Lash turned his attention back towards the wall of screens. Only to find Sofia standing in front of him.
"Sofia!" He smiled. "A wonderful surprise! I thought you were down in the common area with your sisters."
Sofia smiled almost shyly.
"No, amore mio," she replied. "I was waiting for this." And she held up a small data vault.
Lash's brow lifted in silent question, his eyes moving from the data vault back to the Italian lilith.
"And that is?" he gently prompted when Sofia didn't say anything right away and just looked at him with wide eyes.
"My release from Giovanni and Cogliano," she said quietly. Yet Lash could hear the excitement in her voice, so intense it was nearly bursting out of her.
"I've been sheared from clan and House. Please, Lash, Embrace me into House Lash and Clan Ventru!"
The big vampire had to fight the impulse to laugh out loud. As he had predicted a few minutes ago, Sofia had indeed gotten herself sheared and was looking to be Embraced. Good thing these things weren't happening all at the same time, or anything!
"It would be my pleasure to Embrace you, Sofia," he said, smiling. "Would you like to be Embraced here? Or would you prefer somewhere a little more private?"
Unlike Inaya, there was no hesitation.
"In private, please," she said. "Could we use your apartment?"
Ah. So that's where this was going! Not that he minded; as he had noted before, Sofia was an energetic and engaged partner when it came to matters of intimacy, with a wide-eyed innocence that, while illustrating how inexperienced she was with actually participating, made for a fresh and honest encounter that he found quite delightful.
"I'm afraid not," he said. "Inaya was overcome when she was Embraced and became emotionally exhausted a few minutes ago and I had her lay down to rest there."
"Then my apartment will do," she said, taking Lash by the hand and leading him towards the command center's entrance.
With a good knowledge of the base's layout, it didn't take the couple long to make their way to Sofia's apartment deep in the barracks section of the large installation. And the Italian lilith almost skipped down the hall to her apartment, such was the energy that was charging through her in anticipation of being Embraced by Lash.
A quick hand on the biometric access plate and her apartment door was sliding aside. Letting Lash through first, the vampire big enough to make stepping through the door together a bit of a challenge, Sofia turned to close the door behind them. Hearing the door close, Lash took a couple more steps into the living area then turned to face her.
"Okay, shall we ...?" And found his voice disappearing in surprise to find Sofia standing completely naked a pace from him. "It's not necessary for the ceremony for you to be naked, Sofia."
"I know," she said, blushing prettily. "But in my research, I found a variation of the Embracing ceremony I would like to experience. Since I'll only experience it once."
"I see. Do I have to be naked as well, with this variation?"
Again the beautiful Italian lilith blushed as she nodded. Smiling, Lash nodded and quickly doffed his clothes. And in doing so, made Sofia sigh out loud with desire.
Hearing the sound, he looked over at her after pulling off his footwear.
"Are you going to make it through this variation okay?" he asked.
"I hope so," she said throatily. "Having the perfect vampire in front of me, and having tasted how sweet and delicious his lovemaking is, is becoming very, very distracting!"
Lash chuckled softly.
"That makes two of us!" he said, and her sensuous smile became bright with happiness at the compliment. "I think we should get started as quickly as possible, then. Do you have a knife?"
"This variation uses our fangs," she said.
"Ah, old school. Very good." He took in a cleansing breath and let it go. "Ready?"
"I've never been readier, amore mio," Sofia replied huskily. Lash nodded.
"Sofia Cogliano. As High Lord of House Lash, I embrace you, and take you into my household, granting you status as a full member of that household, able to draw completely on House Lash's resources, power, and might. Sanguis tuus in sanguine meo. Your blood to my blood. Sanguis meo in sanguine tuo. My blood to your blood."
Reaching out, he took Sofia's left hand and, after lifting it to his mouth, he used gentle pressure with his fangs against the thick part of her thumb to pierce the skin. Her blood welled out quickly and he pressed his lips against it. He then drew back, licking off the blood and expecting her to drop her hand.
Instead, Sofia reached out and carefully drew her hand at an angle across his heart, leaving behind a broad streak on his skin. She then took his left hand and carefully bit into the same part of the thumb, blood quickly spurting from the punctures. Kissing the blood, she pulled back and licked the blood off her lips before she took his hand and drew it across her breasts, making sure it went over her heart before finishing on her right breast.
Only then did she let go of his hand, and let hers drop to her side.
"Okay, Sofia, now say the next words with me," he said and she nodded, stepping close enough that he could feel the warmth rising from her naked skin.
"Sanguis noster pro Domus Lash! Our blood for House Lash!"
With the ceremony over, Lash smiled down at Sofia, who now moved to press her body against him, reaching out to put her arms around his neck as she looked up at him with eyes heavy with need and desire.
"It is done. Welcome to House Lash, and Clan Ventru, Sofia." He looked up at the ceiling. "Hunter, make an official notification of the addition to my House and pass it to the European Queens' Conclave."
"Notation made and communication sent to update the Queens' Conclave's database, Lord Commander," the base's AI reported.
As soon as the AI's last word was spoken, Sofia was kissing him passionately as tears ran down her cheeks, their lovers' blood quickly filling their mouths. Then, breaking off the kiss, she pulled him insistently, almost urgently towards the bedroom.
Lash let a slow, thoughtful sigh ease free as, just over an hour later found him standing with arms folded in the Intensive Care ward of the base's medical wing as he looked at the hen's egg sized clear plastic orb as it floated in a magnetic suspension field. It was connected via several small tubes to a nutrient and filtration unit that kept what was inside fed, and the fluid it floated in clean.
"Mistress Leandra said she would be honored to finish carrying Gabby and your baby to term," Isabella said, standing beside him with her far hand holding his near hand, and her other around his waist. "The Fertility Corps escort team should be here shortly to take it back to NachtFeuer."
"I'm glad we were able to save the embryo," Lash said, looking down at Isabella, the Spanish lilith returning his gaze. "That way we'll always have a part of Gabriella with us."
"Yes," Isabella said, dropping her gaze to snuggle into him. "She would've liked that."
Lash held her close as he let his thoughts continue to move past the rescued embryo to consider the events of the last few hours. Liliths had been embraced, liliths had been rescued, and a slaver's base of operations had been obliterated. And, greatest of all, a loose thread that had been troubling him since Denmark had finally been taken care of.
Romanescu was now in their custody. Along with thirteen of his comrades, including Sextant, the MIA that faked his death to become a part of Romanescu's slaving crew. Now, all they had to do was hunt down the rest of the traitors on Magnar's list and the vampire world would be a much better place.
"Thank you," Isabella said softly without stirring.
"For?"
"For coming back to me," she said, looking up at him at last. "I know you were busy hunting and killing our enemies. So it meant the world that you came back to me and spent this last hour with me. Including taking the time after being with me to come and see Gabby's baby together."
"You needed it, Izzy," he said, leaning in to gently kiss her. "So of course I came back."
They stayed there with Gabriella's embryo until the Fertility Corps team arrived to carefully take possession of it. They then with the team and its precious cargo until the embryo was loaded into a special container in the helicopter that brought the team.
"Goodbye, Gabby," Isabella said with a whisper as the helicopter lifted off and turned to head towards the far end of the fjord. "I will see you in the shadows of the Night Father's garden! Until then, enjoy your rest, my dear dear friend."
When they finally turned away from the observation port, the two found a small group of liliths waiting for them.
"Come, sister," Sofia said, holding out a hand. "Come and share your thoughts with us!"
With a look at Lash, then a gentle kiss and thankful caress of his face, Isabella turned to walk towards Sofia, Fiadh, Meredith, Dru, Isla, Inaya, and Cassie. Taking her fellow Toreador's hand, she then went with them to disappear through the entryway onto the flight deck, leaving a thoughtful Lash in their wake.
****