“And what of my men?”
“I don’t care what they do. They can stay if they like. But I want you gone. You’re finished, Synrith.” Rafe inhaled through his nose and stood from the chair. “You have twelve hours.”
He turned his back to Synrith and Synrith rose from the desk.
“Now that I know you’re going to kill me and how you’re going to do it,” Synrith began, “I’ll make sure it never happens.”
Rafe turned. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“I can kill you whenever I want to. I can kill you even before this moment now.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
“Because I know you’ll leave eventually,” Rafe said. “You’ll do it for her.”
Rafe turned to leave again.
Synrith put his hands together.
He was silent until Rafe exited the room, and then he went over to the door and slammed it shut. He walked back to Cheryl and pulled her into him.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, whilst being smothered with his kisses. “Are we going to run away together?”
“Oh yes,” Synrith said, his eyes widening. “We’ll run away. Far, far from here. You have no idea how far we’ll go.”
Happiness washed over Cheryl. It was exactly what she needed to hear.
She let him run his hand all over her body, kissing her cheeks, her neck, her lips.
But when his fingers went into her hair, they pulled at the root.
And she could feel his anger in her pain.
CHAPTER TEN
“Are you ready?” he asked her.
“Am I ready for what?” Cheryl replied.
“Are you ready to be mine?”
Mine. She liked the sound of the word. At the same time, she felt lost. His face was as handsome and daring as it had always been, and she knew him more. She trusted him more.
But at the same time, Synrith rarely revealed what he was thinking.
His hands were at the side of her face. His fingers, so cold and soft in their touch to her skin.
Behind those fingers though…
He could crush her skull in his bare hands.
The way he looked at her was mesmerizing. But it wasn’t simple in its nature. Shades of love, shades of lust, and a little bit of obscure wonder. Underneath all that, she wondered also, if she was but an ant to him. Nothing … yet everything. The answer was yes.
She was ready to be his.
Synrith stepped away from their embrace and moved towards the door. “Shall we go then?”
“Huh?” Cheryl mumbled, caught off guard.
“You didn’t think I was going to have you on the floor, did you?” Synrith smiled. “I think we can do better than that.”
“But aren’t we getting ready to leave?” Cheryl asked walking over.
“I have to make sure you’re mine first,” Synrith said.
“How do you do that?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
She let the master dragon lead her out into the hallway, while he closed and locked the door behind them. He took her hand and they walked to the right side of the corridor which branched out to the left after that. Two thirds along this passageway, he stopped in front of another door. He opened it, revealing a set of stairs leading down into darkness.
“After you,” Synrith said making room for her.
Cheryl nodded politely and began making her way towards the steps. Synrith soon joined her, and closed the door behind him.
At the base of the steps, there was very little light and Cheryl was unable to see much further. There was a door in front of them with a gold security pad by the handle, which Synrith immediately seized upon.
Cheryl leaned against the door beside him.
She looked at her man.
Worrying. Hoping.
She had no idea where this door was about to lead.
The lock snapped open and Synrith put his hand to the lever.
He paused, acknowledging her forlorn stare into his eyes.
“If you’re having second thoughts,” Synrith said, “now is the time to run. Once this door is opened, you and I will be inseparable. Do I need to ask you again?”
And Cheryl could feel it. Like a magnetic pull.
Magic was once again in the air.
“No,” she said. “You don’t have to ask me a thing.”
Synrith nodded. Then he opened the door.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The room before them was narrow and small. At the end of it there was an open doorway with a magnetic green field of energy transparently standing in the middle of it. Beyond the doorway Cheryl saw a field of bright green grass, with tall colorful trees standing in the far away distance. The sun was shining there. It was the middle of the day.
“Oh my goodness,” Cheryl heard herself say. “How is – what is –?”
Synrith stood beside her and gripped her hand with his. He led her towards the doorway, and as they became closer Cheryl was met with the edges of a wondrous blue sky and breathtaking golden sun.
Synrith passed through the magnetic field, a mildly piercing sound occurring as he did so. His hand pulled hers through the barrier and it felt weird, like a blast of cold air rushing across her skin. Before more than a few moments though, Cheryl was on the other side of the doorway with him. Her feet on the grass, the warmth of the sun breathing at her – Cheryl looked back and saw the door had now vanished.
“Where are we?” Cheryl asked slowly.
“The Kingdom of Syn,” Synrith answered her. “It is one of seven dragon kingdoms in the otherworld, the one I happen to rule.”
“Okay…” Cheryl murmured. “Explain a bit more please.”
He stepped away, letting go of her hand.
He looked at her, his eyes full of mystery and enchantment.
“Some say earth is the first world, others say it is the second,” Synrith said. “The truth is both worlds were created at the same time. They exist, parallel to one another. Those who die in the earth world usually wind up somewhere here. Not … in my kingdom. Just in this world somewhere.”
“And what happens if you die here?”
“Being killed here isn’t something that happens often,” Synrith answered. “When you’re here, you don’t age. You’re immune to hunger, disease, the usual causes of death. If you were to fall off a cliff here, you wouldn’t be hurt, let alone die. If you are injured, your body heals quickly.”
“But some people do die…?”
Synrith nodded. “Only on the account of very black magic. The worst of the worst. We have many a place here where those who break those types of laws will be banished to for eternity.”
“And if someone does die?”
Synrith shrugged. “Who knows? They probably cease to exist. But then … anything is possible – isn’t it?”
Cheryl took a deep breath. It was a lot to take in.
“Why have you brought me here?” she asked.
“If we ever were to run away together,” Synrith began, “this is where we would go. I wanted to show you.”
“Haven’t we run away now? I mean, how do we get back?”
Synrith took a couple of steps towards her and gently grabbed hold of her chin.
Cheryl tried to smile.
“So curious about the world,” he remarked. “Just like a small child.”
“Hey,” Cheryl said, punching him. “That’s not fair.”
Synrith laughed and used his arms to defend himself.
“Stop being such a tease,” Cheryl said. “Just tell me … how do we get back?”
Synrith chuckled to himself as the pair locked eyes.
Then there was a short burst of a horse’s nay as one galloped out of the trees behind them. A second soon followed the first.
“Do you really want to know?” Synrith asked her.
He reached round to grasp the horses by their harnesses, and as they slowed Cheryl saw not only
was their fur tinted with a light blue color, but also, each of them had horns sticking out the middle of their foreheads.
Cheryl’s eyes widened with relentless glee.
“Well?” Synrith challenged her.
“Uh…” Cheryl trailed off.
She’d forgotten what the question was.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The unicorn was afraid of Cheryl. It refused to look at her. It kept sighing and turning away.
“What’s the matter?” Cheryl asked. “Why is he –?”
“She,” Synrith corrected. He had the unicorns head between his arms and was whispering to it.
“Then why is she –?”
“It’s because you’re a vampire,” Synrith said. “She sees you as a threat. Your instinct will be to feed on her.”
“Feed on her?” Cheryl gasped. “But I’m not even…?”
Her tummy rumbled. She stopped talking.
“We really will have to do something about your infliction,” Synrith said, pulling the unicorn forward. “You don’t want to be like that forever, do you?”
“Of course not,” Cheryl said. “If there really is a way to cure me…”
“Yes, I am aware of a way,” Synrith said. “But we’d have to go back to the earth world for it. And no – it doesn’t involve time travel.”
He handed her the unicorn’s reins.
“Will she be alright?” Cheryl asked.
“I’ve spoken with her,” Synrith said. “She’s agreed to let you ride her to the castle one time.”
“Castle?”
“Of course. Where did you think the ruler of a kingdom might live?”
Cheryl shook her head.
Synrith moved around to help her onto the unicorn. Once she was saddled, Synrith climbed on top of the second one, and kicked it into charge. Cheryl was yanked forward as her unicorn took off chasing after Synrith’s. Her grip was stretched on the reins and she had to shift her hands about until it wasn’t so painful.
Around the bend of the trees they crossed over a small creak of fresh running water, the unicorn’s hooves splashing about it as they went through. In the far distance Cheryl could now see the outline of a tall castle with many towers, bordered off by gigantic brick walls.
The gate was wide open and there were people standing around there, waving at them as they rode through.
Through the castle’s courtyard, there were even more people waiting.
All of them, stopped what they had doing. To cheer them on. To make them feel welcome.
Their master had returned.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A shimmering carpet of gold was rolled out from the unseen insides of the palace, right out into the courtyard before Synrith and Cheryl as they dismounted their steeds. As they walked through the large archway inside, the sounds of orchestration could be heard all around them.
“It’s like the painting,” Cheryl suddenly realized. “It’s the same place.”
“What painting?” Synrith asked.
“The one hanging inside the room where there’s a swimming pool.”
“Did I show you that?”
“Yes,” Cheryl said. “Just before we…”
Synrith blinked.
“I just never realized it was a real place.”
They stopped at the beginning of a winding staircase, where several servants were on the ground bowing before them.
“I trust the room is made up,” Synrith said.
“Yes, sir,” one of the servants answered quickly.
“See to it the cooks prepare a feast for us to take in the dining hall,” Synrith ordered. “We shall be down for it in an hour or so.”
“Yes, sir.”
The servants scurried away and then Synrith offered Cheryl his hand. She accepted it.
As they walked the steps, Cheryl found herself distracted by eloquent tapestries and glittering decorations.
“If you can live here, if it’s your home,” Cheryl remarked, “then why bother coming to earth at all. You would be so happy if you just lived here.”
“Believe it or not, I actually care what happens to your mortal world,” Synrith replied. “Without us protectors acting as a shield between the humans and other paranormal entities, chaos could spill out into that world. I mean you no offense, but if the world was given to the vampires then before long there wouldn’t be much of it left. It would become a place of dread and ugliness. A barren land.”
“What’s to stop them from just randomly murdering whoever they feel like for blood?”
“Well of course they do that. But they must hunt. They must go at night. They must hide. And there is a difference between that and having enslaved the population, forcing every last member of society to become sacrificed in order for their domination.”
“What would happen if Rafe was in charge? Would he protect people? Or just let everyone go to the vampires?”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t do that,” Synrith said. “But still he would abuse his power. Rafe’s mission is all about domination for the sake of bettering his own self and his pack.”
“So what you’re saying is – you’re the good guys.”
“Correct.”
They had climbed a few floors by now. On the highest one the landing peeled off to a large set of doors that were made of silver. Synrith opened them to reveal a chamber almost the size of the courtyard itself.
Although there were many colorful and captivating objects all over the room, Cheryl’s attention was immediately zoned in on the king sized bed with golden covers at the far end of the room.
The master’s bed.
Her eyes remained on it as Synrith closed the doors behind them.
Then he quietly whispered in her ear: “Take your clothes off.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
She could still hear the music from downstairs. How to describe it … words like poetic, sensual, immersive didn’t begin to come close. When Cheryl heard the music, it was like a long lost faraway song. A song she’d heard before but hadn’t. Déjà vu in the most explosive and climatic moment of her life.
Synrith stepped in front of her, walking towards the bed while she unbuttoned her dress. He removed his jacket and dropped it at the foot of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and then started on his tie. Cheryl pulled the dress up and over her body, and then removed each of her heels. She went to him as he pulled the shirt out from his pants. Cheryl helped him unbutton it, standing behind him, her head resting into his back. Once his shirt was off and she was nestled into his skin, she sighed with a deep sense of completeness. So beautiful was he to touch.
He then turned around, and Cheryl forced his pants off while he took her head in both hands and kissed her tenderly. Cheryl couldn’t hold on for too much of it. She opened her mouth and invited his tongue to follow hers, which it did, ravenously. His pants dropped and he scooped her up in his arms and then lifted his feet into the air, carrying her off the ground. They both landed on the bed together, her first and then him on top of her, coming down, kissing her all over.
His hands touched her breast and he lowered himself so he could take the nipples in his mouth. First he twisted his tongue around on it, tickling her, then he sucked at it with high pressure while caressing her other one. He then went to the next breast and did the same thing in reverse.
The tongue’s wet licks and kisses moved from her breasts down towards her stomach, and then lower. He removed her panties and went in to suck her pussy which was already moist for him. Cheryl’s eyes were closed, her mind melting. All the images. All the fears and frights of terror. It was all evaporating. As she let him eat her however, she began to feel like she wanted more control. As in, a lot more. After a couple of minutes she stopped him and pulled herself away.
Synrith stared at her, mildly surprised. His eyes were searching.
Cheryl went to him on her knees, silencing him with a kiss before she could speak. As she ran her nails across his chest and stomach, the urge t
o rip him open and feast was there. She was jostled by it, breaking off mid-kiss to readjust herself. She then grabbed hold of Synrith’s underarms and forced him into the bed with her on top.
She tore his underpants away and shoved his heavy prick inside of her, his confusion and anxieties immediately ceasing. She rode him, the slapping sound of his legs against her butt all too serene and familiar. He felt her up, grabbing hold of her body so he could fuck her this way, even harder. Cheryl’s moans were choked out by the activity’s vigor, causing her to be at full attention throughout.
Who would take the next lead? She could tell part of Synrith wanted to, but at the same time, he was curious where her lead would take them. Cheryl climbed off him and bent down and started sucking his cock.
Synrith fingered her pussy and asshole as she did so.
Once satisfied, he got back up to his knees and brought her ass to him so they could fuck doggy style. Cheryl loved it like this. Surrendering her control. She was hungry inside – for the sex, for the blood, but Synrith soon reminded her she couldn’t even begin to imagine what true hunger felt like.
They fucked in this position for twenty straight minutes. Every time she thought they would change and tried to move, he was back there again putting her in her place. He had such thirst. Such need for it. And maybe the fact they were in this world and not the other meant something to him. Or meant something to her.
Or maybe it meant nothing.
All Cheryl knew was that this was the man she belonged with, and she was ready to give him everything he wanted.
Everything.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They didn’t get dressed and go back downstairs right away. They both crawled underneath the sheets even though it was still light out. Cheryl felt so relaxed. So safe in his arms. She still wanted to be closer to him, understand everything about him, but she didn’t want to keep on asking questions. She just wanted him to tell her because he wanted to. He must have known how she felt.
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