Forbidden Blood (26 page)

Naya glanced at her parents, and she was almost filled with revulsion. She knew they loved her, but they never treated her like an adult. Here they were, still arguing with Vaughn’s parents. Neither of them had asked how she was feeling or how she was taking the news. They hadn’t even told her that she was pregnant until they were in front of strangers, and they hadn’t bothered to tell her what would happen now.

But what would they say if she just left them here?

“Naya, I know you don’t want to disappoint them by leaving without telling them. I’m sure they demand respect from you. But don’t you think you deserve some in return? It’s okay for you to think about yourself once in a while.”

He had very good points.

When the arguing stopped and they went home, what would happen then? Would they tell
her anything? And how would they treat her? They were obviously not happy about this pregnancy. It was probably best to get away from them for a while.

Naya looked back at Vaughn. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

He held her face in both hands and kissed her. “Don’t worry too much. I’m here. We’ll figure this out together.” He placed another quick kiss on her lips before he stood and offered his hand to help her up.

Naya saw Arianna standing behind everyone, looking as confused as Naya felt. She waved her hand until Arianna looked at her. She then pointed to herself and Vaughn and then the exit to say they were leaving.

Arianna shook her head.

Naya mouthed back,
Sorry
. She felt bad for leaving Arianna with her parents, but she needed some time away.

So, she followed Vaughn out the door and away from them all
.

V
AUGHN LED
N
AYA out of his parents’ house and headed for his car. He helped Naya into the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel. He looked her over and took a deep breath. Now, he understood why he’d noticed the change in her scent the last time they were together.

Her sweet vampire
aroma remained strong, which was why he hadn’t recognized her condition before, but today, it was apparent she was with child. Not only had her hormones changed, signifying the pregnancy, but since the baby was part shifter, it had also changed her vampire scent. The difference made it obvious that the father was not a vampire.

This made his cat extremely satisfied.

And once he got her alone, he planned to make sure every inch of her skin smelled like him, too, so everyone would know she was his.

Turning the engine over, he was amazed at how much his life had changed in the last thirty minutes. He had gone from thinking he’d never see Naya again and he might never settle down to Naya showing up at his parents’ house, telling him they were going to be a family. He couldn’t help but smile as he pulled away from the house.

“So, you’re a princess, huh?” Vaughn asked.

Naya was looking out the window in a daze. While he’d known she was a vampire, he hadn’t realized she was a princess. Her last name was the same as the King and Queen’s, but he’d had no idea how many Kensingtons there were. The arranged marriage and
her sense of responsibility all made sense now.

She turned his way and sighed. “Guilty.”

Vaughn laughed out loud.

Naya looked at him. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re a vampire princess, and I’m next in line to be alpha of the Minnesota Pride. It’s not quite the same as you being a princess, but still, it’s crazy weird that you and I found each other.”

“So, you’re saying that
you’re kind of the equivalent to a shifter prince?”

He laughed again. “Guilty,” he said, repeating her word.

She turned back to the window. “Somehow, I don’t think that would make my parents feel any better,” she said sardonically.

Vaughn grabbed her hand and squeezed, making her look at him again. He met her eyes as much as he could while still keeping the car on the road. “Naya, don’t worry about them. You and I will figure this out together. You don’t need them.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “You have me now.”

She’d always had him. She just hadn’t known it.

She squeezed his hand back and gave him a small smile.

“So, your mother yelled something about you needing to feed from me. Do you know what she meant?”

“No. They haven’t told me anything. My lack of knowledge is embarrassing and sad.”

“The embarrassment is on them, not you. Do you know anyone you could ask about any of this? I want to make sure you and the baby get proper care.”

“Not really. Hmm…well, I guess I could go back to the vampire clinic and see if they would help me.”

“We should go right away.”

“Good idea. I was thinking…”

“What?” He quickly glanced at her.

She was chewing on her bottom lip.

“Naya, you can tell me. What were you thinking?”

“I thought maybe I should stop by my house
on the way to the clinic, so I can get some clothes and other things before my parents get home, but then I realized that I don’t know where I am going to stay. I just know I can’t go home—at least, not now. I need to process some things before I see my parents again. I should probably call Kenzie and ask if it’s okay to stay with her. She’s going to flip when she hears the news.”

He growled. “I don’t think so. You’re not fucking staying
anywhere but with me,” he commanded. “Now, where do your parents live?”

She gave him the address and directions. “You’re kind of demanding. What if I don’t want to stay with you?” she said with a small smile.

He knew she was teasing him, but to him, it wasn’t something to joke about. “Naya, you are carrying my baby inside you. I’m not letting you go anywhere.”

What he meant was
, he wasn’t letting her go—period. There was no way he would lose her a second time. He kissed her hand again to take away the sting of his possessiveness, but when he glanced at her face, she looked happy.

A
fter a few minutes, she nodded off.

When they arrived at her house forty-five
minutes later, he shook her awake. “Naya, we’re here.”

She sat up and yawned. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so tired lately. I guess I know why now.”

They both exited the vehicle and went to the front door. Her house was large and beautiful. It was a home built for a princess. Upon entering, a short human man dressed in a suit waited by the door.

“Hans, I am just going to get some things from my room. Mother, Father, and Arianna will be home soon. This is Vaughn,” Naya said and pointed to him. “He’s going to help me upstairs for a minute.”

Hans bowed. “Yes, Miss Naya.”

They walked up the large staircase.

“You have a human working for you?” Vaughn asked.

“He’s our butler. H
umans work for us since they can go out during the day if needed.

Interesting.
But he supposed vampires didn’t have many options. Well, Naya wouldn’t need to worry about having a human go outside in the daylight for her. She had him to do things for her now.

Halfway to the second floor, Vaughn’s phone started vibrating, so he paused on the stairs to take a look. He saw several texts and missed calls from his parents, his sister, his uncle, and Sawyer, which meant
everyone knew what had happened. Her parents were probably on their way home. He took the stairs two at a time to catch up with Naya. When they reached the top, he followed her down a hall into what had to be her bedroom.

“How can I help?” he asked.

She pulled some suitcases from her closet and set them on the bed. “Please empty the top two drawers of my dresser.” She pointed to where it sat along the wall. “Also, could you grab at least three pairs of jeans from my closet? I’ll get the rest.”

He nodded, and they both got to work, packing as much as they could. She went into her bathroom
and snatched a bunch of stuff to throw in a suitcase.

She looked up and asked him, “So, do all shifters live on the Minneapolis side of the Twin Cities? Is that the reason vampires stay on the St. Paul side?”

“From what I understand, that’s pretty much it. Over a hundred years ago, when the land was being settled, both shifters and vampires wanted to live here. They didn’t want to share though, so they decided they would each stay on their side of the river,” he said as he continued to pack.

Naya stood still at her spot by the bed. “So, there wasn’t a feud or anything? You and I aren’t like Romeo and Juliet?”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Not from what I understand. When most of the shifters and vampires came here in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the humans already had a rivalry among the two cities. They were always trying to one up the other and would compete over everything from baseball teams to daylight saving time. The competition between the two cities made it easier for the shifters to stay on one side and vampires on the other. The humans have evolved so it’s not such a Minneapolis-versus-St. Paul thing—the Minnesota Millers versus the St. Paul Saints—and more of a united Twin Cities—Minnesota Twins—thing. Unfortunately, the shifters and vampires held on to the old traditions. There’s always been peace between the vampires and shifters, but as far as history goes, they haven’t really liked each other much and have remained separate.” Vaughn cleared his throat. “No offense, but I’ve heard some vampires are kind of…opinionated.”

She snickered. “You’re being polite. I would have used words like arrogant, aloof, formal, or stuck-up—at least considering the vampires I know. I suppose there are more vampires who might feel like I do.”

He looked around her bedroom that could hold two small apartments in it. “You’re probably right, and I’m guessing not all vampires are royalty?”

“True. Just because I grew up in a stuffy and repressed upper-class household doesn’t mean all vampires did.”

She looked down and picked at the stuff in the suitcase, but she didn’t really place it anywhere different. Something was clearly on her mind, but he didn’t push her.

“What about now? I didn’t know shifters existed, but it’s obvious my parents did, and they still don’t care for them. How do shifters feel about vampires?”

“Honestly, vampires aren’t discussed much. They don’t pose a problem to our kind. They don’t bother us, and we don’t bother them. However, I don’t think my parents were exactly thrilled about our whole situation, so maybe they feel the same way about vampires as your parents feel about shifters. But it could just be because I”—he gestured toward her stomach—“you know, knocked you up.”