Impatient, I pressed myself into him, the steel of his erect cock grinding into the softness of my belly. Cupping his hands under the curves of my ass, he lifted me until the heat of our centres aligned.
Impatient, I took one hand from his broad shoulders, certain that he would support me and that I wouldn’t fall. I guided his cock to the slickness of my opening, and in one agonizingly slow thrust he hilted inside of me.
We both made sounds of something very near pain as his length and heat filled my tight wetness. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and my bare foot felt the scarlet pain of a burn. I jolted, knocking something to the floor as I did.
The spell broken for the briefest of seconds, I peered over his shoulder and saw the glint and unmistakeable shape of handcuffs, now splayed on the floor. The sight made me wild, and I hissed into his neck.
“Yes.” My voice sounded foreign even to my own ears. “Use them.”
“I cannot.” He pressed his forehead against my own, claimed my lips again. As he did he began to move inside of me, and I forgot what I had wanted.
I began to shiver as the sensation of his touch, of him riding inside me, took me over. The shivers turned to shakes as the pleasure built, and I cried out as liquid heat spread its way throughout my body.
I felt him spill inside of me through the haze of pleasure, then allowed myself to be lowered, spent, to my feet again as he eased out.
We leaned heavily on one another for a long moment. Thoughts raced wildly through my head.
What had I just done? I was not the type of woman to be consumed by passion with a stranger... with anyone, really.
Yet it had felt more right than anything, ever.
I swallowed past a great lump in my throat as I tried to come to terms with the beauty of the moment.
“I’m thirsty.” I realized as I swallowed that my throat was dry as bone, scratchy and swollen.
I looked up as I spoke, and thought I caught the faintest glimpse of something flickering through his eyes, a creature lurking in the depths of the fathomless ocean. Then it was gone, and he nodded.
“Allow me.” Following him across the room to the fridge, I watched as he removed a pale green bottle and poured liquid gold into a wineglass. It looked beautiful, but did not appeal.
I had been raised to be polite, however, and so said nothing.
Then he placed a second wineglass on the counter, and removed a second bottle from the fridge. This one was opaque, the contents indecipherable.
Indecipherable, that is, until he started to pour.
I felt a jolt of adrenaline in my gut as I watched the viscous crimson pour into the glass. It shimmered there, a pool of red.
I looked up, saw Emmett watching me intently.
“You are a vampire.” I had been right.
“No, Athena.” My brow furrowed when he shook his head slowly. Then one of his lean hands slowly pushed the glass of red—the glass of blood—down the counter, to where I stood.
I was mesmerized by its vibrant colour.
“Athena.” It was nearly impossible to tear my eyes from the liquid that pulsed under my stare to look at him.
His face was open, honest. I trusted it. I trusted him.
“Do you not yet understand? You are the vampire, Athena, not I.”
My eyes widened, just a fraction, at his statement. I should have been stunned, should have rejected the notion outright.
Instead a flood of images streamed into my mind, each one a puzzle piece that fit together in a way that helped his proclamation make sense.
I had been sick. So sick.
I had been sleeping all day, unable to rest at night. Sunlight hurt my eyes, irritated my skin. Food made me violently ill.
I had felt nauseous when standing before his front door, a sickness that had lifted with his invitation to enter.
I was cold, and though I hadn’t tried to look in a mirror all week, hadn’t wanted to see how my ‘flu’ had ravaged me, the skin that was visible to my naked eye was pale, webbed through with spidery veins.
And now I was thirsty. So thirsty. And what I craved, what would clench my thirst, was not the beautiful golden wine that Emmett had poured.
No. It was the glass full of what was unmistakeably blood. The glass that I could see clearly, though the room was dark.
“Who are you?” I might have fit the mould of a vampire, but so did my neighbour. I had seen it myself. “Are you a vampire, too?”
“I am an Instructor.” He watched me closely, looking for my reaction. I didn’t have one.
I had no idea what an Instructor was.
“When a vampire turns a human, they must report it to the Council. The Council then assigns the new vampire an Instructor. Our purpose is to watch over the newborns, to guide them, to make sure they don’t starve. And also... also to ensure that they do not harm humans in their quest to satisfy the blood cravings.” I thought of the handcuffs that had fallen from his back pocket, the ones that had burned my skin.
Silver. Of course. Silver to restrain me if the thirst overtook me.
I was thankful he hadn’t used them, though the image of being restrained in his arms caused heat to flood through me yet again.
“Drink.” Bending, Emmett nudged the crystalline glass of blood towards me. “You are in shock. You will feel better.”
Mechanically, I took up the glass, lifted it to my pale lips, then lowered it again as another question occurred to me.
“If you’re not a vampire, why do you act like one?” He cocked an eyebrow, an invitation for me to further explain what I meant. “You’re awake all night. You removed your mirrors. You never have a fire. I’ve never seen you eat.”
He smiled at my obvious frustration, but I didn’t feel mocked.
“Part of an Instructor’s job is to make their Student comfortable.” He sipped from his glass of wine, and I was reminded of my thirst. “Also, I don’t cook.”
“Oh.” I paused for a moment, waiting for... well, I wasn’t sure for what. To cover my discomfiture, and also because my thirst was becoming angrier, needier, I lifted my glass and took my first sip of the elixir of undead life.
The relief was instantaneous. I watched, transfixed, as the palest wash of blush pink painted itself over my pallid skin.
I drank it all, gulping greedy mouthfuls, then tilted my head to catch the last drop on my tongue. It tasted like melted chocolate and warm honey, spreading out over my tongue.
It was better than anything I’d ever tasted.
When it was gone and I’d licked at my lips in disappointment, I reluctantly placed the glass back on the counter, then looked up to find Emmett watching me intently.
“Well?” He waited patiently. “Would you like some more?”
I thought for a long moment. No, I did not want more blood, delicious though it had been.
With the thirst assuaged, I had something else on my mind.
“Why do I want you so much, if I am not drawn to you because you are a vampire?” This puzzled me, for I had never before felt a craving as strong as the one that I still had for him. Yes, still had, even though I’d already tasted his flesh.
“I don’t know.” Incredibly, the Viking of a man looked the slightest bit uncertain. “It is not... usual. I have read texts... scrolls that speak of a bond between Instructor and Student, one so strong that Death itself cannot conquer it. But I have never seen it for myself.”
I pondered that, and did not find an answer. I assumed that the death he referred to would be his own, for if I was a vampire, then Death had already claimed me.
“How do we know?” I felt something skitter through my veins—nerves, perhaps. “How do we know if this is that type of bond?”
Emmett hesitated before resignation crossed his face. Then, before I could even think to react, he palmed a metal blade that had been lying on the counter and stabbed himself in the heart.
“No!” The word screeched from my throat, and my hands became painte
d red with his blood as I scrabbled to put pressure on the wound. “Why would you do such a thing?”
He leaned back against the counter, his hand clutched to his heart, labouring for air. Unthinkably, he barked out a laugh, tangling his blood drenched fingers with my own.
I swallowed the sudden urge to lick at the stream of red.
“Feel.” He pressed the tips of my fingers to his chest, right where the skin should have been parted from his blade.
There was no cut. The skin had knit back together, though I could feel a rough ridge where the knife had cut through.
I was astounded. My mouth fell open as I looked up, all the way up until my dark eyes were swallowed by the pools of blue that were his.
“We are bound, you and I. Forever.” He tightened his grip on my fingers, and I felt the throb of his pulse in every vein of my own body.
“Why would you risk yourself that way?” I was angry, crimson hazing my vision.
“My job is to make your life easier.” He smiled wanly, his face nearly as pale as my own.
“Well, don’t do it again.” I snapped the words out. I still felt the thirst, but it was different than the one I felt for blood. “I need you.”
He nodded, satisfied.
“I need you, too.”
Ownership
by Ashlynn Monroe
Part One
“No, Father. Let me go, please.”
Janae tried to shake her father’s tight grip from her arm. The bruising strength that he held her with brought tears to her eyes. She planted her feet firmly in the grass, but the evening dew made it impossible to hold her place. He pulled her along with heartless intent. She glanced behind her to see the three tall men waiting for them. Terror made her struggle more violently against her sire’s hold. She’d always been brave, but at this moment, she let her fear rule her actions. Janae had faced much in her short life. The vampire armies had decimated her people and their village. She’d always faced battle with reckless pride, but not now. This battle, she could not win, it held no honor.
“Don’t do this. For the love of the moon goddess, don’t sell me.” She looked for Macomi; even he wouldn’t stand against the lord of the blood drinkers.
“I hate you, Father. If mother lived she’d hate you too.” Janae prayed that calling upon her mother’s memory would soften the man’s heart. It did nothing as he continued to drag her to a fate more terrible than any she’d ever imagined before.
“Shut your mouth girl and perhaps your new master will allow you to keep your tongue.” She glanced back to their home, her younger sister stood at the doorway. When Janae saw Macomi was the one holding back her weeping, struggling sister back, something in her heart died. It was clear to her that her fiancé had chosen to cut his losses and would soon be trying to worm his way into Jaklea’s bed and heart when she was gone…dead.
She fell, her father’s grip loosened and for a moment, she was free. Janae found her footing and ran towards the woods. She skidded to a halt as a large horse and its rider blocked her path. The moment it took her to change directions had cost her the chance for escape. Her father grabbed her hair and twisted violently, bringing a chocking sob out of Janae.
The rider followed behind them and from her precarious position, Janae had a good look at his face. His fangs glinted in the moonlight. A tattoo completely covered the left side of his face, strange swirls and patterns meant to honor his unholy gods. There was a hard pleasure shining in his unnatural flame blue eyes. They all had eyes that seemed to glow like the hottest fire. A reflection of the hell where their souls were forged, another painful yank ended her wistful reflection of the vampire’s features.
“Father, let me go, you have one last chance. Pay them the tribute monies and save us all. If you give them the payment, the moon goddess will forgive you for bargaining me. Please, just pay.”
“I don’t have the money girl. It has been a poor year. When he agreed on you, I had no choice. If you run, we all die. One for the rest, it had to be my blood, he demanded you specifically.”
“My wedding is next week. How can you do this?” She was sobbing now.
“It is done.” He turned to the tallest of the three vampires. “She is yours. Does this clear our village’s debt for the year, your majesty? Do we get twelve moons of peace?”
“Your tribute will be money when you see me again. I have given you this one leniency because of the innocent lives here. If you mismanage your villages finances again, we’ll not just take the life of one, we’ll claim them all.”
She could feel her father trembling as she struggled to pull her long russet hair from his hand. The two subordinate vampires beside the lord came to them and took hold of her arms. Their cold touch made her flinch, but they were gentler than her father had been. They pulled her upright and turned her around, to face the man who’d purchased her for the cost of the village’s entire year’s tribute. He’d over paid. When he came towards her, she spit in his face. She stiffened, expecting to be slapped, but the blow never came. The vampire to her right raised his hand, ready to defend his lord.
“Stop. Don’t lay a hand on her.” The lord barked his order and the other monster stood down, but Janae could feel the rage he held in check as he trembled, tightening his grip.
The lord mounted his horse. The vampire who wanted to hit her tied a rope around her neck, he mounted his horse, and she realized she’d have to run behind him or strangle to death. Fear gripped her heart, one slip and her neck could very well snap. She glared back at her father. He at least had the decency to look upset. Good, let him wonder if she’d make it to the vampire city alive.
“I hate you.” She spat the last words at her father as the vampires spurred their horses on. She hadn’t been ready and the move tightened the rope around her neck. It bit into her flesh and she stumbled forward. A moment more and she’d have died. It was far too close for her comfort. She’d grown up during the vampire wars; she’d survived worse than this. They might plan to kill her the moment her feet touched the city streets, but she’d survive to fight for life. It would be easy just to let the horse yank her forward, snapping her neck for her whole village to see, but Janae wouldn’t take the easy way out for them, or herself. She jogged behind the horse. She’d run until exhaustion killed her, or she made it to the city.
They entered the woods. Branches slapped at her. She was glad they hadn’t tied her hands. Suddenly, the lord halted his party. He turned. His strange eyes went from electric blue to a stormy grey when he looked at her. It made her heart stop. He had no facial tattoo, his features were just as handsome as any of his kind, but there was something more intense about him. His sandy blond hair was unusual among the vampire race.
“Belamy, why have you tied her behind the horse? She is mine. Does my property mean so little to you?”
“No, Sire. I meant to punish her for spitting on you.”
“I told you to hold her in front of you.”
“Yes, you did. Forgive me, my lord.”
“Cut her free and hand her up to me.”
“Sire, you shouldn’t be seen riding with a human slave.”
“I’ll choose how I am seen. Give her to me.”
The one he called Belamy wasn’t gentle as he cut the rope from her raw neck. She bled in places where the rope had rubbed her flesh away. When he saw her blood, she noticed his eyes lighten and a look of hunger filled them. She shrank away. Would he drain her and leave her corpse here in the same wood she’d played in as a child? He shook his head as if he could dispel the sight of her blood from his mind. To her relief he finished removing the rope and pulled her towards the vampire lord. When she looked up at the imposing vampire, she wondered if she didn’t honestly prefer the rope.
He held out his arms and the other vampire pushed her up towards him. She found herself on the horse facing him. He smiled and his fangs became more prominent. Her eyes widened. He chuckled.
“You are mine now. My name is Krist
o. I am Lord Dracu, your people’s master, but to you I am just Kristo.” Something was so familiar about his voice, his name. Her mind struggled to remember.
“Sleep.”
Against her will, she collapsed against him, closing her eyes. Sleep claimed her immediately.
Part Two
Slowly, the nightmare started to fade. Janae sat up, and then gasped as she opened her eyes. It hadn’t been a dream; she was in a large room, a fire crackled in the fireplace to dispel the autumn chill. The large bed had no posters or bed curtains. It filled the room with its massiveness and made her feel very small. A movement in the corner startled her, causing her to cry out. He was beside her before her eyes could fully focus on him.
The vampire lord sat casually on the side of the bed looking down at her, amused.
“I see nothing funny, vampire.” She spoke boldly, daring death to claim her and put an end to her troubles.
He said nothing, but the look never wavered from his face.
“Why am I here?” Curiosity made her ask; knowing she was living on borrowed time gave her false courage.
“I’m not going to kill you, Janae. You are here because you are mine.”
“Why me?” She whispered the question because the adrenaline was beginning to wear away giving fear control again.
“Why not you?” She hated an answer in the form of a question. It did nothing to make her less confused.
“I’ve fought against vampires most of my life. I’m not just going to sit quietly and be your meal. Kill me now, and make this easier for both of us.” She was honestly ready just to be done with it. She’d struggled so many years. It had been bad during the war, worse after. Hunger and violence ruled, people bowed to their vampire overlords and men like her father who decided their fate with little thought or care. She knew her father had spent the money he owed on whores and wine in the city. Next year he’d do the same if the people weren’t smart enough to see a new man in power.
“I know you have. I’m hurt you have no memory of me. Let me help you remember.” She flinched as he put his thumbs to her temples, the rest of his fingers slid into her hair, holding her tenderly in place. “Remember…”
Just One Bite Volume 5 Page 6
