“Would you have?” she countered.
“She was close to no longer of childbearing years. Yet, there might have been hope. Women pose little threat to my kind. They pose little threat to your kind, except they give birth. There was no need to massacre your mother. No, I wouldn’t have killed her. Your father thinks himself a martyr when, in fact, he is an executioner. A woman in your dwelling was also murdered by a human hand. A double handful of years older than you, darker hair, tiny. A pretty little thing; what a waste. I do not hate humans; I wouldn’t have slaughtered her either.”
Mercy closed her eyes tight. It must have been Chelsea. Chelsea’s father must have killed her. Her poor sweet cousin. She must have been so afraid. Mercy remembered Jarrod in the air, legs flailing, being held by a vampire. He had looked so scared. Was he killed too? Her family was gone. Mercy felt so alone she could have cried. It had been a long time since she had wept.
Tavish moved to sit beside her on the bed. Mercy scooted back, her legs pulled up tight against her chest. The blanket was in her fingers, clutched in a death grip. Tavish cocked his head to the side studying her. He looked bigger when he was closer. Mercy was consumed with guilt. A man wasn’t supposed to be this close, especially if she was nude, it was considered an act of treason. Didn’t he know this?
“I hear your heart pounding,” Tavish said and gave her a cheeky smile.
“Full nudity is considered treason. A punishable offence,” Mercy whispered. “Are you going to beat me?”
“Since I’m the one who rendered you to the state you’re in that’s doubtful.”
He has seen me nude.
Mercy was ashamed. She had seen her reflection in a sheer sheet of ice, but vanity was considered treason. Besides, all covered in fur it was impossible to feel beautiful. Mercy hadn’t seen herself nude in—she didn’t remember the last time she had been nude. Had she ever been? When washing in an ice filled cave you tended to get the job done quickly and leave as little bare for as little long as possible. She remembered the one time she had squeezed the soft flesh of her breasts and stroked lower, under her clothing. It had felt nice, until her father had caught her and slammed his open palm against her face over and over until her blood flowed. Had Tavish touched as well in the forbidden areas? The idea made her face burn; she could feel the heat slide up her throat.
“You shouldn’t be so close,” Mercy whispered.
“I plan on getting a lot closer, little cub.”
“It isn’t right.”
“Sins of the flesh?” Tavish started to chuckle. Tavish cupped the side of her face. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. “Have you ever been kissed?”
“It’s forbidden,” she started to say when Tavish pressed his lips to hers.
Mercy felt the kiss right down to her belly. Her eyes widened in surprise. His lips were gentle and moist. She jumped when his tongue invaded her mouth past her teeth. Mercy could feel her nipples tingle. She knew some things about sex. Men and women were made different somehow below, and men grew no breasts. Her mother hadn’t explained much. Mercy knew if his hard maleness, her mother hinted at, grew he would want to put it up inside her. He would put it in her forbidden area and somehow they would make a baby. The baby was an act of treason. Both she and her child would be put to death. Mercy shoved Tavish away.
“Sex is punishable by death,” she said through her clacking teeth and quivering chin.
“Those were your father’s rules,” Tavish said lightly. “You’re mine now and will obey my rules.”
Mercy was afraid to ask but she did so hesitantly. “What are your rules?”
“Complete submission. Absolute fealty to me. All females of childbearing years must be bred.”
Mercy gasped. She had to have sex? She had to have a baby? “Will you eat my baby?” The thought was horrifying.
“A child is not bled until they mature. There are forty vampires in my coven and two hundred humans ranging in age from babe to just beyond middle age. All listen to me. Your father led you to believe we are all cruel. Like humans, some are, some aren’t. The vampire the escaped man talked of was more than likely Remo. Remo was banished to the ice and snow. There is no escaping my coven. No one ever has. No one ever will. Obey my laws and there are great rewards. Disobey and the punishment is harsh.”
“Will you kill me?”
“A human female of your age is very coveted. You’ll have my protection from the other covens regardless of whether you obey or not. There are twenty virile men to choose from to create your offspring here. You may wander free and happy and select your own or you can ask me to choose. If you don’t choose and try to escape or evade my law, the alternative isn’t as pleasant.”
Mercy could feel her thoughts racing through her mind. She knew she was being told one way or the other she would be forced to have a child. Her child would be forced to have a child. When she gazed back at Tavish, she could see he was giving her time to digest his information.
“We give humans a life here,” Tavish began again. “You are fed and clothed, watched over…”
“Treated like animals. I have read of dogs and cats. But humans don’t eat their pets. We are less than pets to you.”
“When the ice age is past, this type of arrangement will no longer be a necessity. We keep you alive, you keep us alive. We all win in this situation.”
“I won’t live to see the end of an ice age. Father said it could last thousands of years and why continue on? I’ll be a captive my entire life, so will my child and my child’s child.”
Tavish gave her a somewhat evil grin. “Children, little cub. I expect many healthy children from someone as young and strong as you. And you have really only given up an ice prison for one that is much more desirable and less physically restrictive. You may even enjoy being bred.”
Mercy felt sick. “What if I can’t get pregnant?” she asked.
“You’re very beautiful.” Tavish once more kissed her. Mercy was shaking too hard to push him away. When he leaned back his nose was inches from hers.
“You would have sex with your food? I would never lay with a seal or a fish or a walrus.”
That made him roar with laughter and he pulled back farther as not to laugh in her face. “I once came across a human man having sex with a cow.”
“A what?”
“Ah yes. You’re a child of the ice. You’ve never been treated to steak, or chicken. Tell me little cub, have you ever tried a glass of fresh milk?”
Mercy shook her head. Mother’s gave children their breast; she knew that because her father told her that was the only purpose a woman’s breasts served. Her father had said when a baby was born, a mother’s breasts would fill with milk. There was nothing remotely sexual about them. That was why it was so wrong to touch them in an indecent fashion. Mercy had felt further chastened. She was confused. Did these vampires milk a woman? What an odd notion. She was too curious not to question.
“You milk your women?”
Tavish dropped his head. Mercy felt a moment’s concern until he lifted his head back up to gaze at her; his eyes were full of laughter.
“A woman’s breasts have far more delights to them.” His laughing eyes grew intense. “I plan on teaching you all of the delights of the flesh.”
Chapter 3
“It’s forbidden,” Mercy whispered.
“My coven, my rules.”
Tavish moved closer. Mercy squeezed closed her eyes and waited for him to pounce on her, positive she was about to be devoured. She waited for him to do the sex thing; though she didn’t know what it entailed, she was led to believe it was awful. They were already in bed together. Mercy was horrified. Had they already had sex together since they lay together? Or did they need to be lying down for the sex thing to happen? They had kissed. Was she already breeding? Had they made a baby?
The covers were tugged from her hands and Mercy felt herself blush as her breasts were now exposed to his gaze. One of her hands was p
icked up and she could feel a finger trace its way down her palm. It wasn’t unpleasant. She didn’t pull away. She jumped when the hand he held was kissed. In round circles his tongue licked across her palm up to her wrist.
Mercy opened her eyes. Once more his eyes were filled with laughter when he looked at her. “Did you think I would eat you little cub?”
“I don’t know what you will do,” she whispered. She wasn’t certain of anything. She was too confused. His smile and his beautiful eyes made her heart do funny things within her breast.
“I will do everything.”
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“No.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Tavish moved closer. Mercy swallowed hard. Having a man this close to her nude body was overwhelming. Her thoughts warred. He was evil; sex was evil. Strangely, his touch didn’t feel evil at all. And if this was sex, how could it be so bad if they had already made a baby? No, there was more; her mother hinted at it. Something had to be inside her to make a baby. Somehow he would put the baby in there. That thought only led to more confusion.
“I hear your heart hammering like a drum,” Tavish said. He lifted his hand and stroked her arm. She was soon covered in goose bumps. “Men and women were made to join.”
Join?
Was he a man? He was a vampire. He looked like a man. He sounded like a man. His hands were gentle. Mercy liked the way his skin felt on hers as he trailed his fingers across her collarbone. There were times she ached to be touched. She had been told she was loved, but she had wanted to be shown. Mercy had watched with intrigue when couples kissed, it was done quickly, a fast peck. At one time, she had pressed her lips to the back of her hand. It felt better when the warmth of her mouth had lingered. She knew she shouldn’t have. But she couldn’t help but feel humans needed action to emotion. In an odd way, her father had shown her that, when he had struck her in anger. And then again when he had hugged her in forgiveness.
Tavish was giving her a rare glimpse into what humans could experience. Perhaps men and women were made to join, somehow. Perhaps that was why her father’s rules were so strict. Her father would be furious with her.
Traitor.
Mercy recoiled as the word slammed into her mind. She jerked her hand from his. She yanked the covers back up to hide her nudity from him. Her breath came out in heaving pants. She placed an open palm against her wildly beating heart. She expected him to be angry but he was still smiling at her.
“I have all the time in the world, little cub.”
She supposed he did. “Where am I? The air is warm. This isn’t an ice dwelling.”
“My coven is a far cry from the ice and snow you’re used to.”
A knock sounded and Tavish rose. Mercy watched intrigued as a flat, wooden, box-like structure attached to the wall opened. Behind it stood a woman. She was older, perhaps Mercy’s mother’s age. She was tall, beautiful. Her dark hair hung well past her shoulders. She held a tray and handed it to Tavish. Tavish kissed her forehead. The woman peeked around Tavish and smiled at her. The woman hadn’t looked at her with disgust or fury. Mercy couldn’t help but smile back.
Behind the woman was a long corridor, also devoid of ice. The walls were a light green. They were perfectly flat like the walls in the room. The ceiling was high but not near as high as her ice dwelling. They were also perfectly formed. What strange walls. There were windows along the corridor where light blazed. No wonder they didn’t need wicks or oil or fire. When the odd rectangular box closed they were alone again. Tavish approached holding the tray.
“What is that?” Mercy asked, looking past his shoulder.
“What?”
“That wooden box the woman appeared behind.”
“It’s called a door.”
“What’s it for?”
“Privacy.”
“Privacy between a man and woman is…”
“I know, it’s considered treason.” Tavish rolled his eyes. “You sound like a brainwashed parrot.”
Mercy couldn’t help but feel he was making fun of her. It was hard to tell, she had no idea what a parrot was. And how would you wash your brain? Jarrod had teased her once when they were younger that her brain would slide from her ears if she lay on her side. But her father had told her it was nonsense and Jarrod was just being silly. Still, for the longest time, she had slept on her back until she grew older.
Tavish lifted the rounded dome-like lid on the dish before her and placed it to the side. Mercy reached out to touch it. The color was like nothing she had seen before. It was more beautiful and shiny, almost a high-polished gray color, but it wasn’t gray. She could see her distorted reflection in it, making her face look odd. The lid was hot and steam rolled from the food to cover the dish in a fine layer of film like warm breath. The smells were enticing. Her belly rumbled. Mercy had never been hungry a day in her life.
Tavish lifted a piece of meat and held it to her lips. Mercy hesitated. She should refuse. She should starve herself and fade away into nothingness. But she opened her mouth, feeling famished. Mercy groaned as she chewed. It was amazing. The morsel was tender and juicy. The flavors came alive in her mouth. She moaned in delight. It was so delicious; her mother would have loved this. Her mother had been a fantastic cook.
“It’s called steak,” Tavish said.
“It’s wonderful. It melts in my mouth. May I have more?”
“You may have as much as you want. You will always have enough to eat, I promise you. Everyone in my coven is fed. No one goes without.”
His pale blue eyes were centered on her in such a way Mercy wrapped the covers around her tighter. She wondered if he would eat after she did. The idea was terrifying, and oddly curious. He smiled as she accepted another piece of the meat, then another. Her lips closed over his fingers a few times. It was strange to be fed by a man. She didn’t object. She should really object. For the first time, she noted his fangs. They were small, pointed, not the monstrous things she had been led to believe. Her father had insisted those fangs would rip a human throat out. But if two hundred humans lived here, he must spare some lives. The woman who had stood past the door-thing didn’t look terrified when she was standing before him. She hadn’t cowered and begged for her life, she had smiled at him with affection. He had kissed her much like Mercy’s father had kissed her at rare times. The woman hadn’t fled in terror.
“Try something else, little cub.”
“What is that?” Mercy asked. She pointed at a yellow object with tiny bead-like things covering it. It smelled nice.
“It’s called corn on the cob. There’s only a half piece here. It’s called a vegetable. I’m guessing you haven’t tried many vegetables. You will be given a wide variety of vegetables as well as fruits here for nourishment, to keep you healthy. Try it. Only eat the soft yellow buds though, not the hard cob they’re attached to.”
It was difficult to hold one handed so Mercy tucked the covers under her arms and, using both hands, she bit into it. The taste was fantastic. Back and forth her mouth roamed over the delectable thing called corn, which was a vegetable. She didn’t set it down until she had eaten every bud. Mercy could have eaten five more. Using a cloth Tavish wiped her face clean.
“Here, try this.”
Tavish handed her a glass. Mercy thought that would be the right name for the object holding the liquid. It wasn’t a cup or a flask. It was see-through like thin ice. Her mother often said the ice was like a sheet of glass. The liquid was odd. It was orange but not like any orange pelt she had ever seen when smoked. It was beautiful like a rare sunset she had been privy to once. Her father had taught her many colors that one night so long ago when she had been a child. He had told her it was the last time she would be allowed to see the sky until her blood time stopped and she was safe. Mercy had taken a picture of the colors in her mind and replayed them over and over throughout the years. She was grateful to be taught anything. Sometimes she ached for knowl
edge.
Mercy took a sip from the glass. She rolled the fresh liquid around in her mouth. It was sweet, tart and cold. For a second her lips puckered at the unusual taste and Tavish laughed. She did too after she swallowed. Mercy tilted her head back and drained the contents.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Orange juice.”
Roundish red objects sat on her plate and Mercy picked one up to exam it. It had seeds on the outside. A drop of blood red juice slipped over her fingers. Mercy licked the juice. Her mouth watered. Whatever it was it smelled wonderful. She sank her teeth into yet another new taste sensation. Her eyes closed as she chewed.
“That’s a strawberry. A fruit.”
“It’s amazing.” Mercy’s words were muddled over the piece she had in her mouth. She scooped up three more and couldn’t eat them fast enough. By the time her plate was clean, she was full.
“My people grow many things for their enjoyment,” Tavish began. Mercy thought he sounded cajoling. “We don’t just return with things for a vampire’s pleasure. I find certain satisfaction in keeping my humans content. All I ask in return is obedience. In fact, it’s law. All you must do is obey and everything is provided. I will take good care of you.”
“I’m more like a slave then, than a pet?”
Tavish smiled and brushed a lock of her hair from her eyes, then wiped her chin with the cloth he held, ridding it of juices. “Perhaps. But how many masters feed slaves breakfast in bed?”
“Am I expected to be your breakfast in bed?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
Tavish took the tray and set it on the floor. When his face was only inches from her, he cupped the back of her head in his hand. Mercy could feel his hot breath bathe her face. When he claimed her lips in a kiss she could feel her heart pound in her ears. This kiss was more demanding, expecting. She had never seen a kiss like this, even from husbands and wives. It was more pleasurable when the warmth was longer. When his tongue touched hers and he sucked it into his mouth she jumped, but his hand kept her still.
The Brethren Of Tavish [Vampire Coven Book 1] Page 4
