Blood and Spice

by Lilah E. Noir

  Corwin sighed with relief once he was alone and stared at the time on his laptop with a racing heartbeat. Two minutes to eleven. Many of the guests were already preparing to leave, but the bookshop was still crowded. He looked for Laurel and saw her talking to a pair of men with faerie wings.

  His Mistress must have felt his gaze as she turned to glance and nod at him in reassurance. She hurried to finish her conversation, smiled at the couple and made her way to the counter. Corwin handed her the mic without another word and she hurried to announce the party was over.

  "Thank you all for making it such a special evening." Her honey voice echoed across the room and stopped all the other murmurs and noises. "It's been a pleasure to welcome you in my home, to scare you and treat you to the best my shop offers. Have a safe night and get home by midnight... unless you're not easy to frighten."

  She finished her goodbye speech by encouraging them to write a comment on the bookshop's website or Facebook page. Corwin leaned against the counter, sweating and trying to keep it all together for a few more minutes. All the surrounding smells tortured his sensitive nose. When he looked down at his hands, he realized with horror, his nails were getting longer and turning into claws.

  Laurel noticed the sudden transformation, but she didn't look too troubled. Everyone was more than a little tipsy and they'd just assume the claws were part of his Halloween costume.

  "Go upstairs, little wolf. I'll wrap up and join you soon."

  Her small hand rested on top of his wrist and she smiled at him in encouragement. She moved closer and whispered.

  "I think he's gone. I haven't felt his presence the entire evening. We must have gotten him bored with our small town ways." She smirked but he could read the mild anxiety in her gaze. "Go... You were splendid tonight, I'm so proud of you."

  "I'll be waiting for you, Laurel," Corwin said. The man inside him was retreating, and he almost heard how the predator opened its insatiable jaw.

  While he was walking upstairs, he caught just a light scent of wine.

  VI

  The mirror was at the far right end of the house, hidden between two large bookshelves with first editions. Laurel had used the same illusion she had practiced on Mark's book earlier. The regular customers wouldn't see anything but a plain white wall. Only those with heightened sensitivity could peek through the veil of magic. So far, Laurel had been lucky not to have any such creatures in her bookshop.

  Their secret remained intact even after three years.

  She removed the hood of her scarlet cloak and let her raven hair fall down her shoulders. It'd been quiet after everyone left, except for the grandfather clock that ticked away the seconds left until midnight. Laurel looked around and clasped the leather leash tighter in her hand.

  It was only her and her beloved pet.

  No scent of old wine and ice. No voices. No ghostly touches.

  Corwin was down on all fours at her feet and he growled with impatience. He had stripped naked, as soon his body would change. Otherwise, his clothes would end up in tatters. A heavy steel collar adorned his neck, with an O-ring connected to the sturdy chain in Laurel's hand.

  His leash.

  They both knew the leash was an illusion of power. When he turned, he could rip it off without even trying, pounce on her and tear her body apart. All her wit, charm and magic tricks wouldn't help her if she lost control of the beast.

  "Shh... Quiet, little wolf." She petted his hair and he snapped his head up. The ferocious look in his glowing eyes brought a chill through her body. Corwin bared his teeth and Laurel noticed his canines had grown longer. His long claws were leaving marks on the wooden floor. The next day she'd have to cover it with the heavy Persian rug. The leash tightened in her hand when he tried to pull away, growling in a louder, more unrestrained way.

  Laurel turned her attention to the wall and uttered the enchantment under her breath. A full-length mirror framed in a thick wood with rich ornaments in gold and silver formed before them. They were exquisite decorations of golden and silver and depicted alternating images of the sun, the moon and a constellation of tiny stars. Light mist spread over it but it grew fainter with every passing second. The glass shimmering as if it was the surface of a lake under the candle lights.

  There was no time to waste, so Laurel stepped forward, grabbed one of the golden suns, twisted it and uttered another little spell. She grabbed Corwin by his leash with a firm move and stepped inside the massive frame of the mirror. Her pet was scratching the surface and resisting. One rougher tug forced him to comply and follow her.

  The hidden room on the other side of the mirror was their dungeon and Corwin's safe space. The bookshop's dark oak walls gave way to stone dungeon walls. Sturdy chains came down from the ceiling. They were as heavy as the ones the circus men used to bind him with. Laurel's doubts tormented her every time she put those chains on her pet. It was useless to waste her energy on qualms, as they both didn't have a better solution. She always made up for all his pain, discomfort and self-inflicted wounds.

  Huge lanterns of matte glass lit up the cold walls as if they were on stage rather than in a torture chamber. A bed stood at the far end of the dungeon where they rested at the end of the night. The full moon drained all of their strength, so they crawled to the bed and cuddled, naked and entwined in each other. Marks and scars often covered their skin, but they were too tired to care.

  She tugged the metal chain and dragged the rebellious Corwin to the corner. He glared at her with a fusion of wild hatred and fierce lust. His teeth grew faster than ever and his body changed before her eyes, with wider shoulders, bigger arms and sharp claws. Laurel's heart was beating in an insane rhythm. Her hands were always shaking when she worked on Corwin's bindings. She attached the chain to the sturdy metal plate on the wall. They often tested the restraints, both in his human and werewolf form and adjusted their length for maximum security.

  Still, Laurel winced every time she faced his glowing green eyes and bared teeth. The dangerous dance on fire could lead to fatal burns if she lost her concentration. His potent scent of a wolf in heat drowned her senses and made her reckless and way too bold for her own good. The chain slipped through her fingers, her thighs were wet and sticky and a self-destructive part of her craved to let go of those chains.

  Reason always prevailed.

  Laurel got down on her knees to bind his ankles to the eye bolts on the floor. Corwin didn't fight but whenever her fingers caressed him, his muscles tensed in anticipation and his growl echoed across the stone chamber.

  "Faster!" He hissed and tossed his head back before howling again. "Please, Mistress, I... I can't hold back for too long. Your blood smells so good... I... Please..."

  Chains clattered when she locked them in place. Laurel caressed his calf and leaned in to kiss his skin. It was a strange position with her kneeling like an obedient servant, confusing for both.

  It would be sweet to curl at his feet for once.

  When she got up he had already raised his wrists, so she put them in the shackles hanging from the ceiling. He complied to their rules, so he still clutched to his free will. Still, Corwin had contorted his face in a savage grimace, with his huge fangs glistening under the lanterns. An almost evil smile twisted his features, and he tilted his head. Laurel still remembered those times when she failed to restrain him on time when her palms were sweaty and slippery.

  "Shh, there, little wolf, you're almost ready... in every way." Laurel chuckled and looked down at his naked and erected cock, with a purple, throbbing head and a rippling, veiny shaft.

  Corwin was in that strange state between a man and a wolf but his lips always allured her. His amazing lips made for a kiss. She loved those rare times when his fangs sank in her tender flesh. They were always as fresh in her memory as if they happened yesterday. Sharp, throbbing pain that nearly paralyzed her before the bliss took its place.

  "Kiss me. Have a little of your Mistress' blood, little wolf." Laurel leaned in
close to his face. The spikes of adrenalin made her skin prickle. "Just a little. I know you need it."

  Laurel trusted him with her life but her play with fire was going too far. He was so close to his wolfish form. Yet, she couldn't stop. Her pulse was racing, her heart was beating so hard like that of a scared rabbit.

  She closed her eyes and offered him her lips. Corwin licked them and forced her to open her mouth. Laurel groaned in pleasure when his sharp teeth tore through the delicate skin of her lips. Blood filled her mouth and the lights in the room began to blur. A burst of pain shook her to the core, and she hurried to pull away before he bit her deeper.

  A howl of frustration tore off his chest. He licked his lips furiously, but it was useless. Laurel had allowed him to kiss and bite her for too short of a time and the few drops of her blood just made his thirst for her more intense.

  "Enough..." She reached out to touch her lips. The little fresh wound was pulsing under her fingers. "Trust me, pet, I'd let you bite me longer..."

  It was impossible to hide her longing and the strange, poignant sorrow whenever she had to break their kiss. He'd been out of her reach almost the entire evening while Laurel was entertaining the guests. She had to have him inside her, to taste that peculiar fusion of fear and lust. When they started these bondage games almost a century ago, hesitation and shame always pushed her pleasure away.

  At first it disturbed her to take advantage of his weakness when he was so primal and ferocious, more an animal than a man. Today she craved these full moon nights, no matter how much they both risked.

  Laurel dared to take a step back when Corwin was secure in his metal chains. He wailed when she removed her fingers from his shoulders. The longing and anguish in his howling voice always broke her heart. Her wolf tried to step forward and reach her but the cruel bite of the iron didn't let him get any further.

  Laurel offered him no other consolation but a teasing, cruel smile. She always bounced back quickly from the fear and went back to torturing him with denial.

  "I'm sure you'd want to touch me, wouldn't you, little wolf? Look at how hard you are... such a naughty boy." Her mocking laughter made him growl again and try to rip his chains off but the stone was solid and the iron was firm. Just like his erection. Precum oozed all over his shaft. It would feel heavenly to feel him stretch her later. "You're so bad, Corwin. I'm afraid your kind Mistress would have no choice but to punish you."

  Laurel smirked at him while she was undoing the buttons of her flowing silk dress. It draped down to her feet, a little lake of ice blue fabric, and she kicked it away. She wore nothing but a black and green corset, garter belt and shining, new stockings. Nothing covered her bare, smooth pussy. His acute senses had already caught how wet she was but the sight of him unlocked something savage in him.

  Corwin was bursting with need. He'd been on edge for the last few days, so Laurel was merciful with her teasing. The delicious fear of having that huge beast under her command and the knowledge of how easy it would be to lose that power had a strange effect on her.

  An erotic madness and flirt with death.

  She walked to him in slow steps and her red cloak was rustling with every small move. Her hips swayed and danced to the phantom beat of some long-forgotten melody. Corwin stretched his neck and dug his clawed feet into the stone beneath them. The chains had left deep red marks around his ankles but he didn't seem to notice the pain. Every piece of hair on his body stood in arousal and when he howled, she heard a pitiful whimper beneath the anger.

  His Mistress reached out, so close to stroking his tip but then she moved her long fingers away, leaving him in despair. She spent ages dancing around him, teasing him with light touches, scratching his skin. Corwin had long since passed the point when he could restrain his growls. He thrust his hips forward, his way of begging for a touch. Laurel only grinned, circled his throbbing tip with her nails and moved away with the same dancing moves and seductive lilt. She was so close he could catch her cinnamon scent. If he tried to get to her, the iron bit his limbs and his Mistress was still far away from him. Corwin closed his eyes, pinned his head against the cold wall, he was close to sobbing out of need. That softened Laurel's heart and she decided her wolf had suffered enough.

  Another desperate howl echoed through the ancient room's cold walls but that time there was another emotion in it. Pure, unrestrained joy. Laurel wrapped her long fingers around his shaft, slick and wet with precum. She squeezed him hard in her warm palm and leaned in to caress his nipples with the tip of her tongue. Her free hand fondled his balls, with tender touches, followed by a rough pinch and deep scratching. Precum was overflowing and coating her hand while she tortured his flesh with her long manicured fingers. The rougher the treatment, the harder he was getting under her tender but firm hold of his cock.

  "Such a naughty boy... You made your Mistress dirty." Laurel tutted and looked up at his savage eyes. She didn't lose eye contact while her teeth nibbled his skin with the same teasing moves. They circled around his goose bumped nipple but never indulged in his heart's desire. "Let's see if I'll reward you."

  Her last words were a mere whisper against his chest. She felt every ripple under his skin, the insane beat of his heart. How his muscles tensed while her fingers slid faster and harder down his shaft. Laurel smiled with wickedness and bit his nipple so hard, she coaxed another earth shattering howl. Her teeth kept his reddening flesh in prison and her tongue eased the rush of pain with slow, loving licks.

  "Such a pain slut you are..." She laughed, once again close to his skin, tugged his cock harder and rubbed her fingertips across its head. "I haven't used the whip on you for too long, little wolf. We'll have a good time tonight... but first I must have you inside me."

  Laurel hadn't even finished saying those words and she moved away from him. All the joy drained from his next howl of lust when his Mistress retreated in the far corner of the room. His chains clattered with a sinister, menacing sound but she didn't even tremble, let alone turn around to soothe him. Her black leather boots with silver buckles and eight inch heels were waiting for her. She could have put them on earlier but the longer Corwin waited the greater his release.

  It was as difficult for her to stand that denial as her body ached with an unsatisfied lust. His tongue only kindled the fire between her thighs instead of calming her down. Laurel was tying her boots with shaking fingers, just as out of control as her pet.

  When she finished putting on the tall boots and raised herself from the floor, Laurel caught just the light whiff of wine.

  No... he couldn't be here. That scent had obsessed her mind for the last few weeks and she saw its ghost everywhere. That's all.

  The light scent in the air faded and she sighed with relief. It was all in her head. That stranger would be a fuzzy memory in a week. It's what they wanted. Right?

  Corwin had been whimpering while his Mistress was out of his sight. His head was hanging and the long, thick hair covered his face. He was no longer fighting with the restraints and stood there with a defeated look. The moment Laurel's thought trailed to their mysterious guest he snapped out of that apathy. His tortured wail blasted into the dungeon, a thunder of fury more than a cry. Corwin clashed the chains against the stone wall behind him.

  That snapped Laurel out of her thoughts and she hurried to get back to him. Did he feel her conflicted emotions even in that animalistic state?

  It's like we're fusing more than ever.

  "Are you ready for your Mistress to fuck you, naughty boy?" Laurel hissed in his face and squeezed his shaft. He glared at her with hungry eyes and pushed his hips as much as the restraints allowed him to. Wet with precum, quivering, ready to fill her, with its purple head and wide shaft whose veins rippled.

  Laurel buried her hand in his hair, tugged it hard to bring his lips closer for another bloody kiss. She raised her leg and wrapped it around his waist to draw him next to her heated body and swollen pussy lips, ready to open for him. Her deep groan o
f relief joined his wolfish howling in a lust duet once his tip pushed past her soaked folds and slid inside her.

  "Oh, fuck, pet..." She leaned in to bite his neck and curled her leg tighter around him. A mild pain cut through her tight and soft walls when Corwin pushed more of his turgid shaft inside her. The build up of an entire evening away from him had reduced her to an animal in heat. Her pink, meaty lips were dripping with arousal as she impaled herself on him. She couldn't avoid the pain when she fucked someone of his size. Laurel bit his shoulder so hard she left red teeth indents on his skin.

  She always embraced the soreness, being a natural masochist. Laurel craved it as much as the pleasure of him filling her tight tunnel. A need as potent as the danger of him biting her. His hot breath was so close to her vulnerable neck. Shivers of lust softened the aching sensation of him inside her. Laurel slipped a free hand between her thighs to toy with her hardened clit.

  "Mistress..." He would growl a word or two. "Your cunt... so tight..."

  She closed around him like a snare as if she wouldn't let him out of her cleft. Corwin grinned once his cock almost fit inside her. His eyes looked evil when he clubbed his balls hard against her ass cheeks. Laurel screamed when her womb took all of him and her cunt milked him. She grabbed him by the hair with both hands and buckled her hips up to take control of fucking him.

  "You're mine. All mine." She hissed at him and leaned in to lick his fangs. Laurel gave him a rough kiss, raised her ass and slammed him deep inside her pussy. Wet sounds and loud slapping of flesh on flesh filled the room. Her naked breasts with pointed nipples were swaying as she built up a rhythm of fucking him.

  Laurel balanced on one foot like an experienced ballerina and worked her ass in fervent moves while his huge lubed shaft slipped in and out of her. Corwin lost the little control he had over his body and met her thrusts with a furious pounding. She raised herself higher on her sky high shoes and let him bite her again.