Bonds of Blood [Lords of the Expanse] (Siren Publishing Classic) (25 page)

She looked around the open and spacious room and one word said it all. “Wow.” It wasn’t like her familial home, a dark and dank castle. No, this place was a castle, but it was more of a home. It was light and airy and perfect.

As she entered, she could smell the beeswax on the woodwork and smiled. “I love it, Andries.” Turning too quickly, she began to lose her balance and reached out for him even as he grabbed her, making her laugh. “Right, note to self, we aren’t all that balance friendly.”

“One would think you’d have realized that already, my love,” he told her as he pulled her close to him. Once she had her balance back, he loosened his hold a little. “Are you all right, my sweet?” he asked her gently.

“Right as rain.” Looking around, Xandra frowned. “Where is the staff, Andries? I had thought I would get to meet them when we came in. I know that at my father’s…” She swallowed. “Well, he would have had them all killed and be searching for new ones,” she told him honestly.

“They are likely attending to their jobs, but I am sure that we can find a few to introduce you to, my love,” he told her with a smile. “Why don’t we go through the house, and if we come across any, we will meet them, and later, when you are feeling more yourself, we can meet the rest.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” She felt the pain in her back and hated it. “I would like to find a way to take a nap before dinner, if you don’t mind,” she said with a smile. “My back hurts,” she admitted. She knew it was nowhere near close to time for their children to be born, so that wasn’t her concern. “I just need a nap I think.” And their children craved blood, their father’s blood.

“Then let us head up for a nap my love,” he told her quietly. Stroking his hand over her cheek, he turned her gently toward the stairs. “Come along, my love,” he suggested, his hand settling at her back and the other took one of hers to keep her balanced.

She moved with him toward the stairs and yawned. “I think the little run that I did from the shuttle to throw up in the bushes pulled something in my back. Can I get you to rub it for me?”

“You know you only have to ask,” he told her as he helped her to climb the stairs. “Nice and slow, my love,” he said gently as he took the brunt of her weight. “Your balance is not good at all, is it, love?” he asked in concern, knowing he’d have to make sure to be with her at all times while they were at home or have one of his men close at hand just in case.

“Nope, balance is shot like nothing else.” Once they reached the top of the stairs, she grinned. “I think it’s because there is so much of them and not enough of me to balance it all out.”

“You are rather petite,” Andries commented as he led her down the long hall and then pushed open the doors to their master rooms. “Here you are, my lady. I hope that you approve of the decor. If not, feel free to do as you wish,” he said quietly. But he didn’t lead her toward the bed. He took her toward an adjoining door and, with a half smile full of secrets, he opened the door to the nursery he’d had put in just for her.

When he opened the door to the nursery, she was about to say something, but as soon as that door was opened and she saw the twin cribs, she felt like falling, and not because of balance either. “Andries?” She walked forward, a hand touching first one crib, then the other. “They are connected.” She grinned, “How clever are you?” The cribs looked separate, but in reality were one large crib. “You know he won’t sleep without her close, don’t you? He’s watching over her now and he likely will for the rest of their lives.” Oh, that was going to be fun times. She could almost see it now.

Following after her, he kept his eyes on her face. “Then you approve?” he asked softly. “I should have asked you before I gave the instructions for the room, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you,” he revealed, feeling mildly uncomfortable.

She turned and looked at him before falling into his arms. “I love you, Andries. “You make me so happy.” She laughed and then looked up. “I love it, Andries. You made me so pleased with all of this.” She turned once more. “So they all know?” Obviously. “Is it going to be all right?”

Hugging her close, he released the breath he’d been holding and nodded. “Yes, love, they all know, and yes, it will be all right.” One way or another, Andries was going to ensure that the Alliance knew the folly of ever coming for his wife or children. And he’d make sure that they never, ever forgot that he was a Vampire warlord of the highest ranks for a very good reason. Kissing her cheek softly, he nipped at her skin. “Come, my love, you need to rest, Xandra. You can come and poke around later to ensure that I haven’t forgotten anything for our children.”

“Will you talk to them while I sleep?” she asked quietly, hearing their daughter’s soft request. “Your daughter wants to hear the next installment of…” She frowned and shook her head. “Are you telling our children a battle story?”

“Maybe,” he predicated as he guided her toward the bed. He’d need to discuss keeping such things from their mother. “I will talk to them though,” he promised as he undid the ties at her back so she could slip out of the gown she wore even as he moved to strip down.

Each movement seemed to be a reminder of just how tired she was, and she was soon curled in the middle of his massive bed, and lying on her side toward him, she smiled. “I love you, Andries.” She touched her belly. “And I love the two of you as well. Be good for Daddy,” she whispered as her eyes lowered and then breathing evened out.

Moving into the bed, he curled up with her, his head on his arm as he curled close to her belly. When he was sure that she was asleep, he first told his children to keep such things as the stories Daddy shared between them three, that such stories worried Mommy. Then, when he got a kick from one child, he started to continue with the story he’d been creating for them, his hand gently stroking over his wife’s belly.

She was two long weeks from delivery and everyone around them was driving her nuts. She couldn’t move without there being someone right there at each side of her or behind her. Granted, she was fine when it was Andries, but this last week having anyone but him touch her put her into a temper faster than anything.

“Don’t touch me,” she growled with more than a little heat when one of the guards reached out to steady her and keep her from falling. She knew that he wasn’t going to hurt her, but the touch of another male especially sent her whole body into pain. “Where is he?” She couldn’t ingest real food, only his blood, and now, now this? She was going to likely kill her husband when she found him.

Following the man’s finger where he pointed, she ignored the smirk of laughter and took off marching. Well, marching would be too flowing a word for the waddle she effectively pulled off.

Stopping before Andries in the middle of the practice field, she shouted, hands on her hips, “What do you mean ‘she is to remain in bed’? Are you serious? You expect me to spend the next two weeks in bed on bed rest? Andries, I think you have lost your ever-loving mind!”

Signaling to the men he was working out with, Andries took the towel from one of them as he headed toward his wife, who appeared to be fuming. “You are in the last two weeks of your pregnancy, with twins, my love. All females take to bed for the last two weeks, and they only have single babies,” he said softly, his calm in direct contrast to her obvious anger. “You will not be able to eat, your blood intake will nearly triple, and you’ll be even more unsteady than you are now. You will need to conserve your energy for the birth, which will likely be early if having twins here is anything like on your world.”

She went to stomp her foot in frustration and lost her balance, a pair of hands reaching out to steady her, and she thanked the young man before shouting at Andries, “Don’t touch me! You did this. I can’t stand for anyone but you to touch me right now. It hurts. That’s your fault. It has to be.” And then she did the only other thing she seemed to be good for and began to cry.

Waving his men away, he stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing at her back as she buried her face against his chest. “I know, love. It’s the sensitivity from the additional blood intake,” he told her gently as he rocked them back and forth slightly. “Wrap your arms around my neck and I will take you inside. We will have a bath with those bubbles of yours and then we will lie together and you can tell me what our children have been discussing this day.”

Which only made her cry harder. “They aren’t talking!” She wailed pitifully. Later she would likely look back on her behavior and want to smack herself, but right now all she could think of was how much it hurt, the silence of her too-talkative children, and how just everything hurt. People touching her, her own hands touching her, everything. “Talk to them first, Andries. Tell them their mommy’s worried because they won’t listen to me,” she grumbled.

“Wrap your arms around me, baby, and let’s get you comfortable,” he said softly, determined to get her to bed. He had a bad feeling that she was going into labor and he wanted her inside and safe before it began. “Come on, my love. Once you are lying down, I can talk to them and touch you at the same time. I can’t do that out here with all the men watching over us. Do you want them to see what we do behind closed doors?” he asked softly, playing on her current need to avoid the others’ touch and to stay away from what annoyed her.

“I don’t care who sees,” she shouted and wrapped her arms around his neck anyway. She missed the looks that several of his men cast to each other or the more telling one of the major, who ran for the house before them. “I just wanna go home, have bubbles, and you will make them talk to me again?” She had spent four months trying to curb the enthusiasm of her children as they spoke, and now that they were silent, she wanted them to be loud again.

Picking her up into his arms, he carried her toward the house slowly. “I will, love. I promise,” he said softly to her. Kissing her neck as she curled herself into him, he rubbed his cheek to her hair and nodded to the men who held the door open for him. Moving swiftly up the stairs, he carried her to their room and to the bathing chamber where her bath was already waiting for them.

“It’s just not fair,” she grumbled and complained. “It’s not fair, Andries. I don’t want them to be born yet, but I don’t want them to be quiet yet and I don’t…” She paused and frowned as a pain raced over her body and then felt her water break and felt it coating her thighs under her clothes. Panic set in and she shook her head. “No, no, no, no.” She backed away slightly. “No, Andries, it’s not time for our babies,” she whispered.

Catching her when she tilted, he wrapped his arm around her as he began to undo her dress. “It is time, my love,” he told her gently as he let her gown drop to the floor. Moving her toward the bath, he lifted her up and let her slide down before moving quickly to strip. Sliding into the water behind her, he wrapped his hands around her belly as he drew her back. “Just relax, love. We have a lot of time yet,” he told her softly, his lips to her neck.

“Two more weeks, we have two more weeks, Andries.” She argued, “You promised. You said that I got to carry them for four months. It’s not four full months yet.” She didn’t realize how annoying she was being, but panic and fear were beating her up at the thought of no longer being able to protect their children.

“And you are carrying twins, my love,” he said softly, determined to remain calm for her. She needed him to be her rock for this. Lifting a hand up under her hair, he gently twisted it and then pinned it in place with one of the odd ties she had lying all about. Dropping his hands, he put one to her neck and began to massage and the other moved to her belly. “It stands to reason that, just as it is with your world, you would deliver them a little ahead of schedule, my sweet.”

“No, you need to put your foot down, Andries,” she grumbled even as another pain swamped her. “Be a firm daddy and tell them that they aren’t allowed to be born yet,” she grumbled and bit her lip once more. “Oh god, it hurts.” This was followed by, “Why is it that making them feels so good, but this part hurts so bad?”

“I don’t think I’m going to answer that last one on the basis that we are much too close and much too naked at the moment for me to get away without damage,” he said to her as he nipped at her cheek gently. “They will be born when they want to be, as is with any child. They come on their schedule and to hell with the world.”

“These kids are so grounded,” she grumbled, followed by a scream that tore through the air as the true pain began.

Four hours later and after a very long litany of his faults, the basic problems with men in general, and a detailed listing of all his wife was going to reap upon his head, Andries was still holding Xandra as she came down from the latest of contractions. Picking up the cool cloth, he gently wiped at her brow, cheeks, and neck as he murmured softly to her. The midwife was there, her face filled with amusement as she listened to Xandra’s rather graphic telling of what she’d do to him if he ever thought to touch her again.

Xandra bit down as another contraction seemed to steamroll through her. Doing as the midwife said, she started to push. Holding his hands as she screamed through her pushing, she felt as if her insides were being torn out and handed to her on a silver platter.

One push down and who knew how many to go as she lay back and simply tried to stay conscious from the birthing.

Another contraction, pushing more. It seemed to go on forever, in her mind’s eye, until finally she felt a release inside and the whoosh of fluid as her son came into the world screaming.

Pressing a kiss to her cheek, Andries watched as the midwife lifted his son and, cleaning off his face, set him on his mother’s belly. “He’s perfect, Xandra,” he whispered in her ear with a smile as he hugged her gently, the female moving the babe to a blanket to keep him warm.

Xandra touched her son with a shaky hand and laughed. “Hello, little mister,” she whispered softly as she took in the perfection of her son, their son. “He looks just like his daddy.” She grinned and then laughed as the little boy scrunched up his face and let out a howl of outrage that shook the proverbial rafters. “Sounds like him too when he’s hungry.” She laughed and looked up at Andries proudly. “Take him and show him off, Andries.” She touched her husband’s cheek. “I have a feeling our daughter will be the shy one and take her time.”