The Vampire King's Mate

by T. S. Ryder

  Leon's gaze trailed down her beautiful, curvaceous body. He nodded absently, although his reasons for going to the party had been a much different place. Yuliana put her hands on her hips and smirked at him. It took him a moment for him to realize what she was waiting for, then remembered he was still wearing his spandex shorts.

  "That's better," his mate purred when he took them off and stepped closer to him.

  His whole body seemed to tighten as he looked at her, and the forest grew twice as warm when she put her small hands on his chest. She pressed herself to her toes, but he still had to bend to catch her mouth with his.

  Her full, deep lips pulled him in; he couldn’t stand the space between their bodies and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up towards him. He held her as tightly as he could, wishing that he could seep out of his skin and join in spirit with her. The Wolf inside him howled with delight as she moaned in pleasure. When she moved to kiss his neck, it was his turn to moan.

  "So we have two hours?" he asked, grinding himself against her, his hands gripping her thighs and rump so he could control her movements as well.

  "We should probably get back sooner," Yuliana admitted. "I've just been going crazy all day with the need for you…"

  Leon sighed in disappointment, but that was quickly forgotten when Yuliana trailed a hand between their bodies. His hands tightened. Eyes sliding shut, he let his head fall backward. When it came to his mate, he didn't care about who was in control. This was what being mates was all about, this connection, the readiness that came so easily…

  The Alpha walked her over to a tree and turned her around, so her back was against his chest. "Hold that branch."

  Yuliana shot him a puzzled look but did as he said. With her partially supporting herself, he could hold her in the air with just his hands. Pressing a kiss to her neck, he entered quickly. Yuliana's whole body shuddered and she let out a cry of pleasure. Leon closed his eyes again, savoring the feeling of being inside the woman he loved.

  After a moment, Yuliana began to wiggle impatiently. Leon started a fast pace, careful to make sure that she wasn't going to fall. Pleasure built quickly–perhaps a bit quicker than Leon would have wanted, but then when it came to Yuliana, there was never enough time for them to be together. Leon nipped at her neck, inhaling deeply.

  And froze.

  "What is it?" Yuliana asked, panting.

  "Your scent…" Leon inhaled again. "I think you're pregnant."

  Yuliana twisted, eyes wide. "What?"

  He set her down, making her groan in protest, but quickly rectified the situation by laying her on the forest floor. He grinned at her as he entered again, sniffing at her neck. "Yes. You're definitely pregnant. Well, that explains a few things. You have been very hungry of late."

  "Pregnant." Yuliana beamed. "I was just about to ask you to start trying for another baby. The boys need a little sister."

  Leon started his movements again. "How do you know it will be a sister?"

  Yuliana didn't reply. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him deeper. Happiness burst all through Leon's body as it tightened with pleasure building at every thrust. His mouth was on Yuliana's, her movement matching his rhythm, the two of them in complete unison as lovers and mates.

  Soon Yuliana threw back her heads and howled; Leon quickly joined her, not breaking his pace, letting the tension inside him build with every passing moment. His mate's fingers dug into his back, bursts of exquisite taste rolled over his tongue as he dove into her neck.

  When they were finished, they lay together, panting and sharing soft kisses. Neither spoke. There were no words needed for this moment. Not in this perfect, harmonious, happy moment.

  *****

  THE END

  The Shifter's Nanny

  Description

  Does this hot panther shifter need me to take care of his daughter or does he want my curves for another reason as well?

  Rose Doctor needs a job. After years of emotional abuse by her ex-boyfriend, she’s broke and deeply scarred. So when a gorgeous shifter needs her help to take care of his infant daughter, she accepts.

  Her new boss is hot as hell. But she’s not going to let her heart get the best of her. Not this time.

  Devon was always a loner. He’s not looking for romance, much less a mate. All he needs is a nanny. Yes, she has curves in all the right places. But no, she’s here to look after his daughter, and that’s it.

  But everything changes when Rose’s past catches up with her. Her ex-boyfriend is back and will stop at nothing to force her to take him back...

  Will Devon do what it takes to protect Rose? Can he resist the primal urge that’s roared to life in him? And can Rose find it in herself and trust again?

  Sometimes risking everything is the only way to find out…

  Chapter One – Rose

  Maybe I should have worn something a little more casual. After all, I'm interviewing to be a nanny, not a supernanny.

  Rose self-consciously smoothed down the plum pencil skirt that she wore to all her interviews, glad she had at least matched her business suit with a fun frog-themed necklace and had kept her dyed autumn-red hair in loose waves around her face. It showed that she was fun as well as professional. At least, that's what she hoped it showed and didn't make her look crazy.

  I look fantastic, she told herself to try to calm her churning gut. Anybody would be lucky to have me working with them.

  She took a deep breath before she knocked on the front door. Her pep-talk wasn't helping the butterflies in her stomach at all, but then she hadn't thought it would. This was her first job interview in nearly five years. She didn’t know what to expect anymore.

  The door opened, revealing her potential employer. The first thing that struck her about him was the suspicious squint in his silver-grey eyes. They swept up and down her, and she got the feeling that if he didn't like what he saw, she wouldn’t even get the interview. She tried to stand a little straighter, unconsciously sucking in her gut to try to make herself look thinner. Not that it was possible… her ex-boyfriend was always fond of telling her how she needed to trim down for him, and she'd only gained weight since she left him.

  "Hello." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Rose Doctor, here to interview for the position of nanny."

  "Devon McGullicuddy," the man replied. He didn't shake her hand. "We'll sit out here for the interview."

  Rose nodded. She thought it was strange that he wanted to interview her at his home but was relieved she wasn't going to have to insist on not setting foot into his house just yet. She wanted to get to know him a little better first. They sat on a couple of chairs set out on the covered porch.

  "Miss Doctor," Devon started, setting down. "Before we start, you are aware of my heritage, yes?"

  Rose's gaze swept down his strongly muscled body. What did he mean by that? His ethnic heritage? If he came from money? Did he have some sort of famous ancestor? His bronzed skin spoke to a more temperate climate, but what was she supposed to guess?

  "Er…"

  "I'm a shifter," Devon clarified.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks. "Oh! Yes, yes I understand that. And the baby is a shifter as well, yes?"

  He nodded. "She is, yes. She won't start shifting until she's a little older, though, so you don't have to worry about knowing how to care for a kitten."

  "A kitten. So what are you?"

  What did I ask him that for?

  Rose bit her lower lip, ducking her head. She hated it when people walked up to her and asked her that question. Her Eurasian heritage was something she was proud of, but for some reason, people thought that they ought to be privy to her heritage. It annoyed her to no end–and here she was asking the same question!

  "I'm sorry," she blurted. "That's none of my business."

  Devon grunted. If Rose's heart sunk any lower, it'd be on her feet. This was exactly the kind of disaster she was worried about on her first new job interview. Social awkwardness co
mbined with five years of emotional abuse from someone she loved was not a good combination.

  "I suppose if you are going to work for me, it is something you ought to know… I'm a Panther." Devon folded his arms and scowled at her.

  If she wasn't so desperate for a job, she would have run right then. Not because of his alternate form, but because of his expression. She didn't need any more short-tempered men in her life, and from the look on his face, Devon looked like somebody who always wanted things done his way and fast.

  "I read your resume. You just graduated college with a degree in early childhood education. Why are you looking to be a nanny instead of working at a school or a daycare?"

  Good. It was a question she was prepared for. Rose took a deep breath and raised her head again, meeting the shifter's eye. "I would ideally like to be a teacher, but there are no openings in the city right now, and I really need a job. I have student loans to pay off, I need a new car, and I haven't worked in five years. I love kids, and I need something that will help me feel like I'm making a difference. That I'm helping somebody."

  "Why haven't you worked in five years?"

  "Um… school, mostly," Rose lied, looking at her feet again.

  She wasn't going to tell this perfect stranger that her ex didn't want her working… He wanted her to stay home and keep the house clean and make sure a meal was ready as soon as he got home from work.

  And if it wasn't, there was hell to pay. That was why it took her five years to complete a two-year program. She had to plan her school schedule around taking care of Percy.

  Devon jumped to his feet. At first Rose flinched, thinking that he was going to order her away, but he ran into the house without a word. Rose stayed where she was, frozen in shock. Was that his way of ending the interview? But moments later she heard a wailing baby, and her shoulders relaxed. It wasn't her, it was his daughter that had made him leave so abruptly.

  "There, there, Jamie. What's wrong?" The gruff tones Devon had been using on her have completely melted away to a voice that was like buttery caramel.

  Something shivered from Rose's stomach, working its way up and down her limbs just hearing that voice. She stood and peeked into the doorway. Devon stood in the middle of a modestly decorated living room, gently rocking a blanket that was messily tucked around a flailing baby.

  Rose stepped into the room, not wanting to assume Devon was helpless, but the baby's crying tugged at her heartstrings. She couldn’t just leave. "Do you mind? I'm not so great with words, but I can show you how well I work with babies."

  A fierce glare answered her, but at another, louder wail, Devon's gaze softened. He handed the baby to Rose–reluctantly, she thought–and hovered at her shoulder as she checked baby Jamie's diaper. She frowned. The diaper was dry, but it was put on backward.

  "She wants to eat. When did you last feed her?"

  "At 11:02," Devon replied promptly. "The books say babies need to be fed every two hours. She shouldn’t be hungry for another hour."

  Rose nodded. "She's probably just tired then and wants something to suck on for comfort. Do you have a pacifier?"

  "The books say pacifiers can ruin children's teeth."

  "She doesn't have any teeth yet," Rose reminded him gently. She knelt on the floor and unwrapped Jamie before burritoing her up tightly. The baby still cried, until she was snuggled up against Rose's chest as she bounced and swayed from side to side.

  Within five minutes, Jamie had dropped off to sleep again. Rose smiled as the little body became utterly relaxed in her arms. She smiled up at Devon, who looked so surprised it was actually comical. He smiled at her and nodded.

  "Can you start tomorrow?"

  Rose jolted in surprise. "You want to hire me?"

  "Yes."

  "Oh." A wide smile broke over Rose's face. Maybe the interview didn't get off to a great start, but at least things were looking up! A job would really help her find her feet again. She nodded. "Yeah, I can start tomorrow."

  "Good. I'm a veterinarian and I've been away from the practice for too long already. My boss is getting antsy about it. Now, I need your cell phone number… do you have all emergency personnel, fire department, 911, police, etc. in your phone directory?"

  Rose shook her head.

  "If you're going to watch after my daughter, you need that. And you have infant CPR training, so we're okay with that. And I have Nanny cams around the house. That's something I thought you should know."

  Rose frowned. She didn't like the idea of him being able to watch her without her knowing about it. But he did tell her about the cams, so he wasn't looking to sneakily spy on her.

  "Oh!" Devon nodded and headed for the kitchen. "I'll show you how to make a bottle. I don't want you microwaving it. In fact, I'd prefer you not to use the microwave at all. Or cell phones around Jamie, so if you have any calls you have to make, please use the landline unless it's in a case of emergency."

  "You can calm down, you know." Rose shifted the baby into one arm and laid her free hand on Devon's arm. "She's going to be fine with me. I promise."

  Devon stared at her hand on his arm. Rose suddenly realized how strong the muscles beneath her fingertips were. He was like a god, carved to perfection from the hand of an artist. Her heart rate spiked and a rush of heat rose to her face. She coughed and stepped away.

  "Where is her crib?"

  "Upstairs in the bedroom." Devon's head cocked to one side. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

  Rose tensed. She narrowed her eyes at her new employer while backing away from him. "If I'm going to work for you, I'll be taking care of Jamie. I'm not here as your… playmate."

  He held his hands up in the air. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me. But I'm glad to hear you are so forceful about the issue. I've heard of women taking care of single men's children in the hopes of getting married… especially where shifters are concerned."

  "And you asked if I had a boyfriend in the hopes that I did?"

  "Yes. There is a lot of romanticism about us in the media, and… I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. This is a strictly professional relationship, for Jamie's sake. Nothing else."

  "Oh." Rose let out a sigh of relief. It would be a lie to say she wasn't attracted to this man, but at this point, she wanted nothing to do with romance. "Good. Now… why don't I put the baby down, and you can tell me her routine and everything else I need to know?"

  Devon smiled at her. "Yeah. That sounds good."

  Chapter Two – Devon

  Maybe he should have run a background check on her. Devon hovered behind Rose as she demonstrated yet again that she knew how to change a diaper expertly. The truth was that she clearly knew more about taking care of infants than he did, but that wasn't surprising. According to her résumé, she had experience in babysitting since she was twelve years old.

  Devon couldn't remember holding a baby until he got Jamie.

  He patted his pocket, self-conscious about the weight of the phone he was no longer used to carrying. "You have the office number and my personal cell phone number in your cell phone?"

  "Yes. And they're tacked up by the landline just in case, along with all the emergency numbers for this area." Rose picked up the teddy bear she had just diapered and propped it on her hip. "Devon. We are going to be fine. You have plenty of formula and filtered water and sterilized glass bottles, and I have sworn an oath not to wash her diapers in regular laundry soap."

  "Or use those disposable ones," Devon added. "Who knows what—?"

  Rose shook her head and grasped his hand. An amused smile played over her lips. "You know, as sweet as it is to see you so concerned about your daughter, there is such a thing as being overprotective. She will be fine. Babies have been born for a few billion years now. They're designed to be babies."

  Infant mortality rates have always been high, too. He gulped in a deep breath. Maybe it was too early to go back to work. But his paternity leave was over, so he didn't have much of a choice
. If he had owned the clinic he worked at… but he didn't, and his boss, while understanding, was short-staffed as it was. Devon needed to be there.

  Still, he hesitated. He hadn't been separated from Jamie since she was first placed into his arms. "Maybe it would be a good idea for you to memorize—"

  "You're going to be late."

  Devon let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I have to go. You have the minivan in case you need to drive anywhere."

  "Yes." Rose's amber-brown eyes twinkled. "She'll be fine. I promise."

  With a reluctant nod, Devon moved back to the swing where Jamie was sleeping. He kissed her gently before tearing himself away. Nerves churned in his stomach all the way to the veterinary clinic he worked at on the opposite side of the city. As soon as he was parked in his reserved spot, he pulled out his phone and pulled up the app connecting him to the nanny cam he had installed.

  A blanket was laid out over the floor, and Rose was gently putting Jamie down on it on her belly. Devon felt his shoulders unstitching. The pediatrician said that 'tummy time' was necessary to develop strong neck muscles. Rose did know what she was doing.

  "Now, how about we read a story?" Rose laid down perpendicular to Jamie and put a novel between them. "You're never too young for Harry Potter, are you?"

  Devon smiled. He closed the app and called her. "Everything is good there still?"

  "Yes." Rose's voice was patient. "We were just going to read a story while we got some tummy time. Everything is good here."

  "Good. I've gotten to work. I'll call again when I can." Devon hung up the phone and let out a deep breath. This was necessary, he knew that. And Rose was a good choice to watch after Jamie. She had a calm, mothering aura to her that made him instantly like her. She would be good for Jamie.

  It also helped that she was so beautiful. With her Eurasian skin tones and amber-brown eyes, not to mention her red, red hair, she could have been a model. Maybe not one of those super-skinny models, but plus-sized models were more in demand, and Rose Doctor would have been an excellent fit. Flawless skin. Curves in all the right places.