by T. S. Ryder
"Dimitri," she said again, her voice cowed. "Dimitri, you have to stop. Sanjay… we can't just leave him behind. They'll kill him."
"The shifter is far stronger than you realize, Audrey." Dimitri glanced at her. Worry was etched into his face, but he managed a small smile. "He'll be fine. Besides that, there are other vampires on their way to help him. As soon as we saw them taking you, we knew what we were going to do. We needed you safe above everything else."
A lump rose in Audrey's throat. "But Sanjay… if he's killed, I don't know how… I love him."
Dimitri slowed just a tad and reached over to grasp her hand. "I know. And he knows. It's going to be okay, Audrey. He's going to be fine."
Audrey closed her eyes and prayed he was right.
***
Even back at the palace, Dimitri wouldn’t leave Audrey's side. He was constantly on the phone, getting updates from the vampires he sent to help Sanjay or calling the human police to get them involved. If Audrey wasn't so distressed about the possibility that Sanjay might never come back, she would have admired the way he set things in order.
Hours stretched by, and each minute felt like an eternity. Finally, the vampires called and told Dimitri that they had smoked out the rest of the humans involved in Audrey's kidnapping. They returned quickly after that, driving ambulances painted all black.
Sanjay, in his human form, was wheeled into the palace on a gurney. Audrey wasn't allowed to see him, but doctors came to update her on his condition. Major blood loss. Riddled with bullets. Immediate surgery required.
Audrey's mind was in a haze as Dimitri explained what had happened, how Sanjay had found out where the kidnappers were taking her, and that he had gone after the rest of them on his own. The vampires were barely able to get there in time. He took more bullets than anybody Dimitri had ever met, but he was alive.
"He's one strong shifter," the king said with admiration. "No wonder the other shifters are in so much awe of him, even though he doesn't have his own pack. I thought the stories were exaggerated, but they're not."
"He does have a pack," Audrey whispered. Her eyes were dry, though guilt consumed her. "He has me and you. But all this is my fault. If I hadn't run away—"
Dimitri wrapped his arms around her. "No. Don't think that way, Audrey. We were forgetting that you were human, and we put too much pressure on you. It's our fault that you ran away."
"I don't know about that. I always do this. Do you know how many relationships I've had that have lasted more than three months? None. Because I always get stressed and scared and confused. And my job has always been my excuse. It's like I'm addicted to it."
"We aren't asking you to give up your career."
"I know that now. But I think it would be healthy for me to scale back, anyway. And to have others to live for besides myself." She had to repress a sob that crawled up her throat. "What if Sanjay doesn't make it?"
"Of course he will. And we'll make this work. Once Sanjay is healed, the three of us will talk."
Once Sanjay was healed. Audrey buried her face in Dimitri's shoulder, breathing in his scent.
I'd give up everything for them, she thought. Was that why I was so frightened before?
It had to be. But that didn't matter, because from this point forward, she wasn't running away. She would give her all to Dimitri and Sanjay. Her life, her love, her forever. And she knew they would give her the same back.
Chapter Ten
Audrey hurried back to Sanjay's room, gulping down the bottle of water he had insisted that she go get for herself. He had made it through surgery without any particular difficulties, although he was on bedrest for a few days just to make sure he was going to be okay. He was already bored with it, so it didn't look like there was any worries there. Audrey didn't want to be away from him for more than a few minutes at a time, though.
As she got closer to his room, she heard his deep voice rumbling down the hallway. He said her name, and she strained to hear what he was saying. Dimitri's voice answered, too quiet for her to catch.
"I completely agree," Sanjay said. "It would be utterly unfair to expect her to give up all of her career dreams for us. And I understand that you have your duties here, but I can still travel with her if need be. I don't have a lot out in the bush I'll be giving up on."
A murmured reply had Audrey speeding up, wanting to hear what they had to say. Both men were watching the door when she entered. They must have either smelled or heard her coming. She smiled at them both as she moved to sit by Sanjay's side. He was fully dressed, sitting on top of the blankets.
"How are you holding up?" she asked, taking his hand in hers.
"Ready to get out of here," he said with a frown. "I just want to get back into the forest for a couple of hours."
Dimitri cleared his throat. "That is something that you would have to give up, Sanjay. I can't go live in the forest, and I'm not sure it would work if we weren't all living together at least most of the time."
"I can't live in the forest, either," Audrey put in. "At least not full-time."
Sanjay's brow furrowed. He nodded slowly, glancing around. "I'm not sure how well I'll do in stone walls. But we can plan for trips out to the woods. And you have extensive orchards, don't you Dimitri?"
"Yes."
Audrey sat straighter and clapped her hands. "I see what you're saying. We can build a treehouse. We can have it out in the middle of the orchard. I know it's not the same as being in the forest, but we'll still have cell service and we won't be stuck in stone walls."
Dimitri looked doubtful, but Sanjay nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
Audrey beamed at him and squeezed his hand, then turned to Dimitri. "Would it work for you?"
"Well…" the vampire king hesitated. "I think it would be okay. It would have to be more than just four walls and a roof, though. There are security issues that we have to take into consideration. And it gets cold in the winter months, I wouldn't want you to get chilled, my dear."
He kissed her hand, making her giggle, but Sanjay rolled his eyes and pulled her into his lap. "I know how to keep this honeysuckle warm, even if you don't. And as for your security issues, you just told me that you and the human police both agree that the group that was killing the human women have been eliminated, and your security has already been increased."
"I do believe the killings will stop," Dimitri agreed reluctantly. "But there are other issues that we have to consider."
"Issues like you're too fond of your carpets and feather beds and golden halls to trade them for a humble wooden house?" Sanjay challenged, a grin on his face.
Audrey smacked his shoulder. "That's enough. We all know that we'll have to make changes in our lives. And as long as we're not feeling overwhelmed and going to run out because we've stressed ourselves out to the point where we can't think, it should be fine, shouldn’t it? We'll figure it out."
Dimitri and Sanjay eyed each other for a long time, as though waiting for the other to agree first. Audrey frowned.
"We agreed to compromise," she reminded them. "I know that you've both decided to give up on your things for me, but if it's going to work for all three of us, then all three of us have to sacrifice for each other. Maybe we can have three houses. The palace, a nice house in the orchard, and a little lean-to out in the woods."
Dimitri's face fell into a mask of horror. "A lean-to?"
"I'm fine with the house in the orchard." Sanjay chuckled and nuzzled into the back of Audrey's neck, making her moan. "I can take you out into the woods anytime I want."
"Not any time," Dimitri said, sounding dazed. "She has work."
"I'm going to scale back. A lot. Focus more on humanitarian stories, rather than the sensationalist stuff that I've been writing. I think I'm going to quit my current job… Tiana's great, but she doesn't want to hear about how shifters are oversexualized or that vampires aren't all posh snobs. I want to write the real stuff. Help people. And of course, have lots of time to be with you
two."
Sanjay growled as he nibbled her neck, making her moan again.
"A house in the orchard will work," Dimitri said, as though just working through his shock at her suggestion of a lean-to. "And as for your job, I'm sure that we can make whatever you want work."
"I've got a few shifter families lined up for you to live with for your article when you're ready," Sanjay whispered, nipping at her earlobe.
"And I'm ready for that interview you want whenever you want," Dimitri added. "That should make your boss very happy… I hope it makes you happy, too."
Audrey pulled them in closer, grinning. "It does make me happy. There is a lot of misinformation about vampires I want to clear up."
"Good. Now let me get in there."
He pushed Sanjay's head to the other side of her neck and dove in where the shifter had been kissing. Heat swirled throughout her body and Audrey gasped, wrapping an arm around each of her men. Part of her brain said she needed to stop this, that if Sanjay was still supposed to be on bedrest he should be resting, not doing anything else, but as their hands began caressing her body, she didn't care.
"Can we maybe close the door?"
Dimitri detangled himself from her and went to the door, shutting it. He came back and sat back down. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her gently. "There should be protection in the nightstand."
"Um…" Audrey bit her lip.
"Um?" Sanjay repeated.
"Well, maybe we don't have to use anything. The three of us are together now. And it's forever, right?" Audrey curled each of her hands around one of their biceps. "We can start our family right away. If you think about it, I might already be pregnant."
Sanjay's brow furrowed. "What about your work?"
Audrey smiled hesitantly. "I've used work to fill in the hole where I always wanted family to be. When you were hurt, I realized… I'd give up everything for you two. A Pulitzer doesn't seem nearly so important now that I have you two to love me. My worth isn't based on what the world will praise me for accomplishing. And like I said, I'm going to scale back. I want to be a person again, not just a reporter."
Admiration shone out of Dimitri's eyes. He grinned at her. "Will it scare you if I said I love you?"
A deep sense of calm settled over her, followed quickly by a burst of warmth in her chest. She smiled. "No. I'm over that now. I love you, too. Both of you."
"I love you," Dimitri said, a grin bursting over his face. He kissed her again, deeply. "I love you."
"Love you, too, bro," Sanjay joked. "But I love Audrey more."
Dimitri pushed at him. "Shut up."
The shifter laughed and returned to kissing Audrey's neck. As Dimitri caught her mouth again and began undressing her, the human couldn't help but grin. So what if she had come here without any intention of finding herself a mate? She had two now, and her future had never looked brighter.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 3: Abducted by the Vampire Prince
Description
A curvy witch chosen as a bride PLUS a vampire prince fighting fate PLUS a deadly prophecy!
She loved him before she met him.
Rachel is a witch and a Seer, capable of seeing the future, and what she has seen is the vampire prince, Henry. When she and her younger sister, Leila, are kidnapped by vampires, she already knows that he will choose them both to be his brides. She already loves him, and can't wait until her belly grows with his baby.
On the day Henry was born, it was prophesized that one day he would kill his father. He has always shrunk from that knowledge, determined to change the foreseen future...
But the conception of the prince's child heralds the death of the prince's father. He has no way of knowing when he first sees Rachel that he will love her, or that, when she gets pregnant, his father will order him to kill her.
With fate dictating that he must kill somebody he loves, his father or his bride, Henry takes the only choice available to him: with his brides at his side, he flees the underground kingdom.
But there is no running from fate. It will always follow, and Henry's father will never stop hunting them…
Can they survive and change their destiny? Will their love conquer all?
Chapter One
The only light in the sky was the moon. It was full and round. Pregnant. If she peered close enough, Rachel could almost make out the image of a baby in the dark spots on the glowing orb. Her heart pounded against her ribs and her mouth was dry as she gazed upward, her eyes bright as she searched the moon, as if it could confirm she had made the right choice. A gentle breeze blew through her long, dark hair.
"This is it," she whispered, hardly daring to break the silence. She tore her gaze from the sky and scanned the area around them. They would be coming soon, eyes glowing in the inky black. "As soon as a cloud moves over the moon."
Beside her, her younger sister, Leila, scowled fiercely as she shifted. She flipped a coin nervously through her fingers, making it disappear from one palm and reappear in the next. "I hope you're right about this… scratch that, I know you're right. I just hope you know what you're doing and that your visions haven't blinded you."
Rachel allowed a smile at her sister's growl. It was a calculated risk, after all. Visions couldn’t always be interpreted exactly. Precognition was a rare magical gift, especially among witches with only minimal training, like her and Leila. If things happened the way she thought, they would never see the surface again.
But humans were becoming more and more aware of the magic in the world around them, and it was only a matter of time before the sisters were caught and locked up. Going underground was the best choice. Even if Rachel didn't know exactly what was waiting for them below, she knew enough.
"I can't just stand around waiting for them to take us," Leila said abruptly, shaking her head. "They're vampires, for Hela's sake. This is a bad idea."
"Hela's sake?" Rachel arched a brow at her sister. "Since when have you started worshiping the Norse gods?"
"I haven't. But I certainly don't worship any asshole named Pete."
Rachel laughed. She dug into her backpack and pulled out a kindle reader, handing it to her sister. "I got a bunch of those comics that you like. I thought it might help relax you a bit."
Leila made a noncommittal noise in her throat and plopped down on the bridge, bracing the kindle against her knees. Rachel lifted her face back to the pregnant moon, watching it. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to her stomach. What would it feel like, to be full of life?
She closed her eyes, trying to remember the vague impressions she had got from dreaming of a baby inside her. The dreams had been getting stronger lately, and she knew tonight was going to be the night. She was going to meet the man she already loved. They would be parents within the year.
It was difficult being patient when she wanted it so badly.
When Rachel opened her eyes again, her heart stopped. The lights along the path around the lake had all gone off and the sky was black. Dozens of stars along the lake level blinked on and off, drifting closer to the sisters.
Fear rose up Rachel's throat, choking her. Even though she had known this moment was coming, had lived it dozens of times in her dreams, now that it was happening, she couldn't stop the tendrils of doubt curling around her heart. What if she had interpreted her dreams wrong? What if the future had changed?
"Leila."
Her sister looked up and jumped to her feet, clutching the kindle tightly in her hands. She cursed when she saw the eyes surrounding them.
Rachel took a deep breath. "Put the kindle back into my pack. We don't want to lose it."
She stood still as Leila did as she said, and then the sisters joined hands. Rachel could feel Leila shaking, and knew she was fighting to keep herself from lashing out. She was used to finding a way out of a situation and worrying about consequences later. Rachel always took her time to assess and plan. Both strategies had gotten the sisters into trouble
in the past, and both had gotten them out of trouble as well.
Was this one of those times when Rachel was getting them into trouble?
"They're not running," a voice right behind her said. "Odd."
Rachel jumped, just stopping herself from screaming, and turned. She couldn't see anything of the man who had just spoken expect his glowing blue eyes.
"We don't want this one, anyway," another voice said, and strong fingers pinched her arm. "Her blood will be useless. The king has to watch his cholesterol, after all."
Leila snarled. "Forget this!"
Rachel opened her mouth, but Leila had already ripped her hand away. Fire coated her sister's hands, illuminating a dozen men surrounding them. There were a few cries, but even as Rachel started to shout at Leila to put out her magic there was a sickening thud. The light went out and Rachel felt Leila collapse beside her. An arm wrapped around her throat, choking her.
"Witches," the vampire holding her hissed.
"Bring them," another, deeper voice said. "And whatever you do, don't taste their blood."
The arm tightened around Rachel's neck. She struggled instinctively, but the glowing eyes staring at her were fading. Her lungs cried out for air, and then there was only darkness.
***
When Rachel woke, she found herself lying on a thin mattress directly on a cold, stone floor. Her head hurt, but the familiar black walls around her had her sighing in relief. This was the vampire palace, and soon they would be taken to see the king. Her heart sped as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Leila lay on a mattress similar to hers nearby. From the dim fluorescent light overhead, Rachel saw some dried blood on the side of her face.