"Do you love him?" John asked her.
"No, but he saved my life." Valerie said. "I'm indebted to him, and if being his mate is all he wants in return for a lifetime of experiences and avoiding a horrible, painful, and embarrassing death, than that doesn't seem like the worst thing to ask for in return."
He looked relieved by her answer, but she wasn't sure why it would matter to him.
"How long were you sick for?" He asked her.
"The symptoms started when I was a about thirteen or so. They just wrote the pain in my head off as migraine headaches, we found out for sure when I was eighteen, and by twenty, they knew there was nothing they could do, and I'd be dead in six months. That was four months ago, I had weeks to live, and the symptoms were getting worse." Valerie told him, looking slightly haunted when recalling what happened.
John took a step closer to her, almost looking like he was going to offer a comforting pat on the shoulder, but then stopped and just stared at her.
"Why did they pick you?" John asked, confused.
Valerie shrugged. "He thought I was pretty, then when he heard my story, he wanted to give me a chance at a real life. His father was pressuring him to pick a mate, and neither he, nor I really had any intention of going through with it, except on paper. I wanted to finish college, he wanted to do his thing. It would have worked out, I think."
"Don't you think you deserve something better?" John asked her, taking a step closer. "You realize that they'd have expected you to sire pups, and if you didn't breed, it could cause problems, you can't mate to their leader and think you'll stay separated."
"I knew what he was asking of me, but there was no big rush to perform right away." Valerie said, blushing.
The wolf was a handsome man, but he seemed like a young boy to her in a lot of ways. She had never found boys her own age attractive, which made this man standing in front of her seem all that more attractive. She sighed to herself, feeling stupid, needing to put these thoughts out of her head.
"But, you realize they wouldn't have just let it be right? Things can be better than that, you don't have to be a bitch to the wolves just to sire pups, you can have freedom, a life-" John started to tell her.
"Like what, being a vampire instead of a werewolf?" Valerie snorted and raised a brow, looking at him like he was dense.
"No, being happy, and having a mate that actually wants you, that would love you." He told her. "Don't you think you deserve to be loved?"
"I'm just happy to be alive."
"There's more to life than just being alive." John told her, his expression going thoughtful. "Are you hungry?"
Valerie felt like her head was spinning without fast he was changing subjects. She realized her stomach was rumbling, and she was indeed hungry. He must have heard her stomach growling.
"Do you have meat?" Valerie asked, "I was a vegetarian, but I can't live on that diet anymore, the need to eat meat is too overwhelming, I end up trying to bite people if I don't eat meat on a regular basis, it's embarrassing."
"I think I could rustle up a couple of steaks. What size are you? I will get you some clothes, we have a pool out back too, do you prefer one piece, or two piece?" John asked her, pulling out his phone and started tapping buttons on his screen.
"Size six, and I don't care, a bathing suit is a bathing suit. I'm not picky." Valerie told him.
"Alright, my son is going to escort you to get some food." John told her.
"You have a son?" She looked surprised.
"Yes, his name is Melonius." He told her. "He'll be by soon to get you settled in the dining hall. I have some errands to run, I'll be back."
Chapter 4
"She's not at all what I was expecting." John said to his son, Melonius when they were finally alone. John lit a cigar and puffed on it for a few moments, before putting it down on the glass outdoor table on the ashtray holder. He paced on the patio near his pool.
"Well, you wanted her here, what are you going to do with her?" Melonius asked.
"I don't know yet, I find her fascinating, and they already turned her, so I can't turn her myself." John said, looking a little disappointed.
"It's more than that father, she doesn't know you're the King does she?" Normally his father bragged about that, so Melonius was surprised when his father had told them about his conversation and it hadn't included all those details.
"She's different. She wasn't turned because of some prestigious reason, or because of her blood lines, she was simply turned to save her life and give her a chance at a future. I could have done that if I had known she existed before they turned her." John muttered.
"You like her." Melonius said, shocked. His father never cared about humans, and he really only thought about getting ahead of the wolves to prove he was the alpha male, yet, this girl had him all tied up in knots.
"I don't know her well enough to like her." John said.
"Didn't you tell her you'd watch a movie with her tonight?" Mel asked, blinking.
"She shouldn't have to be locked up in the room the whole time she's here, and I'm not going to force you to watch some silly kids movie when it was my idea that she be brought here." John said, looking slightly embarrassed.
Melonius slapped his leg and started to laugh. "Well, who'd have thought it."
"Shut up Mel." John growled at him. "Just because your grown now doesn't mean I can't take a switch to your backside for impertinence."
Melonius laughed harder.
"Oh, get out of here." John said, waving him away, glaring at him.
He waited for his son to leave, then started pacing, thinking to himself.
He'd been watching her since she got here, and everything about her tore him up inside. He'd heard her story, and understood why she'd been turned, and it tugged at his non-existent heart strings.
She had so much vitality, so much to look forward too, and she seemed actually grateful for the chance to experience life, it was hard to see her as being oppressed under the thumbs of the wolves. Once she was married to them, her life would change. They'd suck her in with promises, but once a male claimed her, she'd be his property and have no freedom. She'd have no life.
John decided he need to save her from herself. He'd show her what life could really be like, make her want to stay with him instead of the wolves. That would chap their asses good. Plus, he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. Something about her just made him want to protect him.
He'd started off wanting to steal her away from the wolves, but having met her in person, he realized she was something special. He just wasn't sure what she would be to him, but he knew he couldn't let the wolves have her back.
He smiled, now that he decided on a plan. John looked down at his watch and realized he was going to be late for the movie he promised he'd watch with her.
Chapter 5
"I still don't understand why the Beast didn't just kill Gaston, he showed weakness, and was attacked for it." John said a few days later, having watched numerous Disney movies with her, he started to understand her jokes and references now.
She apparently liked movies. John decided that for Cartoons, they weren't all that bad.
He still hadn't told her he was King of the vampires, he wanted her to like him for himself. He didn't know why that was important to him, it just was. Maybe because his first wife only cared about his status, and how she could use it to her advantage all the time, he just wanted to exist as a man.
Sitting next to Valerie, he handed her another sausage, and watched her eat. He was drinking blood out of a wine glass, and didn't need to pretend to eat in front of her. She knew he was a vampire and wasn't offended by his lack of eating.
"Because he was trying to be a good person. Killing someone, or something for no reason isn't what being a good person is about." She told him, and took a bite out of the sausage.
John watched her lick her lips, and wondered what it would be like to have her mouth on him, without the biting, of cou
rse. She was quick to smile, she laughed easily, she was intelligent, and had a big heart. She deserved to be protected. The wolves would have destroyed her emotionally. They'd have seen her kindness and compassion as a weakness.
John realized he liked her, in spite of her wolfy status. She hadn't shifted yet, but he actually found the idea of seeing her, in all her true supernatural beauty something he was looking forward too.
"Why don't we go for a walk in the garden this evening, you can shift. I know you enjoy nature." John told her.
Valerie looked panicked for a minute, then sighed and put her food down.
"Okay, I haven't quite mastered the art of shifting on command." She admitted.
"Well, then we should practice." John told her.
"Why are you being so nice to me, even the wolves didn't treat me this nicely." She asked, confused.
"I like you, you've been through a lot, I don't know." John admitted. "Something about you makes me feel the urge to be a man I didn't know I could be. You deserve to be happy."
"Well... that is-" Valerie started to say.
"Sappy?" John interrupted her, with a pained look on his face.
"I was going to say sweet." Valerie said, grinning at him. "For being ancient, you still aren't very good at the idea of having feelings huh?"
"I have a lot of feelings, I just don't usually talk about them." John said, uncomfortable. This was not the direction he meant for this conversation to go.
"Why not?" Valerie asked.
"It's not the way I was raised." John said, pulling on his collar, clearly uncomfortable now.
"Your son seems very sweet." Valerie told him.
"He's a gentle soul, I don't know how he turned out like he did, his mother was..." John stopped talking and then changed the subject. "What about you, what was your childhood like?"
"I had a pretty normal childhood. I was an only child, born to older parents, they both died right before I graduated high school, so they didn't even know I even had a terminal illness before they died. My aunt took me in, but she's elderly now too, and I never told her. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, especially after I was told I had no time to live." Valerie told him. "I guess now I have time to figure out what to do with my life. I was going to college, just taking a few general education classes, but I have no idea what I wanted to do yet. I hadn't thought that far ahead."
"What if I offered you a job?" John asked her.
"Like what kind of job?" Valerie asked him.
"Do you know anything about computers?" He asked her.
"Enough to write an email." She replied, looking confused.
"I kind of need a personal assistant for some work related things. You'd be working with a human, named Jesse, I think you met him, he'd be overseeing you until we were positive we could trust you. No offense." John told her.
"None taken." Valerie said, chuckling and ate another piece of sausage. "Can I think about it?"
"Sure, no pressure, I'd pay you, I'll send up an account in your name, and make sure you have your own funds. Like I told you before, you are a guest here, and I know the wolves saved your life, but now let me save you from them." John told her, and then reached out and grabbed her hand.
Valerie almost dropped her fork in her other hand, she looked up and stared at him, feeling slightly nervous. She had butterflies in her stomach, and her chest started to pound.
John stared at her, and then cleared his throat, pulling back like he was burned. He gave her a confused look, and then stood up abruptly.
"I need to get some work done today, but I will take you for a stroll in the gardens tonight and we will work on your shifting." John told her.
"Wait, I know me being here was because you originally kidnapped me. But, I am still confused on why you are just being so nice to me. You have no reason to be, and I have a hard time believing that it's just to bug the wolves and steal me from under their nose." Valerie told him.
John stopped in his tracks and looked at her, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot for a moment.
"We all have our secrets." He told her.
"You know all mine." Valerie pointed out.
"And maybe tonight, I'll tell you one of mine." He told her, then winked and left her sitting there, finishing breakfast.
Chapter 6
Valerie was waiting for him in the gardens that evening. She's spent the day bugging Jesse, finding his work fascinating. She wasn't the computer whiz that he was, and she really had no desire to learn all the stuff he knew, but she was learning about John.
John hadn't disclosed that he was King of the vampires to her, and she wondered why he hid that from her. He obviously was in a leadership role, but King? It didn't make a lot of sense to her. She could tell he had feelings for her, but she didn't really understand hers for him.
One minute she couldn't stop thinking about kissing him, and the next she was frustrated with his temper and his avoidance when it came to talking. He was clearly a take charge, and it's my way or the high way kind of guy, yet when it came to her, she could see when his eyes softened and he indulged her.
Even when Jesse was mocking his watching Disney movies with he. It was clear the guy was a badass, when he growled at Jesse to shut up, he'd done it before he even finished his sentence. The flash of fear in Jesse's eyes had been real, and it was clear that John could be very dangerous when he wanted to be, yet she didn't fear him.
She put a hand to her head feeling confused.
Valerie sat on a bench in the garden and watched the sun start to go down, she heard John approach and stood up, and turned towards him.
For a moment, she forgot to breath. The way the light hit him as he walked up to her, he looked dark and mysterious, so handsome. She hadn't had time in life to mess with boys, school work, then her health issues, so this was new territory to her.
He walked up and greeted her, and then grabbed her hand and brought it up to his mouth and kissed the top of her hand gently.
Valerie stared at his mouth for a moment, wanting him to kiss more than her hand.
John stared at her, not letting go of her hand, and then pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry, I've been dreaming of kissing you, and I can't help it." He told her before he lowered his head and claimed her mouth hungrily with his.
Valerie gasped when his hot lips pressed against hers, her mouth parted and he plunged his tongue inside, stroking his tongue against her own. She wrapped her arms around him, ravenous for more.
"I won't take anything you won't give me." John muttered, as he pressed passionate kisses against her mouth. His hands skimmed her back and then grabbed her hips, pulling her hard up against his body, aligning her curves with his frame.
"I want you too, please, don't stop." Valerie said, blushing. She might not know exactly what she should do, but her body was kicking into hyper drive. She wanted to tear his clothes off.
Without another word, John picked her up and carried her over to the garden bench. He set her down on the bench and then pulled her shirt off over her head. He unsnapped her bra and then fell to his knees in front of her. He pressed hot kisses to her skin as he started at her belly and worked his way up.
His tongue swirled around each of her nipples until they pebbled, and her flesh shivered from the wind blowing gently as the sun fell behind the mountains.
Valerie let her head fall back and used her hands to hold herself upright on the stone bench, putting the weight on her palms.
John's tongue snaked across her flesh, and he worked his way up to her shoulders and neck.
"I want to bite you." He murmured to her, letting his fangs rake against her skin roughly, but not quite enough to pierce her flesh.
"Go ahead." She said, trusting him.
John froze, and pulled back, long enough to stare at her, then opened his mouth and bit her shoulder, gently sucking.
The intense blinding pain turned to pleasure as he sucked. She felt her entire body c
onvulse as the sensation turned from fire to a warm spreading sensation that started in the pit of her belly and spread downwards towards her thighs.
She moaned and pulled on his shirt, trying to unbutton them, her fingers were shaking and she gave up and just pulled his shirt until the buttons popped off, flying in every direction. She rubbed her hands up and down the flesh of his chest, enjoying the sensation of his hot skin under her hands.
A few minutes later, John pulled back, her blood on his lips. He licked the blood off his lips, then kissed her, his hands going down to her jeans, and he pulled the zipper down and unbuttoned them. He tugged and pulled them down over her hips.
Valerie helped by kicking her sneakers off so her jeans could be pulled down. She could feel the hard stone on the tender part of the skin on her thighs and ass cheeks. He leaned down and pressed kisses to her legs and stomach then tugged on her panties until he pulled them off, leaving her naked and exposed to him.
"Have you ever been with anyone before?" He asked her, his hands gripping her legs firmly.
Valerie shook her head no, not trusting herself to speak, her brain felt all foggy right now, all she could focus on was the wind on her skin, the way his hot breath felt as a direct contrast from the temperature outside.
She felt like she had a lump in her throat, and all she could do was remember to try and keep breathing, even though she felt like holding her breath, especially when he started touching her between the legs.
John hesitated, looking at her, while his finger tips skimmed the inside of her thighs, reaching towards her core, where she was hot, and wet. He gently rubbed his fingers against her delicate folds, and then looked at her.
"Are you sure you want to do this, I can't take it back if we go all the way." John told her, stroking her clit gently with his thumb.
Valerie nodded, then tangled her hands in his hair, urging him on, letting instinct guide her. She pushed his head down and he licked and nibbled on the inside of her legs as he worked his way up to her most tender opening.
SCOTTISH ROMANCE: My Sinful Surrender to a Highlander Werewolf (Scottish Werewolf Pregnancy Romance) (Historical Medieval Shape Shifter Paranormal Science Fiction Short Stories) Page 66