by J. E Hanson
The plane lands with ease on the runway. You can already feel the air change. It feels different, now that I’ve spent a few days away from the castle. I’m actually happy to be home. Is this really my home now? It must be, because I’m too happy to be here. We land safely, but this time, Louie, Brennan, and Brannon greets us at the airport.
I run over to Louie, and nearly choke him to death, by hugging him. He chuckles at me. “I’m starting to believe that you’ve missed us, girlfriend!”
“I actually did miss you,” I said to him, while batting my long eyelashes.
The three men pack our entire luggage in the Hummer. Christian drives us to the castle and now I’m comfortable with the odd fortress. I even miss the Goth-looking water fountain sitting out in front. Now, I can see their sick sense of humor. We pull into the garage, and the lights automatically turn on as he drives through it. This garage makes me think of a car lot, but only on the inside. There are no pieces of shits in their inventory. He drives to the bottom of the garage, and safely parks the Hummer in its designated spot. He walks over and opens my passenger's side door, taking my hand in his.
Christian stops, to inform me, “There are other creatures, who roam around in Meropis. You need, to be aware of the imps, trolls, banshees, warlocks, witches, wizards, tree people, werewolves, other were animals, and zombies.”
“Zombies… we have zombies?” I’m actually amused at the thought of zombies. I’ve never seen one as of yet.
“Meropis is ran by The Board of Meropis. The Board of Meropis is a group of elected officials from certain supernatural groups. They thought it would be a great idea, to give all creatures a fighting chance. They believe zombies need a shot at an existence too. The board constantly monitors the zombies. Another group watches over the zombies. They dismantle any zombie, who they deem is a threat. This is why you must inform us where you are. Zombies love mortals, and they will try their best, to eat mortals. Unlike us, they have no brains. They kill at will, and that’s all they do,” he explains as he finally opens up to me.
“Can they kill vampires?”
The men smile and Chris continues to explain things to me, “You would have to be a pretty slow vampire, for them to kill you. There has never been a recorded death of a vampire at the hands of zombies. They only come out at night like us, so they have no advantage. We have speed and brains they do not. Since you are a mortal, it is more dangerous for you than us. Zombies have no interest in vampires, because we are also dead. We smell like them, so they leave us alone. Since you still have a pulse, they live for that. Their only interest is fresh blood—not dead blood.”
“Would they want to feed on werewolves?” I’m pretty ignorant on supernatural creatures, so that’s why I’m asking them so many questions.
“They love anything with a pulse. No matter, if it smells like a wet dog—or not. A werewolf, to us is an impossibility, because we would have a hard time moving past their stench. Werewolves would not like us, because we smell badly to them too. We smell like rotting corpses, or so they have told me. Do you have any more questions, or can we go inside now?”
I keep my hand in his as he tugs on me, for the garage elevator.
We make it inside the elevator and wait five seconds. The door opens to the basement floor. We move from the main floor, to his gold with mahogany elevator. The corridors sound completely different, from the first time I arrived here. I’m so happy to be home. He continues. to keep my hand in his. We return to the library, and we can hear all the Enforcers laughing, except for Ian and Zane. Those two will return home some time tomorrow. I usually sit next to them in an uncomfortable wooden chair, but this time, he places me on his lap, in an oversized red chair.
Erik stares at me awkwardly, and he puts his newspaper down. “I assume that one of the rules, you’ve signed is no longer in effect. Christian, are you breaking your own rule?”
Chris wraps his arms around me, and he kisses the nape of my neck. “I am breaking that rule, and yes, the contract becomes null and void.”
Erik leans in. “Now, that the contract is null and void, that still doesn’t give you full authority. You have come a long way, but you still have much to learn. I will keep my eyes open, and continue to monitor you closely,” Erik isn’t smiling as he warns me.
The comfortable feeling makes me sleepy. I give Christian another kiss, and told him goodnight.
~~~***~~~
Sam stops me. “We need to go over your room décor. I left a few books for you, to flip through on your desk. The décor is for your new bedroom and bathroom. I would like to have your choices, by tomorrow if possible, so that Leo and I can start working on your room.”
I return to my temporary bedroom. Unfortunately, the roses died. There are small gnats swarming around them. After Sophia makes sure I’m unpacked, she took the dead roses with her.
I shower and get ready for bed. With a towel over my head, I quickly flip through all the designs. There isn’t a price tag listed on these pages. The last room on the last page piques my interest. It is under the “Ancient Rooms” category, and the matching bathroom equally fascinates me. I cover my short cotton nightgown with a matching robe.
I haul all the heavy books back to the library. The Enforcers stare at me oddly. Christian must be out on a conference call right now, since he’s not sitting in the library.
“I picked out my décor, and I will head for bed now,” I inform him yawning, and turn around to leave.
Sam stammers for a few minutes, “Are... are you sure?”
I flip to the back of the book and point. “I’m really sure that I want this and that bathroom. I will probably have to put in extra hours for Christian, but that’s my final answer.”
“There have only been four people, who have ever requested this type of room—are you sure?”
“I’m pretty sure.”
I’m about to leave, but Alexander grabs my wrist. He peers over to what Sam has issues with now. “If this is what the princess wants, then this is what the princess gets. I, on the other hand, am extremely surprised by her choice. A girl her age usually picks pink with purple furry stuff. My girlfriend always picks out tacky furry stuff. Chris will be happy with her selections as well as me. Are you able to make another room?”
Sam gazes at me awkwardly, then back to Alexander. “I agree with you, and yes it can be done. I already have a team on standby for this. The décor can be a bitch though.”
Alexander drags me outside, by my arm. He doesn’t scowl—or yell at me. “I need to give you a piece of advice. Make sure you have clothes on, the next time you are upstairs. I know you are covered, but my brother is a jealous man. You are exceptionally lucky that he is not here right now. I will never say anything to him about this. But I feel that you need to be made aware, before he chews you out again.”
“I’m sorry, and it won’t ever happen again. I honestly forgot,” I apologize.
After he releases my wrist, he pats me on the arm. “I know you forgot, but I will remind you. Now, hurry up and return to your bedroom, before he finds you like this. It is not you; it is the other men he has issues. They have proven time again, why there are trust issues between him and them.”
“I really didn’t think, but thanks for reminding me. I will make sure that this never happens again.”
Alexander grins, and he pats my head. “I know you will, and that is why I am giving you these warnings whenever possible.”
I left the main floor in record time. I managed to return to my bedroom without Christian discovering me. I couldn’t get to bed fast enough. My alarm clock is set, and I drift off to sleep.
~~~***~~~
The sexual dreams with Christian continue. I dream of making love to him everywhere. I’m unable to keep my mind off him. It doesn’t want to stop dreaming of him.
The pain engulfs me, and it overwhelms me with agony. I wake up and scream from the searing pain. After he hears my screams, Christian is in my room within five se
conds.
“Are you okay?” He asks, showing deep concern for my welfare. He flips the light switch, to see that I’m drenched from sweat, and I’m crouching over the pillow. The searing pain causes me, to bite down on my pillow. It feels like someone is amputating my jaw, without any pain relief medicines. I rip my pillow apart, and the pale feathers fly around the room.
Alexander joins him seconds after. “I have something to knock it out, but you need to okay it first.”
I nod my head yes violently.
Alexander takes out a needle, and he directs Christian on what to do next. Christian lifts up my nightgown to reveal my right hip. The needle jabs hard in my right hip. It hurts just as bad as the original pain. But, the pain eases after five seconds of constant throbbing pain. The instant relief helps me drift back to sleep.
~~~***~~~
The alarm sounds the next morning. How in the world did I wake up? I sluggishly fumble to turn off the loud alarm clock. My daily routine of a hot shower continues.
Christian isn’t here this morning. We are back in Meropis, and things return for the most part, back to normal. The castle is awake and alive. I rub on my poor hip, from where Alexander stuck the needle. The feeling for sex now ends. The sore spot needs constant attention, from that thick needle. I’m ready for my workout today.
I focus on their things in the cases. I glance at trophies, memories, and their weapons. When I look at their things, I start to giggle to myself. I’m stupid for believing that these men were their ancestors. The truth is staring back at me in their pictures and paintings. It blows my mind that these are all the Enforcers as themselves.
~~~***~~~
The training with Sam ends and Charlie waits for me instead. “I heard you had a bloody rough night. Do you want to talk about it?”
I sit down to eat my food. “I have issues with my fangs. I found out yesterday that my fangs have a mind of their own. They want to descend, but I received advice not to drink blood. I’m seriously rethinking that advice again. I want to honor his wishes, but I can’t stand the fucking pain. Who knew that your fangs are a link to your crotch? Nobody here took the time, to warn me about that! I had to find out from a porn producer instead.”
His face lights up and he starts to laugh at my statement. “I’m so sorry, darling. I honestly bloody forgot. You’re going through, what we call vampire puberty. There’s only one way to cure the bloody madness, and that’s through ingesting blood. Happy fangs, equal happy vampires. Does Chris know about this? Does he know that you need a little boom, boom?”
There’s laughter in the distance. I know the rest of the Enforcers are eavesdropping on our conversation. I went through emotions of embarrassment, confusion, and anger.
“I don’t need a little boom, boom, and I won’t ingest blood either! Who comes up with vampire puberty? That isn’t cool! Are there other ways to get rid of it?” I’m practically yelling at poor Charlie.
Charlie tries to keep a straight face. I’m a hundred percent certain that the rest of the Enforcers continue to listen in. “The other way, is to play with your kitty by yourself.”
My water splatters all over the table. I start to choke on my water. Charlie slaps me hard on the back a few times. After a few minutes, the choking ends, but the men in the library are still howling with laughter.
“I’m not doing that and how dare you even suggest that!” I declare to him.
“Relax, Ms. Prude. When you’re holding out, it’s a wonderful bloody thing to do. You will never have to worry about becoming bloody pregnant. It also gives you a chance, to learn more about your own body. You can tell your bloody lover, how to satisfy your needs. Every woman should familiarize herself with her own body.”
My hands quickly cover my ears. “It shocks me that you suggest masturbation to me! I never thought I would ever hear this kind of advice in a million years!”
“Do you really believe that Chris will give into you so willingly? You’re running out of bloody options. There’s nothing wrong with waxing the beaver. It does require a little spit shine—or two.”
The men are hysterically laughing at this point. I want to crawl inside a hole and die.
We walk inside the gym together, and he points at the scale with his clipboard. I worriedly step on the scale and to my amazement; I weigh in at one hundred and forty even, with a fluctuation of one hundred and thirty-nine pounds. After he stretches me out, he throws a punch at me. I manage to block them. He reviews the moves from prior martial arts training.
After he reviews, he takes two sets of sticks out. “Let’s just see, how well you do with these sticks.”
Charlie makes three abrupt moves. He smacks my hands with his set of sticks. My hands hurt badly, by the time we finish. Every single time I miss a move, or failed to do something exactly right, he manages to whack my hands with the sticks.
We spent the first week, returning to training mode. He isn’t an easy person to take lessons. He actually left marks, and he doesn’t care.
~~~***~~~
The rest of the men remain in the library working on their businesses and projects. Every time I’m there, someone always makes a funny remark about vampire puberty. I hate them for that! A few Enforcers accidentally left their drinks out. You can smell the salty sweetness of the blood. Chris stays away, for more fires to extinguish at his clubs. He only needs me for his projects—not his clubs. This means long nights, and he won’t return home until after I’m asleep. He often leaves romantic cards—or notes on my desk. I miss him terribly.
~~~***~~~
The week isn’t going well for my fangs. Alexander arrives in my room. “You need another shot, and the pain you are in—warrants it.”
I’m unable to say anything to him. I continue to scream from the intense pain. This time, the pain decides to escalate. After the numbing agents and the shots, my body contorts in excruciating pain. It feels as if someone is ripping my mouth apart with no anesthesia.
Alexander takes out his phone with a frustrated look on his face. “You need to come home. Jeannie needs you, and she’s finally at the breaking point.”
Alexander abruptly ends his call. He swaddles me in my blanket, and he carries me to the library within seconds. The Enforcers hear my screams and wails. All of them stand up. From the looks on their faces, they are worried about me. He lays me on the leather ottoman. The Enforcers stand around me, and they watch me scream in agony. I writhe from being in so much pain. From their facial expressions, they appear as if they hate seeing me like this. There isn’t any sign of relief.
Christian runs in, within minutes. He can hear my howls, and he runs over to me, cradling me in his arms. “I am so tired of this! You need this. There are no other medicines to take. Your fangs are no longer listening to you anymore. We knew this day would come. You have been brave, but it is time to let them descend. Alexander, please call her grandfather. He needs to see, what his advice is doing to her!”
I scream even louder with agony. The pain lifts me from his arms. Sophia places a cold compress over my forehead, trying to alleviate the pain, but that doesn’t even work. My mind tries to meditate, but it refuses to cooperate.
Saber storms in, and he runs over to me. He gives an empathetic stare, and then he nods his head with approval. “You need his blood, and I’m so sorry, darling.”
Chapter 13
I writhe as a badly wounded animal. Christian nods to Saber and Alexander.
“Chris!” That’s all I can say to him.
Christian lays me down, long enough to take his shirt off. He picks me up from the ottoman. I can hear the clicking sounds from his fangs. He bit into his wrist, and he covers my mouth with his tattooed wrist. He holds me close to his body, keeping his wrist over my lips. I can’t ignore his luscious blood anymore. My mind only wants the salty sweet substance. My lips part to suck from his open wound. They automatically turn numb from the rich blood. My tongue enjoys the luscious taste.
“Sophia, I wi
ll require at least six bottles of blood for myself. She will need my blood, to compensate for many years of blood thirst.”
She returns three minutes later, with his order. I lean back, and suck away on his wrist. Saber holds my other hand, and he watches me with sadness in his eyes. My eyes close, when my fangs descend. My mouth moves away from his wrist long enough, to readjust my new fangs. My mouth returns, to sucking from his wrist even harder. He pops the lids off the bottles of blood to drink. I need Chris and his blood. My mind remains consumed with blood. The salty sweet taste travels down my throat, and it coats my mouth. The fangs cease after a half hour. The pain and agony disappear. My fangs emit tingles up my spine, and in my mouth. My gums are now pain-free. My eyes close with one last draw of the hot substance. I release my mouth from his wrist. It feels like I’m falling from cloud nine. I lean back and lick my lips.
Ian’s face relaxes. “How do you feel?”
My lips smile with relief. “I feel full and free.”
My attention focuses in on Christian’s eyes. His face looks grim. His hollow eyes cause me to panic. “I’m so sorry, Christian!”
Christian opens another bottle, and chugs it down quickly. “I will do anything for you. I want to stop the pain, and I will sacrifice anything for you. I care for you this much.”
