Divergence: The Vampire Queen

Sleep

Marcello shook his head a little; he was getting distracted. His eyes were staring at her various assets, and he realised he must have been for quite a few moments. He forced himself underwater for a moment and then resurfaced, as if he had been cleaning his hair.

Natalia found him adorable when he stared. It made her feel wanted, and she wanted to feel wanted. "It's fair that you weren't waiting for me. How could you have known you'd even find the love of your life? And even with my good breeding and limited access to men, it was hard to wait eighteen years... let alone over one hundred..." she laughed. "But I'm glad I did. I can't imagine anything could've compared to you." She looked into his eyes for a moment, dreamily love-struck.

When she gave him that signature enamored stare, it made him feel so loved. She cared about him for more than power, wealth, or his ability to turn her. When she said that no one else compared, it made him smile wider. She could have had her dream human husband and served him like a proper lady until they both died. Yet she still preferred the life she had with him. There was no greater compliment.

"I assume you've done everything there is to do, and things I would've never even thought of!" She giggled. "If you're so potent and virile, did you never worry you'd end up with a vampire baby? Or did you not sleep with humans? Or, did you just assume it would kill her?" They were all very viable options.

"I, err, never slept with a human. My parents made it very clear that if I did, they would have her killed for risk of pregnancy. Our line is the purest and hence we create the strongest of offspring. We can't just have them running unchecked and unknown, revealing our power." It was partially true. Everyone he had slept with had either been turned or killed shortly after. He only made the mistake of sleeping with a human once, and the punishment of watching her brutally die was enough to put him off doing it again.

"And what actually happens if a girl is born?" She knew he'd given her some sort of hand waving explanation. "While it's true she might be loved, she's useless from a line continuation perspective. She can't carry life. She can't hold a title. She could never be married off for an alliance. All the political possibilities are... not possible, and if her mother is turned, she can't give another child. Has anyone actually survived two pregnancies?"

Her next questions were much harder to answer. He stared into her eyes intensely as he tried. "I'll be completely honest with you, Nat. If it is a girl and you turn, then in the future I will have to try again to conceive a son. If you do not turn, then there is only one case a long time ago of someone conceiving a second. Most die trying and get replaced with another wife. Which is why I made that promise to you."

In his heart of hearts, he really wanted them to have a lovely healthy son and for her to be turned so they could live out their days as a happy family. Even if they had a girl, he would still want her to turn. So he asked her. "Have you had enough time to think about what you'd like to do after the child is born?"

She nodded. "If I'm close to death... turn me. If I'm not... wait." She said matter-of-factly. "If I can wait and experience being their mother—really being their mother—let him or her nurse from my breasts, feeling all the human things that go along with being a mother... I want to." There were tears in her eyes. "Once I've experienced that, then I'll join you. You can change me, but if I can, I just want a little while...to be me as their mom..." The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she tried to wipe them away.

"Sorry... I didn't... mean to get emotional..." only a few hours before she had been terrified of the child inside her. Now, she felt such a strong connection to it. She... loved it. So much had changed in such a short time, but she had always wanted to be a mother. The fact that her child would be different didn't change that.