by Alice Wade
“You converted her! How dare you!” Ondre yelled. The true horror the situation fully realized when he got a clear image of her barred fangs. “She’s ruined!”
“On the contrary; I’ve perfected her.” Kaen made eye contact with his dark-skinned friend in the corner, “Faelwen helped, so if you are angry, you have an issue with both of us.”
Ondre’s head whipped around to stare in anger at the man casually sitting in the corner, watching this all play out. “You?” he challenged Faelwen. “You did this to her?” Ondre challenged.
Faelwen shrugged nonchalantly, “I wanted to see if she was any fun.” Smugness came over Faelwen, “She is.”
“I should have thrown you all out long before this,” Ondre turned back to the open door, “Now look what I’ve got. A ruined sister and her monster husband,” he snarled.
“I’m wounded, Ondre.” Kaen said in mock hurt. “After all I’ve done for you.” He indicated the man hanging from the chains. “You’d be so bored without me.”
That incensed the king. “I should have thrown you out,” he repeated before he slammed the door closed, blocking his sister from his sight. Ondre shook with rage, afraid to turn around and face the vampire who sat to his right.
“Get out,” he finally ordered Faelwen. “I can do this the old fashioned way on my own.”
“As you wish, my liege.” Faelwen dipped his head. The motion caused his black hair to fall forward. His olive eyes respectfully met Ondre’s before he rose and glided from the room. He left Ondre alone with his victim who, now that Faelwen and his calming coercions had gone, whimpered uncontrollably.
Ondre ignored the sounds. He was lost in thought and fumed that his sister was a vampire. A blood sucking, violent and cruel vampire! He couldn’t remember when he’d been this enraged. Even his fury over their marriage paled in comparison to the inferno that charred inside over this. Marriages could be dissolved, but he couldn’t reverse this. He had to stop those two from ever reaching the throne. Ever. The easiest plan was marrying Marigail and be done with it. Then there were three layers instantly placed between them and the seat of power that ruled his realm.
Satisfied on this decision, he turned to the now crying man. He wore an absolutely sinister sneer on his face as he approached with a tool that he thudded in his hand like a drum. “You and I have unfinished business.” Ondre stepped forward and the light from the torch reflected off the wicked four inch curved blade that he held. He only stopped when he was inches from the hanging man and smiled a pleasant enough smile, drinking in this man’s fear. “Ready?”
The man screamed as Ondre proceeded to take out his rage in a truly sadistic manner, holding nothing back to enjoy the pleasure of what he was doing.
* * * *
“Why didn’t you let me kill him?” Deandra hollered and thrashed in the hallway, still bound in her husband’s arms.
Kaen had not released her yet. He decided he could keep her contained until they were in their quarters, guarded by his men at the door to prevent her from leaving. He carried her, bound in his arms, towards to their living space.
“You are not ready.” He said calmly. Faelwen was at his side by now, walking calmly. “As I explained, I must mark you as mine, and the only way to do that is for you to feed exclusively from me for a few days. You will dilute the effect if you feed too early, even if I agree the man must die.”
“Let me down!” She continued to thrash.
Kaen looked over at Faelwen, who admired his wife with such desire that an idea bloomed. “Would it pacify you if, when we get back, I allow you to play a little longer with my dark friend here?” Faelwen smirked.
She suddenly stilled in his arms, thinking. Her head swiveled to meet Faelwen’s olive colored eyes, and she unconsciously licked her lips. “Yes.” She whispered.
“Excellent. If I put you down, will you behave?” Kaen asked.
“Yes.” She answered, still eyeing Faelwen with a rabid hunger.
Kaen chuckled and released her. She moved to Faelwen like a magnet and shoved him up against the wall. “This time I get to devour you.” The vampire allowed this sexually driven woman to pin him to the wall while she actively stroked his hardened cock, smiling at her tenacity.
“As my lady wishes,” he replied. The sound of Kaen’s laughter echoed the halls as he pulled his wife from his friend and dragged her towards the private stairs. The entire time Kaen dragged her, her hungry eyes never left Faelwen, making him just a little apprehensive about what he just agreed to.
* * * *
“Dace.” Omar stopped his friend with a hand on his arm before they entered the room. “Are you sure this is safe?”
Hazel eyes met him. “Yes. Kailani is one of the few vampires I would trust with my life, so I trust her with yours,” he replied. “Both women need nourishment and I prefer Lainey only feed from me.”
He couldn’t imagine Lainey doing that and shivered. It wasn’t that it disgusted him, per se; it was just that he’d known Lainey for over a year now. It felt wrong somehow. “I’ll trust you. I like Kailani anyway, which is why I’m doing this.”
“Just do me a favor; once she is done, leave immediately or she will be driven to do something that will enrage Talon.” He smirked, “Promise me you won’t stick around no matter what she says.”
Omar raised an eyebrow in question.
“After they feed, they get, um how shall I say this…insatiable.” Dace concluded.
“Sexually?” That got his attention.
“Yes, so promise me you’ll leave immediately, or she’ll be driven to fulfill her need with another man other than her mate.”
Omar suddenly laughed. “No wonder you don’t want Lainey feeding from someone else!” He pounded Dace on the back before he entered the room. The door to Kailani’s bedroom was open, and Lainey poked her head out. The sight of her pixy face calmed him immediately. He disliked being separated from her.
“You have no idea,” Dace whispered, following his friend into the room.
Just inside, he stopped Omar. “Wait here for a moment.”
Lainey met him at the threshold to Kailani’s bedroom, where he collected her into his embrace and kissed her deeply before asking, “How is she?”
“She’s retreated further into her depression. I’m hoping this helps.” Lainey looked over his broad shoulder and met the nervous eyes of Omar. “Thank you, Omar. I’ll be forever in your debt for this.”
The man quirked the corner of his mouth and shrugged. “You know I would do just about anything either of you ask, and this is no exception. I trust you,” he repeated the words just said to Dace, hoping that the more he said them, the more he believed them.
“Come. Let’s see if this works.” Lainey disappeared into the room, expecting both men to follow.
On the bed, Kailani lay curled in a tight ball, unmoving. It wasn’t until Omar sat on the bed, that she gave any sign of life. Everyone in the room heard the sniffing sound as she inhaled deeply then her cheek twitched.
“Kailani, you’re hungry. Please. Omar agreed to offer himself so you don’t have to leave to hunt. Please.” Lainey sat on her other side, stroking her dark hair to the side of Kailani’s face in a tender act. “Please eat.”
“What’s the point?”
Kailani began to accept that the delay of Talon’s return meant one thing—he had been executed. The very thought caused her stomach to knot and a heavy weight to crush her heart. Why should she continue to feed if that meant her life were prolonged? Why should she continue to walk this world without Talon? This is what Kailani waited for. Death was an end to her pain. Release from her despair that her mate was gone.
Lainey’s watching eye became desperate. Kailani was a shallow shell of herself, curled in a ball and despondent. She wasn’t full of the fire that she nor
mally exhibited, even when they were locked in the dungeons. To Lainey, she’d given up, and that was just unacceptable.
“He’s coming back, Kailani. He will not fail you and you have to believe this. Please feed. He’s going to need you strong when he does,” Lainey added, trying to hide the desperation in her voice.
The tiny vampire shifted to look up at Lainey first, then let her miserable eyes drift to Omar, who now looked apprehensive. She smelled his fear, and instinctually threw coercion at him to calm him down before sitting up.
“Why did you do this?” she inquired of Lainey without removing her eyes from the scared man sitting calmly before her.
“Because you need to feed.”
Kailani was focused on the man now. She sensed a strong heart and sweet blood and felt her incisors lengthen. She was hungry, and he was offering himself to her. With a groan she rolled away and tried very hard to forget the sweet smell inches from her. He was healthy and strong; his pulse beat vibrantly through his veins. It was so very tempting, but she would not give in.
“Go away.”
“No!” Dace interjected from the doorway, surprising Kailani. “You need this. I said I would keep you safe, and I’ll do what I can to keep my word. He will be back. What was it that you told me recently? Something about an agreement you both had about staying alive? Didn’t you say you agreed to do whatever was necessary? Now is the time for you to do that in order to snap out of this depression. Stop being so…so…weak.” He said the word ‘weak’ as if it were a vile thing and hoped it would aggravate her into action.
A sob escaped her throat as she battled the burning desire in her throat and the need to die. Without Talon, it was pointless, but she wasn’t weak. She was anything but. To be accused of such a thing insulted her and practically challenged her to prove him wrong.
“You don’t know what you ask.”
“Don’t I? Really? I think I know well what it feels like to lose the one you love. I also know the joy of finding them again, so snap out of this. Do what is required to be ready for when he does appear.” He approached closer. “Be his mate not his weakness. Be strong.”
She hissed in response but didn’t move. Her mind worked through his words, fighting the urge to sink her teeth into the man next to her as her incisors dripped in hunger. She needed to feed, that was true, but she could not allow herself to do it.
Lainey watched the entire exchange in helpless silence. She saw the internal battle her friend and protector engaged in and wasn’t sure how to help. “Kailani. I need you, too. I can’t do this alone and if you don’t feed, I’m lost. Please, if for no other reason, stay for me.”
Kailani could not stop the tears that spilled from tightly closed eyes. Damn. She forgot about her promise to protect and shelter Lainey. “I can’t be without him. I can’t. I don’t know if I can do this that you ask of me. I’ve always only lived for him, only wanted to live for him. Without Talon, what is the point?”
Lainey stroked Kailani’s hair again, smoothing the strands back from her gorgeous face and leaned in close, whispering, “Us.” When Kailani’s tortured eyes opened, Lainey added, “We love you too. You are not alone and won’t be alone.”
Another rasping sob erupted from Kailani’s mouth and it took her a few moments to be able to speak. She had to swallow loudly, because her throat kept closing with the powerful emotions. “Lainey, I…”
“I know. Feed first then we can talk about what to do next. I still believe in Talon. He’s not dead. He would not allow that to happen, because he’d be leaving you behind. Can you honestly believe he’d do that?”
That got a half-smile from the tiny woman. “No, but you don’t understand where he’s gone to. There is not much he can do if the elves give the verdict he has violated the banishment.” Her silver eyes held Lainey in place and the smile vanished, “Talon is not indestructible or all powerful. The elves will be too many, and he will not stand a chance.”
Lainey snorted. “Just drink. Then we can discuss how weak your mate is or is not.”
Her boldness caught Kailani off guard, causing her eyes to widen. When she saw only amused concern in Lainey, she relaxed and gave up fighting the inevitable.
“Thank you,” she whispered, meeting Dace’s eyes as he watched from the doorway.
“He’ll be back, Kailani. I have faith in him,” Dace added as he watched the vampire sit up and evaluate Omar, who was still holding himself very still out of uncertainty.
The dark haired vampire flashed him one last molten stare before her lips caressed Omar’s neck and her fangs sank deep, biting through his skin and into his jugular. Lainey left them alone, but asked, “Will you need me to stay?”
“No.” Kailani paused. “Lainey?”
“Yes?” Lainey turned to meet her silver eyes as she looked past Omar’s neck.
“Thank you.”
* * * *
Omar bolted from the room once Kailani released him. She kissed his cheek and said thank you, surprising to the larger man, but he accepted the gratitude and left. Passing through the main living space of the inn, he heard the sounds of Dace and Lainey clearly from their room and blushed. Now he understood why Dace had asked him to leave as quickly as possible. If Kailani would be consumed by that ferocity, he wanted to be nowhere near her. He never wanted to be in a position to explain that to Talon.
Since it was in the middle of the night, there were no occupants around to see him slip from the room. His participation in this went blessedly unobserved. With a secretive smile, he strolled back to his room with the warmth of Kailani’s kiss still burning on his cheek.
* * * *
Once back in the room with four guards posted at the door, Kaen distracted Deandra out of her disturbing fixation on Faelwen and had her feed from him. He chuckled the entire time as her greedy teeth sank deep. He felt every shaking muscle in her body from the adrenaline rush of encountering her brother, and Kaen hoped the replenishment of his blood calmed her. He was wrong.
Once she was full, Deandra lifted her head and looked him square in the face, “Now may I play with your friend?” Out of the corner of his eyes, Kaen watched Faelwen shiver but could not tell if it was out of apprehension or excitement.
“Yes, love. You can play now.” He patted her behind and shoved her off his chest where she had been resting. “Just be kind. I like Faelwen.”
With a dangerous turn of her head, she pinned the dark vampire under her gaze. “Oh, I’ll try.”
Kaen could already see the fire from his blood ignite her desires. For some reason that made him laugh. He was glad it was his friend and not he who had to put it out. “By all means, then, have fun.”
Deandra most definitely devoured him, although, he got his second wind and had her back pressed to the wall while she gripped the armoire and door frame for purchase. She wrapped her long, sexy, creamy white legs around his dark-skinned middle. He held her suspended and plunged into her with ferocity that surprised even Kaen.
“Enjoying your technique, Faelwen.” Kaen said telepathically. Faelwen’s stride was interrupted by this, nearly making Kaen laugh. The vampire’s tight buttocks were working hard, flexing dramatically as he drove again and again into Kaen’s wife.
“Leave me be!” The vampire snarled. This finally made Kaen bark a laugh. Faelwen’s technique suddenly changed, moving Deandra to the floor where he could properly mount her without having to hold her suspended in the air.
“Mmmph!” She sounded as he flipped her over so she was kneeling on all fours and he was once more buried in her depths. Sweat broke out on his bare skin and his legs shook from the insatiable desires of the woman he was pleasuring. She just didn’t stop, and he was starting to think he was going to need to announce his failure and call in Kaen. Finally though, she finally hollered in pleasure as her body freed itself from the
burning desires of the after-effects. He followed shortly thereafter, growling out a vicious sound as his body expelled what fluid he had left.
He collapsed onto the floor next to her, catching his breath, and watched as she lowered herself down to lie on her stomach, completely spent. As their eyes met, they both laughed. It was that frantic and insane.
“You’re dangerous.” Faelwen gasped. “I have never met one as driven as you. Your endurance is staggering.”
After she stopped laughing, she leaned closer and kissed him softly on the lips before answering, “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Feeling better?” Kaen inquired, watching the exhausted woman sprawled on the floor. “Shall I have a bath drawn for you?”
Deandra rolled her head in order to see him, “I’m unable to move just yet, so no thank you.”
Faelwen wore her out more than she let on. She’d have to remember his abilities. He was excellent entertainment. As she lay there, her mind wandered through different thoughts that kept returning to the image of Ondre’s horrified face downstairs. She knew her brother all too well. She rolled over and looked at Kaen, waiting to get his attention. “Kaen dearest. Now that Ondre knows what we’ve done, he will try something to thwart our plans.”
Kaen frowned, leaning down and extending his hand to help her up. Once she was standing, he pulled her onto his lap and buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent that smelled of his mark. Strangely, this was soothing to him.
“He can try. He has no idea how infiltrated my coven is within his walls, so I’m not worried. Things are already set into motion, which was why Faelwen was late last evening to your welcoming party.”
Kaen stood with her in his arms and moved her towards the bed in the next room. Setting her down, he then stretched out next to her. She was beautiful in vampire form—long, lean muscles, vibrant hair, full breast, flat narrow stomach. She had gotten everything she wanted from this gift and now it was his turn to get his. “Are you prepared to do what you promised?”
