Chapter Thirteen – Tindra
The thick, sweet liquid poured over her tongue, filling her with heat and life. She pressed herself deeper into her lover's arms, wanting more. Wanting it all. He groaned, his body moving with hers.
He entered in one smooth motion and she took him all in, still sucking in his sweet blood . . .
Tindra wasn't sure when she woke from the dream, images of her and Rollon still filling her mind. Her hand moved between her legs and she let out a throaty moan.
Her core was so tight she thought she might burst. She swung out of bed at once. After Ingrid's arrest she had been moved to the vampires’ apartment, so Hilda wouldn't have to go through the upheaval of moving on top of everything else. Her charge was sleeping soundly in her room, so Tindra stepped out, ordering a guard to stand outside the door in case Hilda woke and needed anything, and rushed toward Rollon's apartment.
It wasn't until she was there that she realized that he might not want to see her, especially this late at night. A throbbing ache filled her, though, so she pushed aside her doubts and strode towards the doors. A couple guards stood outside them but smirked knowingly when she approached. Neither of them said anything or tried to stop her as she slipped into the king's apartment.
Once inside, Tindra stopped. She leaned against the door, heart pounding. Should she really be doing this? After all the upheaval that was going on . . .
Another throb in her lower regions. She nearly moaned with need. The dream came back full force and she jogged to Rollon's bedroom door. It was closed, but not locked, and she slipped through eagerly. A light flicked on and she saw him lying in bed, blinking confusedly as she raced at him. He caught her when she threw herself onto the bed, bouncing slightly. She ground herself against him through the blankets as she straddled him. Rollon let out a surprised laugh.
"Well, this is unexpected." He smirked at her. "Although I'm going to have to have a couple of guards whipped, I'm glad to see you're speaking to me again."
Tindra grasped his wrists and pressed her weight into them, pinning him to the bed. At least, she pretended that she was and that he couldn’t push her off with the flick of his little finger. The ache inside was getting even tighter. She dropped her head to nestle into his neck. He smelled divine, pure man, and a growl erupted as her tongue flicked over his throat. She could actually feel his pulse. Strange. She hadn't considered them having heartbeats before.
"Had I stopped talking to you?" she moaned.
"You haven't talked to me since Ingrid was arrested."
Tindra shook her head. "Nope. You haven't talked to me. I was waiting for you to come to me, but you didn't. I wondered if you were still mad at me."
"For what?"
"Seducing you."
She moved to his mouth, thrusting her tongue in at once. She rocked herself against him, her sensitivity heightening quickly. A moan, an answering groan, and Rollon freed his hands. He grasped her hips and lifted her enough to kick off the blankets, then rolled so his big body pressed her into the mattress. Her hips continued to move as though with a mind of their own, grinding.
Rollon tore her top down the front and moved to kiss one breast. "We can't. There is no future for us. You're human."
"Does it really matter?" Her eyes drifted shut, but even as she spoke she knew it did matter. It mattered for her and for him. Finally, she was able to get her body under control and stopped her rocking. She ran her fingers through his hair. "I want to see Thor's mother."
Rollon tensed. "No."
"Yes."
He pulled back and frowned at her. "You've gotten awfully lippy, there. I shouldn’t tolerate the way you speak to me."
"You like the way I speak to you." She wrapped a strand of hair around her fingers. "There is something between us, Rollon. You can't deny it. You and I . . . There is something here. I know you're scared. I'm a bit scared, too. That's why I want to see her. I want to know the risks."
"The risks." Rollon pulled away. Even though he still knelt over her, their bodies were no longer touching. Tindra whimpered from the loss. Her eyes trailed over his form. All muscle. Just the right amount of hair. She pushed herself onto her elbows and he drew back further. To her surprise, he looked angry. "The risks of becoming a vampire, you mean?"
What were they talking about? Right. Thor's mother. She nodded. "Yes."
"You told me you don't want to be a vampire."
"I've been reconsidering. Maybe being a vampire isn't such an awful thing."
Rollon shook his head, withdrawing further. "It doesn't matter what the risks are because it's not happening. It's illegal on pain of death."
Tindra sighed as she sat up. She pulled the ruined nightshirt off and thrust out her chest. Even though she knew she needed to calm down and not act like this while they were having a conversation of this magnitude, she couldn’t seem to help herself.
"Your laws are too strict. You don't have any allowances for personal choices. Make classes and therapy required, whatever. But shouldn't I be allowed to choose whether I want to be a vampire or not? Who are you protecting when you say no human is allowed to become a vampire regardless of the circumstances?"
Rollon looked torn. He ran a hand through his hair, deliberately not looking at her naked body. Eventually, he sighed. "Maybe you're right. But the risks are still very great and if humans thought it was just a convenient fountain of youth — what are you doing?"
Tindra had moved forward again so she was pressed tight against him. She nuzzled into his neck. His scent was so delightful, he just couldn't get enough of it. Why had she never realized just how delicious he smelled before? It was like she had had a cold her whole life and her sinuses were clear for the first time ever.
"Hey. We're trying to talk."
"We can talk after."
Rollon gripped her hips and pulled her away, firmly putting distance between them. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck, though. His brow furrowed as he studied her. "Are you drunk?"
She didn't remember drinking anything and her head was far too clear for it, anyway. She shook her head. "Completely sober."
"I'm not so sure. You're not acting like yourself."
Tindra moved to kiss his neck again.
"Listen to me! You're not yourself. Did somebody slip you pot brownies?"
"No." Tindra shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm not drunk and I'm not high. I just had this really great dream and I really want you. I want you so bad I feel like I might catch on fire if I don't have you. If I don't get to taste you." Her gaze dropped to his neck. Was that a fluttering pulse she saw there? "I want to know what your blood tastes like."
Rollon stiffened. His hands gripped her shoulders and held her in place as he stared at her. Slowly, his nostrils flared. When he moved in closer, Tindra wanted to nip at his neck, but he wouldn't let her close enough to it. She mewled in frustration. Why was he teasing her like this?
He buried his face in her neck and she gasped, only to groan in disappointment when all he did was take one sniff and pull back. He all but leaped out of bed and put a fair distance between them. Tindra jumped in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
Rollon shook his head. "You don't think it's odd that you want to drink my blood?"
"No . . . oh." Her eyes widened as she realized that she wanted to drink his blood. Where had that come from? The desire holding her loosened its grip. "Am I turning into a vampire?"
"No." Rollon's voice was rough. "No, it's not that at all. If I had been paying closer attention, I would have . . . Your scent is unmistakable. You're pregnant."
What? All the air left her lungs, and she was left staring slack-jawed at the king. It was impossible. Pregnant? No. No way. She almost started to giggle, but the look on his face . . . He was serious. Dead serious. She was pregnant. Her hands moved to her stomach. Was it just her imagination or was there a slight bulge there?
Her head spun and she collapsed back on the bed. "But after the miscarriage, they said I couldn't. The doctors. There was something that . . . Oh, my . . . Are you sure? How can you tell?"
"Your scent." Rollon slowly moved to her side again. He wrapped his arms around her. The overwhelming desire from before was completely gone. Her fingers dug into his arms and she shook as everything crashed down on her. "It's okay. Everything is going to be fine. We'll figure this out."
Pregnant. Tindra's eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, all the years she had spent protesting that she didn't want to have children just faded away. Warmth filled her chest, bringing with it a determination she hadn't known she was capable of.
"It's going to be wonderful," she whispered. "My baby. Our baby. Rollon . . . " She rested her head against his. "This baby is going to have more love than they will know what to do with."