King of Darkness (37 page)

Okay, so it hadn’t.

That Alexia was sitting right there rubbing her back was a huge embarrassment, but she was glad not to be alone.

“Izzy, can I get you anything? Like a damp paper towel or a ginger ale?” The young female proffered a six-pack of Canada Dry.

“No,” Isabel said faintly. “Wait, did you pay for those?”

“Kinda threw a twenty at the cashier and booked out. Hey, Izzy?”

Isabel drew her knees to her chest and leaned against the cool metal of the SUV. Slow, deep breathing seemed to be the key. “Mmm?”

“Are you… you know… hungry?”

God, no.
Her now-empty stomach gave another lurch. “No offense, Lex, but just thinking about that makes me feel even worse.”

Alexia’s eyebrow raised in a questioning arch. “I’ll try not to take it personally, since you’re sick and all.”

Good.

“Hey, Izzy, I think it’s best if we don’t go anywhere tonight.”

Isabel couldn’t quite muster the energy for a reply, and Alexia didn’t wait for one. She allowed her friend to nudge her into the car. Lexi’s offer was sweet, but Isabel couldn’t even imagine feeding. God, that was weird. When in her life had she ever found the idea of blood distasteful?

But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? She remembered making love with Thad that morning, and the sweet taste of his blood on her tongue. Oh, yeah. Just thinking about it made her feel better. It had been like a Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks, all sweet and thick and cardamom-y. If she could just get a shot of
that
with some steamed milk…

Oh.
No…

She wanted Thad’s blood.

Only Thad’s blood.

Only… Thad’s… blood…

“Shit.” When Isabel was young, her mother had once waxed romantic about her father. About their love, their bond… how once they had conceived Isabel, only her father’s blood would do. And then Isabel thought about earlier, when Thad’s soldier had died and his pregnant mate had needed the blood to carry her until the end of her pregnancy.

Oh, no.
No, no, no, nonononono.

The earth tilted on its axis as a sudden and unexpected sob burst from her throat.

Isabel rested peacefully, hair fanned across a white pillow, dark lashes against peachy cheeks, and breath even and steady. It seemed a shame to wake her, but if she didn’t rouse soon, Thad would have to do just that.

She needed his blood.

His female. His mate. His
queen.
Needed his blood. All the things he had said to her before, about how he didn’t want to tie her down or hold her against her will, had gone straight out the window when Siddoh had come to tell him that Alexia was driving them both back to the estate. It was all bigger than just the two of them now, wasn’t it?

Thad took back every nasty thing he’d said to Siddoh about making friends with Alexia. That the human had called ahead had allowed Thad time to prepare, to alert Brayden, and to freak out. Not necessarily in that order.

He sat on the edge of the bed. Breath whispered in and out of her parted lips, and he couldn’t stop himself from smoothing a hand over her cheek. It was almost a miracle, really. Vampires were only fertile during the full moon. And yet, somehow, Isabel was pregnant. Perhaps it really was destiny, after all.

“Isabel.” Thad shook her shoulder gently. When she did nothing but mumble and smack her lips, he shook again. “Isabel, I need you to wake up.”

Okay, so on to plan B. Thad made quick work of the buttons on his shirt. It dropped gently to the floor, and he gathered her against him. For a moment he could only hold her robe-clad body tightly, eyes and mouth pressed shut as he worked to bring his emotions under control. He’d had no illusions that being king would be easy, but the preceding days could have given a whole new meaning to the phrase “trial by fire.”

But all of it would be easier with Isabel by his side. And now she had a reason to stay. Thad would have time to court her properly. Maybe she could even find it in her heart to love him.

“Isabel.” His voice grew in volume and deepened in timbre. This time, he put a little more force into shaking her. Brayden had warned that she might be hard to wake. That her body would shut down to conserve energy for the baby.

Thad’s baby.

He went ahead and smacked at her face a little. Gently, but enough that she finally started to stir. He shifted on the bed, leaning back against the headboard so that her body was draped across his, her face in the crook of his neck.

“Thad?” Soft lips brushed his pulse point. Her voice was thick from sleep. “Thad, is that really you?” Despite the gravity of the situation, tiny nuzzles and nips at his throat caused him to harden in his pants. “It smells like you.”

“It’s me.” He kissed the top of her head and jiggled her a little more. She had begun to tremble in his arms, and her skin was too pale and way too cool to the touch. “I need you to wake up so you can feed.”

All at once, Isabel was finally alert and definitely hungry. She reared back and struck hard. Tension flowed out of his body along with his blood as she sucked in long, greedy pulls. He’d never been so relieved to be bitten.

Too quickly she began to pull away, but he urged her back with a press of his hand. “No, take more.” He wasn’t willing to let go until he was sure she’d drunk her fill.

With a deep exhale, Thad closed his eyes and let his head drop with a small thud. He allowed the warmth of Isabel’s body and the delicate lapping at his vein to soothe him. Uncertain though his future—their future—may be, this was the way it was supposed to be. Of that, he was sure.

“Thad?”

He forced his eyelids to open. When had she stopped drinking? “Did you get enough?”

“Thad, we need to talk.” That, they most certainly did.

“About the baby?”

She blinked. “You knew?”

He frowned. “Of course I knew.”

“I don’t…” She was silent for a few beats and then shook her head. “I don’t remember anything after being at the grocery store.”

“Alexia called ahead and gave us the details. You were sick at the store so she brought you back, and on the way you started to mumble that only my blood would do. I managed to piece it together.”

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

“Sorry?” Thad sat up straighter and pulled Isabel against him. Now that she was better, he couldn’t help but notice the smooth expanse of thigh revealed by the part in her robe. He smiled down at her. “I’m going to have an heir. That’s wonderful.” He brushed a stray strand of auburn hair off her forehead. “And I have seven and a half months to convince you to stay with me forever.”

Two green eyes, one cloudy and one clear, grew wide. The right eye sparkled like the finest jewel, and he vowed to himself that he would find her the most beautiful emeralds on the planet to compliment her beauty. “You want me to stay?”

“Of course I want you to stay.” Grasping Isabel’s chin, Thad made her meet his eyes. “I always wanted that. I told you as much, quite adamantly as I recall.”

She smiled slightly. “But then you told me to go. After the wizards took me. I thought you were angry. You certainly seemed like you were.”

“Of course I was angry. That I nearly lost you. At myself, most of all, for strong-arming you until you felt you had no choice but to run away.” He cupped her jaw with both hands. “I decided, for your safety, that I should allow you to leave. But we have a child to think of now, Isabel. If for no other reason than that, I need you to reconsider.”

Out of nowhere, she kissed him. When she pulled away, her cheeks were wet with tears. “I wanted to stay, Thad. I had wanted to tell you, but then the wizard attacked me, and then I thought you were angry.” She bit her lip and furrowed her brow. “I went out that night because I was overwhelmed by my feelings for you. I made the mistake of wandering off the property because I smelled cinnamon pecans.”

“The gas station.” He’d nearly forgotten all about that.

Her face stained crimson. “I didn’t run away. I got hungry. I was trying to get back when… well, you know the rest. I’m so sorry.”

Thad stared, his eyes fixed on Isabel’s lips. His heart nearly pummeled its way out of his chest, and he prayed with everything he had that he hadn’t misunderstood somehow. If she wasn’t in a delicate physical condition, he would have tackled her to the floor and kissed her until they were both out of breath. He tugged her close and kissed her forehead. “I’m just glad you’re here. Safe.”

He nearly got teary-eyed again when she snuggled her head into the crook of his arm. “I’m glad too. I… I love you, Thad.”

His heart did a very unmanly flip-flop. “I love you too, Isabel.” As he settled in, a thought sprang to mind, and he turned to face her. “I almost forgot. The moon.”

“The moon?”

“We’re heading into a new moon, Isabel. There’s no way you should have conceived when the moon wasn’t full. But you did.”

Her eyelids drooped, and even her smile was sleepy. But damn, he loved that smile. He would devote eternity to seeing it light her face just as much as possible. “Maybe it was destiny, after all.”

Maybe it was.

“Come on, you need to rest.” Gradually, he listed to the side, taking Isabel with him. They curled together much as they had their first evening together. Prophecy, destiny, or just plain coincidence, it didn’t matter. Isabel was with him, and he had all that he needed. But his heart clenched the second the thought was finished in his head.

Almost everything.

Thad loved her. He wanted her to stay. Things should be good, right? But an inky black tremor of unease slithered through Isabel’s veins.

“Thad?”

“Yes?”

“Will you tell me what’s worrying you, please?” Isabel wiggled a little and turned onto her back. Blue eyes gazed down at her. “I can feel that you’re worried about something. It’s not us or the baby, is it?” No, she could sense he was at peace with that.

He opened his mouth but she cut him off. “It must be something else. I mean, if we’re going to do this thing, Thad, you know, being together… you have to trust me with what’s on your mind. And trust that I’ll be able to handle it.”

Thad grumbled. “I didn’t want to spoil things by bringing this up now, but my sister seems to be missing. She walked out of a fight to recover and we haven’t gotten hold of her since. And Lee… he disappeared a few hours later, just before dawn. He left without his phone. Ty’s not answering hers. I’ve got guys out looking, but no word yet.”

“Oh God, Thad, I’m so sorry. You came here when you should have been out looking for them—” He held a hand up to silence her, and then leaned in for a kiss.

There was more to say, but he didn’t seem to be letting her. When she stopped trying to talk, he pulled back, his mouth still hovering just above hers. “
Nothing
was more important than coming to see you, Isabel. Nothing.” His voice sounded different. Fierce and full of conviction.

Just like it was supposed to be. Like
he
was supposed to be. Pride swelled her chest a little. This was her male.

He exhaled and rolled onto his side with his head on one hand. “I’m not going to lie. I am very concerned. It isn’t like either of them to go AWOL and I don’t have any idea why they might have. I’m especially worried about Tyra because she had almost entirely drained her powers when I last saw her. I don’t know if she could have gotten attacked somewhere and been unable to defend herself, or… But they’re both well-trained and smart. I have to trust in that. Deep down, I believe they’ll be fine.

“But, yeah. It’s number one for me right now, along with making an honest female of you.” He pulled her close again, fitting their bodies tightly together. She took a slow, deep breath. How amazing that she could stay in these arms forever when she had never come close to feeling this way for anybody before.

Make an honest female of her. “Wow.” I never thought I’d have my own handfasting.” She held up her left hand, and rubbed over the top of her wrist where a tattoo would be placed to signify their union. “Or a mating tattoo.”

“Shit.”

She rose up slightly. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, but I’m going to have to find a tattoo artist. The one that used to work for the family died a few months ago. Wizard attack.”

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “Oh!” She bounced a little and sat up on the bed. “But I may have a solution. I mean I don’t know for sure if he’d want to do it, or if you’d want him to, but Lucas, our friend from back home. He does tattoos. He’s really good, actually. He did all of mine and some of Lexi’s.”

“That skinny male with all the hair? From the club?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that would be him. Anyway, he’s one of us, you know, so he’s got the right ink and equipment and whatnot. He’s really good. And he’s kind of a drifter, so I doubt he’d mind relocating.”

He gave her a warm smile. “We’ll talk to him, then.”