The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  I nodded. Finally finding words, I said, "He looks like you."

  Cliff squeezed my shoulders. "I think he looks like you."

  We sat in silence for a while, admiring our little creation.

  "What is he going to need when he gets hungry? Milk? Blood?" I asked, suddenly worried that I wouldn't be able to give him what he needed.

  "No blood! Remember, not until he starts his transition."

  "Right. How could I forget? One drop at a time."

  He nodded, smiling. "That's right. Exposure to blood can trigger an early transformation. That doesn't usually happen before puberty, but it can. It's always best to keep a young vampire away from blood."

  "Is he going to get his milk from me? Can I still drink blood? What about wine? What about—?"

  "Don't worry, my princess. Mattie and your mother are nearby, waiting to spring into action when he starts crying. They'll explain all of that to you. I don't know anything about that part of the process."

  Sitting wrapped in Cliff's arms while holding our baby helped me to relax and I drifted back to sleep. I woke up when I felt the baby squirming in his tight little blanket wrap. The way he was swaddled reminded me of a burrito. He didn't seem much bigger than one, either. He started to make little noises and opened his eyes. He had Cliff's chocolate colored eyes. I started rocking him and lifted him up to kiss his tiny, angelic face. He smacked his lips and held my gaze. We stared at each other for a while until he sank back to sleep.

  I looked over at Cliff and saw him sleeping too, his arm still around me. It looked like an uncomfortable angle, so I moved it, not wanting him to wake up sore. I snuggled closer to him, happier than I'd ever been. I was determined to make this last; it seemed that every time things were going well, something was just around the corner to tear us apart. I held our baby closer as I closed my eyes.

  Shuffling noises woke me again and I noticed that the baby was gone from my arms. I flew out of bed, frantic and searching around.

  Mattie looked up at me in surprise. "I've got him. I'm just changing his diaper."

  "You could have woken me!"

  "I apologize, dear. I didn't think you'd wake up. I was going to return him to your arms when I was done."

  I sighed, calming down. "When is he going to need to eat?"

  "Vampire babies are very well nourished in the womb, and with the quick deliveries, they're able to retain it for a long time. Most just sleep a day or two, giving mothers the time to rest and recover. By then, your body should be fully back to normal."

  "Nice. I'm sure the humans would be jealous of that."

  She nodded and handed him back to me. "Do you need anything? Are you hungry?"

  "Is it okay for me to drink blood? I know that he needs to be kept away from it."

  "Yes, of course. Just as you were able to drink it while he was in the womb. The nutrients from the blood will go into your milk, just as it went to him in utero, and help him to grow."

  "Oh. That's good. But what happens after he doesn't get those nutrients? He won't need it while growing up?"

  "Technically, he doesn't need it now, but the nutrients work to make him stronger. Just as you didn't need it growing up. He'll be fine until his transformation."

  I held him close to me, not wanting to think about him being that old.

  The next few days went by in a blissful blur. Cliff stayed in my room with us and I was so happy to have him so close to me. Mattie had been right. By the second day, my figure and my energy had returned. But I didn't want to leave either one of them, so we stayed in my room until my parents informed us that there was going to be a special naming ceremony where he would also receive his sun blessing.

  We hadn't discussed names. "How does naming a royal vampire work?" I asked Cliff. "Does it have to be after someone else, or have a special meaning? Or can we just pick a name that we like?"

  "We can pick any name that we like. It can be a family name or not. There aren't any hard and fast rules to follow."

  "It's such a big decision. He's going to have to live with it for thousands of years."

  Cliff smiled. "No pressure."

  "No, none at all. What about Cliff Junior?"

  He laughed. "That would be too confusing. What about Alexander?"

  "That would be confusing, too, don't you think? Technically, either of us could then be called Alex."

  "I don't see a problem with it."

  "We could give him an Icelandic name. What about Larus?"

  "You mean after the human who brought the Asrai and Atcen together?"

  "Yeah. That would be fitting, wouldn't it? Unless that's a name that everyone gives their kids."

  He shook his head. "I can't think of any vampires name Larus. If that's the name you want to give him, then let's do it."

  I looked down at our nameless baby in my arms. "Are you a Larus? Do you like that?"

  He cooed. Cliff and I laughed.

  "Larus it is," Cliff said.

  A couple of days later, we were in the room where Cliff and I had received our engagement blessing as children. I thought that the old vampire in the strange cloak was the same one who had conducted that ceremony too. The ceremony itself was quick, but as soon as it was over, everyone wanted to see little Larus.

  "Can I hold him?" Svana asked, smiling. "He's so cute, and it's been over a thousand years since I've held a baby."

  She'd given me no reason to distrust her, aside from the fact that she and Alrekur had always been friends.

  I handed him to her and she snuggled him close. "I miss this stage," she said, closing her eyes.

  Making sure that Cliff was still across the room, I asked, "How is Alrekur?"

  "Not thrilled of course," she said, rocking Larus. She opened her eyes. "He understands the importance of the lines. He also remembers how exciting it is to have your own baby. I think he's actually happy for you, but he wishes that he was sharing it with you. He says that he knows you'll come around when it's the right time."

  I rolled my eyes. "Of course. Where is he now?"

  "He, Dagur, and Baldur left yesterday to follow a lead about Asdis. My brother wanted to go, but your parents wouldn't allow it. He's in love with her and he wouldn't be able to think clearly, so he stays behind."

  "Isn't Baldur too close to think clearly too?"

  Svana shook her head. "Brotherly love is nothing like eros. Romantic love blinds us to logic."

  I nodded, understanding completely. "Are you excited? As soon as Asdis is awakened, Halldor can go to Soren's location. You'll be reunited with your true love."

  She sighed. "Excited doesn't begin to explain it! This time we're going to get married. No one is going to keep us apart, not even my brother who thinks he can stand in for my parents and make decisions for me."

  "Do you think that Alrekur is going to continue to leave Cliff and me alone when he gets back? Is he serious about waiting for me to come around?"

  "Of course. He's not willing to put your relationship in jeopardy. Obviously, he's furious at Cliff's parents for the false prophecy. He can't wait for the war to begin so that he can take care of them once and for all. Beyond that, he's going to wait for you as long as it takes. He's glad that at least the line has finally begun."

  "How do you like Asdis? Are the Fyrsturae close? Or does all the feuding I hear about drive you away from each other?"

  "The feuding is what caused our temporary extinction. I'm hoping we can all learn to get along; the werewolf war might be exactly what we need to band together. We'll see though. Alrekur and Halldor have always clashed, I think because they're the first two vampires and they have such big egos. It's always been a power play between those two."

  My mother joined us. "Isn't our little Larus a darling?"

  Svana nodded. "He's the perfect start of a new line. I love the name choice, too. Without Larus Hinriksson falling in love with that Nagini, none of us would be here today. Any word on Asdis?"

  "Alrekur and Baldur just se
nt word that the lead appears to be legitimate. If they find her within the week, they will awaken her. If she's not found, the king and I will join them along with you and Halldor. We weren't going to bring him, but he can be very insistent."

  "That's my brother. Has he told you where Soren is? You do know we need that information before he has Asdis back."

  Nodding, my mother said, "That was part of the deal. He already told us the location and Geoffrey told him that he'd re-stake Asdis if he was lying about it."

  Svana smiled. "Good to hear. I can't believe how soon I'll be back in Soren's arms!"

  "And soon we'll have Ida back. Dagur gave us her location already, so as soon as Soren has been awakened, we can get our daughter back. Alexis, you'll finally be able to meet your sister."

  I smiled. I wasn't looking forward to meeting her from everything I'd ever heard about her. Even Mattie had a hard time saying anything nice about her. "Then that just leaves Hella, right? All ten of us will be together after that."

  "Are there any leads on Hella's location?" Svana asked. "Nobody knows who killed her, right? She just disappeared."

  "You mean she could still be alive?" I asked.

  My mother shook her head. "That's not possible. She would have been in a position to rule the vampire kingdom as the last remaining Fyrsturae. No Fyrsturae would give that up."

  Hadn't Cliff said that she had the little cottage built to avoid the drama of living in the castle with the Fyrsturae? I would have to talk with the faeries to see if they knew anything about where she was, and if she was alive or not. They had trusted me to go into the secret cottage. Surely they would trust me with her whereabouts if they knew.

  But then again, would my parents try to force me to marry Alrekur once all then were united? Or would they let me make the decision myself? This could have been exactly what I needed, some leverage. If they agree to let me take hold of my own destiny, then and only then would I use my secret resources to help find Hella.

  "You look tired, daughter," my mother said. "We ought to get you back to your room."

  I raised an eyebrow. I felt perfectly rested.

  She called for Mattie and the three of us went to my room with little Larus. Mattie took him from me and changed his diaper.

  "What do you know, daughter?" my mother asked, standing inches from me.

  Sitting on a chair, I asked, "What do you mean?"

  "As soon as Hella's name was brought up, you went into your own world. You were clearly thinking about something. I don't see how, but do you have information on her whereabouts?"

  "No. However I might know someone who does."

  Mattie spun around. "How?"

  Looking at my mother, I said, "If I help you with this, I want your word that you won't force me to marry Alrekur."

  "You have to marry him! You can have this little thing with Cliff for a while; we support that. The tenth line must be built. You two need to have several more children at least. The more, the better. Technically, it doesn't have to be with Cliff. Any royal vampire will do. They don't all have to have the same father. It doesn't matter. You could even spend the next century with him. But you can't marry him."

  "Why?" I demanded. "Why is it so important that I marry Alrekur?"

  My mother narrowed her eyes. "Because he's your true destiny. You're the Sonnast."

  "My deal stands. If you want the information I have on Hella, you have to give me the freedom of choice."

  She continued to glare at me. "We'll see what we can find on our own. We still have plenty of time."

  "You need to have awakened her before the war. I can't imagine Francine holding off much longer, especially now that her son is here at the castle."

  "Darling, you aren't used to the patience of royal vampires. The Montgomery's are close to seven hundred years old so they have an entirely different view on time than you do. She'll wait until just the right time, even if it takes several years. That's nothing to them."

  Larus began crying. "I need to feed him," I said with clenched fists. "Can I have some privacy?"

  "I don't want you alone," my mother said, as Mattie handed me the noisy little bundle.

  Rocking him, I said, "Then send for Cliff or Karlie."

  Mattie opened the door. "I'll go find one of them for you."

  "Thanks," I said, climbing onto my bed.

  After I'd gotten comfortable, my mother said, "It looks like you have a stretch mark, my daughter."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked, still irritated with her.

  "Right there on your stomach. That little mark, it's almost not even noticeable."

  I rolled my eyes. "I'm a vampire. It'll go away."

  She laughed. "Daughter, not even vampires can get rid of stretch marks that easily."

  The door opened and Karlie strolled in. "Hello, Miss. You requested my presence?"

  I nodded.

  My mother moved for the door. "I'll head back to the guests. We really had a good turnout for the ceremony. Keep a good eye on her, Karlie."

  "Yes, your highness."

  Karlie walked to the edge of my bed and sat on the chair next to it. "You look upset. Can I help you with something?"

  "You already did. I just wanted to get her away from me."

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  I sighed. "As you know, I want to be able to choose who I marry. I have information that she needs and she still won't grant me that much!"

  "Don't let yourself get upset. Focus on what you do have. Cliff is staying here with you, not only in the castle, but here in your room. You two have your baby, the first in a brand new line. You have much to be happy about."

  I looked down at Larus, now sleeping. "You're right. But is it so wrong to want to marry the one that I love? The one that I've started a family with?"

  "No. Feelings can't be wrong, but actions have consequences. You need to weigh everything out; that's something your mother has done without the emotions you're dealing with."

  "So you agree with her?"

  "I'm not saying that. I'm only saying to enjoy what you have right now. You've got everything you've ever dreamed of at the moment, minus a wedding ceremony. Don't worry about that one detail."

  I sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's going to take more than one conversation to convince my parents to let me make my own choice. If only Hella had been born before Ida, then I'd have them where I want them."

  SIXTEEN

  I rolled over and smiled when I saw Cliff sleeping peacefully next to me. Karlie did have a point about my already having what I really wanted. I traced his face with my fingers and he opened one eye, smiling.

  "You're awake, I take it," he said, closing his eye.

  Running my fingers through his hair, I said, "Yes, and I couldn't be happier."

  He smiled, eyes still closed. I twirled a strand of his hair and snuggled up against him, falling into a near dream state, half awake and half asleep. I listened to his rhythmic breathing, amazed that a sleeping vampire could breathe. We didn't need to, but it was ingrained in us since we had needed oxygen before our transformations.

  After a while, I heard the door open. I tuned my ears to find out who had joined us. I was too comfortable and happy to bother opening my eyes.

  "Oh good. They're sleeping," my mother said. "Can you believe she wants to hold that against me?"

  "Can you blame her?" asked Mattie. "She's loved him since she was as young as Larus. He held her and cared for her with as much love as he does for their son. You allowed her to believe that they were meant to be married, yet you knew what the mark of the Sonnast meant."

  "I didn't know that the prophecy about them was a fake! Geoffrey and I thought that she and Cliff must be destined to create the tenth line before Alrekur was awakened. We assumed that Cliff would be dead before then."

  "If that was the case, why search for Alrekur while she was still a child?"

  "You know, Mattie, I don't have to answer any of your questions."


  "I know you don't. But I'm asking as a friend."

  "When we first got word that there was a clue to Alrekur's whereabouts, we couldn't ignore it. Between that and the threats on Marguerite's life, it was too much. We had more reason to awaken the Fyrsturae—not only to get our Ida back, but also to protect our second child from the same fate."

  "At least Alrekur is understanding, willing to wait for the creation of the tenth line. That's not something he has to do, as I'm sure you're well aware. I'm actually surprised at his level of patience. He's always been such an impatient and temperamental one."

  "Can't you see it in his eyes? He loves her with a depth never seen before. He's never allowed a potential threat live, and yet he hasn't complained about Cliff moving into her room. And after he banished him from the castle! I'm surprised that he didn't have him killed, like he did the other boy."

  "It can't be denied," Mattie said. I could hear her picking up Larus from his bassinet.

  "We need to find a way to convince Alexis to share her information. I don't see how she could find out something about Hella that we ourselves couldn't find. How do you suppose she knows?"

  "Perhaps the unicorns told her. She has always had the same effect on creatures as Hella had."

  "You're right, Mattie. It has to be from something that she's come into contact with here on the grounds. Those beings rarely come to me or Geoffrey. If that's the case, we'll have to get that information from her somehow."

  "Have you considered letting her marry the boy? Like you said, nature could…take its course by the time she's ready to step into her destiny."

  I held my breath. Could they be right? What if there was no way to avoid the destiny that the mark had laid out for me thousands of years before my birth? I couldn't marry Cliff and risk him losing his life over this. Maybe it was for the best if I backed off about getting married. I would risk enraging Alrekur and defying a three thousand year old prophecy. I'd rather Cliff be alive, even if I couldn't be with him. Everyone seemed to be fine with us spending the next hundred or so years together. Would that be enough?

  Who was I kidding? If I allowed myself to think along these lines, it meant I was willing to leave myself open to marrying Alrekur. There was no way that I was going to allow that to happen. Not now, not a hundred years from now. Not ever.