by Nana Malone
Her eyes met his and she articulated each word as if talking to an imbecile,
‘Vampires. Do. Not. Exist.’
‘Not Vampires. Vampyres. The emphasis on the ‘y’ is specific.’
Marcus had to admire her courage as she stood there and beaned him with that dead on stare.
She looked too pale and her skin had taken on a green tinge that warned him of trouble coming sooner rather than later.
She swallowed audibly.
Filling a glass with cold water she took a sip before spitting the liquid into the sink.
Then she clutched her belly with what he knew would be the first wave of many cramps as the initial one hit her.
His own stomach clutched as she went too pale too fast.
‘This whole conversation,’ she gasped. ‘Is idioti....’
That was as far as she got before she was violently sick in the sink.
It wasn’t pretty.
Praying to The Maker it passed soon, Marcus held her hair back out of the line of fire.
She tried to push him away, but another bout overtook her and she couldn’t even find the strength to scream as she stared in utter horror at the dark, almost black, blood clots pouring out into the sink.
He’d read about and listened to his father lecture on the subject, but he’d never seen a newborn emerge before.
And the thought occurred to him that he should have paid closer attention when she shrieked in agony as the cramps brought her to her knees.
Alarm raced up his spine.
It was not supposed to be like this.
He’d never read or heard anything about pain or such violent sickness in a mated female.
Perhaps he’d taken too much of her blood?
Perhaps he’d given her too much of his?
Cold fear joined alarm now as her cries rose and fell.
His blood was pure, handed down in a direct line from his father.
As he picked up Anais and placed her in the vast stone bath, he wracked his brain for information that wasn’t forthcoming.
She was moaning now, the bed sheet covered in bodily fluids and Marcus was too afraid to leave her to call his father for help.
For two hellish hours he stayed with her until she calmed.
Muttering endless soothing noises that meant god only knew what, he managed to bathe her like a baby.
He washed her hair and dried her limp body before wrapping her in a blanket and placing her on the bed.
Assuming the worst was over, he noticed her cheeks were flushed.
Placing the back of his hand on her forehead he realised she was burning up.
Christ, now what?
Striding into the sitting room, he grabbed his cell and jabbed the number to his father.
‘Papa?’
Fighting to keep the blind panic from his voice he explained his predicament.
Duncan Gillespie gave a heartfelt sigh.
‘She took too much. Our blood is potent, Marcus. I am sending a medical team. Try and keep her calm. They’ll be there in a couple of hours.’
With a sinking feeling in his gut Marcus simply stared at the cell phone in his hand and realised he’d spectacularly fucked up.
He returned to the bedroom and got the shock of his life when he found the bed empty as was the bathroom.
His heart was in his mouth as he raced to the balcony.
And he blew out a very relieved breath to find it locked from the inside.
But then his Vampyre went on full alert.
The hair on the back of his neck stood to attention as a low growl sounded behind him.
He spun and found nothing.
Then carefully, slowly, his eyes tilted up.
Terrified for her, icy fingers clutched his gut.
Naked, Anais clung to the ceiling with fingernails and toenails that now resembled thick black talons.
Lumps of plaster rained down as, with some difficulty, she made her way from a dark corner and across the ceiling towards him.
Damp hair hung over her white face.
He didn’t miss the snarl from her throat or the way her needle sharp fangs, small and white, pierced her bottom lip leaving a bloody trail on the ivory carpet.
Wild eyes, fire engine red and pitiless, stared into his as her head tilted back and forth.
Ooh, boy.
His hands reaching out, Marcus took a step toward her.
And snatched them back when she shrieked in her throat.
It cost him, but he kept his voice calm and soft.
‘Anais, sweetheart. Come down from the ceiling. Now, there’s a good girl.’
At the sound of his voice her eyes narrowed into red slits that seriously freaked him out since he could feel the dark side of his personality rev up for action.
If his Vampyre went on the attack Anais wouldn’t have a hope in hell of getting out of this in once piece.
Although gazing at her now he had to admit she wasn’t exactly looking her best.
‘Come on, Anais, my wee darlin,’ he crooned.
The response was a spit of something unmentionable that hit him in the eye and stung like a bitch.
His yelp had the monster on the ceiling chortle with demonic laughter.
That laugh broke the chokehold he had on his Vampyre.
The muscles of his torso, his arms and legs, became fuller.
His fangs shot down from his gums.
The howl of male outrage shook the crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
Her eyes went wide with shock.
Even in the confusion of her emerging Vampyre, Anais appeared to recognise a bigger and badder beast.
She scurried backwards to her corner in the ceiling and watched him with big red eyes the size of tennis balls as he stalked towards her.
His voice was a volcanic rumble in his chest.
‘Get down off the fucking ceiling. NOW!’
For an infinite moment she simply stared at him.
Then incredibly she pouted and made a tiny mewling sound in her throat.
Marcus merely folded big arms over his tremendous chest and raised a dark brow.
Her answer was to turn her back giving him a fantastic view of her bare bottom.
With a huge leap and grab, he had her on the floor.
Anais made the deplorable mistake of putting up a fight.
* * * * *
Chapter Seven
In a flash Marcus had her on her stomach.
The flat of his hand pressed her firmly between the shoulder blades.
He knew it was a regrettable fact of Vampyre life that only pain inflicted hard and fast would bring a newborn back from the out of control temper tantrum that had her snarling and attempting to buck under his hand.
In this state she had the strength of ten human men.
Good job he had the strength of twenty.
He didn’t give her any warning.
No point since she wouldn’t have heard him over the screeching and shrieking that threatened to burst his eardrums.
His big hand came down hard and fast on her bare bottom.
By the time he was finished she was sobbing into the carpet and her ass was glowing.
An unfortunate by product was that Marcus could smell the honey of her arousal as it wept between her legs.
However, his Vampyre didn’t think it was unfortunate at all as he growled low in his throat.
He sniffed and nuzzled his nose, his mouth and his teeth on the swollen flesh between her legs.
Anais, bless her, mewled and purred like a contented kitten as his Vampyre explored her sex.
She tilted her cute little ass, came up on her knees and wiggled her bare bottom.
Marcus decided to let nature take its course.
He pulled out his cock, which felt the size of a cricket bat in his pants.
Even in his over aroused state, he ordered his Vampyre to take care with her.
He did his level best, but once his cock sl
id into that tight, hot and wet sheath, all bets were off.
The head of his cock was thicker in this state, more engorged with blood and muscle and Anais fit him like a fucking glove.
Flexing his hips, watching himself covered in the slick juice of her sex slide out and in, out and in, made the sting at the base of his spine shoot into his balls.
The sensation had him roar as the tight muscles flexing in her core attempted to milk his cock. His heart jerked against his ribs as his breath caught in his throat. Christ, he’d never felt anything like it.
He pounded into her tight little ass, harder, faster, to the symphony of her cries of pleasure. Her orgasm was gathering, he could feel it and it was going to be outstanding.
Her entire body jerked, went rigid as her mouth stretched wide in a silent scream that became an endless wail.
Her vagina contracted over and over as molten heat from her womb flooded his cock and his seed rocketed into her again and again.
Since his legs had turned to water he collapsed on top of her.
Gasping for breath Marcus rolled onto his back and took her with him, turning her to face him.
His hand pushed back her hair as he stared into her beautiful face.
Almost back to normal, thank The Maker.
He held her tight as she burrowed her hot face into his neck.
‘Speak to me.’
‘I hate you,’ she muttered.
Relief had him close his eyes tight as he stroked the silky soft skin of her back.
Very gently he patted her bare bottom.
‘That’s fine. That’s good.’
Her muffled voice, came from under his ear.
‘I will never, ever, forgive you for this.’
Well, he could hardly blame her could he? Since it would be a long time before he forgave himself for putting her through hell.
‘I didn’t know it would be so bad, darlin.’
After an endless silence that seemed to last for hours, Anais raised her head and leaned sharp elbows on his chest.
She gave him a filthy look that made his ribs ache.
‘What do you mean you didn’t know? Are you trying to tell me this is the first time you’ve bitten a human?’
He frowned.
‘I’ve never taken the vein before.’
‘How do you feed?’
‘Our scientists have developed synthetic haemoglobin. These days it is forbidden to feed from humans.’
She didn’t look as if she believed a single word he was saying.
‘So all that stuff about Dracula is nonsense?’
‘Yes and no. It’s complicated.’
‘You’re telling me,’ she muttered. ‘Why did you bite me?’
‘Because you are my mate.’
He smiled and she didn’t smile back as he continued,
‘And to be accurate you are not one hundred per cent human.’ He nodded to the damage on the ceiling. ‘As we can see.’
He chanced another smile.
Nada.
‘You,’ she said in a tone of utter loathing. ‘Are a tosser.’
Anais struggled to her feet and slapped away his helping hand.
‘Darlin, I...’
The look in her eye made him close his mouth with a snap.
He winced as she limped into the bathroom.
‘God, I ache in places I never knew existed,’ she muttered under her breath.
Before he could respond she’d banged the door closed and clicked the lock.
Lying flat on his back on the floor, Marcus studied the destruction on the ceiling and came to the conclusion that things might have been a lot worse.
He could have lost her tonight.
Killed her through sheer ignorance.
She was angry and upset and who could blame her.
The rush of the power shower interrupted his thoughts as he pulled on his jeans and rose.
They’d need to talk about the future.
When she was feeling better and had calmed down.
Anais was a reasonable, intelligent woman.
Once she understood he had no choice, she’d understand that they would be good together in a way that mattered between man and wife, Vampyre and mate.
Life went on and she’d realise and accept things were what they were.
A pounding at the door interrupted these happy thoughts.
The cavalry had arrived.
Typically, too late to do anything worthwhile.
Marcus unlocked the door and came face to face with the last person he wanted to see.
‘Hello there, lover boy. Where is she?’ Saira Pattullo’s deep voice purred even as her lip curled.
Dressed from head to toe in black leather that could have been sprayed on her outstanding body, Saira certainly didn’t look like a medic and he happened to know her bedside manner totally sucked.
She strode past him followed by four huge Centuri dressed in black leather whose colouring told him they were part of the Pattullo clan.
Italian, and every one a heart breaker.
‘She’s fine now. She’s in the shower.’
Saira pursed her beautiful mouth and narrowed her spectacular brown eyes.
‘Yeah? A fat lot of nothing you know.’
She swung round, strode through the bedroom, raised her fist and broke open the bathroom door.
At the lack of a glass-shattering scream, Marcus followed right behind.
From the corner of the ceiling, Anais perched with big wide eyes, glaring at them.
Then she flashed her baby fangs.
Hands on her hips, Saira shook her head and slid him a look.
‘For The Maker’s sake, Marcus. Did you spank her?’
He had no intention of justifying his actions to Saira Pattullo.
She might be a medic but she was also a total pain in the ass.
However, he was mortified to find himself shuffling his feet under her horrified gaze.
‘She attacked me. It was the only way to restrain her.’
‘Did your Vampyre do this?’ His hot cheeks told their own story. ‘Typical fucking Neanderthal. You’ve probably traumatised the thing.’
He growled now, ‘She’s no a thing. She’s my mate. I’ve taken her vein.’
A sharp nail was poked into his chest.
Saira went nose to nose. ‘Yeah? How much say did she have in it?’
She didn’t wait for a response.
‘Get her clothes. Close the door behind you and leave her to me.’
* * * * *
Chapter Eight
Two hours later, Anais kept her eyes closed and wondered if the whole experience had been a terrible nightmare.
She’d been working too hard, perhaps that was it.
Perhaps she was suffering a psychotic break?
But the bad tempered mutterings of her companions told her that this version of her reality was only too real.
A Molotov cocktail of sheer terror, a roaring temper and dark lust swirled sickly in her emotional core.
She’d learned the scary Vampyre, who could give GI Jane a run for her money, was Saira Pattullo.
Marcus refused point blank to leave Anais’ side.
All the while Anais kept imagining barbaric ways of inflicting torture on him as he died a slow and agonising death.
How dare he do this to her?
She wanted her life back.
And just how was she supposed to explain her appearance to her parents?
One look at her in this state and they’d either collapse of heart failure or run screaming for the hills and who could blame them?
On the plus side, her hair was longer and really shiny.
Her skin was spookily flawless in a way that reminded her of touched up magazine photos.
She didn’t have an ounce of fat on her.
No cellulite.
Woo fucking hoo!
Testing, she drummed her claws on the table in front of her and they made a spine chilling
shcick shcick sound.
She studied them now through narrowed eyes.
A manicure wasn’t going to fix those babies.
‘How are you feeling?’ Marcus asked for the fiftieth time.
Anais refused to look at him.
‘The same as I was ten minutes ago.’
Thanks to the fangs in her mouth it sounded like, ‘The sshhame assshh I wasshh ten minutessshh ago.’ She’d cut her tongue twice.
The injection of god knew what Saira had inserted into her vein was supposed to suppress her Vampyre.
Yeah, right.
She decided she was dealing with a crowd of imbeciles.
It had become apparent during their slanging match that they knew nothing about what happened when a Vampyre Prince ‘took the vein’ of a ‘human hybrid.’
Even now Saira took another verbal swipe at Marcus.
‘If you’d kept your dick in your pants until you’d researched what to do, we wouldn’t be in this mess.’
‘Ye’re no giv’in her more o’ that stuff until we’ve more information.’ Marcus’s Scottish side was coming to the fore.
Saira jabbed a finger at Anais.
‘And how are we going to get that through customs?’
‘We’ll fly her out, ye turnip heed.’
‘She couldn’t cope with flying. It took four of us to restrain her, you festering baboon.’
Anais had had enough.
She rose. ‘School’s out, children.’
Her fingers tentatively touched the fangs in her mouth, which appeared to have shrunk.
The relief she was able to speak normally was so overwhelming it brought tears to her eyes.
Like a warrior she fought back the emotion.
Marcus leapt to his feet. ‘You’re looking much better.’
He moved to touch her but the look she threw him made him think again.
If she didn’t know better she might believe he actually cared.
The time had come to take back control of her life rather than letting these monsters dictate what her future held.
‘With immediate effect I resign from Gillespie, Pattullo and Hindmarch. I don’t care what I do. I don’t care where I go, as long as it’s far away from you.’
The bastard just looked at her with deep affection as if she was a five year old having a temper tantrum.