"You hadn’t moved your breathing was becoming more and more shallow. We tried everything, we all did. I was planning on waiting for May to finish her tests, but you were fading."
As he processed all of what she was saying, he realised something else. "Ah but you are pleased we are bonded, are you not?"
At his words Beth turned to face him. Still sat on the bed; she took in his whole person. The long hair and eyes that were currently piercing her soul, the ripples of his chest, which now moved up and down with each breath.
It took her breath away, and she could not lie to him. "I will not lie, yes I am pleased."
"Even though, you failed to allow me a choice." His voice was quieter, there was less anger now. If she had the choice, she would prefer his anger, she didn’t like the hearing and feeling the hurt inflected in his tone.
"I too felt that I had no choice, I was not willing to lose you. If my choice pains you, then I am sorry, but I do not regret my actions. I only regret that you clearly do not feel the same way as I do."
She couldn’t remain this close to him and feel the pain in his heart, his feelings were too strong. As she left the room her father's words came back to her, how right he was. Vlad watched her leave, he wanted to stop her yet he didn’t.
Leaning back against the frame of his bed, he closed his eyes. Throughout his life as a vampire he had been given opportunities to bond with females, hell there was even one time when he had been asked to bond to a male, he had always refused. His early vampire life had taught him that bonding to a female was both serious, and could have long lasting repercussions. So he had made a decision, not to bond to any female. Just the thought of being bonded for eternity to one person was a concept that had never appealed to him.
Deciding a shower may help him clear his mind and clean his body, he stood near the bed, marvelling at how refreshed he felt. Heading into the bathroom Vlad enjoyed the feeling of the water cascading down his body; the heat of it reminded him of how warm he had felt when Beth laid against him. Just thinking of her long blonde hair, the curves of her breasts, and those legs made him hard, too hard. Beth's long endless legs seemed able to resurrect feelings in his anatomy, feelings that surely should not be coming awake so soon after his unusual illness.
It didn’t matter how much his body responded to Beth, he had tried to keep his distance from her for a reason. To join with Ben's step daughter was sure to cause anarchy between wolves and vampires, to join to a woman whose mother asked for a Taser for Christmas, was tantamount to suicide. To put a woman such as Beth in harm's way was a position he had not wanted to place anyone in.
Leading vampires in any area, was a hazardous job, doing that in a city as large as New York was doubly so. Many people would be more than happy to take down the soul mate of the head vampire; in effect this would also take out the vampire as their life forces were combined. So now on top of his other responsibilities, he had Beth to protect. As he towelled himself dry he was still sporting a somewhat prominent part of his anatomy. He ignored it for he was too self-controlled to be ruled by his penis; instead he focused on his situation.
Whilst he was concerned about Beth, he was becoming more attuned to her feelings; they were starting to seep into his emotions. Although he wanted to make amends Vlad was also in tune with his own emotions. He knew that regardless of the reasons why she initiated the bonding, he was still angry that she had removed his right to choose. The knock on the door was somewhat hesitant; he had never known Albert to be cautious before.
"Come in Albert." His knock may have been hesitant but the grin on his face was not, neither was the hug he received after Albert had deposited the glass in his hand.
"Good evening Sir, I have brought you some sustenance." Handing him the glass Vlad could see a little twinkle in Albert's eye, one that could only be caused by one thing.
"Oh and just so you are aware, the new Mistress of the house is currently in her office. She has refused to open the door citing that she is in a conference call." Vlad was ravenous; his thirst was barely quenched by the glass Albert had brought to him.
"Albert, would you care to tell me how you know about the bonding?"
Albert's grin widened. "Why it is so obvious Sir and I have to say you have made a marvellous choice."
Seeing Vlad's face Albert busied himself in the bathroom, ignoring Vlad's anger. "She is such a strong and dynamic woman. The house always seems much lighter when she is here, things seem brighter, and her organisation skills are superb. If she wasn't such a lovely person, I would question whether she wanted to take my job. She will make you a wonderful wife."
He then started humming, actually humming. Vlad felt like a part of his life had been ripped from him, he didn’t know how the hell he had become sick, heavens knew what had been happening in his business, his alliance with the wolves was about to explode, and then there was Talia. But his butler was happy, so happy he was humming, well that made everything seem rosy, not.
"Albert does it not concern you that I had no choice in this bonding?" He and Albert had been together for decades, he may have been Albert's employer, but they were more than that. Surely Albert had to see the error Beth had made.
"It depends on how you view things; sometimes we men need a helping hand to move in the right direction. Decisions are made, that sometimes you have no say in, I am sure you will see that the Mistress is a kind and caring woman who will make you truly happy." And then he started humming again, in fact the tune was starting to get into his head.
Damn this house, turning on his heels he left the room slamming the door on his way out. Heading to his study, he found Ice in the middle of handing out the duties to his Elite. With fifteen Elite Warriors, each of them commanded between up to twenty soldiers. They each had other duties that were varied.
"I apologise for interrupting I assume I am still in charge here." The accusation was in his voice. He knew Ice hadn’t missed it; Ice had however chosen not to respond.
"I will hand over to you then Vlad." It was then that Vlad realised, he could not continue a meeting when he was unaware of what had been preceded it.
"First things where is Jude and Luke? Then I would like to know where Talia and her idiots are."
It was Imogen who answered. "Jude and Luke are loitering outside Beth's office. Talia has not yet risen nor have her idiots." He could see the anger in Imogen's face; he could also imagine the conflict she felt. As part wolf and part vampire, she had alliances to both sides; he had no need to ask which sides her loyalty would fall. She was Pack before vampire, her life mate and family were pack. However her attitude did not sit well with his already foul mood.
"Do you have something to say Imogen?" He knew it was unfair to single her out, he respected her as a female and a warrior, he also knew that if he wanted to vent at anyone she was the wrong person.
"Have you mated to Beth?"
"I assume you know the answer to that already." He was being both abrupt and rude, something he never was. Living through countless centuries, he had managed to retain his manners regardless of the situation. Even when he carried out his punishments he was never intentionally rude. He watched Imogen, as she thought through her response, she chose well.
"Then I would like to request a meeting with you after this is completed?" He nodded before continuing.
"Who would like to tell me what Talia knows of my absence?" If she knew of any weakness, he had no doubt she would exploit it. He waited for someone to speak; it was a while before Ice stepped up.
"Gutless bastards." That raised a few chuckles and would normally have amused Vlad, but not tonight.
"Understandably we didn’t want her to know that you were unwell. Initially we just said you were occupied with business although she knew you were in the house. So we had to make sure she thought you were otherwise occupied……" He had a feeling he was not going to like the rest of this.
"And…."
"Well we kind of insinuated that you a
nd Beth were…"
"Spit it out Ice, me and Beth were….."
"Occupied together, together."
"YOU DID WHAT?" That was it; this ridiculous situation was getting worse. Now he had to add an extremely pissed off Talia to his list of problems, could it get any worse?
"What the hell did you expect us to do you were unconscious. The bitch was skulking around and on top of that, her goons were wandering around. Even with Darius, and his brother annoying Talia and her goons it was damn hard to stop any of them nosing around."
Unsurprisingly it did get worse, how many other people were aware of his sickness? He had never had a day of sickness, hell not even an hour. Take a man down for a few days, and chaos reigned. He had always made sure that his home was out of bounds, to all but the few trusted people around him Talia excluded. But now he was running a bloody hotel and his head was hurting again.
He needed some peace. "OUT, EVERYONE OUT" He watched the astonishment on their faces, even when angered he never shouted. Before now he had never needed to his word was law. When everyone had filed out, only Imogen was left. This was a conversation he did not want to have he had been awake less than two hours, and he was tired already.
"Before you say anything Imogen, I understand the position you are in. If it helps I have never wanted you to feel torn between the two species."
"I do understand that, but I am torn. My first loyalty is to Pack."
Vlad had known this from the beginning. "However I have found you to be a fair leader, who has supported me through a very difficult time in my life. That being said, Theo is my mate and a wolf, and you bonding with Beth will raise merry hell."
With a weary sigh, he nodded. "Unfortunately I can't change what has happened."
"What I don’t understand Vlad is why you mated to her, knowing the friction it would cause to the alliance?"
"I can't answer that Imogen all I can say is that things happen outside of your control."
"I am not comfortable lying to Theo, however I am willing to give you and Beth two days to tell Ben."
That was more than he had hoped for. "Thank you, do you have any advice on how to do that and not have him cut off my head?"
As she stood to leave he saw the conflict on her face. "Sorry boss, I don’t think there is a way to do that. Your next problem though has arrived and I can give you a solution to that one."
"Mmm, what would that be?"
Answering as she opened the door Vlad had to smile at Imogen's tenacity. "Off with her head."
Talia stood there, looking all regal with her long blue gown and perfectly coiled hair. Inside he laughed imagining Beth's reaction to both her outfit and her hair. There was no doubt that Beth would make a comment, probably about needing a dress that fitted Talia's over large breasts. Closely followed by some remark about saving the environment by reducing her hairspray use as she probably used a can a day, particularly as she only accomplishes something that looks out dated. And she would be right, seeing Talia from Beth's perspective had been refreshing, for so many centuries he had despised Talia but also recognised the time she took to perfect her look. Now he saw an old fashioned, over dressed and over made up woman, who used her gifts of seduction to draw men to her.
"Good evening Talia. I am surprised you are not bored by your visit. Is Edwardo not missing his queen?" Talia had been his consort for the last five centuries or so, during which Vlad had only had one visit from her.
"Oh Vlad I am far from bored. In fact, I have explained to Edwardo that I have been having so much fun, that I intend to remain here for a while longer. I have to say that was surprised your little human was able to satisfy you for so long; after all, I do remember your insatiable appetite. Though not to worry, that annoying Darius is talking with her so you can have a break. Of course if Beth has not quite satisfied you?"
She carried a glass of blood with her and now handed it to him. "I imagine with all of your exertions you are in need of sustenance."
Taking the glass she was right he was still hungry just not for the reasons he expected, he was also hungry for vengeance. He wanted to avoid an in depth conversation with the woman, and was saved by the arrival of Darius.
Although judging from his face, Vlad would be better off taking his chances with Talia rather than Darius. "If you could excuse us Talia, I believe I need to talk to my friend." Suddenly the word friend seemed an exaggeration.
Even when Vlad had offered him a place in his Elite team Darius had refused, preferring to ally with the wolves. That being said they had over the years formed a shaky basis for friendship, which primarily developed when Vlad looked after Darius' now soul mate Mary, whilst Darius went to fight his own demons. Darius however continued to smile until the door shut behind Talia and the façade dropped.
"What the fuck did you do, and to Beth of all people? There are how many women in New York, and you choose her are you stupid?"
Controlling his temper Vlad face Darius head on. Darius may be strong but Vlad was even stronger and Darius knew this.
"That is between Beth and I. Darius, I value you as a friend but I am not answerable to you. Now I suggest you get a hold of your emotions."
"You suggest I WHAT. Let me tell you something I have watched that girl grow into a lovely young woman. What she sees in you, I do not know. But I will tell you this hurt her and I will help Ben hunt you down."
"I do not doubt that; believe me when I say that it is a good thing that Beth has so many supporters, and protectors. I suspect she will need them."
"Let me put a suggestion to you…. Tell Lucky and Ben before anyone else does. Beth has just gone home and let me tell you now; she is well and truly bonded. Any vampire can see that which is why I took her back to pack before that bitch in there saw her. It won't take long before they find out."
With that he left Vlad sat at his desk contemplating his next move. Darius was right he did need to speak to Ben and Lucky, however first he needed to speak to Beth. Physically he was beginning to feel more and more distressed by her absence. He found himself wanting to see how she was; he wanted to know what was she doing? The bonding was done now it was time to find a way to manage this. If he didn’t feel so drained he might find a way to deal with this more effectively. Closing his eyes he pictured her and teleported.
Chapter 21
Since she had left Vlad her mind had been full of doubts. She didn’t question the bonding not at all; it had worked meaning that Vlad was now well. But his words were ringing in her head; she had decided their fate only because she wanted to help him. Now she questioned whether he would have picked her, ever.
Walking into the kitchen she smiled at the thought of her brothers, who she could hear causing chaos in the lounge room. Poking her head round the door she found her mother and Mary, helping them make dens.
"Hey baby, I didn’t expect you home so early." Her mom was grinning from the inside of the den.
Mary poked her head out of the other side. "Beth look at you, you look radiant."
Avoiding Mary's stare Beth quickly heading through to the kitchen. Beth wasn’t sure if Mary would be able to tell that she had bonded to a vampire. Mary's next statement, told Beth that she could tell and that Beth was too late to hide.
"Lucky you didn’t tell me Beth had mated to a vampire, when, how did I miss that?" It was without doubt childish but Beth slipped out of the back door, and headed towards the woods. She didn’t get far.
"Beth, you get back here now." Torn between running off and ignoring her mom, or turning round and acting like an adult, the childish way nearly won. Almost was not close enough as Beth turned to face her mom. Running seemed even more the better idea when she saw Ben coming out behind her mom, oblivious to any tension.
"Hey ladies." He kissed Lucky on the cheek, but when Lucky stayed centred on Beth he noted the tautness radiating from her mom.
"What did I miss?"
Walking back to them, she couldn’t look them in the eyes.
"Lucky?" Ben was frowning while staring at them, waiting for an answer. She saw Theo round the corner with Nicky, now she had an audience. Both stopped in their tracks at Luckys next words.
"Mary thinks Beth is mated….to a vampire." She saw Ben's look of complete astonishment.
"Don’t be ridiculous, Beth tell her that you are not." He took her mom's hand and waited for her to refute the claim, she didn’t. Both looked at her, their faces changing to sadness and then anger. Her mom was just as firey as Ben, who often remained calm when her mom got excited. Yet when her mom was calm, it was Ben that flipped. Today both were furious.
"Mom I am an adult, and I am old enough to make my own decisions." This time her voice was shaky, she couldn’t hide the anxiety inside of her.
"Who?" Both her mom and Ben asked at the same time.
"It doesn’t matter." She was not that stupid Vlad didn’t want her there so she had enough time to get them used to her being bonded, before she told them who to.
"Vampires are just as good as wolves, and why shouldn’t I bond to one."
"WHY NOT, YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY NOT? Because you don’t just bond to someone for life, you need to get to know that person and you…. You haven’t even been in a relationship. Since you split up from ….. You have spent all of your time working, when have you even dated a vampire?" Her mom's voice was becoming something of a squeal, whereas when Ben spoke it sent a chill down her spine.
"It doesn’t matter what species the idiot is Beth, what does matter is if they are good enough for you and right now I would say not."
"What exactly is that based on Ben; you don’t even know who it is?" She was now shouting, she thought she had the upper hand based on the assumptions Ben was making, she was wrong.
"Based on that Beth. Don’t you see that anyone with a back bone would have come to me, met your family and shown us that they are worthy of you. The fact that they haven’t has told me everything I need to know. Except who he is and believe me, I will find out."
Two Halves of a A Vampires Soul (The Silver Series) Page 12