Taken Read Online Free

of this stuff. It makes me glad that I'm no longer in charge of picking up the concubines. I would have hated this trip.”
    He wasn't the only one. Kosmas felt as if here were stuck between a rock and a hard place. His guards were sullen and unhelpful, and he was tired of putting up with their shitty attitudes. If Santa had helpers like his, Christmas would have never happened.
    Thinking of Santa reminded him of another item he was really looking forward to. “Wait here,” he ordered Zander, before disappearing into the space plane. He was relieved to see that most of the cargo had been unloaded, which made his task much easier. Stopping the closest guard, he pointed to a specific line on his list and asked, “Did you get it?”
    The guard nodded. “We haven't unloaded it yet. I can see it from here, though. It's the large bundle wrapped in plastic.”
    Kosmas grinned as he spied it. “Well done,” he replied in glee, clapping the man on the back before turning away from him. He quickly picked it up to take it out to Zander, his problems temporarily forgotten in his anticipation of seeing the other man's face.
    “There's one more thing,” Kosmas told him, when he stepped out. Zander shifted his large frame from one foot to the other, as if he were uncomfortable. He waited silently as Kosmas approached him, with a bored look on his face, but he knew the other vampire was curious. His eyes kept flickering to the bundle in his hand.
    Kosmas slapped it across his chest. “Open it.”
    “What is it?” Zander grabbed the bundle, staring at the unappealing packaging with a look of revulsion in his eyes. He held it like one might hold a sand dweller, as if it might attack at any moment.
    “Open it, and you'll see.” Kosmas rolled his eyes. Zander's delays were ruining his enjoyment of the moment, and he didn't have all night. Cajoling the other man into opening his gift wasn't Kosmas' idea of fun.
    The guards were closing up the space plane. Finally, it was unloaded and just in time. The sounds of the second space plane whistled over the warehouse. The concubines had arrived.
    Zander exhaled heavily before ripping into the packaging. In his preternaturally strong hands, it only took seconds to open. Some of the guards stopped to watch them curiously, no doubt wondering why he'd decided to give the other male a gift. Zander pulled out the red and white material with a frown, stooping over to pick up the fake beard and hat that had fallen to the ground.
    “What. The. Fuck. Is. This?” he growled out each word slowly, holding it all up in clenched fists. Some of the guards busted out in laughter, at least, the ones that knew what the outfit symbolized. The other ones just looked curious, as if they didn't understand what the fuss was all about.
    Kosmas couldn't help grinning. The look on Zander's face was priceless. “That's your uniform for Christmas,” he informed him, lowering his clipboard down to his side. “But you probably shouldn't crush it up like that,” he continued, stepping around him to walk toward the exit. “I'd hate for you to wrinkle it.”
    *
    True to her word, Keely did take a bath. It wasn't quite as fun as it would have been, had Kosmas joined her. She didn't linger long, deciding instead to seek him out. As her pregnancy progressed, so had her need for her mate. Was it the same for every woman? she wondered, as she dried herself off. There were so many questions she had about pregnancy, and nobody to ask.
    Suddenly she missed her mom, wishing she could have been with her. Kind and loving, she would have made a wonderful grandmother. Keely hated that her child would never get to know his grandparents. On either side, considering the fact that Kosmas' parents were deceased, too.
    Despite his mother's recent death, he'd remained rather quiet about it. It wasn't surprising, though. As strong as he was, it wasn't easy for him to speak of his feelings. Keely knew that, and it made her love him even