by Maria Arnt
“Breathe,” Seth reminded her softly, very close to her ear.
She gasped, drawing in much-needed air, her eyes flying open. It was as if a different man stood before her. Or rather, he was not a man at all. She had allowed herself to forget, as they were dancing, exactly what he was, what they were. Now, it was impossible to ignore.
He guided her through the basic step, patient but exacting. When she had the hang of it, he smiled. “Ready?” he asked.
This time she was, and she nodded shortly. Without further warning, he led her through a complicated series of twists and turns. Occasionally they returned to the basic step, but as the music rose in volume and intensity, it was used less and less. It was difficult, but only because she kept trying to guess blindly what the next move would be. Eventually, she just stopped trying and let Seth pull both of them through the moves, leaning, twisting, dipping close to the floor.
Once she gave up trying to know the next step, it left her open to focus on the one in progress. And what she noticed most was Seth’s hands, the way he moved her, gently but firmly, into the proper forms. The way they lingered on her skin as he drew them along her arms, or twisted her hips against his, or cradled the back of her neck, encouraging her to lean back further.
The whole of her world dwindled to Seth and his hands, and the music surrounding them, moving with them, through them, in them. It burned through her veins, and she saw that he was not unaffected. The moves he chose became more daring and provocative. There was one where they nearly kissed, his lips less than an inch from hers, his eyes locked on hers, asking—asking what? The next was a lean, and he pulled her leg up over his hip, the pad of his thumb grazing against the cuff of her shorts. She moaned, the music swallowing the sound.
He backed off suddenly, expecting the lull in the music. They circled each other, and he was wary, watchful. Oh god, how did I forget how gorgeous he is? she wondered. When the music returned with a vengeance, he yanked her into his arms, and she flew for him, willingly.
The moves became a blur, circling and twisting faster and faster. She was mesmerized by the faint turquoise light of his eyes, her breath quickening, but his came faster. His hands were rougher, demanding, and she craved their ungentle touch. With the last move, he all but tossed her in the air, catching her and bending her backward over his knee, her legs wrapped around his waist.
With a last hum, the music ended, leaving them like that, his face an inch away from the cleavage that peeked out from her V-neck tee. He looked up at her and seemed to come back to himself, pulling away.
Tanya was having none of that, too far under the spell his hands had woven to go back now. She followed him up, sitting so that she was straddling his leg. He hesitated, lips parted, and she took her chance, pressing her own against them.
He drew in a deep breath, stiffening. When she didn’t pull away, he let out a strangled sound, and then returned her kiss with the force of a freight train. He clutched at her hungrily, burying a hand in her hair and clenching his fist.
She tore at him just as eagerly, yanking his button-down out of the back of his pants and shoving her hands in instead. God, his ass is perfect. She moaned as she felt the muscles bunch underneath her fingers as he stood, holding her against him. She could feel him hard against her now, and gasped against his mouth.
As he carried her back into the living room, she was oddly pleased to feel him stumble over something. She grabbed him by the neck to steady herself, laughing before he claimed her lips again. She buried her hands in his hair, raking her fingernails lightly across his scalp, and was hard-put to decide if she liked the incredibly soft feel of it or the delicious sound he made better. So many unfamiliar sensations, but she decided this was much better than fabric swatches.
They moved into another room, one she hadn’t seen yet, and she realized distantly it must be his bedroom. She got a vague impression of dark, severe decorations before he dumped her unceremoniously on the enormous bed. He stood towering above her at the foot of the bed, panting, another question in his eyes.
“What?” she asked, a little out of breath herself.
“You want this,” he said, not quite a question.
“Yes,” she answered without thinking. She sat up and palmed his obvious erection through his soft wool pants. “I want this. I want you to teach me how it feels,” she teased.
He groaned, and then growled, shoving her back onto the bed, crawling on top of her. He shoved the hem of her shirt up, splaying the fingers of one hand across the skin of her stomach. With the other he deftly undid his belt, and whipped it out of the loops, throwing it away. She arched against his touch, then reached up to fumble with the button on his pants.
Chuckling at her eagerness, he made quick work of the buttons of his shirt, yanking it off and then pulling the undershirt he wore beneath it over his head. Her hands abandoned their attempts and slid up his exposed stomach, the subtle muscle definition surprising her. He was so lean, she had expected something softer, but every inch of him was hard as a rock, including the generous several where it really counted.
Seth snatched her hands away and pulled so she sat up. He pushed the hem of her shirt up slowly, watching her skin hungrily as it was revealed. Impatient, she pulled it the rest of the way off, making him huff in exasperation. When she stuck her tongue out at him, he grabbed her by the chin and kissed her, biting it lightly.
Tanya squeaked, surprised, and he took the advantage to pull back and flip her onto her stomach. She tried to get up, but he pressed a hand against the back of her neck, using the other to undo the clasp of her bra. Only then did he let her up, hands sliding around to cup her breasts, making her moan. He bent down to kiss her back just between the shoulder blades, and then lick the dip at the small of her back.
“Ngh... Seth,” she pleaded.
His hands encouraged her to rise, until she knelt before him, her back against his chest. Only then did she realize that the headboard of his bed was one enormous mirror, extending all the way up between the posts, almost to the ceiling. His eyes found hers in the reflection, cutting through the darkness with an eerie half-glow. “Tatiana,” he murmured in her ear, beginning to draw his hands down, exposing her. “You are so beautiful.” He nuzzled against her hair, watching with her as he reached down to undo her shorts, pushing them off her hips to reveal her panties. He slipped a finger under the waistline, teasing, and then following through, stroking her through the thin cotton.
Shuddering, she threw her head back against his shoulder.
“Mmm,” she could feel the smile in his voice. “Do you like that, darling?”
“Y-yes,” she stammered, trying to remember how to breathe. His touch was gentle and light, but it was quite possibly the most intense sensation she had ever experienced, and considering the last few days that was saying a lot.
As he gradually increased the pressure, she reached up to grab his hair, needing something to anchor herself. She began to moan, helpless to the magic his fingers were working.
“That’s it, Tatiana, feel it,” he whispered, and pressed his hips against her rear suggestively.
At this point, she didn’t have much of a choice, she thought, his hand bringing her to the edge faster than she had probably ever gotten there. When she came, it wracked her whole body, and she saw flashes of light behind her tightly closed eyes.
“Good girl,” he murmured, and gently lowered her back down to the bed.
Tanya managed to roll over with his help, limp and spent, and he pulled her shorts and panties off of her legs altogether. He stood beside the bed, and she watched him get rid of his own pants, surprised to see he wore nothing beneath them. Her eyebrows flew upwards as she got a first look at his equipment, and he smirked arrogantly in response.
Naked, he crawled back up the bed, sliding his hands up her legs and parting them with kisses on the inside of one knee. His mouth drifted higher, gently biting the soft flesh on the inside of her thigh. She stiffened, fr
eezing, but he let go and chuckled, swiping his tongue across the unharmed spot, as if to show he had done no damage. She relaxed, but only a little, and then jumped again when his mouth moved higher.
“No offense,” she put out a hand to stop him, “I’m flattered, but frankly I don’t want your dangerous mouth anywhere near that,” she panted.
He lifted his head, grinning. “Fair enough.” He kissed her hip instead and then worked his way up her body. She lacked the strength of will to stop him from worshiping her breasts, it just felt too damn good, arching up into his mouth. He did not bite again, for which she was grateful. She began to tilt her hips against his, loving the feel of him pressed against her center.
Cursing softly, he pulled away, and then grabbed her hips, turning them both over so she sat straddling him. Dark as it was, she could see herself in the oversized mirror, hair mussed and lips swollen from kissing. Seth’s hands remained at her hips, grinding her against him, making her moan. She was so wet already that she slid against the length of him easily, and at last he let her go long enough for her to reach down and guide him in.
“Oh, fuck,” she hissed, the sensation overwhelming and not quite painful. It had been a long time for her, and he wasn’t exactly lacking in that department.
“That is the idea,” he quipped breathlessly, but his hand rubbed a soothing pattern on her back. He had the good sense not to ask if she was alright, but she caught his concerned expression in the light from the doorway.
Moving experimentally, she watched him tilt his head back, inky curls lost in the black silk of the sheets. She moved again, drawing up slowly, and then dropping back down all at once. He let out an oath in a language she didn’t know, hands sliding up her body greedily.
For a brief moment, she relished the small sense of power over him, and then she lost herself in the rhythm of it, his hips arching up to meet her body in time. She let the sensation wash over her, closing her eyes and riding the waves of ecstasy. It wasn’t long before she could feel herself spiraling upwards once more.
Seth watched her face in the darkness as she reached her climax a second time, more than a little pleased with how easily she responded to his attentions. Sated, she collapsed against him, and he held her a moment, relishing the feel of her skin against his. He rolled them over, careful not to lose their connection, and braced himself on his arms on either side of her.
As he tilted his hips against her, she arched into him, moaning at the effect of the change in angle. The sound was music in his ears, and he kissed her deeply for it. She was so sweet, and the feel as he pressed into her hot center was exquisite. It was becoming difficult to control himself, especially when she wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to pull him in deeper.
“Oh, Tatiana,” he moaned against her lips. He dared to push her harder, to see how she might respond.
“Seth, yes!” she cried, hands gripping his back tightly, “Oh yes, please,” she half-sobbed.
How could he deny such a sweet plea as that? He drove into her, again and again, until she was screaming with pleasure. He felt his own end drawing near, and slid one hand under her back to press her closer, burying his face in the crook of her neck, her blood singing against his ear.
At last, he felt her tighten a third time, and it was enough to push him over the edge. He spilled into her, and she dragged her sharp little nails down his back, making him cry out. Spent, he hovered above her a moment, and then withdrew, collapsing beside her. He pulled her into his arms, her back against his chest, and tried to convince himself that what had just happened was real. He had imagined it so many times, had waited so very long, it seemed impossible that she was finally his. He was drunk with the heady euphoria of her affection.
Never had he imagined that she would fall for him so quickly.
11
For the first time in days, since the change she realized, Tanya felt really, truly relaxed. She hadn’t noticed the tension building in her body until Seth had smoothed it away with his hands and his kisses and...
She blinked, her mind clearing as if waking from a dream. Reality washed over her like a cold ocean swell.
What have I done?
Oh, god. She had slept with him, slept with a vampire, slept with the vampire who had lied to her, attacked her, put her in a coma, and turned her into a monster.
What was I thinking?
She hadn’t been thinking, she realized, too caught up in the rush of sensation, in the dance, and then.... she felt sick. Where had her self-control gone? She remembered, too late, that Master vampires could do some kind of mind-control on their minions, could even make them go to their death against their will. It was why she was careful to isolate them from their offspring.
Was that what Seth had done to her? She lay there, frozen, hating the weight of his arm on her side.
“How do you feel?” he murmured in her ear, and she shuddered.
“Dirty,” she choked out.
He chuckled and ran a hand up her arm. “Well I do suppose you could use a bath,” he reasoned. “Would you like that?”
Slowly, with growing horror, she pushed herself away from him, grasping at the sheets to cover herself. “No. That’s not what I meant, I—” she struggled for air, trying to come to terms with what he had done to her.
He frowned, sitting up and reaching for her. She backed away further, to the edge of the monstrous bed. “Tatiana, what is wrong?” he asked softly.
“How can you ask that?” she demanded. “How could you do this to me?” she fought back a sob.
Seth continued to play dumb. “Do what?”
Oh god, he was going to make her say it. He was a sick, twisted bastard. “You made me. You forced me to... to...” she gestured helplessly at the sheets between them.
His eyes widened as he finally caught on to what she was saying. “What?” he asked anyway, and she flinched back at the suppressed rage in his voice.
Tanya’s throat felt tight. “You used me,” she managed to say, barely above a whisper.
Slowly his hands clenched in the sheets, like the wave drawing back before the crash. “I did no such thing!” he hissed.
“Yes, you did,” she wailed, pulling her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself small.
“When did you say no?” he shouted. “When did you even hesitate? You kissed me! Gods above and below, you spurred me on! How in any way did I take advantage?”
“You made me say those things!” she shouted back, tears in her eyes. “You made me a vampire so you could control me, and use me—”
“No!” he protested, but now there was fear in his expression.
“You know what I mean, don’t you?” she spat. “You used some kind of influence over me to—”
“I did not. And you would know it if I had,” he fumed, nostrils wide. “Yes, I can control you, easily. You want to know what that feels like?” he asked viciously. “Then get up, and get dressed.”
There was a strange weight to the last of his words, and then her body was moving. She felt detached, like she was watching from deep within herself, as she threw back the sheets, found her clothes, and put them back on. It was not at all like sleeping with him had been, but all the same, it seemed familiar. When she finally got control of her body back, she turned to see he had already put his pants on and was pulling on his undershirt.
“You see?” he asked, clearly still angry. “I have only ever used it to help you.” He wouldn’t even look at her.
Tanya realized, her stomach sinking, why the feeling of being controlled was so familiar. When she had panicked, when she had felt as though she would explode or suffocate or fall apart or drown all at once, she had felt the same detachment when he had spoken, telling her to calm down. “Then what...”
He finally met her eye. “I was under the impression that you were attracted to me, Tatiana. What else was I supposed to think?”
Pressing herself against a wall, she tried to sort out her feelings. She watc
hed Seth finish dressing, and when he picked up his belt and walked towards her, she flinched away.
He froze, looking confused. He glanced around, finally settling on the belt in his hand. Clenching his fist around it, he looked back at her and then let it drop, his shoulders drooping too. “I should,” he said, but it was softer now. “I should take you over my knee and beat you for saying such things.” He sounded almost... sad? “But I won’t, because I know it would only make you more defiant.” He put on the belt and sighed.
“Go to the bathroom, and program the tub to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not try to take a shower, and do not make it any warmer, or you will overload, and I will not be here to assist you,” he instructed tiredly. His words held no extra force behind them.
“Where are you going?” she asked. It had never occurred to her that he would leave.
“Hunting,” he said, grabbing a jacket out of his closet. “I’m too thirsty to put up with you right now,” he growled.
“Oh god,” she got up to try and stop him, but he was out the door and into the living room before she caught up. “Please, please don’t kill someone because of me, please don’t,” she begged.
He stopped and turned his head back towards her, just a little. She could see a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched and unclenched it. “If I swear an oath not to take a life this night,” he said as he put on the jacket, turning to face her, “you must pledge me something in return.”
She bit her lip. “What?” What horrible thing will he make me do now?
“Tomorrow evening, when you wake up, you will come downstairs and continue your training. You will not lock yourself up in your room again,” he ordered.
“I can’t lock my bedroom door.” She gestured towards the balcony, exasperated.