Inhaling the omega’s aroma and hearing every thump of his heart had roused something in the alpha he thought had been squelched when he’d been turned. He wanted to share a glass of wine with Declan, laugh over a silly joke, enjoy a swim in the lake and… How can that be?
Alexander pressed his palms into the now-mangled leather covering the steering wheel. It was more than being intrigued by Declan. It was the blood lust that reared its head when he came in contact with humans. But it was something else as well. Could it be the emotion… the… force… no, the drive… that gave humans a reason to live and which they often fought and died for?
His scrambled thoughts couldn’t distinguish between his longing for blood and another type of lust. If he didn’t know it was impossible, he’d have thought Victor put a spell on him with his talk of desire.
The alpha sat unmoving until his phone beeped. Glancing at the screen, he scanned a message from Ambrose and then ignored it as the device vibrated on the passenger seat.
He rested his forehead on the steering wheel before pounding it with his fist. “I don’t believe it. That can’t be right.” Is that why I didn’t turn his mate? Did I want Declan for myself?
He rewound his memories to the day of Ian’s death and rifled through them. They were a tangled mess of the omega’s screams, the thumping of Alexander’s hands on the alpha’s chest and overpowering human scents. The living, the dying and the newly created.
As life continued around him on the street, the alpha methodically worked his way through the arguments on both sides.
He’d obeyed the law, but rules could be broken.
His actions adhered to his own beliefs and standards. But was it enough?
The CPR he’d performed on Ian was textbook, though his extraordinary strength may have broken a few ribs.
His actions were based on logic, not emotion. But real life was messy and not everything could be reasoned.
I did right by the law, by me, Ian, Declan and the baby.
Alexander put a hand over the space where his heart lay silent and shriveled. Where once there would have been adrenaline pulsing through his veins, now those seams lay empty, waiting until his next feed.
Instead, there were ear-splitting beeps from the phone, and constant murmuring and rustling from the surrounding crowd that had his ears tingling. “Stop that noise! I can’t think.”
The swearing, squealing of tires and slamming of doors faded, and the alpha gazed at a scene that reminded him of a still-life painting. “That’s it.” He leapt onto the seat and raised his arms to the sun, much as Declan had done the day his mate died.
Mutters from the audience gathered on the sidewalk swirled around him. “That vampire is losing his fucking marbles.” “Should we report him?” “Has he been bitten by a rabid wolf?” “Isn’t that Alexander Fletcher?” “Wait until Ambrose hears about this.”
The alpha stared into the sun while sorting out his thoughts. Declan had been bound to his alpha and while the life was draining from Ian, the vampire had thought only of the omega, his mate and the baby. There was no me in the equation.
So, why did he feel differently now? Jumping onto the hood, he paced back and forth over the yellow metal, and each noisy footstep echoed around the intersection. “Because…” he yelled, “…Declan was not the same person then as he is now.” He punched the air. “We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.”
People around him exhaled and clapped. Some whistled, while others yelled, “Perfect. He’s just crazy!”
The alpha threw himself behind the wheel as a weight lifted from his shoulders. Declan and his alpha were bonded mates when he met them. Only death could break them apart. The omega’s outlook, personality and even his aroma were different on that day. The bond was severed after Ian died, and Declan’s experiences since then had changed him.
As he put Sunshine in drive, he was struck by that ass Victor being more attuned to his emotions than he was, though it wasn’t surprising. The omega had lusted after Ambrose for years—long before Alexander became a vampire—and never received anything in return apart from the occasional fuck.
The alpha’s hand froze on the shift stick. He didn’t want a fuck buddy. The ecstasy that had swamped him moments earlier vanished. He nibbled on a nail while the phone hummed beside him.
Being an alpha and a vampire, he could easily overpower a human omega and take him to bed. It was ugly and vicious, and there were those in the community who observed the practice, believing vampires were owed something in return for their lost mortality. But he couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to Declan.
In his search for something that would fill the emptiness inside him, the alpha had slept with human omegas. The element of danger was an aphrodisiac for them and intoxicating for him. One slip, and his partner was either one of the undead or just dead. And while he was disciplined and fed before sex, there was always a chance he would lose control and sink his teeth into his lover.
While it was not illegal to be intimate with a mortal, it was frowned upon and most vampire alphas did it in secret. And though Alexander didn’t flaunt his behavior, he made no effort to keep it hidden, so his name and antics were bandied about in chat rooms and on gossip blogs.
Disasters did happen, though thankfully not to him as yet. While wealthy vampires hushed up most accidental transformations or deaths with bribes, the less well-connected paid for their mistakes—sometimes with their lives.
Sadness leaked from every pore as he made the only decision open to him. He had to ignore the omega after the baby’s birth. Declan would go on with his life, bond with a human alpha and rediscover happiness. Even friendship between the two was out of the question. He’s grieving, pregnant and he hates me. Three strikes and I’m out.
The alpha glanced up and frowned as he focused on a huge black gate with red iron roses interwoven between the metal bars. He had no memory of driving from the intersection but he tapped in the code and drove inside the gated community where most of the city’s vampires lived. While they were free to reside with the greater population, most preferred to be with their own kind.
Ambrose, Alexander’s older, alpha half-brother, was coven leader and a member of the vampire council. One included all vampires in the county while the other was a law-making body with authority over both humans and the undead. Unlike the old—usually false—myths and legends, the vampires didn’t have fangs or very pale skin and weren’t haunted by daylight or vials of holy water.
They had heightened senses so they could hear, smell and see things long before humans, though their taste for anything except blood died along with their beating heart. And while they didn’t sleep, Alexander enjoyed climbing into bed at night—when he wasn’t outside Declan’s house—as he mentally prepared for the following day.
Not bothering with the doorbell, the alpha wandered through the house onto the back terrace. Ambrose Fletcher was the county’s chief judge. As a prominent defense lawyer, Alexander often appeared in court arguing a case before his half-brother, and the relationship between the pair was a constant source of tension.
There were those who assumed the judge’s rulings favored his sibling, but anyone who had witnessed fiery clashes between the defense attorney and his brother were under no allusion. Alexander had been thrown into a holding cell many times after Ambrose cited him for contempt.
Ambrose’s sprawling two-story house was the largest in the neighborhood, with six bedrooms, a screening room, reception room, bar, library, wine cellar, pool, and an extensive garden, plus a guest house. It backed onto a hillside and had commanding views over the city, reminding Alexander of an ancient fortress.
The younger alpha leaned against the doorframe and observed his sibling in a steaming hot tub. Ambrose was thirty when he’d been turned but had already sported a head of striking salt and pepper hair. It gave him a distinguished air, along with bushy eyebrows and an aquiline nose. A sheaf of documents and a glass of brandy sat beside him as
he puffed on a cigar, and the smoke mingled with the steam. An alcoholic buzz is the only thing he misses about his former life.
“Come closer, Alexander. I won’t bite.” A sly grin slid over the older alpha’s face.
Alexander sighed. “Everyone’s a comedian today—or thinks they are.” He got on tiptoes and peered into the churning water.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for Victor. ”
“You’re disgusting. Your mother should have disciplined you more as a child.”
The younger alpha stiffened. “Do not speak about my mom. She raised you after our father died.”
Ignoring his visitor’s scathing tone, Ambrose remarked, “I hear you and Victor had an argument.”
“So, he has been here.” Alexander screwed up his face.
“Enough!” Ambrose slammed his fist into the water. “What’s this I hear about you salivating over a human?”
“I’m sure your little lapdog shared all the gory details. But he’s either been lying or shirking in his reporting. I’ve been looking out for the omega for months, and Victor said you were concerned.”
Ambrose shrugged. “He mentioned it, but I had more important things to deal with than your infatuation.”
“It’s not…”
The older man held up his hand and silenced Alexander. “Once your little omega friend has had the baby, you can turn him. Then neither of you will be alone.”
“Seriously?” The younger alpha dug his nails into his palm. “I know you flaunt the law, but suggesting I do something which could see me banished from the community or sentenced to death is outrageous. Is it your intention to get rid of me? Are you and Victor in it together?”
“Stop being dramatic. You’d get a slap on the wrist at best. Now I’m bored.” Ambrose yawned and waved a hand distractedly as he slipped on a robe.
Alexander glared at his brother and strode toward the front door.
“I have a case for you.”
“Forget it. I’m not going to ruin my reputation so I can get one of your mortal buddies off a drunk-driving charge or soliciting a hooker.”
“Officially, the county has no prostitution. And when did you become so prudish?”
“Compared to you I’m a saint.”
Ambrose handed papers to his sibling. “He’s a teenager and a vampire.”
The words ‘teenager’ and ‘vampire’ caught the younger brother’s attention. It was against the law to turn a human before the age of twenty-one.
“He made a stupid mistake. Read the case file. If you don’t want to do it, fine. It’s not that important.”
“You owe me if I decide to take it.”
“Of course, brother dear.”
Ambrose’s tight-lipped smile had a sense of uneasiness gnawing at Alexander’s belly.
“I’m not finished.”
Glancing over his shoulder, the younger alpha replied, “Now what?”
“I’ve heard some disturbing rumors.”
“Let me guess. I smoke too much and drive too fast.”
“Not everything is about you, Alexander.” Ambrose sprinkled food into a tank containing brightly-colored tropical fish. “This is regarding babies. Human babies.”
Alexander froze and swung around to face his sibling. “What about them?”
“Someone’s kidnapping them.”
The hairs on the back of Alexander’s neck stood up. “And… and doing what?”
“Selling their blood.”
Newborn humans had pure, untainted blood which was highly sought after. In the past, vampires had fought wars over it but the council had clamped down on the practice decades before Ambrose and Alexander were transformed. Any vampire who drank baby’s blood would be hauled before the council and punished.
Alexander’s thoughts immediately turned to Declan. His baby was due next month and he lived alone. He hardly dared ask the next question. “And then?”
“Nothing as yet. Presumably the little ones are being kept alive as the omega fathers are taken as well. I’m assuming so the babies can suckle.” He pursed his lips as if tasting something unpleasant.
“No!” Alexander leaned against a wall and closed his eyes, his lips set in a harsh line. He had to restrain himself from swooping over to Declan’s house and carrying him off to a remote cave.
“The black-market rate for babies’ blood is astronomical. My guess is they want to milk them in rotation. Why kill them and then have to find another source?”
Alexander’s body stiffened at his brother’s clinical description. The coven leader had little or no experience with children and cared for his precious fish more than any mortal child. He’d ignored Alexander until his younger sibling was in his late teens.
“Victor and his associates are investigating.”
Alexander experienced a sinking feeling in his stomach. “That does not give me hope. Victor couldn’t find his own ass even with someone pointing out, ‘It’s behind you.’” The younger alpha stared at the majestic trees creating shade in Ambrose’s garden and wondered when life had become so complicated.
“Your friend is safe until after the birth. Do not do anything rash, Alexander.”
“What makes you think I would?”
“I watched you grow up and your mother encouraged your flights of fancy.”
“Stop…” A fury ignited inside the younger vampire and he was close to punching his sibling.
As if sensing his brother’s outrage, Ambrose raised a hand. “Let’s call a truce.”
His sibling shrugged. “Whatever. “What information are you giving parents of newborn babies?”
The head of the coven harrumphed. “Nothing. I’m not about to start a panic. If I admit to this failure, mortals will think we’re losing our grip and then where would we be?”
“Run out of town? Overthrown? Put on trial? Burnt until our bodies become white ash?”
“We keep watch over these fragile humans because if we didn’t, they would destroy not only themselves, but also the planet.”
“Says the man who enforces the law in public while skirting and thumbing his nose at it in private.”
“Stop being naive, Alexander. Those of us with money and power and the strength to retain both are allowed some leeway when it comes to leisure pursuits. Life would be so tedious without a little fun. You could do with some perking up.”
“This is criminal.” The younger alpha slammed his fist on an antique table and it splintered, collapsing in a pile of jagged pieces and sawdust. “You’re going to let more babies be taken, drained of blood and possibly worse and not say anything? You should place guards at hospitals, child-care centers and playgrounds. Open up emergency shelters for babies and their parents as you do when there are fires or floods.”
“Your emotions are so human. Have you learnt nothing in the intervening years since you were turned?”
“I defend mortals every day in court and witness their frailties up close.”
“Then you agree they cannot be allowed to police themselves.”
“It’s called democracy, Ambrose. They won’t always put up with us lording it over them.”
“And how exactly do you think they’ll overpower us, a race superior to theirs in every respect?”
“Mighty men and women who turned their backs on the masses have been kneecapped eventually. Civilizations rise and fall just as ours will.”
“And you’ll be there cheering them on. You’re part of the system, Alexander, so it’s hypocritical to condemn it.”
“Change is easier from the inside.”
“Be careful with that talk, little brother. You may find yourself in violation of our laws.” He lowered his voice and muttered, “Though there are vampires who also struggle with and push back against our rules.”
But Alexander was already in the car roaring toward a house on the far side of the gated community. His thoughts were in turmoil as he contemplated the threat to Declan and his baby.
>
Four
Declan
Dressed in a pair of dark, tailored trousers and an oversized navy and white shirt, Declan strode into the court room. It wasn’t often he had to testify regarding a former client, but he’d been called as a witness in a case of tax evasion.
He was early, but he was listed as the trial’s first witness, so wanted to be seated in plenty of time. Besides, there were butterflies in his belly as he clutched a briefcase in one hand and selected a seat in the front row. When he was called to the witness box, he didn’t want his big belly bumping the backs of people’s heads or forcing anyone to stare at his ass as he shoved his way to the aisle.
The omega ignored the two lawyers wearing black robes with white lace collars who were standing at the front of the courtroom. They spoke in low voices to the judge, whose silver and purple cloak gave him a commanding presence while presiding over the court from his high bench.
The two men and one woman appeared to be arguing points of law and their droning voices faded into the background as Declan closed his eyes and took deep breaths to soothe his jangling nerves. He pinched the bridge of his nose and wiped clammy fingers on his shirt.
The scent of vampires was overwhelming, and Declan covered his mouth and nose. Everyone, other than the onlookers, was a vampire. In this county, the entire law enforcement and legal community were undead. Judges, lawyers, stenographers, paralegals, even the courtroom guards were no longer mortal, though only alphas were considered for the first two positions. Based on the odor wafting from the table in front of him, the current defendant was also a vampire.
Two hundred years ago, vampires had surrounded a village. Tired of living in the shadows and having little purpose while staring down immortality, they had wanted to put down roots and live as a community, but on their own terms.
The Alpha Vampire's Proposal: An Mpreg Paranormal Romance (Flickering Shadows Book 1) Page 3