Betraying Blood (Stand Alone Tales Book 5)

by Viola Grace

  She smiled. “When is lunch?”

  “Once we are over age fourteen, we make our own food for lunch and clean up after ourselves.” Teth smiled. “You are our guest, so I will make your meal for you.”

  “Thank you. I am still going to take that shower. Can I meet you in the... wait. I don’t know where the kitchen is.”

  He snorted. “I will have Lian collect you in twenty minutes.”

  She nodded. “See you soon.” She lifted her skirts and ran. She hadn’t run for six years. The freedom of letting her body move like the wind was a pleasure long forgotten.

  She sprinted back to the guest quarters and took a sonic shower. She felt better and far less sticky when she emerged.

  Elurra looked at the collection of vials and warmed a sample from a Metguardian. She was missing home, and it had only been a few days.

  After a charming lunch of huge sandwiches and a pile of fried crispy tubers, she helped the boys do the dishes.

  Heth came in and grabbed her. “Sorry, boys, but we have a new friend to play with, so you will have to content yourself with math and wrestling. Your dads will be administering your tests tomorrow.”

  Elurra was pulled along by Heth. She wasn’t delicate, she was built to deal with the damage. “Where are we going?”

  “Do you dance?”

  “Not for a while.”

  “Good. We are going dancing.”

  Elurra was perplexed as she was hauled into a new part of the living space that was stunning and elegant. Rich wood lined the walls, and above them, the asteroid belt glittered in the light of the nearest star.

  Dwell and Miki were waiting for them. Dwell smiled. “Heth likes to dance, but since she is a little unwieldy right now, she thought she would see if she could teach you some of her moves. We don’t get to see other women that often... or ever.”

  Heth chuckled. “I love dancing, but the others are a little more reserved. Will you dance with me?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I have only ever ballroom danced.”

  “Ah, this will be fun then.” Heth smiled and put her hands on her hips. Her belly was huge. If she was a month away from delivering, Elurra would be shocked.

  Dwell chuckled. “Just go with it. Show her what you can do, and then, we can all go have desserts.”

  Miki chuckled. “Yeah, that is the way it works.”

  Heth ignored them, and she struck a dramatic pose. The music was started by Dwell, and then, Heth started dancing. Even heavily pregnant, she was hypnotic.

  Heth then stood behind Elurra and put her hands on her hips, helping her rock to the music. Elurra stepped away, did the half of one of the dances she knew, and then, when the music rose, she spun wildly to the pipes and stringed instruments. She stepped lightly to the sound of the drums, and Heth spun with her when the music slowed.

  It was fun. It was pure, generous fun. Elurra collapsed to the floor, and Dwell handed her a bottle of water. Heth was still stepping and swaying.

  One of the men stepped into the room, and he smiled as Heth was lost in her own world.

  Dwell beckoned him over, and she gestured to Elurra.

  Elurra struggled to sit up as she was presented with his arm. Dwell helped her and held his arm while Elurra bit down. She didn’t even demur. She was feeling stronger with every drop.

  She finished and healed him quickly. “Thank you, Nev?”

  He bowed and nodded.

  She bowed. “This is helping tremendously.”

  Dwell asked, “Has Teth offered?”

  “He has, but he is still growing. I don’t want to do anything to alter that or affect him in any way.”

  Dwell snorted. “I know you don’t want to encourage his infatuation, but if he offers, let him. Knowing that it is painful might deter him.”

  Nev paused and shook his head.

  “What do you mean it doesn’t hurt?” Dwell was outraged. “Princess, let me see your teeth.”

  Elurra opened her mouth, and Dwell leaned back. “Well, hell. I haven’t seen one of your rank before. Your teeth are nearly needles compared to mine.”

  Dwell opened her mouth and flexed her lips. Her teeth were three times the width that Elurra’s were.

  Elurra blurted out, “No wonder you need to have them distracted with sex before you feed.”

  Nev’s face contorted, and he turned and left the room.

  Dwell was shocked for a moment, and then, she howled with laughter. “Oh, that is going to have done the rounds before dinner.”

  Elurra apologized, but Dwell just hugged her.

  Dwell asked, “How do you heal them?”

  Elurra went on to explain the principle of healing. The sealing of the skin and knitting of the muscle.

  “But how? I mean, vampires can’t do what you do? When were you turned?” Dwell asked the question honestly.

  “My father was a warrior mage, and my mother was a healer. She was bitten on her way to wed my father, and they tried to turn her. With her power and his, they kept her condition at bay until I was born. Bringing life out of a vampire-infected body was too much for my mother, and she died.”

  Dwell’s mouth was hanging open. “You were born like that?”

  “Yes. My father took care of most of the consuming issues, but as I grew, my servants volunteered their blood. When the queen came into power, she started starving me, killing anyone who tried to feed me.”

  “But, you were born a vampire.” It seemed Dwell was having trouble with the concept.

  “Yes. How did you turn?”

  “Um, I was a teen, and I was sick. The vampire’s effect could drive off the illness.”

  Now Elurra was confused. “How can you have children with the Dhark if vampires don’t reproduce sexually?”

  Miki snorted. “The guys could probably reproduce by jerking off into a pile of rocks. They just need a viable egg, and their own genes take care of the rest. Always boys, always pure Dhark with only enough traces to identify their mother.”

  Heth pulled at Elurra’s arm. “Now that you are refueled, dance with me.”

  She nodded, but she chose the music. It was slow, involved a lot of stretching, reaching, and twisting. Heth played along, and she was a lot less tense when they stopped.

  Miki was gone, and Dwell was ready to usher them along for dinner. Hours of dance and chatting had blurred by.

  It was now time for dinner.

  Chapter Six

  Dinner was riotous, two of the Dhark offered their blood, and then, the ladies hauled Elurra away, claiming that it was girl’s night at the baths.

  It was fun to be with them. She was poked, prodded, and dropped in the bath, left to flounder her way to the surface.

  Dwell shared her tub, but the other two eased into a bath on the edge of the wide expanse of soaking pools.

  “They need a cooler temperature.” Dwell twisted her hair on top of her head. “Too much heat isn’t good for the babies.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for your hospitality.” Elurra spoke from the heart.

  “It has been our pleasure so far. Now, what is your plan when you meet your sandman?”

  Elurra blinked. “Plan? We will get married and hopefully live a long and happy life.”

  Dwell chuckled. “Yes, but are you prepared for the more intimate parts of the union?”

  Elurra shook her head. “I am not sure what you are getting at.”

  Dwell sighed. “Sandmen are big. All over. How long do you want to wait until you can consummate the union? Have sex.”

  “Oh. Oh! Um, I just expected to be really uncomfortable for a while.” She blushed. It had only begun to become a concern last night. She had felt him against her back on the dreamscape. That was a bit of adapting.

  “There are things you can do to relax yourself, and if he takes his time, then you have no problem, but there is very rarely all the time in the world when you want someone.”

&
nbsp; Elurra blinked. “Um, I don’t really know him. How could I want him?”

  Dwell leaned in. “Did you ever drink from him?”

  “Sure. It tasted strange but nice. He offered it to me the day we got engaged.”

  “Uh-huh. I think he slipped a tracker into you.”

  “What? He wouldn’t.”

  “Oh, he would. Nothing escapes their grip.”

  She tried to remember the face of the young man, but it was all a golden blur. She twisted her lips. “How do their trackers work?”

  “They can track their own blood and probably other parts.”

  “Oh. Well, he was young, and we weren’t actually engaged yet.”

  Dwell snickered. “If they had decided to turn you from princess to bride, yeah, you were.”

  Elurra tried to change the subject. “What were you doing before you met the guys?”

  “I worked on a farm. Heth was a peacekeeper, and Miki was a highborn fourth daughter.”

  “How did that work? I mean, all three of you at once?”

  Dwell snickered. “It isn’t an orgy. Well, sometimes it is, but that came years later. We have our own chambers that are connected by a long hallway.”

  Elurra chuckled. “I mean, how did you all come to the agreement?”

  “Oh. Well, we were all past standard marrying age for a variety of reasons, we had a limited amount of men to choose from even if we could lose ten years and be of the right age to marry. Then, there was something in those eyes.”

  “They do have kind eyes.” She smiled.

  “Yeah, to you they are kind; when they look at us, they are hot and intense. It takes some getting used to, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Elurra remembered the glowing burn of two stars in Alric’s face in the dreamscape. She shivered.

  “Oh, was that a good shiver or a bad shiver?” Dwell whispered.

  Elurra sank beneath the water with mortification. When she came up, Dwell was still giggling.

  Elurra covered her eyes. “Does the mortification ever wear off?”

  Dwell chuckled. “When you are in his arms, and the night is quiet, and your breathing matches his, you know that you are where you were always supposed to be. That is when it becomes a shared moment, and the embarrassment slowly leaves behind a smug feeling of pride. You have each other, and there is nothing to be worried about.”

  Elurra smiled. “Thanks. That helps.”

  They sat and discussed the importance of foreplay until Heth tried to get out of the tub. “I am stuck again.” She said it in a singsong.

  Dwell sighed. “We had better help her.”

  “You stay here. I can lift her.” Elurra got out of the tub and walked over to the other side. The water the other two were in was cool by comparison. She helped Heth out slowly, using her own body to brace the other woman as she eased her up to the bench, and then, she helped her step up and out of the soaking tub.

  “Thanks. They always try to lift me, and unless the guys are here, it just looks like a botched fishing expedition.”

  “You have high molecular density.”

  “Yeah. The guys can lift me but only barely. It gets worse when my center of gravity is moving between my ribs and my knees.”

  “So, the dancing keeps you coordinated.”

  Heth chuckled and ruffled Elurra’s hair. “You are so smart.”

  Miki stretched her arms and smiled. “Up!”

  Elurra helped Heth into a robe, tied it, and then sat her down on one of the benches. Only after she had her dance partner settled did she return for Miki. She grabbed her by the arms and simply lifted her up and out of the water with a whoosh.

  Miki squeaked, and Heth laughed. “Could you have lifted me like that as well?”

  Elurra smiled. “Of course, but it lacked dignity.”

  Miki was stunned, staring at Elurra. “How strong are you?”

  Dwell laughed and got out of her tub. “She is strong enough to take on at least three of the boys if she has to. Or she will be once she finishes getting up to strength.”

  Miki blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “We know she’s been starved, but I am wondering if she was ever fed to the point where she was as strong as she could be.”

  Elurra got a robe for Miki before handing one to Dwell and shrugging. “I know that I am not at my strongest. My father didn’t want me to alienate the population, so he made sure that I appeared to be a normal little girl.”

  Elurra yawned. “Apologies. I think I am going to seek my bed.”

  Dwell chuckled and said, “Pleasant dreams.”

  There was a bit of knowing in that tone, but Elurra curtsied and left the bathing chamber with the robe sticking to her body.

  * * * *

  Dwell looked at the other brides and said, “Make sure you each have two of the guys with you tonight. I am fairly sure that the sandman is coming to the princess in the dreamscape. Since she doesn’t know how to shield, it is going to be a hot night.”

  Miki cocked her head. “She doesn’t know?”

  Dwell hadn’t gotten into what living on communications crystals did to the mind. It wasn’t only the men who were bound by thoughts, the brides were as well. Elurra was broadcasting in the night, and it had been quite the dream. Dwell was looking forward to learning what the sandman’s attempts at bonding were going to lead to.

  She would need two of her mates with her to satisfy the effect of having desire generated from outside her own body. The third? Sho might be up to help; he was a very handy guy.

  As they walked back to their quarters, they chuckled about the shakeup that Elurra had brought to their routine.

  She would be returning home shortly, but for now, there were advantages to having her near. This was more than a fair trade for her treats.

  Chapter Seven

  Elurra looked down and blinked at the delicate gown that she was wearing. She normally slept naked, but the last few days had not been normal. With bare skin, if someone attacked, they couldn’t pin her down with a nightgown.

  There was a cool wind fluttering the gown and caressing her skin. It was strange because the castle hall that she was in should have blocked the breeze from that direction. She turned, and the dark figure was walking toward her again, its body made of open space and starlight. Rather his body was made of open space and starlight. There was no mistaking him.

  He stepped toward her, and it took all of her nerves not to dive for a corridor or run for the open gardens.

  “Alric Kharmin?”

  He paused and inclined his head. “Yes, my princess.”

  “You recognize me after all these years?”

  He chuckled. “I am seeing your soul, as you are seeing mine. What do you see?”

  “I see wind in the stars.” She reached out, and he touched her hand. She slid her hand up his arm.

  “I see fire in the snow, bright against the dark of night.” His words were slow and soft.

  She stepped toward him to hear him better. “Why are we in the castle?”

  “I thought that it would be welcoming for you. How did you know it was my construct and not yours?”

  She reached up with her free hand and touched his face. “I would never have chosen this as a place to dream of.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, and the world swirled around them. When he released her, they were in a copse of trees, and he looked around. “Is this better?”

  She spun away from him and danced in the trees to the sound of the night birds. He caught her and lifted her to be even with his face. His kiss was strange because he couldn’t see her and she couldn’t see him, but when she closed her eyes, her senses went into overdrive.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He turned her and pinned her against the smoothest tree she could have imagined. The gossamer gown was pushed up to her waist, and his hand was between her thighs
, easing a finger through her folds.

  His tongue dipped between her lips as his finger slid into her, moving slowly and with care. She tried to focus on one thing at a time, but she decided that the kiss was far more important.

  Elurra heard the soft sounds that she made as he slid another finger in with the first and moved them with deliberate care. He began to dip two digits in and then circle her clit. She squeaked when he leaned into her, and her panting and high-pitched moans soon overtook her. Her body was on fire, and then, the fire broke.

  He held her close while she shook, and when she was still, he kissed her neck, and she could feel the smile on his lips.

  “I look forward to meeting you, Elurra. I will be seeing you in a few hours.”

  She was going to tell him that she wasn’t at the castle, but she woke up in her bed with her thighs still tingling. “Damn.”

  Well, he was just going to be disappointed.

  * * * *

  Vietta paced in her private chambers. The sandmen were here, and she still had no idea what the contract entailed.

  She knew that Elurra was alive. She had seen the footage of the Dhark ship escaping. The duke had paid for his duplicity. Now, she just had to wait until the vials of tainted blood reached the Dhark stronghold. No one could resist Metguard blood. Elurra would think she was safe, she would take a drink, and then, she would die. It was very simple. The concentrate that had killed her father would take her life. Very poetic.

  She paced again. She wished she could be there when the little bitch died.

  “Your Highness, the sandmen have arrived.”

  “Have them wait. I will be there when I am ready.”

  When she was alone, she stood straight, pulled her breasts up in her corset, and checked her makeup. She was the most beautiful one in the land and had been since her niece was a child. If the king had chosen her to begin with, this never would have happened. She would seduce Elurra’s fiancé and bewitch him into forgetting all about the pale little cow.

  She swept her train aside and walked down the halls that led to the throne room. When she was seated, she nodded to the doormen, and they stood aside for the sandmen to enter the chamber. The eerie silence of their entrance sent a shiver down Vietta’s spine.