Bonds of Blood [Lords of the Expanse] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Honor James

  Xandra watched him and Andria for a long while until she, too, succumbed to the pull of sleep.

  * * * *

  “Daddy,” Andria whispered and nudged at Andries’s side a long time later. “Daddy, why are you and Mom sleeping with me?”

  Waking quickly and alertly, he blinked and looked to her. “Hello, baby girl,” he murmured softly. “You wouldn’t let me go, love, so I stayed put. Your mother came looking for us and decided to stay since I wasn’t going anywhere while you had me in your grip.”

  Andria smiled and laid her head back on his arm. “Dalek would come in when I had nightmares and stay with me, too, like this, Daddy,” she confessed and reached out to touch her mother’s beautiful hair. “Will I ever be as pretty as Mommy, Daddy? Will I ever find someone who loves me like you love her?”

  Startled, Andries frowned as he turned his head to look at her. “Andria, baby, you are beautiful, little one,” he told her with complete and total honesty. “You may not have your mother’s looks in totality. Unfortunately you got some of your father’s ugly mug put in the mix, but you are a strikingly gorgeous young woman that will become even more so as you grow up. You already cause me problems, love. I see the way the boys look at you and my poor heart already cannot stand the thoughts I know those filthy little beasts are having for my baby girl.”

  Andria shrugged and then sniffled as she spoke. “I’m too short. I do boy stuff,” she continued but this time she buried her face against her father’s chest. “I get lost walking outside or even in the house, and I snore. What boy will want to take me for his wife, Daddy?”

  “A very special man,” he told her softly, trying to keep from getting choked up while talking to her. It was just too close to the surface. He really wasn’t ready for this kind of talk with his baby girl. She was his, damn it, and would be for years more, but he suddenly felt as though the years were whipping past.

  “He will be your soul tie. He will love you for who you are and will do anything to keep you happy. You will never go a day without knowing you are loved and cared for,” Andries told her softly. “You will be his moon, stars, and the light that guides him through his life, and he will be that to you. No matter what faults you think you have, to him you will be perfect.”

  Andria patted her father’s chest and sighed. “I hope that you’re right, Daddy, because I want what you and Mom have. I want that very much. I’m ready to get up now. Should we wake Mommy?”

  Snorting, he looked to his daughter. “Who are you kidding?” he asked with a smile. “She’s been awake this whole time, waiting for me to stick my large foot in my mouth and dig myself a hole I can’t get out of.” Looking to his wife, he kissed the top of her head. “You might as well open your eyes, my love,” he murmured softly to her.

  Xandra smiled. “I knew that you wouldn’t do that, love.” She reached out and cupped her daughter’s face as she smiled. “Your father is right, Andria. You are so very beautiful, darling, and one day you will find a man who loves you so very much and who will always put your happiness above any other.”

  “Of course I’m right,” Andries said with an affronted tone. “As if there was any doubt,” he snorted, shaking his head. “And there is no need for anyone to comment,” he added quickly.

  Xandra and Andria simply shared a look and shook their heads. “All right, my loves,” Xandra said as she moved from Andries’s arms and off the bed. “I’m ready to go and get some food. Will there be anyone joining me, my darlings?”

  “I’m coming with you,” Andries said as he sat up and got off the bed. Stretching, he turned to his daughter to help her up. “Come on, little one. Let’s get you some food.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Thirty years later

  “I’m worried about her, Andries,” Xandra said as she watched their daughter sleeping restlessly. “And I’m worried for Dalek as well. He’s on his third mission now. Is it normal for them to send the boys on so many missions?” Dalek had been out of the house and had graduated the academy years ago, and now her babies were no longer babies but almost a hundred years old. She knew that it was coming close to time for Andria to have her puberty week, and it was killing Xandra to know that their child would be hurt so much for a time.

  Rubbing his hand slowly up and down her arm, he nodded slowly. “Yes, love, it’s all perfectly normal, Xandra,” he murmured. “I warned you about this when he graduated, and with the way things are heating up between us and the Syndicate, it was inevitable.”

  She sighed and looked up at him. “I hate that my father is still out there. He’s going to cause our son issues, and I worry for when Dalek has to face his grandfather. What if he has to kill him?” It was actually worrisome that her father hadn’t given her and Andries trouble. It had been nearly a hundred years and he hadn’t given them so much as a peep of trouble.

  Clearing his throat, Andries shifted and shook his head. “You never have to worry about Dalek ever running into your father or being in the position of having to kill him.” His words were said with certainty, and it was the truth. Andries had ensured the man would never ever be in his children’s lives.

  “What did you do, Andries?” Xandra asked as she stopped completely in her tracks. She wouldn’t blame him if he had killed her father. Heck, she would likely thank him and kiss him, but she needed to know.

  “It’s likely better you not know, love, but just know I took care of the situation personally,” he said in a low tone, knowing there were a lot of ears around the house. “It’s done and over with.” He was not the type of man to leave a threat to all he loved out there to one day come back and hurt his family. The blood of her father was on his hands but he would not be upset or saddened by that loss of life, not when the man was a horrible man to begin with.

  “And you’re very sure he will never bother our children? Never come into our lives once more?” she asked softly, and when he just gave her a look, she moved to wrap herself in his arms and hugged him close. “Thank you, Andries.”

  Kissing the top of her head, he hugged her close. “You are welcome, love,” he murmured softly. He only hoped that what he’d done wouldn’t ever be a cause for contention between them. He’d taken from her the only family she’d had off world, but he also knew it was for the better at the time. As long as it remained that way they would be fine, or so he hoped.

  When she pulled back, she nodded and touched his cheek lightly. “I’m glad that you did it, because if I had to kill him”—she shrugged—“I would have, but I don’t think that I would ever be able to release that image if I had.”

  “That’s one of the main reasons I took the choice from your hands, love,” he murmured. “I know I should have spoken with you about it, Xandra, and I’m sorry I didn’t, but I did not want that decision weighing on you for all of time. It’s my right to protect you to keep you and our children safe, so I made the choice alone.” Looking into her eyes, he tried to read her expression. “Are you upset with me for taking the choice from you?” he asked.

  Xandra shook her head. “I should be upset with you. I know that I should, but I’m not, Andries.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “I hate that he brought you to that point, Andries. You don’t deserve to have his death on your hands, but you do, and for that I thank you.” She shrugged and added, “You did what you had to in order to keep our family safe. I can’t and I won’t fault you for that.”

  “You are mine to protect as are our children Xandra, I will always do whatever is necessary to protect all of you,” he told her softly. “And, trust me on this, his death does not weigh heavily on me in the least. He was responsible for both attempts on your life, Xandra. Your father fully believed that had he killed you, he would be able to not only take your dowry from me, but also have a reason to instigate war against my House as well as the entire Vampire Nation.”

  “I know, Andries.” Xandra sighed and just took the affection that was offered happily from him. “Thank you, Andries. T
hank you for everything that we have had in our lives.”

  * * * *

  Five years later

  “Andries,” Xandra said with a smile as she breezed into the library where her husband and son were working. She grinned at Dalek and nodded, kissing his cheek as she all but floated by and wrapped her arms around Andries’s middle.

  “Hello, my love,” Andries said with a smile as he shifted to wrap his arms around her. “You are looking particularly radiant today,” he teased with a soft laugh, hugging her to him. “What is up, my darling love?”

  When he chuckled, hugged her back, and asked her what was going on, she just grinned up at him and said, “I love you, Andries.” And she did, very much so. “But you need to increase your blood intake again.” And now she waited on her intelligent husband to put two and two together.

  Blinking, he frowned for a moment and, at the same moment Dalek made a whooping sound, he really started to grin. “Really?” he asked softly, and at her nod bent to hook an arm under her bottom, lifting her up into his arms and holding her even closer. “I love you, Xandra,” he breathed before kissing her hard and fast.

  Xandra laughed and nodded. “Yes, really. He just started to talk to me last night and you were gone before I woke.” She smiled and nodded. “But it was confirmed when I tried to take blood and was immediately sick.” Shaking her head, she added, “Seriously not how I wanted to start my morning, by the way.”

  Nuzzling her cheek, he smiled. “I’m sorry, love,” he said sincerely, the effort ruined by the huge smile on his face. He was going to be a father again, and he was going to be able to watch his wife grow large with a new life, his favorite part of her being pregnant.

  Xandra laughed and shook her head. “Darling, you are silly. It’s not your fault that I overslept, sweetheart.” She nodded and then added, “But now you need to feed us.” She looked to her son and smiled. “I love you, Dalek darling, and I will come and hug you when your father lets me down,” she teased her husband.

  Chuckling, Dalek shook his head. “I can wait, Mother,” he said with a grin at his father’s possessive nature.

  “He can wait his turn,” Andries said with a wink to his firstborn. Kissing his wife again, he breathed her in. “I love you, little one,” he murmured. Letting her down gently, he slid his hands up her body suggestively. “Hug your son and then kick his smiling self out so we can celebrate appropriately.”

  Making a gagging sound, Dalek stood with another laugh. “Come here, Mother. Hug me so I can run for the hills. Some things a child never needs to know about their parents,” he teased when she turned to him.

  Xandra hugged Dalek close and smiled. “I love you, son.” She kissed his cheek and rubbed her cheek against his. “When Andria and Alyssa are back, will you please make sure that Alyssa gets home safely?” she asked with a grin, wondering just how long that it was going to take her son to see that Alyssa was his.

  Wrinkling his nose, Dalek nodded. “Yes, Mother,” he said, keeping his tone light even as he grumbled internally at being stuck playing escort once more to his sister’s pesky friend. Kissing her cheek, he smiled to his father. “Congratulations, you two, and now…” He headed for the door with a wave.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Shaking his head at his son, Andries moved up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting lightly over her belly. “He is a stubborn boy,” he murmured. “But it’s understandable. He gets it from his mother after all.”

  Xandra laughed and nodded. “I will accept that, but the blindness is all yours, darling. Hopefully, however, he will see her as his soul tie before something terrible happens.” She shrugged and, seeing the look on his face, frowned. “Andries, darling, do you honestly think that I am that blind that I don’t see that child for who she is?”

  “No,” he said the word slowly and winced at the elbow that found his gut. Rubbing at the small ache, he sighed. “I hope he figures it out before it’s too late for them,” he murmured, pulling her closer to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin to her hair. “She needs him more than I can say, little one.”

  “I know, Andries.” Xandra sighed and closed her eyes, simply breathing in her soul tie and loving every second of it. “Now, enough of that. I do believe that you and I need to go and see about feeding me and our new little family member trying to grow slightly.”

  Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he nodded as he leaned back, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. Leaning in, he kissed her slowly. “It will be my greatest honor to feed you and our new child,” he murmured with a smile he just couldn’t contain.

  “You have no idea how happy this makes me,” she whispered and leaned in close to him. “It makes me so happy to know that we will have another child, only…” She hesitated and then whispered her confession to him, “I love our kids. I love them so very much, but I very much hope that we have a single child this time, Andries.”

  Peeking past her, he glanced back a second later and leaned closer. “I know it’s bad to say, but me as well,” he told her with a smile. “Double diaper duty was more than I could handle,” he chuckled. “One diaper at a time, one cry at a time, and one little mouth to feed at a time would be a nice change. A single will be more than enough for us, I think, the next time.” He shrugged and let his words hang for a moment before he added, “We’ll have double trouble once again.”

  Xandra laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think so, my love.” She watched him and added, “But yes, yes, you and I should most certainly not say this, but I’m very happy to be able to have one, so I’m sure that’s what we will have, one.”

  Picking her up in his arms again, he slowly spun her around as he grinned up at her. “I love you, Xandra.” He laughed gleefully, enjoying knowing they were going to have another child. Stopping so he didn’t make her nauseous, he began to head for the door. “We need to feed you and I need to have more blood.”

  “Yes on both counts, Andries.” Xandra was laughing happily and kissed the side of his neck. “And I need my husband. I need to make love with you, now.” Her body was hurting and needy, aching with want and desire.

  He stopped immediately and looked to her. “I thought you were hungry,” he murmured in a suggestive tone, and he really was not talking food anymore. Sliding his tongue over his teeth slowly, he smiled, and shifting, he headed up the stairs quickly, moving toward their room as fast as he dared.

  She leaned in and licked at his neck. “I am hungry, Andries. I’m starving for my husband, darling. I need you. I’m aching for you right now, and later we will have food, but now I just need you.” She bit his neck, not piercing the skin but just biting him to mark him, swirling her tongue over the hurt to ease the ache.

  He nearly stumbled, but he very definitely groaned with need and desire as both flared brightly to life. Barely making their room, he kicked the door shut, and pressing her back to the wall, he rubbed his erection against her. Just that fast, always amazing to him, she had him as needy and achy as an untried youth.

  Hands moved between them quickly so that she could release his cock from his pants. Once she had him in her hands, she growled with hungry need. “Now, Andries, tug up my dress, because if you aren’t in me very quickly, I think that I’m going to explode.” She felt like a teenager, all horny and hot, and never seemed to be satisfied unless his cock was buried deep inside of her body.

  Doing as she demanded, he pulled her skirts up to her waist and, trapping them there, lifted her high into his arms as he pushed his cock into her hot, slick pussy. Moving to the wall, he pressed her back as he drove his cock in all the way to the hilt. Pressing his lips to her cheek, he teased her skin. “Kiss me, Xandra,” he demanded.

  She didn’t hesitate but instead pulled him close and kissed him hungrily. Her legs held him close, tight as she kissed him, and rode his cock hard. When she pulled back, she gasped, “Gods, I love you.” She panted and leaned close to him, licking h
er tongue up and down his neck. “Come for me, Andries. Gods, take us there, baby.” She growled desperately.

  Growling back at her, more than a little of the beast in the sound, he caught her mouth for another kiss as he drove his aching cock into her again and again, each thrust a little more desperate than the last. A low rumble rolled from his chest as he slid deep into her pussy and stiffened, his seed spilling deep and hot into her body.

  As soon as he released her lips, she moved her head once more to his neck and bit deeply. She fed from him as his seed exploded into her body. She came with a blinding rush that she never wanted to end, ever.

  Cradling her to him, Andries rocked his cock in and out of her body, drawing out her orgasm with long practice. Groaning softly at the feel of her mouth on his flesh, he closed his eyes and prayed for the feeling to never end. He was thrilled she was pregnant once more. The last time, with the twins, had been an amazing time for them both.

  Licking his neck gently, she moved her lips up to his ear and then back to his lips, kissing him deeply before moving back once more. “I love you, Andries.” She smiled because she had felt more than heard his happiness with their new pregnancy. “I’m so happy, Andries, and so happy that you are so happy, too.”

  Stumbling towards the bed he tumbled them down onto it, lying over her heavily for a long moment. Rolling them to their sides he yanked up the covers and hugged her close to him, adjusting her leg up over his. “I am ecstatic about the babe, love. I happen to enjoy you when you are pregnant.” He smiled slowly, remembering how needy and sexual she’d been with the first.

  Xandra laughed. “If I recall properly, you hid from me a time or two.” Simply because she was always needy. He could come close to her and she would become hot, needy, and it didn’t seem as if this babe was going to be any different. “However, I happen to really love being pregnant, too. Pregnancy doesn’t last long enough in my opinion.”