Duella Book 3: The Witch and the Vampire Series

by Fawn Lowery

  He felt his body responding to the sight of her body. He gritted his teeth. He had no desire to succumb to his own sexual lusts or to revisit the past. Their relationship was history. He stifled a groan of discontent. His love for her had meant nothing in the end. She had sentenced him to a fate worse than death—a curse that he could not escape from.

  She stroked his chest with her palm. “Say that you want me, Duella. Say that you want to fuck me.”

  He kept his head turned from the sight of her. He pinched his eyes closed.

  She trailed her fingers along his side, dragging a nail up his thigh to his crotch. “Your cock stands tall. It desires me.”

  “A cock has no mind of its own.”

  She laughed softly. “Then it is you who desires me, Duella, for your cock grows enormous. Turn your head and look at me. Have you forgotten how beautiful I am?”

  “You are not beautiful, Drucella. You are only evil. And I have no desire to look at you.”

  “You lie.”

  He sensed her arousal as he fought his own. He bit his bottom lip as her hands slid across his abdomen and wrapped around his cock. Her fingers stroked his length, causing him to suck in a quick breath. He tugged against the bindings at his wrists, trying to free his hands.

  “I’ve missed you, my lover.” She drew in an audible breath. “Your flesh feels wonderful in my hand. You are so big and hard.” She released a long sigh. “Say that you want to fuck me, Duella.”

  He gritted his teeth and remained silent. Her hands stroked and manipulated, bringing him to the brink of orgasm. He tried his best to ignore the tingling sensations as they manifested inside his body, but when he felt her mouth suck his cock in, he jerked his head around and released a loud bellow.

  The heat of her mouth drew his body arching upward, pushing his hard cock to the hilt. He moaned and bucked his hips, hating himself for being so weak. She sucked his cock and stroked his balls, bringing him to orgasm.

  He moaned and jabbed his cock into her mouth, releasing his semen against the back of her throat. She swallowed it down, stroking his balls while he milked the final drops into her mouth. She shivered and ran her hands along his abdomen, stroking his flesh and making him moan.

  She released his cock, and threw one leg across his hips. She stretched out atop his body, her hands finding his male nipples and tweaking the tiny nubs to taut buds. She kissed his chest, following the dense spray of black hair upward to his collarbone. She paused and raised her head, gazing down into his eyes.

  “Now that I have satisfied your lust, my lover, you shall satisfy mine.” She swiveled her hips atop his abdomen, inching her crotch atop his cock.

  The feel of her hot crotch against his limp cock rapidly brought new thoughts of lust to his mind. He groaned and turned his head away, hoping that by eliminating the sight of her he would stop his body from reacting to her teasing. But his body was quick to betray him. His cock rose quickly to press against her hot slit.

  She laughed softly and reached one hand to grasp his cock, sliding it up her slit with ease. She began to move atop his body, her palms splayed across his male nipples. She rode his cock, taking it deep inside her body. She closed her eyes and lolled her head back on her shoulders. Her mane of white-blonde hair spilled about her shoulders and hung in silken tendrils across her bouncing breasts.

  He couldn’t resist the temptation to look at her, to caress her body with his gaze. She was a vision of loveliness—a woman to tempt any man—mortal or vampire. He groaned and felt the heated shards of climax growing in his belly. His balls knotted as the sensations grew nearer. They exploded within his body, making him weak with regret for the act with her and filling him with exquisite sensations at the same time. He squeezed his eyes shut and lost the battle to hold the orgasm at bay.

  “Say that you love me, Duella. The climax is upon me! Ooooh!” She bucked her hips, bouncing atop his cock and driving it deep inside her body. She dug her fingernails into his chest and bit her bottom lip as the sensations took control of her body. She raised her arms, grasping her breasts and toying with her nipples. She closed her eyes and drew in great gasping breaths.

  He felt the climax begin to wane from his body. He turned his head and looked at her once more, hating himself for giving her such pleasure with his body. He thought of Miriam.

  Sweet Miriam. I’m sorry. Remorse filled his insides. He had betrayed her. He had fucked another woman. He knew at that very moment he loved Miriam.

  Yes! I love Miriam! He held his body still, refusing to give in to Drucella’s bucking gyrations as she sat atop his cock. It, too, was growing flaccid as she sat on it, urging it to become hard again. “Get off me.”

  Drucella halted her movements, staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Surprise shown in her blue eyes. “You don’t mean that. Tell the truth, Duella. You have missed me. You have missed fucking me. You have missed being in my bed.”

  “I have not.” He glared, daring her to dispute his words. “You have sated your lusts—”

  She sneered. Her gaze traveled down the naked length of his body, then back up to his chest, pausing on the amulet hanging about his neck. She reached out one hand and took hold of the gem, urging it into her palm. She closed her fingers around it. “You will relinquish the talisman to me now, my lover.”

  She gripped the gem in her fist and gave a sharp tug, seeking to rip it from his neck. The chain dug into his neck, but failed to give way. She yanked again, this time harder. The chain remained around Duella’s neck. She screamed and jerked her arm, aiming to rip the amulet free.

  Satisfied that the chain was not going to break no matter how hard she yanked or how much she cursed, Duella grinned.

  She lashed out at him, landing her palm against his cheek. “You toy with me. Take the gem from your neck and give it to me!”

  “The gem is mine. And you will never possess it.”

  She sneered. Quickly, she dismounted his body, leaping from her perched position atop his cock and landing on the floor, her feet braced apart and her hands propped on her hips. “Then you will pay dearly for your disobedience!”

  He laughed mockingly at her.

  She waved one hand and vanished, leaving him searching the darkness for any sign of her.

  Duella was determined to free himself in Drucella’s absence. He strained against the bindings at his wrists, finally managing to tug one free. He rolled to his side and worked the knots loose, releasing his other wrist. He sat up and untied his ankles, then searched the darkness for his clothing. He had to make his escape before the witch returned.

  The space he was confined in was small, a hollowed burrow beneath one of the stone mausoleums. The walls were concave, sloping outward from the base of the hole. He sought the place where Drucella had disappeared, hoping to find the doorway to the outside. He felt his way along one wall, his palms sliding across the moist dirt and his fingers digging in.

  The urge to hurry and be gone before the witch returned, spurred him on. He rushed around the burrow, frantic to escape. Finally, when he was growing near the realization that she had confined him within some magical port of her own doing, he thrust a hand against the wall and it gave way, opening to the outside. He felt the breeze of the night against his cheek. Quickly he thrust an arm through the opening, then his head and shoulders. Climbing out, he crawled free of the witch’s below ground hideaway.

  Naked, he took to the air, transforming into a bat. He set his path toward his newly acquired mansion on the far side of the city, his thoughts on Miriam and the threat Drucella issued just before she vanished from sight. Every fiber in his body hoped the witch wasn’t going after Miriam because of his defiance toward her.

  He arrived at the mansion just in time to hear the loud ruckus coming from the master suite. He flew to the window where the light shown into the darkness, and hovered outside the pane, gazing beyond the filmy organza curtains. He saw Miriam pressed against one wall of the room and Drucella standing bef
ore her. In the next instant, he looked on as the witch disappeared, taking Miriam with her.

  Aghast at the sight, he turned quickly and headed back to the cemetery. Drucella would be a force to be reckoned with when she arrived and found he had escaped, then learned that her army of Gideons had left him unattended. Perhaps she had sent them away while she played sex games with him. He shuddered at the repulsive thought. While the act had been fulfilling in the sexual sense—he loathed admitting such a fact—it had solidified his love for Miriam in his heart.

  He arrived at the cemetery. All was quiet. There was no sign of Drucella or her Gideon army. And there was no sign of Miriam. He searched the area, looking closely behind each tombstone and mausoleum as he remained wary, alert for sudden movements. Drucella was known for trickery.

  His searching turned up nothing. He stood in the shadows of a tree and assessed the situation. Should Drucella return to the place where she had held him and found him gone, she would have mounted a search, utilizing her army of Gideons. He rubbed his chin with one fingertip, contemplating. Had she returned to the cemetery, he would have seen her. He grasped the amulet and beseeched it for help.

  The gem lay cool against his palm.

  He sighed. As in the past, the stone gave him no indication of having heard his request. He reviewed all he knew about it, its powers to make things known to him, subtly, as though he had come across the reasoning himself. He cocked his head and stared at the stone. He was unable to remove it from around his neck, yet Drucella believed that he had the power to do so and was just being stubborn.

  What does the witch know about the stone that I do not? He raised his eyes and stared at the dark sky. Morning was rapidly approaching. He had to find Miriam and return to the safety of the mansion. As he gazed at the darkness, a tiny light caught his attention. It grew brighter, then seemed to fall to earth. He blinked his eyes and took a step back, trying to avoid it as it zoomed toward him.

  The light swooped to the ground in front of him, encompassing several tombstones in its brilliance. A door appeared, a portal that opened within the light. The brilliance ebbed, then pulled at his body to enter. He sought resistance at first, fearful for his safety, but the urge to enter grew stronger. He took a tentative step and quickly found himself sucked in through the opening. He hurtled downward through a black tunnel, his body turning end over end. He opened his mouth to scream, but found he couldn’t utter a sound. His heart raced against his ribs. His temples throbbed.

  He landed with a crashing blow. His body prone against an unyielding surface. His vision blurred, then cleared. He sat up, his body aching from head to toe. Scrambling up to his feet, he wondered if he had fallen for another of Drucella’s tricks. The space was filled with light, bright and blinding. He gazed overhead, spying the dark tunnel he had fallen through. Mentally noting that the tunnel might be his only means of escaping whatever lay ahead for him, he cautioned himself about getting too far away from it or losing his direction altogether.

  A scream broke the silence surrounding him. He whirled around, recognizing Miriam’s voice. A number of hallways stemmed off the main room where he stood. He tried to reason which avenue to take, assessing the fear in Miriam’s scream. Should he choose the wrong pathway, Drucella might lead him astray and he might be too late to save Miriam.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He chose a pathway and cautiously began making his way along the route. Light streamed in the rounded tunnel, filling every nuance of the space. He compared the room with the previous underground space Drucella had imprisoned him in. The spaces were in direct opposition with each other. One was little more than a hole in the ground and this one seemed miles deep. He tried to calculate how long he had hurtled through the darkness before he arrived in the lighted chamber.

  Aware that he had lost sight of the main room he had landed in, he glanced over his shoulder. The end of the tunnel he traversed was beyond his sight. He pulled in a deep breath, bolstered his courage and forged on. Miriam needed him. He bit his lip. He knew that Drucella had taken her to exert leverage against him.

  That witch is so transparent. He listened, tuning his keen ears to any noise up ahead. He walked cautiously, aware that Drucella would be listening for his coming. His bare feet slapped noisily against the smooth tunnel. He raised one hand and grasped the amulet hanging about his neck.

  If I could make one wish, it would be for clothes. He chuckled in spite of things. Why hadn’t he taken the time to dress before he left the mansion? He shook his head in weary disapproval. If he was lucky enough to find Miriam—and they should be fortunate enough to escape Drucella and her army of Gideons—his lack of clothing would have little bearing on the outcome. True. Miriam might be a bit surprised to see him naked, but she would be glad he came to rescue her nonetheless.

  He pushed the matter aside. The end of the tunnel lay just ahead. He approached cautiously, his senses on high alert. The brilliant white light gave way at the mouth of the opening. He inched forward, poking his head beyond the opening. Surprised, he blinked his eyes at the sight stretching beyond the portal. A wide garden unfolded, with a tiny waterfall at one end and lush greenery flanking narrow winding paths. He gazed about the inviting space. It was far too pretty to belong to Drucella. He stepped out of the tunnel and looked about, deciding which direction to take.

  A noise off to his left caused him to seek a hiding place. He crouched behind a bush near one of the paths leading to the waterfall. A Gideon appeared, his big head bobbing slightly above the height of the shrubbery. Duella held still and watched as the small creature passed him by, none the wiser of his presence. He was pushing a little wheelbarrow filled with dirt. He made his way down the path and disappeared amid the foliage.

  Duella rose up and followed the little creature. Perhaps this is the Gideons’ dwelling place. His brow furrowed. The space was far too pretty to belong to such evil creatures as Gideons. Where in hell am I?

  He glanced back at the tunnel he was leaving behind and hoped he could retrace his steps once he had Miriam in tow, then walked quietly along the path behind the Gideon. The tiny creature disappeared. Duella approached the spot where he had last seen the being and paused to investigate. A tall fence appeared, separating the garden area from yet another space. He pushed the gate open, holding his breath as the hinge squeaked. Another garden lay beyond the fence, a far less attractive space than the first one. There was no lush greenery or inviting paths. There was no gurgling waterfall splashing its cooling waters across moss-covered rocks. Dry and barren, the ground rose upward in steep juts, then fell away plunging downward to deep crevices.

  Duella paused before setting foot inside the gate and allowing it to close behind him. The moment the wooden structure closed, a new awareness came over him. He was being led deeper and deeper into Drucella’s private lair. He had seen the first garden and fallen victim to the beauty offered him by the witch, achieving a false security by the sight and losing himself in the wonder of finding such a place after his harrowing trip through the dark tunnel.

  She stepped out of the barren ground, rising upward so quickly that he gasped and lunged back, startled. Son-of-a-bitch!

  “Your nakedness arouses me, Duella.” She waved one arm at him and clothes appeared on his body.

  Duella gazed down at the apparel. It was not the clothing of the present time—but rather the garb of his era, during the phase of his mortal life when he and Drucella were lovers. The rough cotton tunic scratched his chest and the knee length britches stopped short of covering his muscled calves. He locked gazes with the witch.

  She hovered above the dusty ground, her dark robe billowing around her body.

  “I’ve come for Miriam. Where is she?”

  Drucella laughed. She lowered her gaze to the amulet suspended at his neck. “The talisman in exchange for the whore vampire.”

  Duella stared at her and considered her words. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t take the amulet from around his n
eck.

  “How important is the whore to you, Duella?”

  Drucella settled her feet on the dusty ground in front of him, her eyes fixed on the amber gem visible through the opening of his tunic.

  “How important is the amulet to you, Drucella?”

  His only chance was to buy time by baiting the witch and hope that something materialized to help him find Miriam before she grew tired of the game. He clasped his hands behind his back and strode back and forth in front of her, hoping to distract her further.

  “The jewel belongs to me. It is only fitting that I should possess it.”

  “Why?”

  She bristled. Her brows drew together across her nose, her eyes turned a deep shade of emerald green, she clenched her jaw. “Why? You speak in riddles, Duella. You are aware that the talisman belongs to the coven—I am the leader—”

  “The coven no longer exists. The witches were burned and destroyed. Their bodies turned to black smoke and ashes. Their remains rose up the chimney and were lost on the breeze—”

  “Stop!” She placed her hands over her ears, as though she were shutting out the horror he spoke aloud. “You choose to torment me with your lies. The coven is not destroyed—only disabled. I have begun to rebuild it—”

  “You lie. You have returned to your home among the Gideons. You have no coven.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him and moved closer. “The Gideons are my people—whatever I command them to do, they obey me without argument.” She sneered. “It would be to your own good to learn from their obedience to me, Duella, since you have put yourself at my mercy.”

  He glanced about, observing the gathering of Gideons that had seemingly materialized out of thin air. They stood just behind him, three deep, their long arms raised as though ready to grab him.

  I have the upper hand. I have the amulet. “Send your henchmen away.”

  Her eyes widened. “I will do no such thing.”