“She’s mine. You cannot have her, nor will you ever get your disgusting claws into her.”
The man let out a laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
“It isn’t my claws I want to get in her,” he said, sending a shiver over my flesh. I’d die before I let anyone use my body like that again. Tightening my grip on the dagger, I planned to do just that if things went to hell. “She’s been promised to me, vampire. Step aside. I’ll not say it again.”
Stellan took a few steps back as he raised his hands out at his sides. Thunder cracked overhead and just then, a bright bolt of lightning that nearly blinded me struck Stellan. I gasped, expecting him to have been burnt to a crisp, but the bolt shot out in front of him and blasted the man backwards.
Just then the wolves charged forward, leaping toward Stellan. Liam moved so quickly my eyes could barely make out where he’d gone, but he’d raced to Stellan’s side. Delia stayed with me, keeping her sword drawn, while the other vampires moved forward. Liam punched one wolf just as it leapt at him, while Stellan ducked, a move that sent one wolf hurdling to the ground behind him.
Stellan raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning shot from his palm, hitting a wolf right in the middle of the chest. It shrieked as it hit the ground a moment later. It lay their motionless as the other wolves began to slink backwards, like they might turn tail and run, but before they could, Stellan raised his hands into the air again, lightning answering his call. A moment later, the ground rumbled beneath my feet as my hands shot up to shield my ears. Each blast nearly knocked me off my feet.
One by one, the wolves fell as great bolts of lightning struck them. The smell of burning fur and flesh had my stomach twisting into knots.
Stellan ran to me and gathered me into his arms, the intoxicating scent of his body drowning out the wretched smell of the burned wolves.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I said nodding.
Delia and Liam stood at either side, watching the two of us.
“We’re not turning her over,” Delia said, eyeing Liam as if she were ready for an argument.
“I agree,” he said. “Our guests were more than happy to allow us to fight their battle for them. Where are they now? Cowering,” he said, tilting his chin toward the great castle in the distance.
“We’ve never had peace with the wolves,” Stellan said.
“And we likely never will,” Delia said. “Not after an entire pack was just destroyed.”
“You’re right, my queen… As always,” he said and winked at her. Turning his gaze back to me, he asked, “Would you at least like to see your father before I send him away? He won’t take you. I won’t allow it.”
“My father…” I said, the words faltering as they moved past my lips. I could see him and tell him everything I’d ever wanted to say to him, ask him every question that had ever crossed my mind in regard to him. I could finally ask him why I wasn’t good enough to protect or to love… “Yes. I want to see him.”
“Are you sure, Syd?” Stellan asked. “You don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.”
He nodded and took my hand as the four of us, accompanied by the vampires who had come to assist their king if necessary, headed toward the castle, but we didn’t go inside the main doors once we arrived there. Instead, we made our way out a stone path that led to another large building with stone pillars standing on either side of its door.
“This is where they’ve been lodging,” Liam said to me just as the door creaked open and three men stepped through.
I wondered briefly which one was my father. Maybe none of them. Maybe they were all liars and I was no relation to any of them.
But then my eyes settled on a tall man with dark hair and eyes so similar to mine that it was like looking into a mirror. I’d never encountered anyone else who had eyes the same amber color as mine until I saw him.
A light sheen cast over his eyes as he moved closer to me. I let go of Stellan’s hand, determined to face my father alone, and walked toward him.
“It’s so good to see you,” he said, his voice smooth with a hint of sadness tingeing it. “I’m here to take you home.” He pulled me in for a hug, but I found it difficult to reciprocate.
“I have a home… With Stellan,” I said.
“You belong with family,” he said, his voice turning stern. “Not vampires.”
“Family? Really? Is that what you are?”
“I’m your father. Of course, I’m your family.”
“Then where were you when I needed a father to protect me from all the terrible and shitty things in the world? Where were you when I was forced to do things I never thought I could or would ever do in order to survive? Where were you when I needed protection from my own mother and the filth she exposed me to?”
“I had no idea,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I thought you’d be better off without me, without the pack. I wasn’t the alpha back then, and I knew I’d have to do things that might put you in danger. Your mother isn’t a wolf, and I thought she could give you a normal life without me… I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your apologies… I wanted a father. I wanted a real family, a real childhood. Do you know that I grew up believing that I was unlovable and that I wasn’t worthy of anyone genuinely caring about me. And do you know what changed that?”
He shook his head.
“This man,” I said, pointing at Stellan. “In just the last few days, he’s shown me things I thought I would never experience, things I never believed in until now.”
“But you’ve got wolf blood in you, Sydney. You’re meant to be with a wolf, and expand our pack. I have one ready to marry you now. He’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated. He’ll be good to you and your children. He’ll make you a mother and give you a family that he’ll protect until his dying breath.”
“I’m already a mother,” I said. The only proof I had was what Stellan had told me, but I didn’t doubt him for a moment.
“You’ve had children already,” he said, a faint smile forming on his lips. “I have grandkids?”
“I’m pregnant now. Stellan is the father.”
“No…” His eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze to Liam. “You betrayed me. You told me you would produce her unharmed and you’ve let one of yours have his way with her. You’re lucky I’m willing to take her at all now. She’s been tainted by your kind.”
Stellan stepped forward, lightning flickering in his eyes. “She’s my mate and she isn’t going anywhere with you.”
“If she’s your mate and you really are the father, that does change things,” he said, rubbing his chin briefly. “It’s never happened before, but that means your child will be a natural-born hybrid. The first of its kind… And a welcome addition to our pack.” His eyes widened as the corners of his mouth turned up, his eyes settling on mine, but there was no way in hell he was ever going to get his hands on my child. “That would elevate the pack above the others, for sure.”
“No child of mine is going to run off and join your kind. I won’t allow it,” Stellan said, echoing what I’d been thinking.
“It’s best to let the child come of age and decide for themselves,” Liam said and placed a hand on Stellan’s shoulder as he glanced at me. I nodded, though it was only for show. The excitement of the day had gotten to me, and all I wanted to do was go home with Stellan and stay there for the foreseeable future.
And every time he geared up to fight, it only made me that more concerned that someone would get the upper hand on him and hurt him. It was better to play along to appease my father and the wolves so we could all leave unscathed.
“I’ll accept that. I look forward to getting to know my daughter and my grandchild,” he said, coming over to me and planting a light kiss on my head. “I am sorry that I wasn’t the father that you needed me to be. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to make it up to you.”
I watched as he turned and walked away with the wolv
es, disappearing through a portal, wondering if I’d ever see him again, and if I did, would it be because he wanted to get to know me or would it be because he wanted my child?
24
Stellan
Sydney lay in my arms, our naked bodies wrapped in a thick blanket. It’d been a couple of months since she’d permanently moved in with me and I’m not sure we had clothes on for more than a few minutes here and there.
Cyrus had even been spending more time outside than indoors, likely in an effort to avoid our amorous ways.
My hand softly grazed her belly, swollen now with my child. It wouldn’t be much longer before he or she would make their entrance into the world.
“I can’t believe I’m so big already.”
“You’re not big, my love.”
“Oh, yeah? What would you call it then?” she asked, arching her back to accentuate the curve of her belly with my hand still perched on top of it.
“Beautiful and the perfect size,” I said and leaned down to plant a kiss meant for her and my child.
“I’d barely be pregnant if this were a normal human pregnancy. It’s mind boggling that it’s almost time already. What will the delivery be like?”
“Not much difference there.”
“How long have Liam and Delia been together,” she asked.
“A little over five years now.”
“Do they have any kids?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure they will in time,” I replied, realizing that in the months we’d spent together, we hadn’t really gone out of the house much.
She sat up, the blanket slipping from her beautiful body and exposing her full breasts. “When will you turn me? I don’t want to wait too long.”
Pushing myself up, I looked her in the eyes and placed a soft kiss on her lips before speaking. “I will as soon as I can, Syd, but we can’t risk it right now. I don’t know if it might harm the baby or not.”
She nodded. “Of course I’ll wait until after the baby, but how soon after?”
“I’ll turn you the moment I feel it’s safe to do so. I promise, but…”
“But what?” she asked, placing her hand lightly on my chest.
“I’ll give you my blood when the time comes, but I’m not sure I should be the one to take yours.”
“I trust you,” she said, laying her head against my chest.
“I’m an addict, Syd. It isn’t so easy for me to stop.”
“You are, and I trust you. I have more experience with addicts than you could ever imagine, and I see how hard you work to keep from giving in. There’s something in you that I never saw in my mother. You want to do better. And I trust that.”
“I’m not convinced,” I said, tracing the edge of her ear with my finger. “The thought of someone else biting you,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know if I can do that either.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “As long as I get to spend the rest of eternity with you, that’s all that really matters. Not how we get there.”
Suddenly and unexpectedly, she screamed out.
“Stellan,” she said, her face grimacing from pain.
“Syd,” I said, sitting up and gathering her into my arms. “Is it time?”
She nodded, and said, “It is.”
Sydney screamed out in agony as she squeezed my hand. Two female vampires in attendance to help with the birth busied themselves preparing clean blankets and other items they would need to help bring my son or daughter into the world.
“Breathe, Syd,” I said as she struggled with the pain. “Just a little more.”
Labor had come on fast and progressed even faster. It had only been a couple of hours since the first contraction, but it was already time to push.
If I could’ve taken every ounce of pain away from her, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but she had refused anything to help dull it. She’d wanted to feel everything and bring the baby into the world the most natural way possible. Everything so far had been going smoothly, but I was prepared to do whatever necessary to help her through it should complications arise.
“I can see a head. A head with thick black hair,” one of the women said with a grin.
“Give me a big push,” the other said.
Brushing Sydney’s hair back and out of her face, I watched as she pushed with everything she had. She pushed again. And again. Until finally, the shrill cry of a baby cut through everything. My heart swelled, tears stung my eyes.
Frantically, I watched them clean the baby off until I could get a good view.
“A boy,” I said, a smile spreading across my face and hers. I bent down to kiss her just as they lay him on her chest.
“He’s beautiful,” she said through a cascade of tears.
“What shall we name him?” I asked.
25
Sydney
“Kane,” I said through joyful laughter and tears.
I’d always liked the name. It sounded so strong and so fierce. The perfect name for a hybrid boy, the first of his kind.
There was so much to learn about him and so little time to do so. He’d be a grown man long before I was ready for him to be, but I’d cherish the time I had with him. He was my family, and I was ecstatic to finally have him.
The pain seemed to dissipate as his puffy little grayish-blue eyes looked up into mine and I felt a love I never dreamed possible. I vowed then to myself to never cast him aside and to always love him unconditionally.
Stellan’s big hand looked even bigger as he gently touched Kane’s face. I’d never seen him cry, but even he couldn’t hold back the tears when looking at the beauty of our son.
“Motherhood suits you well,” Stellan said, sliding his hands over my hips as he pulled me close. “Have I told you that lately?”
“You might have mentioned it a time or two… or a thousand…”
“I never want you to forget how much I love every piece of you. Heart, body, and soul…” he said and kissed the top of my head.
Kane was only a few months old now, but he had already begun to toddle around. Stellan was right when he’d told me our son would grow fast. It wasn’t unexpected considering how fast the pregnancy had gone by.
I had breastfed him for as long as I could, but it wasn’t long before he needed blood. He’d consumed both for a while, but he hadn’t fed from my breast in nearly a month. It was time to broach the subject of what had been on my mind.
“Is it time?” I asked, glancing toward the other room where our son slept, listening for any hint that he might need me.
“For the change?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“It’s safe to turn you now that he isn’t feeding from you, but don’t you want more?”
“I thought we could still have children after I turn,” I said, wondering if I’d misunderstood the ways of natural-born vampires.
“We can have as many as you’d like, but I mean more like Kane. He’s the only natural-born hybrid in existence that we know of. Seems a shame for him to be so alone.”
“I know what that’s like,” I said, remembering the life I’d led before Stellan came into my life, before I’d had our son. “For him, I’ll wait, but how many should we have?” I asked, anxious for the answer. I’d always wanted a large family if I had the means to do so, and since I did have the means to do so, a large family is exactly what I wanted.
“We should have at least one more hybrid before you turn. That way he has a sibling who can understand the things he goes through since it will be a new experience for everyone.”
“Well, then… Maybe we should get to it.”
“So soon?” Stellan asked, a grin spreading across his lips.
“Why wait? My body has healed, and he’s sleeping,” I said with a giggle. I looked up at Stellan, bringing a hand up to his cheek. "I love you so much. If I'm being totally honest, I can't wait to carry again." My face burned hot at the admission.
It was true. I had loved being pregnant, feeling th
e quickening movements of our child inside my belly. And I loved how much Stellan loved me being pregnant. He could hardly keep his hands off me when I was pregnant, and it only got more intense as the term stretched on. He spent what seemed like ages massaging my aching muscles and stroking my belly, expressing that beautiful physical love he seemed to have no end of.
He grinned down at me and draped his arms over my shoulders, hands resting between my shoulder blades. "Well, you're not alone there."
A long silence passed between us, the tension in the air rising rapidly. My mind spun with not only the possibilities, but the immediacy of getting there. It had only taken once before, and I think we both anticipated that it would be the same this time, but if not, we would never find an end to the pleasures of trying.
Stellan leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, pulling my body close to his. Being so close to him was as intoxicating as ever, but when we were both turned on, that scent of his was totally euphoric. I lingered in the kiss for only a few minutes before breaking it, leaning up to bury my face at the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply.
He seemed to have the same sort of idea. Stooping down, he turned his head to the side a bit and brought his cool lips to the lowest reach of my throat. He remained there, hardly moving, though I could feel his tongue dart out to press against my skin.
My heart beat hard in response, and I knew he could feel the exhilaration in my quickening pulse and radiating heat. It wasn't long before he was dragging his tongue up the length of my neck, drawing a shuddering moan from the both of us. I couldn't help the incline of my head, turning away and pulling back to expose my neck and shoulder to him, my hand idly gripping at my shirt to pull it down enough to give him more. He had never actually fed on me, but I trusted him completely should he have decided to.
Into the Storm (Vampires of Velum Mortis Book 2) Page 14