by Aja James
“Are you married now? Are we a family?” the boy asked, naked hope and expectation in his eyes.
“Olivia wanted you to be my new Mommy,” he said to Inanna, then looked at his father, “and Daddy’s new wife.”
“She told you that?” Gabriel and Inanna all but asked at the same time.
Benji nodded solemnly. “She said the three of us will always have each other and be together. She promised.”
In a sudden realization, Gabriel understood that while he had been focused on taking care of Olivia, she had also tried her best, in her own way, to take care of him. Had she known the truth of Nana Chastain? Had she known that things would turn out this way?
For the first time since his world turned upside down, Gabriel felt like the puzzle pieces were starting to fit. What the finished puzzle looked like he did not know, but there was a sense of rightness to where he was and who he was with.
“Are we going to live here from now on?” Benji asked next.
“I thought we could live at my place,” Inanna replied, “you like it there, right?”
Though she asked the question of Benji, her eyes were on Gabriel. She knew that she was making a lot of decisions for the three of them. She knew that he’d felt out of control since the moment they had met.
But something had changed since last night. He seemed to have found his center of gravity, his innate calm and patience, once more.
He looked steadily back at her and gave a slight nod, aligning with her suggestion.
Benji nodded his consent more enthusiastically. “Is my room still the same? Are all my toys and books still there?”
At that, Gabriel cocked a brow. His room?
Inanna’s smile held an apology for keeping so much from him. “Just the way you left it,” she said to Benji. “We can go there today.”
“Together, all three of us,” Benji wanted to confirm.
“Yes,” Gabriel was the one who answered. “Always.”
“While the Bond between Blooded Mates is sacred and immutable, it can be contested if a Dark One has prior claim, either of the flesh or of the blood. A formal Challenge must be made. A fight to the death shall ensue. For only through death can the Bond be broken.”
—Excerpt from the Dark Laws, verse thirty-five of the Ecliptic Scrolls
Chapter Fourteen
The vampire ignited two small candles in the pitch black chamber, the better to appreciate her lover by.
If one could call the creature her lover.
Verily, there was no love, not even an iota of affection or care, between them. They simply used each other for gratification.
She used the creature for blood and sex, and it used her to further its plans. What those plans were no one but the creature knew.
It just so happened that the creature’s plans aligned nicely with her own. It was high time a new Queen sat on the vampire throne.
Jade Cicada was too weak, ruled too loosely, did not take full advantage of the might of the vampire race. Humans were but cattle yet she attributed them with more worth. Pure Ones should be slaves yet she treated them as equals.
Everyone knew she kept a Pure pet in her private chambers. Ostensibly he was her Blood Slave, though it was never announced as such, but she accorded him many privileges and listened intently whenever he spoke. She took his counsel more often than not.
She was not even a True Blood.
Neither was the vampire, but that only meant she was the Queen’s equal, not her inferior. There was only one True Blood the vampire knew of within the New England Hive: Inanna Sharru-kinu, one of the Queen’s Chosen.
Why the ancient Akkadian did not challenge the Queen directly for the throne herself, the vampire could not comprehend. Inanna was much older, and by that virtue, also much stronger. There was speculation among the elite of the population who her antecedents were; some even suspected she had royal blood. But no one was entirely sure.
The fight clubs’ profits had filled the vampire’s and her allies’ coffers nicely. The chaos and destruction the network distributed destabilized Jade Cicada’s reign and raised questions about her ability to rule. The international expansion helped the vampire build more alliances to strengthen her own bid.
It had been such a clever plan. But the Queen was more resourceful than the vampire gave her credit, even calling the Pure Ones to her aid.
No matter, the vampire was putting into motion a new piece of her plan to get the fight clubs up and running again.
Inanna, however, was another obstacle that had to be removed. The vampire could not have her own right to the throne publicly challenged, and the Akkadian might just do that if Jade’s seat was overthrown. For some mysterious reason, she was extremely loyal to the present Queen.
“You are most attractive when the wheels of your Machiavellian mind are churning,” the creature murmured, breaking into the vampire’s thoughts.
She turned her attention back to her “lover” and slowly assessed its body, bared by the open satin robe, with an avaricious and sadistic gleam.
So much gorgeous, smooth flesh to mark and claim as the vampire chose. So much pain and suffering to inflict. Such strong veins to feed from. Where, oh where, should she begin?
She approached the platform bed still fully dressed and unsheathed a stiletto strapped to her hip. “I want a male today,” she demanded.
“Any male in particular?” the creature asked solicitously.
“The fighter,” she responded immediately, “you know the one. My fighter.”
With a faint, shimmering glow, the creature shifted its form and looks until Gabriel D’Angelo lay against the sleek crimson coverlets.
The Gabriel before her opened his hard, muscular thighs and invited in that rich, husky baritone, “Will this do?”
Plans and schemes momentarily forgotten, the vampire stalked on all fours until she knelt directly at the juncture of her lover’s groin. Slowly, meticulously, she slid the stiletto from ankle to calf to inner thigh to that beautiful staff lying half aroused against a tightly ridged abdomen, leaving a thin trail of blood along its wake.
She knew just how to arouse it fully and proceeded to savor her delectable meal.
*** *** *** ***
Aella and Sophia pulled Inanna aside while the males played a round of Mortal Combat on the latest Playstation in the living room before Gabriel, Inanna and Benji had to depart.
The same was true the world over: anyone with a Y chromosome would be addicted to video games if they had time to play, even Cloud Drako, who had the demeanor of a wizened, vice-less old monk while he looked like a ridiculously hot and sexy mixed-Asian Armani supermodel.
Aella threw a long, covetous glance in the warrior’s direction, heated enough that Cloud’s shoulders visibly tensed, though he did not look back.
“Aella,” Sophia said impatiently, indicating she’d called her name already, “pay attention please.”
Aella focused on the powwow at hand and said, “Right.” She gave Sophia and Inanna her full attention. “Do you intend to present your Blooded Mate to your Queen?” she asked the Chosen.
“I do.”
The Pure females shared a look. “My understanding of vampire law is superficial at best,” Aella admitted, “but I seem to recall that Dark Ones can only Mate within their own.”
“Yes,” Inanna replied, though her statement had a question mark at the end. What was the Pure One trying to get at?
“Well, you see,” Sophia attempted to explain, “I didn’t want to say anything until I was certain, and mind you I’m not 100% sure, but maybe 99.9%...”
“We suspect your Mate has a Pure soul,” Aella finished for the young woman lest she lead them too far down a rabbit hole.
Inanna’s only outward reaction was a knitting of her brows.
“We do not know how the turning affected him, but Sophia is certain he still possesses a Pure soul. Technically, even as a vampire, he could still be Awakened.”
Ae
lla referred to the process by which humans with Pure souls experienced a critical event that merged their present with their past lives and triggered their Gift and immortality.
If they survived the process, that was.
Inanna had not foreseen this. If what they said was true, who could predict what the Awakening would do? She knew of no such example from their race’s history to rely upon.
“Perhaps he will remain vampire, just with a Pure soul, though we have not seen examples of this before,” Aella said, echoing Inanna’s own thoughts.
“But there is also the chance he could transform into a Pure One, overruling the vampire side, since the Awakening comes after the turning, not before.”
In which case, their Bond was forbidden by the Dark Laws, Inanna understood.
And no one knew what the union between a Dark and Pure one would do. Would they still be each other’s Nourishment? Or would he endure the excruciating process of the Decline because she, as a vampire, could not provide the energy he needed as a Pure One?
“How much do you trust your Queen?” Aella asked when Inanna remained silent. “Would she allow your union to stand?”
Inanna did not know. Jade had been lenient thus far, turning a blind eye to the turning and to the subsequent Mating. But to be Bonded to a Pure One… Inanna did not know of any precedence for it.
“If you permit us, our Seer, Eveline, who currently keeps both the Zodiac Scrolls and the Zodiac Prophesies, might be able to find some relevant information in the ancient tomes. Do you have the same for your race’s histories?”
Mutely, Inanna nodded. Simone Lafayette, the Keeper, safeguarded the Ecliptic Scrolls for the Dark Ones.
“Yes,” Inanna finally uttered. “I would be grateful for any assistance in this matter.”
She started when she felt a gentle touch on her arm. The young Pure Queen was regarding her with empathetic eyes.
“Worry not, Dark One,” Sophia said in a tone of voice that belied her age, “love will win against all odds. You must keep faith.”
But Inanna could not arrest the panic that was building inside. This seemed all too familiar. It felt like déjà vu. She had been down this lonely, perilous path before. Though she did not understand why she felt this way, she knew one thing for certain:
She would not survive losing him again.
*** *** *** ***
“You look exhausted,” Gabriel noted when they arrived at Inanna’s apartment across town.
In truth, Inanna was dead on her feet, barely able to hold herself upright.
The fact that it was midday did not help. Although she was not as susceptible to the sun’s effects as most Dark Ones, she still experienced the drain of energy from her body, the fog that settled in her head. On top of that, she had not slept in days, nor had she fed her thirst since fulfilling the Blood Contract with Olivia.
Making love… or rather, having intercourse, with Gabriel had helped restore her somewhat, but it was not nearly enough. The turning had depleted her reserves as she funneled her life force into her Mate. She had not wanted to overtax him with her own demands since then, while he had been adjusting to his new, bewildering situation.
There were so many things they needed to do.
Decide what to do with Benji now that he was under the care of two vampires.
Protocol must be followed, though Inanna did not know of prior examples. The three of them living together at the Cove was out of the question. And Benji needed to continue his education. Taking care of a child from afar when he had both his human parents was but a smidgeon of the type of responsibility she must shoulder now.
She had to figure out what to do with the new information about Gabriel.
Before she shared it with anyone else, she needed to better understand the potential implications herself. Perhaps she could solicit Simone’s help without telling her the full details.
They needed to formalize their union before their Queen.
Not many Blooded Mates existed in the Dark world, as vampires were by nature solitary, polygamous creatures. Those that did exist had to be recorded and announced, for vampire progeny can only come from such Bonds, as far as Inanna was aware. And True Bloods were revered as treasures for the entire race.
She still had the vampire assassin to identify and track down.
Though Devlin was given that particular assignment, Inanna knew that she, and likely Gabriel, might be able to provide more clues to aid his effort.
The list seemed endless. And at the moment, all Inanna wanted to do was sleep in her Mate’s arms and take Nourishment from his body for the next… oh, decade or so.
As such, Inanna couldn’t quite muster up the false reply, “I’m fine.” She tried to smile at her Mate in reassurance, but it came across as a grimace.
Gabriel understood her pained expression all too well. He’d seen the same in the mirror for the past few days, and he now knew what it meant.
His Mate needed to feed.
From him.
Without another word, he ushered Benji to the living area and turned on National Geographic. Unlike most other kids his age, Benji had never seemed to enjoy cartoons. He liked all things documentary, be it about history, geology, animals, space—one of his first words had been “Mesopotamia,” and his first full sentence, “There are eight planets in the solar system.”
Gabriel took no credit for his son’s undoubtedly off-the-charts IQ. All he knew was that in times like these, when he was busy with work or needed an extended period of privacy, Benji’s ability to keep himself gainfully occupied for hours on end was a priceless boon for any parent.
He made a plate of PBJ, chips and yogurt for Benji, scrounging together what he could find in the kitchen, and set it on the over-sized coffee table with a glass of milk and cutlery.
Benji was already absorbed in the latest series about African tree frogs when Gabriel tucked a paper napkin into the neckline of his son’s shirt.
“We’re going to take a nap,” Gabriel told him, “See you later buddy.”
Benji nodded absent-mindedly and waved him off.
Gabriel came back to Inanna, who had not moved since entering the apartment’s threshold, save to take off her boots.
“How do you do that?” she managed to whisper in awe. Her times with Benji had always been joyful and easy, but the boy’s energy seemed boundless. There had been occasions when Inanna had felt every single one of her four thousand plus years.
Gabriel shrugged, pleased more than he cared to admit that she didn’t know Benji as well as he did, after all. She would learn quickly, and he would help her, but it felt nice for now to be the world’s foremost expert on his son.
Instead of answering her likely rhetorical question, he took her hand and led her into the bedroom at the end of the hall that they had shared earlier.
Wordlessly, he locked the door, and in one smooth motion, pulled the borrowed sweater over his head. As he doffed his trousers with the same efficiency, he kept his eyes on his Mate’s face.
Her gaze, however, was darting like a nervous rabbit all over his naked body as if she couldn’t decide where to look first. Inanna swallowed visibly as her mouth went dry. But only for a moment, before it flooded with saliva and her fangs extended from her upper gums.
Gabriel closed the distance between them until he was standing immediately before her. Her lips quivered with anticipation like a predator about to devour a long overdue meal, her canines long and sharp and dripping with saliva.
He took another half step and enfolded her in his arms. Bending his head to give her better access, he gently but inexorably urged her face into the crook of his neck.
“Take as much as you need,” he said, his voice deepened with anticipation and desire.
He wanted her to feed from him just as much as she wanted it. His blood roared in his veins, begging for her attention. His body vibrated with tension against hers, yearning to be possessed. In every way, he wanted to be inside of her.
No further encouragement needed, Inanna bit into his throat.
At the first draw of his blood, her body clamored for more. Unconsciously, she wrapped herself, still fully clothed, around him, like a lioness trying to subdue a large prey, lest it tried to escape her clutches before she’d had her fill of it.
But his arms drew tighter around her instead, seeking the danger of her embrace rather than retreating from it, and he widened his stance so that she could have more leverage as she all but climbed his body.
A delicious aroma filled the air as both their scents effervesced in the sexual heat, mingled and bloomed.
Ah, ambrosia, Inanna thought as she nursed at his vein in deep, satisfying gulps. Somehow he tasted so familiar, though she knew this to be the first time she’d drank from him. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she continued to draw from his throat. Why did she feel as if she’d done this before? Why did so much anguish and torment besiege her whenever she tried to remember?
His large, calloused hands smoothed their way from her thighs to cup her rear and squeeze, pulling her against his hardness, distracting her from painful thoughts.
Yes, she hissed as her hips took over and she rode him through her clothes. The pressure of his naked cock was exquisite against her weeping core, so ready for him the fluids from her body wetted them both even through the sturdy fabric of her jeans.
She disengaged her fangs from his neck only to plunge them into his left subclavian vein, directly beneath his collar bone.
Gabriel shuddered with the force of her strike and made short work of peeling off her jeans. After that, he had to rip her blouse and underthings from her body because she refused to break the airtight seal of her mouth to his chest.
The moment she was as naked as he, she took him with one powerful surge of her hips fully inside her body. They both moaned helplessly at the indescribable pressure and bliss.
With two deep pumps, taking him to the hilt, the thick, satiny head of his penis hitting her G spot with unerring precision, Inanna came on a keening cry, her entire body convulsing with the pleasure and relief of her release.
