Vesper didn’t stir, which allowed me to finish my task with relative ease. As soon as I was done, I turned away from the bed before Vesper’s sleeping form could convince me otherwise. I left the room and headed toward my former quarters. I had been supplied with clothing, and since I’d torn my previous outfit, I needed another one. In the process, I hoped to find something for my lovely mate to wear. Truly, I much preferred him naked, but not in front of anyone else but me, and definitely not when we had to go hunt down a witch. Doing such a thing with all of our bits hanging was definitely not a good idea.
I couldn’t use a translocation spell to move around the house since it had been quite a while since I’d regularly lived here. Nevertheless, I reached my quarters with no incident. I planned to quickly get changed and return to my mate’s side, but strikingly enough, I found my father waiting for me, studying what seemed to be an old notebook.
I supposed I should have expected it, since we had been together before I had left in search of my mate. He hadn’t gotten the chance to explain much of anything, because I’d been distracted by my mate’s foray into the world of sex toys. He didn’t seem to be upset with me, though. When I entered the room, he looked up at me from the notebook. I recognized it as one of Monica’s, an old sketch pad which she must have accidentally left behind when we’d gone. She always had loved to draw, almost as much as she did playing with furry creatures. I wouldn’t have guessed my parents had kept any of the things we’d left behind. Perhaps we had been missed after all.
“Well, I guess you don’t need my advice on a successful mating anymore,” he said as he took in the way I looked. “You figured it out all by yourself.”
“Thank you, sire,” I replied formally. “Yes, Vesper and I have solved our differences.”
My father nodded like he understood. “A healthy sex life is always the key, son. You need to keep your mate satisfied at all times. Why, I could tell you stories about your mother…She’s actually quite voracious in bed, you know.”
I lifted my hand to stop his explanation. “I’m grateful for the offer,” I said, unable to keep the full extent of my horror from my voice, “but I truly don’t think that will be necessary.”
Vampires might have had healthy sexual appetites, but really, I was no longer comfortable discussing such private things with my parents.
Ignoring my obvious distress, my father continued to speak. “You know, Vlad, you’ve changed. I remember a time when you would have torn Abraham’s throat out if he pissed you off. Your mother and I always knew you hated Necro Valley, but at one point, we thought that you hated us, too. It was the only reason why we let you and your sisters go. And I don’t remember you ever looking at anyone like you do at him.”
I didn’t bother to deny his words. “He’s my mate. I love him.”
My father just smiled, an expression I wasn’t used to seeing on his face. I’d never really understood him, and probably never would. At the end of the day, though, we had an agreement, and I couldn’t afford to linger anyway. Now that I had my powers, Vesper and I were needed back home.
As if guessing my thoughts, my father asked, “So I take it you’re leaving soon?”
I nodded. “Everyone is probably concerned, and we have a small problem with a witch to handle.”
“I see,” my father replied. “Well, about that. Your mother has decided to go with you when you depart.”
I waited for the shock to flash through me, but it never did. Instead, all I felt was fatigue. “We’re not coming back, sire,” I warned him. “I won’t allow you to push my sisters into unions they don’t desire.”
That had been the reason why we’d left Necro Valley in the first place. My siblings had been courted by many nobles, and at one point, my parents had even arranged matrimony for all of them. They had come to me, sobbing miserably as they explained how much they loathed the thought of being bound for eternity to men they didn’t love. On my part, I had never been a particularly romantic person, not until I’d met Vesper, at least, but I’d wanted my sisters to be happy. I had made arrangements for us to move to Merlinia. I’d never looked back.
“Things are different now,” my father told me. “And you don’t get the right to refuse. We’ve given you and your sisters space, but right now, you need us. I wouldn’t call your problem with the witch minor.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head, refusing to tell me more. “Get dressed. You’ll probably be leaving within the hour.”
I complied, although I wanted to prod further. My father stuck his fangs in everyone’s business, so he had information I could only dream of achieving. If he and my mother deemed it necessary for her to join us…well, the situation was probably quite serious.
As quickly as possible, I found a suit of clothes in my wardrobe and got dressed. Another outfit was waiting for me, this one obviously meant for Vesper.
I took it without comment and closed my eyes, using a simple spell to travel to the room where Vesper slumbered. Seconds later, I was standing in the center of the chamber that had been the haven for our spent passions. He lay curled in a small, adorable ball, his white hair scattered on the pillows. At times like these, he seemed deceptively harmless, but I knew that his delicate beauty hid quite a temper. His breath had evened out in sleep, but on occasion, he would twitch, like he was still alert even now.
Abandoning his clothes on a nearby couch, I climbed into the bed next to him, and my presence seemed to relax him even more. He melted into his bunny shape and cuddled close to my side, now a warm bundle of fur. I was reluctant to wake him, because I knew that the heat had taken a toll on him, and so had my demands and my feeding session. But he needed to eat before we left—to replenish the blood he had lost to me—and then, we had to return to Grimoire.
In spite of that knowledge, I let him sleep for a while longer. It was only when a knock sounded at the door that I knew our time had run out. He instantly stirred, his eyes shooting open at the sudden sound. It was a testament to how comfortable he had become with me that he hadn’t woken up when I’d joined him.
“Are we ready to go?” he asked me as he shifted forms once again.
“Just a minute,” I told him. “I think my mother brought you something to eat.”
“Your mother?” he repeated, obviously confused. “But…she’s royalty.”
Yes, she was, and normally, she had servants delivering meals to guests—if that was needed. However, she undoubtedly wanted to talk to us about her plan.
Vesper must have gotten the gist of what was going on from my mind, because his eyes widened. Of course, that could have also been because he had noticed my obvious erection. Our conversation might have sounded pretty smooth, but actually, he was wiggling to get closer to me, and that had a very visible and natural effect on my body.
He licked his lips, his own libido responding to my arousal. Sadly, we didn’t have time for a second—or rather, a third—round. Another knock sounded at the door, reminding me of my mother’s presence. With a heavy sigh, I brushed a brief kiss over my mate’s sweet lips then pulled away in an attempt to muster a degree of composure.
Meanwhile, my lover covered himself as much as well as he could with the sheets. I could only be thankful that I had washed him beforehand, because it would have been pretty embarrassing to have him covered in my spunk while my mother was here. Then again, where would it have gone when he changed shapes? And why was I even thinking about this now?
“Enter,” I called out.
The door opened and my mother slid into the room, as elegant and royal-looking as ever despite the fact that she carried a tray laden with food.
“Hello, children,” she said. “I have a small meal for the young shifter.”
“Thank you,” Vesper replied softly, sniffing the air as the appetizing aromas of the meal reached him. “Is that…meat?”
“From what I’ve heard, that is what you eat, correct?” My mother smiled. �
�Don’t be so surprised. We might not be able to get nourishment from this type of food, but we do occasionally have it, simply for the gastronomic pleasure.”
In other words, it tasted good. I knew that for a fact, because I highly doubted the standard of cuisine in my parents’ home had changed in my absence. It was likely the reason why Pygmalion had grown so fat in the first place.
My mother sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the tray within Vesper’s reach. “Eat up!”
At first, my mate looked a little wary, but when I smiled and nodded, he dug in. I knew he’d been worried so as not to offend my mother with his less than perfect table manners. I’d taught him a few things about vampire customs, but he was, in the end, a carnivorous shape-shifter, and I couldn’t expect him to change his ways. I didn’t even want to. He was perfect, and had been so from the very beginning.
True, I did wish my mate made less moaning sounds as he ate, or stopped sucking on his own digits quite like that. It made my arousal—which hadn’t fully faded away in the first place—blaze hot and bright once more.
My mother gave me a knowing look, but didn’t comment on it. After a brief pause, during which we both watched Vesper with amusement—on her side—and desire—on mine—she turned toward me once again, her expression sobering. “Your father told you about my decision.”
I nodded. “I admit I don’t fully understand it, but perhaps it is a good idea.”
After all, I had fought the witch and knew all too well she could be very dangerous. I didn’t know if our friends had managed to control her, but if they hadn’t, a vampire of my mother’s abilities would come in handy. As possessive as I was as Vesper, I refused to let arrogance stand in the way of reason.
“Will you be taking any guards?” I asked her.
“Just a few,” my mother replied. “We don’t want to unsettle the rest of Necro Valley. It would be best if my absence went unnoticed.”
“Why are you worried, Your Majesty?” my mate suddenly asked. “Do you think the witch is that dangerous?”
It occurred to me that my parents were far older than me and might have maintained records on the existence of someone like that. I just had to wonder how they had known who I was worried about in the first place. I hadn’t mentioned the witch to my father at all before our most recent meeting, and at that time, he hadn’t seemed surprised. Similarly, my mother appeared to be quite informed in the matter. Even if they did have sources in Grimoire and Merlinia, the entire plan against the witch had happened so quickly and with such secrecy that I doubted any outsider could have found out.
I didn’t get to inquire into this mystery, because my mother left the bed. “Yes, she is,” she told Vesper. To both of us, she added, “Get ready. I’ll make the final arrangements for our departure.”
Without further ado, my mother departed, leaving both my mate and I quite confused. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s more going on than we know?” Vesper asked.
“Because it’s probably true,” I replied. There was nothing I’d have liked more than to take him in my arms again and lose myself in our passion, but that wasn’t to be. Vesper slid out of the bed and took the clothes I had placed on the couch. My dick protested as my mate started to pull on the garments. It throbbed painfully in my pants, practically screaming at me for losing my chance to bury it inside Vesper. I could only give it a comforting pat, understanding that yes, the best place for it was my sweet lover’s body, sadly beyond our reach right now.
When he was ready, I joined him and took his hand. Together, we left the room and headed downstairs. The foyer was pretty much empty now, with the exception of my mother, my father, Abraham, and a few guards, probably the ones she planned to take along.
“Thank you for your hospitality, sire,” I said, bowing to my father.
“This will always be your home, Vlad,” he replied. “Let’s not lose contact again, shall we?”
The words sounded like a mere suggestion, but I read the undertone, and they were anything but. They meant an order, the fact that my father would not allow another separation like our previous one. I filed it as an issue to be handled later on. If he didn’t plan on forcing my sisters into marriage, I had no problems with indulging his sudden desire to be close to us.
Abraham just smirked at me and my mate, perhaps expecting Vesper to be embarrassed. However, Vesper just smiled. “I appreciate your help today,” he said.
“I was richly rewarded for it,” he replied with a suggestive grin as he raked his gaze up and down my mate’s body.
I wanted to punch him for even daring to make that sort of comment and insinuation. Even so, my mate admirably kept his temper. Instead, he said, “Don’t forget what I said. There’s no shame in a certain size.”
Even as he spoke, he eyed my parents warily, as if he expected them to get mad because he had mouthed off at Abraham. It didn’t seem so. They obviously had other, more important concerns. My mother had already abandoned her elaborate gown in favor of a hunting outfit with boots and breeches.
“Are we ready to go, Mother?” I asked her.
“Certainly,” she replied. “The sooner we go, the better.”
I agreed, although I still had a lot of questions. A part of me would have preferred to delay our departure in favor of inquiring into what they knew of the witch. It always paid to go into a battle well-informed. However, I gathered that if my parents had deemed the knowledge essential, they’d have informed me. More importantly, I already knew what I was up against since I had fought the witch before. Wasting more time would be counter-productive.
I gathered the entire group around me, wrapping my arm around my mate’s shoulder as everyone else carefully kept in contact with me.
Closing my eyes, I summoned the memory of that meeting place in Grimoire. It should have been hard to take all of us there, especially since it wasn’t an area that I knew too well. However, since I’d drunk my lover’s blood, I felt stronger than ever.
This time, my magic worked, and, in moments, I felt the air around me shift and change. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself at the crossroads once more. There was no sign whatsoever of any of our friends, or of the ritual that we had started and, hopefully, finished.
“What happened here?” Vesper asked, still looking quite relaxed in spite of our recent translocation. I felt a bit smug at the knowledge that I’d caused that look through claiming him. Never mind that I’d waited so long to do it that I’d almost fucked it all up. Right now, I couldn’t imagine why I had done so. Vesper was my perfect match, and even when I’d fed from him, he hadn’t been afraid or disgusted.
But I had to focus and figure out where our friends were. Vesper sniffed the air, scanning the area for any clue. He shot me a look full of confusion when he didn’t find anything.
This was very strange indeed. I could detect slight traces of magic, but they were faint, far weaker than they should have been.
“Let’s look around,” I suggested. “Perhaps we’ll find someone in Hood’s cottage.”
“Or the witch’s,” my mate said in turn. In his memories, I’d caught glimpses of a structure built solely out of gingerbread, which I guessed must have been the old witch’s lair.
Sadly, Vesper didn’t actually know where it was located, so we headed toward the Hood family home. My mother said nothing, just humming thoughtfully under her breath. I stopped and arched a brow at her. “What is that you aren’t telling us, Mother?”
For a few moments, she seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, she said, “You won’t find anyone in this cottage. Let’s go to your castle, Vlad.”
My parents had always had the irritating tendency to keep things from me. They always thought they knew best, and it seemed that nothing had changed in that regard.
“Mother,” I said between gritted teeth.
When she didn’t immediately answer, I took Vesper’s hand and dragged him toward the cottage I remembered. It was still here, but just like m
y mother had said, it was empty. Unlike before, there were no sign of it being inhabited, no lingering scents, just silence.
My mother quietly joined us. Exasperated, I finally did what she had suggested. If I wanted to be perfectly honest, I was worried about my sisters anyway. Something had clearly happened after the ritual. But what?
Even with Vesper’s strength, it wasn’t as easy to cast another complex translocation spell so soon after the first. Even so, I managed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire group—me and Vesper included—landed in the courtyard of my home.
It was with great relief that nothing much had changed about my castle. It had been stupid to even worry about that. After all, the ritual couldn’t have affected my home. It was in a whole different province, for crying out loud.
The hour was growing late by now, quickly approaching the time my sisters would normally awaken. In other words, they were supposed to be asleep. Perhaps that was the reason why I felt surprised when the doors to the building opened, and Mina stepped outside.
Both of us gasped at the same time. “Vlad!” she cried out.
“Mina!” Vesper and my mother exclaimed.
“Sister!” I said.
We all stared at each other, and I felt like I was in a dream. Surely, there could be no other explanation for why my sister was standing in front of me, her abdomen swollen with an obvious pregnancy. I’d just left them yesterday! What the fuck had happened?
I decided that the only who could answer that question was Mina herself. “What the fuck happened?” I asked, this time directing the inquiry at her, not myself.
At my harsh tone, Mina seemed to snap out of her trance. She ran toward me and threw herself against my chest. “Vlad,” Mina whispered, tears still flowing down her cheeks. “You’ve been missing for seven months.”
Monica, Catherine, and Veronica chose this exact moment to appear as well. They looked tired, thinner than I remembered, and they gave Vesper and I similar expressions of disbelief. They didn’t only lavish me with open affection, but also Vesper, who seemed to have trouble processing the entire thing.
Undead Have Bunnies, Too [A Tail Like No Other: Book Four] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 11
