Scion's Freedom (Siren Publishing Classic)

by J. Annas Walker

  Cassy moved out of the way. She did not want to intrude or use him in such a vulnerable state. If he thrust against her jeans, he might chafe. If she gave him something softer to press against, he might feel she was taking advantage. Having usurped his choice once, she was not eager to repeat the mistake. She sat on the floor at the end of the sofa with her knees to her chest, chewing her lower lip. Would he be angry? Sad? Full of regret?

  David bucked his hips in a steady, yet increasing, rhythm. He turned his head to expose his throat. At the moment he should have found release, his eyes popped open in shocked surprise. A hand flew to his neck as if to press an open, bleeding wound. For a moment, he did not seem to know where he was. A few quick blinks told Cassy the memory had ended. He was coming back to the present. He looked to his open fly. The unrelieved cock stood waiting for something more. David’s eyes darted around until he found Cassy’s hiding place.

  “I am so very sorry,” she whispered. “It shouldn’t have been like that your first time.” She didn’t move. He scrambled down on all fours in front of her. “It should have been…” He cut her off with a hard, desperate kiss. She remembered the taste of him, the feel of him. Her needs boiled up from her core, and she returned the kiss.

  David rocked her back onto the floor, pressing his weight into her. She tugged at his pants, pulling them below his hips. One hand twisted in her hair to maintain the kiss while the other undid and pushed down her jeans. He propped a foot against the waistband at her ankles as she removed one leg at a time. A nudge against her knees with one of his invited her to spread her legs. She obliged, and he slid down between them. She was ready to take whatever he gave her. His thick flesh pressed against her clit. The anticipation of having his dick in her again made her impatient, but she held it in check.

  Cassy’s hands slipped beneath his shirt to rub his well-muscled back. He broke the kiss long enough to remove his shirt. She held onto his narrow waist. Balancing himself on one hand, he began unbuttoning her shirt. As each one opened, her breaths became harder, more ragged. Heat was building within her, dropping down to her pussy. She lifted her hips to press them tighter to his body. She could feel herself becoming wetter, making his shaft slippery with her nectar. He lost patience with the buttons. As it was torn open, shirt buttons exploded to every corner of the room. The tiny tinkling sound they made added to her excitement. The room’s air was full of adrenaline and the sweet musky scent of sex. He was going to take her, and she wanted to be taken. It was more than she could stand. Fangs dropped into place.

  Instead of the revulsion Cassy expected, David’s face betrayed nothing. He still wanted her. He drew his hips back, allowing the tip of his cock to drop. The head traced along her slit until it found the right angle. He held her gaze in his for what seemed like forever before plunging inside her body. The suddenness took her breath. Her fingers dug into his hips and buttocks. She was so wet, so ready.

  A deep guttural grunt issued from his clenched teeth. He had reached the limits of her and could go no further. Slowly, he pulled almost out of her. When he was nearly free of her, he thrust back in hard and fast. Cassy moaned in pleasure at the forcefulness of it all.

  She reached up to fondle her nipples. They were hard, tight, and in need of a warm tongue. She gave them a good pinch and a little twist. The pain only made her flood with fluid, coating his buried cock and dripping down his balls. He gave another guttural noise that sounded more like a groan. He seized her wrists, pinning them above her head. This time the groan was hers. He bent his head down and sucked teasingly on one of her nipples.

  “Yes,” she hissed. “Oh, yes, David. That’s it. Take what you need.”

  “I’ll take it because I want it, because it’s mine to take.” He crushed his lips down on hers. One of her fangs nicked his lip. Her tongue darted over the wound. She sucked at it. He pulled back before she could do more than taste the tiny formed drop. “No. Not this time. This time I get to finish first.”

  She was full of his cock. Her tight box was stretched around him, quivering, waiting for more. The rhythmic strokes began slowly at first and then built. The pace became a frantic pounding thrust. Cassy felt as though she could not take him far enough into herself. She wrapped her legs around his hips, spreading as wide as she could. Her hands remained above her head when he moved his. With a firm grip on her pale body, David held her against him. Slap. Slap. Slap. The sound of their skin beating together with each hard stroke echoed through the room. David’s orgasm came, wave after wave, spasm after spasm with a soundless scream. Hers tore through her in one huge blast. Her cunt clenched and held him in deep as he spilled his seed. He collapsed on her shoulder panting. It took a moment for him to get his breath. His cock softened enough to slip from her body. The loss of it left her feeling a little sad but satisfied at the same time.

  “Are…you…okay?” Sweat trickled down his back. She could feel it pool along her fingers before making its way down.

  “Yes,” she whispered. His neck was bared. Cassy could have easily sunk her fangs into the offering. It took a great deal of restraint not to feed. She flicked her tongue across her lips searching for traces of his blood.

  When his breathing had calmed, David lifted and rolled himself to a sitting position beside her. Cassy did not move. She was still fighting temptation, but it was getting easier. There was an odd sensation of territorial ownership and a need to care for him pulsing through her. She had heard of this many times but never experienced it, a mate bonding. Magic was taking over. Recognizing the forming bond made her heart swell. A pleased smile spread across her face.

  “I would like to lie in bed with you, if you don’t mind,” Cassy requested. Fascinated with the way the muscles moved under his skin, she could not take her eyes off him. “Sunrise will be here soon. Stay the day with me?”

  “After the way I treated you just now? I don’t know what got into me. It’s like I had to have you, to merge into you.” He was nervous. Anxiety colored his voice. She could see he did not understand.

  “You remember saying you were drawn to me in the bar? We’re like magnets pulling toward each other. I feel it, too. I would very much like for you to spend the day with me.”

  A pondering look replaced the anxious one. David gave her a nod and stood, offering her a hand. “In that case, we need to get ready for bed.” The view of him standing over her naked brought a lustful flutter to her core.

  “You get the bed. I need to eat,” Cassy said. She reached out to him, allowing him to pull her up.

  Sunrise found them wrapped in each other’s arms. This time Cassy did not feel like an empty battery when her powers ebbed away. Satisfaction and peace remained. She drifted off to sleep with a man for the first time in her life.

  * * * *

  David snuggled her in close. Her body was cool to the touch. He could feel her slow, heavy heartbeats. They were unusual, thick and deliberate. It was as if each beat took too long. If he did not know her, he would have thought she was dying, but her breathing was too deep and even. She was sleeping.

  Her mass of hair covered his pillow. He rolled his face into it and inhaled. There was peace in its aroma. Sweet honey tones and a hint of vanilla filled his nose. The fine silkiness of her strands caressed the skin on his face. It moved and rolled down over his shoulder and chest like a blanket. The smell was delicious. Instinctively, he pulled her against him harder and gave a little squeeze. She let out a soft mew but did not wake. If she had not required rest during the day, he would have rolled her over and made love to her. He wanted to take his time and carefully take in every part of her. He wanted to be soft and gentle. But she was down for the day, and he knew waking a sleeping vampire was unwise.

  Instead he held her and thought. His previous questions about what Cassy was became clearer. He still was not sure what he was going to do about her. It was unwise to be involved with a witness. What he did know was that she was staying with him. She was no mistake. He was drawn to her
from the beginning. It no longer mattered if she was a witness, a target, or dangerous. He had fucked her, and she was his. He had laid claim to her. Nothing else mattered. She was an unexplainable force he could not escape, and he had very little desire to try. The perpetual bachelor was ready to give it all up for a single woman. The reason did not have to make sense. It simply did not matter.

  He fell asleep content with his new lot in life.

  Chapter 7

  Cassy awoke first. Warm skin touched her coolness. A large masculine arm lay across her, holding her. For a moment, she was startled to find another person in her bed. His scent enveloped her. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. His heart beat against her back slow and heavy. Once the shock had worn off, she relaxed into his embrace and enjoyed the moment until hunger and temptation found her.

  She eased out of bed making an effort not to disturb him. She pulled out the first thing her hand found in the mini-fridge, a leftover bag of blood. She slipped into his oversized shirt, grabbed fresh clothes, and headed upstairs to find the microwave.

  After breakfast, she decided on a shower. The claw-foot tub with a telephone handle spray drew so many memories. It was similar to the first indoor tub she had ever seen. It took Erica three tries to turn on the taps. The girls had laughed about the new technology. The remembrance made Cassy sad, yet she giggled at it in spite of herself. She brushed and braided her hair again, pinning it up to keep it out of the water. A quick scrub and a short soak left her refreshed. As she dried, she heard David stir downstairs. She hurried to dress, eager to be in his company. He turned the television to the news.

  * * * *

  David woke up alone. He could hear the water running upstairs and knew where she was. He rolled over to find the remote on the floor. He flicked on the TV and changed the channel to one of the twenty-four-hour news stations. He listened to the usual circulating stories as he found his pants and dressed.

  “Have you seen this vampire?” The news anchor’s face disappeared. It was replaced by an old black-and-white photo of a woman in period clothes from the late 1880s. The voiceover added, “This is the Scion of High Prince Vlad Tepulus Dracul IV. Her name is Princess Cassandra Yvette Dracul. She went missing two days ago. Kidnapping is suspected. If you have seen this woman, please call your local police department or the national hotline number.” The toll-free number appeared at the bottom the screen. The reporter continued to talk, but it no longer registered with him.

  David’s jaw dropped. A princess. No. The princess. Images of him impaled on a long spike in his front yard came to mind. His chest tightened. The air was too thick to breathe. His feet were glued to the floor. The vampire princess in question was in his bathtub. She had been wrapped around his cock last night and in his arms until sunset. Oh, damn. Oh, damn! What had he done?

  * * * *

  Overnight bag in hand, Cassy headed to the basement. David stood in front of the screen, blocking her view. He wore only his jeans. His broad shoulders and tapered waist distracted Cassy from whatever the reporter was saying. Hearing her name in the newscast snapped her out of her daydream.

  “What was…” she started to ask. There was no need to ask him to repeat the newscast report. David lifted the remote and turned up the volume. He did not look at her. His eyes were glued to the flickering screen. There was no expression on his face she could read.

  The generic female reporter droned on, reading from the teleprompter. “Again, anyone having seen this woman is advised to call their local police department or the toll-free national number 1-800-555-FIND.” A black-and-white photograph of Cassy taken in the late 1880s flashed back up on the screen. She looked the same, with the exception of the bustle-skirted dress. It had been taken as a token for the man her father had arranged to give her in marriage. “Princess Cassandra Yvette Dracul is the daughter and Scion of High Prince Vlad Tepelus, also known as Vlad Dracul IV, and granddaughter of the infamous Vlad the Impaler. Her brother is Crown Prince Maximilian Dracul. The Scion went missing when her protector, Erica Jordan Bergeson, was assassinated and her apartment broken into just days ago.”

  David raised the remote again. The screen went black. The silence held them in a tight fist. Cassy remained rooted in place. David turned. There was anxiety and apprehension on his face. She could hear his heart rate accelerating. He smelled of fear. Nearing a state of panic, David sat down on the floor where he stood, his elbows on his knees and hands over his mouth. She knelt down in front of him but did not try to touch him. It was time to confess.

  “I have been on the run from my family for over 150 years, since that photo was taken in 1883. Daniels was my mother’s surname. Erica’s mother was my mother’s lady’s maid. When she and I were born only a few months apart, it was decided we would be raised together and for her to become my lady’s maid and bodyguard. We were born in Atlanta in 1831. My mother was bred to be my father’s second wife and to produce full-blooded born vampires to be his heirs, as his first wife was human. Max is younger than me, but he was given the title Crown Prince for no other reason than he was born male. Father was going to sell me in marriage to seal a treaty with two other families. I refused to be chattel to anyone, especially a younger son of a lesser noble house. I wanted to live my own life, have my own home, be my own person, and not be someone’s property. Erica and I took all my jewelry and escaped in the middle of the night. I even stole my father’s favorite horse,” Cassy explained.

  David stared at her. His hands dropped but still circled his knees. “Why couldn’t you tell me this before now? I could be killed for simply touching you, much less fucking you.” Tension rode his jaw. The muscle clenched, and the vein in his temple throbbed.

  “I could hardly live a normal life if I went around telling everyone, now could I?” She offered her hand out palms up, as if there was something there for him to take. She shrugged her shoulders. “What else could I do and still be free?”

  “I asked you if there was any reason someone might want to harm you, and you said no. Didn’t it occur to you this might have been something to put on the list? You are the freaking Scion of the High Prince of all vampires, second in line to the throne!” His voice rose in both pitch and volume.

  “No, I am not!” Cassy shouted. “I refuse to be anything I don’t want to be! Max is the next heir, not me! He can have it!”

  “How did they know where to find you, if you are on the run? The reporter knew about Erica and your apartment.” The cop in him was coming to the forefront.

  “Seventy-five years ago Father found us. He was furious at first. Max had to marry beneath his status to maintain the peace treaty Father had ready. Extra negotiations had to take place because the bride would one day be Queen, just not in her own right. Enough time had passed by then. Father was no longer angry with us for my actions, just disappointed. We had done well for ourselves. We weren’t rich but not poor either. Nor had we resorted to less savory means of making a living like selling ourselves.

  “He forgave us and allowed us to remain in the human world. We were happy young women who enjoyed the vastly changing world of the twentieth century. We learned to drive and vote. We went to universities for what we pleased. Telephones and microwaves were like magic,” Cassy reminisced. The happy memories distracted her.

  David cleared his throat, interrupting her. “What happened next? Why not go home when the economy collapsed?”

  “During the aftermath of The Fall, Father and I could not contact each other. Martial law prevented us from going out at night to hunt. Erica and I fed on the sick and dying after the blood banks ran out, like all the others. We had been Confederate nurses in Atlanta during the Civil War and posed as nurses again. When everything settled, we were finally citizens. Life became easier. She went back to journalism, and I found a way to help people adjust to their new freedoms. I saw no reason to go home.” She sighed.

  “That doesn’t answer why you didn’t just go back. The man is loaded. You could have had anything you wanted,
a fine home, cars, and expensive clothes. Why stay in New Atlanta? You like the smell of burned buildings and filthy streets? Give me a break. Doesn’t he live in the Hamptons or someplace else grand?”

  She could see how he would not, could not, understand. On the surface, it sounded great. The reality of that life was vastly different than it appeared.

  “If I offered you everything you needed and all you wanted, would you take it?”

  “That sounds really good. What would I have to do?” She was glad to see he understood there would be strings attached. Nothing in life was ever free. No matter what it was, there was a toll to be exacted for everything.

  “The price is that you would not be allowed to make any personal choices. What you ate, wore, drove, learned, read, and watched was up to someone else. Your friends would be selected for you, as well as when you could see them. You would be told who to marry and love would play no part. You would not be allowed a profession. Music, dance, and entertainments would have to be learned, not to please you but to benefit others. Your education would be what you were told it would be and nothing more. All the while, you are to sit quietly, smile, and be eternally grateful for your rich surroundings and the luck of your birth. Would you still accept the offer?”

  A long, deafening silence filled the room. She could almost hear the thoughts passing through his mind. She watched as he carefully pondered what she had said. He inhaled deep and exhaled slow.

  “No. I don’t think I could do that,” he admitted.

  “Neither could I,” she agreed. “A gilded cage is still a cage.”

  David reached out both hands to her. She took them gently and stood, deftly bringing him into a standing position. He laughed.

  “You are a lot stronger than you look! I wouldn’t have guessed just by watching you,” he said.