Midnight's Jewel (Siren Publishing Classic)

by J. Annas Walker

  “What is she?” Sabrina’s curiosity got the better of her.

  “She’s a human survivor of a rogue werewolf attack. The scar on her neck is from where he tried to tear out her throat. The damage healed, but her voice is gone forever. We found her right after the attack, but vampire blood can’t heal everything.” He took a long drink from his mug.

  “What happened to the werewolf?”

  “Oh, he’s still here,” Brandon said with a wink. He nodded at a thick animal fur rug on the floor in front of the balcony doors. Sabrina had not noticed it last night.

  “You killed him,” she gasped.

  “Of course, we couldn’t very well turn him in to the cops. I can’t have rogue werewolves running around eating people. It’s bad for business.” He made it sound so practical, so logical. “Since she was already in on the secret and she was owed restitution for her injuries, I gave Scarlet a very good paying job and one of the apartments downstairs. She’ll have everything she needs for the rest of her life.” He went back to his paper.

  Sabrina drank her orange juice and wondered what sort of man she was sitting beside. He had admitted to mob-style criminal activity for his income and now to murder. She wished she had been paying more attention yesterday. This was not the sort of person to safeguard her for Eleanor without asking for payment. The question was how high a price was he asking. The answer did not matter. Eleanor had already agreed. She downed the rest of her juice and went to the balcony doors.

  She stood staring up at the moon, hoping to find comfort in its presence. A chilled hand touched her shoulder, but she did not look at its owner. Instead, she leaned her cheek over and brushed her skin against it lightly.

  The now familiar rush of heat spread over her skin. Her nipples tightened into hard pebbles. They strained against the soft lace of her bra and rubbed the knit cotton of her T-shirt. She was aware of the wetness building along the lips of her pussy. An aching need to have his bare skin against hers throbbed from her very center. Her heart gave a flutter out of time and started back faster than normal. Her blood felt like a raging fire being pumped through her entire body. Every nerve was tingling, as if they were high-voltage lines. She inhaled sharply, taking in his scent, earthy dark amber.

  The effect he was having on her was so new, so confusing, and yet, she craved it like a drug. There was nothing in the world except the two of them. The noises from the city below disappeared. The apartment and its staff melted away into nothingness.

  She looked over her shoulder at Brandon. He was staring down at her. The look of a predator was back. This time, it was more lustful than conquering. The heat of her skin flared between them. It was like a solar flare lashing out, consuming anything close enough to burn. He was in her space. Only she wanted to be the one who was consumed by the fire in her veins. He grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around, and kissed her hard.

  She was unsure what to do. It was her first kiss. She relaxed into it and allowed him to lead. It became a dance of lips and tongue, of hands finding just the right curves to caress or hold. Part of her wished it would go on forever. The rest of her wanted it to be the beginning of something she did not have words for.

  His hands slid down to cradle her ass. He lifted her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around him for support. She could feel his hard cock straining against his jeans. She squeezed her legs tighter around him, pressing her crotch harder along his shaft. He broke away from her kiss. Leaning his head back, eyes closed, he drew in a heavy breath and released a guttural moan. His fangs glinted in the soft light of the moon. Sabrina allowed an impatient sigh to escape. She wanted him to come back to her, to kiss her again.

  He braced her better with his hands and carried her back inside. There had been staff in the apartment handling the daily chores when she stepped out onto the balcony. Now there was no one in sight. She had not heard them leave, nor did she care. They were alone.

  Brandon took her to his room and laid her gently back on the bed. He crawled onto it and pressed his weight down the entire length of her body. He kissed her gently on the lips. The kisses lingered there for only a moment before trailing their way down the side of her neck. His hands moved down the length of her side until they found her waistband. Brandon continued to nibble at her neck and back up to her mouth as he pulled her shirt free.

  In a practiced, fluid motion, he lifted her up and pulled her shirt over her head in a single move. Once the shirt was free, he gave her two quick kisses on the lips, laid her back, and worked his way down her neck. She could feel the pendant humming slightly every time he was close to it. She opened her eyes to see faint rainbows on his skin. She giggled at her own happiness. For the first time in her life, she felt free to find herself, to lose herself.

  Brandon’s eye flicked up to meet hers. He had reached the tops of her breasts. Using both hands, he cupped each one and gave a careful squeeze. A shiver rippled down her spine. She was nervous and excited. Her body screamed for more. Until a few minutes ago on the balcony, she had never been kissed, and now she was allowing this man to undress her. His thumbs rubbed across her peaked nipples. More heat ran through her. Could love happen so fast? Was it possible to know in an instant that the right person had been found? He pulled her bra to one side and sucked as much of her breast into his mouth as he could. She found her answer in the heartbeat it took him do it. Yes. Yes, it could be that instantaneous. She thought her heart would explode with this newfound knowledge.

  His fangs pressed painfully into her skin but did not penetrate. His tongue swirled over and around her nipple. Hands slipped underneath her body. She arched her back to allow him to unclasp her bra and remove it. She gave a soft moan and ran her hands through his hair.

  He released her long enough to pull his own shirt over his head. She ran her hands over his smooth, sculpted chest. There were a few light scars he must have acquired prior to becoming a vampire. Where they came from was not important in this moment. Broad shoulders loomed above her. He laid his body along the length of hers. His skin was cool to the touch, a stark contrast to the fire that seemed to ride hers. He kissed her again. Having her hot nipples against his cold chest made the rosy pebbles tighten even harder.

  Instinctively, she moved one leg to the side, allowing him to slip between them. Her jeans were restraining. She moved her hands down his back. The muscles rippled under her fingers. She worked her way down to his hips and slipped her hands into his jeans. His ass was as well-muscled as the rest of his body. She wanted rid of the jeans, to have that last bit of freedom.

  As if he read her thoughts, he unbuttoned both pairs. He got up to slide his off. Standing above her was a beautiful man who desired her. His dick was stiff and ready. He leaned over her and pulled her jeans down slowly, taking her panties with them. It was as if he were unwrapping a precious gift. She gasped. Nervousness and a little fear were beginning to mingle with the passion and need. Never in her life had she been so exposed and vulnerable. There was an urge to cover herself.

  “Look at me,” Brandon whispered in a low voice. Sabrina glanced up from her nakedness to his eyes. The dark brown had become near-black pools. In a moment, she forgot about her reservations and allowed her boiling need to surface from very deep within.

  Sticky nectar welled in her pussy. She could feel her clit plump. Her breathing increased to a near pant. He crawled back onto the bed, running his hands up her legs. He gently spread them apart. Leaning in close, he nuzzled against her bush and inhaled deep.

  “You smell just the way I remember sunshine, only mixed with the sweet tang of a woman. God, you are intoxicating,” he said.

  Before she had time to process his words, he flicked his tongue along her slit. A hard shudder rocked her body and her breathing nearly stopped. There was an instant when she thought she would levitate. She clutched a fistful of his silk sheets, anchoring herself to the bed. He lapped and sucked her pussy lips into his mouth until all the sticky fluids were licked clean.
Then he moved his attention up to her plump pearl.

  “You have the sweetest pussy I have ever tasted,” he mumbled into her clit.

  He pressed his tongue flat against it and began working back and forth. The slippery, smooth motion made her writhe beneath him. A wonderful tingling emanated from her clit, spreading down to her cunt. A quivering began rippling deep inside her. It was strange and unfamiliar, but she liked it. Without warning, he slipped two fingers inside her. It pinched and hurt. Something was in the way. She cried out a little and bit down hard on her lip.

  He stopped, pulled his fingers out, and sat up. A confused look crossed his face as he looked down at his blood-tinged fingers. He looked back up at her and then to his fingers. Understanding replaced confusion. He raised the bloody fingers to his face, inhaled the coppery scent, and plunged them into his mouth. A pained expression played around his eyes.

  Sabrina felt embarrassed. Was she not good? Did it matter she was a virgin? She began filling with doubt. The heat along her skin started cooling. She covered her mouth and looked toward the window. Her breath hitched. Fear of being rejected niggled its way into the back of her mind. Had he changed his mind?

  Brandon lay down beside her and spooned her. “Shhh, don’t cry. It’s okay,” he soothed. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want. It only hurts the first time.” He smoothed her hair back away from her face. Fire rushed across her skin under his cool palm.

  “I want you. Every time you touch me, something I can’t explain rises to the surface. I can’t help it. I didn’t know being a virgin would be problematic for you,” she apologized.

  “A problem? No, it’s not a problem. I just wish I had known. I might not have been so forward. I would have done a better job preparing you. I can smell your emotions, you know. This whole conversation could have been avoided,” he said. He cupped a breast and kissed her exposed neck from behind. Fire flared across her skin once more.

  She turned over to face him. “Please, finish this,” she whispered. His only response was a nod.

  He rolled her onto her back. She opened her legs, but he coaxed them further apart as he positioned himself above her. Gripping the base of his shaft, he gently stroked his cockhead along her slit a few times. On the last downward stroke, he pressed against the opening to her pussy and paused.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  She nodded her consent. The fear fluttering in her stomach was being burned away by the rising flares. She wanted him inside her. She needed him to fill her body with his, to stretch her pussy around his cock. She was ready.

  He pressed his cock slowly into her pussy. She was still wet but too tight. He had to work in and out in careful increments to sink his shaft into her slit a few inches. She gave a sharp inhale, held it for a few moments, and let it out slowly. The pain was subsiding. Finally, when she had had time to adjust, he plunged the length of his cock into her depths and stopped. A sharp stinging tore at her. She lay as still as she could. In a few moments, the pain eased.

  “Are you okay?” Brandon whispered.

  “Yes,” Sabrina whispered back. She gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back and kissed her softly on the lips. As she kissed him back, he began stroking her cunt.

  Thrust after thrust, slow at first and then building, he pounded into her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the increasing rhythm. A flood of slippery juices coated his dick. She could feel his cockhead dipping into a pool of it just as he bottomed out with each thrust. Something she did not understand was happening. Her pussy quivered around his shaft. This time there was no fear or insecurity. She went with it.

  The quivering gave way to intense orgasmic spasms. They rolled through her like a tidal wave. The intensity was almost too much. She screamed as the pleasure took her. Her nails dug into the flesh of his back.

  Brandon cried out above her as he came. She could feel his thick cock buried as far as she could take him. Spurts of jizz filled her pussy. It felt foreign and perfect. He collapsed on top of her, panting. Sliding to one side, he cradled her. She curled into him and enjoyed the earthy dark-amber scent of his skin.

  “You are an amazing woman, Sabrina,” he said once he caught his breath.

  Happiness and warm contentment replaced passion’s heat. It was as if there wasn’t enough room in her body for the amount of pleasure she had. She could feel an overwhelming amount of energy building in the center of her being. Dark rainbows flashed. A pulse rang out from her core. Brandon clutched her to him, covering her head protectively.

  When the flash subsided, he turned her loose. They were still on his bed. The bed was still on the floor, but they were not in his room.

  Chapter 8

  Neither of them spoke. They were staring out into the vastness of space. Above them were twinkling stars and the soft glow of planets unhindered by the lights of Earth. Brandon pulled Sabrina tight against him, almost painfully so.

  “Where the hell are we?” Brandon asked as he looked over the edge of the bed. He kept her clutched to his side. She knew he meant to be protective, but she had never felt anything but safe here.

  Sabrina tentatively peeked down to see a familiar gray floor. The bed was sitting behind a stone railing. Below was a dark, near-featureless gray surface with mountains in the distance. A thin slice of bright blue arc surrounded by a blue-white halo illuminated the mountains from behind. Off to the left, a light gray landscape shone under full sunlight. Behind them was a room separated from the open balcony by two massive carved stone columns. Thin, very pale-blue, gauze-like curtains hung in the archway. She knew this place from her dreams. Usually, she was in a room with a large window, but this was a part of the same place.

  “I’ve been here before, just never awake,” she whispered in awe. She pulled the black silk top sheet around her and got up. Brandon did the same with the bottom sheet and joined her at the railing. His cool hand touched her shoulder. Warmth trailed along the surface, similar but not as intense as the heat she had felt on his balcony. It was comforting and added to the tranquility of the place.

  “Is this the moon? How the hell did we end up on the moon? Where is my apartment?” There was a thread of tension in his voice. He placed an arm around her waist. He looked from side to side, scanning the area as if for danger.

  “Would you believe me if I said I don’t know? I always thought this place was a dream. I think it’s Diana’s palace.” She whispered her confession. The peacefulness of the landscape and the quiet from the palace compelled her to use hushed tones. She did not want to break the silence.

  In the distance, a high-pitched whinny caught her attention. It took a moment for her locate after the source. She pointed skyward in the direction of the noise.

  “Look! There, on the horizon!” She forgot about the sacred silence in her excitement.

  “I don’t see anything,” Brandon replied. Sabrina noticed he was looking down at the ground and giggled.

  “No, not down there. In the sky. See where the blue-white glow is cresting the mountains? That black shadow. It’s flying right at us!”

  “Is that a horse? With wings?” Brandon sounded baffled. His mouth was agape. Looking up at him, she could see his fangs. They were tinted pink from licking his fingers. A shudder ran down her spine, and her pussy gave a quiver with the memory.

  She gave another giggle. “No, it’s a Pegasus.”

  Sabrina could understand his confusion. How often could anyone say they had stood on the moon and watched a Pegasus soar through the air?

  The majestic creature flew closer until it swooped past and landed in the courtyard below. The shiny black stud tossed his head, making his mane flutter down his neck. He walked toward the stables as he tucked his black, feathered wings to his side. As far as the Pegasus was concerned, this was any other ordinary day.

  There was a shuffling in the room behind them. They both turned to see an ancient woman sweeping the floor. She was busy with her work and had not noticed them. Her cl
othes reminded Sabrina of peasants in paintings from the Dark Ages. She donned dull, drab earth tones from head to foot. An off-white wimple covered her head and neck. It flowed down over her shoulders and was topped with a rust-red head covering. Her dark-brown dress was straight sackcloth tied at the waist with a heavy matching cord. Only her wrinkled face and calloused hands were exposed. She looked up and squinted at them. She took a few steps closer and leaned toward them, as if her eyesight were failing with age. The broom fell to the floor as she took another step or two. The gauzy curtains must have made it difficult to see them clearly. She dropped the dust pan with a gasp. The old woman inhaled deep and let out a piercing scream. Breath after breath the old woman screamed a wordless cry. It reverberated in the stone room, amplifying the shrill tone.

  Sabrina panicked. She clutched Brandon’s wrists, shut her eyes, and thought of his bedroom. Her pendant hummed against her skin. A wave of energy from deep within expanded from somewhere just above her navel. There was a dizzy spinning, but she dared not peek. Her feet felt as though nothing were under them for a moment. Suddenly, the cold stone floor was replaced with soft, warm carpet. Her world was still, at last. She opened her eyes to find they were back in Brandon’s room.

  Brandon was still holding her tight around the waist. He blinked a few times before relaxing his grip. He looked back to where the bed should have been. The only thing there was an empty patch of carpet.

  “Damn, I really liked that bed,” he complained about his lost treasure.

  “The bed? Not, ‘Damn, we went to the moon’?” she asked. Sabrina was waiting for the moment Brandon processed what had happened and for him to run screaming from the room. The other children always had, and nothing this odd had happened to any of them.

  “After seeing a raining garden in my bathroom and then the Carrie incident, no, I’m not surprised you took us on a lunar excursion,” he responded. “I am bothered about the bed. I’ll never find another one of those in useable condition.” He shook his head, looking back at the empty space.