Blood Awakening (34 page)

“Ciopori,” he whispered, pausing to brush a soft
kiss against her lips, “I would have you conceive now.”

There was a light knock on Marquis’s master bedroom
door, and Ciopori turned her head and smiled. “Come in,” she called, unable to
shift her massive weight into a more comfortable position on the bed.

The door slowly opened and a tussled head of red
hair peeked through a narrow breach. “You guys wanted to see me?” Kristina
called meekly.

Marquis stirred and turned toward the hesitant
female. “Kristina, come inside,” he ordered, as if he were still her boss.

Ciopori placed a gentle hand on his forearm,
willing him her softness—or at least hoping for a little tact. “Be gentle, my
love.” She flashed an endearing, welcoming smile at the female who had almost
become her soul mate’s partner. “Yes, please; come in, Kristina.”

Kristina looked down at the floor. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Ciopori assured, motioning the young
female toward the bed.

Kristina walked in hesitantly, gazing around
Marquis’s bedroom as if it were the first time she had really seen it. Even
though Ciopori knew Kristina and Marquis had never made love—thank the
benevolence of the gods—it was still a relief to see how uncomfortable she was
in his bedroom. “Have a seat,” she insisted, patting the mattress beside her.

Kristina looked up then and almost recoiled at the
sight of the enormous belly protruding from Ciopori’s middle. “Holy shhhiiit—I
mean, wow.”

Ciopori didn’t have to use her new mind-reading
powers—which would have been an inexcusable slight to another vampire anyway—to
read Kristina’s mind:
That could have been me
. She laughed and rubbed
her belly. “Marquis assures me this is perfectly natural and will go away the
moment the babies are born.” She rolled her eyes and took in a slow, deep
breath. “I can only hope.”

Kristina offered a disingenuous smile and fidgeted
with her hands. “So, uh—why’d you guys wanna see me?”

If Ciopori didn’t know better, she would have
sworn she detected a hint of resentment, and maybe even jealousy, in the young
girl’s voice. Odd, considering how deeply Kristina had detested Marquis. But
then again, he had told her that things became quite…
intimate
...beside
the river, just before Nachari had stopped them from going past the point of no
return.
Oh, how she loved her new brother
. Just the same, Marquis had
refused any other details out of respect for the young female he had believed
to be his wife, and by the looks on both of their faces, it was a lot deeper
than he had revealed. Ciopori swallowed hard and briefly shut her eyes; this
was a difficult situation for all of them. She needed to act with grace, not
jealousy, over a female Marquis had been forced to embrace.

She reached out for Kristina’s hand, but the
female quickly tucked it behind her back, pretending not to notice the gesture.
She sat down on the bed, as close to the edge as possible, and then she stared
ahead at the wall, refusing to look at either Ciopori or Marquis, who was still
protectively nestled beside his mate on the other side of the bed, holding her
hand in order to block all uncomfortable sensations from her body.

“Thank you for coming,” Ciopori whispered.

Kristina shrugged. “Yeah, sure. So what’s up?”

Marquis appraised the petite redhead carefully
then, and Ciopori knew he was reading whatever was beyond the surface quite
clearly. He sighed heavily and looked directly at her, his magnificent dark
eyes boring into hers. “Kristina, we felt it was important to discuss your
circumstances as soon as possible. There are several things—”

“Oh yeah, well…thanks but no thanks. I’m good. I’m
cool, ya know. Assuming you let me have my job back at the casino.” She forced
an insincere laugh. “And now that Dirk—now that the apartment is free and
clear, I should be fine over there. So, like I said, thanks, but I should
really be going.” She shot up from the bed and rushed to the door, leaving
Ciopori momentarily speechless.

Staring at her mate, Ciopori raised her eyebrows.
She’s
hurt, Marquis
. Her newfound psychic voice revealed her compassion.

Her pride is hurt, my love,
Marquis
responded.
And
she
is scared
.

You have to go after her.

Marquis nodded. “Kristina,” he called, just as she
reached for the polished crystal doorknob, “wait for me in the hall. We really
do need to discuss a few things.”

Ciopori shut her eyes. She felt like such an ogre.
How absolutely stupid and insensitive of her to think that Kristina would want
to have such a personal conversation with her there. Whether or not she hated
Marquis, he had irrevocably changed her life, sired her into the Vampyr race,
and promised her a world far more beautiful than the one she had come from. Considering
her low self-esteem, the loss had to be devastating—not to mention, humiliating.
Love him or hate him, she had been cast aside for another woman.

Ciopori held her tongue out of respect.

Nothing she could say would be wanted.

Kristina nodded and quickly shuffled out the door,
leaving the two of them in uncomfortable silence.

Marquis turned to face his new wife. “Do not
concern yourself with Kristina right now.” He patted her belly. “This is to be
your only concern.” The ancient male appeared to be concentrating, perhaps speaking
telepathically, but if he was, it was on a bandwidth Ciopori was not familiar
with.

When Nathaniel Silivasi materialized inside of
their bedroom, she knew exactly who Marquis had been talking to.

“Yes, brother?” Nathaniel spoke in a smooth, satin
drawl, his blue-black hair swaying gently as he sauntered across the room toward
Marquis, the epitome of power and grace.

Ciopori hid her appreciation.

She knew the territorial instincts of Vampyr
males, but hell’s bells, she was only human, after all. Well, actually, she
wasn’t human anymore, was she? No matter. She was still female, and Nathaniel
Silivasi was a sight to behold: Like a black panther stalking through a jungle,
the male was all raw power, coiled and peacefully restrained, wrapped in a
sensuous package that just screamed danger...and sex. What a family she had
married into.

A low growl emanated from Marquis’s throat. His lips
twitched, and he turned his head to glare at her. Ciopori’s eyes grew wide, and
she quickly sent him a vivid image of what she intended to do with him later,
once their son was safely sleeping in his bassinette. Unfortunately, Marquis didn’t
seem all that impressed. Instead of smiling at the decadent olive branch she
had offered him, he flashed his fangs in warning. Respectfully, Nathaniel
pretended not to notice any of it.

“What do you need?” Nathaniel pressed on, his arms
crossed over his sculpted chest.

Marquis’s eyes flashed red and he snarled at
Ciopori, “Would you rather I call Braden to assist you, woman?”

Ciopori blinked. And then she laughed.

Marquis rolled his eyes and turned to regard
Nathaniel. “I must deal with Kristina for a moment, but I don’t want to leave
Ciopori alone.” He glared at her—again—his jaw set with a hint of genuine irritation.

Oh my,
she teased, feigning fear—as if he
were really going to do something to a hugely pregnant woman, one who happened
to be carrying his sons. Not likely.

Marquis ignored the quip and kept his aggravated
eyes on Nathaniel. “Since you have already been through this with Jocelyn, can
you contain Ciopori’s discomfort for me—keep an eye on her while I step out?”

Nathaniel smiled a relaxed, easy grin and lightly
bowed his head. “It would be an honor, my brother.”

Marquis stood and placed his hand on Nathaniel’s
shoulder, and a strong surge of energy passed between them.

What was that?
Ciopori asked Marquis.
What
are the two of you doing?

I am transferring my knowledge of your
physiology to him, and yielding him my...authority...over your body. Temporarily!
Do not disgrace me, woman!

Ciopori laughed aloud.
Oh, Marquis. You are so
funny. I hardly think Nathaniel has eyes for anyone other than Jocelyn: I have
seen her beauty, you know. And if our time in the shower did not convince you
of my devotion to you—and if this enormous belly blowing up right before your
eyes can’t convince you—then I don’t know what will.

Then keep your eyes to yourself,
he
grumbled.
Must I remind you that vampires are animals—not humans—Ciopori. Territory
is territory. Do not make me hurt my own brother.

Marquis released Nathaniel’s shoulder and stalked
toward the door. “I’ll be back shortly,” he called, without turning around.

Ciopori looked up. “Wow. Did you catch any of
that?”

The corner of Nathaniel’s mouth turned up in a
smile, but he didn’t respond.

“Will he always be that
intense
?” she
persisted. “Maybe it’s just all the stress, but that was a bit much, don’t you
think?”

Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders.

“You don’t agree?” Ciopori asked, noting the stark
intelligence and cunning just beneath the surface of Nathaniel’s eyes.

 “You are his, Ciopori. You
belong
to him
now. Just as Jocelyn belongs to me. He is only doing what is natural for a male
of our species. In all truth, you must be careful; you almost got me bitten.”

Ciopori looked away both surprised and embarrassed.
“Bitten? How? You’re kidding me! What would he have done?” Despite her
embarrassment, her curiosity was piqued. Marquis loved his family more than his
own life. These were some powerful instincts, indeed, if he could be provoked
to go after one of his own brothers.

Nathaniel sighed. “He would not have tried to
kill
me, Ciopori.” Then he smiled a wickedly male smile. “
Raw power, coiled and
peacefully restrained
? Thank you.” He laughed. “However,
wrapped in a
sensuous package that just screams danger...and sex
?” He raised his
eyebrows. “One more thought like that and Marquis would have leapt across the
room and tried to take a pint of my blood just to show his dominance—which I am
not conceding by the way.”

Ciopori wilted, certain she was turning pale. “You
read my thoughts?” She was positively mortified. “But I...I thought vampires
were not allowed to do such a thing to each other—it’s against custom, if not
law!” Humiliation fueled her indignation.

Nathaniel looked at her then, like a father
appraising a wayward child, far too sure of himself and far too aware of her for
her comfort. “It is rude, and among warriors, it may even violate law. But I
did not invade your mind; you were broadcasting your thoughts quite clearly for
all to hear.”

“I…I…”  She didn’t know what to say. Dear gods,
she had a lot to learn—and quickly. “Well, you must know I wasn’t serious: I
didn’t mean anything improper.” She looked away, humiliated. “I certainly
wasn’t trying to flirt with you or anything.”

“Of course you weren’t, little sister,” Nathaniel
drawled. He reached for her hand and took it firmly in his own.

Immediately, Ciopori felt a surge of new male
energy flow through her body.
Whoa, he was powerful.
As soon as the
thought came, unbidden, she quickly clasped her free hand over her mouth, as if
that might somehow shield her thoughts from his awareness.
Dear gods, what
was wrong with her? She was madly in love with Marquis! About to have his
children, for heaven’s sake. And she had absolutely no intention of continuing
to humor her already confident enough brother-in-law.

“But that, of course, is not the point,” Nathaniel
said aloud.

“What is not the point?”

“Whether or not you intend to flirt with me…or humor
me…is not the point. And of course you have eyes only for Marquis.
You’re
his true destiny
. For you, as long as he is alive, truly desiring another
male is not even possible.” The slight twitch of his nose was almost
imperceptible. “Especially now that he has marked you the way that he has.”

Ciopori reached for the covers and pulled them all
the way up to her chin, her eyes growing wide with surprise. “Are you always
this
forthcoming
, brother?”

Nathaniel’s smile was sinful...and shameful. “If
you wish, I can be as quiet as a church mouse,
sister
. What is it they
say? See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?” His dark black eyes held a
glimmer of amusement in them.

Ciopori shook her head. “Well, I would hardly call
any of my thoughts—or what Marquis and I do in our own time—evil. But by all
means, don’t bite your tongue on my account.”

His smile lit up his eyes.

“Well?”

“Well what?” he asked.

Ciopori exhaled slowly and rolled her eyes. “Well,
if whether or not I intended to flirt with you isn’t the point, then
what is
the point
?”

“The point is…”  He scooted closer to the bed. “You
would be wise not to look at, touch, or even think about another male, not even
in passing appraisal. And should you ever do so with a human, do not be
surprised if you are the cause of his death. Marquis is not known for his mercy.
Why grab a tiger by its tail, sister?” His voice was absolutely serious.

“Are you kidding me?”

Nathaniel frowned. “I would never kid about such a
thing.” It was obvious that he meant every word.

Ciopori was momentarily speechless, searching for
a reply, when all at once a firm but gentle female energy surged in the room.
Would
you shut up, knuckle-head! You’re scaring the poor woman. She is too new to
this family to be subjected to all that cave-man nonsense right now. For heaven’s
sake, she’s pregnant, Nathaniel.

No doubt, this was Nathaniel’s beautiful wife,
Jocelyn, and she was speaking on a public family bandwidth just to make her
point.