NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56: A very special party for Melania’s birthday
We're a few minutes from midnight on Melania's thirteenth birthday. It's a relief that Brianne still hasn't shown — I'm beginning to think I should let her go and stop obsessing. Probably, being a Monster Reaper, she got some assignment that forced her to move away and leave her life in New York. If that's the case, I'd be genuinely sorry — I was actually starting to like her despite the constant tailing, and that fantasy of sleeping with her now looks like it will stay just that: a fantasy.
Shit... I'm about to be a father; I shouldn't even be entertaining this. What kind of man would betray his pregnant partner just to have a fling? Then again, I'm a vampire, not exactly just a man... jokes aside, I need to straighten out my head.
Anyway, speaking of which...
«Is it possible for a human woman to get pregnant by a vampire?» I ask John Hawkley.
Yeah — him. We're in the sprawling garden of his estate on the far edge of New York, and Morgana's here with me. It's basically a private get-together for her thirteenth — John even had a gazebo waiting with snacks, wine, and beer. The man is a prankster — if he weren't such a manipulative asshole, he might almost be likeable. Alongside the three of us are John's two trusted goons — Frank Callhan and Oliver Segel, who in his female guise is starting to seriously undermine my virility. Then there's a man I've never seen before: about thirty, tall and ripped, long black hair falling over his shoulders, unnaturally handsome. The sort of guy you think, if I were a woman I'd sleep with him without even asking his name. All I know is his name: Raelos.
There's a reason for all this: the arrival of Melania's father. I'm not about to let that man pick Melania up like some fast-food burger you collect when it's ready. For one, her family would suffer terribly, and for another... I won't deny I quite enjoy her company. She's a succubus, so sex is often her first thought, but once she's satisfied she's outgoing — strolling around New York with her or getting wasted at Elaine's is genuinely enjoyable.
But a problem quickly came up. How the hell was I supposed to stop her father from taking her? I don't know how strong he is, but judging by Melania, there's a real chance he could wipe me out in an instant. Still, someone like John and his men might be able to push him back. Of course, everything has a price with John — Melania's services.
He's a bastard, sure... but I had no choice but to cut a deal — otherwise her father would have taken her to N'Raeth, while staying with John keeps her just a few miles from Midtown. I picked the lesser evil. Of course, Melania agreed. I expected more resistance from her given her wish to reunite with her father and abandon human monotony, but after a long private talk with John she changed her mind — who knows what he promised.
«You want to know if a vampire can make a human woman pregnant? Oh my, Ren, did you land yourself in trouble?» he teases, but my serious look tells him I'm not joking. «Anyway — yes. Humans surprisingly can breed with most races of N'Raeth: vampires, succubi and incubi, elves — you name it. Incredible, right? Beings from different dimensions producing offspring. And it happens more often than you'd imagine; endangered races sometimes take young humans to revive their lines.»
In short, humans are little more than whores to the folk of N'Raeth — makes me all the more glad I was born a vampire.
«You recruited a fine succubus, my compliments, Velshekar,» Raelos says, gently stroking Melania's hair while she sits on his lap.
Since she saw him, Melania hasn't left his side — she settled on his lap and hasn't stopped being stroked. It's clear she's dying to be fucked by that handsome bastard, and who could blame her — next to him I feel like trash. I'll admit seeing her so tame and cuddly in his arms irritates me more than it should. Maybe because an hour ago I was her favorite, and now I've been replaced.
Hold on... he called him Velshekar? It's not the first time I've heard John called that — even that strange ebony-skinned guy who turned into a tree used the name. Odd...
«If a connoisseur like you says so, I'm flattered. I must thank my dear Ren Lazar — he handed her to me on a silver platter. I'll take good care of her; she'll soon be the flagship of my organization,» John replies, sitting opposite Raelos and sipping red wine.
«Velshekar, I expect you'll show the same regard for my little Ana. I'm busy and can't raise her, so I entrusted her to you — don't make me regret it, or you'll answer for it,» Raelos hisses at John with a threatening look, still stroking Melania as she curls on his lap like a kitten being petted.
«Don't worry, my dear friend,» John replies with a shrug and a faint, nervous smile. «She couldn't be in better hands, I assure you.»
Weird — John isn't the kind to let himself be browbeaten without a reply. Who the hell is Raelos? He's clearly no fool given the liberties he takes. One thing's for sure: he must be absurdly powerful, summoned specifically for Melania's father's arrival.
«Who would've thought you'd come looking for us,» Oliver — now Olivia — says with a mocking grin. Her voice is so sweet and sensual I have to remind myself she's also a man so I don't get hard just from hearing her. «You must be desperate to make a deal with the boss despite your endless refusals. Consider yourself lucky the boss helped you and didn't demand your services alongside Melania's.»
«He did it because he knew if he'd asked, I would have refused,» I reply without even looking at her, downing another mug of beer. I'm not bluffing — Melania's safety is important, but never as much as Isabelle's, and I won't risk dragging her into crime, especially now that there's a life growing inside her.
The deep, ominous toll of the massive clock — like a small bell tower on John's villa — cuts through our conversation. It's midnight.