The Vampire King's Mate

by T. S. Ryder

  When the noise died, she looked up to see the twins standing in a circle of ruined, smoking robots. Dievca grinned, while Chapec looked furious. He jumped over the remains and grabbed Veronica. She pushed against him instinctively.

  "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, his voice low. "But we have to go."

  Veronica wet her lips, but couldn't think of anything to say. She allowed him to pull her with him.

  "There will be more coming. Come on!" he shouted at his sister, running down the corridor. Dievca rolled her eyes and followed.

  ***

  Veronica didn't stop shaking until they were well away from what had once been Earth. Chapec spent that time in the cockpit, checking to see if they were being followed, and making sure their plotted course was safe. Dievca made up a sandwich of some sort for Veronica, grinning broadly.

  "Did you see what an excellent fighter my brother is?" she asked. "He took down two of those robots in one stroke! Amazing, isn't it?"

  Veronica stared at her. "It doesn't bother you at all that you robbed that place and destroyed their security?"

  "Robots are easily replaced, and that place brings in enough every standard week to buy a brand new warship. Most of it goes to corporations that don't need it. All I did was take enough to be able to pay our way to the Sanctuary. We want to get there as quickly as possible."

  The explanation didn't placate Veronica, but she ate without saying anything else. Were the twins more criminally-inclined than they had led her to believe?

  Chapec entered the kitchen. His eyes were narrowed, his fists clenched. "What were you thinking?"

  The laughter died from Dievca's face. "As I was just telling Veronica—"

  "You could have ruined everything! You could have gotten us killed or imprisoned. Our faces could be getting broadcast everywhere right now!"

  "Chippy, stop overreacting."

  "Overreacting?" Chapec slammed his hands on the table, making both women jump. "Dozens of corporations could realize we have an unregistered human with us. She doesn't have her citizenship, she could be taken as a slave!"

  Dievca's eyes narrowed. "They aren't going to broadcast our faces anywhere. The people that run the museum like to proclaim it as a holy shrine, it would ruin their reputation if it was robbed."

  "And what about Veronica? Those guards could have hurt her!"

  "Her?" Dievca got to her feet. "Might have hurt her? But not me? I understand you're mad at me, but are you seriously saying that you were more concerned for her safety than that of your own sister?"

  "My sister is the one that acted like an idiot!"

  "Don't fight!" Veronica jumped to her feet and grabbed Chapec's arm. "Don't fight. Come on. Let's just go calm down, okay?"

  Her heart thumped as she tugged him away, but there was also a great deal of relief. Dievca may have acted criminally, but Chapec didn't condone it. That was a good thing. Especially since now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, her previous soul-crushing realization that everything she knew was gone was coming back. She wanted comfort. She wanted something to distract her.

  "I don't know about her sometimes," Chapec muttered as they went into Veronica's room. "She just doesn't… I don't know. She's smart, so I can't say that she doesn't think. But the way she thinks… I don't understand it. She does this sort of thing all the time, getting us into terrible situations while saying that they'll help us in the end. It drives me crazy. She's my sister, I want to protect her, but she makes it damn hard."

  He dragged a hand through his black hair. Veronica stared at him. It was totally the wrong time again, but she was feeling heat swirl through her at his closeness. And if she wanted a distraction…

  Well, maybe Chapec needed a distraction as well. She caught his face in her hands and kissed him. His eyes widened, but his arms wrapped around her waist. He pulled her flush against him and she gasped. Her eyes drifted closed as the kiss deepened.

  Chapter Four – Chapec

  Her body fit just right in his arms. Ample breasts squashed against his chest, her mouth hot and hungry on his own. Chapec felt his body responding eagerly to her. He was more than happy to let himself get carried away by passion.

  Until he remembered that he had no intention of becoming her mate. No intention of staying with her once they got to the Sanctuary. And he was only with her so he could kill the man who killed his father.

  He grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her away, shaking his head. "We can't."

  Veronica's bright eyes clasped onto his. "Why not?"

  "Because… because I'm not looking for a mate. And I don't want to hurt you."

  "Mate means girlfriend," Veronica muttered, then shook her head. "I'm not looking for a mate, either. And I get that you're just taking me to the Sanctuary. I'm not looking for anything more than right now. A distraction, a reassurance, I don't know. But you don't have to feel like this is any sort of commitment."

  Chapec hesitated. Dievca seemed convinced that he needed to woo Veronica in order to their mission to be a success. And as the human started kissing his neck, making his body ache for her, he couldn't deny that he wanted this as well. But there was the ethics of it. He had no problem taking a human on board to get admitted into the Sanctuary. After all, she'd have been sold off as a slave or worse if they hadn't saved her. And once she was at the Sanctuary, she'd be safe. His actions once they were there wouldn’t jeopardize that.

  And she felt so good in his arms, his body feeling tight and hot, her hips grinding against him, a moan low in her throat. She nipped at his earlobe and all his reasons why not to do this fled. With a growl he grabbed her, swinging her onto the bed. Veronica laughed.

  Chapec growled again as he caught her mouth with his. As he started to pull her clothes off, she rose her body to him, as responsive as anyone he had ever been with before. He dove into her neck, making her cry out.

  Veronica's hands bumped into his as they both scrambled at the clothing they wore. Soon they were bare to each other, and Chapec paused in his frenzy. Maybe this was an answer to pure animal lust, but they weren't animals, and she deserved gentleness.

  "You're beautiful," he said, trailing his hands down her naked body. He loved the way she shivered under his touch.

  "You are, too. All these muscles. I bet you could punch through a punching bag," Veronica crooned as she gripped his biceps.

  Chapec was surprised to hear that. Generally, his muscle-bound build wasn't considered attractive. He grinned at her, bending to flick his tongue over her nipples. She shivered again, arching her back to him. Her knees clasped his hips, causing him to start in surprise. But it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

  One of his hands slid between her legs, exploring her until he found a motion that made her eyes roll into the back of her head and her hips roll towards him. He repeated it again and again.

  It surprised him how quickly she was ready for him and entered in one fluid motion. Veronica's head flew back and she cried out. Her legs wrapped around him and pulled him so close that there was no place to move. With a laugh, he parted her thighs and began a quick rhythm.

  He gripped her hips tightly, holding them in place as he moved. Veronica dug her fingers into his hair, a red flush in her chest and neck. He ground his teeth together, fighting back his own need for completion as he watched her. She was so beautiful as she writhed beneath him, alternatively throwing her head back and pulling his mouth to hers, hungrily.

  Suddenly she threw her head back and yowled like a cat. All of her muscles bunched, and it was the end of him. Chapec fought to hold on for a few more minutes, but pleasure blinded him, filling his whole body, and the next thing he knew, he way laying over her and she was struggling to lift him off her chest.

  Chapec rolled off, not wanting to crush her.

  Veronica rested a hand on her heart, groaning. "Wow."

  Chapec grunted in return, too out of breath to speak.

  "I think that was the best I've ever had." S
he rolled over, sliding her arm over his chest, and grinned. "Can we do that again?"

  "Yeah. In a few minutes." Chapec stroked her hair, letting his muscles sink into utter relaxation. "If you think that was good, we should arrange to be together during my musth."

  "Musth?"

  "A hormonal cycle that T'shav males go through annually. It makes us violent and… sexually desirous. It also affects females, making them drawn to the male in musth. I should say, non-related females," he added. "There is something about sharing genetics or growing up in close proximity to each other that makes it so the musth doesn't affect related females."

  Veronica nodded, yawning. "That's good… but when you're in musth the sex is even better?"

  "Yeah. I've heard some males are able to… find completion a dozen times in an hour, or keep their partner in climax for a full three days."

  "Wow… I think that would kill me." Veronica grinned at him all the same. "We'll have to try it out."

  Chapec laughed and kissed her. "Yeah, we will."

  Except they'd be at the Sanctuary by then. He settled beside her, his smile fading away. There was no future between them. He couldn't act as though there was. And what he had just done…

  We can't do this again. I can't let her fall for me. Not when I'm going to betray her.

  He rolled onto his side, stomach churning. What was he supposed to do now?

  ***

  Chapec rolled his shoulders as he gathered up some fruit for the next leg of their journey. He and his sister were used to the confines of the ship, but Veronica was not. She was craving fresh food, and he was going to give it to her. It was the least he could do, considering that she had to stay on the ship whenever they were on a planet. It was too risky for people to find out about her to let her explore.

  In the meantime, they'd fallen into a comfortable relationship. Maybe a little too comfortable, considering that they would soon be at the Sanctuary. But did that really make such a difference? It would take some time for him and Dievca to find a way to get Gylden on his own so they could kill him. He needed Veronica as a reason to stay until they achieved their mission.

  But once they got there, he'd start pulling away. Encouraging her to make other friends. Distancing himself emotionally. Then when the inevitable happened, she wouldn't feel alone. Hopefully, she'd have found a good human man to fall in love with.

  "You're thinking of her again," Dievca said coolly.

  Chapec gave her an irritated glance. "So?"

  "So I told you not to get too involved. And now not only are you sleeping with her, but you're also constantly thinking about her."

  "I only slept with her once."

  Dievca snorted.

  Chapec clenched his hands. It was true, although that didn't mean he hadn't wanted to sleep with Veronica more. But while he didn't exactly regret their first time together, he knew it was a bad idea to continue that aspect of their relationship.

  "I am not getting involved."

  "Whatever you say, Brother," Dievca said with a shrug. "If it helps, I've started rethinking her role in our plan, too."

  "You?" Chapec somehow doubted that.

  "Yes. Me. She's a sweet girl, I don't like the idea of hurting her. But we have to keep our eye on the end game, Chippy. Veronica will be safe in the Sanctuary, and she's not our responsibility."

  "I know."

  Dievca grunted. Her black eyes narrowed for a moment, then she shrugged. "I've also been researching the Sanctuary more, and I've realized something."

  "What's that?"

  "Only humans are allowed straight in. Apparently, Zon has strict security, and while he allows humans and whoever they are traveling with to seek rest and safety in his fleet, but even people who have human mates aren't allowed into the Sanctuary itself unless they are in dire need. And that is where we need to be if we're going to kill Gylden. So not only do we need to be close to Veronica, but she, and by extension, the two of us, needs to be in danger. And that danger has to be well-known."

  A sinking ball of dread dropped into his stomach. "You're the one that didn't want anybody to know we had a human because it meant we'd have a harder time getting to the Sanctuary."

  "Yes. But that was before you started falling in love with her. At the rate you're going, you'll confess everything as soon as we get there."

  "I'm not—"

  "You are. So we're going a different route. Zon will give us sanctuary, not because you're Veronica's mate, but because our lives are in mortal danger. That way you can stop wooing her."

  Chapec took a deep breath to calm himself. Fighting, even the half-playful duels they had, would not be a good thing in the market. "And how do you propose we do that?"

  "Oh, I've hired a few bounty hunters to steal her from us."

  The ball of dread burst, spreading to Chapec's extremities. He felt utterly frozen from the inside out as he stared at his sister. She stared back, smiling as though she expected him to praise her for her brilliance. In truth, it was the first moment of his life that he had ever seriously considered harming her. He wanted to strike her smile off her face. His hand reached to grasp the hilt of his blade before he realized what he was doing.

  The smile dropped from Dievca's face. She fell back a step. "They won't hurt her."

  "When are they coming?"

  "Chippy, I made sure that they knew if there was so much a scratch on her—"

  "They could do a whole lot to her and fix her up with a regenerator. Now tell me when they're coming!"

  Dievca twisted her hands. "They'll already be on the ship."

  Chapec turned on his heel. He ignored his sister as she called out after him. Veronica filled his thoughts. If she's hurt… Dievca will regret ever thinking up this scheme.

  Chapter Five – Veronica

  Strings of blue energy wrapped around Veronica's wrists and ankles. She fought against the delicate-looking strands, but it was useless. Another band around her waist kept her securely fastened in place as the hovering vehicle zipped through the sparse forest. There were two fierce-looking aliens in front of her, one of them a blue Aphrosian, the other some sort of hairy ape-looking creature. Behind her were three more aliens, though given her position she couldn’t get a good look at them.

  Breathe, Veronica. Breathe and think this through.

  Veronica forced herself to suck in a deep breath and stop struggling against her bonds. Clearly, fighting wasn't going to do any good. First things first. She had to figure out what these aliens wanted with her. Were they the human-hunters that the T'shav twins had warned her about? Slavers? Would they sell her to a breeding program or as an exotic specimen for a private collection?

  "What do you want with me?" she asked.

  Her voice shook, but not enough. She had a feeling that if she was going to get any information, she had to really sell her fear. Not that she had much of a chance getting out of this on her own, but there was no way Chapec was going to leave her here. Nor Dievca. She might not be as close to the female T'shav, but they got along. They were friends.

  One of the aliens behind her spoke. "We were hired to steal you away from those T'shav."

  She twisted her head, but couldn't see him. "Hired by who?"

  "Dunno. Don't care. We got a fancy little sum. You're a fair impression of a human, though. Pretty, too. I bet we could pass you off as a real human."

  Whoever had hired them to steal her thought she wasn't a real human? Or had just said that so they didn't have to pay as much. Veronica's mind churned. "If you know I'm not human, why did you steal me?"

  "Told you. We were hired. Look at those curves. Have you seen such a beauty before?"

  A hand came around her neck from behind and squeezed lightly. Veronica's heart jumped to her throat and she slapped at the hand. The energy bracelets stopped her just short of reaching them.

  "The bounty said she was to be untouched," another voice said.

  "What they won't know won't hope them. We'll just heal
up any marks that—"

  Veronica turned her head and sank her teeth into the hand as it moved down her arm. The alien yelped and withdrew at once.

  The other aliens laughed. The one she had bit cursed and grabbed her roughly. He spun her around. Dark blue eyes blazed in a bright green face and Veronica's heart stopped. She was going to pay for what she had just done.

  Whatever he does, don't lose hope. Chapec and Dievca could be on their way right now.

  "You're going to regret that, girlie." The alien breathed into her face. "Stop the car."

  Car. An odd word for the vehicle they were driving in. But Veronica didn't have long to mull on it as the vehicle jerked to a stop. The green alien jumped out and pulled her with him. Her bound feet couldn't support her and she crumbled to the ground. The alien bunched his hand into a fist and drew back—

  A bolt of red careened from between the trees. It hit the alien straight in the back. His eyes widened. He toppled slowly, revealing a second vehicle hurtling through the trees. Veronica's heart leaped as she saw the T'shav twins inside. They had followed! Chapec piloted while Dievca stood half hanging out of the vehicle, aiming a blaster at the kidnappers.

  Curses flew into the air as the kidnappers all leaped out of the vehicle, quickly hiding behind trees while they returned Dievca's fire. Chapec flew the vehicle right into the center of the group before he jumped out. His sword swung at the nearest kidnapper; the woman dodged back, pointing her blaster into his chest. Dievca jumped into the fray, severing the woman's arm.

  Veronica rolled over, away from the fight, and hid her face. There was no blocking out the noise, though. Screams. Swords biting into flesh. Blasters discharging. A smell of ozone and blood hung thick in the air. Chapec roared, Dievca screamed, and then one of the kidnappers shouted.

  "We were going to return her! We weren't going to—"

  The sound of steel meeting flesh cut him off.

  Bile rose up Veronica's throat. Her mind darted about, trying to latch onto something that wasn't the violence that had once again been perpetrated because of her. Tears burned her eyes. When the sounds of battle ended, she pressed her palms into her eyes until flashes of rainbows spin before her. She was not going to look.