by Casey Lane
Chapter Two
As soon as I arrived, I slammed the door behind me. Even at such a distance as this, her blood called to me. I gripped the handle, undecided about whether to go back to her. She was probably still on the ground, calling to me, so strong did my strigoi call to her. It would wear off eventually, but she would remember me.
Voices of the strigoi who constantly visited at all hours of the night filled the house, laughing and feeding. I recognized the smell of most of them, except Lily’s was absent. I couldn’t enter the chamber, not in this condition.
I would have to go to the dark-haired woman to erase her memories. If the existence of the strigoi even whispered among the living, the killing spree that ensued would be widespread. And even though they killed mostly the living, our kind would be forced underground.
I shivered. I would not live like that again.
I made to call to Rowan, or even for Sophie, to help, but I didn’t want them involved if her blood called to them as desperately as it did for mine. I was stronger than them; they would drain her in an instant.
I would have to go back alone.
I moved back towards the street, stopping to partake in another male who was walking to work on one of the ships docked nearby. I was definitely going to be sick tomorrow.
I left him alive and happy, and his blood drove my strigoi deeper inside, content. The sun would rise soon.
I found her, just down the street from where I left her. She stumbled, dazed, along the streets and I took a moment to watch her. Her face was smooth, and her dark hair trailed down her back. Her form was tight, her breasts perky, and even though she was confused, her sway captivated me.
I held my breath, not wanting my strigoi to call out to me again. It was not necessary for me to breathe, although I used it often when I was hunting. This time, I wished to avoid waking my strigoi. For if it did, I did not think that I would be able to control it this time. I stepped out in front her just before she made her way to the main road. I approached her and as soon as she saw me, her eyes lit up hopefully and I felt a bit of it enter my world, turning me upside down.
I chastised myself. She was a living. The scum of the earth, only here to feed my appetite. She could give me nothing I didn’t already have. I pushed down the hope, the light, and let the darkness enter. I was comfortable there. I realized that I didn’t call Rowan or Sophie for help because I wanted her to myself.
I grinned, and trailed my finger up her chin. I would have her one day, but I would make myself wait. Then, the delightful anticipation would be worth it.
The sun peeked on the horizon and I flew towards the door. My mind felt the pull of the dead, and it weighed on my body. I’d waited too long to return home, such was my fascination with this woman that I’d delayed returning. That was my first mistake, and it would kill me if I didn’t move faster.
I moved toward the door and rushed inside; I would not make it to my room. It did not matter, I wasn’t headed there anyway. I opened the door to Sophie’s room; she was already encased in the darkness.
“Detrand?” Her back faced the door and she was halfway dead, the pull muddying her mind. The dried flowers were on the stand by her bed.
I knew that she would be open to me in such a state. I slid in the bed beside her, and put my arm around her waist. “Please. I just need it for a moment.”
She sighed, but allowed my touch. I slid my hand up her leg, inside her nightgown and rubbed her thigh with my thumb. I could feel her senses spark and she moved to lay on her back. Her breathing became shallow, a sign that she was aroused. I moved on top of her and she put her hands on my hips. Then I kissed her with such an exquisite tenderness that she could barely feel it, and she raised her arms to me in response.
I stared into her lust-filled eyes, wanting to give her so much more than the softest kisses and the devotion of my missing soul. Holy hell, if things were different I would take her as my own again and never have another thought for any other woman. Sophie fulfilled me in ways that no other could. But times were different now, and it would be the death of her if I took her as my mate.
So I drifted back to her side and she closed her eyes in response. I stroked her arm, giving in to the pull of the dead as my senses grew dull. I spoke the thoughts that I dared not say when fully awake. “I may give her what she wants.”
Sophie didn’t answer, but I could feel the flicker of hope in her chest.
My fingers continued their path up her arm and my strigoi softened, comforted by the feel of her skin on mine and, as I drifted into the land of the dead, I was able to briefly forget the woman with the burning blood.
I awoke before Sophie and slipped out. She would be upset if she remembered that I’d come to her. The blood regurgitated in my stomach and I leaned over the bucket, allowing it to flow out. When I was finished, I pushed my finger down my throat, forcing all of it out.
I had business, and no time for this sickness.
My thoughts briefly drifted to the dark-haired woman, but I clamped down on it, and thought of her no more. For now.
I wiped the blood from my lips, and emptied the used blood out the window into the water below. Rowan or Sophie, or even the chambermaids that came in the day, need not know. The chambermaids were trustworthy and had served us for years, as their family before them. We paid them well, and they were easygoing folk with simple needs. But their knowledge of my sickness would only spread through the service workers, and it was unnecessary.
I moved towards the closet and, using the clean water that the girl brought in, washed my body. I pulled out the clean clothes and putting them on, breathed in the night air.
Sitting at the desk, made by my own hands, I studied the papers from the glass bottle. Rowan had arranged them in the order that he saw fit. Most of the debts I remembered but some were made after I left.
I stood up, pacing the floor as I waited for Rowan to rise. It wasn’t his fault that he rose later than me and I tried to be patient. I stopped by the window, my mind focused on determining who had the power and knowledge to kill Agosto. Not only did they stake him, but they cut off his head, a very personal kind of death. That, or they wanted to assure that he would have his final death, which could mean that it was a human. But not many humans knew where he lay, or had the power to enter the rooms. We trusted the humans who worked for us, but even they couldn’t enter our rooms as we slept each day. The rooms were entranced, and only certain beings could enter and must have the knowledge and ability to disarm the wards we put on the doors.
Agosto was in charge of this city. He made sure that the strigoi weren’t discovered by wiping memories and even eliminating anything deemed a threat to the strigoi, if necessary. He provided some security for the humans by enforcing punishments over the creatures if they got out of hand. He also kept the shifters, fae, and other beings under his control. But his relationship with them was beneficiary, he provided many services for them, for a fee.
Agosto knew everything that went on in this city. That was a gift of his; he just knew. Until he didn’t, and it ended him.
I grew irritable and considered leaving without Rowan, but then I heard him rising. He was sick again, and I growled. This was not acceptable, feeding uncontrollably should only be a rare occurrence unless it was done intentionally. I called out to him impatiently. “Clean up and come!”
I left the house, knowing that he would be by my side momentarily. The contracts were in the inner pocket of my jacket, and I headed towards the mayor’s mansion.
My finger stroked the mayor’s throat and he trembled under my touch. I pulled the paper from my pocket and lightly placed it on the table.
“Is this your signature?” The mayor nodded, the skin under his balding head was flaking, and I pet his head. He jerked, and then tried to pretend that he was just adjusting his suit. “Are you unable to fulfill your obligation?”
“I have half.” His voice stammered, and was unnaturally high.
I
sighed, and leaned forward towards his neck and breathed in deeply. Sweat drenched his suit coat and he smelled of salt and sex, probably from the prostitutes down by the wharf. Rowan sneered, and the mayor blubbered his apology.
I frowned. “When are you able to obtain the other half?” I cleaned my nail with the edge of his knife and I smelled the wait staff hiding behind the door. “Please, by all means, bring the rest of his supper to the table.” The servants came tumbling out; the women curtsied, eyeing me seductively, while the men clumsily dashed to lay the food out.
They lay an empty plate in front of me and one in front of Rowan. I reached forward, and took my empty glass. It was quickly filled with red wine, as well as Rowan’s, who drank his greedily. I took a sip and put it back on the table.
The mayor, his face red and sweaty, stood up and went to the desk in the corner of the room. His hands fumbled as he looked through his papers, mumbling as he read through them. I already knew that he wouldn’t have the payment, no matter what date he gave me. I licked my lips in anticipation. I was always amiable to creating a new agreement.
“A fortnight. I can make half of the payment tonight, and the rest of it in a fortnight.” Even though I already knew that he wouldn’t be able to make the payment, I could tell that he was lying.
I leaned forward. “And what will happen when you won’t be able to make your payment in a fortnight?”
His breathing increased and I smelled a bit of piss. He stuttered, trying to come up with an answer, but I wasn’t really listening. I leaned back, and looked at Rowan, who had been staring across the room since we entered.
“Agosto lent you that money in good faith, and he gave you well over the time necessary to repay him.” I took another sip of my wine, and allowed it to slowly travel down my throat. “No, you’ve been given enough leniency. I demand the full payment at this time.” The mayor began to protest and I put my hand up to stop him. “If you cannot make full payment, then I am amenable to renegotiating the contract.”
I folded the contract with his signature on it and placed it near the candle, willing to light it on fire. His sigh of relief was visible, and he sat back in his chair, trying to appear relaxed.
“Send half of the payment to Agosto’s house tonight and I will release you of any further payment you owe him.”
His eyebrows shot up. “That would be incredible. I would be in your debt—”
“If,” I continued, interrupting him, “you send your daughter to visit Rowan once a week, at the house, for a period of two years.”
He stood up, slamming his hand against the table. “Absolutely not.” His wife, who had been silent until now, cried out and wrapped her arms around her only daughter. Rowan, who couldn’t take his eyes off of her from the moment she stepped in the room, now turned towards me. He was pleased, although he didn’t show it. I glanced at the young daughter, who was clasping her mother, but eyeing Rowan curiously. “You see, my friend here has been deformed since his youth, I’m afraid,” motioning to his pocked face. “A childhood illness. And he only wants for company from time to time.”
The man shook his head, but I continued. “I give you my word that she will not be harmed.”
The wife began to cry and I began to grow angry. “Either that or fulfill your end of the agreement tonight, otherwise I will send for the lawman.” My voice was cold; I was deadly serious and done trying to placate them. “You shouldn’t have agreed to this if you couldn’t fulfill it.”
“Fine.” Giving in, the mayor huffed. “To be sent to jail, a man such as I!”
I pulled out a fresh piece of paper and wrote up the new agreement. He signed it with a shaky hand and I stood up, lighting the old one on fire. These people didn’t have enough fortitude to kill Agosto; I was done with them. Rowan grabbed his glass and swallowed down the rest of his wine.
“Send her tonight, with the men who will bring your payment. We will be home in three hours. I will make sure that she returns safely, no need to leave your men there.” The mother’s wails grew louder, and the mayor grumbled about the late hour. The daughter said nothing, but merely stood up as we left and bowed. “I will fulfill my father’s obligations.”
“I’m sure you will.”
We left the room and Rowan’s nostrils flared as we walked out. As soon as we were alone, his fangs slid out. His tongue slid over them and I grinned. “Happy, Rowan?”
He bowed towards me. “Always, master.”
I pulled out the next contract and licked my lips in anticipation. “Looks like it’s the shifters next.”
As soon as I dismounted from my horse, someone tackled me and we flew through the air. Then we hit the ground, rolling through clumps of dead leaves and rocks. When we stopped, she was on top of me, her skirts already up.
“Hello, Salina.” My deep voice reverberated through the trees.
Without answering, she yanked off her blouse. Knowing what I liked, she ripped my pants open, and we started fucking in the dark woods. I rolled so that I was on top of her, my fangs extended, and I bit into her neck. I took in her blood and then sealed it with my tongue, then bit just below that, moving up and down her neck as she moaned in delight. I rolled her blood through my tongue, and my strigoi growled in satisfaction.
Her stomach was tight, lined with muscle, and my hands roamed her chest. Her breasts were small, the perfect size for her body and I flicked and pulled at her taught nipples, biting the tips to suck them as I slowly entered her, moving in and out deliberately. They were perfectly delicious.
I released my senses for a moment, wanting to fill her cravings. Always willing to give them whatever they desired, I maneuvered her so that her back was towards me. I spread her legs and entered her from behind, then I pulled her arms tight behind her so that her chest was pressed out, her breasts open to the woods and her back arching, raking my teeth at the back of her neck. I moved in and out slowly, taking my time as she panted under my ministrations. Her moans grew louder as I hit her delicate spot over and over. I lingered to draw out the thing that she wanted the most.
Feeling her desires through my senses, I turned her back to me. My teeth scraped her skin, sending nerve-wracking sensations as I licked the dirt and blood from her body. She was begging me now, the small sound of her pleas urging me on as my fingers moved through her blond hair, teasing her. I found her sensitive spot as my fangs clamped onto the large vein in her leg. She cried out, coming onto my fingers, and when I’d had my fill of her delectable blood, I licked her sweet syrup slowly, my tongue working so masterfully that her body tensed, ready to peak again. Then I was in her, pounding furiously, until I released myself into her as she exploded under me. I fell on top of her, breathless, and my hands fondled the side of her breast until her heart finally slowed and she looked up at me, the satisfaction on her face clear. “Welcome home, Detrand.”
We advanced into the rambling mansion and Rowan was already partaking of the willing shifter they’d prepared. I clicked my tongue at him, reminding him that the daughter would be joining us later. He pulled harder, his eyes on mine rebelliously, and I moved away towards the table. My body hummed, my strigoi completely satisfied, as I sat down.
Salina nodded to the corner of the room where the payment for services rendered was already gathered. I nodded, knowing that it would be. The shifters and the strigoi served each other well in this city. That was partly because when the Alpha of the pack died, Agosto made a pact with Salina, the Alpha’s mate. He was willing to be the leader of the pack while Salina covered most of the day-to-day duties. With no other Alpha to contend with, Agosto and Salina worked together seamlessly.
“Are you staying?” She sat across from me. Leaves littered her bright red hair and she pulled them out, grinning. She put her feet on my lap.
I looked around the room, my fingers stroking her ankles. She fumbled with a coin that was on the table. “Are you replacing Agosto?”
I considered her, studying the lines on her face. We had
a history that began long before she was mated to the Alpha, and it was one that we both enjoyed immensely. But shifters behaved differently, they were always tied to the pack and I was unwilling to be part of it. I had to be careful or she would become possessive.
“Your pack is still strong.” I nodded to the readied payment.
She nodded and her eyes wandered to the large pack who had gathered in the room. Theirs was an older pack, and they held a lot of strength and wisdom. But it lacked new blood and included only a small amount of children, considering how big the pack was. A battle with the fae several years ago killed off many of the younger shifters, who were hard to find among the living, and so the future of their pack was uncertain.
Rowan sat in a chair, with them at his feet, like children. He told them the stories of Drakyele, a myth that we told outsiders. His words wove like magic over their heads and they leaned in to listen intently. We never told them the truth of our magic, purely for self preservation, even though many had learned the truth passed down from the vampire hunters. No matter how well we got along with other creatures, you never knew when one was ready to stab you in the heart with a wooden spike.
Occasionally one of the male shifters glanced our way. My presence here was important.
When an Alpha dies, he must be replaced immediately or the pack will fall apart. Agosto was strong enough to fill the Alpha’s role without joining the pack. But I was not Agosto. They wanted to know if I would be strong enough to control them. I wondered if one of the men known for their Alpha traits would challenge me.
I sighed. Filling Agosto’s shoes was not my intention when I returned, but I knew that I had to decide if I would do it soon. If I dithered, the city would become overrun with the different creatures, ready to make a play for control of the city.
