CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JUST AS SONNY was about to sink his teeth into Carly’s neck he backed off. “I can’t, Carly.” He told her. “I can’t put your life in danger just to satisfy both our curiosities.” He added. “Maybe I could try it with another vampire and see what happens. Then if all goes well I could try it with you.”

“Don’t you dare.” She snarled as she dug her nails into his chin where she grasped it. “If we do this, it’ll be something only you and I share together. Do I make myself clear.”

“You have no reason to be jealous.” He told her. “You’re the only female that I want.” He added. “You should know that by the way I make love to you. I give you more of myself than I’ve ever given any other woman.”

“The only female vampire you’ll ever taste.” She told him in no uncertain terms. “Will be me. Do I make myself clear. If I ever discover that you have taken so much as a nip out of another female vampire I would consider that as a betrayal and I’d tear you apart. Do I make myself clear.” She added. “You’re mine, Sonny. You belong to me. And I won’t tolerate you sharing any intimacies with any other vampire but me. I will be the first, last and only vampiress you share the intimacies only a male and female vampire can share together.”

“I love it when you get possessive.” He teased her. “But like I said, you have no reason to feel insecure about me. You’re not only the only vampire I want, you’re the only woman I want or will ever want. All the other mortal women I’ve been with before you are nothing compared to you.” He added. “After having you I could never be satisfied by any other woman. You‘re the only woman who has ever been able to satisfy me both physically and spiritually. You‘ve done what I believed was the impossible. You‘ve made me finally feel comfortable in my own skin.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She planted a hot kiss on his lips that he immediately responded to with eagerness. “Now I think we’d better make ourselves presentable. Michael and Leticia are going to be home at any moment.”

Sonny looked at the watch on his wrist. “I hadn’t realized it was getting so late.” He looked at the door in worry. “They should have been back by now.”

“Leticia has a date with Reginald tonight.” Carly told him. “I’m sure she and Reggie just forget about the time and there’s nothing to worry about.” She pulled him up off the couch. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and take a shower together so we’ll be all nice and clean and fresh when Michael returns home and we put him to bed for the night.”

AS SOON AS Tracy saw Ned leave she entered Edward’s study. Knowing how Ned felt about her she thought it best if she made herself scarce while Edward tried to lure Ned over to their side. “So how did it go with Ned, Daddy?”

“Not good.” Edward told her. “He refused to join forces with us. The boy has no idea what kind of danger he and Alexis could be in. They need to move into the mansion with us so we can protect them and their child from Helena, Stefan and Faison.”

“I told you it was a mistake to tell Faison the truth.” Tracy declared. “Now he’s out there somewhere plotting God only knows what.”

“It broke up the alliance between Helena and Faison.” Edward reminded her. “If only for that it makes it worth it.”

“Well, I disagree.” Tracy retorted. “Having Faison know Ned and Alexis’ child is his grandchild and not having any idea where he’s at is a much bigger threat then having Faison and Helena allied together.”

“Faison will eventually realize an alliance with us is in his own best interest.” Edward declared. “We can protect him from Helena’s wrath. Without us he’ll be toast.” He added. “We’ve got much bigger things to worry about than Faison at the moment. The demons are determined to kill Sonny and Carly’s child to thwart Damian. Stefan Cassadine now knows Carly Benson is his daughter and he’s determined to protect her and her child, and the best way to do that is by disposing of Ned and Alexis’ child. Without their child the demon’s will back off of Sonny and Carly. Somehow we’ve got to make sure both children are born and to stop Cassadine and the demon’s from harming either child.”

“Any ideas on how we’re going to do that?” Tracy asked.

“The first thing we’ve got to do is to get Ned and Alexis living in this house with us.” Edward announced. “Once they’re living here we can protect both them and their child from any outside threat.”

“It’s never going to happen.” Tracy told him. “Ned knows to take up your offer of protection is to agree to let his child mate with Sonny Corinthos’ child one day in the future and he’ll never agree to that.’

ALEXIS WAS WAITING for Ned when he walked into the gatehouse. She was brimming with anger towards him. If she didn’t love him so much she would have packed her things and been long gone by now. But she wanted to hear him out. He was her soul mate. No one had ever understood her the way he did. She knew if she left him there would never be another man but Ned for her. But she would leave him if that’s what it took to protect their child from any nefarious plans he might have for it.

“Ned,” She said before Ned had even closed the door behind him. “You want to give me one reason why I shouldn’t walk out that door and never come back?”

“What’s wrong, Alexis?” He asked, although he had a pretty good idea of what it was.

“Stefan told me you’re a full-blooded witch.” She announced. “Is that true.”

“Grandfather told me you’re a full-blooded witch.” He threw back at her. “Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true.” She admitted. “I was afraid if you knew the truth you would leave me. I thought you were the closest thing I could get to a mortal. I had no idea you were a full-blooded witch.” Alexis added. “Stefan manipulated me into getting pregnant by you. He convinced me if I had your child if you ever learned the truth about me you wouldn’t leave me.”

“Grandfather manipulated me in the same way.” Ned told her. “I had no idea you were a full-blooded witch and I believed our child would be as normal as one could get that wasn’t truly a mortal. He used my rivalry with AJ against me. He told me that because AJ and Carly were going to have another child together that would be raised in the Quartermaine household he was going to make AJ and Carly head of the family one day. He suggested that if I were to have a child with you who would be raised as a true Quartermaine he would make you and I head of the Quartermaine dynasty one day, which is my birthright since I’m the only grandchild who is full-blooded witch.” He added. “He threw out the bait and I took it as he knew I would. I‘m not proud of it and now that I know the full truth I wish I never had done it.”

“Then you know?” Alexis asked. “You know the truth significance our child has to Edward and Helena. That although a lot of witches have tried to breed together, you and I are the only ones who have succeeded. You know that because of that they’ll be after our child once it’s born?”

“Yes.” Ned admitted. “Grandfather told me the plan is for our child to get together with Sonny and Carly’s child when they’re both grown up.” He added. “I won’t have it, Alexis. I won’t have any child of mine involved with Sonny Corinthos’ child. Grandfather also told me he thought Stefan might pose a threat to our child.”

“He suggested I ingest herbs to bring on a miscarriage.” Alexis revealed. “Now that he knows Carly is his daughter his first priority is to protect her even though she’s a vampire and turning against me is not only turning against his own blood, but his own kind as well.”

“Grandfather has offered us protection.“ He informed her. “But to accept it we would have to fall in with his plans for our child.”

“And Stefan says when our child is born Helena may try to take it from us.” She told him.

“Grandfather said Faison may try to do the same thing.” He added.

“Ned, what are we going to do?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” Ned replied. “All I do know is were not going to let them succeed in their plans for our child.”

SONNY AND CARLY finished taking their shower together which turned out to be longer than they both planned since they insisted on washing each other and as was common with them, one thing lead to another and they had almost used up the entire water supply of Port Charles before they were finally able to force themselves to end their shower and get dressed. Now they were dressed and back downstairs and Michael and Leticia were still not home yet.

“Sonny, I’m starting to get worried.” Carly fretted. “It’s after midnight. Leticia and Michael should be home by now.” She added. “If she was going to be this late she would have called up by now.”

“I know.” Sonny agreed. “I think it’s time we try to call Reginald and find out what’s going on?” He picked up the phone and dialed up the Quartermaine mansion. Luck was with them and Reginald was the one who answered the phone. But that was the only thing lucky about the phone call. Reginald told Sonny Leticia had left him hours ago. She should have been home long ago.

“You don’t think Sorel kidnapped Michael now, do you?” Carly asked in fear.

“It’s possible.” Sonny admitted. “Bobbie has escaped from his clutches and he needs some other way to try to lure me into a trap.”

“God, Sonny.” She hugged him and hung on to him for dear life. “I don’t even want to think of my baby being in the hands of that monster.”

“It could also be AJ.” He suggested. “You know he’s been claiming that he’d get his hands on Michael again.”

“Sonny, that’s not much better than Sorel.” Carly declared. “You know the way that fool has been hitting the bottle ever since I managed to get free of him. It’s a horrible thing to say, but Michael might be more safer if he’s in Sorel’s clutches.”

The phone suddenly rang and Sonny hurried and answered it. “Maybe that’s news on Michael.” He suggested as he picked up the phone. “Hello? Yes, she’s here.” He looked at Carly in puzzlement. “It’s Stefan Cassadine. He wants to talk to you.”

Carly was just as puzzled. Why would a witch of Cassadine’s stature want to speak to a vampire like her. “Hello.” She said uneasily as she took the phone from Sonny. “You wished to speak to me, Mr. Cassadine.”

“It’s about your mother.” Stefan announced. “I have her with me and I think you need to come over here immediately and see her.”

Carly placed her hand over the receiver and whispered to Sonny. “He claims to have my mother. He wants me to come over and see her.” She asked. “What do you want me to do?”

“This is the first lead we’ve gotten on your mother.” Sonny answered. “I think you’d better do what he wants. I’ll send Johnny and Francis with you to make sure you’re safe.”

“What about Michael?” Carly wanted to know.

“I’ll go out looking for him.” He told her. “You go over to Spoon Island and find out what Cassadine wants. But don’t forget he’s a witch and his kind are not to be trusted.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” She talked back into the receiver. “I’ll be right there, Mr. Cassadine.” Then she hung up the phone.

Sonny summoned Francis and Johnny into the penthouse and told them they were to protect Carly at all costs. She was about to enter a witch’s lair and she could be in danger. Stefan Cassadine could be luring Carly into a trap and they were to protect her with their life if necessary.

Sonny escorted Carly, Johnny and Francis down to the docks and watched as they got into the launch waiting for them and headed to Spoon Island. Then he tracked down one of Sorel’s most trusted slaves and connected with his mind to find out if Sorel had any designs on Michael. What he found out wasn’t very settling news. While Sorel didn’t have any designs on Michael and wasn’t responsible for his disappearance, he’d almost completed the process of enslaving Bobbie. Tonight he’d gone to Spoon Island and fed off Bobbie again. So Stefan Cassadine wasn’t lying. Bobbie was indeed on Spoon Island. He could only imagine what would be waiting for Carly when she arrived to see her mother.

Next he tracked down AJ to see if Michael was with him. He wasn’t. Sonny found AJ in a bar getting wasted. With no other likely suspects for Michael’s disappearance, Sonny headed home. When he walked through the door Leticia was waiting for him.

“Leticia, thank God.” Sonny exclaimed upon seeing her. “Carly and I were terrified that something had happened to you and Michael.”

“Something did, Mr. Corinthos.” She replied. “When Michael and I got off the elevator two men grabbed us. They only released me so I could come here and give you their instructions. If you and Carly don’t do exactly as they say, they said they’re going to kill Michael.”

“What do they want?” Sonny asked in desperation.

“They want you and Carly to come to where they’re keeping Michael.” Leticia replied. “I’m to bring the two of you back with me and they said if I don’t come back within an hour Michael would suffer the consequences.”