“Yes?” he replied, enjoying the feel of her casual touch.
“I believe I am beginning to love you.”
Stifling a laugh at her serious tone, Sloane nodded seriously and said, “Well, I should hope so, as I am beginning to love you. It’d be a terrible shame if I loved you, and you not me.”
Caroline gave him a playful slap on his arm, but kept her head on him.
“You are not being a gentleman. Poking fun at a woman’s love.”
Sloane did switch to seriousness then. “No, my Darling.” He said, “No poking fun. You are my bride. We were destined to be together. And I love you.”
With that, he tilted her face up towards his and proved it with his kiss.
Chapter Fifteen
Caroline was beside Sloane, and they stood together as a couple in front of the Cleric. She carried a bundle of red roses in her hands. The great hall was packed with royalty and noble men and women from Bernehart and Scollfyld, as well as neighboring allies. Keeping her back straight and her neck high and proper, Caroline peeked at Sloane from the corner of her eye. He looked so handsome in his finest clothes, and you couldn’t tell at all that just days before he looked like a prisoner of war. That was the magic of being an Other, she supposed. The Cleric pronounced them married, and Sloane turned to face her. He slipped a heavy emerald green onto her finger. With a heart full of hope, she titled her head up and watched him through the veil of lace. He lifted it, put both hands behind her head and leaned down. The kiss was far more intimate and longer than what was normally proper, but Caroline knew the guests would overlook that in light of recent events. Finally, they parted and turned to the audience to walk down the aisle and towards the dining room for the feast. Well wishes and huzzahs rained down on them from all sides, and her cheeks started to hurt from smiling so hard.
The servants of Bernehart had outdone themselves with the wedding feast. The table stretched from one end of the large room to the other, and it was laden with delicacies and treats of every kind imaginable. Roast turtle dove, venison, oysters, and candied apples, oranges, and pastries as far as the eye could see. All of this, when the Royal family, aside from Caroline, wouldn’t eat a bite. After they had sat at one end of the table, Caroline noticed several silver pitchers.
“Is that wine?” she asked a servant who was spooning gravy over a platter of quail. “No, your Highness, it is blood. Sheep, boar, venison, and bear, I believe. Would your Highness care for some?”
Caroline shook her head fervently, “Oh, no. No thank you.”
She knew she would eventually have to drink blood, once Changed, but she couldn’t stomach the idea while still being mortal. However, she did notice Sophie sipping a goblet of a thick, red liquid. How odd that her sister was Changed and she was not. Aside from their eyes, it was their first physical difference. It made Caroline a little sad, but she shook the thought. Sophie sat beside Lord Chase, and Caroline noticed the Other doting on her sister. He even filled her glass before the servants had a chance to notice.
Apparently, even Sloane took note. He leaned towards Caroline and whispered with some mischief in his voice, “I think your sister will do just fine here in Bernehart.”
“When did Lord Chase take such an interest in Sophie?” she whispered back.
Sloane smiled knowingly. “For an Other who doesn’t normally drink human blood, willingly Changing someone creates a strong bond. Of course, I haven’t experienced this first hand. Yet.”
Chapter Sixteen
The room was lit by a few scattered candles, and Sloane was reminded of his first Intimate and only visit with Caroline. Then, she had looked so terrified to be alone with him. Now, judging from the way she lay reclined on the bed, she couldn’t wait to have him with her. Her nightgown was much more elaborate than the simple one she had on that night. This one was lacy and ribbon-trimmed, with a shockingly low neckline. And it looked as thin as a flower petal. Sloane wondered if it would fall apart at his touch. Caroline’s hair was loose and wild, flowing in dark brown waves to the middle of her back.
“My darling, my bride,” he whispered as he slipped into bed beside her. Caroline turned toward him, eyes glowing with the passion of a girl who had been waiting her whole life for this single moment.
“My husband, my Lord.” she said quietly back, reaching a hand up to stroke his face. Sloane leaned over her and their lips met. Their kisses were soft at first, nearly yearning. And then, as though they couldn’t wait any longer, their tongues plunged together, massaging and stroking each other.
“Are you ready?” asked Sloane, reveling in the sweet taste of her lips.
Caroline nodded, and Sloane moved his mouth from her lips to her neck. He nibbled on her delicate skin, then let his fangs drop to their full length and stroked them against her. Then, he languidly let them sink into her skin, centimeter by centimeter, until they were plunged fully into her neck. Caroline gasped softly, but caressed the back of his head reassuringly. He had heard tale that the experience was slightly painful, but in the right setting, it could be full of bliss as well. Sloane felt positively thrilled: it was so rare that he even tasted human blood, and never fresh from a warm body. It was going to be a night of new experiences for the both of them. Suckling smoothly, he closed his eyes, letting their bodies share of each other.
Chapter Seventeen
It was done, she was changed. Caroline knew it, could feel it in her very bones. She was an Other now. Her senses were heightened, and she felt she could hear the last drops of blood draining out of her body and into Sloane’s eager mouth. He must have sensed this too, and he pulled slightly away from her.
“Are you all right, my darling?” he asked, staring deeply into her eyes.
Caroline was more than all right. She had never felt anything remotely like this in her life. It was exhilarating. She felt as though she and Sloane were one person, one connected soul. Her body tingled. Though she no longer had a heartbeat, she felt more alive than she ever had. Licking her new fangs in expectation, Caroline smiled.
“Yes, my Lord.” she replied in a hushed, reverent tone. Sloane was now her love and her life. She had given herself willingly to him, and now was the time for her to give to him what she had been saving for twenty-one years. “I’m ready for you.”
Sloane groaned at the words, as though he was holding in a pent-up breath for that exact phrase. Caroline sat up to take her gown off, and then lay back again, letting Sloane drink of her pale flesh in the candlelight. After slipping off his pants, he lowered himself to the bed once more and shifted his body towards hers. Caroline could feel his hard cock brush against her thighs as he positioned himself beside her. Without a word, he skated his hand from her knees up to her hip, then down to the slickness of where her legs met. Sloane dipped one finger into her wetness, as if to test her desire. Raising her hips, Caroline caused his finger to slip in further and she felt it meet resistance, and knew he must have too.
He raised his head and sucked her lower lip into his mouth, letting his fangs play gently along it. Pulling back, he said, “Caroline, you’re so pure. So tight. I can’t believe you’re mine.”
“I am yours,” she whispered back. “So take me.”
As though he couldn’t wait any longer once he heard those words, he moved his body onto hers, lining up their pelvises. She loved the pressure his weight put on her, even as he supported his upper body with his arms. Invitingly, Caroline opened her legs beneath him as far as they would go and he pressed himself against her. The tip of his thick cock was right at the opening of her pussy, and her body trembled when she realized that this was it. This was the moment in which she’d give herself to the man she was destined to be with. This thing she had never shared with another soul would be theirs alone. So arousing were her thoughts that she could feel her cunny dripping with anticipation.
Pushing lightly, his cock slid a little bit further inside of her. Then, helped by her juices, a little farther more until he was pressing
against her maidenhood. After giving her a sweet, soft kiss, Sloane thrust his hips and full sheathed his cock in her cunny. He began moving in and out of her with slow, deliberate movements.
Caroline exhaled the breath she had been holding in. Every stroke of Sloane’s cock caressed her insides.
“Does it hurt, darling?” he asked quietly, searching her face for signs of pain.
Nodding slightly, Caroline replied, “Yes, but it’s a good hurt.”
Laughing, Sloane kissed her forehead and said, “Well then. You, my dear, are going to be so much fun.”
He quickened his pace and with each stroke, Caroline’s pain lessened and her pleasure grew. She could feel every inch of him as he moved within her, and her enjoyment began to blossom. Sloane let his body fully rest of hers and slid his hands over her breasts to tweak her hard nipples. The muscles of her pussy began tightening around his manhood, and Caroline felt her climax coming.
“Sloane,” she breathed out, digging her nails into his back as her senses began to leave her. “I’m going to cum.”
Hearing those words caused Sloane to quicken his pace, and to press his cock harder and faster into her body. The orgasm hit Caroline and she pressed her body into the bed in time to her quaking. The ministrations must have felt intense for Sloane, as he came just seconds after she did. Caroline could feel his seed spraying into her insides, officially marking her as his.
Not moving except to breathe, Sloane kept on hers and his cock in her cunny. It felt wonderful to lie there with him, not speaking, just enjoying each other’s bodies. Eventually, he rolled off of her and took her in his arms. Then, slowly, Caroline and Sloane drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Caroline roused from sleep just after dawn. Lying on her side, facing the curtained window, Sloane’s body pressed against hers with his arms holding her. He stirred when she did.
“Good morning, my darling,” he said into her ear as he stroked the hair from her face.
“Good morning.” Caroline whispered her reply, rolling onto her back and stretching her arms above her head.
“Today is the first day of your new life. Any idea of what you’d like to do?” he asked, kissing along her shoulder.
Caroline had more of an idea what she didn’t want to do. She didn’t want to get up and face the day. She didn’t want to worry about what the Scarclyf clan was up to, or when the men who were sent to follow them would return. She didn’t want to argue with her parents about Sophie remaining in Bernehart. Or worry about manners and etiquette and looking the part of the new princess. So, basically, all she wanted to do was stay in bed with Sloane and pretend they were the only two people to exist in the entire world.
Burrowing under the duvet, Caroline peeped her head out at Sloane and said,
“I’m already doing what I want to do today.”
Chapter Nineteen
The halls of Beaumont Manor rang with the desperate screams of the evening meal. Mathias, for once having no appetite, paced the floor of the library. He was caught up in his thoughts of vengeance. Not only had he failed in the destruction of the Chosen, but his only brother was now dead. They had been best friends for over one hundred years, and now he was gone. It wasn’t even safe to return to his own castle. Mathias was eternally grateful for the centuries-old alliance between the Scarclyfs and the Beaumonts.
A knock came at the door and Rebecca Beaumont entered, looking as beautiful as ever. Her platinum blonde hair shone orange in the candlelight, and her blood-red eyes regarded him with sympathy.
“Do not tell me you’re still fuming, Mathias, when you know full well that the Vaughans and their allies will pay dearly, twice over what they owe us in blood. We will make sure of it.”
Mathias opened his arms and Rebecca came to him, pressing her soft, cool breasts against his own hard, cold chest. He fingered her curls, then tugged gently at them. It was a pity their marriage would have to be postponed with this new battle coming. Perhaps he could comfort himself with her body. It had been so long since they had made each other scream. He had never understood how such as ethereal looking being such as Rebecca could be so, so fiendish.
She interrupted his thoughts by saying, “Father wants you to come down and drink before my brothers drain every last peasant.”
“I will,” said Mathias grimly, his mind now fully back on the task at hand. “I will need all my strength for the planning of what is to come.”
The End
www.isabellaoliviaellis.blogspot.com
Evernight Publishing
http://www.evernightpublishing.com
The Vampire's Bride Page 5
