His lover fell over him. He reveled in the feel of her curves pressed against his body. She gasped into his chest, her whole body twitching and jerking.
After some time, Lizzie lifted herself off him. Her face was still flushed, her hair surprisingly mussed. She rolled to her side and picked at the belt until she had freed him. The moment he was free, Philip wrapped his arms around her. He rolled over, pinning her beneath him, and began to kiss her fiercely. Lizzie wrapped her arms around him, but she seemed unable to keep up with him.
“You little vixen,” he purred into her ear, relaxing once more against her. He rolled off and stretched. “You sure you were a virgin on the dock?”
Lizzie giggled. “I take it you enjoyed yourself, then?”
“How could you tell?”
“Good.” She smiled at him as she adjusted the pillow beneath her head. “I’m glad. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. But if you liked it, then I guess I did something right.”
Philip hummed his agreement. He pulled her close to him, nuzzling into her hair. Her scent was almost enough to make him hard again, even though it was so soon after finishing. Lizzie responded by moving her hands gently over him. He wanted to stay like this. To wake up in her arms.
But he knew he couldn’t. In just a few days, she’d be taken away again. And he’d go back to his old life. The family wouldn’t let him go free… they would punish him for his disobedience. Maybe not kill him, but he would be punished. Buying them off? It wasn’t going to happen. Maybe Lizzie was rich, but what they would demand, he knew he could never let her give away. It wasn’t about pride or debt or money. It was about him.
He wasn’t worth that.
Chapter Nine
King Gregory must have thought himself a flirt. He kept complimenting her all the way as he and a half dozen of his guards escorted her back to the surface. He’d arrived early that morning, saying that her cousin was awfully impatient and that they had to get going before the dragon decided to kill them all. Lizzie was still upset that she hadn’t been able to tell Bethany a proper goodbye, but they’d be seeing each other again soon enough. Before leading her away, he’d told Philip that he needed to pack up his things because the Godfather was expecting him back that night.
“So how much did Varton end up having to pay for my quick release?” Lizzie asked the king coolly.
She had had to deal with Gregory from time to time because of business. Usually, it was Varton who dealt with vampires though. The stories about their bloodlust might be exaggerated, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have certain instincts which were hard to repress. Besides that, when a person lived as long as vampires did, they started to think themselves superior to everyone else. This man had always made her skin crawl.
He flashed his fangs at her as he grinned. “I’m sure your cousin would be most distressed if I discussed such matters with you. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself.”
Lizzie frowned a moment but didn’t press. It wasn’t that big a deal, after all.
“I am very pleased that you agreed to vampires joining your dating agency,” Gregory continued, his grin widening as she jumped in surprise. “There aren’t a lot of options available for us, you know. And it would be nice to shed this whole ‘vampires are lust-filled machines that just want to fuck and drink and fuck some more’ image.”
Lizzie slowed as she narrowed her eyes. “I don’t recall having that conversation.”
“Now, now. You wouldn’t want to be prejudiced, would you? Besides, our story is that you came to me wanting a few of our upstanding citizens to join in. It’s for paranormal creatures, after all, not just shifters. Isn’t that right?”
Well, he had a point there. Somehow, she had never thought about vampires wanting to be in a dating agency. Vampires seemed to be the sort of creature that didn’t need help finding a partner. Plus, what interest were humans to them, they who lived for thousands of years before their bodies stopped regenerating? Not even shifters lived that long.
With a sigh, Lizzie nodded. She couldn’t just bar vampires in their entirety, but that also didn’t mean that just anybody was going to be able to join.
“It’s only open for people who are law-abiding, understood?” She continued walking as the king moved in a little closer. “And it’s not just a sex hookup app, got it? Whoever wants to sign up with the agency has to have a clean record—no killing. And they have to be serious about wanting to find a mate. Not just a playmate.”
At a gesture from the king, the guards stopped moving. They turned their backs but were standing so close to each other that Lizzie couldn’t squeeze past them. She turned to Gregory, nerves churning in her gut. It suddenly struck her just how precarious this situation was. He was a king. In this mountain, his word was law. And he was old. Older than she could comprehend. There was no telling what exactly had happened in his past…
He stepped toward her, and her mouth went dry. He rolled his eyes, grasped her elbow and tugged her to one side. “Now, now, my dear. Why would I waste my time on you when I have dozens of women in my hall willing to let me sink my fangs into their necks and fuck them to my fill? This is exactly what I was talking about… We are not soulless creatures. We were once human and still are, at the core of us.”
The crimes that vampires were often accused of weren’t exclusive to them. They had their basis in being all too human. The thing was that vampires lived so long that the morals that most humans still managed to hold onto were chipped away. And, Lizzie mused, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, he must have seen some true horrors.
She shook her head as she brought herself back to the present. “Of course. I apologize. This whole situation has got me on edge.”
Gregory nodded toward her as he lowered his voice. “And I apologize as well. I forget that humans don’t have senses as finely tuned as ours. I didn’t stop us because of anything you said. It’s because I have a guest arriving, and I don’t want you to be harmed if he decides to lash out.”
Before Lizzie could ask, there came sounds of cursing and struggling from up the corridor. Gregory gently pushed her behind himself as the guards arranged themselves into a semi-circle, with the two of them inside of it. Soon, a group of other vampires came down, dragging with them a tall, dark-haired man in chains. He was the one spitting curses, but fear was written all over his face.
“I won’t,” he screamed as he was dragged past them. His gaze fell on the king and his curses redoubled. “I will not be your weapon! I will not!”
Gregory held up a hand. “Stop.”
The vampires pulling the prisoner along halted, as did his curses and struggling.
“You were made for one purpose, Isaac,” Gregory retorted, his voice so cold that even Lizzie shuddered. “There is no use fighting your destiny. Be a good boy, stop fighting and just accept it. The sooner you do, the sooner I can stop punishing you. I don’t want to punish you. I want to reward you. How can I do that when you insist on being so disobedient?”
Isaac shook his head, hatred boiling in his eyes. Lizzie pressed herself against the wall. Her heart was in her throat, which was as dry as a desert. She wanted to be out of here. This had to be Isaac Fisher—he was legendary as an assassin, a killer… Did he serve Gregory?
He was dragged off again and Gregory turned to Lizzie again with a smile, as though nothing had happened. “Shall we continue?”
Silently, she nodded—she wanted to go home. More than anything, she wanted to go home.
Except…. Not like this. She wanted to go home, yes. But she wanted to go home with Philip and Bethany. She wanted them, too.
***
Varton squeezed her so tight, Lizzie thought her bones might break. She was happy to see him, of course, and happy to get back to their home. Though she had her own apartment that she stayed at nine times out of ten, Varton’s mansion was big enough that she was a frequent and welcome guest. Now, when worries that somehow the mafia was going to come after
her still or that Gregory decided her seeing Isaac made her a threat, she was grateful to have his place to crash at.
She hadn’t thought that she was very tired, but when Melodi and Varton insisted that she rest, she ended up sleeping half the day away. When she did awake, the first thing she did was phone Philip, to make sure he was alright.
“I’m fine,” he told her. “Bethany and I are going to stop by first thing in the morning. You know what for.”
For the adoption to get rolling. Lizzie let out a sigh. She wanted to say more but had no idea what she could say, and so only told him that she would let Varton know. They both hung up without another word after that, not even a goodbye. Her hands clenched; after everything that had happened between them, was this how it was going to end? With them as just a couple of strangers to one another? And yet, she was going to share custody of his daughter.
Well, there was no use in dwelling on it. Lizzie got out of bed, showered, dressed in fresh clothes that actually belonged to her, and went in search of her cousin. Varton and Melodi were in the downstairs living room, watching a show. Melodi’s feet were propped up on Varton’s legs and he rubbed them absently.
For a moment, Lizzie just stood there watching. Melodi was quickly approaching the due date of her pregnancy. She looked, if it was possible, even bigger than she had when Lizzie had decided to go confront Philip all those weeks ago. Her hands absently ran over her own stomach as Melodi did the same with hers. What must it be like? She knew that it had to be uncomfortable—after all, being that size and unwieldy would take its toll on anybody, not to mention the hormonal changes. But it had to be wonderful too, right?
Varton was the first to notice her. He turned off the show and gestured for her to join them. Lizzie did so, smiling reassuringly at them both. She knew what questions were going to be asked. She’d have liked to simply skip over it all, but she supposed if their positions were changed, then she would want to know, too.
“You okay?” Varton asked, worry in his eyes. “They didn’t hurt you at all, did they?”
Lizzie settled down in an armchair. She wished she could lounge on a couch, her feet in Philip’s lap as he rubbed them. “I was frightened a little, but I’m fine. The vampires were very courteous to me.”
Varton frowned at her, as though he didn’t quite believe it.
“I’m fine,” Lizzie reasserted. “Do you want a doctor’s note?”
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Varton grumbled.
What would they say when they found the bruises on her? Sure, the marks that Philip had left on her had faded away to almost nothing by this time, but they were still visible. If Varton saw them, he would freak. Assume the worst. She didn’t want to have to explain everything to him, and more than that, she couldn’t. If she told him, he’d tell Melodi and she was a cop. Even if she was on maternity leave, she would feel obligated to tell her superiors and then everything would go to hell.
So, Lizzie settled with a firm glare at Varton. “Honestly. I’m fine. What I don’t need is for you to be hovering around me like I’m made of glass, okay?”
Varton frowned a moment longer before his shoulders relaxed. He leaned back on the couch and began to rub Melodi’s feet again. “Okay. Fine. We’ll leave it at that, then.”
“Good. Because I don’t want this to be a big thing.” She watched a moment longer, trying to fight the jealousy as adamantly as she fought the image of her sprawled out on the couch with Philip’s child growing inside of her and his hands on her feet, while Bethany tried to argue them into naming the baby something outrageous. She tried to shove the thought away.
Maybe she didn’t dislike Philip as she had when this started, but not disliking someone wasn’t the basis of a relationship. Neither was sex, however amazing it was.
Risking his life for hers, though… that could be the start of one. And sharing custody of a child, that also could start one off. She sighed as she sank deeper into the chair. What she wouldn’t give to have someone to talk this over with. But there was nobody, not without revealing what had really happened. So those thoughts and feelings were going to have to remain locked away for now.
“Lizzie,” Melodi’s soft voice broke through her musings. “Are you sure you’re alright? They didn’t hurt you… in any way?”
“No,” Lizzie replied again, this time with enough conviction that even Varton looked convinced. “As I said, I was just scared a little. Well… okay, maybe there were a couple of times when I thought I was going to die, but my life wasn’t in real danger.”
Melodi studied her with that cop expression on her face, then nodded. “Your parents are flying in, so you know. They were really worried.”
If she had just disappeared entirely, they would have remained in that pain of not knowing forever. She let out a breath as she nodded. Coming back was the right thing to do. She was certain of it. She just hoped that Philip’s solution would work for him, too. That he wasn’t going to end up losing everything because of her.
***
Bethany thought that she was going to be happy to get home. As fun as the cabin and running around was, she had things to do. She missed school, and her friends, and her toys. Even her own bed. The blankets at the cabin smelled a little funny, even after they had been washed and aired.
She had never noticed how quiet the house was before. At the cabin, when she woke up in the morning, she heard Lizzie singing. When she went to bed, she was reassured by the gentle murmur of Dad and Lizzie talking to each other. Dad had been more relaxed there, too. He smiled more easily, laughed more often, and Bethany knew it was because of Lizzie.
Now, her own home felt almost alien to her. It was just so empty and quiet. Even today, when Grandfather showed up on their doorstep. Dad didn’t like Grandfather. He always sent her to her room when he stopped by, which wasn’t very often. Bethany didn’t like Grandfather, either. He didn’t smell right, and the way he smiled at her never looked quite real. She never felt like a wolf when he was around, just small and young and stupid.
Bethany knew she wasn’t stupid, but Grandfather always made her feel stupid.
Now as she played in her room, trying to block out the sound of Grandfather’s voice from the front room, her mind kept going back to Lizzie. She had done everything she could to make sure that Lizzie could stay with them. She had been extra good, eating her vegetables as long as Lizzie cooked them, going to bed at a good time so long as Lizzie came in to say goodnight after Dad read her the bedtime stories. It hadn’t worked. She thought that Lizzie would stay, but instead, she left.
Had something happened with the vampires? Bethany didn’t know. It was only after Uncle Kavan showed up that things started going wrong. Had he said something? Why had they even gone to those vampires, anyway? Now she hadn’t even seen Lizzie in almost a week.
Why did adults have to be so difficult? Bethany frowned at her dolls. Anybody could see that Lizzie and Dad were right for each other. They laughed and sang and looked happy together. And Bethany had caught them kissing, too. She usually didn’t like that kind of mushy stuff, but it made her feel light and happy when she saw Lizzie and Dad kissing.
So. What was she going to do about it? She had talked to Dad about visiting Lizzie, and she had heard Lizzie’s voice on his phone once. But he always said there were other things to consider. What these things were, Bethany didn’t know. After all, she had heard them talking about Lizzie adopting her—which could only mean that Dad and Lizzie were getting married—but nobody would tell her anything.
There was only one thing to do about it. She got to her feet, leaving her toys scattered on her bedroom floor. She was going to have to go to Lizzie and find out what in butternut squash soup was going on here.
Her window was open, to let in the air since it had rained the previous night and so the smog was settled. Lizzie easily pried out the screen, and then pulled her toy chest over and climbed out the window. She hit the ground harder than she expected, grunted wi
th pain, and bit her tongue to stop the urge to cry out. If Dad found her sneaking out, he’d put her right back in her room and tell her not to go. And then she’d have to stay because she always listened to Dad.
Well, maybe not always, but in this case, she knew she would have to.
If anybody saw her, they’d call him. Bethany frowned as she crouched in the bushes that Dad was always saying he needed to get rid of. Mrs. Thompson across the road was always spying out her window. But she always seemed to forget that Bethany and Dad were shifters, so that was that. Bethany stripped off her clothes and tied them into a knot like she had seen Dad do, and then shifted. The ripple of muscle beneath her fur made her grin a wolfish smile as her wolf yipped and danced to be free again. It had been whining a lot lately, wanting to go run.
Now she was free to run as far as she wanted! Bethany picked up her bundle of clothes and trotted out, staying close to the house until she got to the east side of the building. There, her ears pricked at the sound of Grandfather’s voice.
“Do you think I am an idiot?” His voice was cool and calm and made Bethany’s stomach clench uncomfortably. “I know what it is that you’ve been planning, Philip. Don’t think it will be so easy.”
“Godfather, I—”
“I’ll give you Lizzie Hendrix,” Grandfather interrupted. “That was a brilliant move on your part, I’ll admit it.”
What was a brilliant move? Lizzie’s ears swiveled toward the house as she inched closer. And Grandfather said that he would give Dad Lizzie? Did that mean that he wanted them to get married, too? Or was it Grandfather who was stopping them from getting married? Bethany wouldn’t put it past him. The old man was always sticking his wrinkled nose where it didn’t belong.
“If you think I’m going to let the girl get away, though, you are most mistaken.”
The girl? Bethany frowned. Was he still talking about Lizzie? Was he saying that he wanted to marry Lizzie? That’s what the villains in the stories she liked watching would do. Like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, or Drake from The Penguin and the Pebble. It was just the sort of thing Grandfather would do. Bethany shivered as her wolf growled threateningly. She wanted to bite him so badly, make him leave and never come back.
The Wolf’s Surprise Babies Page 11
