by T. S. Ryder
Her heart plummeted. Her assumptions were wrong. Michael wasn't here alone. How many others were there? Was Angelus even going to make it to this cell?
Michael barked out some orders and turned off the phone. He was clearly agitated but pretended to be the opposite as he smiled at her. His eyes glittered dangerously. "Well. It seems that my plans have to be accelerated. Who knew that all it would take was to slap you around a little to bring the Vampire King to me? Don't look so worried, Rosa. I'll protect you from the big, bad Vampire. I'll make sure he never touches you again."
He advanced, his teeth bared in a snarl. Rosa pressed herself against the wall. I can't let him hurt Angelus. I can't let him.
But what could she do?
Chapter Nine - Angelus
Silver bullets didn't kill Vampires the way they would kill a werewolf, but they still hurt like hell.
There were fewer humans in the building than Angelus expected, but that was probably a good thing. With the bullets tearing through his flesh, scorching him like brands of pure fire, if there were any more of them shooting at him he'd probably be overwhelmed. He charged into the hail of silver, grunting as his body was pumped full of the toxin.
A human ran at him with a wooden stake. Angelus caught the man, twisting his arm behind him. A snarl ripped through the Vampire's throat as he used the man as a human shield from the silver bullets that now tore through the dead body.
They didn't care about their own people. They were more dangerous than he anticipated.
Angelus threw aside the corpse as he came on the group of shooters. He tore into them. Despite the red hazing his vision, Rosa's living scent in his nostrils stopped him from killing them all. It would be easy. It would be faster. But even in these circumstances, he couldn’t bring himself to break his unspoken promise to her to avoid violence as best he could. She was alive and well, so he merely rendered first one, then another unconscious and continued along. The burning silver inside him slowed his healing and made him limp, but he ignored the pain.
It was nothing compared to how his heart would break if he wasn't successful here. The humans were fleeing before him now, their shouts interrupted by bursts of gunfire. He smiled. When he first arrived at this building, he wondered if he should have brought Morgan and a few of his guards for backup. It was better this way–more personal. The survivors would know that he wasn't a weakling to be trifled with and they would share the tale of his triumph.
Angelus followed Rosa's scent, his slow-beating heart speeding up as he approached. Her scent was almost overpowering when he finally stopped. He was in a long corridor, perfect for an ambush. Yet, the humans who had been firing at him before were all gone. They had broken off in another direction to lead him away from something, but then they had just abandoned pursuit.
Every fiber of Angelus' being trembled with conflicting desires. He wanted to rush in and find his love, to gather Rosa into his arms and flee this place as quickly as his feet would take him. But it was a trap, and he needed to be careful. It wouldn't help either of them if he tripped a wire or stepped on a mine and blew them both up.
Angelus scanned the corridor. It was empty, bare. He inhaled. There were two humans, male, with Rosa. If he strained his hearing, he could hear their heartbeats. Rosa's was hard and fast, the other two slightly slower, but not by much. She was alive, though.
A man appeared in the doorway. He was an ape of a man, his upper body as muscled as a gorilla's. His pale skin gleamed with sweat, and he gave the King a vicious smile. It wasn't the man who had beaten Rosa. That man had been much more slender. Angelus strode forward, noting the leather armor the man wore and the silver sword in his hand. He came prepared for hand-to-hand combat against a Vampire. With all the silver already riddling his body, Angelus would have a hard time defeating him.
The gorilla man retreated back into the room. The Vampire King narrowed his eyes. What were they planning? To kill her in front of his eyes?
If they hurt her, they will know true pain before their end.
When he stepped into the room, he froze. Rosa was there, all right. A blond man stood behind her, a knife pressed into her neck. Tears were rolling down Rosa's face as she wrapped her arms around her belly. Her hands kneaded her shirt, as though she was fighting not to attack the man that could easily kill her.
"Michael Jones," Angelus greeted, forcing himself to stay cool.
The man's eyes widened. "So you know who I am? It was that slimy Vampire who handed my stepdaughter over to me, wasn't it?" He chuckled. "Yeah, she's my stepdaughter. Did you know that?"
"The traitor told me where to find you, but yes, I already knew who you were."
Angelus moved to one side, keeping an eye on the gorilla with the sword. Jones was perspiring. He hadn't planned on this. It didn't mean he couldn't destroy Angelus' world with a single swipe. Given all the silver in his body, he wouldn't be fast enough to stop him from cutting Rosa's throat.
"Rosa told me about you," the King continued calmly. "And I have to say, if you were under my jurisdiction, you would be dead. There is no excuse for what you did to her mother."
"I don't care about your morals," Jones replied. "But you appear to actually care about my stepdaughter… so either kneel before me so my companion can take off your head, or she dies."
Rosa let out a cry, but there was no hesitation on Angelus' part. He dropped to his knees at once. The gorilla took a step forward, raising the sword.
"No!"
Everything stopped at Rosa's cry. In a single breath, Angelus' eyes met Rosa's. They were wide and wild, desperation and determination warring in them. He realized what she was going to do between the beats of his heart. A wordless scream tore through his throat. As he lurched back to his feet, reaching for the hand that held the knife, Rosa threw herself forward.
The blade sliced neatly into her throat. Red blossomed against her skin as if through a crack in a dam. A single gasp came from Jones. The gorilla exhaled. Both were still alive. Rosa looked in his eyes, pain crossing her features. Each beat of his heart was loud in his ears as she slowly crumpled to the floor, her hand going to the cut in her throat, uselessly trying to stem the flow.
The scream turned into a howl. Jones and his gorilla tried to run, but before they had gone two steps Angelus was on them. He couldn’t see, blinded by red, the smell of Rosa's blood in his nostrils. He grabbed them both, one hand crushing the gorilla's windpipe before discarding the man. He threw Jones to the floor, fangs dripping with the desire to bite, to kill. He snarled and smashed his fist into Jones' face.
A rapid heartbeat from behind him stopped the second blow. Rosa was still alive, but her heart was going so fast he knew she wouldn't stay alive for much longer. It was pumping her blood out of her body. He threw Jones against the wall and rushed back to Rosa's side. Blood continued to flow. The knife wound wasn't deep, but it cut the arteries there. The wound was fatal. He gathered Rosa into his arms, desperate.
"Rosa! Stay with me. Stay with me."
Rosa's normally glowing skin was rapidly losing its color. Angelus held her tighter with one arm, reaching for the fallen knife with the other. There was only one way to save her, but would it take hold in time? A human body could bleed out in sixty seconds. One minute. That was all it took. How long had it already been?
"Angelus." Her voice was weak. "Save our baby. Please. Save her."
"I will," Angelus gasped as he laid her down on the floor. "I'll save both of you. I love you. I love you!"
"I love you."
He stabbed himself in the wrist, dragging it through his flesh. His red-black blood oozed from the wound. He needed to stab deeper, get more blood. Ignoring the pain, he pushed the blade deeper. More blood now. It would have to do. Rosa's eyes were rolling, her lids fluttering. Her heartbeat was slowing.
Angelus bent over her, sinking his teeth into her already wounded neck. The taste of her blood was euphoria, like the decade he had spent with a heroin needle in his arm, only this high was pur
e joy and the feeling of utter belonging. It was so exquisite he almost forgot to put his wrist to Rosa's mouth. Still gently lapping at the blood pouring from her, he massaged his arm, forcing his blood through her lips.
Her heart stopped and Angelus knew it had failed. But as he withdrew, a howl of pain on his lips, it started again. The beating was stronger. Her scent was changing, the new blood still coming from her wound tinged with death. A Vampire's blood. A Vampire's heartbeat.
Angelus kissed her mouth, tasting his own blood on her lips, then turned his attention to their child. If Rosa's body changed before the baby was out, she would not be born. She would stay inside her mother forever, not alive, not dead. There was only one way to give their daughter a fighting chance.
The King grabbed the knife again and lifted Rosa's shirt. Her belly pulsed and contorted, the baby fighting against her rapidly changing environment. Rosa gasped, the sound of air filling new lungs. He had only seconds before it would be too late.
Angelus whispered a quiet prayer to all the gods he had ever known and made the first cut.
Chapter Ten - Rosa
A gloriously familiar scent curled around her nostrils. It smelled rich and earthy, like a fresh-tilled field after the spring thaw. It was full of life and promise but remained still with the death of winter as an undeniable undercurrent. Rosa pulled in a deep breath, sighing as the scent intensified. She knew it as if from a dream, and her lips curled into a smile.
"Angelus."
She could hear his heartbeat, slow, but present. The mattress she lay upon sagged as he sat beside her. His hand touched her face, not ice-cold, as before, but as warm as sunshine. Her eyes flickered open. Angelus beamed at her, more handsome than she had ever seen him.
"You're awake. I was afraid… the process doesn't always take." His fingers brushed through her hair. "How do you feel?"
"I feel…"
Memories came rushing back and Rosa tensed. Her hand flew to her throat as she gasped. Her skin was smooth under her fingers, but she remembered how the gash had felt. She choked on the memories, her whole body going rigid. Angelus gathered her into his arms, rocking her back and forth. Rosa clung to him, struggling to breathe. She should be dead.
"It's okay, it's okay," Angelus murmured. "You're okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Sorry for what? Rosa stared past his shoulder as she held him. His scent was so powerful. His heartbeat. All of her senses were far more finely tuned than they had ever been before. She shivered. The knife cutting her throat. Her blood between her fingers. Knowing she was going to die. That had all happened, but somehow…
"I'm a Vampire," she whispered. "You turned me into a Vampire."
"It was the only way to save you." Angelus pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I only had seconds to act, I didn't know what you would want. I only knew I couldn't live without you."
Rosa pressed her fingers against his lips. "I didn't want to die. Don't be sorry for saving me, Angelus."
He let out a shaky breath and kissed her gently. The contact sparked heat deep inside Rosa and she moaned into his mouth, throwing herself forward—they were suddenly on the far side of the room in a tangled heap. Rosa yelped in surprise, but Angelus laughed. He kissed her neck and pulled her into his embrace.
"It'll take some time to get used to your new strength. I look forward to helping you."
His eyes twinkled, causing Rosa's ardor to reignite, but as she straddled him, bringing her mouth to his, she remembered something else. Something far more important than sex. She was on her feet in an instant, her hands probing her soft stomach.
"The baby!"
Angelus got to his feet, smiling and shaking his head as he pulled her into his arms again. "She's fine."
"Where is she? How long have I been unconscious?"
"Calm down. Calm down. Lucilia has her right now. We've found that she needs a little blood mixed in with her infant formula. But now that you're awake, I'm sure we can find a way to get her to breastfeed. It's supposed to be hard for them to take the nipple after having a bottle but—"
"How long have I been unconscious?" Rosa repeated. Was she going to meet her baby to find her three months old? A year? Her heart didn't hammer like it would have when she was still human, but she was very aware of it beating in her chest.
"A day."
"A day." Rosa let out a relieved sigh. Her baby was still a baby.
Angelus squeezed her hand. "Let's go see her. She's beautiful, just like you. She has your dark eyes and hair."
Rosa smiled happily and headed for the door but stopped abruptly. A new fear filled her and she yanked her hand from her Vampire King and retreated back into the room. "No. No, I can't. I'm a newly-turned Vampire. I have to deal with bloodlust and… and what if I attack her? What if I drink her blood?"
Angelus shook his head again, taking her hands in his. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know there is a lot that you still have to learn. We never really talked about what it means to be a Vampire. I'll be with you every step of the way. But, about blood..."
Rosa shuddered.
"You'll have the desire to drink it, and you'll need to drink it. Yet, the trouble of being a new Vampire is getting used to having to drink fresh blood. You're the same person you were before you were changed, Rosa. Your personality, your morals, they're all the same. Would you hurt a baby before the change?"
"No." Rosa was horrified at the idea. "Never."
"Then you won't have the desire to hurt our baby now."
Angelus kissed her again and led her from the room. Nerves still churned in Rosa's stomach, but she trusted her Vampire King. Everything seemed brighter and more beautiful as they walked through the corridors. She saw details that she had never noticed before. Soon she heard a gentle thrum, and before Angelus told her it was a heartbeat, she knew it was their daughter.
She was perfect, just like Angelus had said. Helena had paler features than Rosa, but the shape and color of her eyes were all like her mother’s. Those eyes blinked sleepily when Lucilia passed the baby to Rosa. The instant the baby was in her arms, a well of love overwhelmed her. She was perfect. She had beautiful, delicate features and felt so very fragile.
"You're crying," Angelus whispered.
"She's just so beautiful. Take her, please." Rosa sniffed. "I don't know my own strength, I don't want to hurt her."
"You won't hurt her."
"I just don't want to have an accident."
Angelus nodded and took the baby. He settled in the chair that Lucilia had abandoned, and Rosa pulled a second chair close, marveling at how easy the heavy thing was to move. She settled down, gazing lovingly at her daughter and the love of her life, so happy and content that she began crying again. Embarrassed by her tears, she wiped them away.
"I didn't know Vampires could cry," she laughed.
"Vampire can do anything humans can do. Except… a Vampire man and woman can't have children together." A look of sorrow came over Angelus' face. "Rosa, I'm sorry… we can't have more children."
Rosa shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I never wanted more than one child, anyway. When Helena is a little older, we may decide we want another one and adopt. It's what we would have done anyway," she added, trying to lighten the mood. "No way in hell was I going to go through another nine months feeling like my stomach was turning inside out."
"You are such an amazing woman." Angelus leaned forward to kiss her, but Rosa stopped him.
"If I attack you like I did the last time, Helena could be hurt."
Angelus nodded and withdrew. A moment of peaceful silence descended until Rosa felt calm enough to ask for her daughter back. She held the baby on her lap, gazing in amazement at the tiny person. She was so wrapped up in her baby that Angelus' sigh actually startled her.
"Rosa, I'm sorry."
"I already said I didn't want to die."
"Not about turning you. About before." Angelus dragged a hand through his hair. "About di
smissing your reaction to the violence of Freya's punishment. I drove you away by not seeing what you were afraid of. I didn’t take it seriously even after you told me about your stepfather. Everything that happened was my fault."
Rosa shook her head. "I shouldn't have expected you to have my morals, but I appreciate your apology."
"I'm going to do better, I promise. I have reviewed our laws and changed them. Now, instead of just punishment, there will be rehabilitation programs and imprisonment rather than just a harsh corporal punishment–even release. I've hired a group of psychologists, too, to help create the best, most effective law system possible. I'm starting with Freya. She had no idea that her Vampire worshipers had attacked you, but she still has committed numerous crimes against humanity that cannot go unpunished. Yet, I am looking for better punishments."
Talking about this made her think of her stepfather and Rosa shuddered. "The Vampire that handed me over to Michael said he was working for Freya."
"I interrogated them both. I very much doubt that Freya was actually involved in any of this. It was just a man blindly in love with her."
"What happened to Michael? Did you kill him?"
"No." Angelus sounded proud of himself. "I didn't kill a single human while rescuing you. There were deaths, but that was them killing each other. I damaged some pretty bad… but not so bad that they would die–not even the gorilla when I crushed his windpipe. I thought he was going to die for certain, but… You don't want to hear about that."
He really had changed. He listened to her worries and changed his way of thinking. If she wasn't still holding Helena, Rosa would have thrown him to the ground and made the most passionate love to him that she could. She settled for a kiss, long and deep, her heart full to overflowing.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I love you so much. Thank you. Thank you."
"I love you, too." Angelus kissed her again. "Regina cor meum. I love you."
"Regina what?"
"It means Queen of my heart. Which you are."