A Mate for Lazarus (The Program Book 3) (18 page)

“Lazarus.” Alex recognized Brant’s voice. “Don’t go
off the grid. I need you within the next hour to debrief.”

“I have my cell phone.” Lazarus’ chest rumbled against
her as he spoke.

“Those fucking fascist groups are going to give me
gray hairs.” The king growled.

“You’re at least eighty years too young for that.”
Lazarus chuckled.

“Exactly.” A low growl. “The number of hate mail received
has doubled. There have been a couple of bullshit newspaper articles printed
and one of those idiot fascists actually got onto one of the human talk shows.
They are spreading lies. It’s fucking disgraceful.”

Alex wriggled. “Put me down.”

“The asshole said that we are stealing human females
and keeping them against their will.” He snorted. “The fucker said that it
won’t be long before human blood is no longer pure. That vampires plan on
taking over the world and ruling over the humans. How fucking stupid is that?”

Lazarus put her down. “We just want to be left alone,”
he said, threading his fingers through hers.

“The asshole groups are going to cause big shit for
us.” Brant shook his head.

This was the type of opportunity that she had been
hoping for. It was as if the moment had slapped her upside the head. The plan
had been to ask for a meeting with Lazarus’ help. This was almost too good to
be true. This whole thing felt like it was coming together like it was meant to
be. “Forgive me,” Alex interjected. “You guys, the vampires, really need to speak
up. You need to tell your side of the story.”

Brant’s eyes turned to her. It was as if he was
noticing her for the first time. Asshole! His eyes narrowed as if to say he was
listening. She hoped that’s what he was silently communicating.

“The only way to fight these guys is to let your
side of the story be known. I would recommend an interview.”

He seemed truly interested in what she was saying
because his eyes narrowed further.

“An exclusive with someone you can trust on
condition that you sign off on the story before it goes to print…” She shrugged,
starting to feel excited. “From there you could give a television interview.
Show the world that you are approachable that you do have a softer…a human si—”

“Not a fuck,” Zane growled. “We’re not going public
just because a bunch of asshole humans don’t know how to keep their mouths
shut. The less they know about what’s going on the better.”

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong.” Alex turned to
face the other king. “There are so many blanks. So much that the humans out
there don’t know and therefore just assume. You’re leaving yourselves wide
open. These fascist groups are then able to come in and paint whatever picture
they want. It’s making you look really bad. There is a chance
The Program
could end up getting shut down as a result. Maybe women won’t be so keen to
take part in the future. You need to do something. Fight fire with fire.”

Zane’s eyes darkened and he shook his head. He
sucked in a deep breath, preparing to argue further.

Brant put a hand on Zane’s arm. “Wait a minute. This
female might be onto something. I need to think on it a bit. The key would be
finding the right person to tell the story. Like you said, someone we can
trust.”

Lazarus stepped forward. He squeezed her hand. “Alexandra
is a journalist. She works for the local paper. I trust her with my life. She
is the right person for the job.”

Oh god!

Suddenly the story didn’t mean anything. Everything
else just faded away. Her heart clenched almost painfully in her chest. It
swelled with emotion. Shit, she was falling so hard that whiplash might be a
factor.

She bit down on her bottom lip and swallowed
thickly. “Thank you.” She mouthed to Lazarus.

He threw her a lopsided grin and nodded his head.
Her heart swelled some more.

“I really think this is something that we need to
discuss.” Zane clenched his jaw. “If it’s not handled in the right way, this
could backfire…big fucking time.”

Brant nodded. “I agree. I’m also not sure that
someone with your lack of…experience, would be the right person for the job.
The Sweetwater local newspaper is smalltime.”

“I know the executive editor at one of the biggest
New York papers.” Her Uncle James had promised her the front page if she made
this happen but she couldn’t tell Brant that.

“You said yourself that finding someone trustworthy
was important. Do you know any other reporters?” Lazarus asked.

Brant shook his head. “No, but I’m not convinced.”
He huffed out a lungful of air.

“Alexandra has already written some of the article
that she had in mind…it’s really good. You should read it.”

Brant narrowed his eyes. “Oh, she has, has she?
Mmmm.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Is that why you are here, Miss
Stone…to get an exclusive with the vampire kings?”

“It is one of the reasons I’m here.” She felt
Lazarus tense. “But it’s not the only reason and certainly not the main one.”
She squeezed his hand.

Brant held her under his intense stare for what felt
like the longest time. “Alright. Zane and I will discuss it. If we decide to do
this and it’s a very big if…”

Alex tried hard not to smile.

“If…Miss Stone…not when…so you can wipe that grin
off of your face. If we decide to let you write this story, we will have to
sign off on it before anything goes to print and our lawyers will be involved.
Let me remind you that you have signed a nondisclosure agreement.”

That wiped the smile right off of her face. Alex
felt so guilty. She nodded. Maybe she should say something? How could she? It
would most certainly get her kicked out. The last thing she wanted to do was to
hurt Lazarus. She didn’t need to sign a damned nondisclosure agreement. This
was going to happen strictly above board or not at all.

“I will send Allison to collect what you have
written so far.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s very much in draft format.
It would benefit greatly from actual quotes and insights from yourself and Zane
as well as from one or two of the women within
The Program
.”

“Send the article…we can discuss it from there.” He
gave her a tight smile and strode away.

“We’ll be in touch.” Zane growled and followed after
Brant.

Sometime
in the middle of the night…

Lazarus’ nostrils flared as he took in her
intoxicating scent.
Fuck!
He had been told that this was normal. That
once a male found his mate, he would grow almost addicted to her scent. That it
would do crazy things to a male.

Her body was warm and soft against him. Her breath
was deep and rhythmic as she slept. He’d rutted her right after the ceremony.
They’d ducked into one of the supply closets. It had been frantic and rough,
lasting mere minutes.

He’d spent the afternoon in debriefing. He’d popped
his head in to see Gideon who was still unconscious. Brant had called him to
his office. His king was impressed with the article that Alexandra had written.
It really was a good, honest depiction of vampires even if one or two of the
facts were a bit iffy. It looked as if his female was going to get her shot at
doing an exclusive article. They’d tentatively celebrated at dinner and had
gone back to his suite early to continue the celebrations. He couldn’t seem to
keep his hands off of her. He’d taken her against the door, in his bed and
again in the shower.

Yet, here he was, in the middle of the night, with a
raging hard on.
Shit!
Alexandra was a human. Although she had jokingly
complained of being tender, she had yet to say no to his advances. This female
sure was something. Her hair fell in curls about her face. The red coloring
more defined against the white of the pillow.

Almost against his will, his hand on her hip
tightened. His other hand slid around her body and cupped the soft flesh of her
breast. Her nipple hardened beneath his palm.

He was such a fucking goner. Lazarus had never
wanted a female more. Never felt this deep, all consuming craving before. It
was like he was losing control of his body, his heart, his very soul.

He let out a shuddery breath. His hard cock was
flush against her plump ass. She moaned and muttered something in her sleep while
pushing her soft cheeks more firmly against him. Lazarus groaned softly. He
nuzzled into her neck, breathing in her scent.

Pure rapture.

He slid his hand down her curves, pushing his
fingers between her thighs until he found that tight bundle of nerves nestled
between her fur. Using just the tip of his finger, Lazarus played with her
clit, stroking the sensitive nub. Her breathing went from deep and rhythmic to
shallow and panting. Her body tensed and her ass began to rock. Alexandra
moaned. “That feels so damned good.” She made a whimpering noise. “I shouldn’t
be up for this. I ache…all over.”

“If it is too much, I could stop or…” He kept up the
friction against her tightening flesh.

“Don’t you dare…Jesus, but you’re good with your
hands.” She moaned even louder, grinding herself against his hand. Her ass,
inadvertently, was rubbing up and down his cock.

Lazarus grit his teeth and growled as his balls
throbbed. It literally hurt not to be inside of her. She was killing him.
Tearing him apart piece by piece and putting him back together so that he
belonged to only her. A custom fit.

Her pussy was right there, he could feel its heat,
almost taste its delicious as fuck scent. Could feel it slick against him. One
adjustment of the hips and he would be inside her.

Alexandra moaned and writhed and moaned some more.
“Oh…oh god…that’s it…just like that…” She urged him on. Told him what she liked
and how much she liked it. She was so expressive and open about her sexuality.
She was fucking perfect. Alexandra’s movements became more frantic. Not long
now. It was better this way. She could have her release and then sleep. He
would take care of himself afterwards.

His female stopped moving. She even grabbed his
hand. “Wait a minute…” Her breath came in desperate pants. “Why aren’t you
fucking me?”

“Don’t worry about me. This is all for you…I can
take care of myself.” He flicked his finger over her clit and she bowed her
back and moaned.

“No…no…wait…” She struggled for a beat to catch her
breath. “Take me, Lazarus. I can handle it.” She circled her hips and his eyes
practically rolled to the back of his skull.

“Are you sure?” he managed to get out between grit
teeth. “Are you sure you’re not too sore?”

“I’ll be sorry in the morning, but I want you…I
think I might always want you, besides…” Her voice turned soft and timid. “That’s
what girlfriends are for, right? You shouldn’t have to…take care of it yourself…ever.”

His heart just about stopped beating. “So…” It was
his turn to sound soft and fucking timid, like a huge ass pussy but he didn’t
care. “You’re my girlfriend now?”

“You big oaf.” She twisted around and planted one on
him. Hot and heavy from the word go. When she finally broke the kiss they were
both panting.

“Wow…” He said, sounding like a complete loser.

“Just kissing you like I mean it…I’m so glad that
you talked me into giving this a chance.”

Lazarus shook his head. Yet again she sounded like she
never planned on actually giving a relationship with a vampire a try. He
dismissed it. “Me too.” He kissed her softly. “I’m so glad you stopped
backpedaling.”

Lazarus anchored an arm around her and aligned
himself with her entrance. She was wet as fuck but it still took some time to ease
himself into her tight, little pussy. They had made love so many times that she
was swollen.

By the noises she was making, he could hear that she
was feeling tender. Her cries were a strange mixture of pain and pleasure. She
urged him to keep going and who was he to argue?

Once he was buried to the hilt, he tilted his hips
and moved slowly and carefully not wanting to hurt her. Even the sleek line of her
back was sexy. He could see the side of her breast. Fucking stunning. Her ass
was so ripe it almost made him come just looking down at it. Seeing his cock
grind in and out of her with infinite slowness was almost his undoing.

On a loud groan, he reached around her and squeezed
her clit every time he pushed into her.

“Oh fuck…fuck!” She yelled even louder. Her legs
began to vibrate and her pussy walls began to flutter. “Yes…yes…just there…oohhh…”
Then she was shuddering and spasming so hard around him that it was useless to
try and hold back. He yelled as he erupted deep inside her. So fucking good that
his fangs throbbed in time with his dick. He didn’t drink from her this time.
He really needed to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to make the
mistake of taking too much. But fuck if the drive to bury his fangs in her
didn’t ride him hard. Drinking was always about sex but the opposite wasn’t always
true even if he wished it could be. He needed to do right by his female…his
girlfriend and as soon as he could convince her, he was going to make her more…his
everything. She already was everything to him. It was just about making it
official now.

Lazarus pulled her more firmly into his arms. Her
breathing had already evened out and was becoming deeper. He fell asleep with his
cock still deep inside her.

The first thing he registered was the harsh light.
The second was his pulsing cock. It was like it had taken on a life of its own.
So fucking hard it was pulsing with every beat of his heart. Then her scent hit
him. Rich, sweet, thick. Fucking ecstasy.

His first reaction was to turn her over. Her eyes sprang
open as she landed on her back. His next instinct was to open her thighs and to
fuck her so he gripped her flesh and was just shoving them open.

“Lazarus?” She sounded groggy and confused.

“Fuck!” Lazarus snarled. He leapt from the bed and
raced to the window which he opened taking in lungfuls of air.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Her voice held a hint of
confusion. He could hear the rustle of sheets and knew that she was pulling
them around herself.

Once he had composed himself sufficiently, Lazarus turned
around. Seeing her, hair mussed, eyes wide, was like a punch to the gut. He
tried hard to breathe through his mouth but he could still scent her.

“You’re in heat.” His voice was thick and gravelly.

“I’m what?” Her eyes widened and she gasped. “In heat
as in...ovulating…as in…” Her eyes widened some more. “I can get pregnant? Shit,
I might be pregnant?” She covered her mouth with both hands. “I thought you
guys could smell when a woman was about to ovulate. What the hell, Lazarus?”

“I’m supposed to start loving your scent. To start
craving it. That’s how it fucking works. You sound like you knew this might
happen. What the fuck, Alexandra?” He walked over to the bed and then paced
back to the open window. Fuck! He still had the intense desire to rut. To fill
her up with his seed. To ensure without a doubt that she would become ripe with
his child. It was his instinct at work, he needed to try and remain logical
about this. Try to stay calm.

“I may have accidentally forgotten about taking a
contraceptive. Once I was here and I, against all odds, managed to get in, I
didn’t want to be kicked out.” The sheet was wrapped firmly around her.
Alexandra’s chest heaved and her eyes remained wide. He could scent her fear and
confusion. “Shit! I didn’t think this would happen. I’m sorry…I’m an idiot.”

“It’s why you wanted to use the human coverings…you
should have said something. Fuck!” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Is there a chance that I’m not pregnant? What if I
am? How long before we are able to find out?” She clasped a hand over her mouth
and made a noise of anguish. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Her words
were muffled from behind her hand. Although her eyes filled with tears, she
didn’t cry.

Using every ounce of willpower he possessed, Lazarus
walked over to Alexandra and pulled her into his arms. “We’ll get through
this.” He breathed through his mouth. Trying to ignore his raging hard-on. “Get
dressed, I’m taking you to one of our healers. I don’t have answers to any of
your questions. I’m clueless.”
The Program
was about finding a mate, as
soon as that happened there was further training on living with a human and on
pregnancy. He needed to speak with his kings about including something sooner.

Although he wanted nothing more than to make this
woman his mate and to raise a family with her, he also wanted her happy. Maybe
she didn’t want him. Maybe she wasn’t ready to be a mother. What if she was
with child but didn’t want to keep the baby? It would fucking kill him. She
shivered and sniffed. He could scent her fear. This was not the time to ask
such questions. First they had to learn the facts. Then time would tell. He
only hoped he could convince her to keep this child. If there was one…

His chest tightened just thinking about it.

****

Oh god! Oh god!

Alex was having a mini heart attack. She struggled
to breathe. Maybe Lazarus was wrong. Maybe she wasn’t ovulating. Even if she
was, the success rate for actually conceiving was low. Something like fifteen
or twenty percent. She knew this from all the years her parents had tried and
failed to have another baby.
Calm down!

She put a hand to her chest, trying to stop herself
from hyperventilating. The biggest problem was that Lazarus wasn’t a human.
Maybe that meant that it would be more difficult for them to conceive, or maybe
the opposite was true?

Alex tried not to think about it. All the questions
swirling around in her mind were driving her nuts. Lazarus pulled her more
firmly into the crook of his arm. “One of the healers will see us soon.” He whispered,
his voice echoing off the walls.

“I’m freaking out.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I
didn’t think this would happen. I guess I didn’t think…period. I’m sorry, we
should not have been having unprotected sex. This is totally my fault. You must
be really pissed at me. I wouldn’t hold it against you if you were. I’m pissed at
myself. I can’t believe that you are being so nice to me.”

He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I’m more
pissed that you didn’t tell me that you weren’t on birth control. We need to be
totally honest with one another. Is there anything else that you need to tell
me? Now would be a good time.”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a second before
looking him straight in the eye and shaking her head. She was a damned coward.
Alex couldn’t. She just couldn’t. Not right now. “Nothing.” A lie. A humongous
bald-faced lie. Arghhh! She just couldn’t face his anger and disappointment…not
right now. She wasn’t sure when…she only knew that now was out of the question.
She might be pregnant. She couldn’t handle more. An unplanned pregnancy was too
damned much already.

The tension in his shoulders seemed to ease. Lazarus
nodded his head. “Good. Let’s find—”

A door opened and an elderly woman walked into the
hallway. “I’m Eleanor. Come on in.”

Alex heard the vampire lady sniff loudly as they
walked into the room. “You’re human.” She stated matter-of-factly. “And you are
in heat. It was my understanding that the humans currently on our territory would
be on birth control…at least until mated.”

Lazarus folded his arms. “You are right. Alexandra
should have been on birth control but there was a misunderstanding.”