by M. Cheykota
The vampire fails to land a punch on me and I take the opportunity to land a deathblow to his exposed chest, piercing his heart with my dagger. I twist my wrist as I remove the dagger and notice Kayle lying on the ground bleeding with his throat bitten and torn. Hassan is standing next to him while he stares at me. I can finally see his face clearly and I reposition my stance for an attack.
“So, it really is you. Mon ange.” Hassan coos mockingly.
“I’m nothing of yours, you bastard!” I yell back at him.
“That is right, sire. She is mine.” Christien says as he enters the room.
Hassan growls. “I see my diversion did not distract you long.”
Christien sneers. “You will find it difficult to deceive me for long.”
I notice Kayle is healing slowly but he is still in a lot of danger. I move towards Kayle and Christien grabs my arm.
Christien shakes his head and moves me beside him. He keeps his eyes on Hassan as he raises my wrist to his mouth and bites me.
Hassan’s face tenses as he watches Christien drink from my wrist. When Christien releases my arm, he makes a point to lick the blood on my wrist in a show for Hassan.
Hassan’s temper and power flares as he lunges for me.
Christien blocks Hassan’s attack on me, crashing into him in a frenzy of fists and fangs.
I rush over to Kayle and wave my wrist under his nose. He catches my wrist and bites down. As Kayle is feeding off me, Christien throws Hassan across the room. Hassan slams into the wall, falls onto the couch and rolls on to the floor. By the time Hassan reaches the floor, Christien is on top of him. Christien is moving so fast it looks as if he is disappearing and reappearing on top of him. Christien sinks his fangs in Hassan’s throat and rips it out.
“How does that feel?” Christien snarls angrily at Hassan, after spitting the piece of flesh on the ground next to him.
Hassan’s eyes are wide when Christien snaps his neck with a simple twist of his wrist.
Kayle releases my wrist and I throw a dagger to Christien.
He catches the dagger by the hilt and plunges it into Hassan’s heart. “By the way sire, my angel is pregnant with my child. Our child is going to be a beautiful, blood-sucking angel just like his or her mother. You will never hurt any of my children ever again.” Christien twists the dagger and Hassan gasps. Christien violently rips the dagger from Hassan’s chest before swiftly removing his head. Hassan’s body combusts as Christien jumps off him before crumbling into ashes.
Kayle sits up next to me and says, “You saved me again. You are going to make me think you want me to stick around.”
“I had to save you Kayle. I’m going to need a baby sitter I can trust.” I give him an innocent grin.
“I see.” Kayle smiles back at me.
I walk over to Christien staring at the ashes that was Hassan.
“He’s finally gone.” I confirm the obvious.
“I expected to feel differently.” Christien says quietly.
“He can never hurt us again. I know I can’t replace the family that Hassan took away from you. If you could give us a try, we can be a second chance for you to have a family.” I put my hand on his chest and meet his eyes.
He touches my hand on his chest. “I look forward to the opportunity.” He kisses me on the lips while his hand slides over my stomach.
Kayle stands up, drawing our attention. “Was Roman successful?”
“Actually, yes I was.” Roman responds from the back of the room. His arms are full with Isabella and the baby. Alex is standing by his side.
Roman comes up beside me, sees Hassan’s ashes and smiles. “Guess you are the new tête de ligne, Christien.”
“Yeah.” Christien laughs. “Let us see how the Vampire Council feels about that.”
“They will be happy about finally being rid of him.” Roman replies.
Christien sighs. “Kayle, after you have recovered enough, please meet Phedora at Devan’s lair and round up all of the vampires. Find Devan’s second and bring that one to me. I want all of Devan’s assets and finances in my name immediately. Give all the vampires the decision to blood oath to me or die. You may take any vampires, servants or assets you wish with my personal thanks. When everything is secure, bring Phedora back here to me.”
“Thank you master.” Kayle bows then reluctantly asks, “What did Dora do now?”
Christien sighs.
Roman speaks up. “They were warned that we were coming and they were aware of our plans. Christien and I believe she is spying for Lenair or Devan.”
“Our plans came from Lenair. Maybe she told Devan and Hassan about the information we received from her.” I suggest, giving Phedora the benefit of the doubt.
“Lenair was not aware of our modified plans. Christien and I are positive that none of us spoke to Devan. The only one who knew the plans and was capable of contacting Devan or Lenair was Phedora. Unfortunately, she did not want us to be successful and she expected Hassan to kill you and Kayle. That is how Hassan knew where Christien lives and how he was able to cross the threshold without being invited by you or Kayle. Phedora let Hassan and his vampires inside.” Roman explains.
Kayle roars. “I will rip her limbs off and cut her to pieces very slowly so she will feel every ounce of her betrayal!”
Christien moves next to Kayle and puts a hand on his arm. “I understand your frustration Kayle, but it is my responsibility to deal with her loyalty.”
“But master…” Kayle interrupts.
“Do not worry. I will allow you your revenge. She betrayed you too. I understand your anger. We have a lot to do and not much time.” Christien reassures Kayle as he moves away from Hassan’s ashes. “Have a couple of vampires separate his ashes and sprinkle them into separate bodies of water. I do not want magic reconstituting his form in any way.”
Kayle bows as two vampires move into the room and start cleaning up.
We collectively decide to meet around the table in the dining room.
Christien’s speaks first. “Roman, you once again have proven your loyalty to me and mine. As tête de ligne, I am in your debt twice over.” Christien smiles at Roman. “It is unusual to owe a werewolf such gratitude that remains unpaid. Is there anything I can do to eliminate my debts?”
Roman smiles genuinely. “I have a feeling I may need that debt repaid soon enough but there is nothing immediately that requires me to cash in just yet. I will accept your friendship and your word to take care of Jessica. Otherwise, you may not feel so happy owing me a favor.”
Laughing a full throat laugh, Christien nods. “I offer my friendship and Jessica will be very well taken care of. That, I vow.” Christien extends his hand to Roman and he accepts it.
“Both of you keep talking about taking care of me as if I am not sitting right here. I don’t need either of you to take care of me. I can take care of myself and my child.” I blurt out angrily at the male chauvinistic bonding.
“You’re pregnant too?” Alex exclaims as her face brightens in excitement. She thinks for a moment about what she said. Her expression changes from excitement to confusion. “Wait! I thought vampires could not have children. Something to do with being undead I thought.” Her gaze moves over the men at the table and settles on me.
Christien gives me a hardened look. I ignore the look and respond. “We’ll have plenty of time for female bonding over the next few months and I’m sure we’ll get along fine. For now, I am going to have to leave your questions unanswered.”
Alex is extremely intelligent and gets my hint without additional questions. She smiles at me then says, “What are you guys going to do about Phedora?”
“First, we need to find her.” Roman says. “She took off before we left to come back here. My wolves and I might be able to track her in wolf form if you want us to try.” Roman looks at Christien.
“As tête de ligne and her master, I can find her, but I think I may already know where she is.” Christien annou
nces.
“Where do you think she’s hiding?” I ask.
“We have a lot to do and not much time before the Vampire Council arrives. Phedora can wait. I need to quickly blood oath Devan’s vampires and find any vampires left from Hassan before I go before the Council. Kayle?” Christien calls out.
“I will work as fast as possible, Christien. Roman, I know this is not your responsibility, but I could use you and your wolves’ assistance, along with our vampires, to round up Devan’s vampires.” Kayle stands up and moves beside my chair. “We will gladly compensate you all for your assistance.”
Kayle lifts my arm where he bit me and gives me a concerned look at the healing tear his fangs made on my wrist. “May I speak with you for just one moment before I leave?”
Christien looks away from us and talks to Roman.
Rising up from my chair, Kayle escorts me from the dining room and into the kitchen. “Does it hurt?” He asks as he inspects my arm.
“I’ll be fine Kayle. You didn’t hurt me.” I pat his hand and pull my arm away from him. “Don’t dwell on this Kayle.” I shift into a poodle before his eyes then return to human form. Both shifts take less than 10 seconds and my arm has completely healed.
Kayle smiles back. “Thank you for that. Thank you for everything. I am beginning to understand why my master is so protective of you.”
“He’s protective because I am having his child. I am just as hard to kill as you both are. I am an immortal being too. You both can stop treating me as if I am made of glass.” Hands on my hips, my stare is confident and stubborn.
He laughs and agrees with me. “I look forward in working with you. I wanted to ask you if you would allow me one more drink before I leave. I still have more healing to do and your blood seems to heal me much faster than human blood. If not, that is okay also.”
“I really don’t mind you feeding off me Kayle, but now that I am pregnant, I do need to be more careful about it.” I say honestly.
“I understand.” Kayle turns to leave.
I stop him by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get your panties in a wad, Kayle.”
“What?” He asks, clearly not understanding my comment.
“What I am trying to say is don’t get upset.” I chuckle. “I may not be able to feed you from my vein again tonight, but that doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen again. You tend to get hurt a lot around me. I am only saying that I have bags of my blood in the bedroom. You are welcome to help yourself to as much as you need. We’ll just save my veins for emergencies while I’m pregnant, okay?”
“Oh!” He looks surprised by my response. “Thank you for explaining and I appreciate your offer.” We rejoin the others as Roman, Alex and the kids head to the bedrooms.
Christien joins Kayle and me as we go in the master bedroom to get some of my blood for Kayle.
“Should I be jealous?” Christien asks as he watches me retrieve the suitcase from under the bed.
“No!” I give him an angry look and open the suitcase.
Kayle has a conflicted look on his face.
“What’s wrong Kayle?” I ask, angry with Christien for making Kayle feel bad.
Venting my anger, I yell at Christien. “What’s wrong with you Christien? Kayle has done everything you have ever asked from him without complaining and exceeded your expectations. You reward him by acting like a jealous vampire that had his favorite toy taken away. I consider Kayle a trustworthy friend and I find those hard to come by. If you continue treating Kayle as if he’s a challenge for my affection, you may find yourself alone. I am not anyone’s property. I am a person that needs my mate to be as confident in my loyalty as I am in his.” I push past Christien and leave the room in tears.
Chapter 18
My temper has abated when Christien finds me sharpening my daggers and knives in the basement.
“Hello, ma chatte petite.” Christien sits in the chair next to mine.
“Hi.” My response is quiet, barely a whisper.
“I have apologized to Kayle for my unfounded comment. I am here to show you that I do trust you and Kayle. I know that there is nothing going on between the two of you.” He brushes his knuckles across my cheek.
My body responds to his touch and I sigh like a lovesick teenager. “How do you do this to me?”
“It is love.” He states. “Love makes us do and say things out of character. Normally, I am not a jealous and insecure man. You drive me crazy. I become insanely jealous seeing you with any other man, even when I am certain there is nothing going on.”
I drop my weapons on the table, get up and sit in Christien’s lap.
Automatically, Christien’s arms surround me and I cuddle closer to him.
“There is something wrong with me.” Tears fall onto my cheeks. “I’m becoming an erratic, emotional mess.” I confess.
“I have been reading on pregnancy. Women in their first trimester can become more sensitive to the environment around them. Do not worry chérie. You are still the hardheaded, stubborn and reckless woman I fell in love with. Soon this stage will pass and you will feel more like yourself again. It has not helped that you are gaining your angel powers at the same time as your pregnancy. You must truly feel different from your normal self.” Christien is gently rubbing my back in soothing circles. “You will eventually change when the baby is born, but I have faith in your maternal instincts.”
Stubbornly, I mumble, “We’ll see about that.”
I can feel Christien laughing beneath me. He raises me off him and turns me towards him. “I have to go Jess. I am certain the Vampire Council will be here by tomorrow and I have a lot to do. If you see Phedora, I would like you to stay away from her. Knowing that you would not dream of doing what I ask, I want you to know that I need to talk to her before you kill her. If you could capture her instead, I would be grateful.” He gives me a wide pleading smile.
“I’ll do my best to honor your request.” I give him an innocent smile in return.
“Sure.” He chuckles.
We walk back upstairs and I see Kayle and Roman packing up to leave for Devan’s lair.
Christien makes a point to kiss me in front of Kayle and I let him. I wish Kayle and Roman a quick good luck as they all leave.
I lock up tight then return to the family room and join Alex and the kids. Alex and I try to put the kids back to bed, but they are too wound up. We allow them to play as we get to know each other better.
“So, can we talk about how a vampire can get pregnant yet or are you still stalling?” She asks jokingly.
“I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you that I’m not what I look like.” I reply.
“Hmm. That’s evasive. If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“It’s really not that. I’m complicated. I’m more of an anomaly or freak of nature.” I explain.
“You seem pretty normal to me, for a vampire that is.” She replies.
“Well, I’m not a full vampire, only half.” I admit.
She gives me a disbelieving look and rolls her eyes. “Forget it.”
“It’s easier if I show you.” I stand up and shift into a poodle. I walk over to the children playing and Isabella laughs in delight. Alex is watching me with her mouth open as I sit next to Isabella. The little girl pets me before she picks me up and hugs me.
“No, no Bella. Put the puppy down.” Alex scolds her.
When Isabella puts me down, I shift from a poodle to a Persian kitten.
“Oh my!” Alex exclaims and Isabella squeals in happiness.
“Ooh! Kitty!” Isabella picks me up and puts me on her lap, stroking my white, fluffy fur.
“How did you…” Alex trails off, completely stunned by my transformations.
I purr then gently walk over to Alex. I jump up on the couch, sit next to her and then shift back to my human form.
Minutes pass before she finds her voice again. When she is able to speak again, she asks, “You are a shape shifter
? I have never heard of a shape shifter that can move as fast as a vampire can. There is no such thing. How can that be?”
I smile. “I told you. I am unique.”
“But I thought you were a vampire. I’ve seen you drink blood. You move like them too.” She points to me.
“I am a vampire, but that’s not all I am.” My response is brief. “Let’s get the kids into bed. I can’t really discuss more than that until after Christien speaks to the Vampire Council. I would like to ask you to keep what you know about me between you and Roman. The Council cannot know about me or they will kill me. I promise to answer your questions after this mess is over.”
“Are you dangerous?” She truly looks concerned.
“I’m only dangerous to those who try to kill me.” I reply honestly.
We put the kids in bed and I return to the bar area alone. Bored out of my mind and too anxious to sleep, I call to check up on Roman and Kayle. “Hey Roman, is everything going okay? Did you find Phedora?”
“I haven’t seen her. Kayle is still looking for her though. I’m pretty busy here rounding up vampires so why don’t you tell me why you are calling?” His comment is to the point, but his meaning is telling me that he’s concerned.
“I can come and help you guys out. I hate being stuck here.” I reply.
“It’s only a little while longer. I know you don’t like being on the sidelines. You are like me. You enjoy the adrenaline rush of the chase. For now, consider this your first vacation. Think about how you are going to plan your life around a child.” Roman suggests.
