Vampire Coven Book 3: A Vampire's Embrace (7 page)

Caine?” Rhett said.

Caine sighed and rose to his feet. He propelled Rhett from the room directly outside into his private garden. “We need to talk.”

“That’s apparent. What the hell is wrong with her?”

“She’s healthy and strong—and barren. Giving birth to Ann must have been very difficult and painful. She must have been very young.”

Rhett relaxed. So what if she couldn’t have more children? She would still be able to feed the vampires. She would be able to feed them more often if she never carried. Women weren’t bled while pregnant or while nursing up to two years.

“So, we both know it won’t matter to Tavish,” Rhett said.

“If you commit to keeping her, it will matter to you; you will be responsible for her until the day she dies,” Caine said.

Rhett winced, but he already knew that. “Your point?”

“The child Ann. She has a congenital heart problem. She’s tiny and thin for her age, malnourished. She has a heart murmur and is suffering a slight respiratory infection. So far she has a low grade fever.”

“You can cure some of it. Right?”

Caine looked sad which worried Rhett. “I understand your fondness for the child. I can make her comfortable. But Rhett, there’s one more thing. She is in the last stages of leukemia; much as I suspect Acca was at the end. At the time, nothing was known of the disease. I’m sorry, Rhett. I can’t save her. Maybe if she had been born here. But not now.”

He would lose another child? Rhett had gone out for a little fun, and his whole world had been turned upside down. If he kept the child, he would be stuck with Hope. Perhaps Tavish would take her once the child passed. Either way, whoever she belonged to would be facing a forlorn woman with a deceased little girl and no hope of another. No
hope
, how ironic.

Chapter 4

Hope walked around the beautiful garden Caine had taken her into. This new world was astounding. Absently, she fingered the tiny piece of clothing she had been given. The fabric was thin and covered her breasts barley and her bottom even less. Still it was better than being completely naked. She learned she would be permitted to see Ann after all rules were explained to her. The children of the coven, she was told, were watched carefully. The adults were expected to abide by Tavish’s law. Hope was a little apprehensive. She had heard all about Tavish, the great leader of his coven. She wondered if he would be as cruel as Rhett.

Caine told her Rhett was retrieving Tavish; he had a few issues he needed to discuss. Hope wondered at that. Caine had been very kind. So far, he had been the only one. She had shaken openly when told there were hundreds of vampires in the area. This coven alone had almost forty. Another vampire, Laken, had started his own coven, and a few from Tavish’s had gone with him.

The walls separating the coven from the jungle were at least twenty feet high. Hope was told nothing would dare harm her while she was in Caine’s care. She wished she would be in his care forever. He was a handsome vampire, sweet, gentle and kind. She knew Ann must adore him.

Before leaving her alone with her thoughts, Caine had given her a tour of outside. Everything was new and different, but with thoughts of her child foremost in her mind, Hope wouldn’t give in to fear of the unknown. Like everything else she would suck it up and muddle through whatever life had to offer. A few green plants wouldn’t be the death of her.

The things buzzing around her were annoying, not terrifying. Caine called them bugs. Some bit her, some just sat on her. For the most part they left her alone which was good; bugs had no concept of personal space. Neither did Ann so Hope was used to things being in her face.

It was alarming when three vampires suddenly appeared before her. She knew Rhett and Caine and assumed the third was Tavish. Hope was beginning to see a pattern with these vampires, all were dark-haired and blue-eyed, large builds, handsome. All wore dark clothes making them intimidating. Hope had seen a man’s chest. Dirk had bathed in their tiny cave. Granted Dirk had nowhere near the physique of these men. Hope had seen Rhett nude.
Now that was intimidating.

“My name is Tavish,” said the tall vampire. He was slightly bigger than Rhett and Caine. Hope tried to appear at ease but realized her show of bravado was for nothing. The tell-tale pounding of her heart would be a dead giveaway. Tavish smiled at her. “This is my coven and I’m in charge. There are rules you will need to follow for your safety and the safety of others.”

“I want to go home.”

Tavish looked as though he was choosing careful words. “I realize you have survived longer than most humans. That you were alone with a young child tells me of your strength and courage. That you are talking to me and not cowering at your surroundings is another indication of tenacity.

“The doctor has given me some news you need to hear. For one, you are barren; there is no chance of you having another child.” He waited and let her absorb the information. Hope decided she didn’t care. She didn’t want any more children, Ann kept her busy enough.

“This is pertinent?” Hope asked.

“In my coven, women of child-bearing years are bred. The vampires aid humans and in return humans aid vampires.”

“You raise your own food,” Hope said dryly. Her arms crossed over her chest. Now she understood why he thought this information so pertinent. The sooner she got Ann away from here the better.

“We cultivate life,” Tavish corrected, though Hope narrowed her eyes onto him. “Vampires provide sustenance for the humans. Children are not bled until they turn a certain age. You needn’t fear for Ann in that respect, she will be far too young to bleed for many years. But you may want to listen to a proposition.”

“I don’t know why you are offering a proposition. I’m useless to you and so is Ann.”

“You are not useless to us. That’s why I am offering. Rhett says you can be compelled but you know when you are being compelled and fight it. All that will do is cause you emotional pain.”

“So you just want me to offer myself up as a snack. In exchange for food.” Hope knew how to find food, she didn’t need vampires.

“There is more to Tavish’s offer,” Caine said quietly.

Hope looked at Caine. His eyes were sad. “There’s something wrong isn’t there?” Hope began shaking. She didn’t want to know. She had to know.

“It’s Ann,” Tavish said. “You must know your child experiences pain.”

Hope squeezed her eyes closed for a second. She knew. “Sometimes,” she whispered.

“I can ease her suffering,” Caine said. “I can make her comfortable. I’m sorry Hope, she hasn’t much time left.”

The tears began falling from her eyes from her shock, they were lying, but from Caine’s look she knew he wouldn’t torment her needlessly.

“No.”

Hope thought her heart would burst with the pain she felt. She knew Ann was sickly, but to be told she didn’t have much time left almost killed Hope where she stood. Caine moved forward to pull her against his chest. Hope let him. She clung to him in desperation. She would be alone. She couldn’t lose the only person in her life that meant everything to her.

“Hope, in exchange for your obedience you and Ann will have everything you need. She needs medical care. She needs the fresh air and sunlight; she needs friends to play with. I can provide all of that. Your situation is different from others. Normally a barren female can be of some use. Your child is dying. How she dies is up to you.”

Hope gazed at Tavish through wet eyes. He was offering her a business proposition. Keep her and her child fed, warm, clothed, until the end. No doubt he felt he was doing her a favor. And he was, but she would pay for his favor, he didn’t look like the type of vampire who gave anything away for free.

“What of after?” Hope asked.

“Rhett has agreed to offer you and Ann his protection. If you need something or if you fear something, all you need to do is call to him and he will hear you,” Tavish said.

When Hope turned to look at Rhett she couldn’t read his features. Why hadn’t he offered this to her, or told her? Rhett didn’t want her, Hope knew it.

“As for after,” Tavish continued, “you will remain here. You will still be cared for, I will still expect your obedience. You will continue to aid with my vampires’ survival.”

There it was. Hope was bartering the rest of her life with her blood. Hope moved away from Caine. She was useless to these vampires except for her blood. A thought occurred to her. She gazed at Tavish.

“What’s to stop your vampires from bleeding me dry the second they find out I’m barren?”

“You are wise to be afraid,” Tavish said. “A coven rule dictates you are never to harm a breeder female. There is no such law for barren women. Normally, by the time a woman is past childbearing years, she has developed a good relationship with her protector, as well as earned her rest by giving us many children. Normally, older ice dwelling women are not brought back to my coven. You are still quite young. Rhett will keep you safe. But it will be no secret when you are not expected to seek out any breeder males. I suggest you keep Rhett happy.”

Both Caine and Tavish flew off as though her fate was sealed. Standing there, she realized they had left her alone with Rhett to make her decision.

“You don’t want me here.” Hope saw his jaw twitch when she said this.

“Tavish has given you to me. It was preliminary, I found you after all, but he is leader. The only thing stopping me from taking a barren woman back to her freezing cave and bleeding her dry is her baby seal.”

“Ann? You better not hurt her in any way,” Hope said, a snarl to her voice as she made fists.

Rhett grabbed her shoulders and squeezed, he was hurting her, but Hope refused to cry out. “I am not a pedophile, you little bitch. I will make certain Ann is happy and content and when she is gone—you’ll be gone.”

“Fine,” Hope said. “I will feed Tavish’s damned vampires. When Ann is gone I don’t want to be here anyway.”

“When Ann is gone you won’t be
anywhere
.”

Rhett released her and took off. Hope didn’t care about his threats. There was no life for her if there was no Ann. For now, she would make every second of their lives together count. Hope went in search of Caine.

* * * *

Rhett watched from a tree as Ann raced to her mother. Neither could see him, but he heard them perfectly.

“Are you all right?” Hope asked.

“Dooder, Do—oo—der.” The child squealed and Rhett was a bit surprised when Ann didn’t grab the doll she saw, but launched herself into her mother’s arms. It was odd Ann called the doll’s name.

Hope hugged her daughter and ran a hand down her hair; she smiled with tears in her eyes. “Yes, Dooder.”

The child was clean and clothed in light coven attire, Mercy, Tavish’s wife would have seen to that personally before she was allowed to play with Galf. Mercy was a vampire; she had to be turned before Galf was born. She almost died before Tavish turned her. Not a day passed that Rhett didn’t think about it. Mercy’s broken body was so pitiful. Rhett had never seen Tavish cry before. All thought the baby would die or never grow. A tiny heartbeat to go on forever to torment its mother for an eternity—or until she begged to have her life ended. Which would have killed Tavish. Thankfully Galf was born healthy and part vampire.

Laken, another coven leader and his wife, Honor could have more children. Mercy never could. Every time Mercy held one of Laken’s triplet daughters, all part vampire because of their sire, Rhett felt a boulder in his chest at her whimsical gaze of desire. But thanks to him and his last female, Mercy would only have Galf to call her own. Rhett never should have let Tanya out of his sight. It was one thing to be betrayed but another to have family betrayed. The guilt consumed his thoughts. Never again could this happen.

Looking down at Hope and Ann, Rhett realized all Hope would have is Ann, and even then not for long. He couldn’t offer her any compassion. Another thing women had taken from him—a willingness to love, a willingness to let someone into his heart. But he wouldn’t be fooled again.

“I missed you, Mommy.” Ann’s little twittering voice made him smile. “You squeezing me.”

Hope was clinging to the child, her lifeline. Rhett could see it was more than that. Hope loved her little girl. Rhett had thought Cecily had loved Acca. Maybe she had, she had never been cruel to their child. But she had raced off by the time the last shovel of dirt was placed on their daughter’s grave. Rhett had removed the child’s body and tenderly laid her to rest in the family tomb. He had given her the place meant for him, something he would never need. No one would ever know.

“I have friends,” Ann said excitedly. “I never did before.” The child hugged her ragtag dolly to her chest. No doubt Mercy had made certain the doll had been properly sanitized as well before giving it back to Hope to give to Ann.

“Do you?” Hope was kneeling and set the child a small way from her to gaze into Ann’s animated face. Rhett could see the woman battled tears.

“Yes, Galf is mine. So’s Tina.” Rhett chuckled as Ann listed off three more children possessively.

“Sounds like you’ve been busy.” Hope smiled as she traced a finger down Ann’s cheek.