CHAPTER TWO | Present Time

CHAPTER TWO

Present Time

WATER FLOWED THROUGH her hair as Kate rinsed out her shampoo. She squeezed her hair and poured the lightly scented conditioner into her hand before she began to finger it through her long locks. Next, she clipped it on top of her head and reached for the sponge to wash her body.

“Let me,” Vincent said as he slipped into the spacious shower behind her.

He pulled her body up against his as he took the white sponge from her hand. His mouth ran down her neck as she rubbed against his hard erection.

“I don’t have long.” Kate smiled.

“I’m just here to help you wash,” he replied, and she could hear the grin in his voice. “Pour the wash for me.”

She tipped the vanilla body wash into the sponge, and he got to work soaping her up.

“Arm up,” he ordered, and she tried to hide her smile as he worked his way over her breasts and around.

“This is my favorite chore of the day.” His voice was dry at her neck. “Legs wide.”

Kate tried not to gasp as his fingers took over the job of the sponge, slipping in and over her flesh. Teasingly, they moved down her thigh and up over her hip before returning again.

Her head tipped back as his other hand moved over her breast and tugged on her stiff nipple.

“Vincent...” she said, pushing into his cock.

She knew his triggers, and she wasn’t above using all of them. Pregnancy had made her super sensitive and horny.

“God, you are sopping wet for me.” He groaned.

“Yes. Get inside me now.”

Next thing she knew, he had lifted her and vamp sped them to their bed. Vincent sat down and pushed her legs wide.

“Let me clean this up for you,” he whispered, gripping her hips and face-planting into her pussy.

Kate cried out, clenching his hair in her hands. “Fuck!”

“Sweet nectar of the fucking gods,” Vincent said, his teeth nipping at her clit. “Sit on my cock.”

He sat on the bed and pulled her on top of his large body, his strength able to easily lift her additional pregnancy weight and control the speed in which she took him into her body. He was thick and wide, just as she loved him.

When she was fully impaled, he smiled at her and cupped the side of her face.

“Never gets old.” He grinned.

“Never,” she agreed, laughing and gasping at once.

“Grip my cock,” he ordered as they both began to move her along his length. “Yes, God, yes. That’s it. Ride me. Fuck .”

Up and down she moved, clenching him as the heat within her began to build like an inferno. Her whole body buzzed with the need for release. Kate’s hands flew to her breasts, and she flicked her nipples.

“So fucking sexy,” Vincent growled, speeding her up.

“Touch my pussy,” she begged him.

His thumb slipped onto her clit and rubbed in circles, sending her flying.

Her body arched. Her nails dug into Vincent’s arms. “Oh God, yes. Yes, yes, yes!”

“That’s it, God, yes, Kate,” Vincent cried, his arms flexing as he moved her even faster now, milking him.

She felt his cock swell and fill her even more, pushing them both over the edge.

Throwing her head back, she cried out her ecstasy.

Vincent fell back on the bed, and she began to follow him, but his big strong arms reached up to slow her.

“Careful, sweetheart.”

She smiled as she glanced down at her swollen belly.

He sat back up and pressed his mouth to hers.

“Fuck, I love you,” Vincent declared. “Every minute of every goddamn day.”

“I know,” Kate replied, smiling as he deepened their kiss. Because she did know, and she had earned his love.

TEN MINUTES LATER, Kate slipped her feet into a pair of Prada sheepskin slipper boots and ran her hand over her swollen belly. The midi wool dress she wore in a matching cream color fit snug on her body. It was very different from her usual elegant wardrobe, but when you were eight months pregnant, one didn’t give a flying...frog.

She was trying to stop cursing for when the baby arrived, but five minutes spent with the males in the household—especially her mate—gave her little hope that her bundle of joy wouldn’t be saying motherfucker before mom.

Kate pulled on the matching full-length cardigan and waddled out of the royal suite. Because yes, one waddled when she was pregnant with the child of such a large vampire. God help Brianna if she ever got with child.

Kate grimaced before laughing to herself.

Stepping out of the royal suite, she took their private elevator down to the first floor and walked toward the rehabilitation center.

Very few people in the castle had access to the new restricted area, and for good reason. Within its walls were the vampires who had survived the unthinkable: being kidnapped by humans using technology developed with the help of Stefano Russo, vampire enemy numero uno. A vampire who was thankfully locked in their castle’s prison.

Thank God.

Kate felt safer knowing her baby was being born into a world where soon he would no longer exist.

Stefano was a dangerous vampire. As leader of the rebellion, he was responsible for so much suffering and deaths, and now torture. The captured vampires had been subjected to scientific testing they didn’t fully understand yet. They had suffered indescribable pain over several weeks, unable to move, speak, or help themselves.

Sofia Ferrero—now De Luca—mate to one of their best warriors, Lance De Luca, had discovered them while undercover as their spy. Once a member of the rebellion, Sofia had been arrested and imprisoned in the Moretti castle, but when Lance had discovered she’d been sexually abused by the rebel leader, they’d separated her from the other male prisoners.

During interrogation, they had learned she may be of use to them, and after pledging her allegiance to Vincent, she had returned to the rebellion and more than proved her loyalty. Vincent had recognized in Sofia an ability for great empathy and had invited her to work with the survivors and help with their rehabilitation.

Kate had been pleased. While she adored Willow and Brianna, it was nice having another Italian female in their inner circle; one who had lived during the Victorian period, just as she had, although Kate was much older.

Kate herself was leading the rehabilitation team, working alongside Sofia and the other members for a couple of months, and they were starting to see some progress now.

She walked into the highly guarded entrance and took a breath. Inside, it was different from the castle. The team had erected plaster walls and a ceiling to create what looked like any other office building. It was tranquil with white walls, soft furnishings, and calm lighting. There were a lot of book nooks, sofas with throw blankets, board games, and cards. In one room, they had a gymnasium, and in another, there was a TV room. There were bedrooms and offices down a hall.

“Your Majesty.” Sofia smiled as Kate took her place at the head of the table in their meeting room.

“Please, I’ve told you many times to call me Kate while we’re here.” She tsked.

Kate took her role as queen very seriously, but there was something about this space that felt sacred. As vampires, it had been a lifelong fear that humans would discover them and turn them into lab rats to learn more about their strengths and abilities, and that’s exactly what had happened.

Over the past few months, they’d built bonds, strong bonds, with each other as a management team and the twelve survivors. Their jobs were all about listening and guiding them to a healing place, and that meant listening to their stories, to their silences, and holding a safe space for their tears to flow. It wasn’t easy work, but it was important. Their suffering had been so vile it was hard to comprehend. While they were free physically, it was the mind that kept them trapped. Kate and the team strove every day to help them free themselves of that repetitive torment.

Then there were those who had not survived.

The US president, James Adler, had sent a team to the US Army base in Italy where the vampires had been kept in a private and secure lab. He had been shocked and disgusted it was happening on US property, and more than happy to help. The vampires had been flown back to Rome and sped to the Moretti castle. The memories of the US soldiers had been wiped and replaced with some random operation so they no longer remembered vampires existed. This was their life. Always hiding and covering things up. They’d lived like this for thousands of years among humans.

And it was worth it.

If they could turn back time and remain unknown, she knew every single one of them would.

There had been no greater reminder of what could happen if, and when, more humans knew about their race than when the thirty-seven vampires had been recovered, and only twelve of them had survived. They still did not know why. They should have healed.

It had been devastating for everyone.

It had been Willow who’d recommended they be honored.

Vincent had ordered the twenty-five names engraved on a wall inside the Moretti castle and their families invited to a vigil where they told stories of their loved ones until the sun began to rise and their bodies were cast out into the daylight, returning to ash. The king had embraced every single one of them, heavy with guilt for failing to protect those he deemed his.

And they were.

Every vampire was a part of Vincent Moretti. It wasn’t a cliché—their life energy ran through his veins, something only a Moretti knew.

“After the king glared at me that time, I just can’t,” Sofia said.

Kate waved her hand around. “Oh, stop. He glares and growls at everyone.”

Sofia laughed.

Three other female vampires and two males stepped into the room, curtsying and taking a seat around the table.

Once a week, they met to go through their guests’ charts. They purposely didn’t call them patients; this wasn’t a hospital, and they all felt it was important to see them as survivors, not victims. Though some days, that was damn hard.

“Good evening, everyone. Let’s get started,” Kate said. “As you know and definitely can see, I am weeks away from bringing the heir to the throne into the world. When I do, I’ll be a little busy.” She let the mothers around the table snigger. “Sofia, I want you to lead the team in my absence.”

The female’s eyes bulged in surprise.

Kate had been looking forward to sharing this with her. While Sofia had been on the wrong side—the rebellion—once, the intelligent and competent female had years of training and experience in leadership. Plus, she was compassionate, caring, and had proven herself to be a great team leader.

There was no doubt in Kate’s mind Sofia was the right person for the job. In fact, Kate was planning to be a very hands-on mother, despite having a nanny, and had no plans to step back into the rehabilitation center’s leadership role.

She hoped, as they all did, their guests wouldn’t need to be here forever. Their goal was to help them heal to the point they could return to a somewhat normal functioning life.

“Oh, grazie, ” Sofia said, thanking her. “This is a great honor.”

Kate smiled, nodded gently, and turned to one of the males.

“Wonderful. Let’s get started, then. Trent, kick us off.”

They each had two guests they were responsible for supporting, and these weekly meetings were an opportunity for them to update her on how things were progressing and to raise any issues. She listened as each of them shared their updates, and was delighted to hear two of their guests were going home this week. The remaining ten still had a little ways to go.

“This is great news. The king and I are committed to this project, for want of a better word, for as long as it takes. I know you aren’t, but never pressure any of them,” she reminded, looking from face to face with a small smile. “If it takes one year or ten years, that’s okay. This is about what’s best for each guest.”

They all nodded and returned her smile.

Sofia went last.

“Tyler is doing well. He’s considering a home visit next week but hasn’t made any plans. Yet. As you said, I’m not going to push. He’ll do it when he’s ready. But my feeling is, it will be soon,” she said, looking down at her tablet. “What else? Oh, yes, his shaking hasn’t returned, so we think his nervous system has healed.”

That was fantastic news.

While vampires healed rapidly, one of the side effects all the survivors had was a chronic shaking. There was no such thing as a “vampire doctor” because they had no need for them; however, many in their race trained and practiced as human doctors. They had reached out to Dr. Abbott, whom they’d connected with in Los Angeles earlier in the year when Vincent had been poisoned, another gift from the psychopath Stefano Russo.

Unfortunately, Dr. Abbott hadn’t been able to give them a solid answer during their video call, but he believed the drugs used, combined with the stress they’d endured over the weeks, had slowed down their healing abilities. Like with humans, he’d recommended they simply observe the guests; he would expect, once the substance left their system, they should heal.

It appeared he had been right.

But it had taken months for many of them.

While they were a different species, the spiritual, mental, and emotional impact of abuse was the same as with humans, and Kate suspected, all living beings. There was no quick fix. It simply took time, and everyone had their own internal clock.

Patience and kindness were two virtues they were all practicing.

“That’s good news, Sofia. Please update Dr. Abbott; he will be interested. I’d like him to stay appraised of the work we are doing, so please ensure you connect with him often when you step into my shoes,” Kate indicated, and Sofia nodded.

“And Anna?”

Sofia tapped her pen on her lips as she stared at her tablet.

“Well...she’s still the same.” Sofia frowned as she looked up.

They all frowned with her.

“Every day she tells me she’s doing fine and busies herself with trying to help the others. She’s not facing what happened to her, and, well, you all know how long it’s been. I know we just spoke about being patient, but what Anna is doing is avoidance.”

In other words, Anna was in denial.

They’d discussed Anna a few times over the past few weeks. She was a young vampire and had a full life ahead of her. At eighty years old, a vampire was considered a teenager; not in the same innocent way a human was but as someone far too young to let the youthful glint in such a vibrant female’s eyes die. And it was a mere ember right now.

“Has she left the center?” Kate asked.

The guests weren’t treated as prisoners; they would never do that. When they had physically recovered, many had ventured out for drives, walks on the grounds, or even a wander around the castle.

“No.” Sofia shook her head.

“Okay, let’s start with getting her out and about the castle. See if that triggers anything,” Kate said. “She’s in a cocoon here, and it’s not helping her.”

The team murmured their agreement.

“You’re right. I’ll nudge her,” Sofia spoke. “In my experience, it will be something small that breaks her open. A person, a food, or even a smell.”

Kate listened as the team continued discussing ideas to help Anna. She mindlessly caressed her belly thinking about how she would give her life to ensure her child was loved and protected, just as she herself had been all her life. Kate had been blessed with lovely parents and a great life up until the day she’d lost them.

While some saw her role as queen as something she’d slipped into with ease, it hadn’t been like that. It most definitely hadn’t been your roses-and-rainbows romantic novel, that’s for sure.

It had been a role she had fought for.

Until the day she’d given up...