Mariska nodded and put her hand on top of his head as he hugged her leg. “I think so. I think he will be. It’s too soon to know if he has any of my abilities or not.”
“Ah. But that is where you are wrong, child.” She hummed, smiling softly.
“What do you mean?”
“His first birthday is in a matter of days. When he turns one, the Taltos will do an ancient ritual to see if our little prince has any gifts. We haven’t been able to do one in centuries. It’s been a very long time since we’ve met someone like you and an even longer time since we’ve had a member of the royal family with a gift. This child is very important to us.” She said looking down at Jayden.
Mariska frowned a little and pulled her son closer to her. The idea of having the Taltos experimenting and doing rituals with her son didn’t really sit well with her.
“Won’t that be too much for him? Won’t it be scary?”
Elso looked at Mariska with a cocked brow and her hands on her hips. “Have I ever put you or your family in danger?” She asked softly.
Mariska suddenly felt ashamed that she’d even suggested it. She looked away and sighed, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry Elso.” She said softly. “I’ve been such a wreck since he was born.” She said with a nervous smile.
Elso chuckled and shook her head. “Not at all darling. You have every right to be protective of him. I don’t blame you one bit.” She said, putting an arm around Mariska. “But you have to understand that you aren’t in the human world anymore. Things are different here.” She said gently.
Mariska nodded and ran her fingers through her son’s hair gently, looking down at him. He smiled up at her and squeezed her leg as if trying to reassure her. She chuckled softly and lifted him into her arms, nodded slowly. “I suppose you’re right.” She said softly.
Elso nodded and led Mariska through the hall. They were chatting a while and it wasn’t until Jamesson came around the corner that they stopped. Jayden’s eyes lit up and he scrambled out of his mother’s arms, running toward the man he knew as his uncle. Jamesson swept the child into his arms, laughing wildly. He was dressed in his military uniform and Mariska couldn’t help but notice how proud and distinguished he looked.
Jamesson made it clear that he wasn’t leaving after everything that had gone down. Somehow they’d been expecting him to leave after everything that had gone down, but he refused. He wanted to stay and protect his friend and her family. In return for his loyalty, Daemon made him a general in their army. He was thriving as a warrior and she couldn’t have been more proud of him.
He put an arm around Elso and kissed her cheek, making her blush bright red. He chuckled softly and nuzzled her before looking towards Mariska. “You’re glowing.”
“I’m happy.” She said with a soft chuckle. “How are things on the front lines?”
“Quiet. The troops are training.”
Jamesson had blossomed as a General. It was as if he were made to lead. The rest of the creatures, werewolf or not, respected the hell out of him. He was able to deliver easily understood orders and everyone seemed to appreciate how clear he always was.
Mariska couldn’t help but think his relationship with Elso helped as well. Jamesson was a completely different man when he was with Elso, though it wasn’t in a bad way. He was happy. He smiled and laughed. She’d never seen him so happy.
“We better get going or we’re going to miss lunch entirely.” Elso said softly.
They’d all been having lunch together as a family lately. It was important to Mariska that Jayden had a strong support network and she knew that his interaction with is grandparents would be very limited. After being rescued, Mariska’s family returned to their own world and left their daughter in Daemon’s kingdom. It broke their hearts and It broke Mariska’s but they knew it had to be this way. This was where Mariska belonged.
As they made their way through the marbled halls, they began to talk, laughing and telling stories. Suddenly, Elso became dizzy. Her head started to spin and she frowned, holding a hand to her forehead. Jamesson watched her, the look of concern clear on her face.
After a moment, she pulled her hand away and opened her mouth to speak but before she could get any words out she collapsed. Jamesson managed to catch her, but that didn’t help with the panic that was running through both of them.
Chapter Twelve
“Elso? ELSO!?” Jamesson cried, shaking her.
Mariska reached out and grabbed his arms. “Don’t! You might make it worse!” She snapped, pulling Elso up just a little.
Jamesson used the leverage to lift her over his shoulder. Thank God he was tall. Mariska ran after Jamesson, Jayden resting on her hip as they moved quickly through the corridors. This couldn’t be happening again. Mariska couldn’t handle seeing one of her best friend’s hurt again. Her heart was slamming in her chest as they moved through the halls, not stopping until they reached the infirmary.
Once they were inside one of the servants offered to take Jayden. Mariska thanked the elderly woman as she passed off her son to the woman. She ran after Jamesson and found them just as a group of healer Taltos were laying her out in a bed.
“What’s wrong with her?!” Jamesson demanded, his eyes wide and his lips drawn back into a snarl.
“We don’t know! We don’t know, Jamesson.” One of the healers said quickly. “But if you can’t keep yourself together then you can’t stay!”
Jamesson seemed taken aback by the woman’s sharp tone and Mariska could see that he was only a few seconds from snapping back. She reached out and grabbed his arm, giving him a firm look.
“Now is not the time, Jamesson!” She snapped, yanking him away from the bed.
His chest was heaving from unshed tears and she knew that he was about to lose it. She pulled him into a hug and held him for a moment. “Jamesson. I need you to breathe. Elso needs you and you need to let them do their jobs. They will take care of her as well as they can, but you need to be patient.”
He all but collapsed against her, nodding slowly. “Alright…Alright.”
Nearly an hour passed and Jamesson and Mariska were forced to just sit around and pray for answers, though none came. Jamesson paced and Mariska sat with Jayden in her arms. She was surprised that the young boy never dozed off. His steely gaze was focused on Elso. Mariska chalked it up to worry. Elso was an important person in his life. It was probably jarring for little Jayden to see her laying in a bed, hooked up to machines.
One of the Taltos crossed the room and looked between them. “We have her stabilized.” He said gently.
Jamesson had his head in his hands. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “What does that even mean?” He whispered.
“It means that she’s okay for now. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
Jamesson nodded, though he looked defeated. Everything was finally okay again, but it couldn’t stay that way, could it? Something always had to come up. He rubbed his face and took a deep breath.
“Thank you.”
The Taltos nodded, though he looked incredibly guilty. Elso was the oldest and most powerful Taltos. It made it difficult to know what was going on with her when something went wrong. When she was out of commission, the Taltos lost their greatest asset.
Mariska wasn’t going to go anywhere until her friend woke up. She settled in, her arms around her son as she leaned her head and tried to doze off. Not being rested wasn’t going to help anyone. As she slept, Jayden crawled off her lap and went to where Elso was laying. It was about this time that Mariska finally opened her eyes and watched as her son teetered towards the bed and managed to climb onto it.
She gasped and started moving towards him but stopped dead in her tracks when she watched the most amazing thing happen. The little boy reached out and touched her belly and Elso’s stomach began to glow with a strange warm light. Jamesson was standing beside Mariska now, eyes wide and unsure as to what was happening.
Mariska was abou
t to call the Taltos in, but they arrived before she could even call them. They stumbled in, eyes wide and staring at the child. After a moment, the healer Taltos looked up, a bright grin on his face.
“I understand now.” He whispered, walking over and lifting Jayden into his arms. “Jayden must have known all along, but I understand now.”
“What do you mean Jayden knew all along?” Jamesson asked, frowning deeply.
The healer let out a barking laughter. “This is wonderful!”
Jamesson was getting impatient and it was obvious in his tone. “Will you just tell me what’s going on?!”
“She’s pregnant!” The healer announced.
Chapter Thirteen
“So she fainted because she hadn’t been eating enough for her and the baby?” Daemon asked as he slipped out of his shoes to settle in bed.
“That’s what the healer said.”
Once they knew that Elso was going to be okay, Mariska decided to leave Jamesson to process the information. It was clear that he was excited and terrified all at once. The news that she was pregnant was a wonderful thing to hear, but there was an elephant in the room no one seemed to want to talk about. Somehow, Jayden knew things that even the healers hadn’t known. The idea that a Taltos could bear and werewolf’s child was something unheard of. They never even thought to put two and two together.
“Well, It’s certainly exciting, isn’t it?” Daemon asked, pulling Mariska close.
“It is…But it makes me wonder about our son.”
“I never had any doubts. I knew he would be a gifted child.” Daemon said with a smile. “The ritual will give us insight into what kind of gifts he has so that we can hone them.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “My gift…It made it hard for me to fit in and I can’t help but wonder if it will affect him the same way.” She murmured.
“You don’t have to worry about that, darling. He will be loved and celebrated here.” Daemon said softly, stroking her cheek. “This is an entirely different world.”
She nodded. “I know…But it’s still hard to shake that fear.” She murmured.
He wrapped his arms around her and smiled. “How about I distract you then?” He purred, a grin playing on her lips.
She chuckled and put a hand on his chest. “How could I say no to such an inviting offer?”
He leaned in close and offered her a long, slow kiss. They melted into that deep kiss and didn’t pull away from each other until the need for air was stronger than their need for each other. They pulled away and gasped in a big gulp of air before Daemon began kissing every inch of her body, tasting her skin just like he always did. She moaned softly and threaded her fingers through his long hair, pushing him further down south.
Daemon all but ripped her nightgown off, too impatient to undress her slowly. He always needed her and always wanted her. The display of strength made Mariska shudder in the best way possible and she was thrilled when he ripped her panties off, showing her just how much he wanted her. Mariska like knowing she was as strong as he was. She was just as resilient as he and she knew he could hurt her, no matter how rough he wanted to get.
He paused at her breasts, taking one of the pink nubs into his mouth and suckling on it eagerly while his free hand kneaded the soft flesh. She was so soft and so eager since the baby had been born. Mariska moaned and arched her back, gasping softly as his fingers dug into his hips. Those eager fingers found her soft, waiting womanhood. They slipped inside, exploring her and drawing deep moans with every movement.
Each thrust of those long fingers drew a moan from her and she arched her back desperately, trying to get more of his fingers. She needed more. She wanted more. She wanted everything Daemon was willing to offer. He rested his head against her belly, panting and moaning, pressing kisses to the tender skin as he worked her up. He loved seeing her like this, moaning and melting under his fingers.
Soon enough, his skilled thrusts were pulling sobs of pleasure from her as the heat coiled in Riley’s belly and threatened to spill over into the rest of her body. His fingers worked their magic and soon he was kissing back up her body, pausing to tease each other her breasts. His sharp teeth dragged along the tender flesh, pulling a desperate moan from her. She arched her back and dragged him up for a long, eager kiss.
Daemon pulled away from her just long enough to strip out of his night clothes. He didn’t want to be away from her warm, waiting body for long. Even though she’d seen his gloriously perfect body many times before she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and touching the wiry hair at the base of his hips. She moaned and licked her lips, looking up at her with hungry eyes.
“Make me forget it all. Make me think only of you.”
The words made him shudder with utter delight. She was so hungry and she wanted him so badly. He licked her lips and leaned down to kiss her hard. Daemon straddled her and stroked her beautiful hair back, the heat of their bodies mixing and creating a heavy musk that lingered in the air. He settled between her legs and gripped her hips hard enough to leave little red bruises there. The shot of pain that ran through her body made her moan and arch her back, chewing her lip as she dragged him down for a long and desperate kiss. She wanted to taste him and feel him in every way. She wanted them to become one.
His fingers dug into her hips as he buried himself inside of her, dragging her closer and letting a low, animalistic growl that sent shivers up her spine. It sounded like an animal getting ready to overtake its prey. It was something deep and animalistic inside of him and it drove her crazy in the best way. She arched her back against him, her fingers digging into the sheets as he ran his hands up her body and then up her arms, finally stopping to grab her wrists.
When he wrapped his hands around her wrists, she didn’t fight him. Mariska let him hold her down, deciding that she wanted him in control She wanted him to do whatever he wanted with her, and she wanted to be his. Once she was held down and couldn’t move, Daemon set a slow, deliberate pace, watching her face as her lips parted and she whispered his name over and over again. Each powerful thrust brought forth another moan and it only encouraged him.
Soon the sound of their hips slapping together filled the room as he leaned over her and pulled her to him, claiming her as his own. She’d been his for a long time now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make sure she knew it.
As soon as Mariska’s arms were released she threw them around Daemon and arched into his thrusts, meeting his hips with an eagerness she always showed. Each thrust and each deep growl brought her closer and closer to the edge. The molten pleasure that was pooling in her belly began to cascade through the rest of her body, making her see stars explode behind her eyes as her orgasm finally consumed her.
Their love making was always earth shattering. He fit her body perfectly and every movement and every moan brought her closer and closer to oblivion. Her eyes fluttered closed and her body gave a violent shudder as she wrapped herself around him, letting out a choked sob and rocking with him.
He filled her until she couldn’t take anymore and the pearly liquid spilled out onto the fine silk sheets. She knew she’d have to clean the sheets come morning time, but she didn’t really care. That was the furthest thing from her mind in this moment. She swallowed and collapsed back into the sheets, staring at the ceiling fan as is rotated.
Her eyes fluttered closed and she rolled over, flopping onto him and groaning softly. “Well…I think that will more than help me stop worrying about the ritual.”
He was panting but let out a barking laughter. “Glad I could help.”
A moment of silence passed between them and Mariska sighed. “Do you really think everything is going to be okay?”
“All I know is that I trust Elso. She’s always been good to us and she’s never lied. I believe with all my heart that she’d never do anything to hurt Jayden.”
She sighed. “I know…I guess I’m just reluctant to find out if he has powers…”
/> “I know, darling. We just have to…We just have to trust that this is the right thing.”
She fell silent, curling up against his chest. She knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
Chapter Fourteen
Mariska felt calmer in the days that followed. She wasn’t as nervous about what was to come in terms of what would happen to her little boy. She understood that it was necessary. This was an entirely new world from the one she grew up in and she had to understand that. She had to understand that. If she didn’t, she was going to drive herself made with worry, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t thankful for that little fact. She had always said she’d never have kids, and it was because she was afraid they might inherit her gift. It was hard to see it as a gift when it made your life a living hell. Being an empath made it hard for her to make friends because she always knew what people were feeling. It made her an outcast, and she didn’t want that for her own children. It was one of her worst nightmares.
The day of the ritual was finally here, and Mariska was dressing Jayden in the robes the Taltos had given them. They were a soft blue color with green embroidery. They were stunning, to say the least, but seeing her son wearing them at just one-year-old scared her a little. It was a reminder that her son, with or without gifts, wasn’t like any other child. Jayden would be raised and groomed to be a prince. That was his destiny, and as much as it scared Mariska, she was going to have to accept it.
Jayden seemed to sense his mother’s apprehension and reached out, touching her cheeks gently. He stared into her eyes silently and after a moment, she began to feel better. It was almost as if he was speaking to her.
‘It’s okay, mommy. It’s all going to be okay.’
All this stress was making her hear things. She tied off the front of her son’s robes and cupped his cheeks, looking at him with a worried smile on her face. “It’s going to be okay. You know they wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 18
