Cured By Blood: A Vampire Pregnancy Romance

by Samantha Snow

  The four of them gathered themselves and headed to the cellar. Tara had only been down here briefly before, but not since the work had been done. As they reached the bottom of the steps they were greeted with rows upon rows of wine bottles and casks stored on wooden racks and shelves.

  Dru lead them past the initial rows and then turned down to walk between a set going in a different direction. As they approached the wall, he turned again and they were met with a wooden door that matched the stained wood of the rest of the manor. Dru opened the door to a completely different atmosphere. The room was a light blue and stainless steel with overhead lights that cast a bluish white glow on everything.

  There was a gynecology examination chair in one corner and a full hospital bed on the other side. A portable ultrasound machine, an x-ray machine, cabinets lining one wall with an inset sink and other miscellaneous medical supplies completed the room. It was somewhat unnerving to see the atmosphere she had worked in for years rebuilt in front of her, for her.

  Tara walked around, opening the cabinets until she found a stack of gowns, dark blue and a hell of a lot softer and nicer than any she had ever seen in a hospital. She raised her eyes at the men until they turned their back before changing.

  “Where do you want me?”

  Salvador pointed to the gynecology chair.

  “If you don’t mind, I would like to do a full work up. I want to check everything out and get a baseline of health as well as a uterine ultrasound. I’ll take some blood and vaginal swabs. This way we can make sure everything is running on vampire anatomy and chemical composition before we move forward. I know what the vampire baseline from previous experience, and the human baseline from my studies. I am curious as to where you will fall.”

  Tara nodded and climbed into the awkward chair. Salvador pulled out the stirrups as the other two left the room. She was relieved. She didn’t want to ask them to go, but she didn’t really want them hanging around either.

  “After many years, vampires become desensitized to nudity and medical procedures. You are still new enough that we understand your discomfort.”

  “I could see that. I appreciate the courtesy.”

  “I have to admit, I am very appreciative that Dru and you are asking for me to help with this. As I told Dru, I have only seen 2 natural vampires give birth in the past 1800 years. It has occurred more than that,” Salvador guided her legs into the stirrups and began his examination, “but I haven’t been at any others. Many keep it quiet due to the history of some of the older vampires wanting to raise a vampiric child. The idea of having a child that is still one of us, and yet will age to a point and be able to learn from us is very intriguing and coveted.”

  “I could see that.”

  Salvador put two swabs into a tube and pulled the ultrasound closer. He grabbed the wand with the odd egg shape on the end and applied the medical jelly. The monitor was turned on and he warned Tara before inserting the wand. As he moved it around inside, Tara went from uncomfortable to distracted when two tiny images began to blink in and out of focus, each with a fluttering dark center.

  “Your hearing was accurate. Twins. I would say they are about 12 weeks human gestation.” Salvador saw Tara’s confusion and panic, “That is normal. Vampire’s gestational period is half of a normal humans’. Due to our regenerative blood, the fetus develops much faster than normal. You are starting your second term already.”

  Tara stared at the monitor in shock. I would say you have about another three months until they are due, around January.”

  “Wow.” Tara was stunned. She never thought about gestation being different.

  Salvador dropped the wand in a cleaning solution and pulled down Tara’s gown.

  “I can draw blood from this chair or we can go to the bed, I want to do the standard ultrasound to see if we can discern anything else.”

  “Here is fine, just without the stirrups.”

  Salvador chuckled as he put the stirrups down and pulled out the extender piece for the bed, allowing Tara to lie back normally. It was odd getting her blood taken; after all of the years she had done the same thing. After Salvador had taken several tubes of blood, he pulled out the other ultrasound machine and poured the goo on her stomach. She watched the monitor as he began sliding the sensor over her lower abdomen.

  “Well, two healthy twins, although a little underweight. That is not overly unusual with twins, but they are a little lower than normal even for that,” Salvador continued to move the sensor around and clicked the button to snap a few of the images, “Would you like to know the sexes?”

  “Uh, yes, please!” Tara sat up on her elbows a bit to try to discern them herself on the screen, the two large headed blobs with their eyes and small arms and legs, she was fascinated.

  “They’ll be similar looking, as they are maternal twins, from a single egg. You will have two nearly identical little boys.”

  Tara stared in awe at the screen. Two boys! She didn’t know what to say. Salvador finished up and told her to clean up and get dressed. He walked over to the counter with the microscope, centrifuge, and other testing equipment to begin processing her blood. Tara cleaned off the goop and redressed herself, before picking up one of the printed little pictures on the side of the machine. She opened the door to see Dru and Ardo standing outside speaking in hushed tones.

  “So, we have two healthy, although a little skinny, boys that are about a third of the way done cooking!” Tara smiled widely at Dru as his face broke into a large smile. One of the biggest she had seen him give yet.

  “Two boys! Oh how I wish it was still centuries ago! They would be warriors to follow in my steps!”

  Tara’s brows rose as she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel unsure about that idea. The thought of Dru being a Viking lord with sons, though, made since and she could see the joy it was already bringing him.

  “So, we need to fatten you up. I will need to put in some calls. We will need at least two volunteers a week.”

  Tara almost laughed out loud at Ardo’s own slightly raised brow. With the outing of the vampires, she knew many of the older ones looked down on using volunteers in disdain. For centuries or more, these people took what they needed however they could. The idea of needing paperwork to eat was something they frowned upon.

  Tara couldn’t help but wonder if the older ones didn’t still feed on unwilling victims. Homeless people were the most commonly found drained. It made sense, in a way that they would go for those with the least amount of risk and people looking for them, although it was still sad to her.

  After they finished discussing her weight and the time period of the pregnancy, the older vampires retired to their rooms to drink and rest for the day, neither wanting to be up and about once the sun arose. Tara and Dru took to the gardens, walking together in silence enjoying the fragrances and colors.

  “You know, I thought it was just being healthy again that was adding the weight so fast. I mean, by no means am I big, but I didn’t realize that they would grow so much faster. Twice as much is a lot. I suppose if I was human I would worry about stretch marks.”

  “That won’t be an issue, but yes, I had noticed. I did not realize there was such a time difference either, though.”

  Tara glanced at Dru; he seemed distracted. She was fixing to ask what was on his mind when he stopped her and turned to face her.

  “Tara, I would like to ask something of you,” she began to frown and froze as he bent down on one knee, “Tara Cooper, would you marry me and be my wife, would you accept the name of Kablarian?”

  Tara stood speechless, shocked to her core. She had wondered if he would ask and was unsure if she should even broach the subject. She nodded, wondering if vampires could cry as her eyes felt full of the pressure of tears.

  “Yes, yes!” She watched in fascination as he pulled out an intricate ring of woven silver vines embracing a sapphire. The ring slid over her finger easily enough and she was stunned seeing one of the pieces f
rom Dru’s museum room. He stood and pulled her to him. Their embrace led to their elevated hunger for each other. His mouth found hers as his arms held her tightly. She looped her hands behind his head, fingers sliding into his silky hair. He bounced her up, pulling her legs around his waist as the kiss deepened. Tara pulled back and looked into his eyes. She had never had someone look at her that way, as if she was their world.

  Dru couldn’t stop smiling. He swore that the more he was around and with Tara, the more alive he felt. His decision to make her his wife seemed the best way to show her how serious he was, how much she meant to him. He had decided on a ring that had belonged to his mother.

  Their traditions didn’t include wedding rings, but this one seemed appropriate for Tara, and he wanted to make the best of it for her. Even if it meant silly ceremonies that he could care less about. He had a family, and anyone who threatened them or their happiness would not be long for this world.

  CHAPTER 14

  Cyndi stared at the images with her jaw dropped. If finding out her friend was a vampire and pregnant was strange, discovering she was pregnant with identical twins that grew at the twice the rate of normal babies was icing on the cake. Salvador had also had the lab work available, which verified Tara’s body was running 100% vampire and the babies were forming and reacting as a natural vampire would.

  This meant that the babies would be naturally born vampires, growing and then ceasing aging at a certain point of their adult lives. Salvador and Ardo also explained previous cases of natural vampires and their birth and how the numbers were getting smaller each century. Back when Dru had been born, there was an average of two vampire births every five years. Now the numbers were much worse averaging one every twenty-five years. Tara having twins changed this percentage and was an astounding fact.

  On top of the rarity, the fact that many vampires coveted natural vampire babies was a new concern. Sometimes it was a power trip, raising a vampire from the earliest age to follow in their parent’s footsteps.

  For others it was the ability to do one of the few things that vampires could not enjoy, having family. This thought had put Dru on edge. As well as his issues with Blaine Connie and her apparent connection to the anti-vampire group W.A.V.E. His lawyer had come back with the information after discovering connections between Blaine and two of the members.

  The lawyer told him that the good news was, the group tended to keep a somewhat level head in many of the issues, aiming for judicial and political changes rather than taking matters into their own hands. The problem was that the two men she was associating with didn’t have such a stellar reputation. Mark was older and a bit more cool-headed than Jared, but both had possible connections to assaults against vampires and their places of businesses.

  Dru didn’t tell Tara about the issue with Blaine, W.A.V.E., and the two men, but he had mentioned it to Ardo and Salvador. Both were willing to do whatever was necessary to help Dru and to protect Tara and the babies. Natural vampire babies were sacred as much as they were rare.

  As badly as some would want to take them, others would want to protect them. With the possible involvement of W.A.V.E. and the government, they wouldn’t have too much difficulty finding vampires to help them, as long as they were wary of those who would want them for themselves. .

  “So the babies will be forming at the twice the rate of a human child?” Cyndi looked between the two elder vampires.

  “Yes, she will be giving birth in about two to three months, depending on the development of the fetuses.”

  “And how can she help them gain weight when all she needs now is blood?”

  “Actually, she doesn’t have to just live on blood, and they require her to eat more. She will have to consume meat, red meat, on a daily basis. The meat will be rare, cooked enough to prevent any bacteria from effecting the babies, but rare enough that the large quantities of nutrients will be important for the growth.” Salvador looked to Tara as he spoke, making sure she got the hint.

  “And that won’t hurt me?”

  “No, if anything you will have to continue to deal with human waste issues that a vampire can usually forego.” When Ardo spoke, Cyndi jumped. Tara almost wanted to giggle as her friend sat perfectly still listening to the whispering words of the elder.

  “I have talked to Katia, we will make sure the kitchen stays stocked and that there is always some on hand for her to eat. She will have to eat at least half a pound worth every day to make sure both of them are healthy.”

  Cyndi shook her head in wonderment.

  “I’m really excited about being a part of this. I can’t wait until they are born!” She smiled at Tara with anticipation, “I wish I could be here around the clock, help you out and be here if you need me.”

  “Actually, I was thinking about that,” Dru glanced at Tara before continuing, “If you would like, I could pay you to make up for your loss from work if you would like to help and be a full time nurse for Tara and the babies.”

  “Really? I mean, I love my job most of the time, but I want to be here for Tara. I don’t know, I mean after the babies are born, I will have to find employment again.”

  “Nonsense, unless you want to. I can pay twice what you make now. The children will need you for a time, Tara may need some relief at times. Vampire children grow quickly, develop fast. Within a few months they will crawl and then walk and by the time they are one year old, it will be the equivalent of them being closer to three in human years. The task is daunting. Salvador has offered to take you under his wing as a protégé.”

  “Yes, Cyndi, I have been doing this for a long time. I am both a doctor and a scientist, but often find my bedside manner lacking. I would be honored to teach a human medical professional about the medical aspects of vampires. I think it could be a great benefit for us both.”

  “Wow, I have to say yes! That would be an amazing opportunity and something that could help out in the future. Especially if I am able to get a position later that would need someone with both sets of knowledge.”

  “So you will accept then?” Tara couldn’t help but sound eager, the idea of having her friend around and there for her often, was something she could only dream of having at this point. Even with Dru, she still found herself wanting company, someone who knew her, who could be her confidant.

  “Of course.”

  “Would you live here or would you rather stay in your home?”

  “Give me a few days, I would much rather be in this magnificent castle than my shitty run-down apartment!” Cyndi’s smile couldn’t get wider, “I’m so excited! Thank you so much, Druian. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  “I am sure it means a lot, and not to be discourteous, but I really want to do this for Tara. I want her happy, comfortable, and safe. I think having you here with her is the best way to accomplish that.”

  Tara nodded. The two elder vampires sat quietly watching the exchange, saying nothing good or bad about the situation. Cyndi and Tara’s only hesitance was the elders and how they would feel. Ardo would be witnessing much of the pregnancy and birth as well as the children for the historical archives.

  Salvador was the most trusted medically knowledgeable person that Dru had to help with the pregnancy and birth. Cyndi would help with Tara’s anxiety or emotional outbursts as well as happiness and health, but she was human, and that came with its own issues in a house of vampires.

  Of course, the only one she really needed to be wary of would be Tara herself, who had the least amount of experience controlling her needs and feelings, especially with the toll of the babies.

  “Well, I guess Cyndi and I will go our own way for a bit and let you men talk.” Tara kissed Dru on the cheek as she walked by, “Thank you, love.”

  “Of course,” he smiled as she walked out, his heart aching with how full she made him feel.

  After both women were gone and the room was left to just Ardo, Salvador, and Dru, he pulled out a file with printouts on Blaine Connie
, Jared, and Mark.

  “So these are our current issue. I don’t know what they plan to do, or if they plan to do anything, I only know that she sent this to me,” he showed the picture of Tara attacking Blaine, “as part of a video one of the men took when we were out in the woods.”

  “I’m impressed your woman was able to control her needs. This red head is lucky to be alive.” Ardo raised his brows slightly in appreciation, “she is a fierce creature, your Tara. She will make a great vampire and a good mother. I am happy for you Druian. I just wish it was all less complicated than all this.”

  “So do I.”

  “So what was her reasoning for all this, what exactly is she wanting from you?” Salvador looked at Dru questioningly.

  “She wants to be turned, to be youthful forever, sort of crap.”

  “I would never give in to that for something like this. I wish it was a different time. She would make a great sacrifice to the nutritional needs of the babies. Several liters of prime blood from the source would do Tara a lot of good.”

  “I know how you feel, Ardo. I wish the same. And if the woman hadn’t already made problems and threats, gone to the courts, and then gotten W.A.V.E. involved, I would still consider it an option. I don’t need that kind of attention on Tara.”

  “When do you plan to wed?”

  “Soon, preferably. We are finishing up her documents for registration processing, so the sooner we are, the sooner I can make those adjustments and help the paperwork go through quicker.”

  “I have the ability to file the papers, if you are interested. We can do this anytime, as long as she is not wanting some big human affair.”

  “Thank you, Ardo. No, I don’t think she will. Her current situation is making her more cautious, and I don’t see her risking the babies about something frivolous. It was one of the many reasons I fell in love with her. She doesn’t want for much and isn’t a very materialistic person.”

  “How about tomorrow night, in the outdoor gardens by the large fountain?”