Alpha Lover

by Brenda Sparks

  He gathered energy in the palm of his hand. It coalesced into a reddish orange ball. Varrick lobbed the thing into the fireplace, instantly igniting the kindling. The ambient glow filled the room, and the flames cast shadows over the furniture within.

  It was all he could do for now, keep her warm, safe. He sank onto the bed, the mattress depressed under his weight, drawing Elizabeth against his thigh.

  The odor of sulfur stung his nose as Jara appeared at the foot of his bed in a flowing caftan. The sheer fabric swirled around her body as she amalgamated into her solid form.

  “Varrick, I have news.” Jara’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

  Varrick raised a quelling hand. “Can you not see I’m tending to Elizabeth? Keep your voice down. She just got to sleep.”

  “Oh, give me a break. I can’t believe I find you doting on that woman again.” Jara did not keep the exasperation from her voice.

  “Get out!” Varrick hissed as he rose and grabbed Jara’s arm in a bruising grip, escorting her toward the door to his chamber. “We will speak in the hall.”

  Varrick shoved his sister out the door and pulled it quietly closed behind them. “Jara, you are no longer welcome into my bedchamber uninvited,” he snapped with sudden acrimony.

  “What?” Her light patrician features widened in disbelief.

  “You heard me. You may no longer come into my room unannounced. You will learn some manners. I will send for you if I need you.”

  “Is this because of her?”

  Varrick’s hands curled into fists at his sides, his knuckles white. “Her name is Elizabeth, and she is my mate, your queen. You will show her proper respect.”

  “But she isn’t even a full blooded demon!”

  “Her demon blood is strong. Based on what she has shared with me, I believe one parent may have been full demon and the other half, making her three quarters. Unfortunately, both are dead, so we may never know for sure. But even if she is only half demon, I would still take her as my mate.”

  “Filthy half breeds!” Jara spat, her voice supercilious. “Demons mating with humans, producing offspring. It’s disgusting, Brother! How could one of our kind do such a thing? It is one of the reasons we are dying out.”

  “Do not lecture me on the troubles of our kind,” the king admonished her. “I am well aware of what plagues us. It was difficult for me to send our people into the ground to live, taking away most contact with the outside world, but it had to be done.”

  Jara’s face softened. “I understand why. As the human population increased and their technology made traveling between continents fast and easy, they spread illness to our people. With the so called Super Bugs, the viruses resistant to their antibiotics, the problems increased even further until you had no choice but to banish our people from human society, forcing them to live in the ground where they would be safe from human contact and the illnesses that came with it.

  “But don’t you see, Varrick,” the princess pleaded. “Our people need you now more than ever. We need your full attention on matters of the court. You do not need the distraction of troubles with your mate.”

  “Having Elizabeth does not distract me from my tasks. Every moment the weight of my decisions presses down upon my shoulders.

  “Have I not given permission to kidnap the vampire? Did I not bring Lane, our brightest scientist, here to conduct his experiments?”

  “You did,” she said bowing her head in acquiescence.

  “Though it is offensive to me, I am willing to allow a life to be sacrificed in order to save our people. The gravity of that decision is not lost on me, but it is far less than the burden of condemning our entire breed to the bowels of the earth.”

  “Why would sacrificing one vampire be such a burden? They are blood-sucking monsters. They should all be killed, especially after one of them killed Lovazia’s mate.”

  “You need not remind me of our sister’s loss. I watched her grieve for her mate. But I remind you, Jara, we do not know the vampire side of the situation. Alcid’s death may have been…”

  Jara’s eyes glowed red and her blonde hair stood out from her head as her power swirled around her fueled by her outrage. “Don’t you dare say his death was deserved. No demon deserves death at the hands of a bloodsucker!”

  Varrick pulled his power to him, his eyes glowed red as his power prickled over the pair. Varrick knew it stung and burned. “Keep your voice down, or I will confine you to your room until you can control your anger.”

  Varrick waited until her hair settled back into place with each deep breath she took before he eased the level of his powerful energy and continued speaking.

  “Jara, you and Lovazia have a deep prejudice against any who are not our kind. Our dear sister, Lovazia, has not been right since her mate died. I didn’t understand her delirium until now. If anything happened to Elizabeth, I would go insane. What I don’t understand is why you seem to share her deep hatred.”

  Jara fisted her hands on her hips. “Because the vampires wronged us. You should be declaring war on the entire breed, and yet here you are worried because one might be harmed in Lane’s experiments.”

  Varrick shook his head, looking at his sister with sorrow. “That is why father abdicated to me and not you, even though you are his first born. How can you hate all things not demon?”

  “It’s easy when those not-demon things are a threat to our existence. Humans threaten us by exposing us to their illnesses; vampires threaten us, too. If we could rid the world of those other breeds, we could live in freedom once more.”

  Varrick waited until a fellow demon passed them in the hall and disappeared from view before he took his sister’s hand. “Have faith, Jara. Lane will find the secret to the vampires’ immunities, and then we will develop a way for our own people to have the same immunities. Once human illness no longer affects us, our kind will be able to live for centuries. We will be able to live with humans once more.”

  Jara snatched her hand away from her brother’s hold. “How much time will that take? Years, decades? What will become of us in the meantime?”

  Varrick pinched the bridge of his nose. “In the meantime, we will continue to do the best we can to survive. I am done discussing this. My mate requires my attention. Remember, do not enter my chamber again without being summoned.”

  Varrick turned his back on his sister, effectively shutting down any percolating argument and disappeared behind the door to his room.

  ****

  Julie sat on the closed toilet in the bathroom as Penny ran the brush through her hair and worked at a knot.

  “Ouch, that hurt.” Julie raised her hand to the back of her head and rubbed her aching scalp.

  “Sorry, but this one is a bugger.” The knot slipped free, and Penny twisted the brunette locks into a simple chignon. “Hand me a bobby pin.”

  Julie lifted one to her friend. “Here.”

  “So tell me more about last night. When you left off, you and Nicholai were walking down Main Street.”

  “Oh, that reminds me, I saw the cutest set of Russian stacking dolls in one of the little shops.”

  “Which one?”

  “The toy shop across the street from the bakery.”

  “You going to go back and buy them?”

  “I hope to. Don’t let me forget to stop in there before we leave Russia.”

  Penny smoothed an unruly wisp of hair, securing it into place. “I’ll try to remember to remind you. Now hand me another pin, please.”

  Juliette complied. “Thanks for doing my hair tonight.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m happy to do it. I couldn’t let you wear that beautiful gown and not have an up-do to go with it.”

  Penny walked around to face Julie. She took a wisp of hair and curled it around her finger before spritzing it with hairspray. When Penny removed her finger, the lock fell in a loose curl framing Juliette’s round face. “Where are you two going tonight?”

  “Nicholai said he
’s taking me to the ballet.”

  “That sounds like it will be fun.” Penny let another loose curl fall on the opposite side of Julie’s face. “All done.”

  “I can’t wait.” Julie stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. A satisfied smile graced her full lips. “It’s perfect, Penny! Thank you so much!”

  Penny placed a friendly hand on Julie’s shoulder and stared into her mirrored eyes. “Nothing but the best for you. You deserve it.”

  Julie blushed.

  “Now let’s get you into the gown.”

  The women crossed Julie’s room and retrieved the gown from the bed. The black, floor-length dress, with beading around the bodice, fit her perfectly.

  “I didn’t see you pack this, Julie.”

  “That’s because I didn’t. Nicholai took me window-shopping last night. It was so romantic.”

  “Not many men would take a woman shopping.”

  Julie smiled. “I know. When we came to one of the shops, Nicholai opened the door with a silly grin on his face. The sign on the door indicated it was closed, but when we stepped inside the lights came on.

  “A dressmaker greeted us, then whisked me away into one of the dressing rooms where five gowns hung.”

  Penny’s eyes widened. “Five? How ever did you choose?”

  “I modeled each gown for Nicholai, while he sat on a couch across from three full-length mirrors.” Julie remembered how his hungry gaze devoured her as he sipped champagne and watched with crossed legs.

  “The green dress was too tight. The yellow one clashed so badly with my skin tone, it made me look sick. The blue one looked nice but not perfect. This black one made everyone smile, so I knew it was the one. When the dressmaker brought me a pair of black sandals with rhinestone accents to complete the outfit, the look on Nicholai’s face told me I’d found the perfect ensemble.”

  In fact, Nicholai’s eyes heated as he raked her from toes to head with his scorching gaze. He’d looked at her as if she wore nothing at all. She could have sworn she heard a growl of approval. The memory made Julie’s knees go weak and her stomach clench.

  Penny held the long-sleeved gown and gingerly slipped it up Julie’s body before pulling up the zipper to close her in.

  “There, Jules. You’re a vision.”

  Julie spun once.

  “Wow, you really are stunning. Just let me take the price tag off.”

  Penny pulled the tag from the arm of the dress and noted the amount. “Whoa! Eighty-eight thousand rubles! How did you afford that on your teacher’s salary?”

  Juliette cast her eyes to the floor, looking sheepish. “Nicholai said it wasn’t a lot. He bought it.”

  “You let him?”

  “Only because he said it wasn’t a lot of money.”

  Penny chuckled. “It’s only about two thousand quid.”

  Juliette gasped and lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I had no idea it cost so much. I never would have let him pay for it if I had known.”

  Her blonde friend smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t have bought it if he couldn’t afford it. The restaurant business must be good.”

  “Actually, he might come from old money. You should see his house.”

  “Is it big?”

  “Huge and very old. It kind of reminded me of the Peterhof Palace.”

  Penny’s blue eyes widened. “Don’t tell me his place is as big as the palace!”

  “No, no, it’s not nearly that big, but it has a lot of rooms. I’m not sure exactly what it was about his home, maybe the furniture or the paintings on the walls, but it did remind me of the palace.”

  A tender smile graced Penny’s face, crinkling her eyes. “I’m so glad you are giving this guy a chance, Jules. You deserve to be spoiled.”

  Julie absently tucked one of the curls framing her face behind her ear. “He seems so sincere, like he truly cares. I’m just sorry we are leaving in a couple of days.”

  “Maybe he’ll come to see you in England,” Penny offered, untucking the brunette curl.

  Julie gave an insouciant shrug. “Who knows? I’m trying not to contemplate the future, just live in the here and now.”

  Juliette meant what she said to her friend. She’d tried not to fall head over heels for Nicholai Peterhof, but he was everything she had ever wanted in a man: good-looking, courtly manners, considerate of her feelings at all times. Nicholai appeared to know her so well, in spite of the fact they had only met a short time ago. He anticipated her desires, appeared to know exactly what she would enjoy. He enjoyed surprising her and his surprises, like everything about Nicholai, had been perfect.

  Too perfect.

  She kept reminding herself no one could be perfect. There must be something wrong with him, for him to want an older woman with a less than perfect body and personal baggage that weighed her down. It would be so easy to give her heart to him, but if she did, surely it would end in another heartbreak for her. And Julie couldn’t handle any more heartache.

  Penny cupped Juliette’s face between her hands, pulling her from her reverie. “There’s nothing wrong with thinking about the future, Jules. You need to be open to the possibilities, be ready to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.”

  Julie opened her mouth to reply when the sound of her Mission Impossible ring tone stopped her mid breath. She raced across the room to answer the cell before it went to voicemail.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Julie. It’s DW,” greeted the male voice on the other end of the line.

  Desmond Wright owned the cottage house Juliette currently rented. The successful British actor, who had diverted into directing and producing, lived in the main house on the estate and allowed Julie to rent his guesthouse.

  “Hi, DW. How’s everything going?”

  “Everything is basically fine.”

  Julie chewed her thumb nail. “What do you mean, ‘basically fine’?”

  “Well, it seems Connor got a bit feisty the other day. He knocked into one of the living room tables and sent a lamp toppling.”

  “Oh, no, that big brute is always getting into trouble.”

  “No worries, love,” Desmond assured her in his proper British accent that sounded like he’d just stepped from Windsor Castle. “He didn’t do too much damage. A new lampshade will fix it right up.”

  Juliette’s stomach knotted. “Shit! Those were Tiffany lamps. A new shade will cost a fortune.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”

  “Oh, no, you won’t. You’ve done more than enough by allowing me to live in the cottage house for such a low rent. It was supposed to be temporary.”

  “If you recall, I insisted you stay when you tried to give notice, because I like having someone here when I’m away for months at a time filming.”

  The two had formed a close friendship, and now Julie couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “Well, since you give me a deal on the place, the least I can do is pay to repair anything my dog breaks.”

  “Nonsense, I won’t hear of it. You left Connor in my charge. I am supposed to be looking after him. I should have checked on him more often. He simply has too much energy to be cramped up in that little house all day.”

  Julie sighed. Once DW made a decision, nothing would change his mind. “Everything else okay?”

  Desmond hesitated. “Since you asked, I should mention something. When I came to let Connor out for a potty break, I found more than just the broken lamp. The cottage looked disheveled. I heard your Irish wolfhound scratching at the bathroom door. He’d been closed inside. When I let him out, he ran to your bedroom. I found a book lying in the middle of your bedroom floor.” Concerned tightened his voice. “I think a vam…someone might have been in the house.”

  “Was anything missing from the cottage?” Julie’s question made Penny turn her way.

  “No, everything is still there as far as I can tell.”

  Relief made her give Penny a
reassuring thumbs-up. “That’s good, then there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure Connor just made a mess of the place and accidentally closed himself in the bathroom. He probably went in there to hide in shame.”

  Desmond cleared his throat. “Perhaps. How are things there?”

  “Oh, everything here has been great. I’ve been having the time of my life. There is so much to see and do.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Anything exciting happen?”

  Julie’s mind flashed to the two accidents. “No, nothing exciting has happened.”

  Julie waved off the incredulous look Penny shot her with a flick of her hand.

  “Nothing to speak of anyway.”

  “Julie, you wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

  “No, of course not. Everything has been just great.”

  Desmond sighed through the phone, and Julie wondered why he had been holding his breath.

  “Listen, love, I need to go. We are doing camera blocking this evening, and I must meet with the crew beforehand. But I want you to be careful for me. Okay?”

  “I will. I’m always careful.” Penny snorted at the remark, and Julie quickly covered the mouth piece on her cell.

  “I hope so. Connor and I want you back here safe and sound.”

  “Good luck at rehearsal. Break a leg.”

  DW chuckled, the deep laugh resonated in Julie’s ear. “I’m only directing this movie, not acting in it so break a leg isn’t apropos, but thanks for the well wishes all the same. Bye, Julie. Take care.”

  “Bye, DW.”

  Juliette shut off the phone, then turned and faced her friend who now sat on the bed.

  “So, how’s everything at home?”

  “Fine. Connor’s been a pain, but it sounds like DW has it under control.”

  “I bet he does. He seems like the kind of man who is always in control.”

  “He is,” agreed Julie as a knock sounded on her door.

  She sauntered to it and opened it wide to reveal the handsome man that waited on the other side. Nicholai stood dressed in a formal tuxedo, complete with black neck tie and vest. His broad shoulders filled the tailored jacket, and his thick thighs pushed against the black material of his pants when he bowed at the waist. “I have come to escort you to the ballet, milady.”