by T. S. Ryder
“You know,” he teased her, “A man could get used to this petite mort.” She chuckled, having no energy left to say or do anything else.
But that was all right. She didn’t need to do anything anymore, not tonight.
Now she had him to be strong for her when she needed.
For the next few days, Sebastien spent his time between complete focus on his work and heavenly bliss in his bed. Now that he knew Kendra and he would always be there for each other when they needed it, the desperate need that hounded him earlier no longer bothered him, allowing him to concentrate on whatever task he had at hand.
Each nightfall, before he’d go about his business and Kendra’d go to sleep, they spent some time making love, learning each other, and talking about the things that had happened to her during the day. He would spend some time teaching her about his culture and customs, familiarizing her with his people. Kendra, in turn, began setting her alarm to about two hours before sunrise, and they’d share a meal, talk about how his night went, and end up making love against each time, falling asleep holding each other tight. Kendra would wake up again later in the morning and resume her work with Anais, and though the sporadic new sleeping schedule took a toll on her, she brushed it off as a temporary inconvenience.
“It’ll get better once the Great Gathering is over and done with,” she’d tell him, and he knew she was right.
Because, to their shock and relief, they had finally found out the cause of the disease.
It happened but a day before the guests would begin to arrive. The night had barely fallen and he’d awakened early, as usual, only to see Kendra sitting on the bed next to him, her hair unkempt and her face tired but ecstatic.
“It’s genetic,” she told him, each word heavy with enthusiasm. “It’s artificial and genetic.”
It took Sebastien, still woozy from sleep, a few moments to realize what she was talking about... and, when he did, the realization hit him like a hammer to the head. “Are you telling me someone actually designed this goddamned thing specifically for us?” he demanded, his tone harsh, but where a lesser woman would turn defensive, thinking he was blaming the messenger for the bad news, she took it as it was – disgust at the orchestrator of the tragedy – and simply continued.
“Not you,” she said, “We ran the tests all day, and the same sequence of alleles kept repeating over and over again, so we cross-referenced all the names in the lab results and in Beauchamp’s reports... and guess what?” Eyes wide, she grinned victoriously. “All of the victims had one of the slaves your mother brought with her when she ran off to marry your father in their ancestry.”
Now that was news.
As he quickly got dressed, Kendra told him all about their findings. They could not pinpoint the exact moment of the original infection, but because several of the infected remembering seeing odd, shallow cuts that took a little longer to heal than they should have after that night at last year’s Gathering, they suspected that Sebastien’s first instinct was right. It seemed likely the Mississippi Clan engineered what was pretty much a genetic time bomb and, after their offer of marital alliance was rejected, purposefully infected as many people from the Louisiana clan as they could as revenge for every sin they felt Sebastien’s Clan and his family had committed against them.
“I don’t know if it was a design flaw,” Kendra explained, “Or if they made the disease require a specific set of circumstances to prevent it from spreading too fast and revealing their trap too soon, but the disease needed both the person who drank the blood and the donor to share those specific recessive genes in order to activate.” Her brow furrowed a bit. “It was a monstrous thing to do... but, also... kind of brilliant,” she admitted, though she clearly felt morally conflicted about admiring something so foul.
“It is,” he nodded. “Both of those things.” He knew she was not looking for his approval, but also that she wouldn’t feel nearly as bad about understanding the kind of talent and hard work it took to devise such a scheme if he showed her that he understood it too.
Unfortunately, a cure did not seem possible. “We could screen everyone for the reagents,” Anais told him. “And give them a list of people they should not feed or feed on under any circumstances, but that’s it. Those already infected... they’re lost.” She cried then, inconsolable, and he held her close until she was able to function again. The news broke his heart for the people they were going to lose, but there was nothing to do for them but make their last days as comfortable as possible.
Breaking the news to his father was a task Sebastien took on himself. Baptiste Roche, the Clan King of Louisiana, had woken up several times during the past week and seemed mighty pleased with Kendra. “She’ll keep you on your toes, that one,” he told his son, pride and joy in his voice. “But it’ll just make you love her more.”
Grinning, Sebastien nodded in agreement. He already knew the world would be a bleak place without Kendra in it, and he couldn’t wait to formally make her his Queen. They’d begun the preparations for the Bonding rite, one which would tie their life-forces together and make it so that they aged and grew old at the same pace. Vampire couples didn’t need to bother with that, the longevity of their relationships all but set in stone, but mixed couples chose to undergo it even though it mean the vampire of the pair was looking at a shortened life span. To Sebastien, like many other vampires before him, this did not seem like such a large sacrifice. He wanted to spend his life with Kendra, no matter how long or short – and she felt the same, as evidenced by the fact that all he needed to do to convince her to go through with it with him was tell her what the end result was.
“Don’t worry about me,” Baptiste told Sebastien, when his son told him about the results of his investigation and his sister’s work. “I’ve had a good, long life, I was lucky enough to Bond twice, and I raised a worthy heir to the Clan Throne. I’d be greedy to ask for more.” The only request his father had was to make the Mississippi bastards pay.
And tonight, the main eve of the Grand Gathering, hosted by their own Clan Home, was the perfect night to do it.
Chapter Nine
Kendra sat next to Sebastien, introduced to the representatives of the North American vampire Clans as his Bonded mate and future wife, and watched the final confrontation unravel. As they expected, when Sebastien rose and made their accusations about the Clan King of Mississippi, his maternal uncle, the snide bastard had the gall to claim innocence. It was a good thing they had come well prepared – and with a special gem up their sleeve to reveal only after all other proof was presented.
It was one hell of a process, reminding her more of a courtroom drama than anything else, only more boring. If she had not been deeply invested in the entire ordeal, she would’ve been a little bored. But, things being as they were, she listened and observed intently, both the accused and their audience, who mainly remained on the sidelines, refusing to take anyone’s side until they had heard everything that both parties had to say.
It annoyed her, but she couldn’t blame them – most of their evidence was circumstantial, and Kendra was not sure it would hold up in a human court of law.
But their ace was not something that could be contented – or ignored.
Their ace was a collection of CCTV images, released to them by the police after several days of negotiations and, finally, threats of a lawsuit. They were a little grainy, but in full color, and showed a large red pickup truck stalking and then deliberately hitting the car of one Dr. Keith Duquesne, husband of the Louisiana Clan King’s daughter, and a scientist just a few steps away from discovering the full extent of the Mississippi Clan’s crime.
Two of the photos were particularly interesting because one of them clearly caught the license plate of the truck – and the other the face of the driver.
The truck was registered to the Mississippi Clan King.
The driver was his dhampir nephew.
Upon that reveal, all hell broke loose, and the members
of the Mississippi Clan attempted to flee, but the rest of the vampires quickly rounded them up.
As Kendra learned, the vampire justice system could be a little drawn out when it came to presenting evidence, but once they were sure they had convicted the responsible party, the punishment came quickly and brutally.
The final decision was unanimous - the Mississippi Clan was no more. The scheming Clan King and all those suspected of involvement in his revenge plans were executed. The remaining Clan members were to be absorbed into other, bigger clans, to live their lives in peace and free of persecution.
It was not something Kendra wished to see happen again. She knew the wrongdoers had to be punished, but this was a little too much for her to take all at once. Sebastien seemed to understand, and put no pressure on her whatsoever, giving her his quiet presence and support to lean on.
She had to admit, it was a good feeling. Kendra was proud of her strength, but it was nice to know she didn’t have to be strong all the time anymore. She had someone she could rest with and know she would be safe and loved, no matter how strange the way that love came to be was.
With Sebastien at her side, she knew she could survive anything and come out a winner.
Epilogue
Three weeks later, she stood barefoot and dressed in red in the center of the Clan Home back lawn with Sebastien, also barefoot but dressed in dark green, facing each other as they waited for the Clan Priestess to perform the Bonding rite. The elder vampire woman, in elaborate formal robes, suddenly looked at Kendra and proclaimed with a huge smile on her wrinkled face, “You’re pregnant.”
Shocked by the statement, Kendra looked at Sebastien, who seemed just as confused as she was, and then back to the Priestess.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked, and the woman laughed.
“You’re pregnant, child! I can smell the change on you!” The Priestess confirmed her diagnosis, much to the loud joy of everyone present.
Kendra looked at the man who, by the end of this night, would be her husband. He was the only person other than herself who wasn’t cheering, but the smile on his face spoke more of how happy the news made him than all the noise everyone else was making.
“Is she for real?” she asked him, skeptical, and wondering if she’d be criticized for it, but Sebastien just laughed.
“She’s for real,” he confirmed, nodding. “She’s trained to sense such subtle changes. No one else could’ve possibly caught it, not until way longer into the pregnancy.”
Still a little dazed by the revelation, Kendra looked down to her stomach... and then back to the Priestess because a terrifying thought crossed her mind. “The baby... the rite, will it harm it?” she asked, almost frantic, remembering too many stories in which mixing magic and pregnancy resulted in tragedy, but the old woman just smiled and patter her shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” she assured Kendra. “It might be uncomfortable for you, but the baby will be just fine. It’s too small for the rite to affect it. It’s just a cluster of cells waiting to grow into a son or daughter.”
That calmed her well enough, but she still felt an enormous amount of excitement and anxiety mixed together.
A baby.
She was going to have a baby.
She was getting married, doing strange and inexplicable things to her body to make her life as long as her vampire husband’s was, and she was going to have their baby.
If someone had told her all this a month ago, she would’ve had them committed in less than an hour.
Yet it had all happened, and was no less real than the life she was about to leave behind.
Sebastien took her hands in his and smiled that special, warm smiled reserved just for her.
“Ready?” he asked, and Kendra felt her heart overflow with love and hope for the future that lay ahead.
She smiled back and entwined her fingers with his.
“Ready.”
*****
THE END
Claimed by the Vampire King
Description
A curvy single mom struggling to get by PLUS a hot Vampire King who wants an heir PLUS a dark enemy planning a lethal attack!
Naya Valadez is a curvy single mother who will do anything to properly take care of her three-year-old daughter–even sign up to be a living blood donor for the ruling vampire elite. With her rare blood type, she is a hot commodity.
What she was not expecting was to be claimed by Gabriel, the vampire king...
But it's not all about blood when it comes to Gabriel. He has decided that he wants to have a child. This is only possible during the Blood Moon when all vampires transform back into humans for the night. The moment Gabriel scents Naya, he knows that she will be fertile, and perfect to bear his child for him.
It's only a business arrangement–until it's not...
Just when Naya and Gabriel start to reveal their true feelings to each other, a dangerous enemy reveals themselves and love turns lethal.
Will Naya and Gabriel find a way to escape the enemy and be together? Or will they lose everything they love? Find out now.
Chapter One: First Bites
The ballroom needed no extra decorations, and yet the opulent space was still swamped with decadence. Naya Valadez stared around in awe.
The open floor was highly-polished black marble, with white marble holding up a vaulted ceiling, painted, it was rumored, by the vampire king himself over a thousand years ago. It was a work to behold, with depth and colors Naya hadn't thought possible. Two staircases wrapped around the sides, with landings every few feet full of plush furniture. Chandeliers made from diamonds–not crystal, but real diamonds–hung from the ceiling. No wonder she had been vetted so thoroughly before she was chosen for this party!
Naya was sorely tempted to slip a golden spoon from the ice cream bar into her pocket. They were small, delicate things, and certainly worth a month's rent. But to steal from vampires, let alone the king's own palace, would be inviting disaster.
A man came up behind Naya, brushing his hand against her arm. His skin was ice-cold and, when Naya looked at him, he flashed a set of pearly-white fangs in a smile. A vampire. She shivered, as equally drawn to him as she was repulsed.
"I've never seen you before." He eyed her deep cleavage before his gaze penetrated her eyes.
Naya ducked her head, feeling her cheeks warm under his intense scrutiny. "I'm new."
It was a great fortune for her that Living Blood, the company she had signed up for just a few weeks earlier, had sent her to the king's ball. Normally, when vampires wanted living blood donors at their parties, they asked for specific body types–thin, hourglass, with perky boobs and tight asses. Naya was hourglass all right, but she wasn't what anybody would call thin. Living Blood wouldn't have even hired her if it wasn't for her blood type.
AB negative was almost impossible to find these days. Back before King Gabriel united the vampire race into a single kingdom, vampires ran rampant across the globe, taking what they wanted. And most of them wanted to drink AB negative blood. Carriers were almost wiped out from overfeeding and, as such, were worth almost as much per drop as oil these days.
Naya wore a red dress to indicate her blood type. All around her she saw other donors from Living Blood, women in dresses, men in tuxedos with colored shirts; red for AB negative, orange for B negative. The two rarest blood types. The king hadn't wanted any others. There was a total of three people wearing red in this magnificent hall.
The vampire stepped closer to Naya, his gaze sweeping over her body. The red dressed flattered her Latina complexion, and her dark hair fell in waves down her back. The dress was gathered at the waist, emphasizing her narrowest part, and the deep V of the halter-top neckline went almost to her belly button. The skirt fell to the knee, but it was slit along the thigh, all the way up to the black lacy undergarments that were part of her uniform.
Even though things had been rough since her daughter was born, Naya had never sold her body–or any p
art of it. But she might as well have gold running in her veins, and Ivanna needed food, clothes and a better place to live. A pint or two of blood tonight would give her enough money for the next year. It was worth the sacrifice.
"You've never been drunk from before, have you?" The vampire's voice was low and husky. When she shook her head, he stepped closer. "Come to a room with me. I know Living Blood pays you for just showing up, but I've got a blank check in my pocket. Whatever you want. It's been nearly three hundred years since I've tasted AB negative."
Naya's heart pounded, but she nodded, allowing the vampire to put an arm around her waist and guide her towards the nearest staircase. This was what she was here for, after all. And a blank check? How much can I get away with asking for?
Outside the huge windows, stars twinkled in the night sky. Nighttime belonged to the vampires. Naya belonged to the night. At least she did until dawn.
She followed the huge vampire quietly to a secluded room. It was more of an alcove than anything else, big enough to hold a blood-red chaise lounge and a small table. Bottles of water and juice sat on the table, along with several kinds of chocolate and cookies. They were for the donors after their blood was taken. The carpet was red, too. Was that in case the feeding vampire was messy?
"Take off your clothes and lay down," the vampire instructed, shutting the door.
"What?" Naya's eyes widened.
"We don't want that pretty dress to get all stained, do we?" He chuckled as he shucked off his tuxedo jacket. "Now do as I say."
Naya's heart hammered as she backed away. The vampire's eyes were black as he stared at her, and his fangs were growing as he unbuttoned the front of his shirt.
