Dark Becoming (An Ema Marx Novel Book 3)

by J. D. Brown

  “In the barn. I was going to tell you everything, but then Jalmari happened.”

  “Tell me now,” he whispered.

  I nodded. “The contract states that every member of the royal Alpan family must defend me and aid in my quest against Apollyon, whether with manpower or resources. They must also do everything in their power to protect anyone I deem in need of protection, at any point in my lifetime, no matter what. You, Maria, and Naamah will be safe while we fight Apollyon.”

  Jesu scoffed. “You honestly think the three of us will sit by and watch?”

  Actually, I hadn’t thought of that. I’d have to talk to Nikolas about it. Maybe he’d agree to restrain them.

  “You do realize you cannot fight Apollyon while you are pregnant.”

  “Of course. That’s why I don’t want to tell anyone. If Nikolas knew, he might change his mind and leave the five of us defenseless. Once I sign that contract, I’ll be under the Alpan crown’s protection until Apollyon is dead, even if that means we have to wait nine months, at least we’ll be safe here, with Nikolas’ army and resources to help us.”

  “Twelve months,” Jesu muttered.

  “What?”

  “The vampyre gestation period is twelve months, not nine.”

  I blinked, not knowing what to think of that. I will pregnant for an entire year? I could hardly wrap my head around being pregnant at all.

  Jesu put his hands on his hips. “What does Nikolas get out of it?”

  I squelched my cheeks and braced myself. This was the part I dreaded most. “Once I kill Apollyon… I have to join the Elite Vampire Assassins and work for the Alpan crown.”

  His gaze widened and a long stream of breath pursed from his lips. “For how long?”

  “Life.”

  “Life?” He smacked both hands against his forehead and then released a slew of words in Finnish. I cringed, certain they were curse words.

  “Jesu, calm down.”

  “Calm down? Calm down?” He laughed and then shook his head. “Ema, you are a vampyre. Your lifetime could mean millennia.”

  “It could also mean a month, a week, four days. I could drown in the bathtub tomorrow. We could have goat AIDS and be dying as we speak.”

  Jesu paused and furrowed his brow. “Did you just say goat AIDS?”

  I shrugged. “We should probably go to a clinic and get tested. My point is, no one knows how much time they have. I could die from anything.”

  “Then the contract would be void.”

  I lifted my right shoulder in a small shrug. “The point of the contract is to hopefully keep my death from happening. Once I become an Elite, I’ll be like a vampyre G.I. Joe and able to take care of myself, right?”

  Jesu leveled a stern gaze with mine. “Ema, do you have any idea what the training requirements are for an Elite Vampire Assassin?”

  “Boot camp?”

  “Yes, boot camp… in Antarctica for a minimum of twenty years with no vacation days.”

  A lump welled in my throat and I struggled to swallow. “Wh-what?”

  “Twenty years means nothing to us as adults. I would gladly wait for you, and it would be over in a blink compared to the rest of our long lives, but to a baby? Ema, if you do this, then you will miss everything; its first step, its first birthday, its first word, its first day of school. You would leave behind an infant and return to an adult. A stranger.”

  “Stop.” Dry tears prickled the back of my eyes and my lip trembled. “Jesu, please stop. I didn’t know. Maria didn’t tell me.”

  Jesu sat on the bed. “It is okay. The important thing is you know now. We will figure something else out.”

  “Like what? Risk getting killed? Your premonition showed me fighting Apollyon, but we don’t know who wins. If Apollyon succeeds, there won’t be a baby.” I shook my head and stood. “That’s not an option, Jesu.”

  He peered up at me, his jaw clenched. “Ema, I will take care of you. Both of you. I would raise it as my own flesh and blood, you know?” His gaze flickered and he bit his lip. “If that is what you want.”

  “Oh Jesu.” I sighed, not knowing what else to say. Though the sacrifice was much larger than I anticipated, my heart and gut still leaned in favor of the contract. Nikolas was a powerful ally. My only ally. His army meant safety. I didn’t doubt that Jesu would protect me until his final dying breath… I just didn’t want that dying breath to happen for a very, very long time. I didn’t see any other option. I shook my head. “There are too many ifs. I would feel better if I knew for certain.”

  “Of course.” Jesu nodded. “We can get medical confirmation.”

  I pursed my lips in thought. I was actually wishing that Jesu could see a little more of the future than his sketchy premonition allowed, but confirming the pregnancy wasn’t a bad idea either.

  Chapter 6

  Footsteps sounded in the hall, accompanied by Maria’s authoritative scent. Jesu and I watched as she phased through the door and solidified with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. She sucked in a breath and opened her mouth, but stopped short, taking in our solemn state. Her brow softened, and she let her hands fall to her sides.

  “I told King Nikolas that you were unwell from the attack.”

  I wanted to ask why she didn’t explain about the Elite training, and the question almost jumped from my tongue, but I bit the inside of my cheek focused on her words instead.

  “Is he angry?”

  “I’m afraid so. Walking out like that was insulting to all of us.”

  “For the record, I was dragged against my will.”

  Maria rolled her eyes. “He’s agreed to give you the rest of the day to compose yourself.”

  “I am sorry,” I started to say.

  At the same time, Jesu said, “I am disappointed in you, Maria.”

  We both glanced at him, dumbfounded.

  “Besides the fact that this contract is ludicrous and you should not have encouraged it, you could have at least included me.”

  Maria lifted her nose. “Ema asked me not to tell anyone, and I respected her wishes.”

  Jesu tilted his head in my direction.

  My mouth teetered in an apologetic half-smile and then I peered at Maria. “I need a pregnancy test.”

  She arched her brow. “Whatever for?”

  “Well…” I stood and went to her. “There’s only one reason why anyone would need a pregnancy test.”

  Her lips pursed. I could see the wheels turning in her head as she slowly lowered her gaze to my abdomen. “Oh. Oh, my.”

  “If you could get it discreetly, and before the end of the day, I’d really appreciate it.”

  Maria tapped the tip of her index finger to her lips, her gaze still glued to my middle. “My, my. That… that could change things, darling.”

  “Only if it’s positive,” I said.

  She nodded. “I’ll check the infirmary and see if there is one on hand. Otherwise, I’ll make a trip into town.”

  Maria slipped through the door, leaving the scent of nitrogen in her wake. I sighed in relief, glad she didn’t ask who the father was. The fact that vampires were sterile was common knowledge, and Maria wasn’t dumb. She could put two and two together on her own. Jesu stood and slid his arms around my waist. He pressed a kiss against the top of my head. I turned to face him.

  “Could you get me something to drink? I’m famished.”

  “Of course.” A small smile dimpled his cheek before he pulled away and left the room.

  I closed the door behind him. Then I dashed into our conjoined bathroom and entered Jesu’s guest room. Despite spending more time in my room, the space still smelled like him. Clothes littered the slightly rumpled bedspread and a few personal items cluttered the nightstand. Other than that, the guest rooms all looked the same—honey and cream marble floors, gray stone walls, dark wood furniture, and powder blue linens. I went to the small drawer in the nightstand and rummaged inside until I found Jesu’s cellphone. I flip
ped it open while sitting on the edge of the bed and activated the Internet service. I entered incubus into the search engine and waited.

  The gist of the information defined the mythical creatures as male demons that had intercourse with human women in hopes of fathering a child. I scoffed. That made just about every man on Earth an incubus. There was no such thing as demons—was there?

  I also found an interesting entry about Merlin. It spoke of the legendary wizard being sired by an incubus and obtaining his powers from the inhuman creature. Hmm. How did I miss that in Arthurian Myths 101? I wondered if it held any truth. Probably not. Vampyres kept their true history locked tighter than a medieval chastity belt. I assumed incubi did the same.

  Defeated, I closed out the search engine and shut the phone. I went back to my room. The door opened and Jesu walked inside, carrying a glass of red liquid. I instinctively sucked in a deep breath before I could stop myself. The salt-and-copper aroma filled my lungs with longing. On exhale, my eyes rolled back and my lashes fluttered as drool threatened to spill from my mouth. I went to Jesu and extended my hand.

  He twisted out of reach and then wagged his index finger in my face. “Nuh-uh. Not so fast.”

  “I know, I know. Sip it slowly.” I rolled my eyes and then hooked my fingers under the glass flute. “My self-control is improving, you know?”

  Jesu chuckled. “So I have noticed. You now react like a drunken adult instead of a drunken gorilla.”

  “Did you just call me fat?”

  He blinked and then deadpanned. “No. I only meant…” His cheeks brightened to an azure color and his jaw tensed. “Never mind.”

  I grinned into the glass to hide my amusement and then tasted the red syrupy goodness. One sip was all it took. My lungs expanded as though inhaling life for the first time. Euphoric energy burst from my stomach and shot to my fingers and toes. The sensation rippled through my veins, renewing and rejuvenating my strength. My senses sharpened and my instincts buzzed. Amazing how blood worked better than a triple-shot of espresso. I tried not to lose myself in the high, but it wasn’t easy. My skin tingled with the urge to run wild. The only thing keeping my feet on the floor was the simple fact that it was daytime.

  I lowered the glass, suddenly empty, and glanced at Jesu. The tingling in my blood gathered between my legs and my lips tugged sideways in a sly grin. “Hello, sexy.”

  Jesu shook his head and chuckled. “What happened to self-control?”

  “Who?”

  He scoffed and then slowly scanned the contours of my body, letting his gaze linger on my hips. Oh yeah, he wants it. His brow creased and he tilted his head. “What are you doing with my cellphone?”

  “This old thing?” I tossed the device on the bed, hoping I would be next. “Nothing. Just researching incubi.”

  “Find anything useful?”

  I thought about that for a moment and then nodded. “Sex demons.”

  Jesu barked a laugh. “It said that on the Internet?”

  I set the glass on the nightstand and then lifted both hands to his chest, splaying my fingers over the black cotton of his shirt, feeling the rock-solid planes of muscle beneath. I slid my palms over his shoulders and then draped them around his neck. “Maybe, for the sake of research, you should give me a demonstration.”

  “You have devolved back into a gorilla, haven’t you?”

  I pinched his arm.

  Jesu laughed, causing his left cheek to dimple. His sideways smile reached all the way to his eye. I toyed with the idea of pinching him again, when he suddenly brought his lips to mine. I could feel his lingering smile against my mouth and practically tasted the joy in his breath. I drank him in, wanting more. His smile vanished, replaced by a hungry growl.

  “That’s better,” I whispered.

  Jesu gripped each side of my midriff and jerked my hips against his. My Nephilim side erupted in a pool of liquid heat as he pressed greedy addicting kisses against my neck. I melted against his chest, completely lost in his embrace.

  His scorching fingertips raked along my right side, over my ribs, to the front, where he cupped my breasts. Both nipples hardened and burned under his caressing touch. I glided my hand along his jeans until I found his erection. He groaned and then brought both hands under my jaw and kissed me hard. My heart fluttered and my knees buckled. I wouldn’t stay vertical much longer. Nor did I want to.

  Jesu tore away for breath. Cold air blew across my vacant mouth and I whimpered, needing the warmth of his return. He sought my collarbone instead and kissed the dip of skin at the base of my neck. Gently, he pulled the delicate skin between his lips and nibbled. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to send my head reeling back. Yes, my thoughts screamed. Bite me!

  Jesu carefully worked his way toward my jaw, kissing and nibbling. He kept his fangs well out of reach, torturing me with the possibility of his canines sinking into my flesh. By the time he reached my earlobe, I already teetered on the brink of orgasm. My fingers clenched so tight, I was sure my nails had cut through his clothes and burrowed into his skin. I couldn’t even remember what part of him I held onto.

  Oh, shoot, that’s right. His penis.

  I forced myself to release my grip before I hurt him. Jesu groaned, letting go of my earlobe, and then pressed his cheek to mine. Words glided from his tongue in a warm velvet whisper.

  “You will never wonder what it is like to fuck an incubus, Ema. I guarantee it.”

  I had no idea what he meant. My head was a total fog. “Mmm?”

  His hands went south. He slid all eight fingers underneath the waistband of my jeans and underwear, and then tore them apart.

  Holy shit.

  Jesu cupped my butt and lifted me off my feet. My legs instinctively wrapped his waist and crossed his lower back. He laid me against the silky blue comforter and then lifted to remove his shirt. I would never in a million years get tired of watching his abs arch back like that as he pulled the cotton over his head. Jesu’s torso was proof that Mother Nature had ovaries.

  He hooked his lean arms under my knees and pulled me toward the end of the mattress until my butt almost hung over the edge. Jesu kneeled on the floor. His bright devilish green eyes locked with mine for a brief moment before lowering to gaze at my womanhood. A low, hungry growl vibrated in his throat and he parted my legs. A callused thumb rubbed the opening.

  I moaned as my fists clenched the silk comforter and my back arched, already so close to ecstasy. Jesu lowered his head, about to take a taste, and then stopped.

  Ugh, this is torture! Is he trying to kill me? I watched through hooded eyes, waiting for him to continue. I wanted release. No, I needed it. Like, yesterday. What the heck was he looking at, anyway?

  “Hey, did you take a wrong turn at Albuquerque or something?”

  Jesu’s expression changed from super-charged sex god, to stone-cold disciplinarian in point-five seconds. “Ema, what is that?”

  I sure hoped he wasn’t referring to my vagina. I followed his line of sight to my navel and froze. My shirt must have risen when I arched my back. The scar—a quarter-sized circle that Apollyon somehow branded into my skin—stared at us in plain sight.

  I plastered on what I hoped was the most innocent and angelic smile in the history of innocent angelic smiles. “Oh. That. Funny story, really. I’ll tell you about it after we both climax.”

  Jesu growled. It wasn’t a sexy growl, either. He stood, took exactly three steps back, and put his hands on his hips. “Explain.”

  I flopped against the bed and sighed. Apparently I’d fallen in love with the only man on the planet that didn’t mind blue balls.

  “It’s just a scar,” I said, downplaying the whole thing.

  “No, it is a symbol. An alchemic symbol. Burned into your flesh. Jesus Christ, Ema, you are a vampyre. You do not scar. I cannot imagine what my father must have done to you to accomplish that.”

  I sat upright and leveled my gaze with his. “It’s not a big deal, Jesu.”
<
br />   “Not a big deal? Carving into your body is ‘not a big deal’? Cutting your finger off is ‘not a big deal’?”

  “Don’t bring that up, please.”

  “Right.” Jesu raked his fingers through his hair, pulling the black locks away from his face momentarily before they fell forward again. He released a long stream of breath and then shook his head. “For you, it is easier to sweep everything under the rug than to talk about it.”

  Ouch.

  Jesu went to the wardrobe, opened a drawer, and grabbed a clean pair of jeans. He tossed them at me and then stormed out of the room. I balled the denim into my fists, pressed my face into the pillow, and screamed.

  Bridget

  The edge of my mouth curled in a sly smile as the door across the hall flung open and then slammed shut. Jesu’s heavily booted steps stomped along the corridor and descended the tower stairs.

  I spied Jesu leaving the kitchen earlier and decided to follow him. I’d been lying in wait, standing near my guest room door, listening to Ema and Jesu’s conversation. Not a difficult feat with vampire hearing. The good thing about being at the bottom of the hierarchy was that everyone always let their guard down around me.

  Apparently, Apollyon had wounded Ema and left a scar. I knew Jesu well enough to know his anger was aimed at himself. The fact that he wasn’t there to protect Ema from his father killed Jesu, but he failed to explain that before he lost his cool and stormed out. Ema probably thought he was angry at her. That was my cue. Kick ‘em while they’re down, right?

  I opened the door and peeked into the hall. The coast was clear, so I sauntered over to Ema’s door and lightly rapped my knuckles against the wood. It swung open.

  “I’m not speaking to— Oh, it’s you.” Ema rubbed her nose with the back of her hand while stepping aside. “I didn’t realize you were still here.”

  “You can’t get rid of me zat easy,” I said while glancing about the room. It reeked of pheromones and I wrinkled my nose.

  She closed the door. “I’m not trying to get rid of you. I just meant that I didn’t see you at dinner.”