He growls, smacking his lips and dragging the back of his sleeve over his mouth.
“I think most of the world is aware of my…preferences, when it comes to partners in my bed,” he says with a little chuckle. He finally turns, and he seems to grow as whatever plan he’s come up with sits just under the surface, waiting to be revealed. “Producing an heir is a more complicated matter for the likes of me.”
The cold in my body spreads to my hands as they go numb. I feel my eyes widen. Dread begins clawing it’s way up my stomach.
“But thankfully, modern medical practices make this a much more pleasant experience for me, rather than having to go against my nature.” The smile curls on his lips.
A door opens behind me, and a man steps out, wearing a lab coat, a grim expression on his face.
“I told you this was gonna’ be bad, Elle,” Michael says in a low voice, looking at me with so much regret in his voice.
I swallow again, but my mouth is dry. My hands begin to tremble just slightly. “What are you saying, Charles?”
The smile on his face can only be described as evil. He crosses his hands in front of him, his stance wide and cocky. “I’m saying, with the help of Dr. Gethrow here, we’re going to conceive an heir.”
My entire body feels numb. I can’t move. Can’t breathe.
“I’m saying, we’re going to artificially inseminate you, and you, Elle Ward, enemy of my House, will pay for the sins of your family with your body,” Charles says as his voice grows low and quiet. “You are going to carry and give birth to my heir. And when the child is born, I will cut off your head, and have it delivered to the front steps of the House of Conrath.”
A small sound slips past my lips, a squeak or a cry. But I’m absolutely frozen.
“Damn you, Charles,” Michael hisses, his eyes glowing brilliantly through the dim space. “You sick, twisted bastard. May you burn in hell for this.”
“Perhaps,” Charles says with an amused smile as he looks back over his shoulder at him. “Little is known about the afterlife for vampires. Hell, heaven, limbo, nothing at all. Thankfully my kind gets a very, very long life before we have to worry about it.”
My hands flutter to my stomach, and I look down at it.
This is a nightmare. This can’t be real.
“Dr. Gethrow,” Charles says. “How about we get started? Time is of the essence.”
The two women grab me roughly once more and drag me toward the room the doctor stepped from.
Suddenly the breath rips in and out of my chest in harsh gasps. My eyes wildly search for an escape route, for any way to fight back.
“Elle!” Michael yells, reaching through the bars toward me. “I’m sorry!”
I’m pushed over the threshold into the room.
In horror, I look around.
A stainless steel table sits in the middle of the room. Leather straps are affixed to the sides of it—restraints. Around the room are countertops with various equipment on them. Needles and microscopes.
It’s a fully stocked lab.
“No,” I breathe, shaking my head as my eyes go wide. “No, please!”
“A sister for a sister,” Charles chuckles as he follows us inside. The two women bruise my arms as they shove me onto the table, pressing my head back as the doctor straps me down. “But first, you shall help ensure my immortality.”
“Please,” I beg as the first tears spring into my eyes and break free. “Don’t do this.”
But the door closes, and Charles locks us all inside.
The House Of Royals Series
The Fall Of Angels Trilogy
The Eden Trilogy
The Mccain Saga
What I Didn’t Say
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Keary Taylor is the USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.
To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.
Keary Taylor, Garden of Thorns
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