Darcy leaned forward from where she'd been sitting next to Angelo. "Okay, so to make society safer we need to educate the Lower Levels. Hmmm. I'm thinking the best way to go forward is to educate everybody. If the general public are made aware that Vampires pose no threat to them, Nobles won't be able to get away with their crap anymore. The only reason they get away with it now is due to the ignorance of society."
"Not sure we have enough information yet, Darcy. How are we going to prove Vampires don't pose a risk? The newspapers and TV stations aren't going to just take our word for it. Nor are they going to believe that Vampires suddenly have a Queen."
Fiona's words brought a blush to Darcy's cheeks. Poor girl didn't even know about Vampires until fifteen months ago, now she was being crowned as Queen of all of them. Apparently, there was a legend that told of an Eternal Bride birthing a female who would rule over all the Vampires and bring peace to the race. Barret had wondered about the fact that Sharon had birthed a daughter when he'd only heard of sons being born to other brides.
"The history of Vampires is as forgotten as that of the Nobles. My father, upon returning to Italy, approached the Old Ones to request access to their libraries. On hearing of Darcy's existence they granted him full access immediately. The books and texts that he found relevant to our creation and the Queen prophecy are on their way to us already. In fact, I had hoped they would have arrived yesterday."
As Angelo had spoken, Barret became aware of Sharon relaxing into his embrace. It was obvious they didn't need her to answer any more questions at the moment. He kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent as he continued to rub his palms over her back. She was running a fingertip in small circles on his thigh as she listened to the others. The small caresses were firing his blood up to boiling point with lust for his Bride.
Before he could suggest they leave the others, the door chimed and Angelo headed off to see who it was. Sharon sat up straight and threaded her fingers with his. Fear rolled off her in waves.
"Shh, Sharon, only a Vampire or Bride who is staying in the building can get up here. There is no way a Noble can get past the security downstairs."
He whispered the words into her ear so no one else would notice she'd panicked. He was certain she didn't want everyone to know how on edge she still was. Guilt slammed him hard, tightening his gut in knots as he again realized her capture and abuse was, at least partly, his fault.
Two Vampires followed Angelo back into the room. It was starting to get seriously crowded, even though the room was quite sizable.
"Fiona, the boxes my father sent have now arrived and are waiting downstairs. Darcy, how about we take this stuff down with us and help Fiona and Orlando go over it all?"
Barret's senses went on alert. Angelo was trying to clear the room. He cocked a brow at Angelo when he glanced over. The grim set of Angelo's mouth and the tinge of pain in his eyes didn't bode well for the news these two Vampires had brought with them. Angelo nodded slightly toward them before grabbing one of the boxes and ushering the others out, leaving him and Sharon alone with the two newcomers.
"My name is Jashan, and this is Tye. We're the ones who have been assigned to the search for Sharon's sons."
Sharon's grip on his fingers tightened to a point he felt a twinge of pain. He swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat so he could speak.
"I gather you're here because you have found some information?"
"We have. Unfortunately, there's both good and bad."
He heard the sob catch in Sharon's throat and he pulled her in tight against his side, willing his strength into his precious Bride. Both men moved to sit on the couch opposite them. Tye sat forward with his hands clasped between his knees.
"I gather from the other Brides that you are unaware of what your sons were named?"
Sharon nodded in quick, jerky movements.
"Okay, let's start there. Your eldest, after Darcy of course, is Haskell born in 1988. Brandt was born in 1996, Colborn in 2000 and your twins, Jari and Vali were born in 2008.
Barret struggled to breathe. Sharon had told him she'd bore five sons but this somehow made it more real. His poor Bride had only not fallen pregnant for two cycles.
"Have-" she paused to clear her throat, "Have you found them?"
"Not all yet. As you know, we had a team go in solely to find and retrieve information when the rescue went down. The Nobles' records were not well kept. Some are in computers, some on paper. All of it is a mess. Birth records are separate from other details. It's taking a long time to piece together all the information on each child. So even though we don't have full details on all five of your sons, both Jashan and I felt you would want to know what we have discovered so far."
"You said it's not all good news."
Sharon's voice was quiet but steady. His heart swelled with pride for his Bride, she was so strong.
"Sharon, I'm sorry but Haskell worked security at the compound in Portsea."
So he was dead. No one aside from the Elders had made it out after the raid. He looked down at Sharon. He could see the glistening trails down her cheeks from her tears but she held still. Completely motionless.
"Brandt and Colborn are school age and we've located several boys with their names in the Education Department's databases. We are in the process of gathering more information on each boy to find which are yours."
Jashan stood up and removed a slip of paper from his back pocket before sitting back down.
"The reason we had to come to you before we located your middle two sons was that we've found the location of the twins. With their slightly unusual names, it was easy to find where they were enrolled at preschool."
Barret gasped in shock as Sharon flew to her feet.
"You've really found them?"
"Yes, ma'am. We have their address here."
Jashan kept possession of the slip of paper as Barret rose to stand. He wasn't sure what Sharon would do, but he didn't want her rushing off without having a plan. Tye moved from the couch and stood between Sharon and the exit. Barret frowned at him as he wondered what was about to happen.
"Sharon, there's more. Not all of us are focused on finding the stolen sons. Some of the guys are searching for the missing Elders."
Barret's blood ran cold. He had a horrible feeling he knew what Tye was about to say.
"We have confirmation that Toki is staying at the same address as your twins."
~ * ~
Sharon stayed quiet for the rest of the night. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton wool. She wanted to go out now and take her sons away from Toki but she couldn't. Jashan had told her to not run off on her own when he'd finally handed over the address. Barret had agreed and not left her alone since. She wondered what the house they lived in looked like. It was in Glen Iris, a good suburb. She hoped that meant they lived in a nice clean home with a big backyard where they could play. She was still lost in thought when Barret declared it was time for bed.
Without paying much attention, she allowed him to lead her to the center of their suite. Once they were in the bedroom, Barret stopped her near the foot of the bed.
"You've been caught up in your head long enough, love. We'll get them back, but we need a plan first."
Yeah, right. There had been about a two-month gap between Darcy's escape and the rescue. She refused to wait that long to go to her sons. When she didn't respond, Barret began kissing his way down her neck. His hands smoothed down her shirt until he reached the hem. Gripping it, he peeled it up and over her head. She groaned as her mind emptied while his fingers caressed her bared skin. He slowly crept toward the junction of her thighs then flipped open her fly as he scrapped his fangs across her shoulder.
"I need you, Sharon."
"Take me, I'm all yours."
With a low growl, he shoved her jeans from her hips. Leaving them mid-thigh, he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. The sheets were cool against her back and she arched up with a hiss. Arousal coursed through her veins as she watched him through hooded eyes. Barret tore off his shirt as he moved to stand before her. Her gaze drank in his defined pecs and abs. She sighed in feminine appreciation.
Damn, my man is built.
He leaned over, gripped the bunched denim around her thighs and tugged it hard and fast down her legs, leaving her in her panties and bra. She was suddenly very grateful she'd been barefoot. She was desperate for Barret to make love to her, to take her mind off all the stress of lost children and rescues.
"I love you."
He froze a moment at her words. A huge grin slowly spreading across his face, he said, "I love you too, Sharon. Let me show you how much."
He slid onto the bed between her thighs and put his mouth over her covered core. His breath was warm and sent sparks through her body when it filtered through the cotton of her underwear. She shuddered as she reached for him. Threading her fingers through his thick hair, she bucked her hips against his mouth. A ripping sound filled the air causing her to gasp, but she didn't have time to process what he'd done to her panties. His lips descended once again and he impaled her with his tongue. Her body lit up. She put her feet flat on the mattress so she could arch her back and press against him. He placed a large palm over her tummy to hold her down as he begin to flick her clit with the thumb of his other hand. The duel assault was too much. She sat on the edge of a climax, so close to going over. Her body shook as she opened her mouth to pant.
Then he was gone. All sensation stopped and she wanted to cry. She'd been so close!
"Barret!"
She forced her lids open to see what he was doing and caught the finest view of Barret's very hot ass. He was taking his shoes and pants off and had turned around. She groaned as his penis was briefly revealed. Her hand slid down her belly toward her core as he turned around toward her. She was so hot and so close, and she needed a release.
"What are you doing?"
She felt her cheeks heat. What had she been thinking? Barret was right here, she didn't need to do it herself.
"I'm desperate for you, and you got me hot and bothered, then you left to torment me with a strip tease. What's a girl to do?"
Sharon wasn't sure where this inner tease was coming from but she kind of enjoyed being a little bit of a vixen.
Barret shook his head on a chuckle before he climbed on the bed and prowled over the top of her.
"You need me bad don't you, love?"
She opened her eyes wide and batted her lids. "Uh huh."
Barret took her mouth fast in a passion-filled kiss. She wound her hands into his hair once again and scraped her nails over his scalp. He groaned and moved back a little. She tightened her grip. No way was he leaving the bed again. He smirked as if he knew what she was thinking. Then he lined his dick up with her entrance and all thoughts left her mind as he slowly impaled her.
She loved the feel of him filling her. Focusing inward, she closed her eyes, enjoying every move and flex of their bodies together. Her eyes flew open when he gripped her leg and lifted it to rest over his shoulder. He slid back into her and she gasped as he hit a new set of nerves.
"Bloody hell!"
"You like that, love? Nice and deep."
She would have said yes but he began thrusting in and out faster and she lost all brain function. Her blood sizzled through her veins as he took her higher with each stroke. She gripped fists full of the sheet in each hand as she raised her hips to meet his. Moments later he impaled her deep and her climax struck hard. She screamed his name and was barely aware of him lowering her leg and leaning over her. His fangs sank into her throat and another orgasm rolled over her taking her breath with it. The feel of him drinking from her was euphoric, and the fact she sustained him with her blood had her floating in ecstasy.
She felt Barret lick the bite wound before he eased from her body and curled up behind her. He pulled her tightly against his chest and inhaled against her hair.
"Sleep, my love. All our worries will wait for another night."
Chapter Eight
Sharon woke with a start. As she glanced at the clock, she wondered what had woken her. Only a couple of hours had passed since she'd made love with Barret. She should still be sound asleep. A voice crept into the back of her mind. A low male voice telling her that her twins needed her. With careful movements, she slid from Barret's embrace and sat on the edge of the mattress. Since when could Toki push his thoughts into her mind? Surely he'd have done it before now if he'd known he could. Maybe Toki wasn't aware he was calling out to her…
Hoping it would help clear her mind, she quietly slipped into the bathroom to shower. As she stepped beneath the warm spray, her tummy tightened with nausea. Unable to ignore it, she turned off the water and dried off. Trying hard to not disturb Barret, she crept through the bedroom to the walk-in-closet and dressed quickly. Her instincts buzzed out of control and the voice was all but screaming at her that her sons needed her.
She stopped at the end of the bed and took in Barret's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. He was going to be furious with her, but if she woke him to tell him she was going, he would stop her. It was still daylight outside so he couldn't join her. Even though she was certain Toki had some kind of trap in place, she had to go. She'd get no rest until she retrieved her twins and knew they were safe. Hopefully, Toki expected her to wait till nightfall to come. That would allow her to sneak in and grab them without alerting Toki to her presence.
Slowly, feeling her way, she made it to the front door. Grabbing her purse and keycard, she opened the way. As the door clicked shut, she couldn't help but rub at the ache in her chest. This was the second time she was sneaking away from Barret as he slept.
Please God, let this time end better than the last.
She forced herself to walk to the lift. She had to go. This nausea and insistent voice in her mind wouldn't give her a break until she did. If she left it up to the teams, they'd have her waiting months, like they made Darcy wait. She'd already missed out on so much of their lives. She continued to rub over her heart as she went out into the daylight and caught a taxi to the Glen Iris address.