by T. S. Ryder
Eventually, his two captors jerked him to a stop. The blindfold was removed, leaving him blinking in the dim twilight. He was in the middle of a clearing, the trees and brush thick around them. The darkness cast by the hidden sun was deep. So deep that Darius couldn't tell where the flickering dance of shadow and light ended and where shifters moving about various tents began.
He was very aware of the ring that had formed behind him, though. He could hear shuffling feet and muttered curses as the shifters drew closer. But he was only looking for Cleo, for some sign she was there and unharmed. His heart was beating so fast and hard that he wondered if the shifters weren't able to hear it.
"Where is Cleo?" he forced his voice to stay calm. "I don't see her. Are you liars as well as thieves and murderers?"
"Thieves!" The same guard that had been indignant that he wasn't allowed to kill Darius threw a punch at his face, which he easily dodged. "You vampires are the ones that stole our lands from us. You have murdered our forefathers, our brothers and sisters. You have no right to open your mouth—"
"Enough." A deep, thunderous voice silenced the shifter.
Darius' head swiveled. A huge man – a bear, judging from his build – strode through the camp. He had Cleo tucked under one arm. Darius's heart jumped. She looked unharmed, though her eyes were wide. Her belly was also twice the size it had been the last time he had seen her.
"I'm here," the vampire said. "Let my wife go."
"You're here," the Alpha replied, a gleam in his eyes. "She's here. I'm here. You've been seeing my handiwork lately, haven't you?"
"The Thunder," Darius realized.
"Yes. And once I've killed you, your armies will fall before me."
Darius glanced at Cleo and quickly looked away, the desire to kill rising in him at the sight of her frightened eyes. "Why the elaborate plot just to kill me?"
"You killed my mate."
Darius didn't reply. He had killed many shifters. Always in battle, always when they were trying to kill him. But he knew well enough that people didn't care why you killed someone they loved. They just cared that you killed them.
The Alpha walked forward, dragging Cleo along with him. "I have planned my revenge down to the last detail, vampire, and, at last, I will have it."
"No," Darius blurted, his gaze returning to Cleo. Her normally bronzed skin looked sickly. The Alpha was going to kill her as his punishment – he couldn't let that happen!
"I understand that you vampires have a custom where a man may challenge another for his mate. If the challenger kills the husband, he takes the wife and she belongs to him." The Thunder grinned. "I wanted you to know this before I killed you. Your wife will be my new mate. She will give me beautiful children, and your brat that grows inside her will be their slave."
"You have to fight me to win her," Darius snarled. He wasn't going to let this beast claim his Cleo! He'd slaughter the whole camp of shifters first. "She is mine and if you think you will claim her, you have to kill me in battle."
"Isn't that what I just said?" The Alpha shoved Cleo into the arms of a shifter waiting nearby. "Untie him so I may tear him apart!"
Cleo fought against the shifter holding her. "No! Darius doesn't stand a chance against you!"
The Alpha laughed while his men cut Darius' bonds. "That's the idea."
Cleo's eyes filled with tears. "Please. I know he can't stand against you. I know he's going to die."
Darius stared at her. Did she really have so little faith in him?
"Let me have one last night with him, with my husband. Please."
The Alpha considered her for a minute. He glanced at Darius, who stood tall. It didn't matter if Cleo thought him weak, he would still fight for her. Better to have everything decided immediately. But Cleo broke free from the shifters holding her and ran to the Thunder, wrapping her arms around his chest like a seductress. It filled Darius with fire. He snarled, jumping forward, but Cleo held out a hand to him. He stopped. What was she doing?
"A condemned man deserves one last pleasure, doesn't he?"
The Alpha smirked. "Perhaps he does. But, if I allow you this, you'll give me that same pleasure before your husband's body is cold in the ground, understood?"
"Cleo, no!" Darius said, but she ignored him.
"Understood."
"Very well. Give them a tent and allow the condemned one last night with his wife." The Alpha's gaze drifted back to Darius and his smirk widened. "Let him consider what tomorrow will bring."
Chapter Eight – Cleo
As soon as they were alone, Cleo turned to Darius. She pulled her hair out of the way and bent her neck, exposing her throat to him. "Drink from me."
Darius frowned, pushing her hand away as she reached for him. "You offered yourself to him."
"I didn't."
"Then please explain what you are doing."
"I want you to drink from me!
"Do you really think that Alpha is going to kill me? I've killed bears before, you know it."
Her heart was pounding, her head throbbing as she fought against the burning in her eyes. She knew that he could defeat the bear. But it wasn't a certain thing, and if she lost him… Her throat tightened again, and she fought to keep herself calm.
"I've heard them talking. They're the leaders of the Rebeluna. Even if you defeat the bear, they still won't let you go. They'll kill you."
Darius opened his mouth. Cleo continued quickly.
"But if you drink from me, then you can get out of here. You can go back to your men and launch a full-scale assault on these beasts and just wipe them out. Please. Please, then you can say that you've defeated the Rebeluna and you can have everything you ever wanted."
Darius' gaze softened. He touched her face, then pulled her into his arms. Cleo pushed against him, angry at herself and the stupid tears that were beginning to trickle down her face. Crying was not going to help anybody. Unless it made Darius leave because he hated her.
But she could already tell he wasn't going to do that.
"If I left, they'd kill you."
"We all know that getting into positions of power requires sacrifices."
"If I thought more about potentially becoming king than keeping you alive, I never would have come here in the first place, Cleo."
"I didn't want you to. I don't want you to die for me. I want you to live."
"Cleo…"
"You heard the Thunder. What he'll do to me if he beats you." Cleo shivered. This time when Darius wrapped his arms around her, she didn't push him off. She needed his strength at the moment. Strange… all her life she had made sure she had never needed anybody. She had always been strong, always in charge of her own destiny. But, now, when it really mattered… "I'm so afraid, Darius. I'd rather die than lose you."
"How do you think I feel? Why else would I be here if your life was not more important than mine?"
"Don't talk like that."
Darius brushed his lips against hers. "Cleo, I will defeat the Alpha. I'm fighting for more than he is. I'm fighting for the woman I love and the child she carries."
"You love me?"
"Yes."
"I love you, too. I don't know when I fell in love with you, but I did." Cleo buried her face into his shoulder. "I love you."
"Why couldn't we have had the bravery to admit our feelings before this?" His hand stroked the swell of her belly. "I wish I had been there for you every step of the way. Did you have much morning sickness?"
"No. None at all, in fact."
Cleo gazed at her husband. She saw the tender expression on his face, the softness of his eyes, and her heart filled to the point of bursting. She didn't care that they were surrounded by their enemies and that tomorrow Darius would be in a fight for both their lives. If this was going to be their last night together – and it might be – she wasn't going to let it pass in tears and regrets.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was light at first, but as Dar
ius's arms snaked around her waist, the kiss deepened. A fire and an ache started in her core. Her arms tightened. Darius's did as well. Normally, at this point they would be frenzied, tearing at the clothes that kept them from tasting one another. It would be all animal lust, or perhaps forcing themselves to act like animals.
Perhaps it had always been so fevered and impatient because they knew if they slowed down they would be making love, and that way was too dangerous for people who couldn't admit they loved each other.
Darius slowly unbuttoned her blouse, and Cleo stayed still, letting him. His touch was tender as he slid it off her, folding it before he placed it on the floor. His hands ran down her arms, then caressed her belly before moving up to her breasts.
"They're bigger."
Cleo had to repress a giggle. "That's what happens when you get pregnant."
Darius nodded. He dropped to his knees and pressed a kiss most tender to her belly. Cleo's eyes filled with tears and she let her head fall back. She wasn't going to cry. Not tonight of all nights. Her husband was just as gentle as he removed her pants as he had been with her shirt. Her socks and underclothes soon followed, all folded neatly on the floor.
"I've never taken the time to really look at you," he said, standing, then kissed her temple where a tear had escaped. "Don't cry. I won't let the Thunder have his way. Tomorrow he dies."
"Then don't you need to sleep and save your strength?"
Darius shook his head. "For vampires, sex is almost like blood. It will only strengthen me further. Especially when it's with someone I love."
He kissed her again, deeply, passionately. The fire that was already inside built higher, the ache growing deeper. She wanted so much more and she wanted it now – but at the same time, she wanted this to last. This was their first time making love, and she wanted to savor it.
"My turn," she whispered, running her fingers down the buttons of his uniform.
"Of course."
Her husband stilled, letting her undress him with as much patience and care as he had undressed her. Cleo gazed at his body. She had always liked looking at him, but now she stared hungrily, wanting to remember every contour, every muscle – the shape, the feel of his smooth, cool skin. He was so perfect. And he was hers.
"You belong to me," he whispered.
"Yes. I do. Forever."
He caught her mouth again, his kisses growing more fevered. Cleo clung to him, her belly pressed against his. One of his hands caressed it while the other parted her thighs. His touch was so gentle it was almost painful. He swallowed her cries of pleasure as he continued to apply pressure in small circles.
The fires inside threatened to consume her and she abandoned all thoughts of going slow. Darius laid her down on the floor, propping pillows under her hips to give him better access. Cleo kept her hands on his shoulders, watching him. He kissed her belly once more before gazing into his wife's eyes as he took her.
Everything was more sensitive than normal, and Cleo whimpered as he began moving. The rhythm was soft and slow, rocking both of their bodies to minimize the impact on her. Normally, their bodies would be flush against one another, but with her enlarged belly, Darius had to stay back on his knees, separating them. Even as her body began to feel too full for her skin, Cleo watched her husband, still exploring the contours of his body with her eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, grunting. "I' not being too rough."
Cleo shook her head. "It's just right."
Darius let out a shuddering moan. The sheer ecstasy on his face had Cleo's own arousal that much higher. She could feel her climax sneaking up on her and clung tighter to Darius' hands. The familiar feeling of connection was overtaking her, but instead of ignoring or fighting it as she usually did, she welcomed it, drinking in the perfection of the union.
Their rhythm became faster, and the pleasure came over her in stronger and stronger waves. She fought to keep her eyes on Darius'. She wanted to keep this feeling of connection. He leaned over her the best he could, cupping a hand under her to bring her mouth to his.
The universe seemed to flash before Cleo's eyes. Her body bowed, head thrown back, screaming her husband's name. She was aware of Darius calling her name as he trembled and jerked above her.
When both were spent, Darius carefully rolled them both to the side, still wrapped around one another. Cleo adjusted herself so she was more comfortable, then sank back against the vampire with a sigh.
"When we get home, we'll have to do this more often," Darius said, stroking her hair. "I think that was possibly the best experience of my life."
"Mine, too. But then, I don't really have very many good experiences in my life." Cleo hesitated. "I know that we agreed to have our secrets, but I don't… I don't want to have secrets from you anymore, Darius."
"I know. I don't either."
Cleo propped herself onto her elbow. "I have a sister."
Darius' eyes widened. His jaw dropped. "That's… a pretty big secret."
"I know. Her name is Edyta, but she likes to go by Ed." Cleo settled back into his arms and began telling her husband, for the first time, her life story.
Chapter Nine – Darius
Darius pulled in his final mouthful of blood before he licked the two holes in Cleo's neck, letting the natural coagulant in his saliva clot the wounds and stop the bleeding. Both were dressed again. Pale slivers of light were starting to seep in through the tent walls, and they didn't want to be caught by surprise when the Alpha decided their night was over.
"You can do this," Cleo said, stroking his face. "You're going to defeat the Thunder and we will go home."
"Of course."
He was brimming with energy. Between making love to his wife and drinking her blood, he felt powerful enough to destroy the whole pack of shifters. He knew he had to be wary of overconfidence, though. The Thunder was clearly a powerful shifter. He would not be easy to kill.
Darius clasped Cleo's hand and brought it to his lips. "Thank you for last night."
Cleo ducked her head. "I suppose it was different from what we've done before."
"I don't mean about making love to you. I mean what followed. You told me everything about yourself, and let me tell you everything about myself." Darius pressed another quick kiss to her lips. "From this day forward, we'll have a much stronger relationship. You'll have to introduce me to your sister when we get home."
Cleo nodded. Her eyes shone with tears, and he knew she was thinking that inescapable if. If they went home. If he survived the Alpha. If the shifters let them go when he did.
"You're strong, brave, and skilled," Cleo said. "You can defeat him. I know you can."
"Of course I can. I might let him get in a few blows, though, so he doesn't feel bad." Darius tried for his best rakish grin. Cleo laughed and kissed him.
It wasn't long afterward that the shifters came for them. They were brought out of the tent, and though Cleo clung to his hand, they pulled her away. Darius' muscles roped as he snarled, wanting to leap after them and tear apart the shifters that dared to put their hands on his wife. But he had to remain calm.
He doubted that if he were to attack the shifters would kill him outright. They would just make him waste his energy while injuring him enough to give him a serious disadvantage against the Alpha. Darius began to undo his uniform jacket. He would need better mobility against the bear than it allowed.
Stay calm and stay focused. He is going to die, not only for Cleo but for the sake of the vampire kingdom. When he is gone, the shifter invasion will fall apart.
The vampire was propelled to a place just outside the tents. A large ring had been burned into the grass, and it was cleared of any small debris. The Thunder was already waiting for him, crouched and ready to pounce. He was naked, other than a pair of black shorts, his muscles gleaming with oil. To prevent Darius was getting a proper grip on him, no doubt.
"The rules of this match are as follows," the Thunder said, still crouched. "The first to be expe
lled from the ring, pass out or die, loses. If I win, you die and your mate becomes mine. If you win, you can keep her."
He straightened, but in that instant, Darius had a flash of epiphany. His heart leaped. He was already fighting for his wife and kingdom, why not make it official?
"Cleo is already mine. I will defend her against the likes of you, but if I win I get more than what I already had." He glanced at Cleo to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded at him to continue. She must have guessed what he was doing.
The Alpha's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, then, vampire?"
"If I defeat you, then you allow me and my wife to return to our home in safety. You do not follow up with any assassination attempts, even if I don't kill you," Darius said, straightening his shoulders. His heart hammered, but his mind was set. "Furthermore, if I win, all of the shifters here leave vampire territory and surrender in this war."
"I would expect a vampire to demand no less." The Alpha snarled but shrugged. "Very well."
"Will these other shifters obey if Darius kills you?" Cleo shouted desperately.
"I am their Alpha. They will obey. It will give you even more to lose as I choke the life out of you, vampire, to know that you failed your kingdom as well as your mate."
The bear pulled a knife from his belt.
"Wait," Darius nearly stepped back until he realized it would put him on the outside of the ring, "where's my weapon?"
"You don't get one."
The Thunder charged him, muscles strained and tendons popping from his neck. Pure hatred shone from the man's eyes. Darius pulled in a quick breath before running straight back at the bear. As the beast sprang forward, shouting, the knife in his hand glinting, Darius ducked. He slid under the bear's feet and twisted on the ground, aiming a solid kick at the bear's knees as he landed.