Forbidden Fables, page 28
“This place is beautiful…and large. How many people live here?”
She was curious, and I tried to talk myself out of the desire to fuck her, to pierce her with my fangs and find out what she tasted like. From the way that she smelled—flowers sprinkled with cinnamon—I’d wager she tasted sweet. I could feed until I was drunk on blood and adrenaline, after satiating myself inside every warm crevice within her. I swallowed hard, fighting with myself to keep the promise I’d made. Purity over desire, it was best this way.
“Ah, here we are. You do not need to worry, no one beyond our clergy men and sometimes students of the church reside within these walls. Please, make yourself at home and stay as long as you need.”
I unlocked the old door of the familiar castle that my family had for centuries, opening it wide for her and stepping back against the wall.
Her breath came heavy and fast, but she did not move to the inside of the room. Rather, she stood in front of me with her gaze locked on me, so sweet, so right that it could bring any holy man to his knees. Her face straight from a painting of the Heavens.
She was on me in an instant before I could collect anymore responsible thoughts. Sometimes our bodies knew better what we needed than even our minds.
Her eyes were filled with black, leaving no irises to be seen. I steeled myself against the opposite wall, observing the vibrations that emanated from her glowing body.
“I am Lilith, The Dark Mother.”
Her tongue stroked my lower lip the way a serpent would—slow, rhythmic, zig zags. I’d done well at controlling the inner monster that threatened to show itself daily. It was easy to fight these urges when I was alone day in and day out, with nothing to occupy me but books and papers.
This was an entirely uncharted terrain. But a mistake, and something I chastised myself over, ever since.
I didn’t even try to resist her; I knew exactly what I was…who I was. I was Domenico DeLesepps, one among the three second generation of vampires to ever walk the earth.
I grabbed her by the waist, crushing her body into mine and moving my hands down to her ass as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
The feel of her body pressed against mine was a blessing, her sweat an anointing drip of Holy water to cool the fires of sin. A false sense of warmth and greed flooded my body, while I kissed her as if this was my last day in this castle.
“And I’m an ancient being who thirsts for the very blood that is smeared on your skin.”
I hoisted her legs up around my waist with ease and we kissed, as I quickly led her through the doorway and into the chamber.
The powerful vibration that coursed through her body made me feel alive, the beating heart that I lacked, pumped from her to me.
A vision of Melody, her soft skin and blonde hair bouncing around her, gave me a small sting of guilt. The youngling vampire was new to this life, and it was my responsibility to teach her our way of survival—just how delicate human life was. I didn’t need another distraction from tending to her, responsibility nagging at the edges of my mind.
I never missed being alive until I was fucking, and that was when the nostalgia of having real feelings and emotions would call to me.
And here I was, in the throes of passion with a stranger—no, a Goddess.
This was the only way, to ensure the discretion of others when it comes to our family name. We are Princes, and we must make sure it stays that way. No one can know our secret, or we will be forced out…as monsters. We must never disgrace the family name.
“Kiss me, holy man.”
I smiled down over her, knowing a man of Christ would never commit such acts, but I did. I craved it, loved it. Sex, power, the rush I would get of committing such a blasphemous act, even after all these years. While my other brothers followed closely to the line of guise in holiness, I did not.
I loved doing all the things I was not supposed to do.
I needed it to be able to continue.
And isn’t that only natural for a vampire? A being born out of darkness.
I was warned to keep a close eye on my kills and indiscretions, and I did. I was never sloppy.
The how wasn’t as important as the why, but I couldn’t think about that now. Not while this walking Goddess sucked on my neck the way I wanted to do to hers.
She was not the type of woman to shy away from desires, a rare find, and exactly what I’d looked for to curb the hunger of my raw, primal need.
This is wrong, and you should fight this.
The voice in my head wasn’t my own, but my brother, Dante.
He was nothing like me, sometimes going years without feeding until he was so weak, we had to force him into the woods for sustenance. I had no problem taking exactly what I needed.
I moved us both to the canopied bed with a quickness, and my stole was discarded without care to the floor. Fire burned through me while we devoured each other with teeth, nails and tongues. It was glorious, a feeling I hadn’t experienced since my youth.
Her ass was plump, round, and so pliable. I roughly squeezed it, a low groan escaping her lips, urging me on.
“Please, yes…” Her breathy words against my ears drove the carnal urges inside me into a frenzy, and I reached between her thighs eager to find the warmth and wetness that awaited my cold fingertips. I brushed her seam, and she let out a low hiss.
Was this her first time? She did not speak as though this was her first time.
I paused, wondering if I would be willing to take a virgin. The thought of her blood spilling over my cock almost sending me over the edge.
“What are you waiting for? Fuck me the way I deserve to be fucked. Let me atone with you.”
Three small, shiny snakes unfurled from beneath the bed, and instead of screaming at the abrupt invasion, she smiled.
Her words resonated deeply inside of me. She appeared as a mortal woman, but something surrounded her like a cloud of light.
I wouldn’t be shocked by another immortal, I was what I was, after all. Darkness embodied, a fable built on fears and rumor.
I knew such things existed beyond our family, and these creatures also existed in secret.
I couldn’t take the teasing any longer, the years of withholding this act from myself. My fangs tingled, and I parted my lips ever so slightly so she could see exactly what I was.
Monster, blood sucker, the devil.
Skating my hand down to her breast, then her hips, I eagerly plunged one finger inside her, then two, and her body writhed as I curled my fingers against her warm wall.
It was everything I imagined and more.
My mouth hung agape, watching her writhe against my hand, a vision of beauty and strength, and all I could think about was burying myself inside of her—fangs and cock—while she screamed, blood running down her neck.
Her head flung back as she was seated half on the bed, held still by my hand in between her legs. One leg was hitched up on the bed, and I worked her with one hand, my palm against her clit while I stroked the firm spot inside her. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, and her glassy eyes opened, falling onto my mouth.
The blood in her veins sang to me, called to me.
Her brows furrowed as she reached out to touch a fang with her clawed fingertip. She pressed on it, until I could hear the pop of skin and a single drop of blood dripped down the digit. Her eyes were wide and still a pool of black, as she pulled her fingertip to her own mouth while I continued to pump into her wet cunt.
She sucked her finger, eyes closing at the taste. She gained pleasure from the very thing that gave me sustainability. I grabbed her finger, pulling it into my mouth and sucking, hard. She gasped, and I removed my hand from her warmth, wrapping my arm around her waist in a flash and bringing her up to the head of the bed. We were chest to chest now, and I grabbed her throat in sudden fury. Something flashed inside her eyes that made me want to live in this moment forever, chase this excitement with her for as long as I could. I reached down, fisting my cock, smiling to myself at the ample size. I found her slick entrance again and lined myself up, letting the crown ease in, slowly.
Bringing my head down to her neck, she arched her back, giving it to me as if her life depended on it.
I thrust home, to the hilt, and my fangs sunk in synchronically.
Her hands on my ass, pulling me deeper into her, and I feel her scratches draw blood on my clenched cheeks.
Blood filled my mouth, and she cried out. “Yesss…please…more.”
As I swallowed, fireworks flashed behind my eyelids, and the taste of sweet berries and honey flooded my senses. I floated, my soul separated from my body, and I watched from above as I fucked her and suckled at her scarlet neck. When the swallows were over, I blinked, and I was back inside my own body once again, feeling brand new.
All my energy restored, a tingle of hope and happiness left lingering on my lips. I looked down over her, and she was rubbing the blood that ran down her neck from the bites, out and around it, down her chest. She wrapped my thick hand around her throat, and it was then I realized I needed to stop the bleeding before she was too drained to recover. She quickly grew pale, but the sight of her blood and the low moans that escaped her lips made me pump harder, chasing an orgasm that promised to be nothing less than holy.
The pressure builds as I watch her body roll against me. The band that began at the bottom of my sack and stretched to the sensitive tip of my cock stretched, threatening to break at any moment. One last, deep thrust up, and it snapped; my lifeless seed spilling inside of her. Her pussy clenched around me as she met me there with luster, and we were both panting and smiling at one another when it was finished.
I bit my wrist, bringing it to her red stained mouth, and without a word or direction, she drank.
She laid there, eyes closed, but chest falling gently up and down. She looked sated, as the blood began to dry on her skin in shiny crimson streaks.
“I thought I’d lost you…just as I realized I wanted to worship you,” I whispered, motioning over her body.
I felt a flutter in my chest where my heart used to be, causing me to squeeze her hand as I laid beside her. A smile played on her lips, and as she opened her eyes, I could see they were no longer entranced and now a unique color of lavender. She was simply breathtaking, and I wanted her to be my secret for all of eternity if she would let me.
“You will never lose me as long as you worship me.”
Chapter 7
Freyja
1733 FRANCE
When I woke again, I was in a cold, dark place. At first, it felt like I may be outside, but when I felt the jagged edges of rock and cement beneath my fingertips, I opened my eyes to realize I was underground in a very inhospitable cellar.
I must still be in the dreadful castle because the stench of blood is still all around me. Panic rose in my chest when I felt the weighted chain around my ankle. I screamed, I raged with all my might until I was a pile of sobbing flesh and bone on the floor. I should have known better than to try and fight my way out of these chains, I am helpless against metal. I’d done nothing but weakened myself in a childish fit of rage.
I needed to sleep, to rest, and gather all the strength I had to use my magic and astral project. It was my only hope of getting out of here.
My eyelids were heavy, and that matronly voice inside telling me to rest and not be foolish in the presence of The Red King.
The Red King?
Is that who this man was, a king? Perhaps I could leverage this.
Do not provoke him, you must flee as soon as you can.
Flee? I dif not flee.
I needed to find Charity first.
There had to be a way out of here, there always was. It may not be obvious to me right now, but I could figure it out. From what I had seen, I was not being guarded. I could not sense a single heartbeat within a mile and if someone lurked, my hairs would be standing on end.
Surely blood-bag would bet on me being weak, although he seemed to think that I would be able to wake up his progeny from a curse.
I remember now, after the fog inside of my head cleared, mention of The Red King.
I had passed many years in those Welsh woods, and I had seen dozens of men in black coats. Killed nearly all of them…except for a select few.
One of them called himself Dante, and the control I held over the others was not easily held over him. Dante liked me—enjoyed me, and I half wondered if he never tried to kill me simply because he enjoyed the sexual deviance of my powers.
Or he was afraid.
He never spoke much, but he did speak of The Red King.
I clawed at the silver cuff around my ankle, cursing at it until my leg was red and raw. I laid back, one small but scratchy blanket balled up below my head. Closing my eyes, I envisioned Charity and her freckled cheeks, the soft curves of her body that I reveled in touching. I felt my body begin to tingle, then warm as I smiled to myself. The memory of the hot springs forever played on a loop inside my head. S day filled with heartfelt exchanges and a true vulnerability I’d only ever seen in Charity’s eyes. My sweet, soft pet.
I rose, beginning to separate my soul from my body, and as I levitated, I began to see the beauty of the castle I was being held prisoner in.
The structure itself was sturdy, stone and mortar surrounded the stained-glass windows that were taller than a man. Paintings hung on the walls beside the massive tapestries that covered most of the halls and windows.
The quiet of the castle was deafening, and when I heard crying, I knew exactly who was responsible.
Charity.
The smell of blood is back inside my senses, and I balked, wiggling my fingers back at my body. I was returned, and not by choice…it was as if the trance was broken completely. I gasped, sitting up as I returned to my full five senses.
He was nearby.
I was not afraid, but I did not yet have a plan. If I ever wanted to get out of here; alongside Charity, I would have to plan. Thoughts of Charity brought my thoughts to Charles and what he did.
I would not forget.
Did Charity feel as betrayed as I did? Or was she simply blind to the fact that Charles hand fed me to a monster because she was now inside of his protection? Was she crying because she was sorrowful of my being taken prisoner or was she upset because she was betrayed by a person she thought she loved?
Charles.
I couldn’t be sure of either until I found her. Just as I began to think about the last moment I had her on my lips, my chin was snatched, and I was looking into the vampire’s silver eyes.
I moved back, but I hit a wall.
“Screaming will get you nowhere. I didn’t want to put you down here, but you have fought so hard that I had no choice.”
He unhitched the chain from my ankle, and his grip was like steel against my arm.
As if I was weightless, the trap door above me was flung open and in a blur, we were up into the castle’s main floor, rings of candles above my head, lighting the dark walls.
It felt like we were hovering, moving so fast that my feet never touched the floor.
And then we are in a bedchamber, the sleeping blonde girl motionless under feathered duvets.
“She was placed under a curse, and I believe you are full of enough magic to wake her.”
His voice was filled with warning, not direction. It was as if he wasn’t even sure I could do anything. The tone warned me that if I didn’t, I would go back to the hole which I came from.
“If I succeed…you will release me?”
He nodded, closing his eyes at the word succeed.
I did the only thing I was naturally drawn to…I climbed into the bed beside her and closed my eyes. I cradled her from the side, pushing into her dreams using my will.
Once I felt a small connection, I pushed into it, and felt like I was falling. The place inside her mind was cold, with a small sliver of light cast on a white patch of snow.
She sat in the middle, holding a wilted flower, blood smeared on her hands.
“Who are you?”
I knelt beside her, taking her bloodied hand and bringing it to my lips. Her face was stained with tears, and when I pulled one finger into my mouth, her eyes closed and her face relaxed.
“Kiss me.”
Her loneliness sliced through me like a sharp knife and in that moment, I knew she needed love. It was the remedy.
Her mouth found mine, and the saltiness of the blood, mixed with her rose scent filled my core with fire. Our tongues tangled, and she moaned into my mouth, tangling her hand in my hair.
Breaking our kiss she whispered, “wake me.”
For the first time ever, it felt wrong being so intimate with someone besides Charity. With one sharp intake of breath, I blinked twice, and I was back inside my own head, jolting upright in the bed.
“I can’t…she must return to lift the spell.”
I was yanked back by my hair, and torn from the bed, Domenico seething mad.
“If you cannot, then you will remain in that hole like the useless creature that you are!”
And with my failure, I was discarded like a scrap of food, back into the hole.
Chapter 8
Domenico
Irubbed my forehead as I walked the long, drafty halls of the castle—my castle.
Why did tonight feel so different?
I looked at each statue, each painting and I only saw her. I saw our handprints on every surface of this place. Perhaps, it was why I had stayed for so long.
Or, perhaps, my loyalty to this family held onto me stronger than I’d like to admit. A generation of a family who’d held place amongst royals, monsters hidden behind religious statues.
It felt nice to have Charles home again safely, even though I knew the reason I’d sent him away that day was because he’d be the only one able to make it past Freyja’s wards. It needed to be him, and he delivered to me just as I knew he would.
Lilith’s kin.
I slid my hand over the walls, catching the edge of one of the tapestries and darting behind it and inside the hidden tunnels that wound around the castle in its entirety.
She was curious, and I tried to talk myself out of the desire to fuck her, to pierce her with my fangs and find out what she tasted like. From the way that she smelled—flowers sprinkled with cinnamon—I’d wager she tasted sweet. I could feed until I was drunk on blood and adrenaline, after satiating myself inside every warm crevice within her. I swallowed hard, fighting with myself to keep the promise I’d made. Purity over desire, it was best this way.
“Ah, here we are. You do not need to worry, no one beyond our clergy men and sometimes students of the church reside within these walls. Please, make yourself at home and stay as long as you need.”
I unlocked the old door of the familiar castle that my family had for centuries, opening it wide for her and stepping back against the wall.
Her breath came heavy and fast, but she did not move to the inside of the room. Rather, she stood in front of me with her gaze locked on me, so sweet, so right that it could bring any holy man to his knees. Her face straight from a painting of the Heavens.
She was on me in an instant before I could collect anymore responsible thoughts. Sometimes our bodies knew better what we needed than even our minds.
Her eyes were filled with black, leaving no irises to be seen. I steeled myself against the opposite wall, observing the vibrations that emanated from her glowing body.
“I am Lilith, The Dark Mother.”
Her tongue stroked my lower lip the way a serpent would—slow, rhythmic, zig zags. I’d done well at controlling the inner monster that threatened to show itself daily. It was easy to fight these urges when I was alone day in and day out, with nothing to occupy me but books and papers.
This was an entirely uncharted terrain. But a mistake, and something I chastised myself over, ever since.
I didn’t even try to resist her; I knew exactly what I was…who I was. I was Domenico DeLesepps, one among the three second generation of vampires to ever walk the earth.
I grabbed her by the waist, crushing her body into mine and moving my hands down to her ass as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
The feel of her body pressed against mine was a blessing, her sweat an anointing drip of Holy water to cool the fires of sin. A false sense of warmth and greed flooded my body, while I kissed her as if this was my last day in this castle.
“And I’m an ancient being who thirsts for the very blood that is smeared on your skin.”
I hoisted her legs up around my waist with ease and we kissed, as I quickly led her through the doorway and into the chamber.
The powerful vibration that coursed through her body made me feel alive, the beating heart that I lacked, pumped from her to me.
A vision of Melody, her soft skin and blonde hair bouncing around her, gave me a small sting of guilt. The youngling vampire was new to this life, and it was my responsibility to teach her our way of survival—just how delicate human life was. I didn’t need another distraction from tending to her, responsibility nagging at the edges of my mind.
I never missed being alive until I was fucking, and that was when the nostalgia of having real feelings and emotions would call to me.
And here I was, in the throes of passion with a stranger—no, a Goddess.
This was the only way, to ensure the discretion of others when it comes to our family name. We are Princes, and we must make sure it stays that way. No one can know our secret, or we will be forced out…as monsters. We must never disgrace the family name.
“Kiss me, holy man.”
I smiled down over her, knowing a man of Christ would never commit such acts, but I did. I craved it, loved it. Sex, power, the rush I would get of committing such a blasphemous act, even after all these years. While my other brothers followed closely to the line of guise in holiness, I did not.
I loved doing all the things I was not supposed to do.
I needed it to be able to continue.
And isn’t that only natural for a vampire? A being born out of darkness.
I was warned to keep a close eye on my kills and indiscretions, and I did. I was never sloppy.
The how wasn’t as important as the why, but I couldn’t think about that now. Not while this walking Goddess sucked on my neck the way I wanted to do to hers.
She was not the type of woman to shy away from desires, a rare find, and exactly what I’d looked for to curb the hunger of my raw, primal need.
This is wrong, and you should fight this.
The voice in my head wasn’t my own, but my brother, Dante.
He was nothing like me, sometimes going years without feeding until he was so weak, we had to force him into the woods for sustenance. I had no problem taking exactly what I needed.
I moved us both to the canopied bed with a quickness, and my stole was discarded without care to the floor. Fire burned through me while we devoured each other with teeth, nails and tongues. It was glorious, a feeling I hadn’t experienced since my youth.
Her ass was plump, round, and so pliable. I roughly squeezed it, a low groan escaping her lips, urging me on.
“Please, yes…” Her breathy words against my ears drove the carnal urges inside me into a frenzy, and I reached between her thighs eager to find the warmth and wetness that awaited my cold fingertips. I brushed her seam, and she let out a low hiss.
Was this her first time? She did not speak as though this was her first time.
I paused, wondering if I would be willing to take a virgin. The thought of her blood spilling over my cock almost sending me over the edge.
“What are you waiting for? Fuck me the way I deserve to be fucked. Let me atone with you.”
Three small, shiny snakes unfurled from beneath the bed, and instead of screaming at the abrupt invasion, she smiled.
Her words resonated deeply inside of me. She appeared as a mortal woman, but something surrounded her like a cloud of light.
I wouldn’t be shocked by another immortal, I was what I was, after all. Darkness embodied, a fable built on fears and rumor.
I knew such things existed beyond our family, and these creatures also existed in secret.
I couldn’t take the teasing any longer, the years of withholding this act from myself. My fangs tingled, and I parted my lips ever so slightly so she could see exactly what I was.
Monster, blood sucker, the devil.
Skating my hand down to her breast, then her hips, I eagerly plunged one finger inside her, then two, and her body writhed as I curled my fingers against her warm wall.
It was everything I imagined and more.
My mouth hung agape, watching her writhe against my hand, a vision of beauty and strength, and all I could think about was burying myself inside of her—fangs and cock—while she screamed, blood running down her neck.
Her head flung back as she was seated half on the bed, held still by my hand in between her legs. One leg was hitched up on the bed, and I worked her with one hand, my palm against her clit while I stroked the firm spot inside her. Her cheeks were a rosy pink, and her glassy eyes opened, falling onto my mouth.
The blood in her veins sang to me, called to me.
Her brows furrowed as she reached out to touch a fang with her clawed fingertip. She pressed on it, until I could hear the pop of skin and a single drop of blood dripped down the digit. Her eyes were wide and still a pool of black, as she pulled her fingertip to her own mouth while I continued to pump into her wet cunt.
She sucked her finger, eyes closing at the taste. She gained pleasure from the very thing that gave me sustainability. I grabbed her finger, pulling it into my mouth and sucking, hard. She gasped, and I removed my hand from her warmth, wrapping my arm around her waist in a flash and bringing her up to the head of the bed. We were chest to chest now, and I grabbed her throat in sudden fury. Something flashed inside her eyes that made me want to live in this moment forever, chase this excitement with her for as long as I could. I reached down, fisting my cock, smiling to myself at the ample size. I found her slick entrance again and lined myself up, letting the crown ease in, slowly.
Bringing my head down to her neck, she arched her back, giving it to me as if her life depended on it.
I thrust home, to the hilt, and my fangs sunk in synchronically.
Her hands on my ass, pulling me deeper into her, and I feel her scratches draw blood on my clenched cheeks.
Blood filled my mouth, and she cried out. “Yesss…please…more.”
As I swallowed, fireworks flashed behind my eyelids, and the taste of sweet berries and honey flooded my senses. I floated, my soul separated from my body, and I watched from above as I fucked her and suckled at her scarlet neck. When the swallows were over, I blinked, and I was back inside my own body once again, feeling brand new.
All my energy restored, a tingle of hope and happiness left lingering on my lips. I looked down over her, and she was rubbing the blood that ran down her neck from the bites, out and around it, down her chest. She wrapped my thick hand around her throat, and it was then I realized I needed to stop the bleeding before she was too drained to recover. She quickly grew pale, but the sight of her blood and the low moans that escaped her lips made me pump harder, chasing an orgasm that promised to be nothing less than holy.
The pressure builds as I watch her body roll against me. The band that began at the bottom of my sack and stretched to the sensitive tip of my cock stretched, threatening to break at any moment. One last, deep thrust up, and it snapped; my lifeless seed spilling inside of her. Her pussy clenched around me as she met me there with luster, and we were both panting and smiling at one another when it was finished.
I bit my wrist, bringing it to her red stained mouth, and without a word or direction, she drank.
She laid there, eyes closed, but chest falling gently up and down. She looked sated, as the blood began to dry on her skin in shiny crimson streaks.
“I thought I’d lost you…just as I realized I wanted to worship you,” I whispered, motioning over her body.
I felt a flutter in my chest where my heart used to be, causing me to squeeze her hand as I laid beside her. A smile played on her lips, and as she opened her eyes, I could see they were no longer entranced and now a unique color of lavender. She was simply breathtaking, and I wanted her to be my secret for all of eternity if she would let me.
“You will never lose me as long as you worship me.”
Chapter 7
Freyja
1733 FRANCE
When I woke again, I was in a cold, dark place. At first, it felt like I may be outside, but when I felt the jagged edges of rock and cement beneath my fingertips, I opened my eyes to realize I was underground in a very inhospitable cellar.
I must still be in the dreadful castle because the stench of blood is still all around me. Panic rose in my chest when I felt the weighted chain around my ankle. I screamed, I raged with all my might until I was a pile of sobbing flesh and bone on the floor. I should have known better than to try and fight my way out of these chains, I am helpless against metal. I’d done nothing but weakened myself in a childish fit of rage.
I needed to sleep, to rest, and gather all the strength I had to use my magic and astral project. It was my only hope of getting out of here.
My eyelids were heavy, and that matronly voice inside telling me to rest and not be foolish in the presence of The Red King.
The Red King?
Is that who this man was, a king? Perhaps I could leverage this.
Do not provoke him, you must flee as soon as you can.
Flee? I dif not flee.
I needed to find Charity first.
There had to be a way out of here, there always was. It may not be obvious to me right now, but I could figure it out. From what I had seen, I was not being guarded. I could not sense a single heartbeat within a mile and if someone lurked, my hairs would be standing on end.
Surely blood-bag would bet on me being weak, although he seemed to think that I would be able to wake up his progeny from a curse.
I remember now, after the fog inside of my head cleared, mention of The Red King.
I had passed many years in those Welsh woods, and I had seen dozens of men in black coats. Killed nearly all of them…except for a select few.
One of them called himself Dante, and the control I held over the others was not easily held over him. Dante liked me—enjoyed me, and I half wondered if he never tried to kill me simply because he enjoyed the sexual deviance of my powers.
Or he was afraid.
He never spoke much, but he did speak of The Red King.
I clawed at the silver cuff around my ankle, cursing at it until my leg was red and raw. I laid back, one small but scratchy blanket balled up below my head. Closing my eyes, I envisioned Charity and her freckled cheeks, the soft curves of her body that I reveled in touching. I felt my body begin to tingle, then warm as I smiled to myself. The memory of the hot springs forever played on a loop inside my head. S day filled with heartfelt exchanges and a true vulnerability I’d only ever seen in Charity’s eyes. My sweet, soft pet.
I rose, beginning to separate my soul from my body, and as I levitated, I began to see the beauty of the castle I was being held prisoner in.
The structure itself was sturdy, stone and mortar surrounded the stained-glass windows that were taller than a man. Paintings hung on the walls beside the massive tapestries that covered most of the halls and windows.
The quiet of the castle was deafening, and when I heard crying, I knew exactly who was responsible.
Charity.
The smell of blood is back inside my senses, and I balked, wiggling my fingers back at my body. I was returned, and not by choice…it was as if the trance was broken completely. I gasped, sitting up as I returned to my full five senses.
He was nearby.
I was not afraid, but I did not yet have a plan. If I ever wanted to get out of here; alongside Charity, I would have to plan. Thoughts of Charity brought my thoughts to Charles and what he did.
I would not forget.
Did Charity feel as betrayed as I did? Or was she simply blind to the fact that Charles hand fed me to a monster because she was now inside of his protection? Was she crying because she was sorrowful of my being taken prisoner or was she upset because she was betrayed by a person she thought she loved?
Charles.
I couldn’t be sure of either until I found her. Just as I began to think about the last moment I had her on my lips, my chin was snatched, and I was looking into the vampire’s silver eyes.
I moved back, but I hit a wall.
“Screaming will get you nowhere. I didn’t want to put you down here, but you have fought so hard that I had no choice.”
He unhitched the chain from my ankle, and his grip was like steel against my arm.
As if I was weightless, the trap door above me was flung open and in a blur, we were up into the castle’s main floor, rings of candles above my head, lighting the dark walls.
It felt like we were hovering, moving so fast that my feet never touched the floor.
And then we are in a bedchamber, the sleeping blonde girl motionless under feathered duvets.
“She was placed under a curse, and I believe you are full of enough magic to wake her.”
His voice was filled with warning, not direction. It was as if he wasn’t even sure I could do anything. The tone warned me that if I didn’t, I would go back to the hole which I came from.
“If I succeed…you will release me?”
He nodded, closing his eyes at the word succeed.
I did the only thing I was naturally drawn to…I climbed into the bed beside her and closed my eyes. I cradled her from the side, pushing into her dreams using my will.
Once I felt a small connection, I pushed into it, and felt like I was falling. The place inside her mind was cold, with a small sliver of light cast on a white patch of snow.
She sat in the middle, holding a wilted flower, blood smeared on her hands.
“Who are you?”
I knelt beside her, taking her bloodied hand and bringing it to my lips. Her face was stained with tears, and when I pulled one finger into my mouth, her eyes closed and her face relaxed.
“Kiss me.”
Her loneliness sliced through me like a sharp knife and in that moment, I knew she needed love. It was the remedy.
Her mouth found mine, and the saltiness of the blood, mixed with her rose scent filled my core with fire. Our tongues tangled, and she moaned into my mouth, tangling her hand in my hair.
Breaking our kiss she whispered, “wake me.”
For the first time ever, it felt wrong being so intimate with someone besides Charity. With one sharp intake of breath, I blinked twice, and I was back inside my own head, jolting upright in the bed.
“I can’t…she must return to lift the spell.”
I was yanked back by my hair, and torn from the bed, Domenico seething mad.
“If you cannot, then you will remain in that hole like the useless creature that you are!”
And with my failure, I was discarded like a scrap of food, back into the hole.
Chapter 8
Domenico
Irubbed my forehead as I walked the long, drafty halls of the castle—my castle.
Why did tonight feel so different?
I looked at each statue, each painting and I only saw her. I saw our handprints on every surface of this place. Perhaps, it was why I had stayed for so long.
Or, perhaps, my loyalty to this family held onto me stronger than I’d like to admit. A generation of a family who’d held place amongst royals, monsters hidden behind religious statues.
It felt nice to have Charles home again safely, even though I knew the reason I’d sent him away that day was because he’d be the only one able to make it past Freyja’s wards. It needed to be him, and he delivered to me just as I knew he would.
Lilith’s kin.
I slid my hand over the walls, catching the edge of one of the tapestries and darting behind it and inside the hidden tunnels that wound around the castle in its entirety.
