by T. S. Ryder
And he had. The agony of ripping himself off that cross would stay with him forever, but he had saved her.
Now, if something went wrong with the birth, there was nothing he could do. No amount of brute force or strength of will would be able to free her from the dangers of childbirth. He was helpless.
Billie walked up the corridor. She winced as Maribel let loose another scream. Sheridan dug his fingernails into his palm until this scream passed as well. With a sigh, he yanked at his hair. If something didn't happen soon, he was going to go crazy.
"You're a woman," he said to Billie. "Go into the birthing room and find out what's happening."
"Sir, with all due respect I'll only get in the way. Labor takes a long time. I remember when my younger brother was born my mother took nearly a full day to birth him."
Sheridan blanched. How could he survive another hour of this, let alone a day? More importantly, how could Maribel? Even in this day and age when there were so many medical advancements and knowledge, women still had to go through this!
"Why did I ever decide I wanted to be a father?" He yanked harder on his hair. "I would take it all back to stop Maribel from being in this agony!"
Billie smiled sympathetically. "She'll be fine, my lord. You have the best midwives available and all the equipment they need. She is the one who decided she didn’t want drugs. But if I can distract you?"
Sheridan let his hands fall to his side and nodded. "What news have you brought me?"
"The governor has once again extended a personal apology to you for your mistreatment at Armstrong's hands and has decided on a compensation for the blood donors whose identities were revealed. The investigation into the vampire relations bureau is still under way, but so far there have been no other anti-vampire sentiments found in it. And the men that attacked you with Bennet and Armstrong have both been caught."
Sheridan nodded in satisfaction. That was good to hear. Since the attack on his person, the governor had been bending over backward to keep the relationship with the vampire kingdom friendly. A war with vampires would be costly, not only in terms of loss of life but also in trade. The king had no desire to make things more difficult than they had to be, but it was a good wake-up call for the humans to police themselves better.
"Invite the governor to come see the baby," Sheridan said, brow furrowing. "I'm getting tired of his apologies."
"And have you made a final decision about Romanoff?"
Sheridan ran his hand through his hair. "Yes. The general will stay in the dungeons, except for a few hours every day when he serves at a human soup kitchen. Maybe if he serves them, he will develop compassion."
"And if it doesn't work?"
"Make sure he's always heavily guarded when among the humans." After experiencing being nailed to a cross himself, he was never going to threaten crucifixion again. It was his hope that Romanoff would come to see reason eventually.
The door to the end of the hall opened. A wizened little woman came sweeping down the corridor, a satisfied smile on her face. As she got closer, Sheridan could smell blood and the distinctive scent of newborn baby on her. He ran to meet her.
"Your daughter has been born, my lord."
A girl. Sheridan's face broke into a smile. "May I see them?"
The midwife nodded.
Sheridan turned to Billie. "Gather everybody in the ballroom for the announcement, and prepare a statement for the press."
Billie nodded. Sheridan raced down the corridor, beaming. The midwife followed close behind him and made him wash his hands before he was allowed into the birthing room. The other midwives bustled about, cleaning up, but Sheridan went straight to the bed where Maribel was lying. Her skin was pale with exhaustion, brow sweaty, and dark bags circled under her eyes.
She was so beautiful.
"Hey," she croaked at him.
Sheridan sat on the bed next to her and peered into the face of the tiny baby she was holding. "Hey."
The hospital gown she wore was on backward, the opening at the front. It was gaping so that the baby could rest right against her chest, a receiving blanket covering them both. Big brown eyes, blinking and squinting, peered out of the tiny wrinkled face. Sheridan gently stroked the downy hair.
"She's beautiful," he whispered. "Perfect, just like you."
Maribel smiled sleepily. "I don't feel all that perfect right now. I feel like I was just hit by a truck."
Sheridan had to laugh at that. He looked up as the midwife checked Maribel's pulse and her eyes. "Can I take her back to our room?"
"Always in a rush!" The midwife rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Men! The woman just had a baby. Give her half an hour and we'll see. But if you want your privacy, we can give you some."
"Thank you. You may go announce the baby's gender now."
The midwife bowed at her waist. She hustled the rest of the midwives out quickly, leaving husband and wife alone. The baby was rooting around, her lips pursed. Maribel shifted her hospital gown off her breast and held the baby to it. The baby girl latched on and began to drink eagerly.
"Amazing. She knows exactly what to do." Sheridan beamed.
"Mmmm. I wish I could say the same. I know we took those parenting classes and everything, but I still worry. I never even had a babysitting gig before this. What if I do something wrong?"
Sheridan kissed her forehead. "You won't be alone."
"Yes. Yes, you're right. I don't have to do this on my own. I have you."
"Of course. You have me, and you'll always have me."
He wrapped an arm around her. Maribel laid her head against his shoulder, nestling in closer to him. Both were silent as they watched their little baby feed. Sheridan kissed his wife. The road bringing them here had been painful, but oh so worth it. If he had a choice, he would do it all again.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too."
Maribel kissed him as a cheer rose from the ballroom.
*****
THE END
The Vampire King's Captive
Description
A curvy virgin paying off her debts PLUS a jealous vampire king looking for a donor PLUS enemies who will do anything to destroy him!
Aria Taylor wakes to her biggest nightmare when Gavin, the vampire king, drags her out of bed in the middle of the night. Aria’s father owes him money and Gavin has come to take him away.
There’s only one way out: Aria has to become Gavin's blood donor to pay off the debt. Too bad that she hates her bloodsucker. What right does this possessive beast have to be so handsome and yet so cruel?
Gavin is more than happy with his new blood donor. Her full curves drive him crazy and he can’t wait to pierce her skin with his fangs. The thought of teaching this virgin all the pleasures of the body stirs fires inside of him…
But Gavin has enemies and things take a turn for the worst when Aria suddenly disappears. Where is she? Gavin knows one thing for sure. No matter what it takes, he will get her back.
He’s coming for her.
Chapter One – Aria
Hands grabbed her and yanked her from her bed. Aria cried out, struggling instinctively. Sleep wrapped her mind in a cloud of fog. Even as her heart spiked and the grips on her arms became painful, she wasn't sure what was happening. Bright lights blinded her. The hands dragged her from her bedroom and into the living room. Her father was already there, sitting on the worn couch.
Aria was thrown down beside him. She toppled over, and her father put a protective arm around her.
"My daughter isn't a part of this," he said. "Please, don't hurt her."
"I'm not going to hurt anyone. But we must discuss this debt of yours."
Aria scrubbed her palms over her eyes, clearing the last of the sleep from them. When she saw the man sitting across from them, feet planted far apart in a power stance while he held a cup of tea, she gasped. Blood drained from her face and she clung to her father, unable to believe what she was seeing.
/> Gavin, the vampire king of everywhere from the Baltic Sea to Siberia, was in their living room. The men that stood around them –tall, gaunt, with those hungry eye – all vampires.
Her gaze turned back to the king. He ignored her, his amber eyes fixed on her father. He had a fine square jaw with sharp cheekbones and dark hair that fell loosely about his face. Whenever she saw him on the television, Aria thought he was handsome in a terrifying way, and up close she could see she was right in every respect. Handsome and terrifying.
"What are you doing here?" She tried to bolster her voice to sound more outraged than frightened. Gavin sipped his tea. He had her mother's fine china in his hand. Aria's blood boiled. Nobody touched her mother's things! "That does not belong to you. You have no right to come into our house and mess with our things."
"Oh, I have every right." Gavin set the cup and saucer on the coffee table. "Your father has a great deal of debt to the crown, and he hasn't paid any of it back for almost three years now. I am here to find a way for him to pay it off. Until it is, everything you own is mine."
Aria turned to her father. Guilt shone from his face and she clung to his hand. "Papa? Is that how you got the money for me to go to university?"
"We can discuss it later, Aria," her father said. He bowed his head towards the king. "My lord, there has to be something I can do."
Gavin smirked. "There is. Jail. All your property and belongings will be auctioned to pay your debt, and then for every hundred dollars you still owe me after that, you will spend a year in jail."
Aria jumped to her feet before she knew what she was doing. "You will do no such thing! You will not take my father's property and you will not put him in jail."
"Aria, no." Her father tried to tug her back down onto the couch.
She pulled her hand away from her father, glaring at the king. Who did he think he was, to just come waltzing in here and declare that everything would be taken away from them? She didn't know what sort of debt her father had gotten himself into, but he had been laid off at work for six months, for crying out loud. In this economy, it was next to impossible to get work.
Gavin stood slowly, his handsome face stone-cold. "And why won't I?"
"I've seen on the news that you are looking for a juice box."
"Juice box?"
Aria shrugged. "It's what we call the girls who let you vampires suck out their blood."
Gavin's gaze swept over her body. His eyes brightened. "And?"
"And I'm AB negative. That's your favorite type, isn't it?"
"Are you suggesting that I take you on as my 'juice box' in the forgiveness of your father's debt?"
Aria shook her head. There was no way she was going to be forced to stay with this vampire for the rest of her life. "I'm suggesting that I work for you as your juice box paying off my father's debt, and once it's paid, I'm free to go."
"No." Her father jumped to his feet. "No. I'll go to jail. You can't do this, Aria."
"She can." Gavin smiled. "Your terms are acceptable. Your father may keep his house. We will discuss the finer details of our agreement once we are back at the palace." He glanced at one of the vampires. "Bring her to the limo."
"Wait." Aria drew back. "I need to pack and say goodbye."
"I will provide your necessities and you can say goodbye on your way out the door," Gavin said over his shoulder. He was already heading outside.
A vampire clamped a huge hand over Aria's arm and dragged her towards the door. She glanced back helplessly at her father. He was being held back by another vampire, worry and guilt shining from his face. For his sake, Aria made herself smile. The vampire dragged her through the front door.
"It'll be fine, Papa," she said. "I'll call you. I love you."
"I love—"
The door slammed behind them. Aria shivered. Their neighbors watched through windows, a few of them standing in doorways. She tried to wave cheerfully at them. They'd be talking about this for weeks. From two doors down, she saw a blonde rush from her home, dressed in a flimsy nightdress, her hair in two braids.
"Aria!" the blonde cried. "What's happening?"
"It's fine, Sonya," she called back. She dug her heels in to earn a few more moments to reassure her best friend. "I'll call. I promise."
The vampire picked her up, making her yelp, and carried her to the shiny black limousine that sat on the road. He stuffed her in and slammed the door after her. Aria grimaced as she straightened herself. The limo had two bench seats facing each other. She had been put on the forward-facing one, while Gavin sat opposite to her. Their knees brushed each other.
Aria fastened her seatbelt, determinedly ignoring the king. The least he could have done was give her an hour to dress. Now here she was, her bulky PJs making her plus-sized body look like a box stuffed with sausage. She was braless, which meant her boobs were flopping around with every bump they went over – not even wearing underwear. At least she had decided to actually wear PJs that night. Usually, she slept buck naked. But it had been cold lately, and she needed the extra warmth.
"Your name is Aria," Gavin said. "And you're in university?"
"Your name is Gavin and you're the freaking vampire king."
Gavin's mouth twitched. Whether he was amused or angry, she couldn't tell. "What were you in university for?"
"Marketing. Business management. Accounting." Aria slumped in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. "So I can open my own business."
He didn't reply to that, and Aria was grateful. She still hadn't figured out what kind of business she wanted. The streetlights passed one by one as they drove away from the neighborhood she had lived in since she was five years old. She and her father had moved here a year after her mother died. She knew everybody here and they knew her.
Her lip began wobbling, and she bit it hard to stop. She was not going to cry. Yeah, the situation wasn't ideal, but she had made her choice and she wasn't going to back down.
What made this worse was the many times she had fantasized about meeting a handsome, rich vampire that would sweep her off her feet and take her to his mansion to marry her. Now she was being taken to a palace by the king – and she hated it.
The thing she hated most was how attractive the bloodsucker was, though. What right did he have to be so handsome and yet so cruel?
"I'm going to drink your blood now."
Aria jumped. She pressed herself back on the supple leather seat, her heart hammering. "You're going to drink my blood?"
"Yes." Gavin stared back at her, completely calm. "I need to verify your blood type. And if this arrangement is going to work, I have to know you're willing to give me blood whenever I need it. Don't worry, all I need is a mouthful every so often. You can be my living donor and still give blood to clinics once a year."
He grinned, flashing his fangs at her. Aria swallowed hard, trying to convince herself that the twisting in her stomach was just because this was new and frightening. Not because she found the idea of him biting her exciting in any way… This was a business arrangement. No, it wasn't even that. This was her desperate attempt to keep her father out of jail. Nothing more.
Gavin slid onto the bench beside her. He reached for the first button on her top, but Arai shoved her wrist into his face. Mustering her dirtiest glare, she shook her head.
"You don't need to undress me to have a taste of my blood. You can drink from my wrist. I've seen it done on TV all the time."
Gavin scowled. "I prefer neck blood."
"You can have my neck after all the details of this arrangement are hashed out."
Gavin continued to frown for a moment, then shrugged. He grasped her wrist. Aria opened her mouth to ask if it would hurt just as he bit into her flesh. A sharp jolt of pain made her yelp, but with the first pull, she forgot all about it. A fire was lit low in her belly, shooting tingles up her spine and down her legs. Her skin tingled where his lips clamped on in. Something swelled inside of her core. With the second pull, her head fell bac
k and she moaned, desire pooling. What had she been thinking when she said he couldn’t drink from her neck? Suddenly all she wanted was for his mouth to be on her neck.
The rush of pleasure stopped, leaving her dazed and confused. Gavin wrapped a piece of gauze around her wrist and put it onto her lap.
"You are AB negative," he said, licking his lips. "I think this will work out just fine."
Aria nodded silently as he moved to the opposite side of the limo. Her heart continued to pound. What have I gotten myself into?
Chapter Two – Gavin
It was seven o'clock AM and he needed blood.
The king didn't bother knocking on the door to the apartment he'd given Aria in his palace. He expected to find her in the little breakfast nook, with a cup of coffee in hand. Maybe making breakfast on the hotplate he had installed, or rooting around the mini-fridge for some of the fruit he'd stocked it with. But she wasn't in the main room. The door to the bathroom was open. It was empty.
Maybe she was dressing? It was a little late for that, but given that it was her first day here and the interrupted sleep she had the previous night, he could overlook it.
He knocked on the door. No answer. Frowning, he knocked again. A moan came from the other side. A deep, throaty moan. The kind that women made when a man was between their legs. Hot, irrational anger filled his chest. She was his! Any vampire who dared come into her chambers and into her bed had to be punished swiftly.
Gavin kicked down the door. He charged in, searching for the vampire who dared take what was his. Aria was on the bed, alone. She gasped and flailed, head jerking up from the pillow. In a tangle of limbs and blankets, she fell off the bed. She hit the floor hard and stared up at him, mouth agape.
"What the heck, man?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes before glaring at him. "I was sleeping!"