latched on to my breast. Tipping my head, I inhaled the scent of her short, platinum hair. Like a drug, every bone in my body instantly relaxed.
Blaze met my gaze with a soft knowing smile.
One whole. One family.
Safe at last…
Mine.
The End
Read on for the beginning of Nat’s adventure in Alpha Mage, A Clutch Mistress Book 4
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this book as much I have enjoyed writing it, please consider leaving a review!
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Chapter 1
Nat
Excitement buzzed through my veins as I grabbed my bag from the overhead compartment and deplaned.
I couldn’t believe I was in Europe as an emissary for our Clutch! When Sora had first told me, I’d squealed like a ridiculous school girl.
Sure, it sucked leaving Bex and Lila behind, but I needed this. I wanted to make my mark on the world, and this opportunity was just too good to pass up.
So far, I’d only spoken to the European Pack’s Alpha over the phone. He seemed cordial, but wary of the upcoming alliance with the Paris Clutch. I couldn’t really fault him, especially after experiencing firsthand the cruelty of the now destroyed Clutch back in LA.
“Move Babe, you’re holding up the line. Again,” Viv quipped from behind me as I stopped to stare through the skywalk’s window.
“I haven’t been here before, either. It’s amazing!” Rowe answered with her green eyes as wide as saucers.
“Leave them alone,” Sasha grinned. “It’s their first time on another continent.”
My cheeks pinked as I eyed our party. Mel had insisted that Rowe come, and honestly, I was happy to have her company.
Sasha had decided to come as well, just so she could get out of the house. I couldn’t blame her one bit. She always put on a good show, but I knew Jake’s death had been hard on her. We were incredibly lucky that Sora’s grief ritual had worked.
Turning, I addressed Viv, “Sorry, I’m just really impressed. Have you ever been to Europe?”
Jackson poked her rear and rumbled disapprovingly. “No, she hasn’t; and this isn’t a game. I need you to be alert, there could be unknown dangers in the city.”
Viv slapped his thick chest, “Don’t listen to him. He’s just grumpy that we’re spending my birthday so far from home.”
My brow lowered, “I didn’t know your birthday was coming up.”
She shook her head, “My turning. Apparently, it’s a big deal or something.”
Jackson growled, “For a Fledgling to make it past their first year, it is a very special occasion.”
“It really is,” Sasha added.
“Oh, okay.” I rolled a shoulder, “So what’s the plan? Check into the hotel, then what?”
“We meet with the Clutch tomorrow morning. I have reserved the boardroom of our hotel. From there, we will make contact with the Pack. That is all we have planned as things usually go sideways,” his lips tipped into a frown.
He was right, though. If anything bad was going to happen, it always seemed to follow our Clutch.
A soft knocking on my hotel door drew me awake from a dream of the forest. Dammit, I sighed. Those were my favorite kind; having never been there before.
Grumbling, I wondered if Viv, Rowe, and Sasha were trying to sneak out again and hit the bar. Jackson had immediately nixed that idea the first time, though.
Padding to the door, I peeked out through the peephole.
No one was there.
Weird… Check it out or not, I wondered?
Knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise, I flipped the latch and slowly pulled open the door.
“Natalie?” A mountain of a man rumbled just off to my left.
My brow lowered in confusion as I poked my head further into the hall, “Who wants to-”
A fowl smelling rag was roughly slapped against my face. Struggling, I inhaled to scream as my legs dropped out from beneath me. My world dimmed…
“Move, we don’t have a lot of time.” A man’s voice said. “The rest of her Clutch is next door.”
Darkness took me.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this book as much I have enjoyed writing it, please consider leaving a review!
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Glossary
The Clutch- Group of Vampires, the Pack, Protectors, and Felidae
Sora- Mistress of the SoCal Cutch, Mate to Blaze. Mage, Dhampir, Hybrid, Chosen
Blaze- Master of the SoCal Clutch
Jackson- Brother of Blaze, 2nd in command, Vampire
Viv- Best friend to Sora, Female Vampire, Mate to Jackson
Allie- Female Vampire, Mate to Von
Von- Tacker, Vampire, Mate to Allie
Jake- Deceased, Tracker, Vampire, Mate to Sasha
Sasha- Female Vampire, Former Mate to Jake
Mason- Leader of the Protectors, enhanced human
Julian- Head of the House for the Clutch
Nat- Mage, Wolf Shifter
Bex- Wolf Shifter pup
Mel- Alpha of the Pack, Wolf Shifter
Jonas- Beta of the Pack, Bear Shifter
Rowe- Omega of the Pack, Fox Shifter
Syn- Panther Shifter
Giselle- Human, previous landlord to Sora
The Council
Daisy- A Mage and member of the Seattle Stronghold that Sora knew previously to her shunned status.
Hunter Cooper Blake- Hunter for the Council.
Terms-
Menagerie- Group of humans within the Clutch that takes care of the day to day operations.
Retainer- Blood servant on rotation that is paid for their services, also a part of the Menagerie.
Protector- Humans that regularly drink the blood donated from Vampires, giving them enhanced physical attributes and longer life spans.
Fledgling- Newly turned Vampire.
Felidae- A group of Feline Shifters.
Pack- A mix of every other Shifter.