Tall, Dark & Lonely (Pyte/Sentinel 1)

“I will.” He was already up the stairs and heading towards their room. One thing he didn’t need was a Sentinel involved in this. The council knew and was turning a blind eye in his case.

They did not approve of changes. He swore up and down months ago that he would not change anyone else. He only had one person to change into a Pyte. After that his blood would not be as potent and anyone he changed after that would end up being just a slightly stronger vampire. An army of stronger vampires was a real nightmare for the council.

Now that he was expecting a baby they were ecstatic. They wanted to bring the mother-to-be into their ranks so they could get their influence on the baby early on. As it turned out this would be the fourth infant Pyte they brought into their ranks. There were three boys in Ireland who were already under their protection.

Their parents were Sentinels. Out of a freak accident with a vampire attack the female Sentinel who was pregnant at the time was turned into a Pyte. It never happened before in the history of vampires. A Sentinel always died from the attempted change, but the fetuses inside her womb somehow filtered her blood and turned her.

That’s how he learned how to change Madison. The female years later turned her mate when he was dying. She wasn’t sure at the time of how to do it, but she took a chance. It was the same as a normal vampire change with the exception that it lasted longer and they had to feed from each other at the same time. The key was tasting his blood in hers.

“Hold her down!” he heard Eric yell from the hallway.

“Are you crazy? You hold her down!” Chris yelled back.

“Shit,” Ephraim muttered as he ran into the room, throwing the door open.

Chapter 25

“I’m going to kill him!” Madison screamed in his direction. She was standing by their bureau holding a lamp in her hand. Her eyes were glowing red and a set of long white fangs hung in her mouth. She’d never looked more beautiful to him.

“Stop throwing things!” Eric snapped. That got Ephraim’s attention. He looked around the room and noticed there was broken glass on the floor along with picture frames, books, CD’s, movies and his clothes. She was tearing his clothes out of the drawers.

Never a good sign.

The vase went flying in his direction. His hand shot out and caught it easily. He placed it on a table and stepped forward. Eric and Chris were each hovering in front of a door. Chris blocked her exit through the bathroom and Eric was behind him in front of the door he just passed through. They were probably hoping she wouldn’t realize she could just jump from the window and not hurt herself, best not to tell her just yet.

“Look what you did to me!” she screamed.

“What? I think you look good. A mix between a vampire and a really hot model,” Chris said.

She growled in his direction. Damn it, she was turning him on and now was not the time. He had to force Ephraim Jr. to stand down.

Her face turned swiftly in his direction with eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding me? This is turning you on?” She gestured with disgust to her face.

Eric chuckled behind him. He forgot she would be able to smell every hormonal change in his body.

“I did just tell you that you look hot,” Chris said offhandedly.

She screamed in frustration.

“So not helping, Chris,” Eric said.

“Did he tell you what he did to me? Do you see this? That bastard did this! Look!”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Yes, we’ve already established that he did this to you. No need to keep pointing out the obvious.”

She grabbed a handful of Ephraim’s boxers and threw it at Chris who ducked out of the way.

“Damn it, Madison!” Chris said as he tugged a pair of Mickey Mouse boxers off his head.

“Baby, I know you’re upset. I don’t blame you. Can we just sit down and talk about this?” Ephraim stepped towards her, trying to get her to calm down.

The rest of his boxers flew in his direction.

“Talk? Now you want to talk about this? Why didn’t you do that before you forced this on me? I hate you! I hate you!”

“I told you she’d be pissed,” Chris pointed out.

“How very perceptive of you,” Ephraim said dryly.

“Well, I did.”

Madison turned on Chris so suddenly that she had the boy stumbling back against the wall just from her glare. “You knew he was going to do this to me? You did nothing to stop him?”

“No, of course not!” He frowned. “Well, I just assumed he would change you at some point, but I swear he didn’t tell me or I would have talked to you, I swear. Madison, you know how much I care about you. He told me afterwards when he asked me to help take care of you and feed you blood while he went after-“

“You fed me blood?” she shrieked.

“Er, yes?” Chris licked his lips nervously.

“Oh my god, this just keeps getting worse and worse!”

“That’s what you eat now. I assumed you knew that,” Chris said.

She threw socks at the boy.

“Chris, perhaps now isn’t the time to help,” Ephraim said.

“Well, I don’t know why she’s mad at me! You’re the one who did this to her!” he snapped.

“I hate you, Ephraim!” she screamed.

“Yeah, I got that.” He sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into his hands.

“You should have asked me!”

“Why didn’t you ask her? I mean I knew you had to change her, but I think it would have gone easier for everyone concerned if you’d asked,” Eric pointed out.

“I panicked. I wasn’t thinking straight when I did it. I was so scared…I…I…just couldn’t think past making sure she and the baby were okay.”

“Whoa, what do you mean you knew he had to change me? Why did you assume that?”

Eric ran a hand over his hair and sat down in the chair by the door. “You’re pregnant with his child.”

“So?”

“So, if it’s a Pyte in your womb, which I am guessing it is because he didn’t try dragging you off for an abortion, you no longer have a choice. The baby is set in your womb and protected. You can’t have an abortion now.”

“I don’t want an abortion! This is my baby and I wouldn’t hurt it!”

“Ours,” Ephraim said evenly. “The baby isn’t going to be human. Are you going to reject it?” he asked with a casual tone when inside he felt his heart twist with dread.