Forbidden Blood (49 page)

Arianna collapsed back in her seat in complete shock. She never imagined Naya would give up the title of future queen to her. She looked at Emerson, and he also appeared astonished.

“Hmm…” Councilman Hutton paused for a moment. “This idea might work.”

“
Anaya, are you sure you want this?” the King asked.

“
Yes, it was never my dream to be the next queen. I only accepted the role because it was expected of me.” Naya turned and smiled at Arianna. “I know how much Arianna has done for you and Mother during the last two months, and she deserves it more than I ever did. She will be the perfect queen.”

“
I agree,” said Councilwoman Vanderbilt. “I second the motion.”

“
Wait,” Uncle Marek said. “Arianna and Emerson, will you please step forward?”

Cautiously—more Arianna than Emerson—they did as he
’d asked, and Uncle Marek approached them.

“
Arianna,” he said, “how do you feel about being the next queen? Are you okay with this?”

“
Oh, yes.” Taking care of her aunt and uncle and managing the household had taught her a lot about herself. “I have often felt there was more I could do for the vampire species. Now, I will have the opportunity.”

“
How do you feel about being mated to Emerson? I’m not going to lose another daughter because I forced her to be with someone she didn’t want to be with,” the King said.

Arianna felt tears burn
ing the backs of her eyes. She had never heard her uncle call her a daughter before.

Blinking away the wetness, she replied,
“I am more than happy to be Emerson’s mate.”

“
And, Emerson, how do you feel about this?” Uncle Marek asked him.

Emerson
put his arm around her. “I could not have a better mate than Princess Arianna.” He looked at her, his face filled with love, and it was obvious how they felt about each other. “She has been the one I have always wanted to be with.”

With that, she felt his love flow
ing completely within the blood she had consumed from him. She had never understood how much they had been taught to hide their emotions and block one another. It was like a live wire strumming inside her. Wanting Emerson to know she felt the same, she released her control on the love she held for him. He beamed with happiness, and so did she. She couldn’t believe mated couples shared such a special connection, and she was blessed to be able to experience it with Emerson.

Uncle Marek nodded,
seemingly pleased. “Very well. Councilman Hutton, you may proceed.”

“
All in favor?” the councilman asked.

There were no protests from the platform.
Arianna would be the next queen, and she would get to be with Emerson.

With gratitude, she turned to Naya.
“Thank you.”

Naya hugged her
. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just doing the best thing for everyone.”

As the meeting broke up, the King and Queen approached Naya.
Naya’s father gave her an awkward hug and shook Vaughn’s hand. Without waiting, Naya embraced her mother, and Arianna saw the Queen’s face slightly soften. It wasn’t a perfect ending, but it was definitely a good beginning.

It was the middle of November, and Naya was officially mated to Vaughn.

Their mating ceremony had been performed almost two weeks ago. As with any traditional vampire ceremony, Vaughn and she had combined a drop each of their blood in a special chalice with herbal wine. Then, they had each taken a drink. Drinking their collective blood symbolized binding them together. Her parents along with Arianna and Emerson had attended. Vaughn’s parents and sister with the rest of the sentinels had also been present. Even Kenzie and, of course, the Council had shown up.

After the ceremony, Vaughn
had arranged for their mating celebration to be at the club, Pulse, where they met all those weeks ago. It had been a Sunday night, and the club was normally closed, but they’d opened it especially for them. Not only had it signified where they met, it had also been in the middle of the two cities, making vampires and shifters alike feel more comfortable with attending.

The event
had been a little tense, but they’d ended up having a wonderful time. She’d even watched her parents speaking to Vaughn’s parents. Neither side had looked very comfortable, but it had been a start. She knew her parents still had a long way to go, but she was grateful that they were making an effort.

The evening after their ceremony
, Vaughn and she went to the justice of the peace to make their mating legal in the eyes of the law. Shortly after, they bought a home and planned to move in as soon as possible. Vaughn had started looking the day after they had their big talk, and they were lucky enough to find something they liked right away. The house sat empty after being on the market for over a year, so the owners were excited to close immediately.

Tonight
, Naya had a doctor’s appointment, and they planned to move into the new home the following evening. Since the house had been vacant for a long time, Kenzie and some of Vaughn’s sentinels had painted some of the rooms and fixed things up, and tonight, they were working on the final touches.

Now with her appointment completed, Vaughn and she planned to go to the house and help. They held hands and smiled at each other as they walked out to the car. Everything was well, and Naya felt very fortunate. She rubbed her belly as the babies kicked
.

What could possibly go wrong when everything
is so great?

Then
, Vaughn’s phone rang.

Kenzie
was set up to paint the last room in Naya and Vaughn’s new house. She worked most of the day on the living room, and even though it was late, she hoped to finish up, so everything could be done tonight. The downstairs half-bath was all she had left to do, and she knew it wouldn’t take long since the room was small. It felt good to be on the tail end of the project, and she was more than happy to help out Naya and Vaughn.

The only thing that kept her from enjoying her work was the sound of Sawyer pounding away
upstairs. He was there to put up shelves or something, and she was pretty sure he was being louder than necessary just to annoy her. The last time she had seen him at Naya and Vaughn’s mating celebration, they’d avoided each other all night. He’d told Vaughn’s cousin that he’d bit her and that she belonged to him, but then the next time they had been around each other, he’d pretended like she didn’t exist.

She was considering swearing off men completely
. Women were pretty. Maybe she would try being a lesbian.

Nah
. She liked penis too much.

Putting in her earbuds to listen to music on her MP3 player, she went to work. After about an hour and a half, she stepped back
to look at her handiwork. At the same time, she felt a presence behind her, and she figured it was Sawyer. She removed her earbuds, so she could find out what he wanted when she felt a hand clamp over her mouth as an arm gripped around her waist.

Shit. Not Sawyer.

She shook his hand off and screamed as loud as she could, hoping Sawyer would hear. He might not like her, but she was sure he wouldn’t let her get hurt either. She struggled against her captor as he dragged her outside and attempted to throw her in a van.

He growled,
“Stop fighting, Princess.”

Princess?

Oh no
. He thought she was Naya.

Kenzie
had to warn her friend. She fought harder, struggling with all her strength until he punched her in the side of the head, and the world went black.

Kenzie
woke up halfway on her stomach with a horrible headache, and she moaned. The floor was hard, and she could feel the rhythm of a moving vehicle. She couldn’t move her arms and feet very well, and her mouth hurt. She was tied up and gagged.

Everything all came back to her, and she remembered being kidnapped. She heard a grunt. She rolled onto her side and focused her eyes in the dark to meet Sawyer
’s furious ones. With the occasional passing streetlights, she could see he had the glazed look of a drugged person. It explained how the kidnappers had managed to get Sawyer into the van. He was also gagged and tied up. She felt relieved he hadn’t abandoned her, but simultaneously, she felt defeated since he had been her only hope of rescue.

She looked toward the front and saw two men
—one driver and one passenger. Who were they? What did they want? She heard one say something about a pregnancy and her mate. She closed her eyes and remembered how one had called her a princess. They thought she was Naya, and Sawyer was Vaughn.

What would happen when they found out who
we really are?

Damien waited for Payton to walk out of the restaurant where she was having dinner. He w
as wearing only a long-sleeved shirt, and he was starting to freeze in the cold November night. So far, nothing had happened, but he’d been antsy all day, and something told him to be on guard.

He saw Payton round the corner of the building
, and she was heading to her car near the back of the building. The restaurant had been busy when she arrived, and she was forced to park far away from the door. Now, the parking lot sat almost empty, and she was talking on her cell phone as she made her way to her car. The phone call distracted her, and she didn’t notice the three men approaching her.

“
Shit.” He knew his father had lied and hadn’t told him about moving forward. He was glad he’d trusted his instincts.

But he was shocked
that he hadn’t detected the other waiting sentinels. He ran after them to talk, or fight, some sense into them.

As
Damien approached, he understood why he hadn’t sensed them. They were humans. His father had fucking hired humans. So, where the hell were the sentinels?

“
Fuck.”

There would be no reasoning with these guys, but at least humans would be easier to fight.

The last guy paced behind his friends, so Damien silently ran up and used a choke hold on him until he passed out. When the other two noticed Damien, one pulled a gun, and the other had a knife. Damien went for the man with the gun. He now had his arm around Payton, trying to drag her away.