by Maya DeLeina
“Oh my god, Steffan!”
Anya panted and was in absolute ecstasy from Steffan’s unyielding exploration with his tongue. She concentrated on the sensation of his flickering movements and gasped when his long fingers entered her. He delved into her in a rhythmic pattern. Anya’s toes curled as the fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach ran down to her pelvis.
“What do you want, my love? Tell me,” Steffan growled from between her legs.
“I–I want…” Anya was exasperated, unable to form a coherent thought.
Steffan thrust his fingers into her harder and faster as he sucked on her clit.
“Tell me, what do you want?”
“I want you!” Anya managed to voice through her ragged breath.
“You already have me.”
“No! I want you…inside me!” Anya begged.
“Patience, Anya,” Steffan whispered.
Anya was quiet in response.
The blindfold and his teasing amplified the moment. The pleasure Steffan was giving her was unmistakable, but the experience of being controlled sexually made her lose all sense of reality.
Soon, the delicious rapture began.
Anya’s muscles were engaging like fiery pistons. Her heat stirred deep in her belly and the numbing tremble in her body started to rise. Her sweet release was just around the corner.
“Steffan!” Anya cried out as she climaxed in front of him. It was a new experience. Her eyes were shielded—she couldn’t see Steffan to gauge his reaction in the moment. It forced her to focus on her body alone, relish each euphoric sensation and allow herself to delve deep into the blissful journey.
Steffan’s fingers retracted from her pussy, leaving her empty and void. Then, she felt his hand wrap around her forearm, gently pulling and directing her to a seated position.
“Taste,” Steffan said, slipping his glistening fingers into Anya’s mouth.
He shared in her sweetness as he dipped his tongue into her mouth and lapped at the traces of her on his fingers. Anya and Steffan hungrily feasted on each other, a lustful display of raw emotions. Anya moaned in delight. The sensation of her mouth being devoured by his was pure bliss. He licked, sucked, and nibbled on her like no man ever did.
Then, abruptly, Steffan stopped. He pulled his lips and fingers from her mouth.
All was silent. All was still
The sound of his zipper being undone broke the silence. Suddenly, the soft, velvet-like tip of his cock traced her lips.
“Taste,” Steffan commanded.
Anya opened her mouth and took Steffan’s cock as he released a deep moan. She concentrated on the feel of every ridge and every vein with her tongue. He tasted salty. She felt him pulsating as he plunged deeper and faster into her mouth.
Steffan’s heavy hand splayed the back of her head. He drew her in, demanding her to take in as much of his length she could. Receiving him with some effort, Anya gripped his bare ass to steady herself.
“Anya, I need you to see me.”
Steffan tore the scarf from Anya’s eyes. He reached under her legs and lifted her from the chaise. “Hang on to me,” he said in a breathless growl.
Anya wrapped her arms around Steffan’s neck as he positioned himself at her opening. In one needful move, he pulled Anya to him, filling her instantly.
They both groaned in ecstasy.
Steffan stood tall, a very muscular and commanding presence as he moved Anya’s body up and down his engorged shaft.
“Anya, Anya, Anya.” Steffan panted in a lustful fit.
He slowed his thrusts and moved toward the wall. He pinned her back to the wall and ground intensely into her. Noises of pleasure filled the room with a delectable melody. Uninhibited, Anya allowed herself to be as vocal as Steffan. She wanted him to hear her losing control.
“Give it to me, Steffan. I want to feel you come inside me!”
Steffan growled as his red eyes penetrated right through her. He moved from the wall to the floor mirror and deposited her on the ground.
“I want you to see me as I come.” He positioned her for the moment, placing her on all fours as he took his place behind her. “Hold on to the mirror and do not take your eyes off of me.”
Steffan thrust hard into her.
Anya screamed in delight.
He ground his fingers into her hips as he took her. Consumed in the throes of lovemaking, Steffan snaked his fingers through her long hair and pulled.
In the reflection, Anya watched her breasts shake and swirl with intensity with each of Steffan’s needful thrusts.
“I’m coming!” Steffan screamed.
He pounded away. One, two, three.
He spilled his hot release deep into Anya.
* * * *
In a darkened corner, Ryan stood shielded, watching the lovers’ exchange in its entirety. Steffan did not detect him. Neither Steffan nor Anya noticed that the tunnel entry had been left open as they passed the dining room.
They had no indication Ryan was roaming the house.
Ryan felt his eyes burning at their display of affection. His blood boiled. Anya was the exotic beauty he’d imagined, and she had nothing but absolute love for Steffan. None of his women ever looked at him the way Anya looked at Steffan. None of his women ever said the things Anya said to Steffan.
If Anise were still alive, would he have what Steffan had? Had Anise been just as beautiful and loving as Anya?
Anger, jealousy, and envy enveloped Ryan as he slipped out of the darkened corner and exited the bedroom. He made his way back to the tunnel entrance and carefully returned the room to its formal dining setting.
* * * *
They remained on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, trying to catch their breath.
“Good lord, I’ve never had sex standing up before. That was absolutely…erotic! I don’t know how else to describe it. You’re so strong. Oh my god, these arms, your chest…” Anya said as she traced each body part. “I feel amazing when I’m dominated by you. I love your body.”
Steffan laughed.
“I’m glad you like my body. It’s yours for a very, very long time. And the standing position is very good. But we have a lot more to explore to see if there’s anything else that comes close to that.”
“That we do!” Anya lifted up on Steffan’s chest. “Can we get some of my things? The suspense of what you need to show me is killing me!”
“Absolutely, darling.”
They dressed quickly, and Steffan led them to the dining room.
He punched in the code. “By the way, you’ll need the code to access this. It is 1917.”
“Your death?”
“I like to think of it as my birth.”
The wall gave way, uncovering a secret passage. A faint light highlighted the earthy walls. While it was quite dark, the walls had a glistening sheen from the water that seemed to seep through.
Anya stepped in closer. She moved cautiously as she noticed the ground gave way to what seemed like an endless pit. “What is this?”
“All the homes here in Ambrose Heights are connected by this underground system.”
“No way! So my house has a secret passage hidden in the walls as well?”
Steffan nodded.
“Did you or anyone ever enter my house without me knowing?”
“No. I would never do that, and I would not allow anyone else to do it. You were safe and unwatched.” Steffan pressed a button buried deep in the wall. A rattling noise from below sounded and lights began to flicker to wash the area with light. Steffan took a step into the passage and reached for Anya’s hand.
From the darkened depth, an elevator appeared.
Anya gasped.
“Don’t be afraid, my love, come with me,” Steffan said in a soothing tone.
“Is this operationally safe?” Anya asked with hesitation. The elevator wasn’t quite like the ones that would be in a pristine hotel or office building. It was rustic to say the least, a worn metal
floor with an open, cage-like surrounding. If anything, it looked like something that was built for an old mine shaft.
“I assure you, it is safe. Come.” Steffan left his hand extended, waiting for her to join him.
Anya slipped her hands in his and followed Steffan into the elevator.
Releasing her hand, Steffan reached high above his head and pulled the cage door down, fully enclosing them.
Underneath her feet, the elevator vibrated. Anya stepped in closer to Steffan and held on to his arm.
Suspended by a thick series of silver and black cables, the elevator slowly descended from the platform entrance, sinking into the darkened depth. As the elevator car was about to be fully engulfed in darkness, a flicker of soft light suddenly illuminated the top of the cage, washing light along the cavern walls that completely surrounded them. The earthy walls swirled in shades of brown, green, and subtle hints of muted gold. The light caught flecks of shimmer from crystals embedded in the clay. The walls were damp. Long striations etched in the walls added to the sheen captured by the light.
Steffan turned to face Anya. He lifted his hands above his head and curled his fingers around the wire opening at the top of the cage. “We use this underground system to move between homes if we’re not on Defender. But my primary purpose in building this subterranean quarter was to maintain and protect our laboratory, manufacturing facility, mass enthrall auditorium, and training room. I didn’t want any of this above ground and have an endless set of issues to worry about.”
“Makes sense.” Anya nodded as she rubbed her hands along her bare arms. The temperature had changed. A marked chill danced in the air the further the elevator car delved.
Steffan moved, stepping behind Anya, and wrapped his arms firmly around her. He dipped his head and gave her a kiss on her cheek. “You know the English garden maze I have in front of my house, the one you’re always admiring?”
“Yes.” Anya turned around to face Steffan.
“That also serves a purpose to all of this as well. Throughout the maze, there are access points to and from the mass enthrall auditorium down here. You see, enthralling one or two humans to alter their reality at once is very effective and is immediately embedded in their memory. But once you start adding more than two with a single enthrall, it takes a little longer for the altered reality to set in. If we find we have to enthrall a number of humans at once, we use the auditorium and then release them into the maze. When their minds are engaged on something else, in this case, trying to find their way out of the gardens, their psyches have time to absorb the enthrall.”
“So basically, if they are totally focused on something else, they don’t have a chance to question anything as the enthrall is working?” Anya asked.
“Exactly. And the deeper their concentration is on something else, the better. Hence the maze. We found that humans are susceptible. Whether it is fear in the feeling of being trapped or the thrill and excitement of trying to figure out the puzzle, everyone’s mind is highly engaged when they’re in that maze.”
Anya nodded. “Interesting!”
Steffan reached for the elevator control, a simple mechanism that fit in his palm, fashioned with a key insert, sliding lever, and buttons attached to a thick silver coil. Steffan slid the lever position all the way down and pushed a button. The elevator slowed to a crawl, and the lights turned off. Anya was able to make out another light source piercing the darkness from down below. The light slowly penetrated the open-air cage, starting from the bottom and moving its way up as the elevator reached the opening of the subterranean platform.
Before they reached the bottom, Steffan spoke, “My house, however, is the only access point to the last facility down here…the Nemesis.”
“The what?”
“You’ll see. That’s the last stop on this tour before we head to your house,” Steffan said plainly, no enthusiasm or elation in his expression.
Steffan lifted the cage and took Anya’s hand. He led her down a long corridor of carved earth, the path illuminated by soft light. The music flowing through the passage was faint, but the ethereal character of the melody was unmistakeable.
The end of the corridor opened to a large, circular, vestibule-like passage. Two sizeable metal doors sat embedded in the walls marked with similar symbols above each header, one with the free-flowing symbol, like a figure eight on its side, the other marked with the same symbol, but with a noticeable break in the lines.
Steffan looked down at Anya.
“That’s the infinity symbol. Everything we need to enhance and perpetuate our existence lies behind this door. This leads to our lab, manufacturing facility, training room and the mass enthrall auditorium,” Steffan said as he pressed a metal button on the wall, sending the door to pivot on its axis. “Come, I want you to see everything.”
“But what about this door?” Anya asked, pointing at the second door with the broken symbol. She stood planted in her footing, not budging a muscle toward Steffan.
“That is the Nemesis. We will come back to this one. I promise,” Steffan said as he held his hand out for her.
Anya moved toward Steffan, placing her hand in his, and made her way through the door that opened to a long tunnel system. Intricate iron candelabras illuminated the tunnel from above. Iron scroll sconces dotted the walls every few feet. The lights were candle-like, mimicking the flickering of an amber flame. Between the wall sconces sat paintings of various mountain landscapes. The paintings were vast in their emotional pull on their audience, all depicting variations in the landscape with different seasons, weather conditions, and time of day.
“What do you think so far?” Steffan asked as their stride reduced to a leisurely gait.
“Beautiful. What’s with all the mountain-themed paintings?”
“They’re all the places we either once resided in or will be establishing residency in one day.”
“I see. And I guess the gilded-gold framing on them was to go along with the décor down here.” Anya chuckled. “I can’t help but think I should see some suit of armour, coat of arms, or medieval weapons displayed somewhere in here.”
Steffan laughed. “Since you mentioned it, a collection of weaponry is showcased down here, which does include some medieval pieces. The suit of armour is my favourite. This is what the family wanted. I had them vote on how we should decorate this area, and they all wanted an old-world, gothic theme down here. I figured it suited—” Steffan stopped in midsentence and moved in an instant, placing Anya firmly behind him.
“What? What is it?” Anya asked, looking at the empty space in front of Steffan and evaluating his sudden change in posture.
“Steffan, what’s wrong!” Anya shook Steffan by the arm.
“Sorry. I thought I saw something for a brief second.” Steffan was rigid as he stood motionless, staring at the empty space. Steffan eased in his stance, but the air of uncertainty still remained heavy around him. “I guess it was nothing. Damn, this is the second time this has happened to me down here!” Steffan explained, his face marked with apprehension and confusion as he looked at Anya.
“Well, what do you think you saw?”
Steffan shook his head, his eyes focusing back on the hallway. “Not sure. It was like a flash of white floating by. It was heading toward the hall there.” Steffan pointed to an entry fork in the hallway.
“Where does that hall lead to?”
“All the homes to the left of mine—Rhys and Brynne’s, Haydn’s, and yours.”
“And who has access to this system?”
“Well, the entire family is free to come here anytime. I built this for all of us.” Steffan sighed. “Well, it doesn’t look like anyone was here. Maybe it was just a flicker of the lights. Besides, I would’ve at least felt the presence of someone here. Shall we continue?”
Steffan led Anya on the tour of the underground system, familiarizing her with each of the rooms and the basic tunnel configuration. They made their way outside to the maze, taki
ng a romantic moonlight stroll through the formal garden. He showed Anya all of the entry and exit points from the garden to the underground passage, each boasting a massive, white marble urn across the aperture. The urns were almost as tall as Anya. Creeping ivy cascaded out of the confines of the urns while white, starlike flowers filled the cavities, perfuming the evening air.
Steffan and Anya stepped back into the subterranean quarters and made their way back down the hall and through the metal door that led them to the main passage from his home.
There it sat once again, the door with the broken infinity symbol.
Steffan stopped at a door and looked down at the floor. “I debated whether I should show this to you now or after your turning, but I think you need to see this.”
Steffan paused and then looked Anya squarely in the eyes. “From the broken symbol, you probably already figured out that this door leads to something where an eternity is ended. But the symbol is also meant to signify a new path, a new eternity.” Steffan paused. “Anya, this is where we put vampires to punishment or, in some cases, death.”
Anya took in a deep breath. “Is anyone in there now that I have to prepare myself for?”
“No, the last rogue we captured extinguished weeks ago. It’s empty and clean now.”
Steffan punched in codes on the door. The code was longer than the typical four-digit key that was used to unlock the entire system.
“This is the only room with a second locking mechanism, and there are only a few people who have the code to this room.”
Steffan flipped on the florescent lights of the room, flickering at the initial illumination.
