His Slave Her Master

Part 37 Betrayal

Valentino POV (Can we just?)

I slammed the door behind me, feeling such consuming rage that I barley felt the cold nights brutal kiss on my skin, nor its body of snow that reached past my knees from the passed storm.

If my heart could still beat, it would have been thrashing in my chest. I hadn't thought I'd ever have to look into that face again. I had come to terms with her having fled a very long time ago, believing that she would remain a memory and nothing more.

But she was here, talking to her, talking about my child.

Bright green eyes flashed in my mind. I remembered, like a glimpse of a blurred photograph, of those eyes being filled with such intense fear, the reflection of the moon glowing right back at me. I had been naive then in thinking that I could never fall in love with such eyes.

Her smell surrounded me, a mix of roses and blood. After having mated the other night, that smell would never leave, not that I wanted it to.

It was strange to think that only a few days ago, I had been controlled by the ancient ones, having unthinkable things whispered in my ear each night. Things that could hurt her. The girl, who if I dared admit, had stolen my heart the moment she ran across that river that day.

But my stupidity did not end there. How could I have possibly believed that  defying the ancient ones would be a good idea? Yes, I ended up getting the woman I loved, being given the chance to marry her and make her my mate. And yes I had gotten her to safety- or, at least, I thought I had. But there was never a solution to our problems. Either our child would have been conceived by love, or force. The ancient ones would have it no other way. But what then? The moment that child is born, the ancient ones will pounce, I knew it like I knew the sound of her heartbeat.

However, even as I knew this, she did not. My beautiful rose believed that she could save our child and herself. Perhaps I had believed this for a moment, before I discovered what our child had already become.

I'd never heard of a human bearing a vampire child. But even still, the idea sounded wrong, unnatural. I suppose one could argue that me being a vampire was unnatural. But this was something else.

I could bet a life that the ancient ones had known all along. That they had tricked me into believing it would only be the child that would be sacrificed, and not the mother. It was probably just a plot to cleanly rid of Natalie.

The thought made me blind with rage.

And where would that leave me? A dead wife and a sacrificed child? I would become nothing. But that didn't matter to them. By then, they would have total control once again. And this time, they would be overpowered by no one.

My thoughts were interrupted by the crunching of snow. My breathing stuttered, but instead of my senses being hit by roses, I smelt despair and something sour.

"Come to try and convince me why you would betray me?" I turned to Elba and spat, "Sister?"

Elba, to her credit, didn't even flinch. Looking into her silver eyes, I was hit by a sudden flood of memories. Ones where my would heart beat and I didn't have to live off of blood to survive.

Finally, Elba spoke. "Just think of the love you feel for Natalie."

"Natalie and Gina are nothing alike." I growled, my protectiveness over my mate ten times stronger now that she carried my child.

If my heart still beat, it would have swooped at the thought.

"Aren't they?" Elba said without a hint of emotion, always the level headed one. "Because how I see it is two human women so blinded by love , their hearts so big, that they cannot see danger until it stabs them in the chest."

I clenched my jaw. "The difference is that Natalie would never flee. Not even if it meant saving her own ass."

Before I could utter another word, Elba was one me, her fists going to collide with my face. But we were no longer children anymore, who would squabble and wrestle for fun. No, Elba was now an out of action Ox and I a vampire King.

I grabbed her wrist, bending them back just before they snapped. Elba cried out, her legs kicking out and colliding with my stomach. Had I not been so angry in that moment, it would most likely have winded me, but the only thing my mind could focus on was how Elba had betrayed me and put my mate and child in danger. 

Using my own legs, I trapped hers, my hands still on her wrists, and spun us around so that she was on her back in the snow, me on top of her with my fangs inches away from ripping out her throat.

I had expected a sob or plead of mercy, however that is quite the opposite of what I saw. I felt my blood turn to ice as Elba's beautifully cruel face split into a smile.

"What?" I yelled into her face. "Why are you smiling?"

Elba looked beyond crazed, her eyes twinkling. "It's done." She breathed, and only then did I see the reflection of the moon in her eyes. I released her, stumbling back as I looked up at the moon. "I did as you asked." Elba continued. "I've given you the child."

"Elba..." I began and trailed off. I could feel it, their power taking hold. And as I looked at Elba, I realised that she had been a liar for much longer than I had thought. As in return for giving my child to the ancient ones, she had been rewarded my immortality.

Just as I felt their control click into place, my once free mind being plagued by terrible thoughts and haunting whispers, I heard the scream of the woman I loved .

Her plead for her mate who was now gone to save her.