~Javed’s Point of View~ “You really should--” “I’m not leaving you,” she whispers, curling into my chest. I don’t at all like the idea of her spending the day wasting in my dark little hole but I also selfishly don’t want her to leave. It’s still at least two hours until dawn so I quickly wiggle away from her and dash upstairs. My hands are completely full of everything I think she may need for the day when I return, though I don’t know how to sort out the bathroom situation. I got her a portable climbing ladder just in case but letting her come and go while I slumber makes me feel too vulnerable. She giggles when she sees me trying to steady all the food and water on a small corner table. I then cover her with a heavy quilt and get back in bed with her. “I’m so spoiled,” she whispers, and I can tell she’s moments from sleep. My maker is literally the only female who I’ve shared the day with since becoming vampire. It’s an enormous amount of trust to give another. Vampires si
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I sit with what I know must be a dumb expression on my face. I’m suddenly realizing more and more that there’s so much I don’t know. Are people specifically not telling me things? Just when I think I’m finally fitting in, finding my forever home, I feel like an idiot. Were there witches and fairies at Midnight Moon too then?? Did Mason know?? He never even remotely said anything. I never noticed anyone doing anything weird. I don’t think so anyhow. I mean, yeah I saw wolves around all the time and the occasional other animal but I never went out with them at night hunting. I assumed the other animals were real, or even just visitors. When Javed leads me away from the party, I stare at him desperate for answers. Lucy doesn’t know what to think, she’s just as confused. But she hasn’t been around long enough to have been paying attention to such things. Did I even know such creatures existed? Maybe. Then again I always knew vampires were real but until I met
~Javed’s Point of View~ I’ve more than seen my share of human suffering, human pain. Most times, I’ve been the one inflicting it with zero emotion attached to it. Humans were always just food, a means for me to survive if you could call my existence surviving. I’m not proud of that now but there was certainly a time that power meant everything to me. I can only hope the time I’ll have with my Aurora can start the process of atoning for those sins. That and the hundred years I had to lose for a supposed crime I committed. My only regret with that was not finishing the job. But now that I have my sweet, I can’t even remotely get back in that frame of mind. I have to let things go for now, and hope like hell things let me go too. But for a vampire, everything is only a matter of time. All we have is time, our thirst and oftentimes our need for revenge. We hold and harbor grudges more than any other creature, which is saying a lot since witches usually hold the franchise on revenge. At
~Aurora’s Point of View~ My nagging mind that says I need to fight him for answers loses out pretty quickly when I feel his erection against me. Nothing is as important as this, as us right now. Even if he won’t fully mate me tonight, I will have this. He will make love to me… or I’ll kill him for real! *Shut … up,* Lucy scolds, trying to move my hands. She’s too weak but I don’t want to fight her on this. Tomorrow I can do all the heavy thinking. Javed is already kissing down my belly and I want to give him my undivided attention. I can tell he wants to take things slow, be romantic. Even if I’m so damn tired all I want is to get things moving. It’s my first time, he’s doing what he should be doing: making it sweet and memorable. Lucy practically hums with his touch, with his kisses. I close my eyes as he kisses just above my clit and his fingertips feel like feathers over my thighs. I don’t know how he can manage to feel so light and gentle when I certainly know what he is. Thoug
~Javed’s Point of View~ For at least three hours I’ve been standing in front of various windows around the house, though never out of eye sight of my Aurora for more than a few seconds. The bedroom has a wall open to the house, a weird design but handy for my purposes. Some … thing is outside. If she weren’t so dead tired, I have no doubt Lucy would know. I’ve put myself in a tough spot, not having a single vampire friend to help me. Though I can’t trust a single one of them so I don’t know how I could. I know for certain it isn’t my maker out there in the sub zero temperatures, but that in no one way means it isn’t one of her minions keeping an eye on me. Even in life she never had a problem finding an endless amount of idiots ready to fall at her feet. Becoming an immortal only proved to fit her personality more so I’m sorry to say. There have been many times tonight I knew a vampire was literally on the other side of the window, daring me to move the curtain. Daring me to show
~Javed’s Point of View~ “No. I think I made it more than clear the last time I saw you what my feelings were about our relationship. It was over and dead. Well I wanted you to be totally dead,” I state, with a cool and level voice. Now that I realize the light is artificial I allow my eyes to adjust. She’s wearing sunglasses and has her hair in what I recall to be the style in the 1920’s. Though her natural hair is extremely long so it must be a wig. If she cuts it, it’ll grow right back. I’m more than glad there could never even remotely be a sexual attraction between us; if that were the case she’d have a million times more of a hold on me than she does. Unfortunately our bond is deeper than sex and I can’t shake it even after all this time. I’m sure it is unheard of for a maker to not have a physical relationship with their “child” and I’m certain she does it with all the rest of them. But I doubt there’s ever been a situation like ours. “Tsk! Come now. Do you think I’d allow
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Flashback, The 1920’s~ “Don’t be like that! This place is the cat’s pajamas,” Setareh squeals, moving her hips to the music, wanting me to dance with her. Like usual. She wants a younger looking male on her arm so publicly she looks youthful. I step back, adjust my dress jacket and groan. Why do I still stand next to her and feel as though I need to ask permission to leave? With as many times as I’ve left her, you’d think it would be easy to go. Just leave, Javed. You don’t need this shit tonight, or any night. Hassan grabs her hand and twirls her out on the dance floor, a massive grin on his face. His love for her has never been more obvious and still she returns his affections with scraps. He falls for it, every single time. But even as a human he was ten years her elder and it’s permanently stuck in his features. “You vamp you,” Hassan teases, loving to play on words. Vampires love a good pun. It’s ironic but vampires are actually becoming a topic of
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Still 1920's Two Months Later~ “Go! Go!!! Come on Brandywine you can do it old girl,” I shout, waving my ticket in the air. The crowd behind me is yelling and some even throw things. Even though holding my breath is unnecessary I find myself doing it. At the last second, I even close my eyes. “Annnnnd BY A NOSE it’s BRANDYWINE taking first place,” the announcer shouts. “YEAH!!! YES!!! That’s my girl,” I cry out, kissing my winning ticket and raising my tophat in the air. Adrenaline rushes through me with a slight warmth to it. I’ve just won three thousand dollars in the blink of an eye. I hardly need the money, sure. But the thrill of the victory, of always picking the winner is what gets me off. With this score though I’ll be able to find a very nice house to rent somewhere quiet or even just buy it outright. Where that is, I don’t quite know yet. “I guess dinner and a show are on you,” I hear, and immediately cringe. I put my hat back on my head an
~Aurora’s Point of View~ When we’re outside what I remember to be the palace where Setareh lived, my eyes are wide. The place is now deserted, and completely dark. But there’s a very eerie feeling over the place and it’s absolutely nowhere I want to go. My eyes quickly move to Brenna, and I have to wonder if this will make her freak out. “They added onto the place over time but I’ve been here over the last couple of decades out of curiosity. There’s one thing I never quite told Javed and there’s no time like the present,” Artoosh says, as we all turn to stare at him. Javed especially looks puzzled. He and his father have grown so close that I can’t imagine them having any secrets. Artoosh waves for us all to follow him and I hold the hands of both my mates and make a face. *What the fuck is this place,* Mase asks, over mind-link. Lucy paces in my mind as if she should be ready for a threat but with three vampires by our side any threat in here should be what’s scared. *Javed’s
~Twenty Years Later~ ~Aurora’s Point of View~ “This could never get old,” Mase says, as I lean back into him. I gaze out at the insane view, wishing I could see it in the daytime. We’re perched on a flat sliver of rock overlooking the Grand Canyon and it’s breathtaking even in the darkness. Thank the Goddess for shifter’s night vision. Lucy immediately perks up my ears at all the different sounds of animals below. Just when I think Javed has shown me all the beauty this world has to offer, when I think I’m stunned, we visit somewhere we’ve already been but I fall in love with it all over again. Javed sits in front of me, and as usual I’m happily squeezed between my warm and cool mates. “I promised Rosie and her mate I’d take them out tomorrow night. They’re looking at the Maldives. Which probably means they’ll need a babysitter,” Javed says, a lazy smile on his face. Grandparents. We’re grandparents now. How fucking bizarre! Eleven so far and counting. Some days I can barel
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~A Year And A Half Later~ “We don’t have much time,” I whisper, as I grind on Javed’s hard thickness. When he looks at me like I’m the only female in existence, like I’m his goddess, nothing else truly does exist. Except when you’re a mother of six pups and ohh, you have another mate in the house that literally always knows what you’re doing. Not only can he hear you, but he can feel you through the bond. And his parents are always around. And my parents and brother. Goddess I miss the privacy of the beach house I knew I should have asked to go tonight. “Yes, Javed, ohhh right there,” I whisper, as he grips my hips and pumps into me. *Hmmm, this is incredible, but do you know what would be better…* Lucy says, moving my thoughts where she wants them. I run my nails down Javed’s chest, drawing a bit of blood as she makes me see what she wants. What she dreams of, and I literally can’t focus. She’s been bringing this up for months but lately it’s every s
~Aurora’s Point of View~ “I think he’ll surprise you,” I say, trying to be upbeat. *Of course he will,* Lucy chirps, practically half asleep. It’s literally taking all my energy, cause I’m fucking exhausted. It’s just after two in the morning and while I’d love nothing more than to stay with my vampire lover, I know my family is also waiting for me. I’d mind-linked Mase to tell him I was going to the beach house when Javed first came, and he understood that meant I may not be home. “Just come at dusk with an open mind, okay,” I say, as Javed kisses my forehead. I look back at the Midnight Protectors packhouse which is mostly dark and quiet. “You say that like I’m not already a fool at your mercy,” he teases, his eyes lighting with mischief. Lucy bats her eyes playfully as if he can see her. Goddess I miss that so damn much! His impossibly sexy flirting. I’d melt if I had even an ounce of energy left in my body, but I simply don’t right now. He walks me to the door, and kisse
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Three Weeks Later~ “This is bullshit Hassan, I’m fine. I would never, ever hurt her, let me see my Aurora,” I growl, ready to rip his head off. “Tsk, tsk, that hostility is why you need more time,” he says, wagging his finger at me. I’m nearly ready to punch a hole in the wall when suddenly everything stops. Time seems to stop. I draw a deep breath and catch the familiarity of what I know can only be … my father. Just last week when I was coherent enough to understand, Hassan told me what happened. I simply still can’t believe it but when I think about Setareh in those early days, I know it in my black heart to be true. This is the very level of cruelty that she aspired to. Forcing me to remain by her side all these years knowing that the only creature, the only person who ever loved me was nothing but a pile of bones, descended into absolute madness by her hand… As if she didn’t fuck him up enough in his human life. When he thought she loved him and bo
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I can’t for the life of me understand if this is some kind of psychological torture bullshit, but for probably ten minutes the vampires have been doing literally nothing but standing on the beach watching us. Some freakish curiosity? Jealous of what they could never have? A true mate? A beating heart? But there’s nothing we can do. Mase’s dick is still inside me, neither of us really wanting to move. I know he’s sure as hell not letting me out of his grasp. *What do you think they’re doing,* I ask, over mind-link as I rest my head on his chest. *I wish I fucking knew. This is stupid, fucking dumb,* he says, and it's obvious his level of irritation has spiked. Out here he’s not a Gamma or a fierce fighter, a father or a son. He’s just a blood bag. Our question gets answered pretty quickly when two new vampires practically fall out of the sky and stare at us. Mase has since tied my bikini back on, not that it really freakin’ matters. But if it helps him
“Just one night Mase,” I whisper, as I look up at him from the floor of the walk in closet. The carpet in here is impossibly soft and it smells more like Javed in here than anywhere else. I’ve already decided I’m staying in there, naked and rolling around all night. Goddess knows if this carpet could talk… “Baby I can’t just leave you out here unprotected. If something happened to you I’d never forgive myself,” he says, not backing down. “There’s a panic room in his office where he’d slumber for the day, it’s fireproof, all that. I can go down there if I have an issue,” I insist. His chest growls slightly and I can’t blame him. The idea of Mase raising four pups on his own is in fact terrifying. I’d never want that. But I need this. “Surely there’s a hotel or something on the island, that’s the best I’ll do. I have to at least be that close if you need me,” he says, running his hand through his hair. He looks so damn sexy, he’s gotten a lot of sun today. We stare at each other
~Aurora’s Point of View~~One Month Later~“Goddess, I’ve never been so happy to see a familiar face,” I sigh, as I practically lurch myself at Matthew. I have literally no idea where my pups, mate and family are but I could care less. Being cooped up in a wagon with pups that have way too much energy is anything but ideal. Sleeping in a tent is hell on earth and I’m convinced we’ll have to stay at Midnight Protectors for a year because I am NOT making that trip again any time soon.That journey is a HELL of a lot better in a vampire’s arms. Even when I first went to Midnight Moon I did travel by horse and we did the trip in two days. This … was over a freakin’ WEEK.“Glad to see you sweetie,” Matthew says, rubbing my back.He abruptly clears his throat and pulls back. “Guessing the guy looking at me like he’s going to rip my head off for touching you is Mason,” he says, shaking his head and laughing. Just then his pups descend on me and I scoop one up quickly and coo at it. Ohh, I
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~Two Years Later~ “Colton! You knock it off,” I snap, as I drop the laundry basket and watch as the clothes go all over the place. I make a face but then look down at the chubby cheeks of my two month old angel Violet and smile. “I’m gonna get you,” Rosie shouts, as she continues to chase her brothers. Closing my eyes, I count to ten. When they pop back open, Lucy is trying to calm me down but it’s useless. Mase has been out all morning doing Goddess knows what and I’ve been alone with four pups on nearly no sleep!! “Fuck this,” I whisper, as I turn and walk straight into the pantry and shut the door. I instantly curse that there is no lock on it, but none of our doors have locks. I close my eyes again and let my forehead thunk against the wall. *It’s gonna be okay, some days will be hard,* Lucy coos. A tear falls down my cheek as I recall the pains I had last night, Javed’s pain. It’s truely fucking horrible and I just can’t understand how it doe