by T. S. Ryder
"Sir, I understand your desire to protect your daughter," he said. "Because from the moment I laid eyes on her, I wanted to do the same. I know that some people don't consider vampires to have lives, but that's not true. Sofia is my life now, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy."
It had taken a couple of months after that for her parents to come around, but in the end, they had been happy that Sofia had found someone who loved her as much as she loved him. Well, at least her father was. Her mother still wasn't thrilled that her daughter was going to be a vampire's wife.
A bright light shone in her eyes. She flinched back from it, a small squeak coming from her throat. Was that the moon, or something else? Whatever it was, Sofia hated it. She batted at it, trying to make it go away. But before her hand could strike it, there was a soft poking in her stomach. She gasped.
"Turn off the light, it's too bright," said a voice.
The bright light disappeared. Sofia blinked a few times as splotches of white danced before her eyes. As her surroundings came into focus, she saw that she was back in the palace, lying in the extra-large king bed that Aaron had custom made for the two of them. The rich red silk sheets clung to her body, though there wasn't anything else covering her except her old flannels.
A woman sat at the side of her bed. Sofia blinked again. "Mama?"
The bed shifted beside her and Aaron's arm wrapped around her shoulders. "You're awake?"
Sofia cried out in delight, throwing her arms around her husband. She kissed him passionately, not stopping until her mother cleared her throat and shoved a hand between their faces. "There will be none of that, not until you are back to your full strength."
Aaron chuckled, helping Sofia to sit. "Can you blame her for getting excited? She passed out while we were still in the swamp. Being attacked by a gorgon was one of the last things she saw."
Sofia remembered Gloria transforming into that hideous creature and shuddered. More movement came from inside her and she put a hand on her belly, shoulders relaxing. "The baby is okay?"
"Yes. You are very lucky, you know. With the amount of blood loss you suffered, not to mention the poison in your system!" Her mother narrowed her eyes at Sofia. "I don't want you to take any more of those unnecessary risks. You are to stay in the palace. Or better yet, come home where I can look after you."
Sofia smothered a smile. "We can talk about that, Mama. But right now can I be alone with Aaron?"
"I don't think so. You'll go back to kissing and you're still far too weak for that."
"No kissing, I promise Mama. I just need to ask him about a few things."
Her mother frowned suspiciously, but nodded and slipped from the room. Sofia noted that she left the door open and rolled her eyes before turning to Aaron. Anxiety spiked through her as she pressed a hand to his chest. His skin was cool and smooth as always.
"Did it work? Are you a vampire again?"
Aaron nodded. "Yes. I'm fully vampire once more. Your mother is right. We were very lucky. I nearly lost you."
She shuddered. "That thing that Gloria turned into. What was it?"
"A gorgon. It's an ancient magical creature. You've heard of Medusa, from Greek legend? She was a gorgon. Representations of her aren't exactly accurate, but they're close enough. Gorgons can take many different forms, but their eggs must be fostered inside human bodies. I'm sorry about your friend, but she was dead the moment she was infested. She took it willingly. That much is clear."
Sofia ducked her head. Tears pricked her eyes. Gloria might not have been the best friend or even a good friend, but she had been a friend. And it made her so angry that she had made such a stupid, stupid mistake.
"What about the rest of the radical witches?"
"They seem to have fled. Haven't heard anything from them. I doubt that they're done, but I'm certain that this was their big secret weapon. As long as we stay vigilant and work harder to improve relations between witches and everybody else, I don't expect that we'll end up in a similar situation again."
Sofia nodded. She pressed a hand to her stomach and shivered. "Am I a horrible person? A terrible mother? I put our child at risk, I–"
"Shhh." Aaron pressed his finger to her lips. "Don't. It's the past, and if you hadn't chosen the way you did, we may not be here together. I have no immune system, if I was human right now, a cold would wipe me out. Our child is safe, and you are safe. That's all that matters."
"You took that thing on, even though you were still recovering from my stupid mistake. I nearly killed you for this child—"
Aaron cut her off with a kiss. "Don't. I don't care what horrible things you're thinking, it was all worth it for the outcome. I love you, Sofia, and I love this child. I would gladly die for either one of you, let alone both together."
"I don't want you to die at all." Sofia laid her head on his chest, shivering yet again. This incident had just been too close… but if there was something good that came from it, it reaffirmed how much they loved one another.
"So I was thinking…" Aaron pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now that we know how this works, and how to reverse the effects, we could have more children. I know we agreed to adopt, and I still want to, but maybe we can think about being pregnant again sometime in the future."
Sofia smiled. "Well, it's something to talk about, anyway. I think in the future we should have more knowledge about how exactly it works. But I like the idea. I want lots and lots of children."
"I know. I believe you said twelve when I first asked you."
"No, you did." Sofia lightly pushed him, thought she relaxed against him quickly again. "I think I'm still a little too tired to discuss it right now. Everything that happened... Well, we can talk about it later."
Aaron stroked her hair. "You're right. We don't have to decide right away. After all, we still have four months until this little guy is born."
He gently prodded her belly, and she felt a kick from inside her in response. A grin crossed her face. "Or girl."
"Right. Of course. Or girl." Aaron glanced away. "And I know you just woke up, but you did suffer a significant blood loss and you should rest."
Sofia's eyes narrowed. Aaron was acting very elusive… What was he hiding? She pulled away from him, swinging her legs out of bed. Aaron wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back, his brow furrowing. He nestled into her neck.
"Where do you think you're going? I just said you needed to rest."
"You're holding something from me."
"So you're going to go out and walk around when you ought to be in bed?"
Sofia shrugged. "I was just going to get some water."
Aaron swung her around, tucking her feet back into the bed. He plumped the pillows behind her, making her smile. She always enjoyed it when he was this attentive to her. Although she was suspicious that he was just going to try to deflect her attention again, she was going to let him take care of her.
He was wearing a tight pair of pants, and she admired the way his ass looked in them as he got her a glass of water. When he caught her looking, he grinned and undid a couple buttons on his shirt before returning to her.
"Careful, I have to rest," she teased. "And I think my mother is just outside the door making sure that we don't… you know."
The king cocked his head. His nostrils flared and he nodded. "You're right. I can smell her out here."
Sofia accepted the water, watching him. "Okay. So spill."
"Spill?"
"When I said the baby might be a girl, you looked shifty."
Aaron dropped his head but grinned at her all the same. "When the physician was examining you, I saw something on the ultrasound. I know we agreed that it was going to be a surprise—"
"Not fair for you to know and not me!"
"We're having a boy." Aaron's grin was so big it could have split his face.
"A boy?" Sofia placed both her hands on her stomach. "A boy. He's going to be a little hell raiser, isn't it?"
*****
THE END
Did you like what you read?
”The Vampire King’s Virgin“ is a standalone book in a series of Vampire King romance novels. Other parts of the series (more coming soon!):
- Claimed by the Vampire King
- Owned by the Vampire King
- Chosen by the Vampire King
The books each have a guaranteed HEA and contain plenty of action, hot vampires, steam and pregnancies.
Bonus Book 2: Mated to Two Beasts
Description
Desired by a sophisticated vampire king and a bad boy shifter. Life could be worse… Or, could it?
Audrey is a reporter with big dreams for the future. So when she gets the chance to visit the Harvest Moon Festival, where human women are chosen as vampire mates, she doesn’t hesitate. This will give her the inside scoop she needs.
But she gets far more than she bargained for.
First, there’s the insanely handsome Sanjay, a tiger/lion shifter with a voice that is by far the sexiest thing Audrey has ever heard.
And then there’s the elusive Dimitri, the vampire king himself, who has the longest… fangs she’s ever seen.
When both shifter and vampire claim her as their mate, things get heated. Neither Sanjay nor Dimitri are used to being told no. If Audrey doesn't choose, they will battle to the death for her.
And that's not the end of her troubles, when enemies decide to end the Harvest Moon Festival, by any means necessary…
Can Audrey choose? Can she survive? Will she get everything she secretly desires?
Chapter One
Dozens of women milled about the large, opulent room. The floor was polished marble, and a single, giant chandelier hung from the ceiling. It reminded Audrey of the chandelier from the productions of The Phantom of the Opera she had reviewed for her high school newspaper. That one had fallen directly on her head, which was probably why she was careful to avoid standing beneath this one. She had a feeling actual gold and crystal would hurt a lot more than painted cardboard.
Audrey leaned against the wall, ignoring a buffet table full of delicate-looking dishes, among which ranged lobster and crab. All around her, humans, vampires and shifters from various packs were flirting with one another–and in some cases, doing a little more than flirting. She tried to soak in every detail.
It wasn't often that the halls of the vampire palace were open to humans. This was a special occasion, though. It was the festival of the Harvest Moon, when the vampire king, Dimitri, invited selected human women to his halls to meet various vampires looking to find themselves a mate. The festival would actually take up the full month, until the next full moon. Today was only the meet and greet.
The festival happened every year, but what made this one different was the fact that Dimitri had also invited shifters to his halls. The poor relations between them and vampires made this an unprecedented move on Dimitri's part.
And I've been chosen to cover it from the inside.
Audrey fought to keep the smirk off her face as she remembered when her boss assigned her the story. The young reporter was determined to prove herself worthy of the task and was taking careful mental notes of what she observed. Details about what actually happened during the festival were scarce out in the human world.
So far there hadn't been anything really worth reporting on. It was like any fancy party. Or, given the amount of couples sneaking off to private rooms, like any prom. The most exciting part was the hostility apparent between the shifters and vampires. Just a couple minutes ago, a tussle between a Wolf and a vampire over the same woman had ended with them both being ejected from the hall just moments ago.
Audrey scanned the room again. It didn't escape her notice that the women in the hall were all gorgeous. Audrey herself had always been seen as 'exotic', with her hair a peculiar shade that was usually black, but with a tinge of red in the right light, her golden-brown skin and eyes so blue that people assumed she wore contacts.
So vampires like unusual combinations on their women, Audrey mused, catching sight of a woman with one green and one brown eye being chatted up by no less than three men.
She grimaced as a man sidled up to her. He wore a suit like the vampires, but there were a few giveaways telling her he was a shifter. The first was the sheer size he had over his blood-drinking paranormal counterparts. While vampires did stand taller than the average human, they were tall in a supermodel or basketball player way. Shifters, even the ones that could turn into smaller animals like foxes, were sheer bulk. They towered over everybody else, huge and intimidating.
Audrey drank some punch and ignored the shifter. Right now she wanted to take in the rituals going on around her.
He leaned against the wall and peered down at her. It didn't escape her notice that was easily the biggest man in the room. He had dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin that was smooth and unblemished. He was also insanely handsome, with a strong jaw and symmetrical features. If she had been here to find a mate, rather than get the inside scoop, she would have been all over him. Which was one of the reasons she was so determined to ignore him.
"Hello," he said, his voice deep like the ocean and by far the sexiest thing she had ever heard. "My name is Sanjay."
Would it hurt to let herself dabble in the festivities with this huge shifter? She had signed up for the whole selection process. It was the only way she could get access to the festival… No. She had to stay on track. No dabbling.
But that didn't mean she couldn't ask a few questions.
"Audrey," she said with a smile. "My name is Audrey. So you're a shifter, right?"
Sanjay nodded.
"What do you turn into?"
"A Liger."
Audrey stared dubiously at him. "A Liger? As in…?"
"Half tiger, half lion. Sanjay grinned at her. "Just like in non-shifter species, if a tigress mates with a male lion, the offspring is a liger. Want to go to a room and find out more?"
Well, he was right to the point. Audrey's pulse quickened. Her body screamed at her to say yes, but she shook her head. Maybe she had signed up for it, but she wasn't here for a mate. It was just a cover. She wasn't going to lead Sanjay on, despite how hot he was and how much she'd like to learn more about him.
"No. I'm here for the vampire king, nobody else."
What the... What had possessed her to say that? Audrey tried to smile. There was a non-disclosure agreement with signing up for the festival, and if she revealed her true purpose she'd be ejected. But she could have found a different excuse to refuse the handsome shifter.
Sanjay's eyes darkened, but before he could say anything else, a vampire turned towards them. He actually stepped between the Liger and the human, flashing her an easy grin. His fangs were the longest she had seen yet. It must have been all the pheromones floating around from other women looking to mate, but Audrey suddenly had the urge to ask if the length of fangs corresponded with the size of… other parts of the body.
"You're interested in the king?" the vampire said.
Audrey nodded, although she couldn't help but wince at the look on Sanjay's face. Frustrated, annoyed, and maybe even a little hurt. I don't owe him anything.
"Yeah. I want to meet him. I've never seen any pictures or anything."
"The king likes his privacy." The vampire clamped an arm around her waist. "I'll take you to see him."
Sanjay gripped the vampire's shoulder and yanked him away from her. "She was talking to me."
"And it looked to me like she was done."
Audrey looked between the two men, eyes widening. They weren't going to start fighting, were they? She certainly didn't want that! And as much as she would like to stay and talk with Sanjay about why he was here and what life as a shifter was like, being able to speak with the king himself was a huge break for her. There were no photos of him, let
alone a real, honest-to-goodness interview.
If she was able to get an exclusive on him, her career would skyrocket. She might even get the Pulitzer for it. It was a chance she couldn’t turn down, so she stepped between the two men.
"I really do want to meet the king," she told Sanjay. "But you and I could talk again. Just talk, though. Like I said, I'm not looking for a shifter mate."
Sanjay's lips pursed but he nodded stiffly and stepped back. The vampire once again put an arm around her waist and led her away from the party.
Now that she wasn't comparing him to Sanjay, Audrey could see that the vampire was quite attractive as well. Paler than she normally went for, but it suited him well with his brown hair and hazel eyes. And while not as muscular as the shifter, he was no string bean. It was no wonder so many women flocked to the palace every year for the chance of becoming a vampire's mate.
The vampire led her up a set of polished oak stairs and into a room at the end of the hallway. A fire flickered in a hearth across the room, and two full walls were covered in books. A desk sat in the corner next to the fire, and in the center of the room was a white couch.
"So is this the king's library or something?" Audrey asked.
"Yes." The vampire closed the door behind him. "And now that we're alone…"
He was on her in a second. His hot, hungry mouth captured hers, his arms wrapping around her waist. He pulled her tight around her, the wool pencil skirt she had elected to wear already riding up on her thighs. Heat flooded through her as he expertly kissed her. Sparks exploded in her brain and for a moment all she wanted was for him to lay her down on the floor and take her where they stood.
The sound of her own moan caught her off guard and she pulled back, pressing her hands to the vampire's chest, gasping for breath.
"What are you doing?"