King of Darkness (38 page)

“So,” she whispered. “I don’t know if maybe it was your blood, but I’ve got this sudden little burst of energy. And…” She giggled a little. She sighed deeply and lay down again beside him, tucking herself into the crook of his arm. Comforted. “For someone who thought she never wanted a commitment, or a baby, suddenly I’m sort of excited about all of it.” And it felt odd that it didn’t feel odd, to whatever degree
that
made sense.

“Good.” He smiled down at her. “I’m excited too, Isabel.” He kissed her slowly. She sighed her contentment. She wanted to sleep and to wake in the arms of her male. Her king.
Hers.

He growled happily. “You know, I think I fell in love with you that first time I saw you.”

There was that funny, floaty, wonderful swell in her chest again. “Well, I’m sorry I was a little slow to catch up,” she said softly, as his lips descended on hers again.

She shivered a little, and he reached down to pull the covers over them both. Hopefully she could get this power of hers under control or she was going to be freezing all of the time when she wasn’t pressed up against Thad. Lovely though that thought was. “I’m just glad you got there.”

“Me too,” she murmured. That little burst of energy faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving her heavy and sleepy. “Gosh, suddenly I’m tired again.” She pressed a little closer, meshing their bodies together. “I’m so glad that you’re here, Thad. I don’t think I’ve ever felt better.”

“Same here.” The tap of Thad’s index finger against the top of Isabel’s nose caused her eyes to drift shut. “Now, get some rest. We’ll talk more later.”

Isabel touched her forehead to Thad’s. The din of voices around them reminded her of being back at the club, but with less attractive lighting. “Focus on me for a second,” she whispered.

His head dipped against hers. “I’m fine.”

“I know.” She smiled. “I just wanted to be all yours for a second.”

The fingers of his left hand threaded through her right. With their palms pressed together, their mating tattoos created perfect mirror images. Dark black ink depicted the symbols that had brought them together: Lucas had recreated the Armenian crosses elegantly and embellished them with swirling arcs and flourishes. The thin swirls interlaced with bold geometric lines to create a truly stunning work of art.

“I’m always all yours.” Thad pulled back enough to look her in the eye. The lines around his eyes spelled out how tired he was, but he managed a wicked grin, complete with that little flash of fang that was so, so sexy. “You look so beautiful.”

Isabel skimmed a hand self-consciously over the empire-waisted burgundy velvet dress, which was somehow cut perfectly to enhance her newly redesigned pregnancy boobs. The idea, she supposed, was to distract the stuffed shirts on the Elders’ Council from the already visible bump of her belly. The one that broadcast, quite clearly, the fact that Thad had knocked her up well before their mating ceremony.

They’d held off for as long as they could, with the hope that Lee and Tyra would come home, but…

Heavy mahogany doors swung open abruptly, increasing the noise level in the hall a thousandfold. “They’re ready for you, sir.”

When she began to pull away, Thad’s grip held her fast. “Thad—”

“They can wait.” He took a deep breath. “I need to say something first.”

His fingers gripped tighter. “Okay,” she murmured.

“You know,” he said as he tugged her close. “I don’t know what I would do without you right now. It feels like there’s so much darkness around us, and you give me the power to go on. You’re my strength. My light. You and this little one we’re about to have.” His cheek pressed against hers. Firm, soft lips brushed against her ear. “I don’t think I could have done this without you.”

“You could have,” she whispered. “I know you could have. But you don’t have to.”

Siddoh’s large body invaded their little intimate circle. “You really should get in there, boss-man. ’S bad manners to keep the Elders’ Council waiting.”

Thad sighed and backed away enough to link his arm with hers. “Yeah, all right. Let’s do this.”

Holy mother, the room was bright. It was one of those big amphitheater-type things, chock-full of long tables and chairs at which sat all the members of the local vampire community over the age of one thousand. Some of the nonlocals, as well. There were far more than Isabel had realized. Some hardly looked their age, some did. Huh. She would have to ask Thad about that.

Thad’s guards flanked him as they approached a podium at the head of the oval room. A statuesque female with a thick braid of silver hair was ahead of them, grinning broadly. Oh, God, Isabel should really remember her name. Something that sounded naughty but wasn’t… “Members of the Elders’ Council, it is my pleasure to introduce, in their first official appearance as king and queen, King Thaddeus Yavn Morgan and Queen Isabel Anthony Morgan.”

Yikes.

In the midst of the polite applause, Thad winked and squeezed Isabel’s hand as he took the podium. Her heart soared. It seemed to do that a lot lately around him.

For all of his self-doubt, it was clear that he belonged there. “Thank you, everyone.” His voice was so strong and commanding that she would not have known he was ever unsure of himself. “Thank you, everyone. I want to get right down to business, so let’s start with the first item on the agenda, the vote on human-vampire interaction. I want to be clear on this one: the proposed law, as it stands now, will not pass. I cannot—will not—sign off on a law that would make a member of my own family an outcast…”

Murmurs of interest and a few angry yips sounded from the peanut gallery, and Thad stopped to wait for the Council’s full attention as the noise level rose again. They were both officially in over their heads, but Thad was feeling his way through beautifully. He would manage. They both would. Together.

And life would go on.

Many, many, many thanks to Deb Werksman, Susie Benton, and everyone else at Sourcebooks who made this book happen. To all my friends and family, thanks so much for your support! Special thanks to Mark Hubbard and Catie Brusseau for being brave enough to read the first draft and for helping me see the manuscript through to submission. To Damon Suede, I adore and admire you
so
, so much—this book would not have been nearly as good without you. To Mikki Bruns, thank you for helping to keep my kids in one piece and my house, well, less messy. To Christopher Koehler, thank you for your friendship, your understanding, and for sending me a video of an old codger eating cake when I was up to my ears in edits and in need of a good laugh. Carol Buswell, you are an awesome artist/web designer and an even better friend, and thanks for rocking my socks off all these years. And to Kerri Nelson, your pitch class got the ball on this whole project rolling so thank you, thank you for your help and for cheering me on! MWAH! I love you guys!

Elisabeth Staab lives in a menagerie of pets and kids in Northern Virginia with her hero and soul mate, Tom. She has been a telemarketer, a web page editor, a software developer, a reader for the blind, a technical trainer, a coffee shop barista, a teacher, a tutor, a homemaker, a government project manager, a graphic designer, a bookseller, and a professional eBayer. Finally, she’s realized that her true passion is writing, which is what her high-school guidance counselor originally suggested anyway.

Elisabeth believes that all kinds of safe, sane, and consensual love should be celebrated—but she loves the fantasy-filled realm of paranormal romance the best.