Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4)

Natalia woke to nausea. She felt frozen, unable to move in bed until she tasted bile. She bolted to the bathroom. Luckily, it had been Uri who last used the toilet and the seat was up allowing her to immediately stick her head into the toilet. She vomited yellow fluid.

Uri sat on the side of the tub and chuckled.

"Y... you think this is funny?” she said, breathing hard to catch her breath before she heaved again. “Urg,” she groaned as her stomach spasmed and she heaved

Uri waited until she was finished before he replied.

“A vision of loveliness. A naked woman puking in my toilet.”

She panted and glared at him.

“You've been with me for two weeks, now. You're right on schedule.”

Natalia couldn't speak as the next wave hit her. She had already emptied what little had been in her stomach and she was resorting to dry heaves.

“You're feeling the effects of the baby. Your body has figured out it's pregnant and with a Viperian baby. How sick you'll get will be determined by you and your immunity.”

“If... if had a choice... I would not get sick.”

She breathed fast, finding that it helped her nausea.

"So far, you don't seem bad.”

“I would hate to see worse,” she said, feeling horrible “I hate throwing up.”

Her mouth tasted foul.

“I'll get you something to settle your stomach. Looks like you're staying home today.”

"You... you look happy. I take it this is good,” she said.

"You haven't died, yet. I must be doing something right.”

Natalia rolled her eyes, hoping he was kidding.

He rose, leaving the bathroom.

Natalia grabbed some toilet paper to wipe her mouth before she flushed the toilet. She lay flat on the floor, breathing fast, afraid to move least she start heaving again.

Uri returned.

"Here. Take a swig of this.”

She found she could hardly push herself up and Uri had to help her. He took hold of her hand and pulling her slowly up to a sitting position, then he held out a small brown bottle.

“I'm afraid to ask what's in here,” she said, taking the bottle.

There was no label.

“Medicine. I knew you would get to this point.”

“How much?”

She unscrewed the top.

“One swallow.”

The liquid didn't feel like much on her tongue, but it turned to ice down her throat. Her stomach felt instant relief.

"Wow."

“Good stuff?”

"Yeah."

“Take it easy today.”

“That did the stomach good. I'm okay.”

She felt wonderful.

He smiled as if he knew better.

"Take it easy today,” he said again. “Let me help you up and into the shower. Let's see if you'll make iE"

“I'm fine,” she said, letting him pull her up.

As soon as she stood, she felt faint and the room started spinning. She threw out her arms to catch herself, but he was still holding onto her.

“No shower today,” he said, guiding her back to bed.

She sat heavily, feeling weak, panting as if she had run a great distance.

He threw underwear at her before returning to the bathroom to shower.

Natalia found she didn’t even have the strength to dress herself. She laid back on the bed, thinking she would rest a few moments and try again, but then Uri was there, already clothed in his suit. He helped her dress, then he picked her up as if she didn't weight a thing and carried her downstairs. He placed her on one end of the sofa.

“You'll be here for a while,” he said.

“How long am I going to feel like this?”

"Either a short time or a long time.”

"Well thanks for pinning that down for me?” she said with sarcasm.

He chuckled.

Mag entered to hand him a mug of tea, and then he was gone. Natalia accepted a mug from her but was loath to sip it for fear she would puke again.

“If you've taken the medicine, you won't throw up,” Mag said in a soft voice.

Natalia took a sip of tea. It was good to get the foul taste of vomit out of her mouth. She took another sip.

“Thank you.”

Mag sat across from her.

Natalia took another sip of tea, attentive to Mag since this was a first. Mag usually did her job and was gone. She never lingered.

"You feel weak?” Mag said.

Natalia nodded.

“Sore anywhere?”

“No. Just really weak and tired. Room spins a little.”

Mag cracked a smile.

"You're doing very well.”

“I'm not feeling well, but from what you and Uri have implied, I could be feeling worse.”

“You could be dead,” Mag said in a matter-of-fact voice.

There was a long moment of silence before Natalia felt she could talk. The second mention in the same morning that she could be dead caused her some concern.

"Uri mentioned that, too,” she said in a hoarse voice.

She had to take a sip of tea.

“Not something one wants to hear,” she said.

Mag cracked another smile.

“No man goes up to a woman and says, “Hey, I'm going to get you pregnant and you have less than a twenty-percent chance of surviving.”

“Lovely.”

Natalia swallowed hard, then took a larger gulp of tea.

"He made sure you were drinking sanguine tea and kept his bites to a minimum. He has great self- control,” Mag said.

Natalia sipped again, now having the answer as to why Uri hadn't bitten her any more. His third bite had been his last.

“A man with a new Undent woman tends to go overboard with the bites,” Mag continued. “They either get a teddy bear or a dead woman after two weeks.”

Natalia felt her stomach churn a little.

“Undent?”

"A non-Viperian. You may hear us called Hollows. We call you Undents.”

Natalia nodded and decided she needed to change the subject.

"Why is your tattoo the same as Uri's?”

Mag smiled.

"We're family.”

“Family? How so? Sister?”

“No. Cousins. We keep close family ties. When you need someone you can trust, you hire family. Zena is my sister. Kate, who I think you saw once, is my Aunt. The three of us maintain the two houses that Uri owns.”

Natalia nodded, feeling very tired. She went from thinking of a million questions to ask to not able to remember any of them.

“Tia will be here this afternoon,” Mag said.

Natalia felt Mag was watching her closely.

“Why?”

“You'll be more coherent then. She needs to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“That's between you and her.” Mag rose. “I'll bring some breakfast. Something you can stomach.” She left the room.

Natalia sipped her tea and watched the room move.

Mag returned with a plate and a glass of sanguine tea.

“What is it?"

“Toast with spread.”

Natalia picked up the toast and stared. The spread was thick, smooth, and black. There was a nutty scent to it. She nibbled and found the spread had a salty taste.

"Vegemite?"

She looked up to find Mag was already gone, so she risked a bite. There was a buttery taste with the salty. It was rather pleasant, and her stomach didn't object. She finished the toast.

At first, she was drinking the sanguine tea quickly, but she slowed to enjoy the sweeter taste of it. When she finished, she almost wanted more, but settled for her mug of warm tea.

Her eyes felt heavy, and she knew she napped. There was a clock in front of her that sat over a mantel. Whenever she opened her eyes, the time seemed to jump forward an hour or so.

"Are you awake?"

Natalia opened her eyes. Mag was setting a tea tray on the coffee table in front of her. Tia was sitting in the chair across from her.

“I don't know. Time keeps moving and so does the room.”

She noted it was one-fifteen in the afternoon.

Tia poured tea for both. Her black hair was up in a bun, and she was wearing a dark suit with a light green blouse that accentuated her eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Tia said, sliding the teacup closer to her.

Natalia leaned over to pick up the teacup. She didn't feel so weak. The room wasn't spinning like it had been earlier.

“Better, I think than this morning.”

"Vintart jelly usually does the trick.”

Natalia found her brain was working a little faster.

“Looked like Vegemite.”

Tia shrugged, which Natalia interpreted that Vintart was nothing of the sort. She also realized she had been on the sofa for a long time.

“I think I need to use the bathroom before we continue.”

Tia nodded. Mag arrived to offer a hand.

Natalia put her cup down and accepted Mag's hand. Mag’s grip was firm, and she appeared to easily help her to her feet. Natalia was thankful her head remained clear and that she was able to walk by herself. She used the half bathroom tucked under the staircase, then returned to the sofa. “You're doing very well,” Tia said, looking pleased.

Natalia nodded, feeling like she had had this conversation already.

“Uri did everything by the book,” Tia said.

“There's a book on this?" Natalia said, but she was being sarcastic.

“There actually is. There's a very fine line on keeping an Undent or non-Viperian woman alive.” Natalia remained silent, glad she didn't know any of this before meeting Uri. It was rather disconcerting.

"Uri has excellent self-control. If anyone could do it the best, it would be him.”

Tia smiled.

Natalia noted a hint of pride.

“Yes, he does have good control.”

Natalia remembered how Thomas had tried to rile Uri but had been unsuccessful.

Tia sipped her tea.

“We wanted you to remain alive, which is why we allowed Uri to take you. We preferred that he be the one.”

Natalia sat a little straighter when she noted the use of the word “we’.

“But even following the required steps, some of the results are based on your own constitution You're doing exceedingly well. We're pleased.”

“Who is “we’?" Natalia said in a flat voice.

Tia smiled.

"We'll get to that.”

Mag appeared and set down a plate of cookies.

“I'm having issues with the diet,” Natalia said, although she didn't mean the cookies in particular. Tia chuckled while she took a cookie.

“Mag will make sure you eat what you need to eat. Your meals in the morning and at night are important.”

“For keeping me alive?”

"For keeping you and the baby alive and healthy. That will keep Uri happy. Keeping Uri happy is also very important.”

“Because he's family?”

“Because that's how we control him."

The use of the word “control” caused Natalia to pause.

“Control?”

"Uri, if you haven't noticed, is head over heels in love with you.”

Natalia had to think about that. Tia didn't look like she minded the long pause while she ate her cookie.

“Felt more like lust than anything,” Natalia said at last.

"All part of a man in love with a woman. He'll do just about anything for you. You may not realize, and it's time you do, but you have the upper hand.”

Natalia realized that when she did ask for something, she got it, like the knife and the phone.

“Not always,” she said.

“If you're thinking of the meals he made you eat and the sanguine tea, those were to make sure you stayed alive.”

Natalia nodded, finding her throat dry again. She drained her cup.

“So, now it's time you became aware of the Council. There are five primary members, four secondary members, and auxiliary members. All women are automatically within the auxiliary. And since you've been... bitten and have survived your two weeks, and are doing well to the point that we know you will continue to survive, you are now a part of.”

"Come again?”

“There are five women on the Viperian Council. They are the primary members. There are four men. They are the secondary.”

"Viperian women do rule,” Natalia said with some astonishment.

"And the center of our operation is the Bank of A'ppollo.”

“That explains why I see so many Viperian women at the bank.”

Tia nodded.

"However, your society tends to be male dominant, so we must use male Viperians for the top positions, like Uri. He may have a high title at the bank, but he works according to the recommendations of the Council.”

“Isn't his father head of the Council?”

“He thinks he is. He's also important, so we make him happy.”

Natalia laughed.

“Th... this sounds... like a huge charade.”

“It's important to keep people happy. And what makes you happy?”

The question caused Natalia to stop and think.

“Staying alive sounds like one thing,” she said.

“What else?” Tia said with a smile and a nod.

“I always wanted to go to College, but that was to get a job, which I seem to have.”

"Oh, that's good you brought that up. To remain at the bank, you will need to get a degree. For now, you are only an intern.”

“I remember that. So... Don't tell me... I need to sign a piece of paper, and I will suddenly have a degree?”

Tia shook her head.

“No, you will need to take classes. There are many you can take online. We'll get you set up since being gravid will change how much you move around. We control who you get exposed to, and sitting in a classroom is out of the question.”

“Safety or germs?”

“Both,” Tia said with a smile.

Natalia suddenly remembered a question she wanted to ask.

“Uri said I needed to ask a woman this question. How many venoms does a Viperian woman have?” “More than enough,” Tia said. “Have a cookie.”

“Do I still have to worry about teddy bears coming after me?”

Tia chuckled.

“That was a test. Not for you, but for Uri. We wanted to make sure he was taking every precaution to keep you safe. He passed.”

“I'm not sure I like how easily people die.”

“The teddy bear was already dying.”

“And Thomas?”

“Thomas.”

Tia settled back in her chair.

“He was a good old boy. A great asset. Everyone liked him. He knew how to play the games at the bank. However, he got a little big for himself and decided he was so important that he didn’t have to follow the rules. Bank rules or our rules.”

"So, I take it, biting and bloodying his women wasn't looked well upon.”

"You say that as if they are one and the same, but biting and bloodying are two different things,” Tia said.

Natalia found she was hungry, and she took a cookie. It tasted like a simple oatmeal cookie, but with a rich buttery flavor.

"You know what biting is,” Tia said. “Bloodying means using a knife.”

Natalia swallowed hard and stared.

A knife?”

“Thomas liked to slice his woman up while he had sex with her.”

Natalia choked, imaging the heat of passion she experienced after Uri bit her. She would never have known there was a knife.

“Sliced up dead sex workers found in the river that just happen to also have a bite mark were giving... Hollows a bad name. However, that's not what caused Thomas to be eliminated.”

“That's not bad enough?”

“He had control over resources at the bank, and he secured them in a manner that we couldn't get access. He was making himself king of a kingdom he had no right to.”

Natalia poured herself more tea. Her throat felt dry again.

"We slid Sophie in as a junior banker. He hardly took her seriously. Junior banker she wasn't. She's had many years of experience. With her expertise, we managed to uncover his security. He was oblivious. Most men think that they are in control, especially now that Mirren is Council head.” “Mirren Osrisca, Uri's father?”

Tia laughed.

"Uri's father yes, but his name is Mirren Garrein. Children... Viperian children take their mother’s last name.”

“So, my children...?”

“You've been given an honorary last name of Osrisca... to please Uri. Your parents and the authorities are still looking for you, so we can't parade you around with your real name. Therefore, that will be the last name for your children.”

“I see. Uri called me his wife.”

"Viperians don't marry in the way you do. We select who we want children with. We live with who we want to live with. Therefore, to a Viperian man, a wife is his current woman and/or the mother of his children.”

“Quite a different perspective when compared to my society.”

"Quite. Once you learn it, you'll enjoy it,” Tia said with a bit of a sly smile.