Tied to the Barbarian Warrior

by Abella Ward

  Aria shifted so her body was pressed against his. Everywhere their skin met, sparks burned. She felt so cold, so alone. And even if she didn't know what to do about Sonya and the rest of the humans, she knew one thing. She needed this. She needed her king to hold her and make love to her. With everything that was happening here, she needed to know that he was with her.

  She pressed a fiery kiss to his mouth, reaching for his belt. Gavin stroked her hair gently as she took care of the final bits of clothing that separated them. Heat and passion surged through her as he slipped a hand between her legs, but there was something else as well. It took her a moment to recognize the feeling. Her heart swelled with love and trust. If nothing else, her lover was with her and there was no force that could separate them now.

  Gavin burrowed into her neck, sending shivers down her spine while he kept up a gentle stroking motion on her. Aria closed her eyes. Her head lolled backward as she let him take care of her. He moved back to her mouth when he entered, making her gasp then moan. Their chests heaved in unison as the king started a gentle rhythm. Aria quickly matched it, the fires burning hotter in her core.

  "Aria," Gavin moaned. "Aria, I love you."

  "I love you, too."

  There were no thoughts slowing her response. Her hands dug into his hair, her eyes locked on his. Everything was right. The tightness inside grew to a breaking point, sending her over a cliff of pleasure. She gasped for breath, dark and white spots dancing before her vision. Gavin cupped her face in hands, peppering her with kisses. Aria pulled him closer, clinging to him as she rode out her climax.

  When she was finished, Gavin kissed her once more, deeply and slowly, and smiled. "I love you."

  "I love you, too," she repeated. It felt so good to say it aloud, to know what she was feeling. "I love you."

  Gavin chuckled, pressing one last kiss to her. "Try to sleep. I have to deal with Monique, but you need rest."

  A sick feeling twisted her stomach at once. Aria shuddered. "But Sonya…"

  "I will find her."

  Aria closed her eyes. How could he find her when he didn't know all the facts? She clung to him and prayed that she was making the right choice. "It's Monique. She's behind all of this. She said if I told you Sonya and all the others would be killed. They're here, somewhere in the palace."

  Gavin tensed. He sprung to his feet. "Are you sure?"

  She nodded. "I don’t know exactly where, they blindfolded me when they brought me up. But they're here."

  Chapter Ten – Gavin

  Gavin brought Aria to his lips one more time before he settled her on the motorbike behind one of his best drivers. A dozen others were riding in tight formation around them to give her the best protection possible. Given the situation here, he wanted to get her home and safe at once. He wished he had time to say everything he wanted to say, to kiss her a thousand times and make love to her like it was never going to stop.

  But he didn't have time for any of that. He had a duty to the people his negligence had put in danger.

  "I love you," he whispered to her.

  She stroked his cheek. "I love you, too."

  He stepped back then, and the riders revved their engines and were gone. Gavin sucked in a deep breath, watching until she was out of sight. Then he turned back to Monique's palace. The vampire queen had a lot to pay for.

  Monique sat on a chaise beside the window, wearing a form-fitted spandex bodysuit that made her look like something out of a superhero movie. Her black hair was pulled back into a severe bun that didn't suit her at all. As Gavin came into the room, she flashed him a flirtatious smile.

  "Not that your jealous little human is gone, are we going to have some fun?"

  "Where are they?"

  Monique blinked. "Who?"

  Gavin advanced on her, his muscles coiling. His lip curled back to reveal his fangs. "You know very well who, your majesty. Where are the humans that you stole from my kingdom?"

  "I told you, I had nothing to do with that. I was fortunate enough to find your human, and the vampires that were involved are being questioned to learn more about—"

  He had no time for her denials and her petty excuses. She was playing for time. Which could only mean that the humans were being moved as they spoke. With a roar, Gavin lunged for her. Monique gasped as he grabbed her by the arm and shook her. Her eyes widened. She shied back, shielding her face. Gavin loosened his grip slightly.

  It was a mistake. Monique deftly twisted her arm free from his grasp and jabbed her knuckles into his ribs. He heard a crack, and then she danced away, giggling like the nymph-like creature she was.

  "Thank you so much for making this easy on me, Gavin. I was hoping that you would make a move like this. You know, publicity is everything these days. And when I release the images of you threatening and manhandling me—"

  "Oh, shut up!" Gavin launched himself at her again.

  Monique rolled to the balls of her feet. He threw a punch at her face. She nimbly dodged it, then slid across the floor and did a high kick at his chin. He caught her ankle. He twisted it aside, reaching for her throat. Using his strength, she lifted herself up and wrapped a leg around his neck. The queen grinned as she threw herself backward, making him stumble forward. He was forced to drop to one knee to avoid breaking his neck.

  Gavin grunted, yanking at Monique's legs to free himself. He punched into her hip, cracking his knuckles. She yelped and rolled away. Gavin stumbled back to his feet and rubbed his throat. The queen jumped up, rubbing her hip. She gave him another smile, but this one was more tight-lipped and less cocky than it had been moments before.

  They started circling each other. Monique leaped in, punching rapidly at his chest and stomach. It was all he could do to block her. For such a tiny girl, she was fast. That explained the bodysuit. But she was thin, fragile. One solid blow and it would be over. He only had to catch her.

  Another blow came to his face. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She thrashed back and forth, her free arm whipping back towards him. Pain blossomed through his abdomen. He grabbed her other wrist. He glanced down to see a knife extending from his abdomen. With a hiss, he slammed the smaller vampire into the wall and yanked out the knife.

  The doors burst open. Gavin growled as half a dozen vampires rushed in. Three were his. The other three were Monique's ministers. The queen began whimpering, struggling pathetically against him. He twisted her arms up higher, ensuring that she couldn't squirm free. Her lip wobbled. Tears cascaded down her face.

  "Help me," she whimpered. "He's gone insane!"

  The ministers stepped forward. Gavin’s men blocked their path. But even they glanced at him with alarm in their eyes, like they weren't sure that what they were doing was right. Their lack of loyalty was frustrating, but considering the situation, he couldn’t blame them.

  "Help me," Monique whimpered again.

  "Where are the humans you kidnapped from my kingdom?"

  "I didn't have anything to do with that!"

  Gavin kept his grip on her as he turned to face her ministers. "Do you know about this? The way she stole my people for her breeding program?"

  "Why would I do that? We have plenty of humans here for the program."

  "Why did you want to trade humans with me before? My people are healthier and more robust than your subjects. You want the humans from my kingdom because you think that they will strengthen your so-called stocks. But if you took care of your people properly instead of treating them like cattle, maybe they would be stronger, too!"

  One of her ministers pushed against one of his guards. "Your Majesty, please, I must protest this rough treatment of our queen. Whatever you think she has done —"

  With a snarl, Gavin dragged her towards the window. Monique shrieked as he threw her out, grabbing her throat at the last second to stop her from falling. He held her by the jaw, and she clung to his hand. Gasps and wheezes ran ragged in his ears, and the king hesitated for a moment. Was he goi
ng too far here?

  No. Not when human lives were at stake.

  "You know if I drop her she won't die," he told her ministers. "But there will be damage. Perhaps even too much for her to fully heal from. And there are plenty of other things that can happen to a vampire without killing them. So I will ask you one more time. Where are the humans she had stolen from my kingdom?"

  Monique shook her head. The ministers glanced at each other, looking torn. Gavin feinted letting her go. The three ministers all jumped forward, shouting in unison.

  "Your queen's life is valuable to you." He pulled her back inside and threw her to the floor. Monique glared up at him, rubbing her throat. Gavin stared down at her coldly. "Well? Where are they? If I don't get an answer from one of you in three seconds—"

  "Don't tell him anything," Monique seethed. "Right now he is attacking a fellow sovereign without provocation. If you speak—"

  Gavin reached for her again.

  "She did it," one of the ministers shouted. "My queen, forgive me, but if we do not speak, you will die. The other nations will be sympathetic to you."

  Monique spat and hissed like a cat, but Gavin ignored her, focusing on the minister.

  "She ordered for your subjects to be taken. They were meant to be individuals that no one would miss, but our first takes were too weak. Stronger subjects were needed. So we took more. None have been killed, I assure you of this. We have kept careful records. The humans are being moved to another location—"

  "Bring them back," Gavin ordered. "All of them. I want them here where I can see them myself. And then I will be taking them home."

  Monique scrambled to her feet. Her fists clenched and she started for him. She stopped when he gave her a glare. Her face twisted and she spat at his feet. "You're weak. This program would strengthen us all, but you've condemned us. We need stronger blood to sustain ourselves. We need—"

  "Monique, you performed an illegal action against my kingdom. Expect that there will be consequences. A person like you can't stay in power."

  He nodded at his men, and they came forward to grasp her by the arms. She snarled at him, but didn't resist as they pulled her out of the room. Gavin watched her go, his brow furrowed. He would need to handle the situation delicately from here on out, but there was no way that she would go unpunished. His first priority was the humans, though. He turned to the ministers.

  "Bring my people back."

  Chapter Eleven – Aria

  She still felt sore even though it had been a couple weeks since the baby had been born. Aria sat on the couch, her feet propped up as she watched Sonya gently rocking little Elizabeth back and forth. She had been big baby: ten pounds, but perfectly healthy. Aria smiled and shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on her lower region.

  "She's beautiful," Sonya said, smiling up at her.

  "Yes, she is."

  Her father, who was making tea for her, grunted. "Speaking of the vampire king, where is he? After you were born, I didn't leave your mother's side for a month."

  Aria couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. "He'll be here soon, Papa. He just had to deal with some things with Monique's kingdom. Getting a suitable replacement for her wasn't easy, you know. And it's not like he could just appoint the ruler himself. He has to get cooperation from the other kingdoms. But things are finally starting to calm down there."

  "Good," Sonya said. She shivered. "I can't even watch the news anymore because it's all about her and what she did. I don't like thinking about it. I still have nightmares if I don't have Laura right by me."

  Aria nodded. For the first few months after the humans were brought back home from Monique's 'program', Sonya had stayed at the palace, too distraught to go to her empty house. She had recently returned home, but not alone. During her time at the palace, she had gotten quite close to a vampire by the name of Laura, and sparks were flying between the two of them.

  "And what about you?" Aria's father handed her a cup of tea. "Are you happy here?"

  "Yes. Gavin and I are figuring everything out. We're still not entirely certain why I was able to get pregnant by him, though. The nearest we can figure is that his drinking my blood actually stimulated some of the dead, for lack of a better term, systems in his body."

  Gavin came through the door. He smiled at Aria, then gave a small bow towards her father. "Mr. Taylor. Sonya. It's good to see you both again. And you, beautiful one. How are you feeling?"

  "Sore, and I'm feeling a little cooped up. I thought that you and I should go for a little ride while Sonya and my dad were here to watch Elizabeth…"

  She rose her eyebrows and gave him a sexy grin. He couldn't drink from her until she was fully healed, but that didn't mean she wasn't craving some snuggling and kissing. She'd heard that most women lost their libido after having a baby. Not her. While she certainly wasn't interested in sex right now, that didn't mean she didn’t crave physical intimacy.

  Gavin grinned back at her. He went over to Sonya and gently took Elizabeth. "It's been hours since I saw this little cupcake here. I can have fifteen minutes with her first, right?"

  "Of course."

  A grin crossed her face as she watched Gavin rocking Elizabeth. The smile on his face made love swell in her chest like a hot air balloon, making her whole body feel lighter. If she had any doubts about Gavin, they all disappeared the moment she first saw him hold their baby. He was so gentle with her, so cautious and caring. She knew he'd do anything for Elizabeth. And her.

  The baby fell to sleep quickly in Gavin's arms, and he settled her into his crib. "Are you sure that you two can stay with her?"

  "Of course." Sonya smiled. "Go. Have fun."

  Gavin scooped up Aria and headed for the door. Aria laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. She thought about telling him she could walk, but decided she liked being carried. The air was fresh and clean outside. Aria pulled in deep breaths, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face. Gavin nuzzled into her neck as he crossed to the garage.

  He settled her into the limo, then called for a driver. Aria curled herself under his arm as they headed out. The last few days had been very sleep-deprived, and she found herself drifting off, rather than embracing him. Gavin carded his fingers through her hair, further relaxing her.

  "Are you awake?"

  "Barely."

  "I wanted to give you something."

  Aria pulled herself up and yawned. "What?"

  Gavin grinned at her. He kissed her gently, grasping her hips. "You know, this is the same car that Elizabeth was conceived in. Who would have thought that pure animal lust would have turned itself into something so beautiful?"

  "Animal lust?" She laughed. "Come on, really? Is that you trying to be romantic? Because I have to tell you it's not working."

  "Not even the beautiful part?"

  Aria shrugged. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe that part."

  "Good. Because I wanted this to be romantic. I know that it's traditional to have it in a bit more of a splashy setting, but considering this is the first place that you and I… Well." Gavin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box and pressed it into her hands. "Open it."

  Aria's heart jumped around erratically. She was almost afraid to open the box. If it was what she thought it was… but what if it was disappointing? And if it wasn't what she thought it was? She swallowed hard and cracked it open a smidge. The sparkle inside had her opening it all the way. She gasped.

  The ring was made of white gold with two pearls in its center. One was black, the other white. An 'S' of tiny diamonds separated them, and a cluster of three gems lined either side.

  "This… this is beautiful."

  Gavin grinned. "Aria Taylor. I love you. Will you marry me?"

  "Yes. Yes, of course!" Aria kissed him hard, then grinned as he slipped the ring on. Of course, it fit perfectly. Gavin never missed anything.

  Her eyes welled as she looked at her ring and then up at her king.

  Gavin saw the tear
s and jumped, startled. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes." Aria kissed him again. "It's just… it's everything I wanted. And we almost didn't have it. If we hadn't found a way past our differences…"

  "Shhhh." The king pressed a finger to her lips. "We did. And nothing will ever come between us again. I promise."

  *****

  THE END

  The Vampire King's Virgin

  Description

  A desperate curvy virgin PLUS a vampire king who needs fresh blood PLUS lethal beasts and enemies out to kill!

  Curvy Sofia Velásquez is desperate and poor. So when the vampire king offers her a million dollars a year to be his new blood donor, she doesn’t hesitate.

  She just needs to make sure she doesn’t faint every time he flashes his firm abs and delicious V. Her virginity needs to be protected at all cost.

  Vampire king Aaron is every woman’s fantasy. Tall and square-shouldered, his body radiates power and confidence. He gets everything he wants. And what he wants is his new blood donor and her curves. He can just claim her, right?

  Um, wrong. Turns out the path to love is paved with curses, potions, witches, and beasts. And all of them are out to get Sofia and Aaron.

  Can Aaron protect Sofia against evil? Will they risk everything for a chance to live? And can Sofia stay a virgin and get pregnant at the same time?

  It’s time for Aaron to show what he’s worth. He’s the king, and they’re about to find out what that means.

  Chapter One – Aaron

  Bright blue eyes glowed in the dark as the vampire king slipped into the sleeping woman's bedroom. He crept up to the canopy bed and brushed aside the filmy curtains. As always when he saw her, his heart swelled. It was times like this that he almost expected it to start beating again, and for the love warming his chest to spread throughout his body with a rush of blood flow.