Chapter Five
The Bear Matriarch was bigger than anybody Alexandru had seen before. Her arms and thighs were like barrels, breasts so huge that he wouldn’t be able to cup one with both hands. Shaggy hair hung down over her body, the only thing covering her. Her skin was a maze of twisting scars and tattoos. Even the biggest of his brothers wouldn't compare to her.
Alexandru almost wondered what he had gotten himself into, but refused to be intimidated by either the Matriarch or her two sons that flanked her. They were almost as big as their mother. The vampire general had fought Shifters before, had seemed outmatched, but there was steel in his veins, and he was faster than these creatures.
"We will choose ten heroes that you will battle personally," the Matriarch said, her eyes narrowing as she looked Alexandru up and down. "For every defeat, the victor gains ten miles of land."
"Ten miles squared, or pushing our borders back ten miles?" Alexandru asked calmly.
"Pushing the borders," the Matriarch decided. "After you have fought our ten heroes, you will have the option to fight me. If you win, I give you all my land. If I win, my people have free reign over your lands."
Alexandru considered. If he accepted this challenge and lost, he would lose everything. His land, his power, his title. But if he won, then he would have expanded his territory. He would have more power and he would be able to provide more luxury to Found and their unborn child, not to mention he would be that much closer to claiming the crown.
"I accept your terms," he replied and they shook hands. The Bear's hand swallowed his whole.
As the Bears took their departure from Alexandru's hunting lodge, Marcus approached him, his mouth drawn thin.
"Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"Are you questioning me, Marcus?"
The other vampire narrowed his eyes. "With all due respect, this doesn't seem like a wise idea, challenging the Shifters. If you lose—"
"I won't."
"And what if they attack tonight with all their talk of heroes? Do you really think that the Shifters are just going to flash their bellies if you defeat ten people?"
"No. But they will if I defeat their Matriarch." Alexandru flashed his fangs in a smile, warning Marcus to drop the subject. The other vampire did not look happy about it, but he nodded and was silent.
After ensuring everything was in order, Alexandru retired to his chambers, intending to video call Found and drink a couple pints of blood before he retired for the night.
Instead, he found a woman in his bed.
Alexandru stopped short, stiffening. The room smelled heavily of Bear—that peculiar raw scent of forest and power. Not unpleasant, but not a basket of roses either. His eyes narrowed on the woman. She would be about his height, lean muscles showing against firm, smooth skin. The blankets were pulled to her chest, covering large breasts, but whether she was naked or not, he couldn’t tell.
"How did you get in here?" he demanded. Were all his guards incompetent?
"I'm a gift from the Matriarch, to warm your bed."
Alexandru's eyes narrowed.
The woman smiled seductively at him, seemingly unfazed by his anger. "It's not right that a warrior about to face death should sleep in a cold bed. The Matriarch noticed that you didn't have any females with you, so she sent me."
The blankets moved at the junction between her legs and Alexandru realized that her hand was there. He inhaled, scenting her arousal. His body responded to the stimuli, pressing against his suit pants. The feeling disgusted him. He was not an animal, he could control his own desires.
He stepped back, eyes narrowing. "You are not welcome in my bed or my lodge. Get out at once!"
The woman pouted. "Is it because I'm a Bear?"
He opened his mouth to tell the truth–he would not be unfaithful to his wife–but stopped. The Bears could not know how much Found had grown to mean to him.
"Get out," he repeated.
The woman's eyes narrowed. She slipped from the bed. She didn't bother trying to cover herself as she strode out, completely naked. Alexandru shut the door with a snap, searching the room quickly for any sort of traps or surveillance. When he found nothing, he put the woman out of his thoughts and called Found.
***
Found wore a see-through, lacy negligee for her video call with Alexandru. It surprised her how much desire flooded her veins whenever she thought of him. She wanted him to share that desire. Though her cheeks warmed to think of it, she planned to pleasure herself while she told him exactly what she wanted him to do to her when he returned. It was the best she could do at the moment.
Her husband looked less than happy when he called, but the sight of Found's full, round breasts barely restrained by the fabric had his jaw dropping open. Found giggled despite herself.
"How long do you have?" she asked, not wanting to waste time on pleasantries.
"I must sleep tonight. We have half an hour," he seemed to know exactly what she was after because he stood and stripped off his pants. Found swelled at the sight of him. "Let me see you touch yourself."
Found's heart beat faster and she felt herself tighten at the growl in her husband's voice. She reached down, but before her fingers found their mark, a low savage snarling made her jump. Alexandru's head whipped around. His eyes widened and he jumped to his feet. Just before he slammed the laptop closed, Found saw a terrifying animalistic face.
She screamed as her screen went black. The sound didn't cut out with the picture and the sound of snarling and a cry of pain from Alexandru rang in her ears before the call disconnected.
Found sat frozen for a moment before she bolted for the door. She had to get help! Somebody had to go and save Alexandru. But who did she turn to? Wava. Wava would know what to do. The corridor was empty and Found's bare feet sank deep into the silk carpet. Her heart was in her throat as she ran to Wava's room, only to find that her sister-in-law was not there. She raced for the stairs.
Vlad leaned against the wall. His eyes widened at the sight of her and he straightened, mouth hanging open as she got closer. Found slowed, hesitant to go near him, but Alexandru was in trouble and she needed to find help. She raised her chin and strode past him.
A hand shot out and closed around her bicep. Found yanked her arm away but Vlad stepped into her path, spinning her so her back was against the wall.
"You are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen," he breathed, arms stretched to either side of her.
"Get away from me," Found snarled. She tried to push past him, but his arms were like iron. Her heartbeat increased. Should she tell him about Alexandru? Or would he laugh and keep her here so that she couldn’t tell anybody else until it was too late?
"My brother doesn't fully appreciate you. He hasn't bedded you since you became pregnant. I can smell it. A woman like you deserves to writhe in pleasure every night, if not more," Vlad panted, his eyes growing dark as they raked over her body.
Found's breath caught in her throat. For a moment a thrill of panic made her forget about Alexandru. What was Vlad going to do to her? He wouldn't attempt to force himself on her in the Empress's palace, certainly not right out here in the open. Or would he? She shoved at him, masking her growing fear with anger.
"My husband treats me right. He puts my life above his own pleasure."
"Does he?" Vlad's eyes narrowed, his words almost a growl.
Found pushed at him again–Alexandru had been attacked, he was in danger. He could be dying, and Vlad was stopping her from getting the help he needed!
"Get away from me!"
"I can show you true pleasure," the vampire hissed, his voice challenging. "Your husband doesn't need to know. He doesn't even care. You're here to pop out his babies, not be his lover. That's all he cares about. He hasn't touched you because he fears that he will end the life of your child. Once you're done bearing children, he'll toss you aside. But if you agree to be mine…"
Found yanked her hands free and shoved him, snarling under her breath. Vlad didn't even budge and he actually laughed. She slapped him hard.
"Touch me and my husband will tear off your head. I am his. No other man can compare, certainly not a sniveling coward like you!"
It had been a mistake. Found knew it the instant she said it. Her breath locked in her chest.
But instead of the anger she expected, a look of triumph flashed over Vlad's face. He laughed. "You love him. I warned him about the dangers of love. But if you love him, then he loves you, too. This makes things much, much more interesting."
He leaned closer and Found reacted on instinct. She brought her knee up hard to his groin. It was like kicking a tree but something gave beneath her knee. Vlad gasped, crumpling as pain twisted his features. One hand swung out, cracking against her face. Found cried out, stumbling as black spots blinded her.
Her foot met air and she was falling. The hard edges of the stone stairs were dashing into her body. She flung her hands out to stop herself, but it didn't even slow herself down. Her head cracked against stone and everything went dark.