Tired and seeking oblivion, she closed her eyes to drift off to sleep again, but was interrupted by Sylvain. “Uh-uh,” he stated, “you don’t get out of this that easily. What was that about? I thought you said the nightmares ended once you got a hang of the skills Arianna was teaching you?”
By the determined set to his jaw, Sophie sighed and sat up against the headboard, fluffing her pillow out behind her – this was not going to be a short discussion. “They did. I guess the events of the day brought this one up,” she shrugged.
“What events of the day?” he inquired, both concerned and curious. She’d been quiet since her visit to the plantation.
“Anais is pregnant,” Sophie blurted out. Seeing no change in his expression, she questioned, “You knew?”
Sylvain nodded. “I gave my word that I would not tell anyone and Anais probably wanted to tell you herself.”
Sophie considered that. “Okay, I can buy that. We all knew as well. It must be the blood bond if your magick couldn’t detect it although from what I understand, the pregnancy is in the early stages.”
“Yes,” agreed Sylvain. “But that’s not what’s bothering you.”
“No,” Sophie confirmed. Hesitating slightly, she played with the sheets between her fingers. “I’ve been dreaming of my maman lately. And well…” she stalled. “You know what happened right? I mean, you were there and I remember telling you when you rescued me.”
“I remember,” Sylvain verified.
“What you don’t know is that I made a promise to my maman before the guards came to fetch her.” Sophie peeked at him through lowered lids, knowing she had to be honest with him, yet not wanting him to think that she was putting pressure on him. “I promised her to find love and have a family, to give my children the life and love of a mother that she could not give to me.”
Light dawned. “You had hopes that your marriage would grow into love when you entered into it.”
“Yes,” agreed Sophie. “I feel as though I’ve failed her.”
“Sophie,” Sylvain said, taking both hands in his, “from what you’ve told me of your mother, she was a wonderful, caring woman. Much like you. I doubt that, knowing the circumstances. She would hold you to that promise as stringently as you’ve taken it. But, I understand the honor of such a wish and the need to fulfill it. What you maybe need to consider is that as a vampire, you live for eternity and as such have the time to keep your promise. As a witch too, you’ve now gotten proof that you can conceive. Don’t be so hard on yourself, ma chérie.”
Sylvain moved up against the headboard too, the sheet that covered them sliding around his waist to rest just above his crotch. Sophie watched the movement of the material with fascination. His bare abdomen was ridged with muscles that called for her to run her fingers along them. Sylvain caught her hungry gaze and reacted accordingly, his shaft hardening and making the sheet rise where it lay. Licking her lips, Sophie bent towards his stomach, wanting to trail her tongue along the delicious muscles there.
“As desirable as what you’re intending is, ma chérie,” Sylvain interrupted her carnal fantasy, “this conversation must take precedence.” He gently took her and pulled her into his side then laid a kiss on top of her head. “I respect your right to privacy, but your nightmares are still occurring and you won’t tell me about them.” He saw the desire bank in her eyes, overtaken by sadness.
“What events of the day have brought this up?” Sylvain probed.
“I dreamt of my husband and maman,” Sophie stated, ignoring his question.
“Late husband,” Sylvain corrected, surprised by the harshness of his voice and the spurt of jealousy that slammed into him. Goddess – she was a vampire and as such had a past, but that reasoning didn’t stop him from wanting to wish the man hadn’t existed.
“Yes,” Sophie agreed, “my late husband, Pierre."
“Can you tell me about it?” Sylvain asked, less demanding. “I admit to being curious as to why such a beautiful woman with such a kind soul has remained a virgin for so long. That and seeing you cry makes me want to hurt something. Your ex-husband, for one.” Sylvain’s lips twisted, “A pity that he’s dead. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the reason why a widow is a virgin is because of her husband.”
His possessiveness warmed Sophie. It was a distinct and welcome change from the insanity-tinged ownership Pierre had shown her. He had made it clear that she had been a commodity to him - nothing more. “Okay,” Sophie bobbed her head, “I’ll spill.”
She described her past, telling him how she had come to be in New Orleans and her horrific introduction to the marital bed. Sylvain remained silent, but as her tale progressed, the blue of his eyes became darker, angrier.
Sylvain kissed the top of her head again, and then brought her in closer with the arm snaked around her. “What he did to you was unnecessarily cruel. I understand his situation with being homosexual during that time period, but he did not have to objectify you in such a brutal manner. He could easily have explained the situation to you, even allowed you to have affairs of convenience – that was common enough between couples then, particularly if one half of the marriage had other sexual interests. He did not have to degrade you the way that he did. He is lucky he is dead and that hell is a place the Seelie actively avoid, or else I’d rip his intestines out and strangle him with them before I make him perform oral sex on his own asshole.”
Sophie would’ve laughed if he weren't as serious as he appeared to be. “You care about me that much?” She asked. The question had slipped out, overcome by her curiosity and bewilderment. “We’ve been together for a few days and have known each other for just under a year. Plus, you’ve seen many injustices – the ones the young witches we saved for example and this upsets you more than that?”
Sylvain turned to her, “Sophie, I’ve fucked and regularly. I’m fae and we’re a randy bunch. Being Fae Prince does not calm down my libido. It is within my nature to sleep with women and I have slept with many of the millennia. But I did not fuck you – not in the cave and not since. I’m not sure what to call it but it was more than getting it off for me.” Sylvain looked at her, his eyes no longer silver gray, but shining intensely blue. “You’re special. I appreciate you as a friend and have done so for the past few months. Now, I appreciate you as a lover, an equal. So, yeah, another man treating you like that pisses me off. We may not be in love but that doesn’t mean that we need to treat each other like pieces of ass.”
Sophie felt his words lash at her. At first, she was happy by his admission but the last words cut. Correction Sylvain, she thought, you may not be in love with me, but I am with you. It hurt and pissed her off. It served her freaking right for thinking this would come easy.
“You’re speaking as though we’re exclusive,” she risked. “Is that how you see us? I thought that it’s in your nature to sleep with other women?”
Sylvain rolled his eyes, “I didn’t say that. I said that it is in my nature to fuck - to have sex. The fae race is a sexually active one so we need to have sex as much as we need to eat food. That doesn’t mean that we cannot have a faithful relationship with someone as long as our needs are met.” Seeing murder reflected in her now vamp red eyes, he quickly attempted to get out of the grave he’d so effectively dug. “I have no intention of fucking anyone while you and I are sleeping together. This is exclusive.” He turned so that they faced each other. Sylvain felt like a socially awkward adolescent asking his first girlfriend out, not an experienced man.
Sophie’s lips curved, contemplation tinting her expression. “I’m not so sure, Sylvain,” she said, feeling guilty, but pissed enough to continue. “You are the first man I’ve slept with and now that I know what I’ve been missing, I’m anxious to discover what’s out there. You’ve awakened my own libido now and vampires are a sexually active race too. I’m not sure that a mutually exclusive relationship is a good idea.” Sophie couldn’t believe she said it, but a hurt heart could be a s
piteful, vindictive one.
“Is that so?” Sylvain’s voice was laced with venom.
“Oh, yes,” Sophie replied flippantly. “But I have so enjoyed our trysts together, mon chérie. There is absolutely no reason for us to stop. I just want to do a little sexual sight-seeing while we’re at it. Maybe you can join me on an adventure or two?”
The muscle in Sylvain’s neck twitched. Good! Let him be jealous. Wanting his cake and being able to eat it. She mentally screeched at him but, outwardly, she maintained a seductive façade. “So, what do you say, mon chérie? I’m sure we’ll have a wild ride, and after my conservative first centuries, I think I’m due for a bit of fun. It would be so much more fun with you along.”
Sylvain looked at her, a smile replacing the dark look. “Sure,” he replied. “But let me help you with that exploration. As I’ve stated, I’ve got a few lovers in my past and I happen to remember who of those will help you ‘explore’ satisfactorily. In fact, I will be quite satisfied too with them. Throw you in the mix and it’ll be the best sex of our lives.”
Sophie felt her magick stir, the vampire magick, and it made her want to bite something. She’d heard somewhere that a true test of whether or not there is hope for a relationship is if you can stomach the idea of someone else replacing you. “You bastard,” Sophie spat out, no longer teasing him and forgetting the lesson she was trying to teach him. With supernatural strength, she flipped him over and straddled him.
Sylvain looked up at Sophie, mischief sparkling in his eyes and remained undeterred by the fang-bearing angry she-vamp with her red eyes glaring down at him. He calmly laced his hands behind his head and regarded her. “What? You asked that I help you explore your sexuality and that we do so with others. I comply and you get cross? What do you want?”
“I don’t want others, you idiot!” Sophie spat out. “If you’re going sleep with, fuck, or whatever you wanna call it with anyone, it will be me! No one else!”
“Right answer,” Sylvain responded before flipping her over and pinning her arms above her head. Sylvain settled his crotch against hers, the outside of his legs brushing the inside of hers and lowered himself down so that her breasts brushed against his chest. “Just so we’re clear,” Sylvain whispered into her ear. “You’re mine and I don’t share well! I’m not your late husband. I’ll be faithful to you and treat you well. I won’t fuck other women as long as we sleep together and often. And unlike your late husband, I will share my body with you and I will explore sex with you in ways that will wipe thoughts of further discoveries out of your mind. I will make you cum so often that you’ll beg me simultaneously to carry on and stop. I’ll give you so much pleasure, it will make you hurt. I will fuck you so hard and hot that you will never,” Sylvain spat the word out, leveling her with his again silver eyes, “you will never,” he repeated, “want another lover again. Does that meet with your approval, ma petite chérie?” Sylvain inquired.
Sophie gulped, but not from fear. The thrill of anticipation from what he promised in his dangerously heated glare spread from her middle to every cell in her body. She had mostly experienced Sylvain as playful, fun, and a good friend to be around. She'd had glimpses of the authoritative Sylvain when she watched him as Fae Prince amongst his army or his subjects and she’d seen Sylvain as the fighter, the warrior in the battles they’d gone into together. But Sylvain as a lover was still new to her. Sylvain as a possessive lover, however archaic, was a major turn on. Using her strength to break her one arm free of his hold, she reached between them and grabbed his cock firmly in her hands. She placed the head of his cock against her soaked mound and rubbed it along the slippery inside before putting the tip right at the entrance to her core. “Does that answer you?” she asked without shyness, meeting his gaze with earnestness.
“Merci, yes,” Sylvain hissed before plunging his erection into her core and riding out the frustration and lust their game had created between them.
Later, as they lay entwined, their hunger slated, Sophie slipped Sylvain a look. He'd both mended and broken her heart simultaneously. Turning around so he could spoon her, she let her silent tears fall. Unrequited love sucked.
Chapter 12
A week after confessing her dreams to Sylvain, Sophie found herself once again seated at the plantation kitchen table.
“I can’t do it anymore. I just can’t.” Sophie had run into the arms of Miss Suzette as soon as she'd entered the kitchen. Miss Suzette had been standing ready, waiting for her. She’d known that Sophie was coming. Whether that was from her voodoo magick or her strong bond with each of the girls, was irrelevant. What was of greater importance was that Sophie could readily go to her when her heart ached.
“There now, boo,” Miss Suzette stroked her hair, much as a mother would her daughter. The Cajun woman did not replace her maman, but was like a mama to her nonetheless. Sophie felt blessed by the Goddess that she had been fortunate enough to have two such women in her lifetime. And right now, Miss Suzette was exactly what she needed.
Miss Suzette had allowed her to cry until she felt numb, depleted, and couldn’t cry anymore. Sophie now sat with a mug of warm café in front of her, fixed just the way she liked it. Because of the emotional state, she was in, the drink tasted like ash, but the love it was made with warmed her chilled insides slightly. Seeking that comfort, Sophie sipped.
Anais was away with Conall on business concerning their mock alliance with Yves and Rose was caught up running the wedding businesses in the Quarter and Garden District. Sophie was grateful for the absence. She didn’t think she could deal with their questions or concern. She had needed the no-nonsense, all-excepting love of Miss Suzette. Her gut had led her here, and it had been right. Miss Suzette sat by her side quietly. Sometimes stroking her hair, other times fidgeting with her own mug. But, she sat and waited for Sophie to be ready to speak.
“I’m an emotional push-over,” Sophie stated.
Miss Suzette nodded, but said nothing.
“Thanks,” Sophie muttered sarcastically. “You could deny it you know.”
“You want lies, boo?” Miss Suzette asked, turning a beady eye on her.
Knowing that sympathy was not why she was there, Sophie shook her head from side to side. Miss Suzette nodded satisfactorily at the action.
“I soak up others’ emotions,” Sophie began again. “I know that’s part of my gift. I’ve seldom seen it as a curse, but I realize that it can be so. I’m so used to putting others first, weary of how they feel, and instinctively wanting to make them feel better, that I sometimes do anything to give them that.”
“Sometimes?” Miss Suzette asked, continuing to watch her.
“Okay,” Sophie conceded, “always. I always put the feelings of others above my own.”
Miss Suzette nodded again as if to say, “That’s better." So, Sophie continued. “I promised maman I would find love, a husband, and a family. I’ve tried and I’ve failed. And you know what?” Sophie asked, getting angry. “That was a helluva thing to ask. It’s not like I could just order it online and have it frikkin delivered. It’s damn hard.”
“That’s what makes it so precious, boo,” Miss Suzette dropped that pearl of wisdom, gently.
“I suppose so,” Sophie responded. “If I didn’t see what Anais and Conall have together with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed that it existed. Sure, we see human couples get married all the time, but few of those are true loves. People get married for all sorts of reasons. But Anais and Conall confirm that it isn’t only possible, it is possible for beings like us.”
“Just because you’re not human doesn’t mean that you can’t love and be loved,” Miss Suzette expanded.
“Yes, precisely,” Sophie confirmed. “I thought I might have that with Sylvain; that he might learn to love me. I’ve no doubt that he cares for me, but it isn’t enough.”
“You’re in love with him,” Miss Suzette interjected.
“I am,” Sophie nodded. “Is it too much to ask t
hat he love me back?” Tears began to spill from her eyes again. “I sound like such a wimp. I’ve a good life. I know. I have sisters, you, and Raulf. Conall is becoming a big brother to us and Sylvain, despite our relationship, is a friend we can count on. We have this plantation,” Sophie waved her hand around the kitchen. “Some people would kill for it alone. Now, we have those lovely girls to teach, nurture, and help shape into strong, kind women. But, back to Sylvain I have a good relationship with him. We enjoy each other’s company, have mutual respect and friendship and the sex is amazing. I should be happy, but I feel as though my heart has been ripped out and shredded to pieces. Why can’t I be happy?”
Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) Page 16
