Shades of Werewolf

by T. S. Ryder

  Angelus kissed her mouth, tasting his own blood on her lips, then turned his attention to their child. If Rosa's body changed before the baby was out, she would not be born. She would stay inside her mother forever, not alive, not dead. There was only one way to give their daughter a fighting chance.

  The King grabbed the knife again and lifted Rosa's shirt. Her belly pulsed and contorted, the baby fighting against her rapidly changing environment. Rosa gasped, the sound of air filling new lungs. He had only seconds before it would be too late.

  Angelus whispered a quiet prayer to all the gods he had ever known and made the first cut.

  Chapter Ten - Rosa

  A gloriously familiar scent curled around her nostrils. It smelled rich and earthy, like a fresh-tilled field after the spring thaw. It was full of life and promise but remained still with the death of winter as an undeniable undercurrent. Rosa pulled in a deep breath, sighing as the scent intensified. She knew it as if from a dream, and her lips curled into a smile.

  "Angelus."

  She could hear his heartbeat, slow, but present. The mattress she lay upon sagged as he sat beside her. His hand touched her face, not ice-cold, as before, but as warm as sunshine. Her eyes flickered open. Angelus beamed at her, more handsome than she had ever seen him.

  "You're awake. I was afraid… the process doesn't always take." His fingers brushed through her hair. "How do you feel?"

  "I feel…"

  Memories came rushing back and Rosa tensed. Her hand flew to her throat as she gasped. Her skin was smooth under her fingers, but she remembered how the gash had felt. She choked on the memories, her whole body going rigid. Angelus gathered her into his arms, rocking her back and forth. Rosa clung to him, struggling to breathe. She should be dead.

  "It's okay, it's okay," Angelus murmured. "You're okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

  Sorry for what? Rosa stared past his shoulder as she held him. His scent was so powerful. His heartbeat. All of her senses were far more finely tuned than they had ever been before. She shivered. The knife cutting her throat. Her blood between her fingers. Knowing she was going to die. That had all happened, but somehow…

  "I'm a Vampire," she whispered. "You turned me into a Vampire."

  "It was the only way to save you." Angelus pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I only had seconds to act, I didn't know what you would want. I only knew I couldn't live without you."

  Rosa pressed her fingers against his lips. "I didn't want to die. Don't be sorry for saving me, Angelus."

  He let out a shaky breath and kissed her gently. The contact sparked heat deep inside Rosa and she moaned into his mouth, throwing herself forward—they were suddenly on the far side of the room in a tangled heap. Rosa yelped in surprise, but Angelus laughed. He kissed her neck and pulled her into his embrace.

  "It'll take some time to get used to your new strength. I look forward to helping you."

  His eyes twinkled, causing Rosa's ardor to reignite, but as she straddled him, bringing her mouth to his, she remembered something else. Something far more important than sex. She was on her feet in an instant, her hands probing her soft stomach.

  "The baby!"

  Angelus got to his feet, smiling and shaking his head as he pulled her into his arms again. "She's fine."

  "Where is she? How long have I been unconscious?"

  "Calm down. Calm down. Lucilia has her right now. We've found that she needs a little blood mixed in with her infant formula. But now that you're awake, I'm sure we can find a way to get her to breastfeed. It's supposed to be hard for them to take the nipple after having a bottle but—"

  "How long have I been unconscious?" Rosa repeated. Was she going to meet her baby to find her three months old? A year? Her heart didn't hammer like it would have when she was still human, but she was very aware of it beating in her chest.

  "A day."

  "A day." Rosa let out a relieved sigh. Her baby was still a baby.

  Angelus squeezed her hand. "Let's go see her. She's beautiful, just like you. She has your dark eyes and hair."

  Rosa smiled happily and headed for the door but stopped abruptly. A new fear filled her and she yanked her hand from her Vampire King and retreated back into the room. "No. No, I can't. I'm a newly-turned Vampire. I have to deal with bloodlust and… and what if I attack her? What if I drink her blood?"

  Angelus shook his head again, taking her hands in his. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know there is a lot that you still have to learn. We never really talked about what it means to be a Vampire. I'll be with you every step of the way. But, about blood..."

  Rosa shuddered.

  "You'll have the desire to drink it, and you'll need to drink it. Yet, the trouble of being a new Vampire is getting used to having to drink fresh blood. You're the same person you were before you were changed, Rosa. Your personality, your morals, they're all the same. Would you hurt a baby before the change?"

  "No." Rosa was horrified at the idea. "Never."

  "Then you won't have the desire to hurt our baby now."

  Angelus kissed her again and led her from the room. Nerves still churned in Rosa's stomach, but she trusted her Vampire King. Everything seemed brighter and more beautiful as they walked through the corridors. She saw details that she had never noticed before. Soon she heard a gentle thrum, and before Angelus told her it was a heartbeat, she knew it was their daughter.

  She was perfect, just like Angelus had said. Helena had paler features than Rosa, but the shape and color of her eyes were all like her mother’s. Those eyes blinked sleepily when Lucilia passed the baby to Rosa. The instant the baby was in her arms, a well of love overwhelmed her. She was perfect. She had beautiful, delicate features and felt so very fragile.

  "You're crying," Angelus whispered.

  "She's just so beautiful. Take her, please." Rosa sniffed. "I don't know my own strength, I don't want to hurt her."

  "You won't hurt her."

  "I just don't want to have an accident."

  Angelus nodded and took the baby. He settled in the chair that Lucilia had abandoned, and Rosa pulled a second chair close, marveling at how easy the heavy thing was to move. She settled down, gazing lovingly at her daughter and the love of her life, so happy and content that she began crying again. Embarrassed by her tears, she wiped them away.

  "I didn't know Vampires could cry," she laughed.

  "Vampire can do anything humans can do. Except… a Vampire man and woman can't have children together." A look of sorrow came over Angelus' face. "Rosa, I'm sorry… we can't have more children."

  Rosa shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I never wanted more than one child, anyway. When Helena is a little older, we may decide we want another one and adopt. It's what we would have done anyway," she added, trying to lighten the mood. "No way in hell was I going to go through another nine months feeling like my stomach was turning inside out."

  "You are such an amazing woman." Angelus leaned forward to kiss her, but Rosa stopped him.

  "If I attack you like I did the last time, Helena could be hurt."

  Angelus nodded and withdrew. A moment of peaceful silence descended until Rosa felt calm enough to ask for her daughter back. She held the baby on her lap, gazing in amazement at the tiny person. She was so wrapped up in her baby that Angelus' sigh actually startled her.

  "Rosa, I'm sorry."

  "I already said I didn't want to die."

  "Not about turning you. About before." Angelus dragged a hand through his hair. "About dismissing your reaction to the violence of Freya's punishment. I drove you away by not seeing what you were afraid of. I didn’t take it seriously even after you told me about your stepfather. Everything that happened was my fault."

  Rosa shook her head. "I shouldn't have expected you to have my morals, but I appreciate your apology."

  "I'm going to do better, I promise. I have reviewed our laws and changed them. Now, instead of just punishment, there will be rehabilit
ation programs and imprisonment rather than just a harsh corporal punishment–even release. I've hired a group of psychologists, too, to help create the best, most effective law system possible. I'm starting with Freya. She had no idea that her Vampire worshipers had attacked you, but she still has committed numerous crimes against humanity that cannot go unpunished. Yet, I am looking for better punishments."

  Talking about this made her think of her stepfather and Rosa shuddered. "The Vampire that handed me over to Michael said he was working for Freya."

  "I interrogated them both. I very much doubt that Freya was actually involved in any of this. It was just a man blindly in love with her."

  "What happened to Michael? Did you kill him?"

  "No." Angelus sounded proud of himself. "I didn't kill a single human while rescuing you. There were deaths, but that was them killing each other. I damaged some pretty bad… but not so bad that they would die–not even the gorilla when I crushed his windpipe. I thought he was going to die for certain, but… You don't want to hear about that."

  He really had changed. He listened to her worries and changed his way of thinking. If she wasn't still holding Helena, Rosa would have thrown him to the ground and made the most passionate love to him that she could. She settled for a kiss, long and deep, her heart full to overflowing.

  "Thank you," she whispered. "I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you."

  "I love you, too." Angelus kissed her again. "Regina cor meum. I love you."

  "Regina what?"

  "It means Queen of my heart. Which you are."

  Rosa closed her eyes, leaning against him, her baby in her arms and she, herself, in her lover's arms. Finally, for the first time in her life, she knew she was safe and loved. The homeless girl had finally found her home.

  *****

  THE END

  Night of the New Moon

  Description

  What do you do if you’re forced into the King’s harem?

  Matheus Lindgern is the new Vampire King and interested in only two things: repairing the badly damaged relationships with neighboring kingdoms and finding a mate to become his queen.

  The moment Alice walks into his manor, his blood is on fire. He knows her wants her, but what he doesn’t know is that she is a powerful witch who could easily destroy him if she wanted to.

  Curvy and beautiful Alice is a warrior who has served in the war against the Vampires. When the war finally comes to an end, she retires to a small village far away from the politics of the courts. But her plans to become a healer are cut short when she is abducted and forced into the King’s harem.

  Alice is determined to hate the King and escape as soon as possible. But she knows she’s in trouble when she discovers just how sexy he is. Even though every instinct is warning her, she is slowly falling for the king, who might not be the monster she thought him to be. Her determination to get home begins to waver, especially once she discovers something is growing in her belly...

  But she soon finds out that not everyone in the Vampires’ courts has good intentions. Someone is planning a deadly attack and Alice must do what she can to stay alive and protect the ones she loves.

  Chapter One

  The sunset painted the sky in rich, golden tones above towering evergreens. The world seemed to be ready to settle in for a long night. A basket full of spring’s first flowers and herbs resting against her hip, Alice made her way down the foggy path towards her cottage, determined to reach home before day slipped completely into night. Pulling open the door to her small shop and home, she went inside and pulled her damp cloak from around her shoulders, allowing a cascade of curly chestnut hair to fall down around her shoulders.

  “You were out an awfully long time,” a velvety voice drawled from the corner of the room. Sprawled out across a stack of books on Alice’s disorganized desk was a slender black and white cat, who stared back at her with a pair of bright yellow eyes. “I figured you would hurry home, what with the new moon tonight,” he continued, licking his paw with a nonchalant look on his face.

  “If I was concerned with the townsfolk taking advantage of my temporary weakness I would have hurried, but since I no longer serve as a mercenary I am not worried. Thank you for your concern, Talon,” she said, setting her basket full of goodies on a table and starting to sort them out to let them dry.

  Talon had been her companion for almost a hundred years. She had adopted him after finding him in the crumbled ruins of a town destroyed by one of the many warlords she had been hired to fight against. He had been just a kitten, and after so many years of exposure to magic he had not only gained immortality but a place at her side as a familiar. He was her dearest companion and, for the longest time, had been her only friend.

  “I found a fantastic little flower patch just past that stream we came across the other day, and I was finally able to locate that feverfew that I need for the shield spell I wanted to enchant my talismans with,” she continued, separating out the flowers before moving over to the stove to start warming up water for her tea.

  “I remember it. You let me fall into the stream when I went after that mouse, wicked woman,” Talon huffed, glancing up at her with a glare when she snorted and sat beside him at her desk with her cup of tea.

  “You wouldn’t have fallen in if you had listened to me and left the poor thing alone,” she hummed, flipping open one of her journals and starting to scribble down the directions to the feverfew. She tended to be a bit forgetful with so much information in her head. She wasn’t 140 any longer. “Anything interesting happen in town while I was out? I assume you were spying on the locals.” She smiled when the cat glared at her.

  “I was not spying, I was merely observing, but, yes, I did notice something strange,” he said, stretching with a yawn before continuing. “I saw a group of newcomers, a rather suspicious group. They were lurking around the inn. Pale, red eyes, I’m sure you understand my intrigue at their arrival.” Alice’s silver eyes flashed with interest.

  “Oh? Vampires this far north? Now, that is strange.” She frowned, spinning around in her chair to snag a book off the shelf. “I didn’t think they ever left their territory in the west, not since they lost territory to the shifters twenty years ago,” she mumbled, opening her book and examining the map in front of her. “Ostende mihi,” she ordered, swearing when the page slowly started to light up before it went dark once again.

  “New moon, dearest. You won’t be able to use divination until at least tomorrow,” Talon reminded her with a knowing little hum.

  Glaring up at the cat with an irritated look on her face, Alice closed the book and leaned back in her chair. The last thing that she wanted to hear about was vampires lurking anywhere near her town. The sweet townspeople had been under her protection since the end of the last Great War that had pitted humanity, the shifters, and the Fairy creatures of the forest against the creatures who ruled the night.

  “Do you suppose I have enough juice to put up some warding spells around town?” she grumbled, rubbing at her round, sun-kissed cheeks with a slender hand.

  “I suppose that depends on whether you took my advice and actually stored away some of those spells or not,” Talon grumbled, glancing over at his mistress and letting out what she could only assume to be a mocking laugh when she groaned and shook her head.

  “Guess we’re doing this the hard way then,” she huffed, moving to her feet and changing quickly into the uniform she had not worn in years: a pair of magic-infused breeches and a matching tunic that hugged her full form a bit too snugly. “I’ve put on a bit of weight since my fighting days. I need to let these out,” she complained.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” Talon hummed, sliding down onto the floor beside her as she strapped a nasty looking knife to her hip. “Are you really going to fight these things? That seems ill-advised.”

  “Fight them? I hope not. I just want to gently remind them that this a protected territory, and they aren’t allowed to be
here without proper documentation,” she insisted, pulling back her unruly hair into a tail before pulling on her cloak once again and moving out of the door into the misty night.

  Glancing up at the sound of a soft little grunt of exertion, she sighed when a sudden weight formed on her shoulder and Talon wrapped himself around the back of her neck lazily.

  “You don’t have to come with me, you know,” she pointed out. “And if you are, I think you can walk.” Yet, he just shook his head and rubbed his nose against her cheek.

  “Can’t let you face a bunch of vampires alone. You’re out of shape and out of practice.” His voice was teasing, but also held a hint of seriousness. Vampires were dangerous alone, let alone in a group. He knew as well as she did what they were capable of. “And I could walk, but the ground is muddy. I don’t want to get my feet dirty.”

  “You’re such a spoiled brat.” She rolled her eyes, feeling a surge of comfort at the knowledge that her best friend would be beside her. Facing a group of vampires when her powers were at their weakest could mean that she might not make it home tonight. Still, she had a duty to the townsfolk who had taken her in and made her part of their family. She wasn’t going to let them down.

  Chapter Two

  Vampires were one of the most lethal species on the planet. Stronger and faster than any man, they thought themselves to be gods in the face of mortals. She had dealt with them in the past—in fact, one of the worst scars on her body was a bite from a vampire that had managed to hook its fangs into her side. She’d managed to get it off, but not without losing a good chunk of her hip.

  “There,” Talon rumbled, his white-tipped tail flicking anxiously as they approached the inn and a small group came into focus. Nodding, Alice rested her hand on the hilt of her weapon.