The Billionaire's Baby (Key to My Heart Book 3) (9 page)

"Oh, don't you start this again!"

The vampire was sick of her big, annoying mouth – who knew that someone so tiny could possibly be so maddening.

He stood, grabbing her off the ground easily and tossing her over his shoulder with a simple, "I'll just kill you back at my home. It'll be easier to deal with you that way."

It was only a matter of time before their rendezvous was interrupted by some passersby with how much noise she was making. Though the vampire enjoyed killing, he was no longer in the mood for a feast.

"Put me down right this instant!" The girl shrieked, kicking her legs and arms like a writhing maniac, "You'll regret it!"

"Oh yeah?" He mused, "You a princess or something where all the king's horses and all the king's men will come after me?"

"Well…no…" She sighed, as she was definitely no princess, "but, but still! I swear, I can make you regret this!" She crossed her arms, slightly dejectedly, and he could feel the pout burning on her lips.

"Sure thing, Princess." He replied smugly, practically giggling.

She huffed, kicking one of her skinny chicken legs with sudden, deliberate force into his groin. He gulped, buckling for a just a second.

Vampire he was, immune to pain he was not. Especially pain that he wasn't expecting. The girl went still, though he grabbed onto her tighter, pulling her down off his shoulder to press her against his chest, he'd been positive she'd try to take off running again.

Instead, he found her smirking into his face, jade eyes bright and worryingly maniacal, "Ready to regret it?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in slight bewilderment, though before he could open his mouth to speak thick thorny green vines erupted from the ground around them, wrapping tightly around the vampire's legs and arms. The thorns bit into his flesh, ripping at the thin fabric. He’d have to go raid another village for clothing.

He groaned, eyes rolling, "You've got to be shi-"

"Now who's helpless?" The girl cried, poking the vampire hard in the chest with a triumphant, "Ahahaha!"

"Uh, you, puddle duck." He responded lightly, arching an incredulous eyebrow, "You trapped yourself against me."

"Ahahaha- wha...?" The girl glanced around, realizing that she had, in fact, wrapped the vines around not only the vampire's limbs, but herself, who'd been held in his arms.

"Why couldn't you at least be a pretty girl?" He mused with feigned angst, looking down at the freckle faced, childish young woman, "Then this wouldn't be so bad. But I feel like I'm hugging a ten year old. I may be a vampire, but I'm not a pedophile."

He smirked, noting the rage poignant behind her angrily flashing eyes. She was an interesting one, that was for sure. He found himself rather fascinated by her brash personality, her fiery will to argue and fight over everything in the midst of impending danger.

She was definitely a weirdo.

Of course none of his interest was reflected in his words, "Mind if you loosen up these things, plant princess?" He asked with a smirk, knowing it would provoke her.

"It’s not like I want to be close to you either!" She sneered viciously, vines wilting back towards the iced over earth.

The vampire kept a firm grasp of her small body, to dissuade her from trying to escape.

"Alright, let's try this again." The vampire said with a stern look down at her, "Now be a good captive and behave."

He didn't miss the agitated twitch of her eyebrow.

He continued onward, this time keeping her pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly, cocooning her against him. She wouldn't be able to trap him with her little plants this time without knowing full well that she'd be trapped as well.

For a few minutes they walked in silence, and the vampire was surprised that she allowed him to carry her without complaining. No doubt she was scheming.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked absently, not looking at her. Silence made him uneasy.

Even when he was human, he was never able to be quiet for more than a moment or two. It was his own fault he’d pissed off another vampire and ended up this way.

His mind, quite honestly, was torn. He had quickly become addicted to the girl's spirit; it made him feel somewhat alive again. He'd only known this girl for a short while and he already wanted to argue with her again, as silly as that was. He simply wanted to see the emotions swirling around her eyes, he'd even settle with her violence if she would just treat him like an actual person. She did not grovel, or beg, or plead, or sob – she argued. The stupid kid bickered with him when he was intent on killing her.

He supposed that was what was saving her right now. Perhaps he could keep her as a pet?

"Your hands are freezing." She said simply, once again ignoring his words. Was she partially deaf or just this impudent?

"That's an interesting name," He murmured, "Can I call you ‘Hands’ for short?"

Neither laughed at the slight joke, but the vampire gently lifted the girl a bit closer against him, practically forcing her cheek against his chest, directly over his heart.

"It's warm!" She gasped in surprise, blinking up at him with the same innocent eyes that would have convinced anyone else she was a little kid.

The cinnamon freckles splashed liberally over her little button nose didn't help her seem any more adult.

"Yup. Only warm part of my body, that's where all the blood I drink goes to keep me alive. The heart can't keep it warm for too long though, seeing as it's not my blood - it can't quite accept it. That's why it gets colder the farther out you go from it as the blood circulates, and why I need to keep drinking blood to keep me alive." He was smugly proud of owning this bit of knowledge, the man who’d gifted him with it had not been as fortunate.

"So you are really a vampire." She murmured quietly, dazed.

He laughed then gave a sharp toothed grin, "What gave you that idea?"

She gave a tiny, halfhearted chuckle and looked down, but did not remove her cheek from his chest. He was like her own personal furnace against the wildly billowing arctic wind, at least for the side of her face. She could feel the faint, unnaturally slow 
babump
 of his heart under her cheek.

"Aw, come on, Princess. Don't tell me cat got your tongue now!"  He had to say he was disappointed in her; this feisty girl who'd been so vivacious even when he attacked her, yet here she was… suddenly afraid of him. All at the simple word, 
vampire.

He should be used to that by now, though.

"It's not that." She said abruptly, and he glanced down at her in surprise to find her scrutinizing his expression, "You think I'm afraid of you?"

He didn't answer. He didn't want to know if she was, lest his opinion of her be spoiled forever. Though that forever may not be much longer. They were almost back to his small home.

"I'm not afraid of you, why would I be?" Her voice was now calm, relaxed, and he could feel her body slowly becoming more and more limp in his arms as she drifted slowly towards sleep.

He still remained silent, not bothering to point out the tiny bruises on her body or the cuts that he inflicted purposely onto her small shoulders, or to bring up the threats he made, or the fact that he would probably choose kill her as soon as they got to where he lived.

She too remained in total silence, and to his surprise, she cuddled slightly against the warmth his chest, and he held her tighter to him, one hand slowly gripping the free skin of her shoulder and the other on her side, only to receive a drowsy, "Your hands are too cold…"

How could she sleep at a time like this? Didn’t she realize she was on her way to her death?

The vampire couldn’t decide if she was busy devising a plan behind the lazy snore that wafted from her lips, or if she was just simply that unwise and senseless.

Whatever else this plant girl was, she was definitely a mystery.

Chapter Two

"Gonna tell me your name, shortcake?" The vampire asked, stifling a yawn, "or I can just call you 'kiddo' forever."

The girl still held in his arms gave a sleepy grumble in response, not even listening to what he said.

"Tired?" He asked, voice dripping in aggravation.

Just when he thought she'd be useful for something she went and passed out on him. He'd been hoping she'd at least have been slightly entertaining on the way to his home. At least it was just a short walk.

He rolled his eyes when she only yawned in response. He could feel weariness seeping through his own body, however. Tiredly, he peered up towards the thick, dark ceiling of the forest, trying to judge the time by means of the sky through the naked, twisting branches. He could faintly see cracks of dark blue sky, splashes of hazy purples and deep pinks lazily drifting overhead – sunrise was approaching.

He adjusted the dozing redhead in his arms, careful to keep his cold hands off her skin. He had to admit that he liked touching her though.

Not that it was because he wanted to touch 
her
. He would staunchly refuse that.

It was simply because he liked the warmth and softness. It was a texture he didn't get to touch in such a relaxed manner, ever, and he liked its foreign feel. Usually the only snippets of skin he ever felt was when he was feeding from someone, and in that case their bodies quickly turned cold and they were always tense.

"We'll be to my home soon." He added, though had no idea why he still tried to talk to her, she was obviously not responding. The strange girl had clearly chosen sleep over his company.

The vampire was still surprised that the feisty redhead had allowed him to steal her away from the forest, but he was going to take advantage of having the warm ball of flesh hang around with him as much as possible.

He couldn’t be sure how long she'd be around for. Whether it was because he ended up getting sick of her and letting her go, or because he throttled her for running her mouth again and sucked her dry, she was going to be on her way soon enough. Whatever happened between them, he wanted to make sure he'd had enough of her warmth to last him for the rest of his life. He doubted anyone else would allow him to get so close.

This vampire was a rather solitary creature, he didn't like often getting involved with other people. He had a deadly, lone wolf reputation to uphold, after all.

Several minutes later he came to a stop at a large tree, kicking hard at the base a few inches off the ground. At his assault a huge, fake root made of roughly carved timber shuffled lazily across the leaves, a small wooden door appearing. He smirked in pride at his little contraption, glancing at the girl and smirking even more as a slight snore emitted from her mouth. He then none-too-gently tossed her to one arm so she dangled over his forearm on her stomach like a sports ball, her face inches above the little door which was barely big enough for someone to fit through vertically.

She yelped in surprise, glaring up at him through sleepy eyes, earning an unenthusiastic, "Sorry, kid."

He then bent slightly, yanking open the door to reveal a hole in the ground, to the bottom disappeared in a black haze. She blanched a bit, turning her head to glance up at him just as he tossed her inside with a manic laugh.

She tumbled down the steep, small, earthen hall, which after about five terrifying seconds abruptly ended and left her freefalling for a brief second before she hit dirt floor with a thud. He could have shown her to the ladder, however this way was much more enjoyable for the vampire.

He followed, much more elegantly, laughing when he found her piled up on the ground, leaping up to her feet angrily and smoothing her shirt, glaring daggers up at him.

"You better be careful with that ugly expression, kid!" He cried, slapping a knee in delighted laughter, "Or your face is going to get stuck that way!"

He knew full well that he was provoking her, watching as her tiny hands clenched slightly at her sides, green eyes glinting in silent fury.

"Then again, it may just be an improvement!" He prodded her just a bit more.

The corner of the redhead's mouth tightened just slightly in aggravation, eyes narrowing on his face.

The vampire practically danced around her in glee, one of his sharpened fangs slipping over his bottom lip once more as he watched eagerly, hoping for her to snap at him so he could bicker back.

Instead, at the sight of his ridiculous expression and strange hopping, she was the one who burst out laughing, much to the sheer horror the vampire, who had never in his entire memory of being a vampire ever, ever, ever been laughed at.

Screamed at, yes; Cried over, yes; punched, yes; slapped, definitely yes….but laughed at of all things?

His expression quickly soured, eyes locking threateningly on the girl, who refused to quit laughing – his quick transition from strange goofball to being angry was just as funny as his expression had been.

Her laughter was cut short however, when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward towards to him, hunching slightly to glower into the short girl's face.

"You will never, ever laugh at me again." He commanded, gripping tightly onto her.

"You're such a kid sometimes!" She taunted, still quietly laughing under her breath at his childish pout, "Gonna throw a temper tantrum?"

She snickered aloud, much to the ferocity of the vampire who was trying his best to be threatening.

"I said that you will never laugh at me again, 
little girl
!" His voice rose into a powerful, rage filled tone, strong tenor trembling just slightly.

The laughter died on her lips slowly as she realized his anger was real, his dark eyes smoldering in approaching hostility.

Timidly, she tried to tug her wrist free, biting on her tongue so she wouldn't say anything to fuel the fire within his temper.

He yanked harshly back at her wrist when she tried to pull it away and she stumbled forward, crashing into his chest. As soon as she smashed up against him vines once again sprung up from dirt floor, this time twining more carefully around the vampire's legs, rooting him, quite literally, to the spot. They slowly made their way up his body, pressing in between the two and creating a few inches of distance. He still didn't let go of her wrist however.

Initially irritated, the vampire swung at the vines with his free hand, stopping mid-swing as he stared at the verdant vines. His face was suddenly intensely serious, no longer aggressive as he leaned closer to the girl.

"So…you can make plants grow, right?" He asked, anger melting off his face as seriousness replaced it.

She hesitated, reflexively pulling back away from his face's close proximity until he jerked her forward again. She raised one eyebrow, clearing her throat with a slight nod, "You're creeping me out…"

He ignored her, eyes still solemn, "…all kinds of plants?"

She nodded again, her eyebrow nearly twitching. What in the name of high heaven was he getting at?

His voice was suddenly quiet, nearly inaudible, "How about…how about…potatoes?"

The girl would have burst out in laughter again had it not been for the sheer amount of sincerity that had completely taken over the vampire's face, not to mention the faint fear of what he'd do to her.

"I suppose so." She whispered back, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible so he wouldn't hear the lurking laughter that so threatened to explode from her lungs.

He stared at her expectantly, eyes practically begging. The girl was reminded of the neighbor’s dog back in her home village.

The vampire obediently dropped his hold on her, fingers twitching excitedly, earning yet another strange stare from the redhead.

Perhaps she could milk this situation a bit.

"Promise you'll be nice from now on?" She asked, hands on her hips.

He gave an eager nod, staring at her, "Yeah, sure, whatever

She bent down to the ground, the vines that had captured the vampire releasing him and disappearing quickly below the dark earth, leaving behind unsettled piles of dirt.

He bent beside her quickly, still anxiously fidgeting. If there was one thing that vampire loved as much as blood and driving his newest redheaded plaything crazy, it was potatoes.

The girl stuck two fingers into the dirt, glancing up at him and hesitating, "Tell me your name first."

"Ellis." He replied without hesitation.

His eyes locked intensely on her fingers, waiting for the miraculous conception of potatoes.

"That's a silly name." The girl giggled, and Ellis would have yelled at her had it not been for the leafy green spouts that were growing from the dirt around her fingers that had captivated his attention.

He didn't even demand to know her name in return. It didn't matter anymore, so long as he got the potatoes.

"Can't you make it grow any faster?" The vampire whined, eyes glistening in anticipation as the green, leafy stalks extended further, wrapping around the girl's wrist for support, tiny white blossoms sprouting.

Ellis could all but imagine the wonderful tasting vegetables forming below the ground. The potatoes which he normally found in the warmer months had vanished as soon as it had become cold, it'd been quite some time since he'd had a potato.

She rolled her eyes, slowly pulling her arm up from the ground, the plant still clinging to her for dear life, several potatoes dangling from the roots of the plant. Ellis snatched them up, startling the redheaded girl.

"Aren't you going to like, I don't know, cook them or something?" The girl asked, cringing as he pressed his pale nose against the brown flesh of the potato, dirt rubbing on his cheek.

Ellis laughed in response, shaking his head at the girl's utter foolishness, "Why would I want to do that? Cooking them makes them soft and mushy. That's pretty gross, kid."

He bit into the biggest of the potatoes, crunching through it like an apple while the girl watched with a crinkled nose.

"I'm tired." She announced, hands planting on her hips, "I want to go to sleep." She briefly scanned the room, noting the distinct lack of furnishings – minus a tiny a bed and a few wooden, ragged chairs.

"The suns about to come up, don't little girls like you play during the day?" He asked, mouth full of the crunching vegetable.

The girl wanted to ask why he was eating a vegetable, and not sucking blood, but she was too tired to care at the moment.

She crossed her arms, flipping her braid over her shoulder, "I didn't sleep last night."

Ellis didn't look up, already on his third potato, "Alright, Potato Princess."

The girl's eyebrow twitched slightly, "Quit calling me such weird names!"

"Well if you'd only tell me your real name, then this wouldn't be a problem." He was on the last potato now, finishing it quickly and sucking on his fingers – mourning the absence of such a wonderful vegetable.

"It's Nia."

He glanced up, scrutinizing her swiftly before sucking on his fingers again, "'Kay, kid."

"N-i-a, Nia!"

"I heard ya, shortcake."

"Ugh, it's Nia!"

He shrugged and stood up, ambling towards her with a yawn, "I'm tired too."

He grabbed her arm, dragging her over towards the small wooden bed, "I'm making you sleep with me tonight."

"What!?" Shrieked the shocked redhead, struggling to pull herself away.

"Did I stutter?" Ellis hauled her across the room.

He wanted to make sure she didn't find a way out of his little cave home and run off and tell people where he lived. Plus, he wanted to feel her warmth just a bit more.

"ASSAULT!" Nia suddenly screamed to no one in particular, ignoring that they were underground in the middle of a vacant forest, writhing around like a crazy person, a hazy blur of small arms and legs flinging everywhere.

Ellis choked in shock, staring over his shoulder and releasing the girl as though he'd been burned, "What?"

"Assault! Help!"

"I wouldn't do that to-"

"Assault!"

"Someone as ugly as-"

"AHHHH!"

"You! Now get your filthy head out of the gutter!" Ellis reached out and grabbed her elbow, throwing her headlong into the bed where she all but disappeared in the scratchy, tattered woolen blanket that was probably older than she was.

The vampire glowered down at her for a long moment, standing beside the bed. When she opened her mouth to scream again he pounced on her, straddling her and covering her mouth with his hands. He could still hear her screaming muffled accusations against his hands.

"If you had just waited for a second then I could have explained! I didn't mean it like 
that
! I just meant that I wanted you to sleep in the same bed as me!"

For some reason that Ellis simply couldn't imagine, her stifled screams didn't stop, and her bright, angry glare did not recede. He honestly didn't understand why she wouldn't want to sleep next to a hunky vampire like himself.