Brotherhood In Blood
Page 35
The plane lands and the ride home wear me out. He carries me inside the castle, and they stand in the foyer—waiting patiently.
Ian sniffs the air. “Yep, they’ve been fucking.”
Christian groans at Ian. “Ian, she is exhausted, right now. Will you please keep your mouth shut until she feels better?”
Ian studies my face. “You need more blood and sleep, chick. I hope you rest up.”
Christian carries me upstairs, and places me in my bed. He has to leave for work, and he won’t be home for the rest of the week. I doze off in a pair of pajamas. My bed feels so warm and comfortable.
I enjoy sleeping in, for the rest of the week. Sophia brought my meals to me throughout the week. After my shower, I found a cute dress hiding in the closet. I place a pair of matching stilettos on my feet.
~~~***~~~
We are in the second week of January 2012. Christian and I celebrate our New Years in the grotto at the castle. The next day, the front doors open. I glance over to see Papa strolling in. Papa has a present with him, and he hands it over to me. I unwrap his present, and it’s a claret wool jacket with charcoal lining. Papa bought me a matching claret French beret. He enjoys his sixteen by twenty picture of us dancing together at my Coronation.
Papa hugs me tightly. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”
“I only had sex, and I didn’t change personalities. I feel a little tired lately.”
“He needs to let you sleep. He’s probably sucking too much blood from you. I hope you’re taking vitamins, to replenish your blood. Are you ready for the Valentine's Day Ball next month? This is a special occasion.”
“Sean has been working overtime on my dress. My dress should be ready in a couple of weeks. I feel extra sleepy, and I could probably sleep for another day or two. But, I also need to stop sleeping, and move around more.”
Papa points at Alexander. “I want you to give her something to help her! You need to tell your fucking brother that he needs to keep his hands off her! She should be able to replenish her blood supply!”
I smack his finger down. “Christian has been in meetings all week! Furthermore, he hasn’t been home, to drain me as you think he has! Also, stop ordering Alexander around! He has nothing to do with us anyway.”
“I’m the fucking king! I can order around whoever I want to order!”
“I know you’re the fucking king. You make very important laws, rules, and regulations. I get that you’re on a power trip, but it doesn’t give you the right to be a douchebag to everyone in this room! While you do whatever you want, I have been staying with them twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. I consider all of them, to be my brothers. I even love them as such. I won’t allow you, to talk to them like shit! They are family to us! We should treat them as such! They have been keeping me alive thus far! So… please show them a little fucking respect!”
All their jaws gape open. None of them expected me to say that—or go off on Papa.
“It is really okay, Princess, and it does not bother us,” Alexander tries, to cover for him.
“It may not bother you, but it surely bothers me!”
“I’m truly sorry, and I’m not on a power trip! I resent that! I allow you to stay with them, because I know they will keep you safe. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you at my house all alone. At least with you here—you’re safe. I will give this battle to you. I will be mindful, when it comes to speaking to the Enforcers in such a disrespectful tone. You’re clearly right about my rude behavior. I would like to apologize to Alexander. If your brother were here, I would tell him myself. Once again, I’m sorry.”
Alexander nods with delight. “I accept your apology, your Majesty. I will do everything in my power, to protect your family.”
Christian happens to return home at the wrong time. He walks over and kisses my cheek.
Papa scolds him. “You keep your fangs out of my granddaughter! Look at her eyes! She’s tired and you’re sucking the life from her!”
Christian examines my eyes, but rolls his, after hearing Papa’s yells. “I will apologize to you, your Majesty. But, my fangs have been out of your granddaughter for over a week now. I am already working on giving her vitamins to support her blood.”
“Be sure that you do. You better never get her pregnant either!”
“My intentions are pure, when it comes to your granddaughter. I never want to get her pregnant either. I will never intentionally hurt her either. With all due respect Majesty, I am madly in love with your granddaughter.”
“I want the dark circles, to disappear by the time I see her again! That doesn’t make her Papa very happy, to see dark circles under her beautiful eyes.”
“I never noticed before, but I will work with Alexander, to see what we can do. I promise you that I will never intentionally hurt her.”
Papa hugs me goodbye and leaves. I’m about to take my presents upstairs, when Christian stops me. “I will refrain from ingesting your blood for a while. I am sorry for the dark circles under your eyes. I forget that you are still human, and you are only a hybrid. I am sorry for taking your blood.”
Alexander meets us in my bedroom. My arm takes hits of emergency vitamins. The vitamins make me feel drowsy.
Alex turns to his brother. “She will need her sleep for a while. That is the only way her body will replenish itself.”
I climb into bed, and fell asleep. I instantly start to dream of turning into a full vampire. Blood is sliding slowly down the walls, and the room fills with blood. The bizarre dream wakes me up. Sophia brings in my dinner, along with a cup of warm blood. Christian uses my lounge chair, to work on his projects for his businesses. He stops long enough to walk over and kiss me. “Are you starting to feel better?”
“I’m still tired, and I didn’t think I would feel this exhausted. This is worse than running through the obstacle course. I hope I’m able to snap out of it though.”
“I promise to stop taking your blood. I hate seeing you this worn out. I am sorry for going overboard.”
“I loved every moment of it, and can’t wait to do it all over again.”
“We will have sex again soon, but right now you need your sleep. I am your sleep Enforcer.”
I yawn one last time, and drift off to sleep.
~~~***~~~
I’m standing in the emerald field nine months pregnant, wearing an ivory gown, and rubbing my stomach. Rogues enter my dream, and they want to stab my stomach. They are after my baby. Running isn’t an option. I try to scream for help, but nothing comes out.
The dream jerks me wide-awake. The cold sweat returns, and soaks my body. Christian is attending another meeting inside his office. After my shower, I feel better now. The dreams put me on edge.
After changing into my clothes, I’m surprised to Sean waiting for me in the foyer. He appears distraught. “Something has happened to your dress! You must come with me to my shop, and pick out another fabric swatch! I have no idea what happened and I’m so freaking angry! I was going, to make you look fierce in this dress. I’m making an effort to impress, but I found it shredded the next morning! I’m so sorry, Princess. I know you haven’t been feeling well either!”
I motion for Sean to calm down. “That’s okay... let me go recruit some Enforcers, and we will leave immediately.”
Ian, Louie, and Charlie escort me to Sean's shop. I found better pieces, to replace my dress. Sean decides that he will make this dress at the castle.
~~~***~~~
The last two weeks of January rolls on by. We are a few days before the Royal Ball. We work on my ball gown day and night. I even chase Chris out of the room a few times, so we can work on it. The fatigue subsides for now, but I have another symptom taking its place. Sean knew I’m about, to become sick again, and he hands me a trash can.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t want you, to feel worse than what you already are!”
“I have a nasty stomach flu. I’m long overdue for one.”
“I’m only throwing up every now and then. It isn’t as if it’s every day.”
“You need to tell Chris and Alex. They might be able to cure that nasty flu bug.”
“They have a joint business crisis. I’m not about to disturb them with my flu issues.”
~~~***~~~
We finish working on the gown, on the morning of the Royal Ball. I’m hiding in my bathroom, to throw up again. Now, I’m starting to decline health wise. I have thrown up five times in a row, with no sleep from the violent vomiting. Ian enters my room, and I’m unable to hide it anymore. He’s about to find out, I have the flu.
“Sophia has bacon and eggs ready for you, chick. Are you going to eat?” Ian yells through the door.
Oh no, he mentioned bacon. I lost it again in the toilet and this worries him. “Are you throwing up?”
I threw up chalky bile this time. “I’m not feeling all that great. Now, I have a nasty stomach flu. I’m unable to keep anything down… heck; I can’t even keep water down!”
The moment I say that I can’t keep water down, he opens my bathroom door. He notices that I’m crouching over the toilet—losing it again.
“Oh shit, chick! I’m sorry, but the moment you said you couldn’t hold water down, I have to check on you!” Ian squats down, and he stares in the toilet to see film. He places his hand over my forehead. “That’s strange… you’re not running a fever.”
I look over at him for a second, and I continue to throw up again.
Ian brought my robe. “I’m the bearer of bad news. Christian and Alexander lost another business to a fire.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“I’m trying to take your mind off throwing up. Do you think you could be pregnant?”
“I would know if I’m pregnant! I had the shot—so no! There’s no way I could be pregnant! You’re silly, Ian. I haven’t had a period in a long time. You have to have a period in order to be pregnant.”
“My older sister, Claire thought she had the stomach flu too, and it turned out that she had a baby in her tummy. She did that three other times too. She apparently was extremely fertile too. Let me get Erik. He had twelve children, and he would know better than me.”
I grip his shirt, begging him. “Please, don’t tell anybody else! This is just a flu, and it will go away!”
“I’m overruling you this time, chick. If you have a baby in your tummy, the guys need to know.”
Ian leaves for a few minutes. My robe hides my cotton nightgown. Zane, Erik, and Willow enter my bathroom, and they watch the vomit escalate again. Erik walks over to me, and felt my head. The Norwegian vampire knows too well for his own good. “You’re right, Ian. I can already tell, but we need to confirm. Jeannie, you need to be honest with me. How long have you been feeling this way?”
I’m still on the floor. Erik keeps feeling my head and cheeks. Zane hands me a washcloth for my face. “I don’t know. I had fatigue at first. Now, I’m throwing up all day long. It wasn’t this bad two weeks ago, but now it’s horrible. I didn’t even sleep last night.”
“Does Chris know how sick you are?”
I shake no. “I hid it from him.”
“Willow, will you please go to the drugstore, and buy her a pregnancy test. I’m about ninety percent sure, she’s with child,” Erik asks.
I violently throw up again. “I’m not pregnant! I would know if I were.”
Erik holds my hair back. “I’m about to say the same thing to you that I told my wife many moons ago. There’s nothing wrong with having a baby. If you are, you are. There’s no one to blame. Sure, this will make our jobs a little difficult, because we have to guard two of you—and not one.”
“Will you please, let me tell Chris on my own?”
Erik wipes my mouth off with a washcloth. “He will be in vampire shock, but this is a private matter between the both of you. The rest of us will remain quiet about it, but he will find out eventually. My wife chose to wait until she was in labor with our last child. She thought she hid her pregnancy well. I already knew she was carrying our baby, but never said a thing about it. She was a breeder, and she made excellent sons and daughters. I loved her more than anything, and supported her.”
Willow returns ten minutes later with a test. They left the bathroom, but she stays behind to help. I pee in a cup, and she runs the test. We sit around and wait for three minutes. When her watch starts beeping, she takes it out, and looks at the back of the box. “I don’t know how to break the news to you, but you’re definitely pregnant. I know this isn’t what you want to hear—but congratulations.”
I snatch the test from her hand. I read the box and I’m instantly in tears. “How is this even possible? I took the shot!”
“I believe you took antibiotics a couple of months ago. Your antibiotics interfered with your birth control. I’m so sorry, Princess, but it’s on every birth control package.”
“I never saw the package! This is unfair! How will I be a mom at eighteen?”
“My mom had me at age fourteen. I’m sure their wives were younger than you are, but they still made great moms. Anyway… congratulations and I hope you tell Chris right away.”
Willow opens the door, and she nods her head yes.
I stand up and inform them. “I will tell him tonight.” Ian, Zane, and Erik stare at each other. Ian shakes his head at me.
Erik hugs me. “This isn’t the end of the world, and you will know what to do.”
Chapter 18
Erik makes his special herbal tea. My vomit ceases for the rest of the day. I put on my clothes, and eye my stomach. I’m coming to terms with the pregnancy. I start to rub my belly. “I think I already love you. I’m new at this, so will have to remain patient with me. I have no idea, what I will be like, or even how to be a mom. I love you, and we will figure this out together.”
I change into my corset and lingerie. I have a baby growing in my stomach, so I’m trying to be mindful of my baby. I don’t know how my boyfriend will react, or if he will be happy about it. Sean enters my bedroom, and he helps me into my deep red velvet gown. Sean zips me up, and he makes last minute alterations. Louie places the tiara firmly upon my head. I look around the room for moral support. I wear a heart shaped diamond necklace, earrings, and a heart shaped bracelet.
Sean stands back. “Oh, damn! You’re more gorgeous in this dress than the previous dress! Chris is going to flip his lid, when he sees this!”
“I wonder if this dress will be the only lid flipping he will do tonight,” I hint to Sean.
“Is everything okay, Princess? You haven’t been your normal self, since yesterday. What’s wrong?” Sean asks with concern
My eyes close. “I don’t have the stomach flu after all.”
Sean scratches his head with confusion. “Okay... so, what’s wrong then?”
Louie gasps at me. “Oh, shit! He knocked your ass up.”
“In nine months, you will add another customer to your payroll.” I confirmed Louie’s outburst.
Louie shakes his head. “Christian, won’t like this. He won’t enjoy becoming a daddy again. I knew he knocked you up, but congratulations, Princess.”
“Do you have to be so mean? You don’t know how he will react! He talks about his daughter all the time!” I snap at Louie.
“I’m sorry, but there’s a big difference between a dream and reality. I’m not out to hurt you.”
“Holy shit! Does Christian even know?” Sean interrupts.
“He will know, by the end of this evening.”
Sean hugs me. “Good luck, Princess. I hope he handles the news well.”
I step outside my bedroom—ready to go. He notices as soon as I enter the hallway. He has been waiting for me, with his hair pulled back. I’m so glad the herbs are keeping the nausea at bay. I slowly walk over and greet him.
Christian kisses my cheek. “You are so beau
tiful, and I love you very much.”
His suit is similar to his last one. The maids place a sash over him, and another sash drapes over me. This informs the rest of the crowd of our courtship. I hold on to his arm. We stand at the top of the stairs together. Willow takes pictures of us. For the first time, I notice the huge painting of Christian and Alexander in their Greek war uniforms, sitting next to each other. Both brothers have Greek helmets resting in their laps. They are in full body armor. Their legs have greaves on them. Christian wore an ivory with gold trim tunic, and his brother wore a burgundy with gold trim tunic. Their tunics are above their knees. The swords are on their hips, with the shields resting in front of them on the ground. Their spears are standing behind them. Alexander and Christian wore chest plates portraying their muscles. Both of the brothers have matching crowns upon their heads. The painting stands over the main fireplace about twenty feet tall and twenty feet wide. I haven’t noticed it until now. This makes him even more real to me. My tiara flashes upon my head.
Christian stands proudly, and places my hand in the crook of his arm. We leisurely descend the stairs together. We make it inside the limousine, and Erik hands me another herbal concoction.
“What did Erik just give you? Why are you drinking it?”
“I have an upset stomach, from a case of nerves. Erik gave me a concoction, to help with vomiting.” I’m telling him the truth.
“There is nothing to be nervous about. It will be over soon. We will return home in a few hours. I am ready for tonight, my Princess.”
The limousine parks in front of the large Greek-style dome building. There are cameras flashing from different directions. Sam and Tommy help me out of the limo. The Enforcers escort us quickly inside. I parade with Christian, and we make it inside the dance hall.
~~~***~~~