Let Him Reign: An Underworld Romance (10 page)

"We're not discussing that right now," he says in a tone that leaves no room for argument.

The rest of the meal is quiet, until the banana pudding is served for dessert. Finishing up, Riley burps after drinking a sip of his apple juice that, and of course, it has to be answered with one from Noah. I apologize and then usher them from the table with Marjorie guiding us to our temporary rooms. When the wonderful woman shows us the pajamas she's bought for all three of us, along with toothbrushes and all the other toiletries we could possibly need, I can’t help but hug her in gratitude.

Once the boys snuggle down in their beds, they fall asleep before I get halfway through telling them one of their favorite stories about a caveman named
Ug the Thug
. The two sleep like always, on their sides with their backs pressed against each other. Despite how much they might argue and fight during the day, at night it's like they need to be close to each other.

I leave the light on in the bathroom adjoining their room in case they need to potty during the night, and then ease out the door. I sigh in relief that they're safe tonight and peacefully asleep, glad I got be the one tucking them in, unlike most nights when I'm working.

Walking back into my guest room, I'm definitely not expecting to find Eric stretched out on top of the bed. I can't help but smile at the sight of him, knowing he's in here with me and not with the beautiful, classy blonde woman. It doesn't hurt that he also looks so freaking sexy smiling with his hands behind his head, the top of his white dress shirt unbuttoned and the bottom untucked from his gray slacks.

"So, your friend's gone so soon?" I can't help but ask. He only rolls his eyes in a juvenile response. "You didn't want to fuck her? It's obvious she wants you."

"Hell no," he says, surprising me. "I wouldn't put it past her to save the cum from my condom to try and impregnate herself."

"Ew. What?" I ask in confusion.

He puffs out a breath. "My wonderful father has found a way to fuck me over from his grave. His will says that if I don't have a male heir before midnight on my twenty-fifth birthday, in less than two years, then I forfeit my inheritance...and everything that goes along with it."

"Oh," I mutter in stunned understanding.

"So when word got out, women began flocking to town like geese to try and get me to knock them up, or at least agree to marry them. They want my money and status, instead of me. They're nothing more than a bunch of greedy, deceitful whores. At least you're honest about it."

I swallow back the hurt caused by his words, knowing he didn't say it to be intentionally insulting. It's what I am, and all I'll ever be to him. There are worst things to endure in life than having sex with this incredibly hot man.

"So why do you still have on all your clothes?" I ask.

"I thought we could go back to my room on the other side of the house, so you can be as loud as you want. And I promise I
will
make you scream," he assures me, and all I can think is,
Yes, please.

"As long as you put a few guards in front of the boys' door, lead the way," I tell him and he quickly scrambles to his feet.

Instead of showing me the way, he picks me up, wraps my legs around his waist and carries me while claiming my mouth in a dominating kiss. We pass guards already in the hallway, but Eric is obviously unfazed by them seeing us together. He is their boss, so I guess he has the right to do whatever he wants in front of them. I try not to think about how many other woman they've probably seen him with.

When he walks into a humongous bedroom he shuts and locks the door before lowering us both down on top of the massive four poster bed. Eric’s wonderful, familiar scent of sandalwood and new leather is even stronger in here, making me feel safe and happy.

"I've been thinking about fucking you all goddamn day," he says, pushing my shirt up and over my head. Reaching underneath my back, he unfastens my bra and slides the straps down my arms. He gasps and goes silent for a second before he sits back on his knees and explodes.

"Those motherfuckers! I will rip them apart, limb by limb!"

I look down and realize he must be upset about the marks on both of my breasts. I'd forgotten they were there. "Usually Simon gives me a little of his blood afterwards to heal them, but he didn't last night. Bastard didn't give me my payout, either."

"
Usually
?" Eric exclaims like he's hearing what I do for a living for the very first time. "Fucking vampires."

Needing to distract him, I pull his face down to mine, kissing him gently. "Why don't you kiss them and make them better?" I say to him.

The angry fire in his eyes dims slightly before his lips lower to my neck.

"What's your blood type?" he asks randomly between lingering kisses.

"Um, B positive. Why?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll have our physician get you a few bags to replace all that you lost," he says.

I have to blink away tears at his kindness. For some strange reason he wants to take care of me. No one's ever taken care of me before, not even my parents, more than was legally required of them.

All my thoughts and worries quickly become distant when Eric's wet suction over the wounds on my throat have me moaning and holding his head to me. One of his hands caress down my bare stomach to the waistband of my jeans. Undoing them, he slips his hand underneath my panties, making my hips squirm, wanting him to finger my aching pussy.

Moving down my body he yanks on my jeans and panties, pulling them off until I’m completely naked underneath him. Hovering above me he's still fully dressed when he runs his tongue over each of the sores on both of my breasts and then lowers his head between my thighs.

Eric makes good on his promise. I cry out curses and praises to him and God at the first stroke of his tongue lapping against my tender flesh.

"That's right, baby. Tell me how good it feels when I lick your pussy," he says, lifting his blazing sapphire eyes to meet mine before his mouth goes back to devouring me.

"Oh God, Eric! So good!" I moan in encouragement.
“Oh yes
!" I'm almost certain Eric was the last man to go down on me almost five long years ago, which is a shame. I’m certain the passage of time is what makes what he’s doing to me feel even more amazing.

I spread my legs wider for him and grab two handfuls of his russet colored hair, using them as reins while my hips buck wild and uncontrollably against his mouth. I have no shame at all because it's too damn good. Sucking my clit into his mouth his fingers slip in and out of me, building the ecstasy until I can't take anymore. I scream out his name as my back arches off the bed and my entire body tightens and shakes with pleasure.

When it's over I fall limply back onto the thick, comfortable mattress, trying to catch my breath after holding it for so long through the tremors.

As my strength finally returns, I realize Eric's lips are slowly making their way back up my body. He eventually pulls away to undress, and when he comes back he doesn't waste any time. His hard shaft eases effortlessly into me before he begins pumping his hips frantically and desperately.

"Ah fuck! Your pussy...it's too good...can't last." He looks down and tells me. “You know where I want to finish, don’t you, baby?”

Realizing he's worried about not using a condom, I nod by agreement even though his concern about knocking me up is completely unnecessary.

He pulls out and quickly moves up my body. I open my mouth wide to take as much of him as I can. He's big, but I can handle it all. I suck my own arousal off of him with long, deep strokes while he fucks my mouth faster and faster.

"Hell yes. Almost," he groans, bracing his weight on his palm above my head. I take him all the way to the base of his cock and swallow several times while squeezing his balls. "That's it...just...like...that, baby.
Ah
!"

I lick every single last drop of his seed off of him before his cock slips out of my mouth. I love the taste of him and can't get enough. In fact, imagining I was with him instead of whatever man I was really with at
Heaven
is how I lasted there as long as I did. We may have only been together for that one night, but it was very memorable for more than one reason. 

Eric moves back down the bed and collapses heavily on his side next to me.

"I'd forgotten...how good that felt," he says, reaching over to brush the sweaty hair from my face, such a soft, tender gesture, one I've never felt from another man before. It's also such a contradiction to the guy who left me in a secret hideaway and never came back.

"What happened that night?" I can't help but ask the question I've been wanting an answer to for almost five years.

Eric rubs a hand over his face and curses. "My father was waiting out front and saw me before I could duck out again. He didn't know where I'd come from, so he didn't know about you. He was so fucking pissed about me throwing the party and the destruction and mess it caused. He...he told me to get the hell out of his house and never come back. I didn't want to tell him about you, but I didn't want to leave you, either. I figured it was better to let you sneak out on your own than have him say shit to you. I'm so sorry, Hope. I swear I wanted to see you again, but I didn't even know your last name. Hell, I still don't."

"Gabriel," I reply, barely blinking back my tears. I believe him, it's just that all these years I thought he'd simply walked away after he got what he wanted. I didn't know he lived there or who he was.

"Well, I'm glad I found you again, Hope Gabriel," he says, pulling me against his chest. "After that night my father decided to try and write me out of my inheritance. But fuck him, I'll find a loophole. At least, I hope I do. Tomorrow's problem," he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead.          

I let myself enjoy this moment in his arms, knowing I won't have many more before I leave with the boys and he has to marry a decent woman to give him heirs.

Not for the first time I wonder if I should tell him the truth that he doesn't need an heir, because he already has two. 

Eric

I wake up expecting to have Hope in my arms, but they're empty. I feel around the bed and realize she's gone and the sheets are cold. She must have snuck out during the night because she was here when I fell asleep.

Last night had been so fucking amazing. I don't know if I'll ever get enough of that woman. At least now she knows the truth about the night we were together. I wanted to see her and I would have if I'd known her last name or had been smart enough to get her phone number. At least I've been given this second chance with her.

Hell, I know we can't be together. She wants enough money to get out of this town and I'm stuck here, taking over for my father. I also know that when it comes down to it, in a few months I may have to suck it up and marry a shifter, because despite how much I loathe the responsibility, I don't intend to be the one who lets a dynasty that's lasted hundreds of years die out.

Continuing the bloodline is why I have to find an appropriate mate to ensure the Coughlin reign continues. Another shifter family is preferred, regardless of the animal of their house. The lion will always be dominant in heirs. Mating with humans is trickier. Some may provide adequate heirs but it's impossible to know in advance since the children won't be able to shift until years later when they reach puberty. Modern DNA testing done by our own specialized scientists may be able to predict, but it's still iffy at best.

Over the last week I think I've met with every type of shifter ever made, including a fucking squirrel woman. Courtney is from a panther pride, about as close a mate as possible since lionesses are extinct. She's beautiful, smart, and classy. I couldn't ask for a better woman to help me rule and give me strong and powerful heirs. Yet, not a single part of me is sexually attracted to her. Whenever I try to think about fucking Courtney my thoughts instantly go instead to a gorgeous redhead.

I've showered and dressed heading to my father's office to start sorting through today's problems, trying to figure out how to do the impossible which is to make everyone happy when Marjorie stops me in the hallway. I can tell by the usually cheerful woman's frown that something must be seriously wrong.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"Your Grace, I'm sorry to bother you, but I thought you'd want to know that Ms. Gabriel is ill. I think we may need to call the doctor."

Fuck! I knew her blood count was low. Damn it! I should've called him yesterday. Is this why she left my bed during the night? Because she was sick? Why didn't she fucking tell me?

I pull out my cell phone and summon our on-call doctor while heading to the other side of the house to see her.

"One of his nurses said he'll be here within the hour," I tell Marjorie when I disconnect the call. "I need you to let Ryan know so he’ll go ahead and clear him at the gate to get through security as soon as possible."

I knock on Hope's door and even though she doesn't answer, I go on in. From the doorway I can see her delicate body trembling beneath a mountain of blankets. Moving closer, I notice the wastebasket beside the bed, making me think she's been sick on her stomach. That assumption is confirmed when she leans over and starts dry heaving into the container.

Seeing the usually vibrant woman like this makes me feel about two inches tall. I feel so damn helpless and don't know what the fuck to do for her besides wait for the doctor. I'm almost certain this is something more than anemia.

I cancel all of my morning conference calls with various districts to hear what Dr. Falls, a werehawk, says is wrong with Hope, and ask him what the hell he's gonna do for her. I watch him poke and prod her, even though she doesn't open her eyes or say a word the entire time. Finally he walks into the hallway and waits for me to close her bedroom door.

"So? Has she got the flu or something? Why is she throwing up and shaking?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it was would I fucking ask you?" I growl.

"Sorry," he says, holding up his hands in front of him. "I just thought that with the marks on her neck..."

"Anemia causes vomiting?" I ask in confusion.

"No, although she is also very anemic. I've got a bag of blood hooked up to her IV and will give her one more before I leave. The vomiting and trembling are symptoms of withdrawal."

"Withdrawal?" I ask and as soon as the word leaves my mouth it hits me. She's received so much fucking vampire venom that now she's actually addicted to the shit. "So, what? We wait a few days for it to work its way out of her system?" I ask.

"Usually that would be the case, but just based on the sheer number of fresh bite wounds she has, and the severity of her condition, it might take weeks for all of her symptoms to pass."  

"Weeks?" I exclaim in disbelief. I'm supposed to just stand by and watch her suffer for that long? And her boys...they won't understand why she's so sick.

"Yeah, if she goes cold turkey." He nods. "But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure she would survive the dehydration for that length of time."

"She-she might not survive?" I ask, my body sags with the weight of those words, requiring me to lean against the wall to hold myself up. 

"More than five or six days and her kidneys will likely shut down."

I can't believe I'm standing here with this man while he talks about how Hope will die in a few days.

"That's why I would strongly suggest that we gradually wean her off. Give her body time to acclimate to the steady reduction of venom over time, say over the course of maybe four or five weeks."

"And...what is her chance of recovery with that method?"

"Extremely good. It'll take time but I think it's very likely that she'll eventually lose the dependency without putting stress on her body."

"Thank God," I exclaim on an exhale. "So what do we need to do?"

"Oh, well, that's going to be the easy part once she receives the two bags of blood," he says with a smile. "Just find a vampire to bite her." 

…

Hope

Even though my head feels a little foggy, I’m truly happy, free from worries or concerns for the first time in my life.

"I've never been to the beach before," I tell Eric who's sitting in a lounge chair under the big umbrella with me. The man is absolutely gorgeous wearing only red boardshorts to show off his smooth sculpted chest and dark sunglasses to cover his bright blue eyes.

"Really, never?" he responds in surprise, and I shake my head since his sexiness has taken all my words. "Well, I'm glad we were able to get away. The boys seem to be having fun." He gestures out into the surf where Riley and Noah are jumping the waves.

They also look like they’re in heaven, playing and untroubled like children should be. Ones that don't have to worry about if we'll have any fruit or vegetables to eat this week or if Santa Claus will visit them this year. Suddenly I remember I didn't put sunscreen on them. I'm a horrible mother.   

"Where's the sunblock?" I ask, looking down beside the chairs and coming up empty. In fact, the entire beach is deserted except for us four.

"Didn't think to bring it. They'll be fine," Eric assures me, reaching for my hand that's closest to him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. And I've got a surprise for you," he says, distracting me from my worry.

"What's that?" I ask unable to help my smile. When he pulls out a small black box I suck in a deep breath, wondering if it's what I think it is.

"Hope, I love you and I'm so sorry I wasn't around for you and the boys all those years, but I plan to make it up to you for the rest of your life. Will you let me be your husband and their father?" 

"Yes!" I exclaim as tears run freely down my cheeks. Still holding my hand Eric removes the ring from the box and slides it on my finger. The single, sparkling round diamond ring fits perfectly.

I watch as Eric's lips press a kiss to the top of my hand before turning it over and biting into the flesh on my wrist.

"Ah!" I cry out at the sharp, stinging pierce. "What did you do that for?" I ask indignantly. But then the pain turns to pleasure, causing heat to gather and pulse between my thighs. "Oh God, yes!" I scream when the first wave of ecstasy causes the delicious tightening in my pussy. Too late. I realize I'm having a full blown orgasm in public in broad daylight.

When I blink my eyes open though I'm in a softly lit room and a big, blond man, or vampire rather, is drinking from my wrist. That's when I realize I'd been dreaming. I should've known it was too good to be true.

"Sleeping Beauty's awake," the somewhat familiar looking stranger says after pulling his fangs from my wrist. He tilts his head to the side while he thoroughly examines me. "Although, she's more of an Ariel, don't you think? The Little Mermaid was always my fav." He then winks at me. 

Eric shoves the vamp out of the way to come closer to me. "Hope! Thank, God. How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Why was this strange dude sucking on me?" I ask him.

"Because those fucking vampires pumped too much venom into you and now you're an addict."

"An addict? I'm not an addict!" I exclaim.

"Admitting you have a problem and are powerless against it is the first step of the VA program, you know Venomholics Anonymous?" the blond vampire pops his head in my line of sight again.

"You can leave now on your own volition," Eric says through clenched teeth to him. "Or I can make you."

"Ungrateful little shit," the vampire mutters right before I hear the door open. "Good thing she's hot or you'd be kissing my ass goodbye. And I bet you a fucking grand that by the end of the week you’ll be begging me to make
you
come, King Cunt!"

Eric shakes his head in aggravation at the other man’s words and swipes a hand through his hair.

"Where's Riley and Noah? How long have I been asleep?" I ask, sitting up straight in the bed. Not the guest bed, but Eric's I notice when I glance around.           

"They're fine. You've just been out for a day. We told them you were tired and catching up on your sleep, then we kept them busy playing hide and seek."

"Oh, good." I blow out my breath and relax back down. "We? You played hide and seek?" I ask unable to help my smile.

"I had to. Marjorie and Charles looked in every single closet and room in the house and couldn't find them. The boys discovered the bookcase, which was the first place I thought to look."

"Oh." How ironic my boys would hide where they were conceived.

"Do you feel okay?" he asks, looking me over.

"Yeah, I'm great."

"Heath gave you a little of his blood to help with the healing before he released the venom."

"Heath?" I ask. "The blond vampire that was just in here sucking on me?"

"Yeah."

"Friend of yours?"

"No, not really anymore. We used to be, but...until today we haven't spoken in a few years."

"Why not?"

"Long story, I'll tell you another time. Now, are you hungry? Should I get Marjorie to bring you some dinner?"

"Um, yeah that would be awesome," I respond since my stomach is growling and feels sunken in like I haven't had anything in days. I kind of want to milk this whole deal with Nurse Eric, too. 

He picks up the landline phone next to the bed and dials a series of number before making the request. "Can I get you anything else?" he asks, looking down at me with worried eyes after putting the phone back in the cradle.

"I think I could use a shower and brush my teeth," I tell him with a wince at the acidic nastiness in my mouth. "Then I'll go check on the boys before I eat."

"They're already asleep. It's ten-thirty."

"Oh. I hope they didn't protest going to bed too much for Marjorie."

"I put them to bed and they didn't complain at all. They passed right out."

"You put them to bed?" I ask in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Thanks. And I mean for everything, Eric."

"It's nothing. I'm just glad you're feeling better. Heath's agreed to stick around as a venom donor until you can wean off of it. The doctor gave us a schedule with more bites initially and gradually reducing them."

"Well, that's nice of him," I say.

Asking a vampire to drink from someone is not really considered a hardship. But will it be weird for Eric to watch me come undone by some other man's mouth? And sweet, sweet Jesus, the thought of him witnessing such an act has me dripping wet. It might also have something to do with the fact that the vampire is a good-looking son of a bitch. He's slightly leaner and taller than Eric, and if I remember correctly, has milk chocolate eyes.

"Now that Heath's seen you I'm sure he'll be volunteering for his own selfish reasons, trying to get in your panties."       

"You're the only one I want in my panties," I assure him. Oh yes, I want Eric in my panties while the vampire, Heath drinks from me.                     

"Good. And as soon as I know you're healthy again I'll rid you of your panties every chance I get."