by Rena Marks
Johnny, I could understand. He and I have been pretty intimate, after all, sharing blood and well, orgasms, since I didn’t quite know how to feed properly at the time.
But the first time a vampire fell to his knees and kissed my belly at Bang’s, my mouth dropped. Julian distracted me with a press of his own lips to mine so as to not offend the weirdo-kissing vamp.
My belly was still flat back then and I wondered how they would find it in a few more weeks when I was really huge.
“Am I healthy, doctor?” I asked.
“Very.”
“Good. I want to talk about names while we’re all together. Who has ideas?”
Neither one answered.
“Well, we can’t call him Squirt forever. I've been thinking of him as Luc. Anybody else got any?”
“Luc is a strong name,” Leo agreed.
“Leo’s grandfather’s name was Lucius, so it fits,” Julian said.
“It was? Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked Leo.
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Name him after Julian’s grandfather.”
“Hmph. You would not be enamored with that name, my sweet. Toussaint is a mouthful for an infant. Lucius is fine, much more classical. More than fine.”
“Settled then. Little Luc it will be. How close is it to dinnertime, Julian?”
“A half hour. Are you hungry?”
“Starved. And wait ‘til you get a load of dinner.” I winked at Leo.
Chapter Seven
As we had the night before, the humans ate first while the vampires enjoyed their glass of Red.
Verity didn’t sit through the torturous dinner. Lily sat with her in the bedroom until it was time for the vampires to dine. Then she brought her to me, where she huddled on the floor around my legs.
I watched Leo’s reaction when the female appetizer was brought out. Once again, with her feet toward us, she spread her legs, baring her goods in our direction. With me watching him so intently, Leo preferred looking at the patterns of the wood grain in the table.
“Seems kind of silly that you operate on the other end, huh, Dr. Hunk? Look at what you’re missing out on.” Anna winked.
Leo had no qualms about her relationship with one of his pack. “You realize that even from across the country, I can force Rhett into a change and keep him there all month long, correct?”
Anna went silent at once, causing Lily and Nicki to first snicker, then outright laugh.
Julian rose to pick his body part. This time, he took hold of Verity’s hand, pulling her up from underneath the table. He gently directed her to the other ankle of the woman. Between the two of them, they raised her legs slightly to bite.
Verity was a messy eater, she’d been out of practice for so long. Blood dribbled down her chin and ran down the woman’s leg.
“She can’t even eat properly,” Marcus muttered harshly.
Verity dropped her head. Julian reached for a napkin and rubbed the blood off the leg. Then he reached over to Verity and tilted her head up, where he tenderly wiped at her chin. The entire dinner party stayed silent while Julian directed his next question to Marcus.
“Shall we lock you up for a while and feed you dead blood? To see how long it takes you to lose the art of feeding neatly?”
There was no response from Marcus. Wise man.
Julian turned his attention to Verity. “Verity, would you like to heal faster?”
She raised her eyes and deep inside, they showed her true age. Then she simply nodded.
“You’ve given me your blood. You’ve had a taste of the vampire mistress. All that remains to link you to my power is for you to sample me.”
It was called allegiance and only a vampire without a master, or sire, was able to pledge it.
It was a big deal, because she would never be able to attain the status of master vampire if she pledged her allegiance to Julian.
However, it was a fair gamble because not every vampire was able to reach master vampire.
After being under Nico’s reign, would she want to tie herself to his fledgling?
Verity never paused. She reached for his hand, brought it up to her mouth, and we heard her fangs sink into flesh. At the same time, Julian reached for her own white wrist and bit. As a human, I fought the urge to wince at the resounding crunch through skin and bone.
All vampires around the table bowed their heads while they finished.
Julian lifted his mouth from her wrist and I was surprised to notice that he didn’t seal her bites shut. The blood was so deep red it nearly glowed against the fragile white skin. She took her own wrist and held the puncture wounds with her other two fingers.
Then something even more remarkable happened. Her shorn hair grew out, long and beautiful once more. Silky smooth this time, instead of the snarled mess it had been.
She smiled while I stared, frozen in awe. She reached for me, catching me in an embrace. Lily offered her own congratulations with a hug. Other vampires took a turn at the congratulations. Marcus stayed silent throughout.
* * * * *
Julian and I headed for bed early. I was more exhausted today and was barely aware of falling asleep.
“Anjelia?”
“Mmmm?”
“Wake up, my sweet.”
“What is it?”
He pulled me close to him and rubbed my round belly lightly. “Go to Leo. Dawn approaches.”
I hate dawn. I always feel a moment’s panic when I realize that Julian will die momentarily. It doesn’t matter that he relives in a few hours. It doesn’t matter that he’s been through it countless times over the centuries. I detest it with every fiber of my being.
Julian threw back the gold silk coverlet and lifted my short nightgown up over my belly.
“Goodnight, my son,” he whispered, pressing kisses to my tummy.
He pressed a kiss to the nipple of each breast.
“That’s for Leo.” He grinned. I sighed, knowing his kiss would linger.
Then he pulled me to him, hugged me tight, inhaled the scent of my hair...and it hit.
I felt his body exhale every last bit of breath he’d taken and his arms grew slack. I twisted in his suddenly loose hold and covered him back up with the coverlet.
I pressed a kiss to his still lips and then I kissed his eyes, his forehead, his cheeks.
If I didn’t tear myself away, I was going to make myself cry in a second or two. It’s still heart wrenching to see your lover dead, even when it’s a daily occurrence. I looked down at him on the bed, my heart heavy, even when I knew he’d rise again.
Then I headed into Leo’s room through the connecting door in our bedrooms.
He was snuggled down in the bedcovers, and I pulled them away just enough to slip in. I thought he was asleep, but one corner of his sensual mouth twisted up in the slightest smile, waiting for me.
His jaw was thickly shadowed, contrasting with the blond streaks in his hair. One tiny, gold stud earring glittered in his earlobe.
He pressed against me, and I felt his hardness along my thigh.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
“I can tell,” I answered, reaching down for him. Leo slept nude, always had. He was warm and enormous.
He swelled even more in the warmth of my touch. He groaned, and then buried his head between my breasts. “You smell of Julian,” he growled.
I smiled. “He said good morning.”
“Bastard.”
He sucked a nipple into his mouth, erasing Julian’s scent and replacing it with his own. I moaned at the wondrous sensations spiraling from the tip of my breast. Hot lips and a wet, rough tongue licked when he wasn’t sucking. He growled, causing vibrations. Whimpering, I offered him the other breast, and watched his lean jaw work as he sucked it.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said. “I’ve missed you so much, mate.”
When he looked up at me, his amber eyes glowed like wolf. Nothing turned a werewolf on more than the reminde
r that I was his, and he was mine.
I slid down, pressing hot kisses on his collarbone, along his chest, and the ridges of abs that rippled under my tongue as I licked. His skin was so hot and I shivered at the excitement of knowing he’d soon have that wonderful heat deep inside my body.
Being with Leo was always instantly erotic, because of the insane heat that rose from his skin. Sometimes I liked when he just plunged inside me. Instant turn-on.
My stomach quivered and I couldn’t resist the long, drawn-out moan that came from my lips. His skin was delicious. I arched my back, rubbing my hard nipples against his hair-roughened groin as I licked his lower belly.
His cock bobbed, and I let it settle into the valley between my breasts.
His hand found my hair and he tugged gently, but his voice was a deep growl when he said, “Come up here. I don’t have the strength for this.”
He hauled me up, turning me at the last minute so I was flat on my back with my head on the pillows. He came at me this time, his face buried back into my breasts. My legs were stretched out and I was able to watch him lick my breasts. They were a pale white, but the globes were covered in delicate blue veins. The nipples seemed more pronounced now with the pregnancy—flushed a deep, seductive red.
Leo sucked harder and his teeth rubbed against my nipple, sending electric shocks straight down to the wet sheath of my pussy. I wrapped my fingers in his hair and dug them around his scalp, holding his head in place as my heart pounded.
His hand shoved at my thigh, spreading wicked heat from his palm as he pushed my legs wider. I gasped as his hand cupped between my spread legs under him, finding the core of my heat. He pressed his thumb against the center of my slit and rubbed firmly, right over my clit. Sensation tore through me.
“Yes,” I moaned. This was it, this was exactly it.
Leo froze, his entire body stiffening over me. His hand tore away from my sex at the same instant he released my breast with his mouth. Cold air hit my bare, wet nipple as he jerked away. “God, I need you,” he growled. “Like, right now. I’m trying so hard to be gentle.”
My eyes flew open at the tone in his voice. He looked different, trying to control a partial change. His eyes glowed and his mouth had elongated. The hand that had covered my pussy was darker with fur, and extended claws.
“Turn over for me,” he said. “Let me have you from behind. I’m going to fuck you the way I’ve wanted to since I saw you. I’m going to drive so deep into that wet little sheath of yours—keep pounding your pussy—until you can’t remember your own name.”
He helped me turn over, onto my knees, with my ass in the air. My body screamed for him to enter me, to fill me with the heat of his cock.
He cupped between my thighs firmly, massaging my clit first and spreading the wet silken heat over my labia. I moaned, loving the feel of being splayed out before my mate so he could look his fill.
He pushed a finger slowly inside my pussy, the sensation amazing. His thick digit pushed in even deeper, and I arched my back as pleasure tore through me.
“You’re so wet, baby. So fucking tight, too.” He growled softly while he withdrew his finger and traced the seam of my pussy lips, before moving it away.
I shivered, knowing what he was doing in the next few seconds. Tasting me.
“Mmm,” he growled, and I knew his finger was in his mouth. “I’m sorry but I’ve got to fuck you right now or I’m going to die.” He pressed the crown of his cock right at my entrance, smearing it over me. The instant rush of feeling sent an ache through me. I panted, wanting him so badly. His enormous cock entered slowly when he slid into me. His shaft was wide and my body craved this as I stretched to accommodate him. Pushing back against him, I wriggled my ass. He gripped my hips, moved his body to match my movements, giving me what I wanted.
“Leo,” I begged, just wanting to come.
“Don’t move,” he demanded. His hands gripped my hips and he pushed, swirling his hips.
His thrusts were hard and deep. I muffled my screams in the pillow as he pumped his hips faster. He drove in and out of my pussy in a wild pace that was flipping me over the edge. Pleasure ratcheted up, nearly unbearable, and I knew I was going to come fiercely. Just him hammering his cock inside me was enough to draw a climax from deep within my womb. My vaginal muscles clenched around the thick shaft, triggering the beginning of his orgasm, too.
“Fuck,” he growled softly, shuddering. He pounded faster into me, and my insides were going insane, muscles clenching and shaking. The pressure increased against my oversensitive vaginal canal, sending even more overwhelming ecstasy through me. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath as my climax spun out of control.
Leo’s hips jerked violently against my ass, grinding until everything stilled except for our heavy breathing. I felt heat seeping through me, and then trickling down the back of my thigh as his hot semen filled me and overflowed.
We held still for a few seconds and then he carefully turned me to my side, spooning me from behind. He drew the blanket over us and kissed my shoulder as we lay spent, still connected.
* * * * *
That afternoon, Leo and I sat across from each other during lunch.
“Did you notice how quiet Marcus was when Verity pledged allegiance to Julian?” I asked.
“Yes. He’ll be trouble if it’s not nipped in the bud.”
“What do you suppose his problem is?”
“Perhaps we should awaken Verity to find out,” Julian said from the doorway.
I walked quickly to him for our first kiss of the day, and he sat down with us.
Leo and I continued to eat.
“Can you do that?” I asked Julian. “Awaken Verity?”
“I can now,” he said and closed his eyes.
She was downstairs in another five minutes. “You wished to see me?”
“Sit,” Julian said.
When she sat, he continued. “How do you know Marcus?”
“I was sired by him.”
Julian looked surprised.
“He turned me vampire at Nico’s request, and handed my obedience to him.”
“He never mentioned that he sired you. I wonder why that is?”
She shrugged. “Because he never gave me protection? He turned me, against my will. And handed the reins to Nico.”
“He seduced you as a human?”
“He seduced my father.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, aghast.
“He seduced, and then turned my father. My father gave me to him. I did not realize vampires even existed at the time. I was given to Marcus while I was still human, and we were married. After the marriage, he turned me vampire also.”
“He never gave you protection?” Julian asked quietly.
“No. I was free game for any vampire that came along. I was essentially without a sire.”
“How old were you in human years when he turned you?” I asked.
“Fourteen.”
No wonder she looked little more than a child.
“What of your father now?”
“He met the sun,” she said casually. Then her voice hardened. “By me. I was handed off to Nico as the punishment. Will that be all?” she asked, as she eyed one of the human snacks across the hall.
“Go feed,” Julian said, and she was off.
“So that's why Nico punished her all this time.” I murmured.
“Are you going to control him?” Leo asked.
“I’ll have to. Now that Lily and Nicki are settled, we should probably get back to the States as soon as possible,” Julian said, eyeing my belly.
“Why?” I asked.
Leo assured me it was a normal human baby, but my gestation was much faster, more like a combination of human and wolf. I wouldn’t carry the normal nine months, I couldn’t possibly. In the one month we’d been in France, I looked like I was close to seven months now.
I suppose it was best, a pregnancy with a sterile vampire wouldn’t have to be
explained. Still, it was scary, delving into the unknown.
Chapter Eight
Julian found Marcus that evening, and had him gather the French vampires in the biggest room available. As we waited, Julian sat in a high-backed chair, pulling me onto his lap.
He rubbed my belly lightly, calming our son.
When the last vampire arrived and was seated, Julian made his announcement.
“We leave. I prefer my son to be born on American soil, and it’s impossible to guess at how long Anjelia’s gestation will be.”
“The doctor? He is the sperm donor?” One curious vampire asked. They’d loosened up since our arrival.
Julian paused, and then looked at me. He was ready to tell. I nodded also.
“Actually, the mistress is as much wolf as she is vampire. Leo is Anjelia’s wolf mate. I stole her from him and made her my human servant before she was to be changed. To balance matters now, we share her.”
To their credit, there were no incredulous gasps, but I also noticed confusion on several faces.
“The child then? It is still considered yours?”
Suddenly my child was an ‘it’.
“Most certainly. My blood runs through his veins, does it not?”
No one was able to argue that point. We exchanged blood frequently. Of course, with Julian as the master vampire here also, no one dared to say otherwise.
“You will still leave Lily and Nicki in charge?” Marcus asked slyly, not caring about the baby but wanting to get to what benefited him.
“Temporarily. They are among my closest order, and I prefer their presence in America. They will merely get the rest of my affairs here settled and train my right and left hands.”
“You have decided then? Who shall reign as your right hand? And who shall help as left?”
“I have.”
The room was suddenly filled with French whispering.
“Verity?”
There was dumbfounded silence.
