Reign of the Vampires

by Rebekah R. Ganiere

  At first she didn’t do anything. Mason dipped his finger in Matthew’s blood and stuck his finger in Danika’s mouth. He rubbed his finger over her gums and her fangs descended. He dipped his finger in again, and then wiped his finger down her tongue letting her taste it. She moaned with desire. Mason’s arousal rushed through him and he had to stop letting her suckle his finger for fear that he’d lose control. She did little more than let the blood flow into her mouth at the beginning, while she swallowed. But soon she latched onto Matthew.

  Mason stroked her hair and hummed to her, letting her feed until Matthew fell on the bed and lost consciousness. He tried to pull Matthew’s wrist from her, but she was having none of it.

  “Danika, that’s enough. Stop now, or you’ll kill him.” He tried to pry her mouth off Matthew’s wrist.

  She moaned but wouldn’t stop.

  Memories bombarded him. His Vampire captor drinking and drinking from him. His pleas for it to end. The dark haze as his vision dimmed.

  Mason’s heartbeat quickened and panic grew in his gut. “Danika, I said stop, that’s enough,” he barked, pulling Matthew’s arm out of her mouth.

  She scrambled to bite again, but Mason pushed Matthew away with his foot and pulled her close to him. She was gaining strength, clawing at him to let go.

  “I need more, Mason, let me go.”

  “No, that’s enough, you’ll kill him.”

  “I need more. I need—” She stopped talking and fighting him. Mason waited a minute and then loosened his grip. She turned to face him.

  His heart pounded. She stared at him with the most intense passion he’d seen in a long time. She moved closer to him, pushing him onto the pillows.

  “Danika, I don’t think—”

  “I need you, Mason. I need to taste you. To feel your blood slide into my limbs and strengthen me.” Her hands roamed over his hard chest through his shirt, and she climbed onto his lap like a cat. His mind was a whirl. He wanted her. Her scent was everywhere, making his arousal skyrocket. She leaned in close and sniffed his neck.

  “You smell like heat. I need the heat, Mason. I need it like I have never needed anything before. Just a little.” She straddled his hips with her own, her most sensitive places rubbing up against his as their bodies came in contact.

  The coolness of her breath tingled his skin. She leaned in and licked his neck. His hands wouldn’t move. He needed to push her away from him, but they wouldn’t obey. A selfish part, wanted her to drink from him again till she fell into a coma and then became his forever when she awoke. But he couldn’t let her, because if he did, she’d hate him for eternity. Her tongue flicked out and swirled on his skin. She pressed her lips onto his throat and then his collarbone. Nimbly she unbuttoned his shirt. Down and down she pressed her lips into his fevered flesh. She pushed her hands across his chest. Her icy touch made him cry out.

  “Mason,” she cooed, kissing her way across his runes. “Mason, Mason, Mason. Tell me what these say. Let me in.”

  His head swirled. He needed her touch, her lips her—“Stop, Danika, you can’t.” His arms found their strength. He grabbed her and pushed her away. He looked into her eyes. Orange flecks permeated her icy blue.

  “I know you think you need my blood, but believe me, that’s the last thing you need,” he said. “What you need is rest. And tomorrow you’ll feel better. Please, I can’t hold out much longer. Please listen to me. You bought me to protect you. Let me.”

  Her eyes blazed with anger, but he was getting through to her. He pulled Danika’s cool body to his, pressing her against him. She didn’t struggle, but she was stiff with tension. He wrapped his fingers in her ponytail and stroked her long hair. She lay against his chest, but her body was hard and weightless, as if she was trying not to touch him. Mason hummed the ancient tune his mother had taught him as a child. After a few minutes, she relaxed little by little until her tension released and she melted into his chest. Eventually, her breathing evened out and deepened and he knew she slept again.

  Matthew lay limp on the bed. He’d forgotten the slave was even there. Matthew needed the doctor and his own bed.

  Mason rolled Danika over and covered her with blankets. Then he walked out onto the landing. All around slaves did their chores. A female slave scrubbed the white marble floors with a brush, as another dusted pictures on the walls. A third washed windows. Everyone rushed around, on edge about the upcoming party. Mason was about to descend the stairs when William walked out of the dining hall, talking to a male slave. When he looked up and spotted Mason, William ascended the stairs.

  “Is something wrong? Is she getting worse?”

  “No, she’s sleeping,” Mason replied. “I need to move Matthew, but I don’t want everyone to see him.”

  “Put him in my room. Is he bad?”

  “He’s bad, but he’ll live.”

  “Will he talk?”

  “No.”

  William turned and hurried down the stairs. The humans stopped working to watch him, but as soon as they caught sight of Mason, they started again.

  Mason headed back to take care of Matthew and Danika.

  * * * *

  Mason stroked Danika’s hair, reveling in the feel of her body: cool, but no longer cold. William entered, flustered.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Mason.

  “It’s Chase. He wants to see Danika.”

  “Well, tell him that she is indisposed at the moment and cannot be interrupted.”

  “I tried that. He isn’t believing it anymore. He’s on his way—”

  There was a knock.

  “What do we do?” William mouthed.

  Freak. She was still out, and even though Chase was her uncle, he couldn’t let anyone see her. There would be too many questions.

  “Let him in when I tell you to,” Mason whispered.

  Mason lifted Danika from the bed and walked to the bathroom, setting her on the plush little rug on the floor. Then Mason started the shower and let it steam for a couple of seconds. William waited in the bedroom. Mason nodded and then closed the bathroom door almost all the way.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s in the shower right now, as you can hear.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  Mason closed his eyes and set his head on the wall. Man, he didn’t want to do this. And she wouldn’t want him to do this either, but there was no other choice. Mason hit his head on the wall quietly one more time, then stripped off his shirt. He glanced down at his runes. He was taking a huge risk by showing them to William and Chase. His eyes were ever on Danika, who hadn’t moved. She was worth it. Protecting her was more important than anything that might happen to him now. For her, he would face his own kind.

  Mason slipped off his shoes and unbuckled his belt. Letting his pants fall to the floor, he dropped his underwear and stepped into the shower, letting the water run over his skin for a minute. At that moment, he prayed Danika didn’t wake up. Heaven knows what would happen with him naked in her bathroom.

  He wet his hair and then stepped out again. Dripping, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as best he could. As his hand grasped the knob, Mason took a deep breath. Making sure she was out of eye line, he yelled, “No, I’ll get it for you.” Throwing the bathroom door open, Mason stepped out into the bedroom. He walked two steps, then stopped dead in his tracks.

  They were both staring at him with such stunned expressions that Mason knew he’d been convincing. There wasn’t much he needed to convince them about though, his embarrassment was as real as it got. All three men stared at each other for a minute before Mason spoke.

  “Uh... I just came to get something for Lord Danika.”

  “Chase said he was going to wait...so...” William trailed off.

  The three stared at each other. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want Lord Danika getting upset with me for dripping on her rug. And she did send me to get something
…” Mason glanced around; her robe lay on the chair Chase sat in. Mason pointed to it.

  “Of course.” Chase shook his head and stood. His eyes traveled over Mason’s large form and lit on his runes. He continued to stare for another minute and then cleared his throat. “Please tell Danika I need to speak with her. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be on my cell.”

  Mason nodded.

  Chase gave him a last grave look and then walked out. Mason and William stared at the door for a long time before they spoke.

  “She’s not going to like this,” said William.

  “Did you think of anything?” Mason’s body shook with the adrenaline that still pumped through his veins.

  “No,” said William sheepishly.

  “Well, this was the one thing I thought he wouldn’t want to see, or wait around till it ended.”

  “I don’t even want to see it.” William turned away. “And you were right about one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She’s going to kill you for dripping on her rug.”

  “She probably won’t be up before tomorrow, so I don’t think it’ll matter much anyway. Come on, get her out of the bathroom while I dress.”

  William stared at his runes as he passed. It made Mason want to dress even quicker. They were written in a language long since dead, but there were still those out there who knew it. The fact that he lived in the US instead of with his own kind was a testament to that fact.

  William was in the bathroom for a minute before he left with Danika in his arms.

  Mason turned off the water and dropped his towel, whipped on his underwear and his pants. He looked at himself in the mirror, his runes, ever-present and black against his skin. Raised and pulsing to the beat of his heart: staring at him, beckoning him, willing him to speak their names. They were the bane of his existence. He put his undershirt on and turned away. When he walked into the bedroom, William was pulling the covers up over Danika. Her clothes hung off the end of the bed.

  “You removed her clothing.” Mason tried to keep the edge out of his voice

  “I was trying to make her comfortable. She won’t want to spend the day in those.”

  “You’re right.” Mason stretched his arms and jumped up and down several times, trying to control his temper. After all, this was William. He was as much a son to her as anything. “I need to eat.” Mason bent down to do push-ups. His pent up energy, letting others see his runes, even the prospect of what could happen to Danika, left him jittery.

  “Do you want anything particular?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  William checked his watch. “We just have to make it a couple more hours and then everyone will go to bed.” He looked at Danika. “Are you sure she’ll awaken tonight?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Mostly? What does that even mean? Do you know what is wrong with her?”

  “Yes.”

  William paused for a minute. “Are you going to tell me?”

  “It’s better that I don’t.”

  William nodded, then turned and left.

  Mason stopped his push-ups and sat on the floor knees bent. Danika hadn’t so much as stirred when she was put into the bathroom or when William brought her out. It wasn’t a good sign. He couldn’t even begin to think about what he was going to have to do to wake her up, if she didn’t rise the next day. Please gods, he prayed. Please let her wake up a Vampire.

  Chapter 15

  “What are you two doing in my room?” Danika sat on her bed, exhausted, her head pounding. Mason half-sat, half-lay on the small couch, dwarfing it.

  William, on the other hand, sat in a chair with an ottoman propping up his feet, covered in a blanket. The scene was odd and disturbing. She didn’t like others in her sleep space; it made her feel vulnerable.

  At the sound of her voice, both men stirred. William looked as tired as she felt, but Mason was alert and he moved over to her.

  “I asked what you’re both doing in here,” she said.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Answer my question.” Her voice rose with increased agitation.

  Mason stared at her for a minute, then shrugged. “We were here in case you needed anything.”

  “Why would I need you to sleep in my room? If I needed you, I’d call. What’s going on?” She looked between the two men and an uneasiness settled over her. Something had happened that wasn’t going to make her very happy.

  William rose from his chair stiffly and folded his blanket. “You passed out on the stairs last evening; don’t you remember?”

  “Passed out? Vampires don’t pass out.”

  “You needed blood. So we brought you here and fed you, then let you rest. You slept most of yesterday evening and all day today.”

  “I’ve fed more than enough.”

  “You needed pure human blood,” Mason said in a low voice.

  His words sank in. She’d definitely had enough of his blood to— Mason’s blood. It was doing something to her.

  “I think I’ll excuse myself now to get ready for the celebration, if that is all right with you, my lord,” said William.

  “The celebration, holy— Yes, go, William. I’ll be along shortly.”

  William bowed and let himself out. Mason hadn’t taken his eyes off her for an instant since she’d awoken.

  “So how are you really feeling?” he pressed.

  “I’m tired.” She rubbed her neck and shoulders, rolling them to release tension. “And sore.”

  “But you don’t feel any different?” His eyes probed her for information.

  “Different how? How am I supposed to know what I’m looking for if I don’t even know what is wrong with me?”

  Mason rose from the bed and grabbed his dress shirt off the end of the sofa. “You’re right back to your cheery self. You should get ready.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Now you think you can tell me what to do?”

  “I would never presume to think that anyone could tell you what to do, Danika.”

  “Well you sure do. For a human slave, you have a lot to learn about what your place is.”

  Mason stared at her, his face an impassive mask. She pressed her fingers into her temples. She hadn’t had a headache like this since her drinking days in college. The pain throbbed through her like a drum. She couldn’t concentrate, or be civil when she felt this way. It was why she’d given up drinking in the first place.

  “If anyone asks you about yesterday, say that you were otherwise engaged,” Mason said. “William took care of everything with the slaves and the house for preparations while I kept you here in the room.”

  “So no one even noticed I was missing? No one came looking for me?”

  “Chase came, but I handled it. He wanted you to call him on his cell, but that wasn’t an option.”

  “You said you fed me.”

  “We had Matthew brought up.”

  “So he knows that something was wrong with me.” She ran her fingers through her hair.

  “I made sure he wouldn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t hurt him, did you?” For as much as Matthew was an indulgence, she still didn’t want anything to happen to him.

  Mason tightened his jaw. “He’ll live.”

  “Mason, I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “You should get ready. Your guests will be arriving within the hour, I believe.” He bowed to her and turned to go.

  “Mason.” She tried to find words. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

  “That’s what I am here for isn’t it?”

  As she watched him close the door, the guilt of her words gave way to anger. Why the hell did she care so much about what he thought? He was a slave, and nothing more. He couldn’t be anything more. Tonight was an important night for her. She needed to keep it together. She rubbed her temples again. The pounding subsided somewhat, but it was still
there.

  She wracked her brain for memories of the previous night, trying to remember something, anything about what happened. The stairs flashed into her mind and Mason being near her. Someone stroked her face and hair and held her.

  She rubbed her face. There was much to do and so little time. She’d missed all of last night, and she didn’t even know if the house was presentable yet. She pushed off her covers and swung her legs out of bed. What the— She wore a pair of sweatpants and a Yale T-shirt. She knew where they’d come from, but she’d never worn them in her life! William. He was the only person who’d think that a T-shirt and sweats would be the most comfortable thing to wear to bed. After all, that’s what he wore. She sighed. He was sweet; not very fashion conscious, but sweet.

  She rose from the bed and tested her weight. Her limbs ached, but they held. Reaching in, she turned on the shower. While it warmed, she stripped off her clothes and then grabbed for a towel. She stopped. One towel had been used, and wasn’t hung properly. She whipped the used one off the rack, and sniffed it. Mason. She breathed in his scent, musky and warm. Her mouth salivated and her gums ached.

  Wait! When had he been showering in her bathroom? Her mind was a blur of images. She wiggled her toes and dropped her gaze to the rug on the bathroom floor. She got the distinct feeling that she’d lain on the rug last night.

  A knock on the outer door brought Danika out of her reverie. She needed to move.

  * * * *

  Danika slipped into a black, silky long gown with a cutout back. The front plunged low, and it hugged her curves. Then she slipped on her heels, put on a black choker and long red chandelier earrings, and called it quits. There was no time to do more. Looking around, she found her room a mess. She needed to have someone come up and clean her room the next evening.

  Danika opened the door, and ran smack into Mason. His hand was raised and he’d been about to knock. He looked delicious. He’d pulled his hair back into a low ponytail, and he wore a black shirt with a black vest and pants. He smelled like fresh soap and the same musky scent that she’d smelled in her bathroom. She cleared her throat to cover up a moan of desire that escaped her.