by T. S. Ryder
Audrey didn't look at him. What would Dimitri and Sanjay do when her body showed up at the gates of the palace?
"Ah, it is true," the man purred. "Do you know why he chose you? Not because he cares about you. Vampires don't care about anybody but themselves. You're a reporter. A popular one, too. All that your precious Dimitri wants from you is to have you in his bed and for you to spew out your ridiculous stories of women flocking to the Harvest Moon Festival every year, so the vampires can corrupt them."
It was exactly what she expected to hear. Audrey turned her face away. If she pretended to agree with them, would they let her go? Or was this all just words, trying to provoke her? If they truly believed that Dimitri didn't care about her, why take her in the first place?
Her heart ached as Dimitri and Sanjay's faces came to her mind's eye. How close had they been when she was taken? Had they seen these men drag her into the van and take off? And if they had… would they be following?
Don't cling to hope, she told herself. Think. There has to be a way out of this.
"He threatened to kill my parents and sister if I didn't write those stories," she said, making her voice waver. It wasn't hard, although making herself say the words was. If she could make them think she was on their side, she might be able to get out of this. "If I didn't… mate him, he would have killed them. I didn't want to, but he didn't give me a choice."
The man laughed. "We've done our research. You don't have any family. He wasn't blackmailing you, you're just like all the rest. Women who want to tear down what makes society, destroy our families."
"I thought you just said that the vampires corrupted the women that came to the Harvest Festival."
"Think you're smart, hey? Well, you're good for one thing at least." He smirked. "Let's get started."
Another of the men pulled restraints from a black bag he was holding. Audrey stared in horror. What were they going to do? Didn't matter–she wasn't going to give in without a fight!
Audrey lashed out, but they caught her wrists and twisted them behind her back. She screamed–and the van jolted to one side. A screech, deep, terrible, and totally inhuman, echoed through the air. The men cursed, pulling away from her. Audrey looked up just in time to see a massive cat leap over the front of the vehicle. It sank sink its claws into the roof of the van. Metal screeched as it tore the roof clean off.
"Sanjay!"
Gunfire erupted, making Audrey scream. She pressed her hands over her ears. Sanjay jumped back. His body was as big as the van, fur a tawny-gold with bold black stripes. His tail twitched and he yowled, his massive paws batting at the van, shaking it from side to side.
The back doors opened. Audrey opened her mouth to scream again when a pair of arms wrapped around her. A couple of the men started to turn. One of them pointed a gun in her direction. And then Sanjay was back on them, tearing the side of the vehicle open.
Dimitri pulled Audrey from the van. He tucked her into a ball in his arms and ran. Gunfire, Sanjay's howls, and screams followed after them. Audrey clung to her vampire king's arms, protests of leaving the Liger behind getting caught in her throat. The vampire bolted through the forest, jumping over logs and ducking under branches to put distance between them and the kidnappers.
Eventually, they emerged from the trees again. A white Lexus sat on the road, doors open and the engine still running. Dimitri slid her into the passenger seat before leaping over the vehicle and getting into the driver's side. Audrey could still hear gunfire among the trees.
"Stop," she gasped as Dimitri threw the car into gear. "Dimitri! Stop!"
The vampire ignored her, eyes sharp as he scanned the road ahead of them. They were off within seconds. Dimitri's foot pressed the gas petal flat to the floor. The forest whipped by around them, making Audrey feel sick to her stomach. She clutched at her seatbelt and the armrest. But she knew better than to try to open the door.
"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," San
jay 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: The Vampire Prince's Harem
Description
A curvy witch ready for love PLUS a hot vampire prince with a bitter heart PLUS a Harem in the dungeons of the vampire Fort
Born to filthy rich, stuck-up, self-centered parents, Lola is a young witch who has been deprived of affection all her life. After a childhood spent seeking love and pandering to her preening mother, it never occurred to her that she could be special to someone.
When her mother shuns her completely after her father’s death, Lola returns to work to get busy and forget everything. A quick make-out session with a hot stranger is just what she needs.
Valnoir is a 300-year-old vampire prince who has lost his zest for life. When the King announces his concern over the blood supply at the Fort, Valnoir signs up for a simple task. But he’s in for a surprise.
When he executes the task, Lola catches him red-handed and Valnoir ends up kidnapping her, locking her into the Harem. But his attempt to break her fails. As does her determination not to fall for him.
Their chemistry can’t be denied, but they also annoy each other immensely. Both of them get way more
than they bargained for, more than they can handle. And as if that isn’t enough, Lola has a gift that the vampires need desperately.
Will Lola accept the task the vampires want her to perform or try to escape? Does she even want to leave, especially when a little surprise announces itself? Can Lola and Valnoir overcome their differences and love each other?
Chapter One - Lola
Saturday
It is seven in the morning when I wake up, exhausted and famished. It is true what they say about grief making you hungry. I tiptoe down the stairs, my feet cold on the stainless steel. While making breakfast and coffee, I find the day’s mail on the kitchen counter, carefully sorted into stacks: condolence cards and letters, bills, personal mail and tabloids. On top of one stack is a copy of People magazine. A photo of my mother is on the front page under the headline Mayumi May bids farewell to husband. At the bottom is a subheading, highlighted in yellow: Exclusive pictures inside.
For a moment I pause and question whether it is my mom who makes everything about herself, or whether it is the media. The answer comes to me immediately: it is my mom. She’s always insisted that I call her ‘mother’. It’s funny how the death of my father and his funeral have turned into a media spectacle, just like everything else in my life, with the spotlight on my mother. The tabloid hasn’t even bothered mentioning the name of my father, as if it doesn’t really matter who my mother was married to. I turn to the exclusive photos inside and read the details about my mother’s elegant Giovanni mourning dress that had been custom designed for the event. I don’t feel any revulsion or disgust. Growing up in this family I have gotten used to it. Everything in my life was artificial, including my father, Richard Windsor: he was distantly related to the royal family through his mother, and for obvious reasons he’d taken up her last name.