Keep It In The Blood: A Vampire Romance For Adults

by Samantha Snow

When the three brothers were together again, they returned to their father’s room as one, intent on seeing if he remained alive. “Father? How are you feeling now?” asked Zach, taking up his official position among them.

  “My sons,” said James, smiling weakly. “I haven’t been the best of role models in my life, I suppose, but I want to do one thing right, anyway. You must not wait for my final breath to hold the ceremony. I want to be moved downstairs now, and then I want the three of you to feed. I cannot endure this pain much longer. We’ve got to do it now.”

  Alex sobbed and wiped at his eyes. His older brothers looked grim, both nodding in understanding.

  “We shall take you ourselves,” said Zach decisively.

  “Yes,” Will agreed. “You deserve that honor, at least.”

  “Then take me,” he replied, holding up his arms. The three brothers banded together to lift and carry him, bringing him down the long flight of stairs. Hiram, who was looking for Will, spotted them on his way up.

  “Go, gather the others,” Will told him. “Tell Ebenezer to rally the servants as well. We’re going to do the ceremony as soon as possible.”

  “Of course, sir,” he agreed. “I’m so sorry, James,” he added, giving the vampire’s hand a squeeze. “You were a hard master to please while I was here, but I would never wish a passing like this on anybody.”

  “I forgive you for leaving too, Hiram,” said James. “I have no more time for holding a grudge. It’s time to say good-bye.”

  “Yes, sir,” Hiram agreed as he turned to go. “Good-bye.”

  They laid James on top of a long, large glass coffee table, spreading his legs slightly and crossing his arms over his chest. Alex moved to unbutton his shirt, exposing his neck. One of his tears fell onto his father’s cheek.”

  “Stop weeping like a woman, Alex,” James admonished him. “This is just another part of life. You kill other people every day.”

  “That’s true, father, but none of those people were you.”

  “A part of me will always be with you, son,” he reminded him. “Once the three of you do your work, my memories will live on in each of you. Even the ones you would rather not see.”

  “Like mother dying while birthing me,” he nodded with a heavy sigh. “Not a memory I will cherish, I don’t think.”

  “It’s just one of many unpleasant things,” he shrugged. “Is the entire household assembled? Are we ready? I can feel myself—fading.”

  “Everyone but Charles,” said Will.

  “We cannot wait for your fledgling to show himself,” said Zach imperiously. “Alex, as the youngest, the initial feeding belongs to you.”

  “Go ahead, Alex,” said James, turning his head. “Take a bite.”

  Alex fed gently, and took only enough blood from his father to satisfy the ritual. When he was finished, his father was still very much alive. He bent down and kissed each of his eyes. “I love you, Father. Good-bye.”

  The second brother to feed was Will. He brought him to the brink of unconsciousness, leaving the kill for Zach, the one who was intended to rule.

  When Zach took a bite, it was a bit more savage, as was required by the ritual. He ripped open his father’s throat, even eating some of the flesh. Then, with a triumphant yell, and in the ancient tongue, he shouted, “And now it is done!”

  Now, devoid of a soul after so very long, James’ body suddenly burst into ash. The pile was golden in hue, and covered the table and floor. Every person there stepped forward and took a scoop for themselves, devouring all evidence of the vampire’s passing completely. Will even gave one of the scoopfuls to Irene.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Vivian Arimath had always known she would become a vampire someday. The entire reason for her conception, her birth, and her upbringing had been her eventual joining to a vampire of her father’s choosing, and it looked like now her time had finally come.

  Her virtue was every bit as guarded as her unaltered blood so that her new mate could turn her with his bite, then deflower her at the same time. Such was the vampire way.

  Up until the point when she would give herself to her mate, she was essentially human. At the age of twenty, she did not yet possess any supernatural power, nor did she possess a thirst for the blood of other people. She was nervous as hell at the moment that she got into the limousine that waited to take her to her fate.

  “So, you say that the head of the Knight family lives on the Texas coastline?” she asked Donovan curiously. “He has acreage, and some of it even touches a beach?”

  “That is what your father has said,” said her servant, Donovan, with a nod. “The Arimathean values this particular servant highly, but most particularly because his clan was instrumental in helping him to regain his throne. I’m told the man’s quite handsome, too.”

  “And his name is James,” she added, letting the word roll over her tongue as she tried to make it seem sexy. After all, the vampire would be her mate soon, wouldn’t he? After only a couple of hours in the car, she would belong to someone else.

  The home they pulled up to was on a road which boasted many large estates. It was encased securely by a tall fence of stone, and security cameras were very noticeably placed here and there along the perimeter. Inside the wrought iron gates, Vivian caught a glimpse of trees.

  “I’m sure they’re expecting us,” said Donovan with consternation when the gatekeeper seemed hesitant to let him in. “Can you not call and ask them to see us, at least?”

  “Very good, sir,” the man said with a nod. Almost a minute later, the gates began to roll open as the keeper added, “Be sure to head straight to the house and up to the door. Any deviations would result in being dealt with both swiftly and harshly. Have a pleasant evening.”

  “Is everything okay, Don?” Vivian asked worriedly.

  “Don’t worry, Vivian; I’m sure it will be,” he reassured her. “They must simply have forgotten the date, or failed to receive the message in time. It’s surely nothing but an oversight.”

  “I hope so,” she sighed. “All this waiting is starting to drive me crazy.”

  Donovan chuckled. “Yes, I know exactly what you mean.”

  He pulled up into the circular driveway out front, leaving the car in the open since he had not been invited to use the garage. The two of them got out and mounted the steps leading to the double doors. Vivian took a deep breath as she watched Donovan reach out and knock.

  Opening the door, a butler who was clearly a ghoul smiled wanly at the two of them. “Good evening. I understand the two of you are looking for the head of the Knight clan?” he said as he stepped out of their way and motioned them inside. “Allow me to lead you into the parlor, and I’ll see if I can discover where he is.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said Vivian as she cast him a shy smile.

  As she and Donovan sat waiting, not one, but three vampire men stepped into the room, each one tall, dark, and handsome. And each one looking rather confused and somewhat upset by their presence there. One of them—the most annoyed of the three, stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You’re looking for the Lord of Knight Clan?” he inquired, one brow raised slightly. “I am Zachary Knight. What is your business here?”

  “I’m—uh, sorry, but I was looking for James?” Vivian said, feeling unaccountably overwhelmed by the man.

  “Oh, I see,” he growled. “And what exactly did you want him for?”

  Blushing furiously, she replied, “Well, I am Vivian Arimath, you see. I’m here because—it’s because of my father. He’s the Arimathean. From the day I was born, he has been cultivating me as a gift for James, to reward him once I’d come of age. I am completely pure in every conceivable way, and I am meant to become his bride.”

  By the time she had finished this little speech, Zachary Knight’s face had gone from annoyed to inscrutable. Vivian’s heart began to race as she realized this guy must be the gatekeeper, whoever he was. And he didn’t look inclined to
let her inside.

  After working his jaw for a few moments, he finally replied, “Look, I’m sorry that you came out here for nothing, miss, but there is no way for you to become a bride for our father. Only five days have passed since he succumbed to a battle wound and died, leaving me to take his place as the new lord. You may remain here for the night if you’d like, but then you shall have to go home.”

  “But—I can’t! Donovan, please tell him!” Vivian gasped, frightened now.

  “You don’t seem to understand the gravity of this situation, Lord Knight,” he said, getting to his feet. “Surely you know that the Arimathean can be a very harsh man sometimes. Vivian was grown for a very specific purpose. If, for some reason, she was unable to fulfill the goal for which she was made, her father might well find her of no more use to him. And you know what happens to the things he no longer needs.”

  Zach closed his eyes tightly, knowing full well precisely what the servant meant. Facing him again, he said, “Yes, I’m well aware of Joseph’s proclivities. But do you really think he’d drain his own daughter dry and toss her carcass out like a soda can? I don’t think that is possible.”

  “Don’t you?” Donovan asked him, raising one golden eyebrow enigmatically. “Perhaps you don’t know him as well as you thought?”

  Vivian had just come to a full realization of what was happening. She, too, got to her feet, and found herself desperately clinging to Zachary’s arm. “If James is dead, and you are the Lord of the Knight Clan, shouldn’t that mean I could be mated to you?”

  Zach stared at her like she’d gone crazy and began to shake his head. “Vivian, my mate has been dead for twenty years, and I have never taken another. What makes you think I’m willing to take one now?”

  “Please,” she pleaded softly, staring up into his deep green eyes. “I don’t want to die! Can you not just keep me here? Please don’t send me to my death!”

  “Brother?” said one of the others. “If you do not wish to receive the honor bestowed upon this family with open arms, then perhaps you could gift her to me.”

  Turning, Zach stared at him as if he’d sprouted an extra pair of legs out of his forehead.

  “You would think to usurp my position, Alex?” he asked angrily.

  “Of course not,” said the man, blushing a deep crimson. “That’s certainly not what I was thinking. My sole concern was for the girl and her future well-being. She obviously cannot return to her father, and it would be totally rude not to turn her properly. Since you seemed so unwilling to do the thing, I just thought—”

  Sighing, Zach uncrossed his arms and slipped one arm around Vivian’s side. “No, brother, I am not a monster like James. I’m not going to begin my new reign behaving as he would behave. Though I vowed, at the loss of Mary, that I’d never seek another bride, that was in another lifetime. Difficult as it may be for me personally, I must think of the needs of my clan too. Being mated to a daughter of the king would certainly bring us honor and prestige, don’t you think?”

  “And so I become a pawn yet again,” said Vivian with a sigh.

  His brow raising a bit more as he gave her a stern gaze, Zach asked, “Would you rather die after all, then?”

  “Of course not, my lord,” she said, moving into the curve of his arm more fully. “In all things, I shall do as you say. I will willingly become your bride.”

  “Good girl,” he said, giving her a slight hug. “Will, would you bring Vivian out to meet Irene before the two of you depart? Unless I can persuade your household not to return to California tonight?”

  “No, brother, I must return to my own life,” said Will, and Vivian noticed that they were twins as she stepped over to his side. “I have too many different things to oversee to be away for an extended time. Although, if we did stay longer, I’m sure that Charles wouldn’t mind.”

  “He does seem to favor the redheads, doesn’t he?” Zach chuckled, giving Vivian a little wink. “Tell him to stay away from my future bride. And you, sir, will you be remaining among my number, now that your charge has been delivered to her new home?”

  Donovan nodded. “Yes, sir,” he told him. “I am always at my lady’s side.”

  “I thought as much,” he said, looking the man over more fully before he nodded one time. “Alex can show you to the servant’s quarters, and they will find you a meal and assign you a place to sleep. As a new member of the household staff, you’ll be expected to attend tomorrow’s meeting. Oh, and am I right in thinking that you are a ghoul?”

  “I am a ghoul, sir,” said Donovan. “But my neck is at your disposal, if you would rather just use me at night.”

  “A ghoul you will remain at this time,” Zach decided. “In any case, we will need to wait until your old master’s taint no longer flows through your veins before I can consider any other options where you are concerned. I would not wish for any harm to befall you by carelessly casting such considerations aside.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “I do not think any of my previous masters would have been so kind.”

  “Don’t delude yourself, Donovan. I am not overly kind,” Zach scoffed. “Well, what is everyone waiting for? You’re all still standing here? Get gone, so I can go find myself a meal. If this is to be my wedding night, I need to be able to feed my bride.”

  “Tonight?” Vivian gulped, nervous now. “You did not wish to wait for a time?”

  “Vivian, my dear, the first thing you are going to learn about my brother is that there’s no stopping him,” Alex told her. “You’re just lucky he hasn’t fed already, or I guarantee you, the man would have probably fallen upon you as soon as he’d made up his mind. If you were hoping to wait, you’d best forget that idea completely because you’ve probably got an hour, tops, I’m afraid.”

  “I see,” she said softly as, once again, she and Zach stared into each other’s eyes. Will tugged at her arm, and she followed him as he stepped out into the hall.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The girl was beautiful; damn her green eyes! Just as green as his own.

  Zach couldn’t believe he was feeling the stirrings of anticipation in his loins. And when Alex had suggested taking her for himself instead, incredibly enough, actual jealousy had welled up in him like a demon in the night.

  There was a time when he had believed that Mary was the last woman he would ever touch sexually, but for some reason, the moment the words had come out of Vivian’s mouth about him taking her instead of James, Zach’s libido had gone into overdrive.

  He was just glad that nobody had been looking at the lower half of his anatomy for the duration of that conversation just now, because he was hard as a rock. If he approached a woman on the beach tonight, instead of finding him attractive so he could lure her somewhere to feed, the poor thing would only find him obscene.

  Stepping over to the intercom on the wall, he pressed the button several times.

  “Sir?” asked Ebenezer from the other end uncertainly.

  “Eb, I need you to bring me someone to eat,” said Zach. “I appear to be eating for two.”

  “The girl?” he asked, surprised. “Are you actually going to make her your bride?”

  “I’m the leader of the clan now,” he pointed out. “I could use a mate, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, sir,” he agreed happily. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Any preference? Male? Female? Something light?”

  “Surprise me,” Zach replied. “I’ll be waiting in the billiards room.”

  “Very good, sir. And congratulations.”

  “All right, all right,” Zach grumbled. “Don’t rub it in.”

  *****

  Eb brought Zach a young man, and he drank just enough from him to make him pass out but left enough behind that Vivian would not require a second victim when she awakened ready to feed. He had bigger plans for her than an impromptu food hunt once she had fully transformed. As for his own needs, he still had several blood providers in the basemen
t he kept alive so he could feed whenever he had the need. One of them, Seth, had been serving him in that capacity for almost three years, and he was considering giving the guy a promotion to ghoul and finding a replacement.

  Of course, that had been before Vivian came and brought a servant along with her. Unless he allowed the woman to feed Donovan herself, adding both Donovan and Seth at the same time would put him up to five he was feeding with his own blood, and Zach wasn’t interested in constantly gorging himself just so his servants could remain in his thrall.

  There was the obvious other solution: promote Ebenezer to full vampire so he could feed the staff, and then Zach would only need to control one person instead. At this point, Eb was the only person he trusted enough to give such a chore. Still, it might be better to allow Vivian to feed her own servant rather than taking him completely for his own.

  All his speculation had kept him in the room for a full ten minutes before he admitted to himself that he was stalling. He hadn’t been intimate with a woman in a very long time, and he hoped he wouldn’t disappoint the girl. After all, she’d been raised all her life to fulfill one purpose, and her shining moment of glory was at hand. And just because he was attracted to her didn’t mean it went the other way around. For all he knew, the girl could prefer a blond, like Donovan himself.

  “It’s not like me to lose my nerve,” he grumbled. “Why on earth would I lose it now?”

  The truth of it was, he had cared deeply for Mary, but she had not been his fated bride. He spent forty years with the woman by his side, and he’d become accustomed to her in all that time, but their love had been pink roses and champagne, romantic music and gentleness. Gentleness was the last thing he felt for the fiery-haired beauty who awaited him tonight.

  In point of fact, he felt a strong urge to tear her up. And it gave him pause to realize it. Could it be that a girl who was grown for his father could possibly be fated to him? Had James died because, in the cosmic order of things, Vivian was not meant to become his bride? Stranger things he had seen in his lifetime than this, so it was what he began to believe.