Vlad observed her antics with their daughter with a puzzled frown. What was she trying to
accomplish? Irena wasn't pleased either, given the amount of crying she was doing and Azura
looked like she was on the verge of tears herself. From his vantage point, it looked like Azura was
attempting to play with her, but she was holding her as though she was a bomb and not a child.
Neither of them looked pleased and the noise was getting to him.
"You're holding her wrong." He said by way of greeting as he entered the nursery. And of course,
she frowned as she wasn't pleased with his input, but she tried to adjust her hold on Irena and
well.... made it worse.
"Here." He said gesturing to Irena. She placed the baby in his hands, and he showed her what to
do, silencing Irena in the process.
"Just make sure you support her back; she's getting good at supporting her own head and try
not to squeeze too tightly. It allows her to move in your arms." He told her placing a now quiet
Irena back in her arms. He adjusted her hands in position as he showed her. She frowned, and
Vlad suggested. "Don't do that! Think happy thoughts. It relaxes her as well."
Azura took a deep breath and exhaled. Then made a tentative rocking motion. "Not too fast."
Vlad corrected, and she slowed her movements. "There, you see." He praised, smiling at her.
"Please don't cry." He whispered when he saw her eyes fill with tears. "I didn't know how either.
Mila taught me. And it took a while too. Don't feel too bad that you didn't."
"Mothers are supposed to know." She whispered tearfully.
"You weren't exactly in a mothering mood before." He admitted sadly, looking away from the
image she presented on the floor at his feet. It was a place he would have relished her being not
too long ago, but now...he hated seeing her look so beaten down.
Her tears turned to a frown as she agreed. "No, I wasn't."
"As long as you're willing to try...she'll be fine. Trying is what counts with children I hear." Vlad
said watching her carefully. "I just wish it worked that way with adults as well."
She glanced up at him then down to a smiling Irena. "Trying counts with adults too."
He took it as an invitation and fell to his knees behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Maybe if I was a better husband, you would've already been a better mother. I made you hate
our child..."
"No." Azura corrected. "I did that. I should've looked beyond your blood and love my own child."
She turned partially in his arms and looked up at him. "I'm willing to start over." She whispered
snuggling into him. "I'm going to try, at least."
"We'll both be trying, so have some patience."
"I do have patience!" Vladimir screwed up his face in doubt and she corrected. "I will try to have
a little patience with you. But that's on you! If you act like a jerk, don't expect me not to throw
something!"
"Agreed." He smirked then kissed her forehead. They sat like that on the floor, just being close
for a few minutes more then, Vlad stood and offered his hand. "Come wife, maybe a change of
scenery is needed."
"Are you going to leave me on another island, Vlad?" Azura asked and he frowned. "Sorry."
"I only meant for us to take a walk." He clarified, and she went "Oh!"
He walked beside her with her holding their baby and it was the most peaceful pastime. He
didn't understand why he didn't do this sooner. Life would've been so much simpler and more
peaceful. He directed her into the gardens, and they took a seat near the fountains. He hated to
end it, but putting off this discussion would do them no good.
"The traitor said the Americans were behind the attack."
"So, what do we do now?"
"It was a lie," Vlad explained. "The traitor was English sent by my cousin."
"Your cousin?" Azura gasped in shock then frowned. "Are you sure? How do you know that?"
"I know how he thinks." And the fact that he was one of those rich buyers; Vlad thought it best if
he left that out. "My cousin is an English royal. Untouchable...for some. It's time you met my
family." Vlad suggested.
"I'm confused...didn't he tried to kill me?"
"Which is why we pay him a visit. He needs to know, you are family now. Harming family isn't
allowed." Vlad explained.
"That's it! We tell him I'm family and he just...stops."
"Just so," Vlad assured her simply. "To do otherwise will bring forth a very public war neither of
us wants nor can the world afford."
"And why did he say it was the Americans?"
"Because they're expendable and easily led...no offence." He tacked on.
"None taken." She assured him.
"Besides it's better to have him as an ally than an enemy." He pointed out.
"And by me being declared family he becomes our ally?"
"Just so."
"Only the insanely rich can afford to be that strange," Azura stated, shaking her head. "Just who
is your cousin?"
"A prince." He evaded, smiling.
"You want to surprise me, don't you?"
"Shouldn't a husband want to give his wife surprises?" He teased.
"You just want to shock me. I think I know who he is anyway."
"Do you now?" Vlad sneered. "And do you know he had his wife killed for knowing too much?"
Her eyes widened, "You really do like to shock me."
"It wasn't meant to shock you. It was meant to warn you. He may be family, but he's far from
harmless. Accidents can happen. Never be alone with him." He warned.
"What about Irena?" Azura asked glancing at the sleeping child.
"He won't harm her. She's blood." Vladimir stated simply.
"And I'm not."
His face twisted as he explained. "You're a complication some very powerful men want to be rid
of. We need him as an ally. I can't watch him and fight them."
"Who are the others?" I asked
He counted off. "Another prince, one or two heiresses, a few billionaires...one on one they are
no match but together, they can be a problem. Uniting will be their best-case scenario, but they
do not know each other as we do. As long as that remains the case, you will be safe, the foolish
American has already paid with his life, my cousin's doing. No one fails him."
"Why don't they just quit stealing people?" Azura hissed.
"Some of them need them to stay alive." He said sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"The heiress...she was cancerous. Instead of waiting for a donor the legal way, they buy the
entire body. She's not the only one to do so. Some use their blood to keep themselves young. It's
not always sex. Body parts are a huge part of it."
"I feel sick just talking about it." She groaned. "They act like their shopping in a grocery store
and we're just...product."
"Ironically, that's what you're called," Vlad admitted.
"So why can't they just forget about this particular 'product'."
"Because this product can talk. Even if I were to let the world know about you now, I'd have to
explain where I found you. In Russia, they won't question but the others can make things
difficult and Stockholm syndrome would be blamed if you were to testify for me. I would have to
face a global tribunal if you were exposed. You can never be Azura King. You can only be the
Czarina."
"I always wanted to know," Azura asked. "Where did you find me?"
"Egypt." He said simply.
"Egypt? With an American accent?"
"Your father was American travelling to Egypt, impregnated your mother, he stayed while you
were little then left during the conflict promising to return, she was poor, and my father saw you
on a visit there and brought you back as his ward. He died before finalizing the papers. I did so in
his memory and then I fell in love with you and we got married. End of."
"How very noble of you?" I sneered.
"Yes, telling Russian nobility my father bought product from human traffickers was not the story
I wished to tell. No one will be telling that story, understood Azura." He said with a pointed look.
"That sounded a lot like the old Prince, making threats."
"This is serious!" Vlad ground out. "This is our family! Our lives! You cannot tell anyone where
you came from!"
"What do you mean? I came from Egypt."
Relaxing, he praised. "Good. Let that be the tale."
"Anything else I should know about myself," Azura asked drolly.
"That's your Egyptian mother in the urn by the way. And your father is dead..."
"Actually, I don't know that." She said sadly.
Not understanding Vlad said. "I just told you..."
Azura waved him off correcting. "No, I meant my real father, I never knew my real father."
"Do you want to know your real father?" Vlad asked carefully.
Her eyes went wide. "You know who my father is, don't you?"
"I asked your mother," Vlad stated. He was angry at the time and wanted to know the sort of
man who would abandon his child. "He's married and he's well off. He's a partner in a
prestigious law firm." He sneered then added, "You have a half-brother."
"Why didn't he ..."
"He just wanted to...how do I say this...taste the coffee. His actual words by the way. Your
mother getting pregnant wasn't something he wanted. He told her to abort you. Even gave her
money for it."