“If they knew about you—I mean, really knew, as in the fact you are a princess of the Arimathean line, and you were meant for the head of the Knight clan-kidnapping you would have been quite the accomplishment. And, if they’ve attacked the fences, they are likely to still be trying.”
“God, you’re kidding,” Vivian groaned. “Please tell me that you’re kidding.”
“In any case, this doesn’t sound much like what we ought to be talking about right now,” he said, tweaking one of her nipples.
“Hey, now, this is serious here!” she complained. “How can you be so calm about this?”
“It’ll be just as serious later, so why worry about it until we get out of here?” he pointed out. “You’ve been asleep for three days, and you’ve created a monster, see? A sea monster.”
“Oh, wow,” she laughed. “Seriously?”
“What else could it be?” he chuckled. “Well, actually—maybe you should check and see.”
Rolling her eyes at him, she said, “Well, it’s clearly a submarine. Sea monsters aren’t real, are they?”
“No more real than vampires,” he teased.
“Are all men this crazy?” she wanted to know.
“No, just me,” he admitted ruefully. “Come on, come back to bed with me. We can drown the sheets and then find you something to eat.”
“Now you smell like girly perfume,” Vivian teased him as she used her toes to push the drain lever.
“Really?” he chuckled. “Maybe I’ll need a man-shower later.”
“Mm,” she smirked. “And maybe I’ll join you there too.”
Naked and dripping wet, they padded from the bathroom and straight into Vivian’s bed. Zach kissed the bite mark that wasn’t all the way healed on her neck, teasing it with the tip of his tongue.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a sigh. “You’re not going to bite me again, are you?”
“I might,” he admitted with a smile. “There’s no saying just because my fledgling’s changed that I can’t have another taste anyway, is there? I thought you liked my biting.”
“I don’t mind,” she admitted, blushing. “But it wasn’t my favorite activity.”
“No?” he chuckled. “I wonder what you did like, my sweet.”
“Oh, I think you know,” she said in a sultry tone.
“You mean I’ve created a monster too?”
Laughing, she pressed him back into the pillows and crawled on top of him, settling their pelvises together. She leaned down and bit his bottom lip.
“Hey, now, if you’re going to get on, you might as well make it worth your time,” Zach told her, pressing her upwards long enough to fit himself inside of her, then pulling her down onto him again.
Vivian gasped as he filled her up so suddenly, and then he grasped at her hips to hold her there. He drove up and into her again and again, and she could swear she saw stars. As she groaned, she suddenly felt her fangs slipping out.
“Yes, Vivian, that’s my girl!” he encouraged her. “You should remember it this time. Taste me if you want to, baby.”
Flopping forward, Vivian sank her teeth deep into his neck, suckling just a bit as he continued to move. But what he was doing felt much too good. She could neither hold fast nor concentrate. When she let go, Zach moved, flipping them so that she was straddled by him instead. She writhed, moaning as he drove into her again and again.
Zach fell down next to Vivian and they clung together on her bed. She sighed softly and remembered what she’d realized before.
“What are you thinking about, fledgling?”
She chuckled. “When I was alone earlier, before I got into the bath, I had nothing to do. All of my things are still packed, and I’ve no idea what there is to do in this place. I think we’ll need to remedy that problem right away.”
“Very well,” Zach said, grinning. “I shall never leave you alone. Problem solved.”
“Don’t be dumb, Zach,” she scoffed. “You know you can’t do that.”
“Now, don’t go bursting my bubble so soon,” he complained. “Can’t I entertain the notion at least a little while?”
“Entertain it all you want, as soon as somebody brings in the book I was reading from the car just in case,” she scolded him.
Zach laughed. “Have you been filling your head with nonsensical romances or murder mysteries?”
“I’d say it was a bit of each.”
“Much like everything else about you,” he teased. “You are like a copper penny, Vivian. Both the heads and the tails, all rolled up into one bright, shining beauty.”
“Tell me, Zach, do you like to read poetry?” Vivian asked him curiously.
“Not just read it,” he said. “I actually write it too. But it’s not the only form of art in which I like to indulge.”
“Really?” she asked, intrigued now. “What others, then?”
“Pottery, glass blowing, woodworking, you name it,” he told her as he put his hands under his head and smiled. “I even create digital art occasionally.”
“Were you born during the Renaissance?” she teased.
“No, ma’am,” he said. “I’m only ninety-four years old, actually. You?”
“I’ve just turned twenty,” Vivian told him.
“So you’re still just a baby,” he said, rolling onto his side and propping up his head on one of his fists, his elbow nested in the pillows. “There are so many things yet for you to learn. Have you ever tried to draw or paint?”
“Oh, no, I was lucky to get away from my tutors long enough to sneak in a book or two,” she scoffed. “But if you wanted me to, I could impart any piece of historical data you might require.”
“Hmm, that’s impressive,” he told her. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that sometime.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Vivian cracked open her eyes soon after nightfall, as was her usual habit. Even though she had been pretty much human until recently, living with a mother who was a vampire, surrounded by vampires and ghouls and even a werewolf or two up in the mountains near Vail, Colorado, had not really been a very ‘human’ existence.
So being here, in the coastal region of Texas, was a strange experience, to say the least. She had never been near the sea, and the scent of it in her nose, now that it had become further enhanced by her vampire senses, left her very curious to get a look. Of course, if those men were trying to kidnap her like everyone believed, she had the feeling she was very much out of luck where that idea was concerned. At least for now, anyway.
One thing she was sure of, though, was that she had been lying around in bed long enough. She needed to get up and move around, and she wanted to see more of her new home. So she padded across the floor to the closet, pleased to see that even if her own bags had not been unpacked, at least she was able to find something decent to wear.
Pulling on a dress, she realized it was somewhat outdated but still comfortable. She wondered if it used to belong to the woman Zach had mentioned being with in the past—the one who had died. She didn’t know anything about her beyond that one fact, but it was obvious that the man had cared for her deeply. Yet, at the same time, he insisted that she, and not that woman from his past, was apparently his fated mate. Vivian wasn’t sure what to think.
And did it matter, really? Either way, their fates were now entwined. She was his bride, and he had claimed her. She needed nothing more than those two facts to give Zach her heart. Not that she had specifically done so, as of yet. She didn’t know anything about him, and what she knew of James made her a bit nervous about whether or not the son might be the same. Too much like her own father.
Yet he had taken pity on her, and not sent her back. That had to mean he was kinder than James, or at least kinder than the man who had been described to her. James had been ruthless and harsh by all accounts. Zach did not seem to be either of those things.
She went over and cracked open the door, glancing out into the hallway. Alex just happened to be walking
past.
“Are you looking for Zach, my lady?” he asked, stopping short and casting her a friendly smile.
“I’m looking for anybody who might be finally bringing my things in from the car,” she grumbled. “I’ve been out cold for days; they should have had plenty of time to do it by now.”
“Oh yes, your things,” he shrugged. “In the midst of all the—uh—difficulties, no one has had the chance to go anywhere near your car, sorry to say.”
“Well, short of the bastards camping out near the thing ready to take a bite out of anyone who goes out there, I don’t see why not.”
“Actually, you’re not far from the truth of the matter, where your car is concerned. Zach’s mostly got the house on a total lock down,” he explained. “He’s determined not to let those Carpathians have their way.”
“I can’t fault him for that, considering it was because of the Carpathians that he’s become Lord of the Knights at all,” Vivian pointed out. “But he told me that you are tasked with keeping those men out. So what are you doing in here?”
“I was just about to question Donovan further about these men to see if our suspicions about their identity are the same as his own,” Alex explained. “But maybe you ought to tag along. You also must have a story to tell.”
“Oh no, I don’t think I should do anything without talking to my mate first,” she replied. “The one thing my mother drilled into me very well is that I must obey. Sorry.”
“Your mother is just one of many mates in the Arimathean’s thrall,” he scoffed. “Of course she told you something like that.”
“You don’t agree?” she asked him, surprised.
“I don’t,” he said emphatically. “You are a person in your own right with your own thoughts and feelings and needs. Any man who would seek to subjugate you doesn’t deserve to have you at all, my brother included.”
“Those are some pretty strong convictions, brother,” said Zach as he came upon them in the hall. “Lucky for you, I happen to agree with them. What goes on here? I thought you were watching the gates.”
“I have four other men on that task right now,” Alex explained. “As I told Vivian, I am on my way to question her servant about the men who have been attempting to get in here. I thought her own story might be helpful as well.”
“Then we shall both come with you,” Zach decided. “Let us see what we can determine about this difficulty together.”
“I don’t know how much help I can be,” Vivian said. “I haven’t exactly gotten a good look at them. But I do know that there are at least three.”
“I have seen four, Vivian,” said Alex. “And from what I have sensed about them, they are all Carpathians. I believe that group in particular will be very disgruntled about the loss of the throne, wouldn’t you think?”
“And you are a daughter of the king,” Zach added as they all began walking. “Maybe not one of his favorites, but that means nothing. He knows that my father and I stood at the side of the Arimathean on the day their own lord was dethroned. If they think harming you would get to me, that’s all the incentive they would need.”
They reached the door leading into the servants’ quarters and found Ebenezer just inside. He got up abruptly when he saw who it was that had entered, bowing low at Zach’s feet. “My lord, to what do we owe such an honor?”
“We’ve come looking for Vivian’s servant, Donovan,” Zach explained. “There are things going on beyond our gates that he may be able to explain.”
“I see,” said Eb, frowning. “Unfortunately, I sent him out, along with some other ghouls, to acquire some groceries a few days ago, and none of them returned.”
“I thought I told you not to send anybody out until we’ve locked this situation down,” said Zach irritably.
“No, sir, you said not to send out the vampires until we’ve locked the situation down,” he corrected. “I had no idea that you were also talking about the ghouls.”
“Maybe you just don’t get what’s happening here,” Zach sighed. “You see, it’s very likely that these vampires who are attacking the gate are out for vengeance. They could just as easily get that vengeance using a ghoul to get inside as they could any of the vampires. Worse yet, they might very well have captured my bride’s servant. Now, do you really think Vivian isn’t about to tell me I must do whatever it takes to get Donovan back?”
“He’s right,” said Vivian. “That would be my very first reaction. Donovan has been by my side most of my life, and I do not wish to see him harmed. But I’m not foolish either. If they did capture him, that is exactly the action these men would expect. So, instead, I will tell you that Donovan knows how to take care of himself.”
“What, seriously?” Alex asked, surprised.
“If they take him, Donovan’s orders are quite clear,” Vivian explained. “He is to do whatever he can to get away. I am never to attempt to rescue him. One of my father’s commands, you see.”
“Yes, that does sound very much like something Joseph would say,” Zach chuckled dryly. “But it reeks of martyrdom, and is not a plan to which I can agree. Rally the vampires throughout the region, Alex. We are going to nip the activities of these Carpathians in the bud this evening. And Vivian? When Donovan is returned to you, I will show you how to turn him into one of us yourself. He’s your servant, but I need him to become wholly vampiric. We cannot afford to allow something like this to happen again.”
“If you’re sure, my lord,” she answered demurely.
“Don’t worry, Vivian; if the bond is too strong, I won’t fault you,” Zach reassured her when he noticed her blushing. “I know the nature of such things.”
“My lord, I—would not think to step outside of our bounds.”
“We’ll discuss it later, Vivian,” he insisted. “First, Donovan must be retrieved. Then, we can worry about such things.”
She nodded once, clearly embarrassed.
Zach caught her by the chin. “I know you hoped to be reading that book you left in the car this evening. Sorry I couldn’t get the thing. I shall show you to the library. Something in there ought to be to your tastes, and since I will be busy this evening, you should have plenty of time to indulge, eh?”
“Yes, my lord,” she agreed. The ghost of an appreciative smile appeared on her face.
“Alex, you’re still standing there?” he asked irritably. “Get on it, man. I want those damned attacking vampires dealt with yesterday.”
“As you wish, brother,” he agreed. “Right away.”
While Alex rushed up the hall one way, Zach led Vivian down another. First, he brought her to their room, and then he showed her the way to the library from there.
“Now that you’ve seen how to get here, I’ll have no worries about you getting lost while looking for it on your own,” said Zach, bending down to kiss her briefly. “No worries now, right? I’ll take care of this threat against you and return to you directly.”
“I’m not worried,” she scoffed. “You’re the Lord of the Knight Clan. Of course you’re going to succeed.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Zach stood in front of a room filled with over seventy vampires. Each of them looked more upset than the last. And that was before he even told them everything that he knew.
“You all know that I would never call you here if I did not have great need for your services,” he said in his most businesslike tone. “I know that many of you were not here to witness the death of my father, and we have not spoken since I took control. This meeting should have been about my expectations as we move forward with me at the helm, but circumstances have made it into something much more important.”
“Why don’t you tell us what these circumstances are?” demanded one of the men, a vampire named Paul.
“If you will be patient, I was just getting to that,” said Zach irritably.
“Of course, my lord.”
“As some of you must have heard by now, I have taken a new bride,” Zach continued. “Sh
e is the daughter of the Arimathean, grown specifically to become the mate of the Knight’s lord. She expected to be marrying James, but she arrived shortly after his death and has mated me instead. However, she appears to have come to me with Carpathians in tow.”
“Carpathians!” gasped several of the vampires together.
“Yes, a very angry group of Carpathians, in fact,” Zach replied. He began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace, his hands folded behind his back. “I believe they are upset with the help we provided in the recent skirmish. If vengeance is what they seek, then it seems to me that the daughter of the Arimathean would be the perfect target. Even more so now that taking her would also harm me.”
The vampires began to growl with fury, each man moving forward with resolute determination in their eyes. “You have my arm, and you have my claws. My fangs are yours to command,” was the usual refrain.
“Even though, in the beginning, we thought there may only be four attackers to our gates, as time has moved forward, those numbers have begun to increase,” Zach added. “There is no way of knowing how many Carpathians are now encroaching on our borders. That’s where all of you come in. Perhaps, if they realize they are outnumbered, they will give up their quest. But I’m not going to rely only on this. I believe our best bet is to inform the Arimathean of events taking place here. If he puts enough pressure on the usurper’s heirs, it may just nip this thing in the bud.”
“If the Carpathians have surrounded the perimeter lands, how could we possibly hope to tell him?” another vampire complained. “The internet and cell services could be compromised. There’s no way we could simply give him a call, or it might somehow be intercepted by them.”
“Are you truly so foolish, Cordell, that you have forgotten what powers the vampires possess?” Zach scoffed. “We do not need such modern contrivances. I will inform him myself, mind to mind.”
“Might it not work better for his own daughter to make the call?” said Paul.
“Vivian is new to her powers,” Zach shrugged. “I doubt the little fledgling would know how. But don’t worry about that, since I have contacted Joseph telepathically once before. He is much farther away now, to be sure, but that only means I shall have to try harder.”
Keep It In The Blood: A Vampire Romance For Adults Page 4
