“I thought you were hungry?” I asked.

  “I am,” she sighed. “But I need this more.”

  We laid like that for some time. When I noticed her shifting constantly, I knew her thirst wouldn’t wait. Against her objections I climbed out of bed and walked to our mini fridge. I could feel her eyes tracking my naked form. Nudity didn’t bother me. Thanks to Gabriella, I was frozen in my prime. Once the blood was prepared I offered it to her and she willingly drank it.

  I sat down on the edge of the bed watching my beautiful wife. My heart swelled realizing how lucky I was to have her.

  “What?” she asked when she noticed me. I wasn’t being subtle.

  “I was thinking—if you weren’t too tired—maybe you wanted to go explore the strip?” I offered. If I admitted that I was admiring her, she’d blush embarrassed.

  She beamed at me. “I’d love that.”

  Gaby

  We went about dressing for the evening. I chose a midnight low-cut shirt and a pair of high-rise slacks, a shade lighter than my top, and a size larger than I would normally wear. I wasn’t ready to concede to maternity clothes, especially not on my honeymoon, or elopement-moon, if that’s what you wanted to call it. I didn’t want to stick out on the strip with the party girls, but also wanted to remain invisible. We didn’t have permission to be in Vegas. Grayson followed suit. He looked incredible in his dark jeans and black button down shirt.

  We rode hand in hand down the elevator. When it opened, across from us you could see the casino in high swing. I thought it had looked busy when we arrived, but it seemed the night brought out the risk takers and the spectators.

  “You wanna try your hand?” Grayson offered.

  I shook my head. “Do you?” This trip was for both of us after all.

  His nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’ve done all this in the past. Gambling away money, just because, isn’t appealing to me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a friendly game of poker, but not in places like this.”

  Walking out onto the street, I examined my surroundings a little more than I had when we left earlier. I expected it to be a little more like Manhattan and even though the streets were bustling with people, the buildings didn’t compare. Everywhere you looked was bright and lights flashed drawing your attention. Everything, including the dozens of drugstore and fast food chains here were lit brighter than a Christmas tree. The casinos and hotels were the only tall buildings it seemed. Palm trees littered the sides of the roads almost as much as the people.

  Grayson led the way pulling me through the crowd. The plan was to sightsee, and sightsee we did. We saw the Eifel Tower. He tried dragging me inside the building, but I wanted to see more of what the strip was made of. Passing by the Hard Rock Café made me feel slightly queasy. It reminded me of dating Sebastian and I didn’t want those memories on my mind, especially on my wedding night. Telling Grayson about recently kissing Sebastian was enough talk about the fallen angel during this special time between my husband and me.

  “How many casinos do they need?” I asked when we passed by yet another followed closely by another drugstore.

  Grayson chuckled. “What did you expect? That’s what people do here. You come to the strip to spend money. Whether it’s gambling, dining or,” he gestured to the Walgreens we were passing, “forgotten necessities.”

  I stumbled forward. Someone bumped me hard, forcing me to release Grayson’s hand to catch my balance.

  “Hey!” Grayson exclaimed turning to face the stranger. “Be careful.”

  The people behind us were obviously drunk and were not taking kindly to Grayson’s warning.

  “Are you okay?” I turned to face the woman who spoke to me. Her hair was as bright as sunshine, yet her eyes were darker than midnight.

  I looked over my shoulder to Grayson who was trying to defuse the situation that only seemed to escalate more. Not only was he coming to my defense but also several others had joined in, telling this group of drunkards to move along.

  The woman wrapped her left arm around my back while her right hand pressed against my shoulder. Strangely she was comforting to me. She couldn’t have been much older than I, but she had a motherly vibe that I found soothing.

  “Come along,” she began leading me away from the crowd. For some reason my feet followed.

  “But my husband—” I began.

  “I’m sure he’ll find us just fine. We’ll be right here on the bench. You don’t need to be standing near that crowd incase a fight breaks out. Not in your condition.”

  My hands dropped to my stomach. I thought I was hiding it well. “Is it that obvious?”

  The woman grinned. “Sweetheart, you’re a thin little thing with a bump. My guess is you’re about three months?”

  I nodded. Pointing to the crowd that was growing more heated, I grew worried. “My husband—”

  “Can handle himself I’m sure. They’re only human after all.”

  I bristled suddenly feeling uneasy. “I’m sorry? What did you just say?”

  Her brow knitted like she was questioning my inquiry then she smiled. “I slipped up, didn’t I?” I shifted away from her, but she grabbed my arm and yanked me back towards her. Scorching agony ripped through my chest. I felt tears swell and spill from my eyes while no sound escaped my mouth. “I’m sorry, Gaby. It’s nothing personal, but even us demons can’t risk your baby.”

  My gaze fell and I saw a black knife protruding out of my chest. There was no sign of blood against the black fabric I wore, but I knew it was there. I couldn’t breathe. The blade was imbedded in my lung. I tried to gasp when she withdrew it, but it came out as a choking sound. Falling against her, my head landed on her shoulder unable to keep myself upright. She braced my shoulders then leaned me back against the corner of the bench before she vanished.

  A cloud lifted off the crowd. People glanced around dazed, bewildered as to why they were arguing. I still couldn’t breathe, but my body had already begun stitching itself back together. I didn’t understand why she stabbed me, and so high. If her goal was to eliminate the baby, a lower jab would have been better, not that I was complaining.

  Grayson searched through the crowd. When his eyes locked on me he forced his way through.

  “Gaby? What—?” before he could finish, his gray eyes flashed honey-green. The scent of my blood filled his lungs. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t breathe in enough air to voice anything. I was on the verge of passing out. He scanned over me with his eyes then with his hands. When he touched my rib, I recoiled, barely able to move. Withdrawing his hand, his eyes widened taking in the red tinge that coated his skin. Fear filled his features.

  Suddenly, I inhaled sharply and began coughing up the blood that had filled my lung. I could hear the panic in his voice as he called out for me. “It’s okay,” I muttered between coughs. “It’s healing.”

  Before he could reply, I felt a gust of wind. It wasn’t normal. There was a magical trace to it. It took me only a second, but a second too late, to realize what it was. “Well, well, what do we have here?”

  I glared around seeing a handful of vampires surround us. I couldn’t believe that they moved through the crowd without fear of discovery. I could feel the power rolling off of them and knew they’d be simple to take out, but I was injured and we were among humans. It would be a diplomatic catastrophe for my mother if it were discovered we were from the New York nest.

  “We’re not looking for trouble,” I replied raising my hands up in a gesture of surrender, but the blood that covered them made the vampires frown. Grayson shifted protectively towards me. He knew after the injury I just suffered that I wouldn’t fair well against the vampires.

  “Then you probably shouldn’t be in our territory without speaking to our master first, especially causing trouble.”

  “Let’s just kill them,” one of them spoke with a British accent. I tried to hide it, but a smile cracked across my face. “You think this is funny, do you?”

  “I think you have no idea who we are.” I eyed Grayson who nodded silently telling me he was okay with whatever decision I made. “We haven’t attempted to kill you out of courtesy, not to mention exposure, but that would be your mess to clean up. We are more than capable of taking you out. Hell, I’m pretty sure one of us could sit on the sideline watching the other take all five of you on.”

  “You sound delusional,” the British vampire spat.

  I shrugged; my body fought me on the move while it still healed, but I managed to keep the pain off my face. “Just confident.” We needed to get out of there. Defusing hadn’t worked. Perhaps scare tactics.

  “What’s your name sweetheart?” The one who first spoke asked.

  “Gabriella,” I didn’t want to give them Grayson’s name. He was well known, but not as a vampire.

  “You got a last name?”

  I fidgeted knowing that this could go one of two ways if they recognized me. First they could let us go or this could turn into a diplomatic issue.

  “Carmichael.” Please don’t recognize me.

  They were quiet, but I saw recognition appear on the vampire asking the questions. “You’re the day walker.” My stomach sank at his knowing smirk. “Our master is going to love meeting you.”

  Grayson

  I was fuming, oblivious to what happened to Gaby. Then these vampires showed up. I wanted to fight, to have an outlet for my rage, but I also wanted to get her back to the hotel and make sure she was okay. Since becoming a vampire, my disposition had changed some. I was angrier than I was as a human. With supernatural strength that rivaled Gaby’s, it made me lethal. As much as I wanted to tend to Gaby, I wanted to fight these vampires too, especially since they appeared to be a threat to both my wife and unborn child. I did my best to rein in my temper and let my wife handle the situation with more decorum. She knew the vampire laws and customs better than I.

  Our hands were bound in front of us, probably to not cause a scene among the humans. I was stumped when she let them take us captive. Was she too injured to fight? Why? I asked her with my eyes when she looked at me. “We don’t want to make things worse. We knew this was a risk.”

  I nodded at her reply, but I kept my guard up. She might be stronger than me, barely, but I would fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Tonight I felt like I was failing. The desire to protect her only increased now that she was pregnant and the failure was more consuming. Call me a caveman, but I wanted to protect what was mine. I hadn’t always done my best at keeping her safe, especially when I had been human. Helplessness wasn’t something I ever wanted to feel again. It was part of the reason I had wanted to become a vampire, even though I had never discussed it with Gaby before.

  When we entered the Las Vegas nest, I was stunned. It appeared like we’d stepped back into the past with its timeless appeal. Where the New York nest had been made to appear discrete, the Vegas nest was decadent. We were standing in a mansion, but that word didn’t seem to do the place justice. It was something you’d see on one of those travel shows showing you the most expensive houses around the world, with marble columns and floors. Furniture was placed in precise locations to add to its appeal, not for comfort and so far we were just in the entryway.

  “Come on,” one of the vampires nudged us. I watched Gaby stumble forward. Instantly, rage swelled in me.

  “Touch her again and I swear I’ll break your neck,” I hissed. Like I said, my temper and protectiveness was overflowing. It might have been easier to rein in if she hadn’t already been injured tonight, but she had and I was still in the dark on the why of it because these guys showed up, which only made me more furious.

  I could vaguely hear one of the other vampires speak to him, telling him to cut his shit out. Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he pressed a single extended finger to Gaby’s shoulder and nudged her.

  “Grayson?” She warned but it fell on deaf ears. I broke my restraints, which seemed to shock everyone. Then Gaby broke hers too, trying to grab me before I could get my hands on the guy. Due to her injury I was slightly faster. I grabbed him and snapped his neck. The night I killed Clive flashed into my head, but I shoved it down. Now wasn’t the time. The vampire crumpled to the ground. It wasn’t like he was dead or any deader than he had been a moment ago. He’d heal. Eventually.

  “Well, he did warn him,” a new voice added. I glared up to see a man who appeared to be in his early twenties, though that didn’t mean anything. Gaby’s father, Damien, was at least a thousand years, if not more, yet appeared my age. The man stood at the top on the staircase, forcing us to strain our necks to stare up at him, while he strolled down looking like a debutant at her ball.

  “Killian?” Gaby’s voice sounded both surprised and hopeful. I felt a twinge of jealousy. Only Gaby could bring it out in me.

  “If it isn’t Gabriella Carmichael. Still causing trouble I see.”

  Gaby rushed to him as he made it to the base of the stairs throwing her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m the master of the nest now.”

  “You?” she asked pulling back, seeming amazed. I watched as his eyes narrowed slightly, then lowered down almost like he thought he saw something on Gaby’s shirt. The movement was over in a flash. It was so quick that I was sure only I noticed since I had been studying him. He plastered a smile on his face.

  “Don’t sound so surprised. You knew the last time I was in New York that I was one of Dominic’s children.”

  Gaby turned to me to explain the pieces I was missing. “Dominic ruled Vegas much like Anton in New York. Killian came to New York a few years ago. Their nest had a half breed and they wanted to compare him to me to see what gifts we shared.”

  I gritted my teeth hating to think of my wife as a lab rat. It just added more resentment to my already large pile over Anton. Dead or not, I still thought of the guy as a monster.

  “Ah, but I hear you’re no half breed like we were led to believe. Daughter of the first vampire. Impressive.” He grabbed her left hand admiring the ring I had placed on her finger only earlier. “Please don’t tell me this is why diplomacies weren’t exchanged?” Killian leaned in sniffing Gaby. “Smells like you’ve been mated for quite some time. Was the human standard so important to achieve before the little bundle made its appearance?”

  I tensed. My fingers balled in fists at my side. My body was now on high alert. I noticed Gaby stiffen too. “Excuse me?” I hissed.

  He looked shocked by my sudden anger. “Oh no, did you not know. It is his correct?” he whispered to Gaby.

  I raced forward grabbing Killian by the neck before slamming him against the wall. “How did you hear about it?”

  “What?” He seemed genuinely confused, but I wasn’t buying it.

  I heard his men shift to come at me, but Killian waved them off. I repeated the question.

  “I didn’t hear. I can smell it on her.”

  “Grayson?” Gaby was by my side. She placed her hand gently on my arm. My gaze shifted to hers. The message in her blue eyes was clear. My reaction would only cause more trouble for us. Slowly, I lowered him to the ground.

  “My apologies,” I did my best to sound sincere, but it was more for Gaby than Killian. He smirked seeming to understand that too.

  Gaby stepped in to explain. “We’ve had some problems back home. People have tried to hurt us after I killed Anton.”

  “But it was sanctioned.” He gaped at both of us like he was waiting for a reply. “We heard about it here. He tried to kill you,” he stated, locking his eyes on me. I simply nodded, but couldn’t stop from clenching my jaw over the reminder.

  “Ava didn’t care,” Gaby explained. “She’s been after us. Now this baby puts us in a vulnerable position. You can understand why we’re trying to keep it quiet for as long as possible. As far as the diplomacy, yes, we’re here to get married. We eloped and didn’t want to tell my parents in order for them to make the necessary calls. As you can tell by my mate’s speed and strength, we came here with your men as a courtesy, but didn’t have to. We could have taken out your vampires.”

  “I’m not sure about that.” He held up his hand that was now tinted in Gaby’s blood and she glowered. “How is he so strong, Gaby? I have a hundred years on him.”

  I hesitated, but Gaby was flawless. “It was a gift from Damien.” Her heart didn’t even race. I guess to her it wasn’t a lie. Her blood was, in a way, a gift from Damien.

  “I hate to detain you on what I can only assume is your wedding night?” We both nodded. “Congratulations, by the way. If you wouldn’t mind spending just a little time here to get your paperwork in order so I don’t have to hear shit later? Maybe let my doctor take a look at you too.”

  “That’s not—” Gaby began, but was silenced by Killian.

  “This injury is fresh. You’ll want to make sure your child is unharmed.” That stopped us both from protesting. “While we’re at it, we can catch up.” He led us from the room waving his men off as they tried following. “Did you know that I tried pursuing Gaby when I was in New York?” Gaby’s cheeks blushed with embarrassment, but I smiled. I knew there had never been anyone before me. I had no reason to be jealous of her past.

  “I didn’t,” I smiled at her bashfulness.

  “I managed to get one kiss,” he teased, “but she said there was no spark.”

  “Well I’m glad about that,” and I was. If there had been a spark, perhaps I wouldn’t be the one standing beside her now.

  Killian led us to a room that appeared to be a clinic. A man with white hair and a matching beard spun to face us as we entered. I was shocked to see that he was human.

  “Don’t worry. Doctor Blanton is aware of what we are.”