The Shifter’s Prisoner

by T. S. Ryder

  She turned and walked away. Panic flooded Avery’s veins. She needed to do something. She struggled at the bars, but they were built into the walls. She searched the bag, hoping for something to use as leverage, but there was only the soft and malleable gold.

  She took a deep breath and turned over her brother’s body hoping he had some tool on him. His skin was cold and she tried her best to avoid looking at the huge gash on his neck. But his pockets were empty. She was trapped.

  Forlornly she touched her belly. A smear on the pavement. That was her destiny. She would never give birth to the human vampire hybrid that would reunite the Kingdoms.

  Chapter Eleven

  He opened his doors and was surprised that Avery wasn’t waiting for him. He had got used to her always being there. But now that she wore the Flower she could come and go as she pleased. He took off his jacket and his boots and moved over to his table, looking for a correspondence. There on the table was the carved box the flower came in.

  He smiled when he looked at it, it would bring Avery safety. But as he looked at the box, something shone from the corner, so he reached over and flipped the top up. The necklace was inside, one of the strands hanging out a little bit.

  Why wasn’t she wearing it? If she left his chambers without it, there was no protection for her. Something twinged in the back of his head. His instincts were that of a warrior and he knew to trust them.

  “Avery!” he shouted. He raced around his rooms, checking everywhere, but there was no sign of her. She wasn't here. Where was she? What had happened? There was no sign of struggle, nothing overturned, no clue of what might have happened to her.

  Myrcel, it had to be. There was no one else who hated Avery. Even his father approved of the human.

  Storming down the hallway he raced to Myrcel’s rooms, throwing open the door. A maid went scurrying away. But he was too fast for her. He grabbed the girl and held her fast.

  “Where is your mistress?” Alastair demanded. She cried out and shook her head back and forth. “Do not make me ask you again.”

  “Dungeon,” the girl whispered and he dropped her and raced down the hallway. Every step seemed to take an eternity. It felt like he was trying to run through water. This was a nightmare. One where he couldn’t get where he needed to go fast enough. It felt like miles between him and the dungeons.

  He raced down the stairs two at a time and found the dungeon master. He grabbed him by the throat and pushed him back against the cold walls.

  “Where is she?” he demanded.

  “Who, My Lord?” the dungeon master said. His voice choked as Alastair tightened his grip. “Lie to me and there will be no end to the suffering I bring to you.”

  “Please, My Lord. The Princess, she threatened my daughters-”

  “Where are they!?” Alastair screamed.

  “The lowest level, My Lord,” the dungeon master answered. Alastair threw him against the walls and raced down. Guards got out of their way as he passed, their mouths hanging open.

  “Come with me,” he ordered and they all fell in line behind him.

  The lowest level, they raced down to the deepest dungeon. This was where they put the real criminals. The ones who they made suffer as much as they could. It was no place for his soft human. She would never survive down there. The door was locked, but one of the guards had a key. He quickly opened it and then stepped into his own fetid dungeon.

  “Avery!” he screamed.

  “Alastair!” the call was far away. It echoed around the dungeons.

  “Find her,” Alastair ordered and the men scattered and began racing through the jail. He called her name again, but there was no answer. Someone must have her and they must be covering her mouth with their hand. The thought enraged him. He would kill that person and rip out their throat with his teeth.

  He raced towards where he last heard her voice. He came around the corner and there was Myrcel. She looked at him furiously, baring her teeth.

  “You go too far, Myrcel!” Alastair screamed, vibrating with rage.

  “I go too far? You bring this human peasant into your bed. You give her The Flower of the Court. You would have her sons replace mine and I am expected to do nothing! Bearing an heir is my right.”

  “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

  “The prophecy! It decries that the human who will lay with the Vampire King and bear a son that unites the empire.”

  He pushed past her. There in the cell was Avery. A strong vampire woman had her hand around her throat.

  “I am the Crown Prince, I order you to release her,” the woman’s eyes travelled between him and Myrcel and then fell on the dozens of guards who had gathered around them. They were whispering to each other, the words son and prophecy echoing in the room. Finally, the female vampire released Avery.

  Alastair threw the door open and she ran to him. He grabbed her in his arms and glared at his wife.

  “We are done, Myrcel. Prophecy or no prophecy, Avery is the only woman who will bare my sons.”

  Myrcel gaped at him, her mouth hanging open as Alastair hurried Avery up the stairs.

  Epilogue

  The Fire Islands were beautiful. The shores were white sandy beaches backed by blue ocean waters. The interior was a thick jungle. Everything burst with life. Fish practically jumped into fisherman’s nets. Fruits dripped with succulent juices, falling from the trees when they were ripe.

  To Avery, who had spent her life in dirty back alleys and old caravans, it was a paradise. Alastair put her in a house right on the beach for her confinement. Every morning she woke to a strong ocean breeze blowing the heat away. She strolled the beaches, her feet sinking into the sand. Servants met her every need as the baby grew inside of her.

  In a few months’ time, they would return to the palace, but the Vampire Princess would no longer be there. In his infinite kindness, Alistair had given a gift to Myrcel—Castle Deep Stone. It was located seven leagues to the north of the Severed Lands, buried deep in the northern mountains. When he, Avery and their child returned, the Vampire Princess would be long gone.

  Alastair had no trouble putting down the small uprising of the Fire Islands. The rebels put up only a paltry fight and the people were happy to see them defeated. By the time the baby was due, he was back from his campaign and sleeping beside her.

  It was a moonless night when her contractions started. She gave birth to their son in the bungalow with the roaring sea behind them. A beautiful, perfect boy they named Brandon.

  With the birth over and her eyes heavy with sleep, Avery watched as her Vampire Prince held their little baby in his arms. He was so gentle and delicate with Brandon and Avery allowed her eyes to close knowing that he would permit no danger to befall them.

  “Our son,” she heard him whisper and her heart swelled.

  *****

  THE END

  Kidnapped by the Vampire Prince

  Description

  A curvy doctor refusing a new job PLUS a hot Vampire Prince who wants her no matter what PLUS a suspicious and deadly attack!

  It is mere months before the Great Gathering when a mysterious disease threatens the lives of the Louisiana vampire clan. The Clan King, Baptiste Roche, gives the task of finding the cause and the cure to his son and heir, Sebastien.

  But when the lead expert of the medical team, Dr. Duquesne, is killed in a suspicious accident, all hope and months of hard work seem lost forever...

  Until Sebastien finds out that, in the last few weeks before his death, Dr. Duquesne had been consulting with a human hematologist on the project without anyone’s knowledge.

  Shortly after the death of her former mentor, Dr. Kendra Allenby is offered the chance to take over his job at the highly private Roche Laboratories. But nothing – not the prestigious position, the generous paycheck, or the chance to finally get her hands on Dr. Duquesne’s mysterious project – can tempt her into leaving the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

 
; Desperate, Sebastien Roche sees no other choice but to bring her in by force, kicking off a chain of events he never could’ve predicted...

  Sparks fly when two indomitable wills clash, and the mighty pull of attraction between them cannot be denied. A wild passion blooms in the midst of the desperate race against the clock... but will it be their undoing – or their salvation?

  Chapter One

  Kendra Allenby entwined her fingers, rested her hands on her desk and gave Alexander Beauchamp a level stare. “I don’t think you understand, Mr. Beauchamp,” she said, her tone flat, “I am not leaving Moffitt, and that is my final answer.”

  Mr. Beauchamp flashed her a perfectly charming smile that nevertheless did nothing for Kendra. “While MCC is certainly a fine establishment, I sincerely doubt it can offer you the kind of working conditions and financial compensation Roche Laboratories can,” he said. “Not to mention the years it might take you to become Head of Hematology – a position we are ready to offer you right now.”

  “Moffitt provides me with the kind of work I want to do,” she replied, managing to maintain her calm despite the slight edge of annoyance creeping into her voice. “The kind that allows me to work for the good of the general public, rather than a shadowy organization with a mysterious billionaire benefactor at its helm.”

  Mr. Beauchamp cocked an eyebrow. “You make it all sound so... ominous.” He tried to endear himself to her with a bit of humor, but Kendra was not amused. “Roche Laboratories may be privately owned and funded, but we are no more secretive than, say, Monsanto, or any other organization that heavily relies on research and invention to achieve success.”

  “You do realize that Monsanto comparison is making my case for me?” Kendra asked, deadpan – a comment that finally broke Mr. Beauchamp’s amiable façade.

  “Dr. Allenby...” he began, rather condescendingly, thus choosing both the wrong tone and the wrong words for this conversation. “Let me be perfectly clear. Yes, you are undisputedly an expert in your field and Roche Laboratories’ first choice, but you are certainly not our only one. Furthermore, considering the debt your student loan has racked up, I’m not so sure you can afford to refuse our offer.”

  Resisting the urge to punch the arrogant twit, Kendra instead pressed a button her intercom, not once breaking their eye contact. “Yes, Dr. Allenby?” Dan Swenson, the desk clerk on duty at the reception, answered promptly.

  “Mr. Beauchamp will be leaving now,” she said, her tone even. Dan didn’t need further instruction. Just a moment later, two security guards were inside Kendra’s office, standing by Mr. Beauchamp’s chair, ready to escort him out of the building by force if need be, and making their intention clear through the sheer force of body language.

  At first, Mr. Beauchamp just sat there, ignoring them while he watched her with the kind of keenness that made her feel uncomfortable before he blinked and stood up calmly. “Very well, Dr. Allenby,” he said and, followed by the guards, exited her office without any further comments.

  Kendra counted to fifteen and then let out a loud, frustrated groan as she dropped into her chair. This, this right here was why she entered relationships so rarely! Nursing male egos and dealing with their self-entitlement was both exhausting and frustrating, and she had lost both the patience and the will to put up with that for the sake of companionship years ago.

  Some five minutes later, Dan came into the office with a cup of coffee in his hands to find Kendra focused on her work again, deeply engrossed in the reports of the most recent lab work. “So what’s the deal with Hottie McSnotty?” he asked as he approached her and put the coffee on her desk. Clearly, Dan was just as impressed by Mr. Beauchamp’s physique as he was disappointed with his attitude.

  “He’s from Roche Laboratories,” she told him, in a considerably warmer tone now that the cause of her irritation was gone, and smiled to him gratefully. He made the best coffee, strong and black, with just a pinch of cinnamon to brighten the flavor.

  Dan sat down, frowning. “Dr. Duquesne’s stomping grounds?” he asked, and Kendra nodded.

  “They want me to take over for him,” she said, prompting Dan whistle and raise his eyebrows, clearly impressed. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she told him straight up. “We’re staying right where we are.”

  Dan smirked. “I know,” he said. “You’re way too invested in the work here to quit. But, for the record, I think you’re making a huge mistake.” Kendra gave him a hostile stare, but he knew her too well to be perturbed by it. “Oh, come on,” he teased her. “Aren’t you even a little bit tempted?”

  She shook her head. “No,” she replied categorically, “I don’t know what their deal is, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Nobody offers that kind of position or that kind of money to someone who’s barely made their full credentials, even if they’re as good as I am.”

  She expected Dan to make a joke about her lack of modesty, but he just nodded gravely. “You don’t trust them,” he said.

  “Not one bit,” she confirmed.

  “Dr. Duquesne did,” he noted.

  Kendra sighed, sitting back in her chair. Yes, her mentor had seemed to think that leaving the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute for a private research facility was the right thing to do, but Kendra couldn’t help but be heavily disappointed with him. She had felt betrayed when he’d announced his decision the year before, and they’d had a huge falling out as a result. She was sure they’d never even talk to each other again... but then, about a month and a half ago, he started sending her emails, asking if they could meet. At first, she refused, but he knew her too well – he started sending her microscopic images and laboratory results of blood and tissue that behaved in a way that, frankly, should not have been possible, tickling her curiosity until she finally gave in and met up with him.

  A part of her hoped this would be the start of their reconciliation, but even though their relationship improved, it was clear it would never be what it once was. Dr. Duquesne refused to give her any more information than he absolutely had to, which made each of their meetings both a delight and a major source of frustration. And now that he was dead, all hope that they could truly patch things up (or that she’d ever find out what the hell he was working on) was gone.

  They had had one of their meetings scheduled for the day he died, but he had never showed up or answered his phone, leaving Kendra irritated and angry, thinking she was being stood up without a word... and then devastated with pain and guilt when, that evening, she had seen the news of the car accident that took his life. Relying on eyewitness accounts, the police suspected a drunk truck driver took a wrong turn, slamming into Dr. Duquesne’s rental and killing him on the spot before fleeing the scene of the crime.

  Kendra was heartbroken and disgusted with herself for how angry she’d been with him that entire day. The only reason Dr. Duquesne was in Tampa that day was to meet with her, and she couldn’t help feeling responsible even though she knew she was being irrational. He had chosen to look her up. He had set the meetings up. She wasn’t even marginally to blame, but her heart still hurt every time she remembered he was gone, and the only thing that brought her joy in the ten days after the accident was the thought of her upcoming vacation.

  But even the memory of him, even the prestige and money that would come with taking over his job at Roche Laboratories, even a chance to finally see what this mysterious and baffling thing he was working on was couldn’t convince her to leave Moffitt. If Mr. Beauchamp had been more upfront about the kind of work Roche did, she would’ve been tempted, but he was even vaguer than Dr. Duquesne, and Kendra refused to risk her peace of mind to satisfy her curiosity or clean her credit score.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she finally said, “I’m staying here, and that’s that. And, besides, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna miss Maui just to dive into even more work than I have here.” She grinned, gladdened by remembering that, this time tomorrow, she’d be lying about on a beach in a private resort, co
mpletely cut off from any communication with the rest of the world. She had worked for three years without a single day off to make it happen, and she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

  “Can’t argue with that logic,” Dan grinned and stood up to go about his business, leaving Kendra to go back to hers.

  She had quite as few things to finish up before she could go home to pick up her luggage and get to the airport.

  Chapter Two

  “Well?” Sebastien Roche asked his second as he picked up the phone, too tense to bother with pleasantry.

  “She won’t take it,” Alex sighed, frustrated.

  Sebastien swore a blue streak, slamming his fist against the armrest of his chair out of sheer frustration. “Did you tell her about the money?” he demanded to know. “That she’d be the head of her own lab?”

  Alex sounded defeated. “I tried everything,” he told him, “I amped up the charm, played to her ambition and vanity, tried scaring her into taking it – I even flirted with her... nothing worked.”

  Even in his current state, Sebastien couldn’t help but snicker. “You don’t usually see flirtation as a sacrifice,” he teased his friend, but Alex was not amused.

  “She’s fat,” he replied, sounding like a whiny child, and Sebastien rolled his eyes.

  “And she didn’t immediately fall for you,” he noted.

  “And she didn’t immediately fall for me,” Alex confirmed the true source of his irritation. He was much too used to being adored by both men and women alike for his pride to take being brushed off so easily by anyone, let alone someone he considered severely unattractive – a category that included far too many people to make Alex a realistic judge of anyone’s physical appeal.