The Vampire's Love (13 page)

He reached
for the clasp of her top.  She didn’t try and stop him as he popped it
open and pulled it from her upper body, leaving her upper half naked.  He
dropped it to the floor and cupped her naked breasts, pulling firmly on her
hard nipples.  She moaned loudly and reached behind her to rub at his
cock. 

She didn’t
care that the people below them could see her if they raised their heads. 
She didn’t care that anyone who walked down the hallway would see the way she
was rubbing herself against Val.  What she wanted - what she needed - was
Val’s cock inside of her, and she could have cried with the knowledge that she
would be denied again. 

Despite
knowing he would stop, that this wouldn’t end with him fucking her the way she
so desperately needed, she leaned back against him and arched her back again,
pushing her breasts into his hands.  He stared over her shoulder at her
breasts as he pulled and rubbed her swollen and throbbing nipples. 

“Does that
feel good, little dove?”

“Yes.” 
She moaned.

He pulled
the back of her skirt up and she widened her thighs as he unbuttoned his pants
and then pushed his erect cock between her ass cheeks.  He rubbed it up
and down and she ground her ass against him until he moaned loudly.

“You win,
Abigail.  I’m going to fuck you.”  He breathed hotly into her ear.

She gave
him an uncertain look.  An odd combination of anger and lust was crossing
his features and he shook his head before pushing her head roughly forward.

“I won’t
feed from you.”

“You don’t
have to do this.”  She said quietly.  “You don’t have to – “

She cried
out loudly when he shoved his cock deep into her soaking wet cunt.  After
days of being denied, her pussy gripped him eagerly, sucking him deep into her
body and holding him there as he panted harshly into her ear.

“I’ve
missed your tight pussy, little dove.”  He muttered.  “It clings to
me so tightly, I can barely stop from coming.”

“Please.” 
She whispered. 

He was deep
inside of her but not moving and when she tried to thrust back against him, he
cupped her throat and held her firmly.  His fingers traced the collar
around her neck as she moaned her need.

“Do you
like wearing my collar, Abigail?  Does it please you to know that it marks
you as mine?”  He whispered before moving roughly in and out.

She cried
out with pleasure and pushed back against him desperately as he stopped once
more.  “Does it?  Tell me the truth.”

“Yes!” 
She cried.  “Please!”

“You’re
mine.  Say it!”  He demanded.

She shook
her head, her dark hair brushing against his chest, and he reached around and
cupped her pussy.  His fingers found her swollen clit easily and he
stroked it roughly before turning her head and kissing her hard on the
mouth.  She sucked eagerly at his tongue, her hands rising to tug on her
hard nipples, and he made his own groan of pleasure.

He stilled
his fingers against her and tore his mouth from hers.  She made a gasping
whine of need.  “Please don’t stop.”

“Tell me
what I want to hear, little dove.”  He kissed the line of her jaw as she
moaned and wiggled against him.

“Tell me
and I’ll give you the relief you need.”  He was nearly frantic with the
need to come and Abigail’s wet pussy was driving him insane.  He gritted
his teeth and waited.  He needed to hear her say it, he needed to know
that she was his and –

“I’m
yours!”  She suddenly cried and with a loud growl he plunged in and out of
her as his fingers pulled on her clit.

She threw
her hand over her mouth and screamed as she came uncontrollably around his
cock.  Her pussy, squeezing and tightening in rhythmic surges, drove him
over the edge and he threw his head back and climaxed.

His fangs
lengthened and he moaned loudly as he studied the smooth, pale flesh of
Abigail’s shoulder.  He could bite her now, he could take from her what he
needed, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him.  His thirst for her was
nearly out of control and, with a strangled curse, he pulled out of her and
staggered a few feet away.  He rested his hand on the wall in front of
him, breathing heavily as his pulse roared in his ears and his body shrieked at
him to feed.

Abigail,
her legs trembling badly, quickly slipped into her top.  She closed the
front clasp and waited patiently as Val leaned against the wall.  She
wanted to go to him, wanted to stroke his broad back and kiss his warm mouth,
but she knew instinctively if she went near him now he would feed from
her.  She kept her distance and waited.

After
nearly five minutes, Val buttoned his pants and turned around.  His face
was even paler than normal and guilt flooded through her when he wiped his
mouth harshly and gave her an almost desperate look of hunger.

“Are you
alright?”  She whispered.

He closed
his eyes and took several deep breaths.  “Go back to our room.”

“What? 
No, I – “

She reached
out to touch his arm and he pulled back from her.

“Do not
touch me, little dove!”  He said sharply.

“I’m
sorry.”  She whispered.

“Go back to
our room.  I only have so much control and it’s not wise for you to be
around me right now.”  He muttered.

She gave
him a guilty look and he sighed harshly.  “Go, Abigail.”

“Will you
feed from another?”  She couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Please,
Abigail!”  He whispered fiercely.  “You must leave now!”

He took a
step toward her, his face twisting, and she turned and fled.  He slammed
his fist into the stone wall, hissing at the pain, before wiping the blood from
his hand and walking down the stairs to the common room.

Tavien, his
eyes gleaming, stepped out of the shadows.  He stared thoughtfully at Val,
before abruptly turning and striding away.

“My
lord.  I must speak with you.”  Tavien spoke urgently into Darius’
ear.  Darius frowned irritably at him.

“I’m busy.”

“It is of
great importance.”

“Then
speak, Tavien.”  Darius snapped.

“Not here,
my lord.”  Tavien glanced around the common room.

Darius
pushed the woman from his cock.  She gave him a disappointed look and he
patted her head like she was a dog and buttoned his pants before
standing.  “This had better be good, Tavien.”

He followed
him out of the common room and down the hallway to Tavien’s room.  There
was a large book sitting on the bed and Tavien leafed through it quickly.

“I was in
the library and – “

“I have a
library?”  Darius interrupted.

“Yes.” 
Tavien replied with an edge of impatience in his voice.  “I knew I had
seen Lord Joven somewhere before and – “

“How long
have I had a library?  How many books are in there?”  Darius asked
curiously.

“Lord
Darius!  Please, pay attention.”

Darius
sighed and glanced at the door.  “I cannot ignore my guests, Tavien.”

“I
know.  But you must look at this.”  He nearly shoved the book into
Darius’ hands and pointed to the page in front of him.  There was an ink
drawing of a young man standing next to a larger, older man.

Darius
blinked in surprise and studied the older man.  “Is that the king of the
north?  Maridus?”

“Yes. 
But look at the man standing next to him.”

Darius
squinted at the picture.  “What of him?”

“What do
you mean, what of him?”  Tavien snapped.

Darius’
nostrils flared and he gave him an angry look.  “Watch your tongue,
Tavien.”

“My
apologies, my lord.  It’s just – I believe that man, the king’s son, is
the very man who pretends to be Lord Joven.”

Darius gave
the picture a cursory look before glancing at the door again.  “There is a
resemblance.”  He admitted.

“More than
a resemblance, my lord.”  Tavien insisted. 

Darius gave
him a curious look.  “How often do you go to the library and read,
Tavien?  And when do you do it?”

“My lord,”
Tavien said with barely-restrained impatience, “do you not see that this man in
the picture is, in fact, Lord Joven?”

Darius
narrowed his eyes and read the wording below it.  “You’re telling me that
this Valkyn is masquerading as Joven?”

“I am.”

Darius
scoffed loudly.  “Why would the king’s son be here?  Hmm?  The
idea is ridiculous.  Although I am not entirely sure that he is Joven, I
am most certain he is not the future king of the north.”

“The king’s
son disappeared many years ago.  Some say he died of the sickness but
there are many who believed he sought to escape the pressures his father put on
him.”  Tavien said.

“How do you
know this?”

“I read,
Lord Darius, remember?”

Darius
studied him.  “You really do believe he is this man, don’t you?”

“I do.”

Darius
examined the picture more closely and Tavien nodded eagerly when he said, “He
does bear a remarkable resemblance to him.”

“There is
something else, Lord Darius.”

“What?”

“Earlier, I
was in the hallway when this Joven and his slave girl walked by.  They
fucked in the hallway above the common room.”

“So? 
That is hardly surprising.”  Darius frowned.

“He did not
feed from her.”

“What do
you mean?”

“He fucked
her but didn’t feed from her.  Didn’t even give her a friendly love
bite.  In fact it seemed he was doing everything he could
not
to
bite her.  I have never seen a vampire fuck a human without feeding from
them.  Have you?”

“No, I have
not.”  Darius said softly.

He shut the
book with a snap and handed it to Tavien.  “I believe it’s time we had a
talk with Lord Joven.  Don’t you, Tavien?”

“Yes, my
lord.”

“Good. 
Have my men meet me here in five minutes.  Make sure Joven stays in the
common room.”

* * *

“Faren! 
Faren!”

“What?” 
Faren opened his eyes and stared at Val.  “What is your problem?”

“Something
is going on.”

“What do
you mean?”

“I mean,
we’re the only ones left in the room.”  Val hissed at him.

Faren sat
up.  Sienna had fallen asleep against his chest and she made a soft
whimper of disapproval when he moved her to the chaise beside him before
covering her face with her hand.

Faren
rubbed her ass lightly as he stared around the common one.  “We’re not the
only ones.”

“With the
exception of Jaxen,” Val pointed to the old vampire who was reclining on a
couch and kissing a young man lazily, “the rest are all slaves.”

A look of
alarm crossed Faren’s face.  “Well, this can’t be good.”

“You
think?”  Val snapped.  He raised his voice and called to Jaxen. 
The vampire pulled away from his slave and wandered to where he and Faren sat.

“What is
it, Lord Joven?”

“Where are
Darius and the others?”

Jaxen
stared around the room before blinking in surprise.  “I – I do not know.”

“We need to
go.”  Val muttered.  “We need to – “

He broke
off as Darius, Tavien and his men entered the common room.

“Lord
Joven!  Enjoying yourself this evening?”  He asked jovially.

“Very much
so.  But it grows late and I am tired.  I believe I will say my
goodbye and retire for the day.”  Val rose from his chair as Darius held
up his hand.

“Of course,
of course.  We will let you return to your room in a moment.”

He clapped
his hands loudly.  “Slaves – get out!  Now!”

The slaves,
most of them dozing or weak from being fed on, stumbled to their feet and
hurried from the room.

Val’s hand
went to his sword and he gripped the handle tightly as Darius’ men elbowed
Faren and Jaxen back and surrounded him in a tight circle.

“What is
going on, Lord Darius?”  Jaxen asked.

“You’re
looking very pale, Lord Joven.  Are you sure you’re getting enough to
eat?”  Darius asked softly.

Val didn’t
reply and Jaxen gave Darius a troubled look.  “Lord Darius, please, what –
“

“It
occurred to me today that I really only have your word that the man standing in
front of me is Joven.”  Darius arched his eyebrows at Jaxen.

“I can
assure you, Lord Darius, that this is Joven.”  Jaxen said firmly.  “I
have known him for many years.”

“Yes, but
who knows how long a man is willing to pretend to be another?”  Darius
said thoughtfully.  “Why, if they were desperate enough, they might go
years impersonating someone.”

He turned
his gaze to Jaxen again.  “Or, someone who I believed to be a trusted
friend is lying to me.”

“I am
not.”  Jaxen answered immediately.  “He is the Lord Joven and he – “

“You spent
time in the north, did you not, Jaxen?”  Darius interrupted.

Jaxen
nodded.  “I did.  Many years ago.”

“I suppose
you remember the king of the north.”

“Yes,
Maridus is his name.”

“Lord Joven
bears a remarkable resemblance to the king’s son.  What was his
name?  Do you remember?”

Jaxen
shrugged.  “No, my lord, I do not.  Besides, the king’s son is
dead.  The sickness took him, along with many others, in the royal
castle.  From what I remember, King Maridus himself grew ill and it was
only his discovery of the immune that kept him from dying.”

“The king’s
son is dead?  That is not the rumour I have heard, and it is interesting
that I would have someone in my home who resembles him so closely.”

Jaxen
shrugged again.  “Many people have similar features, my lord.”

“That is
true.”  Darius acknowledged.  “But you must understand if I do not
take your word for it.”

He made a
small, almost imperceptible nod, and Val’s eyes widened before he turned
quickly.  He was reaching for his sword when the vampires behind him threw
the long silver chains against his body.  Already weak from hunger, Val
hissed in pain and collapsed to the floor as Faren gave a startled yell.

“Hey! 
What is the meaning of this?  You cannot – “

He held his
hands up and backed up a step as another vampire held a sword to his throat.

“Stay
quiet, please.”  Darius said politely.  He watched as his men threw
more chains on to Val’s body.  Smoke was beginning to rise into the air
and he wrinkled his nose at the smell of burning flesh before holding his hand
out.

The vampire
closest to him handed him a pair of leather gloves and he slipped them on
before squatting next to Val.  He traced his cheek with one finger and Val
snarled at him, his fangs glistening in the light of the candles, before
jerking his head away.

“I can’t
imagine how badly this hurts.”  Darius tugged on one of the chains before
holding his hand out.  “I’ll admit, I’m impressed that you’re not
screaming.”

Val hissed
again as Tavien placed a silver rod in Darius’ hand.  It had been
sharpened to a deadly point at one end and Darius poked it against Val’s
face.  It left a burn mark and he grinned slightly before slapping Val
across the face.

“You and I
are going to have a little talk, Joven.  If you can convince me that you
are in fact who you say you are, I will let you live.  I won’t lie – this
is going to be excruciating.” 

He laughed
loudly and Faren and Jaxen both winced when he slammed the silver rod against
Val’s face. His cheekbone broke with a loud crack and Val made a muffled groan
of pain before falling silent.

“Let’s
begin, shall we?”  Darius smiled gently.

* * *

“I love
him, Violet, and at this very moment he is probably feeding from and fucking
another.”  Abigail sighed glumly.  She was sitting by the window,
staring out into the darkness as Violet sat cross-legged in her basket and
watched her closely.

“He’s
feeding from another because I forced him to it by not allowing him to feed
from me.  And for what reason?  I know that I love him, I know that I
would want him desperately regardless of whether he was taking my blood.” 
Abigail ran her fingers through her long, dark hair.

“I am a
fool, little one.”

Violet gave
her a look of sorrow before reaching out and patting her hand gently.

“I was so
determined to prove to him that I wasn’t the same scared, fat, Abby who didn’t
need him or anyone else that I’ve driven him away.”  She swiped at the
tears that were starting to slide down her face.

“I know he
doesn’t love me and that he still loves this Karena woman, but even still – I
can’t stop loving him.  I can’t –

The door to
the bedroom flew open and Violet dove into the basket as Faren rushed into the
room.  He was wild-eyed and he gave Abigail a look of panic.

“Abigail! 
You must come quickly!”

“Faren? 
What is wrong?”  Abigail jumped to her feet and crossed the room. 
“What’s happened?  Why are you – “

“He is
dying, Abigail!”  Faren hissed.  “Move!” 

Adrenaline
flooded through her veins and, without another word, she followed Faren. 
He led her to the common room and she stared horrified at the man lying on the
floor.  His body was bloodied and burned, and his face had been beaten
until it was nearly unrecognizable.

She fell to
her knees beside him and touched his face gently.  He made a soft groan of
pain and she raised her terrified gaze to Darius.  “What have you done?”

“We needed
to be certain he was Joven.  You understand.”  Darius replied. 

She stared
at the silver rod in his hands and at the silver chains scattered around Val’s
body.  “So you burned him with silver?  What kind of monster are
you?”  She shouted.

“Oh, come
now.  No need for such hysterics, my pet.  The good news is – he did
a remarkable job of convincing us he was Joven.  I know of many men who
would have admitted to almost anything just to stop the pain.  Your master
has not faltered in his insistence that he is Joven. 

“Besides,
he will be fine.”  Darius continued cheerfully.  “A bit of your blood
and he’ll be right as rain.  Go on – let him feed.  Unless,” he
cocked his head at her, “there is a reason you will not give him your blood?”

Abigail
quickly swept her hair back.  She leaned over Val and kissed him lightly
on his bruised and swollen mouth.

“My lord,
open your eyes.”