[Anh Ngữ] Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1) - Robyn Peterman (English)

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 29

I walked slowly toward the tomb, my hands outstretched. I could feel the tingling in my fingertips. It quickly spread down my arms, through my chest and into my legs. My heart was pounding inside me, my stomach felt twisted and it was hard to breathe. The wind picked up and blew my hair wildly around my head. I was inches away.

“Push, Astrid,” she gasped.

I placed both of my hands on the tomb and began to push. The tomb started to crumble under my fingers. The stone turned to cold, hard diamonds—beautiful, sparkling sharp ice that sliced into my hands. My hands bled, but I did not stop. I was so close. The blood ran from my hands, down my arms, and seeped into the soft white cotton of my shirt. The stunning diamonds were awash in my blood . . . I knew if I pushed just a little more . . . I could . . . The pain was becoming intolerable. Every nerve ending in my body was on high alert, screaming for me to stop.

If I could just push harder . . . I felt silk, soft slippery silk, between my fingers. Her dress . . . .I was touching her dress. I was so close to her. I knew I could save her. I needed to pull her out. I looked down and watched my blood turn her beautiful, sheer, green silk dress to crimson. She was laughing with joy . . . She was so proud of me. I had waited my whole life to hear her tell me . . .

OUCH! What the fu . . . ? I opened my eyes. My little monsters were standing on my chest covered in bloody diamonds, looking confused and alarmed.

“Oh my God,” I cried, “are you guys okay?”

I frantically brushed the bloody diamonds off of my babies and checked them for injuries. Ross had a jagged cut on his forehead and Honest Abe’s shoulder was sliced open. Beyonce and Rachel looked upset but fine. The boy’s gashes were not deep, but they were definitely bleeding. Why in the hell were bloody diamonds in my room? That was a dream. Wasn’t it?

I picked up a handful of diamonds and stared at them as they turned to a fine powdery dust and slipped through my fingers. I thought I was okay with all the Magic and craziness in my life, but this one was a little unnerving.

“Dink,” Ross pointed to his little forehead.

“I know, baby,” I cooed, holding him in my palm and running my thumb through his Velcro hair. It had just been in the last week that we’d been able to fully communicate with speech. It thrilled me. “You dinked your little head. Mommy will make it better.” I went to wipe the blood away with my finger and they all started screaming, scaring the hell out of me and making me drop Ross onto the bed.

“No, Mommy,” they shrieked. “Dink, dink, dink!” They mimed licking Ross’ forehead and Honest Abe’s shoulder. What the fu . . . ? They wanted me to drink from them?

“Drink?” I asked them.

“Dink, dink. YESSS!”

They were doing back flips and grinning from ear to ear, slapping each other with high fives and kissing me all over my face. I giggled and squeezed Ross’ fat belly. He screamed with joy and proceeded to tackle Honest Abe, who in turn tried to slap Rachel in the back of the head but missed and nailed Beyonce. Of course Beyonce got pissed and kicked Honest Abe in his little Demon nuts. Honest Abe doubled over and moaned in agony while Beyonce laughed hysterically. Rachel just looked confused and Ross cupped his own balls, in defense or solidarity . . . I didn’t know which.

“I can’t drink from you. I might hurt you,” I told them. Now there was an irony considering what they had just done to each other.

“DINK, DINK, DINK,” they chanted, jumping up and down on my bed. They sounded like the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, or me after I sucked all the helium out of a balloon.

I picked up Ross and brought him eye level. “Are you sure?” I asked. I would die if I hurt him.

“Yesssss, Mommmmy,” he said, kissing all my fingertips. The peanut gallery below was still chanting “Dink, Dink, Dink.” I gently ran my tongue over Ross’ wound. He tasted amazing, like Skittles and Sweet Tarts. He purred like a happy kitten.

The minute his blood entered my system something strange happened. Bolts of heat shot through my body, down through my toes and out through my fingertips. It was violent. I started to convulse, but it quickly turned into a gentle hot wave churning inside me. It didn’t hurt, just felt surreal, floaty and powerful. I wondered if I was crazy to trust my Demons. No, I was not crazy. I did trust them. With my life.

Ross stared at me, his little golden eyes shining. He gently touched my chin. “Take moooooore, Mommy, you need more. I make you strong.” He licked my face and rubbed his Velcro hair on my cheek. His cut had almost closed. I carefully ran my tongue over it again and had an identical reaction. As I came down off the bizarre high from Ross’ blood, I could hear Honest Abe impatiently babbling.

“Me next, Mommmmy, MEEEEEEEE! My turn, Mommmmmmy,” he yelled frantically, jumping up and down like a Mexican jumping bean on crack. I picked him up and slowly licked his shoulder, being careful not to hurt him. He tasted different from Ross, but just as wonderful. His blood reminded me of watermelon Jolly Ranchers. I was shocked as my body started levitating off the bed. The ringing in my ears was almost deafening, but I could still make out the joyous cheering from my baby Demons.

“More, more, more, Mommmmmy,” they whooped. So I did. I licked again from the quickly healing shoulder wound of my little Honest Abe. He kissed me with delight as I levitated even higher.

He crawled up my face, over to my ear and whispered, “You can flllllyyyy now, Mommmmmy. I give you flllyyy.” He giggled and kissed me again.

I floated back down to my bed and realized I had controlled that. If I visualized what I wanted to happen, I could make it happen. I tried again. I closed my eyes and pictured myself flying around my room. I opened my eyes and I was doing it! I laughed and did back flips in the air as easily as if I were underwater. My little cheering section whistled and shouted.

I shot some Glitter Magic down to them and they went ballistic. I floated back to my bed and happily watched my Demons have fun. They were showing off like crazy, doing every trick they knew. Then all of a sudden they froze.

I looked around my room in a panic. Was someone here? No, it was just us. I looked back down at my babies. Beyonce had stepped forward and was clearing her little munchkin throat. She had taken up poetry and I could feel one coming on. The others were right to freeze. Beyonce had been known to beat the snot out of anyone who even breathed during one of her poems. She reminded me of Pam.

“Between this world and the next,

There’s only one way to kill,

A magic secret blown in the ear,

Do not cave into yourself,

Be strong like a rock and save us.”

She finished and took a bow. All the other Demons clapped like their lives depended on it.

Holy shit, what in the hell was that? If that was a foreshadow, it was bad. I wasn’t clear if Beyonce was talking about her past, or my future. I had a feeling it was my future, considering all the gifts I’d been receiving today.

“Mommmmmy, say with Beyonce,” she shrieked at me.

“Oookay,” I said.

“Say it, say it, say it.” They ran in a circle flapping their little arms like birds. I started and they joined.

“Between this world and the next,

There’s only one way to kill,

A magic secret blown in the ear,

Do not cave into yourself,

Be strong like a rock and save us.”

We finished and they just stared at me. “Will Mommy remember?” Beyonce asked me.

I realized then that the poem was definitely about my future.

“Yes, I will,” I told her. They looked at one another and seemed satisfied with my answer. After that, they began to pummel each other joyously. Rachel pulled herself out of the fray and shyly approached me.

“Rachel give Mommmeeeey present?” she asked.

God, she was cute. “Okay, baby,” I told her.

“Rachel’s present will hurt Mommmmmy, but she needs it. Okey dokey, Mommmmy?” she inquired, showing me her razor sharp little claws which were glowing a gorgeous sparkly iridescent silver pink.

What the fu . . . ? Today had to go down as the weirdest day of my life.

“Okay Rachel, how long will it take you to give Mommy your present?” I asked nervously.

She giggled, “Rachel go fast. Me no like to hurt Mommy.” She jumped up on me and made her way to my chest. She settled herself under my right collarbone and went to work.

Holy hell! Hurt didn’t even begin to describe it. The pain felt like hot poisoned lava burning my skin. I shut my eyes tight and with super Vampyre strength willed myself to stay still. I tried to count but all I wanted to do was die.

Finish . . .

God, please . . .

I was falling off of a cliff made of fire. A flock of sad beautiful white birds flew by and looked at me, but they didn’t try to save me. Angry voodoo dolls shot bloody fire arrows at my body, and Elvis was dancing on my grave. Naked . . . WTF? I realized I was inside Rachel’s mind and it was not a real good place to be. Then it stopped.

“Finished, Mommmmmy,” Rachel whispered. I opened my eyes and all four of them stood quietly on my chest, watching me.

“It’s a tattoo?” I asked Rachel. My voice sounded scratchy and far away. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that tattoos didn’t last on Vampyres. I was too scared she would try again.

“Angel Wings. Rachel give Mommy Angel Wing tattoo!” she trilled. “If Mommmy touches it, she gets more stronger.”

Well shit, I didn’t need to be any stronger than I already was, but I figured I’d try them out. I gingerly touched my wings. They felt hot to the touch. I shot some Glitter Magic at my Demons. It blasted out of my fingertips like bullets and knocked my little babies clear across the room. I freaked and ran to them only to find them laughing like hyenas and screaming.

“Again, again,” they screeched.

God, they were tough little suckers. I scooped them up and gently kissed each one of them. In my hands, I held four amazingly powerful little creatures who loved me. They shared their gifts with me because they loved me . . . just the way I was.

I looked down at myself and realized I was still in my Prada dress and the kickass stilettos and I started to cry. I hated Ethan so much. I was no longer mated to him. He was no longer mine and I was no longer his. I felt broken, like I’d experienced a death. Why did it hurt so bad? I’d only known him a month. Why did it feel like my heart had been shredded? I cried harder. The mating probably didn’t even count because I was a Demon. I should have known it was too good to be true.

Men were bad. I will never forget that again. That was the only thing that my mother had ever been right about.

I would do my duty though. I would prove my worth to the King and do whatever I had to do to save him and his people, and then I would leave. I would fulfill my destiny as the Chosen One, and then I would disappear.

I would never lay eyes on the Prince of the North American Dominion again. I’d go to Europe or Australia, or maybe I’d die while I was saving everybody. I really didn’t care. My heart was broken and all I had left was my pride. He had already taken my heart. He could not have my pride. Ever.

“Asscrack?” Pam yelled, banging on my door. “Get your sorry butt out to the TV room, fast. We’ve got business to take care of and Jerry Springer comes on in thirty-eight minutes. So haul ass!”

God, I was happy to be home. I was safe. I knew what to expect here . . . Jerry Springer, swear words and unconditional love. I quickly changed into some awesome jeans, my favorite pale coffee-colored camisole, a thick brown belt and some rockin’ dark brown Doc Marten combat boots. With my pale skin and fangs, I looked very Vamp chic. I glanced back at the stilettos and the dress crumpled on the floor and felt my eyes fill up. Stop. I would not cry for him anymore.

I had to stop loving people who didn’t love me back. I was so empty on the inside, but time and distance from him would heal that. I was a Vampyre, damn it. I was going to live for God knew how many years. I would meet hundreds and thousands of guys that would make Ethan look like the asshole that he was. I plastered a big fake smile on my face, threw my shoulders back and left my room.

But I really didn’t believe a word of that shit. Help me, Jesus.

“Pam? The Kev? Gemma?” I yelled as I hurried down the hall, “I’ve missed you so . . . ” I stopped dead in my tracks. Gemma was sitting on my couch between two people I didn’t know. A statuesque black woman, whose beauty was so riveting it, was ridiculous. She looked about thirty. Her skin was a creamy, dark mocha. Her lips were full and her eyes were an amethyst purple. They were shaped like a cat’s and were fringed with long black lashes. She had a big bosom and long legs. She was beyond stunning.

The man though was a joke. I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me. I thought Vampyres were beautiful? They had nothing on this guy . . . although I personally thought Ethan was prettier. No. Stop. Ethan was dead to me. The man on my couch had blonde hair and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. He had the face of a god and the body of an Olympic champion. I felt like a total shlub in front of these strangers. Gemma looked different too, even more beautiful than usual. What in the hell was going on?

“What the fuck are you staring at, Asswipe?” The gorgeous woman on the couch bellowed at me.

“Pam?” I was in shock.

“Who in the hell else would I be, dumbass?”

The man on the couch chuckled and smiled lovingly at me. “The Kev?” I asked.

“Yes, my Krumecaca, it’s me.” His accent was gone! Imagine that. He put his arms out and I ran to him.

“You guys look . . . um . . . well . . . ” I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

“I look fuckin’ hot is how I look,” Pam yelled, yanking me off The Kev’s lap and onto hers. Damn, she was strong. “Let me look at you, child.” She examined my collar bone and nodded with satisfaction at my tattoo. “It’s about time those little bastards branded you.”

“You know about my Demons?” Did I have any secrets at all?

“Of course I know about them,” Pam shouted. How could someone so beautiful be so loud and obnoxious? “I know everything, jackass. They’re Fallen Angel Demons and they’re under my jurisdiction.” She pressed on my Angel Wing tattoo.

“Tattoos don’t last on Vampyres,” I told her.

“That one will,” Pam informed me, “that ain’t no normal tattoo.”

I’d heard everything now. I turned to Gemma who sat quietly watching me. “How long have you known about these two super models?” I asked her.

“Not long,” she laughed, “but I had a feeling because of their auras.” She looked at The Kev and blushed. He put his arm around her possessively.

“Is there anything I should know?” I poked her with my combat boot-covered foot. She looked up at me and I was amazed. Gemma’s eyes were a sparkling glittery silver and her skin had an otherworldly glow. She looked like a magical Fairy Princess.

She smiled, took my hand in hers and gently pulled me down on the couch. She was trembling. “Dude,” she whispered and giggled. “It’s all insane. I am totally in love with him.” She looked at The Kev, who gently kissed her. I squeezed her hand, willing her to go on. “I know what I am now and although I’m scared . . . I can do it.”

I swallowed hard when Gemma took my face into her warm loving hands. “You are the reason I can do it. Your bravery and the way you’ve kept your humanity when it would be so easy to let it go, makes me believe I’ll be okay, too. I love you so much, Astrid.” She started to cry and lovely silvery diamond tears slid down her lovely face.

“What are you?” I whispered, wiping her tears away.

“It’s what I will be. I’m not there yet,” she said.

“Can you still be a Prada whore?”

Gemma laughed, “But of course . . . once a Prada whore, always a Prada whore.”

“Thank God,” I muttered. “So?”

“So, I am the reincarnation of the Fairy Queen.”

“For real?” I asked.

“For real,” she replied.

“Immortal?” I held my breath.

“Yep,” Gemma squealed.

Oh. My. God. This was the best news in the world. It almost eclipsed the fact that I was single again. Gemma and I could be friends for thousands of years. Literally. “Are you guys totally sure about this?” I hadn’t even realized reincarnation was possible. Then again I hadn’t known Vampyres or Demons or God only knew what else was possible either.

“Yes, we are very sure,” The Kev said. “She died about seven hundred years ago in the last major war with the Underworld. I have been waiting for her for a long time.” He was so obviously in love with her. I hated myself, but I felt a pang of jealousy.

I wanted Ethan to love me like that. Wait. No, I didn’t. I didn’t want him at all . . . ever. Besides, he didn’t want me. I would never think about him again. Good luck with that.

“What do you mean you’re not there yet?” She looked like a Fairy Queen to me.

“Well . . . ” Gemma started.

“For fuck’s sake,” Pam groaned, “you people are taking too damn long, and my program is about to come on. She has to break the four Mortal Strings before she becomes the Queen again.”

“Mortal Strings?” I asked.

“If you’d shut your cakehole,” Pam bellowed, “I’ll finish.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing. She may be beautiful, but she was still nasty. “The first string she had to break was feeding a Vampyre.” Pam pointed at me. “That was you. The second was falling in love with a Fairy . . . that was him.” She pointed at The Kev. “Then of course she had to fuck the Fairy.”

I burst out laughing as The Kev and Gemma looked mortified to have their *** life discussed so crudely and bluntly by Pam.

“The fourth Mortal String,” Pam went on, enjoying everyone’s embarrassment, “well . . . we don’t know what in the hell the fourth Mortal String is. She’ll just have to figure it out like she did the others.” Pam sat there for a moment and then looked at Gemma and The Kev. “Does that about cover it?”

“Yes.” The Kev was still blushing. Gemma was simply in shock. “That covers it.”

“What’s on your hand?” Gemma asked me, quickly changing the subject.

I held up my hand and showed them the six carat Pink Diamond that was stuck on my finger. Pam gasped, “You mated with Ethan?”

“How did you know that?” I asked her.

She looked taken aback for a moment, but regrouped quickly and shouted, “Because I know everything, Asscrack.”

“I did mate with him . . . then I broke it.” Holy hell, it hurt to say that.

“Why?” Pam demanded. “Don’t you love him?”

“That doesn’t matter,” I said defensively. “He doesn’t want a half Demon for a mate and I forgot to tell him about that before I bit the bastard.”

Pam started laughing, “Damn, you are the right woman for him.” She shook her not so Oprah-like head and smiled, “You ain’t no half Demon. Well, technically you are, but you were raised by . . . ”

“Yeah, yeah . . . ” I cut her off. “He knows all that and he doesn’t want me and I don’t want him either.”

“Tough,” she yelled gleefully, “you can’t just decide it’s over.”

“Well, I did,” I informed her, daring her to disagree.

“Maybe, maybe not,” The Kev said quietly. Pam narrowed her eyes at him. If I were The Kev I’d be scared, but he just smiled at Pam and pinched her cheek. “Astrid, I have a gift for you, but you cannot use it in haste. If you do you will regret it greatly.” I wondered if this gift would be as painful as Rachel’s. “It’s a wish. You may use it to dissolve your mating or you may use it for whatever your heart desires.”

“I already dissolved my mating,” I insisted.

“Of course,” he replied.

“Can I use it to wish for more wishes?” I joked.

The Kev laughed. “No, you can’t. I would be very careful. Do not use it too quickly, for once you use it, it is gone.” His tone became serious. “This wish can create life or cause death. This wish extends far beyond the mortal world.”

Oh My God, I could use this wish to see Nana again. Or to have a baby. That one was impossible since my indoor plumbing was non-functioning. The Kev was right. I would not use this wish quickly or unwisely.

“Thank you,” I told him. “I will use it carefully.”

“Good girl,” The Kev said, taking me into his arms. “When you use the wish say, ‘Hear Me, O Fairies’ and then state your desire.” I nodded. “You need to feed from all three of us now. Our time with you is limited.”

My stomach lurched and my eyes welled up. I had a feeling they would be leaving soon because they had gone back to their true forms.

“What about Gemma?” I was falling apart.

“She has to go, but she will be back.” He pulled me close and I fed from him.

Just as Jerry Springer started, Pam pried me away from The Kev and took me on to her lap. “Pam,” I was still sniffling, “you would love the Vampyre King. He looks kind of like the beefy, bald security guy from Jerry Springer, but better.”

She laughed and drew me to her neck, “I’ve heard he’s one hot piece of ass.” God, she was profane.

Finally, I went to my Gemma, who was snarfing Black Raspberry Chip for me. I realized as I drank from her that Black Raspberry Chip ice cream was not better than *** with Ethan. This made me sad. That asshole had ruined me for all other men, and ice cream too. Maybe there were Vampyre Nuns. I may as well join an order and be celibate, rather than be disappointed the rest of my life. There was no comparing anyone to that jerk bastard.

I finished eating and put my head into my hands. Why was my life always so messy?

“Astrid?”

I looked up. Heathcliff was standing in my living room. I was alone on my couch and Jerry Springer was still spouting nonsense on the TV.

“Do you actually watch that?” he asked, smiling.

“No,” I said, “well . . . sometimes. Why are you here?” I wondered where my family had gone and if they were gone for good.

“We’ve found the Rogues headquarters and we’re going in.” He handed me my katana, a dagger and several throwing stars. “Are you ready?”

I nodded. He had no idea. “Let’s go,” I said. Today was as good a day to die as any.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 30

Heathcliff seemed shocked I could fly. Hell, he’d pass out cold if I showed him the rest of my party tricks. He held my hand as we flew through the night. I felt safe with him. Furthermore, I’d never flown outside and it didn’t appeal to me to run into a cell tower or, God forbid, a low-flying plane.

I could tell we were flying south, directly toward Mammoth Caves. Shit, were we going to fight in the caves? It was impossible to communicate with Heathcliff. We were traveling over a hundred miles an hour. It was insane. I had never felt so free in my life. As we came in for a landing, Heathcliff brought his legs down in front of him, kicking mine forward as he did so. We both landed smoothly on our feet in a field about a half mile from the main cave entrance.

“Thanks,” I smiled, exhilarated from our flight. As giddy as I felt about flying, I was getting panicked about what was to come and who I was going to have to see. I looked around and saw my team of Samuel, Luke, David, Venus, Cathy and the rest. Princess Lelia and Princess Raquel, my two kind-of ex sister-in-laws who tried to kill me a while back in the graveyard, were also here. I noticed the redhead, Princess Raquel, giving Heathcliff the evil eye. Oh My God, I Heathcliff was the one that ripped her arms off all those years ago.

“Bastard,” she hissed as she walked by him.

“Bitch,” he grinned broadly, displaying his beautiful dimples. This seemed to piss her off greatly and delight him tremendously.

“Astrid,” Princess Lelia cooed. The mocha-skinned beauty, approached me with a shit eating grin on her face and a wild sparkle in her amethyst eyes. Princess Raquel, composing herself from her exchange with Heathcliff, followed closely behind her sister. “Aren’t you the sneaky one,” Princess Lelia laughed. “I’m so glad we didn’t kill you. That would have been a major cluster!”

Princess Raquel grabbed me by my shoulders and studied my face. “You really are beautiful. Welcome to the family, although you do have my sympathy for mating with my brother,” she laughed and kissed me soundly on the lips. Clearly she hadn’t spoken with her brother or she’d realize we were definitely not related.

He was here. I didn’t see him, but I could feel him. My stomach was doing flips and his scent was making me dizzy. He was trying to get into my head to gauge my feelings, but I was not going to let him in. I was starting to come undone. I touched my wings and shut the doors in my mind. He was not welcome inside me ever again.

“Astrid,” a child called out to me. I turned, but there was no child in sight. There was a beautiful teenage Vampyre girl in front of me. She had a rockin’ layered bob, a stunning face and turquoise eyes. Turquoise, like the ocean in the Caribbean. I’d have paid big bucks for the jeans and spike-heeled boots she had on. Her top was one I’d been admiring in the Anthropologie catalog for weeks. Now that I could see it in person, I was definitely ordering it. I wanted to see what size she was wearing. I wondered if she’d let me try it on . . .

“Astrid,” she said, smiling at me.

“Paris?” I choked out.

“Yes.” She still sounded like a little girl, but she looked like a million bucks.

“Holy shit,” I gasped. “What in the hell happened to you?” Paris Hilton was gorgeous. I grabbed her and swung her around like a three year old. “You are so beautiful!”

Was I screaming? Yes . . . yes I was.

“Niecey and the gal in the back of the art class whose name always escapes me gave me a makeover,” she said shyly.

“Oh my God, I had no idea a beautiful girl was hiding under all that Goth shit.”

“Are you happy with me?” she asked.

“Oh, Paris . . . ” I put her down and took her hands. “I’ve always been bizarrely happy with you. You are amazing and strong and good. The only thing your makeover does is make the outside as beautiful as the inside. This is who you are. You don’t need to cover up your beauty with all those black clothes and black makeup and . . . Wait, are you wearing contact lenses?” I marveled at her turquoise eyes.

“No,” she said, embarrassed. “I used to wear black contacts. I thought it was cool . . . the old gals didn’t,” she laughed.

“Are you here to fight?” I asked.

“Yes, I would do anything for my Prince and my King . . . and for you,” she added quietly.

I kissed both of her cheeks. “Be careful,” I told her and moved away to find out the plan. I turned and ran smack into the person I was trying to avoid. I jumped back as if burned and saw the pain flash across in his eyes.

“She looks lovely,” Ethan said, referring to Paris. “Thank you.”

“Yes, she does,” I snapped, “and don’t bother thanking me. I didn’t do it, my old ladies did.”

I turned my back on him and tried to walk away. He grabbed my arm and hauled me up against his body. If everyone was watching, I was unaware. The only thing I could focus on was Ethan—the feel of him, the smell of him. My body automatically began to mold to his. No. This was no time for my inner slut to take over. I tried to jerk away, but he imprisoned me firmly against his body. What did he want from me? He’d already destroyed me. As much as I hated him, all I wanted to do was lean in, wrap my arms around him, and press my lips to his.

“Let me go,” I hissed.

“Astrid,” he said, his voice tight, “we need to talk.”

“No, Ethan, we don’t,” I cut him off. “I will fulfill all my duties as the Chosen One and then I will go away from you. Away from all of you.”

I thought he had already decimated my heart, but the pain I felt now let me know there was more damage to be done. God, if he didn’t let me go soon there was no telling how I would betray myself.

“Angel, I lov . . . ”

“Stop,” I lashed out, disengaging myself from him. My whole body trembled. “You have to stop. You and I were a mistake.” He flinched. “You were a mistake I will never repeat. I’ll do my duty and nothing more.”

Damn it, I was going to cry.

“Part of your duty as the Chosen One is to be mine,” Ethan said quietly.

“Maybe at one time,” I told him flatly. “Not anymore.”

I walked away. And he let me.

***


It was unnerving to be in the caves at night. These were definitely not the caves that were open to the public. The caves went on for over three hundred and ninety miles, but the areas of extreme paranormal strength were way off the beaten path. They were on a path the mortals knew nothing about.

The plan was to spread out and take down as many Rogues as possible. Kill if we had to, but leave some alive for questioning. If there were humans, we were to get them to safety.

I was part of the Alpha Group. We would spearhead and be the first unit in. It was the most dangerous position. Alpha consisted of Samuel, Heathcliff, Cathy, Luke, Ethan and myself. I saw Cathy roll her eyes when I was called to Alpha Group. She was never going to like me. I could only hope that she would have my back if I needed her.

“No,” Ethan said firmly, “Astrid will go with Unit Two. She has no combat experience.”

I heard Cathy snicker.

“With all due respect, my Liege,” Samuel cut in, “you’re wrong. She is the deadliest weapon we have. She can do far more damage than all of us combined.”

Samuel has the biggest balls I’d ever witnessed. Nobody second-guessed the Prince. Not to mention that Samuel was high if he thought I was stronger than a whole bunch of Vamps put together. Ethan looked down. His hands clenched into fists. He did not like to be challenged. However, I supposed if you were as old as Samuel you might know a thing or two. I was in no position to speak, but I knew I was ready for Alpha Group. I watched Ethan’s internal debate.

“Your Highness,” Heathcliff added, “Astrid is ready and we need her. Samuel is right.”

Ethan looked up and his eyes bored into mine. “You will be with me.” He left no room for argument. “We will move in groups of two. After ten minutes, unless someone signals, Unit Two will follow with Unit Three close behind. We have the element of surprise on our side. Move silently and quickly.”

We wore small black watches on our wrists. They were mini computers with communication capabilities and alarm signals built in. Vampyres adored electronics. I almost asked if we had flashlights. Thank God that didn’t pass my lips. I would have been thrown into Unit Five Hundred if I’d asked a question so stupid. Vampyres could see better in the dark than in the light.

The tunnels were unbelievable, truly one of nature’s miracles. I reached out and ran my fingers over the calcite stalagmites and stalactites. They looked like crystals and diamonds hanging from the ceilings and walls and bursting out of the floors of the caves. No one, no matter how talented, could out-do Mother Nature. I could feel the power flowing through the currents in the air. It felt good and I felt strong

The six of us entered together and immediately split into our groups of two. I could make out sounds in the distance . . . screaming, laughing, gunfire and . . . slapping? I felt for my weapons and gently pressed my fingertips to my wings. I had a feeling I’d be using brute strength and Magic more than anything else.

“You will stay behind me at all times,” Ethan informed me in a harsh whisper.

I yanked him to a stop and got right up in his face. In these tight quarters, my breasts were pressed firmly against his chest. I did my best to ignore the jolt of pleasure that ripped through me at the contact. “You are full of shit. I am the Chosen One. My job is to protect you,” I hissed at him. “We will watch each other’s backs and we will focus on the job at hand . . . not our problems with each other. Do you understand me?” I demanded.

His burning gaze made me fear I’d gone too far. I didn’t want to fight him. I wanted to kiss him, but I didn’t

“I understand you.” His voice was terse. I could tell he wanted to say a lot more, but I walked ahead and didn’t give him the chance.

We moved quickly together through the tunnels. I was losing my human self. My eyes turned green and my fangs descended. My senses sharpened. I was a Vampyre now and I was okay with it. It was the first time I think I truly accepted and embraced what I had become. I could see, hear and smell with more accuracy than I ever had.

As we moved closer to the noise, I could smell Vampyres and mortals. I scented anger, hatred, hunger, lust and fear. At first, I was unsure if the humans were alive or dead. From the agonized screaming I heard, I guessed that even if some were alive, it wouldn’t be for long.

I kept one hand on Ethan so we didn’t lose each other. We were moving very quickly. I planned to save humans, kill Rogues, and protect the man I hated. I realized that I would die for him. Happily. That’s how much I hated him. Why did he have to be such an ass?

We neared what sounded like one of Dante’s Circles of Hell. I could never have been prepared for what I saw. We came to a ledge about forty feet above the carnage below. The Rogue Vampyres were so agitated and involved in their feeding frenzy that they didn’t scent or see us. I was able to take in the horrific scene.

It was dimly lit by torches. There were four or five mounds of human remains. They had been drained and some had flesh missing. They’d been eaten. There were fifteen to twenty bodies in each mound. The stench of rotting human flesh was revolting. I gagged and felt an anger begin to build in me like I’d never known.

There were about twenty Rogues down below and just as many barely alive humans. The Rogues were letting the mortals try to escape. It was sad and horrifying to watch the hope in those poor people. They ran around like caged rats, moaning and crying while the scum of the earth Rogues laughed maniacally and picked them off one by one.

I moved to enter the cavern, but Ethan held me back. Not yet, he mouthed and very quietly punched a code into his watch. We waited and he watched the sick activity below with a look of horror and disgust on his face equal to my own.

His watch beeped softly. He looked at me. There was a lot in that look that I had no time to decipher. He took my hand and whispered, “Let’s go.”

I touched my wings and pressed hard. I had no plans to leave any Rogue alive, not after what I saw they were capable of. We flew down from our perch at the same time as the rest of the Alpha Unit flew down from theirs. I had heard the term ‘all hell broke loose’ many times before, but I’d never seen it happen until now. Gut-wrenching screams erupted from mortals and Rogues alike as we took the room by storm. Fangs were snapping and blades were flying.

I tapped my chest and my shield surrounded me. No weapon could touch me. I wondered if I could extend it to my team. I knew I’d have to make physical contact with them to make it work. I was closest to Ethan. I quickly turned to him and watched him rip the head off of a Rogue Vampyre with his bare hands. Well, I supposed that was one way to do it. I touched him and cast the protection shield. He jerked once and then turned to me with awe in his eyes. He nodded. It worked.

I felt a blade slice up the back of my calf. What the fu . . . ? How in the hell did a blade break my shield? I realized that by transferring my shield to Ethan it no longer protected me. There was no time to reset my shield around myself, nor did I want to. I wanted it around him. I pivoted and shot hundreds of silver bullets from my fingertips into the heart of a female Vampyre who looked familiar to me. I squatted down to get a good look at her after she was dead. Did I know her? No, but she looked like somebody.

Holy hell . . . she looked like me.

I unsheathed my katana and cut her head off, just in case the silver hadn’t shredded her heart. Without a thought, I quickly beheaded two more Rogues and pinned three others to the wall with Magic. The other two Units had arrived. I vaguely saw Paris and Venus kicking ass and taking mortals to safety.

I approached the pinned Vampyres with care and they eyed me warily. I had two silver throwing stars in one hand and my silver dagger in the other. What the fu . . . ? Why did all these Rogue Vampyres resemble me? Dark brown hair, gold eyes, full lips, long lean bodies . . . but the worst part was the mole. They all had a mole high on their left cheekbone, just like me. Was I losing my mind? They seemed to recognize me. They grinned at me.

“Who are you?” I demanded, placing my dagger next to one of the male’s throats.

“We are you, you stupid bitch,” he spat as he laughed maniacally. “We are everything you could ever hope to be and more. It’s about time you got your slutty whore-ass back home.”

Oh. My. God. He was the second person to call me a whore in less than a week. This was not working for me. Like I told Cathy, I was many things, but whore was not one of them. He was not me. I was not like these things. I was a good person. I felt everything slip. My brain was racing and I needed to stop these monsters . . . forever.

Did my need to destroy them mean I was no different or no better than they were? My anger felt like fire inside me and I couldn’t see straight. Without thinking I let my body take over. I wiped the smiles right off of their familiar faces as I shredded their hearts with my silver dagger. This did not even begin to quench my rage. I kept picturing them mutilating and torturing the humans, and in my fury I made them explode . . . literally explode with Magic.

How in the hell did I do that?

I turned and saw two approaching Samuel from behind. No one fucked with my Samuel. Before I could react, they ripped Samuel’s right arm off. I aimed my throwing stars and took their heads off before they hurt him anymore. Samuel quickly turned and saluted me with his left hand.

“Goddamn, I’ve had that arm for over five hundred years,” he shouted, grinning from ear to ear, before taking off after two Rogues trying to escape. The severed heads of his attackers rolled back to my feet and mocked me with their golden eyes. I kicked them away in disgust.

Was I supposed to be one of them? Had Pam and The Kev saved me from this?

I lowered my head and went inside myself and something clicked. I did know these people. I could have been like them. These Vampyres were part Demon, like me. They did not have an Angel or a Fairy. I closed my eyes and let my spirit seep out of me and enter them. Their souls were black, desolate, cold and angry. This is what I could have been. There but for the grace of God go I.

As I let all my fears go, somehow I let my spirit enter these horrible things that were so similar but so different from me. Burning, acid pain shot through my body and I doubled over, grasping at the limestone floor. My fingers began to tingle as I absorbed the Magic trapped in the rock. An eerie calm washed over me, creeping through every part of my body, replacing the acid with a gentle warmth that filled me. I knew what I needed to do.

With every bit of strength I had left, I stood up and looked at the bloody carnage around me. Several Cressida House Vampyres lay dead among the mortals and Rogues. I pressed my wings and I raised my arms above my head. I screamed, and flung my arms out from my body. The pain was . . . Oh my God, burning and burning. I was blind, the pain in my head excruciating . . . and then I heard it. It was music to my ears. I tried to smile, but it was more like a grimace. The entire cave rumbled like thunder, and every Rogue Vampyre, dead or alive, exploded into a million little pieces.

Everyone froze and stared at me.

The Rogues did not deserve to live, but did I? It was over and I had ended it. I felt strangely empty and sad. Of course there was no one left to question, but that was probably better. They may have known things about me I didn’t want to learn. Maybe I just destroyed part of myself.

Shit . . . I wasn’t sure an immortal lifetime of therapy would be enough to get rid of these new revelations and images.

Samuel ran to me, wrapped his left arm around me, and laid a huge wet one on my cheek. His right one had already started growing back. Venus, Princess Lelia and Princess Raquel were right behind him. I was numb and in shock.

Where was Ethan . . . was he okay?

“That was the most amazing fucking thing I have ever seen in my long life. You are a freakin’ Terminator,” Lelia yelled as she group-hugged me and Samuel.

Raquel concurred, “Damn, I’m glad you’re on my team. You are a walking, talking death machine. I thought I was good, but you could kick my ass.”

“I never thought I’d hear that come out of your mouth. Ev-ah.” Lelia laughed at her sister and hugged me some more. “Are you okay, Astrid?” she asked.

“I am,” I told her. And I was okay. Tired, but okay.

I looked around at the carnage I’d caused and it shocked me, but I was fine with it. The dead Vampyres had begun to turn to dust. That was what we did when we died, within a half an hour after death a Vampyre’s body disintegrated to a fine powdery dust. I had kept the majority of my people safe. I had saved the humans. And I had destroyed the bad guy.

“Why is your calf bleeding? No weapon should be able to penetrate your shield,” Ethan said angrily. Everyone backed away from him. Everyone except me. He may be intimidating to some, but after what I had just done it would take a lot more than a pissed off Vampyre Prince to scare me.

“My shield was protecting you,” I replied evenly, not moving an inch.

“Did you know you couldn’t protect yourself if you extended your shield to someone else?” he demanded.

“Found out tonight,” I snarked, looking him straight in the eye. Everyone watched our exchange with fascination. They still couldn’t get over someone talking to their Prince like he was a person.

“You should have taken it back.” He pierced me with his eyes, waiting for my reply.

“I chose not to,” I said, walking away.

Shit, shit, shit, why did I say that? I may as well have said, I love you and wanted to protect you, or something equally as stupid like, Didn’t you know I’m attracted to things that hate me? Just ask my mother.

“Come back here,” Ethan said, “I’m not finished with you.”

“Oh yes you are,” I muttered, “and so am . . . ”

“Somebody help me. Please,” Heathcliff cried out from across the cave. Was he hurt? I’d be devastated if he died. I literally flew to him. It was Cathy. She had a silver dagger sticking out of her chest, but she wasn’t dead . . . yet. Heathcliff was bent over her holding her completely still. The tension in his body was palpable.

“Stand back,” Ethan commanded. We did.

“It hasn’t shredded her heart,” Heathcliff whispered. “If I can get her to the compound, they can save her.” His eyes never moved from his sisters as he spoke and his body didn’t move a millimeter.

“If you move her she’ll die,” Lelia said quietly. “We could try to remove it here.”

“No,” Heathcliff was breaking. “You don’t have the Touch . . . you’ll kill her.”

“There’s no time to wait for someone with the Touch. She’s going to die,” Raquel said gently.

Cathy looked at Heathcliff with adoration. “I love you, my brother,” she whispered. “Tell Father that I love him too.” She smiled at him and he broke.

I had no idea what in the hell somebody with the Touch was. Some kind of Vampyre doctor? I watched Cathy and Heathcliff and I knew I had to do something. I was fairly sure I could get Cathy back to the compound without physically moving her and I could do it quickly. I moved in and squatted next to Heathcliff.

“I can transport with her. I’ll get her to the compound in less than thirty seconds and then the . . . um . . . Touch people can save her.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Heathcliff was shaking.

“She’s going to die here anyway. Let me try.”

He looked down at his sister. Her eyes had closed. “Please try.”

“No,” Ethan said. “No, I won’t let you do it. You have never transported with anyone. It could kill you.”

“And?” I challenged him.

“I said no, I won’t let you do it.”

“You don’t ‘let’ me do anything. I do what I want, when I want. I want to save her, so that’s what I’m going to do. Besides, Your Highness, we are no longer mated so if I die it will not affect you. I would assume your life would be easier if I were not around. Can’t have any tainted Demon blood in the Royal Family.”

“Astrid.” Ethan approached me. He was not happy.

I pushed him back with Magic and everyone gasped.

“You are my mate and I am your Prince. You will not do this,” Ethan informed me.

I laughed. “I dissolved our mating. You are not the boss of me.”

I flung my arms out and Glitter Magic flew everywhere. I carefully curled myself around Cathy and we disappeared.

“What in the fuck was that about?” Princess Lelia yelled at her brother. “There’s no such thing as dissolving a mating.”

***


After Astrid disappeared, Ethan fell to his knees and began to pray.

Everyone around him froze and watched Ethan. If he didn’t die in the next thirty seconds, that meant she had made it safely back to The Cressida House.

“Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty,” Samuel counted, grinning. “Astrid did it!”

“Let’s go,” Ethan said.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 31

Where in the hell was I? In some bizarre alternate universe?

Jewel-encrusted torches bathed a huge white marble hallway in golden light. The floor was so shiny it looked wet. Floor to ceiling murals of Demons and Angels and Cherubs adorned the walls, some bloody and violent, some beautiful and peaceful. I felt tiny. The molding on both the floor and ceiling was a thick, burnished gold. Whoever lived here had the big bucks.

Was I dead? Where did everybody go? Did I transport to the wrong place? Shit, where was Cathy? Did I kill her?

“Hello,” I called out tentatively. My voice echoed eerily though the grand hallway. “Is anyone here?” God, what a stupid question; of course someone or something was here . . . the torches were lit. What if this was a trap or a test? And if I failed everyone I loved would die . . .

Whoa Nelly. I was totally freaking myself out. What in the hell did I have to be afraid of? I was a Vampyre for God’s sake. I was hopped up on a butt-load of Angel and Fairy blood, making me one screwed-up and moderately unstable magical force to be reckoned with.

But how could I be here? I could only transport to places I’d been before and I was fairly sure I’d never been here.

Oh my God, I was for real dead. I had to get out of here. I took off running at full speed down the marble hallway.

“Fuck,” I yelled, flying backward and landing hard after I ran face first into an invisible barrier. So much for no pain when you were dead. That hurt.

Maybe I wasn’t for real dead after all, or maybe I was on another planet, or maybe my Demon daddy was going to jump out and scare me into a coma . . .

Coma? Why did I say coma? Good God, I wasn’t making any sense. I was confusing myself and I needed to . . .

“Baby Girl?” a familiar voice called.

I froze. Now someone was screwing with my head. I sat up carefully. If I’d been human, the violent run-in with the barrier would have killed me or at the very least knocked me out. Being a Vampyre, I only had a headache. I slowly scooted across the floor on my bottom, plastered myself against the wall and stayed low.

“Baby Girl?” the voice called again.

I was either for real dead or insane.

“Astrid,” she said, “please say my name so I can come to you.”

“Nana?” I whispered, not trusting myself to speak louder. I was tingling with fear and anticipation.

A sparkling orb approached me, not unlike Glenda the Good Witch’s bubble in The Wizard of Oz. It floated down the hallway toward me, leaving what looked to be a glittery diamond dust in its wake. It might be coming to kill me or eat me, but it sure was pretty. Then it spoke.

“Hello, my Baby Girl,” the orb said.

“Nana, is that you?” I asked the orb, realizing that in talking back to it I had indeed taken the train to Crazytown, gotten off, and bought property.

“Oh hells bells,” the Nana Orb said. “I forgot to morph.”

What the fu . . . ? My Nana was a transparent glittery bubble ball that could morph? Dear God, was this what happened to people when they died?

“Nana,” I croaked, “can I help you?”

“No, sweetie,” she grunted. “Damn it to hell, I haven’t morphed in a while. I can’t quite remember how to do this.”

I watched in morbid fascination as the Nana Ball bounced and quivered like Jell-O, throwing off the most unusually gorgeous sparkles I’d ever seen. I realized with delight that I was covered in her iridescent glitter.

“Sweet Baby Jesus,” Nana yelled, “I think I’ve got it.”

I tried to back away, but the wall was solid. The Nana Ball . . . Orb . . . whatever . . . began to grow. Quickly. Nana was moaning and groaning. It sounded painful.

“Are you okay?” I panicked. I’d already been through Nana’s death once. I wasn’t going to be able to handle it again. Could a ball of light die?

I’m good,” she grunted and began to take on human features.

It was Nana. I could smell her . . . freesia, lilies and brown sugar. I smelled like brown sugar too. If I could breathe, I’d be hyperventilating. I was staring at my Nana. No wait, I was staring at the thirty-five-ish year old version of my Nana, and she was gorgeous. She looked just like she had when I was a little girl. It was strange to be almost the same age as my Nana, but I wouldn’t have cared if she was a thirteen year old teenager.

“Nana?” I ached to touch her, but was terrified she’d disappear if I moved.

“Hi, Baby Girl.” Nana smiled and extended her arms to me. I was crying and shaking. Never ever did I think I would get to hold my Nana again. Loving her as much as I loved her made this moment absolutely perfect.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I blubbered.

“I know, Baby. Me too.” She held me tight.

“Am I for real dead?” I asked her. “Are you?”

“Well,” she laughed, “it depends on your definition of for real dead. I’m dead and you’re undead.”

“Does that mean we can be together?” I grasped her tighter. Please say yes. Please say yes.

“Only for a little while.” She gently unwrapped me from her body and took my hands. “Your time on Earth is not done yet. You still have so much to do.” She smiled and held my face in her hands.

“Where are we?”

“Heaven.”

“Oh my God.” I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth and waited for lightening to strike. Nothing.

Nana laughed and I got lightheaded. She was an Angel. She knew Pam . . .

“Nana,” I was excited, “come back with me. I know you can. You sent Pam to me. By the way, she has a filthy mouth.”

“She does, doesn’t she?” Nana smiled and shook her head. “I can’t go back with you. It’s not my time yet.”

“I don’t get it.” My eyes began to fill again.

“I’ve had several lives, little one,” she said as she played with my hair, smoothing it away from my face

“Have I?” I asked, snuggling closer. She smelled so good, it was impossible to get close enough.

“No honey, this is your first go-round.”

“How many lives have you had?” This was one of the weirder conversations I’d had, and I’d had plenty of weird lately.

“Two.” She took my hand and led me down the grand hallway to a very simple and quietly beautiful sitting room. Everything was white and cream and beige. At first glance it seemed boring, but it was definitely not. It was rich and soft and safe. The furniture was overstuffed and reminded me of puffy clouds. I could stay here forever.

She sat me on one of the puffy cloud couches and continued. “The first time I died was about a hundred and forty years ago, and the last time was about five months ago.” She watched me intently. She was trying to tell me something, but I had no idea what. I wanted to ask her, but the rules were different here. The air was thick with Magic and I knew in my gut there were more questions than answers in this place.

“If I’m here, where does everybody think I am?”

“Your body is on Earth. You are in a Heavenly form here,” Nana told me.

“But I’m me. I feel like me.” I ran my hands over my face and body.

“It’s hard to explain, but your Earthly body is at the Cressida House in a coma, and your Spiritual or Celestial body is here with me.”

My God, that’s why I was having coma thoughts. Ethan knew something bad would happen to me if I transported with somebody. I wonder if he felt smug about being right or if he missed me. “How is my other body still alive?”

I pressed the bridge of my nose trying to ward off the panic attack that was coming on. Nana could tell I was on the verge and gathered me close.

“You left a very small amount of your essence on Earth, but it won’t last long.”

“So that’s why I’m alive in two places?” This was nuts.

“That and the blood of your mate,” she replied.

I pulled back and looked away. Why couldn’t anybody get this straight? “I don’t have a mate,” I insisted, wrapping my arms around myself and staring at the floor.

“You do, my love,” Nana said. “Look at me, child.”

I did. God, she was beautiful. Uh oh . . . she had that look on her face. That look she got when I wouldn’t eat my broccoli. Or when I tried to sneak out of the house in a see-through top and a micro mini.

“He doesn’t want me.” I ran my hand through my hair and looked up defiantly. “I’m half Demon. Ethan hates Demons.” I turned away and tried to suppress my tears.

“You’re not a Demon.” Nana took my chin in her hand, forcing me to look at her. “Your father may be the King of the Demons, but you are immune to your Demonic tendencies. Why do you think I sent you Pam and The Kevin?”

“Nana, Ethan doesn’t care. He . . . ” This was so embarrassing, trying to explain to your dead grandmother why the person you did the nasty with hated you.

“Astrid.” Nana was firm, using that I will take no bullshit voice. “How long did it take you to come to terms with being a Vampyre?”

She waited. I said nothing. I wasn’t completely sure I had come to terms. She forged ahead.

“I recall listening in on a rant that referenced blood breath, weird bun heads and the smell of the old lady bathroom at the country club.”

“You heard that?” Lord help me, what else has she heard?

“Yes,” she smiled. “I rather enjoyed Pam’s confusion over the old lady bathroom thing.”

“Nana, what’s your point?”

“My point, Baby Girl, is that Ethan is over five hundred years old and has had horrific experiences with Demons. You didn’t give him a chance to catch his breath and come to grips with any of this.”

“He was an ass.” I was not backing down.

“Yes, he was . . . and trust me it’s not the last time he will be an ass, but he loves you. He tried to tell you and you ran away.”

“Nana,” I whispered, “I broke the mating.”

“And just how did you do that, my baby?” Nana put her hands on her hips and tilted her lovely head.

“I told him we were no longer mated, that I didn’t want him . . . that he was a mistake.” I felt ill.

“Hmmm,” Nana said, handing me a small glistening jewel that resembled an opal, “that’s all well and good, but it’s impossible to break a mating once it’s been consummated.”

She paused and looked pointedly at me. If I could still blush, I’d be purple.

“So Ethan is still my mate?” I felt giddy and elated and embarrassingly enough, horny. Gotta love my inner slut.

“Yes.” Nana’s eyes twinkled. “Ethan is still your mate.”

“Does he really love me?” I needed to know. It was so hard for me to trust that someone besides my Nana loved me. Thanks, Mom.

“Oh yes, my child, he loves you and will never stop. He would die for you.”

We were both quiet for a **** There were so many things I wanted to ask her. I just kept staring at her, trying to memorize her. She was mine. My Nana. My Nana who was so kind and beautiful, and who smelled so delicious.

“Nana,” I blurted. I’d almost forgotten. “Did I save Cathy? Did she live?” Oh dear God, I hoped so.

“Yes love, you did. She will be fine.” Nana looked radiant and relieved. That was weird, She didn’t even know Cathy. “I’m so proud of you and I wish to thank you.”

How odd. Why would she thank . . .

Brown sugar. Oh. My. God. We all smelled like brown sugar. Me, Cathy, Heathcliff, Nana . . .

“Nana . . . ” I searched her face, looking for clues. Everything was making sense. She said her first life ended about 140 years ago. That would be just about right. “When you died the first time, did you have a family?”

“Yes, Baby Girl, I did.” She was excited. She knew I was close.

“Did you have a son and a daughter? Were you good friends with Emily Bronte? Should you be punished for saddling your children with names they could never live down?”

She was delighted and clapped her hands like a child. “I did and I was and I should. You are so smart, my love.”

It all made sense. The intense connection I felt with Heathcliff. The disastrous results when we tried to be romantic. My desire for Cathy to like me. My need to save her when she clearly hated me. We were blood related. I wasn’t exactly sure how. Siblings? Cousins? Nana was their mother and over a hundred years later she was my grandmother. I supposed that made them my aunt and uncle, many times removed? It didn’t matter. My family kept getting bigger and bigger.

“Can I tell them?” I asked her.

“They already know. Heathcliff searched your house for things that would comfort you or possibly bring you out of your coma, and came upon our pictures. When you see them again, I’d like you to tell them how very much I love them.”

“More than me?” I teased

“The same as you,” she laughed and caressed my face.

“So you looked the same back then?” This was mind blowing

“Yes, very similar,” she smiled.

“Are they upset?” This was crazy.

“Heathcliff is overjoyed. And Cathy, as you would expect, is wracked with guilt.” Nana took me into her arms. “Astrid, you need to go back.”

“Why?” I held her tighter. “I don’t want to leave you. I just got you back.”

“I will be in your life again, my child. All my cycles of life will involve you. You must go now. Ethan is dying.”

“What?” My stomach dropped and I felt dizzy. “He can’t die, he’s immortal.” I was in a full-on panic and started pacing the room. “He wasn’t injured during the battle. Did someone hurt him?” My voice was loud and shrill.

“No,” she said

“Then how? Why?” This could not be happening.

“He’s feeding you, Astrid. Mated Vampyres must drink from each other to live.”

“Yes . . . and?” I didn’t get it.

“He won’t drink from you because you’re in a coma. He just keeps feeding you his blood.”

“How long have I been in a coma?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“Two weeks,” she told me.

I tried to puzzle it out. “If he dies, then I die too.”

“In most cases that would be true, but not in this case.”

I stared at her, willing her to go on. My body was ice cold. Dread raced through me and I started to shake.

“Astrid, if a Vampyre dies while saving the life of his mate, the mate will live.”

I dropped to my knees and started rocking. “Have to go . . . I have to go. I have to leave. I love him, he’s mine. I have to go, Nana. Now.”

“Astrid.” She grabbed me by the shoulders and made me pay attention. “The stone I gave you will take you back to your body, but you will have to fight with everything you have to successfully rejoin the Earthly realm.”

“Is it possible?” I asked her.

“Look at me. Look at yourself. Anything is possible.” She stared deeply into my eyes. “Do you love him?”

“More than life itself,” I told her, scaring the shit out of myself realizing how true that was.

“Then go save him.”

I squeezed the stone, kissed my Nana and felt myself begin to fall. Faster and faster and faster.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 32

“Has anything changed?” I heard Venus ask.

“No,” Ethan said flatly.

“My Liege,” Venus hesitated, “may I have permission to speak candidly?”

“No.”

“Please, Sire,” Venus waited. Long moments passed.

“As you wish,” he replied wearily.

“She would want you to feed from her. She would not want you to die. She lov . . . ”

“Stop,” Ethan harshly commanded. “I will do nothing that will harm her. I’ve done enough to hurt her already. Do you understand me?” His tone was clipped and frightening.

“Yes, Sire,” Venus quietly replied and left the room.

She’s right Ethan, I screamed inside my head. She’s right. Please drink from me. I love you. If you die, even if my physical body lives, the most important part of my soul will die with you. Somebody please hear me.

I could feel his eyes on me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open mine to return his gaze. This was the worst possible prison. I could hear everyone . . . everything. I knew I was lying in a bed in a brightly lit room. I could feel their stares and I could do nothing. I couldn’t move or speak. I couldn’t respond to their touch. I couldn’t utter a sound and I had no clue how to get back to myself. I caught faint traces of his scent and I could tell he was fading quickly from this world. Goddamn it. I needed to wake up.

***


There were people in the room, touching me, poking me.

“Don’t hurt her,” Ethan rasped.

“We won’t, Sire,” an unfamiliar male voice said. “I’m afraid there’s little we can do for her. The Touch does not seem to be affecting her. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Vampyres shouldn’t be able to transport,” a female voice muttered disapprovingly.

Ethan’s voice was as cold as ice, and I felt the other Vampyre’s fear vibrate through the room. “You can do nothing?”

There was silence. They were no longer touching me.

“Get out,” Ethan roared.

I could feel him pacing, I could sense his anxiety and his weakening spirit. Why couldn’t he feel me? He was a mind reader for God’s sake. I used to have to force him to get out of my head. Nana said this wasn’t impossible, but I didn’t know what to do.

He gathered me into his arms. It was so warm and right. I knew his lips were on my forehead and I felt a dampness on my cheeks. Were those his tears? Oh God, please help me. Please. I smelled his blood as he slit his wrist and put it to my lips.

I tried so hard. I didn’t know what I did to get back to him, but it didn’t matter. I did it, and Ethan would be okay. I slowly reached up and pulled his lips to my neck. His body tensed. His beautiful eyes went green and his fangs descended. He smelled like Christmas and autumn air and life. I forced him into me. His fangs pierced me and ripped my skin like paper. My blood gushed into his mouth. His hands rediscovered my body and a ravenous hunger consumed me. He touched me, my face, my breasts, my hips, my stomach. I arched up against him, my body begged for more. Nothing had ever felt so good in my life. So right, so sweet, so hot, so delicious. I just kept swallowing and swallowing and swallowing . . .

Oh God, I hadn’t moved at all. I was still trapped inside my useless body. He wasn’t drinking my blood.

I was drinking his.

***


“Ethan this is madness.” Heathcliff was angry. The room was filled with emotion . . . sadness, anger, regret, love . . . and I was still an immobile waste.

“You don’t understand.” Ethan sounded broken.

“No, I don’t,” Heathcliff snapped. His frustration was evident. “But I do know she won’t want to live without you.”

“How do you know that?” Ethan demanded, his anger felt like an inferno in the room. “She told me I was a mistake,” he choked out.

God, I was an idiot. Why in the hell did I say that? When I went for the jugular, I really went for the jugular.

“Clearly you have no concept of how women think.” Heathcliff stood his ground.

“And you do?”

“Better than you,” Heathcliff challenged. “She didn’t mean any of that. You rejected her. She spent her whole life being rejected by her mother. She was just protecting herself.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better . . . how?”

“I’m telling you she didn’t mean any of that. Women are unstable and prone to unreasonable emotional outbursts. They don’t mean half of the nonsense they say,” Heathcliff blustered.

Oh, he did not just say that. My cousin or brother or uncle or whatever the hell Heathcliff was just took a dive off of the conversation cliff into the pit of he needed to get his ass kicked. Once I got out of my stupid coma, I was going to kick his ass into the next century. It was no wonder he didn’t have a girlfriend, dimples or no dimples.

“Do you know this for certain?” Ethan sounded doubtful. Was he buying that crap? Wait, I wanted him to buy that crap and drink from me. As much as I would never ever admit it, Heathcliff was kind of right, but I was still going to kick his butt until he couldn’t sit for a week.

“Yes,” Heathcliff insisted. “There is tons of literature on this. I’ve read it myself.”

“You do realize,” Ethan said slowly, “that you sound like an ass?”

“Yes,” Heathcliff sighed, embarrassed and defeated. “Yes, I do. I’m sorry . . . I just can’t let you die. So many people need you. Astrid needs you. I know in my soul that she loves you and will be devastated if you die.”

Go Heathcliff! I cheered inside my head. If you get him to drink, I’ll forget about all that male chauvinist bullshit you just spouted. Ethan, please listen to him. Please. Bite me, bite me, bite me . . .

“Have you ever loved someone so much that your own existence is of little or no consequence?”

Heathcliff didn’t answer. Ethan went on.

“I have conquered countries, civilizations, species . . . worlds. I have riches beyond the imagination, and the respect and fear of hundreds of thousands. It means nothing.” Ethan’s voice was flat and growing weaker. “Until she became mine, I was alone. I have been without love for over five hundred years. Many times during those years I thought I was happy, but I didn’t really know what that meant until Astrid turned my world upside down. I never knew what it felt like to be whole. She made me feel alive, like a man . . . not some untouchable prince. And I fucked that up.”

“Astrid made the choice to transport with Cathy,” Heathcliff said.

“I know,” Ethan sighed. “I just can’t help but think the chain of events would have been completely different if I hadn’t been so stupid and shortsighted.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Heathcliff interjected. “Astrid is strong. Now that we know of the blood relation, there is no doubt in my mind that she would have done the same thing again.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ethan was unsure.

Oh for God’s sake. Ethan was an ass, an egotistical ass. He had some gall to think if we’d been all lovey-dovey that I wouldn’t have saved Cathy. Men were idiots. God, get me out of this coma so I can feed him and then slap him silly.

“Heathcliff, I have never been afraid of anything . . . ever. I’m afraid I will hurt her if I drink from her. I simply cannot take that chance. If . . . ” he paused. “No . . . when she wakes . . . if she still wants me, then and only then will I take from her.”

“I understand, my Prince,” Heathcliff sounded defeated. “I really do.”

***


“I couldn’t get him to leave,” The Kev told someone.

“What the fuck?” Pam shouted. “You are a two thousand year old Fairy and you can’t get a five hundred year old Vampyre that you trained to leave the room?”

Pam was pissed like I’d never heard. She also sounded . . . nervous?

“I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal,” Gemma yelled at Pam.

Gemma had certainly grown some big balls, yelling at Pam like that. Maybe the Fairy Queen thing comes with a fantastic right hook or a death wish that leads to yelling at an Angel.

“Oh my God.” Ethan was astonished.

“Shut. Up,” Pam ground out at him. “Don’t you say a word.”

“But . . . ” he sputtered.

“Not a fucking word,” she bellowed at him. “You are not supposed to be here. I gave specific instructions that no one was to be in here when I arrived.”

“Does he know you’re . . . ?” Ethan tried again.

“What part of ‘not a fucking word’ do you not understand?” Pam was not a happy camper. Why was she so angry at Ethan? “Do you want me to try to save her?” she demanded.

“Yes,” Ethan begged.

“Can you keep a secret?” She stared hard at him.

“If I have to,” he replied. “What are you?”

“I’m a fucking Angel with a foul mouth and a bad attitude. As much as I love you, and I do, I am not happy to see you right now. If you tell him anything about this, I will take you over my knee and beat your butt raw. I don’t care if you’re the ruler of the universe. Do you hear me, boy?” Pam shouted.

Was she talking to Ethan or was someone else in the room? Pam couldn’t possibly be speaking to Ethan like that. Could she?

Damn it, why couldn’t I wake up?

“Pam, calm down. Yelling at him will not help,” The Kev told her. “He is heartbroken and practically dead.”

“For God’s sake, Ethan, bite her,” Pam exploded. “I will not sit here and watch either one of you die. That would put me in a very bad mood. You don’t want to see me in a bad mood.”

“Holy crap, this is a good mood?” Gemma muttered under her breath. The Kev laughed.

“I heard that, you little wannabe Fairy Queen. Don’t you even think that I won’t kick your pretty little ass,” Pam growled and then refocused on Ethan. “You will drink from her. NOW.”

“I will not.” Ethan was cold and unmovable.

Come on, Pam. If anyone could scare someone into doing something, it was Pam. Clearly she knew him from somewhere. Maybe she and The Kev could physically force him. His bloodlust must be making him weak and needy. Shit, no one could force him to do anything. The Kev couldn’t even get him to leave the room.

“I tell you what, you are on my last nerve, young man,” Pam informed him.

“You said it would be complicated . . . ” Ethan said.

Pam cut him off, “I said complicated, not over before it got started. So buck up and shut up. I’ve got work to do.”

I felt Ethan relax for the first time in days. That made me happy. Magic began to fill the room. A warmth seeped into my toes and began to travel inch by inch up my body. The dull feeling of pins and needles started to pulse through my arms and legs, but I still couldn’t open my eyes or move my body.

“Astrid.” Pam was focused on me like a laser, “You have to fight. Come back, child.”

Oh shit, Pam had called me Astrid instead of Assface or Asscrack. This was serious. I was trying and praying. I was making deals with God and Buddha and all the Saints. I even threw Santa in.

The Kev and Gemma began to chant in a language I didn’t understand. It was beautiful and melodic. I was floating into the music. It was misty and cloudy and a little ominous, but I knew I needed to be there. I was calling to them inside my head. Why couldn’t they hear me? Then the pain started. Oh God . . . bad, burning, vicious pain.

“Listen to me, Astrid.” I focused on Pam’s voice. The more they chanted, the more excruciating it got, ripping through me, like daggers dipped in fire.

“Do not retreat,” she ground out. “It will hurt like hell, but you have to walk through it.” Pam was pissed. “If you don’t walk through it, he will die and you will be stuck in this Limbo you’re in right now. I know you can hear me. Walk out. NOW.”

In my mind, I put one foot in front of the other and walked barefoot across the burning coals. I clutched the stone Nana had given me so tightly I felt it cutting into my hand. It began to heat up. I tried to drop it, but it had molded itself to my skin. My body began to shake and convulse.

“Hold her,” Pam yelled to Ethan. His strong arms engulfed me as I kept walking through the living hell inside my head.

It would be so much easier to just die. This was too hard. I could die and go back to Nana. Wait, Pam said I would be stuck here and Ethan would die. My life sucked right now. Oh God, I couldn’t move . . . hurt so bad. Please let me die . . .

“I love you, my Angel,” Ethan whispered in my ear. “Come back to me. I’m no good without you. I’ll make you so happy. I promise.”

Pam joined the chant. I could feel my body, my real body, jerking and spasming. Ethan held me tightly as Magic whipped through the room bouncing off the walls and creating sounds resembling thunder.

I was close. I was so close. I pulled my ravaged body up and dragged myself toward an opening. I couldn’t quite see it, but I knew it was there. My palms and knees were shredded from crawling through shards of jagged glass and I couldn’t stop shaking. It was only a few more feet. I loved him so much . . . I could do this. I had to do this.

I gasped and moaned. I was raw and cold, so very cold. Scents overwhelmed me and cocooned me in a safe blanket at the same time. I smelled The Kev, Gemma and Pam, but most importantly I could smell Ethan. My love and my life. The reason I fought so hard to come back.

I slowly opened my eyes and there he was. I would never get used to how breathtaking he was. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked gaunt, but somehow it only enhanced his beauty. He reverently touched my face. Total adoration shone from his gorgeous golden eyes.

I still felt a bit like I was underwater as my lips curled into a smile. Pam, The Kev and Gemma surrounded us.

“I am so proud of you, baby,” Pam said and gently stroked my cheek.

The Kev and Gemma leaned in and kissed me. I smiled my thanks. I loved my family so very much. I could feel Ethan’s impatience—he did not want to share. The feeling was mutual.

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him towards me. I pressed my lips to his ear. “I love you Ethan, now bite me already!”

He laughed with joy and then he did. Nothing had ever felt so good as his fangs in my neck.

Pam stared at Ethan and he looked up at her as he drank. She pointed at him and mouthed, Not a word. He nodded his head and my magical family disappeared in a breeze of Glitter Dust.

“I’ve missed you, Angel. Will you forgive me?” Ethan’s voice was like a caress on my skin. His power and essence ran through me as mine ran through him. He was my other half and I wanted it no other way.

“I’ll forgive you, if you’ll forgive me,” I said, running my fingertips over his beautiful face.

His eyes sparkled as he lowered his lips to mine and made me forget my name. Finally, everything was all right with my world.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 33

I opened my eyes, looked around the room and giggled. Vamps. Vamps everywhere. The mood in the room was light and airy. Happy and relaxed. My fellow Elite Guards were draped over couches, watching TV, sitting around a table playing games. Who knew Vampyres were obsessed with board games? They were playing Clue, but from their posture and faces you’d have thought it was a high stakes poker game. I remembered playing Clue repeatedly after a tonsillectomy when I was ten. Nana had been the best sport ever, but these guys had taken Clue to a whole new level.

Samuel looked very serious. I already knew from experience he was a bad loser. His arm had grown back completely. He named his new appendage Astrid in honor of my beheading the two Rogues who’d removed it. I felt honored . . . I think. Somebody Samuel’s age should know better, but a bad loser is a bad loser. Period. David, Luke and Heathcliff seemed to be having more fun, although they eyed each other warily and kept Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the rope close to their chests. Ethan sat in a chair across the room and watched me. I was bundled up in his big beautiful bed. Venus sat nearby flipping through catalogs and fashion magazines and Paris sat at her feet painting her toe nails.

I shot a look to Ethan and he winked at me. Oh help me, Jesus, my stomach got tingly and dropped to my toes. That man reeked of power and *** and he was mine. Mine, mine, mine. I was so tempted to fly across the room and tackle him that I had to grip the bed sheets to keep myself still. I could tell by the smirk on his lips and the green of his eyes that he knew exactly what I was thinking and very much approved. I had a bone to pick with my mate, but it had to wait until we were alone. The commotion at the game table knocked me out of my sexual stupor.

“You’re cheating,” David yelled at Samuel.

“How in the fuck do you cheat at Clue?” Samuel shouted back, slamming his cards down on the table. Heathcliff was laughing and Luke backed away, completely aware that Samuel and David were about to dance and it was going to get ugly.

“You looked at my cards, you bastard,” David accused Samuel, as if he’d stolen national security secrets, not just peeked to see if Miss Scarlet did it in the library with the gun.

“You’re full of shit,” Samuel bellowed back. “You’re just a pathetic player. No skill, no finesse.”

“Take that back, you son of a bitch,” David hissed at Samuel. “I have skill and finesse.”

Oh my God, they were such girls. Skill? Finesse? For Clue? These Vampyres had too much time on their hands. Both men stood up, knocking their chairs over and circling each other menacingly.

“Enough!” Ethan told them, moving between them. “If you insist on behaving like children, I shall treat you like children. You two,” he indicated Samuel and David “can go outside and beat the hell out of each other. If you destroy my suite or, more importantly, disturb my mate, I will beat the hell out of you.” Everyone froze. Out of pure spite he joyously added, “And I will destroy the Clue game.”

All four grown male Vampyres groaned like eight year olds. This was awesome. I filed the knowledge away for future blackmail use. I was sure he would beat them soundly if he thought they had upset me. As flattering as that may be, I just wanted a bit of peace and no injured friends for a little while. I didn’t want any more appendages named after me.

I was so tickled by how dorky all these hot sexy Vampyres were, I didn’t even notice the suite had gone silent and all eyes were on me.

“What?’ I asked Venus.

“Oooklay at the Ooorday.” she said, confusing the hell out of me.

Seriously, did she really just tell me to look at the door in Pig Latin? The cool factor of these gorgeous Vampyres was diminishing rapidly. I looked at the door and my gut clenched. It was Cathy and a man . . . a very handsome man . . . with the kindest eyes I’d ever seen. He was smiling at me and although I’d never seen him before, I knew him at once.

Heathcliff crossed over to his father, took his hand and began to lead him over to me. Cathy followed about five steps behind, her head hung low and her steps timid. She was breaking my heart. I was amazed at how much she looked like Nana. How had I not noticed it before?

“Stop,” Ethan commanded. “I don’t want her around my mate.” He pointed at Cathy. Everyone in the room tensed.

God . . . , talk about humiliation. “No, Ethan,” I said. “It’s okay. I want to see her.”

Ethan’s anger radiated out from him, bouncing off the walls of the room. Occasionally I was reminded that Ethan was like the President, Prime Minister and Pope all rolled into one. This was one of those times. I quickly moved to him and gently rubbed his arms and chest.

“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered. “You don’t really mean that. Cathy has been loyal to you for over a hundred years. She won’t hurt me.” I put my arms around him to calm him down.

Cathy stepped forward and Ethan’s entire body stiffened under my hands. The suite was drenched in his power and anger. “Don’t take another step,” he whipped out at Cathy between clenched teeth.

She gasped and I could have sworn Heathcliff growled. Sometimes I forgot that Vampyres were very deadly creatures. We were not human, and human emotions and ethics did not fit us very well.

“I understand your anger and reticence, my Liege,” Cathy said quietly. “I deserve it, but I have come to beg forgiveness and humble myself to the Chosen One. To Astrid. I stand in shame of my behavior and request punishment equal to my digressions.”

She dropped to her knees and went prostrate before us.

Ethan turned to Heathcliff. “I will not leave her alone with Astrid.”

Heathcliff looked down. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

This was ridiculous. “Ethan, for God’s sake, she’s my sister, cousin, aunt two times removed or something like that. I know in my gut this is fine. I’d like some privacy with her, because I have a few things I’d like to say.”

Ethan was torn. I think he also knew that Cathy would not try to hurt me, but he didn’t usually reverse decisions after he made them. He’d also never had a mate before who could withhold panty privileges if she didn’t get her way.

“Please,” I smiled and opened my mind to him. I gave him a glimpse of all the things I would let him do to me and all the things I wanted to do to him. He smiled and looked at me with such heat in his eyes I came close to telling everybody to leave the room.

“Fine,” Ethan conceded, giving me a look that implied he expected me to make good on all the visuals he’d just seen. I winked at him and he laughed. He was breathtaking when he laughed. Venus raised her eyebrows in shock and Samuel gave me a thumbs up, but I should have known my Vampyre stud wasn’t finished. “You will wear your shield in her presence,” he said. “Heathcliff, you and Sir James will stay in the room. If one hair on her head is mussed, I will destroy all of you. Understood?”

“Understood,” Heathcliff replied stiffly.

Talk about overprotective. I didn’t dare utter a word, fearing something snarky or smart aleck would fly out of my mouth and he would change his mind. He stared at me and waited. I touched my chest and activated my shield. Ethan seemed satisfied.

Everyone exited the suite, including a reluctant Ethan. I was left alone . . . with my family.

We all stared at each other. Now that we were alone, we didn’t know what to say. It was strange and uncomfortable. It started slowly and no one could stop it as we began to laugh. At first it was that nervous, oh my God, I’m laughing at a funeral kind of laughter, then it morphed into joy. All the pent-up emotions and fear and excitement bubbled out, exploding into giddy laughter. Heathcliff, Sir James and I laughed until tears ran from our eyes. It was a perfect moment. Everyone laughed. Everyone except Cathy. Oh for God’s sake, enough of this ‘poor pathetic me’ shit.

“Get up,” I said to Cathy. She did. I circled her and she watched me with wary eyes.

“I would expect that you would want me banished,” she began defensively.

“Then you don’t know me at all.” I cut her off and watched her squirm. “Try again,” I challenged her.

She was so unsure. I wanted to help her out, but from past experience I was very aware of her pride. I waited for her to make the next move. I was not going to fix it for her.

She looked lost as she spoke. “I’m . . . grateful to you for saving my life and I beg your forgiveness. I am devastated about what happened to you.” I watched her carefully. She was sincere.

“I’m not,” I said, walking toward her and removing my shield.

“What?” She backed away from me.

“Stand still,” I hissed. She did. “I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry about any of it. Not sorry about saving you and not sorry about what happened after, because I got to see my Nana, your mother. She was so proud of me. Proud of me for saving you.”

They all froze and watched me and waited. Cathy was trembling. I thought they knew I had seen Nana, but their reactions proved otherwise. A myriad of emotions washed across all three of their faces, longing the most prevalent.

“Did she say anything?” Heathcliff was ashen and his voice was shaky. He looked like a child, insecure and desperately missing his mother. I realized, with great sadness, I’d gotten to have her many more years than they had. “Any message for us?” he whispered.

“Oh yes.” I smiled at my friend. “She told me to tell you how very much she loves you all.” God, it felt good to tell them that.

Cathy fell back to the ground and rocked back and forth as tears streamed from her eyes. Heathcliff wrapped his arms around her and wept with her. Sir James approached me. He radiated power and kindness and love. He extended his hands to me, I took them and a soothing warmth began to creep through my body.

His eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “Is she coming back?” he asked.

“She said it wasn’t her time yet.” I could feel my own tears escape and spill down my cheeks.

“Oh,” Sir James said. A look of profound pain and disappointment crossed his beautiful face. He quickly looked away and regrouped. I had never realized that one short word could convey so very much. My heart tore for him, and for Heathcliff and Cathy . . . and for me. It was very clear how much this man and his children loved my Nana.

Sir James looked up at me and smiled. “We have waited many years for you, Astrid.” He gently touched my face. “What a beautiful gift to have the Chosen One be part of our family. Part of the mother of my children. Part of the woman I have loved for over a century.”

“I’m not technically related to you.” I was devastated. I wanted this man to be my grandfather. I wanted him to be mine.

“Oh,” he chuckled, “you most certainly are. I was married to your Nana. She and I were connected on unexplainable levels. What is of her blood is mine and what is of my blood is hers. You are as much mine as if I sired you myself, dear child.”

I threw myself into his arms, practically knocking him to the ground. Damn, I’ve gotta watch that. Who in the hell knew that turning into a Blood Sucking Creature of the Night would be the best thing that happened to me.

“Astrid,” he said, “there is much I know about the Chosen One’s path. I believe I can help you understand yourself better. I also would greatly love to hear about everything from your perspective,” he said. His dimples were identical to Heathcliff’s. “We will sit together soon and educate one another.”

“I would like that very much, Sir James,” I said, relieved that somebody knew something about this Chosen One crap.

“Astrid, my child, what would you like from your sister? Or would it be cousin or possibly aunt?” He pondered the options. “Let’s just say sister and leave it at that.” I nodded and he continued. “What would you like from your sister in exchange for saving her life?” Sir James, my new grandpa, kindly asked. His beautiful blue eyes that were so much like Heathcliff’s searched my face.

“Nothing,” I told him truthfully.

“Ahh, I thought you might say that,” he chuckled. “There must be something. The Prince is angry, and rightly so, due to my daughter’s abhorrent behavior toward you. He will want a penance paid. I do believe it would be better if you chose that penance rather than him.”

“You’re right,” I said, worried about what Ethan would do on his own. “I suppose if I had to choose something—I would choose for Cathy to like me.” I watched her as I spoke. She looked up quickly and almost knocked heads with Heathcliff. She was so surprised that I giggled, and miracle of all miracles, she did too. “It’s what I’ve always wanted even before I knew we were blood related.”

“Oh my sweet child, blood related is such a clinical term,” Sir James chuckled and caressed my cheek. “We are family.”

He folded me into his arms. It felt like heaven. Heathcliff stood and joined the embrace followed very slowly and very tentatively by Cathy. It was a beginning. A good beginning.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 34

I knew he would be angry with me if I left, but I was angry with him. I’d been stuck in his suite for three days. It was a very nice suite, but stuck is stuck. No one would let me do anything. At first it was lovely, but now I was going batshit crazy. I was not the kind of person who did boredom well. I may be disorganized and somewhat directionless, but I was not lazy. Besides, I felt great. I was getting claustrophobic and that bastard had been avoiding me. Yesterday he muttered some lame excuse about it being too difficult to be near me because he wanted me so badly and was afraid of hurting me. Utter bullshit. I knew why he was running scared. He’d had some kind of past relationship with Pam and they’d rekindled it.

I couldn’t believe they’d do that to me. Actually, I didn’t believe they’d do that to me. There was no way. I knew I was being ridiculous, but I didn’t care. There was something between them, but it didn’t seem sexual. I was sure he was avoiding me because Pam made him promise not to say anything and he knew I’d wheedle it out of him. I was just pissy and bored and horny and lonely. It was a bad combination. Bad.

To make matters worse, the King seemed to be losing it. Ever since I’d come out of the coma, he’d been wandering around the compound looking for someone. He muttered constantly to himself and had a hard time focusing. Princess Lelia and Princess Raquel kept him under constant watch. They were worried. Ethan seemed worried too. Hell, everyone was worried around here. Ethan had a nifty way of handling it. He avoided his father as well as me.

I missed my baby Demons, my shampoo, my pillow, my sweat pants and my sparkly Converse. Never in my life did I think I’d complain about wearing Prada twenty-four seven. A fine lesson in ‘beware of what you wish for’. I wanted to be sloppy and comfy. I was jonesing for my old faded sweatshirts and my lime green Converse with some tight black Hard Tail sweats and a scrunchy.

Happily for me, tons of sweet little baby Demons lived on the ceilings of the Cressida House. They sang and danced and beat the snot out of each other to entertain me, but they weren’t my babies. I needed Rachel, Ross, Beyonce and Honest Abe. I missed them terribly and they were probably worried sick about me. I needed to go home, even if it was just for a little while. Maybe I could just disappear for a couple of hours.

I ran around the suite and tried to find my shoes. As much as I missed my tennis shoes, the silver Prada platforms I’d been wearing were hot. Where in the hell were they? I crawled under the bed and searched.

“Astrid?” a child called.

“Shit,” I yelped, nailing my head on the bedframe. Damn, was I bleeding? What was it with me and bedframes? Moreover, what the hell was it with people not knocking before they entered a room?

“Oh my God, are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I snapped, ready to rip the kid a new one. “I’d be a hell of a lot better if you could get some manners and knock on the . . . ” Oh dear God, it was Paris.

I quickly switched my tone before she started rolling around on the floor and freaking out. We needed to do something about that. “I’m fine, sweetie,” I tried to convince a mortified Paris. “What do you need?” I attempted to hide the gash on my forehead.

“Are you bleeding?” she whimpered.

“Nope,” I lied.

“Yes you are!” She dropped to a squat.

Oh shit, I didn’t have time for this. I needed to get out of here. “Paris, if you roll around on the floor, I will kick your ass. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” she said, “but your head . . . ”

“Will heal. I’m a Vampyre. Now, what I need,” I explained, “is for you to crawl under the bed and get my shoes. I’m too big.”

“Done.” She got happy again. It didn’t take much. “Oh,” she yelled from under the bed, “I’m supposed to tell you that Brad Pitt called. The skanky one,” she clarified as if I wouldn’t know. “He said it was no problem to reschedule your mother’s memorial for tomorrow night.” She got out from under the bed and held my pretty shoes out to me. “And that he and Angelina got a big kick out of your accent.”

“Dude, you’re still yelling,” I winced.

“Oh, sorry.”

I ran my hands through my hair and took my shoes from her. “For God’s sake, I didn’t even call him,” I muttered.

“Then who did?” she asked.

“Hell if I know,” I sighed. “Maybe Gemma, but she doesn’t have an accent. Anyway, Brad and Angelina know her.” This whole Brad thing made my stomach queasy. Vampyres were not supposed to get queasy. I had a sick feeling that my mother was screwing with me. How in the hell could that be? I saw her get eaten for God’s sake. Pretty hard to mistake your mother getting eaten by Demons while your grotesque Demon King daddy stood by and watched.

“Would you like me to . . . ?” Paris stopped, embarrassed.

“Would I like you to what?” Hell, I wanted to get out of here. I loved Paris, but I wanted to leave and I couldn’t disappear with her in the room. As loyal as she was to me, she was far more so to Ethan. She’d tattle on me so fast.

“Would you like me to go with you to the memorial tomorrow night?” She resembled a beaten dog, ready to be rejected.

“Of course I would.” I looked at my beautiful and bizarre little Vampyre friend and I realized I did want her there. I wanted all of my Vampyre friends and family there. I knew that they all wouldn’t be able to come because many had to be on patrol. More Rogues kept showing up and wreaking havoc. I was itching to get out and patrol again. I asked Samuel and Venus if the new Rogues resembled me, but every time I even started talking shop they changed the subject. They spouted some bullshit about me needing rest . . . blah, blah, blah.

“Yes, Paris, I want you to come. That would make me happy.”

“Okay, great.” She smiled like I’d given her one hundred million dollars. It made me sick to think of the way I’d treated her initially. I’d dismissed her because she was a freak. God certainly has a way of kicking you in the ass with irony. Who was the bigger freak now? Let me think. Hmm . . . that would have to be me.

“Wait a minute little missy, shouldn’t you be teaching my art class now?” I raised my eyebrows giving her an imitation of my scary Ethan look.

“Whoops,” she laughed and started for the door. Clearly I lacked authority if my replacement thinks my scary look is funny and going to work is optional.

“Paris, wait,” I said. She turned back at the doorway of the suite. “Have Martha and Jane been causing trouble?” I asked.

“Every day.”

“Holy shit, are you okay?” I gasped, imagining all the hateful things they could have said. “I’ll kill them if they hurt you.”

Paris looked absolutely delighted by my violent protective streak. “Oh no, Astrid, they’re fine. I like them.”

“Good God, you do?” I was shocked. How could anyone like those hateful old cows? God bless them.

“Yep, they’re not so bad. Plus their conservative Republican rants amuse me.”

“You’re a better woman than me,” I grinned. Paris giggled, hugged me and left.

I pondered Paris’ affection for the old ladies for a moment and decided very little made sense to me anymore. I pulled my pretty platforms on and flung my arms out, spraying the room with Glitter Magic, and disappeared.

***


Their little bodies wiggled like excited puppies. They yipped, squealed, licked and kissed me. I tickled their fat Demon bellies and fed them breeze after breeze of Glitter Magic. They all chattered at once in their little high-pitched Munchkin voices. Oh my God, I loved them.

After about fifteen minutes of utter ballistic chaos, they wore themselves out. They were lying in a panting heap on my bed. My small cozy bed in my small cozy house. I was so happy to be home, even if it was for a short while. I gathered their now calm little Demon bodies to my chest and cuddled them.

“I missed you guys so much,” I cooed.

I realized Honest Abe was playing with my boob. That just wasn’t working for me. I plucked him off my girls, set him up on my shoulder and told him “No, no.”

I supposed I’d have to rethink his sexuality. Maybe he was more bisexual than homosexual. Wait—why in the hell was I concerned about Honest Abe’s sexual preference? I had more important questions for my Demons. I’d been curious about a couple of things for a while and today was as good a day as any to get some answers.

“Um . . . Beyonce . . . ” I started with her, figuring she’d be the most forthright. “What exactly do you guys eat?”

“Pizza,” she informed me.

“Really?” I was so surprised.

“No,” she screamed and began to laugh hysterically. Rachel, Ross and Honest Abe followed suit. They were laughing so hard I thought they’d throw up.

What in the hell was so funny? I tried again. “Oookay, clearly it’s not pizza.” I gave them the eyeball and they calmed down. “Do you drink blood?”

“Sometimes,” Honest Abe said, inching back towards my boob. I plucked him back up and put him on my head.

I tried to grab Rachel, but she ran behind my knee. I settled for Ross. “Ross, do you eat animals?”

“Nooooo, Mommy, Ross no eat animals,” he giggled. “Ross looooves animals. No eat. No eat.”

Dear God please let the answer to this next one be no. “Do you eat people?” Please God, no. Please God, no.

“No, Mommy,” Ross guffawed. “People too chewy!” He was laughing so hard he stopped breathing and started to turn purple. I smacked him on his little Demon back. He sputtered, coughed and thanked me. Unfortunately from his answer, I assumed he’d tried a person or two in his time. They were being vague about their culinary preferences. I needed a new approach.

“What if I guess?” I challenged them. They jumped up and down, grinning and clapping their hands. I took that as a go. “Okay, if you don’t eat animals or pizza or . . . um . . . .people, thank you Jesus, do you eat vegetables?”

“No,” they chorused.

“Fruit?” I asked.

“No.”

“Potato chips?”

“No,” they screamed, laughing.

“Meat?”

“Yessssss,” my babies hissed.

“Wait, if you don’t eat animals or people, what kind of meat do you eat?” I was confused and alarmed. What other kind of meat was there? “Do you mean fish?”

“No! Meat, meat, meat,” they chanted and ran all over my bed, slapping each other and giggling. Honest Abe kept getting dangerously close to my boobs and I kept flicking him away. He thought that was hilarious and kept trying.

“Good God, Honest Abe. You cannot play with my breasts. That’s not appropriate. Do you understand?” I had him by the scruff of the neck. “What’s gotten into you?”

He looked sheepish. “Me go to Big Sean’s Booby Bungalow when Mommy was gone. Me love boobies!” he shouted with glee.

“Boobies, boobies, boobies,” they all sang and kept rolling around on my bed.

Holy shit, my babies were going to strip clubs? I was gone for a week or two and they turned to pornography? Absolutely unacceptable. They weren’t old enough to . . . wait a second.

“How old are you?” I demanded.

“Ninety-two,” Honest Abe grinned.

“Me eighty-seven,” Beyonce yelled.

“Me sixty-eight,” Rachel piped in.

“Me fifteen thousand and three,” Ross volunteered. What? I was speechless. He was older than Jesus. Literally. “Just joking, Mommy! Me seventy!” He was delighted with his little Velcro self.

“Fine,” I muttered, “I guess you guys are old enough to go to a titty bar, but I don’t like it. I find them offensive to women and totally skeevy. I’d prefer you do something more constructive with your free time.”

I was going to use this as a teachable moment. Big Sean’s Booby Bungalow? I’d never even heard of that one. The only two I knew of were out on the highway, Bare Assets and The Bowling Green Bush Company. I do have to admit that Big Sean came up with the best name.

“Don’t be mad, Mommy. We eat there,” Rachel informed me.

“You eat strippers?” I gasped. “I thought people were too chewy.”

“Not strippers Mommy, we eat the bad things that love strippers,” Beyonce chimed in.

“And that would be?” I held my nonexistent breath. Please don’t say drunk men or participants of bachelor parties.

“Bad Demons,” they screeched.

“Holy shit, you eat Demons?” That was disgusting. I felt myself gag remembering the lovely display at my mother’s house.

“Only the bad ones, Mommy,” Ross threw over his shoulder as he started doing a kind of West Side Story “Dance at the Gym” number on my pillow.

I sat up on my bed and pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose, trying to ward off the migraine headed my way. I was worried sick that my babies were going to get themselves killed. There had to be something else they liked to eat besides Bad Demons. How could that even taste good?

“How can you tell a Bad Demon from a Good Demon?” I was getting panicked.

“Silly Mommy,” Honest Abe yelled. “It’s easy! We are Good Demons and your daddy is a Bad Demon.”

“Yummy,” Rachel hooted, “I want to eat Mommy’s daddy.”

“Noooo.” Beyonce punched her. “I want to eat Mommy’s daddy.” An all-out brawl involving the four of them ensued over who got to eat my daddy.

“Enough,” I shouted. They froze. “First of all, my daddy is the most butt-ass ugly, smelly and disgusting thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to eat him. On the flip side, he’s large. I would imagine there’s . . . um . . . enough of him for you guys to share.” I felt my gag reflex kick in. They smiled and appeared to be satisfied by the compromise.

“Is Big Sean’s Booby Bungalow the only place to find Bad Demons?” I asked.

“No,” Ross was still dancing. “Jails and car dealerships are good too, Mommy.” Ross walked up my arm and onto my chest. “Mommy, Bad Demons are everywhere. They keep coming through the Squish Hole and we eat them.”

“Too many come,” Rachel added, as she tried to braid Ross’ Velcro. “Lately hard to eat soooo many Bad Demons.”

“How many can you eat?” Why did I continue to ask questions I didn’t want to know the answers to?

“Yesterday me eat twenty-seven,” Beyonce informed me proudly, slapping her belly.

Wow, I had nothing to say to that. Nothing. I was tempted to ask what a Squish Hole was, but I was pretty sure I had that one figured out. It had to be a Portal between Earth and Hell. If it was something else . . . I didn’t want to know.

I stood up and started tossing them back up to my ceiling. “I’m going to take a really long hot shower and try to wash this conversation off of me.” They thought that was hilarious. “Look at me,” I told them sternly. They did. “I love you and I will be devastated if anything happens to you. I want you to be careful when you dine. You got it?”

“Got it, Mommy,” my babies screeched. “We love you too!” They pummeled each other for a few minutes and then disappeared. I shook my head and made my way to the shower.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 35

Oh my God, it felt so good to be clean using my own fabulous bath products. Not to be a snob, but as much money as those Vamps had, they had some sub-par bath paraphernalia. Although Venus had some good stuff, Ethan definitely did not. I’d just bring mine back with me.

Who in the hell had called Brad Pitt? Maybe it was Gemma. Where were they anyway? Gemma, The Kev and Pam were nowhere to be found. I’d be sick if they were gone for good. On top of missing them desperately, how was I supposed to eat? I’d still not drunk from a mortal—it just didn’t appeal to me. I knew I could drink from Ethan. Thinking about that made my knees go weak and my imagination go wild. Thank goodness I wasn’t hungry. I was feeling a bit nauseous. I supposed it was a hangover from my coma.

I sighed, dropped my towel and went digging through my drawers for some comfy clothes. I needed to get back to the Cressida House before I was missed. That could be a real shit storm. I had every right to leave, but I knew Ethan would be angry. Not because I left, but because I didn’t tell him or take an army of armed guards. I was head over heels, no turning back madly in love with Ethan. I knew I didn’t want to exist without him, but he was not the boss of me. I still needed to be able to run my own life. God knew I could defend myself. I could just scream and blow everything to smithereens.

Grinning, I grabbed a pair of tight black pants that I knew would drive him insane, but first I slipped on a barely there thong. I paired it with a whisper pink raw silk camisole that did very nice things for my very nice breasts, and then I added a rockin’ pair of Prada wedges. He was going to stop ignoring me in a big way.

I threw a bag on my bed and started loading it with Converse, vintage T-shirts, my favorite jeans, a couple of Juicy sweat suits, some gold sequined Uggs and several really pretty tops from Anthropologie. I grabbed my flip flops, some colorful summer skirts, and a teddy bear that Nana had given me when I was eight. Soon I was zipped up and ready to go. I knew I shouldn’t transport with a suitcase after what happened with Cathy. I’d drive back. God help me, I was going to get my ass kicked when they realized what I’d done, but I needed to see my babies. I wondered if I could get them to come back to the Cressida House with me.

“Rachel, Ross, Beyonce, Honest Abe?” I called. “Do you guys want to go on a field trip?” No answer. “Guys? What if I promise to introduce you to my dad sometime?”

“Who are you talking to?” a British woman asked.

What the fu . . . ? British woman? I whipped around and was standing three feet from the big blonde Amazon who had turned me into a Vampyre. “Shit,” I screeched. I slammed my body up against the wall, touched my chest and protected myself with my shield.

She laughed lightly and made her way to my vanity. She sat down and began rummaging through my nail polish. “So, how have you been?” she asked, smiling at me while she pocketed my favorite Chanel Gold Lame polish.

Was she kidding? That Amazon did not just steal a thirty dollar bottle of nail polish, did she?

Yes . . . yes, she did.

“What exactly do you mean?” I was very calm. “How have I been? Hmm, let me see . . . you turned me into a Blood Sucking Creature of the Night and left me for dead. That was awfully friendly of you and now you show up with some fakey British accent that you didn’t have the last time and start stealing my shit.”

“Oh, you saw that?” She was trying to play it off. Wasn’t working.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” I demanded. “Oh, and by the way, you can take my nail polish out of your pocket and put it back.”

“I can see you’re a bit upset.” She stood up with my nail polish still tucked firmly in her pocket. “I’ll come back another time.” She went to leave.

“Oh no, you don’t” I snapped. “Sit your Amazon ass back down. You’re going to answer some questions.”

She paused and examined me. I shivered. Something wasn’t right with her. It was unnerving. “Aren’t you a feisty one? I’d heard you were a dish rag and rather worthless.”

What the fu . . . ? Dish rag, my ass. I was so done with being insulted by dead people. “I don’t know where you got your info, Blondie . . . ”

“Julie,” she interrupted.

I half expected her name to be Olga or Svetlana. “Oookay Julie. Clearly your informant was gravely mistaken and quite possibly a stupid dummy.”

Crap, that sounded kind of middle school. Please tell me I didn’t just say ‘stupid dummy’.

“Clearly,” she smirked, “definitely a stupid dummy.”

“Well, um . . . okay. Who is your informant?”

“My mother,” she calmly informed me, eyeing my Chanel Vamp and Dragon polish bottles.

No fucking way. I quickly crossed the room and removed all of my expensive polish, leaving her all the cheap shit to pilfer. “Your mother?” I questioned as I tossed about three hundred dollars’ worth of nail polish into my little suitcase.

“And yours,” she gave me a creepy smile.

“My what?” I didn’t like the way this was headed. If this were a bad B movie, she’d tell me I was her sister and then she’d kill me. Wait . . . she had already killed me.

“Our mother, Astrid,” she giggled. “We’re sisters.”

Jerry Springer, here I come. “Back the fuck up, Blon . . . I mean, Julie. Explain.”

She smiled condescendingly and heaved a sigh as if I was mentally challenged. “Our mother, also known as stupid dummy, has lived several lives and had children each time.”

“You’re kidding.” I felt a little sick.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” She raised her very attractive eyebrows and waited.

“No.” I felt defeated. “How many lives has she had?”

“A few.”

“How many brothers and sisters do we have?” I asked.

“Several.”

“Are we all Vampyres?” This was nuts.

“Mostly.”

“Could you be any more annoyingly vague?” I was about over her.

“Possibly,” she giggled again.

I closed my eyes, and tried desperately to ignore the reality of my life. Could it get any stranger? The answer was no. At least I hoped it was.

“It was you,” I gasped, figuring out the Brad Pitt mystery. “You called Brad Pitt.”

“Yes, Astrid, that was me.” She rolled her eyes at how long it took me to figure that one out. God, she really was a bitch.

“Wait,” I started laughing, “do you go around setting up memorials for her every time she dies?”

“Something like that,” she replied, looking bored.

I stared at her. We looked nothing alike. We had to have different fathers. Of course we did. Didn’t we? “How old are you?” I asked. She was eyeing my perfume.

“Older than you,” she said, spritzing herself with the expensive bottle.

“You can’t have that,” I told her, “it’s mine.” Was I twelve?

“Fine,” she huffed, “if you’re not going to share, I’m leaving.” She stood up and went for the door.

“I’m not done with you.”

“Too bad, Astrid.” She was so smug. “I’ll see you at Mother’s memorial tomorrow night. Perhaps you’ll be more agreeable.”

With that, she walked out of my room and left my house, with my nail polish in her pocket. She was a total bitch, had answered none of my questions, and had stolen my stuff. She was so going to pay for that.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 36

Driving back was stressful. I still felt sick. I heaved a huge sigh and tried to stop the storm of thoughts racing through my mind. I was glad I could tolerate sunlight as I watched the gorgeous Kentucky sunset rip through the sky. The blazing pinks and purples were in striking contrast with the huge orange sun that dipped lower and lower by the minute.

I had hoped to get back to the Cressida House before everyone woke up for the evening, but my unexpected guest had delayed me. Julie had pissed me off, but she had also scared me. I didn’t want her in my life at all. Please God, let her move on after the memorial. I already had a sister. Cathy was my sort-of sister, and one pain in the ass difficult sibling was all I could handle.

I pulled up the manicured, tree lined drive of the Cressida House and was ushered straight through the guard gate. The Vamps on duty shook their heads in either disgust or pity when they saw it was me. Whatever it was, it didn’t bode well. As I approached the manor house my stomach dropped. So much for getting back before my absence was noticed. I had a welcoming committee. Let me see, I spied Venus, Samuel, Heathcliff, Luke, David, Raquel, Lelia and a very unhappy Ethan.

Shit.

“Hey guys,” I yelled, getting out of my junky car. I should buy a new one, but cars cost a lot of . . . Wait, I just inherited forty million dollars. I could buy a stinkin’ fleet of cars. No one had returned my greeting. I tried again. Louder. “Hey friends, are you all going somewhere?” Volume always worked for Pam. Everyone looked slightly confused. It was working.

“It’s a great night for a . . . um . . . a run or . . . you know . . . a bonfire. Actually, fires are not our friend . . . being Vampyres and all . . . ”

“Enough, Astrid,” Ethan said quietly. Way too quietly. I shut up. “Where have you been?”

“I went home.”

“This is your home now, Astrid,” he replied tersely.

“No, Ethan,” I countered, “it’s not. I don’t have a room here or any of my stuff. The mailman, the police, amazon.com and my newspaper delivery guy all think I live at 333 Montavesta Road, so . . . ”

“Astrid, come with me,” Ethan cut me off, took my arm and my suitcase and led me into the Cressida House. Venus winked as I passed which made me feel a little bit better, but Heathcliff shook his head like an older brother might when his little sister had done something really stupid. Why was it stupid that I wanted to go home? Did becoming a Vampyre mean I had joined some undead cult and couldn’t be trusted on my own?

We walked silently through the mansion. After we’d crossed through the Grand Foyer and walked up the curved marble staircase, we stood in front of the intricately carved teak doors of the elevator and waited. It was difficult for me to get accustomed to the opulence of this place. I was used to a much simpler life. I stole glances at Ethan through lowered lashes. God, even angry he was the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on. I knew we were about to have it out, but all I wanted to do was strip him and tackle him.

Why couldn’t I read minds? It was so unfair. I wanted to know what he was thinking. Clearly he was not pleased that I’d left, but had he noticed my butt in the tight black pants or how my camisole hugged my breasts just right? Or how just thinking about all this was making me dangerously horny?

Ethan led me into his suite, shut the door and began to pace the room. His power filled the large room making it small. “This is our suite.” His eyes bored into me. “You are mine and this is where we stay when we are in Kentucky.”

“You wait one minute,” I shot back, getting louder and louder with each word that flew from my mouth. “I am not some possession you own or can control. You may run everything else, but you will never, ever control me. I am the boss of me. Not you!”

Was I suicidal? Yes. Yelling at the Prince of the North American Dominion was a big Vampyre no-no, but he was pissing me off big time. Maybe I would talk to him later when he wasn’t being such a primitive jackass.

He grabbed me and hauled me up against his chest. He pinned my arms behind my back as I shrieked my displeasure. My breasts were planted firmly against him. I felt my nipples tighten and moisture pool between my legs. My inner slut was betraying me once again. Why on earth I was getting so turned on by his he-man behavior was beyond me.

“Let go of me,” I hissed, trying to escape the steel bands of his arms.

“Not a chance, my love.” His lips were inches from my ear and his voice sent shivers through me. “You are definitely mine and I am yours,” he whispered. “You may not be my possession, but I plan to possess you. Every inch of you, for the rest of your very long life.”

His lips brushed my ear and I started to tremble. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” I shuddered as his lips made a hot trail from my earlobe to the corner of my mouth.

“I think you know exactly what to do,” he replied lazily, nipping at my bottom lip.

“I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know what’s expected of me. What you expect of me. What I expect of myself . . . ” I trailed off and tried not to cry. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. Everything I was saying was so true. “I don’t know how to be with you. It’s too complicated,” I whispered and started to cry.

“Shhhh,” Ethan tangled his free hand into my hair. “It’s not complicated. You have to let me love you, give me a little bit of yourself. Trust me.”

“But I . . . ”

He drove his point home, crushing his lips against my mouth, and pressing his body to mine. Trust him? Give myself to him? I couldn’t even think straight. Actually, he might be right. Damn him. I struggled and successfully freed one arm, fully intending to deck him. My arm had a different idea. I pulled him closer and let my lips part under his assault. A growl of pure male pleasure escaped from him as he drove his tongue into my mouth.

I bit at his lips and tangled my tongue with his. All of my fear and anger and confusion from the last month came rushing out of me. I wanted to devour him the same way he was devouring me. It was aggressive, bordering on violent. We were spiraling out of control. Hard, fast and angry.

“Just so you know,” Ethan groaned, digging his strong hands into my hips, “I noticed the pants and the top.” He pressed himself against me and I could feel his appreciation for my efforts. His fangs scraped my neck and my knees gave way. All chances for coherent thinking were gone. I couldn’t remember my name, much less why I didn’t want to strip him naked. His scent and his taste and the feel of his body against mine overwhelmed me.

I clawed at his clothes. “Make them go away,” I demanded

“With pleasure,” his voice was ragged with desire. My body pined for him. It took everything I had not to throw myself at him while he slowly disrobed.

“You’re a tease,” I hissed impatiently.

“Patience is a virtue,” he chuckled and went slower.

“Not one of mine,” I said, ripping at his clothes.

His body was glorious. Strong and muscular and deadly. Muscles that would take a lifetime to achieve. I couldn’t believe he was mine. I ran my hands over his deliciously broad shoulders and his perfectly muscular arms. The light sprinkling of blonde chest hair tickled my fingertips and sent chills through my body. I followed the hair down his body where it tapered to his ripped abdomen and led to my prize, his huge cock that was very happy for the attention and as hard as a rock. I knew how he would feel inside of me and I wanted it. Now. He was my drug of choice.

His eyes smoldered with desire as he watched me like a predator watches prey. This was my game and he waited to see what I would do next. So I stepped back and marveled at his body. He kept his hands at his sides and waited. His muscles rippled under my fingertips and his body shuddered as I lightly ran my nails over his erection.

I wrapped my hands around him and sank to my knees. The hard heavy length of him jerked in my hands and his head dropped back to his shoulders. He was perfection, hard as steel, yet as smooth as satin. My eyes blazed green and my fangs descended. They stayed locked on his as I flicked my tongue out and circled the swollen head of his shaft. He groaned and twined his fingers into my hair, pushing my hot, wet mouth further down the hard length of him. I scraped him with my fangs as he forced himself as deep as I would take him.

I worried for a brief moment that my inexperience might turn him off, but the sounds coming from deep within his body allayed my fears. The feel of him in my mouth was electrifying. His taste, his scent and moans made me dizzy with power. He was intoxicating. Having him completely in my control was as much of a turn on as having him deep inside of me. I gripped his hips and relaxed my throat, taking more of him into me.

No longer concerned if I was doing it right, I followed my instincts and the movements of his body. Going down on him was hotter than I ever could have imagined. He made the sexiest sounds I’d ever heard and a hot warmth shot to my core. He tangled his hands roughly in my hair spurring me to move faster up and down the length of him.

“Angel, stop,” he hissed. It made a popping sound as he pulled himself from my mouth. I could still taste him on my tongue and lips as he dragged me up his body, shredding my camisole and sexy black pants in his frenzy.

“I need to come inside you,” he growled and moved to my breasts. His teeth, his lips and his tongue on my nipples were making me see Jesus. He was relentless, scraping my breasts with his fangs and driving me to a whimpering mess.

I cried out as he pierced my left breast. My back arched, my body jerked, and I screamed as I raked my nails down his back. A fiery orgasm shot violently through me as I kept screaming. As he drank from me, mini orgasms wracked my body. I shook like I was naked in a snowstorm, but the opposite was true. My skin and my insides blazed with a heat I’d never felt. This man could kill me with *** without even fucking me.

He moved down my body, leaving my swollen and sensitive breasts. His tongue made tight circles along my stomach and he moved lower. I was unable to move or speak. I felt limp and weak and fragile after the mind-blowing orgasm I’d just had, but he was nowhere near done. He laughed at my moans of protest and went after what he wanted.

To own me completely.

His tongue manipulated me with expertise and deadly precision. My hips rocked. I lifted my body closer to his mouth, begging for more. I gasped and moaned as he licked and nipped. Tears streamed from my eyes as he took my *** into his mouth and bit down.

The roaring in my ears was deafening. I jerked and convulsed as he held my body open to his hunger. I couldn’t take much more.

He rode out my orgasm with his head buried between my legs and his fingers teasing me mercilessly, taking every bit of me into his mouth. Claiming me like no one ever had or ever would.

“I love you, Angel,” he said, studying my face.

“I love you too,” I whispered, still shaking with aftershocks.

“I need to hear you scream again, Angel,” he said with an evil, sexy smile. “I’m going to fuck you now until we accomplish that.”

Oh. My. God. My limp rag of a body woke up immediately. The way he spoke to me was obscene and I loved it. He placed my hands on the evidence of his desire and positioned himself to reach his goal. He slowly entered me, making me feel complete. I closed my eyes and let myself feel.

“Watch me when I fuck you,” Ethan demanded.

So I did. Riding a roller coaster of emotions, I watched his face while he entered my body. I didn’t think anything could be more intimate than our bodies joining. I couldn’t have been more incorrect. I felt open, vulnerable and near tears. His eyes blazed with need as he impaled my body with his. It was perfect.

With a forceful thrust he buried himself completely inside of me. My body tightened around his and I gasped. The sheer girth of him stretched me to my limits. He rocked into me slow and steady, but my writhing beneath him invited a much rougher pace. He accepted my invitation and pounded into me with a force and speed that would have killed a mortal woman. I wasn’t mortal and I met every thrust with joyful abandon.

He growled his approval and I felt my world start to unravel. The spiral of my orgasm swallowed me like a volcano. I gripped him with my body and bit into his neck at the same time he pierced mine. As our essences mixed, shockwaves raced through my body and shudders rocked his.

I could feel my Magic and his power intertwining to become something entirely and uniquely its own. At the most basic level, intimacy with Ethan was changing who I was. This man made me better, stronger, sexier, happier. Our joining wasn’t just ***—it was life changing and something I could no longer live without. He was necessary. He was right. I was his.

I rode the crest of multiple orgasms as we continued make love to each other with inhuman speed.

“Mine,” he ground out.

“Yes, yours,” I gasped. I gripped his shoulders as I felt him grow larger inside of me.

“Again,” he growled.

“I’m yours.”

My world detonated around me in breathtaking color. His body tensed and he roared as he came.

He was right. I was his, and he was mine.

Forever.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 37

“You’ve ruined me,” I giggled, lightly running my fingertips along his collarbone.

“Back at ya, Angel,” Ethan chuckled, pulling my exhausted, happy, naked body closer to his. He smoothed my hair from my face and looked deeply into my eyes. “I need you to understand something.” He was very serious.

“Yes,” I said slowly, gearing up to get pissed off.

“There’s a bounty on your head,” he said in a flat disgusted voice.

Oookay, not even close to what I expected him to say. I was expecting some kind of ‘I’m the man and you’re the woman. You have to stay put when I say so’ garbage, not ‘Somebody put up some money so a whole bunch of people will want to kill you.’

I tried to sit up, but he pulled me closer and held me still.

“The Rogues have put a bounty on you. They want retribution for you killing a large number of them in the caves. They want you alive, but as long as they physically have your head, they could bring you back as a full Demon.”

“How much?”

“Ten million.”

I was stunned. At least I wasn’t cheap. “That is the most fucked up thing I have ever heard. You can make a Demon from someone’s head?” My queasiness was back full throttle.

“Not just anyone’s head,” Ethan said, gently rubbing my back, “the head of someone who has Demon blood.”

“That’s just fantastic,” I muttered, pressing on the bridge of my nose. The migraine that had been toying with me for two weeks was about to make good on its threat.

Ethan put his big hand under my chin and raised my face so our eyes met. God, he was pretty. “That is why I was so upset you left without telling anyone. I’ve almost lost you entirely too many times this week.” He ran his hands through his hair and pressed his lips to my forehead. “I don’t want you leaving the compound until we get to the bottom of who placed the bounty.”

“Oh my God.” I sat up. “My mother’s memorial is tomorrow night. I have to be there.” My hands were now in my hair. “What if I take Guards and . . . wear my shield and . . . blow any Rogues I see into pieces . . . ” My brain was racing. “My big blonde klepto Vampyre sister will be there and I want you to meet her. I have no idea how to get hold of her and you have to thank her for turning me into a Vampyre. I promise I’ll just kill anybody who causes problems.”

“Angel,” Ethan laughed and shook his head, “that would make you very conspicuous in front of the mortals.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “This would require an extraordinary amount of trancing on our part if anything were to go wrong. Not to mention you could end up headless.” He shook his head. “Can we postpone it?” he asked.

“Again?” I shrieked. “Nothing will go wrong. Please, I need to get this done. I want it over. I need to be there. Please.”

As Ethan thought, he absentmindedly ran his thumbs over my knuckles. “Is the memorial in a contained building?” he asked. I nodded. “I suppose if we surround the place. I’ll send a number of us in as guests and the Elite Guard will stand watch outside.” I hugged him hard. “But Astrid, that’s it. You have to promise me that apart from the memorial, you will stay on the compound until we have this under control.”

“I promise.” I curled into him, loving the way his skin felt against mine. “Ethan?”

“Yes?” he was wary.

“About Pam . . . ” I started.

“No,” he cut me off and tried to get out of the bed.

I quickly straddled him and pinned his arms over his head. He could get away if he wanted, but he was very happy with this position. Quite honestly, I was too.

“What if I guess?” I asked, pushing my breasts to his lips.

“Have you ever heard of fighting fair?” he laughed, freeing himself from my grip and cupping my bottom with both hands.

“Nope,” I grinned. “Can I guess? I love guessing. Will you tell me if I’m right?”

I wiggled my bottom and he squeezed me tighter.

“Try,” he challenged.

Alrighty then, how did Ethan know Pam? I knew it wasn’t sexual, but she did say she loved him. Was she a former girlfriend? No . . . that didn’t feel right. She threatened to beat his butt raw. That was just weird and rude, even for Pam. She swore at him the way she would with someone she cared a great deal about. She was thrown the first time she saw the pink diamond on my finger.

Holy hell . . . no way. The King had been wandering around the palace like a zombie looking for someone. He sensed her presence. Nana was the only other Angel I knew and she was connected to the Vampyres in a former life. Did that mean my Angel, Pam was connected to the Vampyres in a former life also? I believe it did.

“She’s the Queen,” I told him. I saw surprise flash across his face and he started to grin. I grew more confident. I knew it, I was right! “She’s Queen Paloma, the woman who raised you. The woman your father has been waiting on for centuries.” Damn, my entire life was one big jigsaw puzzle. Everyone was somehow connected to everyone. “Do you think she’s come back to stay?”

“I don’t know,” Ethan sighed. “That’s why I’m avoiding my father. I don’t think I have the strength to keep this from him, but he knows she was here and it’s killing him. He’s just not functioning well and everyone is confused and worried.”

I laid my head on his chest. “Do you want me to tell him the truth?”

“No, Pam made me promise,” he reminded me, clearly frustrated.

“Yes,” I agreed, “but she didn’t make me promise . . . ”

Ethan’s body tensed. He rolled me over onto my back and loomed over me. His grin grew wide. “She didn’t, did she?”

***


It was good to tell him. He had a right to know and I had a strong feeling Pam approved. I just wish I knew where the hell she and The Kev and Gemma were.

“Thank you,” the King whispered, his beautiful eyes glittered with tears. “I knew she was here.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Father,” he corrected me.

“Father,” I said shyly. “I don’t know if she’s staying.”

“Oh my child.” He was so serene. “She is back. She’ll come to me when she is able.” He held my hands and glowed with joy. “Her work is not done, but it will be soon.”

“How do you know?”

“I feel it here.” He touched his heart and smiled. “She is the love of my life and you, my child, my Chosen One, have brought her back to me. You have saved me.”

Oh my God, maybe that was it. Maybe my purpose was to reunite the King with his Queen. Was that how I was to save him? It seemed too simple. I was positive I’d have to take out a few Vamps and Demons. This would certainly have been a hell of a lot easier. Having a bounty on my head was not my idea of a good time, but if all I had to do to save the King was go find Pam’s sorry ass, things were looking up.

Being alone with the King was lovely. His suite was beautiful. Very colorful, eclectic and comfortable, just like him. Ethan didn’t want to be anywhere near this conversation. That way his promise to Pam would remain unbroken.

“Astrid, I will be with you at the memorial tomorrow night. Venus, Paris, Cathy, Sir James, Samuel and I will be your guests and twenty of the Elite Guard, including Ethan will be outside surrounding the building.”

“Are you sure you’ll be safe?”

“Yes, my child,” the King chuckled. “I’m probably safer with you than I am with anyone else.”

I was shocked. “Sire . . . um, I mean . . . Father, I fear you give me too much credit.”

“You really have no idea how powerful you are, do you?” He began to pace the room. “Astrid, you are the Chosen One. Your Magic and skills far outweigh the most gifted Vampyre and the most evil Demon.” He stopped and I could swear he peered into my soul. “You may not have control of it yet, but it’s all there. I can feel it.”

Shit, he was serious. I certainly hoped whoever was in charge knew what they were doing when they saddled me with this Chosen One crap, because I would have chosen someone else. Anyone else.

“Ah, Sir James,” the King acknowledged his dear friend, “come in and join us.” I looked at my de facto father and grandfather and giggled. They looked like they could be my brothers. My mate was older than my grandpa. I had entered a whole new world of strange.

“Astrid,” Sir James smiled and led me to a lovely chocolate brown velvet couch, “there are several things I think you should know.” He looked pointedly at the King. The King nodded gravely and took a seat next to me.

Sir James took my hand. “Astrid, the Chosen One has been blessed with many gifts, physically and magically.” He paused. I waited. “There is one gift we cannot comprehend.” He just stared at me.

“Well, if you guys don’t understand it, I’m sure I’d have no clue,” I laughed uncomfortably.

“How have you been feeling, child?” the King asked. I noticed a book in his hands.

“Okay, I suppose. I’ve been a bit headachy and nauseous.”

The two men exchanged a smile.

“That makes you happy?” I was confused.

“Oh yes, Vampyres never get sick.” The King clasped his hands together like a child. “Yes, so very happy.”

“This is wonderful,” Sir James muttered, paging quickly through the book that the King had been holding.

I held these men in high esteem and had grown to love them in a very short period of time, but I was starting to question their sanity. Their glee over my headaches and nausea was a bit upsetting. The King was practically doing a jig and Sir James was becoming frantic as he paged through his book.

“Got it,” Sir James yelled. He slammed the page against his chest, hiding it from my view while the King knelt at my feet.

I knew their excitement should alarm me, but they were behaving like two little boys on Christmas morning. I started laughing. “What is going on?” The King was bouncing and Sir James was biting his nails. I’d never seen Vampyres act so human.

“What we are going to show you mustn’t leave this room,” Sir James whispered.

“You can’t tell Ethan yet, though you will want to,” the King said, trying to contain himself. “If you tell him, he will lock you in a room and throw away the key.” Sir James nodded in agreement. “You must put what we are about to tell you into your mind and then shield it completely, so even Ethan can’t see it. Not yet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Most of the information we have on the Chosen One is through pictures, not text,” Sir James explained. “Some of it was drawn before written language existed.”

“How long have Vampyres been around?” This was all news to me.

“Since the dawn of time,” he said. “There is a picture we want to show you.” His eyes were twinkling. “Not many of our kind have seen this. It’s been held back so we would be able to very accurately recognize the true Chosen One.”

“It may scare you,” the King chimed in, still bouncing, “but we do think you’ll be happy.”

“Well, you guys certainly seem to be,” I muttered, beginning to get nervous.

“Many things that seem impossible are not,” Sir James said. “Until recently you had no knowledge of Vampyres or Demons or Angels or Fairies. Correct?”

“Correct,” I answered.

“You, my child, are the Light in our Darkness. Your Vampyre and Demon heritage is your Darkness and your blood and compatibility with Angels and Fairies is your Light. You are very different from us. You embody impossibility becoming reality.” He seemed about to burst. I felt a bizarre wave of dizziness come over me.

“Sir James, Your Majesty,” I said.

“Call me Father.”

“Call me Grandpa.” They spoke simultaneously.

“Oookay, Father and Grandpa.” I did like the way that sounded. “No disrespect, but could you please get to your point? You’re freaking me out and I’m feeling dizzy and nauseous.”

“That’s fantastic,” the King shouted, jumping to his feet and hugging Sir James.

I gave him the eyeball and he quickly reigned himself in. Good God, you’d think they were about to reveal the Second Coming.

“Wait,” I stopped them. They looked at me expectantly. “I don’t want to keep anything from Ethan. It’s wrong.”

“If you want to attend the memorial, then wait until afterward to tell him,” Sir James said.

Finally I nodded.

Slowly Sir James turned the book around and showed me a picture. A beautiful picture. A picture that would change my life. Forever. I gasped and my eyes filled with tears. I looked at both of these men who watched me with adoring eyes.

“Is that true?” I whispered.

“Yes, my darling child, it’s very true,” the King said.

It was too much. The room began to spin and I grabbed the hands of my father and grandfather. They both held me lovingly as my world faded to black.

 

[kenny0112]

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1)
by Robyn Peterman
Genre: Funny
​

Spoiler: Chapter 38

“If you’re going to strap daggers to your thigh, I would recommend a dress with a full skirt.” Venus dropped the pile of clothes she was carrying onto my bed.

“But if I need to fight, pants would make more sense,” I countered.

“True . . . but where would you put your knives?”

I considered my options. “If I wear ankle boots, I could carry two there, and if I wear some kind of jacket, I can strap a smaller sword and a gun to my back.” That could work. “I could also carry some throwing stars in my pocket.”

“Just don’t hug anyone,” Venus laughed.

“Or go through a metal detector,” Gemma added, appearing from out of nowhere in a gust of Fairy Glitter.

“Gemma,” I shouted, tackling her in a hug. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been close by,” she grinned and hugged me hard.

Did she just run her hands over my stomach? I quickly glanced at her to see if she knew, but she was busy hugging Venus.

“Is Pam or The Kev with you?” I asked, grabbing her hand and pulling her down on the bed.

“No, I haven’t seen Pam in several days. The Kev and I have been to the Fairy Royal Court. I’ve been presented,” she giggled.

“Like a Deb?” I laughed. “Did you wear a white dress and go to a ball?”

“No, actually I got sent back here to break the fourth Mortal String, whatever the hell that turns out to be,” she sighed.

“No one would tell you?” Venus asked.

“No one knows,” she replied. “Although from everyone’s attitude, and let me just tell you some of those Fairies have ‘tudes, it seems like it will be freakin’ awful.” Gemma absentmindedly hummed ‘Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’ as she played with my hair.

“God, I’ve missed you. So much has happened while you were gone,” I said, wondering how much she might know. I watched her closely. She didn’t appear to be in on my secret. Damn, I wanted to talk to someone about it, but I gave my word to the King and Sir James. I had hoped that as a Fairy, Gemma would sense it. I really thought she knew when she touched my stomach.

“I want to be with you tonight at the memorial.” She squeezed my hand. “Venus, do you think anyone would mind if I stayed here at the Cressida House for a few days?”

“Hell no,” Venus plopped down on the bed with us. “There are guest suites or you can have a slumber party in my room. Of course it won’t be quite as fancy as the Prince’s quarters that Little Miss Astrid now occupies,” she laughed.

“Speaking of the Prince, where is Ethan?” Gemma asked.

“He left before I got up to scout out the memorial site,” I told her, examining the pile of clothes. “I’ve been thinking . . . ”

“Oh, Lord help us,” Venus groaned and Gemma laughed.

I punched her in the arm and continued, “I’ve been thinking that I’d like to give Paris my Nana’s house and give my house to Old Charlie and Niecey from my art class. Paris told me they’re getting married and need a bigger place.”

“Paris Hilton?” Gemma asked.

“Yep, I think she’d be happy there.”

“So you’ll live . . . ?” Venus teased.

“Where ever Ethan does.” I stuck my tongue out at her and she snorted.

“So you’ve given in . . . finally.” Venus giggled. She jumped off the bed with Vampyre speed to avoid my right hook headed her way.

“I think it’s beautiful. He loves you completely.” Gemma hugged me again and started humming ‘Ben’.

“I love him too. For better or worse, I love him. Completely.”

“Oooo, Astrid’s got it bad,” Venus sang as she pulled different outfits out of bags for me to try on.

“Nope,” I grinned, “Astrid’s got it good! Now help me pick out something to wear to the god-awful shindig we have to go to.”

***


“You are exquisite.” Ethan gave me an irresistible grin, taking in my fitted black Prada pants, the tailored white low-cut blouse made from a beautiful soft Egyptian cotton and the stunning jade green Armani raw silk jacket. I was determined to expand the Vampyres’ Prada wearing obsession. He took both of my hands in his. “I want to be very clear with you Astrid, I’m not happy about you leaving the compound. You will be careful.”

Why did I find his primitive he-man stuff so sexy? What was wrong with me?

“If there is even a hint of trouble, you will transport back to the Cressida House. We’ll have the place surrounded, but we don’t know how much Magic the Rogues are capable of.”

“It will be fine,” I assured him, touching his chest. I was unable to keep my hands off of him. I wanted to remind him I had crazy mad powers being the Chosen One and all, but was afraid he wouldn’t let me go. God, if he knew my secret. The King was right. He would lock me in a room. Of course, locking me in a room wouldn’t hinder my going anywhere. “Anyway, I want you to meet my big, sticky-fingered, evil sister-sire tonight at some point.”

“Fine,” he said. “See if she will join you back here afterward.”

“I want to meet her, too.” Gemma hopped up off of our bed and placed her hands over Ethan’s and mine.

She closed her eyes and muttered words in a language that sounded Swedish. A buzz of electricity shot into my hands and arms. Ethan jerked back and laughed. It didn’t hurt, it tickled.

“Ooo,” I squealed dancing around. “What was that?”

Gemma grinned, “I sped up something that will happen soon anyway.”

“What?’ Ethan and I asked simultaneously.

“Talk to him with your mind,” she told me.

“My mind?”

“Yes, you know, that tiny thing that’s housed inside your head,” Gemma said.

“Dude, that was harsh,” I moaned.

“Dude, just do it,” she laughed.

Hi Ethan, you have a lovely ass, I thought at him.

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up and he chuckled. Oh my God, it worked.

Thank you, my love. I happen to find your ass riveting, especially in those pants.

Really? I love the way yours dents in on the sides. It makes my knees weak and my mouth water.

That’s good to know. His eyes turned emerald green and he gave me that lopsided sexy smirk. Unfortunately you’re waking up parts of my body that will demand satisfaction if you don’t stop.

Why’s that unfortunate? Do we have time? I grinned at him, aching for his touch and then some.

You’re killing me, he moaned.

“Okay, friends,” Gemma cut into our mental foreplay. “I’m fairly sure I know what you’re doing.” She rolled her eyes. “But the reason I sped this up is so you can communicate if Astrid is in trouble. Not to have mind ***.”

“Whoops,” I said.

Ethan grabbed me and kissed me until my toes curled. God, I loved him.

“You won’t see me, but I’ll be there,” he whispered. “And later tonight I’d like to thoroughly evaluate your ass . . . and I’m feeling the need to have you handle mine.”

“Just your ass?’ I giggled.

“Definitely not just my ass,” he shot back. “Or yours.”

“Your Majesty,” Venus bowed her head, entering our room with an arsenal of weapons in her arms. “Astrid,” she smirked, clearly having heard our banter.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Your Highness, the rest of the Elite Guard is waiting for you in the foyer. The King, Sir James, Cathy, Paris and Samuel are on their way up here to get armed and then we’ll go,” Venus relayed as she loaded a semi-automatic.

“Would you ladies give us a moment?” Ethan asked my friends.

“Certainly,” Gemma said, then took Venus by the hand and left.

“Ethan, I don’t think we have time to . . . you know.”

“I do know,” he smiled suggestively, “but that’s not why I asked them to leave.”

“Oh.” I tried unsuccessfully to hide my inner slut’s disappointment.

“Come here.” He put his arms out and I fell willingly into them. His lips covered mine. His kiss was surprisingly gentle but full of promise. “Astrid, I love you. I never thought I would find my mate, but the Heavens and Angels decided to smile on me. Nothing can happen to you. I need you to be alert and wary of everyone. Despite your mother’s indifference to you, I understand your need to do this. Your heart is huge and it’s one of the things I love most about you. But there can be no secrets . . . not anymore, not ever.” He pressed his lips to my neck and a shiver of longing and desire coursed through me.

Damn. I was hiding a whopper of a secret from him.

“What are you thinking?” Ethan tilted his head and searched my face.

“About how much I love you,” I sighed, tracing his lips with my fingertips. “I want to tell you all my secrets tonight when this is all over.”

“Good secrets?”

“Good secrets,” I giggled. It felt wrong and lonely not to share this miracle with him.

“Until tonight then.” He held me close to his body, kissed me thoroughly and left.

I dropped down on the leather couch, amazed at how much my life had changed in just a little over a month. I was crazy in love with a Prince and my friends were Vampyres, Fairy Queens and Angels. I had custody of four adorably violent little Demons and I was going to do the impossible.

I, a Vampyre, was going to have a baby with the love of my life.

Every silver lining must have a small tear and mine was no exception. My mother had died violently while I watched. My father was a disgusting Demon King. And I was dead, but the good far outweighed the bad. I gently laid my hands on my stomach and wondered if the little miracle in there could possibly love me as much as I already loved him or her.