by T. S. Ryder
Chapter Three
It was hard to concentrate on his lieutenant's words as he stared at the large map that showed his territory. Alexandru's mind was consumed by the beautiful mortal woman who carried his child.
Some vampires could scent a pregnancy almost from the moment it happened, Alexandru was one of them. If he hadn't had the herbs in his nose on their wedding night, he would have been able to scent the pregnancy then.
He had to admit, he had not expected for her to accept his seed so quickly. The flood of hormones into her bloodstream resulting from pregnancy created a near-irresistible cocktail. Her scent had become more powerful over the past three months since their wedding and it was dangerous to be near her.
It was why he could not trust himself to go to Found, even though he wanted more than anything to see her, to hold her in his arms. He hardened at the thought of her tight walls, her succulent breasts, the smell of her arousal. Just thinking of her and knowing he couldn't touch her, was torture.
His lieutenant, Marcus, must have scented Alexandru's arousal but continued speaking.
"The Bears have brought in Wolves from the Americas," he said. "They're testing the strength of our borders. Sir, it is my belief that we must do something quickly, before they grow even bolder."
Alexandru nodded, trying to push Found from his thoughts. It wasn't easy. His fingers twitched, aching to reach for his cell phone and call her, just to hear her voice. Though he had seen her just two hours earlier.
Wava is taking good care of her, he reminded himself. "I agree, Marcus. I want you to increase the patrols on the borders. My brother, Dmitri, lost half of his territory because he could not defend it against the Shifters."
"As you wish." Marcus bowed and turned to leave.
"Wait." Alexandru's brow furrowed. If he was going to someday take the crown, he needed more than just to defend his lands. He had many brothers that were hundreds, even thousands, of years older than him. He was just a child to them, his possessions just a spit of land. He needed to expand if he wanted to be taken seriously. "Send a message to the Bear Matriarch. I wish to engage in battle for territory."
Marcus bowed again and slipped from the war room. Alexandru groaned, thoughts of Found instantly invading his mind. He was fighting a battle on two fronts—one at his borders and one in his mind. How was the little female so pervasive?
He knew he would need to drink from her, to mark her as his own, but now that she was pregnant, he didn't want to risk it. He should have drunk from her before the wedding night. He knew that now. But what was done could not be changed.
Laughter brought him out of his half-stupor. Vlad's scent curled around his nose and his head jerked up.
His half-brother sat in the large, comfortable office chair behind Alexandru's desk, fingers touched together, eyes gleaming. "You have a wife, do you not, brother? Can't she take care of that?"
He gestured vaguely and Alexandru pulled down his suit jacket, though he knew it wouldn't go low enough to hide the bulge in his pants. "How did you get in here?"
"I'm a ghost. I flit through the walls. I wanted to see how your marriage was coming along, but you don't seem to be enjoying your wife… Do you mind if I take a quick go at her?"
Alexandru roared, lunging forward. Rage burned through him at the thought of Vlad's eyes on his mate, his breath on her skin. He would never let that happen! But Vlad slipped from his fingers like an eel and danced around the room, his lithe frame quick and nimble.
"Come on, brother, certainly you can do better than that?"
Alexandru pulled up short, hands clenched. He had to remain in control of the situation, something he was clearly failing at.
"You are not welcome here. Go before I decide to kill you."
"You can't kill a ghost," Vlad laughed. "Besides, the Empress would be furious with you. But back to your female—does she taste good? I could scent her ovulation on you the last time I was here… does she smell better now that she's with child?"
He knew? The vampire general tensed.
"I can't smell her on you," Vlad continued, inhaling deeply. "Are you afraid you'll kill her if you mark her as your own? You know those human marriages you are obsessed with, mean nothing… if you don't drink from her, she's not yours… Maybe I will claim her, if you're too afraid..."
A red haze filled Alexandru's vision. He rushed to his brother, but Vlad easily sidestepped him and bolted for the corridor, laughing as he went. Alexandru chased after him. Forget the consequences, he was going to throw the boy in the dungeons and keep him there until the Empress herself sent for him.
Vlad was quicker than he was and by the time Alexandru was in the corridor, he had already turned the corner. The general followed, feet pounding the carpets. Vlad's scent hung heavy in the air.
He reached a window and the scent cut out, as though Vlad really was a ghost that had disappeared. Alexandru snarled, kicking the wall. How did he do it?
"If you can hear me, Vlad, know that someday I am going to remove your head from your shoulders," he roared.
There was the faint sound of laughter from outside and when Alexandru looked out, his jaw dropped. Vlad was climbing down the side of the palace, dropping from window ledge to window ledge. He moved as quickly as a spider and with the ease of a mountain goat.
"Can you remove my head before I get to your wife?" Vlad shouted back up to him.
Alexandru withdrew. His normally unnoticeably slow heartbeat sped, kicking adrenaline into his system. Vlad could get anywhere. He could get into Found's room.
She wasn't safe here. He couldn't be with her all the time and if Vlad killed her in Alexandru's own home, then the fault would be on Alexandru. He would be viewed as weak for not being able to protect his own wife and child. Vlad would go unpunished. Alexandru would not be given the authority to kill him.
He spun on his heel, racing down the way he came, to Found's room. The only way to protect her was to get her out of here.
***
Found fingered the fine cotton, her eyes running over the frills and bows Wava had sewn onto the tiny dress. Would her baby really be this small? A hand drifted to her stomach. She was only just starting to round out more than her natural curves. It seemed impossible that she was already pregnant. And yet she was.
"Don't you think it's a little premature to be making baby clothes?" Found's fingers wandered to the tiny sailor suit Wava had made if it was a boy. "I mean, it's only been three months. Something could happen."
"You've got vampire DNA in that baby. It doesn't matter how far along you are, if you're pregnant, you'll be pregnant until he is born. Even if somebody came in here right now and beat you half to death. Vampires make hardy men."
Found turned from the baby clothes to see that Wava was at her sewing machine again. Alexandru was worried about the other vampire's reactions to her and didn't want her wandering the palace. Found didn't really mind staying in her room, as long as Wava was there to talk to and alleviate the boredom. All the baby talk and sewing was getting a little tiresome, though.
"You say things like that often, you know," Found said, trying to change the subject. "That vampires make strong men, or vivacious men, or intelligent men. What about vampire women?"
"Oh, there aren't any vampire women," Wava responded matter-of-factly, “well, at least not in our vampire race. There may be in other vampire races.”
"What?"
"Why else would human women be needed to create new vampires? Oh." A look of horror came over her face. "You're not one of those people who think that when a vampire bites somebody they became a vampire too, or that vampires become ash in sunlight or turn into bats, are you?"
Found shook her head.
Wava sighed in relief, smiling again. "Good. Because those rumors are so ridiculous. I think the Shifters must have made them up, to make humans fear vampires and fight against them."
"But there aren't any vampire women here?" Found pressed.
"Corre
ct."
"I thought you were a vampire."
"No. My father was a vampire, but I'm not."
Found's brow furrowed.
"We don't know why, but only our male children are born as vampires," Wava continued. "If you have a girl she'll be human, although she will admittedly be stronger, faster and smarter than your average human, like me. But don't worry. Even if you're carrying a little girl, your pregnancy isn't at any higher a risk. She still has vampire DNA and will keep to term, no matter what."
Found absently stroked her stomach, thinking of a little girl with Alexandru's big eyes. She would be adorable. "Will he be angry?"
"Will who be angry?"
"Alexandru. If it's a girl."
Wava shook her head. "There's plenty of times for sons. This is just proof he can live in harmony with humans."
Found sighed, but before she could continue the door slammed open. Her heart jumped to her throat as Alexandru strode in. His eyes were fiery, hands clenched. His eyes briefly ran over Found and focused on Wava.
"Get her ready to leave. We're going to the Empress's palace."
Wava frowned but instantly began bustling around the room, throwing clothing into a suitcase she pulled from under the bed.
Found wrung her hands and stepped closer to her husband. "What's wrong?"
Alexandru closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. His body literally radiated cold, making Found shiver. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer and rose her mouth to his. The moment her lips brushed his, he released her and backed away.
"I won't let anybody harm you."
Found's stomach clenched. "Who would want to hurt me?"
"My brother, Vlad. Years ago, his land was given to me. He's been trying to provoke me into attacking him ever since so that the Empress will give him back the lands. He's growing impatient and has set his eyes on you."
Alexandru stepped forward again, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"But I will not let him harm you. I am taking you to the Empress's palace. He won't dare touch you there."
Alexandru pulled away from her again. He took the suitcase Wava had packed and turned, swiftly walking away. Found shivered again, but followed with Wava close to her side. Everything would be fine. Alexandru would protect her.
Chapter Four
The Empress's castle was three times as big as Alexandru's, and was as ancient as the Empress herself. Alexandru had been awed the first time he was brought here, when the Empress claimed him as her son. He continued to be awed every time he visited since then.
"It's beautiful," Found whispered as she stepped up beside him on the balcony overlooking the Black Sea. The waves were calm today, reflecting the sky so clearly it appeared that the ships on the water were floating among clouds.
Alexandru slipped an arm around his wife. The Empress had insisted they stay in the same room since they arrived a week ago and Alexandru's self-control was put to the test every second. But he found he enjoyed his wife's company more than he thought he would. She was always telling lively stories about the orphanage she was raised in. He wondered if some part of her missed it, but whenever he asked, she insisted she did not.
"It is beautiful," he agreed.
His hands traced up Found's delicious curves to her shoulder, then down her arm to her wrist. It felt small and delicate in his fingers, though Found often complained it was too thick for bracelets.
Her pulse beat strong under her skin and Alexandru lifted her wrist to his nose, breathing in the tantalizing scent from her ulnar artery. It made his mouth water and he quickly dropped her hand and stepped away.
"Is it painful for you to be near me?" she asked, her gaze sharp and focused.
Alexandru's mouth twisted into a smile. "In certain ways, yes. There is a physical pain from my desire for you and your blood. But there is also a pain with the fear that if I indulge myself, I will harm you and our child."
Found's gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants. "Sex during pregnancy works just fine in normal circumstances, I'm sure it's fine for this one as well."
Her voice was low, velvety and full of desire. Alexandru suppressed a moan and put his hand out, stopping her, when she stepped forward.
"Every time we have sex is another opportunity for me to lose control. It will be better to wait until after the child is born and I can transfuse my blood into you again."
Found nodded once, understanding.
Alexandru's eyes traced the curve of her dark red lips, the slope of her neck and then the swell of her breasts. He wanted so desperately to explore every inch of her, feel her softness against him once more. But it would be worse to kill her now than it would have been on their wedding night. Not only did she carry his child, but he liked her. It would be painful to lose her, let alone if he was the one that killed her.
"Found, I am leaving the palace."
Her eyes widened. "Why?"
"I sent a challenge to the Bear Matriarch for a contest of strength. The loser will concede land to the winner. If I don't go, I will be branded a coward and my lands will be in jeopardy."
Found's mouth thinned. "Why did you make such a challenge after Vlad made his threats towards me? You said you were going to protect me."
Alexandru flinched. "He hadn't made the threats when I issued my challenge. Nobody will touch you here, I promise."
He stepped towards her, but her eyes narrowed and she backed away. It surprised him, as did the shock of hurt that went through him at her actions. He turned back to the view and tried to make his voice emotionless.
"I have ensured that you have a solid Wi-Fi signal in your rooms so you don't get bored and have let my brothers know in no uncertain terms that if they so much as look at you, I will kill them."
"Can't I come with you?"
Alexandru went rigid at the thought of her with the young, untrained vampires that patrolled his borders, or next to the Shifters that he would encounter. They would rip her to shreds in a heartbeat. "No!"
Found flinched at his tone.
"It's too dangerous," he added, trying to soften his voice. "I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to you."
Found sighed but nodded. "I will call you every day."
"We can video chat at night," he said as he hesitated a moment, slowly moving closer. She raised her face to him, expectant and he pressed a kiss to her lips, not breathing. The hot pulse of blood in her skin fired desire in him and he broke the kiss quickly. "I will return by the quarter moon."
"I will be waiting." She nestled into his side, leaning her head against his chest.
***
His fingers were like ice in her hands. Found absently rubbed them, staring past Alexandru's left ear as he said goodbye to her. He was dressed as though he was going to a business lunch with a CEO, not to a battle. Silk pinstriped suit, bright orange tie, white dress shirt. It was all perfectly fitted to his body, every contour emphasizing his tall, broad figure.
She was never good with emotion. There was no call for it at the orphanage. Year after year she learned the crushing disappointment that nobody wanted her. When no family wanted to take her in, her heart hardened, making it so that she didn't know if she was even capable of crying. If Alexandru did not return, she knew it would devastate her, but she didn't know how to tell him that.
"What will I do if you don't come back?" she asked instead.
Wava stepped up beside her and put an arm around her waist. "Don't worry about that. He'll come back. In the meantime, I'll take care of you."
Alexandru tugged his hand from hers and Found clenched her hands at her sides. Her husband smiled at his sister, bade her goodbye and headed for the helicopter that would take him to his destination. A spike of panic seized Found and she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Alexandru one last time. She buried her face into his chest, inhaling his scent.
A hand stroked her hair and Found managed to choke out what she had been wanting to say
all this time. "Don't go. Stay here with me."
"I must go, Found." Alexandru tilted her face to his. "A general who does not protect his lands cannot protect his mate. I'll be back before you know it."
Found pressed herself to her toes and flung her arms around her husband's neck, bringing his mouth to hers. Fire burned in her as the coldness of his skin crashed against her, his intoxicating smell filling her senses. Found closed her eyes, moaning, parting her lips. His tongue flicked into her mouth and she returned the gesture, running her tongue over his sharp fangs. They seemed to grow bigger and she did it again.
He was suddenly out of her arms. Her palms stung as though she had slapped a concrete wall and she blinked rapidly, panting. Alexandru was gone, already in the helicopter and the door shut even as Found tried to follow after him.
Found clenched her fists at her side, sucking in deep breaths to keep control of herself. When had this happened? When had her life become so entwined with the vampire's?
"How long have you loved him?" Wava's question made her jerk.
"I don't love him."
"My dear, I have seen women and their vampires before. Some of them act as though their mate is a drug and can't be parted from him. Others indulge their mate's every whim because he indulges theirs. But none of them actually kiss their mates unless they love him and trust with every inch of their souls, that he won't give into temptation and kill them."
Wava raised a brow at her and Found's cheeks warmed.
"Just because I trust him doesn't mean I love him. Love is complicated and messy. Who needs that?"
A laughing male voice behind them made both women jump. "Who indeed?"
When Found turned, she thought that Alexandru had not left at all. The man she stared at now was almost an exact copy of her husband. Light olive skin, big eyes, strong jaw. He was slightly smaller than Alexandru, though, and wore his hair long, unlike her husband's short hair.
"Vlad." Wava's voice shook with anger. "You stay away from her."
"Will you stop me, sister?" The vampire stalked forward. He curled a strand of Found's hair around his finger. She jerked away.