Page 44 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn
“Take your pick,” she murmured, back to blushing a pretty pink.
Ledger fell over his feet in his haste to look at what hung inside. He groaned in delight at the feel of the silky fabrics in bold colors that appealed to him. “Are these for sale?”
“Erm, yes I suppose so.”
He grinned at her, doing an internal happy dance along with the girls. “Do you think you have anything in here that would fit me?” he asked excitedly, going from one garment to the next, his pulse skipping at the gorgeous selection of shirts he was pawing at.
“Let me go lock the door to the shop,” she announced eagerly, “and we can see what you like.”
“Everything,” he replied to the empty room, tugging out several shirts that looked as if they’d float right over his protruding tummy.
The shittiness of the day was forgotten when Connie returned and said with confidence, “If you find something you want, I can alter it to fit, if you like.”
“Like… hell yeah.” What he held, he pushed into Connie’s hands. “Let’s start with these.” His credit card was already burning in his wallet in anticipation.
Chapter Twenty
Thorn
“Are you sure you wish to continue this meeting, Thorn?” Hartly Lambert, the fourth, was one of their oldest clients and should have had all of Thorn’s undivided attention.
He didn’t, when all Thorn could think about was how upset Ledger was. He’d remained tuned to him, waiting for Ledger’s next outburst. “I apologise Hartly, my mate is…” he didn’t know how to explain it without feeling he was betraying Ledger in some way by calling him irrational. Despite him being exactly that, from what Ottie had explained when he’d come to get him earlier to ‘rescue Ledger’.
“A pregnant mate is difficult at the best of times, but I suppose with your mate being a divergent and not a vampire, it would be more…tricky.”
Thorn prickled at the word ‘tricky’. Ledger wasn’t tricky at all, and he said so. “Ledger is expecting twins,” he added, feeling he needed to justify what Ledger was going through. “I’d say that gives him the right to feel a little out of sorts while his body adapts.”
The stiffness in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by the hard eyed stare Hartly directed at him. “My mistake,” he replied snottily, shifting in his seat, looking to rise.
“Well, yes. Now shall we continue?” A part of him wanted the old vampire to say no, despite knowing that would not make good business sense and would damage their reputation. Something they had worked hard to establish over the centuries. Hartly held a prominent position within the vampire community and, unfortunately, many listened to him. They didn’t need the business, but it would make things difficult for them and Ledger when they attended any vampire gatherings. It didn’t happen often, but often enough to make it an issue if he pissed off Hartly.
The vampire settled back into his seat, though not looking at all pleased to have done so. “Are you sure you have time?”
At the rebuke, Thorn kept his thoughts to himself. “Of course.” He sat forward and worked the mouse to open the folder with all Hartly’s information in.
Two hours later, Thorn felt exhausted from maintaining a polite façade as Hartly had waffled on about his family once their business dealing were complete. The only positive was that Thorn had managed to ask a few questions about vampire birthing’s when Hartly had pulled up pictures of the newest member of his coven, his great, great, great, great, great, great-granddaughter. He’d been a little more forthcoming than Thorn had expected.
“As I say, the biting ritual is crucial for you to seal your bond to the children and your dhampir. He must bite you as the first child is born.”
That wasn’t so bad…
“I suppose you’ll have to use your brothers for the birthing?” Hartly stated flippantly as he rose when Thorn did his mind on bonding, signalling it was time to leave.
Thorn jerked his gaze to Hartly. “What do you mean?” he asked cautiously.
He gave him an arched look that suggested the question was ridiculous. “Your brothers. They’ll need to be present at the birth, unless you’ve asked your sister to return from her travels?”
“I’m sorry… I don’t understand.” Thorn developed a worrying tickle at the back of his throat.
Hartly gave him a pitying smile. “You will need their thrall to keep your mate calm while the babies eat their way into the world. I’m told it’s a very painful experience, and as you have an omega mate,unheard of in vampire circles, I suspect it will most definitely be something your mate will struggle with, if he copes at all.” Back was the flippant tone. “Your brothers, I’m sure, will be up to the task, though.”
His tone implied something completely different, but Thorn was too busy having yet another freakout, a now familiaroccurrence, that he barely had the wherewithal to respond and say his goodbyes as Hartly left.
In the blink of an eye, both Calvert and Dacian were there in the doorway. “What the fuck!” Dacian ground out furiously.
“Was he joking?” Calvert gasped. “He has to be joking.”
“No… I don’t think he was. It all makes a sick kind of logic.” Thorn’s legs gave way, and he slumped into his seat.
