Chapter Nineteen – Tindra
Everything was dark and cold. Sometimes shivers of warmth passed over her skin, but Tindra could never grasp it long enough to chase away the darkness. She had the odd feeling that she ought to be frustrated or scared, but all emotion felt so very distant . . . She was nothing but a mind floating in a heavy meat sack. Oh, she wanted to be free from it so badly . . .
A voice called her name. Achingly familiar. Warmth skittered over her, just beyond her sensory perception. The voice called again. It seemed closer this time. She struggled to turn her head, to see where the voice was coming from. It was in pain. She didn't want it to be in pain.
Not it.
Him.
Rollon.
Tindra's mind fell back into her body. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. Her back arched, arms flinging out as though to make sure she could still move. Something heavy landed on her and it took her a moment to realize it was Rollon. She seized him and brought her mouth to his, wanting to know he was still with her, needing to know that they were together. He kissed her back fiercely until she ran out of breath and fell back down.
The movement caused a spike of pain to run down her back. She moaned and reached to her collarbone. What the . . . why did she have bandages . . . oh. Memories came rushing back and she bolted upright again. Rollon caught her as she tried to swing out of the bed she laid in.
"Hilda!" She screamed the name. "Is Hilda okay?"
"She's fine." Rollon eased her back into bed. "You have to rest. You went through something traumatic and we're not sure what the extents are going to be."
Her hand pressed against the bandages and she shuddered. "She wanted to turn me into a vampire so I wouldn't die."
Rollon nodded, his expression grim. "Yes. Ironically, she nearly killed you in the process. Hilda had never tasted blood straight from the vein before. She lost control. Imagine someone surviving on rice and beans tasting ice cream for the first time."
Tindra didn't need to imagine anything. She had been there. She shivered as she remembered the pain that had coursed through her. It made her stomach churn, but she forced back the bile. "What is going to happen now? Turning someone is illegal on pain of death."
"Hilda is a child. She didn't understand exactly what she was doing, and she certainly didn't fully understand the consequences. She is going to be punished, but the punishment will be tailored to suit her understanding. She won't be allowed near you alone for several months, and then she'll be evaluated to see what sort of danger she poses."
Tindra shuddered. "She just didn't want to lose anybody else."
"I know. She's devastated, but I'm sure she'll feel better once she knows you're awake. You required a lot of blood to replace what she took." Rollon's expression darkened for a moment and he moved closer. "For a while there, I wasn't sure you were going to come back to me."
"I'll always — the baby!"
Tindra's grip tightened on his arm. Dread flooded through her as she looked down, as though her flat stomach was going to tell her if the worst had happened or not. She felt no different down there, but it was so early still that she wouldn't even miss it if she had lost the baby. Terror clawed at her throat as Rollon pulled her closer. It took several moments for her to understand what he was saying.
"The baby is fine. Still strong and healthy. It's the vampire in him." He kissed her forehead. "The baby is fine."
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Rollon's scent swirled around her and she breathed in. Her mouth watered and her gums throbbed. The small fangs that had erupted that first time she wanted to drink his blood were back, and they felt longer than they had been before. Hilda had tried to turn her . . . Was it possible she had?
"Am I a vampire?'
Rollon's face was grave. "I don't know."
"How can you not . . . " She let herself trail off.
"You are displaying some vampire traits. Your heartbeat has slowed, you're cooler to the touch, and you've grown a nice set of fangs. But is it because you're turning into a vampire? We can't know for certain. Thor's mother developed some vampire traits when she was pregnant, but they disappeared after she gave birth. Usually, it takes ingesting vampire blood on the verge of death to turn a human into a vampire. You didn't do that."
Tindra nodded, not sure if she was relieved or disappointed. "So I'm not."
Rollon put a hand on her stomach. "Maybe not."
"What . . . Oh. Because blood is shared between baby and mother through the umbilical cord . . . I had vampire blood in me. From the baby."
The king nodded. "And it's the combination of death and vampire blood that triggers the change. We don't know if you were drained enough, or if there was enough vampire blood from the baby. Right now we'll just have to wait and see."
"Wait." Tindra smiled. "Well, either way . . . I'm alive. We survived. And Eva?"
"In custody. I'll deal with her. And the shifters have responded favorably to my extension of peace. We are going to negotiate somewhat, but things are looking up." He stroked her face. "Especially since you are here. Alive. With me. Now you need to rest."
She eyed the pulse at the base of his throat and a wicked smile crept over her face. "What if . . . we did something else instead?"
His pupils dilated and he shook his head. "Oh, Tindra . . . you are determined to end me, aren't you?"
***
One Year Later
The night sky was bright with moonlight, the stars hidden behind wisps of clouds. Tindra walked through the gardens, bouncing her small baby boy as he hiccupped, his tears just starting to subside. Walking around outside was one of the only ways to calm him when he got all worked up at night. The silly thing was already too interested in what was going on around him to want to sleep.
Rollon came up beside her, smiling as he gazed down at their son. Their daughter was nestled in his arms, cooing as she waved her small fists. She never slept unless she was with her brother. It made for some interesting nights when neither of them would settle down properly. Little Artemis smiled a toothless grin at her mother when she saw her.
They had decided to continue the god theme that had started with Thor, but Tindra had flatly refused to keep the Norse mythology ("Do you even know the legends of Freya and Frey? Look them up!" she had told Rollon when he had brought it up) and so they had Artemis and Apollo. Both appeared fully human at the moment, but that's how Thor started as well. They would just have to wait and see how things went from here.
"Ingrid wants to see us once the babies are asleep," Rollon whispered to her. "More wedding planning."
Tindra had to bite her tongue to stop laughing at his expression. She leaned over and brushed a kiss on his cheek. "It's your fault for asking me to marry you."
"I know. I just never thought it would inspire her to do all this. I just hope that those seductive eyes she's been making at the wedding planner start to work soon. Those two would make a cute couple, wouldn't they?"
Tindra nodded, thinking of the short, curvy woman who Rollon had hired to assist Ingrid in planning everything. "Have you seen Hilda in her flower girl dress yet? She looks like a little angel."
"Not yet. She insists it's bad luck."
Tindra smirked. "I think that just applies to the bride."
He shrugged. Over the past year, Tindra had slowly gained more and more vampiric traits. It appeared that she was going to be a full-blood vampire sooner rather than later. At times it was very unpleasant and painful, but if the slow change meant forgoing the week of pure torture that Rollon had told her about when he had changed, it was worth it.
Everything was good. Eva was locked up, Ingrid was moving on, and Thor adored his younger siblings. He had taken over more responsibility for the kingdom, allowing Rollon to have more time to spend with his mate and two younger children. Even Hilda had recovered from Eva's treachery.
"We should get back inside," Tindra whispered. "Before our little sun-god wakes up again."
Rollon nodded. They headed back inside, walking side by side. Tindra couldn't help but smile as they got inside. It would only be another year before she was a full-blooded vampire like Rollon, but she never had any cravings for human blood. Her king gave her all that she needed. Their children would grow up like Thor had, having normal childhoods and becoming adults before they stopped aging.
And as for her and Rollon? They would live forever together. King and queen of their kingdom, their lives full of happiness and love, never having to fear when death would part them because it never would. They were looking into the possibility that they might be able to have children still after her change was complete. There was some evidence that vampire women could, in fact, carry and give birth if they were supplied the right amount of human blood. They had forever to test it out, though, and for now, she was happy with her babies and her king.
Her eyes shone as she gazed at Rollon. Thor had made the right choice after all. To imagine this might have never happened . . . She couldn't imagine her life could get any better than this.
And it would only get better from here.
*****
THE END