Tied to the Barbarian Warrior

by Abella Ward

  The coven leader punched a fist through the windshield. And then Eric had him in his jaws, tearing him away. Snarls and screams filled the air. A piercing shout made her shudder.

  And then all was silent.

  The vampires drew away. They formed a group, knees bent and hands up, baring their long fangs and hissing. Eric growled as he faced them. He spat something out of his mouth–Kayla had a suspicion that it was a head–and threw his head back. He howled, deep and long. The vampires cowered back from him.

  With Quin still struggling to hold Donna, Eric shifted. Kayla's heart was in her throat. Her knuckles were white as she clutched at the steering wheel. What if the vampires attacked while Eric was in his Human form? Blood ran in rivulets down his body, but he stood tall as he faced the vampires. They backed away from him, clumping together in a tighter group.

  "I did not want it to come to this," he said. "I want peace, not to kill each other. But if you don't find a way to let that happen, I will kill every last one of you to protect my mate and child. You have lived anonymously here for years. You are not a danger to the human population. You don't have to be a danger to me or my pack. We can find a way to live in peace."

  The vampires glanced at one another, but Kayla's gaze was drawn to where Quin and Donna still struggled. Quin shifted, his arms tightening around her. Donna's face was twisted in pain, her whimpers mixing with screams as she reached towards Kayla. Her fangs flashed in the dim light.

  How could there be peace when the vampires had turned Donna into something like that against her will?

  "Donna!" Quin twisted her around to look at him. "Donna, look at me. I love you. Donna, I love you!"

  The newly-formed vampire's struggles wilted. She sagged against Quin, burying her face into his chest. Her shoulders shook for a moment before she turned towards Eric.

  "He wanted a war. The coven leader. He told me. That's why he changed me. He wanted to provoke you. He had no interest in peace. He's been lying to all the vampires, saying that you killed that vampire he sent to duel you… Except he said he sent him to negotiate."

  "Take her back to the pack," Eric said quietly to Quin. "We'll find a way to help you through this, Donna."

  Quin scooped her into his arms and strode away. The rest of the vampires left glanced at one another. One of them stepped forward, shoulders thrown back. "We do not want to die."

  "Good. Because I do not want to kill you. So, you will give me my daughter, and my mate will take her home. But I will stay and we will talk about how to proceed from here."

  Kayla's throat was dry as the vampire nodded slowly. Her hands shook. Would this really be the end? Could they really have the peace they so desperately wanted now?

  Chapter Ten – Eric

  Eric grinned broadly at the commercial that Kayla had developed for the community garden project. Showing images of young and old alike gardening, it went through the steps of what needed to be done before reassuring the people it was free to use for everybody. They'd been getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from the project, and it was thanks to the marketing plan Kayla had put in place.

  The Alpha stretched his legs, considering everything that had changed in the past few months. Kayla and Mikayla had moved in permanently, as the boxes that were still in various states of being unpacked were a testament to. Mikayla was comfortable being outside again, though she still crawled into bed with her parents at some point every night. It would take some time to get over her experiences, but she was getting there.

  And the vampires had finally accepted that he wasn't out to get them. Since he killed the previous coven leader, he'd been able to actually talk with them all and develop a plan that was beneficial to everyone. As such, he was building them a new home.

  Instead of being crammed into the two grain elevators that didn't have the space for them to have privacy or even room to do much more than hunker in their own little corner, they were getting a house. Fully furnished bedrooms would be provided for each of the coven members. What they seemed to be most excited about was the air conditioning and the blind-shutters that they could open at night after the sun went down. Apparently, things got very hot and stuffy in the grain elevators.

  All in all, things were looking up for everybody involved.

  "Hey, has my commercial come on yet?" Kayla leaned over the back of the couch, stealing one of the potato chips he had in a bowl.

  "You just missed it." Eric straightened. He pulled her over the back of the couch and nestled her into his arms, kissing the back of her neck. She moaned lightly and wiggled her butt against him. With a grin, Eric kissed her again.

  "Mikayla asleep?"

  Kayla nodded. "Yeah. She's out like a light. And I think she might end up sleeping the whole night…"

  Eric laughed and buried his face in her neck, but Kayla didn't relax the way he wished she would. With a frown, he straightened again.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "I was just thinking about Donna and Quin. I tried calling her today, but I couldn't get hold of her. Have you heard from Quin at all?"

  Eric's face fell into its own frown. There was nothing that could be done to change Donna back from the vampire she had become, but Quin wasn't going to just give up on her. They had headed up into the mountains, far away from any human civilization, to help her adjust to her transformation. They were taking it little by little, and so far things were turning out quite well. Not good enough that Donna could return to human civilization, but Quin was hopeful that Kayla and Donna could start having supervised visits soon.

  "I talked to him this morning. They both are sounding very optimistic. And I think they're finding other ways to make their isolation bearable, if you know what I mean."

  Kayla relaxed, a knowing smirk crossing her face. "Oh, I know. Well, at least one good thing came from it. They're getting lots of alone time without us interrupting them… and we get alone time without Quin bursting in on us. I just wish…"

  Eric squeezed her hand. "I think that they might be able to get Donna adjusted enough to be back by the end of this year, or the beginning of next."

  "I hope you're right. I miss my best friend."

  "I know. But in the meantime, maybe I can distract you?"

  He nuzzled her neck again. Kayla laughed, wrapping an arm around his neck and tilting her head back to give him better access. He loved the feel of her fingers brushing through his hair, tugging it to the ends, the soft whisper of her fingertips against his scalp.

  "You never told me about the position you wanted to try," he whispered in her ear. "You know, the one that you 'researched'… Hmm… I still wonder what you were doing researching sexual positions…"

  "I think you know exactly what I was doing," Kayla moaned breathlessly as he began undoing the buttons of her blouse, still nibbling at her neck. "And unless you stop teasing me about it, maybe I'll never tell you."

  He squeezed her two lush breasts, moaning in desire as she ground her backside more firmly against him. His loins tightened, sending shivers down his spine, and it took all his strength to stop himself from tearing off her clothes and taking her on all fours like animals. She didn't like it when he wrecked her clothes, even though he could easily buy her replacements. So he forced himself to be slow as he fumbled with the catch on her jeans.

  Kayla giggled, still combing her fingers through his hair. "Need some help?"

  "No," Eric grunted as he finally got it undone. He pushed the jeans off her hips. "There we go! Now…"

  He slipped a hand between her legs. As he found her sweet spot, she arched herself from him, increasing the friction between his hand and her body. Her head fell back against his shoulder. Eric laughed, kissed her neck, and pushed her pants off her hips. He held one thigh, bringing her knee to her chest before working at her again.

  "Will you tell me now?" he whispered in a low, husky voice.

  Kayla groaned, digging her hands into his jeans. "Tell you what?"

  "The pos
ition you're eager to try."

  "Never."

  Eric let her go. She cried out in protest, but he merely shifted her off his lap. Turning, he knelt between her legs as she slumped on the couch. He lowered his head; as soon as his mouth made contact, she let out a scream and her whole body jerked towards him. Eric drew back, startled by her response.

  Kayla pressed her hands over her face and burst into embarrassed giggles. "I'm sorry."

  "Well, that was quite a reaction… Are you sure you don't want to tell me what you want?"

  "I want you to take me from behind," she mumbled, her face still hidden. "But laying down, on our sides, with you playing with my breasts."

  Eric almost laughed. "That's not as scandalous as I was thinking. Come here."

  He pulled her from the couch and laid her on her side. She started giggling even more, squirming in his grasp as he laid behind her. But once he took off his jeans and pressed against her, the giggles turned into a moan. He was already prepared for her, her intoxicating presence all he needed. The way her eyes fluttered as he pushed into her nearly finished him; she was so beautiful, so sexy. So perfectly formed for this.

  "I love you," he whispered, holding her tight as he started up a steady rhythm. "I love your strength and kindness and intelligence… I love everything about you."

  Kayla moaned in response. Her hands ran up and down his arms, her body already trembling, on the edge. Eric buried his face into the back of her neck, gritting his teeth against his arousal. He needed this to go on much longer than it had. He needed to give her the pleasure she deserved, to give her everything a woman as beautiful as she was needed.

  When panting turned to grunts and grunts turned to screams of pleasure, Eric couldn’t hold it any longer. With Kayla writhing in his arms, he found his completion. Both of them grew still, gasping for breath. Kayla moaned as she rested her head back against him.

  "Is it just me, or does that get better every time we do it?" she asked breathlessly.

  Eric's mind was too scattered for him to recognize the words, let alone reply to them. He clung to Kayla's warmth, eventually coming back to himself enough to press a kiss to the back of her neck. "Wow."

  Kayla giggled. "We're going to have to try out new positions more often."

  "Yes. And maybe do some 'research' together." Eric chuckled. "And the best thing is, we have our whole lives ahead of us to find out exactly what works best for us."

  "Yeah." Kayla slowly moved away from him before she rolled to press her body firmly against his with her arms around him. "And you know what else? Everything that scared me before is gone. I have no more doubts, my love. No more fears. You and I are meant to be, and I can't wait to spend every moment of the rest of my life with you."

  Eric pulled her tighter, his whole body feeling relaxed and warm. His eyes slid shut. "Me either. And when we're ready, we'll have more children. What do you think about three in total?"

  "I don’t know about that… but what do you think about another baby in eight months?"

  His eyes snapped open. He stared down at Kayla in wonderment. She grinned broadly and nodded. Eric felt a well of happiness burst inside him. With a shout of joy, he jumped to his feet and started dancing. Kayla laughed at him until he pulled her up with him. They spun in a circle, stark naked, laughing and dancing together.

  *****

  THE END

  The Shifter's Vampire

  Description

  A vampire virgin who’s given away PLUS a huge shifter protecting his pack PLUS an ancient war about to escalate…

  Curvy Yuliana is a low-born vampire who’s never been with a man. So she’s terrified when the vampire king asks her to make a sacrifice for the kingdom… to become the mate of the Alpha of one of the most powerful shifter packs in existence. The only thing she knows about shifters is that they are huge and dangerous…

  But when she sees her new mate, all she wants to do is wrap her legs around his hips.

  Leon agreed to take a vampire mate to bring peace to his pack. What he didn’t expect was to be paired with the hottest woman he had ever seen, let alone develop feelings for her.

  Is this a trick, a game of war in which Yuliana is only a pawn? Is the vampire king out to get him?

  But it's not just the vampires Leon has to worry about. The shifters are angry that he chose to take a vampire as a mate. Before the end of it all, his and Yuliana's bond will be tested.

  And if it breaks, everything will be destroyed.

  Chapter One – Yuliana

  The billowy robes that they had put Yuliana in did nothing for her figure. But the puke-green, tent-like garment was meant to be a sign of humiliation, and so it made sense that it would be actually humiliating to wear it. Her hands trembled a little as she waited in the opulent room. She was a low-born vampire. Her parents weren't even servants in a noble household. They rented a little plot of land from a human landlord and worked in the human sector of town. In vampire society, one couldn't get any lower than that.

  And yet the king himself had called her and her parents to meet with him.

  "What do you think he wants?" she asked, brushing her fingers through her chestnut hair yet again.

  Her mother caught her hand and pushed it down firmly. Yuliana could feel her slow but steady pulse. "Rumor has it that the king is looking for another maid to expand his household harem. Not many girls stay virgins these days, but you—"

  "Mother, please don't say things like that!" Yuliana's pale olive tones flushed red. Vampire didn't care about virginity or sexual prudence, but her mother never accepted that. "The king doesn't want me in his harem."

  She caught a glance of herself in one of the highly polished mirrors that were spread around the opulent receiving room that they were in. Despite the fact that she was born from two vampire parents, her skin had never had the ghostly pallor that was prevalent among the nobility. Yuliana suspected it was because her mother was human-born. She had only turned into a vampire after she met Yuliana's father. Yet another reason why the family was on the lower end of society. Human-born vampires were always seen as second-class citizens, the vampires that turned them a step above criminals.

  Yuliana's figure, too, was undesirable of vampires. Given their low position, Yuliana and her parents couldn't afford to purchase enough blood to fully sustain themselves and had to supplement with raw meats and iron-rich vegetables. The result was that instead of the slim, almost gaunt silhouette that the elites espoused, Yuliana was full-figured. Round cheeks, round thighs, round stomach. She was even bigger than most of the human women she knew.

  It wasn't as though she wasn't pretty. Her eyes and mouth were both well-shaped, her hair thick and shiny, her proportions reminiscent of a thicker Marilyn Monroe. She just wasn't beautiful, and the king only took beautiful women for his harem.

  One such beautiful woman, dressed in a gorgeous emerald-green gown that clung to her thin frame, stepped into the receiving room. A tattoo of a crown gleamed from her bared, creamy shoulder. "King Harold will see you now."

  The slow pace of Yuliana's heartbeat jumped. She smoothed the green robe as she and her parents fell in step behind the woman. What would King Harold say? What did he want? The letter she had received summoning her had been addressed with her name, and the invitation to bring her parents only came at the end. But what had she done to get this attention? Until the letter, she hadn't even thought that the king would know she existed!

  Her breath caught in her chest when she finally saw the king himself. He was in a large room, empty save for a piano in the window and a few couches, loveseats and chairs scattered throughout the space. The king sat at the piano, playing a delicate tune. His face was turned towards the window, but just his profile was enough for Yuliana's throat to go dry.

  Skin pale as death, sharp cheekbones, deep, dark eyes. The black suit he wore made him radiate all the more power. Yuliana could hardly make herself move but somehow managed to sink low to the floor in a curtsy
as she was meant to.

  "Ah, Yuliana." The king's voice was rich and deep as it washed over her. "Welcome."

  She ducked her head, blushing. Was she supposed to reply? "It is a great honor."

  "The greatest honor is yet to be bestowed. You may rise."

  Her heart slammed against her chest as she straightened. Was her mother right?

  "You, of course, know of the war that the Shifters have been waging against us."

  Yuliana shivered and nodded. Everybody knew about the Shifters. They were a violent, unreasonable people that lived in the dense forests that surrounded the civilized areas controlled by the vampires. Every year they made dozens of raids, killing vampires and stealing food and supplies from wherever they got it.

  "What if I told you that you could be our means of ending this conflict?"

  "Me?" Yuliana's eyes widened. "But what could I do?"

  "The Alpha of our greatest foes is seeking a mate. He's even put ads in human newspapers for women to contact him. I have contacted him to offer a female vampire as his mate, and you are she."

  Ice flooded her veins. She had been called here to become the mate of a Shifter? And not just any Shifter, but an Alpha? Out of everything she had considered, this seemed impossible. Even more impossible than being chosen as part of the king's harem. Her stomach churned. King Harold was asking her to leave her family and home to… mate a Shifter?

  "M-my king," her father stuttered, clutching Yuliana's hand. "Surely the beast would kill her!"

  "Nonsense." The king waved his hand airily. "Shifters are different from us in many ways, but they don't kill their mates. When he accepts you as his mate, dear Yuliana, he is dedicating his life to you. He will give you everything you desire and lay down his life for you. You can't find that among humans, and given your station it's unlikely, that you'll find a vampire mate."