by Multi-Author
Table of Contents
Title Page
Little Red
Butterfly
One Way to Say Goodbye
Last Kiss
No Change in Policy in Room 8
The Dark Man
Blindfold
Dangerous Desires
Three Little Men
Awaiting Our Reunion
Rhythm and Blues
Tempting Sin
Rebirth with a Rose
Invoking Ostara
Spider Prince
Stormy Night in Old Town
Aphrodisiac
Siren’s Call
Feral
The Shed
Under the Shadow of Wings
My Bloody Valentine
Volume 1
Breathless Press
Calgary, Alberta
www.breathlesspress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
My Bloody Valentine: Volume 1
Copyright © 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77101-235-5
Cover Artist: Victoria Miller
Editor: Kristen Pavka
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in reviews.
Breathless Press
www.breathlesspress.com
Little Red
By
Tysche Dwai
It was dark in Enchanted Forest, the light of the full moon escaping the canopy of branches to brush the path sporadically, but the girl striding along that path knew the way blindfolded. Light or dark meant little to her feet, which had been traipsing between her cabin and her grandmother’s since she was six.
She was now eighteen, and quite capable of taking care of herself.
Constance Caldicott, or “Red” as she was called on account of the luxurious copper curls falling halfway down her back, carried a basket of baked goods and soup over her arm. Her mother was worried about Grandmother’s health, and so had sent a care package. Red was happy to deliver it. Getting out of the house, where Mother seemed obsessed with her plans for the future these days, was a welcome respite.
Even the rumors that there had been several young women attacked in the neighborhood recently didn’t faze her. She had a can of mace in her pocket and a whistle around her neck. And those three years of martial arts classes had given her confidence that she could handle herself in a fight if it came to that.
Still, she didn’t dally. It was later than she had meant to start out, but her best friend Cindy had been telling her those rumors at the local malt shop...
“I’m telling you, Red—Enchanted Forest isn’t what it used to be. Did you hear that Belle Merchant wound up married to an awful fellow her father owed money to? They say he’s a real beast! And somebody spiked Snow White’s appletini the other night and she woke up in a frat house with seven guys. Plus, there have been three or four girls admitted to the hospital with anemia in the last week. They can’t remember a thing about it, but there are these weird bite marks on their necks. All I know is ‘there’s no place like home,’ they say, and good thing. Home sucks.”
“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill, Cindy. Sure, we aren’t all dating the captain of the football team like you are, but there are more princes than rogues around here.”
“Good luck finding one. Geez...it got dark out. If I don’t get home, my stepmother will ground me for a week, and the Homecoming Dance is this weekend.”
“I’ve got to go too. Gram is expecting this soup and she won’t eat if I don’t get it to her.”
“How is she doing these days?”
“Not well. The doctor says it won’t be long.”
“Give her my love.”
“I’ll do that.” She hugged Cindy. “Now scat, before that wicked stepmother of yours gets really mad.”
Cindy laughed. “I would hate to miss that dance.”
Thinking back on the conversation, Red almost missed the turnoff to Gram’s cabin. It was easy to do at the best of times. As she retraced her steps, there was a rustle in the underbrush.
Her hand went automatically to her can of mace. “Who’s there? I have mace and I’m not afraid to use it!”
The rustling got louder and she set down the basket, ready to fight if necessary. Then out of the bushes stumbled a disheveled figure. “Don’t spray! Please! I don’t mean you any harm.”
She cocked her head and examined the bedraggled man. He looked to be about her age—maybe a few years older—with shaggy black hair kissing the collar of his open-throated shirt. He was dressed strangely for a walk in the woods, with silky trousers and a poet shirt. And was that really a cape? Geez...Halloween was over. Still, he was kinda cute, in an unkempt way.
“What are you doing wandering through the woods in the dark?” she asked him, curious as to why a stranger might be out here in the first place.
“I got lost,” he replied with a flash of white teeth. “Stupid, huh?”
“A bit.” She liked the slight accent to his words...and he was smoking hot from what she could see. Still, he was a stranger. They didn’t see many of those around here. “Where were you trying to go?”
“I wanted to visit an old friend...perhaps you have heard of her? Her name is Aurora Dormé.”
Red jumped. That was her grandmother’s name. How could she be an “old friend” of this young hottie?
“I see you do know her.”
“Maybe,” Red hedged. “Why do you want to see her?”
“I promised her I would look her up next time I was in the neighborhood.”
“Look, Mister—”
“Drakul...Vladimir Drakul. But you may call me Vlad.” His voice grew husky, and his eyes appeared almost to glow red in the darkness.
Constance felt a frisson of sensation run through her. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or attraction. “Look, Vlad...” The name felt good on her tongue. “I really don’t know if it is a good idea for you to visit her at the moment. She’s been ill—”
He grew agitated. “All the more reason. What if I never got the chance to say goodbye?”
There was a hint of desperation in his voice that she couldn’t for the life of her understand. What could her grandmother possibly mean to the hunk?
“Okay. Okay. Her cabin is about a half-mile up this path. I’m going there now if you would like to join me.”
“No, you are right. It is late. I will pay my respects in the morning.” He reached forward and took her hand. “Thank you.” He brought it to his lips and placed a lingering kiss upon the back.
A shiver ran through her that wasn’t entirely due to the cool temperature of his skin. The cloak must be merely decorative, because it wasn’t that cold out tonight. She wouldn’t mind trying to warm him up a bit...
Red mentally shook herself. Get a hold of yourself, girl.
“Well, in that case, I’ll tell her you’ll be by.”
“No! I would rather surprise her. Please.”
She shrugged. “Whatever. But I have to get going.”
“Thank you again.” With a nod, he faded back into the underbrush.
What the hell is he gonna do, sleep in the bushes? No skin off her nose one way or the other. Picking up her basket, Red hurried toward Gram’s cabin. She was going to be terribly, terribly late...
***
By the time she picked her way to the edge of the clearing surrounding he
r grandmother’s house, she had decided to stay the night. It was far too dark to head back home through the trees and going around would take hours and hours.
She let herself in with her key. The interior of the little cabin was dark. Gram must have given up and gone to bed. She’d better check on her.
She eased open the bedroom door. The last moonbeams fell across the foot of the bed, and she could see a vague shape beneath the coverlet.
“Gram, are you asleep?” she whispered.
There was a stir on the bed. “Come closer, dearie,” answered a cracked voice.
Red frowned. That didn’t sound like Gram... She inched closer.
It was impossible to see the bed clearly in the dim moonlight. There would be a lamp on the bedside table. She’d turn it on and see what was what.
But when her hand hit the switch nothing happened.
“I think the bulb is broken,” croaked the strange voice. “There’s a candle in the drawer there, and a book of matches.”
Red lit the candle, holding it over the bed. The figure lying there was wearing a mobcap, and the blankets were drawn up tight under its chin. It didn’t look much like Gram... But she had been sick...
“Gram, you are looking terrible. Your eyes are all red.”
“I’ve been crying, my dear. It hurts so badly.”
“And you are pale as a ghost!”
“I just haven’t had the strength to eat.”
“You’re shaking.”
“I’m so cold...come and lie beside me as you used to do.”
Red hesitated. She had planned on staying the night anyway. “Oh, all right. Let me get out of these jeans though. Is the spare nightie still in the closet?” She reached for the door.
“No!” cried the figure on the bed. “Come sleep beside me in your shirt and panties. The blanket will keep you warm enough.”
It seemed a bit odd, but at least she had worn panties today. She skinned out of her jeans and laid them on a chair. Slipping under the covers, she snuggled up to her grandmother.
“Does that feel better?”
“Oh, yes,” whispered the rough voice.
Red sat bolt upright. “I know who you are!” she cried. “What are you doing here?”
Vladimir sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “Waiting for you, my dear.”
“Where’s Gram?”
“She was unconscious when I got here, so I called an ambulance. She’s at the hospital. They say she will be fine. There is nothing you can do for her tonight, so you might as well relax.”
“This is...weird,” Red protested, but she wasn’t averse to the idea. He was awfully handsome...and there was something about him that sent tingles all through her.
He leaned over and kissed her, and she found herself reciprocating. He was a very good kisser. He nudged at her lips with his tongue, and she parted them. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she sucked on it. His teeth grazed her lip.
“What big teeth you have!” she murmured.
“The better to eat you with,” teased Vlad, and then disappeared under the coverlet.
Red gasped as he proceeded to do just that, pulling down the wispy underclothes and running his tongue into her slit with a skill that left her breathless. The sensations whirled about her head, making her dizzy as she climbed to heights she had only read about in books.
There was a sharp pain on her inner thigh, and she yelped. “You bit me!”
“Sorry...I got a bit carried away.” He grinned at her in the candlelight, and his teeth were much too long.
“Are you...”
“A vampire? I am afraid so, my love.”
“So you are the one who has been attacking those girls!”
“Guilty as charged...but I didn’t enjoy it. A man has got to eat.”
She couldn’t fault him for that. “Well, you didn’t really hurt anyone too badly.”
“I am very good at what I do.”
“I can see that. But can you please take off that nightie? You look ridiculous.”
With a full-toothed grin, Vlad did as she asked. His body looked like sculpted marble in the candlelight. Right down to an impressive cock sprouting from a nest of black curls.
“I thought vampires couldn’t...you know...”
“Old wives’ tales and misconceptions. I’d be happy to show you.”
Red lay back on the pillows with a grin. “Why don’t you do that?”
He covered her body with his own and braced himself on his elbows. “You sure about this?”
“Definitely. It’s not every day you make love to a vampire. Not even in Enchanted Forest.”
He drove into her waiting cunt. It was like a marble phallus, cool and hard...and very arousing to her.
Their rhythm built in sync, taking her higher and higher. As she climaxed, she felt the sting of his fangs at her throat, and the draw of blood at the point of connection.
She cried out in ecstasy.
When she recovered her senses, she blew out a heavy sigh.
“Wow...that was really something.”
“Wait till you see what I can do in wolf form,” he answered with a wink.
She couldn’t wait to find out.
Butterfly
By
Decadent Kane
Hell hadn’t changed much since the last time she’d come down. Sure, there was a bit more screaming, but a snap of her fingers and Lacey couldn’t hear the tortured screams anymore. Well, all except for one. Trist. The only one she’d ever loved.
They’d met after she’d seen the witch, Arion, who’d helped her gain her powers, bestowing a butterfly on her lips. In exchange for the powers, speech was forbidden her. A live blue butterfly graced her mouth, its wings spread over her lips. It was the pure source of her magic, and as long as Lacey had the butterfly, she could fight off the monsters of this realm. She could never go back to a life without magic. At a flick of her wrist, a man would bow to her on his knees. A point of her finger and a goblin would snap in half. The power seduced her, devoured her, and she enjoyed every minute of it.
Trist had helped Lacey fight her way back from hell the first time. He was a demonic soul made flesh by her magic. He’d fought by her side for so long, sometimes she forgot how they had come to be together. At least they had been until the devil finally found him.
She’d tried to protect him, keep him hidden, but no matter how powerful she was, the devil always outranked her. She’d been surprised he hadn’t found Trist sooner. Then again, it was the devil. He’d let them grow complacent and hopeful before he ripped her heart out, dragging Trist back to hell with him.
Burning flesh engulfed her senses, like seared ham. The smell of the devil himself. Lacey stopped her trek down the long, stone path leading toward the dungeons. She didn’t intend to leave without Trist.
“I’m honored you graced us with your presence.” The devil’s voice dripped the words sweetly, like honey. She turned to face him.
“You’ve come for Trist, haven’t you?”
She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. There was no one else she’d come all this way for and he knew it. A wicked grin played across his face. He was a predator and she’d invaded his territory.
Still, Lacey wished she could speak to him; she wanted to scream, curse him for taking what was precious to her. She swallowed the insults that tried to spring from her mouth. The butterfly’s wings flicked back and forth, displaying her anger. She narrowed her eyes at him and he stalked toward her like a lion. He’d never looked as she had expected. His appearance changed every time she saw him. This time, his skin was smooth and black, flawless like obsidian. His ears came to long points on the side of his head and his eyes sparkled a bright blue. He looked like a fallen star. His tail curled around as he side-stepped back and forth like a cat waiting to pounce on a little bird. Only Lacey didn’t see herself as a helpless bird. She’d been saving something special for him. If he came for her, she would break him. Her confidence
overwhelmed her and she stood taller as he came nearer. His face was mere inches from hers and the strong burnt ham smell made her stomach turn.
“You think you can defeat me, don’t you? Yes, I can see it in your eyes.” A laugh boomed out of his chest as he grew a foot taller. “Your little spell won’t work on me, little bird. I’m the devil, where do you think it came from?”
Her heart dropped. She knew somewhere in the darkness of her soul he was right. The magic had a source, a beginning, an origin, and the devil could be the only option. God wouldn’t create it, not this way. His magic came in miracles. The devil dealt with pain and death. For the first time since magic graced her, she was scared, for both her and Trist. If she couldn’t defeat him, then how would she take Trist back?
“I like you. You have courage and spunk. I’ve watched you from here, killing my toys, pushing my tormented creations back into my folds. But do you know where your soul will go once you’ve gone, little bird?”
She did. Lacey had no false pretense of reaching heaven. The witch had made that part very clear. This defiance would cost her when she finally made it into hell, though with her powers she intended to stave it off for as long as possible. She wasn’t immortal, but she had been able to drastically slow her aging process. She’d live for hundreds of years before death would find her. She tipped her chin up at him, the only acknowledgment she could give.
His eyes blazed brighter, almost turning white. “I could take you now if I wanted. Not kill you, but actually take you, ravish you with my devilish ways, entice you into my bed. What would your precious Trist do then?” As if he was suddenly struck by a bright idea, his finger came up. “Perhaps his torment could be to watch you and me. Don’t worry, you’ll grow to need my attentions over time; it’s like an addiction.”
Lacey glared at him, telling him with her eyes to go ahead and try it. If he did, she’d cut off his dick and feed it to him.
He chuckled and ran a finger over her jaw and down the curve of her neck. She didn’t move. If she flinched, she’d show him weakness and she had no intention of giving him that kind of advantage. Instantly, he stepped back and snapped his long black fingers.
