Page 50 of His Curse

Traditionalvampire names, not the ones they adopt to blend in, or the ones they give themselves in place of whatever they were called at birth.

But… I clear my throat and tread lightly so I don't offend her, and still fail when I blurt, "You aren't a vampire."

“No.” Cora giggles as she carefully peels the bandage off my shoulder. "I'm a fae, but my mate is a vampire. Havok. Our babies are probably the fairest-skinned little hellions you'll ever see."

"I bet they're beautiful.” I can't help but smile a little. "Are there more fae here? Frankie said her mate is your brother."

"He is, but Zan isn't fae. I'm the only one left. Well, me and my babies since they're half and half. My kind was wiped out a long time ago."

"I don't want to be rude or anything…” I cringe as she starts on the bandage by my spine. "But if Zan is your brother..."

She laughs again. "Hon, you don't ever have to worry about your words or questions with any of us. We are a very eclectic group and have all been through some shit.” Cora moves to the one on my side and begins schooling me on this clan I’ve stumbled into. "To summarize, I'm the only full blooded fae left, my babies the only ones beside me to have fae blood. My lovey is the only purebred vampire ever to exist. His parents were one of the rare mated pairs to consist of two vampires, even rarer since they were able to make him and bring him to term, and his brothers we often refer to are the four dragon shifters you mentioned to Frank. Andrej, the oldest dragon, is Havok’s best friend, and their parents adopted him about three hundred years ago just like my parents adopted Zan. Who is a demon, by the way,” she says as she snorts. "A demon who has a soul but still possesses the genetics to make him an asshole. Lovable, but an asshole.”

I turn to face her again before she gets to the gauze on my butt. "You have a demon, a purebred vampire, and a fae in your clan?"

She nods.

"And there are babies?"

Another nod.

"My gods..." Kentworth would consider this place a fucking goldmine. "What kind of babies?"

Cora's brow furrows. "Well, my twins. Andrej has two girls, although Daisy isn't a dragon. His mate is human but Lily has shown signs of favoring her dragon side already, and I believe Daisy's biological dad had shifter genes based on a few things I've seen. Henrich, the second oldest dragon, and his mate, Grace, are expecting their first baby very soon, and she could be a dragon or tiger. Kai and Posey—third oldest and our king and queen—are also pregnant and their boy will definitely be a dragon because they both are. Milos, the youngest, mated a human—Casey—and Opal could end up on the same path as Lily, but it's hard to say because she is a terror.” She giggles again. "I love her to pieces but it's hard to tell if she favors anything but Milos' insufferable qualities or her dragon genes. That's it for now on the baby front. Hank, Posey's dad, and his mate may end up giving her a baby brother or sister at some point, one that could be dragon or jaguar, but we'll see. Zan and Frankie want kids but it's up in the air for them, and Karel, well, he lost his mate and may not ever get to be a father. But he says his nephews are more than enough and he loves being a great-uncle to all our young. And Colt..." Cora looks at me with a soft smile. “No pups for him yet."

I'm not sure if my stomach is flipping because I'm relieved he hasn't had any babies with someone else—something that's rare to do because of the whole mate thing, but not impossible—or because he won't ever have any pups because he doesn't want me.

And what if he is with someone else? Someone that could give him those pups without my baggage, without our history?

Again, we have a hard time producing young with anyone that isn't our mate once we find them—with or without mating—but if Colton doesn't want me and found someone else to satisfy his needs both physically and emotionally, there is always the chance that he could still become a father. Something all shifters typically want because of the way our mentality works.

It's part of our genetic makeup to want to make babies, to have lots of young and build our own intimate pack within our much bigger one. And despite rejecting me, I'm sure Colton still wants that, it's natural, after all, and it doesn't have to be achieved with your fated mate if it can't be.

I look down as tears form along my lash line once again, then turn so Cora can finish removing my bandages. "And the outer circle?"

"Lots of babies. Colt's sister has five pups. Ronny is the oldest but his four younger siblings are between seven and thirteen. Most of the elders have grown kids and a lot of them have their own cubs or pups. Right now we're sitting just shy of fifty-five members total, and with the way things are going, our clan is going to double that in the next ten years or less.”

"I'm glad I got here when I did then.” Something I really mean despite the way my heart hurts over the unknown surrounding my mate. "Kentworth, the head of the facility I escaped from, would take every last person on the property. He's never had any kids to experiment on, never been able to find a dragon, and he probably has no idea that there's fae, let alone demons and a purebred vampire. He'd be all over your clan in a heartbeat."

"Which is exactly why you're going to tell us everything so we keep not only our clan safe, but rescue the others being held in Wyoming.” A small hand lands on my shoulder and I glance back at Cora. "You’re doing a great thing, Lark. Your bravery and determination are going to save so many lives, and your sacrifice will not go unappreciated. We are all grateful you're here, and Kai will be thrilled to have you in our clan."

Forcing a smile that is far from genuine, I nod then move closer to the tub and turn on the water.

"I'll let you shower in peace, but if you need anything just give a yell.” Cora opens the bathroom door, stopping briefly to look at me in a way that I can actually feel. "You won't need anymore bandages, your wounds are practically healed and probably just sore, and when you get out I'll have some more stew waiting for you. Food and sleep should take care of the rest of the healing process just fine."

Then, I'm alone.

I let the warm water run over my hand for a second before I step into the tub and turn on the shower, but as soon as I close the curtain, that's when I finally fall apart.

I sink to porcelain and let the water rain down on me while I cry, really cry, for the first time in years. You can't show weakness in the lab, can't let anyone see you vulnerable, because if you do, then you instantly become a target. It's been so long since I've cried, so long since I've let anything permeate the walls I had to build in order to survive, that I'm not sure how to process everything I'm feeling.

Relief. Joy.

Pain and fear.

Worry and hope.

I haven't had to feel anything but determined and unfazed for so long that all I can do is cry through each and every emotion that bubbles to the surface, each of them boiling over into a melting pot of shit I can't really sort through.

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