Page 26 of John’s Yearning

John nodded at Cain and Faye, then walked outside. The mansion which housed the king and queen and their three offspring also contained quarters for the king’s guard, highly trained bodyguards whose job it was to make sure no harm came to the family.

Outside, several small cottages, all retrofitted to be vampire-proof, dotted the expansive grounds. A long, broad driveway led to a public road several miles away. Along this driveway, tents and stalls had been erected, as well as a stage and a dance floor. It looked more like a carnival than a birthday party. Staff members were milling about, arranging last minute items, while early guests were already arriving, parking their cars in a designated area. From there, they would be led to meet the birthday boys and girl, while security staff discretely scanned them for weapons.

John surveyed the area, sweeping his gaze over the arriving guests. Everything looked good. There were no problems he could detect. There rarely were. His staff was extremely well-trained and dedicated, and the guests had been pre-screened before invitations had been sent out.

His cell phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, and when he read the display, smiled. “Hey, my love,” he murmured, answering it. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling really well tonight,” Nicolette answered. “A bit hot, but otherwise fine. And I’m bored.”

He chuckled. “You are? Then why don’t you text the driver and ask him to bring you here? Faye was asking about you. And I’d love to steal a dance if I may.”

“I’m fat as a cow, John! You don’t want to dance with me.” There was a breathless quality to her voice, which reminded him of how she breathed whenever they made love. She’d sounded just like that when he’d made love to her two days ago, with her laying on her side to take pressure off her back and him behind her, gently thrusting in and out of her while he caressed her belly and her heavy breasts. “I’m too fat to dance.”

He quickly glanced around. Nobody was on the terrace that surrounded the house. Nevertheless, he lowered his voice. “You’re not too fat to make love, so if you won’t dance with me, will you at least let me make love to you tomorrow morning?”

A soft chuckle came through the phone. “Oh, John. I honestly don’t know how you can still find me attractive when I look like a balloon waddling around on two sticks.”

He threw his head back and laughed at her description of herself. Then he murmured, “Don’t you know how hard it makes me just thinking of you with your big belly and your heavy tits, and your gorgeous ass? If I weren’t so concerned about your and the baby’s health, I’d be fucking you like crazy every single day until you deliver our son. So, get your sweet ass into that limousine and come over here so I can at least put my arms around you and pretend to be civilized.”

“I love you, John,” she said. “I’ll be there in an hour, just need to put some decent clothes on.”

“I love you, too.”

~ ~ ~

The arriving guests, a few complications regarding the planned fireworks, and a mix-up in the food tent kept him so busy that the next time John looked at his watch, an hour and a half had passed since he’d spoken to Nicolette. Had she taken longer to get changed into something suitable for a party, or had they run into traffic? He couldn’t help but worry. He always did when he was away from her.

He called Nicolette’s cell phone. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. He disconnected the call without leaving a message, and instead searched for the number of the driver he’d arranged for her. It rang once before the call was connected.

“Hello.”

“Dean, it’s John Grant. I tried my wife’s phone. Is she with you?”

There was the sound of the car’s engine, then the driver’s voice again, “Oh, hi, Mr. Grant. We’re on our way. Sorry for the delay.”

“John.” He heard Nicolette’s voice coming over the speaker in the car. “Sorry, I must have forgotten my cell at home. I was trying on every dress I have, because nothing fit.”

Just like he’d suspected. There was nothing to worry about. “Well, at least you’re on your way now.”

“We’re only about ten minutes away. We’ll be turning off the freeway in a second,” she said. “There’s our exit already.”

“Great!” Then he added, “Thanks, Dean. I’ll see you both shortly.”

He was about to disconnect the call, when he heard Dean’s voice again. “Oh fuck!” Then a high-pitched scream, coming from Nicolette.

His blood chilled. “Nicolette!” he screamed into the phone. “What’s wrong? Dean? What’s going on?”

But his voice was drowned out by screeching tires, metal-slamming-into-metal, glass breaking.

“Noooooo!”

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was running, the phone still pressed to his ear. There was another sound, as if a large object was being slammed against metal or concrete, something hard, and then everything went silent.

“Nicolette!” But she didn’t answer him. Couldn’t, because the line was dead.

There was only one other way to connect to her. If she could hear him. Their telepathic bond, a bond only blood-bonded couples had.

As he ran to the parking lot, he sent his thoughts to her.