by Emily Bex
Shade grabs the knife sharpener and starts sharpening his blades. As he rolls things over in his head, he gets lost in his thoughts and keeps grinding away at the blade.
***
Luca keeps watching him work. He has definitely got his mind on something and he can only assume it is my lady and the baby. He does not appear angry, but damn, he will have no blade left if he keeps up this pace.
“Master, you expect to have any blade left on that knife? At this pace, it will be useless.”
Shade pauses and looks down at the knife and sighs, “I have a lot on my mind, Luca. Something I want to ask you.”
Luca stops cleaning the weapon in his hand and gives Shade his full attention. “I am all ears, master. I will do what I can to answer.”
“That is good Luca, because I just need to talk to another warrior. When you were in the training camp, did you ever hear of an immortal impregnating a mortal female? Heard or knew of anyone at any time?”
Luca looks at him and almost laughs, “Master, we did not fool with mortals in camp, you would have sliced off our balls and fed them to us! But to be honest, I have heard of it before, I knew it must happen, but until I met Cory, I had never met a half-breed. I have seen enough to know mortal women seem drawn to immortals. Is something wrong with my lady?”
“Not exactly, Luca. But Alec made hints that I should know what the outcome will be, that the bambino might not survive, and there is the possibility bel won’t survive.” Shade throws the knife across the room, watching it hit and stick in the wall straight and true. “I am worried. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose the bambino. Everything is out of my control. I have no idea what to do. I never thought this would happen. I want bambinos with bel. But Alec also reminded me that if the bambino survives, it will be a half-breed, not fully vampire, and not fully accepted in our community. The Council will never accept him, and he could never be a warrior. He could not be king.”
Luca watches his pain and struggle. He knows this is going to be rough. If she loses the baby, she will be devastated, and he will lose his mind. And if he loses her, Luca can’t even process that thought.
“Master, do you not have someone special to help with this? I know the doctor was here. I know he is sending you elsewhere for help. That has to mean something?”
Shade looks at Luca and sighs, “I hope so, Luca. Perhaps the specialist that is coming to the house will know something. Perhaps he will have answers. It is the only hope I can cling to at the moment. It tears me up inside.”
Luca stares at him and can see the worry in his eyes. Luca knows Shade would give his own life if he could save my lady and their child. He doesn’t say anything, Shade wouldn’t hear him anyway. His mind is in a twisted battle, trying to work it out. Standing up, Luca claps him on the back and walks to the door. Turning to see him staring into space, Luca hopes this turns out okay for all of them. He will have his hands full with both of them if anything should happen to this baby.
66
Rissa makes use of her time before Alec gets home by catching up on a few phone calls. She has finally met with the feeder and she is perfect to destroy the happy little home of Kate and Shade. Rissa can’t wait to see this little show play out. Before she left the feeder compound, she asked the feeder to pose for her, and Rissa is more than thrilled with the picture. She wants Alec to have a good look at the hot sex goddess she plans to land in Shade’s lap. Perhaps it will spark his interest and she can tease him just a bit more, she is desperate for his attention.
She wants her wicked vampire fucking her hard, taking her and giving her what she wants. His teasing and holding out are driving her out of her mind! Soon, my sweet wickedness, you will reward me with all I desire, and you shall be rewarded in return with my love.
Laying the picture of the feeder near the bottle of Midnight and the cigarette box, she knows he will find it when he arrives home. Writing a small note, she lays it beside the picture.
‘My Wicked Vampire....
I think, perhaps, she will tempt your warrior and ruin a
mortal’s naive thoughts of happiness in our immortal
world.
Always,
Your Devious Darling’
That should do it. Grabbing her bag, she leaves for the gym with a swing in her hips and a wicked smile on her face.
***
Alec gets home late, so he heads for the family room to fix a drink. He sees a photo propped against the bottle of Midnight along with her note. He reads the note then picks up the photograph. He has to chuckle in spite of myself. Oh yes, my devious darling, you did quite well in picking a home wrecker for Shade. She looks like just his type. She is all tits and ass. Even her curves have curves as he looks at her breast spilling over the top of her dress. Her mass of red hair tumbles down around her shoulders. She looks tall, like all natural-born vampire females and equal to handling whatever the male beast can dish out.
Now Alec wants to make sure she understands what he wants her to do. Shade must be delirious by now if he hasn't fed from that mortal since he learned she was pregnant. And the very scent of a feeder's blood will push him over the edge. Alec wants her to push him balls to the wall the minute she walks in the door. Alec summons his manservant Santos. He has been with him for four hundred years, and they have an understanding. Alec doesn't want to see him, he doesn't want to hear him, just make sure everything he wants is where he wants it when he wants it and show up only when he is summoned.
Santos appears in the doorway, “Yes, master?"
Alec holds up the picture of the feeder, “This feeder Rissa hired, find her and bring her here, now.”
Santos nods, “Yes, master, I will take care of it."
Alec passes the time returning phone calls and has moved on to checking a few things on his laptop when he hears Santos at the door. He looks up to see him standing there with the feeder. Her red hair hangs in a mass of loose curls down to her shoulders, her full lips painted glossy red, her tits strain against the fabric of her barely there dress and bulge over the top of her low-cut neckline. She is all curves, tits, hips, and ass. Rissa has outdone herself.
“And your name is?”
“Desire, master. My name is Desire."
He laughs out loud, “Of course it is, and a well-deserved name, I'm sure. You can go now, Santos. And you, Desire... you need to come in and take a seat. We have much to discuss.”
She moves into the room with the gracefulness of a jungle cat, a slow walk that allows her to roll her ample hips. She is wearing at least a 4" stiletto shoe that is all straps and accentuates the narrowness of her ankle and the curve of her calf, in a dress that stops high on her thighs. She sits across from him and crosses her legs, making sure he notices she isn't wearing panties. Oh Shade, you will not stand a chance with this one, my old friend, this feeder could pull a vamp from his death slumber.
“I assume Rissa has filled you in on your assignment?”
"I know a little, master,” she practically purrs when she talks in her soft, breathy voice. “I know I have been asked to service a vampire whose mate is pregnant."
“Yes, well, that is the case, but I want much more from you than that, Desire. This vamp is a warrior. He is my best warrior, and much to my dismay, he has mated with a mortal. I find he is much too distracted by all the drama this mortal has created in his life, and your assignment, Desire, will be to break up that union. This mortal does not understand the ways of our world. She will not be happy to learn her newly found mate must spend the next four or five months feeding from another woman, and certainly will not be happy to learn her mate will be enjoying all the pleasures your ample body has to offer him while she lies alone in her bed, listening to the sounds of his pleasure you so expertly provide.”
"Of course, master, it was what I was bred for."
“Yes, well, it may not be as easy as you may think. This warrior, he has some romantic idea that he can somehow get around his need to feed. I know he has
not fed from his mate since they learned she was pregnant, so from that perspective, he will be easy prey, but he may try to resist you. Your job is to make sure he can't.
“When Rissa takes you to their home, I want you to zero in on him immediately, lock eyes with him, go straight to him, touch him, rub up against him, make sure he picks up your scent. I want you to masturbate yourself in the car on the way over, take yourself to the brink of orgasm, but do not cum. I want you to smell like sex when you walk in the door and I want that scent to hit him like a cannonball fired at his chest, and I want your own need to be felt by him. I want you to radiate so much sex that any male vamp within a hundred yards of you that night will have an immediate erection. Are you up for the task, Desire?”
"This may be my most fun assignment yet, master, and I assure you, I am up for the task."
He chuckles to himself, almost feeling sorry for the torment Shade is about to endure, but Shade will thank him later, after he samples the delights of what is clearly the most delectable feeder Alec has ever seen.
“Desire, I will grant your wish for anything you want, and believe me, I have the means to provide it, if you can push him to the point where he takes you right there on the floor with that mousy mortal mate looking on.”
"Not a problem, master, ask and you shall receive. Now, what can I do for you?"
***
Rissa arrives home later than she planned and kicks off her heels as soon as she comes in the door. She saw Alec's car outside, so she knows he is already home. She heads for the family room, sure she will find him there having a drink and unwinding, and she is eager to find out what he thought about the photo of the feeder she left for him. As she heads down the hallway, she hears voices, and picks up the scent of another female. When she enters the door to the family room, she sees Alec on the sofa, his suit jacket tossed to the side, his white dress shirt still on but unbuttoned, his tie hanging loosely from his neck. Both arms are spread across the back of the sofa, as his head is laid back, eyes closed, lips slightly parted. She lets her eyes travel down his body and sees the mass of red curls bobbing between his legs, her body almost obstructed from Rissa’s view by the table that sits in front of the sofa. She pauses briefly as she takes in the scene and tries to process what she’s seeing. As she does so, Alec raises his head and looks at her, smiles, and holds his hand out to her, and says "Come join us, darling."
***
Alec sees the momentary flash of confusion cross Rissa’s face, but this is Rissa, she quickly recovers as he asks her to join them and she moves to sit next to him on the sofa. Her head is cradled on his shoulder as he drops his arm down around her, placing his hand at her waist, and slowly moving it up her back. As his hand reaches her neck, he grasps a handful of her hair as he bends his head to her up-turned face and kisses her, gently, lips barely touching. Then he kisses the corners of her mouth, before he draws her bottom lip into his mouth and gently tugs.
She raises her hand and places it on his cheek, allowing her fingers to toy with their joined lips. He tilts his head to bite as one of her fingers slide into his mouth. He teases her finger with his tongue, and she responds in kind, and their kisses deepen as Desire continues to work her magic on his cock.
His hand is tangled in Rissa's golden locks as Desire is bringing him to orgasm, and he clinches both fists as he cums, pulling hard on Rissa's hair until he hears her cry out. He pulls her head back, exposing her neck and bites into that soft succulent skin, and sucks hard to draw her blood into his mouth, increasing the intensity of his own orgasm as he feels his cock unload into the feeder’s throat. Rissa's body responds to the bite, going rigid as her hand drops to his chest, and he listens to her moans mingling with his own. As her body goes limp and relaxes into his, he looks down at Desire. Her eyes are locked on his as she uses her tongue to lick away the last bits of cum from her lips.
"Will there be anything else, master?"
“I think you've done quite enough for one evening, Desire. Just remember everything I told you, and Rissa will be in contact when she is ready to take you to my warrior's house. Santos will show you out.”
The feeder stands and smiles at Rissa and makes the same slow, hip rolling exit from the room.
Rissa lies quietly with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his bare chest.
“You know I love you, Rissa, in my own way, as much as I am capable. We are kindred spirits, you and me. We take too much pleasure in hurting others. If you're looking for love sonnets and roses and other ridiculous displays of romantic mortal love, well, you won't find it here. But I do love you, my beauty. I love how other men look at you and envy me. I love reading the nasty thoughts in their heads as they try to conjure up an image of all the dirty deeds we perform between the sheets. You are my most prized possession.”
***
Rissa soaks in his praise, and his declaration of love. Both of them are too self-absorbed to care much about anything but themselves, and they both know it. She smiles to herself, lucky to have found him.
67
Shade is pacing outside the house, chain-smoking one cigarette after another as he waits. The doctor should be here any moment. Trying to get control of his nervousness, he left bel taking a shower, so he could take a smoke break and try to get his head around this situation. She seems calm, but then she would be, not knowing what may be coming. Hell, he wishes he didn’t know. As he stubs out his cigarette, Gi shows up to announce the doctor has arrived and is waiting in the living room. Gi tells him he has informed my lady of the same. Shade teleports into the bedroom where Kate comes to him and hugs him tight.
“Shade, Gi said the doctor was here? Rissa said he wouldn't need to examine me again since Dr. Cavelli had already done that, so let me just slip on a robe and we can go downstairs.”
As he rubs her back, they both are feeling like this is some final sentence.
“Si, get your robe and we will see him in the living room, I cannot bear another examination. If he can’t tell you are pregnant based on the other doctor’s exam, then he can fucking walk out that door. Now, come along, let us get this over with and get him out of this house. I am not comfortable with anyone in our space.”
As Kate goes to the closet to get her robe, he puts his hands to his face and closes his eyes. Madre, please, put your blessing upon my mate, I need you now. I need you to keep her strong, keep me strong as well. Just be with us.
Kate returns in her robe and takes his hands, he looks shaken, worried.
“Okay, my territorial warrior, let's go downstairs and get this over with. Stay with me, please? Like before?”
He walks with her hand in hand down the stairs and into the living room where the doctor stands as they enter.
"Master Medici, Miss Reese, my name is Dr. Loggia. I was contacted by Senator Canton and told of your special circumstances. I specialize in immortal/mortal pregnancies. We seem to be seeing more and more of them and they do present some unique issues.”
Shade lets his hand lay on the small of Kate’s back, directing her to the couch where they sit side by side.
“Please continue. Let us know what to expect, and what these unique issues are.”
As the doctor says the words "unique issues," Kate squeezes Shade’s hand, and she feels his hand slide around her waist, pulling her closer.
***
The ‘doctor’ remains standing. He has researched the topic and rehearsed his role carefully, knowing there will be a big payout if the Canton’s are pleased. "Well, certainly you are both aware that mortal/immortal pregnancies are not recommended. The mortal mother is usually not strong enough to support the demands the growing baby is going to put on her body. That is why we so strongly suggest pregnancies should be delayed until the mother is immortal. It is not impossible to carry the child to term, but it will be extremely important you take these nutritional supplements. It is a special formulation, designed to make up for the deficiencies in what her body will not be able to provide
the growing infant. Without these supplements, well, there is almost no chance for the baby to survive. He, or she, will not be able to draw enough nutrients from the mother and the baby dies in the womb."
***
Kate feels her heart skip a beat, and she looks at Shade, but his face shows no emotion, and she knows he is trying to be strong for her. She looks at the doctor.
“But if I take the supplements... it will be all right?”
"Well, Miss Reese, we can't guarantee anything, but yes, your odds of carrying this baby to term improve dramatically with the supplements. But I must emphasize, you have to take them according to directions, without fail!"
“Of course, of course, I will take them.”
The doctor continues, "The supplements must be taken three times a day, Miss Reese, and I have to warn you, they will probably make you ill. But regardless of how you feel, you must continue to take the supplements."
Kate can feel Shade’s hand tighten at her waist, and she can feel the sweat in her palm against his other hand.
“That…that's not important. If it will help the baby, we will do whatever we need to do, right lover?”
She turns to look at him and he gives her a weak smile, but it does not cover the hurt in his eyes. The doctor turns his attention to Shade and addresses him directly.
"As for you, Master Medici, it will be extremely important you not feed from her at all. Nothing. Immortal pregnancies are shorter, and as a rule, we have found the mortals pregnant with half-breeds also have shorter pregnancies. The infants grow faster, and therefore demand more from the mother. She will need everything she has, and more, to support the growth of the baby, so you will need to make arrangements for a feeder. I have many contacts for feeders and I have provided a list to Miss Benneteau, so I am sure she will be able to help you with that."
Shade stiffens next to her, “Not necessary, it has been taken care of."
The doctor pushes once more, “Master Medici, I can't emphasize the importance of this feeding issue enough.”