6 comments/ 49708 views/ 45 favorites New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 01 By: MicKay The locator panel displayed the elevator's slow descent and apparent pause at each floor. At 7pm, the last shift change had occurred and those employees of the Children's Hospital, who had just completed their work day, were making a hasty exodus from the building. As the elevator's doors opened, the rush of people poured through the exit barely noticing the single female waiting for the car that would transport her to the tenth floor executive offices. Alena Madyson smiled at the Pediatric ICU Director who acknowledged her presence while the crowd otherwise ignored her. After the commotion settled, Alena was able to catch a lift and begin her solitary ride to her last appointment for the day. Glancing at the mirrored panels, she groaned at the reflection of the tired, gaunt features staring back at her. Was a thirty-three year old professional woman supposed to look this haggard? Obviously her choice of the plain gray suit and white blouse was not the most eye catching attire but her entire wardrobe consisted of similar pieces with only slight variations. Her dark brown hair was severely pulled back into tight twist garnished with a mechanical pencil, that she swore she had lost earlier that day, and her brown eyes, which once resembled melting chocolate, now contained a mixture of colors reminiscent of a toddler's first attempt at finger painting...ugly. Although never a slave to fashion, Alena had once been described as attractive, a natural beauty with rich dark coloring and a curvaceous petite body. One man had called her beautiful. Well, maybe others had thought her beautiful, but only one man's opinion had ever mattered. But now, as she stared at her pale reflection, Alena thought she looked closer to her mother's age. The flashing thought of her mom reminded her of the painful loss that had dominated so much of her life. The untimely death of her parents forced an eighteen year old Alena to become a legal guardian of two younger siblings. Her brother's disabilities may have limited her social life, but her love for the boy had replaced the need to be with anyone, with the exception of that one man. Harnessing her thoughts, Alena remembered how her parents had taught her that family should be revered above all else. Had she not followed their examples while caring for her brother and sister? Was she not placing her family as priority when she tried to explain her life to that man, the explanation which was a major cause their separation leaving both angry and hurt, so that she could be with Tony during the final stages of his illness? And how had she failed her sister, Lia? Had she not worked hard to provide the best private schools money could buy? In the end, Tony died, the man left, and Lia was still missing and classified as "presumed dead." If her parents had lived, would Tony still be alive? Did she fail as a surrogate parent in keeping Lia safe? In her heart, she knew that her self-pitying was unfounded. Every year that Tony had lived, the doctors had declared as an exception. And Lia had boasted of her party girl lifestyle reminding Alena that she would never be the girl left behind, crying over the one that got away referring to the man who had given her older sister hope that fairy tales do come true. Unfortunately, the fairy tale was replaced with a vow of never being subjected to that pain again. Eight years ago after an investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the executives of the Children Hospital were escorted out in handcuffs by FBI agents and the hospital was soon purchased by the American Kingdom Foundation. Although corporate CEO, Edward King, had never stepped foot in the pediatric units, his financial generosity had kept the healthcare provider's doors open. "Oh yeah, I'll take big fat donations over cheesy PR appearances any day," Alena had boasted to her staff. But Edward King was anything except invisible. Female colleagues joked about getting their daily fix of the King thanks to the various local newspapers and TV news stations. He always appeared diplomatic, considerate, and gorgeous. Attending every elite function that the city's night life offered, Edward would pause at the entrance of an establishment to speak to a reporter and always mentioned the needs of the hospital. Impeccably dressed, he was always accompanied by two standard accessories: 1) a beautiful woman whose pale perfection complimented his dark features and 2) the man, who looked a mythological god from the Mediterranean, standing in the background, not as an onlooker, but as the friend, brother and guard, ready to sacrifice his life for Edward's. The day the Foundation assumed ownership, that man, Gabriel Philandros, was announced as the hospital's new CEO. On the first day of his command, Gabriel walked into the executives demanding to speak to the Director of the Finance Department. When Alena arrived at his beckoning, they started a tedious review of the numerous accounts so they could present accurate financial statements to the board. After a few weeks of late nights filled with his questions and her answers, their conversations started shifting to more personal topics regarding family, hobbies and travel. In a matter of days, the professional communication converted to playful banter that started with her innocent observation about his late start in the work day. When he finally revealed his true nature, Alena sat quietly staring at him. Certainly, his expression confirmed that he was not joking. But as she studied his face, she vowed that he was not only the best looking man she had ever seen but also the best looking man that ever lived. Well, not lived but existed. In addition, she discovered that his gorgeous looks were also fearsome and silently spoke of the destructive power. The observation did not change her feelings for him because their bond was too strong. That bond had promised an eternity of happiness but ended with a lifetime of miserable reminders. As the elevator neared her destination, Alena snapped back to the present consumed with her loss – Tony's death, the man's rejection and Lia's disappearance. In addition, she had liquidated every asset and had borrowed on every credit card to pay for the private investigators who had promised to find some clues to her sister's location. In the end, they all had the same report of "no leads, cold case, presumed dead" and Alena was left alone and in massive debt. A generic chime brought Alena from her thoughts and to the realization that she had finally arrived at her destination. While the majority of the administrative work force was beginning their weekend, Alena was reporting to a summons that had appeared on her MS Outlook calendar. The executive team on site consisted of the Chief Nursing Office, Chief Operations Officer, and, her immediate supervisor, the Chief Financial Officer. The latter would be the only bastard inconsiderate enough to call a meeting at 7pm, Friday. As she walked down the corridor, Alena reminded herself that she had no weekend plans, no family waiting for her arrival and she would have probably worked late anyway. Stepping into the executive suites always disappointed Alena on the misuse of the hospital's scare funds. The children's hospital survived on the dedication of employees who cared more for their mission than their paychecks. The clinicians gave the love and devotion that patients and families needed to endure horrific diagnosis, procedures and, sometimes, death; while the ancillary staff served the patients by protecting the financial assets, monitoring expenses and maximizing profits. Everyone worked together with the exception of the executives. Noting the décor with usual distaste, Alena wondered if an interior designer was kept on retainer. With each step, the heels of her shoes would sink into the lush carpet making her pause to question if she should remove the offensive accessories. Mentally scolding her subjection to this hedonistic squalor, Alena approached the only occupied desk in her line of vision. "Hey, Frieda," Alena greeted the executive assistant, "I have a meeting with Steve. Is he in?" she asked looking at the closed door to the CFO's office. "Sorry Alena, Steve's not here," she said while gathering her personal belongings in obvious preparation for her own departure. "You should have made an appointment or at least called before just dropping in", Frieda reprimanded. "Ok", Alena stiffly replied at the terse comment, "maybe I'm supposed to meet with Debbie or John. My calendar had a generic post to meet in the executive suites. Are either of those two here?" "No such luck. Are you sure you have the right day?" Frieda paused in her packing to look at Alena. "Lately, even I would question my judgment, but the Outlook reminders informed me of this appointment. Since the executives are the only people with access to my calendar, would you please check to see who made the request?" Alena asked. "I know you're ready to fly but apparently someone initiated this meeting." "O-kay," Frieda mumbled logging on to her desktop. "Oh my," she said in a wide eye stare at her monitor, "When did he get here?" "Who"? Frieda's head jerked up to blink at Alena in a mouth gaping stupor. "When did who get here?" Alena repeated feeling nervous at the change in the woman's demeanor. "Me", said the silky, baritone voice from the entrance to CEO's suites. Drawn to the voice as the ancient sailors were to the sirens, Alena turned to stare at the man. The onslaught of memories and emotions caused instant heartbeat acceleration and shortness of breath. As though he had materialized from her recent thoughts, Gabriel Philandros slowly stepped towards her. Watching him approach, Alena noticed his eyes roam over her entire person and an odd look disappearing almost as quickly as it formed. "Oh God," she thought, "Was that pity? Would he actually stand there judging me as pathetic when I've lost everyone? He must wonder at how he ever called me beautiful when eight years has caused so much damage." Searching for any sign of his deterioration, Alena dropped her eyes to his feet noticing the apparently expensive wingtips that were worthy of the suite's luxurious carpet. She notice the perfect crease of the hand tailored slacks that ascended up his long legs to the narrow, belted waist obstructed by the matching suit jacket wrapped around the largest chest and soldiers she had ever seen. "A year's worth of my paychecks wouldn't pay for his clothes", she mused. Finally bringing her eyes above the knot of his silk tie, Alena stared into Gabriel's black eyes. She did not need to look at his face to remember that his lips were full and soft. She had kissed him enough to have their description permanently etched in her memory. She had stroked his face enough to have phantom feeling teasing her finger tips now of the size and muscles of his jaw. She knew that even in her heels that the crown of her head did not reach his shoulders but could intimately snuggle on his chest. She would tease him asking how he could ever care for a woman who couldn't look him in the eye. "Easy," he would quickly reply, "You reach my heart." "So many memories for such a brief..." Alena paused on her thought, "time? friendship? romance?" It was so much more than days on a calendar. The bonding of friendship that instantly bloomed from an offhanded comment progressed into teasing, laughing and confiding to each other as though no one else existed in the world. But the romance did not last long enough to consummate into the physical relationship they both wanted. Her thoughts finally shifted to the present. "No good in resurrecting the past," she reminded herself. "Although it would have been civil of him to remember that eight years would have deteriorated me some, while he would still be gorgeous after eight hundred years!" An amused gleam in his eyes and lopsided smirk reminded Alena that her thoughts were not always private. Steadying herself, she reinforced the mental walls perfected by hours of practicing an ancient discipline. Gabriel's smile disappeared and his eyes hardened in acknowledgement of her withdrawal. "Gabe, uh", Alena stuttered, "Lord...Mr. Philandros, welcome back to the hospital. I wasn't aware that you were returning any time soon, so I hope we haven't missed any important notices about your arrival," she directed a questioning look at the Executive Assistant. "If you wish to see any financial statements, I obviously don't have them with me now," she lifted her empty hands from her sides, "but I can have them too you within the hour. I just need to go to my office and ..." "That's not why I'm here," Gabriela interrupted. Summarily quieted, Alena waited for him to explain. "Frieda," Gabriel turned to the poor woman who was obviously torn between ogling the good looking man and worrying that she would have to extend her work week by a few more hours. "I requested the meeting with Alena this evening but not will require your assistance, so you may leave when you wish. Have a good weekend." The next sixty seconds were filled with the sound of Frieda's quick, random gathering of personal belongings, goodbyes, and hasty exit from the executive suites. After several more seconds of silence, Alena asked, "Why did you need to meet with me?" "I have news regarding your sister," he replied. "My sister?" How could he know about Lia? Her disappearance had not justified even the smallest blurb in the local papers. Although she had shared the issue with other hospital employees, they had barely seemed concerned and certainly did not forward the information to the CEO who had been physically absent for eight years. "Come to my office so we can sit down and talk," he requested. "Is she dead?" "Alena," her name rolled of his tongue. "Come in my office. Please." "Gabe, she's been gone three months. I can stand while you tell me whatever you have to say, but the waiting is killing me," Alena pleaded with tears sparkling in her eyes. "Ok," he hesitated. "She's with us." "Us? Who is 'us'??" Eliminating the distance between them, Gabriel walked to Alena and wrapped his hands around her waist to pull her close while he looked down into her eyes. "She's one of us" In less time that she would need to blink, Alena was whisked into the CEO office and placed on the large, overstuffed sofa. "Drink this," Gabriel ordered while placing a glass of water in her hands. "She's one of you? How...who...where has she been?" "Alena," Gabriel began, "Your sister will explain it herself. I promised Edward that I would talk to you and bring you to the mansion." "Edward?" she asked, "Edward King? How is he involved with my sister?" "Your sister will need explain that but I can tell you that she is considered the true mate of our American king, a highly honorable position for someone of her former human status" Bristling at the the jibe on her sister's character she shouted, "Of your vampire king in America! And now she's one of you! Who changed her? Him?" she demanded with tears flowing over her cheeks. "Once again, your sister will explain everything. I was sent to explain her change and bring you to the mansion." "I can't go to the mansion. You told me about the mansion and how the place operates. Why couldn't you just bring her to me?" Gabriel exhaled loudly, running his hands through his hair. Sitting beside Alena he said, "Edward will not let Lia leave the mansion while there is any question about her safety." "Why wouldn't she be safe with me?" "The American sector of the New Kingdom is having serious problems," Gabriel turned to face her. "Rebellion forces are killing our allies. Alena, my people and our way of life is being annihilated by those we had once called brothers." As she processed the words he had spoken Gabriel finished, "Alena, if you go with me, you can see your sister. But you will enter into the lifestyle that you didn't want eight years ago. Whether you choose to change or become a donor, once you enter, you will never leave." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 02 Racing through the night, Gabriel guided his Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren through the dark streets as Alena sat next to him numb from the news. Her sister was alive, but as a vampire. He had refused to tell her more than the fact that Lia was not dead and she was considered the true mate, or queen, of the vampire king of America, Edward King. Alena knew better than to keep asking Gabriel questions that he had refused to answer. Sitting quietly at his side she noted the beauty of the machine transporting them. The sleek black interior matched the night and, without benefit of headlights, Gabriel guided them through the pitch darkness as though they were flying through the air. To describe the controls as high tech would be a gross understatement. She felt intimidated by the amount of knowledge needed just to figure out the ignition and gears. Glancing at the man who dominated most of the interior, Alena concluded that this automobile was built for him. Dropping her eyes to her hands folded in her lap, she wondered who had previously occupied the seat where she now sat. "Only females worthy of being seen with him in this car," she thought miserably. "God, what happened to me? " Interrupting her thoughts, Gabriel said, "We'll be there in twenty minutes. I don't know how much you remember about life in the mansion, so if you have any questions, ask them now," he offered with a glance in her direction. "I don't know what to ask. I can't even think. I'm going to see my sister but she's not the sister that I've known for twenty-five years. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm just not concerned with vampire protocol." "Damn it, Alena," he growled, slamming the brakes, "What the fuck happened to you?" "Don't" she whispered, turning towards the window to hide the instant tears. "Baby...," "Please don't," her voice resonating loudly in the confined space. "Just take me to see her, find an exception for me and return me to the world where I belong." She turned toward him in time to see the fury rise and then hide behind his glimmering black eyes. The tightness in her chest became unbearable, like an invisible weight was lying on her breast. Concentrating on her breaths, she ignored the tremors in her hands and focused on gaining a façade of control. They completed their journey in silence until Gabriel slowed the car and turned onto an unlit side road. "We're entering the property now," he informed her. "Just stay close to me and you'll be safe." The car slowed again when they reached an electronic gate with Gabriel acknowledging the guards before continuing through the entrance. The landscape changed from a deserted road to a manicured lawn surrounding the road that was now an obvious driveway. In the horizon, distant lights indicated their approach to a very large building. "My God, Gabe, how big is this place?" "It's the American king's mansion. I've told you that it houses Edward's entire court in addition to the several human families in service. Almost three hundred people live here not including the suites for visiting dignitaries. What did you expect?" "Well, I didn't think it would look like the Holiday Inn Express but this looks like a fortress, or a cathedral, or," she paused, "a castle." "Edward is a king," he chuckled, "with or without your approval." Ignoring his jibe, Alena leaned towards the window trying to see the magnificent gardens running parallel with the drive. Tropical flowers adorned the view with a variety of reds, oranges and yellows. The mixture of vibrant blooms and landscape lighting resembled the sparkling inventory in a jeweler's display case. In the center of the lane, a black marble fountain, that surpassed the size of most family swimming pools, boasted a large structure barely visible despite the accent lighting. As they neared the mansion, she noticed that every window, more than she could quickly count, was lit as though every room was currently being used. The front appeared to be a few hundred feet wide, and built with white stones glowing in the night. The overall effect was similar to a preserved, national monument but softened with the personal touches that identified this place as someone's home. As Gabriel stopped the car, the mansion's front door opened and a man moved quickly from the entrance to the passenger door of the car to assist Alena. "Congratulations on your success," the man said to Gabriel, who was walking around the back of the car. "We'll see if 'success' is the right word," he replied, tossing the keys to the man. Their exchange snapped Alena back to her reason for being there. The reminder, that Lia who was once presumed dead but was now in this house, spurred her to action. Racing up the stairs to the door, she abruptly stopped in response to a verbal command. "Stop"! Gabriel growled. She felt the controlled strength of his hand as his fingers wrapped tightly around her arm. "I told you to stay by me," he said looking from her to the man who had greeted them. Looking at that man, she noticed that his eyes held the same unnatural glint as Gabriel's. Although she felt no attraction to him, Alena could not deny that this man was comparable to Gabriel in stature, looks, and demeanor. He, too, was a vampire. "His majesty and lady are waiting for you in the foyer," the man addressed Gabriel while staring at Alena. Gabriel merely nodded as he escorted her up the remaining steps closer to the door. Responding to his gentle touch and knowing her sister was a few feet away, she felt her heart race as they approached the light streaming through the door. Even with her knowledge of young vampires, Alena was confident that she was safe. Crossing the threshold, her energy surged in anticipation of the reunion. As her eyes searched the room, a smile lit her face revealing the youthful dimples that had been hidden beneath her pain. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the woman. Long ago, Gabe had explained the change from human to vampire as a transformation from a diseased, decaying mortal to a mature, eternally young, body of perfection as Adam and Eve had been in the Garden of Eden. There was no mistaking the woman for anyone other than Lia but gone was the wardrobe, which Alena had described as an advertisement for a cheap thrill, now replaced by the glamorous, dark blue dress. The self administered highlights were missing and now long, dark hair that would certainly feel like mink crowned her head. Even the dark eyeliner and deep shades of eye shadow were replaced by bright, natural skin accenting the brilliant green eyes. Those eyes that stared at her revealed absolutely no recognition. "Lia?" Alena said taking a step towards her. With growls, Gabriel moved in front of Alena while the man next to Lia pulled her behind him. "I'm no longer Lia," the woman's song voice replied. "I'm now Iona," she offered while searching the visitor's face for something familiar. "Oh, I'm sorry," Alena quickly said, "I forgot that you'd have a new identity," she looked to Gabriel for help but his eyes were fixed on her sister's companion. When Alena followed Gabriel's stare, she saw that Edward King was staring at her. He looked like a man that was obeyed, not from fear, but from respect. His sapphire eyes, contrasted by the dark hair and brows, bore into hers as though he was determining her intentions. His big body, although a couple of inches shorter than Gabriel's six foot eight inches, stood alert, ready to protect his mate. Taking a calming breath, Alena smiled and said, "You look beautiful, Iona. Although it's apparent that you don't remember me, I'm glad that you are alive and well." When she had finished, she leaned into Gabriel wishing she could absorb some of his strength. The awkward silence forced Alena to look back at the woman who had once been her sister and realize that while Lia was alive she was lost to her former life. Absorbing this truth, Alena stared at Lia with tears of this new loss ripping from her heart through her eyes. As Lia watched this strange woman, she observed the range of emotions from excitement to misery and felt the pain of knowing she had somehow been the cause of this woman's sorrow. "I'm sorry but I don't remember..," she stopped when the woman's tears poured over her cheeks. She stepped closer, pulling away from Edward, to see the woman's bottom lip tremble. Lia tilted her head watching the woman's reaction. "I've caused your pain," she stated as the onslaught of tears burned into her soul. "I'm sorry. I don't understand any of this," she hurriedly started in explanation. "I'm new and I don't remember my former life but there's something missing and we thought that if you could accept me, then I would be able to adjust," she said as she took steps closer to Alena. "Accept you? I don't care if you don't know me. I'm just glad to see you standing there," Alena said trying to smile at the woman. "Those of us, who don't have amnesia," she tried lightheartedly, "remember the pain of your disappearance and nothing can take away the joy of knowing that you're alive." Smiling back, Lia said, "Tell me something, anything, about the old me." "That's easy," Alena replied closing the remaining distance between them, "You had horrible taste in clothes. This," she motioned to Lia's dress, "is a major improvement. And we won't even start on your hair." With a smirk Lia says, "I think my old self was just insulted." "If I'd had a clue how well you would change, I would've dragged your butt here ten years ago." Laughing as he approached, "She has turned out to be exceptionally beautiful," Edward said wrapping his arms around Lia's waist. "But I need to remind you that while I truly wish you to bond as sisters, the girl you knew will be legally declared dead and you will need to refer to her by her new name," he then looked at Alena to stress his next words, " even in your thoughts." "I understand," Alena replied reinforcing the barrier between her mind and these strong vampires. Stepping back to Gabriel's side, she looked at him for guidance on the next step. "I've explained that Alena's agreement to come here would also be her commitment to stay. Until she decides her fate, I suggest that she stay in my suite to ensure her safety," Gabriel suggested to Edward. "Meanwhile, I'm sure the ladies would prefer some privacy while reuniting and I have work to do. I'll see you later," he said to Alena before walking away. His words brought back the harsh reality that, in her haste to see her sister, Alena had exchanged her life for the unknown. Looking to Iona, she wondered how they would start to form a bond. Should she talk about the past or try to find a commonality in the present? The only link they ever had was their sibling blood bond. But even with their differences in character, their relationship had been strong. They would tell friends that they were two sides of the same coin. They might look and act totally opposite, but together, they represented a strong, united front. Could that be found again? "Would you like to join me in the library?" Iona asked. "We could have some drinks and, oh, yeah, you need to feed." "Uh, feed?" "My dear, I believe humans prefer to call it eating or dinner," Edward said. "I will instruct the staff to bring food to the library for your sister." "Thanks," Alena said before he walked out, wondering at his concern. "The library is this way," Iona said turning to walk away. As she followed, Alena began to notice the interior furnishings that boasted of wealth, luxury and pride. The foyer was bright despite the black granite floor and dark wood trim. The white walls, illuminated by a grand chandelier, were adorned with large paintings. "Probably originals by people I don't know and worth more than I could imagine," Alena thought, regretting her ignorance. "I don't know them either!" Iona exclaimed turning excitedly. "Shit!" "What?" "Do you realize that you just responded to my thoughts?" Alena explained. "Isn't that a bond that vampires only share with their mates, or something close to that?" Staring at her sister, Iona hesitated before saying, "Until just now, I've only heard Edward's voice in my head." "We used to finish each others' sentences before, when you were..." "Human," finished Iona. "Do you think that maybe I still have some of that link with you?" "I don't know, but something just happened and we haven't shared blood." "No," Iona said with a wink, "But you do smell delicious." "I'll need to come up with a response better than 'bite me' if I'm staying here," Alena laughed. "Here we are," Iona announced as they entered the library. The room was dominated by the dark wood bookshelves that stretched from floor to the ceiling of the two story room. Thousands of volumes were proudly displayed on the shelves and desks throughout the room. Although vacant now, it was apparent that the room was frequently utilized. As they sat together on the couch, servants brought a plate of sandwiches and chips along with a glass of tea for Alena's meal. Allowing her sister to eat but not wanting their new camaraderie to chill, Iona began relaying a story of the first time she had wondered through the mansion alone. By the time she finished, they were both laughing until tears ran down their faces. The conversation continued with questions from the one who understood the vampire traditions and answered by the one who had experienced the transformation. After several hours of talking, Alena finally ventured to ask, "Iona," she started, "You said that something was missing and you could adjust if I accepted you. What does that mean?" Dropping her head, she replied, "I know how much you've suffered since I left. Gabriel has told us how much you've sacrificed trying to find me. Edward intends to pay all of your debts." "I wasn't asking for anything..." "I know," she paused in thought. "It's difficult to admit how this happened. Apparently, you have a reputation as the good girl while I was known as the bad." "Not bad. You liked to have fun but you were never a criminal or cruel to anyone." "I've been told how the police wouldn't help you because of my reputation. I was last seen getting into a car with a guy that I had just met and you had warned me to avoid." "The man from the restaurant?" Alena cringed at her sister's confession. "But that doesn't explain anything. You never cared if I approved of a guy." "But this was different. It wasn't just rebellion but more of an addiction. I had no choice but to go to him," she stopped to breathe deeply. "When I did, he took me to a prison where I was to be killed by a very powerful vampire who had not fed for several months." Looking directly at her sister, she finished, "I was given to Edward to be his last meal." "But," Alena started, "Edward's vow with the New Kingdom prohibits him from draining the lifeblood from a human." "Yes, but he is a vampire. Survival is our first priority, secrecy is the second..." "And the vow to protect human life is third," finished Alena. "But he couldn't do it. No matter how weak he was, he wouldn't break the vow." "Uh, why didn't they just kill him?" "Because of his age and power, killing him is nearly impossible," answered Iona. "And, his assassination would have angered his allies, whereas his weakness would have supported the rebels claim that the New Kingdom is a hypocritical establishment with unrealistic demands forced on all vampires." "The rebels?" asked Alena, "Is that the group of vampires who are killing Gabe's friends?" "Yes," Iona said slowly smiling, "Gabe, huh? I have to ask. How is it that Edward's best friend scares the hell out of me – I've never spoken to him unless I'm giving him a yes or no answer and Edward is always present- but yet he's 'Gabe' to you?" "I'd rather not discuss it." "I sense some buried, ancient history is there," the younger sister said excitedly. "And there will be no grave digging tonight," Alena's tone brought the subject to an end. Once again, as though the thought of him beckoned his presence, Gabriel walked into the library. "It's late," he said to Alena, "If you're tired, I can show you to my suite." Looking at the grandfather clock, Alena was shocked to realize that she had talked with her sister until after two o'clock a.m. Suddenly, the adrenalin that had energized her through night was zapped from her body. "I guess I am pretty tired," she replied and looked at her sister, "Will I see you tomorrow so you can finish explaining everything?" "Absolutely," Iona replied, "Edward would hire you just to babysit me!" "You have to admit, you have a penchant for finding trouble," Edward said walking in behind Gabriel. "I'm still waiting to hear your version of the ruckus caused when you wondered the mansion alone," he said winking at Alena as he sat on the couch and pulled Iona onto his lap. "You knew about that?" she giggled as he nuzzled against her neck. Holding her elbow, Gabriel guided Alena from the library leaving the king and his mate together on the couch. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but since we will be sharing a bedroom for a few days, I thought you might want to get your rest before I need to sleep." "Are you telling me that in a house this big, we have to share the same bed in shifts?" she asked. "No. I'm telling you that as the only human in a house full of vampires and not protected as a donor, you need to be with me or in my suite to be safe." Walking down the hall, Gabriel guided her to the elevator which opened instantly on his approach. Inside the car, Alena looked at her reflection of the mirrored walls. Was it only a few hours ago that she had stared at the same reflection dwelling on her loneliness? She was now in the house where both her sister and the love from her youth were living. Glancing again the reflection, she cringed at the site of her hair, face and clothes. While she felt better, she actually looked worse. With exhaustion added to the pale, gaunt features, she understood why Iona did not recognize her. She barely recognized herself. When the elevator stopped, the doors opened into a small entrance before ornate double doors which Gabriel opened to access his living quarters. If the mansion's foyer and library were luxurious, there were no words to describe the elaborate wealth displayed in this masculine domain. Decorated in rich, dark colors, the living room had a large, overstuffed sofa, matching arm chair, and a huge plasma TV. The dark hardwood floors were partially covered with a beautiful rug from the Orient. "The bedroom is this way," he said leading her through the rooms, "I've requested clothes and toiletries to be placed in the bathroom so you can shower and be comfortable." "Thanks Gabe," she said looking him in eye, "for everything." Staring at her, he ran his hands through his short, black hair, "We need to talk." "Tonight?" "No." "After eight years?" "In comparison to eternity, eight years should hardly register with me, but the last eight have been a self inflicted prison sentence," he said pulling her into him arms. "We both agreed that we had reasons to stay apart," Alena whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. "And two of those reasons have brought us together. How's that for irony?" he said tilting her chin up to give him access to her lips. "It's been so long." "Has time turned your heart against me, Alena?" "No," she confessed, "but I got old." "Old? No love," he whispered against her lips, "but you've had a difficult life. Let me fix it." Before she could reply, he claimed her mouth. As she parted her lips, his tongue swept pass her teeth, teasing her mouth with gentle caresses that tingled through her body. Every memory of pain, debt, and worry was annihilated with his touch. One hand cradled her face while the other held her waist. She felt her blood rush to her head making her dizzy while signaling her body to make ready for him. As she forfeited her control, excitement surged through her, bowing her body into his, searching for evidence of his desire. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 02 Deepening the kiss, he moved his arm around her waist to support her while his hand cradling her face traced down her collar and under her jacket finding his target. Holding the weight in his palm, his thumb stroked her breast searching for the pebble hard bud. Gasping in pleasure, Alena pulled her mouth away to moan her approval, "Oh God, Gabe." "Choose me," he commanded against her cheek. "I...," interrupted by the shrill ring of his cell phone in his breast pocket. "Damn," he said grabbing the phone and looking at the caller ID, "Edward, I'm sorry, I got distracted," he said, listening to his friend's response. "Very funny," he pulled away from Alena, casting a meaningful look of regret to her before walking out of the bedroom, "Tell them to be patient. I'm on my way." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 03 After her shower, Alena wrapped her hair in a towel and put on the matching lace camisole and boy shorts that had been left for her. She returned to Gabriel's bedroom and stopped to stare at the huge bed in the center of the room. The massive structure was an ornate black headboard offset by a dark blue spread. The combination represented Gabriel's two most dominant characteristics - intimidation and seduction. Approaching the bed, she pulled the covers back to reveal the matching silk sheets. She was entranced by the scent that belonged exclusively to Gabriel. Vowing to rest for just a minute before drying her hair, she lay back on the pillow and relished the feeling of luxury against her body. Surveying the room, Alena observed the masculinity of the décor which revealed no evidence of a female touch. Strengthening the barrier around her thoughts, she smiled in the secret pleasure of knowing that no woman could claim any ownership to his room. The windows were securely covered by the heavy drapes that were not needed to prevent the sun's rays from injuring Gabriel but hinder vampire voyeurs from seeing the guest. Relaxing in the luxury and safety of his possessions, Alena allowed her eyes to close submitting to the extravagant comfort even if it would last for only a few short hours. "Baby," Gabriel said gently, sweeping aside her hair, which had escaped the towel, from her face. "Wake up." Eyes opening, she blinked in confusion, "What? Oh no, I feel asleep." "Your sister needs you." Disoriented, she jumped from the bed, removing the towel from her hair and looking for her clothes. "Here," he said, handing her his robe in response to her search, "Hurry." Before she could tie the belt, he pulled her into his arms and started moving. She could only guess his speed by the breeze blowing through her hair. Within seconds, he was standing her on her feet. As she slid down the front of his body, Alena turned to find Edward holding Iona close to his chest stroking her back. They were all in a room that was apparently part of the king's living quarters. "What's going on?" she asked belting the robe and walking to her sister. "I have nightmares when I sleep and then I can't function when I'm awake," Iona said with a tremble in her voice as she turned to her sister. "It's part of the reason you're here. We thought you might be able to help me," she said with tears in her eyes. "Oh honey," Alena said instantly conforming into her surrogate mother persona. "Take a deep breath. Do you need something to drink?" She asked placing her hands on Iona's face shielding her eyes from seeing anyone but her. "It was just another dream, Ona," she continued, coining the new nickname. "Come, sit with me and tell me what happened." Alena sat on the couch and then crawled to the end grabbing a pillow to place in her lap. "Do you mean that I've had these before?" Ona asked pulling away from Edward. "All of your life," she answered patting the pillow in her lap. "And you took care of me?" "Sometimes," she smiled at her sister. "But when we were kids, I'd crawl under the bed and take my chances with the bogeyman." "Funny," Iona said lying on the couch with her head on the pillow. "I'm sure Edward is convinced that I'm losing my mind and I won't survive my change," she added with a tone of despair. "No," Alena replied, looking at the king's worried expression, "He's figuring out just how spoiled you are and who is responsible for it." With the tense mood lessening, Edward and Gabriel walked across the room to fix drinks at the bar. Alena stroked her sister's hair in an offhanded way showing and old habit. "So do you remember the dream?" "It's always about the same thing -- blood." "I would think you'd be ok having dreams about blood." "Yeah, really. But I'm so disturbed that I can't feed for several hours after waking up. Edward is worried that I'm going insane." "Will you tell me about the dream?" "I'm hunting....someone," she paused, obviously choosing her words with care, "and when I catch them, I feed until they die." "So you dream about breaking a New Kingdom vow," Alena reasoned. "It's like dreaming that you show up at work naked. It's just a dream." "No, it isn't!" Iona said, sitting up in her agitation. "I dream of hunting children. I hear a voice promising that the nectar is so rich and sweet that I will not regret breaking the vow. So I catch them and kill them and enjoy draining their lifeblood. Then when I wake, I crave that taste to the point that it's all I want and then I hate what I am and can't fathom drinking blood at all," she finished. Looking across the room, she saw that Edward and Gabriel had quit talking and were listening intently to her confession. "Love," Edward said cautiously approaching his mate, "why didn't you tell me? You locked me out of your thoughts so I only knew about the nightmare and then you refused to feed." Looking directly at Alena, he continued, "Her survival depends on her drinking blood." "Understood," Alena said resolved to accept her sister's new life by encouraging her to feed. "So, where's the stuff kept? We'll get you a glass and then we can do whatever you do during the night." As though waiting for his cue, Edward quickly approached with a glass in hand. "Here," Alena instructed her sister, "Bottom's up." "How can you tolerate this?" Iona asked. "You need it." "But how can you sit there knowing what's in this glass?" "I accepted the lifestyle of vampires years ago," she replied quickly glancing at Gabriel. "It's the same as vegetarians accepting us carnivores," she said with a smile. "So drink up and let's get moving." Returning the smile, Iona lifted the glass to her lips and took a small drink. Savoring the sweet liquid as it slid down her throat, she closed her eyes and allowed the warmth, starting in her core, to spread through her body. Feeling the rush of strength surge through her muscle, she looked up to her sister and grinned, "You really are amazing. I don't know how, but I knew that I needed you." "Well, I'm here," Alena yawned, "maybe more in body than in spirit, but I'm here. So finish the glass before I pass out on you." "You need sleep," Iona stated after draining her glass. "Not as much as I need to know that you're ok." "Edward," she looked to her love, "I'm better and, for the first time, I really believe that I'll be ok. I know that you and Gabriel have work to do, so, I'll just stay here with Alena and watch TV. If that's ok with you," she added looking to her sister. "Excellent," she answered, "I can't wait to see the bad Sci-Fi movies and infomercials that I've been missing during my pathetic human existence." Nodding to both women, Edward agreed, "Then we will return to our offices, but do not hesitate to call me." "How do we call you?" Alena stopped when three pairs of eyes flashed at her in amusement. "Ok, so I forgot about well vampires can hear. Sorry, I'll just yell" she shrugged laying her head on the arm of the sofa. As the men said their goodbyes and left, Iona grabbed the TV remote and started searching for an acceptable movie. Scanning the channels, both laughed when they found a Dracula marathon on cable. "Let's watch this," Alena said. "You might learn something." "Why? Will there be a pop quiz?" "Maybe," giving a suspicious look, "Do you even have fangs?" Barely suppressing the giggle, Iona gave the full treatment by baring her fangs and leaping across the distance between them on the sofa, effectively pinning her sister to the couch. Caught in the moment, Alena shrieked in surprise. Before either could regain control, the door to the suite slammed open with both Edward and Gabriel appearing in front of them. "Uh," Iona started, "We were just goofing off." "What the hell were you doing?" Gabriel growled at her. "Gabe," Alena interceded, "It's my fault. I know that you're worried about my safety but we were just joking around and I forgot your warning. Sorry." With a smile, Edward declared, "I guess we were granted our wish that the sisters would be reunited. Ok, we'll leave you to your," he hesitated looking at the screen, "interesting choice of entertainment." Leaving the woman laughing together, Edward and Gabriel exited the apartment again. As Edward closed the door, he said to his friend, "I will confess that, until you carried Alena into my apartment, I couldn't understand your attraction to her." Exhaling slowly, Gabriel waited for his friend to continue. "When I saw you escorting her into the house this evening, I couldn't see past a rather plain looking woman." "She was exhausted. The previous three months have been extremely trying on her." "Ah, yes," Edward returned, "I'm sure that the one hour of sleep she got in your bed has restored her to the beauty she is right now." Smiling at his friend's assessment, "She's never considered herself a beauty." "She's never seen herself through a man's eyes." "When we first met," Gabriel said when they were finally behind the closed doors of their offices, "I would tell her how beautiful I thought she was but I quickly learned that she did not handle compliments well. So, I settled for looking past the exterior and just getting to know her." "And you fell in love!" Edward exclaimed in shock. "How did I not know this, friend?" "It's complicated." "Odd. She knew about us but we didn't know about her," he mused. "It appears that you had taken care of explaining the obvious complication." "She actually guessed it," Gabriel shared. "We had been working late for so many nights and she just looked at me and said, 'Not all of us are vampires drinking blood and working all night. I need food and sleep.' I couldn't believe it," he said remembering. "What did you do?" "I was so shocked by her observation that I couldn't deny it." "Interesting," Edward said studying his friend. "And I repeat, how did I not know this?" "It ended quickly. There was never a need to explain it." "Why and how?" Staring his friend in the eye while hiding his memories, "Edward," Gabriel started, "it's in the past." "But she's here in the present," the king replied with a grin, "and I believe she will remain throughout our future." Dropping his head, Gabriel signaled his request to drop the subject. After eight years of suffering, he would not allow himself to hope for a different outcome with Alena. He agreed with Edward's evaluation of her beauty, having almost forgotten his mission when he had first seen her lying in his bed. Alena had obviously not intended to fall asleep. The covers were folded at the foot of the bed and the partially clothed woman with the long mane of mahogany curls was snuggled seductively against his pillows. Even with the dark shadows under eyes, she still had a perfect, cream complexion and petite curves that beckoned him to join her in the bed to physically elicit her agreement to stay with him for eternity. The simple gesture of moving her hair from her face had sent of jolt of arousal through him that caused his fingers to tingle from the contact. He knew that his bed would now be permeated with the scent no perfume could duplicate. With each beat of her heart, the subtle aroma guaranteed that her blood would be a rich, decadent dessert. When he carried her to Edward's suite, he felt the warmth of her soft flesh that promised a life full of pleasure. Gabriel shook his head ending his reverie and noticed that Edward was intently studying his face. "We've known each other for so long," Edward started in a serious tone, "through all of the good and the bad, or so I thought. You've cared for her, and still do. I'm willing to bet that she feels the same," he continued with his eyes boring into Gabriel's. "So I'm now wondering if the reason that I didn't know about your separation is because I am the cause of your separation." "My loyalty has always been to you." "How could your relationship with her ever interfere with your loyalty to me?" "Edward, it's been eight years," Gabriel finally pleaded, "please, let it rest." "For now," he acquiesced. "So we will move on to our earlier topic. Who is trying to destroy the New Kingdom and how are they doing inside our walls?" As the men's conversation returned to serious matters of state, the sisters were in the king's suite watching the marathon featuring b-rated actors portray various vampires famous in fiction. "So," Iona asked with a serious expression, "do we agree that ex-porn stars make better vampires than washed out stage actors?" "Only in the seventies and when nudity is required," Alena returned. "I don't want to see Christopher Lee naked but I hope that I never hear this idiot," she pointed to the screen, "speak another word." "This is fun!" Iona declared snuggling to her sister lying on the couch. "I love Edward more than my own life, but this has been a very difficult month," she said in a serious tone. "If I'm going to survive, it's because of you. Promise me that you'll stay forever." "I'll stay as long as you need me." "Then it's decided," she replied settling back again her sister, "You'll stay forever." They both laughed in amusement at her first official edict. When they returned their attention to the screen, the conversation dwindled to rare comments and eventually silence as they both surrendered to sleep forced by exhaustion and the quickly approaching dawn. Before sunrise, Edward and Gabriel returned to the suite to find the sisters cuddled on the couch, sound asleep. When Edward gently lifted Iona into his arms, Alena grabbed for her sister in a gesture of protection. "Easy, lioness, I'm only taking her to bed," Edward told Alena while looking at his mate's peaceful expression. "I owe you so much for helping us. Whatever you need, you will have." "She's my sister," Alena mumbled in her exhaustion, "I love her." Gabriel watched the exchange and envied the young woman in his friend's arms. He did not need the protection, but most of his life had been void of the devotion. Except for the few short months eight years ago, he had lived all of his life with only physical pleasures to comfort him. Lifting Alena to his chest, Gabriel whispered, "Come, sleep with me." "I can walk," she murmured in a quiet voice. "We're already in my room," he chuckled laying her in his bed. "Sleep, my love," he whispered with a kiss to her hair as he curled his body behind hers, holding her in his arms. Several hours later, Alena awoke feeling lost and disoriented. Stretching in the bed, she recognized the wall of flesh behind her and his strong arms imprisoning her against his body. "As far as prisons go," she thought, "I'd take life without parole in this one." Feeling her movements, Gabriel tightened his embrace, "Stay with me. You've already slept most of the day with me, in my bed. Please give me just a couple more hours of this." Alena continued struggling against his arm until he relented and relaxed his hold. She smiled at his obvious confusion and pleasure when, instead of rising from the bed, she turned in his arms to lay her face against his bare chest. "Gabe, I'm sorry," she said wrapping her arm around his waist, "I have to wiggle around when I'm in bed. Is that going to be a problem?" she asked pressing a kiss to his heart. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 04 Iona awoke late in the afternoon, feeling her energy rising as the sun was setting. Knowing that Edward was awake and watching her, she stretched dramatically while gently rolling her hips against his. After a month as a vampire, she was amazed at the high level of energy and desire for him she had when she woke every afternoon. Although she remembered nothing of her human life, she was confident that she had never been a morning person, so she was certainly suited for this life. Smiling to herself, she realized that any woman would choose to be the eternal mate of Edward King, over the mortal life which could be summed up with work, debt and death. Wondering how she ever survived as a human, she concluded that her sister must have carried most of the burden. Anyone could tell that they were complete opposites but yet she loved the woman the minute she entered the mansion. Every day during the past month was full of new experiences, and while the hours were filled with luxury and passion, she had never felt at ease. When Alena walked through the front door, Iona knew that she was finally home. Her sister had been so confident, never afraid, and handled the situation like a pro -- just like Edward. More than once, Iona had reflected how Edward and Alena would have been more compatible but there had been no signs of attraction between the two. Well, there were no signs of interest on Alena's part. That woman was apparently consumed with Gabriel, and while she would admit that he was gorgeous, he looked even more dangerous. When Alena had first entered their home, her appearance fit the profile of a middle aged spinster arriving in her employment as a new nanny. But when Gabriel had carried her into their suite last night, Iona had felt Edward's instant approval of whatever he was viewing. When the pressure of his hand against her back increased, Iona looked at Edward's eyes and saw them roaming over something in appreciation. Turning to get a look, she watched Alena slide down Gabriel's body as he set her on her feet. The massive robe she was wearing, obviously belonging to her host, was open and exposing a petit body with curves and pale, creamy flesh. Her hair, which had been hidden in that hideous knot earlier, was now a mahogany veil of curls wrapping down to her hips. Suddenly frustrated at Edward's admiration of another woman and his current silence, she pouted and sighed loudly. "I was merely appreciating and understanding my best friend's attraction to your sister," Edward interrupted her thoughts, "My best friend," he added while twisting and pinning her beneath him, "that you consider gorgeous." His eyes slit into a mock glare. Knowing that he was teasing her and consumed with her immediate need to feel in him inside her, she raised her hips up to him, teasing him with the moisture that signaled her desire, and then stopped to look him directly in the eye. The next move would be his. "Sleep well, my love?" he asked in his slow, deliberate tone that revealed no indication of the perilous hold on his control. "Oh yeah," she returned meeting his challenge by refusing to move. Edward and Iona continued staring at each other, motionless, knowing that this playful torment would not last much longer. When she exhaled slowly, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I haven't survived all of these centuries to lose to a newborn." "But," she said, with a very small motion against his waiting body, "In all of those centuries, you've never wanted anyone, especially a newborn, as much as you want me." "I don't just want you," he confessed, "I need you." His confession flashed through her body as a fire searching for oxygen to continue burning. She began an erratic gyration, trying to give him access to her body. Laughing he held her hips as he lowered he face to hers, "I told you that I wouldn't lose." "Shut up," she growled between clinched teeth struggling to move her hips. "I assume that you had no bad dreams." "Edward," she groaned. "Remind me to thank your sister." "Do you have any idea how much I need you to fuck me and you want to talk about my sister?" "She probably wouldn't appreciate it either," he agreed and with the speed and skill of his age, species and experience, Edward pressed her knees up to her chest and, with one thrust, sank into her depths rewarded with a scream of pleasure from his mate. Withdrawing slowly, he said, "Now, tell me how much you need me to fuck you." In a separate wing of the mansion, Alena moaned in her sleep responding to the erotic vision playing in her dream. Although the couple starring in her X-rated feature was blurred and indistinct, their caresses and moans revealed their sweet intimacy. Through the haze of the dream, Alena realized that she was not watching them as a couple, but rather, she was looking through the eyes of the woman, pinned under the man, feeling his caresses and moaning in a plea for more. As indiscernible words were exchanged, the man moved with unnatural speed, positioned her knees to her chest, and looked her directly in the eye. Alena realized that she was staring into the face of Edward King. Eyes snapping open, she quickly sat up in bed and screamed, "Oh God!" "What the hell was that?" Gabriel demanded pulling away as though he had been shocked. Staring at each other in confusion, Alena soon realized that Gabriel had been trespassing in her mind, watching her dream. Almost simultaneously, she started blushing and he began laughing. Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes, he rolled away shaking in humor that was uncharacteristic of the Gabriel she knew. Because she loved the sound of his laughter, she moved past her shock and embarrassment to touch his shoulder and smile. "Gabe, promise me you won't tell him." "Tell him what?" he said catching his breath. "Tell him that his mate is a telepathic exhibitionist and her sister is the complimentary voyeur?" Stuttering through a faulty defense, Alena settled for the childish reply, "Well, you were watching too." "I was merely enjoying your reaction." With a blush, she turned her head and mumbled, "I wasn't having a reaction." Leaning toward her and slowly inhaling the scent of her arousal, he said, "Oh, I beg to differ." Realizing what he was doing she snapped, "That's just rude. Besides, the only reaction I'm having now is hunger pains," and thankfully her stomach rumbled in proof. "Any chance of breakfast in bed?" Pulling her into his arms, Gabriel playfully tugged her hair, bending her neck to one side and answered, "I have mine right here," and quickly pressed his lips to the pulse at her throat. "I could get use to this." Relaxing in his hold, she leaned back into him and savored the feeling of his touch. Was it just yesterday that she had started the day as she had with the same routine as the previous three months? Reminding herself that her sister had been safely returned boost her mood more than she had thought possible. Ok, maybe the girl was a different species, but that was acceptable. Feeling Gabe's arms protectively wrapped around her reminded her that being with him had been her impossible dream. Even at the peak of their relationship, they had never allowed themselves the privilege of crossing over into each other's normal lives. Alena could probably find her way around the mansion as well as any servant just from memory of Gabe's stories. Likewise, he had listened to her talk about her parents and siblings enough to have picked them out of a crowd. But their love had grown in the confines of his executive office at the hospital. They had never been seen together in public and had never sealed their relationship with more than a kiss. That truth brought Alena back to the reality that she had spent the night with Gabe and was even now enjoying their playful affection in his bed. As he released her, she turned to him found his lips with hers. Partially aware of her scant sleepwear and his boxer shorts as the only clothing separating their bodies, she hesitantly leaned into him in search of his heated skin. Gabriel's arousal soared at her acceptance of him and he pulled her even closer to him. She opened her mouth in response to the pressure from his tongue and tasted him as he delved into her mouth. With a moan, she pressed her breasts into him seeking something she could not define but knew that he could provide. Sensing her desire, he responded with a caress down her arm and across her hip. At the bottom of her camisole, he sought the soft skin hidden underneath and trailed his fingers up her spine. Slowly he moved up her back, pulling the shirt up her body. Moving his other arm around her back, he deepened the kiss, cradling her close to him. As she submitted to his movements, he moved his hand from her back around to her ribs tickling the groves and feeling her flesh shiver in response. Gently laying her on the bed, he held her body close as he cupped one breast in his palm. Gasping in the kiss, she opened her eyes to see his black eyes staring into hers. His gaze held those same promises made eight years ago, and she withdrew, afraid to hope. "Don't," he said cradling her face and staring into her eyes, "We've been given a second chance to be together forever." "Gabe," she started, "I have a job." "You're fired." "Funny," she smiled at him, "I have bills and need a job to pay them." "They are already paid." "What about the hospital?" she hesitated, "I know everyone is expendable, but I really like my job." "You can do your job from home. Here" He emphasized looking around the room. "Like I do." "In bed?" she said mimicking his survey around the room. "No," he said with a wink. "This is where you can repay me for your debts, with interest of course." As though considering his next words with care, he moved away from her to sit against the headboard. "Alena, only you and I are allowed in this bed, in person and in conversation. I've waited eight years for this. For us." Crawling to him, Alena stroked her fingers down his jaw and replied, "No discussing the hospital?" she teased with her fingertips. "No." "We won't talk about vampire kingdoms?" moving down his throat. "Never." "Or vampire kings?" she continued drifting her fingers down his chest. "My love," He grabbed her hand bringing her fingers to his lips, "You were the one that brought him here this morning." "Oh!" she exclaimed in instant embarrassment scooting away from him. "Can you promise to leave your sister out of this room?" he asked pulling her into his lap. "I promise," she vowed and sought his mouth once more. When his cell phone rang, she pulled back and raised an eyebrow in a mock question of their very recent vows. "Hey," he started his defense, "I haven't had time to inform everyone." And then added in a serious tone, "Sorry baby, this will be the only exception, but I do need to answer this call." Alena enjoyed a secret pleasure watching Gabriel pace the room, quickly asking questions and processing the answers. After politely refusing his request to join him in the shower, she stretched back into the bed and contemplated her human life in this vampire world. Certainly a building this size would contain a fitness room or some sort of recreational facility. She would find an appropriate area for work and began mentally listing the items she would need from her office. When Gabe stepped out of the master bathroom wrapped in only towel, she postponed her thoughts of work in exchange for appreciating the current view. "Have I ever told you how much I love your mind?" Gabe said interrupting her musings. "Oh," she said dropping her face. "Sorry." "Please stop doing that." "What?" "Apologizing for everything." "Sorry." He glared at her and said with a sigh, "Baby, I'll try to return as soon as possible but I will probably be gone for a few hours. Please remember to stay near my suites and don't leave unless you're with your sister." "Ok." "I'll have some clothes brought in for you and arrange a time for you to meet with a tailor to get a wardrobe put together." "Gabe," she said stopping him at the bedroom door, "thanks." After a long stare, he nodded to her and exited the suite. Alena sat up and weighed the options of spending the day in bed or taking a relaxing soak in the jetted tub. Not wanting to face the maid while wrapped up in the sheets on Gabriel's bed, she quickly opted for the bath and then trying to contact her sister. An hour later, Alena, wrapped in towel, emerged from the bathroom amazed at the wealth and luxury that Gabe had acquired. While he currently resided in Alexander's home, Gabriel had told her of several residences that he owned on every continent. In the past, he had told her of the views from his various bedrooms facing oceans, mountains, desserts, and, her favorite, waterfalls. Looking towards the bed, Alena noticed that the housekeepers had already straightened the suite. On the now neatly made bed there laid a simple sage green dress, necessary under garments, and a pair of matching pumps. Quickly removing the towel, she grabbed the panties and relished the feel of the silky material against her body. After she had finished clasping the hooks of the bra, she gently picked up the dress and realized that it deceivingly appeared simple. The tailored cut and shape signified an expensive garment made from fine material. Wondering how Gabriel would have had a garment tailored made for her, Alena pulled the dress over her head and slowly let it slide down her body. When she was fully clothed, she grabbed the towel, sat on the edge of the bed and began drying her hair. Returning her thoughts to her sister, she contemplated the appropriate process of contacting her. As though summoned, Iona knocked quickly on the door to Gabriel's suite, and entered announcing her arrival, "Hello?" "Hey," Alena answered walking out of the bedroom, "Give me a sec to get my shoes on." When she returned to the living room, she noticed that Iona was still standing in the same position with a questioning look on her face. "What's up, Ona?" "Uh, which is you?" she started, "the nanny or the model?" "What?" "How did you change so much in less than twenty-four hours?" she asked and then realizing her sister's confusion, grabbed her hand and walked her back into the bedroom to stand in front of the full length mirror. Pointing to their reflections, Iona asked again, "How did you change into that?" Stunned to the point of silence, Alena stared at her reflection in amazement. Even when Gabriel had declared her beautiful so many years ago, she knew that he was seeing her personality overshadowing her plain features. Now, her hazel eyes were bright and her hair was rich, dark brown with a shine that glowed as a halo over her curls. The dress she was wearing complimented her dark hair and pale, cream skin while hugging the curves of her body. The hem touched the top of her knee revealing the athletic legs with calves flexed in the matching pumps. The overall effect was stunning. Tearing her gaze away from the reflection, Alena told her sister, "Maybe this place is magical. Of course, I don't look nearly as good as you." "Yeah," Iona added with a wink, "You don't." "Nice," Alena smirked, "So what have you been doing toda..."and then paused in memory of how she had witnessed Iona and Edward starting their day. "What?" Iona asked at her sister's hesitation. "Are you having a good day? So far? I mean, with whatever you do here..." "Yeah," studying her older sister's blushing face. "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing," Alena answered quickly leading them out of the bedroom. "What's on schedule for the day?" "I could show you around the house." "Sounds good. And I could use some breakfast," Alena hinted. "Me too," Iona responded, "If you'd change, then you could join me with a glass." "A bagel would be fine." "Fine," Iona agreed as they exited Gabriel's suite. As they caught the elevator and traveled down several floors, Alena started resuming the questions from earlier that day, "So if Edward refused to feed and kill you, how did he manage to sire you." "Well obviously, he didn't." "He didn't?" "No, draining the life blood is a vow of the New Kingdom but changing a human to an immortal requires permission. He didn't cave in on either." "Then who changed you?" "I don't know. I truly remember nothing before waking as a vampire," Iona answered with obvious frustration in her voice. "The first face I remember seeing is Edward's. He was holding me, with his wrist slashed and pressed against my mouth." "So you were given to him, taken away, sired by another vampire but rescued by Edward?" Alena asked for clarification. "God, no wonder you've had it tough adjusting." "The second face I saw was your boy, Gabriel," Iona continued. "He stood behind Edward, glaring at me like I was the biggest pain in the ass he'd ever had. And he's continued to treat me like that for a month." "I can't imagine what he thought when he discovered that you were my sister," Alena mused to herself. "So, you've been a vampire for only a month?" "Yes, why?" "You've been missing for three months." "According to Edward, I had needle marks on my arms when he first saw me. Whether those were self inflicted or not, I don't know. I appeared to have had a great amount of sex and drugs when I was thrown in the cell with him. I'm sorry to tell you that." "No," Alena interjected, "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you." "Hey, I don't remember and we are both better off now, so let's not dwell on it." "Agreed," Alena said then realizing they were exited the elevator, asked, "Where are we?" "Killing two birds with one stone," her sister answered. "There's someone you need to meet and I can get breakfast at his place. Don't tell Edward, but Cassian's blood taste better." "Uh," Alena hesitated in the hall, "You mean you're going to feed from him?" "Hell no!" Iona laughed, "Edward would be angry to know that I'm drinking from another man's refrigerator. If he thought I was laying my lips on another's man neck, he would probably peel my skin off my body." "Ok, then," Alena said slowly once again walking down the corridor. "Since you mentioned Edward getting angry, I would really like to stress something to you." Stopping to turn her sister towards her, she finished, "I cannot stress enough that you cannot fuck this up." "Don't be silly," Iona laughed. "Lia..." Turning on her sister and grabbing her neck, she yelled, "I'm not Lia, damn it!" "I'm sorry," Alena said with fear in her eyes. "Old habit, it won't happen again." Realizing that she was nearly holding the other woman off the floor, Iona quickly removed her hand but balanced her sister so she would not fall. "No," she said, "I'm sorry. I can't explain it. Edward has never seen anything like this. I need to feed." Silently they continued walking until Iona reached the door to their destination. Knocking loudly, she announced their arrival, "Cassian, it's Iona. I've brought someone that I'd like you to meet." Almost immediately, the door was opened and the two women were greeted by a vampire that was obviously Cassian. On first glance at him, Alena stepped back in fear. She instantly did not like this man that had enraptured her sister. He was nowhere as tall as Gabriel and Edward. His small eyes were black and too close together giving him the appearance of looking down his crooked nose in disgust at his guests. Totally bald, his skin was so thin and pale that it seemed transparent and fragile. Matching the sickly, tone of his skin, his lips contained absolutely no color giving the impression that he had none. Finally, he was dressed entirely in black from his business suite, shirt, and tie to his polished shoes. His smile held no warmth but only revealed the yellowed, crooked teeth. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 04 Impeccable would be the best word to describe his attire. Fearsome would be the best word to describe his appearance. "Well, hello," he greeted them with a strong, indiscernible accent. "Won't you come in?" "Thanks, Cass," Iona said in reply as she breezed through the door. "Got a glass for me?" "Of course my dear," then looking at Alena he continued his answer, "Of course, you sister has promised to keep our secret, yes?" "She's cool," Iona said returning with a tall goblet filled to the brim with a dark red liquid. "I told her that he'd kill me and she happens to like me, so she'll keep me alive." "Excellent," he said with a too cheerful tone. "So, Alena, will you too be joining us as a new creation?" "I'm sorry, a what?" she stammered, "Do you mean as a vampire?" "Vampire?" Cassian asked with disgust in his tone. "Is that what we are? Some horrible, fictitious character easily destroyed by water blessed by a priest, or by the mere sight of that religious symbol, a cross?" Taking Alena by the arm, Cassian escorted her further into his apartment and began to explain, "We, my dear, are the great product of the New Kingdom: the third creation." As he talked, Iona drained her glass and closed her eyes. A smile spread across her face as she listened to the voice explaining the purpose for their existence to her sister. Cassian would tell Alena exactly what she needs to know and nothing more. As she raised her head to look at her sister, her eyes opened with a strange, wild glint in them. Watching the human listen to Cassian created a new, insatiable hungry burning in her throat. As she slowly approached them, Iona searched for the sound of the human's heartbeat and then Cassian turned to look at her. His face held a smile. His eyes delivered punishment. Cringing in pain, Iona ran from the room without her sister noticing. "I'm sorry," Alena answered Cassian, "I truly do not know the history nor do I claim to understand. Gabriel never really offered any information, so my choice of words could certainly be wrong." Turning away from Cassian, she removed her arm from his grasp and looked for her sister. "Where did Iona go?" "For seconds, I imagine. The girl is quite insatiable," he added with a wicked wink. Pulling away from Cassian, Alena walked toward the door to put maximum distance between them. "Ready to go?" Iona asked returning to the room. "Yes, I would really enjoy seeing the rest of the house and," she added with a pat to her stomach, "I still need food." "Sure. Well Cassian, thanks for the hospitality. We'll see you around," she waved bye and walked with her sister out the door. "Jeez, Ona," Alena said when the door was shut and they had walked several feet away from the threshold, "That guy is creepy." "Oh yeah," Iona replied, "But he's got a great supply and that outweighs his whole super freak, monster look." "Where are we now?" Alena asked. "I wanted to show you the fitness room before we head back up to the main floor." "Excellent. If I ever get to eat, I'll need somewhere to burn the calories." "After you," Iona said holding the door open for her sister. As Alena passed by, Iona's eyes once again assumed the wild glint that roamed over her sister's body. Quickly, she inhaled the sweet aroma of her sister's blood. The scent was unlike any she had known in her short vampire life. This human had been promised to her. Of course, she would not have her first, but that was fine because she would devour the last drop of the succulent blood coursing through her veins. Sensing that the others had arrived, Iona said, "Tell you what, take a look around and I'll find a phone to request some food be brought down for you. I'll be back in a minute." And before Alena could respond, her sister had disappeared. Attributing her nervousness to meeting Cassian, Alena moved through the fitness room admiring the various pieces of equipment. When she had progressed to the wall opposite from the door, she had the unmistakable feeling that she was no longer alone. Turning quickly, she saw no one but her own reflection in the various mirrors on the walls. With an audible roar, the fluorescent lights were extinguished, drowning the room in pitch blackness. Immediately terrified, Alena dropped her head and contemplated screaming. Before she could make a sound, a hand covered her mouth pulling her head back painfully. A man's voice growled in her ear, "Just be patient baby, we'll give you a better workout than any of this equipment." Feeling more hands on her body, Alena tried to push them away succeeding in only making her tormentors laugh at her feeble attempts at self defense. When one was brave enough to reach under her skirt, she mentally called out to Gabriel for the first time in eight years. The voice beside her ear said, "You'll be such a tasty snack. We had to flip a coin to see who would go first. I won," he added emphasizing his victory by running his wide tongue up the length of her neck. The next seconds threw Alena's senses into shock. The bright fluorescent lights were blinding, the fear of her predicament made her immobile and mute, and the sound of Gabriel's roar actually hurt her ears. Her captors immediately released their hold dropping her like a rag to the floor. As she regained her control, she could now count the three captors and see that Gabriel was not alone. Edward stood with him looking nearly as outraged. Iona was at the door beside the man who had greeted them when she and Gabriel had arrived last night. Dropping her head, Alena registered sounds of fists making contact with bodies, the men screaming and Iona's crying. Hearing his voice instructing the man by the door to take her somewhere, Alena looked up and saw Gabriel in his true nature. He had removed his jacket and tie, wearing a white shirt which made his chest seem even more impossibly large. He held two of the men by their necks with their feet swinging several inches off the floor. Edward had the third man in a similar hold. But it was Gabriel's eyes that held her attention. The normal black eyes were now shining with an unrelenting fierceness. Suddenly, she was lifted off the floor and whisked away from the scene. As she was carried into the elevator car, she heard the unmistakable sound of screams, bones breaking, and then a deathly silence. When Gabriel slammed through the door entering his apartment, he stopped short when he saw Iona sitting on his couch. "Why did you leave her?" he yelled. "You were supposed to protect her." "I don't remember what happened." "I'm not ensnared with you as my friend is. I'm not buying your excuse of amnesia." "Gabriel," Edward said walking in behind him, "Check on Alena. Make sure that she's ok." "Where is she?" he asked Iona. "In the shower." Walking into his bathroom, Gabriel was greeted with a scene that he thought would never happen. Had he not begged her to join him here? Wasn't it just a few hours ago that he promised her a sanctuary in his home? Now, she was kneeling under the strong spray of his shower, fully dressed, crying in fear. Her pain made him want to return to those rebels and ripped their bodies into smaller pieces. They were destroyed, never harming anyone again but their ending had hardly satisfied his need for justice. Reaching into the stall, Gabriel turned off the water and lifted Alena into his arms. She flinched at his first touch but relaxed when she saw it was him. Once again, he vowed to identify the infiltration of rebels and destroy any one and every one sympathetic to their cause. Carrying Alena to the bench, he sat down holding her in his lap. As he started to undress her, she pulled away and looked at him with a mixture of fear, embarrassment and something else. "I'm sorry," she said. "What?" "I'm sorry that you had to kill them. They are one of you, Edward's people. If I wasn't here, this wouldn't have happened." "Alena," Gabe said holding her face close enough that he could clearly see her eyes, "There is no toleration for their behavior. We protect our women. But they were more than rapists; they were there to destroy you, thereby destroying me." Laying her head on his shoulder she said, "I love you." "I love you." "And now I'm getting you wet," she said with regret as she looked at his suit. "I really wish it were me getting you wet," he said and quickly kissed her lips. "Then your wish comes true," she confessed, "all the time." Removing her remaining clothes, he wrapped her in his robe that she had worn earlier and carried her into the bedroom. Sitting her on the edge of the bed, he placed his hands on the side of her face, tilting her head so that she was looking at him. "Baby, look at me. I need to know that you're ok," he hesitated. "What did they do?" "Nothing," she answered dropping her eyes. "Let your mind tell me." Seeing the contact that revolted her, he inwardly smiled at her modesty. While he hated that man for daring to put his tongue on her, he was thankful that no other body parts had invaded her. Gently turning her face, he pressed his lips to Alena's neck and kissed the length where the other man had trespassed. Feeling her relax, he gently stroked his tongue over the same path, not mimicking the other, but rather branding her as belonging to him. When she leaned into his body, he summoned the power to rest her mind and, with a gentle stroke down her hair, placed her body into a welcomed slumber. He lifted her and carried her into the living room where Edward and Iona sat on separate ends of the couch, silent, waiting for them. "Is she ok?" Edward asked. "She will be," Gabriel responded. "Eight years ago," Edward started, "what happened?" "I had you and she had her," Gabriel answered with a nonchalant nod of his head toward Iona. "Explain," Edward ordered. "You had just accepted your position on the council and had asked me to stay, so I couldn't leave," he explained. "And Alena had a sick brother and juvenile delinquent sister that needed her and these two would not," he added with a pointed look directed at Iona, "have adjusted to life in the mansion." "How do you know?" Iona asked, insulted. "When I met your sister, you had just been expelled from your third school in two years," he explained with no comfort laced in his words. "Only three months ago, you left town with a man that you had just met, knowing that she'd be worried and try to move mountains to find you." "Gabriel," Edward warned, "I'll find out what happened but don't overstepped your bounds." "No," Gabriel promised his friend, "I'll find out what happened," he then turned to Iona, "and who is responsible." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 05 Alena woke in Gabriel's bed confused and alone. Feeling as though she had been drugged, she vigorously rubbed her face and tried to focus on her last memory. As she remembered the attack, her heart started beating faster and her breath became short and shallow. Instantly, Gabriel was through the door and gathering her in his arms. "Alena," he consoled her. "You're safe in my room. Try to not think about it. No one will ever hurt you again." As Gabriel rocked her in his lap, Alena's fears subsided and she regained control of her emotions. "I'm sorry." "I told you to stop saying that." "I can't. I don't understand what's happening but I feel like I'm causing all of these problems." "Alena," she said softly, "When you're ready, I want you to tell me everything that happened. But for now, we need to take care of you." "Gabe," she started shyly, "I'm very hungry." "I haven't taken very good care of you so far, have I?" he confessed in a question. "Come; let me redeem myself for the neglect." "You've hardly neglected me." "You think?" he asked helping her from the bed. When Alena realized that she was naked, she pulled away from him and reached for the sheet. Before she could grab the cover, Gabriel pulled her into his arms and held her against his body. She was torn between running for cover and feeling his touch. Gently stroking her face with his finger tips, Gabriel held her close roaming his hand up and down her body. As he stroked down her back, he continued down to slide his hand over her firm, shapely bottom. Pulling her closer to him, he lifted her up against his hard erection and sighed against her face. "Never be shy with me," he whispered in her ear. "Very soon, we will bring this torment to an end." "When?" Setting her back from him, Gabriel quickly produced a red, silk robe and covered her. "The Council meets in two days. During the meeting, I will request permission to change you," he informed her watching her face for any expression. "Eight years ago, you agreed to become my life mate." "But then everything fell apart," she reminded him with a gentle quiver to her voice. "We didn't," he declared. "Other people separated us. Could you allow that again?" he asked with apparent trepidation. "No," Alena vowed and sealed her promise by standing on her toes to reach her arms around his neck and pull his mouth down to hers. Accepting her invitation, Gabriel pulled into his arms, relishing the feeling of knowing that, once again, they were planning to be together. This time, no one could separate them. Hoping he would never be forced to make a choice, he knew that his loyalty to Edward and the New Kingdom would never again separate him from Alena. He could only wish that she would never choose her sister over him. "Now, let's get you some food," Gabriel said guiding her from the bedroom to the kitchen. "I've had the refrigerator and pantry stocked with food, which is a new experience for this room." "I appreciate the consideration." "I'll have room made in the closet for your clothes too, for as long as we are here." "Where else would we be?" she asked surveying the contents of the refrigerator then deciding on scrambled eggs and toast. "Obviously, we will move to another house," he carefully explained, "for privacy." Realizing the need for their privacy, Alena blushed but smiled at him. Grabbing the necessary ingredients and utensils, she focused on making her meal. As she moved around the kitchen, Gabriel studied each motion and gesture she made. Finally deciding on the one task in which he could assist, he walked to the coffee machine and reached for the beans to grind and brew. At the small kitchen table, Alena placed her plate before her seat as Gabriel followed with the steaming cups of coffee. She smiled at him before digging in to the first food she had eaten since the sandwich on her first night in the mansion. Savoring scrambled eggs seemed a bit over exaggerated, but she was sure that this food was the best she had ever eaten. Gabriel watched her with interest as she speared the repulsive looking clump of eggs onto her fork and rolled her eyes in appreciation. How anyone could enjoy the mutilated, congealed embryos was beyond his understanding but the movement of her mouth enclosing around the fork and the moans of pleasure were enough proof for him to note the recipe to memory. He would certainly provide anything that provided her that much happiness. While Alena enjoyed her meal, she was very aware of Gabriel's interest in her actions. Cautioning herself to slow down so she did not look like a wild beast tearing apart its prey, she tried for daintier bites but gave in to the hunger that demanded more. Looking back at Gabriel, she wondered which she craved more, the food or him. He had told her that their torment would end in two days and while she could understand his desire to be away from the mansion during her change, she could not understand why they had to wait any longer for sex. "Because we need to take this slow," he answered her thoughts. Blushing again, Alena dropped her eyes to her empty plate and asked quietly, "Haven't we been taking it slow?" Then bringing her eyes to his, she asked "Are we trying to set a new, world record?" "As I said," he answered pulling onto his lap, "Torment." He then kissed her brow and explained, "We need a considerable amount of time alone." "So why not now?" she offered quietly, "We're alone right now," she stated simply while wrapping her arms around his neck. Narrowing his eyes as he looked towards the door, Gabriel said, "No, actually we are not." Suddenly Edward was walking into the kitchen staring at Alena. "I need to talk to her," he said to Gabriel but continue to bore his eyes into hers. "Do I get to talk to your mate?" Gabriel countered in an unfriendly tone. "Damn it, Gabriel!" Edward roared, "Every fucking thing in my life is falling apart and you need to act like a bastard." Holding Alena close to his chest to shield her eyes from Edward, Gabriel replied, "She is the only thing in my life. I lost her once for king and duty. I will not make that mistake again," he said with explained dryly. "She was an innocent victim last night. If you want answers, let us talk with your mate." "Why do you hate her so much?" Edward asked in desperation. "What makes you so sure that Iona is involved in this?" "I told you," Gabriel said, as though repeating his account to a child, "When I heard Alena call me for help, I leaped down the stairwell. I found Iona pressed against the door to the gym, laughing as though she were enjoying that fact that her sister was being attacked." "Surely, you misunderstood what you saw." "Edward," Gabriel said placing his hand on the man's forearm, "Even you saw her trying to fight me from entering that room." Alena had heard this exchange with her face pressed against Gabriel's chest. Trusting his words, she knew that her fears had just been confirmed. The girl barely favored her sister, and although they had shared a few laughs, Iona was indeed not Lia. "Gabriel," Edward finally pleaded, "Please let your girl tell us everything so we can know how this treachery occurred." Silently contemplating Edward's request, Gabriel stroked Alena's hair as both a gently gesture of comfort but also for his assurance that she was indeed unharmed from last night's events. "I'll tell you everything," Alena offered turning in Gabriel's arms, "But first, you both must promise that you won't hurt her." Looking at each other in confusion and then to Alena, the men said in harmony, "Are you serious?" "Baby, she tried to stop me from getting to you." "I know," she answered, "And while she may be different and not care for me, I can't help it. She's my sister and I love her." Braving eye contact with Edward, she asked, "Will you please promise to not hurt her? She said that you would be angry." "I promise," Edward quickly answered ignoring his friend's raised brow. Gabriel knew him too well. If angered enough, Edward would immediately find a loophole to his promise and serve adequate justice. "My dear," he responded, "tell us what happened." When Alena continued to be quiet, Gabriel turned her face back to his chest and laid her head against his heart. Years ago, she had told him how the preternatural rhythm of his heart was soothing as a lullaby. Now, he hoped that the sound of his heart and the feeling of his arms around her would assure her that she was safe. He hated to ask her to relive last night's attack, but Edward was right, they needed to know how the events occurred. "My love," Gabriel said to her, "We need to know exactly what happened. And the best way to tell us is for you to remember every detail. You do not need to speak. Just hold onto me while you think about everything from the beginning." Slowly nodding, Alena tightened her grip around his back. Starting from the exit of Gabriel's apartment, she remembered the elevator ride, struggled through the memory of Iona's anger when she had called her by the wrong name, the visit to Cassian and finally the scene in the fitness room. Once a comforting sound to her, Gabe's heartbeat accelerated and alarmed Alena. Finally concluding with her memory of Gabriel finding her in the shower, she took a deep breath and refused to remember any more. Hearing Edward groan loudly, Alena slowly turned to face him afraid of his wrath. Expecting him to be red faced in anger, she was surprised to see his despair and agony. Edward, vampire king of America, was heartbroken. "Edward," Gabriel said, "It's not Cassian she wants but the blood he's giving her." "I'll fucking kill him!" Edward yelled slamming his fist into the table. Setting Alena in another chair, Gabriel caught his friend as he stood to leave the apartment. "Edward, I know you are angry. Just stop and think through this for one minute." "I don't need to think about anything," her roared, pushing Gabriel away from him. "I gave that fucker access to my home and he repays me by destroying my mate!" "Damn it, Edward, stop and listen to me for one minute." When Edward paused, Gabriel hurriedly continued, "Obviously Cassian was placed here to breach our defense. He's chosen your mate to be his weapon against you. Apparently, he influences Iona through the blood he gives her so something must be in the blood." "Go on," Edward said quietly. "The revolution taking place is not the result of infected blood," Gabriel reasoned to his friend. "It's only a method of attack used by the rebellion. Let us remove this contamination from the mansion, test a sample and then see what our adversaries try to do." "What about Iona?" Alena asked. "It seems that she continuously seeks the infected stock," Gabe reasoned, "so apparently she's not infected but just addicted." "Suddenly, you don't sound like quite the son of bitch where my mate is concerned," Edward said. "What can I say?" Gabriel asked with a smile, "She may not be the one I would have chosen for you, but you love her," he said to Edward while pulling Alena closer to him, "And that's good enough for me to fight for her." "What do we do?" Alena asked. "Quarantine her first," Gabriel said, cataloguing the necessary events in his mind, "Then, we'll need to gather the guards to clean house." "How will we avoid suspicion?" Edward inquired. "Let's start with Cassian's supply," Gabriel offered. "We'll counter the resistance first by announcing out discovery of the contamination and that all guests are potential victims so we are ensuring their safety as priority. Remove the blood and set up a supply service in the main kitchen. No private stock allowed." "Ok," Edward said apparently thinking it through in his mind. "What about Iona?" "You know what it will take," Gabriel answered. "Quarantine, interrogation and transfusion. You take care of her and I will take care of the supply." With a sincere smile to his friend, Gabriel added, "She will be fine. Be glad that we finally have the knowledge to help her." "Gabriel," Edward said hesitantly, "You know that I can't do this." "Then choose someone to do it for you." "I choose you." Gabriel stared at his best friend for several seconds before continuing, "Edward, you know what is required," purposely avoiding Alena's gaze, "Would you really stand by and let me interrogate your mate?" "What do you do?" Alena asked feeling the panic rise in her voice. Silence dominated the room as the men looked at Alena and then back to each other. She began to wonder if they would ever answer her when suddenly Edward took a seat at the table and reached for her hand. Looking to Gabriel for direction, she accepted his nod as encouragement to let Edward explain. "Alena," Edward started, "the system we use is comparable to an interaction of tough love combined with drug rehab but approximately a thousand times more intense," he paused as his eyes revealed the pain of his explanation. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "The quarantine is essentially placing Iona is a white room with no visual stimulation," he looked at her, "and no blood." "During this time, Iona will enter a stage of blood lust and probably resort to anything to feed," Edward said and then looked at Gabriel. "At that point, Gabriel will begin interrogating her and use any means to get the truth from her by either kindness or cruelty." "Cruelty?" Alena asked in a panic withdrawing her hand from Edward's grasp. "Gabe, no! She's my sister." "Trust me," he stroked her face, "When blood lust strikes, she will not be your sister." Turning to Edward, Gabriel repeated, "Choose someone else." "Alena," Edward implored, "Do you think I want him to hurt her? Gabriel knows that I will feel any pain he inflicts on her." "Then why ask him to do it?" She demanded. "Because of that very reason," Edward answered honestly. "He has sacrificed his life for mine. He would never intentionally hurt me; therefore, he would not hurt her." "After she is broken," Gabriel stopped and looked at Alena, quickly regretting his words, "After she has become agreeable, then we will do a complete transfusion, removing all tainted blood, even that of her sire." "That's a good thing, right?" "Unfortunately, for us, it's the most painful part," Gabriel confessed, realizing that all cards were now on the table. "Everything we are can be defined by blood. The most precious relationship a changeling has it that with their sire. We will remove everything important to her," he stated adamantly, "and hope Iona survives." "She could die?" Alena asked, feeling lightheaded. "No," Edward said, "but she could be altered again. As she changed from Lia into Iona, she could change from Iona to another." "Would you be her sire?" Alena asked Edward. "Yes." "Is this the only solution?" "Yes." "When does this start?" she asked in a quietly trying to hide her emotions. "Now," Edward answered and then looked at Gabriel. "I will have her moved to the white room now." Standing to leave, he hesitated before walking away. Turning to Alena, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "I know the woman that you love. When my plane crashed, I was held prisoner with no hope for escape. She was brought to me, but I couldn't harm her. After only a few words, she gave me hope to live when the odds were against me. Iona is not that woman. She is the one that I miss," he paused to kiss each of Alena cheeks. "And by the way, I'm beginning to see why they both need you." Then pulling back to look in her eyes, "Help me help her." Barely able to nod, Alena responded with the slight movement of her head and then Edward was gone. She stood staring at the seat he had vacated trying to decide what she should do or say. Finally bad timing or not, she decided that it was time for answers. "Gabe," she asked, finding the inner strength that had evaded her for the last eight years, "I need to know some things." Before he could respond, she sat at the table and held up her hands to stop him from interrupting. "Eight years ago, I called you a vampire. Because you didn't deny it, I thought you confirmed it," she said becoming more confident. "Last night, Cassian got pissed when I called him a vampire and said something about being the third creation. What did he mean?" Watching her face, Gabriel knew that she was not going to grant him a reprieve on this line of questioning, even with Edward waiting for him right now. Deciding that she needed the truth, he sat back in his chair and tried to find the beginning of his story. "Alena," he finally said, "Do you believe in God?" "Wha..."she stated, "Gabe, what are you talking about?" "Answer me." "Yes." "Tell me how you humans came to this existence." "God created Adam and Eve and the rest was a natural process." "And your Adam and Eve hold the exclusive rights to being created?" he asked with an arrogant grin. Watching his face and getting a little perturbed with his questions in response to her questions, she spat out, "Yes." "Do you believe in angels?" With a quick intake of breath, she asked, "You're an angel?" "No. Now answer the question." "Yes, I believe in angels." "So they were not created?" "Ah, damn it Gabe! My sister needs you and I just want a quick explanation!" "Do you believe angels were created?" he patiently continued. Realizing that she would only get answers by answering his questions, Alena answered, "Yes, angels were created." "Ah, so we have created angels and created humans. What happened to them?" "Angels rebelled and God kicked some out of heaven. Adam and Eve disobeyed so God kicked them out of the Garden of Eden," frustrated she starting losing her patience. "What does this have to do with anything?" "The first creation failed, they were condemned to serve the second creation. Then the second failed and were ordered serve the third," he looked at her as though she were daft for not catching the implication. "Guardian angels have lost their freedom to protect teenagers who speed in cars while not wearing seatbelts," he explained, "that's hardly a promotion." "When the humans failed, a third creation was made that incorporated all of the desired qualities of the first two: immortality, power, life, and passion," he added with a meaningful glance down her body. "Just as the first two creations, we were given rules to follow. But just as the first two, some of my kind believes that the rules keep us from achieving more power." "Over the centuries, we have been called many things, vampires being the most popular," he explained. "Most of us don't mind, since our existence depends on the willingness of humans to feed us, we have allowed them to romanticize the issue." "Ok, so there are some from the third creation that want to revolt as Lucifer and Adam did?" Alena carefully asked. "Yes," Gabriel answered obviously pleased with her ability to follow his account. "But there are some significant differences in our creation," he added. "Most importantly, the creation consisted of seven immortals, or vampires as you called me. Six of these were called kings and one was designated as the great general, who would lead the armies of all six kings in order to ensure unity." "Let me guess," Alena said with a smile, "You're the general?" "Right again," he said, "And together, we seven are the third creation. Other members of the New Kingdom are only possible by a human changing. It's one last chance for a condemned species to be reunited with their creator." "This is a joke!" Alena declared standing up so quickly her chair fell back. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 05 "Think about it. Does anything else make sense?" "And I thought I knew everything about you and all of this," she stated waving her arms around the room, "I've known nothing!" she finished with a sarcastic laugh. "You've understood everything you needed to know about me and how this house functions." "Is there more?" "There's always more. Thousands of years of history, vision and mission of the New Kingdom can hardly be explained and understood in a few minutes." Sighing with resignation, Gabriel added, "You should have some new clothes on the bed. Please get dressed; we need to get moving if I'm going to help your sister." "Oh God," Alena said remembering the description of Iona's treatment, "Do you expect me to watch?" "No," he answered, "I expect you to sit under Edward's watchful eye while I'm away. He is the only person that I trust to protect you. Nodding in understanding, Alena walked into the bedroom to get ready. When she looked at the bed, a new set of clothes was laid out with matching shoes. Today's outfit was a matching black vest and skirt that tastefully combined sporty and dignified. "I don't know how he gets this done," Alena mumbled out loud and then laughed. "The man is a freaking world army general; certainly he can relay the measurements of one insignificant human." "There is nothing insignificant about this human," Gabriel said suddenly appearing behind her, "My human," he declared, wrapping his arms around her. When she turned in his arms, he pressed his forehead to hers and reminded her, "Soon, my love, soon our torment will be over." When she was dressed, they walked from his apartment to Edward's. Finding Edward sitting on the couch alone, Gabriel explained why he needed to leave Alena there while he went to Iona. Unable to speak, Edward merely nodded and gestured to an armchair that Alena interpreted as an invitation to sit. Gabriel pulled her to him for one more kiss and then left them to begin his dreaded task. Sitting together in silence, Edward and Alena acknowledged each with a look and then dropped their eyes to their laps to begin their vigil. The long night was just beginning and although neither knew exactly what would happen, they both knew that it would be excruciatingly painful. Through their commonality of a love they shared for one woman and for one man, they began forming their own eternal bond of friendship. Gabriel stepped from the elevator and walked down the vacant corridor contemplating his plan of attack. He stopped before the door to the white room and wondered if he could be half as calm as Edward if the roles were reversed. Shaking his head, he mentally blocked himself from reading Alena's mind and Edward from reading his. There was nothing he could do to block Edward's connection to Iona. That link would be his best friend's pain. Taking a deep breath, he turned the door knob and walked into the biggest challenge he had faced in his existence. The sight that greeted him robbed him of his breath. The beautiful woman, whom he would have soon called sister, was sitting on the floor in the first phase of her rehabilitation. Her hair was mussed as though she had been twisted strands of it into knots. Her clothes were torn as though invisible scissors had slashed through the garment repeatedly. But it was her face that stopped Gabriel from approaching her. Her blood lust induced by the depravation and aggravated by the tainted blood, was the worst he had ever seen. Her mouth hung open, ready for any nourishment spared her way and her fangs were bared ready to attack her prey. Her eyes, wild and glinting, resembled those of the insane who had been held in solitary confinement for years. Had he not just talk to Edward, he would have thought this pitiful creature had been locked away to starve several days ago. Resolving to be successful in this task, Gabriel looked at his ward and started the interrogation. "You," he commanded, "tell me your name." "Please, sir," the raspy voice begged, "have mercy on me. Please feed me." "Tell me your name," he repeated. "I have not fed for days," she continued. "If I just had a little blood, I promise to answer your questions." "Tell me your name," he patiently instructed for the third time. In less than a second, Iona moved from the floor to circle Gabriel and jump on his back. As she wrestled to reach his neck with her fangs, he maneuvered her around and pinned her arms behind her back. Holding her in place, he quietly listened as she screamed and cried. "Tell me your name," he finally commanded again. "I won't tell you shit!" she yelled in response. "I will never break to you worthless cowards." "Tell me your name." "No!" Throwing her across the room as though she were a pillow, Gabriel watched her body hit the wall and slide to the floor. No matter who called her mate, he was not about to let his guard down. Walking the length of the farthest wall from her, he continued to repeat his command. Each command was answered with a scream or curse. After several hours, Gabriel finally moved to the next stage. "I'm leaving now. If you do not tell me your name, then I have no choice but to leave you here to starve and die alone." As he walked to the door, Iona jumped up and followed him with a sincere look of panic. "Wait," she begged. "Don't leave me." Without another glace in her direction, Gabriel exited the room and moved to the viewing window unseen by Iona. He watched the pitiful creature, pace the cell quickening her steps until she threw her body into the door. The sounds of bones breaking could be heard through the mirror and Gabriel cringed to think of the pain Edward was now starting to suffer. She stood with an awkward posture that indicated a dislocated shoulder. She continued walking and screaming until exhaustion claimed her and she could move no more. Using his preternatural abilities, Gabriel kept her nervous system over stimulated denying her body the sleep it craved. At the first signs of her breaking, Gabriel returned to the room and looked down at her shivering form huddled on the floor. When he began repeating his original command, she screamed at a volume that would have damaged human eardrums. "Why do you torment me?" she asked. "Do you know what he will do to you for this?" "Who?" Gabriel asked. "My master," she started and then turned her head to the side as though listening to another's voice. "No! Please don't! I've told him nothing," she begged as tears poured from her eyes. "What is your name?" Running the perimeter of the room, Iona began chanting, "I won't say my name. I won't say my name." "Tell me your name." With the power of an aged creature, she leaped on Gabriel and clawed at his face. When she managed to break his skin, she paused as she savored the smell of his blood. If her previous stage of blood lust was bad, her next elevation was almost beyond his control. With growls and hissing, she snapped at him trying to get her mouth close to his injuries that were quickly healing. Finally needing to stop her, Gabriel slapped her face hard watching her neck snap to the side from the impact. In one final attempt, Gabriel yelled, "Tell me your name!" Looking again to the side, Iona grabbed the sides of her head and yelled as though in pain. "No! I've told him nothing! I didn't fail you; those bastards you sent for her failed you!" Discerning that she was at the mercy of someone, most likely a sire, Gabriel quickly changed tactics. "Tell me your name, and I will feed you." Instantly, she stopped her crying and looked at him as though trying to decide if he was tricking her. When she opened her mouth, she stopped and turned again to the side. Her eyes opened in terror as though she were watching the most horrible scene ever. Her fear paralyzed her body as she stood deathly still watching the horror. In all of his years, Gabriel had never witness such abuse. The tormentor could only be one of his kind with strong powers. Only the original members of the third creation had this strength. Would one of his six brethren be this cruel and betray the New Kingdom? He realized that his interrogation of this woman would render no value to him. It was the face she was seeing who had the answers. As he pitied the woman, he watched her face distort in fear and, finally, she moved her hands out from her body as though to stop someone from attacking her. The next scene scared Gabriel. With tears streaking her face, the young woman starting pleading, "No, please, oh God, please don't." By an invisible force, each of her fingers, one by one, started snapping and hanging in unnatural positions. The snaps beat in percussion to her screams. When the tenth finger was broken, Iona's body bent as though she had been kicked or punched in the stomach and she exhaled loudly. Before the girl could catch her breath, her body was sent flying into the wall, bones breaking on impact. The entire scene had taken less than a second, but Gabriel knew that Edward had not only witnessed the attack on his mate but had felt the pain himself. He momentarily hoped that Alena was safe in Edward's care. Walking to the girl's broken body lying on the floor, he repeated his command, "Tell me your name." When she did not respond, Gabriel nudged her body with his foot, rolling her over to face him. At the sight of her face, his breath caught in his throat. The elegant mate of Edward King was gone. The insane woman locked in the white room was gone. All that was left way a young woman, with large hazel eyes, similar to the ones of his beloved, covered in blood as her open wounds provided an escape for the contamination running through her system. Knowing that his task would be interrupted soon, Gabriel took pity on the woman and knelt down to whisper in her ear, "Your suffering is nearly ended." As the door burst opened, Gabriel did not need to turn to know that Edward and Alena were breaching the quarantine. No matter, his job was done. With sorrow for the new pain that he would now bring to the woman he loved, he looked down at the pitiful creature dying at his feet and commanded for the final time, "Tell me your name." "My," she gasped for breath, "my name," again gasping and closing her eyes in pain. Inhaling loudly, she opened her eyes and said, "My name is Lia." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 06 Edward carried the broken body of his mate to another clean room. He would have preferred to move her to his rooms and place her in his bed. Unfortunately, her injuries would require a firm, unbiased touch to administer the transfusion. Gabriel was the man for that job. His indifference to Iona would ensure that he would not give in to her pleas for mercy and his strength would guarantee the job would be completed correctly. As they entered the treatment room, Edward looked at the personnel that were waiting to begin the task. Gabriel, the epitome of efficiency, had apparently ordered the necessary people and items to be ready for Iona's treatment. With a fleeting thought, Edward wondered how long they had been standing at their posts. As Edward placed her body on the treatment bed, Iona whimpered as though in great pain but too weak to voice her complaint. He stared for a few minutes at the face he had loved when she was once human and then one of his own. She had not been given the luxury to choose to be a vampire but, barring the night terrors, she had seemed to finally be adjusting to his way of life. Staring into her strained face, he saw the evidence of her severe blood loss in the gaunt, paleness of her cheeks and the dark bruising under her eyes. Feeling Gabriel's hand on his shoulder, Edward turned to look at his friend. The stress of the day had not escaped the normally well groomed, emotionless man. Gabriel still exuded the confidence required to complete his job but not without cost. The tall man, with black hair and eyes, scared most immortals and all humans that he encountered. Edward hoped that, even with his own exceptional abilities, he would never have to compete against Gabriel's strength and prowess. Still, Gabriel's eyes confirmed the torment that he was experiencing. Causing Edward pain through the abuse of his mate was not a delight. Alena had chosen her sister over him once before and, with tonight's events, she may choose to do so again. If he could turn back the clock, he would have never agreed to the interrogation. He would have never let her learn about his true nature. Hell, maybe he would have never met her. No, he would not deny the one light in his life of knowing her. No matter how much pain their relationship had caused or received, he would accept losing her in the future but he would not forget their past. He wondered if she considered him a monster capable of beating her sister to a pulp. Knowing that Alena had been escorted safely to his rooms, Gabriel willed himself to quit thinking about her and focus on completing the task at hand. "Edward," he said to his friend, "you will need to be close and available when the time comes to share your blood, but you may want to step outside of the room until we are ready for you." Before Edward could answer, he felt the nudging of his mate's broken hands against his arm. When he leaned close to her face, tears poured from her eyes. He read a myriad of emotions including pain and fear mixed with the remains of her trust in him. "I won't leave her now," he stated in his voice that ruled his domain. "You know that there will be considerably more pain for her," Gabriel stated. "Damn it, Gabriel, I won't leave her!" Edward exclaimed and then leaned closed to her body to kiss her forehead. "Then at least avoid the tainted blood," Gabriel conceded. With a nod of his head to the medical staff, Gabriel put the system in motion. Swiftly inserting IVs into the woman's major arteries, they began evacuating the remains of the contaminated blood. As the dark, red liquid filled the clear tubing, the faint sound of a dying heartbeat could be heard. With her body struggling to survive, she began whimpering in pain. "How much longer?" Edward implored moving away from her dying body. "When the heart is near its last beat," Gabriel responded with answers Edward already knew. "I can't stand this," Edward moaned pacing around the room. As the quiet heartbeat struggled, the woman's moans became quieter until they ceased altogether. Finally, the unnatural heartbeat assumed an eerie percussion of a single beat interrupted by pauses of silence. Each quiet pause grew longer between the muscle's struggles. "Gabriel," Edward screamed running to the bed, "we're going to lose her!" "Edward," Gabriel cautioned his friend, "Step back and be ready when I give the word." The woman's heart continued its erratic rhythm, searching for the rich liquid needed to feed its body. As the intermittent silence increased, her body seized and a final breath was forcibly exhaled from her lungs. "Edward," Gabriel instructed, "Now." Without hesitation, the king of the American vampires lovingly lifted his mate's dying body and sank his fangs into her neck. Forcing the venom that would not only sooth her pain but assist with her change, he held her close until he knew that he could no longer delay feeding her. Quickly sealing the bite marks, he then bit his own wrist and held it to her mouth. Because she was unconscious and not able to swallow, he tilted her head back to open her throat. Rich, strong blood flowed from his veins into her mouth. Gently massaging her throat, Edward watched as the blood that had pooled in her mouth slid into her body. When he was sure that she had swallowed enough of his strengthening blood, he moved to each of her injuries, gently licking the wounds so they would instantly seal and eliminate further blood loss. Heeding Gabriel's warnings about contamination, he protected his own mouth with his venom and spit out any blood absorbed from healing his mate. As he touched each wound, the medical staff removed the contaminated lines and inserted new tubing that quickly began pumping new, donated blood into her system. At the touch of Gabriel's hand on his shoulder once more, Edward stood back from his beloved's body. "We've done all that we can," Gabriel advised. "She needs to sleep and let the change proceed without interruption." "I won't disturb her," Edward responded with his eyes never leaving the woman's frail features, "but I won't leave her." After a few moments, Edward finally looked at his friend and vowed, "Nothing means more to me than her. I will not live without her." Understanding his friend's statement, Gabriel simply nodded his head and looked at the woman's body once again. He could not deny that she had been beautiful as a woman but he could not understand this love his friend and Alena had for the woman. In her human life, she had been a selfish, rebellious girl with a reputation of having fun, no matter the cost. In her immortal life, she had been sired by something evil and had betrayed her mate in exchange for tainted blood while bargaining away the life of her sister. That sin alone was enough to make Gabriel hate her. Yet, at Edward's request, he had preformed the only task that offered any hope of her salvation. "Gabriel," Edward said after watching his friend for a few minutes, "It's dawn already. You've been with her for several hours. You should go to your mate and let me take care of mine." "To tell the truth, I'm almost afraid to see Alena," Gabriel confessed with a sad smile. "She left me once for this girl and she didn't look very happy with the results of my treatment of her today." "She knows that you did what was required," Edward stated. "We both do." Hesitating for only a moment he finally added, "These women share a unique gift. It's a gift of sight." Looking back at his mate's body, listening to her faint heartbeat, he paused in his explanation, "I could feel her pain and hear Iona's conversation with you. But Alena was watching through her eyes and saw something or someone." Looking back at Gabriel, Edward continued, "My friend, she saw a monster but it was not you she saw." Gabriel looked at his friend and felt a new wave of emotions. He was fearful of what Alena had seen, glad that it was not him she feared, and then ashamed that he was so pleased with that revelation. "Then, I guess there's no reason to avoid the inevitable," he said and then added with a laugh, "If I don't go see her now, she will be packed and gone before I can get a kiss goodbye." "Have faith." "In what?" "In her. In your love for each other," Edward answered. "Yeah well, that last one hasn't paid off yet." "No, your love did not fail," Edward offered, "The kingdom that you have served failed you. You gave and we took. Do not allow anything to keep the two of you apart. I forbid it. Take your woman and start your life." "I won't leave until my duty is complete," Gabriel adamantly stated. "But," he added with a grin, "If she's not on the next one way ticket far away from me, I will accept a few days vacation to take Alena away. I had hoped to ask the Council tonight for permission to change her." "Ask?" Edward seemed shocked. "You know it will be granted. The Council would never deny you anything." "Just the same," Gabriel said walking to the door, "It's best to follow the rules." In Gabriel's kitchen, Alena sat at the table staring at an untouched sandwich and rapidly cooling cup of coffee. When she had returned to the apartment, she had nervously looked for something to keep her busy. After taking a lengthy shower, she had dressed in the red, silk robe and took extra care in drying her hair. When she decided that she had primped enough, she moved on to the kitchen. While not hungry, Alena decided to fix some dinner. If Gabriel's promise came true, she would probably need to eat to keep her strength. The end of their wait was so near, and yet she could not help but blush. Hoping Gabriel's patience would continue, she consciously focused on her food and avoided remembering the recent events with her sister. As she stared at the food, she smiled at the memory of Gabriel's observation of the scrambled eggs she had eaten for breakfast. She wondered what he would think of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich that currently graced her plate. Maybe he would overlook her sandwich as she overlooked the bottles of red liquid that were tucked into the rear of the refrigerator. With a shake of her head, she smiled at their companionable tolerance they had shared in regards to their differences. "And I still have so much to learn," she said aloud to herself. Taking a small bite of the sandwich, Alena sat back in the chair observing the room. The appliances appeared to be high priced, stainless steel pieces found in the best restaurants. She wondered why Gabriel would spare the expense of an epicurean kitchen when the refrigerator was the only appliance apparently used. While most kitchens were considered the heart of a home, a place where parents and children gathered to prepare and share a meal, this room boasted wealth in a cold, unwelcoming display. Chasing the thick sandwich's contents with a drink of coffee, Alena grimaced at the taste. The dark, strong liquid made a double espresso taste gentle. She had attempted to brew the drink because she wanted be awake to talk with Gabriel when he came home. In a combination of her earlier conversation with him and the memory of her sister, beaten and broken, Alena was fairly confident that no caffeine was needed to keep her from sleep. In addition, she would need to find the words to describe what she had seen through her sister's eyes. Shuddering in fear, she reaffirmed her promise to avoid those memories until she could speak with Gabriel. Following Edward into that treatment room may have been the worst experience in her life. She could never forget the sight of her sister lying in a heap in the floor, with so many apparent broken bones and open wounds. Alena was feeling faint from the smell and sight of blood and then she had heard the girl's response to Gabriel's questions. To hear the pitiful woman claim to be Lia was just another log on this emotional fire that had been burning through Alena for too many years. Yes, the girl favored Lia, more so now, even with the injuries, than she had as Edward's mate. Her eyes were normal or, more accurately, human. Succumbing to the memories of her sister, Alena focused on Lia's human life. In the past, both women had suffered the same losses, but Lia had continuously rebelled against her sister's attempt to provide a decent life for their family. Alena had always admitted that she had not handled the stress of raising younger siblings very well but she had given everything that she had to their family. At a time when she was preparing for college, she had to rapidly change her plans and stay home attending the less expensive, local community college. Distant relatives and family friends had commended her decision to keep the family together and all had promised to assist, but no one was available when Tony's health declined or Lia's rebellion escalated. After seven years of struggling financially and emotionally, Alena thought that she had survived the trial when she was offered the position as the Director of Finance at the Children's Hospital. Within weeks, she realized that the financial reports were just a façade hiding misappropriation of funding resulting in the investigations. The hospital had then been sold and news of a strict CEO brought fear to the remaining employees. When Alena was called in to review the financial statements, the moment of stress became the turning point in her life. Never confident in her looks, she had always been proud of her work to the point of being arrogant. This trait, admired and reciprocated by Gabriel, started their relationship on solid footing. Just when she had a chance to enjoy this new love, Alena was forced to refuse Gabriel's proposal and focus on her family. Finding another school for Lia had been a nearly impossible challenge because the girl had been expelled three times in last two years. While Lia never seem to mind, Alena refused to let the state foster care system take Lia into custody and place her in some abusive, temporary housing. Fighting for her family and forfeiting her chance for happiness, Alena had continued her path in life but eventually lost everyone. Alena remembered the night she had come home after her last meeting with Gabriel. When she entered the house, her face was streaked with her tears and if she had ever needed a friend, it was that night. Her sister had been anything but sympathetic. "Are you telling me that your knight in shining armor shows up and you tell him to take a hike so you can stay here?" Lia threw at her. "Jesus, what's your problem? Are you so afraid that he won't let you control his life that you refuse to give up controlling ours?" "Controlling?" Alena had screamed back. "If I controlled you then you would still be enrolled at St. James Academy with passing grades and no juvenile delinquency record." "Yeah well," Lia had retorted, "Forgive me if I enjoy life. Even with my mistakes, I will never look back and regret missing out on some fun. You'll never see me crying over the one that got away." Before Alena could reply, they had heard a crash in another part of the house. Both women ran down the hall to Tony's room, to find him lying in the floor having a seizure. The next few minutes melted into days as they contacted EMS, sped to the hospital, spent the next several hours at their brother's side and then wept in each other's arms when his life support was disconnected. Dropping her head onto Gabriel's table, Alena lost her fight in hating her sister. Tony's illness had absorbed so much of their lives that Alena had forgotten how much of a void they had felt when he was gone. Between losing Gabriel and the death of Tony, she had then become bitter and even more critical of Lia. Then one day, Lia had attempted to cook dinner. When Alena walked in the house, she was greeted by the unmistakable smell of burnt food and the site of Lia beating the smoke detector with a broom. The combination drove her senses into a small hysteria that began with a smile and no matter how hard she tried, Alena could not prevent the uncontrollable laughter that shook her body and forced tears from her eyes. Relieved at her sister's reaction, Lia joined in the laughter and added a few details about what not to do during a grease fire and why windows should not be painted shut. As the evening progressed, the girls talked, apologized and forgave each other while sharing a pepperoni pizza. At the end of the evening, they had vowed to be more considerate of each other. Their truce redefined their relationship. Unfortunately, their differences continued to plague them until Lia finally graduated from high school and agreed to attend college as long as she could move out. The separation had been both difficult and necessary for the women. Alena learned to appreciate the small amount of time she could visit with her sister and Iona grew to respect the amount of responsibility her sister had managed so well. Yes, they were different, which created their need for personal space. Their separation increased their appreciation for each other and their new bond emerged. Furthermore, Lia now had Edward who could devote his life to saving the girl from herself. Being a man, he could probably deal with her chaos in a logical way without Alena's emotional outbursts. Being a king, he would be able to afford Lia's desires. Being a vampire, he had eternity to learn how to deal with the girl. Of course, Gabriel was also facing the same challenges. Smiling at the comparison, Alena raised her head to see Gabriel standing at the kitchen entrance watching her. His expression was unreadable but the shadows under his eyes revealed his exhaustion. "How is she?" Alena asked. "Beginning to heal," he simply answered and started to turn away. Before walking out of her sight, he added, "Alena, tonight, I will still ask for the Council's permission to change you." Knowing that he had more to say, Alena sat patiently waiting for him to continue. "I had planned for the two of us to leave town tonight, just for a few days, but I understand if you need to be with your sister. I will wait." he added with dejection in his eyes. As he walked away, Alena felt the impact of his words. Based on their past, he must have viewed Alena's silence as new rejection of him. And yet, he had offered to wait. Finding the strength to rise from her seat, she followed Gabriel's path through the apartment and to his bedroom. Alena stood at the door of the master bath where she could hear the sound of the shower. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door and stopped at the sight that greeted her. At once she felt as though she were seeing him for the first time while yet knowing him all of her life. Through the glass of the shower doors, she could see Gabriel standing under the rain head of the shower with his hands pressed against the wall, letting the water beat down on his strong neck and back. Slowly approaching the door, Alena let her eyes roam down the magnificent body of the man that had promised to wait for her. How he could be the least bit attracted to her was beyond her understanding. She may not be grotesquely disfigured but he was absolute perfection. Muscles rippled from his arms as he leaned closer to the wall allowing the water to pound on his lower back. Then pushing himself upright, his shoulders flexed as the water was angled at his face and chest. The strength of his body was defined through the years of training that had sculpted his massive chest. The same chest that had led the armies of his people had cuddled her in her sleep and encased the heart that had vowed to love her for eternity. How could he ever think that she would ask him to wait? Suddenly, Gabriel turned to stare at her through the glass. His black eyes held hers as they revealed so much to each other without sharing words. Then, he shut off the water, wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped from the shower. Alena squealed with delight when he lifted her by the waist and sat her on the cool, black granite counter. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 06 "Hey," she playfully complained, "Be careful. I don't want to get my robe w...," stopping when Gabriel grabbed the belt, with a gentle tug, pulled the wrap open and quickly slid the sleeves from her shoulders. "And I was afraid that I'd get wet," she pouted. "And I'm still hoping that you will," he said with a wicked grin softly pressing his lips to hers. "Does this mean that the waiting is over?" she asked when he gave her a chance to breathe. "No, but I'm definitely celebrating," he answered playfully nipping at her neck. "Celebrating what?" "After all of these years, tonight is the first time you have ever come to me," he said silencing any additional questions with a demanding kiss. As Gabriel explored her mouth, Alena wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. The length of the robe had fallen to her side, leaving her white lace panties as the only barrier between them as he wedged himself snuggly between her thighs. When he finally moved his hands from her waist, he lifted her knees up and pulled her ankles behind his back, cross locked against his hips. Pulling his lips from hers, he tugged her hair, bending her head back to expose her neck to his mercy. "I'm sorry that you can't read my mind yet," he murmured between kisses, "you would know exactly how perfect I think you are." Traveling up her arms, Gabriel's hands tenderly caressed her soft skin and felt her responding shivers. As his hands moved over her shoulders and down her back, he gently massaged her skin until he felt her relax in his arms. Moving his hands forward, he gently cupped her breasts amazed at the how she filled his large hands. Sliding his hands to her waist, Gabriel leaned back to gaze at her beauty. Inhaling quickly, Alena moved her hands to her breasts in an attempt to cover herself. Gabriel focused on the lights, dimming them to their lowest illumination. "How did you do that?" Alena asked quietly. "Vampire tricks." "Neat," she said with a smile. "Got any other tricks up your sleeves?" "I'm not wearing sleeves," he sarcastically replied. Then leaning close, he whispered, "Actually, I do have one trick that you might enjoy." "You do?" she asked. "Wha.....? Oh God, Gabe?" she asked looking between her thighs searching for the source of the invasion. "Trust me, baby," he said while gently prying her hands away from her own flesh, he covered her sensitive body with his hands. "Let me love you like no mortal can." With a nod of consent, Alena felt him gently stroked his thumbs across the tight little buds which hardened at his touch. But a second set of hands were stroking inside her soft thighs inching closer to her moist core. Looking between her legs again, she touched her thigh shocked to find no fingers. "Relax," he gently commanded, "Enjoy." Breathing deeply, Alena moaned and was shocked at the wanton sound her body was making of its own accord. As his hands continued massaging her breasts, Gabriel pressed his face to her hair to inhale her scent. The intoxicating sweet smell of her body was intensified in the humid room. In addition, the allure of her arousal added a new spice to her decadent sweetness. Vowing to give her a taste of satisfaction, Gabriel whispered, "Trust me, Alena." "I always have." With her confession, the invasion between her legs intensified. The massaging fingers slipped beneath the elastic band of her panties not needing to remove the garment. The probing digits stroked the smooth skin surrounding her slit feeling the heat and swelling from the blood rushing to her core. With a quick kiss on her lips, Gabriel swallowed her moan of pleasure as he continued his physical and mental assault of her senses. Reaching around her back, he splayed his palms across the small of her back and pulled her tighter to his groin. Aching at the contact but enjoying her obvious state of arousal, Gabriel returned to her lips to invade her mouth. Deepening the kiss, Gabriel felt his arousal pulsing into her stomach and his tongue search her mouth. Alena felt the same with the addition of his phantom hand between her legs gently nudging her folds apart. Continuing to trust him, she felt him stroke the length of her slit until her moisture slipped from her body to coat his finger. Gabriel was pleased to feel her pressing into his invisible access, and opening as a flower letting him feel her wetness. As he continued stroking, he purposely avoided reaching forward to her clit saving that experience to relish with his own flesh. When she finally broke the kiss, Alena placed her hands on his chest and pressed back and forth rubbing herself against this invisible touch. "Gabe?" Alena asked. "Hold on, baby," he whispered stroking the entire length of her slit. "I'm glad we're not waiting anymore." "Oh, we're still waiting. You're just getting a sneak preview." "What?" "Hold on," he commanded and he knelt in front of her placing her hands on top of his shoulders for support. Curling his fingers under the sides of her panties, he pulled them down her thighs and gently lifted each foot to remove the garment. Leaning back, Alena was surprised when Gabriel did not return to the stand in front of her. Smiling at her confusion, Gabriel gently kissed under her breasts, licking a path from one to the other. Holding one in each hand, he appreciated how well she had hidden her size on her petite frame. Lowering his head, his kisses roamed over her tummy feeling the shivers race across her skin. When he dipped his tongues into her belly button, he was rewarded with her quick inhale. As she relaxed, he continued kissing each rib while kneading the small of her back. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she welcomed the added support for her weakening knees. Raising his mouth to her breast, he heard her gasped as her sucked one tight nipple into his mouth. Gently sucking on her aroused flesh, he slipped his unoccupied hand between her knees and coaxed her legs apart. As she opened to him, Gabriel sought the wet flesh that was preparing for his entrance. Through the fog in her mind, Alena was aware of the difference between his gentle, unseen invasion of her body and the warm currents supplied by his long fingers. Feeling the electrical buzz increasing in her body, Alena rocked against Gabriel's fingers encouraging the odd sensation growing in her core. With his supernatural speed, Gabriel pulled away from her body, stood up and carried her from the counter to the teak bath bench placed in the middle of the room. Smiling at her sounds of disapproval, he pulled her hips to the edge and pushed her shoulders back so she was lying on the bench with her legs parted giving him full access to her flesh. Leaning over her body, he braced his arms on the bench and kissed her mouth fully. Accepting his tongue deep into her mouth, she followed his lead and chased his back into his mouth with her own. When Gabriel felt the length of his arousal searching for her silky wetness of her slit, he quickly broke their kiss and kneeled before her body. Glancing down her own nakedness and seeing Gabriel's face positioned so close to her gave Alena one last rush of shyness. Before she could move her hands to cover her nudity, Gabriel gave her a wicked wink and latched his mouth to her clit. Reacting to the sensation, Alena grabbed the bench beneath her and raised her knees to place her feet by her hips. Accepting the access given in her new position, Gabriel allowed his fangs to graze across her clit earning a scream from Alena in response. Not wanting to push her over the edge quite yet, he pulled away from the hard little nub and allowed his tongue to taste the juices now seeping from her body. Swallowing the first drink of her liquid he confirmed that no desert made by any god or man could compare to the delicacy produced from her body. He indulged in her unique flavor until he felt her body tightened with the need to be released from all of these years of torment. Pulling his mouth away, Gabriel watch her lift her head to look at him in confusion. Knowing that she would not be able to form the words to ask for the climax she needed, Gabriel took pity on her innocence and brought his mouth back to her clit while inserting one finger into her tight passage. Amazed at just how tight she still was during her arousal, Gabriel was glad that they would take the time to be away and make everything right. The last thing he every wanted was to scare her or hurt her. Knowing that she had less than a few seconds before feeling her first orgasm, Gabriel switched places between his tongue and fingers. Dipping his tongue as deep as he dared, he felt her walls shiver and tighten in response. When he stroked his fingers over her clit, he felt her back arch off the bench and heard her scream his name. Having some knowledge of what would happen during sexual climax, Alena was not scared of the changes and reactions she felt surging through her body. But when Gabe's fingers touched that super sensitive spot of her body, she thought her heart would explode out of her chest. "Gabriel!" she screamed knowing that he would not move his mouth to answer her nor did she want him to move. He smiled as he continued to pleasure her, feeling her body continue to open to his exploration. When her body exploded, he felt the tension, rush of her juices and the final shivers of aftershock. Tenderly stroking her legs, he moved allowing her now tender clit to slowly recover from his stimulation. As she settled down, he removed his mouth and kissed inside her thighs earning a moan of mixed protest and pleasure. Rising back up to lean over her while balancing his weight with his arms, Gabriel tenderly kissed her lips and waited for her eyes to open. When they did, they held the light that matched the smile on her lips. "So," she said with no trace of shyness, "When do I get to learn how to return the favor?" "Tonight," he answered with another kiss to her lips. "But for now, we need sleep. It's already late morning and I have a busy day ahead of me. If we plan on leaving town tonight, I'll need to get an earlier start than usual." "Then what are you waiting for? Go to bed! Get some sleep!" she said with a playful swat to his hip. "And for the record, when I asked what other tricks you could do," she said with a grin, "I was expecting you to turn on the faucet." "I think I did," he laughed while wiping the moisture from his face. In the early evening hours, Alena awoke to discover that Gabriel was gone but the bed was not empty. A gardenia plant was setting on Gabriel's pillow with a folded piece of paper leaning against it. Stretching across the bed, she carefully lifted the plant to inhale the exotic fragrance of the fragile white blooms. Gently placing the pot on the bedside table, she picked up the note and opened to reveal Gabriel's handwritten words. Alena, I'm sorry that I had to leave before you were awake, but I needed to get started early if we were going to leave tonight. I hope you slept well and will continue to rest throughout the day. The Council meets late this evening; so unfortunately, I will be late coming home. I know that a dozen long stem roses might be considered more romantic but the gardenia represents our love: beautiful and alive. Keeping the note in the pocket of her robe, Alena started her day with a shower, grabbed a quick breakfast of cereal and moved to the living room to watch TV. As she anticipated the upcoming trip and events that would occur she tried to assess her needs for travel and then gave up when she realized that she had no clothes to pack or luggage in which to pack them. Wondering where Gabriel would take her, she fantasized about visiting Gabriel's various homes that he had described to her. Anywhere with him would be a treat, but she had always had secret dream of where they would spend their first days together. They had never discussed marriage. Alena had always thought that Gabriel's vampire nature and her finances would not have allowed a decent wedding anyway. Even without marriage vows, they had agreed that they would be together forever. Unfortunately, their plans had been cancelled. Correct that, their plans had been postponed. Turning the TV channel to local news, Alena muted the volume and sat down the remote. Smiling at the turn of events in her life, she reminded herself that no matter what the reasons were for the delay, Gabriel and she would finally be together tonight, or tomorrow, or by the end of this vampire day. "I really need to find out how vampires measure their days," she murmured out loud. "The same as everyone else," Edward King said from behind her. "The rising sun marks the beginning of the day but midnight dictates the change of dates on the calendar." Walking around the couch to stare at Alena's startled face, Edward smiled and said, "My apologies for scaring you. I'm not used to having my presence announced in Gabriel's suite. I will remember to knock in the future." Continuing to stare at each other, Alena finally calmed from the fright of Edward's sudden presence but was speechless at his disheveled appearance. The vampire king, who was usually the epitome of male fashion, was wearing faded jeans and a gray t-shirt stretched across his barrel chest. The shadow of growth across his jaw testified to his lack of sleep. "Edward," Alena paused in her observation, "Have a seat." When he sat on the opposite end of the couch, she inquired, "How is Lia?" Quickly looking at her, he blinked his eyes as though confused. "Alena," he slowly started, "When your sister was first changed, her sire had abandoned her. Gabriel and I were the first to find her, so I named her." Alena continued to watch him, waiting for him to continue, he then finally said, "I named her Iona. It's derived from the Koine Greek word 'eon' which means forever or eternity." "That's beautiful," Alena said. "Did the name refer to her new nature?" "No," he confessed. "It refers to our bond. I cannot explain how much I love her." Suddenly standing, Edward hesitated as though he was deciding what to do. Finally, he walked to the bar and poured a drink. Gulping the amber liquid, he emptied and refilled the glass before returning to the couch. "Several months ago, I was travelling and my plane was hijacked," he recollected. "For the first time in my existence, I was overtaken, bound, and held hostage. The only way that or any of the tactics of the rebellion could occur is with the assistance of one of my kind." Pausing, Edward sighed and then continued, "Actually, only a member of the Third Creation would have the strength to subdue me. I've denied that possibility until I witnessed last night's events." "Anyway," he said with a smile, "When I first met your sister, she was injured and scared; and yet, she encouraged me to keep living. I won't share all of the details but I eventually had to tell her what I am and the danger she was in." Leaning his head against the back of the couch, Edward closed his eyes and continued, "I explained that she had been captured and placed in my cell to complete my destruction and the result would end in her death." Raising his head, Edward looked at Alena, "Can you guess what she did?" "I can't imagine." "She actually came to me, sat beside me and offered herself," he answered with a smile. "The poor girl tried to reason with me that I should take from her whatever I needed and remain strong until we could be rescued." "Wow, I don't think I could have focused on anything besides my impending death," Alena offered. "I don't think so," Edward countered. "Her first response to my explanation was a question of what would her sister do." After a few moments Edward continued, "After a few days, guards were sent to check on our status. Because she had received no food or water, your sister was very weak. Because I had taken very little blood from her, I was not much stronger than her. But the guards were very anger at our survival and removed her from my cell." Dropping his head, Edward's cringed at the memories and then said, "Her last human words to me were asking for my promise to escape and then save her." Alena gave in to the tears that she had held at bay during Edward's explanation. When she had recovered a small amount of control, she said, "She's suffered so much. She's done nothing to deserve this." "When Gabriel finally found me." Edward continued, "We searched the compound until we found her. She had been bitten and was just completing her change. At the time, I found it odd that her sire had abandoned her but now I know that she had been left for me to find as another trap." "Is that how you think of her?" "No!" Edward exclaimed. "She is everything to me. I will not live without her. And now, after all of her suffering, she has been given another chance to live, sired by me, to be my mate for eternity." "So she will survive this?" Alena asked hopefully. "Absolutely," Edward answered, "And she and I will continue as I had planned. Together. Forever. Therefore, her name will continue to be 'Iona' as I had intended." "I understand," Alena said accepting the explanation, "And I will happily comply." Reaching across the couch, Edward took Alena's hand and clasped it between his two hands. As he felt her pulse quicken, he looked into her eyes and smiled. "I'm glad you are here. Our family will soon be complete." Releasing her hand, Edward then added with a conspiratorial grin, "Gabriel will not tell me how you knew about us when I did not know about you. Are you willing to explain?' "It was meant to be a joke," Alena said. "I was making a stupid observation. And now, I think the joke is on me." "Explain." "I thought I knew so much about your kind but now I hear about the Third Creation and the rebellion and I'm really clueless." "Let's agree to exchange information," Edward offered. "I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." "Sound fair." "Great," moving down the couch to sit next to Alena, he asked, "Why did you and Gabriel separate eight years ago?" "Ah," Alena said in a reaction. "You agreed to exchange answers." "Ok," she answered. "Eight years ago, Gabriel had offered to take me and my brother and sister away to one of his homes. He had promised to provide a tutor for Lia and a nurse for Tony. When Lia would be old enough to leave, he would alter her memories so she couldn't tell anyone what she'd seen." "I would have remained human until the kids were gone," Alena said wincing at her choice of words to describe Tony's death. "Anyway, the night we were supposed to leave, I received a call from the police informing me that Lia and some of her friends had been arrested for starting a fire in the school bathroom. Of course she was also expelled. Again." Gabriel smiled at the older sister's caution of recounting his mate's wild childhood. "Anyway," Alena continued, "When I returned to work, after bailing her out of jail, Gabriel was waiting for me. He was early, so I knew something was wrong." Pausing to choose her next words carefully, she finished with "Apparently the Council was making some changes and he would not be able to leave." "Actually," Edward interrupted, "I had just created the Council and had implored Gabriel to stay and assist me. Ah Christ, I used the ultimate guilt trip by reminding him that he had visited the other courts longer than the American Court." "Right," Alena added, "And he could not remain here and add a human mate with a sick a brother and juvenile delinquent sister." "Probably not," Edward conceded. "I had formed the Council in response to the early signs of the rebellion. We used the blueprint of the American justice system in forming and enforcing laws. For a time, the system seemed to work." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 06 Allowing a few minutes for Alena to absorb the information, Edward asked, "What questions do you have for me?" "Was I correct when I called Gabriel a vampire?" "Yes," he said. "The term was created to describe us in the seventeenth century. And as our numbers increased and changelings grew out of control, the horror stories associated with the term became our reputation." "So if some are already bad, why is there a rebellion?" "The destruction of our kind does not rest on the failures of the changelings," Edward explained. "Only treason committed by a member of the Third Creation, one of the original seven, will destroy our mission." Before she could ask more questions, Edward said, "In time, you will be told everything." He stood indicating the end of the conversation but looked at her and continued, "Gabriel is right now receiving the Council's blessing to change you." Releasing her breath, Alena realized that she was happy to hear that confirmation and, therefore, gave a sigh of relief. "Go with him. Strengthen your love. Return to us as one of us," Edward said walking to the door. Stopping and turning to her, he added, "But be aware, the rebellion is growing strong and war is inevitable." "That's not exactly a speech to encourage to me to change." "If one member of the Third Generation fails, then the New Kingdom fails," Edward said, "And if the New Kingdom fails, then your existence, along will all other life, will end no matter if you you've changed or not." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 07 When Gabriel returned to his apartment, he found Alena asleep on the couch. Gently touching her face, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Torn between letting her sleep and waking her so they could prepare to leave, he opted to just watch her for several more minutes. Eight years of pain and loneliness would end tonight. While he had enjoyed being with Alena the last few days, their relationship had been civil and hardly on the level where he wanted. Grinning at her sleeping form, he wondered if Alena would agree that their tryst in the bathroom last night was acting civil. A noise near the door brought his attention to the entrance where Edward stood watching him. "I know you will be leaving soon," Edward whispered, "But I wanted to see you before you left. Am I correct in assuming that the Council gave you no grief in your request?" "None," Gabriel replied. "I have been given permission to change her. We'll leave as soon as she's ready." "Good," Edward commented walking into the living room and pausing to look at Alena. "Iona is recovering. I am indebted to you for..." "No," Gabriel interrupted, "I helped a friend. There is no debt." Looking down at Alena, "And saving the girl increased my chances of scoring with her older sister." After both men laughed, Edward said, "I don't think you have to worry about Alena allowing anything to separate you two again." "I got that same impression last night." "Last night?" When Gabriel smiled at his friend, Edward could only assume that something had occurred between the two lovers giving Gabriel the confidence he needed for their future. "Ah, well," the king said, "It's about time. But don't let me stop you from fulfilling all of your wonderful plans with the girl." "We will return within the week." "No rush," Edward said walking to the door. "I received confirmation that all tainted blood has been confiscated and we are in the process of testing its properties." Turning to look at Gabriel, he added with a serious voice, "Unfortunately, Cassian managed to escape while we were tending to Iona." "I heard and I take responsibility for that," Gabriel said following Edward to the door. "After Alena showed me his involvement, I should have taken him into custody immediately." "No," Edward interjected, "He was a political guest in my home and we could hardly explain his imprisonment without divulging our suspicions. But," he added, "He tried to destroy me by destroying my mate. Cassian's destruction will be dealt by me." After neither had spoken for several minutes, Edward looked at Gabriel and said, "We will fight this rebellion together later. You have a mate to change and I have a mate to...."he paused before finishing his thought. "What?" Gabriel asked watching his friend's face relax into a natural smile. "Iona is calling to me," he said with a laugh, "We will see you when you return." A few minutes later, Alena sat up on the couch, a little disoriented with no idea how long she had slept or what the current time was. She could hear muffled voices and movement in the foyer of the apartment. Standing, she took a moment to get her bearings and then followed the sounds. At the door, she noticed two sets of luggage in masculine and feminine styles. Bending over to inspect the floral print cosmetic case, Alena screamed when her feet were suddenly swept from under her as her body was lifted and tossed over an extremely large shoulder. Pulling her hair from her eyes, she quickly surveyed the scene to see several maids giggling at her current predicament and then look the broad back and tight ass that she had secretly desired for many years. "Gabe," she calmly said to his bottom as he carried her through the apartment, "What's going on?" "After eight, long years of waiting," he said, standing on her feet, "I find that I am forced to wait even longer while my mate is taking a nap." "Sorry," she said with a blush, "I was watching TV and just got bored. Besides, your note said for me to rest." "Yeah, well," he said with mock pain, "I was forced to seek housekeepers' assistance in packing your clothes while you dreamed of me." Ignoring his arrogant assumption, Alena asked, "What clothes? I have the one outfit you gave me yesterday and this robe," she indicated the garment covering her body. "I've taken care of it," Gabriel pulling her close. "I had a few select pieces prepared for you." "Uh," Alena paused, "Should I take a look..." "No," he interrupted. "Get ready. A dress is laid out on the bed with the other necessary items." Touching his forehead to hers, he added, "My patience for waiting has ended." Walking to the bed, Alena picked up the black, sleeveless dress and asked, "Did I hear Edward's voice? God, this dress is beautiful. Is he still here?" "Yes. I'm glad you like it. And no," he chronologically replied. "He came by to inform us that your sister is recovering and to wish me good luck. And now, he's with her proving that it's good to be the king." "What?" "Nothing," Gabriel chuckled walking to her and quickly placing a kiss on her shoulder. "Good luck, huh?" Alena asked, "Do you think you'll need it?" "Good or bad," Gabriel replied, "I'm getting lucky." "Wow," she said "I'm not sure that I knew how arrogant you are." "Baby," he said pulling her body close, "did I ever claim to be humble?" "Until yesterday, you never claimed to be anything," she said wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up for a kiss, "General Gabriel Philandros, leader of the world's vampire armies." Gabriel playfully swatted Alena on her bottom and said, "Get dressed. Our plane is waiting." "But Gabe," she hesitated, "Isn't it almost dawn." "Actually, the sun's been up for two hours." "Then shouldn't we wait for sunset?" "Why?" "Aren't you afraid of exposure to the sun?" Laughing at her comment, he placed his hands on her face and kissed her brow, nose and chin. "Oh baby, you're so funny." "It's my pleasure to be your comic relief," she said prickling at his teasing. "Those of the Third Creation have no adverse reaction to the sun," he said walking away from her. "But our native time zone is ingrained in our creation and will not allow us the luxury to adjust. The system conveniently eliminates jet lag but forces us to sleep during the day while in foreign time zones." "But every vampire in this house sleeps during the day." "So?" "Why would they sleep if they could be outside in the sun?" Stopping to turn and look at her, Gabriel answered, "You've slept during the day since you arrived at the mansion." "Because I wanted to be with you," she admitted. "And the bond between sire and changeling is even stronger. The newborn sleeps and wakes to be with the one who made them." "Are you saying that every vampire in this house was sired by someone who lives here too?" "Yes." "So," she hesitated, "Have you, uh, ever," pausing while nervously rocking back and forth "sired...?" "Jealous?" he laughed at the glare in her eyes and ducked behind the door before the shoe flying through the air could hit its target. "Gabe?" Alena yelled to stop him from leaving. "What's a native time zone?" Standing at the door admiring her state of undress, he paused for a moment and answered, "The time zone of the place you were born or, in my case, created." "Where is your native time zone, Gabe?" she asked, exasperated at his avoidance of answering her question. Smiling at her curiosity, he winked and turned to walk out only pausing at the door to say, "A place near Iraq." Walking from the room, he continued saying, "It's been called Babylon, Mesopotamia, and the Garden of Eden. Hell, the ancient Greeks called it Mount Olympus." "Wait," she said chasing him down the hall while zipping her new dress. "Mount Olympus was on a mountain overlooking Greece." "Not Greece," he answered, "but definitely a rather tall mountain. Noah's ark still rests there." "Mount Olympus the home of twelve immortals. Not seven." "Five of my brothers have been mated for several hundred years," he turned to her with a smile. "And if you don't get dressed so we can have an official mating, Edward will get to take his bride to the next Calling and I will still be going stag." An hour later, Alena sat beside Gabriel in his Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren numb from yet another set of revelations. Remembering the last time she had ridden in this car, she was then shocked from the news of her sister's survival. Now, only a few days later, she had seen her sister, and was finally with her love from years ago. Sneaking a glance at Gabriel, she realized that they were finally consummating their relationship. Eight years ago, they had made the plans but had not advanced this far in their quest. Even then, she had been nervous about the physical act they would share, but she had spent every day for months with Gabriel and eventually they had breached the most personal topic. Until then, he had never asked or mentioned her lack of experience. She had assumed that his understanding of her family life had provided enough details of the demands on her life to explain why she had never dated, much less slept with a man. Gabriel had been considerate and comforting while still slightly arrogant. His comments that she had waited for him because she belonged to him were oddly attractive to her. While she was partial to Gabe's features, Alena remembered her female co-workers swooning over Edward's classic looks and personality. A few of the woman had referred to Gabriel as the better looking of the two, but so intimidating that he was more frightening than attractive. Glancing again at the man to her left, Alena smiled at her good fortune. Not only did she think Gabriel was the best looking man that had ever lived, she also believed that he was kind, honest, and loving. Was it unfair to use Gabe's strength as a support? Maybe she would have fewer problems in her new life, or maybe no problems at all, but he would be there for her to share the events of work and life in their future. Hopefully, she would be strong enough for him to feel comfortable confiding his concerns to her. She looked again at the remaining lines around his eyes. In just a few hours of rest, Gabriel looked more relaxed than he did last night. She knew that he was concerned with the rebellion against the New Kingdom and the infiltration of infected blood inside the mansion must have been an indication on how strong that force had grown. Maybe when she changed, he would be able to explain everything. Maybe she would be able to help him. "Will I be able to understand things faster than I do now?" she blurted out loud. "What?" "That didn't sound right," she looked to her lap frustrated. "I was wondering when I will understand everything. I figured you might be able to talk faster and I could understand faster. That really sounds stupid when I say it out loud." Laughing at her words, Gabriel reached to take her hand and asked, "Are you getting nervous?" "Me? No. Why?" and with a grunt turned to the window to press her face against the cool glass. "Soon," he explained. "We can get a few hours sleep. I think we both need some rest." "Where are we going?" she asked knowing that the place would be perfect but still holding on to that scene of her dreams. "It's a surprise." "Ha! I know where it is." "Impossible," he corrected. "With the exception of my brothers and a few employees, no one knows this place exists." "Oh." "So," he hesitated, "Are you nervous?" "Yes," she answered honestly. "I'm moving into the realm of the unknown." After a few moments of silence, he said, "You were ready to do this eight years ago." Then tugging her hand so she would look directly at him, he asked, "Are you having doubts?" "No," she quickly answered. "No doubts, just questions. A lot of questions." "Good," he said with a smile and then announced, "We're here." "Where?" "At the Gulfstream," he replied with an amused grin. "Oh," she said with obvious disappointment. "What wrong?" he asked with rising panic. "I just thought maybe we were going somewhere else." Then before he could reply, she asked, "Wait a minute. We couldn't have driven to the Gulf Stream this quickly." Barely concealing his amusement, Gabriel said, "We have driven to the airfield." "To catch a plane?" "Why else would we drive to an airfield?" "So," she said with confidence, "We are flying to the Gulfstream." "No," he corrected her, "the plane is a Gulfstream. We're borrowing the corporate jet." Glaring at him in frustration, Alena folded her arms and sighed. "To go where?" "That is the surprise," he said resigning his control of laughing at her. "Did you really believe that I thought the Gulf Stream was a secret?" "Fuck!" she yelled, frustrated at being the cost of his joking mood. "Finally!" Gabriel exclaimed while still laughing. "There's the girl I remember from eight years ago." "You have me confused with some bimbo who will tolerate being laughed at just so she can ride on your fancy jet." "No," he said as he parked the car, "I remember the person you had forgotten to be. There was once a girl who looks similar to you who would tease me about working late and drinking blood." "You do know that I had absolutely no idea who you were. Hell, I just thought you were some gorgeous business exec who would never give me a second glance. What did I have to lose?" "Your life!" he answered. "No one would have believed that I let you tease me like you did." "You would give as good and you'd get," she said with a smile. "And apparently, your revenge has no statute of limitations." "I've missed your spirit." "Life has been difficult," she quietly replied as the shadow of doubt crossed her face. "Baby," he said in a serious tone, "I'm sorry for the problems you've had to manage by yourself and if you ever need to talk about it, then I'm here for you." "I didn't have a breakdown over Lia or Tony. Even the bills were part of my normal life," she confessed. "When I lost you, I thought that my world had not only gone from bad to worse but now I also had to be mocked. I was dealing with my crappy life just fine and then I met you only to find out that I couldn't have you." Losing control of her emotions, Alena covered her face with her hands and cried, "I'm so sorry to start crying like this. Everything is perfect and I'm acting mental. Jeez, sometimes I can really be a girl." Pulling her as close to him as the console would allow, Gabriel stroked her hair and said, "You've suffered a lot. And you've had quite a shock in the past week. Come with me and let's start our life together." After a silent nod of her head, Alena leaned into Gabriel for a quick kiss. They exited the car and walked to the plane hand in hand. Boarding before Gabriel, she turned and asked, "Where's our luggage?" "On the plane." "I'm not even going to ask how it arrived before us," she said as she entered the cabin. "Good lord, this is gorgeous." "I thought you might appreciate being spoiled just a little," he said guiding her through the cabin. Walking through the area, she was amazed at the size and amenities available. The entire Finance Department of her hospital could have fit in the cabin and every department needed the office equipment that now sat idly on the plane. Inhaling the scent of expensive leather, she noticed that the furnishings appeared new. "Is this new? How often do you and Edward fly?" "Yes, we had to replace the one that Edward was using when he was captured. And we fly quite often," he answered guiding to the rear of the compartment. "It's rare that we would stay in one place for a week but since Edward's return with your sister and your arrival at the mansion, I've had the luxury of remaining at the mansion for several days." "Gabe," she asked with concern, "will we be separated often?" "We will never separate. When I travel, I want you to be with me," he finished as they approached the end of the walkway and he opened the door to the left. "This is one of two sleeping compartments. This is ours and the other would be used by Edward and your sister." "Do you mean that I will always get to travel with you?" she asked excitedly. Pulling her into his arms, he pressed her close to him and said, "When I realized that we were given a second chance, I vowed to never lose you and that includes even for temporary work assignments. I want to find you close to me whenever I take a break and especially when I'm ready for bed." He added leaning his face close to hers. "Don't you feel the same?" "Yes," she whispered as he barely moved his lips over hers. "Definitely." "Gabe," she breathed when he released her lips, "When does the plane take off?" "Any minute," he answered holding her head against his heart while stroking his fingers up and down her back. "Do we start our new life together today?" she asked shyly. "Tonight is just for us," he answered with a kiss to the top of her head. "But I want to wait before changing you." "Why?" she asked pulling back to look at him. "So we can have time to enjoy each other just like we had originally planned. Even when you agreed to change eight years ago, you wanted to wait awhile before actually becoming one of my kind." "That's because I had a brother and sister that needed me. Now, I just need you. I want to be with you." She turned around in his arms so he could not see her confession in her face. "Gabe, I don't want to wait and take a chance on losing you." "Just a few days, baby," he whispered against her hair. "Give me three days to enjoy you as a human and then I'll change you and we can wait out the three transformation days before we return to the mansion." "Wait out where exactly?" "Oh, it's not going to be that easy," he said with a playful slap to her bottom. "Aren't women supposed to be inherently devious? You were absolutely transparent." "You doubt that I'm really a woman?" she teased while tentatively rubbing back against his groin. "Oh, you're definitely woman," he responded by cupping one breast in his hand and stroking her through the fabric of her dress. "I'm just searching for a hint of wickedness in you," he added while moving his other hand down her abdomen to the apex of her thighs. "Think you'll find it there?" she said with a shuddering breath. "I know I'll find it there," he said with an arrogant smile. "I tasted the evidence last night." "Oh," was all she could say and dropped her eyes in shyness. "Don't be shy with me," he emphasized every word by pulling her body back into his so that she could feel the evidence of his desire. "I won't once I'm, you know, used to this," she said turning her face to him. Effortlessly spinning her in his arms, Gabriel pulled her close to him while still being able to see her face. "Alena, there are things that I know. Don't ask me to explain how, but I have perfect knowledge of these facts and I'm never wrong," he stated. "An example of that knowledge is the fact that I know you were made for me. I'm sorry that you sacrificed so much to raise your brother and sister but forces beyond our control deemed that you would belong to me." "Jeez Gabe," she said taking a step back from him. "Are you saying that my brother had to suffer his illness so you would get a virgin?" "No! And out of curiosity," he asked in frustration, "do you really believe that I would mean that?" Shaking her head, Alena apologized, "I'm sorry and no you wouldn't. What did you mean?" New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 07 "I meant that maybe, in consideration of the sacrifices you've made for those you love, and for the faithful years of service that I've given for the New Kingdom, we are each other's reward." "I like the sound of that," she smiled up to him. "Do you believe it's true?" "I know it is." "Because you just know certain things." "That's right." "Exactly how many years of faithful service have you given?" she asked inquisitively. "How was that for devious?" "Woman, you have no shame," he laughed pulling her into the sleeping compartment. "Do you really want to know how old I am?" "Yes, although it won't change anything." "I have existed for almost four thousand years." "You, what?" she asked. "Oh!" "Yes," he said turning her around and unzipping her dress. "And right now, I'm so tired that I'm feeling every minute of them. Let's get some sleep before I drop." Hours later, Alena stretched in bed slowing waking. No longer feeling the vibrations of the engines, she heard a muffled noise that sounded different from the jet. Wondering if they had changed planes, she quickly sat up to find Gabe. As she stepped from the bed, she lost her balance, almost falling to the floor, finding that the height of the bed was much greater than she remembered. "Baby," Gabe's muffled voice came from the dark on the opposite side of the bed, "Why are you stomping your feet?" Straining to look in the dark, Alena answered, "Gabe, where are we?" "Home. For now." "We've already landed?" she asked excitedly turning around trying to see in the room. "Yes," he answered turning to his side, elevating his upper torso by propping up on his elbow. "So," she started, "when will I get to see where we are?" "I'm wounded," he said in mock indignation, "I thought you had waited eight years to be with me and now I find out that you'd rather be a sight-seeing tourist." Even though he was joking, the impact of Gabriel's words brought Alena back to the reality that they were finally together. And while she was very interested in knowing the location Gabriel had picked for their first time together, she needed to tell him what was important to her. "Gabe," she said crawling back into bed, "I have waited eight years to be with you. And I'm hoping that our wait is truly over." Pulling her into his arms, Gabriel held Alena close in the dark, quiet room so that only their heartbeats could be heard. "We will soon be one," he whispered against her hair. "But for now," he added, moving her away from his body, "I imagine that you'd like to freshen up and, if you're a good girl, I might be convinced to show you around." "Please point me to the bathroom," she said and then laughed when the room was dimly illuminated. "That's a neat trick." "I remember other tricks that you like better," he said with a male smugness. "Hey, wait, don't," she said squeezing her legs together. "Please let me find the bathroom." As she walked away, she smiled at the sound of his laughter following her from the room. Walking into the bathroom, she blindly moved her hand across the wall in search of the light switch. When she found and flipped the switch, the view of the room caused her breath to catch in her throat. Gabriel's apartment in the city was a picture of modern luxury but the bath in this home appeared to have the expensive rustic charm that labeled the home as a romantic getaway. The wood and stone décor lent charm to the polished silver faucets and shower heads. The jetted tub appeared to be an indoor pond complete with surrounding plants. Walking through the room, Alena noted that the shower and tub would accommodate two and wondered if Gabriel was into sharing his baths. "I am," he said from the next room apparently still in bed. "Do I need to tighten up the mental barriers?" she asked walking back to the door and peering into the darkness. "Soon," he answered, "you are going to discover just how little you have managed to hide from me." Frowning at that challenge, Alena walked back into the bath shutting the door behind her. Trailing her fingers over the cool granite counter top, she blushed remembering the granite in the other bath. That experience mixed with Gabriel's recent words caused her to pause for a moment in shyness. How was she going to survive this night? Her knowledge consisted of high school biology and office gossip, which was probably grossly embellished. She sat on the edge of the tub's platform and tried to reason through her fear. Gabriel loved her. He had waited for her. And now, he was giving her this wonderful vacation, only after paying her debts, finding her sister, and flexing her job hours so she could be with him. Smiling at her resolve, she looked around the room and noticed two doors located beside the shower. Walking to the first door, she slowly opened and peeked inside. She discovered an attached dressing room complete with a vanity, bench and the luggage that apparently belong to her. A private toilet closet was also located in the room. A white garment was hanging on the back of the door obviously for her to wear. At first glance, Alena thought the garment was a white baby doll until she touched the material and realized that sheer nylon was not only the gown but also the matching wrap. As she pulled the material out to inspect, she notice a pair of matching sheer thongs. "Even with the panties and wrap, nothing will be hidden," she said aloud. "Hopefully, he'll have that mental dimmer switch working when I walk out in this." Carrying the clothes back to the shower, she set them down in a guaranteed dry area and found a towel and necessary toiletries. She turned on the water before stepping under the spray so the temperature would be just right. "Jeez," she cringed, "I'm delaying." Quickly moving through the motions of personal hygiene, Alena was sure that every inch of her body was clean, smooth and pampered when she walked from the bathroom. Her hair was dried in a simple scrunched style that made her long wild curls wrap down her body to end at her waist. Refusing to look at her reflection, she noted the perfect fit of the baby doll and verified that she could see flesh through the material of the wrap, gown and thongs. Before she exited the bathroom, she inhaled slowly and paused at the door. She reminded herself that everything was finally as she wanted it, and that she was now fulfilling the plans that she had made with Gabriel so long ago. Walking from the room, Alena entered the bedroom which was dimly lit by the bedside lamps. With the lighting she was able to see the magnificent bed centered in the room and the various pieces of matching furniture. The wood of the pillar legs were dark brown with intricate cuttings that represented the craftsmanship of hand cut wood. Looking toward the windows, she was not surprised to see the coverings blocking any sunlight and clues to their location. As her eyes surveyed the entire room, she thought it odd that the ceiling was covered with matching curtains but she could not deny that the dark gray silk added a glimmering charm to the room. Stepping through the room in search of Gabriel she entered the main room of what appeared to be a cabin. Gabriel was standing in front of the fire place staring into the flames. In the split second before he knew of her presence, she saw face tense and worried. The moment he felt her near, he looked at her and smiled. Whatever the topic of his concern, she could tell that he was thrilled to be with her. "Alena," he said holding his hand to her, "come to me." Closing the distance between them, she watched his glance slide down her body seeing her uncovered legs and the teasing glimpses of flesh barely hidden beneath the white gauze of her gown. As she approached, she noticed that he was wearing his suit pants and dress shirt which was completely unbuttoned. Taking her hands into his, he stared at her without speaking for a few moments. "Our day has finally arrived," he announced. "Unfortunately, I feel compelled to offer you a last chance to change your mind." "No," she stated emphatically. Smiling at her one word vow, Gabriel pulled her close to him and held her against his chest. When she turned her face up to his, he bent his head to capture her lips is a searing kiss that would mark the beginning of their eternal mating. She greedily accepted his tongue as he filled and searched her mouth for possession of her body. With shaking hands, Alena touched his heart and slowly ran her nails down his chest and abdomen until she reached the waist of his pants. Folding her fingers above the zipper, she moved the back of her fingers over the few hairs that disappeared beneath the material. Grunting loudly, Gabriel pulled her fingers away, kissing the tips with a smile. "Soon, love. But I have something to give you." "Besides this?" she asked waving her arm to indicate the cabin. "It's all part of one gift," he answered pulling her back into his arms. "Alena Madyson, do you have any idea when I fell in love with you?" "Um," she started, "I thought maybe a couple of weeks after you started working at the hospital." "No." "Oh," she replied. "Ok, when?" "The first minute I saw you," he smiled at the memory. "You marched into that executive office like you were scared of nothing." "I wasn't," she said, "I hadn't participated in anything illegal so the investigations were a good thing. And furthermore, I knew the reputation of Edward's company and was very happy to hear that someone from there was coming in to personally oversee the reorganization." "I knew that first day that I had to have your strength, intelligence and beauty with me forever," he added. "Well I knew that first day that you were so out of my league that I had nothing to lose so I decided to be myself." "Good plan based on a bad assumption," he playfully scolded. "I might have to rethink labeling you intelligent. Maybe you're just lucky." "Speaking of lucky..."she insinuated gently grinding against his body. "Patience woman. I'm trying to express my undying love." "Isn't everything you say or do technically undying?" Releasing his exasperated breath, Gabriel led Alena to the sofa where he sat and pulled her onto his lap. "Alena, since the moment I laid eyes on you, I have known that you were the only mate for me," he said with no trace of humor. "Eight years ago, you had agreed to be with me and would change after your brother and sister no longer needed your care. I had decided then, that somehow, I would help you with the transition by participating in your life while waiting for you to join mine." Gently turning her on his lap so she was facing him, Gabriel continued, "Even though we have had a change in plans and we can be together now, I still want you to wear this," he said opening the black velvet box that was suddenly in his hand. Inside the box, nestled on a satin bed was the most beautiful ring. Circling the six carat diamond were smaller cuts designing a floral pattern in the platinum set. Eyes wide open and speechless, Alena stared at the set never making a sound. "I had it designed for you eight years ago, but if you don't like..."Gabriel said, closing the box to return to his pocket. With a sharp inhale, Alena eyes snapped to his in a panic, "No! Don't!" she yelled grabbing his hand before the box disappeared. "Jeez Gabe, you gotta give a girl a minute to recover from shock," she said gently lifting the lid and returning to her previous state of awe. Laughing, Gabriel took the box from her hands and ignoring her whimper of protest, removed the ring and reached for her hand. "While every girl may have a different preference of style, I don't believe any girl would refuse ten carats of internally flawless, brilliant diamonds." "Alena Madyson, the life you have known will soon change but I vow to love, respect and protect you for eternity. Will you become my mate?" "Yes," she whispered as he placed the gift on the ring finger her left hand. Both quietly stared at the ring, which now symbolized the bond between these two souls. After a minute, Gabriel pulled her close and gently stroking her face with the back of his fingers, pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was simple but yet an affirmation of their bond. She now belonged to him. Rising from the sofa, Gabriel carried her to the bedroom and gently helped her to stand once they had crossed the threshold. "Would you like to know where we are?" he asked with a kiss to the nape of her neck. "Yes." "Would you like to guess?" he continued pressing kisses across her shoulder. Of all the places he had described, only one had become the setting of her fantasy. Afraid to offend him if she guessed incorrectly, she shook her head, declining to answer. In her fantasy, Gabriel had never given her a ring so reality was winning by a long shot. She knew that anywhere he had chosen for them would be perfect. "Did you notice the coverings on the ceiling?" he asked walking to the dresser and picking up a remote control. "Yes," she answered. "It's very different but beautiful. The silk makes the room very romantic." "Then tell me what you think of this," he said with a press of a button. At once, the silk drapes covering the ceiling and walls started moving away revealing the glass walls and solar panels that surrounded the room. Bright beams of moonlight illuminated the room as the large, full moon danced outside. When the drapes had disappeared, Alena's eyes adjusted to the intrusion of the bright light and finally realized where they were. Reaching for Gabriel, she continued staring at the cascades of water rushing over the falls. He had described this home to her many times but her imagination could have never compared to reality. The white water glowed iridescent in the moonlight and roared to life while succumbing to the gravitational pull of the land. She knew from Gabriel's description that the house was built on the riverbank and the bedroom was balanced on steel beams over the water's edge. With glistening tears in her eyes, she turned to Gabriel and asked, "How did you know?" "How did I know that you wanted to come here?" he clarified nuzzling the top of her head with his chin. "Let me see," he paused, "You asked me to describe this place to you no less than a hundred times." Then tilting her face up so he could look her in the eye, he added, "And I confess to invading your fantasies." "Oh," she said quietly. Then realizing everything he must have seen played in her mind, she blushed, "Oh!" "Stop, don't be shy," he whispered. "It was wrong for me to do it but I needed to know that you still cared." "I love you," Alena professed. "As I love you," Gabriel returned. "And now," he said guiding her to the bed, "our wait is over." Slowly he removed the wrap, revealing most of her body to his gaze. In her anticipation, she forgot to be afraid. He was a vampire, drinking blood to exist. He had lived four thousand years and knew more answers than she had questions. He now stood before her in the moonlit room appearing as a god accepting an offering. At his extreme height, he towered over her petite frame in a protective stance. Gleaming as brilliant jewels, he eyes gazed over her in admiration. Stroking his fingers over the skin of her arms, Gabriel liberally touched all skin that was revealed around the thin gauze of her gown. When his hands dipped below the hem of the skirt, Alena inhaled quickly and slightly jumped at his touch. "I'm fine," she said before he tried to calm her, "I'm better than fine." "Yes, you are," he murmured in her ear. "Tell me, Alena, is there anything in particular that you'd like from me tonight?" he said cupping her bottom in the palms of his hands. "Uh," she started confused. "Could we just rely on your expertise tonight if I promise to be very vocal about desires in the future?" "It's a deal." Lifting her off her feet, Gabriel held her weight in the palms of his hands and pulled her close for a deep kiss. By natural instinct, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled herself closer to the heat of his body. When her nipples were grazed by the combination of her gown and his fine chest hair, she gasped in pleasure and unconsciously rocked against his erection looking for the source of her pleasure. Groaning loudly, Gabriel guided her hips lower so that her moist, heated core could make contact with his erection. Feeling the hardness of his length stroking her through his pants, Alena looked at Gabriel with a smile in her eyes. Breaking the kiss, she panted, "I'm definitely fine and only getting better." With a chuckle, Gabriel tossed her onto the bed and quickly followed her, lying beside her to allow easy access to each other's bodies. Returning her mouth, his lips pressed against hers and encouraged them to open for his invasion. As his tongue grazed her teeth, he knew he had to caution her against returning the same treatment. Plunging deep into mouth, his tongue started a lovely dual with hers for possession until she finally retreated and allowed him full access. Tasting her, he could savor the flavor of her existence - an existence that she would sacrifice to him and he would selfishly claim in exchange for being with her forever. Deep inside, he knew that after her transformation she would still be his Alena, but he also knew that a small part of him would miss her human flavor. Slowing the kiss, he encouraged her to become the aggressor by licking underneath her tongue to follow his back into his mouth breaking quickly to say, "Avoid my teeth." At her nod, he returned to her mouth letting her progress in her own invasion. As she savored his wonderful taste, Gabriel returned to touching her body. Slowly he stroked his hands down her body reaching the hem of the gown and dipping underneath. Raising his hands under the material, he was rewarded the feel of her silky, soft skin and a small squeal from her at his intimate touch. Gently cupping her breasts, Gabriel slowly positioned himself over her body. Suddenly, the sheer fabric became an evil representation of everything that had separated them for eight years. "Forgive me, love," he said. Before Alena could ask what he meant, Gabriel grabbed the nylon gown and ripped it in two from the neckline to the hem. "I'll buy you more," he said gazing at her body. Bending close to her face, he kissed her and said, "I don't know how I survived without you. If something happened now....." "Nothing will," she said guiding his mouth back to hers. While holding her breasts, Gabriel gently rubbed his thumbs over her nipples until the peaks were hard and begging for attention. With his thumb and forefinger, he tenderly tugged at the dusty rose flesh giving them the pleasure they needed. Moving his lips from hers to her jaw and neck, he nipped at her neck enjoying her giggles. When he finally dipped his head to her breastbone, he stopped moving and listened to the human heart beating in the body of the woman he loved. Placing one significant kiss to her heart, he moved to one breast and lapped at the stiff nipple then pulling it into his mouth to suckle. The feeling of his mouth on her flesh was divine. How this act could cause the moisture quickly pooling between her thighs was a mystery to Alena. She fleetingly wondered if she should be embarrassed by the amount of wetness she could feel. But all thoughts vanished when Gabriel pulled his mouth off her nipple, leaving the dusty skin wet, and then blew his breath across the aroused bud. "Oh God!" she exclaimed in surprise clawing at the bed sheets. "Oh, Gabe," she said, "Please, don't make me wait." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 07 Smiling at her reaction he turned to the twin peak and gingerly administered the same loving treatment. As she writhed in arousal underneath him, Alena could hear her moaning and loud breathing and wondered if she should bite the pillow. "No," Gabriel answered. "I need to hear you. Don't ever hide your passion from me." Moving lower, he trailed kisses down her abdomen and across her hips. When he reached the elastic band of her thong, he slowly reprimanded his loss of control earlier and promised himself to take these off as opposed to ripping them off. Hooking his thumbs under the bands at the sides, he peeled the thongs down her legs reveling in the sight and scent of her arousal. When he removed them from her feet, he sat back on his heels and looked at the human girl that would soon become his eternal mate. Everything about her was perfect. From the feminine, petite frame, her body boasted a small waist, large breasts and round hips. Her legs were shaped with calves cut with muscles from walking in heels throughout the work day. The skin that covered her body was warm and as soft as silk. The glow of the moonlight cast a spotlight on her body that eliminated everything else from his vision. As he continued staring at her, his eyes moved up her body to pause at the prize that would consummate their bond. The glistening juices were escaping her body, perfuming the room with pheromones that were exclusively Alena. Looking higher to her breast, he felt a twinge of remorse for the children that she would never have to nurse. While she had always denied the desire to have babies, her caring and loving nature would have made her a wonderful mother for some lucky child. But that child could never be his; therefore, it would not be hers. The thought of another man's seed entering her body and creating life instantly made him angry. "Gabe?" Alena asked, watching the myriad of emotions play across his face. "Did I do something wrong?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he exclaimed, "No!" then leaning over her with his weight braced on his arms, he added, "You could never do anything wrong." "You looked angry." "A random, insane thought," he said and then realized she needed to know that she had done nothing to anger him. "I was admiring this beautiful body you're giving to me and just thought how sad it is that you will never have children." "I've told you that I don't want children. I want you," she declared. "Why would that make you angry?" "I just thought that if you were ever pregnant," he confessed, "it would be with another man's child." "Uh," she said noticeably uncomfortable, "You're timing is really awkward." Laughing at his stupid thought that interrupted them, he said, "I guess I'd be pretty jealous." "You'd be jealous if there was ever a reason to be, but there's not and never will be." Then she added, "Do we really need to talk right now?" Leaning down, he kissed her quickly and he answered, "Whatever my lady wants." "Then get rid of your clothes," she commanded boldly and reached for his shirt to remove from his shoulders. As he stood to remove his pants, Alena looked at the man that she would spend every day with for God only knew how long. His broad shoulders were separated by the big chest that had held her to his heart. His torso tapered to his narrow waist and then extended to the long legs that added to his massive frame. No wonder the Ancient Greeks thought he was a god. She wondered which god he was to them. "Ares," he answered. "I'm sorry it couldn't be something a little more romantic but being the god of war labeled me correctly." "Are you going to continue doing that?" she asked with a smile. "What did I do?" he asked with feigned innocence. "Respond to my thoughts." "In a few days, I won't be able to keep you out of my head. And that just may give you nightmares." "Nightmares? Great, I could run around the mansion with my sister in a constant state of terror." "We agreed to never discuss your sister when we're in bed," he gently reminded her. "You are the one taking forever to get out of your clothes," she gently returned. Removing his pants and boxers in one movement, he kicked out of the clothes, followed by his shoes and socks, and returned to her. Pulling her close and feeling the absence of barriers between their flesh, Gabriel moved his hands down her back, squeezing the flesh of her bottom. With his erection pressing into her tummy, Alena was amazed at how her shyness disappeared and her arousal moved into full gear. She kissed him while touching his face, neck and shoulders. As he pulled her closer, she moved her hands to his back moving them up and down his frame and finally dipping below his lower back. Feeling the curve of his ass in her hands gave her a jolt of boldness and she playfully squeezed the flesh, giggling when she felt his erection leap against her stomach. Flipping her onto her back, Gabriel pulled her hands away from his body and pinned them under her own body. Having her displayed before him like a feast, he could not resist the temptation of sampling everything she had to offer. Returning to her breasts, he modified his earlier assault and simply kissed underneath the globes of flesh until he reached each nipple and suckled them briefly before moving his kisses down her body. Reaching the apex of her thighs, Gabriel moved lower to nestle between her legs. With soft caresses, he stroked her legs, bending her knees so that her feet rested flat on the bed. In response to his gentle nudging she let her knees fall outward, opening herself to him. Returning to her face to kiss her lips, he looked at Alena verifying that she was still with him on this journey. Slowly descending down her body, he placed gentle kisses on her sensitive skin lingering at the pulse in her neck and the beat of her heart. When he kissed her ribs, his hands began an exploration of her secret passages. Finding her slit moist and welcoming, he slowly inserted one finger and starting a rhythm moving in and out to prepare her body for him. Lowering his mouth to his fingers, he gently opened the folds to reveal the clit that was eagerly anticipating his arrival. Using the same tactics as he had on her nipples, he latched his mouth to the hardening bud and suckled the juices dripping from her body. Enjoying the sound of her cries, he felt her body jerk in response to the currents running through her system. Pulling away from the morsel, he gently blew a stream of breath across it and was rewarded with a shriek and the tensing of her body. Inserting a second finger, Gabriel paused when he heard her moan and waited for her to adjust. As she started a slow movement of riding up and down on his fingers, he smiled at her acceptance of him and returned his mouth to her body. Finding the clit once more, he gently grazed his fangs across the nub while matching her motions and increasing the speed of his fingers. Placing a kiss on her clit, he used his other hand to open her body for a third finger. Stretching her opening, he used her natural lubricant to assist with the additional finger. When he was convinced that she was ready to climax, he started moving his hand faster and harder into her sex and continually sucking on her clit. Alena tensed when she felt the third finger inserted into her body. Certainly he knew that her body could only take so much. Was it possible that she was too small for him? Would he know when to stop before something inside her ripped apart? Before she could say anything, Gabriel increased the momentum of his hand and her body overpowered her fears. Suddenly, she did not care about the pain. She needed to feel him bring her to another wonderful climax. Rolling her hips to meet him, she felt the familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach and suddenly her body tensed as the waves of pleasure washed over her, pulling her underneath the riptide and refusing to allow her to return. With a scream, she succumbed to the blinding stars and a deafening roar. She tried to push Gabriel's head away from her sensitive body but he was relentless in his attack. Refusing to allow her time to recover, he continued plummeting into her core with three fingers and stimulating her clit with his thumb while she surfaced from one orgasm to grasp for air and be dragged back into the abyss of pleasure. Watching her thrash on the bed both pleased and tormented Gabriel. He was thrilled to be the man to bring her sexual gratification but he was miserable because he was, yet, still waiting. When her body released a torrent of juices soaking his hand, he finally slowed his motions and allowed her to calm down. Moving up to her, he leaned close and kissed her lips. She felt as though she could barely inhale and exhale but opened her eyes to see Gabriel smiling at her. As he nudged her legs farther apart, she realized that he was getting ready to move into her. "Gabe," she said in a panic, "I don't know if I can." "It's Ok, baby. You'll be fine." "No, I..," she paused in fear. "I feel strange...there." "Your clit is aroused and sensitive. Your pussy is stretched and waiting for me," he said as he positioned his cock at her opening. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked sliding the head up her slit to rub her clit. The feeling of his body intimately touching hers threw Alena into another wave of shudders. "Oh God, yes!" she screamed. "I mean no! Don't stop. I'm ready." Pushing the head past the lips of her pussy, Gabriel paused to watch her face. Taking her smile as the sign to proceed, he slowly slid into the tight passage wondering how her small body would have fared without his earlier ministrations. She inhaled sharply, letting him know that she was uncomfortable, so he responded with a slight withdrawal. As she relaxed, he proceeded to slide his cock deeper into her body until he reached the expected thin barrier. When he paused, Alena said, "Gabe, I know what's about to happen." "If you would let me, I could make this painless for you." "No," she said with a smile, "It's part of the experience. I'm ready." Placing a kiss to her forehead, Gabriel braced his weight on his forearms, and pushed deep into her body. He felt her tense in pain and silently wished that he had numbed her before proceeding. When she relaxed he moved into her once again. With each thrust, he moved deeper as her body accommodated his length until he could feel the opening of her cervix. Not wanting to hurt her, he guided her knees up to her shoulders tilting her hips so she could accept more of his length. Reaching up to Gabriel, Alena wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. With her arms angled up, his chest pressed down and rubbed her breasts with each stroke back and forth. The sensation of his cock in her pussy and his chest rubbing her sent her into frenzy. She tried to meet his thrusts by moving her hips up to him. The familiar tingling started in her lower belly and rapidly spread through her limbs signaling her body to prepare for an orgasm. Watching his mate's eyes glaze again in another climax was almost Gabriel's undoing. He not only wanted to hold out to extend their first night together, but he also needed to pace one of her orgasms to be exactly the same time that he would bite and feed from her. As the power of his lovemaking overtook her senses, Alena gripped harder on Gabriel's neck, unknowingly breaking his skin with her scratches. She was vaguely aware of her pants and moans but totally aroused by Gabriel's reciprocating noises. As she shuddered through the climax, she felt Gabriel pull out of her and move away from between her legs. "What's wrong?" she asked in confusion. "Next position," he answered while moving a pillow down the length of the bed and then flipping her over so her tummy rested on the down filled softness. "Baby, get on your hands and knees," he instructed and guided her by placing his hands on her hips and lifting her up from the bed. Positioning his cock at her opening, he quickly entered her body and resumed his earlier rhythm. When Alena thought she had adjusted to the new position, Gabriel moved his hands from her hips and grabbed the headboard. Using his new hold as leverage, he began thrusting harder and faster, thrilled when he felt her weak attempts to move her hips back to him. Feeling his own orgasm nearing, Gabriel moved Alena's hair from her shoulder and whispered, "Forever." With those words, he plunged his fangs into her neck while thrusting one final time into her depths. Simultaneously, her blood flowed from her neck into his mouth while his seed flowed into her waiting womb. He could feel her quaking in response to the soothing venom of his bite and the wave of semen flooding her body. She screamed in ecstasy as he finally released his fangs from her neck and allowed her to settle down on the bed. Gently, he withdrew from her depths and helped her turn on her side. As her breathing calmed, she felt Gabriel wrap his body around hers and hold her close. She relaxed in his embrace, not able to think or talk. Kissing her hair tenderly, he smiled at her moan of response. Listening intently, Gabriel exhaled in relief when he picked up the steady rhythm of her heartbeat, still strong even with her recent blood loss. Before he could lay his head on the pillow beside hers, he was interrupted by the shrill ring of his cell phone. "Oh God no," Alena mumbled a complaint. "Who would be calling now?" "That's Edward's ringtone," he said rising from the bed. "Something is wrong." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 08 "Stay here," Gabriel instructed as he rushed to the living room in search of his cell phone. Alena tried to follow but was nowhere as fast. When she stood, the room started spinning and the floor began swaying up and down. Suddenly, she felt as though she were on a ship, rocking on the ocean. She wondered if the cabin was swaying in the river's current. Thinking it strange that she was just now noticing the motion, she whimpered softly and then everything disappeared into blackness. Gabriel raced through the room looking for his phone, when a moan and dull thud from the bedroom stopped his progress. Turning back to the door, he saw Alena lying unconscious on the floor beside the bed. Gently lifting her in his arms, he listened for her heartbeat and then her breathing. After he was convinced that she was alive, he placed her on the bed and started checking her body for injuries. Sure that she had no cuts or breaks, Gabriel walked to the bathroom and returned with a wet cloth. Tenderly applying the cloth to her face, he sighed in relief when her eyes began fluttering open. "Baby," he whispered, "Don't try to move. Do you remember what happened?" "Gabe?" she asked, slightly disoriented. "Give me a sec, ok?" "You have eternity," he smiled at her. "Look at me. Can you at least tell me if you remember hitting your head?" "No," she replied with a stronger voice. "There was a phone call. You said something was wrong and I wanted to make sure Iona was ok." "I heard you fall and didn't get to phone before it quit ringing." "Sorry," she said. "I don't know what happened. I stood up and got dizzy." Gabriel pulled her into his lap, placing her head against his chest and stroking her hair. "Alena, you've lost a considerable amount of blood," he said slowly. "I'm sorry. Maybe I took too much." Touching his face, she said, "I'm fine. Maybe it was just a result of all the excitement." "In order for you to change, you have to almost be drained," he explained. "I thought it might be less traumatic if I took some every day over the next few days." "I'm fine," she repeated with a yawn. As he rocked her gently, she relaxed in his arms until she succumbed to sleep. He laid her on the bed, pulling the blankets around her small body. After watching her for a few minutes, he decided to return to the living room in search of his phone. In the royal suite of the American Court mansion, Edward grabbed his cell phone from Iona, disconnecting the call before Gabriel could answer. "I told you," he said to his mate, "to leave them alone." "You don't understand," the girl cried. "I have to warn her!" "Warn her of what?" he asked in exasperation. "You had a nightmare. You always have. She told me that you've had them all of your life." Moving to the couch, Iona sat down and dropped her head into her hands. She sobbed in fear and despair. This new life was so strange. Edward had explained that Alena had been with her until recently and was now vacationing with Gabriel. After all of their fights and differences, how could Alena abandon her now? Feeling pity for his mate, Edward moved to the couch and pulled her into his arms. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I know you believe something is seriously wrong, but I promised Gabriel that we wouldn't interrupt them unless it was life or death." "But I swear it is," she said wiping tears from her face. "I know that you think it was just a dream, but Alena will listen to me." "Ok," he offered. "Try to explain it to me and then, if I can't solve the problem, then we'll call Alena." "It's hard to explain...."she stopped at the sound of Edward's phone ringing. "Ah, shit," he said looking at the caller ID, "here we go." Pressing the connect button, Edward tried to start the conversation on a positive note, "Gabe! How's it going? Sorry about the call earlier but I did try to hang up before you answered." "What's wrong?" came Gabriel's voice through the connection. "Uh," Edward hesitated looking at Iona, "it seems that Iona still has nightmares. She had a relatively intense one just now and wanted to call her sister." "What did she see?" "She's not a seer, Gabriel," Edward explained. "It was just a dream." "Edward," Iona interrupted, "please let me talk to her." Shaking his head not consenting to her request, Edward said to Gabriel, "Listen, I'll take care of it. I'm sorry for the ...." "Edward!" Iona yelled, "Let me talk to my sister!" "Edward," Gabriel responded through the phone, "Alena is asleep. She's not well." "Is she ok?" the king asked his friend. "Oh God, what happened?" Iona asked pulling at Edward's arm to reach the phone. "Iona," Edward said losing his patience, "stop it. Now." "Hey," Gabriel said in a strangely calm voice. "Put her on the phone. Let her tell me what she saw." Resigning that his mate and created enough panic to worry his friend, Edward covered the mouthpiece of the phone and said, "Your sister is sleeping. He wants you to tell him what you have seen." Taking the phone, Iona quickly started talking, "Gabriel, what happened? Is Alena ok?" "Yes," he answered wondering how to explain his mate's accident. "She fell earlier but she's sleeping now. I promise you that she's not hurt. She's just very tired. Now tell me what you saw." "I can't really explain it to you," she answered. "Alena would know what I'm trying to tell her." Running his hand through his hair in frustration, Gabriel sighed. Trying to keep his voice calm, he said, "Iona, just tell me whatever you would say to her." "Your children are in danger," came the eerie reply on the phone. "What children?" he asked. "She will know," Iona said sadly. "I'm sorry Gabriel. I'm very sorry that I've caused you so much grief. Please tell my sister," then before returning the phone to Edward, she added, "And tell her that I love her." Handing the phone to Edward, Iona walked out of the room. She stopped in the bedroom, looking at the king size bed that she had been told she shared with Edward. Waking up as the mate of a vampire king had been a strange experience for her but losing several weeks of her life between her human existence and this life was haunting her. Iona hoped Gabriel would relay the message to her sister. Unfortunately, she must have really fucked up her first try at vampirism and had earned Gabriel's eternal resentment. If he would just tell Alena to protect her children then everything would be fine. "What children?" Edward asked from behind her. "I don't know," she honestly answered with a shake of her head. "Then why torment them now?" he said obviously frustrated with her. "Gabriel partially blames you for keeping them apart eight years ago." "Partially?" she turned to him and asked in confusion. "Yeah, well," he confessed with a smile. "I guess you could say that I'm the other reason." "Ah," she said with understanding, "but he chooses to hate me." "He doesn't hate you," Edward stated pulling her into his arms. He laughed at her raised brow and kissed her lips. "Trust me. He helped me find you and then he saved you." "Both of those would be favors to you." "No," Edward said, stroking her back. "He was the only one who could save you. He tried to refuse because he knew how much I would hate to see you suffer but, in the end, he realized that you were not in control of your own self, and he saved you." "Thank you," she whispered against his chest. "For what?" "For being patient with me, especially after the past several weeks." "Ah," he said, "but I'm not a patient man. I'm a man who is used to getting his way." "And," she asked confused at the direction of his conversation, "what do you want?" "You," he answered stroking his fingers down her face. "And it's not just a want. It's a need." Pulling her into his arms, Edward kissed Iona deeply giving her no room to argue with him. As he led her to their bed, he tenderly held her close, rubbing his hands over her back. "Iona," he started, "The past several weeks have been difficult. I know that you can't remember everything but things became pretty difficult. You need to know that I don't blame you. I know who you really are and that person is the girl that I love." He paused to tilt her head so he could see her eyes. Smiling at her, he added, "And no one else blames you. You had a difficult transformation in the beginning and now you have to deal with this gap of several weeks that you don't remember." Breathing deeply, he confessed, "I have, uh, arranged your amnesia because I felt that it wasn't fair for you to deal with that right now. When you feel better adapted to this life, I can lift the veil and you will remember everything." "But for now," he said tracing his fingers down her throat, "for tonight, let's just make some new memories for us." He slipped he's hand beneath her shirt and reached for her breasts. "Tell me what you want." "I want you," Iona said with a moan. "Tell me what you want me to do," he said nibbling on her ear. "Love me, let me love you," she said as she unbuttoned his shirt kissing each inch of his chest that was exposed. "Edward, I don't remember this part of our life but I know that I want to remember us. Tell me that I belong here, with you." "You do," he said. "Never doubt that you are the only mate for me. Pulling her shirt over her head, he reached around her back and unhooked her bra. With her breast uncovered, Edward stepped back to admire his queen's body. Taller than her sister, she also had less curves and more lean muscle making her look like an athlete with a model's face. Her dark hair was thick and wavy with a shine that made him want to run his hands from her scalp to the ends of her locks. When she freed his shirttail from his pants, he stilled her hands and asked, "Impatient, my dear?" "More frustrated," she said with a grin. "But if you're not in the mood, then I can watch TV or something." Grabbing her hand and placing it on the evidence of his desire, he asked, "Do you think I'm not in the mood." "You always feel big and hard. It matches the rest of your body," she teased. "You doubt me?" "No, but I'd be better convinced if I could see the evidence with my own eyes and not have to rely on your word," she replied while stroking his length through his pants. Before Edward could respond, Iona unbuckled his belt and began opening his pants. "Kick your shoes off," she commanded and then smiled at his raised brow. After he complied, she peeled his pants over his hips and legs, kneeling at his feet so he could easily step out of the clothing. Remaining on her knees, she reached for the waistband of his boxers and carefully pulled them over his erection, down his long legs and away from his feet. "Now do you believe me?" he asked as she stared at his body. "I never doubted you. But I wanted to have proof in case I ever need to defend your honor," she replied then grasped the base of his cock. Watching her remain still for a few seconds, Edward asked in frustration, "Are you just going to kneel there staring at it?" "I'm showing respect to my king," she added with a playful grin. "My sister always said that I should act more like a lady. I had no idea what I was missing," she finished and then with a wink, opened her mouth and moved closer to his body. "Wait!" he said, placing his hand on her head stopping her approach. At her confused look, he laughed and said, "Maybe you shouldn't mention your sister when we're together. As a matter of fact," he added with a chuckle, "I command you to never think of her when we are less than fully clothed. You two share an interesting gift and I don't think she appreciates seeing everything you see. I know that I wouldn't appreciate it." When she continued staring at him in confusion, he playfully tapped the back of her and, with a smile, said, "Get back to work woman." Standing nude in the cabin's living room, Gabriel quietly snapped his cell phone shut debating whether he should turn off the power to the annoying little device. Deciding to take a chance that no more calls would interrupt them, he returned to the bedroom and stared at Alena's sleeping form. Ignoring the insane message from her sister seemed reasonable but something kept nagging him to repeat the warning to his mate. "Baby," he said softly stroking Alena's arm. "Can you wake up for a minute?" Slowly waking from her restful slumber, Alena smiled at the sound of Gabriel's voice and stretched her arms over her head as she pointed her toes to the end of the bed. "Oh," she said with a small grimace. Then with a blush, she added, "I forgot that I'd be a little sore." Wrapping her in the blanket, Gabriel lifted her body onto his lap and held her against his chest. "Yeah," he agreed, "We'll try out that tub in a minute, ok?" he asked while stroking her back. "Mmmm, sounds good." And then with a start, she asked, "Did you find out who called?" "Yes. It was your sister." "Is something wrong?" she asked twisting on his lap to see his face. "More strange than wrong, I'd say," he admitted. "What did she say?" "She had a nightmare." "Oh no, those again," she sighed and laid her head back on Gabriel's chest. "Anyway," he started, "When she awoke she felt that she needed to give you a warning." Sitting straight up on his lap, Alena asked, "Gabriel, what was the warning?" Raising his brows at her use of his proper name, he repeated, "Your children are in danger." Inhaling quickly, Alena slid down from Gabriel's lap to the floor and winced when she took a step. Looking around the room, she asked, "Where's a phone?" "A phone?" "Yes," she said tripping over the blanket wrapped around her body. Quickly catching her and holding her close, Gabriel asked again, "A phone? Who will you call?" "The hospital," she replied struggling to untangle her feet from the wrap. Setting her on the bed, Gabriel placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Baby, if you will tell me what's going on, I will help you." Then reading the panic in her eyes, he said, "Wait. You think the children at the hospital are in danger?" "What else could she mean by her warning?" "She could have been fucking rambling after another nightmare!" "She's not like that," Alena whispered in defense. Not wanting to fight with Alena over her sister, he realized that he needed to change the direction of the conversation quickly. "Ok, I have an idea. Since I'm technically the president of the organization, no one will question my order to increase security." Seeing the hopeful gleam in her eyes, he continued, "I'll have more guards added during the day and some vampires will patrol at night. Agreeable?" "Thank you Gabe," she said standing and raising on her toes to kiss him. "I owe you." "It's a big debt," he said with a grin at her. "And payoff starts with a bath," he finished by grabbing her cocooned body and held her in his arms. Amid the shrieks and kicks, he laughed at her attempt to get loosed from his hold. He walked into the bathroom and perched her on the side of the tub while he started the bath water. When he was satisfied with the temperature, he turned to her and said, "One of us is overdressed." "Yeah," she said with a blush looking away from his naked body, "I'd noticed." Then carefully standing, she dropped the blanket and looked up to Gabriel. She saw his eyes glimmer in admiration and felt a sense of pride that he was pleased with her body. Moving closer to him, she opened her arms as he pulled her into his embrace. Feeling his cock against her stomach, Alena pulled slightly away and reached her hand between their bodies. Before touching him, she looked up to Gabriel with a silent request for instruction. With a quick kiss to her forehead, he held her hand and guided her to gently wrap her fingers around his rapidly hardening cock. Hearing Gabriel's slow exhale, Alena pulled away thinking she had caused him pain. "No," he said guiding her hand back to him. "Well, yes, it's a little painful but not the way you think," he explained. Then wrapping her fingers around his width, he showed her how to slowly move back and forth. When she no longer needed his help, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaned his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. Enjoying this new experience, Alena smiled at the obvious arousal she was creating with such a simple touch. When Gabriel had guided her hands around the width, she had been shocked by the size. But now after stroking him for a few seconds, he had grown longer and thicker. Her strokes up and down grew longer and her fingers could not meet around his girth. Wondering if he was the biggest man in the world, she contemplated how she would be able to find out. At his outburst of laughs, she stopped her motions and asked, "Are you laughing at me?" "No," he said with failed attempt to hide the humor in his eyes. When he realized that she wanted the truth, he added, "You have the strangest thoughts sometimes." "I told you to stop that," she said with a smile and turned to the bath. "Ok, before we do this, do you have any nautical tricks I should know about?" "If I tell you all of my secrets, how will I keep you still interested in a few hundred years? Looking over his tall, muscular naked body, Alena said, "I believe there's enough to keep me occupied forever." Slipping into the warm water, she asked, "How do we do this?" "You're paying a debt, so we start with you washing my back," he said stepping over the tub's edge. "Lean against the back of the tub." Nestling between her legs, Gabriel savored the heat from her sex pressing against his lower back. As she lathered the soap in her hands, she watched the muscles on his back flex as he adjusted to sit between her legs. The feel of his skin against her thighs encouraged her to spread her legs wider so she could feel him against her sensitive folds. Wondering how intimate this bath would be, Alena paused in lathering and waiting for Gabriel's response to her thoughts. He chuckled at her thoughts and leaned back, resting his head against the tub and the nook of her shoulder. Receiving a smile from her, he kissed her cheek and guided her hands to the front of his body where she proceeded to lather his chest. Gently threading her fingers through his chest hair, Alena enjoyed the feeling of the hard muscles bunched underneath his skin. Becoming bolder she dipped her hands below the water and massaged his abdomen in slow circles moving downward until she could feel his erection bobbing against her hand. When Gabriel swiftly turned around pulling her up and into his lap, she squealed and kicked sending water into the floor. "What happened?" she asked watching the water slosh in the tub. "It just occurred to me," he said lathering the soap in his hands, "that we are taking too damn long to bathe." With a kiss to her shoulder, Gabriel massaged the soap over her shoulders and down her back finding those ticklish areas that would have her tensing, giggling and thrashing in the water. Pulling her close to him, he could hear her quick intake of breathe as his cock stroked against her back. Continuing the bath, he gently applied soap to her breasts and tummy, skipping her sex, continuing down to knead the tension in her thighs. When his fingers ascended to her warm folds, she asked, "Do you really think soap is reaching that spot?" "Hmmm," he pondered. "Good point," he answered lifting her from the water and placing her bottom on the edge of the tub. Pressing her shoulders back to the wall, he sat back and admired the naked beauty surrounded by the flora, with legs spread apart waiting for him. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 08 When he reached for the soap, she said, "Oh, back to the bath. You must think I'm really dirty." "I'm counting on it," he said and began his intimate exploration of her body. When he was satisfied with his work, he gently guided her back into the water where he rinsed her body and then settled her on his lap. "Hey," she giggled as his hands moved between her legs. With an innocent face, he said, "I have to rinse off all of the soap." He then proceeded to nudge her thighs apart and slip his fingers between her folds. Finding her warm and wet, he pressed a kiss against her hair and gently separated her flesh to find the hard little nub. "Oh, Gabe," she moaned pressing her hands against his forearm for support. "Do you like?" he asked flicking the bud with his finger. "Mmmmm," she moaned not able to talk. Halting his motion, he whispered against her ear, "Tell me what you want." Suddenly shy, she opened her eyes and looked at him for help. When she only shook her head, he leaned to her ear and whispered, "Tell me. Do you like this?" he asked flicking her clit again. "Yes," she whimpered. "Tell me how you want it." "More," she breathed. Keeping his finger at her clit, he inserted another feeling her silky moisture preparing her body for him. Taking a deep breath to pace his arousal, Gabriel asked, "Is that what you need?" "Yes," she panted bucking her hips against his fingers. "More." "More fingers? More pressure? Faster? Harder? Tell me what you need baby," he coaxed. "Gabe," she whined, "You know what I need." "Tell me." "Why?" she protested in frustration. "Because you need to be comfortable with me," he said with a kiss to her neck. "I will take as much as you offer to me and I'm hoping that you will give me everything. I need to be inside of you. Tonight, I need to fuck you hard," he said increasing the speed of his fingers. "I need to cum deep inside you. But I need to know that you need this too," he said turning her face to him. Rising from the tub and lifting her in his arms, Gabriel step over the edge and kneeled on the floor laying Alena on the cool granite floor. "Is the floor to cold?" "No," she answered reaching for him. "But as long as we're being open and honest, you promised me that I would get a chance to," she hesitated, "taste you." Reclining on the floor, Gabriel allowed her to move over him, between his legs. "Before you start," he said, "I'm going to warn you won't have much time. I'm cumming in your pussy." "But what if I want you to cum in mouth?" she asked with a teasing grin. "I'll cum in your mouth later," he said pushing her face to his groin, "Please quit talking." As she leaned forward, Alena realized that she really had no idea what she was doing but nothing was going to stop her from trying. Hopefully, Gabe would be nice when he told her what she did wrong. "Just don't bite me," he groaned. Shaking her head and his mental invasion, she leaned to his cock standing tall and hard. With a quick lick, she swiped her tongue across the head, smiling when she heard his groan. Opening her mouth over the head, she stroked her tongue under his length feeling her mouth become fuller with his flesh. Wondering if it was possible for him to be growing larger, she gasped in shock when he pulled away from her, flipping her onto her back and leaning over her with his weight braced on his arms. "I don't want to scare you," he said with obvious conflict between his passion and love. "You're not," she emphasized by rolling her hips to meet his. Reaching between her legs, Gabriel inserted one finger to test her moistness. When he was sure that her body was wet enough, he inserted a second finger while vigorously rubbing her clit. As she arched her back seeking more of his hand, he quickly withdrew his fingers and moved into position at her opening. In one quick thrust he entered into her pausing long enough for her to adjust to his size. When she opened her eyes and smiled at him, he withdrew and moved into her deeper than before. Setting a rhythm, he held her hips to him, meeting his thrusts. After several minutes, he hooked his hands under her knees pulling her hips off the floor. Losing her footing for leverage, Alena opened her eyes to watch Gabriel. His black, glimmering eyes bore into hers and he strong jaw clenched while he moved deeper into her body. She watched him lean back, looking at their joined bodies. Enticed with curiosity, she propped up on her elbows to look too. Watching his body disappear into hers was the most erotic sight she could imagine. Hearing their wet skin slapping together, along with the sound of her body bouncing on the wet floor created an erotic symphony to her ears. Feeling him press his length into her created the waves of pleasure that rolled out from her core and through her entire body. When he leaned up her body, rubbing her clit, she barely had time to fall back to the floor before she was caught in the frenzy of her climax. Clawing at the tiles, she felt that she was losing control while Gabriel continued pounding into her body. Before she cried out to him, he shifted the weight of her legs and reached for her hands. She clasped his hand intertwining her fingers with his searching for the strength to hold on to this moment as long as possible. Gabriel watched his woman not only accept his aggressive loving but return her passion with every thrust. Now as she tensed in his arms, he slipped his hand between their bodies and rubbed her clit between his thumb and forefinger. With a scream, she arched her back, tightening her hold on his body. He slowly withdrew from her body to thrust into her again so hard that he feared hurting her. Holding her wrist to his mouth, he confirmed that she was watching him when he allowed his fangs to elongate. With a quick anesthetic lick across her vein, Gabriel plunged into her flesh filling his mouth with her sweet intoxicating blood. Feeling the spasms shake her body, he closed the wound on her wrist and surrendered his control, releasing his seed deep into her body. With a combined groaned, they collapsed to the floor rolling to their sides. In the mansion of the American king, Edward closed his cell phone and looked across the bed at his pouting queen. "Don't' be a baby," had admonished. "It's actually your fault that I had to call in forces to guard the Children's Hospital." When she remained quiet, he said, "Hey, I least I waited until we finished our first round." "You couldn't wait until we were finished altogether?" she playfully whined. "Not when I've got Gabriel screaming orders in my head because: 1) you had to interrupt his first night with Alena and 2) it was your damn warning that caused the need to increase security," he said pulling her into his arms and teasing her nipples while caressing her breasts. "That doesn't feel right," she mumbled. "What?" he asked pulling away his hand. "What's wrong? Was I too rough?" "Huh?" she asked. "Oh, no. Hell no," she corrected placing his hand back at her breasts. "I was just saying that protecting the children at the hospital doesn't feel right. It's her children that are in danger." "Ok, if we're going to discuss her, we need to get out of bed and get dressed," he said reminding her of his earlier warning. "And your sister will never have children with Gabriel. We can't procreate." "That's sad," she said stroking her fingers down Edward's face. "Why would you say that?" he asked stopping her fingers. "Are you ok with never having children?" "I am," she corrected. "To be honest, I never wanted children but I think it's sad that you will never have any that look like you and act like you. And if I can't have yours, then I'm definitely not having any." "There's so much I need to teach you," he said wrapping his arms around her. "But that can wait until after round two." "Hey," she asked, "what did you mean when you said that Gabriel was screaming orders in your head?" "It's similar to the communication we share as mates but stronger," he added while stroking his fingers over her body. "It's shared by the original seven brothers, known as the Third Creation, and we have had a few thousand years to perfect the system." Waiting for his mate to process this information, he was prepared when she pulled out of his arms and got out of bed not concerned with her lovely nude body displayed before him. Thinking she would demand a confirmation of his age, he was not prepared for the question she asked. "Wait a minute," she cried, "if you were able to communicate with your brothers, why were we locked away in that horrible place for so long?" Growing increasingly hysterical, she yelled, "Why didn't Gabriel save us sooner?!" Realizing that he had delayed long enough, Edward sighed, rose from the bed and said, "Get dressed. Let's have a drink." "I'm not hungry." "I didn't mean blood. You'll need something stronger." "Why?" Iona asked in confusion. "You'll need it for what I'm about to tell you." In the secluded cabin, hidden beneath the raging waterfalls, Gabriel stood next to the bed watching his mate sleep. During the past two days they had explored each other's bodies while surrendering to their desires. Their lovemaking had ranged from slow and tender to fast and furious. Smiling at the memory of yesterday's experience in the kitchen, he exhaled a silent thanks that her small body had survived, and apparently enjoyed, his rough handling of her from bending her over the table to finishing her in the floor. While her shyness was rapidly decreasing, she had hesitated in becoming aggressive until just a few short hours ago. They had been sitting on the deck while Alena slowly ate a bowl of cereal and watched the water crash to the rocks in the early evening hours. Gabriel appreciated the view of watching her giggling and wiping her face each time the wind would direct the mist in their direction. As she continued to eat the soggy mush in her bowl, he reminded himself that her desire for human food would soon be abated and he would no longer have to endure the sight ever again. When she finished, she smiled at him rising from her chair to walk to him. Placing her hand on his shoulder so he would remain seated, she crawled onto his lap and nestled into his warm body. With her head against the soft t-shirt covering his chest, she lightly tapped against his arm mimicking the preternatural rhythm of his heartbeat. Steady and quicker than the human heart, his had a consistent pounding with a quickening pulse that reminded her of the results of a high impact aerobic workout. Soon, she would share that new sound with her mate. She leaned forward and kissed his chest. Without moving her mouth, she glanced up to see his smile. As she moved her arms around his neck, she twisted in the seat until she was straddling his body on the deck chair. In this new position her robe had parted and allowed her bare flesh to rub against his denim cover lap. "Gabe," she said slowly, "You really look great in jeans and I hope to see you wear them more often. But right now....." "Right now?" he repeated, with a kiss to her lips encouraging her to continue. "Right now," she said, "I'd rather you weren't wearing them." "You'd rather I was wearing something else?" he teased. After a second of staring at his chest, Alena looked into his eyes and said, "I'd rather you weren't wearing anything at all." Encouraging her new sense of security, Gabriel responded by quickly pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it to the table. Alena rose up on her knees so her face would be level with Gabriel's. Leaning to him, she slowly kissed his lips waiting for him to take over. When he remained still, she looked at him with a question in her eyes. "This is your move," he confirmed. "Do what you wish." Settling on his thighs, she bent her legs underneath her and looked at the body before her. In a million years she would never grow accustomed to the beauty of his masculine body. No wonder the Greeks had chiseled the statues of the gods in nude form. The ripple of muscles from his neck over his shoulders and chest down to his abdominals stretched his beautiful unblemished skin over his body. Of course, the artists' rendition of Ares was no replica of Gabriel. The expanse of his chest and height of his body could never be accurately depicted. And the nude statues had come up short when compared to the part of Gabriel's body still covered in denim. Realizing that he must have heard that last thought, she flicked her eyes to his to find him smiling. With a shake of her head, she smiled in return and rose back up to her knees and kissed his lips. "Until you change, I would be glad to tell her what I'm thinking of you," he offered in his seductive voice. "For example, when I eat your pussy...." Placing her fingers over his lips, Alena stared over his shoulder and shook her head. Looking at him with a smile, she twisted her fingers through his hair, pulling his head back to expose his neck to her mouth. Touching his skin with a mixture of kisses, licks and nips, she whispered, "You were saying?" "When I eat your pussy," he continued, "I think I could give up blood for the taste of your juices. You are so sweet and fresh that I crave it constantly." "Well," she said quietly, "you're being rationed until I get my fill." Resuming her attack, she moved over his shoulders and chest, lovingly kissing his flesh while running her fingers through the hairs on his chest. She teased his nipple with a flick of her tongue, feeling empowered as she watched the dark flesh harden. Kissing across his chest, she gave the same treatment to the other nipple while rolling the first between her thumb and forefinger. Continuing down his body, she slipped from his lap to kneel on the deck. When she reached the waist of his jeans, Alena unbuttoned and unzipped the garment without hesitation. Leaning into his lap, she kissed the trail of fine hair that disappeared into his boxers. "I need your help getting these off," she said. "No problem," he said balancing his weight on his feet and forearms while he lifted his hips to slide his jeans over his hips. When started to move them down his thighs, Alena touched his hands. "Everything," she said with a look to his boxers. Consenting to her request, Gabriel grabbed his boxers and they soon joined his jeans at his thighs, Alena grabbed the garments and with a shake of her head at Gabriel, she took over undressing him. Pulling the clothes down his legs and over his bare feet, she leaned back on her thighs and stared at the man. While admiring his body, the thought occurred to her that she had always considered herself as his property. But she equally possessed him. "Since the minute we met," he said. "And for eternity." Rising to her knees, she leaned forward and tenderly wrapped her fingers around his hardening cock. With a quick look to him, she bent over and licked the tip. When he thread his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer, Alena assumed that she must be doing something right and opened her mouth around the head. Using her tongue to feel around, she settled for slowly caressing underneath while holding the base in her hand. When Gabe's hand covered her, she hesitated for a second, thinking that he was going to correct her movements. Slowly he guided her hand up and down his length. He apparently enjoyed that motion because she could feel his girth swelling in her hand. As she moved her hand, more of his length slipped in and out of her mouth until she could feel him hitting the back of her throat. Silently scared, she pulled away allowing him to slip from her mouth. Suddenly shy, she wiped the saliva from her chin and look at the falls. "You don't have to do this," he said. "No," she replied, "I want to." Moving back to his lap, she was amazed at the ease of returning to the task. As she gripped the base in one hand and swallowed his length in her mouth, she felt his hand move around her head guiding her up and down. When she had control of the rhythm, Alena was surprised to feel his hips rise from the chair as she would swallow his length. Resisting a rising panic that she would start choking, she tried to tighten her jaws around his cock so he could feel the same tightness as he would inside her body. "Good girl," he groaned in approval. "Baby, I'm not going to last much longer. Do you want this in your mouth?" Humming her consent caused a new wave of vibrations through Gabriel's nervous system. Guiding her head to bob quicker up and down his cock, Gabriel leaned his head back feeling his body tighten in response to Alena's ministrations. Taking a depth breath, he gave in to the urges and released his seed into her nurturing mouth. Amazed and how she continued swallowing while never stopping her motions, he allowed his body to empty into her. Swallowing his last load, she gently pulled away and then returned placing a gentle kiss to the head before looking up to him with a smile. Pulling her into his arms, Gabriel guided her legs around his thighs and encouraged her to straddle his lap. With their bodies intimately touching, she rested her head on his chest feeling his heart racing. "It's beating faster than usual," she commented. "I'm pretty sure it's beating faster than it ever has before," he replied. With a gentle kiss to her lips, Gabriel reached between their bodies and untied the belt to her robe. Pulling the garment away from her body, he pulled her closer to him while roaming his hands up and down her back. Cupping her bottom, he lifted her slightly so he could touch the wetness pooling between her legs. As he stroked her slit, she started rocking back and forth until his body reacted to the stimulation. "Wow," she said glancing down had his erection. "Does this mean you're ready again?" "It does," he answered. "But let's take this next act inside where we can stretch out on a comfortable bed." Staring at Alena's sleeping form, Gabriel wondered if he should tell her that their next moment of intimacy would include the ending of her life as she knows it. He had explained to her eight years ago, and had repeated to her today, how her body would respond to the change. With the significant amount of blood that she had loss so far, he knew that her final sacrifice would be no more than usual. He would drink until she passed out and then, when her heart struggled to beat, he would feed her from his own body. The transformation would be painless. He had promised her that he would provide a calming anesthetic and then control her mind so that she would feel nothing. Only minutes after feeding her, the transformation would occur. When his blood had consumed her system, it would demand an alternative beat to force it through her veins. But for one second her heart would stop and then resume signifying the beginning of her new life. That life would exist with him forever. And yet, there was something inside him that dreaded the moment he would hear her last heartbeat. That rhythm had belonged to the woman he loved for eight years. Fighting the panic rising in him, he tenderly touched her face slowly moving his finger across her cheek and down to her throat. The last bite on her human body would be at this spot. "Christ," he whispered. "She'd kill me if I changed plans now." "Yes she would," Alena responded with her sleep husky voice. "I thought I was getting some special attention only to find out that you're trying to stop me from changing." "Sorry," he said pulling her into his lap. "A sentimental notion. That's all. There's no way I'm missing out on spending the rest of eternity with you." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 08 With his last statement, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Roaming his hands over her naked body, he realized that changing her was the right thing to do. Moving around her ribs he stroked over the cage, enjoying her squirming as a results of the tickling. As he moved his mouth to her throat, she tensed in his arms. "Now?" she asked when he looked at her. "I was going to wait to feed as I have every other time," he answered. "Gabe," she hesitated placing her hand on his chest. "I..." "What's wrong?" he asked stroking his hands up her neck and under her hair. "If you need to wait, we can wait." "No!" she exclaimed. "Oh God, no, please don't make me wait any longer to be with you." "You're with me now." "Not as one of you," she corrected. "When I'm finally changed then I can be with you forever. Until then, I have to face the chance of dying in a car accident or from cancer or...." "Baby," he whispered. "I'm going to change you tonight." "I know this sounds stupid," she confessed looking down. "But as much as I want this, I don't think I can relax for us to ....," she hesitated. "I would be thinking about the change the entire time." "That doesn't say much for my skills in seduction," he replied with a laugh. "The fact that I haven't worn anything except a robe since we arrived here proves that your seduction skills are working just fine," she admitted. "What do you want, baby?" he tenderly asked. "I want to be like you," she answered. "I want to be like you, now." Nodding his head, he held her close to his body. He was not sure if he was allowing her time to change her mind or allowing himself one last minute with his human bride. "Ready?" he asked in a whisper because his voice was strained with emotion. "Yes," she answered while nodding against his chest. Tilting her head back to expose her neck, he inhaled deeply and said, "Forever." "Forever," she repeated with a smile. Swiftly, his fangs extended and plunged into her neck. Feeling her inhale and tense, he released the venom that would remove her last moments of pain. When he sucked her blood, he let it pool in his mouth before swallowing. Before each draw, he would wait and listen for her heartbeat cringing at the thought that it would soon be silent. When her body fell limp in his arms, he sealed the wound shut and looked at her face. Pale and sallow from the loss of blood, she was still the most beautiful woman to him. Watching her chest slightly rising as she breathed, Gabriel kissed her chest, where her heart struggled to beat. Biting his wrist, he parted her lips and pressed his bleeding vein to her mouth. As her throat convulsed, he massaged her neck encouraging her to swallow the fluid that would give her life. He knew that she had not needed much, only enough to enter her body, but he continued holding his wrist to her mouth until he feared that he would make her ill. Quickly sealing his wound, he leaned against the headboard of the bed and gently cradled Alena in his arms. As the minutes passed, his fears increased. Throughout history, he had heard the stories of a failed changing. Either the sire had taken too much blood or the changeling had not adjusted to their new life. But none of the Third Creation had failed in siring a new creation. Laying his wife's head on the pillows, he rose from the bed and paced the room realizing that he would be the first to fail. Alena's strong, human heart continued to beat. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 09 Alena slowly awoke but kept her eyes closed. She moved her tongue inside her mouth searching for the fangs that her new body should have. With a smile, she realized that she would probably need Gabriel's instruction on how to elongate the new incisors. She inhaled deeply wondering how long she had been sleeping. Three hours or three weeks, she knew that a cup of coffee was definitely needed to cure this headache. Headache? Do vampires have headaches? How can vampires survive eternity if they suffer inconveniences such as headaches? Stretching her body on the bed, she felt as though her joints were stiff from immobility and weak with hunger. Slowly opening her eyes, Alena tried to focus in her dark surroundings looking for Gabriel. When the beside lamp suddenly lit the room, she squinted and moaned in complaint. A quick inventory of her stats included a headache, sore body, hunger, and blindness in the dark. Ignoring her body's complaints, she quickly sat up in the bed in shock and horror. She was not a vampire. Looking at Gabriel, she cried, "Why didn't you change me?" "I did everything that I was supposed to do," he replied while slowly walking to the bed. "What's wrong with me?" "Baby," he said while sitting beside her, "calm down. We'll figure this out." "What happened?!" she demanded in rising panic. "Alena, calm down," Gabriel said while pulling her onto his lap. "Listen to me. You are not still human but you have not completely changed ... yet." "Yet? I don't understand," she said in rapid breaths. "Please try to calm down. You've been sleeping for three days as though your body was changing but you've not become a vampire. I've been trying to give you orange juice and water so you wouldn't dehydrate. I could hardly take you to the hospital in your condition." "What condition?" she asked in confusion. Pulling away from Gabriel, she noticed the strain in his face. He appeared tired and worried. Gently touching the wrinkles around his eyes, Alena noticed her hand. Pulling away, she turned her hand back and forth viewing the smooth, flawless skin. "Oh God," she said. "What happened to me?" Lifting her in his arms, Gabriel carried her to her dressing room and stood her in front of the full length mirror. When she looked at their reflections, she was shocked at the woman staring back at her. Since joining Gabriel at the mansion, her physical appearance had improved through rest and relief of stress. But now, the beautiful face framed by thick mahogany hair barely resembled her own. She turned in the mirror, slightly distracted by her nudity, observing all of the changes in her appearance. Her body, always petite and trim, now seemed to boast perfect dimensions with the fuller breasts that stood at attention to the golden skin that glowed in unblemished perfection. "You now have the perfect body as it would have been with no stress, illness, or age," Gabriel commented with a tender stroke of his fingers down her arm. "But I'm not a vampire." "Your human heart faltered as though it would stop but when I fed you, it started beating its normal rhythm again." "My eyes changed." "Darker, as your hair has darkened also." "Gabe, did I do something wrong?" "No," he said pulling her closer to him. "You did nothing wrong and I've been going crazy for three days trying to determine where I failed." Dropping her head in a futile attempt to control her emotions, Alena stepped away from Gabriel motioning for him to keep his distance when he tried to follow her. She walked to the closet and found a long, black silk robe that noticeably had more material than any of the others. When she exited the dressing room, Gabriel followed slowly behind her watching her every move. Stopping in the bathroom, Alena collected necessary items for a bath, enough for one person. "I would like to freshen up," she said in a monotone voice. Refusing to look at him, Alena did not see the sorrow that passed across his face. When she heard him leave and close the door, she immediately turned on the water impatient for the temperature to warm. She stood under the spray long enough to wet her hair and shuddered when she felt the weight from the new volume drag down below her hips. Struggling to reach the small ledge, she sat down and allowed her disappointment and fear to be released through her emotions. Tears started as she tried to understand that she had been rejected by the vampire world. Eight years of loneliness had been eased only to be elevated to a torment that she knew her heart could not bear. Now, after completing a physical bond with Gabriel, she would still age, be subject to illnesses, and eventually die. With the dark cloud of pain crushing her heart, she began sobbing uncontrollably. On the other side of the bathroom door, Gabriel leaned his forehead against the wood listening to Alena cry. He had suffered alone for three days only to be alone again when she had finally woke. He knew that he should say something to her, offer her some encouragement but he had barely been able to answer her questions and do more than gawk at her altered body. He hated himself more than she ever could. How could she ever love him again when he had somehow failed her so miserably? After four thousand years of being alone, eight years of sacrificing his life with her for the demands of his world and the three additional days of waiting in frustration, it was his failure of changing her that now pushed him beyond his control. "Fuck this," he growled storming into the bathroom. His confidence shattered when he saw her huddled in the floor of the shower. Quickly stripping out of his jeans and t-shirt, Gabriel opened the shower door and stepped into the stall. She felt him lifting her into his arms before she knew that he was with her. Trying to pull away from his hold, she hid her face in her hands to hide her tears. When she realized that he would not let her go, she circled her arms around his waist and sobbed on his chest. "I'll never let you go," he vowed as he kissed the top of her head. "I promise you that nothing will ever separate us. I'll find out what I did wrong and fix this." Hearing his vow was more painful to Alena than this failed changing. How could he keep them together when she could still die? Why would he want to be with her when she was old and looked more like his mother than his mate? "Because I won't quit until I find out what I did wrong," he answered her thoughts. "Gabe," she said pausing in her sobs, "what if it's me? What happens if I'm just not good enough no matter how much we want it?" "Oh baby," he answered, "If you knew some of the changelings that I've encountered in my life, you'd understand that it's impossible for you to not be good enough. Maybe you're just too good for us." Looking at Gabriel, Alena rolled her eyes and hid her face against his chest again. "Alena, I did things differently. I don't understand how that would have change things but I took your blood over a period of three days instead of instantly draining you. Maybe your body adjusted or became immune to my venom. I also gave you more blood than you needed and that could have had an adverse effect also." "Do you really believe this can be fixed?" "Yeah," he said weakly and avoided looking in her eyes. When he realized that his response lacked conviction he added, "Baby, I'll do everything I can but if we can't fix it, then we will still be together. I'll leave everything behind and bring you here where we will live the rest of our lives together." "You mean that you would come here and stay with me until I die?" "No. First of all, we don't know that you will die. You did change in some things. And secondly, I meant that either way, we would be together in life," he said looking into her eyes, "and death. My life can be ended." Understanding Gabriel's words, she pulled away from him placing her hand over her ears as though she could shut out the words he had spoken. How could the world continue without Gabriel? She refused to be the reason he was removed from Edward and the remaining brother of the Third Creation. "Baby, it's not a choice. I could never continue to exist without you. Even while we were separated, I would come close to the children's hospital just to hear your heartbeat. You will never believe how many hours I've spent standing in the dark, outside of your home, doing the same. You are the only reason I have to continue." Alena nodded her head and pulled away to continue her shower. Even when Gabriel assisted with lathering and rinsing her body, she felt that his hands were moving in repetitive motions with no hint of sexual tension as they had shared in their previously shared showers. When they were finished, they dressed casually and moved to the kitchen so Alena could prepare yet another human meal. Selecting a simple sandwich of meat and veggies, she ate while Gabriel sat at the table quietly watching her. The awkwardness of the silence was a reminder of their differences that they thought they had overcome only now to find that they had just avoided them. When she finished eating, she spent considerably more time than necessary returning the food to the refrigerator and washing her plate. When she had finished, she took a deep breath and leaned against the counter and looked at Gabriel. "I was beginning to feel invisible," he commented with a smile. "Do you always wash a plate for three full minutes?" "I did not ..." she said stopping when he raised an eyebrow at her. "When are we leaving?" "I was actually going to suggest that we return to the mansion today," he answered. "I need to speak with Edward." "About me?" she asked and then quickly added, "Or about other things, normal things, I mean you're normal life?" "You. But first, come with me. Before we leave, there is something I need to show you." Walking out of the cabin, Alena realized that, other than sitting on the deck, this was the first time she had been outside since they're arrival. As Gabriel led her closer to the bank, he stopped and lifted her in his arms to carry her. When they approached the falls, she turned in his arms watching the torrents of water crashing to the rocks. Gabriel continued to walk towards the water and then stopped before they could feel the mist of the spray on their faces. "Undress," he said while removing his t-shirt. When she continued staring at him, he sighed in frustration and quickly removed his shoes which were soon followed by his jeans. Standing in front of her naked, every detail of Gabriel's perfect body was exhibited in the golden sunlight. He reached for her and started tugged the belt of her rob loose until it fell to her sides parting her robe and exposing her body to his gaze. Unlike their shower only a few minutes earlier, the feel of his hands on her skin reminded her of their attraction and the sexual satisfaction that only they could give to each other. When he slid the rob from her shoulders, Gabriel reached for her breasts, holding them in his hands and gently stroked her nipples with his thumbs until they were hard and pressing into him in a silent demand for more attention. He moved his fingers down her skin, stroking a path that created a desire in the center of her belly. Gabriel pushed the robe from her body and let it fall to her feet. Kneeling before her, he leaned forward and pressed gentle kisses across her tight tummy and reached around her body with his hands to slowly massaged the soft flesh of her bottom. Holding his shoulders for support, Alena leaned into him trying to move his mouth further down. She whined in protest when he stood again smiling at her frustration. "Patience my love," he said and tenderly kissed her lips. When he moved away, he clasped her hand firmly inside of his and walked to the water's edge. Trusting him completely, she knew that he would keep her safe but yet she was curious as to how close they would get to the rapids. "You'll love this. I promise," he responded to her. "You know, I really got screwed on that." "What?" he asked in confusion. "The whole mind reading gig. I'm quite happy with my current teeth and diet but I would have really enjoyed reading your mind. And living with you forever." "We'll get there," he promised. "I know this is going to work out." "Because you just know things." "That's correct. Ready?" "Ready for what?" she asked and then shrieked when he pulled her into his arms and leaped into the water. Surfacing together in the pool, Gabriel held her close while he swam close to a smaller water fall obscured by the grander cascades. When he slowly advanced to the tumbling water, he leaned Alena's body underneath so she would feel the massaging power of the liquid. "Oh my God," she said when he pulled her close to his chest. "The water is so much warmer than the river." "I thought you would appreciate that. Let's agree to not worry about anything else for now experience all of nature's gifts together. Deal?" "Deal. I'm sorry about the breakdown earlier. Do you still love me?" she asked seductively grinding against his body. "Don't apologize. We've had a setback," he answered pulling her closer to his rapidly hardening length. "Let me show you how much I love you." With little effort, he lifted her body from the pool placing her bottom on the edge of a smooth rock, warm and wet from water's pressure. A small cascade of water poured over her backside gently massaging her scalp and shoulders, running down her spine and under her bottom. The sensation of the current touching her most intimate places created an erotic sensation flowing through her body. Gabriel remained in the pool holding her hips firmly so would not slide from the rock. He watched her shudder in reaction to the water's caress of her body. Her eyes closed as her body started climbing the path to its climax. Dipping lower in the water, he rose beneath her legs with her knees locked over his shoulders. With his head at the same level of her hips and her legs splayed over his shoulders, her body was open to his gaze. Slowly she started rolling her hips forward looking for the release to the passion building in her body. When she moved forward, the folds of her flesh parted revealing the hardening bud which glistened with the moisture of her arousal. Tenderly, Gabriel parted her flesh more smiling as she gasped in reaction to his touch. Opening her eyes, Alena looked at him with eyes pleading to give her the pleasure she sought from only him. Gabe smiled at her passion and leaned forward until he was barely touching her with his mouth. She tensed in his arms trying to pull away from his mouth on her tender center but he held her firm. Holding her open to his mouth he nibbled on her clit smiling at her moans and struggles to stay upright. He then inserted two fingers into her tight opening pushing deep into her body. She cried out as Gabriel moved his fingers in and out quickening his rhythm as she squirmed in his arms. When he inserted a third finger into her, she felt her body tense in anticipation for the upcoming climax. As she surrendered to his ministrations, Gabriel pulled his mouth away quickly and waited for her to look at him. "Do you trust me?" he asked. "I do," she quickly answered. His fangs elongated and his eyes shone bright against his handsome face. Before she could ask his intentions, he move back to her clit and place a quick kiss to the bud. Her body's arousal overrode any fear she could have and arched closer to his mouth. He sucked her clit into his mouth until it was hard and distended from his treatment. As she felt her climax peak, he sunk his fangs around the bud releasing the venom that would eliminate any discomfort but inject the aphrodisiac that belonged exclusively to him. Placing her palms on the rock, Alena braced herself as the waves of passion pulled her into their depths. She knew that she would have fallen in the pool if Gabriel were not there firmly holding her on the rock. Of course, she would not be experiencing this passion at all if Gabriel had not been there with her. He heard her scream as she peaked in her orgasms and felt her tense and then shudder as her body felt the passion rolling through it. When her nectar mixed with her blood, he removed his fangs, sealed the wound close and savored the flavor of her juices. He drank as deeply from her as he would have from any vein in her body. Once again, he thought that he could exchange the craving for blood for an eternity of her special bouquet. When she collapsed on his shoulder, Gabe held her close slowly rubbing her back until her breathing returned to normal. Turning to his mouth, she kissed him deeply slipping her tongue between his lips. Tasting the mixture of her own blood and juices in his mouth caused her a moment's hesitation and then an immediate assault to her senses. As he increased the pressure of his touches to her body he also moved to the more sensitive areas. Pulling her down from the rock, he held her close to his body moving to a boulder with a flat surface sloping out of the water's calm pool. He laid her on the rock and turned her so that she was resting on her hands and knees. From centuries of exposure to the water and sun, the rock felt smooth and slick more comfortable than a slab of stone should be. He stepped up behind her and searched for her opening with his fingers. Finding her wet and ready he hesitated before moving into her not wanting to be extremely rough and forceful with her so soon after her recent climax. "Hurry Gabriel," Alena moaned leaning back into his exploring fingers. "Please don't make me wait." "Tell me what you want." "I want you to fuck me. Fuck me now and hard. Please Gabriel," she said moving back and forth on his fingers. "Tell me to stop if you don't like it," he said while he positioned his cock at her opening. With a quick, hard thrust, Gabriel sunk half his length into her body. Waiting for her to adjust, he held her still hoping that she had not changed her mind already. "Please Gabriel," she said looking over her shoulder. "All of it. All of you." Sliding back out of her until just the head of his cock was inside her tight body, he took a deep breath and growled as he pulled her hips back to him and slammed his cock deep into her. Feeling her body tightening against the invasion, he feared for a quick moment that he may have hurt her. "Oh God, yes," she whimpered grinding her hips back into him. "Is all of it in of me?" "Alena," he said softly, "be patient. We're almost there." "Gabriel, quit telling me to be patient! I don't want to be patient anymore. I need this. Now." Releasing the control on his lust, he slid out of her again and quickly thrust his hips while pulling hers back to meet his. He felt the tip of his cock harshly pounding against something inside of her. He winced fearing he caused internal damage and slowly withdrew looking for any signs of blood or trauma. When only the head of his cock remained inside of her, he silently vowed to return to the gentle lovemaking that she deserved. Before he could move, she arched her back and forced her hips back to him. Shocked by her aggression, he quickly tried to halt her movement before he was deeply sheathed inside her again. She rebelled against his caution and pulled away from him cringing when his cock resisted a complete exit and was forcibly removed by her forward movement. Turning around on the rock she placed her hands on Gabriel's shoulders and pulled their bodies closer together. When his cock nudged the entrance of the pussy, she twisted their bodies so that Gabriel was partially reclining with his back against the rock but his feet still resting in the river bracing his weight. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 09 If Gabriel was surprised by her sexual aggression earlier, he was completely dumbfounded when she forced him to lie on the rock. Now, as she straddled his body, he watched her eyes gleam with an unnatural shine that resembled a black jewel sparkling with fire normally found in diamonds. If her body had altered so much in his attempt to change her, then why did her human heart continue to beat? Why did her sweet blood continue to flow through her veins? When she guided his cock into her still tight opening, he immediately quit questioning the changes in her today. Hell, her changes so far were to his advantage including her apparent increased tolerance to pain. Trying to sheath his cock deep within her, Alena whimpered in frustration when she failed to have him deeply seated inside. Moving up and sliding down again, she realized that something in her position was not correct. When Gabe started chuckling, she dug her nails into his chest and leaned down to press her brow against his. "Gabriel, quit fucking around." "I thought that was exactly what you wanted." "You know that I'm doing something wrong. Have pity on me," she groaned kissing his jaw. "What do you want?" "Fuck me hard as though your life depended on it." Flipping her over so that her back now rested against the rock, Gabriel pulled their bodies to the edge of the rock and braced his weight on his feet while pulling her legs over his shoulders. Alena lay back against the rock but gripped onto his arms as he positioned his body against hers. Lifting her hips to him she gave one silent plea for his lovemaking and he conceded. Without any further delay he started a quick thrust in and out of her body roughly grinding against her clit with each thrust. As she started trembling in his arm he managed to increase his speed until she was no longer able to hold on to him but had to place her hands behind her head trying to push her body closer to his. His fears of hurting her were alleviated when she braced herself for him. Watching her face for signs of her orgasm, he realized that he was probably reaching his peak quicker than her. Pausing long enough to place both of her legs together and then back over his arm he continued his hard onslaught in and out of her tightened body. "Touch yourself," he commanded. "For me." Watching him, she smiled and lowered her hand to find her clit hidden under the tightly folded flesh. When she rubbed the hard nub she arched her back as the sensations started tingling currents vibrating through her body. "That's it baby," he encouraged. "Keep doing it. Cum with me." At his command, she began erratically rubbing her fingers along the opening of her slit feeling a jolt of pleasure when she would stroke her clit. She watched Gabriel's face with a fleeting thought that his approval made her so happy. When his jaw clinched, he leaned closer to her body pressing her legs to her chest. "Ready?" he asked with a groan. Only able to nod in affirmation, Alena gloried in the new few thrusts that truly felt as though Gabriel was pounding deeper into her core. His last two thrusts were slow and deliberate in the complete withdraw and savage entry. Under the brilliant sunlight, she screamed in pleasure and as her orgasm grabbed her hard and dragged her to the pinnacle of pleasure. Gabriel held her close emptying his seed deep into her body. When he was completely sated, he moved from her chest to see if she was injured. She turned her face to him with her glistening dark eyes bright with excitement and her smile of joy stretched across her face. She reached her left hand up and gently stroked his jaw pausing to notice how the diamond of her ring faded in brilliance compared to the beauty of his face. With their bodies still joined, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the water fall. Placing her bottom back on the rock, he withdrew slowly watching for any signs of discomfort register across her face. Slowly, they rinsed their bodies under the warm falling water completing their lovemaking with gentle caresses and kisses. When they were finished, Gabriel carried her to the shore and dried her body with his t-shirt. Dressed in only his jeans, he carried her naked body back to their cabin where they showered and packed, eager to return to the mansion where they could research the cause for her failure to change. Sitting in the royal suite, Iona slammed the heavy book shut, frustrated that she was expected to read so much history in such little time. Relaxing on the couch, she closed her eyes laughing at what a joke she must be as Edward's queen. "I just need somebody to read this shit to me," she reasoned aloud. "The Bible is on CD. Why the hell can't somebody record the history of the vampires?" "Well, you look studious," a sexy male voice said from the door. "Since the book is on the floor and you're relaxing on the couch, I can only conclude that you've finished reading. "Edward, the only one way I can read a book that big is if it has pictures and sex scenes. And pictures of sex scenes might earn a second read." Laughing at his mate's words, he cherished her comfort level with her sexuality. For a moment, he wondered how his friend had fared with the more conservative sister. Approaching the couch, he grabbed Iona's ankles and held them in the air, lifting her hips off the couch. "Ready for a pop quiz, queen?" "No," she said with a giggle. "The blood is rushing to my head and I'm more concerned with keeping my skirt down." "Why didn't you just say something then," Edward offered with a wink, kneeling to the floor while placing Iona's knees over his shoulders. "Uh, yeah," she hesitated. "I'm totally focused now. I'll take 'Vampire History' for one-hundred dollars." "What's our mission?" "Jeez," she complained. "Is it too late to choose another category?" Shaking his head in mock disappointment, he turned his face to the inside of her thigh and gently kissed her sensitive skin. When she shivered, he pulled her hips closer to the edge of the couch. The movement forced her to recline against the back of the couch and her skirt to move higher up her thighs revealing her black lace thongs. "Ok," he agreed. "Let's try 'How Do You Keep the King Happy' for one-million dollars." Gently, he rubbed his face against the silky smoothness of her thighs. Trailing kisses to her knees, Edward gently gripped her hips demonstrating the control that he had on his powerful non-human strength. "Edward," she paused waiting for him to look at her. "Do I make you happy?" "You doubt my love for you?" "That's not what I asked," she replied shifting her position to replace her legs with her arms around his neck. "I know you love me and I know that we, uh, cohabitate well." "Cohabitate?" "Shut up," she said with a playful punch to his shoulder. "I'm working on being a lady." "I hope it's a passing phase." "Be serious a minute." Realizing that she had something to say, Edward pulled her close while lifting her off the couch and tucking her on his lap as he sat down. "You have my undivided attention." "I've wasted my life. My sister would know what to do but I can't even focus, let alone help you like I need to." "Listen," he said tilting her face to his. "I needed you to know what the revolt against the New Kingdom means to us. I do not expect you to fight." "So, when you need to talk, you just want me to listen and not really talk?" "That's not true," he argued. "If I didn't think you would be an effective ruler beside me, then I would have taken you for as mistress and not as my mate." "Thanks," she said and smiled warmly at him. Placing the large book safely on the end table, Iona reached for the buttons on Edward's shirt and slowly began undressing him. When she had removed his tie and jacket, she pulled the tail of his shirt from his pants and added that to the growing pile of discarded garments. Holding her hands within his larger ones, he halted her seduction and watched her face. "I thought you wanted to have a serious discussion." "I did. And we did," she responded trying to free her hands from his grasp. "Then you had to say that you chose me as a mate and not just a mistress and I decided that I really need you. Now." "What about your research?" "You mean that forty million page monster of a book? Alena's more into that stuff. She'll read it and give me the edited version when she comes back." "Oh. Well in that case," he said releasing her hands, "I apologize for interrupting." In the early hours of the following morning, Gabriel silently drove his car back to the mansion. He looked to Alena, sleeping in the passenger seat leaning against his shoulder for support. He was beyond puzzled over her status as an apparent hybrid between human and vampire. If he could be honest, he wanted to blame someone but that person would probably be him. Their relationship had returned to the sweetness that he craved whenever he was with her and for that, he was grateful. But they both remained fearful of her mortality and he was even more fearful with the rebellion breathing so close to court. He had promised her that they would never separate. Now, he had no idea how he could keep that promise. The rebellion would certainly require a battle to be resolved but he could not allow her that close to the action. Once excited to put her on display among his kind, he now feared any exposure of her frail human nature. Slowly approaching the mansion, Gabriel decided to be optimistic, for her sake, but he would also be realistic, for her safety. "Baby, wake up," he said when he had parked in front of the house. "We're here." Inhaling from sleep to wake, Alena sat up in her seat, blinking while she looked around to get her bearings. When she saw the mansion's door open and a familiar man walk down the steps to the car, she smiled and turned to Gabriel. "Talk about déjà vu," she said with a voice husky from sleep. "How long ago did you first bring me here?" "Exactly two weeks ago," Gabriel answered getting out of the car. When he walked around, he tossed the keys to the man assisting Alena from the car. He smiled and took Alena's arm to walk into the house. "Aren't you going to congratulate me on my success?" Gabriel asked the man. "So, it was a success?" "Most certainly," he replied with a kiss to Alena's hand. As the car sped away, Gabriel pulled her close to his body and ran from the front door. Quickly circling the building he stopped in the garden she had seen from their bedroom window. "Gabe," she asked nervously, "What's going on?" "I'm keeping you away from the vampires until we find the reason you didn't change." With an effortless jump, he landed on their bedroom balcony with Alena in his arms. "I guess I understand why you'd be ashamed of me," she whispered and walked away from him. Before she could further than an arm's length away, he grabbed her hand and tugged her back into his arms. "No," he said. "Remember what I've told you before. When you come here, you don't leave. You either become one of us or you become food for us. Until I figure out what's going on, no vampire will be allowed near you." A variety of emotions suddenly flooded Alena. From the disappointment to the fear of Gabriel's rejection, she now experienced a surged of tenderness toward him for his concern in her safety. Without warning the tears started and grew in volume accompanied by hiccups and sobs. "Baby," he said gently lifting her into his arms. "Please don't cry. You're very tired and probably hungry. I know this has been very confusing for you but I promise that I'll figure it out." Unfortunately, his gentle words only made her more emotional as the reality of everything pressed on her heart. Soon, she would face others, who had changed successfully and would question why she had not. Even her sister had been given two separate opportunities and had changed both times. How could she face Iona now? How can this be explained? How could Gabriel not be ashamed of her? "Ok," he said stepping away from her, "I'm just as confused as you are and I'm sympathetic with your emotions, but if you doubt me again, I'm going to show you exactly how angry I can get." "Sorry." "Great," he muttered. "We're back to the constant apologies." Walking into the bedroom, he left her on the balcony to hopefully regain her composure. With a telepathic message sent to Edward, he turned around to see Alena following him into the room. When she opened her mouth to speak, he playfully glared at her stopping any apology. With a smile, she shook her head and laughed. "I was just going to tell you that I love you." "No you weren't," he said returning her smile. "But I love you too. And, we are about to be greeted by your sister." "Ugh. I guess I should be glad to get this over with," Alena responded and took Gabriel's offered hand and walked together into the foyer. After a quick rap on the door, Iona waltzed into the room, carrying the large history book, before Gabriel or Alena could respond. At first glance, the sisters paused. Alena had not seen Iona since the girl's horrible contamination of the infected blood. And Iona would have sworn that she had not seen Alena since leaving home so many months ago. "Wow," Iona said in a breath. "Look who got laid!" "Jeez, so much for any hope of maturity." "Admit it. You regret waiting so long. I told you that life was too short to miss all the fun. And now it's not short at all." Iona placed the book on a table and walked to her sister. With arms wide open, she stopped before actually hugging her and observed all of the changes in her sister's appearance. "You look awesome. Welcome to the world of...," she paused. "What is that sound? Oh God, you're not..." Suddenly Edward appeared behind Iona and pulled her back into his arms. Before she could question his interruption, he gave her a meaningful look that she read well and fell silent. Seeing their silent communication reminded Alena of the bond that Gabriel and she were not sharing. "Welcome home," Edward said to Alena. "Gabriel has informed me of the issue and we will find the answers to your questions." He then turned to Gabriel and said, "Friend, I've missed your council this week. I'm sorry to rush you but as soon as possible, I will need to meet with you. We've had some interesting developments recently." Gabriel looked at Edward for a moment then turned his gaze to Iona. She visibly flinched at the fury that he barely hid in his eyes. She turned a questioning gaze at Edward and then dropped her eyes in confusion and pain. "Ok, that's just rude," Alena said after watching the silent communication swirl around her. "Sorry baby," Gabriel said pulling her into his arms. "My turn to apologize. Edward needs to speak with me for a few minutes. I promise I won't be gone long. Will you be alright with your sister or would you like to rest after our trip?" "Why wouldn't she be ok with me?" Iona whispered with her eyes still cast down. "I'm good," Alena answered. "Iona and I can catch up. I'll be fine," she added with a quick kiss to his lips. As the men walked to the door, Gabriel paused by Iona waiting until she looked him in the eye. His fear and anger over her previous deceit was hardly dimmed in his memory. He trusted his friend's evaluation that Iona was a true mate and had no residue of contamination in her system. But yet, it was his Alena that would be hurt if Edward was wrong. "I don't know why you're angry with me," Iona said with trembling lips. "I promise you that I could never hurt her." "Gabe," Alena said walking to her sister, "I'll be fine." With a nod of his head, Gabriel followed Edward to the door and exited the apartment. When they were standing in front of the elevator, Gabriel decided to start the meeting now. The quicker it was started then the quicker it would be finished and he could return to his mate. "What's happened Edward?" "The Council has called a meeting. A formal meeting. With the rebellion growing in strength and infiltrating my home, there's a petition that I am impotent and therefore, should be removed as king. "Who the fuck would do that?" "Ah," Edward started with a smile. "It seems our brother Heron has voiced his opinion through his diplomat Cassian." "You have nothing to worry about. I'm going to rip that fucker's head off as soon as I find him." "No you're not." "No?" "Do you find strange that I was held hostage and my home invaded while our brother has this obvious rebel in his court?" "You think Heron supports the rebellion?" Gabriel asked but continued before Edward could respond. "The rebellion would seal our annihilation. It would be ludicrous for him to participate." "Do you deny that Cassian is Heron's ambassador?" "No," Gabriel agreed. "But I will not begin doubting my brothers. Edward, there has to be more to it than what we see now." "I want to believe you." "Do you trust me?" "Always." "Then let me do my job. My loyalty is to you and I promise that I will crush this rebellion in your kingdom." "Thank you," Edward said and then looked at the opened elevator doors. "I supposed we could call this conversation our meeting so you can return to your mate. " "Am I that obvious?" Gabriel asked with a grin. "Oh, if only the forces attacking my kingdom were so transparent." When the men had left the apartment, Iona moved to the couch and plopped in the seat with a pouting frown. She waited until her sister slowly moved to the seat beside her before talking. "Ok," Iona said. "Out with it." "Out with what?" "Go ahead and blast me for whatever I did. You used to just let in on me whenever you were pissed off. And with Hercules as your personal bodyguard, I guess I'll always be guilty." "Oh lord, we really are back to the beginning." "What?" "Listen," Alena began. "The past few weeks for you have been a nightmare. When I arrived two weeks ago, you were a completely different person but you favored my sister so much that I tried to find the resemblances and build a relationship. Apparently, you had been poisoned and weren't really in control." "What did I do?" "You led me to a room where three other vampires tried to attack me." "Oh God," Iona said with a rush of breath. "No wonder Hercules wants to rip my limbs off." "Yeah. And he's Ares. Not Hercules." "What?" "Nothing," Alena said with a smile. "But now you look more like yourself." "It's kind of weird having the new name and all." "Yeah, but you were declared dead. You look considerably more glamorous. And Edward's explanation of the name was good enough to make me want it for myself." "He's great isn't he?" Iona asked scooting closer to her sister. "Sure," Alena agreed "If you're in to that whole millionaire, playboy trapped in an eternally perfect body, then I guess he's ok." "Ha! Look who's talking?" Iona said with a conspiratorial grin. "C'mon tell me how it was." "No." "Did you go down on him?" "Shut up!" Alena laughed beginning to blush. "Did he go down on you?" "I swear to God, you're as vulgar as ever." "Miss me?" Closing the distance between them, Alena stretched her arm towards her sister and gently stroked her face. Seeing the girl she remembered sitting there brought tears to her eyes. "Immensely. I don't know what the guys did to fix you, but I'm glad that you're here now." "So," Iona said with a sly grin, "how's the sex life?" Appalled beyond the capacity to speak, Alena just shook her head and searched for another topic. Spying the book on the table, she picked it up and tried to decipher the cryptic print on the cover. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 09 "What is this?" "A gift from Edward. Romantic, huh?" "Does he know that you prefer TV or books on CD?" "Apparently not. So I brought the mother in here for you." "Regifting?" "No. I wanted you to read and give me a nice little edited version. Know what I mean?" "Vampire History for Dummies?" "I was thinking more a Cliff's Notes' version." Smiling at her sister's comment, she was relieved to see same person she had always known but now with fangs. The thought sobered Alena for barely a moment until she quickly reminded herself that Gabriel would solve the problem. Opening the book to the first page, she noticed that the print seemed to be handwritten. "I did read the beginning," Iona explained. "Good stuff. You know there're seven original vamps?" "Yeah." "Well each of them represents a gemstone. Can you guess what your boy is?" "My boy?" Alena asked with a pointed look. "Sorry," Iona apologized. "Which gemstone do you think Gabriel represents?" "He's definitely a diamond." Staring at her older sister, Iona noted the respect Alena not only had for Gabriel but also demanded from other when referring to him. She realized that she could learn from her sister's example in her relationship with Edward. Maybe her demonstration of love and respect would be the support he needed. "You're right of course," Iona said. "You really love him, don't you?" "The word 'love' seems weak compared to my feelings for him. I honestly believe that I would die if I ever lost him. I was prepared to have eternity with him but now..." Knowing her sister well enough to not offer false promises, Iona waited for Alena to speak again. "So, which gemstone does Edward represent? A sapphire?" "Why do you even ask if you know the answer?" "The blue eyes gave it away. Ok, so where did you stop reading? Page two?" "Funny. What makes Gabriel a diamond? Is he hard all of the time? And I quit reading at page eighteen for your information. The first few pages have the origin and mission. The majority of the book describes each region of the New Kingdom but page eighteen has the prophecy." "The prophecy?" "Yeah. Edward thinks the rebellion is explained in the prophecy." "What does it say?" "No one knows." "That makes sense." "It says some cryptic crap about destruction but no one can understand how the cause of the rebellion can defeat the rebellion," Iona explained. "Turn to page eighteen and read it yourself." Shaking her head in confusion, Alena flipped the pages until she found a passage set apart from the remaining manuscripts with indentions. Reading the section silently, she exhaled and read again. With a frustrated sigh, she shook her head again at the confusing words. "Who wrote this?" "My guess is Dr. Seuss," Iona quickly replied. "Read it out loud." "And this third creation shall have the power of the first and the will of the second. They shall be served by these who were but favored no more. And their numbers shall increase by the taking and giving of the blood of life. By the seven will this New Kingdom be. Woe to them that take the life blood whereby he that is would be no more. If he that has been added takes the life blood of one until he is no more, he shall be cursed. But if any son, of the seven sons, take the life blood of one that is until he is no more, then shall he bring the curse to him and his brothers and the kingdom will be no more. And if a son, of the seven sons, is no more, the kingdom will be no more. Alas, this third creation will see the two that are but should not have been who will be to destroy all. And this abomination must be saved by her blood which shall be in the increase. And the New Kingdom shall remain." The women sat silently staring at each other waiting for the other to speak. When neither made a sound, they both smiled and started giggling until they both erupted into laughter. As they sat together with tears running down their faces, they suddenly realized that were no longer alone. "Apparently our women find our history hysterically funny," Edward commented to Gabriel. "Not the history, Love," Iona corrected. "It's the prophecy that makes us crave green eggs and ham." At the men's confused expressions, the sisters erupted into another round of laughter. "I'm sorry Gabe," Alena said trying to sober. "I think I'm just tired and it's so good to be with my real sister again." "So you approve of her," he said barely glancing at Iona. "Oh yeah," Alena answered. "Love her or hate her, this is my sister." When Gabriel's cell phone rang, he looked at the caller ID and quickly answered. After initial introductions, he told the caller to wait so he could place the call on speaker. "This is Phillip calling from the hospital. He is leading the vampire security team that we added," he explained to the people in the room. "Phillip, tell us what you've found." "Children," the voice said from the phone. "Three days of investigating and they found children at a children's hospital?" Edward asked with sarcasm. "Great work." "Not exactly sir," the voice responded. "We found a hidden area that appears to be an older part of the building that had once been sealed off. "That would be the original building. The addition was built around the old hospital but after construction it was discovered to be contaminated with asbestos or something toxic," Alena explained. "Well the seal has been breached and this place has been used as a lab or something," explained Phillip. "Phillip," Gabriel said, "tell us exactly what you found." "At first we thought it was just a research lab but apparently several experiment have been preformed. We found vials marked with some names of the third creation. Medical records support that the blood from the vials had been used to combine the DNA from the brothers to create .... something." "Is there a vial with my name on it?" Edward asked. "Yes sir," Phillip answered. "There are vials marked with all of brothers except Gabriel. We have found evidence that someone failed in this experiment several times. Decomposing remains of various stages are preserved throughout the room." "So they abandoned the experiment?" Edward asked. "I don't think so, sir." "Explain," ordered Gabriel. "We found two ... children." "Alive?" "They are connected to a life support system and each has a heartbeat but I would not use the word 'alive' to describe these pathetic creatures." "Good work," Gabriel commended. "Secure the area. I'm sending reinforcements and I will be there within the hour." After disconnecting the call, Gabriel ran his hands over his face and back through his hair. "Edward," he said, "This could be the source of the infected blood. And if these children have been created from you and our brothers, we are forbidden to destroy them." "Understood," Edward replied. "Let's go see these abominations." Hearing Edward's last word, the two women looked at each other, then at the book still resting on Alena's lap. With a quick nod in agreement, they raced after the men leaving the apartment. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 10 Gabriel drove the SUV through the night with no concern for speed limits or other vehicles. With Edward sitting in the passenger's seat, he felt confident that they had a mental block on all traffic cops and other motorists. Glancing in the rearview mirror, his eyes met Alena's, sending messages of love and encouragement to him without ever saying a word. Even with the disappointment of not changing to his kind, she was still the positive motivation that encouraged him to keep progressing through this life. The phone call that had sparked this impromptu road trip had informed the group that two children had been found in an abandoned lab somewhere in the bowels of the children's hospital. Not the first time, Gabriel pondered on how the sight of these beings would affect his mate. With the strain on her emotions, he considered directing her to an office so she could avoid seeing the product of the experiment. When Phillip had reported the findings at the hospital, he had mentioned finding evidence of failed experiments in various stages. Although a warrior by nature, Gabriel internally shudder at the thought of seeing his brothers' offspring deceased and preserved in jars. Looking at his side window, he sighed in relief to know that none of these creatures were products of his seed. "Edward," he asked the man next to him, "you asked if one of the vials had your name on it and didn't seem shocked when Phillip answered with an affirmative. How would anyone have your DNA?" "From a changeling that I sired," he answered quietly. "Isn't Iona the only changeling sired by you?" "Yes." "But how....?" Gabriel started and then paused at the expression on Edward's face. Alena had observed the conversation and sympathized with the difficulties Gabe would be tackling in his investigation. She had hoped to hear Edward's explanation of how someone had obtained his DNA but after a meaningful look passed between the men, no other words were said. Realizing that the men were now having a telepathic conversation, Alena started talking to her sister hoping to distract her from the awkward silence in the car. "Iona," she offered, "I've never had a very strong stomach for, uh, medical things. If there are dead babies preserved in jars, I'll freak out. So I was thinking that maybe I'd visit my old office and collect some work. Would you like to go with me?" When Iona turned her face from the window, Alena saw the tears running down her cheeks. With a silent nod of agreement, Iona returned her gaze to the side staring into the dark. Feeling pity for the girl, Alena reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze never letting go. Looking back to the front, she caught Gabriel's eyes glancing back at her. New stress lines were forming around his eyes and his jaw was clenched tight. With a quick wink to her, he turned his attention back to the road but nodded as if agreeing with a comment. Arriving at the hospital entrance, Gabriel drove into a parking garage reserved for the executive staff. He turned off the ignition and sat quietly at the wheel, no one making the first move to leave the car. Finally after a few moments, he looked at Edward again with a question in his eyes. "I have to see them," Edward responded. "I will have guards meet us in the executive suite. They can watch over the girls while you and I go to the lab." With a nod in agreement, Edward opened the car door and exited the car. When the others were standing with him, he looked at Gabriel and motioned for him to lead the way. They walked together toward the elevator never breaking their silence. Within a minute they were entering the dark, vacant offices used by the executive staff during the day. Gabriel quietly spoke to a man waiting at the entrance and unlocked the door to the CEO's office. "Baby, you and your sister should wait here for us. Maybe you could log onto the system and see if you can find anything that might help us." "I can access the electronic medical records and, if they were used to document the procedure, I could print the reports. Unfortunately, there's no way I can understand the terminology." "Print everything you can find. We'll find someone to explain the clinical issues to us later," he replied hesitating at the door apparently dreading his next move. "Ok," he finally said, "let's go and see what we have." Walking with Edward from the offices, they met a man standing in the hall. After initial introductions, they followed the man to a service elevator that carried them up three floors and then to the hidden stairwell leading them down one level to the mysterious lab. They met Phillip at the entrance of the chamber. Entering the lab, Gabriel and Edward turned their faces away unprepared for the combination smell of formaldehyde and death. With a determination to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, they followed Phillip past the empty tables and sinks to a door located in the rear of the room. Another vampire guarded the door opening it at their approach. The room was a scene from a horror movie. Shelves containing a various sizes of jars lined the walls. If Gabriel had to guess, he estimated more than one hundred jars displayed the failed attempts to reproduce the members of the Third Creation. Looking closely at one jar, Gabriel felt his constitution waver as he realized that he was staring at the dead eyes of a brother. Edward inhaled deeply and looked at the walls painted institutional green decades ago. The depressing color along with the smell of death was accompanied by a beeping sound coming from an area hidden behind a curtain. With a look at Gabriel, he nodded toward the curtain and finally exhaled his long held breath. "Sir," Phillip said to Edward, "I feel that I should prepare you for this but I don't know how to describe it." "Let's just get it over with," Edward said walking to the curtain. With a quick snap of his wrist, the curtain slid across the track revealing a large area filled with a variety of medical equipment. Monitors, IV bags, tubes and incubators dominated the space but Edward's eyes locked on the small bodies inside the neonatal beds. "Gabriel," he called with a voice raw from emotion, "They're babies!" Stepping between the two incubators, Gabriel gazed at the bodies, naked except for the bandages covering their eyes, trapped inside the plastic cells. They were small and thin with no signs of muscular development. With a double take, Gabriel leaned over one and frowned in thought. "This one is a girl," he said in awe. "I guess I assumed our DNA would only produce males." "I thought they would be young adults," Edward returned. "We were never babies." Stepping forward, Phillip stood beside Gabriel and began reciting their findings. "We have not disturbed the," he paused, "children since finding them but I can assure you that they have not moved at all. Maybe they are kept artificially alive?" "No," Gabriel answered looking at the monitors. "These EEGs show brain activity. Does anyone know how necessary these IV lines are?" "The only notes that we've found describe a process similar to dialysis with old blood being removed while blood acquired from donors or stolen from blood banks is pushed into their bodies. Sir, one man, a vampire, came into the lab after we discovered the location. When he saw us, he tried to run but we were able to prevent his escape." "Move him to a holding cell in the mansion," Gabriel ordered. "I assume that you have a block on his mind so he's not communicating to others." "Yes sir." "Elevate security, Phillip. You've done well but do not forget that you may have discovered the secret weapon of the rebellion. They will know something is wrong when their man does not report to them soon and they will send reinforcements to get this back in their possession," he said advised waving his arm toward the incubators. "What about the children, sir?" "They come back to the mansion too," Gabriel instructed. "Why?" Edward asked. "They are part of us. If they die, so be it. But I will not let them remain in this place nor will I purposely bring an end to their lives." Nodding in agreement, Edward asked, "Can we get rid of these jars?" "We will have transport units here soon to move the children and dispose of these remains," Phillip answered. "Have someone escort my mate to meet me in the parking garage. She and I need to remember everything from our days imprisoned together...and afterwards. Gabe, I'll meet you in your office later." With a nod to the men, Edward left the laboratory. Gabriel gave final orders for transport, assigned Phillip the task of moving all necessary equipment and every document to the mansion in record time. To delay their enemies attack, decoys would be placed inside the area and a chemical fire would be set and extinguished when the lab was completely destroyed. The fire would be ruled accidental by the fire marshal and the lab would be renovated as a storage area. Looking at the children once again, Gabriel's gaze paused at the tiny girl so fragile and innocent in this evil place. Cautiously, he dropped his guard and listened to her thoughts smiling at the soft intelligible sounds. Before leaving the room, he made a vow to her and repeated the same to her brother. As he walked through the darkened corridors of the hospital, Gabriel acknowledged that they had finally started making headway on learning more of the rebellion against the New Kingdom. Of course, for every answer, he had fifty new questions. He was convinced that the blood drained from the children was linked to the contaminated blood confiscated from Cassian. With the samples and the children in their possession, they would be able to compare the two and confirm his suspicions. Approaching his office, Gabriel smiled at the sound of Alena talking to herself, reciting each step required to access the necessary records. Fortunately, it sounded like she had discovered documents pertaining to the experiments. As he quietly opened the door, he watched his bride yawn and rub her eyes as she struggled to stay away and navigate through the medical records. Waiting for a queued a report to print, she rolled the executive chair away from the desk and closed her eyes. When she looked up, Gabriel was directly in front of her resting his hip against his desk. "You must be exhausted," he commented. "What can I say?" she asked with a smile. "Not all of us are vampires. Some of us need food and sleep." Chuckling at the reference to their past, Gabriel reached around her shoulders and tenderly massaged the tension in her back. "You've had a long day," he said. "I've had the same length of day you have," she corrected. "Although it's hard to believe that we were at the cabin just a few hours ago." "So it's the cabin and not the waterfall that you remember most?" he asked teasingly. "I hope that means you are enjoying my new and improved body. It may not be eternal but it certainly has better endurance than the old one," she said leaning forward and resting her head on his leg. "You were beautiful the first time I saw you just as you are beautiful now," he replied and then added, "But I did enjoy the new you that was begging me..." "Hey," she complained then laid her blushing cheek on his lap to look at him, not realizing that she was now facing his groin. With a quick knock, Iona entered the office seeing Gabriel sitting on the desk with his back to her. "Hey Gabriel, Edward is in the corridor talking with security and will be here in a few. Where's my sis...?" she stopped seeing Alena raise her head from the man's lap. "Good Lord, Alena," she teased. "Is now really the best time for a snack?" "Iona!" her sister said with indignation. "His pants are still on." "Oh honey, even you should know that the pants have to go," she said with mock disappointment. "But you're new and we'll let this one slide." Looking at Gabriel chuckling, Alena said, "You shouldn't encourage her." "I needed a laugh," he confessed sobering at the memory of their discovery. "Was it that bad?" "Edward is having a hard time dealing with it," Iona said walking into the office. "He had to tell me every freaking detail. I was ready to confess selling his and the other five vamps' DNA just so he'd shut up." "Five? Not six?" Alena asked Gabriel. "Mine isn't there. I don't know much more than that." "The transport team has just left," Edward announced walking in and immediately pulling Iona close to him. "They have removed everything and are ready to start the fire." "Fire?" asked Alena. "It will be controlled," Gabriel promised her. "No flames, smoke or fumes will come into the hospital." "How can you be sure?" "Four thousand years of covering tracks," he explained with a smile. "Are you ready to go home?" "Yes. I have several medical records printed. Most seem to be separated by date or by a new procedures but I have two that are documented by patient. Are there two patients?" "Yes," Gabriel answered. "Good work, baby. Let's go." The drive back to the mansion was long and quiet. Alena knew Gabriel was avoiding her eyes which made her dread his explanation of what they had found. Phillip had described the discovery as children in such pathetic condition that he would not describe them as alive. While her curiosity wanted to see them, she quickly reminded herself that the children had been created in a lab from the DNA of six of the New Kingdom brothers. With a surge of pride, she realized that no one had compromised Gabriel. His DNA had not been found in the lab. But then she remembered Edward's earlier comment about his DNA having been collected from the person he had sired. If the act of siring had provided the sample, then his DNA must have been in Iona's body. If her limited understanding of Biology was correct, then Alena could be carrying Gabriel's cell pattern and be a liability to him. Poor Iona. Her previous turn as a vampire had erased her human memory and created havoc on the lives of others through her consumption of contaminated blood. Now, as the sired mate of Edward King, she had her human memories along with her original personality. Unfortunately, she was condemned to blend the good and bad together and relive memories best forgotten. Trying to place the events in chronological order, Alena stumbled over the fact that Iona had not been sired by Edward until after she had been completely drained of the infected blood. How could she have provided the necessary DNA sample when she had only belonged to him for little more than a week? The dates on the medical records had documented the experiments starting more than two months ago. Closing her eyes, Alena inwardly groaned at the thought of working in the hospital with these horrible experiments occurring right beneath her nose. Someone had to know about these heinous acts. Access to the hospital medical record system would involve the IT Department and the Health Information Management Department. Directors of both departments had been friendly acquaintances of hers. In addition, financing the procedures would have cost a fortune. She was confident that her organization had not funded the system. With Gabriel's help, she had implemented strong internal controls to eliminate fraudulent billing and collections, supported by expense allocation policies which required multiple signatures of approval by directors, executive managers and board members. No money in the past eight years could have been used for this atrocity. A revelation hit her so fast that she felt an invisible blow to her body. The project had been financed from the illegal activities that happened more than eight years ago. With a quick look at the rearview mirror, she saw Gabriel looking back at her. Apparently he had been following her thoughts during her entire reverie. Seeing his quick nod, she dropped her head in anguish. Together, they had managed to step in and save the children's hospital from financial bankruptcy but had failed to end moral corruption. Determined to defeat this evil that had invaded the vampire and human worlds, Alena decided to enlist in the fight and offer her services. She would find a computer and log into the hospital records through the VPN access and find everything that would assist them annihilating their enemies. Shaking off the nagging thought that she should have found this earlier, she reminded herself that her goal had been described by Gabriel as saving the hospital from the financial hemorrhaging that would have permanently closed the doors. Forming a game plan in her mind, she looked again at the reflection of Gabriel's eyes and, with his consent, decided on her first point of attack. Arriving at the mansion, Gabriel escorted Alena to his office giving her instructions on how to access his computer and then his executive password to the hospital's information system. After assigning a vampire to guard her in his office, he gave her a quick kiss and left her alone. Alena logged on to the system and began searching the cash flow of the hospital to the restructuring. Finding the final court ruling saved on the network drive, she copied the document and began methodically searching and highlighting the discoveries found during the investigation. Unfortunately, the police had only found the people involved with the fraud but had failed to find the stolen funds. A statement buried deep in the ruling verified that the funds had been received by the organization through overpayments from various insurances but had been allocated throughout various departments and eventually moved out of the hospital by purchase requisitions signed by those found guilty. Opening an internet browser, Alena searched for those former employees who had been removed from the hospital in handcuffs but was not able to find their locations. She made a note to ask Gabe if he could locate them and then she returned to her financial review. After a couple of hours, she felt that she had made significant progress but was tired as hell. With her research saved into a new folder, she turned off the computer and asked the guard to escort her to Gabriel's suite. Once in the apartment, she hurriedly prepared for bed dressing in the short red gown lying on the bed. As she rest her head on the pillow, she sent Gabriel a quick thought updating him on her location and sending him vows of love and then she slipped into oblivion. Sometime during the night, she dreamed of walking through a corridor of the mansion opening doors and looking in the rooms. At one door, she saw Edward standing with Iona kneeling in front of him. Quickly closing that door and moving to the next, she watched Cassian pacing around with his hands behind his back as he ranted at a strange woman. At the next door, she watched a young boy and girl sitting on the floor playing with various toys. With a smile, she moved to the last door and paused. Even in her dream, she knew that something evil was on the other side of the door. Slowly turning the knob, she pushed the door open and began trembling as she stared at her sister's tormentor. Standing before her was the image Iona had seen and shown to her during the interrogation. The beast was not man but stood on two legs. The creature was not angelic but displayed a six foot wing spread. The thing could only be a monster with his extremely long fangs and skinless body. Its eyes glowed yellow as he spotted Alena and growled at her. Stunned, she stood motionless, watching as he straightened to his full height and proudly exhibited the human from whom he had been feeding. Then she saw the woman, pale and dead. With a shriek, she sat up in bed trembling in fright. Two bands of steel wrapped around her pulling her toward a hulking mass. Twisting to find an escape, her fear escalated and she screamed for the only help she knew she had. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 10 "Gabriel!" "Baby, I'm here," his familiar voice said holding her in the dark. "Wake up. You're having a nightmare." Realizing that the steel bands were his arms, she saw that her prison was actually her haven. Collapsing on his chest, she tried to catch her breath but held tight to him. He stroked his fingers through her hair, down her back, and over her bottom. Cupping her soft flesh he pulled her closer to him until she was settled in the grove of his body. After she had calmed, she noticed that her bare skin was touching his. "Uh, Gabe, I was wearing a gown. Now it's gone." "I took it off when I came to bed," he responded with a sleep roughened voice. "I needed to feel your body." "What if you'd left before I woke up and the housekeepers had come in?" "If I had left before you woke up, then I would have told the housekeepers to delay cleaning the room," he answered with a playful pinch to her bottom. "Maybe you should leave a robe at the foot of the bed if you are concerned with modesty." "Deal," she said lightly running her fingers across his chest. "Are you going to tell me about the nightmare?" "It was stupid. I was walking through the mansion, opening doors, and saw different things. I really need to explain to Iona that she needs to protect her mind when she's with Edward." Chuckling, Gabriel grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers. In a swift move, he reversed their positions until she was on her back and he was leaning over her. "You were screaming in fear. Does Edward look that bad naked? Never mind, I don't want to hear that answer. This reminds me, the gift that you share with your sister, showing and seeing, might be valuable. I think you two should practice and develop it." "Yeah, we could be each other's GPS units," Alena responded quietly. "Tell me what scared you." "Gabriel, when you were interrogating my sister, I saw something or I mean she saw something and showed it to me. It was the thing that hurt her, throwing her around and breaking her fingers." "What was it?" "I don't know but if I had to guess, I would call it a demon. Do they exist?" "Yes, almost since the beginning of time." "Then she wasn't hallucinating. God, it's a wonder she hasn't lost her mind if this is what she dreams." "Describe it to me." Taking a deep breath, Alena braced herself to remember the horrible creature. Reaching for Gabriel in the dark, she suddenly felt strong enough to see the beast. "Are you doing that?" she asked. "Making me calm?" "I'm just sharing my strength," he answered cuddling her close to his body. "Thanks. It was huge. Tall. And red." "Red skin?" "No, more like he had no skin, like his skin had been peeled off." "Go ahead." "He had wings. They were the same color. And huge fangs. Not like yours, longer, and more of them, a mouthful of them. And yellow eyes." "What else did you see?" Gabriel asked when she fell silent. "Me. He had killed me drinking my blood." Gabriel's hands paused in their motions over Alena's body. With a growl, he sat up in the bed and, with a quick glance at the bedside lamp, illuminated the bedroom. He stood by the bed, looked at her, and then started pacing in the room. "It seemed so real. First there was Edward and Iona, then Cassian..." "Cassian?" he stopped walking. "Tell me exactly what you saw." "He was talking to some woman. I've never seen her before but Cassian was arguing with her. No, it was more like complaining or griping, maybe. He was in a panic." "Would you recognize the woman if you saw her again?" "Yes. And then there were the children." Walking closer to her, Gabriel stopped beside the bed. He seemed so comfortable with his nudity while Alena had struggled with the sheet to cover her breasts. Of course, it was a waste for his body to be hidden. When her gaze met his, she saw his arrogant smirk and realized that, if he had not been able to read her mind, he would have still interpreted her bold gaze correctly. "Can't blame a girl for having good taste." "Tell me about the children and then I'll see how good you taste." "It was a boy and a girl. Young, maybe three or four years old. The floor was covered with toys and they were sitting there playing and having fun. It was sweet." "Tell me order that you saw everything," Gabriel requested climbing back into bed. "Edward and Iona, then Cassian, the children, and that thing." As Gabriel sat in silence, Alena crawled onto his lap and watched his eyes staring into the distance. When he finally blinked and focused on her, she smiled and leaned close for a quick kiss to his lips. "You were talking to someone." "Security, we need to watch for anything odd, even if it seems unrelated." "How do you know that the, uh, connection is closed when we ... you know." "Four thousand years of practice," he said placing her back on the bed and pulling the sheet away from her body. "Now, about seeing how good you taste." "I said that I have good taste," she corrected and then giggled when he nipped at her neck and then ran his tongue down her body stopping at the curve of her hip. "Baby," he said moving between her legs, "you have a great taste." When Alena woke again, she stretched in the bed finding it empty. Reminding herself about the recent discoveries, she was glad that Gabriel had set aside a few hours to spend in bed with her. Of course, her nightmare had interrupted his rest and her libido had prevented him from returning to sleep. With a smile, she sat up in and slowly slid out of bed. Feeling the effects of Gabriel's lovemaking, she decided to soak in a warm bath before finding him. The man was a machine with an unlimited knowledge of positions, sensitive spots, and the secrets on extending the experience. She was certain that her human frailty restricted him from full release of his inhibitions. After all, he was a four thousand year old vampire. But still, she had held up pretty good last night, giving as good as she was receiving. "Oh yeah," she said aloud slowly walking to the bathroom. "He didn't get any sleep." After a long soak, she felt better having the warm water ease her tense and sore muscles. Looking in the closet, she noted that Gabriel was true to his word. A full wardrobe was hanging in the closet for her, taking more than half of the space he had formerly used. Touching the expensive material, she decided that there were worst things than being spoiled by the man who held your heart. Selecting a simple black skirt and red sweater, she quickly dressed and styled her hair. When she entered the living room, she saw Iona sitting on the couch with the TV remote in her hand, rapidly changing the stations. "I've been waiting out here for an eternity," the younger sister playfully whined. "Did you even knock?" "I'm a queen." "What you are is rude and it's pissing off Gabriel." "Funny," Iona said turning off the TV and looking at her sister. "He didn't look pissed off when I saw him. He actually had an arrogant smiling thing happening, like a lion when he just brought home some fresh meat to feed the rest of the flock." "Pride." "Pride. Arrogance. What the hell's the difference? He looked smug." "No," Alena corrected. "A lion feeds his pride. A group of lions is a pride, not a flock." "Do you really get off on correcting me or are you just trying to avoid discussing the fuck fest that went on in here earlier?" "Shut up," Alena said blushing and turning away from her sister's gaze. "I'm getting some breakfast." "Alena, you do know that vampires hear very well, right?" At her sister's panic stare, she continued, "The moans, screams, begging for more, harder, rougher and even the occasional 'F' word is heard by everybody in this house." "Oh God," Alena moaned, sitting at the kitchen table. "Is that true?" "No, but your reaction is definitely a confession. You've said 'fuck'?" "Damn it! Why do you do that?" "I'm just playing with you. You've always been so perfect and holy that it's kind of cool to see that you're finally human." "Yeah, I become human when everyone else is advancing to vampire." "You will. Even Edward says so. He's starting to believe that everything is connected somehow. You're the first to not change. Usually, if the council approves, then it's a done deal." Looking at her younger sister, Alena smiled at the confidence radiating in the girl. "Thank you. You seem to be adjusting so well this time. You're more mature, talking to Edward and representing his kingdom...I'm really proud of you." "Well I'm proud of you too Alena. Fucking a big boy like Gabe and still able to walk the next day. That can't be easy for a little shrew like you," she replied shrieking when the empty glass sitting on the table was suddenly flying by her head. "I'm taking back that part about you being more mature." "Look who's talking? You threw the glass," she said looking at the shards lying on the floor. "If that was his favorite, we may have to surgically insert a straw into your neck until a new one arrives." "He must have been in a hurry to leave today. I've never seen a bloody glass left on the table," Alena commented trying to pick up the larger pieces of glass. "Do you know what's going on?" "A little. Apparently, two children were brought here yesterday and were tested to see who's the daddy." "Tested?" "Not anything cruel or abusive. Maybe a blood sample was tested. But anyway, none of my DNA was found in the kids, so Edward isn't angry with me anymore." "Why was he angry with you?" "You ever known a man to find out he's a new daddy that didn't get pissed at the mamma?" "I'm not sure I understood anything you just said." "It seems his DNA was picked up and shared from some hooker he knew before me." "Edward used hookers?!" "It's slang Alena. Jeez, you're so literal." "I hope you can forgive the transgression. So who is she?" "Don't know. Don't care. The important part is that somehow, someone got a DNA sample from six of the seven brothers. The guys are trying to find out how that happened and how Gabriel was missed." "You really saw Gabe today?" "Yeah and that reminds me of something. He said that you and I share a gift of show and tell or something like that. He suggested that we work on it and join the circus." Laughing at her sister's addition to Gabriel's suggestion, Alena finished picking up the broken glass and started preparing a meal. At first look through the fridge, she decided on a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and grapefruit. Collecting the ingredients, she began the preparation and cooking while wondering how to explain the discovery of their shared gift to her sister. "Did Gabe explain why he thought we had the gift?" "Apparently you saw some horrific monster during my exorcism." "Chicken." "Excuse me?" "I was talking to Gabriel." "Oh. Why? What else have you seen?" Seeing the blush on her older sister's face, Iona's eyes widened at sudden understanding. "You saw me with Edward? And you told Gabriel?" "No! Oh no!" Alena clarified. "Unfortunately he has a clear reception into my head so whatever I see, he sees." "Well that explains some things. Edward said we have to be fully clothed when I even mention your name." "Thanks, I appreciate it," Alena said as she continued making her meal. "So," Iona quietly said, "It's another gift that didn't help us while we were being held in prison." "What?" "Edward and Gabriel can telepathically communicate but yet, Gabriel couldn't hear him and find us. Apparently you can see whatever I see but you couldn't see where I was being held." "I tried to find you. I promise I did." "What am I thinking about right now?" "How would I know?" "Then how does this work?" "I've seen whatever you are seeing, like Edward or the thing that hurt you." "So I have to be turned on or scared to death?" "Maybe you just have to be passionate." "Hmmmm. Ok, do you have a cell phone?" "Yes. It's on the table by the door. Gabe wants me to have it...," she paused when Iona quickly walked out of the room and returned with the phone in hand obviously scrolling and then entering data. "I'm going to walk around and find something, anything that might strike a mood. If you see something, call me. I put my name in your favs," she explained walking out of the apartment. Sitting at the table to eat, Alena suddenly felt very lonely. She had seen Gabriel grimace at the sight of her human food and knew that he preferred to not share meals with her. As irritating as her sister could be, the girl was always full of energy and enjoying life. Hoping that Iona would send a mental message to her soon, Alena quickly ate her food and washed the various dishes that she had used. When she returned the eggs to the refrigerator, she stood looking at the bottles neatly tucked away in the back. The red liquid looked so enticing that Alena quickly glanced around the room and reached for the bottle. With unexplained curiosity, she opened it but held it away from her face. Slowly bringing it close to her nose, she inhaled trying to determine the scent of the liquid everyone she loved needed to survive. Feeling foolish, she resealed the bottle and returned it to the fridge. Turning around, her eyes widened when the scene before her was no longer in the kitchen where she knew she was standing. Instead, she was now in the doorway of a large hospital room shining bright with white walls and florescent lighting. She could see Gabriel standing in the room with his back was to her. As much as she wanted to speak to him or reach out to him, her gaze kept shifting between two small clear chambers that resembled neonatal incubators. Walking closer to the units, Alena tried to look at Gabriel but could only see him through her peripheral vision and noticed that he was looking to the unit on the right. Alena focused on the sight and noticed, inside each incubator, a small body was resting. The tiny figure was blinded by the tape across its eyes and connected to plastic tubes pumping a red liquid in and out of its body. Looking at the bed that held Gabriel's attention, Alena noticed that the baby was female. Returning her gaze to the first bed, she confirmed that child was male. A wave of fear passed through Alena as her sight started shifting between the two children. Two children. Two babies. Two very little, human looking babies. They were not monsters or lab freaks but just a baby girl and a baby boy. And they were being treated like farm animals producing food for the monsters. "Oh God, Gabriel, no!" Alena screamed. Gabriel's head snapped around, staring at her as though he had just noticed her in the same room. Looking around, he searched the area for something or someone. "Please don't do this to them," Alena cried falling to her knees. "Alena?" he said looking around the room again and then back to her. "Where is your sister?" As Alena tried to answer his question, she heard words coming from her but not the words she wanted to say. "She's in your room. What's wrong? I can call her." Reminded of the phone, Alena's sight returned to the kitchen. She grabbed the phone from the table and sat in the floor trying to find her fav list with shaking fingers. Finally finding her sister's name, she pushed the connect button and waited for the familiar voice. "Hey girl. Are you seeing this?" "Yes. Oh God, what are we doing to them?" "Alena, I think we're trying to help them. FYI, Gabriel must have heard you so he's freaking out and on his way up." Instantly, Alena felt her body being lifted off the floor. The familiar scent and feel of Gabriel was overwhelming her shocked senses. Sitting at the table, he took the phone from her hands and held her close. "I have her now. She's ok," he said into the receiver and snapped it shut not waiting for a reply. "Alena, what happened?" "I saw them," she said in a trembling voice. "And I saw you too but you wouldn't look at me or talk to me." "You were not in the same room with me," he explained. "Your sister was. Were you seeing what she showed you?" Nodding in answer to his question, Alena took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking. Before she could explain, Iona walked into the room with a broad smile on her face. "Can you believe it? It worked!" she said excitedly. "I walked down the hall, stopped and stared at the damn art but nothing happened. I felt you the minute I walked in that room so I knew we connected." Staring at her sister in horror, Alena pulled away from Gabriel and stood up. She looked at the two in confusion. How could they be so calm while this cruelty was continuing? Didn't they know babies needed to be held, fed and loved? Who and where was the mother? "Alena," Gabriel started softly. "They are receiving the best medical care possible. We can find no reference to any mother in their medical records. It appears as though they were lab created from my brothers' DNA." "No, I saw them. They were normal little babies and not some blood drinking monsters." Gabriel's face paled at her statement. He stepped away from her almost falling over a chair as his balance failed him. With a final look at Alena, he walked out of the kitchen. "You called us monsters," Iona said quietly. "What? No. I meant.... Oh God, I don't know what I meant," she said and then the horror of her words to Gabriel hit her full force. "Oh no, where's Gabe?" The women left the kitchen walking through the apartment until they found Gabriel standing by the bar pouring an amber colored liquid into a glass. When he turned and looked at her, his eyes were black and guarded. His jaw clenched as he studied her face. "I'll see you later," Iona whispered and silently left the apartment. "Gabe, I didn't mean it that way and you know that I didn't. " "Yeah, well, maybe you should. It's my kind that created them. And it's my kind that has kept them like this. And to tell the truth, I have no idea how I can fix any of it." Walking to him, Alena waiting until he opened his arms allowing her into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close to her trying to physical communicate her love for him. With a kiss to the top of her head, he lifted her into his arms and sat on the sofa with her in his lap. "I know you love me. But I don't feel very worthy of your love," he said and then paused deep in thought. "Alena, I was never a child. I was made at this age, never being younger and never getting older. I know that children are supposed to be loved, play, and enjoy life, and while I may not understand it all, I know that they are being denied a proper life." "Have you found anything in the research that explains them?" "At some point, all of my brothers have unconsciously donated a sample, blood or semen, which has been used to breakdown the DNA and create a combined sample of six of the strongest beings in existence. This new DNA created these children who, through a sophisticated dialysis system, are fed r donated blood which is changed to a more powerful substance after circulating through their bodies." "Like a processing plant?" "Yes to put it bluntly." "Why can't you just stop the dialysis?" "And do what? The fact that they need the blood supply proves that they are not perfect creatures that can sustain themselves," he explained and then seeing the confusion on her face, he continued. "They are not able to produce blood for themselves." "So what can we do?" "They are too young to feed. The blood they produce is so powerful that it drives a normal vampire insane. It's a wonder your sister survived the contamination." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 10 "What are you doing with the blood being produced now?" "Destroying it immediately. But I will admit a certain admiration for this plan. It is the perfect way to form an army of vampires." "Was." "What?" "You said that it is a perfect way but you should have said was because you've stopped it." "Always my defender." "Apparently not. You thought I called you a monster." "Because, right now, I feel like one. I know that we need to do something else but I swear I have no idea what it is." "Can I see them?" "Yeah," Gabriel answered with a smile. "Actually I've wanted to ask you to see them but I didn't know how fair that would be to you." "Fair to me?" she asked climbing off his lap. "The emotions involved are ....powerful. There's something about them that makes my chest hurt." Suppressing a sarcastic mid life crises comment, Alena smiled at Gabriel and took his hand, while he led her from the apartment. As they walked through the corridor, she was reminded again of her dream. If she had seen Edward and Iona, and the children, who may be their newest guests, she silently questioned if they would see Cassian again soon. They continued walking in silence until Gabriel stopped in front of the infirmary. He pushed open the door, looking around the room, and then led her to the sterile cribs. Never having children, Alena could not guess how old they were by their size. She knew from reading the medical records that the experiment had failed in multiple terminations until less than four weeks ago so these two must be about one month old. "Can I hold them?" she asked. With a nod, Gabriel motioned to one of the clinicians to assist Alena in opening the unit and lifting the girl from her confines. Once the various tubes were adjusted, she sat in a metal chair and gazed at the child in her arms. Tenderly, she stroked the small arm with her fingers noticing the little hand opening as she neared it. Placing her thumb in the tiny palm, Alena smiled as the small fingers wrapped around her digit and gripped tight. "Hey little baby," she said in a soft voice. "You're in a good place now. I promise that you will never be with the bad people again. Gabe is gonna kill them for us." "You should write children's stories." "Trust me, every girl likes a hero," Alena continued in her soft voice. "And you happen to be ours." "She's happy," he said. "She's been scared but now she's happy. She likes the sound of your voice." "Good. Let her brother know that we'll get to him in a minute. And can we do something about this room? Maybe some color? And clothes, why can't they have clothes?" "I'll see what we can do," he said watching her talk and kiss the baby. After a few minutes, Alena asked the clinician to help her put the girl back to bed and help her lift the boy. The conversation was much the same, with Alena promising the child that he would grow strong, protect his sister and have fun playing in the mansion. When she started telling him about the waterfalls at Gabriel's house, she paused at looked at her mate worried that he would discourage her from continuing. "Do you see anyone else waiting in line to claim them?" he asked. "Actually I'm relieved that you have attached to them so quickly. I dreaded asking this of you." "Do we need permission from anyone?" "Obviously, there's a concern about their ability to harm the New Kingdom. But I have vowed to protect the kingdom and the Third Creation, which I suppose they are now members." "Will they need this blood for the rest of their lives?" she asked looking at the plastic tube connected to both arms of the small boy. "They do until they can produce their own blood source." "We need to name them?" "Adam and Eve?" "Too obvious." "Jack and Jill." "Not funny." "I could go on forever but you have something in mind." "He will be Joshua. It means salvation. He was made to destroy us but he will actually help us save the New Kingdom." "And the little girl?" "I named him so you can name her." "Fair enough. I choose the name Abigail," he announced rather quickly. "I think they are both sleeping. Maybe we should follow suit." "Uh, ok, it doesn't feel late though," she said handing the child to the attendant and following Gabe from the room. "It's not," he agreed pulling her into his arms. "But I suddenly feel the need to be alone with you for several long, fun filled hours." "No complaints here," she said as her lifted her from the floor and sped to their rooms. As the lovers entered their rooms another couple entered the mansion through a hidden service door. "I told you that I would be able to return," the man hissed through his fangs to the tall, red hair woman. "As a coward, sneaking in through the servant's entrance," she replied, dropping the body from which she had just fed. "Did you kill him?" the man asked in rising panic. "You should not have taken his life blood. This will only infuriate Edward." "Do you honestly think Edward will accept you back into the fold with open arms?" She hissed in the man's face. "After poisoning his mate and then running away, I can't imagine how thrilled he will be to know that you are once again under his roof." "The fact that I have returned to the enemy camp proves that I am not a coward," he said with a snarl. "I had to choose the best strategy for my master's plan." Laughing at his boast, the woman leaned so close that her nose pressed against his face. With a slow shake of her head, she smeared the blood fresh on mouth across his face. "Don't confuse me with a newborn puppet, you fool," she replied. "You are here because the master wishes you to be here. You have no will of your own. You and I have committed treason against our kind; do you really believe we are trusted by the master?" At the flick of her wrist, Cassian fell forward struggling to remain on his feet. He led the way through the dark corridor in the lowest level of the mansion. As they ascended to the next floor, he stopped at one door. "This is my room," he announced. "In the basement?" she screeched. "They kept you with the rats? So much for being a brother's emissary. I guess I can understand your need for destroying Edward. He and his bimbo changeling have humiliated you." "They did no such thing. Iona worshipped me and he treated me well. It was that self righteous bitch of a sister that destroyed everything," he whined. "Patience, Cassian. You'll have your revenge," the woman promised. "But first, we need to do our job. Where would they be held?" "The treatment rooms are exactly one floor above my room. To my knowledge, those rooms are the only ones designed for any medical treatment." "Convenient," she commented softly and then narrowed her eyes when she saw his nervous trembling. "Are you afraid, Cassian?" "No! It's just that the General is also in house." With a harsh laugh, she watched Cassian squirm in fear. She quickly approached him and slapped him across his face. "Do you honestly think Gabriel Philandros will be babysitting a couple of test tube freaks?" "His people will be. His mate could be." "Then it will be a win-win situation for us. I will get the brats and you will get the bitch," she said with a seductive smile. "I was hoping you would say that," he grinned with his yellowed fangs contrasting against the dark blood drying on his face. "But how will you move the children? Don't they need special care?" "Leave that to me." In Gabriel's office, Alena completed her online transaction with a smile. Baby furniture, baby toys, and baby clothes, you name, she bought it. Actually, Gabriel bought it, she acknowledge as she placed his credit card in the desk drawer. Before visiting the babies, she quickly entered a few words in the search engine and clicked the enter key. As the suggested sites populated the screen, she wondered how she could get birth certificates. Obviously, the hospital records could not be used. Remembering stories that she had heard years ago, she contemplated presenting a handwritten entry in a family Bible to the proper authorities. If she chose some small town, maybe she could present some fabulous tale of a home birth during a snow storm. Smiling at her cleverness, Alena looked at the screen and paused when she saw the first suggested site. With a single click of the mouse, she read the simple sentence and dropped her head. No matter how serious and uncaring he seemed to others, Gabriel had a tenderness that she had always adored. He had rescued the children claiming that they were a danger to the New Kingdom but he alone had fought for their health and safety. He had given her the credit card insisting that she would know what to buy. And he had named the girl. Looking at the screen again, Alena's eyes filled with tears of happiness as she read the meaning of the name Abigail. Closing the browser, she dried her face and smiled. No matter how many plans they had made, life had sent them on one detour after another. In the end, she had Gabriel. And now they had their children. Exiting the office, she hurriedly descended the stairs in anticipation of holding her babies. Yes, she would care for these children as though they were her own. With Gabe's help, they would complement each other's parenting skills and have a happy family. He had laughed when she asked him if they needed someone's permission to become official guardians. "Edward will kiss you for relieving him of any implied duty that his DNA has created," Gabriel had responded. Before she entered the lab, Alena realized that Gabe had not only been happy that she requested responsibility for the children but he was also happy to have them in his life too. Why else give the girl a name that meant "a father's joy?" Opening the door and looking at the cribs, two facts slammed into her mind: 1) she was not the only adult visiting the children and 2) she had forgotten to call a guard to escort her from Gabriel's office. The woman standing over Joshua's incubator was definitely a vampire. She was beautiful by every definition. Tall and thin, she flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and glared at Alena. When she opened her mouth to speak, white fangs sparkled against her red lips. "Are you going to stand there like a fucking statue or are you going to kill her?" the woman asked looking over Alena shoulder. Before Alena could turn, small but strong arms grabbed her from behind. With her arms locked at her waist, she could only turn her head slightly but it was enough to see that hideous face that she remembered from the day she was attacked. The same face now haunted her in dreams. Wrapping his left arm around her body, he placed his right hand at her throat. With an evil smile, he gazed at the vein throbbing in her neck but resisted even the slightest taste of the sweet morsel. His appetite would be sated when she lay dead at his feet. Tightening his hold, he looked to her eyes to savor the fear that would be evident there. His hopes were shattered when he saw that she had turned her head away from him more concerned with Helen standing by the children. Ignoring him would be her last stupid move. As the anger surged through his body, he grabbed her head prepared to rip it from her shoulders but stopped when he heard the menacing growl. In less than a second, he was releasing Alena as his arms were pulled away from her and pinned behind his own body. In one move, he was twisted around to face Gabriel, imprisoning him in his grasp, and Edward and Iona standing close behind. "Gabriel," Edward said. "Let him go. He will not go unpunished." Ignoring Edward's request, Gabriel was consumed with the sight of his mate in Cassian's grasp and the feel of the coward's body trembling in his hold. He grabbed the man's head and pulled until he heard the sound of bones breaking and flesh ripping. Looking to Alena, he saw that she was mesmerized at the sight of Cassian's decapitated head still gripped in his hands. "Tsk, Tsk, Gabriel," Helen said walking to him. "We were just visiting to see this miracle of modern science and you, in your uncontrollable rage, have killed the emissary of Heron, vampire King of Asia. As his official ambassador, it is my duty to inform you that Heron will require your death sentence," she said finishing with a brilliant smile. "But of course, we would prefer to avoid killing a member of the Third Creation, so we settle for an exchange. Give us the children," she said with her gaze roaming over the two children and finally resting on Alena, "and your mate." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 11 Alena trembled in fear watching the scene in front of her. First this strange woman, who she had seen in her dream, had managed to enter the treatment room where the children slept. Before she could scream for Gabriel, she had been grabbed by none other than Cassian, a man who apparently enjoyed flirting with danger. But now, his body lay on the floor, headless. Lifting her eyes to Gabriel, she saw a man that she barely recognized. His black irises dominated his eyes leaving no whites shining through. The animalistic growl continued ripping deep within his chest as he glared at the audience surrounding him. In his hands, he gripped Cassian's head, eyes blinking and mouth gaping. With a final look at the body on the floor, Gabriel balanced the head between his palms and, with little effort, crushed the skull until it no longer resembled a man's face. As his preternatural strength rose to the surface, he looked at the red hair woman smiling at him in victory. Understanding her demeanor, Gabriel shook in horror as he realized his act of protecting his mate may have just cost her life. Certainly, Helen would be granted his death sentence but her offer of exchange meant that Alena's death was also desired. "So," the venomous bitch said, "the mighty Gabriel Philandros has fallen." When she saw the fear cross his face, she screeched in laughter. Knowing that his concern was not for his life, but the life of this insignificant female human, Helen only laughed harder. "So, Edward," she said in humor, "which will it be? The great, once infallible general, or the bitch and bastards?" "Me," Gabriel answered. "If my brother wants my life so much he can have it; but only after I've killed his favorite whore." "His whore?" Helen asked with a wicked grin. "You honestly think that Heron is the only brother I've fucked. I've had them all, except you Gabriel. For eight years, I've collected cum of almost every brother of the Third Creation but you've ignored me. And for what? For this pathetic human who is so weak that her body can't even change to become one of us?" With his unnatural speed, Gabriel dropped the bloody flesh from his hands and moved across the room grabbing Helen in a crushing hold. Before he could kill the woman, he stopped and looked at the small hand touching his arm. "Gabe?" Moving his gaze from her hand, Gabriel stared into the terrified eyes of the woman he loved. Dropping the woman in his grip, he let his mind wonder into Alena's prepared to see the fear she had for the monster that he must certainly appear to be. Instead, he saw the fear she had for his life. The life that he was destroying in a foolish burst of outrage to protect her. Now, in her mind, there were no thoughts of siblings, children, or changing. His mate's only concern was centered on him. "Gabriel," Edward said, "We need to talk." "Talk?" Helen repeated. "There will be no talking. You," she said pointing to Edward, "will give us what we want. I will not fail like the other pathetic weaklings the master has sent before me," she spat with a meaningful look at Iona and the dead body lying at their feet. "Guards," Edward commanded, "take this woman to a holding cell. Do not let her escape and secure the block on her thoughts. When I release the hold I have on her now, she had better not be able to communicate with anyone," he finished. Then, as though he had a second thought, Edward walked to the woman and gently stroked his fingers down her face. When she collapsed in an unconscious heap to the floor, he motioned to the guards to remove her from the room. "Gabriel," Edward said looking his friend. "What have you done? You promised to defend me against Heron and now he will take my kingdom." "For four thousand years," Gabriel responded while never looking away from his mate, "all I ever wanted was this one woman. You and our brothers have destroyed yourselves through your lust. And now that your sins have created these children who will be used to destroy us, you blame me." Turning to face the American king, Gabriel continued, "I will accept the sentence issued by the Council. Until that time, I will remain in my rooms under house arrest." Looking into Alena's eyes again, he cringed at the message she sent but nodded his head in agreement. "And my fate will also be hers." "What?!" Iona yelled from the doorway. "Edward, you stop this. I mean you fucking stop it right now." "Quiet," he responded. "I will not," Iona continued. "This disaster is your fault. My sister will not die because you can't say no to some willing cunt." "But it's paid off so well for you, hasn't it dear?" Edward replied with venom. "Iona," Alena said standing behind Gabriel. "I belong with Gabriel. I can't live without him." Looking at the king glaring angrily at his mate, "And you need Edward. Whatever happens was meant to be." With her final words, she placed her hand on Gabriel's arm and together they walked from the room. As they entered the elevator, she moved closer to him but felt him tense and move away from her. "I would prefer to wash this blood from my hands before I touch you," he said quietly. "Gabe," she said grabbing his hands to open his arms, "we will be together to the end." Moving closer to his body, she leaned her face against his chest and wrapped his arms around her back. Settled in his embraced, she wondered at the sense of calm she could feel during this chaos. The steady beat of his heart was the only sound she heard until the chime of the elevator announced their arrival at his suite. As they exited the car, two male vampires, massive in size approached them in the corridor. "Sir?" one of the men said to Gabriel. "We were told by the king to report here. We don't understand." "You will do as instructed," Gabriel said. "I am under house arrest; therefore, you will ensure that I am confined in my quarters until summoned to appear before the Council. The only exception that I request is that no one interrupts us until that time." "Yes sir," the two guards replied in unison. Walking into the apartment, they proceeded to the bathroom where Gabriel stripped his clothes as Alena turned on the water in the shower. She turned and looked at the magnificent body of the man she called her husband. Fading in comparison to his beauty, she felt her confidence waver as he looked down her frame. Of course Helen had verbalized what she was sure everyone had been thinking. Her weakness was the cause of her rejection. "Weakness?" Gabriel asked. "Baby, you may be foolish for linking your fate to mine, but no one could ever call you weak. You've taken a life of problems and tried to make everyone happy. Even just now, you intervened before Edward could react to your sister's threat. No other woman could be my mate. Only you." "I'm glad you approve. So what do we do now?" "I believe in the prison system we would be given conjugal privileges," he answered reaching for her sweater and quickly pulling it over her head. "Are you serious? You're not worried?" "Do I look worried?" he asked with a glance down his aroused body then back to her with a grin. "I'm confused," Alena said. "Weren't you just arrested?" "Yes, but as you said, whatever happens was meant to be," he said sliding down the zipper on her skirt. "We are here until the Council calls us. Unless you have another suggestion, I want to spend our time alone fucking you every way imaginable. I'm sorry that I can't be a little more romantic," he added watching her skirt fall to the floor leaving her dressed in panties and a bra. "The romantic stuff was for the dating days," she said with a trembling voice and he unhooked the bra and pulled it away from her breasts. "Now that we are mated, I want everything. I'm sorry that we have to work around this inconvenience of my being human. "My little warrior princess," he said with pride cupping her breasts firmly. "We will enjoy each other without pushing your human limits." "We could have a safe word." "A what?" he asked pausing in his motions. "It's a word that we agree on that I could say if..." "I know what it is," he said seriously. "I'm a little shocked that you do. And I'm very bothered that you think you'd need one with me." "This is where I would normally apologize but you have an issue with that too." Smiling at her wit, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her body. Feeling the new curves and skin mixed with the sight of her darker eyes and hair reminded him of the need to find some answers. If their lives ended soon, he supposed it was best that hers could be extinguished simply in human form. A simple snap of the neck or overdose would kill her. Killing him would require more. "I love you," he vowed. "No matter where our fate lies, my heart has belonged to you and none other." "Helen had mentioned that you avoided her for eight years," she replied while stroking his back with her fingers. "Coincidence?" "I've avoided every woman for eight years," he answered, "which is why you should be prepared to get no rest while we're here. I'm demanding payback." Removing her final garment, he quickly knelt and pulled her panties down her legs and away from her body. He stayed on his knees before her gazing at the body that she freely offered him. Once again, he regretted the fact that they may not have eternity together. It would require that many years to show her how much he loved her. With a gentle kiss to her tummy, he smiled at the quick inhale he heard from her and then vowed to make her melt in his arms. But first, he needed to rid himself of the vile blood from that traitor Cassian. Standing, he helped Alena into the shower and joined her under the massaging spray of the warm water. She reached for the soap and began a slow lathering process that made him harder than he thought possible. When she touched him, his body jerked involuntarily at the sparks of attraction that ignited between them. She paused and grinned at the power she had over her large, strong husband. "Will this get old?" "Never," he answered. "It's a flame that burns but never consumes." "I love you, Gabriel," she said continuing the bathing process as thoroughly but quickly as possible. With each stroke over his body, she washed away the residue of Cassian's blood. Each touch was firm with enough pressure to cleanse him while massaging the tense muscles bundled under his skin. She weaved her fingers over his chest and trailed down his stomach admiring the abdominal muscles that rippled beneath her touch. As she traveled down, his arousal bobbed against her hand begging for attention. Looking at him for approval, she stretched her hand around his girth wondering again how her body was able to accept this massive size. The notion of his body entering hers created an immediate tingle in her core that made her muscles weak while sending a wave of moisture between her legs. Gently, she moved her hand up and down the shaft watching her movements until she heard him groan. Looking at his face, she saw Gabriel lean his head back with his eyes closed. Setting a slow rhythm, she watched his face smiling when he clenched his jaw. With a slight increase in her tempo, she moved her other hand down and cupped his balls, feeling their weight rest in her palm. As her curiosity piqued, she added the slightest amount of pressure barely squeezing them in her small hand. "Stop!" he growled pulling her hand away. "Oh God. Did I hurt you?" "No, at least, not how you think," he replied and then noted her look of confusion. "It's my turn." With deliberate moves he quickly washed them both and then pulled her close. Placing his hands under her bottom, he lifted her slowly until she could brace her hands on his shoulders. With her breasts in front of his face, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth in the valley kissing the heartbeat of this human that he adored. As she wiggled in his arms, he moved his mouth over one hard nipple and pulled the sweet flesh with his teeth. As her nipple pebbled in his mouth, he felt her head fall back in surrender to his ministrations. Tenderly he sucked at the flesh until he could no longer resist the taste of her blood. Moving his cock to the wetness between her legs, he teased her slit by moving her body back and forth over the large head. When he felt her beginning to thrash in his arms, he extended his fangs and looked at the creamy white skin of her breasts. Without releasing her nipple, he quickly bit into her flesh allowing her blood to flow into his mouth while he secreted soothing venom into her nervous system. As she moaned in pleasure, her body humped around his cock inviting him to enter her secret passage that only he had known. Whimpering in frustration, she moved against him searching for the flame that had ignited her passion. She was not asking for it to be extinguished but for the flame to consume her and burn her alive in the pleasure that only Gabriel could give her. Taking pity on her frustrations, he sealed the bite marks with a kiss and moved to her other breast. Kissing the white flesh, he smiled when she hissed as his avoidance of her nipple. Using his tongue to tease, he licked the hard bud until he felt her nails sink into the flesh of his shoulders. Not wanting to weaken her, he vowed to give this breast comparable treatment to the other without taking as much blood. Sinking his fangs around her nipple, he sucked as an infant would greedily seek nourishment. Within seconds, he pulled back his fangs and sealed the wound shut. He lowered her so he could kiss her lips while moving her legs around his waist. Moving his hands over her bottom, he touched her opening, seeking her readiness for his entry. As he slid his fingers over her slit, he pressed his fingers between the folds of flesh searching for entrance to her body. Feeling his cock against her tummy and his fingers dancing around her clit drove Alena's passion to new heights. She began grinding against his body hoping his cock or fingers would dive deep and hard into her. Instead, Gabriel gently flicked his fingers over her clit and dipped into her wetness but not nearly deep enough. In her frustration, she moved away from his lips to complain about the delay but stopped at the sight of his wicked grin. After one last thrust of his finger into her hole, he moved his hands to her waste and lifted her hips. "Put me in," he ordered. Grabbing his cock, she moved the head to her entrance struggling to slide down his length. Looking back to his face, she stared at the dark black eyes watching her face. In a swift motion, he dropped her hips while thrusting into her. The momentum forced a scream from her as they fell against the tiled wall. Feeling her body shiver in response, he moved his hand to her body and slowly caressed between the soft mounds of flesh. Before she was able to catch her breath, he moved his finger that had been moistened with her own juices to the tight bud he had yet dare to touch. With extreme gentleness, he pressed against the opening watching her face for signs of discomfort. As her face registered the realization of what he was doing, Gabriel slowly pulled Alena's hips up withdrawing his cock from her pussy. With just the head remaining inside, he pushed his finger inside her watching the emotions of shock, fear and pleasure rapidly move across her face. With just the tip inside, he moved his finger around stretching her wider. As she relaxed, he dropped her hips again impaling her on is rigid length. Recovering quicker, she reached for the towel bar trying to gain leverage as she grinded against his pelvis. Pleased with her reaction, Gabriel slipped his finger deeper into her until he his knuckle rested outside of her opening. Gently he removed his finger, feeling her muscles clenched tight as though trying to keep him inside her. With deliberate movements, he lifted her hips while simultaneously, sliding his finger inside her again, deeper than before. "Gabriel," she cried. "Yes love." "Fuck me. Hard. Every way imaginable. Now!" she added the last word emphasizing her need. He dropped her hips again while removing his finger from her tight back opening. Forming a sawing rhythm in and out of her body, he quickened his pace until he felt her tense in his arms. Pressing her shoulders against the wall, he held her weight easily with one hand while leaning away from her body. The change in position created a new sensation as his cock continuously rubbed against her clit. He continued his motions increasing his speed and force until he was slamming inside her body. Feeling the tip of his cock touching deep inside her fragile body, he removed his finger from her body and stepped back to lift her hips at an angle. "Alena, cum with me." At the sound of his words, she looked at him through passion filled eyes and smiled at the only man she could ever love. When a forceful thrust, he was deep inside her body sliding against her clit but avoiding her cervix. She momentarily wondered how he could think rationally when their bodies were demanding release. As he increased his tempo, he reached between their bodies and found her clit with his thumb. "Cum with me," he repeated. As though obeying his command, her body arched falling back while his hand moved up holding her from falling. Slowly he repeated the thrusts, feeling her pussy grip his cock tight holding it deep inside her. With a final pinch of her clit, he slammed deep into her wincing when he bottomed out and hit something deep inside her. Surrendering to the voltage running through her, Alena screamed in her release sinking into the blackness with only the sound of Gabriel's growl in her ears. While writhed in his arms, he felt his seed flood deep inside her and her juices pour over him. She could not guess how long they remained locked in this position but was grateful for Gabriel's strength that held her safe. Slowly he lifted her body tenderly kissing her face, neck and breasts then completely slid out of her. Turning off the water, he wrapped her body in a towel and lifted her in his arms. As he carried her to the bedroom, he looked down at her face and paused at the smile she gave him. "Are you ok?" he asked placing her on top of the dark comforter. "Yes," she answered. "If you would have asked me to do that, I would have refused. I'm glad you didn't ask." "So," he said moving the towel over her quickly drying her body, "while you won't give permission, you also would not exactly reject my proposal to escalate the experience?" "With you," she answered, "I'm agreeable to anything." Quickly drying himself, he threw the towel across the room and looked at her naked body splayed across his bed. "In that case," he said gently flipping her over so she was face down on the bed, "get on your hands and knees." The mood in the royal suite was not so erotic. It was not even amicable. Edward stared and the angry glare of his mate, refusing to apologize or even concede one matter in the fight. If he was honest, he could not tell anyone exactly why Iona was angry with him. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "You are such a horse's ass!" Losing control of his temper, he slammed his drink glass on the bar with such force that glass, ice and whiskey exploded on impact. "I understand that you are upset," he said through clenched teeth as he walked to her, "but you had better stop pushing me." Watching her unwavering glare, he turned his back to her and took a deep breath, slowly counting to some unreasonable number with lightening speed. "Iona," he said after a few minutes, "You cannot possibly understand how upset I am about this. I know it sounds selfish but Gabriel is not just my friend and brother but he knows everything about my kingdom." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 11 "No surprise there," she mumbled. "What?!" "Someone had to keep things in order while you were fucking that red headed hooker!" she screamed rising to stand. With a harsh laugh, Edward said, "I thought you were distressed over your sister's future but you're just a selfish little bitch who now happens to be jealous." "Jealous?" she said in a shaky voice. "Maybe. Jealous that my sister practiced what she preached and actually got Mr. Perfect." "So I'm not Mr. Perfect because I slept with Helen?" Edward asked moving quickly to stand in front of her. "I never said you were my first. And your reputation for running off with strange men prevented the police from helping your sister search for you." "Bastard," she hissed at him sitting back down on the couch unceremoniously. Iona glared at the ridiculous history book still resting on the coffee table where Alena had placed it yesterday. In the corner of her eye, she could see Edward staring at her ready to continue their fight. She did not want to fight. She was not hypocritical enough to be angry over his indiscretion with Helen. She was disappointed that his poor choice of a sex partner could kill her sister, ruin his reign and probably annihilate the New Kingdom. Refusing to battle him now, she crossed her arms over her chest and dropped her head. Alena could not die. Right now her sister needed her. What a horrible fate for the organized, successful accountant to face. Her true savior was the actual defendant in this case but Alena's bond to him stood without question. If he died, she would not be able to continue living. Iona knew this because she had the same bond with Edward. With sudden tears in her eyes, Iona looked up to see her mate watching her. He no longer looked angry but rather strained from the hundreds of emotions he was feeling. It was his friend, brother and kingdom that would be destroyed if they could not fight this battle and win. "Actually," he confessed in a calm tone. "It's the fear of losing you that torments me the most. If I could save Gabriel, I would give this away just to be with you." "We have to save them," she said letting her tears flow freely. "It's the only way to save us." With a nod of his head, Edward sat beside his mate and pulled her close to him. "First things first. I'm sorry about what I said." "I'm sorry for what I said too," she replied and kissed him to close their wounds. "Now, almighty king, where do we start?" "I've been asking myself the same question and have no answers." "Ok, tell me how this is an automatic death sentence." "You didn't read the book," he said in mock disappointment. "Our book tells us everything about how we were created, where we will reign and how to rule our people." "Where's the part about how to rule?" she asked flipping the book open and staring at the page. "It's toward the front, after the part about creation," Edward explained reaching to turn the pages. "Wait," she said in a quiet voice. "What's this?" Looking at the page she indicated, Edward explained, "I guess you could call it the Table of Contents for each king. You probably don't recognize our names but mine is the right here," he said pointing to the list. "Have you read this entire book?" "No. Only the creation, general rules and the section on my kingdom," he said watching a look of shock register on her face. "Have you read your entire Bible?" "No. Maybe I should and maybe you should read your entire history/prophecy book too," she said with a smile. "So these seven names are the rulers of the New Kingdom." "Yeah. Why?" "Nothing. Show me the rules." Taking the book from her lap, Edward flipped through the pages until he found the section mentioned. He read the process of the judicial system in full including the specific details of the death sentence which could only be requested by another ruler. When he was finished, he stared at the pages in silence and then sighed in frustration. "There's nothing here about an exception. I promise you that I had to know this by heart before I could rule America." "Why was that evil, little man here anyway?" asked Iona. "Cassian? As a favor to a brother who now challenges my throne and demands Gabriel's head," Edward answered with a groan. "How was keeping Cassian here count as a favor to Heron?" "Apparently Cassian was traveling in the states. He called Heron with a claim that the rebellion had made contact and threatened his life. As an official emissary, he would have knowledge of Heron's kingdom and therefore, his capture could be a liability to the New Kingdom. We have an obligation..," he paused turning pages in the book. "...it's right here...we have an obligation to protect our kingdoms even if we must execute punishment ourselves." Reading the passage quickly, Iona pulled the book into her lap and read it again. As she rested her head against the back of the couch, she closed her eyes reviewing a possible scenario. When she looked at Edward, he was smiling at her. "But will it work?" she asked hopefully. "What other choice do we have?" he answered standing and pulling her to her feet. "What are you doing?" "Ruling a kingdom," he answered quickly. "I need to organize the Council. I implemented the system so now I need to use it. We will need to make this happen as quickly as possible." "We?" "Of course. You are proving that you are more than just a pretty face," he exclaimed pulling her into his arms. "You are a great queen who happens to have a beautiful face." Smiling at the compliment, Iona stretched up to place a quick kiss to his lips. She then moved out of his arms. "If you don't mind, I would like to do some more reading. Something is bugging me and I want to see if I can figure it out. Besides, if you need me, you always know where to find me," she said gently tapping her forehead. "Ok," he said with a smile. "I'll let you know when we have everything arranged." With a parting kiss, he left her alone in their apartment. Sitting on the couch, Iona picked up the book and found the page that had caught her attention earlier. While she could not read the names, she could see that seven separate names were listed with a designation underneath each. Leaning over the book in her lap, she began studying the stories of the men who ruled the New Kingdom. In the luxury apartment serving as his current prison, Gabriel lay in his bed with is head propped up watching his mate sleep. He had told her that she would have no rest but he had reconsidered later and even assisted putting her into a peaceful slumber. During an interval between one of their many sessions making love, he could read her thoughts moving toward worries and concerns on his behalf. Her love for him would make him strong enough to face his accusers and the verdict. The irony of his death being the result of killing Cassian flashed through his mind again. When Alena's emotions had finally escalated to fear, Gabriel had pulled her into his arms and gently touched her temple. She had immediately lost consciousness. Even now, he treaded in her mind watching her thoughts and dreams and intervened with a tender caress if her visions drifted toward their current predicament. He did not want to verbally promise her an easy death, but, if he was found guilty by the Council, he would ensure that she passed from this life feeling no pain in the process. If she could read his mind, she would know that he had no fear for losing his own life. As selfish as it sounded, he could not imagine her living after his death and possibly loving another. Deep in his soul a thought had sparked and caught fire until it burned his mind. When they left this life, would they be together? If she had changed, then he could count on the promise of spending immortality together on a different plane. But now, she was still human, even partially, she was still considered a member of the Second Creation, a people that failed from willful disobedience. Looking at the door, he frowned at the approaching interruption. Entering the visitor's mind, Gabriel raised from the bed quickly dressing in pants and an unbuttoned shirt before exiting his bedroom. When he reached the door of the apartment, he saw Iona, with a book in her arms, arguing with the guards that she had every right to visit the inmates and demanded to be granted access. "It's alright," Gabriel said to the guards. In silence, he escorted Iona into the apartment stopping when she detoured away from the living room and continued to the small library. "What are you doing?" he asked. "This book." "Yes?" "Where's yours?" "Is this really the time to take inventory?" "Edward and I have spent the last several hours searching for an exception for you." "There's not one," Gabriel interrupted. "Thanks. I know. How would you know unless you'd read the book. I showed this to Alena yesterday and she acted like she had never seen it before. This one is Edward's but every ruler has one. Where is yours Gabriel?" "Why are you doing this? Now?" "I will forgive all of Edward's past transgressions. And I don't care about your reasons for hiding in the background. But I will not allow his mistake and your issues to take my sister's life." "I'll admit that I'm a little shocked to see this in you." "Fuck you, Gabriel. And everyone else that thought I was just some party girl whore. You should know Alena well enough to understand that she has faith in me. She always thought that I was better than even I thought I could be." "Misplaced loyalty. She and I are both guilty." "I know that you blame me for eight years ago." "Even you have to admit that your sister would not be in this predicament today if you had tried to be anything other than a hormone driven deviant." "Sure, I'll admit that. Then you need to admit that she wouldn't be in this predicament if you had restrained Cassian as Edward advised." "Bitch." "Asshole." "Hey," said the feminine voice thick with sleep from the doorway. "What are you two doing?" "Alena," Gabriel and Iona said in unison. With a glare at his mate's sister, Gabriel crossed the room and wrapped his arms around his love. "I'm sorry we woke you." "Actually, I wasn't supposed to be sleeping. You promised," she said was a bashful grin. "Is this really the appropriate time?" Iona asked. "Wow, when did she get so serious?" Alena asked. "We need to talk," Iona told her sister but glared at Gabriel. "It seems kind of pointless doesn't it?" Alena responded. "Alena, are you giving up? All the shit you've suffered, all of the sacrifices you made, are being thrown away without any argument?" Walking to her sister, Alena looked at the serious expression on the woman's face and turned to look at Gabriel. As though looking through clearer eyes, she could see the battle her sister was fighting but admired the composure the girl was maintaining. Suddenly, Iona seemed older but not old, wiser and mature. Sometime in the past few hours, her sister that had been her greatest challenge in life had become worthy of being a queen. "If there were any hope, would Gabriel give up on us so quickly?" "Nothing is ironclad but there's a gray area. Sometimes you just need a really good bullshit artist." "Our hopes rest on a bullshit artist?" Alena asked and then started chuckling. Within a few minutes, both girls were laughing. "Alena, you've spent all of your life fighting to save me. Now it's my chance to fight for you." "Ok," she said to her sister. "My life is in your hands." "Good," she answered. "We will win. I know it. And when we do, you and I are gonna tag team these sons-a-bitches in the rebellion. The guys were taking too long anyway. But now the bad guys have pissed us off." "Hell hath no fury?" "I hate to think what I've missed in here," Edward said from the doorway. Walking into the room he glanced at Gabriel's unbuttoned shirt and Alena's robe. "I told you that we were reacting the wrong way, love," he said pulling Iona into his arms. "Look how Gabe and your sister worked off their stress." "Good point," she replied snuggling into him embrace. "Let's go play catch up." "Not now," he said seriously, kissed her forehead and turned to face Gabriel and Alena. "The Council will meet today." "Today?" asked Gabriel. "Why so soon?" "It would have already begun but we're waiting on Heron. Technically, he is your accuser so he needs to be here. Gabriel, my failures are being used against us by the rebellion. I will fight to the death to protect my kingdom but I will not let them have you. Do you trust me?" Watching the two men stare quietly at each other, Alena assumed thoughts were being passed back and forth. When Gabriel dropped his head with a sad grin, she realized that their only hope had been evaluated by Gabe as flimsy at best. "If that's all we've got, then let's make it work," he said pulling Alena close him. "I've got more to lose than my life." With a look at Alena, Edward nodded his head in understanding. "We will be victorious. Iona, let's get ready for our first battle we fight together." After the king and his mate had left the room, the tension Gabriel had tried to eliminate in his mate returned with a vengeance. He held her close not knowing what words he could say to comfort her without making promises he had no power to keep. When he sensed another interruption, he pulled away from Alena and looked at her attire. Sexy as hell, the white silk robe she wore was definitely for his pleasure and not for modesty. As a matter of fact, he would have to explain that another robe, long, thick, wool maybe, would need to be used as a cover in front of others. "Baby, the medical supervisor is about to knock on the door. Maybe you should go to our bedroom until I can get rid of him." "What if something is wrong with the children?" Wanting to tell her that it may not be their concern much longer, Gabriel decided to withhold any quick comments and just nodded his head. "I'll get dressed and be right back," she said excitedly racing to their bedroom. Walking to the door, Gabriel opened it to find a man in scrubs being escorted by Phil. Waving them passed the guards, he led the two men into the living room and motioned for them to have a seat. "Alena will be here soon," he informed them. "Of course I know that you have news about the children but I want to wait until she arrives so she can hear it too." When Alena entered the room, the men stood until she was seated. Gabriel noted that she had dressed in a loose cotton shirt and tight pants that appeared to be worn to practice yoga. Even in the casual attire with her bare feet peeking out from the leg of her pants, Alena was still gorgeous. With a growl, he diverted the men's attention from his mate's body. "What?" she asked him in confusion. With a shake of his head, he turned his attention to the men and motioned them to give their report. "Well, sir," the man in the scrubs started, "I believe we now know everything about these children." "Then by all means, start from the beginning," Gabriel responded. "According to the various notes and medical records, the experiments began with hopes of obtaining a DNA sample from all seven brothers of the Third Creation. When they repeatedly failed to get yours sir, they proceeded with the samples they had assuming that it would be as close to perfect as possible." "Keep going." "Several experiments included in vitro fertilization of the combined DNA with a human female egg. As you saw in the hospital, those attempts ended in various stages of abortion. Since we, as vampires, do not procreate as the humans do, the experiments took a different route." "Yes?" Gabriel said frustrated with the man's pauses. "They used the DNA samples on a viable egg taken from a female vampire." "How would a female vampire have an egg?" "If she was change at the appropriate age, she could have possibly been ovulating." "Good lord!" Alena exclaimed. "Is this woman stuck in eternal PMS?" "I don't know what that means," the man in scrubs answered. "But I can assure you that no trace of human DNA can be found in these two children." "How are they?" Alena asked. "As well as can be expected. Neither is human nor vampire." "How can they not be vampires?" Gabriel asked. "How can they be the product of six male and one female vampire and not be truly vampire?" "Because all of the donors were either originally created or changed. These children were an attempt to reproduce the original creation." "You mean like creating the first man, Adam, from dust?" Alena asked. "Actually, it would be like attempting to create Adam, perfect and strong, from his DNA and not as he was originally made from dust." "So," Alena paused trying to word her question correctly, "what happens to them?" "I'm not sure," the man quietly answered. "They cannot sustain their own lives. Furthermore, I can find no evidence that they will mature into more that what they are now." "Have you found anything explaining the purpose for their creation?" Gabriel asked tightening his hold on Alena. "Yes," Phillip answered. "We've been reading the various records in our investigation and working with the clinicians to understand the methods. Gabriel, whoever is behind this madness, was attempting to create the approved race again." "Why create only one?" "The children weren't the final purpose, just a means to the end. They were the last stage of producing the blood of the Third Generation which would be shared with others who could then be, well, equal with you." "But that blood drove Iona mad," Gabriel explained. "Exactly. According to the notes, subjects were given various levels of the blood. The first subjects died almost instantly. A small dilution with normal donated blood created an addictive quality making the addict willing to do anything with the promise of more blood." "That described how Iona acted when she visited Cassian," Alena commented. "What was the narcotic?" Gabriel asked. "Power," Phillip answered. "The strength and knowledge of six members of the Third Creation swimming through their veins. The original plan would have included your blood, Gabriel, which would have been given to, well, someone specific. I'm afraid the notes never offer a name." "Was the product they made given to this person?" "No. Nothing less than perfection would be offered. When they realized you would not be so easily distracted, they tested the current product and discovered its limited abilities and chose to use that as a weapon. But they still want you." "Being a vampire is more power than any mortal can achieve. Why have the blood of all seven?" Gabriel asked. "We have not found the answer to that," Phillip confessed. "Because that answer will tell us the mission behind the rebellion," Gabriel responded. "Nonetheless, you've done well today. The information puts us closer to the truth." "Sir," Phillip said then hesitated looking to Alena then back to Gabriel, "What about the children?" "What about them?" Gabriel asked. When Phillip could not respond, he looked to the man in the scrubs silently pleading for him to intervene. "We need to know what you wish us to do with them?" the man clarified. "We believe we have learned all there is to know from them. Should we terminate them?" "What?!" Alena asked rising to her feet. "Baby, calm down," Gabriel said quietly. "Keep them in their current condition. Are you sure they have no chance of growing?" "We removed the bandages from their eyes. The irises are white indicating they're blind. If we artificially improved their bodies, they would be handicapped. That's not how our people exist," the man responded. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 11 "Don't tell me about our people," Gabriel threatened. "Keep them alive. After the meeting with the Council, I will either come to you or send a directive on their future." After the men had departed, Gabriel and Alena remained on the couch silently processing the new information. Gabriel regretted that he may not live to use the facts to find the forces behind the destruction of the New Kingdom. Alena regretted that she may not live to save the children from being terminated as useless scientific garbage. She leaned against his shoulder and felt better just from touching him. Everything in her revolved around Gabriel. Although she was proud of Iona's fierce resolution to rescue them from death, she hoped her sister would not be greatly disappointed if she failed. "If," she said aloud. "Gabriel, do you think we'll live through the night?" Staring at his mate, he tried to find the words to console her while still telling the truth. "I do not know for sure but the law is rigid in its requirement. Yet, I feel that it's not time for us to die." Smiling at his answer, Alena snuggled closer to him. "Good, I didn't want to hear that you were sure of our fate. This," she said squeezing tight to him, "feels right. And I have to believe that there was a purpose for us having to wait eight years, finding these children, and the fact that you've bitten the hell out of me and I'm still not a full vampire." Before Gabriel could answer, a loud knock sounded at the door. After Gabriel's invitation, one of the guards standing post at their entrance, walked in and informed them that he had been ordered to escort them to the Council. "That was quick," Alena responded. "All part of Edward's plan," Gabriel replied standing and assisting Alena to stand beside him. "Should I change clothes?" she asked. "Hell no. These people are trying to decide whether or not to execute us. And if so, when and how. Who cares how we're dressed." "Ok," she said, "then I guess I'm ready." The couple remained silent while on the elevator and walking down the corridor. Neither spoke until they entered a set of double doors on a wing that Alena had not seen during her stay at the mansion. Once they entered the room, Alena paused at the sight before her. She had expected either a medieval arena of stone and dirt or a replica of the American judicial she knew with judge, jury and witness stand. Entering the room, they immediately stood before their judges, all fifty of the vampires, who were seated in a balcony in the room. Edward and Iona were on the main level as were Helen and an old man. Glancing at Edward and Iona, Alena could not read their expression to indicate any mood of hope or despair. When she looked at Gabriel for support, she noticed that he was glaring at the old man sitting beside Helen. Following his gaze, she wondered if this man could possibly be the brother, Heron, who was now demanding Gabriel's death. Looking back at Gabriel, she saw his minimal movement similar to a nod and accepted his reply to her question. Approaching a banister in the center of the room, Gabriel pulled her behind him so that he was presented to the audience alone. "I am Gabriel Philandros of the Third Creation, a loyal subject to the New Kingdom. As written in the law I accept your decision of my fate." One of the men stood in the balcony and with a look of regret, took the lead on the ceremony. "Gabriel, you have been accused of killing the emissary of your brother, Heron, king of the Asian Court. If you are convicted of this crime, your death could be requested by Heron. How do you plea?" "Guilty." "But you were saving me," Alena whispered behind his back. Tightening his grip on her arm, Gabriel shook his head to silence her. "Heron," the man in the balcony continued. "Gabriel has admitted his guilt. His punishment is decided upon your request." After several moments of silence, Alena sneaked a peek around Gabriel's broad shoulders to see what was happening. All eyes were on the old man, Heron, who had yet to look up from his lap. "Heron," the man in the balcony said, "do you request the Council to give Gabriel's death sentence." When the man continued to remain silent, Helen growled and nudged him with her elbow. In a gasp of exasperation, she looked at all eyes in the balcony, then to Edward and finally Gabriel. "My dear friends," she said in a melodic voice, "as you can see, my dear king, who is also your friend and brother, is distressed over this case. But in support of the laws of the New Kingdom, he has traveled to America to represent not only the cause of right but also his poor emissary that was brutally murdered by the hands of General Philandros as witnessed by myself and three others present on this floor." With each word she spoke, Heron made small motions until he was glaring at Helen. "Heron," the man in the balcony said, "we appreciate your advocate's presentation but you must make the request." "Do it!" Helen hissed. "I am Heron and I," he paused when his voice broke, "request my brother's death sentence." When he finished, he dropped his head into his hand and sobbed. "I am Edward, King of the American Court. Gabriel has been my official delegate for the last ninety-seven years. As it is in my authority, I challenge the request, not as the lawful judgment but as protection for my court." "On what grounds would your challenge protect the court?" another man in the balcony asked. "Heron's man had brought infected blood into my home, contaminated my mate," he said motioning to Iona. "He escaped before we could contain him. Then, he returned with this woman, uninvited, to my home. When Gabriel and I found them, Cassian was about to murder Gabriel's mate. Cassian and this woman represent the evil that our people are battling. If I release Gabriel into their custody, then they would have access to everything Gabriel knows about the American Court." "What is it your request of us, Edward?" another man in the balcony asked almost sounding hopeful. "That his death sentence be given here. Now." "What?!" Alena asked behind Gabriel's back. "No!" Helen growled at the same time. Murmurs vibrated throughout the room. Only the three brothers remained perfectly silent with Gabriel and Edward staring at Heron. Almost in slow motion, Heron raised his head and with a shake of his head, smiled at Edward and then at Gabriel. He looked at Helen whose posture was slightly hunched as though she were about to strike a physical attack. Her appearance was quickly changing from seductress to an aggressive opponent. She inhaled and exhaled loudly through her mouth and her eyes glowed in hatred. Clenching her hands, she pointedly glared at Edward. "Give us Gabriel or give us the children," she demanded with a feral growl. "No," Edward answered with his winning smile. "We will not give you the children and if you insist on taking Gabriel's life, then it will happen here and by my hand." "You fucking bastard!" she roared. "The master will not tolerate failure!" "Then I would hate to be you," Iona said for the first time since the hearing began. Finally, Heron rose from his chair and walked to center of the room. Turning to face the balcony, he stood straight and cleared his throat. "My friends, I have failed as king of the Asian Court. I allowed this woman to seduce me with promises of greatness. Her promises did not consist of threats against my brothers but guarantees of strengthening the court that I already owned." Her paused again shuddering with a sob. Embarrassed, Alena dropped her eyes not for pity of him but in respect to the two brothers that had to witness and suffer from this treachery. "I have been enslaved in my home by my greed. You see the man I have become. I now have less power than before and have no offer other than relinquishing my throne." "No," Edward said firmly. "Heron, finish this matter and then all brothers will meet to discuss your treason." "I, Heron, king of the Asian Court, request that Gabriel not be punished for the death of Cassian." "No!" Helen screamed. "You pathetic creature. The master chose you because you are so weak. Now, you're too weak to finish the last step." "Silence," said one of the men in the balcony. "As Heron has requested, the Council will agree. Gabriel Philandros, general of our armies, the request of your life sentence has been withdrawn therefore, you will remain free." "Give me my children!" Helen demanded. "I am their mother. These men stole them from my people." After a few moments of silence, several members of the Council whispered together. When they were finished, one man stood up and addressed Edward. "Edward, these children pose a threat to our people. We believe the threat should be removed." "Sir," Gabriel said, "If you permit, I will remove the threat immediately." Receiving nods from various members of the Council and Edward, Gabriel waited until he received his orders. "Yes, Gabriel, do as you deem," a member of the Council said. Turning immediately, Gabriel grabbed Alena's wrist and quickly headed for the exit. Passing through the doors, they could hear Helen scream as she opposed the ruling and apparently was taken back into custody. Gabriel sped through the corridors almost dragging Alena in his haste. When she tripped and nearly fell, he stopped to steady her and then lifted her in his arms. Racing through the mansion, he stopped when they entered the treatment room where the children slept. "Have you done as I asked?" Gabriel barked at the same medical supervisor. "Almost there," the man answered nervously. "Which one do you want first?" "The girl," Gabriel replied guiding Alena to sit in a chair. In a daze, she watched the man open the incubator and remove all IVs and tubes from little Abigail and lift her gently in his arms. When he approached Alena, she looked at Gabriel in confusion. "They will not be allowed to continue living as long as they are a threat," he started explaining. "Baby, I'm sorry but this is the only solution we have to try to save them." With his preternatural speed, he lifted her wristed to his mouth and after a swipe of his tongue across her skin, he sank his fangs into her flesh. Alena stared in horror as the blood escaped his lips and flowed from the wound. "Feed them," he ordered. As the man placed Abigail in her arms, she hesitated not sure how she should proceed. Gently Gabriel moved her wrist to the small child's mouth allowing the blood to flow between the small, pale lips. Holding the little body close to her, she looked at the paper thin skin and blinded eyes, verifying her fragile health. Afraid that the baby would start choking on the first food to enter her mouth, Alena eagerly watched for signs of distress so that she could quickly pull away. In awe, she watched the lips move pushing the blood into her mouth and down her throat. Mesmerized by the child, she nearly fell out of the chair when Gabriel pulled Abigail from her arms and placed Joshua there. "A little should be enough. His turn," he said cradling the girl against his chest and turning his back to her. Realizing that he was trying to protect her if the process did not work, Alena focused on the small boy and held her wrist gently to his mouth. After a few seconds of no response, she gently kissed his pale forehead and spoke to him. "Joshua, please try to feed. We need to save you." Tears filled her eyes as the small lips moved and latched on to her wrist greedily sucking at the nourishment she offered. "Alena," Gabriel said quietly, "you're not going to believe this." Slowly he turned around walking towards her. In his arms, he held an infant girl with healthy, soft pink skin. As he moved beside Alena, Abigail twisted her head and looked at her with glittering black eyes. Gabriel's eyes. Glancing down in her arms, Alena watched Joshua's eyes darken as he looked at her. "All they needed was our blood," Gabriel explained. "My blood that was in your body completed the experiment. Your human blood," he said with a smile, "ruined it." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 12 The night progressed quickly as the children responded to Alena's blood or, as Gabriel proudly reminded her, their combined blood. No matter how gentle and understanding he had been with her, Alena would never have guessed how easily he assumed the role of a parent. She smiled as he carried both children, one cradled in each arm, to their apartment. "You look like a natural," she said. "Since I was never a child, nor have I ever been around children, I have no idea what that means," he replied. "I mean that, at the hospital, most new fathers need a nurse to educate them on holding a baby. Usually they're sitting with a pillow in the crook of their arm. But you...," she paused motioning to him, "have it under control." "They tell me what they want," he stated casually. "Oh," Alena said with a sad smile at yet another reminder that she was once again the odd person in this little group. "Baby," Gabriel said stopping at the door to their apartment, "If you had not been human, then these two would not have survived." "Yeah," she said with a smile and opened the door to the apartment that was quickly getting overcrowded. "I've ordered cribs for them but have no idea where we'll put them." "In our room for now," he said carrying his precious cargo to the living room. "Here, take Josh." "So," Alena said and then hesitated as she cradled the baby boy in her arms. "What's with you and the girl? Should I be jealous?" Sitting beside Alena on the couch, Gabriel stared and the small girl in his hands. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. "Alena, I've never kept anything from you intentionally." With her interest piqued, she twisted her position on the couch for a better look at Gabriel. "Your sister showed you our book of prophecy?" "It was more like the book of riddles. It wouldn't have passed in any of my English Comp classes." "My arrogant little American," he said with a laugh. "Excuse me?" "You believe the text was composed in poorly written English, as though it's the only language in existence." "I never said that." "It's not written in English at all but in the language of the Third Creation. By some magic, the text can change for the reader to comprehend. If you spoke French, then you would see French composition. It's the same with any language known to man. We've had Latin, Hebrew and Greek scholars read it." "So what does the book have to do with the Abigail?" "Each member of the Third Creation has a chapter describing his kingdom. The book contains seven of these chapters," he slowly explained and smiled as her eyes grew wider. "But there are only six kingdoms which are thoroughly described as belonging to each of my brothers." "Is this what you and Iona were arguing about earlier? Before we met with the Council?" "Yes." "And Abigail plays into this somehow?" "Abigail and Joshua both do," he said and then paused to shift the child into one arm and wrap his other around Alena, now encompassing all three within his embrace. "The description of my kingdom reads something like, 'His kingdom will lead all as a great army' but there was no mention of land or particular people so we assumed that it meant that I would lead the army." "I'm still confused about the children." "And the seventh son of the seven sons shall rule all, as a great army to defend and protect the truth. His people shall increase beyond measure and never be outside pure light. His numbers will be wise by council of the son to the east and the daughter to the west." "A daughter," Alena repeated. "We are not men. We cannot produce children and certainly not daughters. Our kind increases by changing humans. And before you say anything, let me finish." "Sure." "These shall be the two that are but should not have been who will be to destroy all. And this abomination must be saved by her blood which shall be in the increase. And the New Kingdom shall remain under the care of these." After a few moments of silence, Gabriel tightened his arms around his family and pulled Alena's head under his chin so she was resting against the fast pace of his heartbeat inside his chest. "Somehow," he continued, "they had to be created by this rebellion, you had to remain human so they could be saved and our future is not going to be secluded on a private island." Placing a kiss to his chest, Alena sat up so she could look him in the eye. "Well this makes perfect sense," she said with a smile. "There was absolutely no way anyone could expect me to serve beneath my sister." Before the conversation could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door. And once again, as though summoned, Iona was interrupting. Unlike she had in the past, she actually waited until Gabriel quietly said, "Enter." "So, I'm an aunt now?" Iona asked acknowledging the babies. "Apparently," Gabriel answered standing and passing Abigail carefully into Iona's arms. "You have her?" he asked before relinquishing all hold of the infant. "Yep," Iona responded. "Don't remember why, but this seems sort of natural," she finished as she took his abandoned seat next to her sister. "By the way, Edward is getting nervous. The Council is in recess but will reconvene to hear the claim against the American Court next." "That means I'm off to work," he said leaning down to kiss Alena. "Duty calls." "The last time your loyalty separated us we thought it would be forever. I can bear a few hours," she said with a smile. "And I thank you for the diplomatic wisdom you used in saving us," he said as he moved close to Iona. With a kiss to her check, he stroked the fine hair covering Abigail's head and turned to leave. "Oh," he said pausing in his exit, "I will need to determine some form of punishment for Helen. Any suggestions ladies?" "Can you drop her from the top of the building?" Alena asked. "A very tall building." "Unfortunately, she would be herself after one feeding and a day of rest. Bodily harm causes pain but very little injury." At the raised brow Alena directed at her, Iona said, "Absolutely not! Well just take his word for it." As the sister's laughed, Gabriel silently watched them. "What did you just do?" he asked Iona. "Alena asked if I would try to jump to prove that the fall wouldn't kill me and I said no." "She was a tomboy as a kid who would do anything that someone declared as dangerous," Alena explained. "Wait," Gabriel said, "you said Alena asked you to jump?" "Yeah but she was joking." "Gabe, did you think I was serious?" "No," he answered seriously. "You didn't ask her anything. At least you didn't say anything out loud." "Yes I did and you heard her answer." "I heard the answer but not the question. Has this ever happened before today?" "No," Iona said. "Yes," Alena contradicted. "Remember when I first arrived at the mansion? No, wait, you wouldn't remember that. Anyway, we did something like that when we walked through the foyer." "When we were kids, or rather when I was human, we could finish each other sentences but we never heard the voices," Iona explained. "Just now, I heard her voice in my head." "And I was expecting her to answer me," Alena added. "Interesting," Gabriel murmured. "I have to go but you girls may want work on this." Staring at the spot vacated by Gabriel, the girls remained silent for a few minutes. "To tell the truth, when he leaned down to me, I thought he was going to bite me," Iona whispered. "I did too," Alena quietly replied. After a few seconds she added, "But he's right. You did save us. How did you know it would work?" "I wasn't sure and it now seems lame but basically I used the same technique Heron used. Because of Cassian's knowledge of the Asian Court, he was protected until he could be returned to Heron. We figured Gabriel had some secrets of the American Court and Edward could not take a chance on letting those out to the public." "But everyone knows Gabriel wouldn't have shared confidential information." "And everyone knows that Helen and this master she keeps referring to were not after information," Iona added. "Look, if Gabriel would have been given to them, then they would have the last ingredient to their little cocktail and the world of vampires would be changed or ended." "Gabriel, Edward and probably the other members of the Third Creation would have stopped that." "That's the problem and the issue that Edward is facing now. When their blood was taken, it was not only used to make this," she said nodding her head toward Abigail, "but it was used to have a limited control over the donor." "What?" Alena asked in shock, "You mean like a voodoo doll?" "Exactly. When Edward and I were imprisoned, he was mentally distraught. Until recently, I thought it was an effect of starving and that may have intensified the problem. But he had been in that cell with no communication from Gabriel and with the guards telling him that Gabriel was happily ruling the American Court." "Oh fu..."Alena started and paused and she looked down to Joshua lying in her arms. "Good catch," Iona said with a laugh. "Even though the blood these kids carry belongs to at least one man who could cuss fluently so they shouldn't be shocked." "Nice. So when Gabriel finally found Edward, what happened?" "They discovered quickly that someone had been running interference with Edward's communication. Unfortunately, what they did not consider was that I had been planted in Edward's life to be a substitute for food or a substitute for Gabriel, to be Edward's confidant." "Are you saying that Edward could no longer communicate telepathically?" "No, he could but his messages were intercepted and changed." "How did they fix that?" "They haven't. Gabriel has been fighting the rebellion by himself for quite some time because he doesn't know who has been compromised. Of course Edward wants to lead this battle but his mind is an open book to the enemy, except," she paused, "when he's silently speaking to me. At least now. Since my change. We think Cassian was reading me until Edward sired me." "Can we assume that the remaining brothers have been compromised the same way?" "Yes but only Heron seems to have submitted to the enemy. I'm sure they are now aware of everything." "Iona," Alena started quietly, "it wasn't just by chance that my sister was kidnapped and thrown into a prison with Gabriel's brother, was it?" "No. And this is where my shame gets exposed," she paused looking at the child sleeping in her arms. "Heron has been sharing quite a bit of information with Edward. Apparently, my man has the best temper of all the Third Creation and I bet it's been pushed to the limit today." After a few moments, Iona continued, "The experiments were funded by the reimbursement fraud at the hospital. Overpayments from insurance companies and patients were used to pay fake invoices to a company that was a front for the rebellion. Everything was playing well in the enemies' hands until you started getting suspicious and investigating the crap but you appeared to be such a little mouse that they saw no threat and hardly gave a second thought about you. They had no idea what a nightmare you are when your panties get twisted. Then Gabriel walks into the picture and suddenly the giant and the mouse have become a formidable opponent so they have to separate you." "What?" Alena said loudly causing little Joshua to stir from his sleep. "Yes. They increased their visibility in the vampire world causing Edward to create the Council which is almost the same as our legislative, law enforcement and judicial systems rolled into one system. Each Council member is assigned a specific district of the American Court. The powerful general was needed to ensure that the system was implemented correctly and no future coups would rise from within against Edward." "Uh," Alena started. "This is difficult to rehash but I would have left with Gabe anyway. He had even made plans to accommodate you and Tony." "That's where I come in. It didn't take the enemy long to find your Achilles heel. With my juvenile record and attraction to the A-list degenerates, they set up a series of traps that I happily walked in to always knowing that you'd save me in the end." "I was the one who decided to not go with Gabriel so I could stay with you." "Yeah but he was coming to tell you the same thing. He could not let me in the mansion, let alone taking a chance of my exposing the existence of vampires to the world." "Wow," Alena whispered. "It's the reason he hated me in the beginning. Anyway, with Edward's blood, the enemy knew that he was getting closer to the truth. Establishing the Council had worked in the American Court 's favor and they were destroying spies daily. So his plane was hijacked and they needed a wild, human female. Enter yours truly." "After eight years?" "Eight years is nothing when you can live forever. Anyway, I had developed from a rebellious teenager into a danger driven whore." At the look on Alena's face she added, "Admit it. You believed that I disappeared with some random guy that I barely knew and the cops couldn't fake an interest in finding me." "They had so many people telling them bad things about your character. Even I was starting to believe it." "When I was first taken, I knew that you would turn over mountains to find me. I just didn't know that you had to do it alone. I'm sorry." "So Edward was alone and you were alone." "And we found each other. You can't imagine how it makes me feel to know that I was provided to him for his destruction. And I almost did that." "But you didn't." "No. But you can understand Gabriel's earlier mistrust of me. Can you imagine what he thought when he saw the girl who had destroyed his life was now his brother's mate?" "No," Alena answered quietly. "The eight years that we were separated were so painful that it hurt to breathe. I hated the thought of living but couldn't do anything except continue." "Did you know that you'd be together again?" "No. He left and while I knew he was close, he never came to me. God, it's painful to remember now." "Does it help to know that you needed to wait? You had to wait to save these children and the New Kingdom." "No. But it's bearable to know that it was in the past and it's ended." As the sisters continued to talk and cuddle the children, Gabriel descended the floors of the mansion until he reached the bottom level which contained the holding cells. As he approached the room where Helen was imprisoned, he slowed his progress and listened for any communication that he could interpret. The only sounds were the frantic whispers from the female inside the cell. As he stood by the door listening, Gabriel heard the one sided conversation reminding him of Iona's reaction during her interrogation. He remained quiet not interrupting the pathetic cries for mercy, reminders of her loyalty and promises to accomplish any task requested, no matter the cost. No matter the cost. Gabriel closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Vows of loyalty would cost Helen her worthless existence just as it had cost him eight years and almost eternity with Alena. Even with the strength of their relationship today and the understanding of their roles in this saga, Gabriel refused to be forgiving of the time they had lost. And if he could not change her, he would still lose eternity with her. When Helen pleas for mercy grew silent, Gabriel decided to ascend to his office but stopped when her voice returned strong and happy. "Yes, Master," Gabriel heard her say in her solitude. "Of course I still believe. You are one of the first loved. Give me my task and I will serve you faithfully. We will see the victory!" After a few moments of silence, she continued saying, "Oh yes, Master. What a wonderful plan but that's hardly a task that you have requested of me. Letting me kill her is more like a gift to me. Thank you, Master." As Gabriel penetrated her mind searching for the unknown meanings of her words, he stumbled across her dreams of the future. "The weak, little human will never be a queen. I will drink feed from her children and grow strong from the blood of the Third Creation. I may drink their blood from a crystal goblet while I bathe in the bitch's blood and if the general wants to be king, I may let him rule by my side and sleep in my bed," Helen thought with joy. Understanding Helen's murderous plot against Alena, Gabriel threw open the door, startling Helen in her reverie. In less than a moment's pause, Helen smiled at him with her seductive charm. "So," she purred, "you've come to taste what other kings have savored." "I've come to begin your destruction. You will never harm her." "My dear Gabriel," she said shaking her head with a look of pity, "you have no idea how much progress we have made against your pathetic New Kingdom. The Master has shown me what I will do and what I will become. " "Tell me who you call master." "No." "You will have no blood until you cooperate." With a laugh, Helen leaned against a wall and smiled at Gabriel. "Oh, you've started interrogating me. How exciting!" And with her vampire speed and strength, she leaped across the room, slamming into Gabriel. Before he could dislodge her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. "Do not confuse me with some weak, newborn," she finally said. "The last weak newborn that I interrogated happened to be my brother's mate, the king of the American Court. You have no connections that protect you from me," he said flatly and threw her body across the room. Landing in a crouch before hitting the wall, Helen bounced to her fee and laughed with the delight. "Gabriel," she said with a smile, "I am more than five centuries old. I will not break over the threat of starving. My reward will be worth the small inconvenience." Once again, she leaped across the room with fangs bared but before she could strike he kicked her back. This time, her body flew high into the wall before she could catch herself. When she tried to stand, Gabriel grabbed her by the neck and twisted her around so she was pressing against the wall with her face scraping against the rough texture. "And I am over four thousand years old with more knowledge of how to make you suffer than you can imagine," he growled against her ear. "Do not confuse the generosity that I shared with the king's mate with the retribution that I will serve to you." With a quick snap of his wrist, he sliced his fingernails across the pale skin on her neck. A small drop of blood appeared at the wound and then trickled down her neck. With a cruel shove, he tossed her across the room watching her fall to the floor. "Are you serious?" she asked with a laugh. "Is this really some form of torture? It barely broke my skin." "True," he agreed, "but you can't reach it with your mouth to seal it shut. So now you starve and bleed at the same time. Is the reward still worth it?" He smiled when he saw her confidence falter. Watching her struggle to press her fingers to the wound in hopes to staunch the bleeding, Gabriel leaned against the wall folding his arms across his chest. He watched her panic as she realized that her injury was continuing to bleed. "Who do you call master?" he repeated. "Go to hell," she responded in a ragged voice. "Who do you call master?" "Join me Gabriel," she said with a voice that had seduced all of his brothers. "It's the only way you can survive. The Master admires your strength and will reward you." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 12 "Who do you call master?" "You fucking bastard!" she shrieked. "He will squelch your very existence. Your entire life will end with no meaning or purpose." "Who do you call master?" "You can't win, Gabriel," she said quietly. "Don't you understand? They are stronger than you because they are the first loved." Before he could ask her another question, Helen turned her head to stare at an empty space in the room. She smiled and nodded her head as though she were listening and agreeing with whatever was said. Finally, she pressed her fingers to her lips, kissing them and waving towards the invisible entity. "I've said enough. You will get no more from me Gabriel and you have chosen to fight against us. Go now," she said as she settled in the floor, leaning against the wall. Sensing the walls fortified around her mind, Gabriel left her alone and proceeded to his office. When he entered the room, he saw Edward sitting in the one of the Queen Anne chairs near the fireplace. With a nod to his brother, he sat at his desk and logged on to his computer. "Do you know anything new?" Edward asked quietly. "Nothing that I can share with you," he said without looking away from the monitor. "Sorry." "Don't be," Edward answered. "You kept your dick in your pants so your DNA and thoughts still belong to you." "I promised that I would find them," Gabriel said while typing. "You did. And you will," Edward agreed. "But can you convince the Council that I'm still in control? Can you convince me?" Pausing at the keyboard, Gabriel turned to stare at his friend. "Are you starting to lose faith? Is that all it took to defeat you?" "Don't be so self-righteous. You have no idea what it's like to see the doubt in their eyes. In your eyes." "It's not doubt," Gabriel said quietly. "It's disgust. All of the women in this world and you fuck a woman who's had more men than she's had years in existence," he said and slowly smiled. "I was looking for experience," Edward replied with a laugh. "And what you found was decrepit," Gabriel said returning his glance to the monitor. "Couldn't you smell our brothers on her? Even worse, I trained Amen's men during his last public reign as pharaoh and I could indentify at least seventy of them on her scent." "It was an aphrodisiac." "It was septic." "You had already met Alena. Nothing could divert your devotion to her. It's strange how I never knew about her but yet the signs were all there." "I've thought about that," Gabriel said. "Before I met Alena, well, I would have literally been there with you and Helen. " "It wouldn't have been the first time we've shared," Edward said. "Eight years without a woman. How did you survive?" "Eight years to an immortal..." "Is fucking eternity when you've got blue balls. I would have died." "Which brings us back to the present," Gabriel reminded him. During the next several hours, Edward silently filled and emptied his whiskey glass as Gabriel swiftly moved his fingers over the keyboard then thoughtfully scan the results on his monitor. Edward smiled as he watched his brother's expression remain blank with no hint of his discoveries. Steady and true, Gabriel's strength was proving to be the saving ingredient of the New Kingdom. "Do you know anything yet?" Edward finally asked. "I know quite a bit," his brother calmly replied. "Anything you can share?" Looking Edward in the eye, Gabriel let his expression reveal his unbridled fear. "I know we are in trouble," he finally said. "Call all of the brothers. We need to talk." Contacting the remaining brothers of the Third Creation was not as simple as it used to be. Not so long ago, a conference call between the seven men was a simple thought process. Now, because of the infiltration into their thoughts, they could not trust the communication to be unedited. After a few hours of arranging the call, the group finally met via landline telephones. "Greetings brothers," Gabriel said into the conference console. "I'm in a guarded office with only Edward and Heron inside the room." "Heron," said a heavily accented voice through the phone, "you worthless ass. How could you do this to us?" "Wait," Gabriel interrupted. "We will discuss Heron later. He will be held under guard until we can meet but we have little time before the Council reconvenes and I have much to share." "Continue Gabriel," said a rich voice with an Italian draw. "We will not interrupt." "Thank you Antony," he replied. "You all know of the experiment that has been conducted using your blood and understand that until we vanquish our enemy, we need to guard our communication. The female vampire used in the experiment is currently in our holding cell. She is our only source of information." After a moment's pause Gabriel continued. "I have a partial understanding of our enemy. Helen refers to her master but he is only one of many. I believe the attack we have seen is from one general leading his army and I fear that there are many more." "Tell us what you know brother," said a quiet voice through the phone. "Helen referred to her master as one of the first loved. At first, I thought she meant a man that she loved but then I realized that the title referred to position and power. If there was a first loved, then it could be inferred that there was a second and now a third." "Third?" Edward asked. "As in the Third Creation?" "Yes," Gabriel answered simply. "Then the first would be the angels," said the first voice over the phone. "What would they accomplish in this?" "Not the seraphim surrounding the throne but those desiring to reclaim their former glory." "The Fallen," stated the voice. "Yes," said Gabriel turning to look at Heron. "But they are not alone, are they Heron?" "Of course he has assisted them in ruining us," said a voice through the phone. "His crimes will be judged soon enough. And none of you are innocent," Gabriel boldly reminded them. "Heron, tell us what you know." "Man, in the worst possible state, is helping them," Heron answered with a wavering voice. "The Fallen and the Depraved have consummated and created one that is greater than either were before," he paused looking at Gabriel, "and greater than we are now." The room erupted in angry voices referring to Heron in a variety of insulting names. Allowing his brothers to react to the statement gave Gabriel a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Stop!" Edward ordered. "How do they regain their former glory? They aren't killing vampires." "No," Heron answered. "We are destroying ourselves. Once we have fallen, betrayed or killed one of our own, we will cease to exist and the favorite sons will be out of the picture." "Then what? Angels and man can petition for reconsideration?" asked a voice through the phone. "No," answered Gabriel. "They will storm the throne and rule both heaven and earth." "So we've failed," one of the men stated simply through the phone. "We're seduced by one woman and we lose everything?" "Not just our possessions," replied another voice on the conference call, "but everything for all creation." "I don't think it's that drastic," Gabriel interrupted. "We have not betrayed the laws given to us. Unfortunately, we have played into our enemy's hand." "Not all of us," murmured Heron. "What?" "You, Gabriel, stayed strong. If they could have reached you then the coup would have occurred so quickly that we would never have known what happened." "No matter the mistakes," Gabriel affirmed, "we fight together. We need to discuss our strategy to address the American Council tonight but first, have any of you noticed anything in your areas?" "An amazing increase in the newborn population," one voice replied. "They come in from a different area but have no scent from any of your kingdoms." "I am seeing the same but they are very mature for newborns," another voice said. "Explain, Antony," Gabriel encouraged. "They move in with financial support to operate successful business and very few can compete against them. I have tried to assist my patrons but these newborns are now operating most of the clubs, vampire and human, in Europe." "And with the increase in newborns, we see an increase in crime," another voice added. "I've been considering following Edward's example to implement a Council as a judicial system. I spend all day in court. I should add that with their blatant feeding from humans, exposure is imminent." The brothers continued describing the various changes and problems that they were experiencing throughout the New Kingdom and progressed to discuss Gabriel's plans for addressing the Council on Edward's behalf. Throughout the mansion, Council members bickered over the necessity of listening to Heron's complaint, Alena and Iona continued playing with the babies and practicing their telepathic skills and Helen stood to her feet, waiting to greet the visitor at her door. When the conference call ended, Heron was escorted to his room leaving Edward and Gabriel alone in the office. After several minutes of silence, Edward walked to the bar, poured two glasses of whiskey and offered one to Gabriel. In a silent toast, they drained their glasses and agreed to seconds. "Gabriel," Edward finally said, "the Council is my creation. It may have been my worst idea but the concept belongs to me. Each member was personally selected for their loyalty to the New Kingdom and to me. If your plan doesn't work, I'll simply dissolve the assembly." "Doing that would play into the enemy's hand. Be patient. Trust me." "I do. To tell the truth, I hate myself for blindly walking into this trap." "The Council reconvenes in an hour. I need to do a few things first so you should see your mate and be ready. This battle will end soon." "But the war continues." "Yes but now we know who we fight." "Knowing doesn't make this easier. I almost feel hopeless. In four thousand years, I've never felt this way." "Edward, don't quit. Go. You have an hour and that's fifty-five minutes more than you need to be with your mate," Gabriel said with a teasing grin. When Gabriel was finally alone, he sat at his desk in silence. He knew Alena would need to bring the children and join him at court but he needed a few minutes to rehearse his role. During his years of training the vampire armies, he had always taught that every engagement has two courses and those were not victory or surrender. They were Plan A and Plan B and both ended in victory. A species of people born to lead could never compromise with another species that had been castigated. With a nod, he strengthened his resolve and left his office to search for his moral reinforcement, Alena. As Edward open the door to his apartment, he sensed rather than saw Iona racing down the corridor to leap into his arms. Her vampire strength and speed had improved so much since her recent change that he almost forgotten how both physically and mentally sluggish she had once been. He caught her in his arms and held her close breathing in her scent as he kissed her neck. No words were spoken as they stood holding each other close saying everything with their touch. As their strokes intensified, their blood pumped faster. The need that could never be fully sated rushed forward demanding immediate satisfaction. With a quick turn to the wall, Edward braced Iona against the surface while pushing her skirt to her hips. Once free from the restricting garment, she wrapped her legs around his hips pulling him close to her rapidly heating core. At once, their hands moved over each other reaching beneath the remaining clothing to comfort and arouse. "Gabriel said that I only needed five minutes to do this with you," he said between kisses against her collarbone. "Fuck him!" "If I'm done with you in five ...." "Shut up," she said with a giggle. "How do you want it?" "How much time do we have?" "Forty minutes." "Hard, fast and thirty nine minutes long." "Thirty nine?" "You'll need a minute to clean up and change your suit." With a kiss to her lips, Edward ripped her thong away from her body while she struggled to unzip his pants. Fumbling with their clothes until they could touch each other intimately, they smiled at each other and paused in their motions. In a gesture of tenderness, he paused to look at the face of this woman he loved. Gently cupping her face in his hand, he stroked his thumb over her jaw and frowned in thought. "Is something wrong?" she asked in a whisper. "If I had just waited for you, we wouldn't have these problems. Or if I hadn't been so selfish, Gabriel would have brought you to me eight years ago." "Everything has a reason." "Are you always so strong?" "No," she said with a labored breath, "but your hard cock is touching me and I'm going to die if it's not inside of me soon. Now." With a quick kiss to her lips, he entered her in one swift thrust. After a momentary pause, he pulled out and entered her again continuing his thrust until he was deeply seated inside her warmth. "Until I met you," he said with a strained voice, "I didn't understand what this was supposed to be. Gabriel understood." "Alena did too," Iona responded. "Oh!" "Don't mention your sister when we're like this." "Too late," she answered with a grin. "She's screaming at me now. Ok, she's gone. Where were we?" In Gabriel's apartment, Alena sat with her hands over her eyes while Gabriel laughed at her embarrassment. She pitched a pillow across the couch but he easily batted it away and pulled her onto his lap. With the children sleeping on makeshift mats on the floor, the new parents had been sitting quietly contemplating the event in their lives. "Apparently my brother is putting this time to good use," he whispered nuzzling against her hair. "You take longer than thirty-nine minutes undressing me." "We'll be fine," he said in a serious tone. "I know. I trust you." "We will need to leave soon," he simply stated. "The kids and I are ready." "No, we'll need to leave America. My brothers are seeing an increase in newborns, crime, and overall chaos. We need to squelch it. Immediately." "Ok." "I know that nothing is as we had planned but I need you to be with me." "We agreed that we'd never separate and I'm not spending one day without you. Wherever you go, I go. Correct that. Wherever you go, we go," she said with a wave toward the babies. "Got it," he said with a smile. "Are you ready to do this?" "I think so. My guard is up but I don't have a poker face." "No, your emotions are on your face so keep your eyes down." "Yes sir," she said with a mock salute and rose to leave. With a quick tug on her arm, Gabriel pulled her back into his lap and clasped her close to his body. "Tonight," he whispered, "you will see why mankind thinks of my people as monsters. You will see them tonight. You may see me as one tonight." "With everything you need to worry about, put that thought out of your mind. I know you." Again she rose to gather the children and he assisted until they both had a baby in their arms and were ready to leave the apartment. When they entered the Council's chambers again, Alena felt overwhelmed at the tension in the room. In retrospect, she could now clearly see that no one would have sacrificed Gabriel. He was their strong military leader, faithful to the New Kingdom to the end. But Edward was in an envious position as king of America and had allowed the rebellion to infiltrate his kingdom. His weakness would be expounded by anyone desiring to fill Edward's vacancy. Hearing the door open behind them, Alena turned to see Edward and Iona enter the chamber. They were both dressed in conservative business attire with somber expressions on their faces. She acknowledged her sister and turned back to Gabriel with her eyes strategically viewing no higher than anyone's neck. The children were lying on a table in the center of the room, displayed before the Council for inspection. "Members of the Council," Gabriel addressed in his strong, accented voice, "I present to you the offspring of the Third Creation. They were created by evil intent, but you can see, that they are what we are." Watching the reaction from the Council, he continued, "Read their minds. They are too young to block you. They think as human children amazed at the colors and smiles that they see." "Gabriel," on Council member said, "we see you are correct. You have given these poor creatures life." "My mate gave them a chance at life," Gabriel responded while reaching for Alena's hand. "Now I request that you let them grow and be welcomed as additions to the New Kingdom." "Will you be their caretaker, Gabriel?" asked another. "My mate and I will be parents to them." "Your request is granted. We wish you the best." "Thank you. Now, I bring to you the matter against Edward, king of the American Court. Since the inception of this continent, he has ruled the vampires of this land under the laws of the New Kingdom. His brother, Heron, has brought accusations against him. Accusations that you need to decide will justify his continuation or immediate dismissal as ruler." "Where is his accuser?" On cue, the doors to the chamber opened and Heron entered the room. Alena sneaked a glance at the man who had demanded justice against Gabriel only a few hours earlier. Now, as he approached to beg his case against Edward, he appeared younger and stronger. She might have even considered him good looking if they had met on different circumstances. His weakness had created a lifetime of fear and misery in less than one day. "Heron, brother of the Third Creation, state you claim." "I have no claim. As you are now aware, I had succumbed to the influence of our enemy and became a pawn within my own kingdom. I officially withdraw any complaint brought on my behalf." A sigh of relief spread through the Council and several members grinned at the outcome of the dreaded hearing. Incoherent murmuring could be heard as the members contemplated their ruling on the matter. As the volume increased, Alena could hear the excitement in the mood as they reached a conclusion. All seemed well until one voice spoke aloud. "Brothers," the Council member said, "I too rejoice that Heron as removed his claim. I dare say that I am more loyal to Edward than any of you. He sired me when I was just a mere human servant, happy to do his bidding until I fell terminally ill. He has been employer, father and friend to me for more than a century." At his pause, everyone remain silent waiting for his next words. Of all the voices of opposition, the members were shocked to find the closest member to Edward delaying the ruling. Alena carefully reminded herself to guard her mind and remember to be strong. Gabriel was a very smart man. "With that said," the Council member started, "I wish to state my loyalty to Edward, the American Court and the New Kingdom but I am requesting the Council to consider the claims against him." "Efisio," demanded another Council member, "what are you doing? How can talk as two different men by declaring your loyalty and then demanding this ridiculous hearing?" "Because there are some here who need to know the truth." "And what is the truth?" "That Edward is not impotent as the American king," Efisio stated. "He may not be impotent but if you pursue this course, I believe we will see that he was ineffective in identifying and defeating the enemy. He willingly consorted with the woman and brought another in as his mate who acted under the guidance of our opposition." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 12 "An act that was committed by all brothers except Gabriel," Efisio replied. "The blood was here! The children were created in his hospital! How can that not be considered negligent?" "Because Edward recognized the enemy's presence eight years ago and asked us to assist him in defeating it. What have we done? Handed a death sentence to numerous vampires? How have we fulfilled our obligation? Edward has but the laws of the New Kingdom to fulfill. We took an oath to stand with him in this fight but we quickly became comfortable in our complacency. Now, I ask you to give your vote of confidence in support of Edward as our king and, in doing so, you will reaffirm your vow to fight for the New Kingdom, our people and our lives. Call to vote." Before the first member could speak, Gabriel bent over at his waist. With a growl, he turned to the door and pulled Alena behind him. He spared a quick glace to Edward and crouched into an attack pose. "Gentlemen," he said, "you are about to see your enemy." Once again, the doors to the chamber opened and Helen strolled into the room. Forgetting Gabriel's orders, Alena looked up to see the female vampire's entrance. The woman's hair and eyes were richer in color. Her skin was glowing in flawless pale color similar to that of cream. She had changed into a flowing blue dress that added the perfect effect for the erupting drama. She was beautiful before. Now, she was walking perfection. "Talk, talk, talk," she chimed in her melodic voice and smiled stretching her plump red lips over her brilliant white fangs. "Even now, you talk about the years you have wasted away talking." "Why is this woman free?" demanded one of the Council members. "Because I have not lived five hundred years to be imprisoned by you," she hissed with her eyes flashing in anger. "Your time has ended." The following silence was soon interrupted by a sound similar to the loud beat of a drum. As the sound grew closer to the chamber door, Alena tried to look and felt Gabriel push back into her body. He quickly glanced her way with an expression of concern. Once again, she dropped her eyes to the floor but focused on the nearing sound that pounded like the heavy, exaggerated steps of something very large and heavy approaching the door. When the steps stopped at the threshold, only twenty feet from where Alena stood, she concentrated on the veins running through the marble floor. At the sound of someone's startled gasp, Alena nearly collapsed. Forgetting Gabriel's warning, she lifted her eyes to look towards the doorway and into the eyes of the beast from her nightmare. Red skin, fangs and wings. "What is it?" someone in the Council asked in a whisper. "It?" the beast asked looking straight into the man's eyes. "I am Nafar, prince of this land given to me for faithful service, master of you who choose to obey and destroyer of those who refuse. My people are the Panthralges, loved first but betrayed by our love, who sought a second love and now betrayed them. Together, the first and second will rule heaven and earth and remove the unfaithful love and the Third Creation." As he spoke, Nafar advanced into the room towering at least a foot over everyone. When he approached Helen, she fell to his feet in an expression of devotion. He gently reached one clawed hand down to lift her face and assist her to stand. "Rise, my little queen," he ordered. "All of the strength found in the New Kingdom is now in you, mother. You have given the life and tasted the blood of the Third Creation. Soon, you may have the reward you seek. Now, bring me the child." As Helen approached the children, Alena turned to Gabriel eyes full of panic. She could see the indecision on his and face and was confused by his hesitation to rescue the children. Since he had not repeated Helen's plan for her destruction, she could not know why he delayed leaving her side. "Gabriel," she whispered. "Please. Save them." As Helen lifted Joshua from his blankets, the child struggled in her arms and began crying as though he understood the impending danger. With a smile to the entire audience, she raised him to her face and inhaled as though savoring the aroma of a fine cuisine. Slowly, she guided her hand down the boy's arm breaking his skin with her nail. The scent of the blood, containing the essence of six of the most powerful vampires, filled the room. Hisses escaped the stoic faces as their self control crumbled into desire to sample the child's sweet bouquet. Alena looked around the room seeing the diplomatic men creeping closer to the scene. With a laugh, Helen turned to face Alena and opened her mouth to reveal the brilliant white fangs. Her attack was quick but not quicker than Gabriel's. As she descended her mouth to the child, Gabriel moved so fast the rush of wind stole Alena's breath. Before touching the child with her lips, Helen felt the vice grips of Gabriel's hands on the sides of her head. In less than a second, she transitioned from the victor to the defeated. Without loosening her hold on the child, she screamed in pain and Gabriel crushed her skull. The last sound she heard was the snap of breaking bones. The last site she saw was the spray of blood leaving her body. Before her dead hands released Joshua, Gabriel tenderly transferred the baby from Helen's hands and into Alena's quickly licking the wound on the child's arm sealing the flow of blood. With a final deed, Gabriel returned to Helen's body and separated the skull from the neck ensuring that no vampire blood would resurrect her back into his life. Turning to look at his mate, he watched in horror as Alena gently rocked the baby in her arms and looked at him with a smile not knowing that Nafar was standing a breath behind her. The Panthralges spread his wings and smiled at Gabriel. "You have escaped paying for your crimes today Gabriel. But I will demand an eye for an eye and no Council can help you now," Nafar said as he wrapped his wings around Alena's arms pulling her close to his body. With Joshua in her arms, she was afraid to move and cause injury to the child. In a panic, she looked at Gabriel regretting the misery she saw in his face. There was no way he could reach Nafar before she was killed. Facing the moment of death, Alena's mind raced through a multitude of thoughts of love, loss, hope, regret and happiness. Believing that she now understood the purpose of her life was to save the children, she silently offered a prayer of thanks that she had been given the chance to love Gabriel, even if it was for such a short time. Silently mouthing the words "I love you" to him, she turned to her sister and smiled. "Master," Iona said pulling away from Edward, "You've come for me." She kneeled before the Panthralges looking up to him with eyes of devotion. "Iona?" Edward asked in confusion. "Forgive me Master," Iona continued ignoring Edward. "Please forgive my weakness. I will never fail you again. Let me take Helen's place and I'll be greater than she could have hoped to be." "Child," Nafar said touching Iona's head, "you left me." "No Master. They took me from you. I fought them. You saw me fight," she said dropping her eyes. "I thought you left me. Forgive me for doubting you. You have returned for me." "How can I trust you little one?" Nafar said with a growl. "I had such plans for you and you fell into your own trap. You were to seduce Edward and you let him seduce you." "Give me the child, Master," she pleaded. "Kill this human who is too weak to change and we will share the blood of kings from this boy." Nafar looked from Gabriel to Edward, laughing at the hopelessness that both men shared. "Watching Helen drink the blood would have been amusing. Seeing the effect of your betrayal break Edward is priceless!" he said with a mocking laugh. "Give her the child," he demanded. Silently, Alena passed the child into Iona's waiting arms staring into her sister's eyes for a second before looking back down to the floor. When she looked at Gabriel, she gasped at the changes transforming his body. His eyes rapidly turned from black to blue and then green and gold before finally returning to black. At one point she had seen a stronger resemblance to Edward and then to Heron. "What is this?" Nafar demanded witnessing the physical changes in his adversary. "You were trying to capture the power of the Third Creation through our blood," Gabriel said with a strong voice. "The strength that flows through our veins will drive any ordinary vampire insane. But now, the blood of the Third Creation flows through me. And I am not an ordinary vampire." Nafar tossed Alena across the room crouching in defensive pose. Watching Gabriel as the sound of the woman's body slammed into the wall, he laughed out loud mocking the vampire's pain. "Your woman is dying, your kingdoms are dying and you will be dying very soon," Nafar said with a snarl. Iona pulled Joshua close and swiftly moved to Abigail carefully lifting her into her arms. Avoiding eye contact with Edward, she watched Nafar and Gabriel as they faced each other ready to attack. Staying close to the wall, she walked towards the door and turned to look at the scene once again. Sensing Edward's eyes following her motions, she resisted the urge to glance in his direction. In addition, she avoiding the lump of human flesh, that she had called sister, quivering in the floor struggling to hold onto her pathetic human life. With only one witness seeing her exit, she sped through the door and down the corridor. "Thousands of years we have spent in unspeakable torture hoping for the day that we can return to our former glory," Nafar said baring his mouth full of fangs. "You are not the Fallen," Gabriel stated. "Our fathers are the Fallen from the First Creation who mated with the daughters of the Second. We are the Panthralges. Submit to me Gabriel. Be the general to my army and you will know greatness beyond anything you can imagine." "Tonight, you die," Gabriel promised and charged the beast. As though granite were slammed into granite, their bodies crashed together echoing in the room while the Edward, Heron and members of the Council stood in fear and shock. When each resisted the strength of the other, they released their hold and returned to an attack pose. Leaping high in the air, Nafar jumped over Gabriel's head soaring with his wings to flip and land behind Gabriel's back. Locking his arms around Gabriel's shoulders, he held the vampire imprisoned in his grasp with no way to inflict bodily damage. With a roll of his shoulders, Gabriel broadened his chest and expanded his girt breaking Nafar's hold. Before the Panthralges could attack, Gabriel turned around facing his opponent. With all his strength, he slammed his fist into Nafar's chest knocking the Panthralges from his feet. Grabbing Nafar by the neck, Gabriel lifted him to his feet and then higher barely noticing the beast clawing at his arm in effort to release his hold. "I am not alone," Nafar declared. "More will come and you will lose everything." "You get to take nothing from me," Gabriel state and then with all of the strength of his brothers slammed his fist into the chest of the Panthralges puncturing through the protective wall surrounding the beast's heart. Clinching his fist, he grabbed the pounding heart and crushed the pulsing organ until it was nothing more than a handful of blood clots splashing to the floor as Gabriel removed his hand. Dropping the body to the floor, Gabriel bent over as though he were in great pain. With a deep inhale, he stood straight, throwing back his head and yelled at the top of his lungs. He crossed his arms over his chest and bent over again with his shoulders shaking in a sob. Collapsing to the floor, he saw Edward approach him as Heron rushed to Alena. "Take me to her," he said gasping in pain. "What's wrong brother?" Edward asked lifting Gabriel's head. "He never hit you." "Your blood," he said with panting breath. "The blood of the brothers is boiling in my body." "And you are the only one strong enough to bear it," Edward declared. "Hold on, I'll take you to her." When he managed to place Gabriel next to Alena, he cringed at the site of the girl's body. No matter how much she had changed, her remaining human frailness would not survive the trauma of her injuries. As she tried to speak, the blood pooling in her mouth would spill out or slide down her throat choking her as she moved her lips. "Babies," she whispered. "I'm so sorry," Edward said with a cry. "She betrayed us. I was a fool to think I had saved her." "No," Alena said between painful breaths. "Trick. Plan. Hiding them. We had to plan. Keep from you." "Baby," Gabriel said slowly rising to sit beside her. "You planned that? She's hiding?" "Yes," she said with a weak lopsided smile. "Cellar." "Have someone check the wine cellar," Gabriel said to no one in particular while stroking his fingers through her hair matted with blood. "I guess there is a reason for everything." "Mine is finished," she said as a tear slid from her eye. "No," Gabriel said lifting her into his strong arms. "In comparison to eternity, you are just beginning." Biting his wrist he opened his vein and watched the blood of the Third Creation pour from the wound. Gently cradling her head, he held his wrist to her lips. "Drink my love. The reason for your wait is so you could have the blood of every ruler of the New Kingdom." As her lips latched on to his skin, he could feel the liquid rush from his body nourishing hers. When she let go, she smiled with the stain of red across her lips and the shadow of death crossing her face. "I love you, Gabriel," she whispered and closed her eyes. In silence, his brothers sat with him as the members of the Council approached the group huddled on the floor. The only sound was the unsteady rhythm of a dying heart. As the beats slowed and paused, she struggled to breathe gasping for air and forcing it back from her lungs. When her heart stopped in mid rhythm, she gasped again and tensed in her final departure from the human life that she had bravely endured. After only three seconds, Gabriel smiled and placed his lips to hers. Weak at first, the newborn's heart started and struggled until it found its preternatural rhythm matching all others in the room. Wrapping his arms around Gabriel and his newborn mate, Edward said loudly, "The New Kingdom population has just increased by one!" New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 13 Gabriel gently lifted Alena's body in his arms and walked to the door. Without a delay in his exit, he looked over his shoulder and addressed the following people with his commands. "Efisio," he addressed the Council member, "have the guards take the Panthralges' body carried out to the training field and displayed for all to see. We will show our people what we are fighting and that the enemy can be defeated." "Heron, instruct every person in this house, vampire or human, to meet at the training field in one hour. That is an order. No exceptions." "Edward," he said directing his eyes to the American king "go to the cellar and bring Iona and the children to my apartment." After his final words, Gabriel left the room. With almost no hesitation, the group dispersed to accomplish their various chores. No one questioned the shift in authority from Edward to Gabriel. No one questioned how displaying Nafar's body would instill confidence rather than fear in the people. And no one questioned why Gabriel seemed taller and broader when he rose from the floor. No one questioned aloud but they all pondered it in their minds. Arriving at the doors to his apartment, Gabriel nodded to the guard who opened the doors and shut them after he passed over the threshold. Continuing through the rooms until reaching his bedroom, he paused and looked at his precious cargo. "Let's get rid of these reminders of your last human moments," he said to her peaceful sleeping face. He carried her to the bathroom laying her on the bench so he could start the bath water. Never taking his eyes from her, he checked the temperature and then laughed at himself when he remembered that her frailties were gone forever. Returning to her, he paused before undressing her and watched her face. Beneath the dried blood her new skin was rapidly transforming her face into perfect beauty. "I thought you beautiful as human," he whispered, gently pressing his lips to hers. "Even when I saw you a few weeks ago after so many years apart, you were tired and too thin, but still, your face captured my heart." He continued gazing at her while stroking his thumb across her brow. "You looked so beautiful at the cabin even though you didn't change. But now, I can't imagine how beautiful you will be when your transformation is complete," he said lifting her and cradling her in his arms. "Gabriel," Edward said from the doorway. "Everything is as you have requested." "Thank you." "You know she can't hear you. The change takes three days." "Not hers. Maybe something partially changed when I bit her at the cabin but she will wake soon," he stated and then stood lifting her in his arms. "First, I need to clean this filth from her. I'll be out soon. Leave Iona her with the children and have Philip select four of his best guards to watch over them." "Of course," Edward said but continued standing at the door. "Gabe," he finally said, "her blood, I mean, the blood given to her. I know it came from you, but technically you consumed the blood from the child. How can you know that she won't react to it like her sister did?" "It is not the same blood that was given to Iona," Gabriel answered. "She fed the children saving them from their pathetic existence and gave them life. Her blood contained mine from when I tried to change her earlier. And now," he said laying her on the side of the tub so he could turn off the tap, "she and I have the blood of all brothers." "How can you know that she will not lose her sanity? The strength of our blood alone would drive a newborn mad." "I know that she will be perfect," Gabriel said walking to Edward and escorting from the doorway. "How can you know?" Edward repeated. "I'm listening to her thoughts," he answered with a smile and shut the door. Returning to his mate, Gabriel gently tore away the clothes stained with her human blood. When she was undressed he slid her body into the warm water and began washing away the grime. The blood was joined by a gray residue flaking away from her skin. Beneath, the new creamy pale flesh was glowing in flawless perfection. "I honestly did not believe you could be more beautiful," he said to the sleeping woman in his arms gently stroking his fingers across the smooth skin of her forehead now free of any creases from worries. The dark shadows that had circled beneath her eyes were replaced with the bright new skin of a newborn. Finishing his task, Gabriel lifted her from the water wrapping a towel around her body. He carried her to their bedroom and laid her on their bed. Drying her body and hair with the towel, he dressed her sleeping form in a sleeveless, black gown and smiled at the dramatic effect the garment had on her new form. Finally, he tucked her under the spread. "Rest, my love," he whispered and kissed her lips. "I know your change is moving fast but please wait until I return." Gabriel rose to leave and hesitated returning back to her side. Watching her face, he stared thoughtfully and then finally nodded. "My apologies," he said with a smile. "The children are fine and your sister has saved us again. I have never been proven wrong in my opinion of someone but you were right about her. She's priceless. And yes, we will win," he said with a chuckle, "because I just know? Not this time. It's because, for the first time in my life, I'm not fighting alone." With a final kiss, he left her sleeping body and walked into the living room where Iona sat with the children. Edward strolled into the room just returning to the apartment. When the American king looked at his mate, she glared at him and turned away. "What's this?" Gabriel asked looking between the two. "She's mad because I believed her deception instead of seeing the drama that it was," Edward answered. "How could you think that I would harm the children?" she asked with hurt in her voice. "In his defense," Gabriel answered, "you are a very good actress." He walked over to Iona and leaned closer to her ear. "And my friend's insecurity had convinced him that you were just too good to be true." With a kiss, to her cheek, he touched both children tenderly and turned toward the door. "Iona," he said over his shoulder, "guards will stand outside these doors, at the entrance into the room and at the door leading into my bedroom. If anything occurs, call them immediately." With a look at Edward, Gabriel walked from the room. Staring at his mate willing for her to look at him, Edward stood silently watching her tend to the children. As he turned to leave, Iona spoke quietly. "Gabriel's answers sounded good. But they didn't sound honest," she said finally looking at him. "I don't know how I'm supposed to convince you that I'm not the person who betrayed you before. You fought for me but you don't believe in me," she said quietly and paused when the emotion threaten to spill from her voice. "You and I won't survive if it continues this way." Walking to her, Edward leaned close as Gabriel had, "Iona, look at me." When she did, he continued, "Gabriel was right. You are everything to me. Perfect for me. I felt foolish... before... when you were infected. And now, when I should be thankful, I've let my doubts create this problem. Forgive me, please." After a moment's hesitation, Iona tilted her face up to receive the kiss Edward pressed against her lips. "Unfortunately, I've given you cause to doubt me. Go help Gabriel so he can return to my sister. And then I can go home with you." Joining his friend at the door, Edward slapped Gabriel on the back. "Thanks for your help back there. I made a mistake in judging Iona. You saved my ass." "You'll have plenty of time to pay me back. Let' get outside before anyone else arrives." The two men walked through the mansion tall and proud collecting guards and other men as they continued their journey to the field. To a stranger, the group appeared fearsome. To a friend, they represented encouragement and hope for a victory over the rebellion. To the enemy, their presence promised destruction. Gabriel led the group to the center of the field beneath Nafar's dead body, hanging from a roughly constructed platform. Looking at the lifeless Panthralges, he studied the massive body, clawed hands and mouth full of fangs. He had beaten one. He could beat them all, especially when Alena was threatened. Feeling no remorse for the death of his enemy, Gabriel remained silent while the others discussed the fight that was behind them and the war that now stood looming in their future. Fighting a war when the enemy was unknown was a guaranteed disaster. Gabriel continued looking at the Panthralges, questioning the rage and meticulous planning that was evident in the opponent. The part he struggled to understand was their motive. He tried to imagine how it would be were their species not the beloved with the Third Creation being the favorite sons. Vowing to never know the weight of rejection, Gabriel promised to lead his people to victory and in doing so, strengthen the mission of the New Kingdom as he and his brothers had sworn to do so many centuries ago. Turning to the mansion, he watched the first of the spectators exiting the house and slowly approaching the field. Because no other message had been delivered other than the time and place for the mandated meeting, he knew that everyone was both eager but wary of tonight's announcement. Never a public speaker, he had no formal discourse to impart on the rapidly growing multitude. Always a leader, he knew he had one message to communicate. Walking to Phillip, Gabriel quickly gave instructions in low tones finally looking at Edward until he received a nod of approval from the American king. With a final order, he dismissed Phillip and watched as his loyal friend moved through the crowd as requested. Finally, when everyone, human and vampire, was standing in the field, Gabriel nodded to Edward to begin their assembly. "Ladies and gentlemen," Edward began, "vampires and humans, friends, you have been called to this place to see that which has been hidden from us but has tormented us for so long. Look at this beast that hangs before you and see our enemy. Look upon the creature that has killed those you love and almost destroyed your queen thereby, almost destroying me." As the crowd marveled at the site of the creature hanging before them, murmurs began as a low roar through the congregation. Gabriel stood to the side of Edward with his eyes continuously scanning the crowd. "We have a name of this beast," Edward continued. "He was Nafar of the Panthralges. He walked into my home, your home, to take that which had been created to destroy us." "How did it die?" a voice asked from the mass. "At Gabriel's hands," Edward answered. "Let's hear him now." "My friends," Gabriel said to the hundreds of faces, "see this beast which is no more. See that he took from us as a prince takes from his own land but this was not his land. He was a thief and he was punished and died as a thief and murderer. This beast was our enemy and, as you see, can be killed." "Can be killed by you," a woman's voice said from the audience. "How can we fight that thing?" Gabriel narrowed his gaze until he was staring into the speaker's eyes and hearing the panic in her thoughts. Fear would destroy them before the Panthralges could. "Susan," he said gently to her, "I'm not asking you or your children to fight. My brothers and I will destroy these beasts. I'm asking for you to be loyal." "You know me, Gabriel. My family has worked for the New Kingdom for three generations. But we are human servants and no match for the strength of that thing ... or even against your people," she finished quietly. "Which is why we are gathered here," Gabriel answered looking back to the large group. "The Panthralges walked into our home because someone or some people standing here have allowed access to them. We have removed the infected blood but your loyalty has been seduced with promises of power and wealth. As the first and second creations were seduced with false promises, you too will be destroyed." Gabriel paused as he watched the realization pass over the many faces that people that they knew and loved were standing there as friends but had assisted the enemy in killing others that they had known and loved. As the murmurs increased in volume, Gabriel spoke again before chaos could erupt. "Those of you who have betrayed us, you have this moment in time, this one, last opportunity to confess your association with the Panthralges, share all information that you have and you can return to us. We know who you are." At Gabriel's last statement, several vampires moved quickly trying to escape but Phillip or one of his guards quickly restrained them and brought them to the center of the field. Watching the crowd continue to grow restless, Gabriel held up his arms with his palms facing forward in universal gesture requesting silence. "My friends," he said with a louder voice, "these men and woman have displayed the cowardice that our enemies have beneath their skin. They will be punished. But I give one last invitation for you, who have betrayed your people, to come forward now and return to us." With his last statement, he narrowed his gaze again to the human woman he had spoken to earlier. When she saw the evidence of his knowledge shining in his eyes, she fell to knees and screamed. "Gabriel! I don't deserve your mercy! They killed my husband and I hated you, you Gabriel, for not being here to save him." Looking around at the faces staring at her, she wiped the tears falling from her eyes and then buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Will you let her live?" one of the apprehended vampires asked with a hiss. "I will," Gabriel answered and, moving quickly to Susan, assisted her to stand on her feet. "Why?" a human man standing close questioned. "Because, unlike you," Gabriel said turning his deadly glare on the man's face, "she was seduced through promises of basic necessities for her children. Whereas you, Geoffrey, provided maps of our property and blueprints of the house so the enemy could walk through the door." Leading Susan to a female guard, he nodded in silent response to the guards question and allowed Susan to be escorted to the house. "How did you know?" Geoffrey asked in a whisper. "Helen killed your son at the entrance to the lower levels. The scent of his blood was on her last breath," Gabriel answered walking to the man. "You have supervised the care of this property for more than twenty years. Your father was here before you and your son would certainly have succeeded you. Your son! You let that bitch kill your son and you never mourned." "We've let you fucking leeches feed from us for forty centuries," Geoffrey yelled taking a step away from Gabriel. "Now, one of Phillip's guards is fucking my daughter and she wants me to ask you to allow her to become one of you. One of you!" "Dad!" a young feminine voice said from the crowd. With a quick glance at Phillip, Gabriel watched a young guard quickly approach the young woman and lead her from the crowd. When she realized that he was taking her away from her father's trial, she tried to run back but the guard stopped her speaking quietly to her and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she wept for her father, and led her to the house. "See," the man continued to rant, "She can't even stand with me when I need her." "Her life will be as wealthy as you had hoped yours would be," Gabriel said grabbing the man by his arms and dragging him to the center of the field. "Last chance," he said looking to the crowd. "Phillip, bring the remaining here to join the others." In the following minutes, guards dragged more vampires and humans to the center of the field. Some had attempted a miserable escaped only to run into their captors or stood silently waiting to be escorted to the others. When the last was brought to the center, a total of forty-three men and women, vampires and humans, stood in the center of the field. "These who stand here are guilty of treason against the New Kingdom," Gabriel announced to the several hundred remain spectators. "Our master will save us," one woman said from the condemned group. "No," Gabriel answered with a shake of his head. "First, Geoffrey, you provided access to our home and in your lust, you never warned your son of their arrival. For the crimes of treason and murder, you are to be punished by death. Sentence will be carried out immediately." Staring Gabriel in the face, Geoffrey nodded in understanding and then closed his eyes as he felt the strong hands wrap around his neck. Hoping to die before losing any control of his bodily functions, Geoffrey was relieved to feel the restriction on his windpipe and then hear the snapping of the bones in his neck. "What was I thinking?" he asked himself before losing consciousness to death. "Friends," Gabriel said to the mass. "The remaining criminals will die at your hands. They are given to you because you will need to fight. And when you fight, you will not always stand opposite those who look different from you but you may have to fight those you have known and call brother. I warn you, do not taste the blood of any of these. They are to be treated as contamination." With a nod to Phillip, Gabriel walked away from the condemned and through the crowd toward the mansion. Behind him, vampires were leaping high in the air to reach the traitors first. Cries of fear and pain flowed through the field as the betrayers were punished by the betrayed. If two vampires reached a condemned person at the same time, they would each grab an arm and rip it from their opponent's body leaving him defenseless and easy to kill. Because their crimes had been inflicted on those who loved them, the condemned were shown no mercy but there was no sport in the kill. If the punished did not quickly die, Phillip would deliver the final attack with a broken neck to the humans or a severed head for the vampires. Hissing and snarls overcame the crimes as the humans were quickly killed and the vampires attempted a meager defense. The only blood spilled was that of the guilty and was avoided as though it delivered the plague. With a glance over his shoulder, Gabriel was content to see that all but four of the guilty had been destroyed and those would be killed before he reached the elevator. Rushing through the corridor, he reached out to his mate with words of comfort and instruction begging her to stay in bed until he could reach her. As he raced through the corridor, he decided to avoid the elevator and leaped up the staircase in a manner that would have shocked anyone witnessing his actions. Fortunately, no one was in the house except minimal guards, Susan and his family waiting in his apartment. When he reached his floor, he ran down the corridor, quickly entering the apartment with a wave to Iona as he headed toward his bedroom. When he opened the door, the site that greeted him was more than he could have ever wished. She still remained in bed, but her body had quickly transformed into the body of perfection that he had promised her so many years ago. She was taller, thinner, younger, and beautiful. Everything about her was healthy as if she had never had any childhood accidents or illnesses and had never aged or worried. And yet, underneath this excellence, she was still there. The girl who gave him reason to care how many hours were in a day, days in a year, and years in eternity. No matter how many times he had promised her eternity, he was never sure until this moment in time that they would share it together. New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 13 "Baby," Gabriel said approaching the bed, "I'm here, now." "Now?" the melodic voice asked from the beauty with her eyes still closed. "Now and forever," he said lifting her in his arms. "Forever," she repeated opening her lids to reveal mirror images of his glittering onyx eyes. Smiling at him, her dark pink lips parted to reveal brilliant white teeth with two fangs slightly elongated. She wrapped her pale, cream arms around his neck hesitating when she realized that she able to reach and touch him better than she could as a human. "You have grown some," he explained. "Taller and thinner but still gorgeous." She smiled at the compliment taking a deep breath to savor the first moments of her new, long awaited change. Instantly, a new sensation hit her body with such a force that she shook in Gabriel's arms. Trying to determine the cause for her new body's reaction, she slowly repeated her last motions and took another deep inhale. Her mouth was watering before her brain registered the name of the sensation. Turning her head to the side, she noticed the enticing aroma was still close but not as tempting as when she was facing Gabriel. The need doubled in force when she looked into his smiling face. Licking her lips, she threw her head back and inhaled again savoring the delectable scent that was fueling her hunger. Hunger? The impact of the moment left her speechless with her arms still around Gabriel trying to decide what to do, what to say. She needed to feed. She wanted to feed on Gabriel. "Baby," he said gently, "of course you need to feed. And you will feed from me because I sired you. It's the reason I raced to get to you before you woke." "You smell delicious," she confessed. "Delicious?" he asked lowering her arms and standing to remove his jacket. Before he could return to her, the bedroom door crashed open and Edward quickly entered the room. "Damn it, Gabriel," he said see Alena awake. "I told you to have someone with you." "She's fine." "She definitely looks fine," Edward agreed too quickly. At Gabriel's grimace, he smiled and said, "Newborn, funky babies' blood, delayed changing. You can't blame me for wanting to be sure." As Gabriel approached the bed, Alena rose up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck again and smiled revealing her new weapons slowly growing longer with her desire. "Unless you need to witness the act of our true mating to be sure," Gabriel said without taking his eyes off the woman, "I suggest you take my word for it." "I'm trying to be a friend," Edward responded. "You want to be a friend? Then leave this bedroom and take your mate and the children to your suite." "Take the children to my suite? Why would I do that?" "It's called babysitting. Be a favorite uncle and do this for me," Gabriel said gently pressing his forehead against his mate's. When the sound of door opening and closing announced that they were finally alone, Gabriel pulled her body close pressing her breasts to his chest and her hips against his thighs. Reaching for the straps of her gown, he pulled the garment from her shoulders, down her torso until the material pooled at her knees. Looking down at the body of a goddess, he raised his hands to her neck cradling her face in his large palms. "Perfection. Forever." "Can you imagine how much I suffered as a human seeing your perfection and then never knowing if I can join you?" "I suffered with you." "No Gabe. You never stood outside the circle of perfection watching you with Edward, or with the children, or with Helen." "Jealous?" "Not now." "You had no reason to ever be." "So how does this work? I just bite and suck?" "No. Not yet." "Not yet?" she asked in irritation. "When?" "So you traded jealousy for impatience?" "I think waiting eight years counters that comment," she said leaning close to his neck and quickly licking her tongue across the blood supply pumping beneath the skin. "Why am I waiting to feed?" "Because the first time with mates is more than just feeding." "Oh God, I get sex too!" she exclaimed leaping up to him wrapping her legs around his waist. "Wait," he said pulling her limbs from his body. "No." "Alena!" he said flipping her over until she landed on the bed with her face buried in the mattress. "Why?" she asked with a muffled voice. "Because," he said quietly, "slowly making love to you will let you know how much I've suffered for the last eight years." "What?" she said turning her face from the bed. "We've made love." "While one of us was a human. You can't imagine how difficult it has been on my control knowing that when you are finally a vampire, no amount of force or feeding will hurt you." As her desire soared, her heat pooled in her sex. "Gabe, please," she begged. "No." In her uncontrollable desire and hunger, she did what any woman so close to the source of her cravings but unable to feel his heat or taste his blood would do. She screamed so loud the glass panes of the windows vibrated in the room until one cracked under pressure causing her to immediately be silent. "What the hell was that?" Iona said turning from the door and staring back into the apartment. "That," Edward answered directing her back through the door, "is the sound of the best sex a vampire can have." "The best?" "Oh yeah. It's that first time between a newborn and her sire. But I could be wrong since I'm having to explain it to you just a few days after your change." "I'm not questioning that it was great. But the best?" "Yeah," he said watching her. "What would you like to bet that we can do better?" "Tonight?" "Yes, sir." "What about these children." "We'll just try to keep the noise down but with the sounds coming from that bedroom, I think these kids will get used to sleeping with loud noises very soon." The raven hair beauty stood from her desk and stretched her limbs. Someone should have explained to her that wealthy vampires work long hours and get sore muscles from sitting at desks for innumerable hours. With a smile, she reminded herself that long hours and sore muscles could be attributed to those activities she was spending with her mate. Dismissing her assistant, she walked to the balcony basking in the warmth of the sun on her face. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back relishing the sensations on her skin. How could she have ever thought he would deny her this? Hearing his voice, she opened her eyes finding him quickly with her new, superior vision although he was several hundred yards away. Meeting his eyes, she returned his wave by blowing a kiss from her fingertips. His attention was diverted long enough for him to miss the attack coming from his side. Water splashed as he lost his balance and disappeared beneath the surface. He jumped up quickly wiping the water from his eyes to glare at the two mischievous imps laughing at his plunge. Nodding towards the woman on the balcony, he said, "Your mother thinks that's funny. When we get home, I just might see how much she enjoys getting wet." With a sweep of his hand across the water, he sprayed his two companions earning shrieks of surprise. "Daddy," the girl complained, "you got water in my eyes." "You're swimming in the Euphrates River and you're whining about getting splashed?" he asked truly confused. "Poor Gabe," the watching woman thought in amusement. "He'll never understand women." In bewilderment, Gabriel looked at his son for support and neglected to see the girl dive under the water. She swam like a fish to grab her father's ankles and pull him off balance. When he resurfaced, he shook the water from his face and looked at her with mild irritation. "What's wrong Daddy?" she said coyly. "Are you swimming the Euphrates and whining about getting your hair wet?" The woman on the balcony smiled watching her family. Together, they appeared normal. They were extremely beautiful and rich but acted like a normal parents with two normal children. So much had changed in the eleven months since arriving at Heron's court. From the moment she had changed into a vampire, she had quickly conformed to the expected cravings of blood, easily obtained by the refrigerated supplies or, her personal preference, that thick throbbing vein located on Gabriel's neck. When she died as a human, a small obituary was placed in the local paper announcing her death in an automobile accident with the dates of her memorial to be determined later. The memorial was never announced. Since they were leaving America soon, Gabriel had insisted on not changing her name. He explained that 'Alena' was name of the only woman he had ever loved. No one questioned his deviation. With the rising rebellion against the New Kingdom, she could hardly be surprised that no one cared if he broke tradition. Nothing about her change had been traditional. When Gabriel had sealed Joshua's wound inflicted by the Panthralges, he had ingested enough blood from his six brothers to absorb characteristics unique to each of them. Then, he had fed her, creating a feminine version of his altered existence. Gabriel had adjusted to his new life with no signs of difficulty. He had been a loving, considerate sire to his mate helping her adjust as a vampire with power obtained from the strong, vampire kings of the New Kingdom. He never boasted his new strength but everyone, including Edward, conceded to Gabriel's requests. While he continued to invoke fear in everyone he met, Gabriel adjusted to the chaos of family life better than anyone could imagine. Since his wife was now considerable more durable, he relaxed his hold on her safety permitting freedom to move throughout the mansion and outside through the gardens. His generosity ended at the property line. While his restrictions bristled against Alena's independent nature, she had to admit that she was not eager to be separated from him. And, there was war waging against their people. Their people. She had yet to fully understand the enormity of those words. Somehow, the man she had wanted to spend an eternity hiding in his cabin was now leading his people as an army and not just training the military. She was proud to stand beside him when he spoke to one, fifty or thousands, not just because he had become larger and more handsome but because he had also gained the ability to encourage his people and rouse them to fight for their lives. He was not just their king but their kings' king. And she was his queen. In so many ways, she struggled to remain the same person that she had always been but the craving for blood, fangs, and venom slowly changed her into someone else. "You're the woman that you are supposed to be," Gabriel had said to comfort her. "Perfect." He had always called her perfect whenever they were together whether alone or in a crowded room. A blind man could tell that she now had a perfect form but she was always concerned that she would lose the person that he loved. When she had shared her concern with Gabriel, he told her that she would always be that same woman and, while her heart beat, she could be nothing less. He advised her to put away her fears and embrace her new life. And embrace it she did. Starting with Gabe. From the moment she had awakened, they had loved the feel of each other's body and the taste of each other's blood. He would be gentle, rough, slow, fast and always wonderful. Every time, Alena thought she would die from the passion but continued to meet each thrusts with her own strength and enthusiasm. Each day, she grew mentally and physically stronger by his blood and lovemaking. Together, Gabriel and Alena had accepted the challenge of caring for the children created by their foes but saved by their love. Joshua and Abigail also grew in strength and intelligence but they grew rapidly. Less than one year old, both now resembled the average six year old child. Joshua had darker features than his sister mostly because he was always outside and never wore more than a pair a short to cover his body. He ran, played, swam every day building the muscle definition in his body to the point of appearing to be more of a miniature man than the child he really was. He was perfect because of his nature but the one feature that Alena adored the most were his glittering, black eyes. His eyes were an exact replica of the vampire whose blood had saved them all. Abigail could be described as a work of living art. Her feminine beauty charmed every person she encountered. Dark hair flowed in waves below her waist framing the pale skin of her round face. Alena secretly burst with joy whenever a person would comment how much the child looked so much like her mother. Her daughter had no resemblance to that evil witch, Helen, who had participated in the wicked experiment that created the children. Alena had worried about the rapid growth of her children until Gabriel had explained that they had to grow into their perfect bodies. Excellent health due to their preternatural immunity to childhood diseases had accelerated their development. According to Gabriel's calculations they should be grown to maturity within three years appearing to be typical young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty four. She smiled remembering Gabriel's words when she had asked what would happen to them then. "Josh goes to college. Abigail goes to a convent," he had answered. "That's a double standard!" she had exclaimed. "What's your point?" "Don't you want Abigail to have the best education available?" "Of course. We'll provide the world's most prominent tutors at the convent." "Don't you want her to have a chance to find true love?" "Do we really have to discuss this now?" he had asked appearing uncomfortable with the topic. "Because the answer would be 'No'." And so Gabe and she had created a parenting system that handled the rapid succession of sleep interruptions, colic, potty training, and learning to walk and talk. No matter how exhausting and humbling, they had accepted the challenge together and every day's accomplishment was celebrated as a family victory. At two months old, the children were able to walk across the apartment without falling and bumping into furniture. So at two months old, the siblings, who appeared to be year old toddlers, left the familiar surroundings of the mansion and moved with their parents to Uncle Heron's palace in the heart of paradise. Their arrival at the Asian Court had been disappointing in the beginning. The land that Gabriel had described with pride had been claimed by the Panthralges and was stained with the blood of the New Kingdom's faithful servants that had refused to betray their people. When Gabriel had stood in the center of the courtyard, sickened by the stench of murder, he closed his eyes and abolished Heron to the prison deep within the palace. Leaving Phillip in America had been a difficult decision but Gabriel refused to leave the American Court without proper protection. He trusted Phillip to call him if he needed to return or if the enemy forces regained their hold on the court. In his heart, Gabriel knew that Phillip would easily fill his vacancy and he would probably not be needed in America again. After evaluating the conditions of the Asian Court, Gabriel had called all of his brothers to report his findings. They agreed that the system needed to be reestablished with a loyal subject trained to be not only the leader of the Asian guards but also the confidant to the king as Gabriel had once been to Edward. Finding the loyal subject was not the problem. Working with the king was the problem. Heron had improved physically when the infected blood was removed from his system. His body adjusted to the bottles of blood stored in his apartment in the American Court and he once again resembled the older brother who had once been highly esteemed enough to rule the court centered in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Heron's atrocities against his people continually deteriorated his mind until he was almost handicapped from grief. He had stood with Gabriel in the courtyard almost as a stranger seeing the horrors for the first time until one of his servants began screaming recounting the abuse he had allowed Helen and Cassian to inflict on the people. The Asian king continued to remain in his cell feeding only when a cup of blood was practically forced between his lips. Gabriel later explained that while he was suffering through his brother's grief, he could not interrupt the punishment that Heron's actions and neglect had required. He described Heron's ordeal as a very slow version of Iona's experience. The vampire had to be broken. If he survived, then he may be saved. If he held to the treason, death would eliminate the choice. Once in Asia, Gabriel identified dependable leaders and began the rigorous process of training them to fight and protect the court and its people. The land and resources surrounding the palace had been totally depleted so the plan was not to save but rebuild the once glorified empire. Very few followers of the rebellion were found and were quickly executed. No Panthralges were found in the court. For the next several months they labored to rebuild and retrain knowing that they would move on to the next court with the hope of saving before destruction. But with every day of labor, Gabriel insisted on allocating time, like now, for recreation. Watching her family laughing and playing, the woman reluctantly turned back to her room when she heard her assistant enter the office. "Madam," the woman said, "Sir Antony is on the phone and has asked to speak with you since Sir Gabriel is unavailable." "Thank you," she said and watched her assistant leave before lifting the handset. "Antony, it's good to hear from you," she greeted the vampire king of Europe. "Hey, gorgeous. Have you decided to ditch that ogre and the boring family life to run away with me?" teased the voice on the phone. "I believe the words 'boring family life' constitute an oxymoron. And you think Gabe is an ogre? Well I guess I should be pleased that you're not attracted to him but then, you are the one known as the ladies' man." "You may not believe this," he said with a serious tone, "but that romp with Helen has taught me a lesson." "I was hoping that you were so envious of the wonderful life your brother is sharing with me that you were looking for your life mate." "Oh, I'd love to share with my brother and mate with you." "Behave," she playfully scolded. "What's up?" "Something is brewing," he said and then paused. "I've delayed calling because I thought I was just paranoid or maybe angry about the ground that I'm losing here but the rebellion is so strong that I'm not sure it isn't already too late for Europe." "Too late?" "Yeah. They have more money than any of our kind, except me, and they've destroyed the competition. We have a new population of newborns killing their prey. They outnumber my guards and the humans think we have a genius, serial killer." "How long has this been going on?" "That's the part I could kick myself for," he answered. "It's been brewing for years. If I had to guess, I would say they started moving in approximately nine years ago and started buying the clubs. Looking back, they were able to sit in their clubs and recruit new members while getting richer every minute. " "How did they get richer?" "Drugs. They took the standard stuff, got more people hooked, changed them and then fed them that shit from the kids." "Josh and Abigail were innocent," she said sharply. "No offense, sweetheart, but it was their blood poisoning my people." New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 13 "No offense, you arrogant asshole, but it was your dick that gave Helen what she needed to create that special recipe!" The two grew silent, knowing that the other was not the enemy and losing their tempers would not help their people or the real war they were fighting. Holding the phone away from her face, Alena inhale slowly silently wishing that she had acquired more of Gabriel's even temperament. Then she smiled when she wondered exactly how hard Gabriel would have hit Antony if he had heard the conversation. "Hey, gorgeous," the deep voice said through the phone, "I'm sorry." "I know it's hard." "You have no idea," he added with a sigh implying a double meaning to his words. "By the way," she added changing the subject, "this information you've sent is amazing. Who's your analyst?" "A girl," he answered quietly. "An American girl." "She's doing a great job mapping the fraud and financing of this project. She's identified more avenues of money laundering than I knew existed." "Her work is the source of my information. I've been here for almost three thousand years and she walks in and, in less than a week, she has a library of information." "Is something wrong?" "Everything is wrong," he answered quickly. "I mean, is something wrong with the girl?" "Yeah," he answered so quietly she thought she would miss his words. "She's human." "You can always change that," she offered. "Not if my kingdom falls," he stated simply. "My people are my priority. When can you and Gabriel, and those blessed little angels, come to Europe?" Alena almost screamed when she felt the large arms wrap around her and pull her back into his big body. His very wet, big body. When she turned her head to scold him for scaring her, he quickly kissed her to silence any objection. "Tell my brother," Gabriel said loud enough for Antony to hear, "that we will see him in two days."