A Secret Baby for the Vampire

by Wylder, Jasmine

  To her surprise, Kai stepped forward, pulling out a telescopic cane from the inside of his coat. As he extended it, he leaned forward, bending his back at an awkward angle. “Nobles are the best targets. They wear their valuables just a fingertip’s reach away. It’s like they want us to rob them. We can’t be held accountable. It’s just our nature.” His lips curled mischievously, sending a shiver through Azurdee’s spine.

  Such a remark she would expect from Noah, but not the good-natured Kai. She stared at him, still confused.

  “Still don’t get it, princess? We’re pickpockets. We come here and get us quite a bit of treasure for a few hours work. The best part about the whole thing is how easy it is.” To prove his point, he held out the necklace Azurdee had been wearing when she left the house.

  Her eyes widened at the sight of it. “How did you…?” She tried to grab it, but Noah held it high above his head where she couldn’t reach it.

  “You nobles should really be more careful.” He handed the necklace back to her. “Why are you so attached to that thing anyway?”

  “It belonged to my father.”

  “No longer alive?” Kai guessed.

  Azurdee nodded, a frown painting her face. “I don’t like to talk about it.”

  The brothers didn’t say anything, but there was a look of understanding hidden behind Kai’s eyes.

  “So… you two come down here and steal from the rich?”

  “And give to the poor!” Kai exclaimed.

  Azurdee tilted her head in confusion. “How do you know about Robin Hood? Human literature has been all but eradicated from the lower-class libraries.”

  “You don’t think a couple of professionals like ourselves could get our hands on it if we really wanted to?” Kai offered a toothy grin. “You couldn’t keep me away from your fine little manuscripts even if you tried.”

  “I… I don’t understand.”

  Noah sighed. “Are all noble women like this?” He paused, giving her a moment to try and take their hint. “All you need is a little bit of charm and you can be invited almost anywhere. Then, once we have our foot in the door, it’s easy to break in. Hell, sometimes the servants even help us, telling us where all the secret treasures are hidden.” Noah leaned in close. “You aristocrats all think you’re so far off from the lower-class, but I’ll tell you something, one day, you’ll be in for a rude awakening. We aren’t as weak as you all think.”

  As if to prove his point, he waltzed over to the courtyard. Near a bubbling water fountain, a woman with cotton candy hair and a minx coat tapped her foot against the pavement in irritation. She was scolding one of her servants for losing her precious little dog, Mr. Priestly.

  Carefully, Noah snuck up behind her and slipped his hand inside her oversized purse, pulling out a diamond-encrusted snuff box. Quickly, he stuffed it in his pocket just as the woman straightened her posture.

  The misfortunate servant made eye contact with Noah, a slight smirk playing on his young lips. Creating an additional distraction, he spoke back to his mistress, further infuriating her.

  Noah took his chance, grabbing her coin purse. As she kept yelling at her orderly, he placed some of the gold pieces in a hidden nook by the water fountain, where the servant could later come back and retrieve them. Noah, however, kept most of them for himself.

  With a satisfied smirk, he walked back to the alleyway where Azurdee stood there, her mouth slightly agape. No one had noticed what he had done. No one even seemed to suspect it. “You have to give those back!” She said, her moral compass screaming at her that it was wrong to steal, no matter who you stole from.

  “Why should I?” Noah challenged. “You don’t think it’s right for me to steal from her, but it’s okay for her to treat that servant like he’s a piece of trash.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  “I… I didn’t say that…”

  Noah didn’t bother answering her. Running his fingers through his thick, dark hair, he walked away.

  “Don’t worry about him.” Kai squeezed her arm, offering her a warm smile. “He gets worked up sometimes.”

  Azurdee watched as the lesser vampire leaned against a wall, pulling out another toothpick from his coat. He started to pick at his fangs with a disinterested look on his face.

  “Do you always pickpocket?”

  “We do it when we need to. Lower-class vampires like ourselves don’t have many opportunities to make money. We either get sent to the coal mines or we become servants. From a young age, we refused to get sucked into either profession.”

  “So, you decided to become thieves?”

  Kai’s eyes wavered for a minute before he dropped his hand from her arm, shoving it inside of his pocket. He pulled out a ring. It was strikingly beautiful, with a brilliant diamond set in the middle. Along the band, smaller diamonds sparkled like miniature stars.

  “Do you know where these diamonds came from?”

  “The mines, of course. Where else would you get diamonds?”

  “Precisely. And who works in the mines?”

  “The lesser vampires…” Azurdee answered, starting to realize what he was getting on about.

  “And every year, countless vampires die inside those mines. Only a few months ago, one of the mine shafts collapsed. Ten miners were crushed underneath. The rest of them survived, twenty or so, trapped inside. Did anyone bother to help them? No. They were left to die so that the nobles could have their precious little jewels. These are blood diamonds as far as I’m concerned.”

  Azurdee suddenly felt conscious of all the jewelry she had back home. “I…”

  “But, just one of these rings is enough to feed a whole village… but do the nobles seem to care?” Kai shook his head, his pale skin becoming blotched as he grew angry.

  “I’m sorry… I didn’t know…” Azurdee felt guilty. Prior to meeting Kai and Noah, she hadn’t had much experience with lesser vampires, save for those who worked in her mother’s estate.

  But, Kai and Noah were different.

  They were thieves, yes, but at the same time, they were strangely enticing. They were strong. Determined. Not afraid to speak their minds. Kai, at least, was well-mannered, despite the rumors that all lesser vampires were savages.

  Plus, they were unbelievably sexy.

  All her life, Azurdee had been taught to keep away from the lower-class because they were nothing but scum. She had been told, time and time again, that they were ugly, deformed creatures.

  But Kai and Noah were different… so very different.

  Chapter Eight

  Still, they were thieves. If she knew what was good for her, she would get out of there.

  Carefully, she placed her necklace back in its proper place, tossing Noah a glare for taking it in the first place.

  “I should get going.” She stated, readjusting her bags on her arm.

  Noah perked up at her announcement. “Leaving so soon? What, you don’t want to be in the presence of lowlifes like us?” He snickered.

  “I didn’t say that.” Azurdee refused to let him berate her. “I think you are both fine young men.”

  “Did you hear that, Kai? Fine young men.” Noah chuckled.

  Azurdee felt her cheeks burn at his mockery, but she wasn’t about to let him get under her skin. “Yes. That’s what I said.” She headed back toward the courtyard.

  “Hey, Azurdee?” Noah raised his voice, loud enough that some people turned their heads in his direction. “How’s that marriage problem of yours? Are you going to marry a fine young man or some scumbag who thinks he’s better than everyone else just because he’s a pureblood?” Noah’s words dripped with venom, but there was an amused look on his face, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders relaxed as if he was doing nothing wrong. “I hear Fredrick is such a fine young man, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to marry him.” Noah’s sarcastic tone grew colder, his words sharper.

  Azurdee’s eyes grew wide. For a moment, she was frozen in place, countl
ess stares on her. Her skin crawled and her cheeks were on fire. It felt like her feet were glued to the ground.

  “You know– “

  “Shut up!” Azurdee rushed forward, shoving him back into the alleyway. “Don’t say these things in public, you idiot.” She hissed, looking over her shoulder in concern. If anyone from her mother’s inner circle had been in the courtyard, she was as good as dead. Her mother would never let her leave the house until she was formally married to Fredrick.

  “Why– “

  “I said, shut up.” She pushed him into the wall with more force than she intended.

  “You know, that almost hurt.” He chuckled, still toying with her.

  “I mean it…” Her voice started to shake.

  “Aww, are you upset with me?”

  “Yes.” She snapped.

  Noah actually shrunk back for a moment before he took in a deep breath, looking like he was about to shout something to the whole world.

  Azurdee nearly panicked. “Please… Noah… don’t.” Her confidence wavered as her emotions got the best of her. “No one can know… please… you’ll ruin me…” She choked on her words, her throat feeling like it was slowly closing up, a small trickle of air barely filling her lungs, making it hard to get oxygen to her brain. “I’m begging you.”

  Noah raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. “I haven’t seen you beg.”

  “Don’t make me.”

  “Noah, that’s enough.” Kai finally stepped in, ending Azurdee’s torment. “There’s no need to ridicule her.”

  His brother finally relented, holding up his hands to prove that he wouldn’t try anything else. “Alright, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

  Azurdee sighed in relief.

  “But, you know princess, I wouldn’t mind if you pressed into me a little harder…” It was only then that Azurdee realized just how close she was to his body. Their hips were locked together and now that she was conscious of the fact, she could feel the outline of his large member against her thigh. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away just yet.

  Her hormones were running rampant through her body, causing her to press just a little closer. It seemed she was just testing Noah’s remark, but in reality, she was having a hard time controlling her urges. There was just something about these men that seemed to almost possess her.

  Maybe it was the fact that in a way, they were the proverbial forbidden fruit. The fact she wasn’t allowed to even be in their presence, made her want them even more. She bit her lip, gazing up into Noah’s smoldering black eyes. Or maybe it was their strength. She knew what they were capable of. If they were hunters, vampires that fed on wild game, they would have no problem making quick work of her, especially if they remained hidden in the alleyway.

  Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the small street. Two sharply dressed individuals emerged from a cigar shop. They walked toward the trio, blowing plumes of smoke into the air. As they passed by, they gave Azurdee a dubious look, silently judging her for being in such a scandalous position.

  Quickly, she pulled away, wiping off her clothes as if Noah had somehow made them dirty.

  As she stepped away, she tripped on a cobblestone, falling back into Kai’s embrace. Naturally, he wrapped his arms around her, his hand accidentally grazing the side of her neck. He pulled her tight to his body, his hot breath on her neck.

  She shivered and scrambled away, fearing that they were about to turn on her, but they just looked amused by her reaction.

  “You know…” Noah started once more.

  Azurdee flinched, thinking he was about to yell again.

  “We’re just as good at taking things as we are at hiding things.”

  He stepped closer.

  Azurdee thought about escaping, but she was now sandwiched between the brothers. “I… I don’t understand.” On one hand, her brain was telling her to run as fast as she could, to leave these men behind and never think of them again. On the other, however, there was a fire burning inside of her that she knew would never be quelled until she gave in to the temptation. They affected her in ways she couldn’t quite understand. It was almost as if her body yearned for them. She wanted their hands on her body, their lips on hers, their…

  Her mind trailed off into naughty territory. She bit her lip to stop herself from getting carried away, but she could already feel an unmistakable wetness forming in her panties.

  “We could solve your little problem for you,” Noah whispered.

  “You just have to trust us,” Kai added, smirking along with his brother.

  Chapter Nine

  “You can?” She asked, suddenly intrigued by the possibility. “And how are you going to manage that? If I don’t marry Fredrick, my mother is going to kill me.”

  “Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more private to talk about it?” Kai offered.

  Azurdee nodded, following the two men through a series of side roads.

  “Where are we going?” She asked once she figured they had ventured too far from the shopping center. She had never been to this part of town before. The buildings all looked rundown and abandoned. There were rats scuttling about on the streets. Kids played with nothing more than rocks and sticks. “Where are we…?”

  She stopped, refusing to move another step as she witnessed all the poverty around her. She knew the lesser-class lived modestly, but she had no idea they lived like this.

  There was a carcass of some disfigured animal dangerously close to her foot. Noticing it, she jumped away, a small scream emerging from her lips. “I want to leave…”

  The men didn’t say anything, they just kept walking, their pace leisurely as if they were perfectly comfortable walking through such a desolate place.

  Not wanting to be left behind, Azurdee scrambled after them. “I thought we were going to talk about solving my problem!” She called out, nearly slipping on some unidentifiable sludge that lined the street.

  Finally, she managed to catch up, walking next to them, but the brothers still said nothing.

  Azurdee started to worry. What if she had been led out here so they could harm her in some way? She clung onto her bags even tighter, fearing the worst.

  Finally, they stopped in a small, pathetic garden. At some point, the apple tree probably bore delicious fruit, but now, its last leaf quivered on the branch, despite it being the height of harvest season. It was dying, just like everything else in the neighborhood.

  “We just thought we would go someplace where there would be no nobles,” Kai explained.

  Azurdee could understand why. This place was a pigsty, but despite this thought, she held her tongue. She had been rude to them once and she didn’t want to do it again.

  “Sit down, sit down,” Noah said in a cheerful voice, motioning to the weather-beaten bench nearby. Part of it had been eaten away by termites. The legs were covered in so much rust, it was a miracle that they hadn’t corroded away and collapsed.

  “I think I’ll stand…” She said, not wanting to risk such a thing.

  “Suit yourself.” Noah shrugged, plopping down on the bench, his arms slung over the back of it.

  Awkwardly, Azurdee shuffled from foot to foot, feeling uncomfortable. She rubbed her arms, goosebumps covering her skin.

  “Cold?” Kai guessed. Before she could answer him, he shrugged off his long trench coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  She smiled slightly at his act of kindness, grateful that at least one of the siblings knew a thing or two about manners.

  “So, can we talk about your idea? I really need to get home soon…”

  Suddenly, Noah flew forward, a deep growl emerging from his throat. A young vampire stood frozen in fear behind Azurdee, the contents of her coin pouch spilling on the ground. Noah picked up the vampire by the scruff of the neck, his teeth barred with anger. “Empty your pockets.” He hissed.

  Terrified, the vampire did as he was told, pulling out a few more personal items from his pockets. />
  “All of it.”

  The vampire hesitated, finally pulling out one of Azurdee’s monogrammed handkerchiefs, the same one that had been used during her coming of age ceremony. She had stuffed it in her bag, just to get it out of her sight. Seeing it again made her stomach churn.

  “Actually, he can keep that one.” She said, wanting to get rid of it.

  The pickpocket ran off with his meager booty, Noah staring him down before he picked up her stuff and returned it to her. “You need to be more aware of your surroundings. I can’t be watching out for you all the time. Of course, if you want to hire me as your personal bodyguard, that’s another story.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Azurdee said with her head held high, even though she had come so close to being robbed.

  “If you say so.” Noah chuckled, thinking it cute that she thought she was strong enough to defend herself.

  A moment of silence passed between them. Azurdee once again shifted from foot to foot, feeling strange being in this neighborhood. She clearly didn’t belong. “Can you two just tell me what your plan is?” She was starting to get desperate at this point.

  “As we said before, we’re just as good at taking things as we are at hiding them.”

  “What do you mean? How is that going to solve my problem?”

  “It’s easy.” Noah butted in. “We take you, then we hide you.”

  Azurdee’s eyes grew wide, thinking they had already taken her.

  “Don’t look so scared. We haven’t kidnapped you.” Noah assured. “Besides, if we were to hide you, we would do so in a place much nicer than this. We might be lesser vampires, but we’ve done pretty well for ourselves. You might actually like living with us.” He winked, his lips dancing with mischief.

  “You want to hide me from my fiancé?”

  “That’s the plan.” Noah nodded.

  “If we hide you long enough, he’ll be forced to call off the wedding, will he not?” Kai asked, his voice stoic.

  “I guess… but I doubt you two would do this for me free of charge. What do you want in return?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

  “Oh… nothing. We’re just trying to perform our good deed for the year.” Noah flashed his fangs, before he reclined back even further, his expression carefree. “After all, it’s not like you can force true love.”