Vampire Mate: BBW Paranormal Romance

by Natalie Kristen

  Her mate was a good man, a good Master vampire.

  She went to Glenn and touched his arm lightly. “Would you let me have the knife now?” she said, willing her voice not to break.

  He nodded, and as she took it from his holster, he bent down and crushed her to him with a burning, bruising kiss. She gasped at the force of his kiss, and her eyes flew open to see that Glenn's hand was raised. He seemed to be drawing the lightning with his hand, even as his lips remained on hers, her kiss seemingly empowering and strengthening him.

  With a flick, he directed the lightning towards the gates. The lighting hurtled towards the towering, black gates, and in an explosion of blinding sparks, the gates collapsed.

  Glenn released her and she stumbled back. Her mate could control vampires, and control storms and lightning. He hadn't been bluffing or boasting.

  There's lots more I can do, but I want to show them to you slowly.

  Glenn did have a lot of power, and he was using and exhausting them all for her.

  Glenn gave the signal and they stormed the grounds, charging into the castle. There were cries and screams, as hordes of blood demons appeared from the dark and attacked.

  “Find Kron,” Glenn said, running in after her. “Let them fight these demons. Once you find Kron, these demons will be gone.”

  So will I.

  “I know where he is. I can...feel it.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “You can feel...your demon Maker?” Glenn froze.

  “Yeah,” Charlene answered absently, dodging the blood and bullets.

  Glenn raced after her, his heart twisting in his chest. If she could feel Kron's presence, that could only mean one thing. She was becoming fully demon. He grabbed her and swung her round to face him. She stared up at him in shock, but the look on his face made her jerk out of his grasp and back away.

  “My eyes...” she said. “They're red, aren't they?”

  Glenn nodded, staring into her blood red eyes. The swirls at the corner of her eyes were thicker and longer, stretching up her temples into her hairline.

  She made a small cut on her finger with the knife, and smiled grimly. “Let's end this, while my blood is still red. I don't want to die with black demon blood in my body.”

  With that, she turned and ran past a flight of stairs that was crowded with battling demons and vampires. Just as Glenn had Called his vampires, Kron had Summoned his Made demons to battle. Charlene had not been affected by the collective Summoning since she was not yet fully demon. She had to be specifically and individually Summoned, and Kron didn't have the time or energy for that. The demon lord had his claws full at the moment.

  Glenn followed Charlene closely as she yanked open a set of double doors, and skidded into a sprawling, ornately furnished study room.

  A bloodied wolf was on the desk, its body twitching and jerking under the fangs of a hulking, horned demon. The demon released the wolf's neck and the werewolf shrank back into his human form. The man groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head as he began to convulse.

  Glenn stared at Sideous Kron in his demon form. The demon lord swallowed the shifter's blood, gulping down his energy drink in preparation for a bloody battle.

  “Charlene.” Kron leered at her. “You came. It's good that you're here, with us, with your own kind. You have to protect me, your demon Maker. If I go down, you go down with me, into the Abyss.”

  She snorted. “Liar! That's only true if I don't destroy you. The demon who destroys her Maker by her own hand will be freed from her Maker and the Abyss.”

  Kron gave a snide smile. “You wouldn't do that. You're one of us.”

  “No. I'm not,” she spat.

  “Look at your eyes. You have demon eyes now. But what do you have in your hands? Something to kill the vampire with? You'll need a stake, my dear. Not that.” Kron spoke in his human voice, even though there was nothing human in his form. His claws were long and serrated, like his fangs, and his barbed tails swished and lashed behind him like whips. Boils exploded all over his skin, dripping acid and his eyes glowed red and eerie.

  Kron laughed and straightened up. At his full height, he was only an inch taller than Glenn. Glenn greeted him with a smile. “You're looking well, Mr Kron. I was wondering when you'd ditch the white suit. White is so last year.”

  Kron growled, but Glenn didn't give him the time to pounce. He attacked first. Time was running out for Charlene. If her blood turned demon black, all would be lost. She needed to cut out Kron's heart now!

  Glenn launched himself at the demon lord, tackling him and driving him into the wall. Glenn was strong and he had the advantage of speed. Kron roared and fought back, but Glenn ducked out of the way of his claws. Furniture flew and tiles cracked as demon and vampire went head to head. Glenn didn't have the luxury of time to wear Kron down. It was now or never.

  Misting behind Kron, Glenn caught the demon in a headlock and bellowed to Charlene, “Now! Do it!”

  Kron's tails whipped wildly at Glenn, their barbed ends digging into his back and legs and ripping out chunks of his flesh.

  The demon reached back and stabbed Glenn in his side with his serrated claws. He dragged his claws viciously down the length of Glenn's body, opening up a deep, crooked gash.

  Glenn dropped to one knee, holding his side and hoping his guts wouldn't fall out. Not now. His internals organs could all spill out later, just not now.

  Charlene was attacking Kron with her knife, scoring a few cuts and stabs, but nothing deep. Definitely nothing that would bring the demon lord down.

  Kron was growing angrier and stronger, as Glenn's blood flowed from his wound and seeped across the floor to the demon. Kron would only grow stronger while Glenn grew weaker. He had to get to his feet now, while his vision and brain were still working. Already he could hear a buzzing in his ears as he lost more and more blood.

  Glenn lurched up and bit down his pain. Using all his will and power as a Master vampire, he misted over to Kron, coiling around him before materializing just behind the demon lord.

  He pinned the demon to him in the exact same upright position as he had held the demon dummies for Charlene in the training room.

  His muscles bulged and pulsated, straining to hold on to the thrashing demon just long enough.

  “Now, Charlene!”

  Charlene lurched forward, her blade aimed at the demon lord's torso. Her aim was true, and she sliced cleanly into the demon's groin and severed the arteries and veins around the heart with one fluid motion. She had learned well from Glenn. There was no wavering, no hesitation. With another flick of her blade, she made the final cut.

  Holding the demon's heart in her hand, she stared into Glenn's eyes and plunged the blade straight into the pulsing heart. Kron screamed, as flames engulfed his body. The heart burst into flames, and Charlene dropped it in a hurry. Before it could land on the floor, the black demon heart had already been completely devoured by the flames, leaving only a small spark which fizzled and died on the carpet.

  Glenn staggered back, watching the fire blaze around the demon lord, consuming him entirely. The blazing ball of fire rose and flew out of the study room, heading straight for the raging fireplace. There were terrible screams as flames exploded all around the castle. Hundreds of flaming demons hurtled towards the towering flames in the fireplace, diving straight into the Abyss with their Maker.

  Charlotte was standing a few feet away, staring unseeingly at Glenn. He rushed to her, just as tiny flames appeared at her feet and began to lick at her.

  She collapsed in his arms, her eyes closed and her body burning.

  Glenn plunged his fangs into her neck and sucked desperately, as flames leaped higher around her body. They were both in the heart of the fire, being burnt together, but Glenn didn't care. The heat and the flames wouldn't stop him from doing what he had to do. He kept his mouth on her neck, forcing himself to drain her even as the flames tormented him.

  Her dark, red blood dribbled from his
chin and he could no longer feel her breathing, but still he drank. He would drain every single drop of her blood. He had to.

  Still red, still red, still red...

  The words beat into his brain, blocking out the agony of the fire consuming them both.

  This was his only chance. It had to work.

  Sucking up the last mouthful of blood, he tore his fangs into his wrist and pressed his bleeding wrist to Charlene's lips. Her lips were pale and cold, and he screamed at her as his blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

  “Drink, Charlene! God damn it! Drink my blood! Drink! Please! Just...drink...”

  Glenn forced her mouth open, and squeezed his wrist frantically, trying to drip more of his blood down her throat. He kept bleeding into her mouth, even as he ripped his other wrist open and pressed both his trembling, mangled wrists to her mouth.

  “Please, Charlene, please...”

  His words were incoherent, and he couldn't feel the flames any more. There was no heat at all. Not from her, not around her. Glenn shuddered violently, and looked up. He felt cold, so very cold.

  All the vampires and PAC members and Enforcers had crowded into the study, standing in a silent circle around him.

  No one moved. No one made a single sound.

  The only sound in the room, in the entire castle, was his own wrenching pleas.

  “No,” he whispered.

  Caleb Thorn moved forward and grabbed his arm just as he was about to tear out another chunk of his arm to release more blood.

  “Glenn! Don't! It...it's over. You have to stop. Stop it! Glenn!” Caleb grabbed him forcibly and shouted.

  Glenn reared up, flinging Caleb away with so much force the young vampire smashed into a cluster of Enforcers and brought them down with him. Other vampires moved to help them up and some approached Glenn cautiously.

  He could feel hands on his shoulders, on his arms, all trying to help him up and pull him away from her.

  “No!” He wouldn't leave her. They wouldn't pull him away from her.

  “Leave!” He screamed at them. “All of you! Leave me! Just...leave...me.”

  He glared up at them, aware that his face was streaked with blood and tears.

  His voice broke. “She...Charlene...”

  Bryn burst into tears and buried her face in Jett's shoulder. At Lucas's signal, Blake stepped forward with his cousin, Levi Madden, a senior Enforcer. The two burly bear shifters approached Glenn cautiously and laid gentle but firm hands on him.

  Blake and Levi tried to haul Glenn away from Charlene, but even two huge werebears were no match for the wretched grief and wrath of a Master vampire.

  Raising his bleeding arms, Glenn let out a tormented yell and lightning zigzagged through the sky and hurtled through the tall, arched study room windows. The glass shattered as lightning flashed and crackled all around Glenn, forcing everyone back.

  But Blake and Levi wouldn't give up. They staggered up and tried to brave the lightning to get Glenn out. Just as Levi was about to launch himself bodily at Glenn, Glenn twisted round and snarled a warning, his fangs as long and deadly as daggers and his eyes completely and utterly black.

  Gathering Charlene in his arms, he let out a sound of raw anguish and rage and misted away, leaving his vampires and Council members staring in silence at the dark circle of smoke and blood that was left in his wake.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Charlene opened her eyes a crack, and immediately closed them again. She recognized the smell of Glenn's bedroom. She could smell him all around her, on the sheets, on her skin, in the air.

  She stretched out a hand weakly. “Glenn?” she rasped.

  Immediately, she felt his hands covering hers, as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Charlene, my love.”

  “Can you help me up?” she whispered.

  “Yes. Sit up, and...you need to drink.”

  “Drink,” she repeated numbly and looked around for a glass of water. Instead, Glenn propped some pillows up behind her and supported her by the back of her neck. He pushed her head forward onto his neck, and urged, “Drink me, Charlene.”

  She didn't have time to gasp. Her fangs descended on their own accord and pushed into his neck. His blood flooded her mouth, and she found herself sucking greedily, hungrily. He tasted so good and she was hungry for more.

  As she drank, her pain and grogginess left her, and her senses became sharp and focused. She blinked around, and saw the moonlight streaming in from the windows.

  Pulling away from him, she instinctively licked at the puncture marks on his neck, and watched them close up immediately. She raised her hand and gingerly felt her fangs. They were smooth and fine, not course and jagged like before. Did Glenn order some dental work done on her while she was unconscious? How long had she been unconscious anyway?

  “You've been asleep for three nights. It took three nights for you to fully turn,” Glenn said, smiling.

  “Turn?”

  “I turned you.” Glenn rubbed his upper lip uncertainly, as if afraid that she might be displeased. “You're now a vampire.”

  Her jaw dropped and she made a wordless sound. Her hand fluttered unconsciously to the corner of her eye.

  “Gone,” Glenn told her. “The blood swirls are gone. And your eyes, they're the same lovely shade of green.”

  “Vampire,” she breathed. She couldn't believe that she was no longer a demon, but a vampire.

  “It was touch and go, for a while. I could have lost you.” Glenn dropped his gaze, and she saw that he was paler than before, and when she reached for his hand, she saw the terrible, deep scars on his wrist and arms. His exhaustion, fear and worry were etched deep in the lines on his forehead and around his eyes.

  “Glenn, what did you do—to yourself?” she whispered, pressing his palm to her face.

  “I did the best thing for myself,” he smiled. “I saved my mate!”

  They shared a tender kiss, and Glenn gazed lovingly at her for a long time before finally getting up from the bed.

  “There's someone here,” he said, walking to the door. “For three days, she was by your bedside, insisting I get some rest while she watched over you during the day.”

  Charlene bolted upright. After a heartbeat, she scrambled out of bed.

  “Where is she?”

  “She's resting in the guest bedroom.”

  Careening down the hall, Charlene exploded into the guest bedroom and rushed to the bed. The bedroom was pitch dark, but Charlene found that she could see perfectly well in the dark. Her vamp senses were clearly working fine.

  Curled up on the bed was her sister. Charlotte was sleeping on her side, her face scrunched up in a frown as she murmured and whimpered Charlene's name in her sleep. Charlene leaned down and held her sister tight. Her tears dripped from her eyes, wetting Charlotte's face and waking her up.

  “Wha-? Ch-Charlene! You...it's you! It's really, really you! Oh...” Charlotte choked out tearfully as she hugged Charlene back, clinging to her like she would never let her go.

  They wept and hugged each other for so long, both speaking and crying at the same time.

  Glenn had left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.

  Charlene grabbed her sister's face and took a long, hard look at her. “Oh, look at you,” she cried, blinking away her tears. “You—a PAC Enforcer. The Alpha's mate!”

  “It wasn't easy, Charlene,” Charlotte whispered. “I tried so hard to be strong. I wanted you to be proud of me. I didn't want your...death, to be in vain.”

  “I am proud of you! So very proud.”

  Charlotte let Charlene pull her in for a hug, then jerked up. “How could you, Charlene!” she said angrily. “How could you not tell me! You...saved me from that blood demon, and you were planning to just destroy yourself without ever letting me know! How could you do that to me! I...I would hate you...” Her voice cracked and a sob erupted painfully from her chest.

  “Shh, I'm all right now. I'm...a vampire!
” Charlene smoothed her sister's hair from her wet face and laughed. “I can't really believe it myself. I am a vampire.”

  “And you're a Master vampire's mate,” Charlotte grinned. “Oh yeah!”

  There was a soft knock on the door. The sisters looked up as Lucas and Glenn entered the room.

  Charlene stood and went to give Lucas a hug. “Thank you, for your help. And thank you, for taking such good care of my sister and making her so happy.”

  Lucas hugged her back. “You did everything, Charlene. You destroyed Kron. All the blood demons he Made all burst into flames the moment you cut out his heart. And those globes on the shelf beside his fireplace all exploded at the same time. And speaking of his fireplace,” Lucas frowned. “One moment an inferno was blazing in his fireplace, the next instant, as soon as all the burning demons were sucked into the fire, the fire just died down and vanished in a puff of smoke. And once the flames disappeared, all we saw was a brick wall.” Lucas gave a shudder. “Reminds me a little of that Gateway we went through to retrieve Blake,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Blake...” Charlene gasped. “The knife...”

  “I retrieved it, and returned it to him,” Lucas assured her. “Blake said Jasynta has decided to donate the knife to the PAC Enforcement Unit. Of course Jett is thrilled to have a new weapon.”

  Charlene smiled and went to Glenn's side. Lucas was already at the bed, pulling Charlotte into his arms. “Time to go home. You've been here for three days now,” he murmured to her.

  Charlotte started to protest. “But...”

  “Go home, Charlotte,” Charlene urged her sister. “I will see you tomorrow night...”

  “...at the PAC Headquarters for the Enforcers' Recruitment Drive,” Lucas finished.

  “What!”

  The Alpha shrugged. “Jett's idea. I think he had his sights on her the moment he received reports of a vigilante female vampire running amok in New Moon City. As it turned out, he's right.” Lucas nodded and smiled. “It was a female vampire after all.”