The Brethren Of Tavish [Vampire Coven Book 1] (10 page)

Over time Tavish had changed his humans, the
new and the old. Mind control was easy enough for some, but for the others who
were fearful, a gentle coaxing hand worked better than threats. If they were
already afraid why scare them further? Tavish had changed with the humans. He
liked it better when the females flirted and smiled. Seeing their scared faces
made him try harder. In the end he had prevailed. Every human under his command
was happy.

“Tavish?” Mercy was looking at him curiously.

“Come with me, little cub,” Tavish said.

He pulled Mercy to her feet and steadied her in
his arms. Her hands trailed over his bare chest. His little cub looked happy.
Tavish knew the memories he had shared made her more comfortable to be around
him. Tavish wore pants and he had pulled his shoes back on, Mercy was nude.
Tavish held out her pink teddy.

“You need to wear something at dinner or you
may start a riot,” he said.

“Am I really that pretty?” she asked with
skepticism.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever
seen.”

“I wonder what my child will look like.”

Tavish fingered her white-blond hair. All of
his men had dark black hair like him. All of his human males chosen to breed
had dark black hair—just like Galf and Tavish’s mother. A child of Mercy’s
would definitely be interesting. No doubt male or female, the baby would be
stunning. Tavish had already decided he would make certain the two males chosen
would be the best he had.
Or perhaps just one to begin with.
And certainly not now.

“It’s time to eat, little cub.”

Tavish led Mercy to the eating hall. Everyone
quieted when she entered. All twenty of his breeding males sat at a table with
the ten females who Tavish was having impregnated. He felt it helped them to
bond. The pregnant females sat at a different table where everything they ate
was monitored. Nothing suspicious was to be anywhere
near
their table. Not an ounce of mold, nothing turning with age. It was the same
for the children’s table. Health was a big issue, all of his humans were
perfectly healthy and Tavish wanted it to stay that way. He had been witness to
his share of plagues. One illness could destroy them all. All outsider humans
were checked over carefully by Caine. Even Mercy had been subject to his scrutiny
while unconscious. Though it would have saddened Tavish to do so, he would have
disposed of the beauty if she had been diseased.

Women who had given birth sat at the children’s
table with their youngsters unless they were ready to breed again when the
child turned two. Six women were nursing. All the others, those males not
chosen to breed, or the few older women who were past breeding but still
desirable, and the very few older humans sat at the farthest table.

The farthest table was the quietest when Tavish
entered. A female of about fifty sat smiling at him. An older male near her was
more solemn. On a whim, Tavish could end their lives. Tavish had no whims. They
were a loyal group. He wouldn’t feed them forever, though; he needed the food
for the children and the strong healthier humans. When the time came they
couldn’t hold their own, they would be dispatched, mercifully. Tavish took
their lives. He had promised each human at birth he would care for them until
the end; he meant it. They all slipped away quietly in his arms while they
shared memories of their lives. Tavish showed them their births and how
grateful he was for their existence. He thanked them. He loved them. All were
handled with the utmost gentle care. Afterwards, their bodies would be given to
his Anivamps beyond the walls. There were no graves in his coven’s area. All
loyal were fed.

For a moment, everyone in the hall held their
breath to see where this new female would sit. Tavish wanted her well treated,
but he didn’t want the human males to think she was available yet. Tavish led
her to the breeding table. He placed both hands onto Mercy’s shoulders.

“This woman is mine,” he began. He stood behind
Mercy so she wouldn’t see his white eyes glowing and his fangs descend. “She
isn’t to be touched or approached without my permission by any male human.” His
glare settled onto each of the males who lowered their heads once given the
warning. No one would dare touch her.

Tavish sat Mercy down beside Perrin’s mother
who still cowered from him. The woman, in his opinion, reminded him of a mouse.
Tiny, skittish, cute, harmless.
Tavish thought Perrin
was delightful, a sweet little imp like her mother. He looked forward to seeing
the woman’s next child. She had been paired with two men known for creating
females. Tavish was hopeful of another.

“Kia,” Tavish said to the woman. “Will you
please tell my female about the food? Since you have been here a month, you
will have a better understanding of what an ice dweller would like. And, Tate,
will you introduce her to everyone at the table? Make her feel welcome.”

Tate looked thrilled. Tate was a man Tavish
would consider changing if times were different. He was built like Tavish; he resembled
Tavish in the way all of his men did, dark-haired, blue-eyed, tall,
muscular
.
A very attractive man.
The man was easy-going, wouldn’t hurt a bunny. Tate was fiercely loyal. He was
careful with his chosen females. Tate was still young, at twenty-
six,
Tavish felt he had a few more years to ponder the
dilemma of turning him. Tate had sired a number of offspring, though. Thankfully,
two men were chosen so neither was absolutely certain if the child sired was
really theirs. Tavish wouldn’t want Tate to ask to turn a child when it came of
age. It had been over a thousand years since Tavish had turned anyone. Ryker
had been the last.

Ryker had been a father and a husband but had
lost his family to a plague. When Tavish had come across him, Ryker hadn’t resisted,
even though he was a resister. Ryker had been a warrior, the last of the Viking
berserkers. His ways were dying. He had wanted Odin to take his life and send
him to Valhalla. Ryker had thought Tavish was Odin.

Tavish had seen the aloneness in the man’s
eyes; he had identified with it. Tavish was loath to watch an entire race
succumb to extinction. Tavish told Ryker what he was. He explained there was so
much for him to see. So much good Ryker could accomplish. He promised him with
thirty-nine brothers he would never be alone again. Ryker had agreed. Once
turned, Ryker made it his mission to search out the lost and alone. It was a
quirk Tavish had allowed him to indulge in, especially in the beginning, when
his little strays were highly amusing. Ryker had cared for each of them. With
his warrior roguish good looks, he was a favorite with the females.

Tavish left Mercy to talk to the other humans.
She looked happy, a little shy. She was irresistible. Tate was fussing over her
to the point where his chosen female, Tanya, was bristling, but Tavish found
that humorous. Tate’s chosen was a little hellcat. As long as she obeyed
Tavish, he didn’t mind her occasional theatrics. Sometimes she flirted with
him, becoming an unbearable nuisance, and he would send her back to Tate.

The woman was having trouble conceiving and she
irritated his male breeders in excess, so much so they groaned when chosen.
Tavish knew she had worked her way through all of his breeders. She had been
captured from a different coven, their vampires slain by Tavish’s men. She had
been trying to get pregnant for a year—at least, she enjoyed trying—with all
males it seemed. Tavish had learned her one and only child with the other coven
had been stillborn.

For the moment, Tavish chose to ignore the
vicious little look Tanya sent Mercy as Tate continued to fuss over her. Tanya
hated any new female.
Especially when they were more
beautiful than her.
She completely ignored Kia in the beginning, until
she had brushed her off as not a threat. Hopefully, she would get used to Mercy
soon. Tanya had belonged to Tavish, but he had given her to Rhett. Rhett liked
females who were a little hotheaded. He had a fondness for taming women.
The wilder the better.
Even after a year, he still had his
work cut out for him; Tanya listened to Rhett, as long as he was within arm’s
reach.

Tavish went to stand with Laken and a few
others. Ryker was cutting Perrin’s food at the children’s table. When he
finished, he too joined the other vampires. The humans knew they were being
watched, but so many were used to it they ignored the vampires. There was much
laughter and talking. Secrecy was forbidden, it was law.

“How is your new female taking to all this?”
Laken asked.

“She’s settling in. Let it be known she’s a
resister and your white eyes scare the shit out of her. So no mind games,”
Tavish warned.

“She sure is a beauty,” Rhett said with
longing.
“And a resister.
It’s been awhile since we’ve
seen a resister.” For a long second, his tongue trailed over his fangs.

Tavish could see Tanya had seen her master’s
look of desire—not aimed in her direction. Tavish was unconcerned. His vamps
wouldn’t hurt Mercy. “She should have been here with her cousins and her
mother. There’s an even greater need to round up the stragglers if Remo’s going
to slaughter them.”

“Remo has long been a thorn in your side,”
Laken said.

“It’s time to remove the thorn,” Tavish
replied.

“When?”
Ryker asked.

“Give me a week to settle my little cub; I’m
keeping this one,” Tavish replied and looked pointedly at Rhett. Rhett smiled
and nodded in understanding. “I’ll have Ursus find them. Then we hunt.”

There were nods of agreement from everyone.

Chapter 5

Mercy watched as Tavish approached her. She lay
in his bed in his room. Tavish stripped as he walked. Black boots dropped to
the wood floor with a thud. Dark socks were rolled and fired off in different
directions. His powerful broad chest made her heart flip when he lifted his
arms and yanked the garment off over his head and tousled his hair. His wild
locks in chaotic disarray made imperfection predatory perfection. His pants,
jeans he called them, dropped to his ankles and he stepped out of them as he approached
her non-stop. White briefs, underwear, was hooked into his two thumbs and slid
down easily. Mercy shuddered. She would like to be a pair of those for a day
just to cuddle up to his magnificent cock.

Mercy still struggled with the idea nude flesh
was supposed to be forbidden. But looking at him, she decided she would rather
die of treason than to never touch him again. She liked gazing upon nude skin;
she loved feasting her eyes on
his
nude skin. Tavish was powerful, compelling. The sight of him alone was enough
to make her want him closer. Muscles rippled as he moved. He was so beautiful
Mercy just couldn’t believe to look upon him wasn’t right. How
couldn’t
flawlessness be right?

After Tavish left her alone in the room after
dinner, claiming he would be back in a while, she had removed her teddy and
stood admiring herself in the full-length mirror. Mercy had shut out her
father’s words and all of the ice cave’s teachings and really looked at herself
to see what exactly was evil or traitorous. She had always given her father the
benefit of the doubt, but now she must see it for herself.

Nothing about her body was distasteful. She had
felt her eyebrows narrow as she concentrated. Her breasts were high and firm
and she had thought they were beautiful, not unlike the melons Tavish said was
fruit. He certainly liked tasting them. She had touched her breasts, caressed
them. Not in a sexual way, but to see what they would feel like. They were firm
and soft, pleasant. The little nipples were pliable, darker, like the dusty
roses and puckered in a cute way when touched. She could envision a child suckling
from her. She had even sat open-legged and examined her forbidden area. She was
a bit tender, but Tavish was huge.

Nothing about her sweet folds looked sinister.
Her fingers had spread the folds with determination to find the truth, the
evil. There was a hole there.
The place where Tavish had put
his sex inside.
It wasn’t the gateway to Hell. The little nub wasn’t
terrifying. It was all so confusing. She had even spun around and taken a good
look at her tight butt. She had known there was another hole there but to see
it existed was interesting. There was a tiny, dark, oval mark on her hip she had
never seen before.

“I bathed in your washing area,” Mercy said.

Kia told her everything ran on what Ryker
called a generator.
Many in fact.
Ryker had told Kia
Tavish had designed his utopia brilliantly. Mercy supposed he had. Everything
she had seen was amazing. The shower had been fascinating.
A
warm wet stream that actually washed her entire body at once while standing
nude under it.
The soap was scented and smelled delicious; now she
smelled delicious too. She blushed.

“Kia told me how to relieve myself in your
bowl.” That too had been amazing to witness as the water swirled round and
round. She had grown dizzy watching it.