by T. S. Ryder
There was the faint sound of laughter from outside and when Alexandru looked out, his jaw dropped. Vlad was climbing down the side of the palace, dropping from window ledge to window ledge. He moved as quickly as a spider and with the ease of a mountain goat.
"Can you remove my head before I get to your wife?" Vlad shouted back up to him.
Alexandru withdrew. His normally unnoticeably slow heartbeat sped, kicking adrenaline into his system. Vlad could get anywhere. He could get into Found's room.
She wasn't safe here. He couldn't be with her all the time and if Vlad killed her in Alexandru's own home, then the fault would be on Alexandru. He would be viewed as weak for not being able to protect his own wife and child. Vlad would go unpunished. Alexandru would not be given the authority to kill him.
He spun on his heel, racing down the way he came, to Found's room. The only way to protect her was to get her out of here.
***
Found fingered the fine cotton, her eyes running over the frills and bows Wava had sewn onto the tiny dress. Would her baby really be this small? A hand drifted to her stomach. She was only just starting to round out more than her natural curves. It seemed impossible that she was already pregnant. And yet she was.
"Don't you think it's a little premature to be making baby clothes?" Found's fingers wandered to the tiny sailor suit Wava had made if it was a boy. "I mean, it's only been three months. Something could happen."
"You've got vampire DNA in that baby. It doesn't matter how far along you are, if you're pregnant, you'll be pregnant until he is born. Even if somebody came in here right now and beat you half to death. Vampires make hardy men."
Found turned from the baby clothes to see that Wava was at her sewing machine again. Alexandru was worried about the other vampire's reactions to her and didn't want her wandering the palace. Found didn't really mind staying in her room, as long as Wava was there to talk to and alleviate the boredom. All the baby talk and sewing was getting a little tiresome, though.
"You say things like that often, you know," Found said, trying to change the subject. "That vampires make strong men, or vivacious men, or intelligent men. What about vampire women?"
"Oh, there aren't any vampire women," Wava responded matter-of-factly, “well, at least not in our vampire race. There may be in other vampire races.”
"What?"
"Why else would human women be needed to create new vampires? Oh." A look of horror came over her face. "You're not one of those people who think that when a vampire bites somebody they became a vampire too, or that vampires become ash in sunlight or turn into bats, are you?"
Found shook her head.
Wava sighed in relief, smiling again. "Good. Because those rumors are so ridiculous. I think the Shifters must have made them up, to make humans fear vampires and fight against them."
"But there aren't any vampire women here?" Found pressed.
"Correct."
"I thought you were a vampire."
"No. My father was a vampire, but I'm not."
Found's brow furrowed.
"We don't know why, but only our male children are born as vampires," Wava continued. "If you have a girl she'll be human, although she will admittedly be stronger, faster and smarter than your average human, like me. But don't worry. Even if you're carrying a little girl, your pregnancy isn't at any higher a risk. She still has vampire DNA and will keep to term, no matter what."
Found absently stroked her stomach, thinking of a little girl with Alexandru's big eyes. She would be adorable. "Will he be angry?"
"Will who be angry?"
"Alexandru. If it's a girl."
Wava shook her head. "There's plenty of times for sons. This is just proof he can live in harmony with humans."
Found sighed, but before she could continue the door slammed open. Her heart jumped to her throat as Alexandru strode in. His eyes were fiery, hands clenched. His eyes briefly ran over Found and focused on Wava.
"Get her ready to leave. We're going to the Empress's palace."
Wava frowned but instantly began bustling around the room, throwing clothing into a suitcase she pulled from under the bed.
Found wrung her hands and stepped closer to her husband. "What's wrong?"
Alexandru closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. His body literally radiated cold, making Found shiver. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer and rose her mouth to his. The moment her lips brushed his, he released her and backed away.
"I won't let anybody harm you."
Found's stomach clenched. "Who would want to hurt me?"
"My brother, Vlad. Years ago, his land was given to me. He's been trying to provoke me into attacking him ever since so that the Empress will give him back the lands. He's growing impatient and has set his eyes on you."
Alexandru stepped forward again, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"But I will not let him harm you. I am taking you to the Empress's palace. He won't dare touch you there."
Alexandru pulled away from her again. He took the suitcase Wava had packed and turned, swiftly walking away. Found shivered again, but followed with Wava close to her side. Everything would be fine. Alexandru would protect her.
Chapter Four
The Empress's castle was three times as big as Alexandru's, and was as ancient as the Empress herself. Alexandru had been awed the first time he was brought here, when the Empress claimed him as her son. He continued to be awed every time he visited since then.
"It's beautiful," Found whispered as she stepped up beside him on the balcony overlooking the Black Sea. The waves were calm today, reflecting the sky so clearly it appeared that the ships on the water were floating among clouds.
Alexandru slipped an arm around his wife. The Empress had insisted they stay in the same room since they arrived a week ago and Alexandru's self-control was put to the test every second. But he found he enjoyed his wife's company more than he thought he would. She was always telling lively stories about the orphanage she was raised in. He wondered if some part of her missed it, but whenever he asked, she insisted she did not.
"It is beautiful," he agreed.
His hands traced up Found's delicious curves to her shoulder, then down her arm to her wrist. It felt small and delicate in his fingers, though Found often complained it was too thick for bracelets.
Her pulse beat strong under her skin and Alexandru lifted her wrist to his nose, breathing in the tantalizing scent from her ulnar artery. It made his mouth water and he quickly dropped her hand and stepped away.
"Is it painful for you to be near me?" she asked, her gaze sharp and focused.
Alexandru's mouth twisted into a smile. "In certain ways, yes. There is a physical pain from my desire for you and your blood. But there is also a pain with the fear that if I indulge myself, I will harm you and our child."
Found's gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants. "Sex during pregnancy works just fine in normal circumstances, I'm sure it's fine for this one as well."
Her voice was low, velvety and full of desire. Alexandru suppressed a moan and put his hand out, stopping her, when she stepped forward.
"Every time we have sex is another opportunity for me to lose control. It will be better to wait until after the child is born and I can transfuse my blood into you again."
Found nodded once, understanding.
Alexandru's eyes traced the curve of her dark red lips, the slope of her neck and then the swell of her breasts. He wanted so desperately to explore every inch of her, feel her softness against him once more. But it would be worse to kill her now than it would have been on their wedding night. Not only did she carry his child, but he liked her. It would be painful to lose her, let alone if he was the one that killed her.
"Found, I am leaving the palace."
Her eyes widened. "Why?"
"I sent a challenge to the Bear Matriarch for a contest of strength. The loser will concede land to the winner. If I d
on't go, I will be branded a coward and my lands will be in jeopardy."
Found's mouth thinned. "Why did you make such a challenge after Vlad made his threats towards me? You said you were going to protect me."
Alexandru flinched. "He hadn't made the threats when I issued my challenge. Nobody will touch you here, I promise."
He stepped towards her, but her eyes narrowed and she backed away. It surprised him, as did the shock of hurt that went through him at her actions. He turned back to the view and tried to make his voice emotionless.
"I have ensured that you have a solid Wi-Fi signal in your rooms so you don't get bored and have let my brothers know in no uncertain terms that if they so much as look at you, I will kill them."
"Can't I come with you?"
Alexandru went rigid at the thought of her with the young, untrained vampires that patrolled his borders, or next to the Shifters that he would encounter. They would rip her to shreds in a heartbeat. "No!"
Found flinched at his tone.
"It's too dangerous," he added, trying to soften his voice. "I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you."
Found sighed but nodded. "I will call you every day."
"We can video chat at night," he said as he hesitated a moment, slowly moving closer. She raised her face to him, expectant and he pressed a kiss to her lips, not breathing. The hot pulse of blood in her skin fired desire in him and he broke the kiss quickly. "I will return by the quarter moon."
"I will be waiting." She nestled into his side, leaning her head against his chest.
***
His fingers were like ice in her hands. Found absently rubbed them, staring past Alexandru's left ear as he said goodbye to her. He was dressed as though he was going to a business lunch with a CEO, not to a battle. Silk pinstriped suit, bright orange tie, white dress shirt. It was all perfectly fitted to his body, every contour emphasizing his tall, broad figure.
She was never good with emotion. There was no call for it at the orphanage. Year after year she learned the crushing disappointment that nobody wanted her. When no family wanted to take her in, her heart hardened, making it so that she didn't know if she was even capable of crying. If Alexandru did not return, she knew it would devastate her, but she didn't know how to tell him that.
"What will I do if you don't come back?" she asked instead.
Wava stepped up beside her and put an arm around her waist. "Don't worry about that. He'll come back. In the meantime, I'll take care of you."
Alexandru tugged his hand from hers and Found clenched her hands at her sides. Her husband smiled at his sister, bade her goodbye and headed for the helicopter that would take him to his destination. A spike of panic seized Found and she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Alexandru one last time. She buried her face into his chest, inhaling his scent.
A hand stroked her hair and Found managed to choke out what she had been wanting to say all this time. "Don't go. Stay here with me."
"I must go, Found." Alexandru tilted her face to his. "A general who does not protect his lands cannot protect his mate. I'll be back before you know it."
Found pressed herself to her toes and flung her arms around her husband's neck, bringing his mouth to hers. Fire burned in her as the coldness of his skin crashed against her, his intoxicating smell filling her senses. Found closed her eyes, moaning, parting her lips. His tongue flicked into her mouth and she returned the gesture, running her tongue over his sharp fangs. They seemed to grow bigger and she did it again.
He was suddenly out of her arms. Her palms stung as though she had slapped a concrete wall and she blinked rapidly, panting. Alexandru was gone, already in the helicopter and the door shut even as Found tried to follow after him.
Found clenched her fists at her side, sucking in deep breaths to keep control of herself. When had this happened? When had her life become so entwined with the vampire's?
"How long have you loved him?" Wava's question made her jerk.
"I don't love him."
"My dear, I have seen women and their vampires before. Some of them act as though their mate is a drug and can't be parted from him. Others indulge their mate's every whim because he indulges theirs. But none of them actually kiss their mates unless they love him and trust with every inch of their souls, that he won't give into temptation and kill them."
Wava raised a brow at her and Found's cheeks warmed.
"Just because I trust him doesn't mean I love him. Love is complicated and messy. Who needs that?"
A laughing male voice behind them made both women jump. "Who indeed?"
When Found turned, she thought that Alexandru had not left at all. The man she stared at now was almost an exact copy of her husband. Light olive skin, big eyes, strong jaw. He was slightly smaller than Alexandru, though, and wore his hair long, unlike her husband's short hair.
"Vlad." Wava's voice shook with anger. "You stay away from her."
"Will you stop me, sister?" The vampire stalked forward. He curled a strand of Found's hair around his finger. She jerked away.
"Don't touch me."
"Afraid I'll be taken by bloodlust?" Vlad questioned, as his brows raised, then lowered playfully. "You smell good, but not that good."
"I worry only for your safety," Found replied, her voice hard. "If my husband found out about this, it would be most unfortunate for you."
Vlad stared at her, his lips twitching into a smile. "Ah, yes… He did try to have me imprisoned, but fortunately the Empress is smart enough not to listen to his paranoid ravings."
"Go away," Wava growled.
"I only wanted to congratulate my sister-in-law on her pregnancy. But I can see I am unwelcome," Vlad bowed slightly at her and then at Wava. "Good-day, ladies. I hope to see you again, soon."
Found suppressed a shiver as he walked away. The way he had spoken did not sound like a wish… more like a warning.
"I wish the Empress would lock him up," Wava muttered, pulling Found back towards the palace. "But he hasn’t done anything illegal, so she refuses."
"He wouldn't dare touch me," Found said, trying to sound confident, but her eyes sought out his departing figure, shivering when he turned and smiled at her.
"I'm sure he won't," Wava said. "He's not stupid."
"Alexandru will be back soon, anyway." Found missed him already and touched the phone in her pocket, fighting the urge to call him. She wasn't going to be one of those clingy, needy wives.
"He will. In the meantime," Wava said, her eyes lighting up, "I have some new dress designs I want to try on you."
Found smiled indulgently as her sister-in-law pulled her back towards the palace.
Chapter Five
The Bear Matriarch was bigger than anybody Alexandru had seen before. Her arms and thighs were like barrels, breasts so huge that he wouldn’t be able to cup one with both hands. Shaggy hair hung down over her body, the only thing covering her. Her skin was a maze of twisting scars and tattoos. Even the biggest of his brothers wouldn't compare to her.
Alexandru almost wondered what he had gotten himself into, but refused to be intimidated by either the Matriarch or her two sons that flanked her. They were almost as big as their mother. The vampire general had fought Shifters before, had seemed outmatched, but there was steel in his veins, and he was faster than these creatures.
"We will choose ten heroes that you will battle personally," the Matriarch said, her eyes narrowing as she looked Alexandru up and down. "For every defeat, the victor gains ten miles of land."
"Ten miles squared, or pushing our borders back ten miles?" Alexandru asked calmly.
"Pushing the borders," the Matriarch decided. "After you have fought our ten heroes, you will have the option to fight me. If you win, I give you all my land. If I win, my people have free reign over your lands."
Alexandru considered. If he accepted this challenge and lost, he would lose everything. His land, his power, his title. But if he won, then he would have expanded his
territory. He would have more power and he would be able to provide more luxury to Found and their unborn child, not to mention he would be that much closer to claiming the crown.
"I accept your terms," he replied and they shook hands. The Bear's hand swallowed his whole.
As the Bears took their departure from Alexandru's hunting lodge, Marcus approached him, his mouth drawn thin.
"Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"Are you questioning me, Marcus?"
The other vampire narrowed his eyes. "With all due respect, this doesn't seem like a wise idea, challenging the Shifters. If you lose—"
"I won't."
"And what if they attack tonight with all their talk of heroes? Do you really think that the Shifters are just going to flash their bellies if you defeat ten people?"
"No. But they will if I defeat their Matriarch." Alexandru flashed his fangs in a smile, warning Marcus to drop the subject. The other vampire did not look happy about it, but he nodded and was silent.
After ensuring everything was in order, Alexandru retired to his chambers, intending to video call Found and drink a couple pints of blood before he retired for the night.
Instead, he found a woman in his bed.
Alexandru stopped short, stiffening. The room smelled heavily of Bear—that peculiar raw scent of forest and power. Not unpleasant, but not a basket of roses either. His eyes narrowed on the woman. She would be about his height, lean muscles showing against firm, smooth skin. The blankets were pulled to her chest, covering large breasts, but whether she was naked or not, he couldn’t tell.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded. Were all his guards incompetent?
"I'm a gift from the Matriarch, to warm your bed."
Alexandru's eyes narrowed.
The woman smiled seductively at him, seemingly unfazed by his anger. "It's not right that a warrior about to face death should sleep in a cold bed. The Matriarch noticed that you didn't have any females with you, so she sent me."
The blankets moved at the junction between her legs and Alexandru realized that her hand was there. He inhaled, scenting her arousal. His body responded to the stimuli, pressing against his suit pants. The feeling disgusted him. He was not an animal, he could control his own desires.
