William looked over at Nick who looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Because he was the eldest he thought that it was solely his responsibility.
“I can't be responsible for another family, I can barely maintain the one I've got.”
“Okay for firstly, I think you've done pretty good considering that you've managed to hide the Delacroix assets for over two hundred years. Secondly, there's two of you so it will be the both of you. If this isn't your thing then be the silent partner. All you need to do is to turn up to the meetings, behave yourself and take care of your sister and the family home. Can you do that Nicolas?”
He nodded and then sat back with a groan, muttering something about never aspiring to be an elder.
“Do not fret Nicolas, the elders will always be understanding even though you should be used to this after all this time. I will never be far away and at the end of the day, it's just a family. Love them, deal with the delinquents and ensure that all are safe and happy.”
“Well, I'd say congratulations are in order.” My mother said brightly. “Now I know that you two can consume human food, would you like to break out the champagne and leave these two to rest for the big trip tomorrow?”
“Sure.” Marty said with a big grin.
It was odd to think that they shouldn't eat food when in fact they could. They were turned vampires and still held onto parts of their former human life. It was only William and the descendants of the five sons that could not have anything other than blood. Marty and Nick had given food away some time ago, they only ever ate when someone was watching them. I had only seen them eat once and that was at the diner, it was all for show because the food held little sustenance for them. The thought them eating was still rather foreign to me.
When they left William quietly slipped to the door and flicked the lock, then returning to me. He pulled back the sheets with a large grin and lifted me from the bed, taking me to the bathroom. Once I was set on the vanity he shot me a look of warning. Don't move. Don't even think of moving. I watched him move around the room, turning on the taps in the shower and removing his clothes. Slowly the buttons of my shirt were popped open and his hand rested on the tiny swell.
“So soon my lovely. Our little lady might be a big baby.”
“Not too big I hope.” I groaned.
I could imagine the pain already. William chuckled and lifted me off the vanity, slipping the last of my clothes off my body. The warm water was relaxing, I revelled in the water sliding over me and washing the past few hours away. If I expected William to be all over me, I was mistaken. What I got was a soapy massage that was worth every second of the mild pain. My muscles ached, my whole body ached. I grinned when the soapy hand settled onto my stomach, the warmth of his breath on my shoulder as he slowly leaned down to kiss me.
“Big day tomorrow.” he whispered against the skin. “Early to bed.”
“Party pooper.” I said as I pouted.
There was no point to the pout, he was behind me and only the tiles saw it.
“We have the rest of our lives Eliria and you have been through a lot in the past few hours. I know you are tired and I can see the way you move your body. I know you are sore as well so you will do as you are told.”
“Come on, last night on earth. Don't you want to party until dawn?”
William shook his head with a smile.
“I don't think I have ever wanted to party until dawn.”
The taps were turned off and he stepped out of the shower waiting with a towel for me.
“Tonight I want to lay beside my love knowing that she is safe within my arms. I want to lay in bed with her and talk about our future in a new world with our little girl.”
He grinned as he wrapped the towel around his body, leaning in with a chaste kiss.
“Maybe we might discuss how many children we are going to have. Maybe we might discuss our wedding or where we might live. Maybe it might be about her grandparents or the people of her land that are eager to meet her. What do you think my love? Do you wish to watch the others get drunk while they celebrate, knowing that you cannot join them now that you are pregnant or do you wish to lay in bed in the dark of the night, discussing all manner of things with your loved one?”
“I'll take option two please.”
“Wise choice.” He whispered as he picked me up again.
I wanted to say that I was capable of walking but I didn't. He would only give me a look of distaste and ignore me anyway so it wasn't worth it. William laid me onto the bed, pulling the towel away from me.
“Nothing finer.” He said quietly with a smirk.
He turned to close the curtains, in the dark I could hear him moving around but I didn't know where he was until I felt the bed depress beside me.
“So, our new world and our baby.”
“Can't wait. A little freaked out about meeting my grandparents but I'm sure it will be fine. It's not like my grandfather is a king.”
William sniggered as he kissed over my neck, his free hand sliding over my outer thigh.
“The wedding?”
“I would prefer a small one but I doubt that we can get away with it. I suspect that we will have some lavish affair that will cost far too much.”
“How many children?”
“Lots.” I whispered with a grin. “I like making babies, so we have to have lots of practice which will no doubt get me pregnant far too much.”
His kisses increased as his hand washed up to my hip.
“I can't wait either, I've already met your grandparents on your father's side, you'll love them. Lots of children because making them is so much fun and big or small wedding, I don't care. So long as you turn up then I'm happy.”
“As if I wouldn't turn up.” I chuckled.
I rolled onto my side, William snuggled in behind me. As expected his hand went straight for the tiny mound and I knew it wouldn't leave it for too long. As I slowly slipped into a well-earned sleep, I smiled, happy with the way that my life was. It was perfect.
Epilogue
I looked up into the sparkling eyes of one rather handsome man. It was the second time that I had seen him put a lot of effort into his appearance. Now, like the last time, he wore a finely fitted suit that made him look incredible and strikingly handsome. His once messy hair was tamed into a style, brushed to perfection. The scruffy beard was gone and yet again I was left to look upon a man that I barely recognised. Twice in a year wasn't bad I suppose. Two bright green eyes looked down at me with wicked delight, I knew that something incredibly smutty was going through his mind.
“Do you think he will notice if I grabbed those perky cheeks?” Nick whispered dangerously in my ear.
I laughed as I leaned out of our embrace. “I would say that he will notice the second your hands leave my back Nick. Can't you see that he's watching you like a hawk?”
Nick grumbled playfully and spun me around, continuing our dance. “Your parents seem happy Mrs Lancaster.”
“I should hope so, they've waited so long for this day.”
He nodded and then grinned as his eyes caught sight of his sister. “Do you think that she will ever let her go?”
“She will have to soon otherwise another vampire will take over your land.”
Nick huffed with a smile and as he turned me away from Williams view, his hand crept a little lower.
“Nicolas Delacroix are you trying to enrage my husband?”
He smiled supremely as he looked down at me. “He's too busy trying to convince Marty to let the baby go. Look at them.”
I peered past Nick to see Marty cooing over Ella and William was hovering like the worried father that he was. She was the spitting image of him, much to his delight. Dark blue eyes and thick brown hair and at six months of age, she was all about her father. It didn't surprise me that Ella had taken to William so easily, I had done the same for my father within minutes of meeting him. I adored my mother but there was something about being daddy
's little girl that made my heart melt.
“Is this everything you hoped for?”
I smiled as I looked up at Nick. “Without a doubt.”
My parents had set aside their own wedding plans to ensure that our acceptance into our new world was positive. It was their hope that they could show off their daughter to the world and then as a great show of affection for their people, the plans of our wedding and impending birth was announced. Their plan had worked, everyone lapped up the thought that they had a princess, that their beloved prince had a child. And now she and her love were marrying, people had lined the castle walls and the streets waiting for a glimpse. Of course it had to be held at night because of William but no one cared. Large screens were erected so that they could see inside the church, thousands of people swamped the surrounding area, I had never seen so many people. Everything had gone perfectly, the night was warm without being stifling hot, there wasn't even a hint of rain and a sweet scented breeze lingered in the air. This man that held me in his arms and danced with me was the perfect gentleman and an even more perfect best man. He stood beside William and beamed pure pride, watching his sister almost dance her way down the aisle and then me. I wasn't so ecstatic in my movements, I was on the verge of passing out. If it wasn't for my father almost dragging me down the aisle, I knew I would have been a blacked out mess on the steps of the church.
In the year that I had been in this world, so much has happened. I met both of my grandparents, instantly loving all of them. My maternal grandparents were already residing in the elven side of the world because they knew of their daughters future and they wanted to be close to her. They lived in the same village where the castle was located, a little town called Imantha. My mother had two older brothers and a sister as well as another younger brother. The two older brothers still lived in the fae area but it was so close anyway it didn't seem a great distance. Imantha was close to the border of the fae side of the world and was usually the town that people would pass through when travelling. Unification was everywhere, my mother's youngest brother and her sister lived in the next town over, in an elven town. People were embracing the two kings plans for a better world and were moving between the two sides of the planet without issue. And then there was my paternal grandparents, the king and queen of the elves. They were wonderful people, warm and accepting, offering their instant love without question. My grandmother was an incredible woman, even though she was queen, she could be found in the kitchen baking things for her beloved husband. And by the robust frame of my grandfather, I would say that he loved every single thing that she offered.
We resided at the castle for a few months, William and I wanted for a place of our own but there was always a security issue. Plans had been made for us in preparation for our arrival. There was an adjoining allotment that my grandfather had acquired and was altering it to suit our needs. My parents were happy to remain at the castle for a few years and didn't see the need to be on their own but William and I liked to have space. The difference between them and us was that they knew that they would rule this world one day whereas I knew that I would refuse it unless I had no choice. But I knew of the little secret, I knew plan b was growing rapidly and so long as the little bastard was nice to his older sister, I had no issues. My parents were happy, their world was coming together as they wanted. They would always fret for me and that was why I was okay with the house still being so close to the castle. I didn't want to be too far away and their plans for the adjoining lot was perfect. It wasn't a grand castle nor some palatial manor house that was far too ostentatious for me. I had said to my mother that I wanted suburban life and whilst I was royalty and could never have suburbia, they would do their best to give me the normality that I wanted. It was a house, still a little too grand for my liking but a house nonetheless. The castle walls had to be extended out further to wrap around the new building as protection but it didn't matter. Gardens were created to hide the fact that we were encased in a wall that was taller than our house and many covered paths were created so that William could walk around in the day time if he wanted.
I had met the king and queen of the fae and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with them about our world and how our future would change by our own hands. In some bizarre far distantly related way, the king and William were related. Of course the connection between them was so far back it was just a speck in their family tree. The king of the fae was related to all of the elder vampires, now they were seen as a distant cousin that had evolved into another kind of creature. All thoughts of the past were to be washed away in the hope that the fae and the elves could move forward for a brighter future. The vampires held no issue with the way that they were, in fact they thought that their lives had turned out quite well. It was only the lycans that held issue with how their lives had changed. If they bothered to stop with the hatred, they could see an opportunity to live in peace with the vampires. None of them wanted to openly hunt the lycans, they did it because they wouldn't see reason about their feeding habits.
The sounds of a sweet little babe screeching louder than the music made me smile, Nick too. Her birth had gone well, a little too long for my liking but it was still a perfect birth. Ella had everyone doting over her and she was yet to find out the sting of a sibling who got more attention. Which by the past few mornings, I would say wasn't that far away. I was yet to confirm it, too busy with the preparations for my parents marrying but I knew the tell-tale signs of morning sickness. It was entirely possible, the fact that William couldn't keep his hands off me was enough to confirm it without taking a test. I wasn't so sure about having another child, Ella was perfect in every way but feeding a vampire child was difficult. The second a tooth popped out of her gums she was off the breast and onto the bottle, something that I wasn't entirely okay with. There was an intimate bond that a mother and child shared when feeding and now that she was entirely weaned off me, I felt a distance between us. She had fangs and she certainly knew how to use them, often choosing to bite her father. I tried not to be jealous of the bond they shared but couldn't help it.
William's diet was mostly donated blood, it kept him going for a fair while and when he needed the live blood intake, he found his favourite person and sank his fangs into her. There were times where I felt like a pin cushion but was okay with it, it was me rather than someone else. This world was used to blood suckers, the Liola elves were often found with a set of fangs stuck in a victims neck. For William to be a part of this world was not an issue, he could pass himself off as a Liola and the world would not bat an eyelid. Because it was known that Liola fed on blood, there was no issue with them and it was rare for them to kill their victim. They had an ability to put the victim into a trance so that there would be no suffering for the victim and when they woke from it, they would not remember it and come away from it with nothing more than a bite mark. William had learned how to do it, in case there was a time when I could not provide blood for him. Like when I was pregnant. At the final stages of the pregnancy I had grown considerably and with all that growing, I was lethargic. So my father found a trusted Liola elf that could guide William into a new world of live feeding.
The dance ended and Nick bowed dutifully with his smutty smirk hidden to those around us. His eyes darted behind me when he stood upright again, a tip of his head and he was off into the crowd to find himself a pretty friend. I turned to the familiar warmth, wrapping my arms around my beloved husband.
“I saw those hands and if he does it again I will remove them from his body.” William whispered in my ear.
“Oh don't be so dramatic, you know he does it to tease you.”
He grumbled something under his breath and pulled me into his arms. “Our little one is rubbing her eyes my lovely wife, I think it is time for her to retire for the evening.”
I looked over at Ella who was sitting on Marty's lap, munching on a teething ring. She didn't look the slightest bit tired. I turned back to William with a grin.
&nb
sp; “She's tired or you want to leave and she's the excuse?”
“I confess to nothing.” He stifled his smirk as best he could.
“You want to take me home?”
He nodded wordlessly.
“Undress me?” I breathed heavily, feeling the weight of anticipation drag me down.
William pulled me closer to his body, tight against his frame. His lips traced over mine as his eyes lit up with his own desire.
“Maybe we could find somewhere closer.”
I nodded to his offer, my breathing had become disjointed at the thought of a moment in his arms. The idea of being so scandalous at a public event had me wrapped up in erotic thoughts. They were binding and filled with heat, leaving me a needy mess.
“Aren't you just the wanton creature?” William purred in my ear.
My legs almost buckled from underneath me, William's grip on me was unrelenting and as he pushed me harder against his body, I could feel his own need for me.
The shrieks of an unhappy and tired baby bellowed closer and closer, I turned to look at a distraught Marty. She was yet to get used to this part of having a baby around.
“Okay mama.” She unloaded Ella into my arms. “Aunt Marty has had enough.”
Marty wrapped her arms around me, squeezing a big hug out of me. “Have a good one.” She winked and sauntered off into the crowd.
William shook his head with dismay, a slight smirk etching into the corner of his lips.
“Let's go find the newly weds and say goodbye.” William smirked cheekily. “I am feeling incredibly tired.”
I scoffed with a grin as I rolled my eyes wondering if we were going to get alone time with miss cranky pants screaming the house down.
My parents were doing the rounds, talking to friends of old. Ella rubbed her eyes, not impressed at the big smooches my parents tried to give her. When we were done with our goodbyes, we took a long slow walk through the gardens to our house. The moon was bright, a softened yellow colour that was so striking. I was shocked to see so many similar plants to what the earth had, my favourite was the grand willow tree. It sat at the edge of our section, leaning over and shading the path ahead. A gentle push through a mock rickety gate and we were bathed in the dappled moonlight that peeked through the branches of the willow. Our path past the bricked wall and the rickety gate was a little cobblestone trail that meandered through a cottage garden. The smells of flowers were caught up in the gentle breeze, some of the petals tumbled along the path ahead of us. Ella had fallen asleep on my chest, she might be daddy's girl but this mama knows how to get her babe to sleep. A midnight stroll in the garden does wonders for the teething vampire baby.
Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1) Page 54