Bloody Vows

by J. E Hanson

  Sam interrupts, “You were a mess, bro! He had the roughest time as a newborn vampire. I thought I was bad, but man, you really struggled with your fangs. We were both young vampires. We helped each other with our ‘cravings.’

  “So what happened with Madeline?”

  Leo frowns, “I had to leave her behind. She died of a broken heart. She never received the jewelry box. If I didn’t leave her, Lilith would have killed her. I had to let her go. Which was the first, and last time I have ever fell for a woman. Madeline will always be mine.”

  Ian shakes his head, “Oh man! Now that will make me feel depressed!”

  “Sorry, but this is my story.” Leo stiffens, and a few drops of russet tears falls from his eyes. He tries to fight them off.

  “I am sorry Leo, and I had no idea. Maybe you will fall in love again someday soon.”

  Leo shakes his head, “No, she was it for me. There will never be another woman, who comes close to Madeline. She was everything to me.”

  I smile weakly at him, “Never say never, because one of these days, someone may walk into your existence, and steal your breath away.”

  “Nah, I doubt it Jean, Jean,” Leo smiles weakly at me, and he kisses my forehead.

  Sam looks at the clock, “We need to get ready bro. We have a couple of blind dates to go on this evening.”

  Leo grins, “Yeah, you’re right. We will see you later, Jean, Jean.”

  Sam chimes in, “Later, Jean.”

  Sam kisses my forehead, and they both leave.

  Ian pats my pillow, “Sorry, but you need to lay down, chick. I am on baby patrol. Do you want me to read to your daughter again? I can see that she is kicking the crap out of you.”

  After laying my head down, I grab his arm, “You never have to answer me, but I want to know how you were turned.”

  Ian takes off his shades, and he rubs his temples, “You really should never know how I was turned, chick. It is not an easy story to hear either.”

  I sat up, placing my hand on his lukewarm cheek, “I am sorry, and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. You never have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

  Ian takes a chair, and he reverses it. He holds my hand, and he stares at me with his electric blues, “Only for you, will I tell my story to. You know that I am originally from Savannah, Georgia. I am not the only American in the BIB either. As you know, I am the youngest dude here, at only twenty years old. I will take you back to Savannah, Georgia. I was born ironically on July 4, 1842. I had eleven sisters. I was the youngest child too. I was baby number twelve, and the only boy. At the tender age of twenty, I chose to enlist in the Civil War. Now before you blast me, I fought for the south. I did not enter the fight against legalizing African Americans. I fought, because Georgia is my home, and I never wanted to see it turn to hell. My mom called it a foolish war. My dad died a few years earlier. My actual given name in 1842 is John Ian McGregor. As you can tell, my family came from Ireland. Anyway, I joined my division. We just finished fighting a nasty battle. So some of the young dudes and I chose to enter this brothel on July 10, 1862. Emotions were low, and plus my birthday just passed. We made bets on who was getting lucky. I was still a virgin at that time. I know that is shocking to hear, since I am the number one porn leader for all supernatural creatures. Anyway, the dudes in my division told me, there was a woman who was an easy lay. I paid the money, and waited in the bedroom for her to show up. The original lay, who was supposed to be there, fell ill, and so another woman took her spot. She had dark chestnut hair, and amber eyes. Of course, I am wearing nothing, because I am ready to go. There was something peculiar about her, because her skin was pale as snow. She moved differently from the rest of the women. There was an elegant grace about her. She handed me alcohol to knock off the nerves. My cock hardens for her, and we go to town. She fucks me until she asks me a stupid question. The question was, if I wanted to be with her forever. Of course being the oversexed dude who was desperate for a fuck, said yes. But… she unexpectedly sticks a pair of fangs in my neck. She drained my blood, and I don’t remember much after that. She woke me up three days later. For the next twenty years, I became her little bitch. We killed everyone in our path. I wanted sex from her so bad that I was willing to do anything for her. Except… there was a time, she demanded me to kill an innocent family with seven kids. I refused to do that, so she left me in the middle of a desert at night to burn. Luckily, Christian saved my existence by untying me, and feeding me. In return, I had to give up my maker, if I wanted to keep my existence intact. Of course, I wanted my revenge, so I gave up my maker. Christian and Alexander set me free from the crazy bitch. I have been with this group ever since.”

  “What happened to your family?”

  Ian has rusty tears falling, “They were killed. Shortly after I paid a quick visit to my family, my maker murdered all of them. Apparently, my maker followed me to see where I was going. She warned me never to go back. I didn’t listen. I have nobody left to carry on my direct line, and I am all that is left.”

  I hug him tightly, “I am so sorry, Ian! I had no idea what you went through!”

  “Thank you. I guess my story needs to come out anyway. Which makes me feel better just talking about it.”

  Ian reads stories to my baby. For some weird reason, my daughter loves hearing his soft voice, as he reads to her. Christian will not return until tomorrow. He had to leave for another emergency business meeting.

  Ian props his feet on the bed, and he keeps his shades off. He takes out an antique book of his. His calm and soothing voice puts me to sleep, while I lay on my left side. I prop myself on a stack of pillows. My daughter must have found a soft spot too, because she curled into a tight ball. His soothing voice has her full attention. She never flinches—or kicks, when he talks. He reads old fairy tales. I am able to drift off to sleep, after a few minutes of hearing his tales.

  Chapter 24

  My husband is home, and he lays next to me in bed. He smiles at me, and then he kisses my lips, “I missed you these past few days. I am sorry I had to go. How are you feeling?”

  I glance at him sleepily, “We miss you too, and we are doing okay. We are happy that you are home.”

  Chris kisses my lips again, “I love you so much, Jeannie. I will not be able to handle it, if I lose you. I never want to go through that heartache again. I will do anything to keep you here with me, even if it means becoming one of us.”

  He pulls me to his chest, “Please stop worrying so much, Chris. We have our plans ready, in case something should happen. I believe in my new grandfather, and he can save us both. I hate this more than what you think.”

  We hear a loud knock on the door. Christian stands up; answers it, and Grandpa Oberon is standing at the doors. He takes his shades off and whistles. Zane and Alexander storm inside our bedroom. Out of fear, Christian slides his fangs out, “You better tell me, what is the meaning of all this! You will not deliver our daughter without my approval!”

  Alexander pulls Chris back, “We have to save your wife. We are performing an amniocentesis, to see if your daughter is ready. There is a good chance your baby will be perfectly okay. Your wife, on the other hand, has a large portion of the placenta embedding in her uterus, and it’s starting to embed into her bladder. We want to save her Chris, so please let us do our jobs.”

  Alexander lets out another loud whistle, and two additional BIB members join us. Chris is about to fight Alex. Erik and Charlie join to help Alexander pin him to the ground kicking and screaming, “LET ME GO! SHE IS MY WIFE! YOU WILL NOT LAY ONE HAND ON HER! LEAVE MY WIFE ALONE!”

  “CHRIS LET THEM HELP HER! FIGHTING US WILL NOT HELP HER OUT! TRY TO COME TO YOUR SENSES!” Erik screams at him.

  Joey and Gabriel hear the commotion. They run inside to help pin my husband to the ground. “DO NOT DO THIS! I WILL SILVER YOU IF YOU KEEP UP WITH THIS NONSENSE, BROTHER!” Alexander struggles with Christian, and Alexander screams at him.

  Gabrie
l places my husband in a tight headlock. Joey sits down on him, “We can do this all fucking night, Chris! They are trying to help your wife! Now calm the fuck down!”

  Grandpa Oberon pecks my forehead, “I will go ahead, and put in a couple of lines. I hope you are not afraid of needles.”

  I smile weakly at him, and he immediately works on my arm. He wipes my arm down with alcohol. Zane and Grandpa Oberon wear rubber gloves. Zane helps him put the lines in my arm.

  My blonde hair grandfather with chestnut eyes smiles back at me. He put my heart on a monitor, “We will have the results right after we perform this test. I believe your daughter will be fine, especially, if she takes after her father over there.”

  Christian calms down, “You can get the fuck off me! I am calm! You can let me be with my wife!”

  “I will get off you as long as you promise not to interfere with our tests! You will hurt them, and I will not allow this to happen a second time, brother! You can sit by her side, but you must remain calm, if we have to deliver her now!” Alexander points at him.

  Christian stands up, and he peers over at the date, “This is February the fourteenth, and I made plans for us to watch old movies together. I am so unprepared for this! You should have fucking warned me!”

  Joey and Gabriel stand next to him. Joey glances over at Alexander, “If he acts stupid again, I will snap his ass out of here in two shakes. Never fear, bro. We got his ass in checkmate!”

  Christian sits beside me, and he softly presses his lips against mine, “I love you Jeannie, and I am sorry. My main goal is to keep you safe at all costs, even if it means keeping you safe from my brother.”

  They place oxygen in my nostrils. The air begins to diffluence through my nose. Dr. Li brought in the ultrasound. They swab my stomach, “You need to remain perfectly still. We need to find a pocket of fluid to see where to draw from,” Dr. Li orders.

  I watch all four doctors pinpoint to a spot to take the fluid out. I freak out over the huge needle. The needle is to penetrate my skin with ease. I close my eyes, and I feel the sharp jab to my stomach.

  “You are hurting my wife!” Christian yells.

  Gabriel shook his head, “They are trying to save you wife. Please come to your senses! This will only take a few minutes, bro!”

  My grandfather glances at Alexander, “I have ample amount of fluid here. Zane, it is time to see, if she is ready.”

  Zane takes the vial, and he flies out of the room with Alexander. My grandfather removes the needle, and he trashes it. He covers my stomach with a bandage, but Chris immediately gives me his blood. I chug the thick blood from his wrist, and the pain ceases.

  Grandpa Oberon pecks my cheek, “We will have the results in a few minutes. Everything will be fine. I promise not to let anything happen to you. You will be back on your feet before you know it.”

  Christian glances at him, “I know you are doing right by her, but she is the love of my existence. I will not be able to move on without her. I am begging you to save her with whatever methods you deem fit. Please spare her life!”

  “I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to make sure Jeannie keeps her mortal side.” Grandpa Oberon smiles at me calmly, and he pecks my cheek.

  Rosalie and Ember walk inside my bedroom. Rosalie freaks out over all the monitors, “What is going on? Why did you guys forget to tell me that this is happening today?”

  “Her placenta has embedded in her uterus, and now it’s starting to embed in her bladder. Which could be fatal to both of them. Please let me do my job to protect my granddaughter.” I love how defensive he is over me.

  “But, she has no room for her daughter yet! Why do you have to do this?” Ember asks, and she is upset over my early delivery.

  “Will you please do a favors for, Jeannie? Will you call mom and dad for me to inform them about her condition? I have a feeling she will have my great-granddaughter today. Please hurry girls! Time is of the essence!” he exclaims.

  Papa is standing in the corner shaking his head, “I cannot believe this is happening today.”

  Papa is pacing back and forth. The seconds turn into minutes. The clock ticks away loudly. Everyone waits in our bedroom. Grandpa Oberon squats down, waiting to see what happens next. The BIB members are leaning up against the wall. Nobody is talking to anyone. We continue to wait until I hear a loud slam, and running through the corridors.

  Zane busts through the doors, “The baby is fine, and we can take her right now!”

  “She has no name! How can you announce she is ready, when she has no fucking name yet?” Christian is hot.

  “I know you are upset, but you promised me man. Let them do what is best for Jeannie, and the baby. I am sure you will come up with a perfect name for her. You must hurry, and change man. Your baby is about to born,” Gabriel, informs him.

  Papa leans in, and he kisses my cheeks, before Erik picks me up, “I love you sweetheart, and I will see you once you wake up. I will remain here.”

  “Thanks Papa. I love you too.”

  Erik picks me up, and he carries me in his arms, “I will take her downstairs. Christian, you need to change.”

  “I want to affirm that I love you sis, and we will keep you alive. Try to relax, and let me repay the debt for when you saved my existence,” Alexander gently pecks my cheek, and then he disappears.

  Ember and Rosalie peck my cheek next, “We will pray to the Creator for you. We love you, Jeannie. No matter what happens, we are here for you.”

  I shake my head yes. Erik keeps me close to his chest. One by one, the rest of the BIB walk over to peck on my cheek—or forehead.

  “Stay strong, chick,” Ian kisses my cheek.

  “We will see you when you wake up, lass,” Brannon smiles, and he kisses my cheek.

  “I will pray for you,” Tommy kisses my cheek.

  “Girlfriend, your ass better wake up after all this shit,” Louie kisses my forehead.

  Willow grins, and she kisses my forehead, “Daddy and I will keep you in our thoughts. We love you.”

  “I love all of you too.”

  Leo grins, “Jean, Jean… Sam and I will wait for you. I need to rig your baby’s room.”

  “Stay cool, Jean. You are our girl,” Sam grins, and both of them kiss my cheek. A girl could get used to this amount attention from all these men.

  “Oh bloody hell, we love you, darling. We know you will pull through,” Charlie winks, and then he kisses my cheek.

  Brennan rubs my head, “Blimey! Bloody hell, you are our girl! We will be waiting for you to wake up, love.”

  Erik starts to carry me downstairs, “How were you turned, Erik?”

  He has his huge arms around me, and he looks back. He smiles at me, and then he nods, “I was turned by Alexander, and you already know the story.”

  “I know you were turned by Alexander, but where, and how?”

  Erik blinks, and then he speaks, “I should yell at you for this, but I refuse to do so. Okay, I will tell you, but only this one time. I was born in Rogaland County; Sokndal, Norway on what is January 24, 1014. I became a vampire January 28, 1053. Which makes me a Viking, Princess.”

  “How were you turned?”

  “I was named after my grandfather who was well known at the time. I fought in another city. They retaliated, and killed everyone in my village. I was a father to twelve children. My wife was an excellent breeder. I fought against an enemy, but he got the upper hand on me. He rammed me with his sword. I was left to bleed to death over the snow. Alexander saw me, and he watched how I fought. He saw what they did to my family, and so he turned me. I sought my revenge, and got it. Almost everyone from my family died, except for my eldest daughter, and my little brother. My eldest daughter went on, and she married. My line continues today. As for my brother, I had to turn him, so he is here too.”

  “Wow! Your daughter survives, and your brother is a vampire too? How come I never met him?”

  “Leif likes his privacy, and he tr
ies to stay out of vampire politics. I have seen him last year, and he is doing great.”

  “Does he look like you?”

  “He is skinner than I am, but the same as me. I should bring him around sometime.”

  “Is he just as grumpy as you are?”

  Erik laughs, and he shakes his head no, “He is the more outgoing brother. He still has my intensity as a warrior, but he is more relaxed.”

  “I have got to meet your brother someday.”

  “Someday.”

  We smile at each other, and he lays me down on a gurney that is outside the makeshift operating room. He lays me down as gently as he could. Alexander nods at him, and Erik gives me one last peck on the cheek.

  Grandpa Oberon covers me up with warm blankets, and he even puts leg warmers on my legs for me. He keeps socks on my feet.

  Ian stands outside, trying to keep his composure, but he is about to lose it. I can see tears of blood escaping his shades.

  Grandpa stares at Joey and Gabriel, “Will you both sterilize yourselves with Christian? Both of you can keep Christian calm in case something happens to Jeannie. Plus you can snap him out of there if he goes ballistic.”