“I need my clothes,” he said. “And a shower.”
“Already in the bathroom,” she told him. “And anything else you might need.”
Samuel grumbled something unintelligible as he walked himself to the bathroom. Once inside and alone, he turned on the water and took the hottest shower of his life. There was so much he wanted to ask and so much he wanted to learn, but first, he wanted to be clean.
When the water began to run cold, Samuel got out and dried himself off. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at it. It was full length, but it was also covered over in fog. He had intentionally not looked at himself before getting in the shower. He was going to have to do it.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he said. “You survived the turn. You can look in the damned mirror.”
Samuel yanked the towel off his waist and rubbed the mirror clean. What he saw surprised him. Even though he knew that vampires had a reflection, he still expected to not have one. He was himself, but different. He was just a little slimmer around the middle. His face was smooth and free of lines. It was as if he had gotten fifteen years younger overnight. Or at least, he thought it was overnight. He knew that it had taken Frankie a few days to make the turn. He thought the same was probably true for himself as well.
He moved closer and studied his eyes. They were the same blue he remembered and his hair was the same sandy brown. It was even still missing from the center part of his skull. There were even the beginnings of a beard growing on his face. He opened his mouth and the sight of his shiny new fangs startled him, even though he knew to expect them. They were not as long as he thought they would be. It appeared as if his canines had merely become sharper and maybe just a tiny bit longer. He used his fingers to pull his lip up and examine them more closely. He could tell just by looking at them that they were sharp. He poked the tip of his tongue over one of them and yelped when it pierced the flesh. A small trickle of blood ran from his tongue and that is when his teeth did something amazing.
He felt a tingling in his mouth and watched as his fangs grew right out from his gums. They were aching by the time they reached their full length and his stomach twisted from the inside. This must be what it feels like to be hungry, he thought.
He stuffed that thought aside because he wanted to check the rest of himself out as well. He let his eyes travel over his reflection. His stomach was slightly flatter than it had been before. He turned and twisted so that he could look at his back. There was still a sprinkling of hair across his upper back. He had secretly hoped that would have fallen out. He even checked out his butt. It was ok, he thought. He really didn’t know if it had changed or not because he couldn’t remember ever checking out his own ass before.
He turned back around. He felt with his hands first. Oh thank God, his junk was still right where he left it. He looked down in the mirror and saw his penis right where it should be. He lifted the shaft and made sure that both testicles were intact. They were. He also noticed that with all the handling, it was beginning to grow.
He had heard rumors that vampires were known to be well endowed. From the looks of things, he was the same as before. But just to be sure, he gave himself a few experimental strokes. “Oh damn,” he breathed. That felt good. Really good. Another thing he heard was that a vampire’s sense of touch was much more sensitive. That one was apparently true, because the more he touched himself, the more he wanted to touch.
He let his hand run over his cock repeatedly and closed his eyes. Damn that was really fucking nice. He used his other hand to cup his balls and couldn’t stop himself from rising up on his toes.
He opened his eyes and looked at himself again. Holy hell, where had that monster come from? His cock was a bit bigger than he remembered. He grinned and continued to stroke himself. He let his mind wander with all kinds of naughty thoughts, while his hand did all the work. Soon, he was feeling the familiar tingling in his balls that meant he was nearing the edge. He backed up against the wall and let his head fall back as he pulled at himself faster and faster. He tightened his hand around his cock and squeezed. He bit his own lip when he came, forcing himself not to shout out where everyone could hear him.
When he regained function of his brain, he noticed the hellacious mess he had made in the bathroom. He needed another shower and a shave.
He went over to the sink and found everything he needed to clean himself up.
Almost an hour after Samuel woke up, he finally emerged from the bathroom and into the house. He found everyone waiting for him in the family room. “Hey, looking good,” Gage beamed at him.
“Wow,” Brea said. “Can I touch it?”
Samuel nodded and Brea walked over to him, raising her hand. Angel caught her wrist. “Are you sure that is a good idea, Love?”
“I trust him,” she said. Samuel got the feeling the exchange was only made aloud for his benefit. Angel gave him a look that said, “If you hurt my mate, I will kill you.”
Samuel dutifully bowed his head for Brea and she ran her small hand over his newly shaven head. “I like it,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks,” he replied.
“So, you ready to start learning?” Gage asked.
“Let’s do this,” Samuel replied.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Azerial watched the Knight family from her usual perch in the clouds. There was something about this family and she couldn’t leave them. She usually had a good idea of what was to be and what needed to happen, but for some reason there was something like a brick wall in her mind lately about it.
She knew that it was because of the human detective. She had been intrigued by him from the moment he met Angel Knight. She had watched him through his career with the human police and she might have even had a hand in him becoming the liaison between the human police and the vampire Clan Leader.
Azerial knew that Samuel was an important player in the threads of fate, but for the life of her, she couldn’t see where his thread was leading. All she could be sure of was that he must live. It was for that reason that she had stayed by his side during the change from human to vampire. She had kept herself invisible to them all, but when the pain threatened to overtake his weak heart, she had held his hand and loaned him her strength.
She made a breeze blow Frankie’s hair when the young vampire witch had prayed for Samuel’s protection, so that she would know Azerial was there, and it comforted her as well as the rest of her family. Azerial knew she was bordering on crossing the line between what was and was not allowed for guardians, but still she stayed.
She had whispered assurances into Samuel’s ear when he needed them and she found herself wishing that she could show herself to him so that he would know she was there. But he wouldn’t have believed it. He would have written her off as a hallucination caused by the morphine during his change.
She watched him as he woke, and she watched as he inspected himself in the mirror. She couldn’t help smiling when he began to pleasure himself. The warming feeling she felt deep inside herself as she watched him however, surprised her immensely. She had never felt that way before, and what was more interesting, was that she wanted to assist him in his pursuit of pleasure.
She knew she had to find a way to let him see her. She wanted to touch his handsome face with her corporeal hand instead of her spirit one. She wanted him to know that she was there for him and watching over him.
But a Goddess does not just go around in corporeal form! There needed to be a reason for such things. Even Frankie, who was a loyal witch and faithful as any, had never seen her real body. When Azerial heard Frankie praying to her for protection once again, she thought she had her answer. It was as if the Fates were screaming at her to take the chance she was being given.
“Dearest Goddess,” Frankie said, “We ask that you bless our new brother and watch over him as faithfully as you have done for us. We ask for your guidance and protection as he learns to be a vampire and to control his new body. We pray for safe
ty and knowledge. We pray for your assistance not only for Samuel, but for the rest of our family in the coming weeks.”
Azerial glided into the room. The whole family was holding hands and praying with all their hearts for what Frankie asked. A little voice, belonging to Jade, rang clear among the thoughts of all the others. She wanted Azerial to help Gage more than anything.
Azerial smiled. That child was going to be a force to reckon with when she was older.
She chose a spot in the room where the whole family would see her and drew on her power to make herself visible. It was time.
Samuel had known that Frankie was a witch. He had never witnessed her magic for himself though. When she prayed, he felt her energy zinging through his body. It was impressive to say the least. He found himself repeating her words to her Goddess in his head. When a gentle breeze blew through the room, he raised his head and took a look. No one else seemed to be phased by it and he thought perhaps they had grown accustomed to it.
And then he saw it. A fog-like mist appeared and swirled in front of them. He was the only one to see it at first because the others had their eyes closed. Then the mist began to take the form of a person. A woman stepped out of the mist and leveled her eyes at Samuel. His heart kicked up a few notches in his chest and he struggled to breathe.
“Holy sh-cow,” he stammered. The others looked to see what had startled him, and the room filled with gasps and awe.
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She was tall for a female, and her eyes were brilliant blue. They stood in sharp contrast to her long hair that was like spun gold. She moved with grace and when she smiled, Samuel’s heart stopped right there in his chest.
“Azerial!” Frankie exclaimed. “You’re here!”
“Yes,” the woman replied with a loving smile for Frankie. “You asked me and I have come. I hear your prayers and I am here to bless your family.”
“This is Samuel,” Frankie said, moving to stand beside him. “He needs guidance now.”
“I know,” Azerial said. She came to stand in front of him and moved her eyes over his body as if inspecting his worth. Samuel had the sudden urge to drop to his knees in front of this beautiful woman and worship her from her feet up. She was the embodiment of everything that was pure and good in the world, and he felt like a worthless peon in her presence. He truly felt unworthy of her attention.
Azerial laughed, and the sound reminded Samuel of rainbows and unicorns and all the things that were mystical and beautiful. “I can hear your thoughts, Vampire,” she said to him. “Kneeling is not necessary, and you are worthy.”
Samuel wanted to say something. He wanted to say something witty and smart just to make her laugh again, but his tongue had grown three sizes and was too thick in his mouth to form any kind of words. Instead, he settled for a nod.
“I grant you your prayers for a blessing,” she said as she moved to stand in front of Jade. “Children are the future of our world and yours are no different. Blessed be, child,” she said. She bent her head and kissed the top of Jade’s head. The little one giggled and grinned up at the Goddess, showing off her little fangs. Azerial laid her hand on her cheek and smiled just for her. Jade seemed to grow five inches taller in that moment as she swelled with joy and pride.
She moved to where Leigh was holding a sleeping baby Toni. “One so powerful will be difficult to control,” she said.
“Tell me about it,” Leigh sighed. “I am at a loss.”
“Then do not try to control her,” Azerial said. “Let her be herself. She is a part of you and only you truly know what it is that she needs.” She bent and kissed Toni’s little face. “Blessed be my child.”
The family stood in awe and let Azerial do what she came to do. She touched each family member in some form, whether it was a kiss or a hand on their face. She finally ended her tour with Samuel.
“I have been watching you,” she said. “You are strong and special I believe. I was by your side when you needed strength. I expect you will serve this family well.”
Samuel opened his mouth to answer her, but only a croak came out. He cleared his throat and tried again.
“Yes,” he managed to say.
“I believe you,” she said with a smile. “You are new to this life but you will learn quickly. Remember that I am always nearby if you have the need. All you need do is call for me.” She put her hands on his face. She loved the way his skin felt under her hands and she could feel the slight tremble he was trying so hard to hide. She leaned forward with the intention of kissing his forehead, but she saw his lips and changed her mind. She had never kissed anyone on the lips before, but she couldn’t stop herself. She pressed her lips softly to his. “Blessed be, my vampire,” she whispered.
Azerial knew she had to leave before she did anything else that would be considered breaking a rule. She knew she must go because she wanted to stay. She wanted to kiss her vampire again. The fact that she thought of him as hers was something new to her. He didn’t really belong to her, but she felt as if he did anyway. Not in the same way that the others belonged to her either; but in a way that was special to her and her alone. That was unacceptable, so she quickly made herself disappear from them and retreated back to her cloud, leaving Samuel dumbfounded.
“Oh my god,” Frankie finally said.
“Did I just see what I think I saw?” Rebel asked.
“I saw it,” Gage said.
Samuel still had nothing to say. His lips were still tingling from the Goddess’s kiss. Why had she kissed him, and would she be doing it again anytime soon?
“Sam!” Frankie yelled, pulling Samuel out of his own head.
“Yeah,” he answered her.
“What the fuck was that?” Leigh asked.
“I don’t know,” he said softly.
“It seems that Azerial has taken a liking to you,” Frankie said. “You better not disappoint her.”
Disappointing her was the last thing on Samuel’s mind. If anything, making her proud just became his top priority.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I have no intentions of disappointing her,” Samuel told Frankie. “I am ready to start my training.” “First, you learn to feed without killing your donor,” Angel said. “We often drink from the bottle, but on occasion it is necessary to drink straight from the source. Your desire to feed will not be easily satisfied by bottled blood.”
“Ok,” Samuel said, waiting for someone to tell him how this was going to go down.
“You have to control the urge to bite,” Jade said. “I was always getting in trouble for biting.” She grinned and showed off the fangs that were as long as her father’s. “You can control them to a point,” she continued. Samuel watched as Jade forced her fangs to recede.
“I see,” he said. He tried to make his fangs drop down. Nothing happened. “I can’t do it,” he said.
“You just need a little encouragement,” Jessica offered. She looked at Sebastian knowingly.
“Oh, hell no,” he said, backing away from her. “I can’t do that and you know it.”
“Why not?” she demanded of her husband.
“Jess,” he pleaded with her. “Why does it always have to be you?”
“Because I am human you big baby. You know it’s nice to share.”
Sebastian growled. “I don’t share,” he snarled under his breath. Jessica seemed unbothered by his show of dominance.
“Well today you do.” She walked over to Samuel. “Sam, I know you will not hurt me. I know that you know that if you do, you will have five vampires and a dragon on your ass.”
Samuel understood what she meant for him to do, but he wasn’t feeling it. Hell, no way was he going to risk the wrath of Sebastian. Already the vampire was fuming and pacing the floor. He would be quick to yank Samuel’s head off his shoulders and his new life as a vamp would be over before it even had a chance to begin. “I’m not hungry,” Samuel said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
&
nbsp; Jessica rolled her eyes. Brea appeared by her side with a small pocket knife. She handed it to Jessica and she wasted no time making a small cut on her wrist. Samuel smelled the blood immediately. His stomach growled and he felt his canines drop down in his mouth.
“See?” Jessica said. “Encouragement.”
Angel and Gage were immediately on either side of Samuel, holding his arms and keeping him in his place. “You will want to be gentle,” Angel said. “Your teeth are like razors. They will pierce the skin easily. Aim for the vein in the center.”
Samuel had decided that they had all lost their ever loving minds! But the closer Jessica came to him with the small amount of blood on her wrist, the better he could smell its sweet, coppery scent. She wasn’t even actively bleeding anymore and his mouth was salivating like a damned dog with a steak in front of him.
Jessica offered her wrist to him and he growled in frustration. He didn’t want to bite her, but his body was going to do it whether he wanted to or not.
“It’s better if you do it on your terms,” Gage said softly. “Your body will act without your permission if you don’t, and then you really might hurt her.”
Jessica brought her wrist within an inch of Samuel’s mouth. It was so close, he could taste her blood. He looked to Sebastian for permission. The man was standing in the corner with Rebel at his side. He growled and nodded, and then he turned his back on his wife. He didn’t want to watch.
Samuel could wait no longer. He leaned forward and gently set his teeth to Jessica’s wrist. “That’s right,” Angel said. “Now gently push.”
Samuel did as he was told and his teeth sank easily into her flesh. He felt her jump slightly and he wanted to pull back and apologize for the small pain he caused her. He wanted to, but sweet, sweet blood began to flood his mouth. He gulped it down like a man starved. When he felt someone’s fingers at his mouth he snarled around her wrist. Who would dare try to take his meal?
“Hey buddy, you gotta let go now,” Gage said.
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