Impaling my Heart: Vlads story (Annalese and the Immortals Book 2) (11 page)

“You are my charge and I would be derelict in my duties if I abandon you. I will sit and read while you sleep, and when you awake I’ll be here to take care of you so get used to it.” Mak finally cracked a smile, he was so much like the vampires but she didn’t dare tell him, wolves were very proud creatures. Mak was proving no different. Annalese nodded, curling on her side and was sleep in minutes. Mak settled himself into the chair by the bedside and opened his book.

NICO

Nico had shifted with the moon high in the night sky. He was running through the woods, leaping over fallen logs and thick foliage feeling the raw soil under his paws. He crushed grass and leaves as he pounded the ground. Stopped to drink from a small stream, he noticed a doe on the other side sipping from the same waters. Nico had no intention of harming such a beautiful, helpless creature and the doe knew it. There was another beauty he had every intention of harming and he would do it slowly, precisely and with the utmost pleasure.

Sophia had threatened his friend, his sister really. Annalese was Nico’s best friend and he loved her dearly. Nobody would get away with threatening her or her unborn child. Nico would make sure it never happened again. Sophia would pay dearly for what she’d done, with her life. But not right away, Nico had plans, and those plans included blood, and a lot of it.

Vlad needed his woman home, the threat needed to be neutralized and that’s precisely what Nico was going to do. He would take Sophia, even if she was kicking and screaming, so be it. He would have her chained to the wall in his playroom before dawn broke.

Nico lifted his head to inhale the crisp forest air. He could smell everything around him from the minerals in the soil under his paws to the night blooming flowers miles away. He turned, heading towards Bucharest. He had left his clothes in the woods by Sophia’s apartment so he wouldn’t be completely nude, although nudity didn’t faze most shifters; they were more than comfortable being naked. It was the rest of the world that had a problem with it.

Nico made her apartment in record time, shifting and dressing in the woods. Loose fitting jeans that he knew made his ass look even better than normal and a black T-shirt that hugged his upper body like second skin. He was built like a God and he knew it. Nico didn’t bother with shoes. He rarely did after a shift.

As he approached the apartment, his nose told him no one was home, he would wait inside. Nico was the king of breaking and entering. He’d find a nice, dark corner and wait for his prey to return home. Nico found an unlocked window and made his way in, finding the perfect spot to wait. A darkened corner in the kitchen was the ideal spot. He heard a howl off in the distance letting him know his prey was arriving.

He heard her key in the lock and the knob turning, she stepped in, tossing her bag on the chair and headed towards the kitchen for a drink. She poured wine and was just about to sip from the glass when Nico stepped from the shadows.

“Hello Sophia,” she lost her hold on the glass and it hit the tile, shattering into thousands of tiny shards.

“No Nico, I’ll stop, I promise, please no!” She was shrieking, knowing Nico as she did, Sophia knew she was in trouble. Nico stepped closer, close enough so she couldn’t mistake the look in his eyes.

“No isn’t an acceptable answer Sophia, you
are
leaving with me, how that happens is entirely up to you.  Vlad wants you retrieved. You will be secured and he will go to Turkey and bring home his woman, then the Dark Prince will be happy again. Oh yes, when you sent your little vamp spy to the castle Annalese wasn’t there. However Vlad and I were, Spike isn’t a bad guy and when we told him where he was and just what you talked him into, well that kid sang like a canary.” Nico had to laugh, Spike told them things not even pertinent to why he was there, Nico was almost certain there was nothing he wouldn’t have told them. “Especially since I had shifted, ever seen my wolf Sophia? It’s quite impressive if I do say so myself.”

Sophia was shaking, desperately trying to figure a way out of this mess she had caused. Worst part was, she saw no escape but maybe she could convince Vlad to let her go. After all, they had spent twenty years together. He couldn’t really mean what he had said at the boutique. Vlad wouldn’t really hurt her. She just needed him to listen. Yes that’s what she was going to do, get him to listen and then he’d let her go, leave Europe, start over and all would be as it should.

“Fine Nico, let’s go see Vlad, I won’t fight you on this.”

Nico raised a brow, very similar to Vlad’s signature brow raise but said nothing, just escorted her to the waiting SUV. Once securely inside, he hit her with a syringe full of Special K, enough to knock out an elephant, she went down instantly. This was easy, maybe too easy. He grabbed his phone from the console.

“Hey, I’ve got the package.” He felt no need to announce who was calling, Vlad knew who it was.

“Splendid, did she give you any grief?”

Nico audibly exhaled, this still wasn’t sitting right with him. He just couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was definitely going on. “That’s the thing Vlad; she gave me a time, but only for a minute, then no. Something is up, this was way too easy. I’ll call you when she’s secure. Are you sending for Annalese now? I really think you should bring her wolf along, I’ve got one of my feelings and it’s saying this isn’t over.”  All Nico heard for a long second was Vlad sigh.

“Yes Nicodemus, I had planned on calling for her as soon as we were finished, and yes I will ask her to bring her wolf. She is the most important thing in the world to me, if something happened to her… I promise you I would follow her into the next life. So if Makhi can help protect her, I am all for it.” Vlad hung up and immediately reached for his love.

“Annalese, my love, can you hear me?”

Her response was groggy but audible
“Vlad baby, I miss you. I was napping after seeing the doctor, the shot made me sleepy.”

Vlad was elated she was resting, he had been a nervous wreck knowing her labor had started.
“That’s perfect my love, you need to rest and no stress. I have something that will make you happy.”

This sounded an awful lot like jewelry; he always gave her jewelry when he would come home from town.
“Did you buy me something? You know I love presents.”

“Well yes I did do that, but tomorrow evening you will be home, in our bed where you belong.”

She screamed and poor Mak jumped up expecting trouble. Annalese pointed to her head hoping he would understand, the smile on his face told her he did.

“Vlad are you serious? I can come home! It’s only been three days and I’m going crazy without you. Don’t tell me what you did, just that she can’t hurt Lyla or me and I’m good.”

“Nico still feels something is wrong, but no my love, Sophia cannot harm you any longer. Is your wolf close?”

“Yes, Mak is here. He refuses to leave me.”

“Ah yes, good. Relay a message for me, tell him I view it as a personal favor if he accompanied you home and came to work for me, I cannot always be with you and his services are needed. I will pay whatever he asks.”

Annalese told Vlad to give her a minute. “Mak, I have a message for you.”

Mak shut his book, nodding. “From your other mate I assume; the Prince?” Mak knew exactly who she had been conversing with, he had been reading, but he still knew.

“Yes, he would like very much if you will travel home with me and stay on as my security. Nico took care of the immediate problem but thinks more is going on than first realized. He says he will pay whatever you want. And Mak, I’d really like if you stayed on, I feel very safe with you here. Please Mak?”

He gave her a short nod, grabbing his phone and calling his Alpha. The two wolves were working out the particulars so she went back to Vlad.

“Ok baby, he’s coming. I can’t wait to see you, this baby is so not happy. She’s kicking and pushing at my ribs. I think she wants out.”

Vlad sipped on the scotch in hand, he knew she was close to her due date. He just wanted her home for the birth.
“Annalese my love, I am flying out in a few hours, I cannot wait to hold you much longer and maybe I can calm our daughter. Have you eaten? Maybe you should try food, and I’m sure you need blood but I I’ll give you that. Have your wolf take you to the kitchen, I will be there in just a few short hours. I love you Annalese, more than I am able to say.”

Vlad broke the connection, but he was right, she was hungry, ravenous actually so she got up, fixed herself briefly and then asked Mak if he would mind taking her to the kitchen. He just shook his head.

“Dear woman I am here for you, of course I will escort you to the kitchen, come.” Annalese took his hand as he guided her down the gigantic staircase towards the kitchen.

“So are you happy to go home?” Mak knew how much she missed her home. It had been a topic they had discussed at length getting to know one another.

“Very much so, but I’m torn too.” Mak had no idea what in the world would have her torn, her Prince was coming and they were going home. Turkey was the only home Mak knew, so he would have to adjust, but not her.

“You’re probably going to think I’m crazy, but let me explain, I think you’re a great guy, and I love full time wolf security. I feel so safe, but Turkey is your home and I’ll be taking you away from your duties as Beta for Zhor.  Mak I feel incredibly guilty.”

They made the kitchen. Mak sat Annalese on a stool at the bar and started tea for her. “Now my beautiful new friend, listen to me. You have nothing to feel guilty about, I wanted this assignment, I knew when I accepted it that I may have to leave Turkey. Protecting you is the most important task I’ve been entrusted with, and I really like you. I think we are friends, are we not? Your son and I surely have bonded and Master Lachlan is a good man. I will be quite happy as Nico’s Beta, so please… my royal pain in the ass, stop!” he gave her a small laugh as he finished her tea and handed her the fruit plate he’d been working on.

“Oh Mak,” she grinned, “You’re going to fit in just fine in our crazy family.” 

Vlad’s jet was fueled, and he had made sure it was stocked with all Annalese's favorite treats. He was going to Turkey to retrieve his family. He just had one small bit of business to take care of beforehand. One he had been looking forward to for quite a while now. He had told her, warned her, but Sophia hadn’t heeded his warnings. He knew she wished she had now.

He had taken his 1962 Jaguar E type, Vlad felt the need for speed, 160 miles an hour through the outskirts of Bucharest, and he needed the release. Vlad’s stress level had been through the roof even if he never showed it. He was Vlad Tepes, and letting the world see anything other than his calm, cool, predatory self was unacceptable. He arrived at Nico’s in record time, damn how he loved that car. He didn’t bother knocking. Vlad knew exactly where Nico was.

“Nico, where are you damn it!” He heard him yell back, even though he didn’t need to yell. Vlad’s vampire hearing could hear Sophia’s breathing.

“Downstairs with our guest, come join me in the playroom. Third door on the right.”  Vlad found Nico and his playroom full of medieval torture devices; he also had Sophia bound and gagged. She was groggy but had become aware of Vlad’s presence immediately. She started screaming or attempting to, considering she was still gagged. He strolled over to her at a very casual pace, pulling the gag out.

“You bastard! How could you let him do this to me? You used to love me, don’t you remember?” Sophia was visibly shaken, it made the victory that much sweeter.

“Oh pixie, I remember everything, that includes warning you away from my home, and my family. Was I unclear when we spoke? I did not think so, I recall being quite candid in my verbiage. This,” Vlad motioned to her surroundings and the equipment Nico kept, “is your own doing my dear Sophia. You know exactly what I am capable of.” He ran a small scalpel he’d been palming down her arm, it wasn’t a deep laceration but one that stung like fire, and she screamed at him.

“No Vlad, I’ll leave, I promise, please Vlad! I’ll go to the states, disappear, I’m sorry! I just wanted a baby so badly!” Sophia was sobbing, not from the cut but from fear. She knew Vlad meant business.

“I am sorry Sophia, I cannot undo this. I could not even if I wanted to. You threatened and attempted harm to the one woman that has become my entire existence. I will tell you how it happened since you asked before.” Vlad figured it wouldn’t hurt at this point.

“From the moment I met her I knew she was special. I never thought of her as anything else but my dearest friend. As our issues became worse, I found myself thinking of her. From there it just progressed, we talked. No, that is not accurate, I talked a lot, and she listened. She always listens, even now. I could open up to her in a way I never in six hundred fifty-seven years had. I knew after you left how I felt for Annalese, but I kept it to myself for quite some time. I tried everything to rid myself of my feelings for her. Annalese had been haunting my dreams even before you left, I just didn’t know why. I even went as far as leaving Romania but I could not stay away and when she told me she loved me too, my world was right. Yes there is an old law allowing her a second mate and that will be me come Yule. So you see Sophia I cannot and will not take any chances.” Vlad let the scalpel slide down her other arm, this time with more force.