by Sophie Stern
“Do you ever...take it from them?”
It sounds rough asking, but Abigail isn’t offended.
“We don’t like to feed from people who are scared,” she says simply. “Now come on. It’s time to get you dressed for dinner.”
Chapter 7
As it turns out, “dinner” is actually a hugely elaborate feast that must have taken days to prepare. Okay, so they definitely knew I was coming. Either that or they just like to dine in luxury. I’m not sure which would be better: them planning to kidnap me or them regularly hosting special events that involve ridiculous amounts of food.
The dining hall is huge. I know because when Abigail and I arrive, I peer through the double doors and take a took. The vampires seem to be waiting patiently for me at the other end of the hall. I have no idea how long they’ll be patient for, though, and I don’t ask.
“I can’t go in there,” I whisper to Abigail. I look down at the gown she chose for me: it’s a pure white dress that seems practically magical. It’s beautiful and tight and it makes my breasts look damn pretty.
“You can, and you will,” she says, encouraging me. “You look hot. I’d bite you.”
“You would?” I look at her sharply, and she nods.
“Oh yeah. If I didn’t think my brother would kill me, I’d be all over you,” she laughs. “Then again, you’re exactly my type.”
“What type is that?”
“Human. Sweet. Probably a virgin.”
I blush, and Abigail just laughs.
“They’re going to love you, girl. Go on.”
She shoves me, pushing me into the room, and I scurry inside. Okay, so this is it. This is where I’m going. This is where I’m supposed to be. I have to remind myself that everything’s going to be okay because right now, it kind of feels like nothing’s going to be fine.
I walk into the room and the men all stand up in unison. Somehow, they seem to move completely silently. They’re looking at me, watching me, and I’m filled with a sense of excitement as I start to move.
The dress that Abigail selected for me is almost pure white. It clings to my body, showcasing my every curve. I’ve never worn anything like this before and honestly, I’m not even sure how I’m supposed to breathe in it.
Much less move.
Still, I somehow manage to begin making my way across the room. Each of the guys looks at me. I’d give just about anything to get to know what they’re thinking right now.
Benjamin’s eyes roam my curves, and if I’m not mistaken, his just bit his lip. Oh, it was slight, but I saw it. Good. I’m glad I’m having this sort of effect on him.
Matthew looks me up and down, and then his eyes lock on my face. He’s looking at my hair, and my makeup, and my face. He’s never seen me like this before. Then again, nobody has. I’ve never looked like this before.
And then there’s Eli.
Bright, brilliant Eli with his wounds and his tragic eyes. I don’t know why Eli is who he is. I don’t know why he guards the vampires. I don’t know why he’s so important to them. All I know is that he’s been hurt somehow, and I hope that one day, I’ll be able to help heal those wounds.
For now, I walk.
Soon, I reach the vampires, and they all come to me at once. I’m not really sure what I expected them to do when I reached them, but it’s not this.
It’s not them each kissing me and touching me altogether, all at the same time.
Eli claims my mouth while Benjamin and Matthew each begin kissing and licking my neck at the same time. Instantly, I’m completely aroused, totally turned on by everything that’s happening, and I don’t know how to slow down or stop.
I don’t know how to free myself from these feelings of excitement.
How am I supposed to react when everything they’re doing to be is pure magic?
“Stop thinking,” Benjamin murmurs into my ear. Who would have thought he’d be the voice of reason at a time like this?
“You’re beautiful,” Matthew whispers.
“Fucking gorgeous,” Eli agrees.
“Thank you,” I whisper. They’re all so beautiful, too: so handsome. Each of them has something wonderful about them that I really and totally just completely adore.
I thought I came here for dinner, but suddenly, I don’t have any appetite left. Suddenly, all I want is them.
Right here.
Right now.
I don’t even know them, but maybe it’s the mate thing. Maybe it’s because it’s destiny. I just feel so completely drawn to them even though in most ways, we’re all still strangers to one another. Right now, that doesn’t seem to matter at all.
I pull away, somehow, and look up at them all. I’m breathless, wild. Ready.
“You say I’m your mate,” I tell them.
“You are,” Eli says.
“Then prove it,” I raise an eyebrow.
“Are you taunting us?” Benjamin stalks toward me, grabbing my hair. He fists it, pulling it back, and looks at me in the eyes.
“A little,” I say.
Mostly because I want to know what they’re going to do to me. Okay, so they aren’t going to turn me. I get that. They don’t want to turn me. That’s totally fair.
What’s not fair is not getting a chance to convince them that I’m worthy to be turned into a vampire.
I don’t want to be human anymore. I want to be like them: strong and brave and wild.
Free.
When I look at the vampires who roam the castle, they’re all just so very free. They’re all filled with a sense of belonging and a sense of wonder. Each of them seems to understand what their purpose is.
Every single one of them seems to understand why they are the way they are.
I don’t have that.
Maybe it’s because I grew up without guidance or maybe it’s because I grew up being lied to, but right now, I just want to forget all of that. I want to totally lose myself in them.
“Don’t play with fire, little warrior,” Benjamin whispers.
“Why not?” I ask quietly. “If I’m so brave, then shouldn’t I take chances?”
“Not like this,” he practically growls.
“Why? What do you want to do to me, Benjamin?”
It’s a bold question. I’m not even sure that I’m ready for the answer, but when his mouth comes to mine and he starts kissing me again, I know.
They can do absolutely anything they want to me and I won’t complain or cry or beg. They can do anything.
“I think the little warrior wants something other than supper tonight,” Eli says thoughtfully. “Put her on the table. We’ll eat her instead.”
So they are going to eat me, then?
Pity.
The white dress may have been a poor choice if what they want is human blood. Only, I think they have something else in mind because they set me on the table and push my dress up. I blush, looking down at my bare pussy and thighs. I didn’t wear panties. Abigail said I wouldn’t need them.
“Perfect,” Eli says.
“Beautiful,” Matthew traces a finger on my thighs.
“Spread your legs,” Benjamin commands, and instantly, I do.
All three of the vampires gather, looking at my body. I’m not sure whether I should feel aroused or whether I should feel like I’m just a piece of meat to them. I’m suddenly reminded of shopping for fresh fruits or vegetables in Eagleton’s little market. I always took care to examine each piece of fruit to make sure it was the best deal.
It feels like they’re doing the same thing with me right now.
Only, I kind of love the way they’re looking at me, and I get the feeling that they love it, too.
Eli reaches forward and gently nips at my thigh. His mouth is so close to my core that I can’t stand it. It takes every ounce of self-control not to grab him and pull him closer to myself, to my center.
Instead, I just watch him, and I wait.
“She likes it,” Matthew says, and I look
up to see him watching me carefully. Benjamin looks at me sharply, too, and nods.
“She fucking loves it,” he says. “Lick her pussy,” he commands, egging Eli on. Eli looks up at me for just a second, and then he sticks his tongue out and swipes it along my slit.
The groan that escapes my lips is unintended, but they all hear it and smile at the sound.
“Oh yes, she fucking does,” Eli says. “Hold still like a good girl, and I’ll give you more.”
I nod, letting them know that I’m listening and that I’m willing to obey them, and I hold totally still as he starts to lick me.
Really lick me.
It doesn’t take long before I feel heat building and burning inside of my body. Every part of me feels like it’s on fire in the very best way, and then Eli reaches out and slides a finger deep inside of me and starts pulsing in and out.
That does it.
That’s all it takes.
I explode.
My entire body seems to shake and quiver as waves of pleasure wash over me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I focus wholly on enjoying the way he’s making me feel, on accepting the pleasure that he’s offering to me in this moment.
It’s absolutely exquisite.
It’s perfect.
It’s for me.
When I open my eyes, all three men are watching me curiously.
“That was perfect,” Eli says.
“That was beautiful,” Matthew agrees.
“That was her first orgasm,” Benjamin says, and his eyes narrow at me.
Shit.
Was it that obvious that I’m completely new at this?
I blush furiously, and I shake my head.
“No,” I say, blatantly lying.
“Fuck,” Eli says. “Why haven’t you had an orgasm before?”
Should I tell them?
I mean, should I actually admit this to them?
Should I tell them that their brave little warrior was ashamed and scared and honestly, totally lame?
Or should I tell them that I was never alone?
I never had time to try any of those things?
Edna’s daughters had no problem sneaking off with boys from the village, but I...
Everyone stayed far away from me, and I guess now I know why. Even though I didn’t know it, I was an outcast. A weirdo.
But I’m not an outcast here. When I look up at the three men – my men – I realize that each one of them actually wants to know why I’ve never come before. Every one of them wants to know exactly what I’ve gone through and why I am the way that I am.
They really, truly want to know.
Shouldn’t I be brave enough to trust them with my secret?
Should I be bold enough to tell them exactly why?
“Okay,” I whisper. “It was my first one.”
“Why?” Benjamin asks.
“Because nobody in Eagleton liked me very much.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t touch yourself,” Matthew points out in a gentle way, and he’s right.
“I tried a few times,” I admit, blushing again. My legs are spread and I can feel how slick my thighs are right now, but I’m blushing over my masturbation history.
Go figure.
“What happened?” Eli asks.
“Nothing.”
“You couldn’t get aroused?” Benjamin asks.
I shake my head.
“There wasn’t much to turn me on there. I mean, I never dated anyone. Never had a partner. Never had anyone I was close to. I touched myself sometimes just to see, you know, what it felt like, but...”
“But it fizzled out,” Eli fills in the blanks, and I nod.
“Well, that’s not going to be a problem anymore,” Matthew says.
“Why’s that?” I ask, but I already know. I’m looking at the three sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m wondering how I ever managed to land them. Not that I actually landed them. More like, they hunted me down and found me.
“Because we’re going to take care of you,” Benjamin says. “Lie back down.”
Chapter 8
By the time I’ve had two more orgasms, one from Benjamin and one from Matthew, I’m completely spent. I lay on the table, wondering what’s going to happen next, and the men start chuckling to themselves.
“I think she’s had enough,” Eli says. “Come on down.” He reaches for me and helps me to my feet. I sway on them. They’re wobbly now, and he pulls me close to his chest. “Everything is going to be fine,” he says.
I don’t know if that’s true, though.
I’m feeling so many different emotions, so many different things right now. The idea that I just melted into them and let them take their time with me is a little unnerving. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sex and I have no hang-ups about my body. It’s just that I’ve never had a chance to explore any of that and now...
Now I’ve had a chance.
Eli helps me fix my dress. He tugs it down and arranges it perfectly. Then he brings me to a chair and helps me sit down in it. The other men do the same and then Eli rings a little bell that was sitting on the table. I hadn’t noticed it before. It’s small and blue and has little green and red flowers painted on it. It’s pretty. It reminds me of the pretty things my mom used to have. I don’t think about my life before Eagleton very much. I don’t remember much. I do remember that my mother loved pretty things, and she would have loved this.
As soon as the bell chimes, two doors open, and the house humans come in. They’re carrying wine and water and bread and fruit. They bring everything to the table and make sure we’re all comfortable. One of the humans speaks quietly to Eli, and then they disappear again. They move so quickly and so silently that if I had blinked, I would have missed seeing them entirely.
“Eat,” Eli says. He grabs a piece of bread and breaks off a little piece. I reach for it, but he slaps my hand away and presses the food to my lips. “No, I’ll feed you,” he tells me. “We’ll all feed you.”
Well...
Okay.
“You’re our mate,” Matthew reminds me. “You’ll be worshipped by us and by our humans,” he says.
I think he’s forgetting that I’m a human, too. I don’t really want them to worship me. Do I? I’d rather be one of them.
I don’t argue, though. Instead, I just smile and nod, and I open my mouth. He starts to feed me the bread bit-by-bit. I think that I’m going to feel pandered to by this gesture, but I don’t. Instead, I feel...
Cherished.
Loved.
Adored.
Having someone feed me is a strange feeling. It’s not something I ever would have considered trying before, but it doesn’t disgust me. If anything, it feels right. It feels like this is something special we’re sharing, and it’s very, very intimate.
It’s a strange sort of feeling, really. It’s strange to feel completely taken care of. Each of the men takes turns feeding me and even offering me wine. They press their fingers to my mouth and let me lick off the crumbs from each piece of bread. Then they hold the wine glasses to my lips and let me sip directly from the glasses.
When the rest of the food comes out, they take turns feeding me the different meats and cheese that have been prepared for us. It’s delectable, delicious, and I don’t know how I managed to survive quite so long without all of this wonderful food.
“What do you think?” Eli asks.
“It’s delicious.”
“Have you ever eaten anything like this before?”
“No.”
“What did you eat in Eagleton?” Matthew wants to know. He raises an eyebrow, but I’m not sure if it’s because he’s judging the humans there for not having healthy diets or because there’s something else I don’t know.
I stop eating, and I put my hands in my lap.
“Please don’t tell me they ate vampires,” I whisper.
If he says yes, I’m definitely going to be sick.
He can’t
say yes.
He just can’t.
“Not as far as I know,” he answers, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Were you worried?” Eli asks thoughtfully, watching me.
“There’s just a lot I don’t know about Eagleton. I feel like I was tricked, sort of.” It sounds simplistic and a little dumb when I say it out loud, but it’s my reality. I should have questioned so many things that I just didn’t. I should have tugged at the strings around me and seen what unraveled.
“They definitely left you out of the loop a lot,” Benjamin says in a rare moment of understanding. He’s always so gruff and wild with me. I’m not sure whether I love it or hate it, but it’s something that’s going to take some getting used to.
“Well, if you didn’t eat vampires,” Eli winks. “What did you eat?”
“Vegetables. Fruit. Sometimes rabbits.”
They all frown.
“What?”
“They didn’t feed you much.”
“There wasn’t a lot of food to go around,” I shrug.
The men exchange looks, and I know that I’m going to hate whatever it is that they say next. I wish they’d just spit it out so I can know. Knowing would be better than this sense of growing dread.
“What is it?” I sigh, shaking my head. Whatever they want to say, they should just say it.
“Eagleton was a known food supplier. They’re the only human colony around, but they provided food to the elves, and to the dwarves who live in the forest.” Eli says the words, and they sink right into my belly like a damn weight.
“What?”
“That was part of what they did on their hunts. They killed vampires, yes, but they also brought what they could pilfer from the vamps and sold it. They would sell vampire goods to other communities in the forests.” Eli watches me. Is he looking at me to see if I’m going to be okay with this information?
Or is he wondering if I already knew this?
“That, along with the meat they gathered,” Benjamin says gruffly.
“But...but there was no meat,” I whisper.
“We found it in underground storage units,” Matthew tells me. “After we collected the humans from Eagleton, we did another sweep.”
