Into the Vampire's Lair Ch. 12

"I didn't know Fiona was working. And Keiran allowed this?"

"Yes Father, he did. It is what she wants."

"But she is a Lady. What does she need to work for?"

At that precise moment, the car stopped in front of the bookstore and Draven was saved from answering. These kinds of situations were reserved for Alaron to debate and argue with his father. Somehow he had a penchant for that sort of behavior.

When they entered, there were a few humans milling around; reading or simply browsing books. None seemed to notice them at all which was good.

"I think they're either upstairs or at a back room somewhere. Give me a minute," said Draven, mentally calling out to either his mother or Fiona.

"She's on this level," said Aramis. "And she's very scared."

Draven wanted to ask his father how he knew that but decided that this was not the time. His eyes scanned the area and finally saw a door hidden slightly by a dark curtain behind the counter.

They didn't bother knocking but opened it quickly.

"Josephine!" Aramis words sounded like a hiss --a cross between worry and concern --as he moved swiftly to her side. "What did you..." he started to nag before noticing Alaron's bloodied shirt and scented a human in the midst of turning.

"Hello Aramis," whispered Josephine with a smile on her face. Aramis narrowed his eyes at her.

"What the hell were you thinking? I could throttle you right this minute Josephine for being a brainless twit!"

"Father!" cried Alaron. "Lay a hand on her and you'll regret it."

Alaron laid Erika down gently before moving slightly closer to Josephine in an attempt to protect her from his father. It was an adorable gesture. However, he wasn't the only one. Draven had already placed himself between Aramis and Josephine and Fiona had crouched down beside her.

"You made them gang up on me?" he asked in amusement. "Good god woman, you never fail to amaze me," he added with a laugh as he took out one of the blood bags from the portable cooler.

"It's okay children... he won't hurt me," she managed to wheeze out before taking the blood bag offered to her. "Alaron, take one for yourself and then take another for Erika."

Alaron did as he was told although his eyes still kept a close watch on his father. It was only when Erika started thrashing and moaning in pain that he turned to look in panic.

"Maybe you should bring her up... her screams will get louder and I should probably close the shop early for the day," said Fiona, getting up on her feet. It was then that Aramis noticed the bulge in her tummy.

"Bless the Lord... Fiona my child, are you... pregnant?"

She let out a gasp of surprise then nodded slowly. "We were planning to visit and tell you but... things got a little complicated. I'm sorry Grandfather..."

"But... but how is that possible?" he exclaimed. "Never has this happened before."

"You mean there had been incidents of cross mating?" asked Draven in surprise.

"Well, there were probably one or two but they never had children. It was just impossible. The descendents were often orphans who were turned and sired by the Vampire. Oh god Draven... the Council..."

"We'll deal with them later Father. Right now, we will keep Fiona safe and the child will be guarded at all times. I will not let the Council touch the child."

Aramis didn't look too convinced but before he could say anything, Josephine stopped him.

"It will be fine Aramis... we'll take care of the children and train them to control whatever abilities they may express. Don't take away their chance at seeing the world because of what the Council thinks is desirable or not."

"I don't..." want to use my abilities to train them, was what he wanted to say but one look on Josephine's face made him stop. "Fine, now explain that," he said, pointing to Alaron and Erika. "Why is she turned, who turned her and why is Alaron bleeding?"

"I turned her," said Josephine softly. "Because she's our son's mate. And he's bleeding because I wounded him."

Aramis scowled at her. He didn't know which was worst --knowing that his mate had sired a human or that she attacked his... did she say 'our' son?

"You're healed," he said looking at Alaron in displeasure before turning an accusing glance to Josephine. "Explain, Josephine..."

"He's a healer Aramis. Stop looking at me like that!"

"I can look at you whatever way I want," he snapped before cupping Alaron's face and staring into his eyes. "Your eyes are normal."

"Should they not be?" said Alaron, struggling for release against Aramis's hold.

"He's not wounded so he's back to normal. Won't you release him?" chided Josephine, pursing her lips.

Alaron gave her a grateful grin. "I should probably bring her up now. Fiona, you should close the shop soon."

"Yes Fiona, you should my dear," said Josephine before returning Alaron's grin. "I'll see you again soon and teach you control. But for now, take the rest of the blood and tend to your mate."

Alaron nodded before lifting Erika in his arms to walk towards the connecting staircase at the back of the room.

"Well then, I guess I really should close the shop," said Fiona apologetically but mostly she was looking at Draven. With Alaron, Erika and herself gone, Draven was the only one left as a buffer between what looked like an escalating argument between her grandparents.

He flashed her a pleading look but she had dashed out through the door much too quickly for a woman with supposedly swollen ankles. Draven reluctantly turned to face his parents.

"Um, Mother, Father, would you like to return back to the castle now? I do need to return to Amber..."

"Just wait one minute young man," said Aramis, raising an eyebrow in his son's direction. "Why did you leave the castle last night?"

"I told him to," said Josephine.

"I'm not asking you," he said warningly although his eyes flashed amusement.

"I'm not letting you take Amber away from me Father... so I ran."

"To the compound?"

"Yes."

Aramis kept silent for a long time, looking first at Draven then Josephine.

"You did this didn't you?"

"Then spare your son any punishment," she said it so sarcastically that Draven actually frowned. In the past 48 hours, he'd seen her as someone in control and authoritative with a touch of gentleness but somehow his father brought out a rather feisty streak in her that he found rather... amusing.

"Fine, he's spared but I'll just re-direct the punishment," he replied, narrowing his eyes at her. Draven realized that he should intervene now before his parents actually start civil war between themselves.

"Father, his Grace is a very kind and compassionate leader. It is an honour really to be conferred his loyalty and trust for not many outside the wolf pack is given that privilege."

Aramis looked up solemnly at Draven and nodded.

"You are not Fiona, Draven... and so I do not expect you to be submissive to Keiran. I know how the hierarchy works in the packs but you should not let your priorities to your own kind be overshadowed by your duties to the pack." Aramis let out a long sigh. "What I mean is that... you're an Elder now Draven. Do not let the board ever find out that you hold a subordinate position within the pack or they will find ways to use that to their advantage."

"He'll be brilliant Aramis. You should have more faith in him," said Josephine, beaming slightly at her son.

"I do," he said. "You're named after two strong Pureblood families --your mother's and mine and we expect great things from you. So... don't let us down."

"I won't Father..."

"Right then... we should go now. Are you strong enough to... ah never mind," said Aramis, bending down to scoop Josephine into his arms. "As for you, I want you to stay out of trouble. So I'm giving you a project to do."

"What?" she asked with a laugh.

"There are three weddings to be planned."

"Three?" Draven and Josephine asked simultaneously.

"What? Am I too old to get married?" he replied jokingly. "You and your brother are not the only ones who deserve to get hitched you know," he said to Draven.

"And who do you plan on marrying, if I dare ask?" Josephine raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously.

"I'll tell you later. This particular woman is very difficult to please... so I've got to grovel a little more before she says yes."

Draven rolled his eyes as he opened the door to let his parents out. First they quarrel then they flirt with each other... what is the world coming to?

***

By the time Draven made it back to the compound, he was exhausted. He had accompanied his parents back to the castle to retrieve the blood pill he and Alaron had perfected; resting in his room for an hour after ingesting a tablet. It was close to nine in the evening by the time he dropped by the city to buy a bouquet of flowers for his mate.

Draven didn't want to return to Amber empty handed and for the first time, realized that he had never given her anything but rejection, pain and confusion. It had taken him a whole half hour to decide on the type of flowers to give her for he wanted something that symbolized passion yet was unique enough to reflect his feelings for her.

So he bought red chrysanthemums. They represented love and fidelity and best of all she could brew them into tea. The Asian lady who sold it to him said chrysanthemums had good medicinal properties and aided conception. So, what the hell, he bought a dozen of them.

Despite his desire to return to Amber's home as soon as possible, he knew that his first stop was to see Eian and relay the news of the Council. Fiona needed immediate protection. What if the Council sent spies to track her down or something? Draven couldn't risk that.

Switching off the engine of his car, he stepped out and walked towards Eian's house. It was late he knew so he was just going to be quick. After pressing the bell, Draven waited; looking around and admiring the scenery. It was then that he caught a small movement a short distance from where he was but before he could investigate, the door opened and he forgot all about it.

"Hey Draven," greeted Fiona. "Would you like to come in?"

Draven nodded. "Is Eian around?"

"Yeah, he's in the living room."

As Draven entered the living room, Eian looked up from his book and frowned. "It's late."

"Yes, but I have something important to discuss with you both."

Eian didn't say anything but gestured for Draven to sit.

"Today, I went to the Council to accept my position on the Board of Elders but I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news." He paused, looking first at Eian then at Fiona. "There were some concerns regarding the possibility of a hybrid child and some of the Elders are in the favour of extreme measures."

Draven saw Eian's hands clutching Fiona's knee slightly. Yes, his sentiments exactly.

"At the moment Fiona's pregnancy is not so visible especially if she's wearing loose clothes but in a few months time, she's going to be impossible to hide Eian."

"I understand. I am grateful for this information Draven. It is a sign of loyalty," said Eian, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "But, does the Council know of our ability to mate with each other?"

"Ah, that. You see, Father told me that in the past there had been instances of Weres getting together with Vampires but they never had offspring. Without the exchange of blood, true mating could not occur and thus no conception. As you know, we had to alter Fiona's DNA structure so her body will not reject your wolf gene but back then, the technology was practically nonexistent."

"Keep this secret Draven. God knows what would happen should the knowledge fall in the wrong hands."

"I agree. I'm sorry Fiona..."

"No, I understand. Alaron can take over my job since he's literally living there anyway. Plus he's not going to complain because he knows this is for my safety too."

Draven couldn't help smiling. "You give him far too much credit. He'll whine about it but yes, he will do it for your safety."

The three of them remained quiet for a minute, each aware of the dangers that would befall their pack in the coming years.

"You have not mated yet," said Eian after a while, breaking the silence.

"I plan to... later," said Draven rather shyly. Do Weres in the pack talk about sex this openly?

"Well yes we do," said Eian seriously. "Amber's been in heat on and off for the past year yet she's rejected every male offer until you. I won't deny that wolves are generally very fertile... so just be prepared to protect her and the baby. Leave me to worry over my mate. You worry for yours."

"Yes... Alpha."

"Good, now can you please go and answer her wolf call already? She's been making so much noise since dusk."

Draven frowned. "I didn't hear anything."

"A wolf can hear decibels even a human can't. Trust me. Now would you please go give her what she wants?" Eian's command couldn't hide the slight amusement in his voice but Draven caught it.

"Try not to listen in," he said with a grin.

"Like I would. Now go."

"Going..."

***

Taking a deep breath, Draven walked towards Amber's door; hands holding the bouquet behind his back. Truth was, his heart was pounding so loud that he could hear it in his head. Part of him was excited but part of him was also afraid of what this mating might actually entail. He didn't experience any physical changes --nothing of the sort that Fiona had felt so he wasn't sure if the pill was working. What worried him most was the thought that he might actually kill Amber by accident.

He knocked gently on the door, hoping that she hadn't gone to bed yet. If she had, he'd probably have to camp in his car for the night. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long, for a few seconds later, she opened.

"I'm sorry I'm late..." he started to apologize but stopped when he saw her standing in a lacy see-through mini dress --or whatever it's called --that should technically be illegal except in the bedroom. "Okay, now I'm really sorry..."

She laughed sweetly and peeked behind his back to look at the flowers. "For me?"

"Oh yeah. I hope you like them," he replied; his throat suddenly parched.

She plucked the bouquet from him and took in the floral scent with an innocence that he found adorable.

"Did you always buy me flowers?" she asked, rubbing her nose against the petals.

"I promise to buy more from now on," he replied, locking the door and moving towards her. "If it makes you happy."

She didn't reply him for she was walking... no, sashaying her hips, towards the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers. Draven felt like a love sick puppy following his master; trailing after her and her scent like it was a drug calling out to him. When he entered the kitchen, he almost groaned out at the sight of her bent over trying to look for something in her cabinet. Why was she walking around literally naked under that flimsy little thing? Draven had seen her naked a few times but somehow having scraps of material over her skin made her more seductive than when she was naked --not that he didn't like her naked. He did.

"Baby, are you trying to punish me for coming home late? Coz if you are, it's working."

"Hmm?" she asked innocently, straightening her back with a tall vase in hand. "I know you had things to do."

She smiled and brushed past him, a shoulder rubbing against his chest --oh so subtly --as she filled the vase with water. Taking a last whiff of the flowers, she arranged them into the vase and placed it on her kitchen counter.

"Thank you for these," she said, moving past him again but this time, her fingers trailed sensuously over his crotch just for a second. But before she could lift her hand away, his fingers gripped slightly on her wrist, pressing her warm fingers roughly against his growing erection.

"My, I see flowers aren't the only surprise you have for me tonight," she whispered. "Should I... open up my present now?"

"We should make it to the bed first," said Draven with as much control as he could.

"Oh, we'll get there... eventually," she whispered before jumping on him to wrap her legs tightly around his waist; her arms around his neck. "I can tell you want me now." She ground her hips against his stomach; bare, moist flesh against his shirt. Her intoxicating scent was threatening to drive him insane.

"I want to take my time to please you," he said through clenched teeth. "Lick... every inch slowly... we didn't get much of a chance to do that the other time."

Something flickered in her eyes at his response and she looked away. "I... don't remember the other time."

Draven smiled and started walking out of the kitchen with her clinging on to him like a baby koala. "It's okay, I'll refresh your memory tonight. I'll mark every single spot on your body so you'll never forget," he teased, nipping the side of her throat lightly with his teeth and heard her low growl of approval.

He bit harder and heard her moan.

"You're using your teeth..." she complained, gripping the back of his head tight. "I want canines..."

"Mmm, not yet," he murmured, licking the spot he had just bitten. "Besides, I don't have canines..."

She began protesting; rubbing her body against him in the most wanton fashion. Okay, his little wolf really wants to mate... now. Gripping her butt tightly, he began walking up the stairs to her room, feeling her fingers unbuttoning his shirt impatiently, her palm pressed over the exposed skin of his chest.

Then he felt her claws -- gently raking over the flesh; flicking over a nipple before travelling down his taut abdomen to toy with the hair arrowing south beneath his trousers.

"Bad little wolf," he whispered, catching her earlobe in his teeth. "Be patient... I promise I'll be good."

Amber let out a sultry whimper at his words followed by a sigh as they finally reached her bedroom.

"Are you going to be gentle with me?" she asked in a throaty whisper as he walked towards the edge of the bed.

Draven stopped but didn't look at her. "Do you want me to?"

"No."

"Okay then," he replied, lowering his eyes and locking it with hers in a look that could only be described as primal. The heat of the gaze alone made Amber's insides turn warm but before she could blink, he threw her onto the bed and started climbing on top of her.

With his thighs pressing down on her legs, he took both her wrists and held them above her head in one swift movement before bending forward to claim her lips with his own. The urgency of his kiss was met with her body's desperate arching to feel more of his skin against hers. Draven simply used his other hand to push her back down in a silent warning.

His lips were so hot and yielding against her; his tongue probing and wrestling with hers and his teeth... oh he enjoyed nibbling at her lower lip over and over before returning to ravish her mouth with his lips again. Amber could only moan when she wanted to touch him... no, she wanted to scratch him and mark him and buck underneath him but he was too strong... and that turned her on just as much.

He smiled against her lips as he heard her last thought. Pulling away slightly, he began trailing his kisses down her jaw to the side of her neck, to her shoulders and up the length of her left triceps that was vulnerable in its current position. He licked the smooth skin before sinking his teeth onto the tender flesh just below her elbow and heard her moan. Then he did the same thing to her other arm.

"Draven... please..." she moaned, arching her back. "I want you now..."

He gave her a mischievous grin but didn't let her go. Instead he moved his head down and captured one nipple through the lace material and sucked hard. When she screamed, he was sure that her neighbours could hear her. The thought made him smile and switched to her other nipple, leaving wet spots on the thin lacy material.