by T. S. Ryder
Naya's breathing quickened.
"I love you," he whispered. "I will always love you. I want you to be mine, but know that I am yours regardless. Forever."
She cupped his face with her warm hands. "I am yours. But not because you claimed me. I am giving myself to you, heart and soul."
"And I give myself to you," he replied in a murmur.
Their lips brushed, their gazes locked on one another. Utter rapture shot through Gabriel's body and he held her tighter, pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss.
Chapter Eight: Seven Months
The negligee Naya had bought the last time she had gone shopping was just a tad small. The bra cups dug into her breasts, and the sheer fabric parted on two sides over her large, pregnant belly. She turned to her side, looking in the full-length bathroom mirror as she cradled her stomach with one hand underneath and the other on top.
She had never had the confidence to wear negligees, not even before she was pregnant the first time, when she was at her lowest weight. Even now she was a little nervous–but Gabriel always insisted the lights be kept on while they made love. Knowing that he loved every jiggle and roll of her body made her feel sexy, and she wanted to look sexy for him.
Not to mention that she was seven months pregnant, and pretty soon she was going to be too big every which way to make love, but somehow her desire for the king had increased so much that he was now the one putting an end to their romps in bed, rather than the other way around. Perhaps it was because of Gabriel drinking her blood more often these days.
There was a compound in vampire saliva that rewrote human DNA and turned them into vampires as well. That compound was sucked out when Gabriel drank her blood, but enough was left inside of her to strengthen her body.
"Naya?" His voice came to her from the bedroom.
"I'll be out in a moment." She hadn't told him why she wanted to see him so early in the day but, even if he had only fifteen minutes to spend with her, it would be better than nothing at all. She fluffed her dark, wavy hair and touched up the devil-red lipstick that she wore.
"Where are Angel and Ivanna?"
"Ivanna wanted to go to the zoo, and so Angel took her. I thought it would give us a chance to have a little alone time." Naya spritzed a little lavender oil into the air and walked through it.
There was a brief moment of silence, and Naya knew that Gabriel was inhaling the scent and processing her words. A low, deep chuckle came from the other room, but he continued as though he didn't know what she was up to. "You'll never guess what I overheard her talking about with her lover yesterday."
Naya exited the bathroom. Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, his suit jacket flung over the back of a chair. He worked on the buttons of his shirt, fingers moving deftly as he drank in the sight of her. Naya's body swirled with heat as her gaze trailed down the muscles of his torso. He was so delicious that she almost wished that their positions were reversed, that he was the human and she was the vampire so that she could drink from him.
"What did you hear?" she murmured huskily, eyes greedily roaming from his smooth chest down his chiseled abs to the well-defined V that disappeared into his pants.
"They were agreeing to become exclusive."
Naya's brows rose as Gabriel tore off his shirt. "I didn't even know she was seeing anybody in particular."
"She's been quiet about it. I hope that it works out for her. I've always cared for Angel–not the way I love you, my dear," he added quickly, making Naya smile appreciatively, "but she's been a good friend to me over the years. I hope she's found somebody who can be to her as you are to me."
Naya nodded. She wanted the same thing, having become fast friends with Angel. It was the female's forgiving, nurturing nature. Angel was always there to take care of both Ivanna and Naya, always a cheerful presence, and had frankly forgiven Naya for her cruel words to her after she found the female with Gabriel that time.
Gabriel started on his pants, and Naya felt like her skin had turned to fire. She shook her head, grinning as she moved forward.
"That's my job."
With a groan Gabriel nodded, moving his hands to the bedclothes. Naya knelt between his legs, shifting his thighs apart so she could rest her forearms on them. Gabriel's breathing was quick, pulsing, and she could see how ready he was already. No matter–she had something specific in mind for this time, and in this instance she was getting exactly what she wanted.
Her heartbeat fluttered as she unzipped his pants and pulled them to his knees. Her core tightened. Gabriel trembled as he stared down at her, his eyes dark with desire, lower lip clenched between his teeth. One long fang jutted out, digging into his skin. Naya smiled at him before taking him into her mouth.
They had not done this before; she never needed to prepare him, and everything was always focused on her. She loved that for sure, but after all these months she wanted to give back what she had been given. Gabriel went rigid, fingers digging into the bedclothes. A low, throaty groan escaped from him as she began to move, and his head fell back.
Naya moaned herself, his obvious pleasure building heat in her core, making her tighter. Another moan, and she found herself slipping a hand between her legs. It wasn't long before Gabriel gripped her arms, picking her up as he stood. One arm wrapped around her waist as he steadied her, turning to lay her down on the bed. Naya giggled but shook her head.
"Not yet. I'm not done with you."
"Yes, you are. I only have half an hour, and I want to be inside of you."
He pressed a searing kiss to her mouth, taking her breath away, and Naya could find no arguments against it. She twined her arms around his head, pulling him closer. Their bodies moved as one, not needing any prompting to get into their new favorite position, now that it was uncomfortable for Naya to lay on her back for any length of time.
As he positioned himself behind her, Naya's breath was hard and fast, her heart pounding. She loved this intimacy, the feeling of utter trust she had with her lover. She would never have believed it before, that a man could really, truly love every inch of the skin she was in. Even Ivanna's father, who she knew had loved her, had often given her dirty looks when she reached for a second cupcake or mentioned wanting something deep-fried to eat.
Gabriel never did anything like that. He only marveled over her beauty, and Naya knew that every word he said was the absolute, complete truth. She stroked the arms that circled around her as they became one, whispering his name over and over. Gabriel kissed the back of her neck, and they followed one another into bliss.
***
Naya didn't think anything of it when Angel and Ivanna didn't return for lunch. They were at the zoo, something that could take all day, especially considering Ivanna's love for animals. She wasn't worried at all.
Not until Angel returned alone.
Naya was in Gabriel's study, discussing plans for the nursery while Gabriel pressed a hand to Naya's belly, feeling their baby kick with the happiest, proudest expression she had ever seen on him. He suddenly stiffened, head snapping towards the door. Naya followed his gaze and found Angel standing there. Her clothes were torn, her hair in a mess around her face. A long, dark wound slashed across her face; it looked like a hot knife had sliced through her skin. Similar marks were on her arms. Wet, red stains covered her clothes.
It took a moment for Naya to recognize it as blood.
"They took her," Angel gasped. She stepped forward and fell to her knees. "They attacked us and killed the guards. They took her. They took her."
A hollow sort of sound rang in Naya's ears. Her hands trembled and bile rose up her throat. Her baby was kicking against her ribs, but she could hardly feel it. As if she was a ghost, she drifted forwards, her heart in her throat.
"Ivanna," she choked out.
Angel's shoulders shook. "I tried to stop them. I wasn't strong enough. They had silver. They only left me alive so I could tell you who they were."
Gabriel's arms circled Naya's wai
st. He lifted her off her feet, cradling her. Naya impatiently smacked his arm but, even as she did so, she knew that she would fall the moment he set her back on the floor. Her eyes were dry, but only because she couldn't believe this was happening–wouldn't believe this was happening. They were just playing a trick on her. Ivanna would come bouncing in in a second.
"Who was it?" Gabriel asked.
"Take Back the Planet. They said that they won't let her go unless… unless Naya terminates her pregnancy."
The words tumbled about in Naya's brain. She couldn’t think. She couldn't breathe. Her daughter… her baby…
What was she supposed to do now?
Chapter Nine: Desperate Measures
Two days passed without any word from the kidnappers. Gabriel had his whole staff trying to find where they went. Alberto tracked down all the individuals who had been at the zoo that day, but so far no names were connected to any sort of anti-vampire literature or actions. The humans who had attacked Angel and killed the guards had hidden their trail in garlic. It utterly blinded vampire noses.
Gabriel had never felt so helpless before. There were no leads to follow, no skulls to crack. The prisoner who had been found on his grounds all those months ago during the Blood Moon knew nothing. Even the normal Take Back the Planet blather on the internet had gone silent.
If they did end the child growing within Naya, would they get Ivanna back? Gabriel refused to consider that the kidnappers may have already killed her. It was too horrible to think of, to never see that little girl's smiling face again or hear one of her off-key songs. Ivanna had become the life of the palace. Everybody loved her.
As much as it broke him to think of ending Naya's pregnancy, if that was what it took to get Ivanna back then he would do it. He had frozen his sperm on the night of the full moon. They could artificially impregnate Naya again if she was willing. And, despite his son's strong heartbeat and the kicks he felt on his palm through his mother's skin, the fact was that he didn't know the baby. He loved his little son already, but he didn't know him.
He knew Ivanna, and the choice was clear, as much as it hurt.
He hadn't been able to talk to Naya about it. She hadn't left her room, lying in bed sobbing whenever he went to see her. Her pain hurt worse than anything, and he cursed his uselessness.
At least Angel was recovering, though her distress was almost as great as Naya's. She blamed herself, though Gabriel had tried to convince her it wasn't her fault. It was his. He should have given them more guards. He should have taken the threats more seriously.
"My king?"
Gabriel looked up from where he had been sitting at his desk, his head in his hands, immobilized by fear. Alberto stood in the doorway, his hand firmly latched around a woman's arm. From the strong beat in her chest and the smell of blood about her, the king knew she was human.
"What is it?" Gabriel had never heard his own voice so broken before.
"This is a human pregnancy doctor."
Gabriel stiffened, but he nodded. "Naya has decided it's time, then?"
Alberto shook his head. "We are running out of time, but I thought of a way to try to end this. Sometimes humans cannot give birth, and so the doctors will cut them open. And other times the babies are born early, and yet survive."
The king leaped to his feet, adrenaline coursing through him. "Naya is seven months pregnant. Could you cut out the baby now so that they both could survive?"
The doctor's eyes were wide and confused. "Y-yes, my lord. But the baby will need to be in an incubator, and it will have many medical needs that—"
"But he can survive. If we take the baby out, he can survive, but we can tell the people that took Ivanna that Naya terminated the pregnancy and get her back." He raised shining, hopeful eyes to Alberto. "Thank you."
The vampire nodded. "I'll take this doctor to get everything she needs to perform the task."
Gabriel nodded once at him and quickly left his office. He fairly flew up the stairs to Naya's room, brimming with excitement and hope. There was a chance now that they would not have to sacrifice their child to get Ivanna back. It would work. It had to work. What sort of monster would keep a little girl from her mother?
Naya was not in her quarters. She wasn't in Ivanna's room or the bathroom. Gabriel tensed. He had reassigned her guard, since she never left her room, and they were needed to try to track down Ivanna's whereabouts. Where could she have gone? The anti-vampire humans could not have gotten in here–if they had, they would have come after him, not her.
The cellphone in his pocket rang. Gabriel felt the bottom of his stomach drop out. Somehow he knew what Naya would tell him before he even saw that it was her calling him.
"They called me," she whispered. "They said that they would release Ivanna if I gave myself up. They want to make sure our son is dead themselves. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Naya," Gabriel choked out, his head spinning. "Naya, they'll kill you."
"I know. But it's better me than Ivanna. They'll kill her if I don't. Gabriel, I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so much."
The king's knees buckled and he collapsed onto the bed. This couldn't be happening. Sacrificing his child was pain enough, but Naya? It was unthinkable. He had to stop this. It couldn't happen. Tears pooled in his eyes and he clutched the phone tighter to his ear as if he could seep through the speaker and pop out on the other end.
"Naya, where are you going?"
"I can't tell you." A sob. "I love you. Please, please forgive me. Take care of Ivanna. Take care of yourself. Please."
"Naya," he tried again, but there was a click and then silence. Gabriel felt his world being dismantled bit by bit until he couldn't breathe. "NAYA!"
***
Alberto was able to trace Naya's cellphone. The head of security tried to convince the king to stay behind while he led three dozen vampires to find Naya and bring her back, but Gabriel was having none of it. The moment they had a lock on Naya's location, he armed himself with guns and knives. His natural strength and speed were once enough to take out an entire human army, but with the development of technology he had to be ready for anything.
He was well aware that this whole situation could very well be a trap, but he didn't care. Naya was too important. If she died, then he would hunt down every last one of those vile creatures, or die himself in trying.
Naya was in an old warehouse. Guns immediately started blazing as the vampires burst in, but they had come prepared; the silver bullets bounced harmlessly off Kevlar vests and bulletproof riot shields. Gabriel charged forward, his men in a tight formation behind him. He could smell Naya and Ivanna both, faintly, and ignored the human warriors lining the walls. Alberto broke away with a dozen vampires, leaping onto scaffolding and over barriers the humans had built to protect themselves.
Screams followed Gabriel as he followed the scent of his human through a rusted door. He entered a long hallway. The scent of explosives met his nostrils, and he waved a hand at his men. The demolition experts surged forward, quickly finding and disarming the bombs that had been placed in this hallway.
Gabriel didn't slow his pace.
He only stopped when he came to a locked door. He could sense Naya laying on the floor inside, Ivanna beside her. Gabriel stopped breathing and he slammed himself against the door, but it wouldn't budge. He heard someone speaking behind him, but couldn't spare a thought to hear what they were saying. The steel was unforgiving, no matter how hard he rammed into it.
A strong scent of gunpowder met his nose and the sound of gunfire erupted all around him. Dozens of human poured into the hallway, firing weapons at the vampires. One lobbed a grenade at them, but Gabriel easily swatted it right back at the human had thrown it; the explosion rocked the room, filling it with smoke.
Gabriel snarled, lithely leaping into the fray. He drew the knives from his belt, slicing across the throats of the humans who were nearest to him. The scent of blood wound its way to his head, and he lost himself in
the battle. His vision filled with red and he cut his way through the humans, howling his fury.
It was only after they were all dead that his bloodlust faded. Gabriel looked at the carnage around him, regret welling in his chest–he had become king to stop this kind of destruction. And here the humans were, forcing him to battle once again. Why couldn't they see he only wanted the best for them?
Tossing aside his knives, Gabriel rushed back to the door that separated him from Naya. Alberto had caught up with them by this time, and together they crumpled the steel.
Gabriel rushed inside, dropping to his knees. "Naya," he breathed.
Her heart was still beating, her breath deep and even. Ivanna's as well. Relief broke over Gabriel like a flood. He ripped off his Kevlar vest and put it on Naya, just in case.
"My lord—" Alberto started.
"Carry Ivanna to the vehicles. Quickly," Gabriel ordered, gathering his love into his arms. The heartbeat of their son was strong, and tears filled the king's eyes. He brushed them away quickly–until they were safely back at the palace, there was no place for emotions.
Naya stirred as he stood, and he pressed a quick kiss to her temple. His men gathered around him as they headed back outside.
As soon as the sunlight touched his face, he heard the distant crack of a gun. Something burned into his chest, piercing his body. Pain lanced through him and he stumbled. When he looked down, he saw a hole in his chest, inches above Naya's body.
His knees buckled and everything went black.
Chapter Ten: When the World Stands Still
Her head felt like it had been packed with sandbags. Naya's eyes slowly blinked open. Sounds blurred all around her, but the sky was clear and blue above her. She was being moved. She was lying on something that was being pushed. She strained, trying to remember where she had been. She remembered a gray room. And Ivanna…