Blood Yellow (9 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A
dara slept through most of the night. There were no dreams, no thoughts that lingered, just sleep. Her body had known that she needed sleep more than anything else. The nurse taking her vital signs at four a.m. had woken her up with the tight squeeze of the blood pressure cuff around her arm.

“Good morning, ma’am. I am just checking to make sure your body is stable. How are you feeling this morning?”

“I, I think I’m feeling better. My heart doesn’t feel like it’s going to jump out of my chest anymore.” Adara yawned and stretched as the nurse removed the cuff and pushed a button, raising the bed.

“The doctor has scheduled an ultrasound to check the lining of your cervix to make sure it’s repairing itself. We want to see if the medicine has started to take hold. We also have given you an infusion of blood, hoping that helps your body correct itself naturally.” The nurse placed a hand on Adara’s shoulder. “Try to rest some. We know this is hard for you, but it’s important you rest. That’s what your baby needs.”

Adara looked up at her and simply nodded. She didn’t know what to say about any of this. She was still learning about being pregnant herself and didn’t know how things should be working, given all of the things that had happened. She turned her head to look out of the window, and that’s when she noticed Nasir in the chair next to the wall. He looked like a warrior, hard, lean, and vicious.

“I’ll leave when they come in to examine you; Zayn wanted me to stay with you while you’re here to keep you safe.”

“You don’t need to stay; all of this unnecessary, Nasir.”

“Nonsense, I’ll be just fine bunking here for a couple nights. Besides,” Nasir stood from and walked over to her bed, “our future king or queen is in there, and I’m sworn to protect the Royal Family at all costs. So you are stuck with me, Lady Adara.”

It was at that moment, as if her hormones had taken the cue, that tears flowed from her eyes. She couldn’t control them. As tight as she squeezed her eyes, her lids couldn’t hold the salty liquid in. Nasir wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a hug. He stroked her hair and her back as she put her arms around his chest and cried.

To Adara, it felt like hours passed in his arms, crying. In reality, it was five minutes. The knocking on her door brought both of their heads up and turned in that direction. Her doctor opened the door and wheeled in a machine. She saw the long rod at the end of some cords. It was metallic and huge. Her hand immediately grabbed Nasir’s as she squeezed it tightly.

“You won’t leave me? Please.”

“I think it’s best if I do. This is a woman’s business, and I’m not your mate. I don’t belong in here.”

“I can’t be alone. Please don’t leave me, Nasir. Stay with me.” She looked up to him, her eyes puffy from the tears and pleading with him to stay.

“What do you think, Doctor? Can I stay?”

The doctor plugged in his machine and turned it on. “I can set up a makeshift screen, so she can have some dignity, and you won’t see her. If you stay at her head you will be fine.”

Nasir nodded and stepped back as the nurse came in. He watched her and the doctor exchange a few words before she went to the cabinet and pulled out an extra gown. They each attached a pole on either side of Adara’s bed and draped the gown over it. The nurse put a condom on the metal rod, then some gel. The humming of the machine was the only thing Adara could focus on. Her hand reached out for Nasir’s as the doctor said he was ready.

“You will feel some pressure, but it shouldn’t hurt. On the count of three, I’m going to spread your legs and insert the device. Are you ready, Adara?”

She looked back up at Nasir who was smiling down at her. “Yes, I am.”

“One, two, three,” she heard the doctor say as she felt the pressure he mentioned in her abdomen. The nurse took the machine and repositioned it so Adara and the doctor could both see the image on the screen.

“You do know how long a natural gestation lasts for us, right?”

“Not really. I’ve never known anyone who’s been pregnant; I just assumed it was like humans in the movies, nine months.”

“Actually, our people only gestate for six months, so you are halfway through your pregnancy, and that’s good. It means the fetus is stronger at three months than it would be with humans. That’s part of the benefit of being the original species. You are at the equivalence of 22 weeks for humans. This means, looking at this image, if we had to, we could remove the baby and incubate her.”

“Her?” Adara said, starting to cry again. “I’m having a girl?”

Adara’s heart started to pound as she tried to focus her eyes on the image the screen displayed. The nurse came to Adara’s side and pointed to the monitor.

“This is your baby’s head. Here are her hands, and here are her feet. You see, right here, this is her belly. This is your bent, Adara.”

She was crying harder as the nurse pressed a few buttons and pictures of her baby were spit out of the machine. The doctor turned the machine back to him and moved the rod against her walls. He was looking for something.

“Nasir, it’s a girl. Zayn and I are having a girl!”

Nasir looked down at her and didn’t bother hiding his own tears; this moment was pulling at his heart. “Do you want me to call the king or your omm?”

Adara shook her head; she had to tell him, had to share this with the abb of her child, and her mama. “Nasir, please call Zayn. I’ll take care of my mama. Is my child going to be okay?” she said to the doctor.

The doctor didn’t reply as he pulled the rod out from inside her and cleaned her off. He put her legs back together, and they took down the makeshift screen.

“It doesn’t appear the medicine is working fast enough, so we might need to do a C-section. Don’t worry; our NICU is very good. Our mortality rate for infants born like this is better than those that make it through full gestation. I can’t guarantee the health of your baby if we have to do this, but she could have a greater chance of survival in NICU than staying in your womb, if that decision needs to be made.”

Adara reached for the pictures of her bent as she listened to the doctor’s words. “Then we need to schedule the C-section as soon as we know the medicine is failing.”

“Yes, ma’am, we will soon, as that’s the only option left. My nurse will be back later to check on your progress.”

The doctor left and Nasir took out his phone and called Zayn. Adara didn’t listen to his conversation; all she could think about was her baby girl. She placed her hand over her stomach and let her finger draw designs across her own skin.

“My bent, you are going to be safe. I’ll see you soon. Don’t you worry; Mama’s going to protect you. My little Zahra.”

Nasir hung the phone up from his conversation with Zayn and walked back to the bedside. “Zahra?”

“Yes, my flower. Can you think of any better name to give her?”

“No, that’s perfect.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

T
hroughout the past months Haydar’s sleep hadn’t come easily to him; there was always something jarring him awake. Every time he closed his eyes, her images flashed before his face. His own personal hell was what he was living through. Maybe his Sarah was trying to tell him something; maybe there was a reason she had been haunting his dreams. Tonight wasn’t any different. No relief came even though he needed it. The moment Haydar laid his head on his pillow, the memories flooded back, as if they were happening right now.

“I’ve brought you a surprise, Haydar. Shall we call it an early nexus giving?” Sarah smiled at him while dragging in a human man. The human was gagged and beaten. Haydar relished the idea that his future wife enjoyed the finer things in life, like marking her prey.

“My, my, Sarah, my love, you have outdone yourself.” Haydar walked up to the human and grabbed his face, pulling him close so he could smell the fear. “I do hope you will be joining me for our feast? Perhaps he can be a part of our ceremony?”

“I was hoping that would be your wish.” Sarah pulled the man’s chains, forcing him to follow her; she attached him to their wall and smiled at Haydar as he removed the gag from the filthy male’s mouth.

“Tell me who you are.”

“I am Sir Walter Tirell III, and I shall have you both sent to the guillotine for this!” He spit at Haydar, hitting him in the face. Haydar’s eyes start to flash different shades of violet as his body’s excitement increased.

“I found him running away in our forest.  I witnessed him kill your friend William the Conqueror’s son, the current King of England, so I knew you would take special pride in dining on his body.”

“I did not mean to shoot him; it was an accident! Let me go before my party finds you and slaughters you both for this treason. I am Royalty!!”

“You are a human fool; I am of the real royal blood line that created your filth for our feastings. Silence!”

Haydar dropped the man as he brought Sarah into his arms and held her. “You were right. Let’s get the ceremony started. Come, my love.”

Haydar lead them to the cabinets where he removed the candles. One purple, one black. Sarah took them to the table and brought out a ceremonial knife from the drawer. She watched as Haydar walked back to the captive she had caught and replaced the gag to silence Walter’s quivering remarks.

“We are ready, Haydar. Let’s begin.”

He took his love’s hands in his and brought them to his lips. He’d witnessed one of his abb’s guards perform this ceremony as a child, and he knew the general needs. He picked up his candle and blew on the wick. Fire immediately danced onto the candle as the rest of the house’s candlelight flashed away.

“Sarah, bent of Triton, I take your hand and pledge to you my devotion, my service, my fealty. Forever I shall be faithful, and forever we shall remain.” He took her hand and turned it over, exposing her wrist. He brought it to his mouth and kissed her vein before sinking his fangs into her skin. Only for a moment did he taste her sweet blood. Removing his fangs, he took his candle and poured the wax over the wound. He sat his candle down as Sarah picked up her black one.

“Haydar, ebn’ of Hashmin, I take your hand and pledge to you my service, my loyalty, my life. Forever I shall be yours, and forever I shall please you.” She looked at his wrist and with a hunger in her eyes, sank her fangs into the vein, pulling on his skin for a moment or two extra before retracting her fangs. Haydar mentally lit her candle as she watched the blood drip from his wrist before applying the wax.

She set the candle down and picked up the knife. She placed the blade over his wrist and sliced across the wax, exposing his blood to the air, the wax and blood mixing together. She mimicked her actions with her own wrist then placed hers on top of his. Together with the hot wax, they pushed their wrists into each other, letting the blood and wax mix together, purple and black as one.

Haydar lowered his head and captured her lips, his tongue flicking over her fangs teasingly. He heard another pleading cry for release and turned to the human.

Haydar released her lips and guided her over to their feast. “Walter, murderer of the crown, we sentence you to death by Algula. Prepare to die.”

Both of them bared their fangs at him as each one attacked his neck. Together they drained his body of his blood, their nexus being sealed, and a bond only breakable by death. Walter’s limp and lifeless body dropped to the floor. Haydar and Sarah looked at each other’s blood soaked lips. She reached over for his waistband and pulled him close while pushing his pants to the ground. His hardened length showed his excitement from the night’s ceremony.

Haydar took his hands and ran them over her chest, enjoying the soft cotton feel for just a moment and then ripping her bodice off. He looked over her pale white skin and smiled as his cock jumped in anticipation. He pushed her up against the wall, his forceful nature getting off on her moan of momentary pain. His hands ran over her body as he reached to her folds and spread them. He didn’t need to tease her because he could feel her excitement growing.

“Matings and killings suit you, my queen.”

Within a moment he was inside her, the tightness of her core sheathing him. Nothing was ever sweet with him; it was rough and packed with pleasure. He thrust inside her quickly, each movement opening her sweet core more until he sheathed himself up to the hilt.

Sarah let out cries of pleasure from her lips while her hand made fists with his hair, pulling him to her and kissing him hard. She wrapped her legs around him and pushed her hips in rhythm with his.

She released his lips but quickly sealed her mouth on his neck, her fangs puncturing his skin. She drank in his blood, and her body warmed him inside her every way possible.

Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. For the remainder of the night, they enjoyed the pleasures of each other’s flesh and blood.

Haydar woke up as he felt his heart racing. He looked at his wrist; the fang marks a faded blemish on his skin. His heart longed for her. He was glad the worthless creature that had killed her was dead. He hadn’t had any need for the rubbish brat. He should have slaughtered him as a baby, the time and effort to raise him wasted on such a useless cause.

His mind turned to Leigh and her recent decisions regarding Jonothon. He had given her orders to bring Jonothon to see him once he returned from his mission. He had received word a few hours ago Jonothon was back, yet no sign of him. It appeared it was time to start teaching Leigh that she wasn’t the one in control.

He was.