by T. S. Ryder
"Yes. I made treaties with the humans and built these walls. We survived on the blood of animals until we began buying blood from clinics. And we have had peace. The tensions between vampire and human rise and fall, but it’s usually not bad."
"But it does get bad, doesn't it?"
"Sometimes. Like right now. Anti-vampire sentiments have started growing again. Which is ironic, because there have been less vampire-human conflicts in recent years than ever before. But we have experience in how to improve relations now. It's just vampires like Romanoff that make it difficult."
They fell into companionable silence, bodies cuddled together, Sheridan's hand stroking her hair gently. His eyes drooped drowsily. It had been a full night, between learning of Maribel's pregnancy, dealing with her ex-boyfriend trying to break into the vampire city and then Romanoff attempt at killing her.
Topped off with making love for the first time to his human wife, and it was about enough excitement for one day.
"Phil and I were never engaged," Maribel said abruptly. "We had been talking about getting married, but we weren't engaged."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, love."
"I want to tell you."
Sheridan kissed her forehead and nodded.
"We met at a concert. I was getting a little overenthusiastic about the music and he thought that was cute. We started talking. He made it very easy to talk to him, and drew me in. After the concert, he took me for ice-cream, and by morning I had convinced myself that I had fallen in love. I was stupid."
Sheridan pulled her closer. "We all make mistakes."
"I guess."
He waited for her to continue, trying to be silently supportive. His blood boiled at the thought of Maribel being used by that man, but he wasn't going to interrupt with his anger. He wanted her to tell him her story.
"We started dating, and I was so thrilled when he said that he wanted to save himself for marriage. It was something I had always known I wanted to do. And to find a man who felt the same… Now I realize he was either playing me or found the idea of sleeping with me horrendous—"
"Or maybe despite his lack of morals, he didn't want to hurt you any more than he already was going to?" Sheridan hated the self-doubt in her voice. How anybody could not be turned on by the idea of sleeping with her was beyond his imagination, and he told her that. "Maybe he did care about you, in some small way. I can't see a reason why he wouldn't be tripping over himself to bed you otherwise."
Maribel stared at him, eyes wide. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Of course. I don't say things I don’t mean. I can't understand how you don't see yourself as the sexy, sexy woman you are."
"But I'm fat."
Sheridan sighed. "That doesn't mean you aren't beautiful and sexy. I don't understand it. I really don't. Thin doesn't mean pretty and fat doesn't mean ugly. It's just thin and fat. Beauty is far more than size. So your stomach isn't flat. What difference does it make? You're still sexy."
Maribel stared at him. Tears welled in his eyes and Sheridan flinched. What had he said wrong? He should have told her she wasn't fat, that she was just the right size. He opened his mouth to tell her that instead, but she rolled over him, gripping his hips with her knees, and kissed him hard. Sheridan's eyes widened but he wasn't going to complain.
I guess I said something right, he thought as his human began their passion anew.
***
A few days later, a human representative of the human-vampire relations bureau came to the palace. She was a strict-faced woman with horn-rimmed glasses and a severe business suit. Sheridan bowed politely when Billie led her into his office, and she returned the gesture with a cold look. Billie introduced her as Kathleen Armstrong.
"King Sheridan," she said, holding out a piece of paper. "We have received an anonymous complaint from one of the humans living in your palace, claiming that you are holding humans against their will and forcing them to give up their blood."
Sheridan ground his teeth. It seemed like one of these complaints happened every few years. Always a load of crap, of course, but it was annoying to have to deal with. He opened the paper Armstrong had handed him. His scowl deepened as he read the court order on it.
"You are planning on taking all humans from the palace back into the human city?"
"Until we can determine the truthfulness of the claim, we must take all precautions to make sure our women are safe."
"And then men?"
Armstrong's cheeks reddened. "Of course. But you have a higher percentage of women than men."
Sheridan handed the paper to Billie. "Have this checked for legality."
Armstrong glared at him. "Are you suggesting—"
"I am suggesting nothing, but part of the contract signed by the humans that came here is that we are legally responsible for their protection. There are many anti-vampire groups out there. I won't just hand over our donors without making sure everything is in legal order. Although, there was a human who attempted to break into the palace a few days ago… we have been holding him for questioning—"
Armstrong's eyes widened. "Against his legal rights!"
"We informed the bureau." Sheridan remained calm. "And we have documented all interactions with him. He is under constant video surveillance. I would be happy to hand him and all documentation over to you."
It was fairly obvious after talking with Phil only a few times that all he wanted was money. Clearly, he hoped to use Maribel to line his pockets some more. Getting rid of him would be like relieving a headache that Sheridan no longer wanted to deal with.
"Oh, I will be taking both, I assure you. Along with every other human on these grounds." Armstrong put her hands on her hips. "Including Maribel Arnaz."
Sheridan jerked like he had been punched. "She's my—"
"She is human and will be seized with the rest of the humans in your… care."
"Seized as if they were drugs, you mean?" Sheridan's hands clenched. "What steps are you taking to protect their identities?"
Armstrong didn't reply, just glared at him. Sheridan glared back. He would fight this with every legal avenue he had. Waltzing in and taking away all the humans was bad enough, but Maribel? She wasn't just another human. She was his wife. She carried his child. He wasn't going to just let this go. Even when Billie came back with his lawyers, who reluctantly told him he had to let Armstrong take the humans back outside the walls, he was determined.
He might have to let Maribel go for a little while, but he wasn't going to let the anti-vampire scare keep them separated. No. He was getting her back, and soon. There was no question about that.
Chapter Seven – Maribel
It wasn't bad enough that these people had taken her away from her home with Sheridan. It wasn't bad enough that she had been subjected to hours of interrogation masqueraded as 'trying to help her'. It wasn't bad enough that when she wasn't being questioned, she was all but locked in a hotel room that looked like something out of a horror story.
No. They had to let Phil come and see her.
Maribel stood holding the door open, glaring at her ex-boyfriend as he sat on her bed. "I told you to leave."
"Come on, Mari. It's me, you don't have to put up this charade."
"Fine. I told you to leave, you selfish son of a—"
"Mari!" Phil shook his head, looking shocked. "Honestly! You were never like this before. What did that vampire do to you?"
Maribel could see heads poking out of the other rooms along the hall. Most looked curious, others annoyed, some sympathetic. She would have just left Phil and gone to one of their rooms, as most were humans she recognized from the palace, but she didn't want him rifling through her things.
But if he thought he was going to embarrass her into letting him stay, he had another thing coming.
"For starters," she said, eyes flashing, "Sheridan paid off the massive amounts of debt that you gave me when you stole my identity!"
Phil
stood. "Maribel, that wasn't what you thought. Look, maybe I was a jerk, but I do care about you. I want to help you."
"Don't even start. I am not going to listen to more of your lies. I love Sheridan and he loves me. He is my husband. Now leave me alone!"
Phil turned away. He kept his back to her and his head bowed for several minutes before he nodded. "I can see that I'm not going to get anywhere. But Mari, when you want to tell me the truth about what that vampire threatened you with to make you do what he wanted—"
"Shut up!"
She slammed the door after him as he left, seething internally. What was it with all these people? Why were they so desperate to make her say that she didn't want to be with Sheridan? It certainly wasn’t an investigation to protect the humans that had been living at the palace.
This was a witch hunt, pure and simple. But she was determined that Sheridan wasn't the one who was going to end up getting burned.
If she only knew what part Phil was playing in it… Was he hoping for money? Was he hoping that she would fall to her knees before him, and then sue Sheridan somehow? Or maybe use her to get a million dollars in debt that Sheridan would then pay for?
Well, that wasn't happening.
Maribel tugged her hair to its ends, annoyed and frustrated. Her daily interrogation was over, which meant that she was stuck in this room for the night. She had tried previously to go visit with the other humans, but those visits were usually interrupted by 'just a couple more questions' or other such nonsense. It didn’t take a genius to realize that the people holding them at this hotel didn't want the humans who had lived with the vampires to hold private conversations. Why, though, Maribel couldn't understand.
The result was that over the two weeks since she had been cruelly ripped away from her vampire king, Maribel had become incredibly lonely. She’d talked to Sheridan on the phone regularly, but it was not the same as being in his arms. Nobody would tell her when she would be able to go home. They all kept spouting the same crap about needing to protect the living blood donors.
She sank onto her bed, heart feeling heavy. Was it really legal for them to keep her here against her will?
A fit of anger seized her and she grabbed her phone, dialing Sheridan’s number. She had enough. She wanted out of here and she would. It didn't matter what stupid papers they waved in her face, they had no right to treat her like a criminal!
When I get home, I'm going to sue Armstrong for emotional distress. Or something like that.
"Maribel. Are you okay?" Sheridan's voice sounded worried when he answered.
"No, I'm not. I want to come home."
There was a brief moment. "I'll come get you right away."
Maribel let out a breath, feeling relieved. She had been afraid that he would tell her he couldn't come and get her, that they had to work with Armstrong and her goons. The knots in her shoulders relaxed. "Thank you."
"Of course. I'll see you soon."
Packing took only fifteen minutes, and Maribel headed down to the hotel lobby. Nobody stopped her, and her hopes rose. Maybe she was free to go after all. She closed her eyes, imagining being back home, sleeping in her own bed with her vampire king in her arms. It was such a lovely image that she didn't want to open her eyes again.
When she heard his voice, though, she gladly left the fantasy behind for reality. With a squeal, she ran to him. He rushed towards her, arms opening wide. They met in the middle of the lobby. Sheridan lifted her from the ground and swung her in a circle, holding her tightly.
"I've missed you," he whispered.
"I've missed you, too." Maribel pressed a few quick kisses to his lips. "So, so much."
The moment was ruined when that Armstrong woman's voice rang out. "Our investigation has not finished."
Sheridan set Maribel down and frowned at the approaching woman. "Maribel phoned me requesting that I come take her home. Is she a prisoner now?"
"Of course not. None of the humans we have are prisoners. But until the investigation is complete, if any humans are removed from our custody and return to the vampire city, it will be considered a hostile act and we will have no choice but to get the military involved."
Maribel gaped at her. Was she serious? "I can't go home without starting a war?"
"You can go anywhere you like." Armstrong gave her a sneer that had her blood boiling. "But the vampires can't take you back to their city without starting a war."
"Look, you—"
Sheridan shook his head. He glared at Armstrong but held Maribel tightly. "It's best if you stay here for now, my darling."
"But—"
"My lawyers will be in touch with you, Miss Armstrong. I have received more than one complaint from these humans. They claim that you are holding them against their will and treating them like criminals." The vampire stepped forward, looming over the small human woman. "I told you that we protect our humans. I will not stand for this."
Armstrong's glare faltered and she didn't reply. Sheridan held her eye until she looked away, then turned to Maribel. His gaze softened and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I'll call you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
They kissed again and Sheridan reluctantly left. Maribel stood where she was, arms wrapped around her waist, as she watched him go. Billie was waiting at the door, her arms crossed. The little vampire was glaring at Armstrong so fiercely the phrase if looks could kill crossed Maribel's mind.
"Well." Armstrong pulled out her phone and typed something into it. "That was enlightening."
Tears pricked Maribel's eyes but she brushed them away. Hopefully, the threat of legal action would help expedite things. She wanted to go home.
"Miss Arnaz, I have some more questions for you."
"I'm not answering them," Maribel said shortly. "I'm not answering any more of your stupid questions. I want to go home and you're just trying to make things difficult for Sheridan."
Armstrong's lips pursed. "What if you might be able to see him sooner if you answered a few more questions?"
Maribel hesitated.
"That's what I thought. Come with me."
The woman strode away without another word. Maribel scowled but followed, lugging her suitcase with her. If answering a few more questions would help Armstrong cover her butt and let the humans return to the vampire city, than it was a torment Maribel would put up with.
Armstrong led her to the usual interrogation room. It was at the back of the hotel with a good view of the parking lot and nothing else. To Maribel's annoyance, Phil was there and Armstrong didn't tell him to leave. Rather, when she closed the door, she nodded at him.
"Your suspicions were correct. He loves her."
Phil smiled. "Like I said. I know how to read people, Kathleen."
Maribel's heart picked up pace and a ball of dread sank into her stomach. "What are you talking about?"
"The vampire king," Armstrong said. "He loves you. I'm willing to bet he'd start a war for you."
Maribel glanced at the door, but Phil was beside her in a second, his arms wrapping around her. His grip was painfully tight. Maribel kicked at Phil's shins. He yelped, growled, and pulled a gun from his belt. Maribel froze. Her heart hammered. Were they going to kill her now?
"That's right." Phil's grip loosened slightly as she stopped fighting against him. "Look, Mari, I like you. I really do. I don't want to have to hurt you. You won't make me do that, will you?"
She stared at the gun and shook her head.
Phil smiled pleasantly. "Good."
"Why are you doing this?"
"She wants to destroy the vampires. Something about her mother running off with one or something like that." Phil laughed when Armstrong glared at him. "Me, I'm in it for the money. Your king might start a war for you, but first, he'll pay a queen's ransom."
"Stop talking and get her out of here," Armstrong ordered. "Now, before someone sees."
Phil shrugged and propelled her towards the door. "Le
t's take a drive, Mari. Just you and me. Romantic, the way you like it."
Maribel allowed him to move her, her mind darting all over the place. There had to be a way out of this… didn't there?
Chapter Eight – Sheridan
It was a mistake to leave Maribel.
Sheridan paced from one end of his study to the other, unable to stand still. Logically, he knew that he had to leave her, that it was the best way to get this all resolved. Cooperate, and things would move faster. He only got the lawyers involved because it was so obvious that Maribel wanted to come home, and Armstrong still refused to let her go. They were currently looking into what he could do about it, but it didn't seem like much at the moment. He had also put in a call to the governor to get her to intervene in this one case, but so far he had heard nothing back.
The vampire king wrung his hands. It had seemed like the best choice to leave Maribel there to avoid Armstrong from blowing the situation out of proportion. Avoid any military incursions that would no doubt lead to bloodshed.
It was also necessary to move quickly, to stop anti-vampire zealots from causing trouble to the donors he was having to leave behind. He was sure that the longer he stayed at the hotel, the more humans would find out about it. He didn't want those protesters to get it into their heads that they could attack him while he was there. That would have ended with quite a few humans dead, or injured at least.
But the more he paced his study, thinking about the anger in Armstrong's face and the slump of Maribel's shoulders as he walked away, the more he realized he had made a mistake.
He should have taken Maribel away. Armstrong didn't want her in the vampire city, but had also said Maribel could go anywhere she wanted–Sheridan could have taken her to another hotel, or one of the vampire safe houses that were dotted throughout the city in case messengers or diplomats found themselves in hostile situations.
Shaking his head, he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Maribel's number. If he didn't hear her voice, he would go crazy. The phone rang half a dozen times before going to voicemail.