Dragon's Choice

by Juniper Hart

  Sawyer let the tears fall and cried herself to sleep.

  4

  Her new home was inside an underground fortress located in Siberia, which Henry told her. Even after weeks of exploring, she’d still get lost, but luckily, she was never unaccompanied when she left her living quarters. She was always with Henry or Flavia, as she was still leery of the vampires who only tolerated her presence because they were ordered to leave her alone. Henry had told her that nobody wanted to cross Atticus.

  Sawyer saw just how powerful Atticus was in an incident that occurred days after she was settled into her new home. Sawyer had been wandering the halls with Flavia and scraped her leg on a nail that jutted out from the wall. A small trickle of blood moved down her leg, and almost immediately, a petite female vampire with raging eyes came flying at Sawyer out of nowhere. Before the vampire reached Sawyer, a streak of black flew into sight and brought the vampire to the ground. When Sawyer looked down, Atticus was at her side, and the petite vampire was dead. That was the only time Atticus seemed to be aware of her presence or pay any attention to her. After that, everyone else ignored her, too.

  Flavia was a social butterfly and was always bringing Sawyer to parties that were taking place. Sawyer now knew why her closet was stocked with dresses. A party was always happening, since vampires never slept.

  Sawyer began to trust Flavia, and they became quite close. They would have meals together, and the two even shared a love for making fun of reality television shows. Sawyer was shocked as to how many vampires lived in the fortress. Flavia said that more than two thousand vampires lived there with thousands more living around the world. Apparently, every time a new vampire was created, they needed to be documented in the official registry. Flavia explained that last time she looked, more than twenty thousand vampires existed. Failure to report a new vampire meant dealing with Atticus, so the registry was pretty accurate.

  Sawyer joined Flavia at the royal table during meal times in the dining hall. Atticus was present at many of the meals, and Sawyer noticed that other vampires cowered in his presence. Nobody reacted that way to Flavia, who had a warm personality and lit up the room every time she entered.

  Henry was much more subdued than Flavia and stayed away from the parties. He spent time with Sawyer taking walks around the fortress, always holding her hand or finding other ways to touch her, such as stroking her hair as they talked or placing his hand on the small of her back as he guided her through new corridors around the fortress. Sawyer knew that Henry was attracted to her, but she wasn’t ready to start a relationship with a man who was technically dead. But his company was comforting and brought her joy.

  Henry shared stories about vampire culture and about the real history of the world that books got wrong, such as the Spanish Inquisition, which was originally headed by a team of rogue vampires. His conversation was intriguing, and Sawyer enjoyed every moment with him. His good looks were mesmerizing and Sawyer often found herself staring at him, trying to find even one flaw, but never succeeding.

  On a few occasions, she’d passed Atticus in the hallway, but he always ignored her and pretended she didn’t exist. At first, Sawyer was hurt by his disregard for her, but soon, Sawyer began ignoring him, too. They simply coexisted in an underground fortress that was six levels and as big as ten square city blocks.

  Sawyer wanted to learn more about how she arrived in Siberia because in her head, it still didn’t make sense. After spending weeks with Flavia, she felt comfortable enough to ask questions that had been plaguing her for weeks.

  “How did I get to Siberia?”

  Flavia looked amused, “My brother and I have been around for thousands of years. We have more money, resources, and political power than anybody on this planet. So, when we needed to get you to Siberia, you were simply put on a jet and arrived within hours.”

  “That’s a long flight. It would have taken a lot longer than a few hours to arrive here from Minneapolis.”

  “That’s true, if you were flying on a commercial jet. As I said, we have vast resources and access to technology not available to the general public.”

  Sawyer took her questions in another direction, “Don’t you get bored being here all of the time?”

  “Not really,” explained Flavia. “When I am bored, I leave. Unlike other vampires, I can go out in the sunlight. I travel a lot. I enjoy plays, nature, hiking. I have only stayed cooped up indoors to keep you company.”

  Sawyer was grateful for her companionship and hoped that one day Flavia would take her on some of her travels.

  A devious look crossed Flavia’s face as she smirked. “And, it’s not so bad here. Besides the parties, there are other ways to be entertained.”

  “How so?” asked Sawyer, curious as to what Flavia meant.

  “Even when people become vampires when they’re old, their new genetics make them young again. We don’t age, and most vampires are nice to look at. Also, vampires don’t sleep. If you get a bunch of good looking people together who have a lot of stamina, what do you think happens?”

  Flavia went on to share stories of her sexual exploits with many of the vampires that Sawyer had met. Flavia’s stories were wild, and sometimes humorous, like the time she ended up sleeping with the twin of the man she had actually pursued.

  Sawyer had never been one to sleep around, but Flavia’s stories were entertaining, and the women found themselves laughing for hours. Sawyer, who was on the other end of the spectrum, could count all of her sexual partners on one hand. But, she was open to creating some wild adventures of her own. She was cooped up indoors with the most beautiful men she had ever seen, but nobody was paying attention to her. One man she really wanted to pay attention to her was Atticus, but the king had hardly glanced at her. Besides, he was surrounded with women vampires, who were just as flawless as the men. Henry was an option. He was picturesque, but her feelings towards him were not passionate. Maybe she would develop more feelings as she spent more time with him.

  “Well, all of that sounds fun, but nobody even talks to me unless you are around,” said Sawyer.

  “Well, Henry has a thing for you,” said Flavia. “Even though you don’t notice, I hear what the guys are saying about you. But in all reality, they are probably too terrified of Atticus and his wrath. They all know drinking your blood is definitely off limits, but nobody knows if it’s all right to pursue a relationship with you.”

  “A relationship?” asked Sawyer. “I don’t want a relationship. I just want to be touched. You’re all so beautiful.”

  Flavia said, “You need to look in the mirror. You’re just as beautiful as anyone here. Imagine what you would look like if you were a vampire, with your amazing green eyes and red curls. You’d be a goddess!”

  Sawyer continued spending time with Flavia and Henry, but didn’t pursue anything with Henry. On one occasion, Henry leaned in as if he was going to kiss her, but then he didn’t. Sawyer was glad he chickened out because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He seemed to sense her reservations.

  After nearly a month of living underground in Siberia, Sawyer finally garnered up the courage to leave her living quarters on her own. She used her time to run around the fortress to get some exercise to help deal the with cabin fever. Sawyer slipped on a pair of running shoes and ran through the halls of the fortress. This became her morning ritual.

  She began to see the same faces daily and tried to be friendly. Some of the guards waved at her as she passed, but others turned their heads to ignore her. Sawyer gave up trying to make friends and decided not to force the issue.

  One morning, Sawyer decided to run on a different floor to explore something new. She was lonely and bored and needed some excitement. A familiar scent tickled her nose: salt water. She ran towards the scent and eventually heard rushing water, like there was a waterfall up ahead. She quickened her pace and came to set of solid wood doors that she had never seen before. A huge lock was in place, but it was unlocked. Sawyer figured
she probably shouldn’t go inside, but she didn’t care. Her days were monotonous, and she was itching to discover something new.

  Upon opening the doors, she discovered a little piece of paradise. The running water, was in fact, a waterfall. Steam was rising from the pools of water that collected under the rushing water. Underground hot springs? Impossible!

  The water was surrounded by grass and flowers, which seemed unfeasible because the only light was artificial, but Sawyer was seeing this with her own eyes. However, the light felt real, like it was coming from the sun. She missed the sunshine and being in that room made her feel like she was outdoors. Sawyer took off her shoes and walked across the soft, lush grass until she reached a pool of water. She dipped her toe into the water to ensure that it was in fact water, and not an unknown substance that could harm her.

  She lifted her toe from the water, and it was fine, which gave her all the clearance she needed to strip down and jump in. The feeling of joy was quickly replaced with terror. Something grabbed her legs and pull her underwater, but then she was immediately lying on her back in the grass.

  Atticus was looking down at her.

  “What are you doing in here?” scowled Atticus as he handed her a towel, as she was completely naked.

  “Nobody told me not to come in. The door was unlocked,” explained Sawyer, as she wrapped the towel around herself. Beads of sweat formed at her temples. Is he going to kill me?

  “Everybody knows that this is my private area,” said Atticus in a non-threatening tone.

  Sawyer relaxed, slightly.

  Suddenly embarrassed, Sawyer realized that Atticus was naked, and looked away. But from the brief glimpse, she noticed his perfectly chiseled body that stood just over six feet tall. His arms were muscular, as were his stomach and legs. She wanted a second glance at his body, so she turned her head, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  “You’re welcome to look,” said Atticus, nonchalantly. “Humans can be so prude. It’s just a body.”

  Sawyer’s cheeks flushed, “I… I’ll just leave.”

  “You can stay. The artificial light in here gives off ultraviolet light, so it’s close to sunlight. You and Flavia are the only ones who can ever come in her besides me. You could probably use the vitamin D.”

  Sawyer wasn’t about to turn down his invitation. It was the first time he was being nice to her.

  He took a seat at the edge of the water, and Sawyer sat down next to him. She held up the towel with a free hand to keep herself covered. Although Atticus was comfortable being naked, Sawyer felt intimidated by him.

  “So, how are you faring in our little world?” asked Atticus.

  Sawyer was shocked that he was trying to make small talk. “To be honest, I’m bored and lonely.”

  “Well, at least you’re not dead.”

  “Well, yes, I guess that’s one positive spin you could put on my situation.” Sawyer moved a few inches away from Atticus. He wasn’t going to be nice, after all.

  He grabbed her wrist to stop her from moving farther away.

  “I’ll take you outside tomorrow to get some fresh air and sunshine.”

  “Thanks, but aren’t we in Siberia?” asked Sawyer.

  “Yes, but we can fly anywhere. Where do you want to go?”

  “Anywhere?”

  “Yes, just name the place,” said Atticus.

  Sawyer thought. Where have I always wanted to go? “France,” said Sawyer, expecting him to refuse such a request.

  “Okay,” said Atticus, still holding her wrist, but refusing to make eye contact.

  Sawyer’s skin began to tingle under his touch, and her heart rate increased. As she tried to focus her thoughts, Sawyer’s other hand dropped to the ground, forgetting that she was holding up her towel with that hand.

  With her naked body exposed, Atticus turned his head and slowly moved his eyes down from her face, to her neck, breasts, and stomach. Sawyer reached for the towel with her free hand. Atticus stopped her.

  “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” said Atticus as his eyes moved back up to meet her eyes.

  “You think I’m beautiful? You look at me with such loathing. I thought you hated me,” said Sawyer, confused by his hot and cold attitude.

  “You’re wrong,” said Atticus.

  With that, Atticus gently pushed Sawyer down into the soft grass, which tickled her back. Atticus looked down at her and gently stroked her jawline while looking into her eyes before moving down to kiss her. Sawyer wasn’t sure what was happening, but she didn’t want him to stop. At night, she dreamed of a moment like this with the vampire king, and her dreams had become reality. But the reality was even better than she had imagined. She welcomed each kiss, movement, and touch as Atticus explored her body with his hands and his mouth.

  His fingers moved across her chest and landed on one of her hardened nipples. He moved his mouth to her breast encircling her nipple with his tongue, then moving to the other breast.

  Sawyer felt the heat grow between her legs as she anticipated what he would do next. His hand moved down to her clit as he once again raised his head to kiss her. His fingers worked magic as Sawyer couldn’t hold back moans of pleasure. He inserted a finger into her sex, applying pressure, while still massaging her outer core stimulating each nerve ending. She could feel her climax building, and Atticus moved his body on top of Sawyer as she welcomed him with spread legs. She reached down to feel his erection, and was not surprised by its massive size. She guided him into her as they moved in perfect unison, as if they had been lovers for lifetimes.

  Atticus leaned down and playfully bit her lower lip, not realizing he had to be more gentle because she wasn’t a vampire. A small drop of blood formed on Sawyer’s lip as she watched Atticus’s eyes widen. He leaned down and licked the drop of blood, which had reached her chin. Before Sawyer realized what happened, Atticus smiled and revealed razor-sharp fangs. Suddenly alarmed of being in such a vulnerable position, she pushed Atticus off her and backed away quickly. She ran to the door as her foot hit a sharp rock on the way out. She quickly examined her foot to see blood pooling on the ground. He licked blood off my face. What kind of animal is he? He’s going to kill me!

  Sawyer grabbed her clothes and ran. She was worried that the blood pouring from the gash on her foot would make her the target of attacks from other vampires unable to control their urges. Atticus must have had the same thought because he ran up behind her, threw her over his shoulder effortlessly, and ran with Sawyer to her living quarters. When they arrived, he placed her in the shower, joined her, and washed all the blood from her foot and the remaining blood from her lip. Atticus bit his finger and placed his own blood over the gash in her foot and the small puncture on her lip.

  “Sawyer, what happened back there? Did I hurt you?”

  Sawyer didn’t respond, but instead examined her foot and saw that the gash was gone.

  Atticus explained. “It’s healed. The blood stopped the bleeding. You’ll be safe.”

  “Your blood heals?” asked Sawyer.

  “It heals humans.”

  “Is that why I never had a bump or bruise on my head when I arrived?”

  “Yes. I healed you when you were first brought here. You had a nasty cut on your head, and the vampire who attacked you left two puncture wounds in your neck.”

  They both fell silent, not wanting to bring up the events that just took place.

  Finally, Sawyer spoke, “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” said Atticus. “I finally gave into how much I want you.” He looked so handsome with the water from the shower pouring over him. “I have wanted to make love to you since I first saw you, but I kept my distance.”

  “You bit me and licked the blood from my lip,” said Sawyer, with a slight hint of repulsion in her voice.

  “It was just a little fun. I wanted to see how your mystery blood tasted, but I wasn’t going to hurt you,” said Atticus.

  “It’s strange that it
didn’t burn you like it did the other vampires.”

  “I’m not like other vampires,” said Atticus. That fact appeared to inflate his ego.

  “Do you taste every woman? You know, when you’re—”

  “Fucking? Well, yes, if they’re human. But, I’ve been with thousands of humans, and none of them have tasted as sweet as you,” said Atticus, smiling. “Besides, I bit you accidentally, and it was just a drop of blood. That’s as far as I was going to go. Honestly, I thought you were enjoying yourself.”

  Sawyer felt her stomach tighten as she heard his words. Thousands of humans? She meant nothing to him.

  “I think you should leave,” said Sawyer, who was hurt and felt insignificant.

  “Sawyer, honestly, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” said Atticus.

  “Please, just leave.”

  “As you wish.”

  With a flash, he was gone.

  5

  The next morning, Flavia took a shower after her morning run. She ran her fingers through her wet, crimson curls and pinched her cheeks to give them some color, as her sun-kissed skin color had faded from the lack of being outside. She walked into her living room, wondering what she was going to watch on television to pass the time.

  Atticus was waiting for her, dressed in fitted black pants, a fitted white collared shirt, and black shoes that looked as if they cost more anything she owned.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Sawyer, who was utterly confused.

  “I promised to take you to France,” beamed Atticus. “I thought we’d go to Paris.”

  “Oh,” said Sawyer. “I thought that after yesterday, you wouldn’t want to go.” She hoped he couldn’t hear the tremors in her voice. She was still hurt that she was only one of thousands of women he had taken to bed. And she was scared he would hurt her. After all, she meant nothing to him.

  “You’re scared of me,” said Atticus, matter-of-factly.