Blake, The Vampire King

Blake and his loyal companions went to join their mates in the gardens moments after releasing the video on the net.

Maria was talking animatedly with the girls, a wide grin splitting her face. She was happy, at ease. He could feel it through their bond. She was the closet to being normal again... if only she could remember. If only she could love him anew! "Hey guys," Kelly greeted, her eyes meeting Blake's briefly. "What have you been up to?"

Maria startled and the grin slipped off her face momentarily.

Ace went to Anastasia, hugging her from behind and Blake almost envied the ease with which he did.

Seconds later, he felt ire that wasn't his own coursing through his veins. "Maria! No!" He exclaimed just as his mate's eyes turned black and blood erupted on Ace's shoulder.

"What is it?" She asked in a growl, oblivious to what she had done.

Her eyes returned to normal, and she looked surprised to see Ace holding his bloodied shoulder while Ana hovered worriedly and teary-eyed above him. "What happened to you -Ace, was it?"

"Some things never change... memories or no memories," the young vampire commented a little bit bitterly.

Maria turned her head in Blake's direction and he plastered a tight smile on his face. "Aren't you a judgy little thing?" He teased her and she pursed her lips.

"What did I do?" She almost whined.

"You don't really approve of their union. You see Anastasia, our daughter, as too young, and Ace much too old for her..."

"But what's that got to do with what happened to him?" She cut in, obviously unaware of her own powers.

They should have warned her about them, Blake reasoned. "You blew his shoulder. That's your special ability -blowing things up from the distance."

"And you seem fond of the idea of doing it to me," Ace joked.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She rose to her feet, eyes filling up with regret and tears at the same time.

"It's not exactly your fault," Harry told her, taking pity on her it would seem.

Blake tilted his head at everyone present and they began to leave, all save for his daughter who looked a little bit angrily at her mother.

"Scram, Ana," he told his daughter half-jokingly half-seriously.

When all of them left to their respective rooms no doubt, Blake put a comforting hand on Maria's shoulder and tried to sooth away her worries with sweet nothings.

The dam broke and she was soon hiding her face in his chest, clutching his shirt and dampening it with her tears. Every now and then, she hiccupped, and he carried on telling her the same sweet nothings over and over again, and patting her head softly.

**********

When she sobered up and the tears subsided, they headed to the room they called their own.

"Blake," Maria called out in a hoarse voice.

"Yes?"

"Why won't you call me cara?"

The question was rather confusing, startling and even a little bit maddening.

"You're the one who forbid me," he simply told her.

"You're not exactly one to follow the rules though, according to what they say," she countered right back.

"But your wishes, whatever they might be, are my command," he said calmly, a small smile stretching his lips.

He could already see the rejection coming. He could feel it. There was this wall between them that prevented her from reciprocating.

"What if I told you I want you to let me go?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

He sucked in an unneeded breath in a rather loud and slightly embarrassing gasp. "I will," he said after a moment of pregnant silence, his smile turning broken. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Want me to let you go?" He asked, feeling like he was about to suffocate. He was inhaling her scent from where she was laying on the bed next to him, but it seemed like it was not enough to calm and appease him. Suddenly, the possibility of losing her became a reality. And he had to mentally shake his head.

"No. Just a thought."

"Then, by all means stop thinking and feel," he growled. "Feel this spark where our hands touch," he said as he intertwined their fingers together. He looked into her beautiful serene face, "see my eyes darken with lust for you, only you." And then, he finally brought her hand to his crotch, "and feel the way I harden at the mere sight of your tousled hair, at the mere smell of your intoxicating scent."

She hung her head in shame when her hand met the evidence of his desire, and wanted to do nothing more than recoil, but she found herself squeezing him instead. "Blake!" She gasped.

"Yes, Maria?"

"It's too soon," she let out breathlessly.

"I know," he admitted and released her hand, disgusted with himself for having entertained such ideas, for trying to force things that didn't come naturally.

"No, clearly, you don't," she interjected almost angrily. "For it's too soon on one hand but I don't want to die a V either."

He chuckled humorlessly. "Believe me, sweetheart, you're no virgin."

She glared at him. "You had fun defiling me, huh?"

"You wound me, my sweet little butterfly. You make it sound as if you didn't have any fun," he retorted immediately, not missing a beat.

"Who knows whether I had? I have no recollection of the past decade and half," she countered.

"I can remind you how it feels to be loved by me, if only you'd allow me," he told her wistfully, a little bit of hope blooming in his chest and showing in his tone of voice. "I'm not stopping you, am I?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

And with that he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a feverish kiss.