Sara Humphreys - Tall, Dark, and Vampire

“You have to fuck me now.” Impatient, she sat up, grabbed him by the hair, and kissed him, her fangs scraping his lip and severing the last bit of resolve he had.

He lifted her knee, and she opened wider as he thrust his hips and entered her. The pleasure built, and she cried his name as he pumped into her furiously. Ecstasy flashed over him, coiling deep inside, and he knew what she needed—what they needed. At the peak of climax, they bared their fangs and sank into one another as the orgasm burst, and they fell into the exquisite abyss together.

Olivia walked the club surveying the dancing patrons, finally feeling as though life was back to normal. It had been over a month since the rogue attacks, and only now was she beginning to feel as though her family had recovered.

Sadie was spinning records like she always had. Holding the headphones to one ear, she beckoned Olivia with a wave.

“What’s up?” Olivia said as she climbed the steps to the platform.

The only downside of being bloodmates with Doug was the inability to telepath with her coven. It made her feel as though they were vulnerable. However, since they could still telepath with each other, it gave her some peace.

“You look good.” Sadie gave her a look of approval. “I told you that you just needed to get laid.”

“Right,” Olivia said through a laugh.

“Seriously,” Sadie continued. “You look really good. I can’t explain it, but ever since you hooked up with Doug…”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You were right.” Olivia gave her friend a pat on the back. “I’m going to head down to the floor and check on the VIP table. Don’t forget to play that song they requested, okay?”

“You got it, boss.”

Olivia descended the steps and turned her attention to the bar. Trixie and Maya were serving drinks, and their newest regular was hanging out at the bar, as he had been most Friday nights since the shit-show.

Olivia nodded to Shane, who as usual, didn’t smile. The guy had only one night off a week as a sentry, and he spent it sitting at a bar, not drinking. She had a pretty good idea that he was there for Maya, but so far the guy had not made a move. Maya, of course, didn’t seem to mind.

Her two newest coven members were adjusting quite well to their new lives. Damien moved into Olivia’s old apartment, and Suzie was rooming with Sadie while she adapted. Although, her transformation came with an added bonus no one expected. Suzie had a sixth sense and could see hidden traits in people sometimes. It scared her at first, but she slowly got used to it, although she wasn’t great at sharing the information. She turned into a blurter and spilled info at inopportune moments.

When Olivia and Doug took over as czars, the first thing they did was turn the Presidium’s main chambers into living quarters and a more traditional office setup. Their lives had taken a bizarre turn, and since they were already vampires, that was really saying something.

As Olivia checked on the folks in the VIP booths, who were nicer than Moriarty and his crew, she noticed Suzie standing off to the side of the club, by the entrance to the bathrooms. She was waving Olivia over frantically and not exactly subtly.

Olivia excused herself from the guests and went directly to Suzie. The girl’s pale blue eyes were wide with wonder and a touch of fear. Her whitish blond hair fell over her forehead as she looked Olivia up and down in absolute shock.

“What’s going on, Suzie?” Olivia tried not to sound annoyed, but the place was slammed, and she hated making her customers wait for drinks. “You’re acting weird.”

Suzie grabbed Olivia’s arm and pulled her toward the office. Olivia rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh through a smile as Suzie dragged her through the mass of writhing dancers. Suzie bumped the office door open with her hip and yanked Olivia inside. Hands on her hips and her patience at the breaking point, Olivia arched one eyebrow at the latest addition to the coven.

“This better be good.” Van Helsing, now fully recovered, came directly to her feet and sat down with Oreo at his heels. Olivia scratched his head but kept her eyes on Suzie. “We’ve got a club full of people. What gives?”

Suzie pointed at Olivia’s belly, and her doe-like eyes filled with wonder. “You’re pregnant, Olivia.”

“What?” Olivia said through a laugh. “That’s ridiculous. There’s no way that I could be pregnant. Vampires can’t have babies.”

Suzie put the empty drink tray on the desk and grabbed Olivia’s hands before placing them on her belly. “Close your eyes.” When Olivia didn’t initially comply, Suzie stomped her foot. “Now.”

“This is silly, Suzie.” Olivia let out a dramatic sigh and complied. “Vampires don’t get—”

White light flashed through Olivia’s mind, and the image of a little girl with bright red curls and big blue eyes, eyes just like Doug’s, flickered vividly. The girl was running through Washington Square Park in the bright sunshine and laughing loudly as she looked over shoulder, calling Olivia… Mommy .

Suzie dropped her hands as the vision faded and the room spun into focus, but Olivia, dizzy from the vision, had to sit in her chair and regain her bearings. She looked at Suzie, but before she could say anything, Suzie grabbed the tray and ran out of the office yelling, “Congratulations, boss lady.”

Tears fell freely down Olivia’s smiling face as she sat in the chair with her hands on her lower belly. She had been feeling strange. She felt like she was operating in a fog since the attacks at the club, but she chalked it up to recovery. Van whined and immediately placed his head in her lap, and Oreo hopped up in one swift leap.

Seconds later the door to the tunnels slid open, and Doug whisked into the room, fangs bared and gun drawn as he looked around the room wildly.

He looked so fiercely protective, she didn’t know whether to kiss him or smack him. He still hadn’t, and probably wouldn’t ever, get past his macho nature, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that he showed up. They learned early on in their mating that when one experienced strong emotions, the other was equally affected. Apparently, this little experience was no different.

“What the fuck is going on?” he said as he holstered his gun. His look quickly went from furious to concerned as he knelt at her side, squeezed Van out of the way, and brushed her hair off her tearstained face. “Olivia?” he asked quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“Remember how I told you there could be other side effects of being bloodmates?” Olivia sniffled and rubbed Oreo’s soft head.

“Yeah.” He leaned in and kissed her lips warmly. Oreo meowed, and Doug scooped the kitten up and plopped her on the floor. “Sorry. I get first dibs on the girl.” He kissed her again. “So far, I like ’em all. Hot sex. Daywalking. You and me, for eternity…”

Olivia took his hands and placed them on her belly as she held his curious gaze.

“Make that… you and me plus baby makes three.”

Doug stared at her blankly and blinked as if he didn’t hear what she said, and for a split second, Olivia thought he was unhappy. However, as that charming smile cracked his handsome face and his blue eyes twinkled at her, her fears were put to rest.

He captured her lips with his and gently rubbed her belly. Olivia could barely remember how lonely she was before they found each other . I love you, Doug. For eternity.

“Eternity,” he murmured against her lips before resting his forehead on hers. “Damn, baby. It just doesn’t seem long enough.”

Thank you so much to everyone at Sourcebooks, but especially Deb Werksman and Cat Clyne for their editorial awesomesauce, Danielle Jackson for her publicity with pop, and the art department for beautiful, standout covers.