Vampire Princess of New York (Arnhem Knights of New York)

by Susan Hanniford Crowley

  Donovan kissed and hugged her. No, I’m going to go. The sooner I finish my training to become an Arnhem Knight, the sooner we go to Paris. He kissed her again and got out of bed.

  His clothes formed from thin air onto his body until he was dressed as he reached the door.

  Sha, you are my heart. Rest up for my return. He meant his smile to warm her totally, and from the rush he felt go through her, he knew he succeeded.

  Donovan opened the door and closed it behind him. From this moment, he was on his own in his training for knighthood. Noble would not be in his head to help. Her discipline as a knight would not allow her to help like that.

  “Hello, Papa.”

  “Hi, Donovan.”

  Laura and David were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He saw they were wearing boots, so he changed.

  “You’re only a few days old, and you can change clothes like that?” Laura asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Bless taught you?” David asked.

  “No. I just picked it up. Noble has been teaching me to teleport.”

  David smirked. “How good are you?”

  “I can teleport to rooms in the house I’ve seen. I can teleport carrying Noble, and I can teleport to her by sensing her or looking through her eyes.”

  “Oh my God, you’re just over a week old vampire,” Laura said.

  David laughed. “We better get moving while the night is young. I can’t wait to see what else you can do. We have a deadline you know.”

  The three walked out the door. Actually four. Donovan didn’t have to turn around to sense Hatcher following him.

  Laura and David walked hand-in-hand down the street. They went behind buildings and down alleyways for miles, until they came to a deserted group of abandoned warehouses.

  “We won’t be disturbed,” David said. “There are no security cameras here. As a knight, there are several actions and maneuvers you must learn. Do you know how to evaporate into rain or become invisible?”

  “No.”

  “Let’s start with Leap and Stick,” Laura said. “We use this to get away from an enemy.” She jumped to the side of a building and lingered leaning against the wall a third of the way from the top. “This is the stick part.”

  “Always choose a wall in the shadow to get the best cover,” David added.

  Laura slowly floated down. “Now you try it.”

  Donovan took a deep breath and jumped. He hit the wall with such force, bricks flew everyway. Then he fell into the dumpster.

  Laura helped him climb out. “What happened?”

  “Too much energy in my jump?” Donovan pulled a banana peel out of his sleeve.

  “Why did you take a deep breath before jumping?” David asked. “Vampires don’t need to breathe or blink our eyes.”

  “Max said we must blend in with the humans.” Donovan felt around for any other food scraps that could have stuck to him.

  “Blending in is one thing. Holding on to your humanity will hold you back. Let go of it.” David leapt to the side of the building and leaned against the wall, as if it was the most casual thing to do.

  “Papa, make your leap small, a simple leap up. You don’t have to go too high. Try again.”

  Donovan tried again and again and again all night. Sometimes he almost made it to the roof. Other times he was only a few feet up, but he couldn’t manage to stick to that spot. He always fell. Sometimes he missed the dumpster and fell face first into the bricks and dirt. Other times he landed headfirst into the dumpster.

  “I thought this place was abandoned.” He brushed a stinky tuna can off and climbed out.

  “Homeless live around here,” Laura said.

  “This is enough for now. I’ll expect better tomorrow night. You’re letting your humanity drag you down.” David went ahead of him, not turning around.

  Laura walked beside Donovan. Hatcher silently followed. “You’ll do better tomorrow, Papa.”

  David stopped walking and turned to face them.

  She nodded and stepped back. Donovan knew she was recognizing David as Captain of the Arnhem Knights. This was going to be serious.

  “That was the worst first try I’ve ever seen. Though I respect you as Laura and Evie’s father, I’m not signing off on you as an Arnhem Knight until you’ve mastered everything. I’m not letting you take my sister to Paris and risk her life. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. I would not risk her. Noble is my life.” This moment was a dark spot on the beginning of his new life, and coming from his best friend, it stung.

  “We have fought alongside each other, so I know you’re brave. But bravery is not enough. You have to be fast, strong, smart, able to endure hardship, the master of your powers, and make life and death decisions in a split second.”

  “I have to abandon my humanity.”

  “No,” David said. “You can’t. None of us can. The memories don’t dull over time. The feelings don’t go away. But you’re not human anymore. You have to make peace with that, and become the vampire you must be, the vampire Bless can depend on.”

  Donovan looked at them. “I appreciate your training, and I will work hard to earn my knighthood.”

  Before he knew it, they had reached his door in the pre-dawn hour.

  After saying goodnight, he and Hatcher went inside.

  “Thank you, Hatcher.”

  “Good night, my Prince. Don’t worry. You will do better.”

  Weary and downhearted, Donovan climbed the stairs. Then he caught a glimpse of himself in a hall mirror. He looked like the disaster he felt like. Bruises and cuts peppered his skin peeking out through his filthy ripped clothes. Dirt, twigs and rubbish stuck out of his hair. Without a step further, he teleported into the master bathroom. Stripping out of his clothes, he tossed them in the wastebasket and turned on the shower.

  He stepped into the hot water. The heat ripped open every cut and burned through him. Still he stood there focusing the entire time on Noble, her face, her warm embrace, their child inside her. The water relieved some of the pain. God, he smelled bad. Maybe his senses had become keener as a vampire. He poured the closest soap over him, scrubbing hard to get past the smell and the pain.

  He exited the bath into a dark bedroom, never once putting on a light. Every detail of the room was clear. Donovan marveled at his night vision. His fangs descended, and he touched his mouth. He was hungry. Quickly he went over to the small fridge.

  “Please, get me a Shuma Moot while you’re there.”

  Donovan paused. He was certain he hadn’t made a sound. Chuckling he opened the fridge, took out a small bottle of blood and a pre-poured Shuma Moot and went over to the bed.

  “Merci.” Noble took the goblet, drank it down, then placed it on the nightstand. He could feel those cat eyes of hers surveying every inch of him. Donovan hadn’t bothered with a robe when he got out of the shower.

  He drank his blood more slowly. The citrus tang lingered on his tongue. She smiled, and Donovan knew she was waiting patiently for him.

  When he finished, he put the empty next to her goblet on the nightstand.

  Noble sank back into the pillows and blankets of the bed stretching her arms out to him. He accepted her hug, burying his face in her dark cloud of jasmine scented hair.

  “You smell like roses,” she said.

  “It was the first soap I grabbed.”

  “You teleported into our bathroom?”

  “I didn’t want you seeing me looking a mess.” He kissed her lingering long and breathless, enjoying her soft luscious lips, teasing her fangs with his tongue, hoping to divert her from the subject.

  She pushed away by an inch, her fingers caressing his chest. “Donovan, why are you covered with cuts and bruises. You have several f
ractured bones including a rib. What happened to you?”

  “I fell repeatedly into a dumpster most of the night, and when I missed the dumpster I landed face first into the dirt.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “I was trying to do Leap and Stick.”

  “Did they teach you to float first?”

  “No, but in all fairness, perhaps they thought I already knew how. We floated when we danced at our wedding.”

  “Hmm, by their letting it continue, they were probably testing your endurance. David was waiting for you to complain. Complainers wash out.”

  “He knows me well enough to know I won’t.”

  “Did they know you had fractures?”

  “No, Sha. I don’t think they knew. I didn’t.”

  “Well, Sha, I’m going to teach you how to become vapor.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, it will help you heal faster. I’m going to become vapor and pass through your body several times.”

  “Sounds sexy.”

  Noble laughed. “You are so bad. This is a way lifemates can help each other heal. I want you looking in my mind when I do it. Reading my mind seems to be the best way for you to learn.” She paused. He had his hand on her right breast just fondling and playing with her nipple. “I’m going to need your attention, please.”

  “Yes, Sha. I am settled in your mind ready to learn.”

  “With your hand on my breast?”

  “I can multitask.” He grinned, and he knew his fangs were showing. She always got excited over his fangs.

  Noble laughed. Before his eyes, she melted into a sheet of dewdrops. Her vapor passed through his body with a cooling, soothing effect. It was wonderful considering the pain he was in. When she left his body, he felt disappointed but the pain was slightly less. She entered again as vapor, and this time it felt even better. As she moved out of his body, he noticed the pain in his upper leg had stopped. The arm and ribs hurt less. Noble in her vapor form moved through him several times until the pain had ceased all together.

  She appeared in his arms and kissed him. “How do you feel now?”

  He kissed her back. “A lot better. Thank you, ma chérie.”

  “I’m going to recommend to David that they teach you invisibility. Ask to see his mind as he demonstrates. You are going to need a few days to finish healing those bones. In the meantime, I’m teaching you to Float and Leap and Stick.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “Aw, Sha. I had something else in mind.”

  Noble giggled that little laugh of hers so free and fun-filled, the one it was his pleasure to hear. “I know what you have in mind. Come on. I can teach you both in about ten minutes.” She rose from the bed and with a thought, a pink silk robe appeared on her body and tied its belt.

  “Why the robe?”

  He followed her. A black silk robe flowed onto Donovan, and he tied the belt.

  “To cut down on distractions.” She stopped and turned to him with her arms up. “Now we dance. I want you to stay in my mind and see how I float up.”

  Donovan walked into her dance pose, putting one hand on her waist and taking her hand in his. “David said I’m letting my humanity drag me down.”

  A few seconds into their waltz, and they floated inches over the floor.

  “Did you see how I did that?” she asked.

  “I saw you feeling like a feather and lifting upward. There was no jump or push at all. More of an exhale of breath and you were above the floor.”

  They floated down again.

  “Now your turn,” she said.

  They began to dance again, but minutes went by and still their bare feet were on the carpet.

  “Nothing’s happening.” He sighed.

  Noble tickled him and he laughed. “Leap and Stick is a children’s game.”

  “Oh, fine. I’m failing something vampire kids play.”

  Hugging him, she bit his ear in fun.

  “Ouch. Why did you do that, Sha?”

  “My husband and the father of my baby is not a failure. You just haven’t learned it yet. Vampires that are born have no sense of gravity and learn to stay on the ground. Vampires who are made have to surrender their attachment to gravity. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the dead pharaoh’s heart is weighed against a feather. It has to be lighter than the feather for the pharaoh to take his place among the gods.

  “But the pharaoh was dead.”

  “You, mon chéri, are one of the glorious Undead.” She kissed him deeply, caressing his fangs with her tongue.

  He moaned and they lifted a foot off the ground.

  Is that you? Donovan asked her mind.

  No, it’s all you. Now dance me around this room.

  Donovan laughed and they waltzed. He was having so much fun he lost track of time.

  Noble smirked. I think you have the hang of it. They stopped and stepped down to the carpet.

  She released his hand. “Now float.”

  He floated nine inches above the ground.

  Noble smiled and turned away from him. “Are you in my mind?”

  “Yes, Sha.”

  “Leap and Stick is just an extension of Float. Remember you don’t push off. Just allow yourself to float up and then lean gently on the wall.”

  He watched her glide upward three quarters of the way then rest her elbow against the wall. Donovan saw the minute step-by-step process she used. Her motivational images and thoughts too.

  Donovan thought and floated up and rested against the wall facing her. He stayed for a count of ten, then floated down.

  Noble floated down, and ditching her robe climbed back into bed. Donovan kept doing Leap and Stick over and over and over, every time a success.

  “It’s time for my big strong vampire to come to bed.”

  “Sha, I have something to show you. Come back up here, ma chérie.”

  Noble rose from the bed donning her robe. In a blink, she was two-thirds up the wall, facing Donovan. “What do you want to show me?”

  He thought vanish robes and they did, reappearing on a chair below.

  “I’m feeling a little cold.” Noble winked and looked up at the ceiling. Donovan moved closer until his skin warmed hers.

  She closed her eyes.

  “What are you thinking?” His hot chuckle poured through her like the best blood elixir, scorching and spicy.

  “You can’t tell?” For a moment to tease him she put up barriers in her mind, but now those walls came tumbling down.

  “So I’m like this hot spicy blood wine, am I?” He embraced her, lifting her bottom.

  Noble naturally hugged his waist with her legs.

  “I can’t wait to try it.”

  She rubbed against him anxious, needing him inside her. “I think we’ll hold off on that for a while.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s an aphrodisiac, and I can hardly keep up with you as it is.”

  Donovan laughed so loud the house shook.

  “Are you part shapeshifter?” she asked.

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Right then you roared just like a dragon.”

  “There are no such things as dragons.”

  “Like there are no such things as vampires?”

  Donovan kissed her, coaxing her lips apart, then pushing his hard thick shaft into her wet sheath, so wet and warm he felt her welcome.

  Noble kissed him back for all she was worth.

  Between kisses he said, “I’m going to embrace my vampirehood or whatever it’s called.”

  Noble moaned and writhed against him, teasing his fangs with her tongue, reaching and caressing any part of him
she could reach.

  After hours of this delicious dance, awash in every mounting pleasure with only seconds of sublime floating, before they started again, Donovan kissed an exhausted Noble.

  She blinked her eyes a couple of times and was surprised to find herself in bed. They were still tightly entwined and joined. Donovan wasn’t asleep.

  Noble caressed his face. “How did you get us down?”

  “Teleported.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  “I didn’t feel tired. I enjoyed watching you sleep and talking to Bébé. When you taught me Vapor, my bond with our child became stronger.”

  Noble smiled and tugged at his hair. “So you aren’t going to start again?”

  Smiling, he caressed her face. “No, it’s enough to be connected to you. I love your body loving mine. I love your dreams. I find then funny.”

  “What’s funny?”

  “Some of your dreams were of me. Some even when I was human. It makes me happy to know how much you love me.” He kissed her and hugged her closer. “I also saw a meeting with Mina and some others here about pregnancies.”

  “While you were training, I called Evelyn to ask about pregnancy. Next thing I knew Evelyn, Max, Marie, Betsy Stenwood, Georgia Stenwood, and Mina were all in our living room discussing vampire pregnancy.”

  “We don’t have living room furniture.”

  “Max temporarily teleported some of their furniture over for the meeting. We still don’t.”

  “Max was here with all those women?”

  “Ever since Evelyn collapsed on the street in Paris, he refuses to leave her side.”

  “Sorry I missed that meeting.”

  “You can always see it in my mind.” She kissed him. “I was thinking I’d go into the office later today. Tie up a few things. Then some shopping.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Chapter 25

  Due to it still being daylight, Vincent drove them to the office. Of course, Cassandra and Hatcher went with them.