Hungry Cowboy

by Charlize Starr

  "Monique, you performed an illegal action against my kingdom. Expect that there will be consequences. A person like you can't stay in power."

  He nodded at his men, and they came forward to grasp her by the arms. She snarled at him, but didn't resist as they pulled her out of the room. Gavin watched her go, his brow furrowed. He would need to handle the situation delicately from here on out, but there was no way that she would go unpunished. His first priority was the humans, though. He turned to the ministers.

  "Bring my people back."

  Chapter Eleven – Aria

  She still felt sore even though it had been a couple weeks since the baby had been born. Aria sat on the couch, her feet propped up as she watched Sonya gently rocking little Elizabeth back and forth. She had been big baby: ten pounds, but perfectly healthy. Aria smiled and shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on her lower region.

  "She's beautiful," Sonya said, smiling up at her.

  "Yes, she is."

  Her father, who was making tea for her, grunted. "Speaking of the vampire king, where is he? After you were born, I didn't leave your mother's side for a month."

  Aria couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. "He'll be here soon, Papa. He just had to deal with some things with Monique's kingdom. Getting a suitable replacement for her wasn't easy, you know. And it's not like he could just appoint the ruler himself. He has to get cooperation from the other kingdoms. But things are finally starting to calm down there."

  "Good," Sonya said. She shivered. "I can't even watch the news anymore because it's all about her and what she did. I don't like thinking about it. I still have nightmares if I don't have Laura right by me."

  Aria nodded. For the first few months after the humans were brought back home from Monique's 'program', Sonya had stayed at the palace, too distraught to go to her empty house. She had recently returned home, but not alone. During her time at the palace, she had gotten quite close to a vampire by the name of Laura, and sparks were flying between the two of them.

  "And what about you?" Aria's father handed her a cup of tea. "Are you happy here?"

  "Yes. Gavin and I are figuring everything out. We're still not entirely certain why I was able to get pregnant by him, though. The nearest we can figure is that his drinking my blood actually stimulated some of the dead, for lack of a better term, systems in his body."

  Gavin came through the door. He smiled at Aria, then gave a small bow towards her father. "Mr. Taylor. Sonya. It's good to see you both again. And you, beautiful one. How are you feeling?"

  "Sore, and I'm feeling a little cooped up. I thought that you and I should go for a little ride while Sonya and my dad were here to watch Elizabeth…"

  She rose her eyebrows and gave him a sexy grin. He couldn't drink from her until she was fully healed, but that didn't mean she wasn't craving some snuggling and kissing. She'd heard that most women lost their libido after having a baby. Not her. While she certainly wasn't interested in sex right now, that didn't mean she didn’t crave physical intimacy.

  Gavin grinned back at her. He went over to Sonya and gently took Elizabeth. "It's been hours since I saw this little cupcake here. I can have fifteen minutes with her first, right?"

  "Of course."

  A grin crossed her face as she watched Gavin rocking Elizabeth. The smile on his face made love swell in her chest like a hot air balloon, making her whole body feel lighter. If she had any doubts about Gavin, they all disappeared the moment she first saw him hold their baby. He was so gentle with her, so cautious and caring. She knew he'd do anything for Elizabeth. And her.

  The baby fell to sleep quickly in Gavin's arms, and he settled her into his crib. "Are you sure that you two can stay with her?"

  "Of course." Sonya smiled. "Go. Have fun."

  Gavin scooped up Aria and headed for the door. Aria laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. She thought about telling him she could walk, but decided she liked being carried. The air was fresh and clean outside. Aria pulled in deep breaths, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. Gavin nuzzled into her neck as he crossed to the garage.

  He settled her into the limo, then called for a driver. Aria curled herself under his arm as they headed out. The last few days had been very sleep-deprived, and she found herself drifting off, rather than embracing him. Gavin carded his fingers through her hair, further relaxing her.

  "Are you awake?"

  "Barely."

  "I wanted to give you something."

  Aria pulled herself up and yawned. "What?"

  Gavin grinned at her. He kissed her gently, grasping her hips. "You know, this is the same car that Elizabeth was conceived in. Who would have thought that pure animal lust would have turned itself into something so beautiful?"

  "Animal lust?" She laughed. "Come on, really? Is that you trying to be romantic? Because I have to tell you it's not working."

  "Not even the beautiful part?"

  Aria shrugged. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe that part."

  "Good. Because I wanted this to be romantic. I know that it's traditional to have it in a bit more of a splashy setting, but considering this is the first place that you and I… Well." Gavin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box and pressed it into her hands. "Open it."

  Aria's heart jumped around erratically. She was almost afraid to open the box. If it was what she thought it was… but what if it was disappointing? And if it wasn't what she thought it was? She swallowed hard and cracked it open a smidge. The sparkle inside had her opening it all the way. She gasped.

  The ring was made of white gold with two pearls in its center. One was black, the other white. An 'S' of tiny diamonds separated them, and a cluster of three gems lined either side.

  "This… this is beautiful."

  Gavin grinned. "Aria Taylor. I love you. Will you marry me?"

  "Yes. Yes, of course!" Aria kissed him hard, then grinned as he slipped the ring on. Of course, it fit perfectly. Gavin never missed anything.

  Her eyes welled as she looked at her ring and then up at her king.

  Gavin saw the tears and jumped, startled. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes." Aria kissed him again. "It's just… it's everything I wanted. And we almost didn't have it. If we hadn't found a way past our differences…"

  "Shhhh." The king pressed a finger to her lips. "We did. And nothing will ever come between us again. I promise."

  *****

  THE END

  Abducted by the Vampire Prince

  Description

  A curvy witch chosen as a bride PLUS a vampire prince fighting fate PLUS a deadly prophecy!

  She loved him before she met him.

  Rachel is a witch and a Seer, capable of seeing the future, and what she has seen is the vampire prince, Henry. When she and her younger sister, Leila, are kidnapped by vampires, she already knows that he will choose them both to be his brides. She already loves him, and can't wait until her belly grows with his baby.

  On the day Henry was born, it was prophesized that one day he would kill his father. He has always shrunk from that knowledge, determined to change the foreseen future...

  But the conception of the prince's child heralds the death of the prince's father. He has no way of knowing when he first sees Rachel that he will love her, or that, when she gets pregnant, his father will order him to kill her.

  With fate dictating that he must kill somebody he loves, his father or his bride, Henry takes the only choice available to him: with his brides at his side, he flees the underground kingdom.

  But there is no running from fate. It will always follow, and Henry's father will never stop hunting them…

  Can they survive and change their destiny? Will their love conquer all?

  Chapter One

  The only light in the sky was the moon. It was full and round. Pregnant. If she peered close enough, Rachel could almost make out the image of a baby in the dark spots on the glowing orb. Her heart pounded against her ribs and her mout
h was dry as she gazed upward, her eyes bright as she searched the moon, as if it could confirm she had made the right choice. A gentle breeze blew through her long, dark hair.

  "This is it," she whispered, hardly daring to break the silence. She tore her gaze from the sky and scanned the area around them. They would be coming soon, eyes glowing in the inky black. "As soon as a cloud moves over the moon."

  Beside her, her younger sister, Leila, scowled fiercely as she shifted. She flipped a coin nervously through her fingers, making it disappear from one palm and reappear in the next. "I hope you're right about this… scratch that, I know you're right. I just hope you know what you're doing and that your visions haven't blinded you."

  Rachel allowed a smile at her sister's growl. It was a calculated risk, after all. Visions couldn’t always be interpreted exactly. Precognition was a rare magical gift, especially among witches with only minimal training, like her and Leila. If things happened the way she thought, they would never see the surface again.

  But humans were becoming more and more aware of the magic in the world around them, and it was only a matter of time before the sisters were caught and locked up. Going underground was the best choice. Even if Rachel didn't know exactly what was waiting for them below, she knew enough.

  "I can't just stand around waiting for them to take us," Leila said abruptly, shaking her head. "They're vampires, for Hela's sake. This is a bad idea."

  "Hela's sake?" Rachel arched a brow at her sister. "Since when have you started worshiping the Norse gods?"

  "I haven't. But I certainly don't worship any asshole named Pete."

  Rachel laughed. She dug into her backpack and pulled out a kindle reader, handing it to her sister. "I got a bunch of those comics that you like. I thought it might help relax you a bit."

  Leila made a noncommittal noise in her throat and plopped down on the bridge, bracing the kindle against her knees. Rachel lifted her face back to the pregnant moon, watching it. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to her stomach. What would it feel like, to be full of life?

  She closed her eyes, trying to remember the vague impressions she had got from dreaming of a baby inside her. The dreams had been getting stronger lately, and she knew tonight was going to be the night. She was going to meet the man she already loved. They would be parents within the year.

  It was difficult being patient when she wanted it so badly.

  When Rachel opened her eyes again, her heart stopped. The lights along the path around the lake had all gone off and the sky was black. Dozens of stars along the lake level blinked on and off, drifting closer to the sisters.

  Fear rose up Rachel's throat, choking her. Even though she had known this moment was coming, had lived it dozens of times in her dreams, now that it was happening, she couldn't stop the tendrils of doubt curling around her heart. What if she had interpreted her dreams wrong? What if the future had changed?

  "Leila."

  Her sister looked up and jumped to her feet, clutching the kindle tightly in her hands. She cursed when she saw the eyes surrounding them.

  Rachel took a deep breath. "Put the kindle back into my pack. We don't want to lose it."

  She stood still as Leila did as she said, and then the sisters joined hands. Rachel could feel Leila shaking, and knew she was fighting to keep herself from lashing out. She was used to finding a way out of a situation and worrying about consequences later. Rachel always took her time to assess and plan. Both strategies had gotten the sisters into trouble in the past, and both had gotten them out of trouble as well.

  Was this one of those times when Rachel was getting them into trouble?

  "They're not running," a voice right behind her said. "Odd."

  Rachel jumped, just stopping herself from screaming, and turned. She couldn't see anything of the man who had just spoken expect his glowing blue eyes.

  "We don't want this one, anyway," another voice said, and strong fingers pinched her arm. "Her blood will be useless. The king has to watch his cholesterol, after all."

  Leila snarled. "Forget this!"

  Rachel opened her mouth, but Leila had already ripped her hand away. Fire coated her sister's hands, illuminating a dozen men surrounding them. There were a few cries, but even as Rachel started to shout at Leila to put out her magic there was a sickening thud. The light went out and Rachel felt Leila collapse beside her. An arm wrapped around her throat, choking her.

  "Witches," the vampire holding her hissed.

  "Bring them," another, deeper voice said. "And whatever you do, don't taste their blood."

  The arm tightened around Rachel's neck. She struggled instinctively, but the glowing eyes staring at her were fading. Her lungs cried out for air, and then there was only darkness.

  ***

  When Rachel woke, she found herself lying on a thin mattress directly on a cold, stone floor. Her head hurt, but the familiar black walls around her had her sighing in relief. This was the vampire palace, and soon they would be taken to see the king. Her heart sped as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Leila lay on a mattress similar to hers nearby. From the dim fluorescent light overhead, Rachel saw some dried blood on the side of her face.

  Her eyes were open, though, and she shot Rachel an annoyed glance. "You didn't mention that I’d get knocked in the head."

  "You wouldn't have if you hadn't started threatening them."

  Leila shrugged. "How long do we wait now?"

  "I don't know. Time doesn't really mean much in visions." Rachel sighed, rubbing her temples. "Do you need to be healed?"

  "No, I've already healed myself."

  That sounded like a good idea. Rachel closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest, focusing on the aches in her body. She called the magic that pooled in the center of her body, drawing it through her veins and to her injuries. The dull ache in her head disappeared.

  The door opened and four vampires came into the room. Rachel had to stifle a gasp–even though she knew what they looked like from her visions, seeing them in person was something completely differently. These vampires were broad-shouldered and bare-chested to show off their impressive muscles. All were so pale their skin was almost gray, and their hair was long and pulled back into braids down their backs. One of them had a whip secured to his belt.

  "No funny business," this one warned the sisters, reaching for Leila. "Witch blood might be deadly to vampires, but that doesn't mean we can't snap your necks like twigs. Behave yourselves and you won't die."

  "Get your hands off me," Leila snarled, as the vampire grabbed her. "I'll walk."

  Rachel was already on her feet. She twisted her hands. They were being taken to the king now. At least she hoped they were. Her eyes flickered between the four vampires that stared at them, and she stepped over to Leila, taking her hand.

  "We came to you willingly. You don't have to threaten us."

  The vampire with the whip snorted but nodded to the other three, who surrounded the sisters and ushered them from the room. There were no lights in the corridors, and when she stumbled, she allowed one of the vampires to grip her elbow to help her walk. From the hiss and thump that came from Leila, she was being a little more stubborn.

  After what felt like hours navigating the dark corridors accompanied only by glowing eyes, Rachel saw a light. She started walking faster, impatient to finally embrace her destiny. The vampires chuckled a little, but they picked up their pace as well. Soon they emerged into a well-lit chamber.

  Rachel blinked as her eyes adjusted, ignoring the golden decorations and the brightly-dressed attendants. She even ignored the dozens of young women huddling together on the floor, some weeping openly. Her gaze briefly dwelled on the king before she swiveled, searching the chamber, looking for him. Her vampire.

  Henry.

  He was nowhere to be seen, and disappointment crashed into Rachel.

  Patience, she chided herself and glanced at the huddled women. At seventeen, Leila looked like she was the youngest. R
achel was the oldest at twenty-one. The sisters were also the only two with dark hair. All the others were varying shades of blonde. One redhead stuck out of the crowd and Rachel broke away from her escort to join the trembling girl, Becky. They would become good friends.

  "This is the harvest, my lord." The vampire with the whip bowed to the man sitting on a golden throne.

  Rachel pulled Becky to her feet, putting an arm around her waist, and looked at the vampire king. He was bigger than the other vampires, with wheat-gold hair and blazing blue eyes.

  He focused on Rachel and a disgusted look twisted his face. "And what is that? Did I not say I only wanted great beauties?"

  Rachel scowled at him. She might not look like the blonde supermodels who were huddled on the floor, she might carry extra weight around her midsection and arms, but she carried it well, and she was hardly hideous. She raised her chin in defiance.

  "A witch," the first vampire said, sounding nervous. "She and her sister both. It's always better when they're brides, rather than put into training."

  The king's eyes narrowed and he shrugged. "If any of the Elite want them, they can have them. Otherwise, they'll be put into training. Where is my son?"

  "Here, father."

  Rachel shivered at the familiar voice that spoke behind her. Her heart pounded. She wanted to turn but suddenly felt overly shy. What if her dreams lied to her, and the future she was counting on didn't happen? What if Henry didn't love her the way she had grown to love him?

  The king stood, gesturing, and a vampire dressed all in black strode through the gathered women. A scowl marred his brow and he didn't look at any of them as he passed. Rachel tensed, staring at him, but he didn't turn in her direction. He came to the foot of his father's throne and bowed. He had the same golden hair as his father, and his skin, while still pale, was not quite as pale as the others around him, indicative of his still-beating heart.