“Master, I could not.” She tried to turn her head away, but his hand held her in place. “I am but just a lowly servant.”
Clearly, she thought that because she was one of his servants, and not of royal blood, he couldn’t possibly have feelings toward her. How wrong she was. Courting her was exactly what he wanted, and nothing would stand in the way of that.
“You most certainly could. It is no secret that I am a lonely man.” Softly stroking her jaw with his thumb, he inhaled her scent. “I am the king and desire to have dinner with the lovely Aaliyah.”
She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. “What time shall I arrive?”
Pleased at her quick acceptance, he kissed her hand one last time. “I will send for you just after the last linen shift. Bowing his head, he backed away slowly, keeping eye contact until she was out of his sight. Her giddy laughter filled the air, and his heart soared. Had he found a true love so soon?
Chapter Thirty-Four
That evening, Lazarith sent his right-hand to deliver a box to Aaliyah and bring her to the dining hall for dinner. The box contained an amethyst-colored evening gown, one of the best in the kingdom.
When George returned with her, Lazarith gawked. She was even more beautiful in it than he’d imagined. He took her hand and bowed before her. “You look most exquisite.” Kissing her knuckles, he then led her to the dining table.
Lazarith had enjoyed his time with Aaliyah so much he requested her presence at every meal for the next year.
One night, after nearly two years of courting her, Lazarith asked her to stay late. The two of them sat up all night talking. After a few glasses of wine, he gathered the courage to finally tell her about himself, who and what he really was.
“You are a vampire?” she asked with raised brows.
He nodded, unsure of how she would react to this news.
“You drink blood to survive?”
“Yes, my love.” He reached for her hand, hoping she wouldn’t pull away.
She didn’t. “I do not care what you are. I love you.” Scooting closer, she leaned her forehead against his. “I love you, always and forever. That will never change.” Aaliyah kissed the tip of his nose.
This was going better than he’d hoped. His fear all this time was that she’d hate him for what he was and would never want to see him again. “I do not want to ever lose you, Aaliyah.”
“You will never lose me.”
“No, what I mean is that I want you by my side for eternity.” He held his breath while waiting for her answer. Seconds passed by, and he feared her response.
“Can…” She pursed her lips as she thought. “Is that possible?”
“Yes, it is possible for you to become a vampire and live an immortal life. Is that a life you would be willing to live with me?”
In truth, he expected her to be disgusted with him for suggesting the matter. She surprised him instead. “Yes, my love. I want to be as you are and spend an eternity with you.” Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she took a deep breath before looking at him again. “Though I must confess that I am quite frightened. Will I suffer pain?”
“I cannot lie to you, my love. There will be pain, but I can help ease your suffering.”
Aaliyah’s shoulders relaxed.
Lazarith pulled her close to his side. Listening to the pounding of her heart, he brushed his lips over hers. Over their time together he had stolen a kiss here and a kiss there, but it had never been anything more than a light brushing of the lips.
This kiss was not like the others. Lazarith lifted her and placed her on his lap then deepened their kiss. Their tongues danced with one another in a tango that sparked a fire in his core. Her body responded to his touch, and she let out a small moan of pleasure.
He was glad she was willing to spend an eternity with him because he definitely wanted to spend the rest of his life giving pleasure to her body. Breaking the kiss, he stared into her eyes, silently asking if she was ready for the transformation.
“I am ready.” At her words, he blew a sweet fragrant breath at her face and felt her body instantly relax against his own.
Holding her tenderly in his arms, he placed soft kisses along her neck until he reached that beloved vein. The one thumping against his lips and calling forth his fangs. With the euphoric effect of his breath, her body never tensed as he punctured the tender flesh. He drank from her and in return, offered his blood to her.
Aaliyah was the first vampire created by the blood of another.
In only two months, they were married, and Aaliyah took her rightful place as queen. As all women, she longed to have children. Lazarith hated the sadness in her eyes when she walked through the kingdom and saw the children running and playing.
One night he asked her to visit his haven with him. There, in the cave, Lazarith called upon the goddess.
“Yes, my child?” Ratri appeared at their side.
“Goddess,” Lazarith said. “We desire to have a child.”
“Yes, I sense this desire.” Ratri circled the couple once, twice, three times. “Living a life of immortality comes with many sacrifices. I do not think it wise to burden a child with this gift.”
Without hesitation, Aaliyah spoke to the goddess. “Goddess, I understand the risks and the burden that a child will bear, but my only desire is to mother a baby of my own. One that will have equal amounts of Lazarith and I.”
Ratri must have sensed her desperation. “Aaliyah, it is surprising that you would come here without fear and make such a request.”
“Yes. It is because I love my husband with everything that I am, and I wish to give him his heir.”
“I see that you have found your soul mate,” Ratri spoke to Lazarith. “I do believe that you are worthy of such a gift.”
A smile spread on both of their faces at the words spoken by their goddess.
“I will grant your wish to conceive a child.” She paused. “You must be willing to make a sacrifice.”
Lazarith looked at his beautiful wife. She nodded her head in agreement. “Whatever you require of us,” she said without the slightest hesitation.
“I will allow you to conceive one child. Only one, for your body will never bear another. Is this a decision that you can live with for all of eternity?”
“Yes, goddess.” Aaliyah bounced with her enthusiasm. “You have done more for us than we could ever ask. You are truly a great, mighty, and loving goddess.” She beamed. “We thank you with every part of our being.”
So, on their first wedding anniversary they conceived a child.
Aaliyah eventually gave birth to a son, and they named him Damion.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Earadessa, but are you saying that we can still have children? Well, a child.” The grin that spread on Regina’s face enhanced the dimple in her right cheek. Since they were kids, she’d talked about getting married and having kids. Once they’d awakened as vampires, she’d complained about that dream being long gone.
Earadessa stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, earning a few crackles. “Yes, Regina, that is exactly what I’m saying. The night that Lazarith and Aaliyah requested a child, the goddess put into motion a spiritual law that allows us to conceive a child. A vampiress can only conceive with her soul mate.”
“Nice. That’s the best kind of birth control.” Serienna giggled like a school girl. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Out of embarrassment, Tanya covered her face with her hands. “Great, leave it to Serienna to make a dumb remark like that.”
Suppressing a yawn, Dannika shook her head. “Yeah, but if she hadn’t made an embarrassing Serienna-like comment, then I’d be worried that aliens had abducted her or something.”
“You know,
” Serienna said with mock hurt. “You guys are so mean.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Tanya waved her statement away. “But you still love us.”
Serienna tossed a small pillow at her. “Darn right.”
Stretching again, Earadessa stood. “Well, ladies, it’s been a rather long day. Do you mind if we put a hold on the family history lesson until tomorrow? I’m actually pretty tired.”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Oh, are you guys planning on heading out tomorrow? I can stay up and finish if you’d like. There’s not much more.”
Stifling a yawn, Tanya was relieved the story telling was coming to end tonight. They had had a long travel and had been up early with very little sleep the night before. “I think we’ll stay a night if you don’t mind. I haven’t had any bad visions or anything, so we should be okay.” She glanced around the room. “That is, if you girls don’t mind staying.”
All four of them shrugged with indifference.
“I’m okay with it.” Covering a yawn, Dannika stood. “I think we could use some rest and it’s nice getting to know our new family.”
“It’s settled then.” Makinzee stood and popped her back. “We’ll stay, visit, and finish the history lesson. Thank goodness, I have my makeup in the trunk.”
Giggling, Tanya playfully rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it would be a disaster for Makinzee Patterson to have to go a day without her blessed makeup.”
“Ha, ha.” Makinzee kicked Tanya’s foot as she passed by. “You’re so very funny.” Returning her pillow to its original place against the wall, she turned back to Earadessa.
“Right this way, ladies.” Earadessa made her way to the door. “I’ll show you to your rooms and have Curtis bring your belongings in so that you can change.”
Curtis, the butler, had all the fashion of someone stuck in the eighties. Faded blue jeans with rips in the knees, a belt with a large, square buckle, a jean jacket with the arms ripped off, and big messy hair.
Tanya and the others thanked her for the food they’d eaten while listening to Lazarith’s history and for allowing them to stay with her.
“No need to thank me. It’s my pleasure.” Earadessa escorted them down a long hallway with several doors. “Pick any room you like. They are all available.” Watching them open the doors to peek inside, she said, “Enjoy the rest of your night. My home is secure so you’ll be safe here. Goodnight.”
As always, Dannika and Tanya paired in a room. Each of them exhausted, they both fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The next morning, after showers, the girls ventured to the kitchen. The scent of pancakes and sausage wafted through the air. Earadessa stood at the stove, spatula in hand, dancing to the country music blaring from her cell phone.
Tanya held back the giggle that wanted to escape at seeing Earadessa shake it.
Without missing a beat, Earadessa pointed the spatula toward the table. “You girls go ahead and have a seat. Breakfast is almost done.”
On the table was a bowl of mixed fruit. The girls picked at it until Earadessa returned with two plates stacked with fluffy pancakes. Silence followed as everyone ate.
About halfway through the meal, Serienna laid her fork down. “Guys, I’m not sure how to say this.” She paused a moment. “Something very odd happened to me last night after I went to bed.”
The poor girl looked like she might puke. She must be afraid of what they might think of her. Tanya laid her hand over Serienna’s. “What happened?”
Earadessa sat down her fork and got up to take a seat next to Serienna. “It’s okay. We’re not going to think you’re crazy. You can tell us what happened.”
Keeping her focus on her plate, avoiding eye contact, Serienna said, “After your talk about soul mates, I was curious. I wanted to know about mine. What he looked like, where he was from, what he was doing, that kind of thing.”
Earadessa squeezed her hand. “Okay. Then what?”
Serienna shook her head. “This sounds really stupid, never mind.”
“No, Serienna.” Not wanting her friend to give up in defeat, Tanya encouraged her. “We really want to hear what you have to say.”
“Okay.” Lifting her head, but still not meeting anyone’s gaze, Serienna carried on with her night’s events. “I was just lying in bed thinking about him. Wondering if we’d meet soon.” She looked over at Earadessa. “I remembered what you said about the goddess. That she told Lazarith that she was but a prayer away.”
“That’s right,” Earadessa said.
“Well, I asked her about him, who he was.” Serienna’s eyes widened. “That’s when it happened.”
Cocking her brows, Earadessa asked, “When what happened?”
Serienna twiddled her thumbs. “When he appeared at the foot of my bed.”
The look of shock on Earadessa’s face made Tanya wonder if the woman feared an intruder had broken through her security or maybe Serienna had just experienced a unique power. “What?”
Embarrassment tinted Serienna’s neck and face. “Yeah, I know how crazy I sound.”
Disbelief crossed Makinzee’s features. “Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
“I can assure you that I wasn’t dreaming. I don’t know how, but he was here, standing right in front of me.” Serienna looked at Earadessa, silently pleading with her to explain what had happened. “At first, I thought that maybe someone had broken in, but I didn’t hear anyone enter my room. In fact, I watched him appear out of thin air. When I sat up to ask him who he was, the room changed. Instead of being here, we were standing in some magnificent meadow.”
The clang startled everyone as Regina dropped her fork onto her plate. “Okay, that’s just ridiculous. People don’t appear out of thin air and magically teleport you to a meadow.”
Flustered, Serienna sighed. “I know how stupid this all sounds. What, because my possible ability isn’t as cool as yours…or Tanya’s…or even Dannika’s, then it’s just a dream?” Anger laced her voice.
This was out of the ordinary for Serienna, and it unnerved Tanya. “Sis, it’s okay. I’m sure Regina didn’t mean anything by it.” She watched as the heat in her friend’s eyes simmered down before encouraging her to continue.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The air in the room shifted. Dust particles moved, and light swirled at the foot of Serienna’s bed. Whatever that was, it wasn’t normal. The light grew and took on the shape of a man. “What in the world?” She blinked. Surely her imagination was running wild.
He looked around her room, confused.
Sitting up, she let out a gasp when the air shifted again and she no longer sat in her room. How? The only explanation she could think of was that maybe she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming.
Instead of being at Earadessa’s house, lying in bed, she now sat on plush grass in a meadow full of flowers. Not just any flowers. Tulips covered the ground for as far as she could see. Tulips were her absolute favorite. It was as if this meadow had been made just for her.
Hesitantly, he lowered himself onto the grass across from her. Even though he sat close enough to touch, his face was a blur. It was as though his identity was to remain a secret.
Furrowing her brows, Serienna asked, “Who are you?”
The stranger shifted, like he was trying to get a better look at her. Maybe he had the same difficulty seeing her as she did seeing him. “Um.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m Vaughn.” Leaning forward, he reached out to touch her but paused as if he had changed his mind and placed his hands in his lap. “Who are you?”
There was no way Serienna was about to disclose that information to a complete stranger. Then again, was he real or just a figment of her imagination? Curiosity won. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything…but are yo
u real?”
The laugh that left him echoed throughout the meadow.
Serienna gapped at him. Did the crazy fool just laugh at her? What a dork.
“I’m sorry.” He regained his composure. “It’s just that this whole ordeal is so bizarre. How do I know that you’re real? For all I know, I’m dreaming this whole thing up.”
Could she not have dreamt of a hottie she could see like any other normal girl? Instead she dreamt of this cocky maniac without a face. “No, I’m a figment of your imagination.” Sighing, she leaned back on her hands. “Of course, I’m real.”
Pulling his legs under him so he was on his knees, he leaned toward her. His breath tickled her cheek. “If you’re real and I’m real, then what on earth is going on, and why are we here?” He motioned to the meadow around them.
This was getting weirder by the minute. As much as she wanted to believe he was a figment of her imagination, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was as real as her. Could it be possible they had both been sucked into this strange experience? “I honestly don’t know what’s going on.”
He reached out and touched her face. The sharp intake of breath mirrored her own at the shockwaves that coursed through her from his touch. Where his fingers had been, her skin tingled.
Recovering her senses, she blinked up at him. “All I know is that I was lying on my bed.” She bit her lip, unsure what he’d think of this next statement. “I was thinking about my soul mate. Who he was, where he was, what he was like, that sort of thing. Then out of nowhere, you appear. I don’t even know how we got here.” She pointed to their surroundings.
His eyes followed the movement of her finger.
“When you first appeared to me, we were still in my room then in the blink of an eye we were sitting here.”
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