A Summoner's Tale - The Vampire's Confessor (Black Swan 3)

by Danann, Victoria

  With a shocking abruptness he pulled back, reached toward the side of the bed and produced a condom, from thin air it seemed. Holding it up between them, he said, "You never answered my question. Condom or children?"

  Heaven hesitated and worked at making herself think about something besides the eroticism of the moment. This was important.

  "Children. Yes. Now? No. I want you to myself for a while."

  He bent down over her and gave her a kiss that took her breath away. Then bit the corner of the condom off with a smile. "You do it." He handed it to her knowing that women are notoriously fast learners when it comes to anything to do with sex. With hands that had warmed up nicely, she smoothed it down so expertly that no one would ever guess it was her first attempt at outfitting rainwear.

  Both immediately resumed their respective stroking. When he anticipated her climax was near, he pulled out of her hand and lowered himself over her body, cradling himself between her legs. Poised at her entrance he was prepared for her to tense and shy away, but instead, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  "Istvan. My Istvan. Don't stop."

  He froze in place as the thrill of her words rushed through him. Though the language wasn't Anglish, and the voice was different, that was what Helena used to whisper in his ear when they enjoyed had delicious nights of clandestine pleasure so many centuries before. Heaven didn't realize how much of her personality stayed with her spirit as it moved in and out of lifetimes.

  What a wonder it was to have returned to him the love that he believed was lost forever. Elora was wrong. He didn't get what he had asked for, he got more than he could have ever hoped for. He still didn't believe he deserved such good fortune, but he wasn't going to turn away from it.

  Heaven's breathing stuttered and caught when she felt the initial breach to her entrance. Her handsome lover, the ex-vampire that she had punished for so many months, rained small kisses down on her face and neck as he slowly began to meld them together.

  She was so close to orgasm.

  After a gradual, shallow push, he waited for her body to tolerate more. Pulling back just a little, he pushed farther while continuing his ministrations to her most sensitive area. When she came, it lit her face so beautifully his artist's eye took a mental photograph of her expression. While she was in the throes of a rapture so complete, he took full advantage of the opportunity and drove forward, taking her maidenhead in one powerful thrust.

  She registered the sting of the torn flesh, but the pain wasn't significant enough to diminish the pleasure of coming while staring into Baka's pale blue, glittering eyes. Like the most generous of lovers, he stopped again to allow her body time to adjust to his size. He couldn't believe how perfectly she molded around him, like a sheath custom designed for his body to fill. An experimental movement was greeted by a moan that was both confirmation and agreement that she was ready for more. He began withdrawing slowly, but when Heaven fluttered her feminine fingertips over his butt cheeks and said, "More. Now," he hesitated. If he lifted all restraint he would piston both of them into oblivion.

  Sensing that hesitation, she encouraged him with words and rippling movement of her body. "Let go."

  And he did.

  ***

  EPILOGUE I:

  Simon sat at his desk wondering if there had ever been another Black Swan administrator who was more worried or more overwhelmed. Prince Torquil had helped by locating a suitable, and currently unused, building that could house the nearly sixty very confused men who had, through no fault of their own, lost a part of their natural lives to the vampire virus. It had been a great relief to get them out of the dining hall, but the entire incident had just punctuated the enormity of the Great Vampire Inversion to come.

  It seemed conceivable that this project might bankrupt the centuries of wealth-building before it was over. But, since The Order had been founded for the purpose of eradicating vampire, that would be an acceptable outcome.

  That would be a big enough headache all on its own, but that wasn't the worst of it. He'd read between the lines of the report on what had happened to Elora. Nobody could be happier that it had turned out okay for her, for Ram, and for the baby. But, somebody in another dimension, who had figured out the science of interdimensional transport first, was going to be expecting some assassins to return with news that the assignment, apparently to kill Elora Laiken, was successfully completed.

  What was going to happen when they never showed? Simon suspected it was inevitable that more would follow. He had read the reports about how Elora Laiken had arrived in the Chamber Room at Jefferson Unit. It meant that these travelers could show up anytime, anywhere - just appear out of thin air. Certainly, he'd had his own personal demonstration of that when Storm and Litha had simply popped in, nearly giving him apoplexy in the process.

  He slid out the deep bottom drawer of his desk, retrieved a half bottle of very old single malt and picked up the phone to call Sol Nemamiah.

  ***

  EPILOGUE II:

  BLACK SWAN TRAINING MANUAL, STANDARD PROCEDURES.

  Section VIII: Chapter 3, #2

  Personnel who work for The Order may not be personally involved with other Order personnel. Exceptions may be made for married couples.

  Baka lay on his side watching Heaven sleep. Her hair was so deliciously mussed from a night of lovemaking. It lay in tumbles all over her pillow. He listened to her even breathing and thought it was a sound he would never get tired of hearing. So long as he lived, then, blessedly, died.

  Contentment was such a foreign emotion to him. He hadn't known it since, well, since he and Heaven were together centuries before.

  Neither of them had wanted to go to sleep. They stayed up talking about what they would do with their lives together. He had called it Baka and Heaven Redux and said, in reference to the future, "Whatever you want."

  She had laughed and said, "Not so simple. 'Whatever you want' requires money and I have the savings account you might expect for someone at my pay scale."

  "I have things I can convert to money. Money really isn't going to be an issue."

  She seemed intrigued. "What?"

  "My paintings. Over two thousand of them. During the ninety years I was a guest at Unit Drac, I painted once or twice a month. Simon told me they stored all of them. They belong to me and I can claim them whenever I like. I also earn a little from the books and I've never spent any of it." He looked around and smiled then added, "Until today."

  "Now I have it on good authority that your boss wants you to take the next two days off. Use tomorrow to get ready to be wed because the next day we're going to be married at Rosslyn Chapel. They don't usually allow weddings for non-members, but I can pull a string or two."

  Her stomach leapfrogged over her heart, but she said, "What's the hurry?"

  "We both took a pledge to uphold Order policy and there is a 'no office romance' policy. The only way around it is marriage. I don't want to cheat. I don't want to hide. And I do want to be married to you. Works for me all the way around."

  "I see. What do you plan to do if I say no?"

  His expression didn't change. "I plan to untie those large corded tassels on the drapes and use them to secure you to the bed."

  She blinked. "And then?"

  She was treated to a wicked sexy smile. "And then I plan to tickle you until you say yes."

  She blinked again. "In that case, yes."

  "Good choice.

  "Tomorrow go to Hamilton's on George Street. It's just a few blocks and they're expecting you. Pick out any ring you want and have them fit it. I'll pick it up. I don't care what you wear, but if you're going to buy a wedding dress, I vote for red."

  She laughed. "I'm tempted to do it just to see how shocked you would be if I turned up in red. Where are you going to be?"

  "Working. I've got to look in on the, uh, new people, but I'll be back in time for us to have dinner together downstairs. We have the suite for three nights. I know it's not
much of a honeymoon, but, when we get the cure sorted out..."

  She rolled into his arms. "Just want you."

  Quietly he rose and dressed. He wrote a note in calligraphy which he had perfected during his century as a prisoner with nothing better to do. It said simply, "Later."

  He showered and sneaked away closing the door quietly.

  It wasn't hard to find Simon and get information about where the vampire had been taken. After discussing a few details with the Director, he headed straight to the clinic wing. He stopped in to say hello to Elora, then ducked into the supplies room where he filled an extra large syringe with a concentration of twenty five doses of tetanus vaccine.

  The doorman had a car brought around for his use, offered him the services of a driver which he refused, and chatted about the weather while they waited. Baka felt light hearted and happy as he drove the thirty-six kilometers northwest to the facility where his vampire - and he thought of them as his responsibility - were temporarily housed.

  On arrival he introduced himself to the staff that Simon had shuffled around to meet the emergency demand for personnel and talked with every single dazed-looking man, one at a time. He saved Lefrik for last.

  "Istvan Baka, my dear old friend."

  "Lefrik."

  "I can see you're upset. Come now. Let's be comrades in this new adventure. If we're going to grow old, we may as well do it without malice or grudges."

  Baka leaned very close to Lefrik. "This is as old as you're going to grow, Lefrik."

  With that, Baka punched the syringe into the recovering vampire's neck and emptied it before there was time to cry out. Lefrik went into shock almost instantly. His muscles froze like rigor mortis, but there was an impulse toward convulsion at the same time. It was not pretty.

  "Goodbye Lefrik. My dear old friend." The last two words dripped with sarcasm, but it was strictly for Baka's own benefit. Lefrik was already past caring about such things.

  Baka left feeling even more light-hearted than when he arrived. The tetanus, even in massive amounts, might be traceable if they knew what they were looking for, but, of course, no one would ever suspect such a thing. Poor Lefrik's death would be a new mystery for the records.

  The thing is that Lefrik would have been even worse as a human than a vampire. He was a malignant soul who could not be set loose without the telltale sign of pale eyes and without the restriction of being incapacitated during the day. Baka didn't fool himself into thinking he was some sort of half assed, honorary Black Swan knight, but he understood the concept of protecting the innocent nonetheless.

  "Make that fifty-nine ex-vampire." Baka was whistling as he pulled away from the historic site of the first recovery installation. On the drive back he was entertaining such thoughts as where Heaven might like to live after all the vampire had been cured and rehabilitated. That led to speculation as to what kinds of flowers they would plant. He was feeling optimistic. And Baka knew that, if there was only one cosmic law that could be proved true, it was that gardeners are optimists.

  Heaven chose a concave gold band. The outer edges were shiny 18k gold. The band in between was scored in crisscross fashion by the etching of hundreds of tiny lines that gave it a patina unlike anything else she'd ever seen.

  The minute she saw it she knew it was right. To her, the two shiny borders represented their two chances at love with a valley in between; one line for every year they had waited to live just one life. Together.

  ***

  POSTSCRIPT

  Elora looked down at the treasure in the crook of her arm. His little, warm, pliant body was without a doubt the very best thing she'd ever felt. She smiled at him as she exposed a nipple. He grabbed on, took two enthusiastic pulls, then stopped and gave his mother a smile she would never forget.

  She laughed out loud at the pure joy of it. "Oh! So you're a breast man, are you?" She cooed at him as he fed in a cocoon of warmth and adoration, surrounded by the secure, undeniable surety of being loved and wanted. "Well, that was a silly question, wasn't it? All men are breast men, aren't they?"

  It felt silly to have an impulse to weep while staring down into the beautiful face of her little elf, but she was certain there had never been a more perfect baby. Sensing that Elora was about to cry, his tiny red brows came together in a look of concentration that she had seen on Ram's face a hundred times. It made her laugh again which smoothed the little frown away.

  "No question about who's your dad. And, you know, you could have done a lot worse."

  She saw Ram come to the door and peek in. "Heard laughin'. 'Twas you or Helm?"

  "He did smile at me, Ram. It was just like Song said. So pretty it could break your heart. Like mortals weren't designed to see such a thing."

  Ram had to step over Blackie who was lying across the threshold on his good side. The dog made no effort to move, but thumped his thick tail as if to give Ram permission to pass. Coming around to the side of the bed with Elora's good shoulder, he nudged her. "Make room."

  He crawled in bed with the two of them and snuggled close to Elora so that he could rub his finger against Helm's smooth cheek while he suckled and listen to his mate sing to their child. His heart swelled to overflowing so that it threatened to push right out of his chest.

  Life wasn't just good. It was fuckin' spectacular.

  ***

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  EXCERPT from Moonlight: big, bad wolf, BLACK SWAN 4

  Look for this book May 2013.

  CHAPTER_1

  "What do you know about my sister and that prancin' prick of a fairy prince?"

  Elora blinked, but in the space of that flutter he learned all he needed to know. He had found out the first night Storm brought her to poker, back at Jefferson Unit, that her very expressive face telegraphed even the tiniest nuance or feeling or thought. By now he knew her so well that she was as transparent as air. She was caught off guard because she hadn't expected that question while Ram was cooking a leisurely Sunday breakfast.

  "Say that three times fast?"

  "No' goin' to work this time. Stay on topic."

  "You just don't like him because he can stand toe to toe with you and not be cowed by the H.O.H. elfster."

  "ELFSTER!? What in Paddy's Name, Elora? And what is H.O.H.?"

  "Hall of Heroes."

  Ram turned away from frying bacon and gave her a look. It probably didn't have the effect he intended. He was wearing jeans, a long sleeve black tee that stretched across his chest enticingly, and a black Jack Daniels apron tied around his waist. She thought perhaps nothing was sexier than watching Ram's muscles ripple while cooking her breakfast.

  "Do no' try to deflect. 'Tis I. And Paddy knows I can tell when you're hidin' somethin'." Ram looked determined.

  "Speaking of hiding. You're going to have to do something about all these guys overrunning our property. Our home - the one that was intended to be our very own, very private property. Please, Ram. Make them go away."

  His expression softened a little as he decided to allow himself to be temporarily derailed.

  "Sol, Simon, and every one of your friends agree that we can no' leave you and Helm vulnerable after the threat those alien buggers left hangin' in the air. That goes especially for your friend, Sir Storm."

  "My friend, Sir Storm?"

  "Aye. Your friend. The bloody wanker suggested that I'm no' responsible enough to be entrusted with lookin' out for you. Said, 'You're no' takin' good care of my namesake's mother. I'll be forced to give the job to someone else if you do no' shape up and begin takin' it seriously'."

  Elora laughed. "He said that?"

  "Aye. As if 'twas all my doin' that you ended up givin' birth alone in a freezin' wolf cave. With. No. Phone."


  "Well..."

  Ram narrowed his eyes at her. "Think very carefully about what you are about to say before you say it."

  Elora smiled brightly. "I was going to say that no one in his right mind could fault you."

  Ram nodded and resumed turning the bacon. "Exactly. I should have reminded him what happened when he was in charge of the Baka interview at Unit Drac. He pouted for hours after learnin' first hand that the Lady Laiken does as she fuck-well pleases."

  Elora concurred by nodding vigorously. "It's a burden, but you bear it well, my love."

  "All kiddin' aside. I do. I really do." He began setting strips of cooked bacon out to drain the grease.

  "Well, Sir Storm is going to be plenty busy with his own burdens."

  "What's your meanin?"

  "They're expecting."

  "Expectin' a baby?"

  "No. They're expecting Publishers Clearing House to pay for their villa renovation."

  Ram gave her a look. "You know, I'm thinkin' there's only enough of this lovely bacon for one and, since I cooked, I really should be keepin' it for myself."

  "Yes! They're expecting a baby. Litha thinks it's a girl."

  "A girl!" Ram practically whooped. "Paddy's Great Balls Afire. I can no' wait to see Storm try to be da to a girl." He laughed enjoying that idea and then grew serious. "As for the buggers who violated my grandda's forest, I'll no' be givin' 'em a second chance at my family."

  "Rammel. I hear you and I understand you."