by C C Morgen
Ali unsheathed her Elven sword as the horde rushed on top of us, blocking my view of the sky. Bodies tumbled over and the men with shields huddled close, blocking the Ghouls and spearing them one by one. Ali leaped high in the air above the horde and spiraled with her blade, cutting through their hefty bodies. They burst into ash colliding with us. The force of their hits were so strong that it distracted me from using my magic. Watching Ali fight without fear in her eyes was like that memorable day, she rushed in to save Claudia and me. She has the same look and determination to not stop.
The horde kept piling on us, until I took a deep breath and focused my energy on my hand. A black mass took form into a sphere surging from the palm. It grew larger and larger with all the magic I could push into it. Then in a split second, I yanked Ali close to me as she fell back down from her last leap to fend off the Ghouls. “DOWN,” I yelled for the men to brace themselves. The mass I created exploded upward, sending a pulse wave, knocking away the horde. They burst into ash around us and many fell into the flames below, and others flung over the walls of the castle.
In that moment of breath, I grabbed three of Ali’s arrows and spelled them with Dragon’s breath. Ali at the same time took the arrows one by one and shot it at the horde while they were vulnerable. Flames ignited with every hit. Eric rushed and fought off Ghouls blocking us from moving along the bridge. The rest spread out in pairs fighting off and destroying them as much as possible.
I enchanted most of the arrows as Ali fired them. However, the horde drew too close where she had continued fighting with her sword. My blade cut through five and she fought gracefully, slicing through all within her path. She never once pulled out Valora in the fight. The men grunted taking down each Ghoul they faced. It was getting tough since more arrived in spurts that began to drain everyone. We were all still alive and unharmed, but for how long? I sent another exploding sphere at a large pack stampeding towards us. My energy was depleting fast, and I needed to have my elixir.
I quickly tried to go into my bag to search for a vial, but before I could grab ahold of one, a Ghoul came out of nowhere and knocked into me. My body slammed into the edge of the bridge nearly falling over before Ali rushed over and grasped my vest from the chest line. However, the bag in my hand slipped and fell into the fiery sea. Shock took over my mind, realizing it was gone and my power was nearly depleted along with my life energy.
Ali grasped my wrist and pulled me close to her. The look on my face explained it all as she ran with me across the bridge. Eric saw me an Ali running to the right side towards the balconies. He yelled for the men, “TAKE COVER.” They aided each other to the left side where Eric joined them, because we were too far, and the horde blocked the way. Ali ran with me down a dark corridor and a short way down we entered a single door chamber. She noticed right-a-way the barricades for the thick iron door and sealed it shut. We heard the bodies of Ghouls smash into the door but could not make a dent on the thick metal.
Ali stepped away, gripping her sword tight, as if she didn’t believe that it would hold. They kept slamming into the door hard, making the sound echo in the room. When I looked around, it looked like we were in what was once an armory. There were empty pegs, shelves and workbenches, covered in dust and cobwebs. There was an old kiln used by the blacksmiths to mold weapons. We always build armories to withstand an attack, which made me realize we were safe for now.
I sat on the bench and caught my breath. “We are safe in here.” I assured her. “You can rest for now. They won’t be getting in anytime soon. Maybe never. This is the armory. The walls and the door are impenetrable.”
“Are we really safe?” she asked, not trusting my words.
“Yes,” I leaned back in exhaustion. “Trust me. These chambers are a fortress in itself. They’re not getting in.”
She holstered her sword and took a knee on the ground. “Thank the ninth heavens. I thought for a moment there you would fall over the bridge.”
“I nearly did,” I reacted with relief. “You saved my life again, warrior.”
“That was some magic you did out there,” Ali sat next to me. “I’ve seen nothing like that before. You actually helped a lot. I thought they defeated us with how they overwhelmed the bridges like that—but you really saved us out there too. Not to mention the numbers we are facing. I don’t know how we’ll find the Demon, controlling the horde.”
“I didn’t think he had this many,” I responded with grief. “We need more warriors to fight this battle.”
“That was your elixir that fell into the fire,” she changed the subject. “You have nothing to replenish yourself with.”
I exhaled in exhaustion. “I’m at a loss, Ali. I cannot survive without feeding. Unfortunately, I used up a lot of my life energy today. I won’t be able to fight anymore.”
“You can feed off of me if you need to,” she offered without hesitation.
“I can’t—and I won’t,” I answered. “You need your strength. You and your men need to keep going. Maybe even get out of here. You don’t need to uphold your oath to help the Demon Empire. This is a deathly trap that my people convinced you to fight, because they are too lazy to do something. They rather eat and drink in the castle's safety and do nothing.”
“You know this is not an obligation to me,” Ali kneeled in front of me. “I wanted to help. As hard, it is to believe I actually wanted to do this. Not because it means my end, but because I’m a part of the Empire in a way. I wanted to know what it was like here in the Underworld. When I realized you were in trouble, how can I not do anything? Anyway, I kind of did it out of spite too when you turned me away.”
“Oh, now the secret is revealed,” I said. “You wanted to make me feel bad.”
“I guess my mother shines through me at times. That’s something she would have done. Well, she does it all the time if we want to be honest. My mother kills many people out of spite…”
“I don’t think you’re anything like your mother or the Harpys,” I interrupted her. “I see you more as a Dark Elf. Honorable and kind.” I whispered close to her ear. “Not to mention unspeakably charming.” I hunched over and rested my elbows on my knees, slouching. “I’m glad you offered your help to our cause. Otherwise, we would have never become friends.” I paused for a moment, thinking of the others. “I hope the men are alright. Hopefully, they found shelter to rest. They fought hard today, and we didn’t even make it passed the first bridge.”
“Where is Lord Castalian?” she asked. “He didn’t show himself at all during the battle.
“He doesn’t need to come out until nightfall. He would most likely be near the large structure far down at the end of the castle… We would have to break through the horde to get to him.”
“Huh—so this is how it will be?” Ali muttered. “He will fight us at his strongest.”
“That’s if you can survive the Ghoul. It looks like he has gathered thousands.” I sighed. “The old empire might actually win this war. Wipe out me and the other new lords from existence.”
“That will not happen,” she looked me straight in the eyes. “Not while I’m still breathing in this world.” She pulled out Valora. “My father would have won this fight today. Valora always guided him to victory. I barely can last with the power my father had when he held this sword.”
“It’s not your fault that you can’t fully handle the strain. We are all vulnerable at certain points in our life. Before Claudia matured into a Succubus, she was quite weak. She couldn’t conjure magic like the one I did. She was next to being almost human if she wasn’t half Vampire.”
“But when she matured, she could become stronger.”
“Yes and no,” I answered. “She only became stronger when she believed in herself. My sister is stubborn as can be. She kept practicing magic even before she matured. She could do remarkable things with her passion for the dark arts. When she did mature, finally she became even more powerful than our family. You can still achieve things Ali. Y
ou don’t need to be immortal or a full Dark Elf to do it.”
“You sound like my teacher,” she chuckled. “Luna used to say the same things when I was in training. They taught me young that I had to work harder than ever to be worthy of this sword. To be worthy of my father’s name.”
“You Dark Elves carry your honor too proudly. How about you enjoy who you are for once? No one said you needed to be worthy of anything. That’s just something you bestowed on yourself. The Alucard in front of me has more worth than anyone I know.” I laid my arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close. “If we are going to die, let’s die having a good laugh. I want to enjoy this time with you, even though we’re trapped in this room.” Ali leaned against me with her eyes shut. “Are you tired?”
“I’m exhausted,” she sighed out.
“Well you didn’t get much rest on our ride here.”
“You elbowed me, and I had to ride with Eric,” She glanced up at me. “Of course, I didn’t get any rest. Besides, you are more comfortable to lie on.” She nestled her head on my breast.
“So, I’ve become your personal pillow.” I chuckled. “You are just being a spoiled child right now.”
“Can I—just for now?” She asked in a sweet tone that sounded adorable.
“My-my, you are just being cute.” I rubbed the side of her head with my fingertips until she fell asleep and her breath became slow and at peace. That’s when I knew she passed out. I set my chin on her head, feeling my body become weaker.
At this rate, my death will be near.
CHAPTER 21
Ali
ANGELICA’S HEARTBEAT WAS LIKE MUSIC to my ears. The warmth of her chest was relaxing as I woke up from a short nap. I no longer felt exhausted; however, I could tell Angelica needed to feed. Her face looked pale and her breathing was less strong. She was hungry, falling in and out of sleep. I moved her head to rest on my shoulder near my neck. I made sure her nose was touching my skin, so my scent would entice her to feed.
“You smell fantastic right now,” she uttered. “I’m still not going to feed on you, even though you want me to.”
“You need to feed Angelica. Can you please not be noble right now? I don’t want you to get any weaker.”
“You need your strength for battle.”
“You do too,” I replied. “You are a member of this brotherhood the day you volunteered. I cannot let a member die under my watch. The others would tell you the same if they were here.”
Angelica’s tongue lick my neck. “I’m starving. I don’t know if I can control myself.”
“I trust you—just feed already.”
She breathed out on my skin, licking it more intensely around the back of my neck, until she bit her teeth into my flesh. The feel of her mouth gave me shivers down my back.
Angelica trembled on me, as if she was afraid to harm me and didn’t want me to feel pain. Although, I felt the opposite. The venom she secreted was like euphoria, making me feel light as clouds, drifting into relaxation even though her hand pressed on the side of my neck, and repositioned it to grip my jaw the more she drained the life out of me. My energy decreased as she sucked some of my blood along with my life force. Then she suddenly stopped, still gripping hard.
“Are you ok?” I asked while she laid her forehead on my shoulder roughly. “Did you get enough?”
“You shouldn’t be asking me that,” she finally responded. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine—don’t worry. I’m just a little weak, but I can manage.”
“I sensed your life force in me,” Angelica explained. “I didn’t want to stop feeding.”
“Did I taste that good?” I grinned.
“Oh yes you did. It’s every lady’s dream to have their host taste so delicious.”
“I’m glad,” I replied. “It worried me you wouldn’t do it.”
“You do know how to persuade a lady my valiant Dark Elf.”
“I vowed to protect you, milady.”
“Yes, you did,” she smiled. “Thank you for reminding me I have a charming protector.”
“Do you really see me like that?”
Angelica moved her face closer to mine and embraced my lips with hers in a deep kiss. It was as soft as the last time we kissed, but this time it was different. There was more sincerity in her passion towards me as she caressed my cheek and pulled me closer. Her lips grazed my face down to my neck. My blood rushed through my veins as the heat of her breath intoxicated me until I was in a blissful trance, then I forced to break it to gain back my awareness.
“Angelica—we can’t do this right now,” I got up from the bench and leaned against the cold wall that cooled the hot sensation on my skin. Angelica got up and pinned me where I stood to prevent me from running away. Her arm went around my waist, leaning in for another kiss, but I turned my face away before she could.
“Look at me Ali.” I hesitated for a moment. “Ali.” She whispered in my ear, making me quiver in her arms. I turned to gaze into her dark eyes that stared directly into mine. She was so close I could feel my heart about to explode with how excited my body naturally responded to hers. She began to touch my scars with her fingertips in a way to tease me into seduction. She traced it down my neck where she unbuttoned my hood and then started undoing my leather armor. But I grabbed her wrist before she could undo more. She kissed my cheek and kept unlacing my vest until she could slide it off completely and it dropped on the floor. Her hand grazed the surface of my scar, gently down my chest, where I didn’t really feel any sensation. “Can you feel this?” she asked, touching all the way down my stomach, to my side where the scar ended at my slacks.
“I can’t feel much where you touched—it’s dead skin.”
“How far down does it go?” She started to untie my slacks. Although, I grabbed her hand before she could.
“It goes all the way down my thigh—Please don’t.”
“You are so beautiful.” She pecked my lips and started to trail kisses down the scar on my face. “Why are you holding back so much? You’re letting me do this. So, you must enjoy it.” She kissed down my neck.
I leaned further back into the wall. “You are not being fair right now.”
Angelica backed away, unbuttoning her vest slowly as I started to watch her undress. She looked me directly in the eyes as her vest fell to the ground, exposing her firm breasts. She removed a wide belt holding her daggers and tossed it to the side. I gasped at the sight of her slender, lean body that was more beautiful to gaze upon than any of the women from back home. She stood there as I stared at her longer than expected. Then I reached out my hand for her to take. She gradually stepped in and crossed her finger through mine until they locked us together.
In that moment, I yanked her towards me, embracing her in a kiss. I took ahold of her by the thighs and lifted her legs around my waist firmly before slamming her against the wall. It tasted like blood on her lips the longer we embraced. It was my blood. The very taste she enjoys, sinking her teeth into me. She nipped and tugged the bottom of my lip, kissing me passionately until I could no longer resist anymore.
I carried her over to the table and sat her on top, kissing her neck as she moaned in my ear. She didn’t hold back on leaving marks on me. Her fingernails clawed into my back when I bit her shoulder, hard. My tongue glided down her chest as I untied and loosened her tight leather slacks. She leaned back as I pulled it passed her thighs and removed it. Once she was completely undressed, I instantly lifted her up from her behind and forced her to the edge of the table where she wrapped her legs around my waist. She squeezed tighter than before as I slide my hand down between her thighs until the warm sensation of her body envelop my fingertips. She grabbed onto me harder as I pushed into her, making her spasm and squeeze my hand in pure ecstasy as she moaned.
Her lips embraced mine as she fell into bliss to my touch. Her thighs crushed my waist until I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. Her sounds excited me, and the warmth of her bod
y enticed me to pleasure her more. The scent of her skin became more delicious than usual. I could feel the pores on my skin open wider than normal and it sucked in the sexual energy, radiating off Angelica’s quivering body. She clutched me even tighter the deeper I went. The moans and the sweet smell of her body clouded every edge of my mind until the Succubus nature in me turned on, heightening my senses. I smelled the very thing my mother loved to devour from her victims. The essence of someone in pure ecstasy. This differed from Phyla. I wanted Angelica in a way was like a hunger that needed to be satisfied. I wanted to devour her.
I pushed her back, kissing down her belly into the cracks between her thighs until my lips kissed every sensitive spot to make her go into bliss again. My tongue penetrated her feeling inside the warmth she gave off until I could taste her like a reviving drink that was as sweet as wine. The ecstasy was so passionate she crushed my head and moaned in delight until the energy coursed through my veins. My heart throbbed against my chest and my body vibrated, feeling the energy rush in like water.
I felt dizzy and laid atop her until my head was on her chest to hear her heartbeat, racing just as fast as mine. Angelica wrapped her arms around me and held me in place as my body draped over her. Her breath was heavy and panting, and the high was so concentrated that I could not move.
She pulled my body on the table with her and we laid together. She continued to hold me in her arms as my body was still, looking deep into her dark eyes. “What just happened?” The words blurted out with a wide grin forming on my face as she smiled at me.
“You fed on me,” she answered. “You fed well.” Angelica slightly laughed while brushing strands of hair away from her face. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before.”
“Felt like what?” I moved my arm to caress her face.
“Happy,” she answered. “I’ve never been this happy before.”
“I know how you feel,” I added. “I don’t know what this is though. Happiness or—I just haven’t felt like this before. I’ve never experienced this much intimacy when I was with Phyla. Your bliss flowed inside me. It was like—in that moment I felt connected to you. By the way, you tasted so good.”
