“You gave up a lot, too, you know. She really wasn’t worth two pennies, but it seemed important to you,” he said with a shrug. “So, we’re officially broke. Thank the stars the store was insured, but after the Dumpster incident, I’m not sure how hard it will be to get them to pay up.”
“I don’t care,” she said truthfully. “As long as I have you, I have all the treasure I need.”
He laughed. “I guess that makes me the Jewel’s Treasure,” he joked.
“I guess so,” she said. She laughed with him and then gave him a soft, deep kiss.
Epilogue
Sabrina picked the envelope from the ornate table. She glanced up at Brandon and did her best to swallow the lump forming in her throat. The bulging corner and the weight told her something besides paper awaited her inside.
“Go ahead,” he said encouragingly.
Hadrian’s handwriting on the front said to open it only upon his death and only by Sabrina. Although his passing occurred a little over a year ago, the lawyers had just delivered the envelope to the Tuscan villa that afternoon. With as many assets as Hadrian owned in so many countries, settling his estate took a team of attorneys. In the end, Sabrina inherited a number of properties but very little money.
The past year left Brandon and Sabrina nearly penniless, between paying Delilah and the lawyers. The insurance company did finally provide money to repair the store, but the remodeling took all of the insurance payment plus the rest of Brandon’s fortune, as the old policy did not include any of the remodeling already in place. The revenues were not expected to reach the breakeven point for another year and a half. The residual income from Brandon’s criminal activities barely made the payroll and kept the taxes paid on the high-rise apartment he maintained for the supernatural creatures in Atlanta. When Hadrian’s investment interests were frozen, the supernatural organized crime syndicate felt the financial squeeze.
Sabrina’s hands shook as she ran a finger along the seal and pulled out the note. The scrawling script instructed her to take the key taped to the paper to the wine cellar. On the far wall behind the first bottle on the third row, she was to place the key into the lock and turn it counter-clockwise until it stopped. Once she heard the lock click, she was to pull hard on the handle behind the third bottle on the second row.
She pulled the key off the paper. “Come with me,” she requested weakly. A fresh wave of grief washed over her.
He took her hand. “Anything you need,” he said and gave her a wide, fang-filled smile.
They went to the lower part of the house and through a set of iron gates into a cave Hadrian turned into a wine cellar. The cool climate made it the perfect place to store the best vintages Europe ever offered.
She followed her father’s instructions. The lock tumblers clicked into place. She found the handle and gave it a hard tug. The door gave way suddenly, causing her fall flat backward.
Brandon caught her and set her back up on her feet. He peeked inside the cracked door and looked at Sabrina with a wide-eyed, shocked expression. He swallowed hard.
“Honey, you might want to make sure we locked the entry gate and the servants are all upstairs before we open this on up,” he said.
She hurried back to the gate, listened for the sounds of humans, and locked the iron entryway, pulling the key out from the other side and tucking it into the pocket of her black wraparound dress. She walked calmly back to Brandon’s side.
“Please don’t tell me something gross is in the there,” she requested, feeling a little anxious as to what her father might have kept hidden in his secret room.
“No, it’s not gross,” he said and swung open the door. As he did, the interior lights came on, creating a bright, golden, reflected light from the room’s contents. “It’s the lost Confederate treasury and a few other historical missing fortunes.”
Sabrina clapped her hands hard over her mouth, not bothering to flinch when her fangs punctured her skin. The amount of treasure overwhelmed her. She tried to find the back wall, but the cavern seemed to go on forever.
Brandon mouthed the word “wow.” He stepped further into the room. “There must be billions in here. No wonder he never let anyone come here,” he said. He picked up a handful of coins and let them run through his fingers.
Sabrina sighed in relief. She never needed to worry about money again. With Brandon’s connections, she would be able to convert what they needed to cash and make legitimate investments. The extreme quantity guaranteed they would always be able to get new papers and bequeath things to themselves as the heirs of the old version of themselves, as the years passed. The comfort in knowing they were perpetually cared for brought a tear to her eye.
Brandon hurried to her side. “Here, now. None of that. This should be a happy moment,” he said affectionately. He brushed her cheek with his thumb, wiping away her tear.
“I am happy,” she said. “I so happy I could die again. We never have to worry for the rest of forever.”
Brandon swept her into his arms and pressed his lips hard against hers. He submerged one hand in her loose, blue-black curls. The other slid down her back and gripped her ass.
She gasped as need filled her, sending a flood of dampness flowing along her pussy lips and drenching her panties. Her nipples rose to tight pebbles under her lacy bra. As her desires flared to life, so did a light burning sensation in her throat. Sex and blood, she learned after giving up her magic, went hand-in-hand.
He tugged at the side tie holding her dress closed at the waist. As the dress panels fell open, he broke their kiss and trailed his lips down her neck to her breasts. He pushed her bra aside and pulled one taut nipple into his mouth and lowered the both to the floor.
Coins jingled and scattered with their movements. Objects fell and rolled on the smoothed stone floor. Hard stones tangled in her hair, but she did not care. The light reflecting off the treasure cast a golden glow in their skin, giving them an otherworldly radiance.
He unfastened the front closure of her bra to expose both breasts. Quickly, he stripped off his simple white V-neck tee and pushed down his blue jeans, freeing his stiff cock. His eyes took on a hungry look, and he fell on her suddenly, ready to ravish her on the spot.
She arched her back as he suckled first one nipple and then the other. Parting her legs, she let his weight shift his body down between her thighs and put pressure on her sensitive clit. Trills of excited energy ran through her body, causing her abdomen to clench in anticipation. Usually, she wanted a great deal of foreplay, but the sudden relief of a year full of stress and strain made her impatient for a more physical release.
“Take me,” she whispered. “Take me now. Please don’t make me wait.” She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged hard.
Brandon moaned against her round breast. He reached down and ripped away her thin, lacy panties and tossed the scrap of fabric aside. Reaching down, he slid his fingers along her wet slit and drew the moisture up over her swollen clit.
She thought she might explode with pleasure. “Please,” she half whimpered. Her desire for sex and blood mingled, bringing her to a fever pitch. She still lacked a certain amount of control over her needs. Living without her magic meant learning to live like a real vampire.
Brandon raised his head and smiled. The thought gleaming in his eye matched the wicked smile curling his lips. “I really should make you wait and learn some patience. You have to savor the moment,” he said.
Desperation began building up inside her. She needed to feed or fuck. Pursing her lower lip, she begged. “Please, please, please, please, plea—”
He laid a finger over her mouth and made a shushing noise. “All right, but you are going to have to be very good this evening when we go out to feed. No quickie dinner and rushing home. You have the rest of eternity. Learn to enjoy it,” he said and plunged his cock into her wet pussy.
Edges of coins and other bits of treasure dug into her back as she bucked her hips up to meet his. More
things fell around her, but she did not take much notice. All she cared about was having Brandon fill her body with his.
His thick, hard shaft stretched her canal to its limit. Her slippery juices flowed as he pushed into her body and out over and over. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she opened herself up to his body as much as she could. Running her hands up over his large pecs, she gripped his shoulders and held him close, allowing the maximum amount of flesh to touch.
Strong emotions seemed to ride her entire body like a second skin, desire, passion, lust, and love. Each sensation intensified with every thrust he gave her. Her pussy quivered and clenched his cock. Her clit sent shivers of delight to her soul. Just when she thought the pleasure had reached its peak, he shifted his hips and stroked against her favorite, deep, sensitive spots. Her body responded. The quivering and clenching became rhythmic as her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave.
She lost the rest of her self-control and sank her fangs into his shoulder. Each pull of blood came with the ripples of her orgasm and his deep, driving thrust. She fed as his throbbing cock spilled his seed into her needy pussy.
He held their bodies together and allowed her a few more mouthfuls before he eased out of her dripping slit. Slipping a finger into the corner of her mouth, he broke the suction and gently pulled her mouth away from his shoulder the way a mother does a nursing infant.
“Easy now. We still need to go out for fresh blood this evening. We don’t want to spoil your appetite,” he said tenderly and rolled on to his side, taking her with him. He propped up on one elbow and, with a warm smile, plucked a large, marquis-shaped blue sapphire from her hair. “You’re more beautiful than anything in this room.”
Sabrina smiled back. “I guess now we have it all. I’m the luckiest woman alive or undead,” she said.
“And how’s that?” he asked coyly.
“All the money in the world would be worthless to me without you. I have the rest of forever with the greatest treasure I could have ever hoped for or been given. I love you, Mr. Thorpe,” she said.
Brandon’s smile slipped as he leaned over her. “I love you, too, Mrs. Thorpe,” he said and kissed her.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I started my love affair with vampires as a kid by reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was the only vampire book our little local library branch had back then. Then, I discovered mail-order books and fell in love with the tortured characters in Interview with the Vampire. In the mid 80s, the most amazing thing happened! My family bought a VCR, and I was finally able to see movies! All the vampire flicks I could beg for flickered across the screen, making the love affair into a passionate, lifelong relationship. Today, I write fantasy and paranormal romance and never pass up a chance to pair up vampires with the less-than-usual characters. Witches and elves currently top my list. I love weaving vampires into legends and myths where none exist. It’s my private world of the erotic, weird, and wonderful, and I invite every reader to go along for the ride.
For all titles by J. Annas Walker, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/j-annas-walker
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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