The cocky expression was wiped from the alpha’s face. “It’s not that simple.”
“It’s a yes or no question. How much easier can it get?”
Alexander furrowed his brow. “Getting upset is not good for the baby.”
“How do you know? You’re a vampire and an alpha.”
“I wasn’t always.”
The alpha’s toneless voice punctured the omega’s irritation. “Tell me.”
Alexander pulled the car off to the side of the road. He got out and put his hands in his pockets as he scuffed the dirt beneath him. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“What do you mean by save?”
The omega gripped the door handle. “Turn him into a… like… you.”
“Technically, I suppose so. His heart had stopped only seconds before, but it’s illegal to transform someone without their permission.”
“And yet it happens. And we look the other way because what’s the point of saying anything.”
“Before I respond, I have a question of my own.”
“Okay.”
“Had Ian ever expressed a desire to become a vampire?”
Staring at tree-covered mountains in the distance, the omega pressed his lips together.
“Declan?”
“The opposite,” the omega whispered. “Our laws allow us freedom to achieve so much, and yet they take away our choices. As a therapist, Ian counseled humans whose siblings or grown children had become vampires.”
“I wish I’d known. I would have made an appointment.”
“Really?”
“Vampires have emotional problems, but we’re getting off track. To go against your mate’s wishes may have had tragic consequences. Firstly, we don’t know how someone will react once they’re turned.”
“Have you ever… done that?”
“Once.” The alpha snapped his mouth shut, giving the impression the subject was closed. “Knowing Ian as you did, would he have resented his transformation?”
The omega’s voice was little more than a squeak. “Probably.”
Opening the car door and squatting beside Declan, Alexander took the omega’s hands, “And what if he no longer cared for you in the same way? Dying breaks the bonds of mating, so he would have been free to mate again.”
“No!” Declan choked back a sob as he pictured his mate bound to a vampire omega.
“And one more thing.”
“Enough of the torture.”
“Bear with me for one minute. He would have lived for an eternity while you and…”
Declan held up one hand. “I get it.”
“Constantly thinking ‘if only’ would have stunted your life and you’d be stuck with your grief.”
Declan brushed away the tears. “I’ve cried more today than I have in months.” The omega pressed fingers on his sore back. “But it’s a good thing. I feel better, as though a burden has been lifted.”
“You need to rest.”
The pair drove the rest of the way in silence. Declan’s stomach did flip flops as Alexander tore round the curves, and he grimaced as fiery heartburn clamped around his chest. Trying to ignore his discomfort, he concentrated on the alpha’s long fingers as they gripped the steering wheel.
“What happened?” he pointed to the ripped leather under Alexander’s hands.
The alpha gave him a sheepish look. “Long story.”
The lake was at its most beautiful in the mid-afternoon sun. The omega considered getting out and walking the last hundred yards home, but a tightening in his belly had him dismiss the idea.
“Thank you.”
The alpha was out of the car and opening the door before the words left the omega’s mouth. Declan screwed up his face. “That’s freaky.” As he unlocked the door, Alexander hovered at his shoulder. “Come back at dusk.” He pointed to the pine tree. “That’s your place. Not inside.”
The alpha barred Declan’s way, and the omega’s heart thundered in his chest as he wondered if he’d been wrong about his vampire companion. Goosebumps spiked over his skin. “You’re scaring me.”
But Alexander didn’t move.
“I’m not telepathic.”
“Neither am I.”
“Fuck! Tell me what you want?”
“You’re…” He pointed at the omega’s belly as Declan took shallow breaths. “The baby.”
The omega shoved past Alexander and into the house. He leaned on the mantlepiece and panted. When the cramp eased, he peered around for the alpha. A banging and shuffling from upstairs had him yelling, “What are you doing?”
But another tightening around his belly had him leaning over the back of the couch and groaning.
Alexander appeared beside him. “Where’s your birth plan?”
“My what?”
“You know the thing that details how you want things done before, during and after the birth.”
“How do you know about a… oh forget it. I’m not discussing this with you.”
“You don’t have one!”
“Owww. Owww. Owww!”
“This baby’s coming.”
“Yes. In four weeks. Now leave me alone.”
“No. Now.”
“And I’m supposed to take the advice of a vampire lawyer.”
“I have an excellent sense of smell. Trust me.”
“I’m not ready.” Declan clutched his shirt. ‘“And even if you’re right, I’m not allowing you near me as I give birth. There will be b-blood.”
“I agree it’s not ideal, but I fed earlier.”
“Jesus Freaking Christ. Did you leave your vocabulary and your brain in the courtroom? It would be cata-fucking-strophic. I’m crossing my legs until the paramedics get here.” He stumbled past the piano and sat gingerly on the couch, biting his lower lip and pleading with the baby to stay where he or she was.
“Your legs aren’t crossed.”
“Piss off.” The omega gripped the sofa with the backs of his knees and curled his toes over the carpet. I can do this. His belly cramped, and he scrunched his eyes shut while digging his nails into the soft fabric at his side and trying to keep the agony inside.” Please don’t do this, little one. Stay where you are so I can keep you safe.
A rhythmic panting had the omega peer out of the corner of one eye. Alexander was using the techniques Declan had been taught in pre-natal classes. “What the…?” But his body ignored his pleas and as the pain became more intense, his breathing mirrored the alpha’s until the contraction faded.
“You live thirty minutes outside town. Paramedics are not going to get here. I could drive you back. But honestly I’m not sure we’d make it.”
Declan pouted and tears leaked from his swollen eyes. They have to. My baby’s coming and the only person helping me is a vampire.
As if sensing his terror, the alpha pointed out, “You’re aware vampires in my coven have been practicing techniques on avoiding blood lust for centuries. I’ve got this. If I can’t handle it, I’ll get out.”
That doesn’t sound promising. The omega scanned the room for something to stab the alpha. He dismissed a vase and lamp, though there was a metal letter opener on the desk. Would that do? “I don’t have a stake.”
“I’ll cook you one if you’re hungry.” The alpha opened the fridge. “I don’t see steak. How about a chop? A pork chop?”
Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud. A fit of giggles overcame the omega and pure joy bubbled out of him as the ridiculousness of the situation dawned on him. But his laughter changed to whimpers as a contraction gripped him.
“I can’t breathe. This shirt is strangling me.” He tugged at the buttons. “Help me up. I have to get out of these clothes.” But pressure on his pelvis had his legs go limp. Alexander supported him while he leaned on the alpha’s chest and groaned.
“I’ve got your robe.”
The omega snatched it out of the alpha’s hands. “I did not give you permissi
on to enter my bedroom. You need to leave.”
Alexander shrugged. “I won’t, but I will get out of your way.” He jumped on the couch.
“The baby and I will do this. My body…” The omega’s words were cut off by another contraction. When it passed, he eyed the vampire lying on the sofa tapping out a message on his phone. The omega rubbed his hands over his face in frustration as he muttered, “Fucking vampire!”
“You told me to stay out of it. I’m arranging to meet a friend later.”
“You’re a dick.”
“And your point is?”
“Get me some ice.”
“Beside you.”
Declan threw ice chips in his mouth and stomped into the bathroom with his robe. When he emerged, the alpha was scanning his phone.
“Another friend?”
Alexander showed the omega the page he’d been reading.
“A home birthing website? Great. Now you’re an expert. Well, my water just broke.” He stroked his belly as he contemplated an uncertain future. He needed Ian to comfort and reassure him, but instead he had a vampire as a birthing coach.
“I’ve never done this before, Declan.”
“Neither have I.” The omega glared at the alpha and yanked the robe over his bump. “You’re not looking at me naked.”
“If you say so.” The alpha pushed the furniture to one side and put a small mattress on the floor. He laid plastic sheeting and towels over the top.
“This is too early. It’s all your fault for scaring me half to death.” Declan grabbed the alpha’s shirt and pulled him closer. A layer of pain wrapped itself around him and he leaned his head on Alexander’s chest. “Make it stop.” The lack of a beating heart startled him but it wasn’t as strange as the first time.
“It will when you have your son or daughter in your arms.”
But what if I screw this up? Or Alexander does?
Five
Alexander
“Now you’re leaving?” Declan’s shriek lashed Alexander and the omega’s disappointment coiled around him.
“Give me a minute,” the alpha gulped. He slammed the front door behind him and buried his nose in pine needles while inhaling the woodsy aromas of moss and dry, crinkly leaves. He concentrated on a yacht skimming over the surface of the lake instead of the overwhelming human odors of sweat, fear, anticipation and blood.
I cannot fail. Not at this. It was the most challenging thing he’d ever faced. The pain was more severe than during the transformation from human to vampire. Then he’d been off his head and hardly knew where he ended and his addiction began.
Now, he was staring down an all-consuming hunger. His head was screaming, “No!” But reasoning with thousands of years of instinct, persuading him to not only quench his thirst, but also drain both humans was a battle he wasn’t sure he could win.
The overpowering urge to sink his teeth into Declan’s succulent flesh had Alexander writhing on the ground. He got on his knees and pounded his fist in the dirt while spitting out dead leaves and ferns.
Since the night he became part of the undead—before he had learnt to curb his rabid desires—he had never felt more of a beast. An animal. He loathed that side of him and had spent most of his vampire years immersing himself in his studies and law practice to avoid the monster that lived inside him.
On becoming a vampire, the alpha had been trained on how to deal with blood lust. Older vampires taught classes and gave demonstrations on the subject, and while some of the old-timers insisted the younger ones had to use humans as bait, the council overruled them and they practiced with donated blood.
Conquering the desire for fresh blood, flowing in mortal veins and arteries, was suppressing a vampire’s reason for existing. It was an instinct older than time and some in the coven never mastered it, but Ambrose would never admit it to the humans he ruled.
Those vampires were supposedly sent to an undead version of a retirement community. Alexander suspected that was a lie, though he’d never seen evidence to support his theory. The younger vampire may have been Ambrose’s sibling, but he was not a council member and therefore not privy to all their decisions.
“Alexander!”
Declan! His name on the omega’s lips jolted the alpha as if he’d been hit by lightning. It humanized his dilemma and delivered a surge of strength he’d never had. “Declan! I’m here.” The alpha ripped off his jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves.
The omega gripped the alpha’s collar and yanked him closer. “Do not play games with me!”
“Never.” Alexander swallowed and brushed damp hair out of the omega’s eyes. “This is demanding all my stamina.”
“And this kid is killing me. It’s eating me from the inside!” the omega bellowed.
I hope not. “Point taken.”
“You promised you wouldn’t hurt us.”
“And I won’t.”
The omega leaned forward and groaned. “Oh God… I want to push. That can’t be right. But I dooooo…”
Alexander checked the phone. “How do you want to do this? On your back or all fours?”
“I just want it out of me.” Declan slumped onto the mattress and frantic words spilled out of his mouth, “You can make it stop, right? Vampires can do anything. Spells. Disappearing acts. Flying. Magic the baby out.”
Alexander wiped a damp cloth over the omega’s forehead. I wish I could. “Breathe, Declan.”
“I am fucking breathing. Not sure about you though, vampire.”
This is a minefield. I can’t say anything.
Declan got onto his hands and knees and swayed his hips. “I can’t do this. It hurts too much.” He panted along with the alpha, and his head flopped forward. “I want to pause this whole childbirth thing. I’ll do anything if we can rewind and do it tomorrow.”
He needs someone other than me. “Imagine Ian is beside you, Declan. Close your eyes and picture his face. He’s massaging your back as he whispers how strong you are. You’ve carried the baby safely all these months and he’s so proud of you.”
“I loved Ian with everything I had but he would have fainted during childbirth.” The omega attempted a laugh that turned into a moan. With the phone propped up on a cushion, Alexander scanned the text and pushed a rolling pin over Declan’s lower back.
“This would work better without the robe.”
“You can’t see me naked!”
Not sure how that’s going to work, but okay.
Declan tossed his head from side to side, clutched the terry cloth robe in his fists and moaned as he was gripped by another contraction.
“Get this damned thing off me.”
Alexander ripped the robe and the soft cloth shredded. Wispy bits of fabric floated downward and coated both men in fuzzy white threads. The alpha spat out the fluff while Declan swayed his hips. “It’s not supposed to be like this.”
You’re right. Being present at a human birth is my version of a nightmare. He bit his tongue, hoping it didn’t sever, and then he raced into the kitchen. Back at Declan’s side, he lied, “But you’ve got this.”
“Y-Your voice.” The omega glanced over his shoulder and screamed. Alexander had tied the remains of the omega’s robe around his nose and mouth. Declan sniffed. “Is this a joke to you? And what is that stink?”
The alpha yanked down the ragged mask and as he opened his mouth, small pellets exploded from between his lips. Several small somethings. “Garlic. I can’t taste it but the odor is disguising…” he waved his hand over Declan, “…all the other… fragrances. And that’s a good thing. Trust me.”
The omega glared at him. “For you! My insides are being mangled.”
Alexander put a hand on his shoulder.
“Do not hurt my baby or I’ll tear you limb from limb.”
The alpha almost hissed at the omega but instead counted to a hundred. “The venom is in my teeth, not my fingertips, Declan.”
“This hurts! I’m blaming you for everything.�
�
The alpha concentrated on the baby, ignoring the omega’s nakedness and listening for the faint pounding of the tiny heart. “The website says…”
“Shut up! How about you take over, Mr. Know-it-all?”
“I would do it in an instant, if I could.”
Sweat poured from the omega’s face and he fisted the towels underneath him.
“Talk to me!”
“About what?”
“Distract me.”
“Oh, I don’t think my voice will divert your attention from the pain…”
The omega’s elbow met Alexander’s cheek. The alpha had seen it coming and could have ducked. But he chose not to. This is becoming a habit.
“Tell me anything except that. Give me the weather report for all I care.”
“It’s cloudy with a chance of rain.”
Declan’s head flopped forward. “What did I do to deserve this?”
“I don’t know what you want.”
“Say anything. Tell me about yourself.”
“That might take a while.”
“Grrrrr! After this baby comes out, I’m going to punch you.”
“Okay. Ummm… my mom was my dad’s second wife. Ambrose was ten when I was born and our father died not long afterwards.”
“Owww! Keep going.”
“He’d always wanted to be a lawyer but delayed the decision to be transformed until he was thirty. My mom tried to dissuade him, but he didn’t listen.”
“Faster. The baby will be an adult by the time you finish.”
“Okay… he checked in with us every so often but visited more when my mom got sick.”
“What!” Declan’s screeched.
“She had cancer and he sensed it.”
The omega grabbed a fistful of Alexander’s hair. “Is that why you’re here? There’s something wrong with my baby?”
The alpha grasped the omega’s hand as their eyes locked on one another. “Your little one is perfectly healthy. He …”
“A boy! Way to ruin my surprise, you fool.”
The Alpha Vampire's Proposal: An Mpreg Paranormal Romance (Flickering Shadows Book 1) Page 5
