Bled Dry (Vegas Vampires #3)(9)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Corbin stared at Carrick, disbelieving him. “There was a child? Who was the father?” He knew Carrick’s sister had been married to Donatelli, who was interested in vampire population growth, and who had been Carrick’s presidential opponent until he had suddenly dropped out of the race. But their marriage had been recent, only a few hundred years ago, he thought, not nine hundred.

“It doesn’t matter who he was, because he didn’t know about the child, and I know he’s no longer active in the Nation. I told you to reassure you about the baby, but I respect my sister’s privacy.”

“I understand. Thank you for sharing what you have.” It did reassure him, though he’d been certain his baby wouldn’t need blood once he had thought through the biological repercussions.

“What happened to your niece? Did she have a normal life span?”

Ethan shook his head. “I’m sorry to say that my niece took her own life as a young woman. She did it thoroughly, through decapitation.”

Corbin immediately regretted the question. “Good God, I am sorry, Carrick.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, me, too. So how many vampires have this gene?”

“Of the twenty percent of known vampires I have tested, only ten percent have the gene. So allowing for a margin of error, I would suggest between one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty vampires out of our population of ten thousand. Each of those men are capable of producing innumerable offspring with women who carry the gene. I am one of them. You are not.”

Carrick sank back in his chair, exhaling quickly. “Well, that’s a relief. It’s good to know I didn’t scatter a bunch of kids around over the centuries and not know I was the culprit.”

Corbin winced. “Reassuring for you.”

“Sorry.” Carrick made a face.

“Zat is all right. I am certain Brittany is the first woman to carry my child.” Because generally speaking, Corbin wasn’t intimate with women. He approached women, he charmed and flirted, he coaxed them into pleasure glamours and took their blood for research, but he did not seduce them wholly. Until Brittany.

“So what do you need me to do? How do we protect Brittany and the baby?”

This was the hard part, the dilemma that Corbin had turned around and around in his head because he didn’t like it. But it was necessary and he knew it.

“No one can know the father of Brittany’s baby is a vampire. Everyone must be led to believe she is having a baby with a mortal man, who has no interest in her or the child. Then the child is just a quarter of diluted vampire genetics, and nothing special. No one will care. Then later on, when I marry Brittany, the assumption will be that I am the stepfather, that we have fallen in love the normal way despite her carrying another man’s child, and that I will adopt her baby. That way I am physically present in their lives to protect them both.”

The thought that no one would know that she was having his child, his flesh and blood, really bothered him, but Corbin didn’t see that he had a choice.

Carrick’s eyebrow shot up. “Atelier… what the hell makes you think Brittany will agree to marry you just for protection?”

Well, he wasn’t, but surely she would see the logic in it. “She will want what is best for the child.”

“Is it really necessary? It seems a little drastic.”

“Yes, it’s necessary.” He was certain of it. “Do you know what they will do if they get ahold of this information? There are those who would raise this baby in a lab, testing its abilities, pushing the limits to see what he or she is capable of. The logical conclusions of this scientifically are that my child can lead a skilled team of scientists to the creation of a superrace, either through forced breeding or via cloning.”

Carrick’s face reflected the horror Corbin felt. “Oh, my God, this makes my head spin. It’s a scientific nightmare.”

“Zat is the double-edged sword, Carrick. In discovering how to reverse vampirism, I have also unearthed the means to propagate it.” Corbin swished the liquid in his glass. “Now after tonight, I must stay away from Brittany. No one must have reason to suspect that I am the baby’s father.”

“What are you going to tell her?”

“Nothing. I don’t want to frighten her. You will watch over her, yes? Keep her safe while I keep my distance?”

“Of course.”

Corbin trusted Carrick and his crew of vampire security guards to protect Brittany, though he would have preferred to be with her himself. But he was convinced this was the best way to keep her safe and blissfully unaware of the potentially horrific consequences if anyone knew the real situation. “Then I would prefer she not know the dangers. She’ll only worry.”

Carrick shook his head. “Women don’t like that, Atelier… it will turn around and bite you in the ass later. Besides, how do you know Brittany won’t run around telling everyone you’re the father?”

“She won’t.”

Because Corbin had a plan.

Ringo had a plan and it involved Kelsey cooperating with him. He pulled her onto his lap and gave her a smile.

She tried to shift away from him. “I’ll crush you! You’re still not healthy yet.”

He rolled his eyes. “Kels, you weigh like ten pounds. If your bony ass can crush me, I deserve to die.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Her lip quivered. “I don’t want you to die.”

“I’m not going to die.” Ever. He still had trouble adjusting to his vampire status, the knowledge that he was around for the long haul, but there was no doubt about it. It would take a lot to snuff him out.

“And is my butt really bony? Is it gross?” Perched on the couch next to him, she felt up her ass, patting and rubbing the seat of her extremely tight jeans.

Ringo felt a hard-on stir to life. “Not at all, baby. But stand up, let me check it out.”

Kelsey did, sticking her very tight booty just inches from his face. She peered back over her shoulder, clearly worried, hands still gliding around down there. Damn, she was so clueless, and yet she made him so hot.

“Very nice.” Ringo put his hands over hers and squeezed her firm flesh. Her eyes widened in sudden understanding.

“You did that on purpose,” she said, frowning at him even as she bent her knees slightly and rocked against his grip.

“Yep.” Ringo bit her ass, letting his fangs puncture the denim and nip at her skin.