"Blood Bound"

2011 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Chapter 8

"Mother, what in the hell are you doing in my room?" Leo demanded.  First off, he was pissed because she had taken liberties to enter his personal sanctuary without asking. Secondly, how dare she question what his motives are to begin with.  He was a grown man for crying out loud, not some insolent child that needed to be told what to do.

"I came in here to talk to you Leonardo.  It's been so long since we have just sat down and talked and look at what I find," she stated waving her hand at the bed.  "You have one of those in your bed," she added curling her nose up in clear distaste of the entire scene.

Leo stepped up to the foot of the bed and took a protective stance; hiding Shelby from his mother's vicious glare.  He was furious with the callous way that his mother had insulted his bride to be.  It has been well over a decade since the last time that she had wanted to just "talk" as she put it. Now was most definitely not the time. 

 "You may want to mind your tongue, mother dear, " Leo drawled out the words ever so slowly.  He was forcing himself to rein in his temper, reminding himself that this was in fact his mother. Holding her stare captive he then added, "Shelby is my soon to be bride and in turn, your soon to be daughter in law.  She will have your respect or else."

Isabella Risso gasped in shock.  Covering her mouth with a white gloved hand, she could not believe what Leo had just told her.  "No," she whispered suddenly stricken by the idea that her baby boy had taken up with a measly human.  Isabella tried to take a step to the side in order to try and see if there was anything particularly special about the invalid that laid in his bed but Leo stood firm in his place and would not allow her even the minuscule of glimpses.  

Frustrated, she dropped her hands to her side and stared back up at her son.  He was so tall and so handsome, almost the exact mirror image of her late husband.  Straightening her spine and putting back on her regal mask of elegance and poise she stated,  "No, it can't be.  I will not allow you to consort with the likes of that.  You are a Risso- Leonardo, a Count of the highest order."

Leo narrowed his steely gaze on his mother.  His control had finally snapped and he began to stalk forward in her direction.  No one, least of all his mother, was going to tell him who he could and could not choose as a life partner.  This was his decision and his decision alone.  Fate had brought his precious Shelby to him and for once in his life he was following his own  path.  Family name and Legacy be damned.  This was about what Leo wanted.

"Mother," Leo spoke tightly, grinding his back molars, "You have no say in the matter.  She is mine and I have declared her as my life partner."

Her eyes widened.  "You can't do that," Isabella whined sounding desperate now.  She stepped forward and grabbed her sons hand, willing him to see her point of view.  This was just wrong..  "Look Leo," She said and turned her gaze towards the fragile figure in the bed.  Shelby was sleeping dreamlessly away oblivious to the ongoing discussion in the room.

Leo turned towards the bed and couldn't help but to smile as his dark Angel accepted the conversion.  Other than the one time that she awakened everything seemed to be going as it should be.

Isabella spoke,  pulling his attention from his lovely bride back to her.  "She is but a human.  Even with you gifting her with immortality Leonardo, she can never be like us.  She will be no more important in our world that Ric is.  A servant to your needs, another food source.  If you are so hell bent on keeping her, then keep her as a pet.  Just don't bind yourself to this....this creature."   

Leo closed his eyes and reminded himself that the lady beside him was his mother for the second time in so many minutes.  She was the one that gave birth to him and it would do him no good to cause her bodily harm.  He clenched his fists tightly by his side and took several deep breaths.

"Mother, this is the last time I am going to say this to you.  Shelby is my partner, my equal.  As soon as the conversion is complete we will be married.  Either get used to it now or you can leave."  The way that he said the words brokered no arguments.  Isabella could see the resolve on his face but it didn't stop her from trying again.

"But, but what about Tatiana?" she asked sounding forlorn. Isabella had plans, big plans.  That was the whole reason for her coming up here in the first place.  Tatiana and Leonardo were the perfect match for each other.  Both true born and from upstanding families, their wedding would be the social event of the year.  

Leo snorted, now it all made perfect sense to him.  His mother wanted Tatiana and him together. "Mother, Stop!" He told her holding up his hand when she began to protest.  "My future lies with Shelby and no other.  You better start getting used to that fact whether you like it or not.  She is mine and that is the last time that I am going to tell you."

A small mewling sound came from the bed.  Leo's attention went directly to Shelby and he cursed when he saw her thrashing her head from side to side.  It was long past time for her to feed and he had lost sight of that fact by arguing with his mother.  Unbuttoning his shirt he continued to speak, "Look, I need to tend to my future bride.  Stay if you want or leave but let it be known now, I will not have you treating my Shelby any different than you would treat Arneaux or Giva's life partners."

Isabella stared hard back at Leo.  There was no way in hell that she would ever accept this fiend with open arms.  There had to be a way to convince Leo otherwise.  Tatiana was very beautiful and a much better match for Leo.  Isabella had already come to think of her as a beloved daughter in law. Over the last month the two of them had bonded and even gone as far to look at wedding gowns and venues for the big event.  All they needed now was the groom to agree to the wedding.   

Leo ignored his mothers stare.  With his shirt now off he sat on the bed and drew his sweet Shelby into his arms.  If this was what heaven was like, Leo mused, then he would be content to just sit here for the rest of eternity and hold her in his arms.  

Shelby's moans become more audible and her head started to turn more wildly.  She needed sustenance now.  

Without a moment of hesitation Leo lifted his hand, extended a large talon like nail and sliced it across his chest.  The blood welled up there instantly and that was when he finally lifted his head and met his mother stare with an equally hard one of his own.  "I will be busy for the next two days and I do not expect to be disturbed.  Are we clear mother?"

Isabella's gaze drifted to the frantic Shelby and a frown appeared on her face, "Son, we can-"

"NO!" Leo bellowed, having already heard more than enough.  "No disturbances whatsoever.  Clear?"

Isabella let out a long sigh and nodded her head.  "Fine," she snapped "Have it your way then," and turned on her heel, fast walking out of Leo's room as quickly as possible.  The mere thought of that human drinking from her son's rich blood was repulsive enough.  There was no way that she could have stomached actually witnessing it.

Once she was out of the room, the door slammed closed behind her.  The sound was deafening as it echoed along the stony corridor.  This was by no means over in her eyes.  One way or the other, she was going to get Tatiana and Leo together, even it meant that mommy dearest was going to have to take out the trash, she was going to make it happen.

After Leo's mother left, he sank back against the headboard and brought Shelby with him.  When he brought her up to his chest, where the blood was already dribbling down his stomach she instinctively went searching for the source.  Her little tongue darted out and licked up the center of his chest setting off a multitude of sensations in his body.  "Mercy me Sweet, the things that you do to me," he murmured lowly as he held tightly to her.

Finally, after several long torturous moments Shelby licked her way up his bare chest and latched on to the cut that Leo had made above his heart.  Like a newborn babe she drank in his essence greedily.  With each pull that she made, Leo felt himself self getting more aroused by the second. Leo concentrated on keeping his breathing regular and contented himself with just holding his sweet close to him but the longer that it lasted, the harder it was to control and by the end of the feeding Leo was so painfully aroused that he couldn't move a muscle.  

Through a mental command he compelled his sweet angel to lick the wound on his chest so that it would close and heal properly. She obeyed him easily enough and then laid her head against his chest, closing her eyes and falling back into the deep sleep of the undead.

For two days, Leo woke Shelby religiously for the required feedings and during the in between times he just held her to him with all the tenderness and care in the world.  The sun rose and the sun set as per usual but Leo never left Shelby's side.  His one feeding from the balding man was more than enough to get him through the final two days of her conversion and at this point he was not willing to leave her side for even a second.

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Now today, Leo could barely contain himself.  Today was the day that she would wake for good, newly turned and fully converted.  No longer a weakling but one in the same like him and they would be able to walk side by side as life partners as predators of the night.  Doing as they please without a soul to stop them. 

With a big smile on his face, Leo laid on his side with her nestled comfortably in his arms anxiously waiting for her to open her eyes.  Unable to stop himself he traced the lines of her face with the tip of his finger.  He would never get enough of just merely touching his beautiful bride.  Her skin was so soft, so smooth and luminescent that when he lightly brushed it he felt like he was being gifted with the most secret of treasures.  

His dear sweet Shelby.  How magnificent she truly was.

Shelby felt the hand on her face before she opened her eyes.  The touch was very familiar to her but yet she couldn't place it.  How long have I been asleep, she wondered idly, not quite ready to open her eyes.  One thing was for certain, she felt different.  Renewed in a sense.  She felt like she could run a triathlon and not even spare a breath as she crossed over the finish line.  Weird.

Slowly she began to open her eyes and it struggled to make them focus clearly.  She blinked several times and the first thing that she noticed was how much clearer and sharper everything seemed to be.  What is going on with me? She silently asked herself. 

Then a smiling face came into her line of vision.  It was a handsome face, one with dark eyes, dark as midnight black and hair so black silky looking that it reminded her of Raven's wings.  

At first neither of them spoke.  She studied him while trying to place exactly who he was.  It was he that spoke first, "Hello, my sweet.  How are you feeling?"

His voice was baritone deep and simply floated over her and through her, causing her tummy to do little nervous flips.  

Then it all came back to her in a torrential downpour.  He was the knight of her childhood dreams, finding him in her apartment, waking up in his bed, his fangs, her fangs, drinking blood.  It was like a living nightmare that she couldn't seem to wake from.  

"Sweet, what's wrong?  I can hear your heart beat and it's going too fast?" Leo took a moment to search her face for any clues that something may have gone wrong with the conversion when he instantly started to pick up the change in her demeanor.  He lifted his hand to cup her cheek but Shelby smacked at it and like as nimble as a cat she jumped out of the bed.

Leo sat up and watched his pretty little bride.  She looked like a fawn caught in the middle of head lights.  "Sweet.  Shelby, my love.  Calm down, no one is going to hurt you," he told her as smoothly as possible.  He could smell her fear and it cut him to the bone to know that she feared him.

Shelby stood and took baby steps towards the door.  One thing raced through her mind.  She had to get out of this place and she had to get away from this man.  She glanced to the left and then to the right looking for any alternate escape routes but came up empty.  Her only option was the door.

"Shelby, I wouldn't do that if I was you," Leo warned seeing in her mind and knowing exactly what she was thinking.  They were definitely going to have to work on their communication issues.

Her head snapped back to his for a moment before she swung it back to the door.  She only had seconds to try and escape, it was now or never.  Holding her breath she turned and darted for the door, praying to any higher being that might be out there to give her an extra hand.

It was all for naught though.  As soon as Shelby reached the door knob; she felt his hard body pressing up against hers.  Strangely enough, it felt so good that she had to bite back the moan that was threatening to spill from her mouth.  Instead, she determinedly turned around in his arms and looked into those dark knowing eyes that seemed to see much more to her than she would want any man to see.  He flashed her a breathtaking grin and she did the one thing that any other sensible girl in her situation would obviously do.

She screamed blood murder.