by Erin R Flynn
“I hate bullies,” I muttered, my face flushing at his words. “I know what it’s like to have that pressure and being chased, even if she wasn’t running physically like I was. Plus, she’s got the ghost gift and you guys were all about getting someone we could really talk to, right?” I shrugged when he pulled me to stand again, smiling when he hugged me and swayed with me.
“Yes, we would,” Hanna confirmed.
I nodded. “I’m fine with you taking over this project. I can’t have someone take over as we know how that will look but fine, Nora’s got the dairy farm and Seattle and you guys have this. I’ll even give you all the stores here as you’ll clear the sad houses we can demolish. And hopefully the animal population keeps exploding so we’ve all got full bellies for years to come.”
“And in return?” Matilda asked as Leonor spoke, nodding she asked the same thing.
I didn’t answer right away. “Jacob keeps helping with the rail lines and trains. Also for every two days of your raiding, you raid one for me. There are more military bases, reserve units, and national guard places we want cleared out and fast. I’ll even get you a hotel for your people here. It might not be the Fairmont and they’ll have to handle it all themselves, but it’ll have water and all the fixings.”
“And they have to handle all the energy beads of what you demolish, of course,” Kristof added.
“Yeah, that,” I agreed. “But, I’d be open to turning it into stuff they need like rebar for construction or rebuilding.”
“Actually, we have a few who can do that as Jaxon and Darius can if you convert it,” Hanna told me. “But yes, absolutely, that is generous.”
I shrugged. “We’ve found a lot of places like this and my coven isn’t all that big. It’s growing and spreading out, but we also need long-term help to keep out of trouble, or like setting up the farms and dairy.” I blew a raspberry. “James and Tyson were going to tie one off with the whiskey, and Trisha’s guarding the tree. Let’s go check out the airport and see if we have a plane here they can load up.”
So we did… And we scored big time. There was a Boeing 757 that was a combo passenger and cargo plane made for long trans-Atlantic flights.
“Crap, finding something this awesome means I normally get attacked or something shitty to balance out the luck,” I grumbled as I checked it out. “I’m not armed. Can someone check it? There’s a corrupted in the cargo hold or something bad that will eat me for sure.”
“You want to laugh but she’s normally right,” Cerdic muttered as he handed me over to Kristof to guard. Moon went with him, and after a few minutes they came back out promising it was clean.
But the entire airport was dry. There wasn’t a drop of fuel at all.
“Well crap,” I sighed. “There have to be other airports or whatever around here.” I blew a raspberry. “So we need an electric semi and tanker. It just never ends.” I headed over to the parking lot, yelping when I cut my foot on something. Instantly I was up in Kristof’s arms with him licking the cut closed. He held out his hand, and I watched as any drops of blood absorbed into his skin.
“You’ve done enough today, Inez,” he muttered. “Time for that whiskey and fun.”
“People are hungry,” I argued. “Just this last bit and they can load up and go get people, make progress, less people getting eaten by corrupted.” I snuggled closer and nuzzled his neck. “Can I have another drink of you, my fiancé?”
“Yes, but just one semi, please? I don’t want you hurting again.”
I nodded, taking just a mouthful of his blood. Then I whispered something naughty I wanted in his ear and he groaned deeply, letting me know he wanted it too.
Nice.
I did what I needed to and then the fire started burning too hot. Jacob promised they had it in hand—and even a pilot who could handle the plane so it wasn’t on my people—and Kristof whisked me back to the ranch.
“Will you bring Darius and Jaxon?” I asked Cerdic when I saw he joined us with the other nobles. “They need to know what’s going on and they won’t like me gone this long. Please?”
“Yes, My Princess,” he murmured, giving me a quick kiss. “Branko, come with, and she’ll be happy we got them here faster.”
“True,” I agreed, giving him a wink. Then I moved Kristof’s hands under his sweater I was wearing. “I think I’m thirsty still.”
“Do you want their blood?” he asked.
“Maybe that’s smart. Today was too much,” I confessed, shivering when he took off the sweater. “Let’s go inside. The temperature dropped.”
“Plus, I would really like to spread you out,” he murmured against my lips as he stood with me. He brought me inside and sat me on a pool table that was already cleaned off, so he really was trying to get the place in shape. “I promised you a whiskey.”
I took the bottle he offered and had a swig of it, hissing as it burned on the way down. It made me feel warm though and I shivered; it was good. I took another swig and handed him the bottle, leaning back on my hands when he accepted it.
I brought my feet up on the table and spread wide for him. “Is this what you wanted to see?”
“I certainly fucking did,” Darius groaned from behind us. I looked at him over my shoulder and smiled. “Thank you for making sure they brought us. We were starting to worry.”
“My husbands love me,” I said, knowing I would have been just as worried. “I missed you both.”
“We missed you,” he muttered, coming over and giving me a soft kiss. “You’re tired.”
“Long day. I might sleep in tomorrow.” I turned and kissed Jaxon. “I’m still thirsty, but Kristof or Cerdic is a bit much.”
“Of course,” Darius whispered, leaning in and moving between my legs. “Feed from me, my love.” I did and he moaned deeply, his fingers teasing my nipples as I did. He licked his lips when he leaned away. “Are you in a playful mood?” He waited until I nodded. “I would really like to see Branko kneel before you and lick you as he’s dying to.”
“So scandalous,” I chuckled. “We’re not even courting.” I gave a dramatic sigh. “If my husband wants to see it, of course I have to suffer through it.”
Yeah, I didn’t suffer at all. He was totally on board and honestly was so gentle and tender with me while knowing exactly where to touch me and how to please me; I thought I might pass out, it was so good.
“I knew he’d be good at it,” Darius chuckled as I lay panting on the pool table. “He pays such close attention to everything you like, exactly how you like to be touched, that I knew he would treat you right.”
I licked my lips. “Get naked. Your wife wants to ride you.”
“Shit, I should have suggested it,” Jaxon grumbled.
I bit back a smile as I sat up and kissed Branko. “Will you please yourself again for me?”
“Yes, My Princess,” he groaned.
He wasn’t the only one this time though. All the nobles there took that as an invitation. I was about to sit on Darius when I noticed it.
“Holy fuck,” I whispered, my eyes going wide. “Does every ancient have a massive dick? Is it like ears and nose that keep growing as long as they aren’t human and the body ages to elderly?” I glanced at all of them. “How are you all so well hung? Was it something with the water before pollution?”
Cerdic burst out laughing so hard he almost fell off the sofa. Moon was losing the battle not to laugh, and Sisay just covered his face and then moved his arm over his head to hide he was laughing as well.
Even the guy who had bullied me looked like he was amused. He smirked at me. “It’s thousands of years of tugging at it that helps.”
“That’s good,” I praised, about to make a joke that my breasts would be to my knees if they kept playing with them for hundreds of years, but that wasn’t as much fun.
Not at all.
“I’m not a small man but they do make me feel inferior,” Darius muttered.
I snorted. “You know how to use
yours and make me scream anytime you want. You always know the best spots and exactly what I need. Just like you say that my breasts are more than a handful and that’s what guys like, girls don’t need excessive to be happy.” I lowered myself on him before he could argue. “Besides, my husbands were part of me losing my virginity.”
“You were her first?” Sisay asked, losing his mirth.
“Darius was. I found them right before and when I realized it was her first time I couldn’t turn away,” Jason explained.
“Perv,” I moaned as I started rocking my hips. “But I was a virgin to being with Jaxon when we were together. He was just as gentle with me. It was so fucking hot. I still want him to take Darius while Darius is in me, now that I’ve seen them together.”
“Anytime, my love, anytime,” Jaxon muttered, Darius echoing him.
“You feel as amazing as you did that night,” Darius whispered as he moved with me to help. “You are perfection, Inez.”
“I think that’s just you,” I whimpered as I leaned back further. He got the idea and held me so he could thrust up into me, taking us on a ride. We both climaxed and he wrapped his arms around me as I gasped for air. “Yeah, I have no complaints with our sex life.”
“Me either,” he chuckled.
I glanced over at Jaxon. “Feel like a shower when we get back to the hotel?”
“Yes,” he moaned. “You are so fucking gorgeous, Inez.” He smirked when I flushed. “You keep saying you won’t blush one day and yet you still do.”
“Because she’s not conceited,” the other noble said but I wasn’t sure it was a compliment or not. “Am I allowed a taste as the others have?”
“Um, Darius finished,” I muttered, not sure how to spell that out.
He glanced past me and then smirked at me. “That’s not a negative, but adds to the fun as your noble is incredibly sexy.”
“Are you going to bully her again?” Darius asked as he turned me so I was snuggled up against him more. “I wasn’t a fan of how you acted towards her earlier.”
“I apologize for that.” He nodded when I met his gaze. “I do. I’m sorry, Princess. I shouldn’t have…” He sighed. “I have stayed away for so long from any court that most assumed I was dead. Here Aether pokes me to come and find you and Her message seemed clear. My shock made me rash and rude. I honestly can’t believe I offered.”
“I was shocked as well,” Sisay muttered. “I’ve never known you to consider courting a princess.”
“I haven’t. Thousands of years and she was my first and she didn’t even let me finish,” he muttered, scrubbing his hand over his head before meeting my gaze again. “But I’m glad you stopped me. I think… I’m not sure. Part of it was a knee-jerk reaction when I figured out you were Aether’s champion before Matilda did. You had to be protected and the situation was troubling.”
I nodded. “I don’t react well to that sort of anger as I had a group of nobles stalking me for years when I didn’t know about any of this. Plus I was attacked. I shouldn’t have gone to that extreme, but you guys—Eddie’s right that it’s terrifying when some of you get angry and I reacted.”
“It was a very powerful reaction as no one else had a chance to take me out,” he muttered. “I’m glad you did it as they will think twice about going against you. I’m also glad you revived me of course.” He didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Am I allowed a taste?”
“I didn’t catch your name,” Darius muttered when I didn’t reply.
“I am Tain of the house Liu. I am sorry for your loss as the Katz coven was a mighty coven and an honorable house.”
“Thank you,” he whispered, hugging me tighter. “I’ve only heard stories about your house and I don’t know anything else.”
He chuckled darkly. “The stories are probably the watered down versions. People tend to downplay what they think too crazy or play up what they think they can get away with.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I got accused a lot of making up my memory loss to get sympathy, like it would help me in the apocalypse, instead of people trying to take advantage of me.”
“I think it impressive you don’t let anyone push you around, Princess.” He got to his feet and came closer, kneeling down by us. “May I?”
“Did you let the others?” Darius asked, groaning when I nodded. “And I missed it? Let him taste you, my love.”
I gave in, running my fingers between my legs and offering them to Tian. He took his time, his tongue soft and the heat of his breath doing things to me that made me nervous given I’d actually killed him. Sure, I’d brought him back, but he died. If someone did that to me, they would be the last person I’d flirt with.
Unless I was up to something bad.
He kept licking and then finally sat back on his feet with a sigh, glancing at Darius. “You are a very lucky man to have such a woman accept you forever.”
“I know,” Darius murmured, kissing that spot under my ear. “Did you want more whiskey?”
“Yeah and then I think baby vampires need sleep,” I admitted with a yawn. I reached over and snagged a bottle of whiskey from Jaxon. “Maybe with a buzz.” I actually went over to the pool table, swallowing my nerves as I hopped up it and sat there on display. I went further and spread my legs, teasing my pussy for Darius as he watched his cum drip from me.
“I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve getting to see you do this for me, but tell me so I can do it again,” he whispered before taking a swig of whiskey.
It spurred me on and I pinched my nipples as I teased my clit faster and faster. “Do my nobles want me to come?”
“Yes,” they all answered, and I bit back a smirk, as only half of them were mine.
“Is there something we can do to earn your favor?” Moon asked as I got close. “Something to please you, Princess?”
“Like flowers?” I asked, meeting his gorgeous eyes as I kept touching myself which he really enjoyed. “What do you want to give me?” I snickered when a few people groaned. I hadn’t meant it like that, but nice.
“Think of it like winning your attention,” Kristof explained. “He’s asking for a chance to spend time with you, turn your head in his direction as he’s figured out that’s how we got close to you and that gave a chance to win your heart.”
I nodded, giving Kristof a look I knew filled with heat. “Help me finish?” I cried out as his was instantly there and plunging his fingers in me how I loved. I came and came and came as he didn’t let up. I was still twitching when he finally did. I lay there gasping as I stared up at him. “Your turn. I want to see you please yourself for me, finish on me. All my nobles should mark me.”
“Fuck me dead, Inez,” Jaxon groaned, moving to me and kissing me deeply. He didn’t hesitate, the others joining and with a few touches to help them along, they started climaxing on me. It should have been gross or maybe dirty like porn, but it wasn’t. They were showing the others I gave them everything they could want as men, their needs fully met.
“That was fucking hot,” I moaned as they rubbed it over my body. Then they seemed to know what else I would want and drew small hearts on me in their blood. “You guys spoil me.”
“Because you appreciate it, love,” Cerdic muttered. “Now answer Moon because they’re all desperate for the chance to know you better.”
“May I escort you tomorrow?” Moon asked. He smiled when I gave him a confused look. “It’s a step before courting, introductions basically, as you’ve said not to rush. I would act as your guard and you would allow me the blessing of your company.”
“But only if you do something to win my favor?” I checked.
“You could do it that way,” he agreed. “It’s whatever you want, Princess.”
Wow, they had to earn the chance to even spend time with me. It sounded a bit spoiled… And I kind of liked that, after nobles tried to use their blood to treat me like an easy slut.
I thought about it though because I wanted to ask for the right thing the
n. “I can’t ask what you guys can do, right.” I sighed. “So many rules.” I blew a raspberry and took a few more swigs of whiskey, realizing I was buzzed. “Right, but you don’t need sleep.” I slid off the pool table and went over to him, straddling his lap much to his delight. “Will you help Darius? Is that something you could do?”
“There’s no blood in my brain to answer that,” he whispered as he stared at me.
“Right, naked,” I squeaked, jumping up and finding the sweater before yanking it on. My face felt so hot, totally back to embarrassed when the hormones cooled. I hid, a bit squished between Jaxon and Cerdic, who were amused how I was acting. Yeah, yeah, I had just met those guys a bit ago really. “Um, right, Salt Lake City. There are precast concrete places.”
Darius’s eyes lit up with understanding, explaining that they had dug out the foundation for the castle and started getting braces set up but the first train with building materials was coming tomorrow. He was going to have to set up huge braces and molds to build the walls they would put together later.
“You’re saying have the trains stop there and get a team to take over one of those places and then transport the pieces to the coven,” he surmised.
I nodded. “It sounds too crazy for you otherwise. I mean, really, there were several I found on the navigator. If we’re already fixing other places, let’s do there and maybe they can help you with all the heavy lifting stuff since they don’t sleep. I would like that.”
“I will see it done,” Moon promised.
Okay then. Damn. His confidence was pretty awesome. Nice.
9
Moon
I hated being a court. I avoided it from the moment I could and rarely went back. I hated most vampires even. They were all about blood, and yes, I loved to drink blood too, but they made it… They just went too overboard.
Everything was always in extremes, from princesses bathing in blood to nobles slaughtering a hundred humans as a gift for someone.
So the last thing I wanted to do was listen to the dream and magical push I had to join up with others when I realized it would bring me back in the mix, let people know I was still alive. But I was also curious, as what I was shown gave me the smallest flicker of hope maybe something changed with the apocalypse, even in our world.
