Darkness In The Flames

by Kelly, Sahara

  But he could not stop the sight of Thérèse from branding itself into Katherine’s brain.

  Fucking one man and biting another.

  The feeding had begun, a slurping, greedy sound emanating from Thérèse’s mouth as she began to drain blood from her victim.

  Her hips rose and fell, grinding her pussy into the sex of the man beneath her. The man in front of her orgasmed as she fed, his seed flying from his cock to dapple the limbs in front of it. He cried out, his head falling backwards and his mouth wide, shaking with the force of his climax, his balls hard, cock throbbing and spurting gleaming milky strands of life towards the woman who drank so copiously from his breast.

  His hands fluttered limply, and yet she continued. His eyelids fell, covering his eyes as they rolled upwards, and yet she continued.

  His body sagged, but Thérèse held him erect. And she still continued.

  She drank and drank and sometime during her feast she orgasmed around the cock beneath her. Katherine could see the shimmers and spasms of climax as they rippled through Thérèse, and the thighs of the man beneath her twitched and heaved as he cried out his pleasure.

  And still she fed, fangs buried deeply in her victim’s chest.

  Katherine’s breath all but left her lungs as Thérèse finally ripped her face free and let the man fall in a heap to the ground. Blood coated the beautiful face, dripping freely down to spatter the white skin and the full breasts. An expression of pleasure crossed Thérèse’s face, a grimace of satisfaction that chilled Katherine more than anything she’d ever seen.

  “Mmm.” Thérèse licked her lips, savoring the droplets of blood that remained. “So good. So tasty.” She narrowed her eyes and stared at Adrian and Katherine. “And to think I have dessert waiting for me.” She glanced over her shoulder at the man lying prone beneath her, then looked back up.

  “I can’t wait until I have the two of you here with me. ‘Twill be the sweetest feast of all. And we shall take our time, shan’t we, my love?” She stared at Adrian. “We shall relish each and every moment of your little friend’s pleasure. You shall fuck us both, and perhaps I might even let her fuck me with her tongue while you watch. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, darling?”

  Once more the fangs shone, this time against the dark curtain of blood that draped her face. “You will come to me. It may take time, but you will come. You cannot resist my powers. And I have all the time in the world. And if you do not come to me…why then perhaps I shall come to you. As I said, we have plenty of time.” She looked at Katherine. “Of course, she doesn’t. So you’d better come soon, Jadranko. Come find me. I want to play with you again.” Thérèse sighed. “It’s more fun when there’s someone to share it with, don’t you think?”

  She lifted herself off the second victim and stretched. “Mmm. Fucking and feeding in the moonlight. Soooo very nice.” The man blinked at her, as if in some kind of stupor. She smiled. “And now to continue. This meal will strengthen me, Jadranko. I chose these two carefully. Lots of lovely fresh blood and hot desires. You know what that does to our kind.”

  She slid her hands between her legs and smoothed her pussy, sighing with pleasure as her hands reappeared coated with a mix of juices and semen. Leaning down, she wiped them over the naked chest of the man lying helplessly before her, an expression of lust and fear on his face. She knelt beside him and dropped a bloody kiss on his lips. “Don’t worry, darling. I shall not hurt you. I could never hurt you.”

  The obvious lie grated all the way down Katherine’s spine and she sensed a matching shudder of horror cross Adrian’s flesh. This was truly a demon from Hell come to earth, and Katherine wished for something—a cross perhaps—to intervene. To possibly save this unfortunate man from the fate that had already ended the life of his friend.

  But it was to no avail.

  Adrian and Katherine were helpless, caught in the appalling agony of this nightmare they shared, forced to watch this evil and wicked creature destroy two innocent lives.

  Katherine tried to close her eyes, but even then she could not stop the images from flooding her mind.

  Thérèse, licking the liquids from the man’s chest as she rubbed her breasts over his body.

  Thérèse, fondling his cock, bringing it from its flaccid state back to a full erection and making him whimper as she did so.

  Thérèse, bending her head to his breast and resting her ear there for a moment or two as if listening.

  Thérèse, opening her mouth wide—so wide—inhumanly wide—and biting, a harsh ripping of flesh and muscles and cartilage.

  And finally, Thérèse, her mouth overflowing with that which had once been a human. Her eyes were wild and burning as they sought the two who watched. She wanted to make sure they could see her. Could see her feed and swallow and drink some more.

  She made absolutely sure they had a perfect view of her final triumph.

  She dipped her hands into the chest cavity of her victim and tugged.

  She withdrew his still-beating heart.

  Katherine’s scream boiled from her gut to her throat, and with a horrid lurch she awoke, nestled deep in Adrian’s arms.

  She tore herself from the bed, staggered to the far side of the room where the customary screen stood, dashed behind it and vomited.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sidney frowned, his thoughts disturbed, his emotions roiling with anger as he listened to what Adrian related. “She wants you, doesn’t she? She thinks of you as hers. Hers to command at will.”

  Katherine stared from the window into the darkness. “I had no idea such evil could exist. No idea at all.”

  Adrian moved to go to her, but Sidney stayed him with a gesture. Katherine needed a little time to come to terms with all this. As much as Adrian wanted to comfort her, as indeed did Sidney himself, nothing would be gained at this point by pushing the physical on Katherine. She needed to sort out the mental first.

  “Sadly, evil is always present in one form or another, Katherine. This—this creature—is the worst of the worst, however.” He steepled his fingers together, as was his habit, and stared at her over them. “Now you know what happened to Adrian. Why he cannot move around during the day. Why he does not enjoy meals the way you and I do. And why I am working so hard to find something—anything—that will counteract the poison Thérèse infected him with.”

  Katherine turned at that. “Poison? You think she is—venomous?”

  “A good word for it…yes.” Sidney nodded. “No matter what the myths would have you believe, Adrian is alive. Blood circulates through his body, although at a greatly reduced speed. His heart beats, but barely, and slower than I had thought humanly possible.”

  His gaze fell on Adrian, who remained still in his chair by the fireplace. “It is my belief, backed up by some of my research, that this Thérèse woman contaminated Adrian when she bit him. Her poison—venom, if you like—is strong, very strong indeed. Possibly because she has been doing this for countless eons. Neither of us have any idea how old she might be.”

  Katherine nodded. “What you say makes a sort of sense, so far…”

  Sidney smiled a little, pleased that Katherine could grasp the essentials so quickly. “Well, I have tried to counteract this agent, this foreign matter that runs through Adrian’s blood. I’ve had some small success. He can eat a little, drink wine and is certainly more human—if you’ll permit the expression—than he was when he arrived.”

  Adrian looked up at that. “There is something else, Father.” He paused and glanced at Katherine. “Forgive me, Kat. I have to be completely honest with my father. He must know all there is to know if he is to be able to bring me back to the human race.”

  “I understand, Adrian. But what…?” She tipped her head in inquiry.

  “Father, when Kat and I were—together—earlier tonight, I felt a greater return of…of…my sense of…taste.”

  Sidney’s lips twitched as Katherine turned back to the window with a strangled sound
of embarrassment. He turned a laugh into a cough. “I see.” Wisely he let the subject pass, merely noting the incident for future consideration. “And you said when you accidentally scratched Katherine’s hand…?”

  Adrian frowned. “Yes. That was most odd. Kat jumped, my teeth nicked her skin by mistake and I found a drop of her blood in my mouth.” His eyes turned to the woman just as she turned to him.

  Sidney nearly gasped at the emotions they both unwittingly revealed at that moment. Truly, they were meant for each other. Now all he had to do was get them to realize it and figure out a way to keep them both alive. Or as alive as possible.

  He sighed. “And?” He prompted his son, recalling him from whatever lustful fantasy he might be enjoying.

  “Oh. Er…yes.” Adrian blinked. “It was as if some sort of odd heat danced across my nerve endings. I scarcely had time to examine it, because Thérèse went for Kat, and I was worried…”

  “You held her away.” Katherine took up the narrative, turning to Sidney with an arrested expression on her face. “He held her back, Sir Sidney. She wasn’t expecting it. It was as if—as if—that drop of my blood had given him powers of some sort…” Her voice tailed off.

  Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Powers? Over Thérèse? I doubt it.”

  “Don’t be too quick to arrive at that conclusion, Adrian.” Sidney pursed his lips as his mind churned furiously over the possibilities. “The introduction of Katherine’s blood into the situation seems to have made quite a difference. And, of course, it’s the blood link between you and Thérèse that has held you under her control for so long. No, we definitely shouldn’t dismiss the possibility that Katherine could make a difference.”

  The woman herself swallowed. “It seems most unreal. But there is one thing that keeps coming back and haunting me.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “Beyond that final horror, of course.”

  Now Adrian went to her side. “What’s that, love? Tell us.” His arm slipped around her and she leaned into him almost absently.

  “This Thérèse. She knows where we are.”

  Sidney blinked. “What?”

  “I said…I said…” Katherine bit her lip in frustration. “I let our whereabouts slip out.” She looked up at Adrian. “Don’t you recall? I said I wanted to wake up. To return to St. Chesswell.”

  Adrian closed his eyes. “Fuck.”

  Sidney rose. “Ordinarily, I’d tell you what I thought of such language in front of a lady in no uncertain terms.” He moved to stand in front of the couple. “However, in this instance, I’m inclined to echo the sentiment. Fuck indeed.” He tugged on his lower lip. “Katherine, I would like to ask for a little of your blood, if you’d be so kind. It would be a great help and might answer some questions I have.”

  “If it will help Adrian—and me now, I suppose—then of course.” Katherine nodded her agreement and got a hug from Adrian in return.

  “Good.” Sidney turned to his desk. “I have much to do, and time is now a factor. We shall have to work under the assumption that this Thérèse creature might come here when you fail to obey her summons and her power over you lessens, Adrian.”

  “And then what?” Adrian moved away from Katherine and paced the room. “I have placed you all in danger if that is truly the case. Perhaps I should leave. Go to her. Settle this for once and for all.”

  “No.” Katherine’s voice was firm. “What good will that serve? You will slide back into the Hell where she lives, Adrian. It’s what she wants. Company in her vicious and violent misery. Is that what you want? I don’t think so.” She walked to his side and gripped his arm. “Like it or not, I’m at your side now. I arrived here by accident, but I shall stay on purpose. I know all there is to know. I choose to be here, to be with you. You are not alone in this fight, and if we can emerge victorious because we work together, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “Kat…” Adrian’s voice was husky, and Sidney gulped down a lump that had crept into his throat as he watched them. They had to resolve this now, to make decisions now that would affect what lay ahead.

  Katherine straightened her shoulders. “I’m a redhead, Adrian. St. Chesswell is riddled with legends about women with my hair color. It’s time to put a new one on the books. The one of how this redhead helped the prodigal son find a cure for his illness and walk in the sunshine again.”

  “You’d risk so much?” Adrian lifted a hand to her face, delicately touching her cheek as she stared into his eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Her clear blue gaze remained fixed on Adrian’s face as she answered. “You know why.” She held out her arm to Sidney and pushed up her sleeve as he prepared to take her blood.

  *~*~*~*

  A slight sting, a pinprick of sensation, and Sir Sidney had the vial of liquid he needed. Katherine barely felt it. What she did feel was her heart thundering in her breast at the look on Adrian’s face.

  She was in love with him. Totally, madly, completely in love with this man who might not be a man, yet was nothing like the demon he thought he might be. She knew it, knew her face was telling Adrian how she felt, and could see the emotion rise inside him as she bared her soul.

  Destiny, fate, whatever unseen forces existed, had brought them together at this time at this place. Nothing, no evil or madness from Hell, would pry them apart.

  The knowledge settled in Katherine’s soul like the foundations of a new building, firm, solid and unmovable. She guessed her life would be built on these foundations from now on, and that Adrian would be a part of it.

  How, she did not yet know, nor was she certain they had a future together, but she was ready to face what lay ahead as long as he was by her side.

  His gaze heated as Sidney touched her arm with a cloth and declared himself done. “You both need rest.”

  Adrian glanced at his father. “I will not let her leave my side from now on, Father. It’s vital. I need to know she is protected at all times.”

  His face was firm, his suggestion outrageous, but his father nodded in agreement. “Quite right. We do not know if an attack will be forthcoming, or when. It’s best to be prepared for any eventuality, I think.”

  Katherine cleared her throat. “Er…there may be some talk…”

  “Damnation, you’re right…” Adrian turned to her apologetically. “Look, I…”

  She stopped his words with a finger on his lips. “I don’t care. Not one whit. Nor does anybody else in this world, Adrian. I am free to follow my heart, and it has come willingly to your side. Naught else matters. I just wanted to point out that your household must needs be told something to explain our…closeness…”

  Adrian’s eyebrows rose arrogantly. “Really?”

  Katherine sighed and looked at Sir Sidney. Who smiled and nodded. “I’ll think of something, my dear. Don’t worry. My staff is loyal to a fault, and we keep ourselves to ourselves down here. Adrian’s nocturnal habits have put a crimp in a lot of the social interactions, and our naturally unwelcoming natures have done the rest.” He grinned.

  “I doubt that.” Katherine smiled back then yawned.

  “We need to sleep, Father. Katherine is tired.” Adrian stepped to her side.

  “I know. Go now, and rest. I have a lot to think over, and some experiments to run. I’ll know where to find you.” He patted Adrian’s shoulder. “Rest well, my son.”

  Katherine dropped him a small curtsy. “Thank you, Sir Sidney.”

  He nodded back. “It may be a case of us thanking you before all this is over and done with.” Carefully bearing the glass vial, Sir Sidney ambled from the room.

  “Come to bed, my sweet.”

  The words were whispered low and sent a chill of delight down Katherine’s spine. “Now there’s an invitation I am hard pressed to refuse.”

  Her hand was seized and held against something very rigid beneath Adrian’s dressing gown. “And I have something else that’s hard. Just for you.”

  “Mmm. S
o you do, sir. So you do.” She turned to face him. “I would explore this strange hardness. Should we retire so that I may begin my investigations?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Everything blurred as Katherine was swept into Adrian’s arms once again and hurried through the house to his suite. The thought flashed through her mind that she could get very accustomed to this mode of transportation.

  Used to his nocturnal lifestyle, the servants had already been in and remade the bed, tidying the rooms for their master’s daytime repose. It was darkly welcoming and Katherine tumbled onto the smoothed covers with a laugh, rolling until Adrian was beneath her.

  They’d pulled on robes in their hurry to find Sir Sidney earlier this eventful night, so the amount of actual undressing was reduced significantly. Something Katherine was very grateful for, since she wanted to get her hands on Adrian’s body as soon as maybe.

  And she wanted to hold his cock immediately thereafter. Her hands tugged at his belt, undoing the knot in the cord with ease and spreading the rich fabric wide. His chest was bared as she slid down his legs, revealing his muscled torso and—oh my—everything else as well.

  “Adrian.” The word escaped her without volition as she stared at this rigid muscle, rippling with strength and moving a little as she gazed at it. Thrusting from a nest of dark curly hair, Adrian’s cock was magnificent, and she licked her lips absently as she studied it.

  “Um…Kat?”

  She jumped. Her concentration had almost distracted her from the fact that this muscled rigidity came with a man attached to it.

  “Are you done looking yet?”

  Naughtily, Katherine ignored him. For the first time in her life she had a fully aroused male at her disposal, and she wanted to play. She wanted him. She wanted to do all the things she’d heard whispered behind fans and over teacups, but had never completely understood—until now.

  Now she could comprehend the meaning of the phrase “he made my mouth water”, since hers was doing just that. And Adrian was very ready—the fact that he wanted her made him all the more attractive.