Anisa sits up, looking around the small room sheâs found herself in, a bed the only piece of furniture, no windows and only one door. She wonders what could have happened on her wedding day, why she was there, and most importantly where was Shan
“Sleeping beauty awakes.” Â Shan walks in, looking exhausted, but smiling none the less
She smiles softly âHi⌠I feel like someone tried to split my head open⌠What happened? How long have I been out? Are mom and dad okay?â
“They’re fine, we’re fine, and I took care of it, sorry about the head ache.” Â He frowns softly
She smiles, unpaved by his obvious guilt âItâs alright, it isnât your fault⌠But anyways, whatâs for breakfast, dear husband?â
“I thought you might like a good steak, seeing as you missed the romantic dinner I had planned, and the hot night that was to follow.”  He smiles then winks  “How would you like it cooked?”
She smiles sweetly, her fangs descending slightly âMedium rare my love, and darling?â
“Yes?” Â He glances over his shoulder as he turns to go
Her eyes turn ice blue âItâs dangerous to knock out a pregnant woman. There could be negative things that may affect the baby.â
He sighs  “I know.  I’ll go cook dinner then we’ll go for a walk.”
âOkay my darling, take as much time as you need.â
He returns shortly with a steak for her
âAre you not hungry?â She sets the plate in her lap âIs something bothering you?â
âIâm fine, just a little tired is all, besides, I think youâre going to love the country around here.â
âReally?â She talks between bites âWhat kind of landscape? And why no windows??â
“We’re in one of the tower dungeons so you can heal, and we’re underground currently. Â The country itself is wild and beautiful.” Â He smiles at her
âAre you sure my motherâs the only vampyre you know?â She sets the empty plate on the bed beside her, watching her husband with a curious suspicion, a smile playing on the edge of her lips
“I don’t recall ever saying she was…”
She grins softly âNow you have to tell me. How many other Vampyres do you know?â
“At least one for every year you’ve been alive… Â Maybe more…”
âAh⌠And how many of them have you⌠flirted with?â
“Only you and your mother.”
âSomehow I find that hard to believe, darlingâŚâ
“You two have been the only female vamps I’ve been with, all the rest were business partners, and men.”
She smiles softly, not letting the smile reach her eyes she says âAlright my darling, I know you wouldnât lie to me⌠Now how about that walk?â
He sighs and offers her his hand to help her out of bed  “If we hurry we might catch the sunrise.”
She sighs wistfully âI havenât seen the sunrise yetâŚâ taking his hand she rushes off, dragging him with her
“Oh good, we can share your first.” Â He winks playfully
She giggles softly âNot if we donât hurry!â
He picks her up and rushes outside, the sun has still yet to rise âJust in time.â
She wraps her arms around him as they watch the sky turn from purple to pink to blue, the sun slowly peaking over the treetops âWowâŚâ
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Â He looks right at her and pecks her cheek
âItâs⌠More beautiful than words can describeâŚâ She leaned against his shoulder âI never thought Iâd see thisâŚâ
âIâm glad I could share it with you.â He smiles at her then slowly leads her to a bench
She leans against him âI was always asleep when the sun rose⌠It was part of the treatment⌠Vampyres who hadnât mated but had taken the treatment could not go outside until after noon. And we had to be indoors by 2 a.m. It was a very odd life to liveâŚâ
âI bet⌠Question.â
âYesâŚ?â
âHave you heard of solar vamps?â
She looks at him with confusion âNo⌠Mind telling me what they are?â
âTheyâre Vampyres who can go out in sunlight without the need of medication.â
She shakes her head âThey donât exist⌠Thereâs no way⌠Vampyres canât go in the sunlight⌠Itâs the basic definition of a vampyre: âa magical being who is neither human nor animal, they drink blood of others to survive, they cannot go out into the sunlight.â Vampyres canât take the sunâs rays, thereâs something in the gamma rays that the sun radiates, it disrupts our cells. Thereâs no way a vampyre could step foot in sunlight without the Gamma radiation therapy. And the doctors canât prescribe the therapy until a vampyre is of age.â
âWhat if I was to tell you that the moon of this planet is the dwarf core from a small star that collapsed eons ago, and that it gives off just enough gamma radiation to make a normal vampyre sick, but not to kill them?â
She sits up straight, moving to where she can look him in the eye âI would question why you brought me here⌠And consequently, if anything from the last few days was real⌠However, I know that an eternity alone is lonely so Iâm sure you wouldnât do anything to compromise my trust in you. WhyâŚ?â
âBecause it is, and the reason you arenât sick is because of the medication your people use. And yes, everything in the last few days has happened. I know youâre going to ask, but no, no itâs not.â
She looks out to the landscape, her hands folded in her lap, trying to discern if heâs lying or not.
âCome to a decision?â
âFirst I have a very important question.â
âGo on.â
âGrilled pineapples, bananas, cherries, and strawberries, or a fruit salad?â She looks at him, smiling âIâm starving so please hurry and pick one.â
âThe grilled option.â He smiles back and kisses her softly âWant me to go get a blanket?â
âNo silly, I want the food first. Pregnancy makes a woman very hungry.â She blushes softly âAfter all, I am eating for two you knowâŚâ
âYes, I know. Now, the fruit is, this way.â He gets up and walks in a direction, he stops and smiles at her âIâll return shortly.â
She nods back at him âI know.â She watches him leave, then gets up from the bench. Slowly she walks over to a flower, a marigold in a sea of lilies, and sits down beside it âYour alone too, huh? Itâs awful being the only one⌠Not knowing who to trustâŚâ She laughs softly âWhat am I saying? Youâre a flower⌠You donât need to trust anyone⌠You rely solely on the elements, the sun the ground, and the rain to keep you aliveâŚâ She sits be the flower and yammers on until Shan returns
âSo youâre all alone huh?â A rough voice sounds behind her, the tone nothing like Shanâs
âYou may not know this.â She stands up and turns around, her hand resting lightly on her stomach, which is swollen to the size of a five month pregnancy âBut a pregnant woman is never alone.â
âMhmmmâŚâ the voice comes again from behind her âThat just means thereâs more blood to feast on.â It cackles darkly
âDo it. Bite me. But youâll be sorryâŚâ She smiles sweetly as she turns and squats down to pick the marigold âThereâs no blood in my veins⌠No blood in my bodyâŚâ
âBut I hear it, the beat of your heart, and that childâs, two as one⌠And even pure vamps bleed.â The voice rushes you, the body it belonging to jumps out of the lilies and pins you to the ground
âThen by all means, bite me. Taste what sweet nectar runs through my veins⌠But donât blame me when you die because you harmed the Princess.â Her voice turns cold as her eyes darken to navy blue; frost appears on the flowers as the temperature drops âNow⌠You have one chance to get off me⌠Five seconds⌠Get off and go away and never come back. Or die.â
âHa! I doubt you can do it!â He chuckles evilly âEven if you were princess, only First House power can harm me.â
She smiles softly, thankful he hadnât noticed the black cat stalking through the lilies towards them âI never said I would harm you, only that you would die. So make your choice, get off or die.â
âThat lovely familiar canât save you by the way, as I said, only First House power can hurt me.â
âWhat about me Jag?â Shanâs voice drifts from across the clearing, the sound of it riddled with anger âGet off her or be burnt to a crisp.â
Anisa winces softly as she puts all of her strength she has into her arms, pushing herself and her attacker up off the ground by a centimeter, giving the baby room as she kicks frustratedly âShan the baby is in pain! Please, you have to get him off!â
âYou heard her Jag, get moving.â Shan walks over and kicks âJagâ off Anisa, then bends to help her up âAre you ok love?â
âShe is one of yours?â âJagâ backs into the flowers slightly, the sound of his shaking evident
âIâm betterâŚâ she places her hand on her stomach âThe baby just really doesnât appreciate being squished like that.â
Spook walks up to Anisa and touches his nose to her stomach; he shifts into a human, his hand where his nose was âMistress wanted to come herself, however she was delayed. She sent me to tell you sheâll be here in three days.â
âTell Caroline that we should be ready to receive her by then and to bring an emissary with her.â Shan looks at Jag âYou think you and the other two could behave long enough to hear what theyâll say?â
âNo. Iâm going to hunt to my delight, and as soon as your eyes are off her, sheâll become my meal.â Jag slinks off into the flowers, disappearing
Spook nods his head âVery well. Be safe young onesâŚâ He disappears in the opposite direction as Jag
Anisa put her hand to her forehead and relaxes against Shan âWho was that? And why was he so intent on killing me?â
“That was Jag, he’s just recently become Alpha of the Cat Pack Vamps… Â He’s looking to boost his power so that his rule is unquestioned. Â Sorry, I thought I mentioned the sunlight vamps…” Â Shan softly helps her to her feet and guides her back to the bench
She gently presses her fingertips to a bump on the side of her head, wincing softly at the sight of the blood âyea well Iâm still confused about that⌠How can they walk without medications?â
“They built up a natural immunity to it. Â Since the moon is the core of a long dead star and give off lower emissions of gamma it allowed them to slowly get used to it, eventually they started hunting longer and longer ’til they realized that they could go for days without having to shelter up at daybreak.”
âAnd these psychos live on this planet? Theyâll be here when mom gets here??â
“I’m hoping the presence of one of the last pure bloods from First House will calm them enough to listen to reason, though given they build the tower and a portal interceptor just so they could drag others to this planet just to hunt them makes me kind of worried.”
âIf theyâre this crazy⌠Why⌠Why did you bring your pregnant wife here?â
“I did mention the interceptor right? Â Well, on one of my travels it pulled me here and I took the tower from them. Â I turn off the interceptor but come back every once in while so that I can maintain control. Â And we just happened to be nearby… Â Besides, I thought we’d get less distraction from others so we could enjoy our honeymoon, but getting you to wake up after the fight with Cain and Able took most of our time…” Â He makes a halfcocked face as he stares at the ground
âThatâs right⌠I remember now⌠a group of men busted in after we said our vows⌠But⌠thatâs all I rememberâŚâ
“Yea, well… Â that was a week ago…” Â He frowns softly
âA week? What happened Shan? Why was I out a week?â
“I kind of… um… knocked you out… Â I didn’t want you to see me like that…”
âA weekâŚâ she bites her lip, hiding a smile âYou knocked⌠your pregnant wife⌠on her ass⌠for a week? And what were you thinking? That you didnât want me to see you fight⌠Why would I not want to see you fight? Some girls get turned on by that ya know, seeing their man fight to protect them. But you donât risk it. Instead you knocked me on my ass. What do you have to say for yourself?â
“Have you ever seen a Reaper fight?” Â He looks at her, a great sadness in his eyes
âNoâŚâ concern fills her eyes as she places her hand on his knee âShan a fight is a fight isnât it? Please darling⌠tell me why you look so sad about thisâŚâ
“The Reapers mask acts as a limit breaker, any hidden power they have is brought to the surface… Â But by doing so we run the risk of personification… Â We can potentially lose control and become the pure emotion that each mask represents…”
âCan youâŚrecognize those around youâŚ? Distinguish whoâs a friend and whoâs an enemyâŚ?â
“It depends on the mask, and how deeply you are dragged into it…”
âIs that why you knocked me out, love? Because you didnât want to risk killing me during the fight?â
âLove⌠How bad is itâŚ? Whatâs⌠whatâs your emotionâŚ?â
“Insanity.”
She smiles softly, relaxing against him âsomehow that doesnât surprise meâŚâ
“Thanks. Â Now what, you wanna eat and go for that walk?â
âHow about food and then a napâŚ? My feet are killing me⌠and I could seriously use a massage⌠You up for it mister insanity?â She smiles coyly at him, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers
“Sure.” Â He smiles and starts to grill the fruit
âThanks honey⌠By the wayâŚâ she winks at him âYou look very sexyâ
“Are you ok?”  He smiles at her  “You sure your hormones are all acting properly?”
She giggles softly âSweetie⌠Pregnancy doesnât affect those hormonesâ she winks at him
“Sure it doesn’t.” Â He smiles and hands her some of the fruit
She giggles softly, taking the fruit âThank you darlingâŚâ she scarfs down the food, almost as if she was starving. He hands her the next two as well.
She blushes softly âGuess I was hungrier than I thoughtâŚâ she eats those as well, a bit slower than the last time. He eats one then holds the last one out for her.
She smiles softly as she takes the last piece of grilled fruit âThis is cooked to perfection loveâŚâ
“Thanks dear.” Â He smiles at her softly
âYour most welcome⌠Now⌠Iâm very tired, shall we go to bedâŚ?â She smiles sweetly at him
“Why not.” Â He stands and helps her up, softly guiding her to the tower
She leans against him âI love you ShanâŚâ
“I love you too Anisa.” Â He kisses her softly as he opens the door
“Night dear.”
With her head on his chest Anisa falls into a dreamless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shan stirs about in the kitchen setting up a meal, he sighs âIf only I could remember, I feel it there. Itâs pressing against my skull but I just canât reach it.â Shan shakes his head, soft light glowing from his eyes as tears drop softly away from them âOh well⌠Guess I should finish and return to Anisa.â He does so and gently places himself back under the warmth of her body
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anisa stretches softly, yawning
âMorning love, howâd you sleep?â He kisses her softly
âCouldâve been betterâŚâ she gently kisses his neck âBut oh well⌠You?â
âAbout the same.â He smiles softly âHowâs the baby?â
âSheâs hungryâŚâ Anisa takes Shanâs hand and places it on her stomach, just below her belly button and to the right, he feels a slight nudge âFeel that? Sheâs kickingâŚâ
His eyes glaze over as he smiles, his voice coming as if from a far âHello Heather. My nameâs Shan.â
Anisa smiles softly âHeather⌠I like the sound of itâŚâ
Shan looks up at Anisa âSheâs glad you do. Now food, what shall I make today?â
âHmmmâŚ. Pancakes? WithâŚ. Strawberries⌠and⌠Chocolate chips⌠and⌠bananas⌠and whipped creamâŚâ she groans softly as Heather kicks in excitement âAnd some melted coffee ice cream on the side.”
âSounds good, you want one or two bowls?â He smiles as he slowly works out from under her.
âJust one darling, I only need one bowl of ice cream. But Iâd like three pancakes, one with strawberries, the other with chocolate chips, and the last with bananas. With the whipped cream between the pancakes.â
âYes dear.â He leaves quickly, a smile on his face and returns with her breakfast and an extra cup.
She grabs a fork and kisses him softly. âThank you love.â
âYou are very welcome.â He smiles and sets the tray beside her then walks around and puts his ear to her belly softly. Anisa slowly eats her stacked triple flavored pancakes, a tear slides down her face as she watches Shan.
âShe wants to go for a walk today.â He smiles up at Anisa âWhy are you crying?”
She wipes away the tears, smiling softly âNo reason⌠â
âTell me or I shall be forced to use a most terrible torture on you.â He winks playfully and kisses her belly.
âI was thinking⌠about KailâŚâ she threads her fingers through his hair âI had a dream last night⌠Kail was in a room in my Auntâs castle⌠She was interrogating himâŚIt⌠It was awfulâŚ.â
âIâm sorry dear.â He kisses her belly once more then moves âYou should finish eating soon.â
âItâs alright⌠Itâs not like it was realâŚâ she smiles softly as she finishes off her pancakes, dunking the last one into the bowl of coffee ice cream
âOk, well, you ready for that walk now?â He smiles at her and moves the empty trey away
âYeah,â she smiles back âbut I donât think I can stand up on my own right now, wanna help me?â
âOf course.â He smiles at her and offers his arm as support
Using his arm she stands up, her right hand instinctively moving to her stomach âThanks darling.â
âYouâre very welcome. So, where shall we walk to?â He smiles at her and kisses her cheek
Grinning softly she whispers âThe moon and back my love⌠The moon and backâŚâ
âThatâs a very long walk love, how about back to the bench?â He chuckles softly
âItâll do for now I guess. Lead the way? I still donât quite know my way around yetâŚâ
âOf course my dear.â He guides her outside and to the bench, softly kissing her cheek from time to time
âIt really is quite lovely hereâŚâ
âI know, thatâs why I chose it as our honeymoon location.â He winks and helps her sit on the bench
âHoneymoon? Didnât we already have a honeymoon?â She pulls his hands to her belly, smiling coyly âHeather is proof of that isnât she? Or was that night just drunken fun for you?â
He sticks out his tongue âYou know what I mean.â
She giggles softly in return âOf course my darlingâŚâ
He smiles and sits beside her
She shudders softly âDarling itâs a little chilly⌠do you mind going back and getting me a blanket?â
âOf course not, any one you would prefer?â He smiles as he gets back up
âNo love⌠Just a blanket big enough to cover me pleaseâŚâ she smiles back
âOf course dear.â He smiles and head back to the tower
She leans back still shivering slightly, she hums a nursery rhyme under her breath as she waits for Shan to return
âDidnât I warn him about letting you out of his sightâŚâ Jag steps out of the shadows of the trees, allowing Anisa to actually see him
âMaybe⌠Iâm afraid I donât quite rememberâŚâ she watches his approach, wary of the conversation thatâs about to take place âWhat do you want Jag?â
âYour blood.â He growls as the light reveals a tall pale man, though his features remind Anisa somewhat of a cat
She grins, winking softly she says âNice tail kitten.â
He roars and tackles her to the ground, putting her throat in his mouth âYouâll die for that statement!â
She bites her lip, resisting the urge to bite his neck in return âAnd youâll die for this actâŚâ
He ignores her and sinks his teeth deeply into her neck, drawing forth her lifeblood
She closes her eyes, bringing forth the memory of Shan, the smile that was on his face when he left, the shine in his eyes, the love that emanated from him. A tear falls down her face as she realizes she may never see her daughters face.
A great heat emanates from above her and Jag screams in pain, a cold angry voice reaches her ears âI thought I told you to leave her alone.
âItâs too late now, Iâve bitten her, sheâll become one of my peopleâŚâ Jag gasps those final words as he turns to ash
âDamnâŚâ she whispers softly, wincing in pain âYou know he was kind of cute⌠Too bad heâs such a jerkâŚâ
âDonât even joke.â Shan comes over to her and softly kneels âShit, he was rightâŚâ
âDarling⌠Iâm the Vampyre Princess⌠Thereâs nothing in the world that can re-write my genes to change meâŚâ she smiles softly, her hand resting on her stomach âThereâs only-â She stops suddenly, gasping in pain
âYou forgot the baby, and your Skyknight genesâŚâ He carefully picks her up and carries her back to the tower
She mutters several choice words, her forehead pressed against Shanâs shoulder as she tries very hard not to scream from the pain in her stomach âShan!! Whatâs happening?!â
âThe venom is trying to change you thru the baby⌠And Iâm afraid that all I can do is stop it at Heather, before it gets to youâŚâ
She winces softly âShan itâs hurting her! Is there nothing you can do for her?â
âThere is very little I can do⌠My only choice is to make it so she accepts the venom as a part of her beingâŚâ He lays Anisa on the bed and softly lays his hands on her stomach
She cries softly, nodding âDo it⌠If it protects her⌠Then do itâŚâ
âOkâŚâ His hands glow and wisp as if on fire, slowly he presses against Anisa stomach, a warm feeling coursing through her
She grits her teeth, clenching her eyes shut
The pressure of his hands leave as he sighs âDoneâŚâ
She stays still, eyes shut and teeth clenched, as tears flow hot and fast down her face
She feels a soft pressure on her stomach and hears a small chuckle from Shan
âWhat⌠could you possibly⌠find funny⌠at a time like thisâŚ?â
âSheâs laughing⌠She thinks this was all just some big adventure.â He chuckles softly and kisses Anisaâs belly âSheâs a good girlâŚâ
âSheâs laughing?â Slowly Anisa opens her eyes, the color a dark blue instead of her natural brown, her pupils appear as pinpricks âSheâs honestly laughing? Sheâs not in pain anymore?â
âSheâs laughing now, has been since I stopped.â He smiles at her
Anisa sighs with relief, resisting the urge to smile back âThatâs good⌠Umm⌠Darling I need a favorâŚâ
âYes?â He stands up
âAs you know my mother is a vampyre. I am a vampyre. And we Vampyres are bloodsucking monsters.â Anisa twists her fingers into the sheets on the bed beneath her, squeezing her eyes shut she continues âThere comes a time in every relationship where the partner needs to be aware of the fact that his spouse is a bloodsucking monster and because of that has certain needs. Needs that if not fulfilled, will lead to her emanate demise.â One of her canines elongates over her lip as she continues, her teeth clenched âShan Iâm going to die in less than an hour if I donât feed.â
âYou want mine or something elseâs?â
âIf I wanted to risk killing you I wouldnât have told you anything. Please Shan⌠You have to hurryâŚâ
âDrink.â He cuts a small slice down his arm and puts it before Anisaâs lips âI promise youâll have never tasted richerâŚâ
A tear slides slowly down her face as she whispers âPlease⌠donât let me kill youâŚâ slowly she closes her eyes and sinks her fangs into his arm
âI wonât.â He smiles at her
Tears fall across his arm as she uses his lifeblood to replace the blood stolen from her and to sate the never ending hunger
He smiles softly âNo tears little missy, you get one of the rarest treats in the galaxy.â
She licks his arm, healing the wound âHow is hurting your husband by stealing his lifeblood a treat?â
âHow many different bloods have you tasted?â He smiles at her
She looks at the ground âOne⌠Spooks bloodâŚâ
âMy point exactly, each species has a different taste to its blood and the effect on the body upon consuming.â
âAnd do you know how many times I almost killed Spook? How many times I drew too much of his blood? How many times my mother had to knock me across the room because I could not stop myself??â
âNope, mind I also know that itâs all in the mind and how long you go without.â
She shudders softly at the memories of Spook lying half dead on a mat in her motherâs room âTwo weeks⌠is eleven days too long⌠for a pregnant Vampyreâ
âOk. Want me to start looking at ways to infuse your drinks with trace amounts of blood?â
âWhatever you think is best loveâŚâ She curls up softly, hugging a pillow to her body
âIs there something else thatâs wrong dear?â
âNo⌠thereâs nothing elseâŚâ
âOk⌠Your mother will be here tomorrowâŚâ
âYes⌠I rememberâŚâ she shivers slightly âDarlingâŚIâm terribly tired⌠Do you mind very much if we take a nap?â
âNo, I donâtâŚâ Shan gets in the bed behind Anisa and kisses her cheek softly
âThank youâŚâ burying her face into the pillow, Anisa cries herself to sleep
He softly strokes her hair âSleep well love.â
~~~===~~~
~~~===~~~