The Rise of Vlad (The Seeker Series Book 3) (14 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Vlad crushed his mouth to Nita’s, desperate to taste the truth on her lips. She loved him. If Vlad lived another six hundred years, he would never forget the feeling that swelled up inside his chest at hearing those three words come from her beautiful mouth.

He broke off the kiss. “Are you sure?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “You better be, because I can never let you go now. You’re a part of me, my love, my heart…my mate.”

Nita lifted up onto her knees and gripped the base of his cock. “More sure than I’ve ever been in my life.” She eased down onto his oversensitive tip.

Vlad hissed from the feel of her hot, wet heat enveloping him. Nothing in his long life could ever compare to being inside Nita.

She seated herself onto his great length and cupped his face in her small hands. “Fuck me.”

Nita’s words triggered the beast inside Vlad. His fangs shot down, and he thrust, burying himself impossibly deep inside her tight pussy.

She cried out but didn’t pull back. Her hips rotated above him, taking every inch he gave her. “Bite me!”

Vlad struck. He didn’t think, didn’t need to. Nita had offered him the greatest gift of all, and he’d be damned if he would turn it away.

The taste of her blood on his tongue, her pussy gripping his cock, and those three words,
I love you
, playing in his head like a mantra brought on an orgasm he was powerless to stop.

Vlad exploded inside her, his hips jerking in short, quick bursts of ecstasy that went on forever.

He couldn’t seem to remove his mouth from her throat. He continued to feed as his seed forcefully left his body in a release that damn near crippled him.

Nita shuddered above him, a cry bursting from her lips. Her sweet sex contracted around him, milking him of everything he had.

Long moments passed before Vlad stopped trembling. He retracted his fangs from her neck and pulled her tightly against him. “My God.”

“Not God,” Nita teased. “Nita. Say it.”

He would have laughed if he could. “Nita.”

“That’s better.” She leaned in and rested her forehead against his. “What happens now?”

Vlad glanced at the window. The sun would begin its ascent in a matter of minutes. “We have much to discuss, my love. But I fear I will be asleep shortly. I have mere minutes before the sun comes up.”

Nita sighed before gingerly climbing from his lap. She padded naked to the window and pulled the blackouts closed. “Then I’ll sleep with you.”

“Nothing would make me happier.”

Vlad crawled into bed and held the covers back for Nita, turning to face her as she snuggled against him. “If you can’t sleep, I only ask that you do not leave the castle walls before I wake.”

Nita nodded. “I have all that I need right here.”

“Good to know,” Vlad murmured, feeling the pull of sleep at the edge of his conscious.

“I will need to figure out what I’m going to do at some point. “I am still the leader of the Kiana.”

Vlad tugged her into his arms. “Your place is by my side.”

Nita pulled back enough to look into his pale blue eyes. “But I can’t just abandon my people, Vlad. I’m their alpha.”

“And you’re my mate.”

“I can’t be both?” Nita whispered, uncertainty obvious in her voice.

Vlad traced her beautiful face with his index finger. “The Kiana that stood with you last night will continue to stand by you, no matter what you decide.”

“And the vampires?” she tentatively asked. “Will they accept me?”

“They will or they’ll die.” Vlad had never been more serious about anything. He would destroy anyone who dared to harm his Nita. Whether it be physical or emotional.

Sounds from downstairs began to quiet as the vampires readied themselves for sleep.

“The Shaman and my mother will make sure my men do not wreak havoc upon your home if they awaken to find themselves in a nest of vampires,” Nita assured him.

Vlad grinned. “Mordecai has drugged your injured. They won’t be waking anytime soon.”

“Looks like you’ve thought of everything,” Nita remarked, returning his smile.

“The difficult part is yet to come.” Vlad propped his head on his hand to peer down at her, all traces of humor gone. “Vampires are not known for accepting change. Presenting them with a shifter as my mate is not going to go over very well.”

“What are you going to do?”

Vlad shrugged. “Call everyone together. Your people and mine. Show them that you are not the enemy. Give them a chance to either accept you or leave this territory peacefully. I will not tolerate any disrespect toward my mate. No matter who it’s from.”

“And if they refuse to do either of those things?”

“As I said before,” Vlad reiterated, “they will die.”

Nita leaned up and pressed her soft lips to his, bringing life back to Vlad’s now softening erection.

He marveled at his ability to become hard once more, so close to the sun’s ascent. Yet nothing should surprise him when it came to Nita’s effect on him. “I want you again.”

Her lips twitched. She reached beneath the covers to grip his throbbing cock. “The sun isn’t the only thing rising.”

“I love you,” Vlad softly confessed, sleep pulling him under.

“I love you too, my Impaler.”

Nita’s whispered words wrapped around him in a gentle caress, filling his heart with emotion and his soul with peace.

Vlad thought about his future as he slipped deeper into his coma-like state. A future with Nita and the children she would bear him.

Half vampire, half shifter, their offspring would possess the traits of both species. He wondered if they would have Nita’s amber eyes or his pale blue ones. Perhaps their eyes would be onyx, the way he’d witnessed Nita’s after she’d taken his blood. It didn’t matter. Life as Vlad knew it had changed. His future, always unknown, suddenly held a purpose.

A sigh escaped him as he embraced the darkness with the feel of his shifter in his arms.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nita watched Vlad’s eyes close and his breathing grow even. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep.

She reached up and brushed his hair back, allowing her fingers to linger on his face.

How had she come to fall in love with the one creature she’d been taught to hate since birth? But love him she did. More than she ever imagined she could love another.

She lay down beside him and closed her own eyes. She wanted to sleep next to him, to share in everything that made up who he was.

Heat began to envelope Nita’s body. A sensation of falling overtook her, yet she was powerless to stop it. The room spun around her until nothing could be seen but a swirl of lights.

“Come to me,” Vlad’s voice called from the chaos.

His handsome face suddenly appeared, strong and confident to calm the panic hammering away inside her.

A giant throne rose up from the midst now surrounding her. And in its confines sat her Impaler, strong and larger than life.

On his right side stood a girl, the most beautiful girl Nita had ever seen, with eyes as bright as the sun.

An incredibly handsome man stood on Vlad’s left, tall and powerful, wearing a crown adorned with brilliant jewels.

“Come to me,” Vlad beckoned again, his eyes swimming with love.

Nita inched closer, her hand outstretched toward his.

Armies of bodies appeared at the foot of the throne, their backs toward her. They stood as one, parting to allow her to pass.

Nita reached the throne and took hold of Vlad’s hand, unable to look away from his beautiful eyes.

Without a word, Vlad slowly turned her to face the enormous crowd gathered below, and Nita’s breath caught.

Shifters and vampires stood shoulder to shoulder to form a line stretching as far as the eye could see.

As if one, they knelt, their heads bowed in a show of respect.

One word passed through Nita’s mind as she glanced around at the army before her…
Home.

* * * *

Nita awoke to the smell of bacon. She rolled toward Vlad only to find him gone.

“I thought you might be hungry.”

She scanned the room to find Vlad seated near the window in the recliner they’d made love in. She sat up in bed. “How long have you been up?”

Vlad stood and sauntered across the room to sit next to her on the bed. “You’ve been asleep for a couple of days.”

“What?” Nita threw back the covers and moved to get up.

“You eat first,” Vlad gently scolded, pushing her back against the pillows. “The changes to your body have taken a lot out of you.”

He sat the tray of food on her lap and lifted the lid.

Nita’s stomach lurched. She flew from the bed and staggered to the bathroom, dropping to her knees in front of the toilet.

She heaved for several minutes, but nothing came up.

Vlad appeared behind her and handed her a washcloth. “I’m afraid it’s the vampire blood in your veins. I sent for Christof after you didn’t awaken last night. He’s downstairs. Would you mind allowing him to have a look at you?”

“Who is Christof?” Nita questioned, standing to brush her teeth.

Vlad handed her an unopened toothbrush. “He was a doctor in the nineteenth century, before Gina Calimari became infatuated with him and turned him against his will.”

“How awful.” Nita finished brushing her teeth and laid the toothbrush on the side of the sink before turning to face Vlad. “I don’t need a doctor.”

“It would make me feel better,” Vlad admitted, following her back to the bedroom. “What could it hurt?”

Climbing back beneath the covers, Nita stared up into Vlad’s worried eyes. “Fine,” she smiled, softening her gaze. “But if he tells me that I’m going to sprout fangs, we have a problem.”

Vlad’s lips twitched. “There’s nothing sexier than a shifter with fangs.”

A knock sounded on the door. Vlad opened it and took a step back. He waved toward the bed. “Christof, this is Nita.”

A tall, skinny, pale-skinned blond stepped into the room. His blue eyes were friendly, and a crease rested next to his mouth, telling Nita that he smiled a lot.

Christof nodded, a twinkle in his eyes. “It’s a nice to meet you, Nita. Mind if I sit?”

Nita slid her legs out of the way to make room for the skinny doctor. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Listen, I honestly feel fine.”

“Then this shouldn’t take long. I’ll just have a look at you and be on my way.”

With a sigh of surrender, Nita lay completely still while the doctor opened the black bag he’d carried inside and began poking and prodding.

Just when she thought she could stand it no longer, he replaced his instruments and stood. “She’s perfectly healthy. I’m guessing it’s the large amount of vampire blood in her system. The effects of it should wear off soon.”

“But I ate pasta when we returned home a few nights ago,” Nita pointed out. “And it didn’t make me sick.”

The doctor sent her a gentle smile. “I imagine it’s the pasta that’s got your stomach upset. Try some rare steak. That should help settle things down.”

Nita sat up straighter in bed. “How long will the nausea last?”

“I’m not certain,” the doctor informed her. “I’ve never met a shifter. And certainly not one with vampire blood in her veins.”

“We’ll try the steak.” Vlad intervened, showing Christof to the door. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”

“You destroyed Gina,” Christof explained. “I owe you everything.”

Vlad shook his head. “You owe me nothing. I should have killed her long ago.”

“Have a pleasant evening.” The doctor blurred toward the stairs, disappearing faster than Nita could track.

“Damn, he’s fast,” she muttered, snatching up the clothes Ember had left for her.

Vlad laughed. “The skinny ones usually are.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Vlad watched with hooded eyes as Nita dressed in her borrowed clothes. He wanted nothing more than to rip them off and bury his face in the juncture of her thighs.

“Stop staring at me like that,” she teased, pulling on her boots.

“Like what?”

“As if I were a steak.”

He drifted closer. “I don’t want steak.”

Nita slowed her movements, her gaze dropping to his mouth. “Then what do you want?”

“You.”

“Now?” Nita breathed, her hands going still.

Vlad slowly nodded. “I always want you. But unfortunately, we have a meeting to attend.”

Nita’s eyebrows shot up. “A meeting?”

Offering her a hand, Vlad pulled her to her feet. “I have asked your Shaman to bring your people to the council meeting I’m holding tonight. They are to meet us there in half an hour.”

“And the vampires?” Nita asked in a quiet voice.

“Will be in attendance as well.”

The brave face she put on filled Vlad’s heart with another round of pride. Damn, he loved her.

He plucked his cloak from the back of the door and put it on, securing the hood over his head. “Are you ready?”

Nita looped her arm through his. “As I’ll ever be.”

Vlad escorted her down the stairs and into the foyer where several anxious faces awaited.

Even the previously injured shifters stood idly by. They lowered their heads in honor as Nita stepped into the room.

“I’m grateful for your allegiance.” Nita praised them, moving to touch each one on the shoulder. “I will not forget your loyalty. Ever.”

Vlad waited until Nita finished speaking before ushering everyone outside to the vehicles lined up in the drive.

He opened the door to an SUV and helped Nita inside.

“What about Lucius?” Nita inquired, glancing back at the others now filing into available cars.

Vlad shut her door and blurred around the SUV to climb behind the wheel. “He’s staying here with your mother and Mordecai.”

Nita grinned. “Something is going on between those two. I can see it.”

“I believe she stayed in his room last night.”

“What?” Nita’s eyes sparkled with humor. “Aren’t they a bit old to be fraternizing behind closed doors?”

“One is never too old to love,” Vlad confessed, putting the vehicle into gear and driving toward the main road.

Nita reached across the seats and laid her hand over his. “I’ll still love you when I’m old.”

“You won’t grow old.” Vlad glanced in her direction to see how she reacted to that bit of news.

Her mouth hung open in surprise. “Never?”

“Never,” Vlad assured her, loving that he would have her for centuries to come.

Nita turned in her seat to face him. “So, my mother could live a longer life if she took vampire blood?”

Vlad nodded. “As could Mordecai, but he refuses to.”

“Really? That’s insane. He’s getting on up in years. You would think he would realize that death will be knocking in the not-so-distant future.”

“He doesn’t fear death,” Vlad divulged, making a sharp right at the fork in the road. “He welcomes it.”

Nita continued to stare at him as if he’d lost his mind.

Vlad shifted his gaze to his beautiful mate. “He’s lived a good, long life for a human. He has a peace, I fear I will never behold. If he is assured a place in the hereafter, I envy him that.”

The rest of the drive was ridden in silence, with Nita’s fingertips caressing the back of Vlad’s hand.

Her heartbeat drove him to distraction, but nothing compared to her incredible scent. It drifted up his nose to settle in his cock.

Vlad adjusted himself before pulling into the parking lot of the designated council meetings.

Switching off the engine, he turned to face her. “No matter what happens in here, know that I will not allow any harm to come to you.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s do this.”

Vlad climbed from the SUV, skirted the front, and opened Nita’s door before she could straighten in her seat.

Angel and Ember stepped up beside them. Angel clapped Vlad on the back. “This has been your place all along. You were created to lead.”

“I never wanted to lead, Angelo. Only to live. But Nita has changed me. I see a future now. With shifters and vampires coexisting.”

“I’m with you, Drac,” Shon announced, joining them next to the SUV. Laura clung tightly to his arm. “And I agree with Angela. You make a hell of a leader.”

Vlad’s lips twitched. Damn, but he liked the smartass Shon. “Let us go inside.”

Leading the group to the entrance of the massive rock building, Vlad kept his senses open to anything resembling a threat. He tugged Nita closer to his side. “Stay close.”

“How is it that I never knew this place existed?” Nita whispered, following along beside Vlad.

Vlad kept his gaze trained on his surroundings. “We pride ourselves in being discreet. Not even the local law enforcement would dare venture out here.”

Nita gently squeezed his arm. “Braggart.”