Vampire Charming

by Cassandra Gannon

  The damn bracelet was a Werewolf repelling talisman.

  Fang let out an agonized bellow of pain the second he touched it. The silver burned into his flesh, filling the room with the noxious smell of smoldering fur. He wrenched his palm back and Jane could see the engraved pictures of victorious Vampires scorched into his skin. He stumbled back from her, his free hand gripping his injured wrist, smoke rising from his hand.

  Jane didn’t give him a chance to recover. She swung the mace as hard as she could, catching him in the knee. Fang fell to the ground with an enraged roar, his clawed fingers reaching for her and dragging her down with him.

  Goddamn it! Fight scenes in movies always looked a lot more graceful than this. Jane kicked at his face as they toppled to the stone floor.

  “The Vampire isn’t coming to save you.” He hissed, hauling her towards him as she fought. “You’re all mine, Jane Squire.”

  Pure luck had Jane hitting his bleeding nose, again. The heel of her shoe slammed into the cartilage and he reared back with a vile oath. She slithered under the bed, grabbing the From Here to Infinia script as she passed, and popped out the other side. “I don’t need to be saved, dickhead. I’m not that kind of heroine.”

  Fang was fully changing now, shifting right in front of her eyes. He couldn’t follow her, because his bones were snapping and his body reshaping itself. For a few precious seconds, she had a window of escape.

  Except, she couldn’t quite remember how to run.

  Holy shit. A wolf like creature was taking the place of Fang’s human form. Jane gaped at the transformation, trying to process it. He wasn’t becoming some cute, fuzzy wolf cub from Yellowstone. He was morphing into a massive hairy monster, with the same hatreds and thoughts that the human version of Fang possessed.

  Lupine gold eyes fixed on her in animalistic fury and far too much intelligence. He was some horrible Island of Dr. Moreau experiment, with the awareness of a man and the strength of an animal. His features were a horrific mix of both, his body twice its normal size. Jane sure wasn’t about to wait around for the rest of his mutating parts to snap into place.

  Shaking her head, she backed towards the door, the script hugged to her chest. “Stay away from me.” She warned. “In fact, you should get out of Infinia, while you still can. If I can’t kill you, Slade will. That’s the only way this story ends.”

  Fang bared his jagged teeth at her and Jane bolted into the hallway.

  She only had a few moments before Fang was after her. She needed to find Slade, but she had no idea which way to go. Jane raced down random hallways, looking for an exit. The entire fortress was a maze. She tried to find a staircase or even a window, but all she saw were rows of locked doors. It felt like she was back in the Endless Wood, hopelessly lost and going in circles. Where the hell was a cellphone when you…?

  A hand shot out as she passed, grabbing hold of her and dragging her into one of the rooms lining the twisting corridor. Jane opened her mouth to scream, but a massive palm covered her lips.

  Within two seconds, she was trapped in a darkened closet with a huge man. In the tight confines, she was pressed between the wall and his aroused body. There was no way she could miss the evidence of his desire.

  Or mistake who’d kidnapped her.

  “Slade.” Jane tugged his palm from her mouth and beamed up at him. “‘Bout time you showed up.”

  ***

  “I am upset with you, Jane.” Slade growled, bracing his palms on the wall behind her, so she was caged between his arms. The words were the most massive understatement ever uttered. “You have ten second to improve my mood.”

  She shook her head. “Calm down. I had it all under control.”

  “He fucking could have raped you and murdered you a hundred times over!”

  “He didn’t, though. I’m fine.”

  Slade wasn’t appeased. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking about saving your life. And it worked.” She arched a brow. “If anything, I should be the one who’s annoyed. Where have you been? Sightseeing?”

  “In the dungeon. I killed thirty-three Goblins and a dragon to get to you, so it took a while.”

  “A dragon! Wait, the movie edited out a dragon? That is so annoying. We have twenty scenes with Roland’s terrible band, but no screen time for a dragon? What the hell is wrong with this picture?”

  Slade didn’t respond to that. He was still trying to get his heartbeat back under control. God, every moment Jane had been out of his sight, he’d been tortured with thoughts of what might be happening to her. It had seemed like an eternity. When he’d heard her coming down the hall, the relief he felt left him dizzy. It was quickly followed by anger, which was why he’d used his powers to commandeer this closet and lock them both inside. He needed to talk to his errant Eternal-One.

  He needed more than talk.

  Jane was still fixated on Slade’s jailbreak. “I’ve been waiting for a dragon to show up, too. It’s a fantasy movie, so I knew it was coming. I can’t believe I missed it. Are they really huge, fire-breathing monsters?”

  The woman was going to be the death of him. “Five seconds to improve my mood.” He reported. “And, to answer your question, dragons are not huge, fire-breathing monsters. Well, they do breathe fire. But they are mostly just green-skinned assholes with wings, who hire on to whichever cause pays the most rubies. I am rarely happy to see them.”

  “Well, I’m happy to see you.” Jane assured him, grudgingly moving on. “I suck at being a damsel in distress. I was waiting for you to rescue me, but things went to hell, so I rescued myself.”

  “I was coming!”

  “You were taking too long. I got impatient.” She arched a brow. “Besides, I hate movies where the girl has to be saved, all the time. It’s patriarchal crap.”

  “Two seconds to improve my mood.” He didn’t touch her, but his erection made it pretty clear what he wanted. “You need to start calming me down. Now.”

  Gray eyes met his. The woman was a brilliant actress. He could sense her growing desire, but her voice stayed perfectly innocent. “Oh, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to do what you’re suggesting, sire.” Even as she said it, her hand traveled down his body, unfastening his pants.

  “Kings don’t make ‘suggestions.’ We issue commands. Touch me, Jane.”

  “Yes, sire.” She freed his erection, her fingers wrapping around the width of him. She gave a small hum of pleasure as she felt his size.

  “Gods.” Slade’s eyes squeezed shut, his hand coming up to tangle in her beautiful hair. “Stroke me.” Her fingers obediently danced along the surface of his skin and he groaned. “That’s it.” He helplessly thrust against her palm. “That’s it, my One.”

  Jane’s grip got tighter, her breathing coming faster to match his own. “Is your mood improving, sire?” Her lips found the column of his throat, her tongue tracing over his flesh. “Because, it certainly seems to be looking up.”

  Slade almost chuckled at that dry remark. Irritated as he was, the woman never ceased to delight him. He wasn’t done complaining at her, though. “Fang had his hands on you, Jane. I cannot stand that he had his hands on you.”

  “I didn’t want him to, but I had to protect you, Slade. It didn’t go too far.”

  “It did go too far. What if I couldn’t get to you and you couldn’t escape on your own? Did you think of that?”

  Her eyes flicked up his, revealing the anxiety she’d been hiding. “Yes.”

  Slade’s chest tightened at the quiet admission. It was the first time Jane had ever openly admitted any vulnerability. In a way, it was more intimate than having her fingers on him. A deeper show of trust. “I am sorry, my One.” He whispered. “I should have been there sooner.”

  “I told you, I like being able to save myself. That’s important to me. I can be independent and still be in a relationship with you.” She paused. “But --honestly-- you were a key part of my escape. I only got away bec
ause of your bracelet and because you told me that Fang would be weakened when he shifted. He grabbed my wrist and the bracelet burned him. That pissed him off and I escaped when he was trapped between bodies.”

  The tenderness Slade felt switched into incredulity. “You pushed Fang until he transformed into a wolf?!” Like one of those picture box programs, his imagination showed him graphic, full-color visuals of all the brutal things a fully transitioned Werewolf could’ve done to her small body. “Do you want to die? Is that is, Jane?”

  “What else could I do to get away? He’s bigger than I am and he wasn’t going to stop.” She swallowed. “Slade, he wasn’t going to stop. I was so scared. I did the only thing I could think of.”

  Fuck… That was all it took for the tenderness to come back. Slade dropped his forehead to hers. “I was never more terrified than I was today. Without you…” He trailed off, because there was nothing he could say to finish that thought. Without Jane, there was nothing. “My heart cannot take the strain of your ideas.”

  His words seemed to reassure her. Jane leaned up to kiss him and he groaned at the perfect taste of her. “But I have soooo many good ideas.” She teased.

  “Show me.”

  “Of course, sire.” She breathed against his lips. “Tell me what you desire and it’s yours.”

  There was one thing he’d been imagining since they met. “Get on your knees.”

  She hesitated, her tongue touching the corner of her mouth. “There’s not much room in here.”

  “Kings don’t listen to excuses, they just want results.” He began nudging her downward. “Please, Jane.” Vampire males were always dominant during sex and their silly “sire” game just made it easier to demand compliance. “We’re not leaving here until I’ve had your mouth wrapped around me.”

  Jane liked that answer. She grinned at Slade and sank down so she was kneeling before him. His manhood jerked at the feel of her warm breath. Her tongue flicked out to lap a bead of moisture from the tip and the top of his head nearly came off. Content to take her time, she licked along the shaft, refusing to take him deeper until he begged. She was torturing him and it was glorious.

  “More, Jane.” He ground out when he was close to his breaking point. He tugged her head closer. “Open your mouth and take all of me. Please.”

  Gray eyes sparkled with desire. “Yes, sire.” Her lips sealed around him, sucking him deep… and time stopped.

  Slade’s head went back, his teeth grinding together to hold back his roar. His hips instinctively moved, his hand tangled in her hair to guide her. “Christ, I’ve imagined this for so long. When we met, you were kneeling in the supermarket aisle and I started picturing your lips around me. I knew it would be like this.” His eyes closed in rapture as she suckled him harder. “Only it’s better than I ever dreamed.”

  Jane gently nipped his straining flesh and he nearly lost control. He might have, except he heard voices on the other side of the door.

  “Find them!” Fang’s tone was deeper than usual, the words infused with a wolf-like snarl. “I don’t care what it takes!”

  That asshole had the worse goddamn timing in the world.

  Jane froze, her eyes flicking up to Slade’s face. The woman had outsmarted Fang at every turn, but underneath her bravado, she was still frightened. How could she not be? The Werewolf has terrorized her. It was a wonder she could function, at all. Most people would be in a state of hysteria if they faced what Jane had.

  Slade quickly dragged her to her feet. “It’s alright.” He could see her fear and he knew he had to fix it. “You’re alright. I swear it.”

  “He’s in his wolf form. Can he smell us?”

  “Not through my magicks.” The wolf form would make killing Fang harder, though, especially since Slade still didn’t have the Silver Sword. That idiot Roland had run off before he told Slade where it was hidden.

  Jane nodded. She clearly expected Slade to stop their fun… Which he was absolutely not going to do. At the moment, Slade couldn’t go after Fang without risking Jane, but he could wipe the Werewolf from her mind forever. She would never think of that bastard without remembering this moment.

  Her mouth parted in surprised as Slade lifted up the hem of her skirt and craned his neck to admire the view. “What are you doing? She hissed, trying to yank the fabric back down.

  “Find my woman before the Vampire does!” Fang continued ruthlessly. “I don’t want that damn, dirty ape putting his paws on her.”

  Jane blinked as Slade smiled and very deliberately put his paws alllll over her. He backed her up against the wall and tugged down the neckline of her dress, so her breasts popped out over the top. They filled his hands, her nipples beading against his palms. Slade lowered his mouth to lap at the tight points. “My woman.” He breathed.

  Jane’s fingers tangling in his hair, unsure whether to hang on or push him away. “Slade, we can’t.”

  “Of course we can. The Werewolf is practically daring me.” His lips traveled along the valley between her breasts. Gods, he couldn’t wait to feed from that spot. He was going to spend the next century or two drinking from every millimeter of her perfect skin. “I love your body.”

  “You’re about to start loving it to itty-bitty pieces. There are armed men right outside, hoping to find us and hack us apart.”

  “I told you, they cannot hear us. My magicks are surrounding us.” Nothing would be able to sense them through the barrier Slade had constructed.

  “But…” She drew in a sharp breath as Slade’s hand left her breasts to explore under her dress, again.

  Slade really needed to thank his grandmother for creating the outfit for her. It was so much more convenient than Jane’s favorite, too-revealing pants. His palm slipped beneath the edge of her underwear, gently parting the damp folds of her body.

  “You see why I like skirts?” His thumb started a slow massage.

  She glowered at him, even as her cheeks flushed with arousal. “You cannot possibly be getting off on this.”

  He grinned at her outraged tone. “Actually, I’m wagering that you will be the one who gets off first.” Jane’s mouth curved in reluctant amusement and Slade knew he had her. It was never hard to convince the woman to follow him, just as he was always eager to follow her. Their paths only led to each other. “Have faith in me, my One. I won’t let you come to any harm.”

  Jane made a small sound of pleasure as he slipped a finger inside of her. “It’s very kinky to be having sex with people two feet away.” She warned, but she didn’t try to stop him. “It’s totally going to piss off parents’ groups and movie censors.”

  “They’re just jealous.”

  “Search everywhere.” Fang continued. “The Vampire probably has her pinned down someplace, completely at his mercy.”

  Slade caught Jane around the waist, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall. “Feel free to start begging for mercy.” He offered softly. “I don’t mind a bit.”

  The anxiety had faded from her eyes, replaced with passion. “You’re a crazy, reckless egomaniac.”

  “But so damn charming about it.”

  She beamed at that playful remark. “You really are my Prince Charming, Slade. I knew it from the minute I saw you.”

  “If the Vampire gets inside of her, I will see all of you dead.” Fang thundered. “I mean it. I will execute every one of you.”

  Jane’s gaze locked on Slade’s, already knowing what he was going to do. She silently slipped off her underwear and dropped it to the floor. For a woman averse to taking chances, she seemed very willing to bet on him. It was humbling. Slade eased Jane’s legs apart and she opened herself to him. It was the most breathtaking sight he’d ever seen.

  “Now.” She whispered.

  Slade surged into her, his teeth grinding together at her breathless cry. Jesus, it was beautiful. She was beautiful. Jane was tight and hot and he would die a thousand times over before he parted with her. He buried his face in her hair.
“Only think of me, my One. Only think of this.”

  Jane wrapped her legs around him. “I love you.” She gasped. “Slade, I love you so much.”

  Oh fuck yes.

  More Goblins stomped by outside, Fang still shouting orders. Slade braced his foot against the door, so they wouldn’t be able to open in, even if they tried. Which none of them did. Slade was making sure of it. His goal was to take every threat that Fang leveled at her and turn it into something fun, and beautiful, and loving. And it seemed to be working.

  Jane undulated against him, a blissfully look on her face. “Slade.”

  “He’s probably feeding on her!” Fang shrieked.

  Slade smirked. For half a second, he was almost grateful to the bastard. He bent his head to bite the side of Jane’s neck, drinking deep.

  His.

  Jane’s eyes drifted shut in pleasure, giving him everything he wanted. “Of course, I don’t recall Prince Charming doing this in the fairytale.”

  “Princes are children. I am a king.” Considering the circumstances, Slade couldn’t have been more pleased with how this had turned out. Jane arched into his forceful thrusts, a seductive moan leaving her, and Slade almost exploded. He would never get enough of her.

  “Find Jane Squire!” Fang was seething at his inability to recapture his quarry. “I want that bitch back and tied to my bed within the hour! I will fuck every hole in her body, and then gouge some new ones and fuck them, too!”

  Jane flinched, shocked out of her sensual haze.

  Fang was just outside their door now. It was taking most of Slade’s self-control not to charge out there and pummel the Werewolf, even if he was killed in the process. That bastard would die today… but Slade had to be smart about it. Strategic. He didn’t have the Silver Sword and it would do no good to go on a suicide mission, leaving Jane unprotected.