by Cole Denton
“Pull your lips apart, my Queen.”
As soon as I pulled my lips back and exposed myself further, he slapped the crop against my engorged clit.
“Ahh!” I cried out at the exquisite brief pain.
My pulse sped up as the anticipation continued to build.
“You liked that, my Queen. It is a rare woman who likes pain with pleasure,” River stated.
“Well, River, you have never met a woman quite like me,” I quipped.
He continued to drive me wild as he moved the crop between my legs. Several times I had to fend off an orgasm, and I was nearing a breaking point.
“Turn around, my Queen,” River commanded. He motioned with the crop for me to turn around. “Take a few steps back, bend over, and keep your pretty hands on the stone, my Queen.”
I bent over and stretched my arms across the stone that formed the top of the balcony. I took hold of the edge of the stone and waited.
Slap!
Energy spread through my body as River’s wide hand came down on my ass. Each slap brought me closer to coming. He paced the slaps evenly apart, and although they were predictable, the effect was still hot.
River pressed his body against my bare ass and leaned his chest and stomach against my back. The coarse hair around River’s erection felt abrasive against my soft skin. Though I have always preferred softer skin and freshly bathed hair on my gentlemen, there was something intoxicating about being taken by this hard-bodied, masculine man.
River reached around and tore open the front of my dress from the neckline down to just below my breasts. My breasts spilled from the torn silk into his calloused hands. His fingers quickly found my hard nipples, and he pinched them and tugged on them.
Everything he did made me wet.
I felt River adjust his stance and then in one swift motion, River buried his thick, heavily veined cock in me. I quickly adjusted my grip on the balcony stone just as River started to pound into me. I could feel River’s ragged breath against my back. The faster he pumped, the closer I was. He suddenly stilled his motions and then moaned as he came. My orgasm quickly followed his.
Neither of us spoke as we both fought to catch our breaths. When River pulled out, I stood upright and leaned my back against the balcony. I looked down at the torn silk fabric that lay open and loose. I huffed out a laugh.
“Sorry about your dress, my Queen,” River apologized while wearing a faint smile.
“Well, now I have a reason to get a new dress made.”
“And you also have a reason to sit in the bath. You would not want cum running down your leg as you walk around today.”
We shared a laugh, and then I asked him to clean the crop before he went to clean himself up.
“River, when you have finished, would you give Michan and Sean a hand with the carriage?”
“Of course, my Queen.”
“Klyn had to go on an errand and is not feeling well. I would like for him to be able to rest upon his return without the worry that a chore has been left undone.”
“Yes, I will assist Michan and Sean so Sir Klyn may rest.”
“Thank you. He is due back by mid-afternoon,” I informed.
I spent a fair amount of time in the bath pampering myself. After I got out of the bath, I left my washroom to get dressed in my quarters. As I slipped on a comfortable dress, I noticed that ominous, dark clouds had filled the sky to the south. I frowned and walked out to the balcony to investigate the sudden change in weather. Though cool, it had been so beautiful when I was out here with River. Now the wind was blowing all those dark clouds towards Drishane.
Had I been in the bath that long?
Michan, Sean, and River were all busy crouched by the carriage at the front of the stable. Was Klyn back? I left the balcony and made my way to Klyn’s quarters. His door was open, but the room and washroom were empty. I went downstairs and caught the attention of a castle hand that was stationed to the foyer.
“Do you know if Klyn has returned?” I asked.
“No, my Queen. Sir Klyn has yet to return,” he replied.
“Have you been at this post all morning?” I inquired.
“Yes, my Queen.”
I nodded and walked outside into the breeze. I stared at Michan, Sean, and River while I tried to listen to them. I rubbed at my ears when I realized that I could not hear them. When I turned my head to look at the bridge, a piercing noise rang through my head. In the blink of an eye, I was seized with a painful headache. The headache was so powerful that I brought both hands up to my head while the wind punished my face with my hair.
“—Queen?”
I faintly heard a familiar voice. I tried to open my eyes, but the pain was too great. I felt one set of hands on me; one hand on my back, and one gently trying to pull my hands away from my head.
“My Queen, can you hear me?”
Liam. It was Liam.
“Hey!” I think Liam was yelling though it sounded like my head was underwater. “Help!” Liam called out.
Moments later, I felt an arm behind the backs of my knee and a firm hand grasp my shoulder. The next thing I knew, River was carrying me back into the castle. Once we crossed into the castle, my headache began to subside rapidly and I was able to open my eyes.
River sat me down at the formal table in the dining room and he sat beside me. Liam, Michan, Ethan, and Sean were all beside me. Some people were scurrying about trying to bring me tea. I explained that I suffered a major headache. The longer I sat there, the more concerned I became. The headache had wiped out my hearing and vision for a few moments outside.
The wind whipped through the foyer and the castle hands opted to close the doors. We typically left them open from sun up to sun down. Given the wind and the storm, they wanted the doors closed.
“Liam, tell them not to close the doors,” I stated as I rubbed my eyes.
“But, my Queen, the wind is so bad. There is a storm—”
“Liam, tell them not to close the doors,” I repeated. “Klyn still is not back. Those doors are not to close until he has returned.”
Liam went to the foyer to pass along my instructions. The doors remained open during the storm. I sat with my gentlemen in the dining room. Bile rose in my throat as I felt the humidity form a sheen of moisture on my skin. Something was wrong.
“We need to go out and look for Klyn,” I said.
“No,” River said firmly. “This is no weather for any of us to be out in. Especially you, my Queen.”
“Excuse me, River?” I met his icy stare. “The last time I checked, I was in charge here,” I insisted.
“With all due respect, my Queen, that is not a good decision for you,” River paused and then gestured with his head to the other gentlemen. “Nor is it a good decision for them. We wait until the storm passes, and then we will organize an appropriate group to go look for Sir Klyn.”
“Maybe he is indoors, my Queen,” Sean offered up.
“Yes, perhaps he found shelter,” Ethan added.
I wanted to believe them. I really did. I even tried to convince myself to believe them. But something told me otherwise. I looked down at my hand and realized that I did not have my family ring on. After my bath, I had dressed quickly and gone to the balcony. In haste, I forgot to slip the ring on.
With my gentlemen by my side, I went upstairs to my quarters and found my family ring was right where I had left it. The moment I slid the ring down my finger, I felt warmth and pressure.
Carpe Noctem!
Panic set in and I could barely talk. I hurried out of my quarters and down the stairs to the foyer, mumbling as I went to my boys.
“Carpe Noctem is coming,” I managed to get out.
“What?” River asked frantically. “What? How do you know, my Queen?”
“Carpe who,” Sean blurted.
“Carpe Noctem. The vampires responsible for the Drishane massacre,” Ethan said under his breath.
Oh, bloody hell! Klyn was still
out there!
I quickly ran through the folklore behind this ring. As long as I wore this ring, no vampire could make it into the castle or on the grounds.
I looked out of the open massive wooden doors. The rain was pouring down as thunder boomed overhead. Just beyond the bridge lay heavy fog. They were here.
“No one is to leave the castle grounds,” I told the head castle hand.
“I will relay your wishes, my Queen,” he said and hurried off.
“How do you know it is Carpe Noctem?” River begged for answers.
“My ring.” I held my hand up and looked at him. “My family ring told me. While I wear it, no vampire can cross onto the Darick grounds or castle,” I quickly explained as someone emerged from the fog.
“There can be flaws with that ring, my Queen,” River suggested.
I ignored him and walked to the front door, hoping it was Klyn. The castle hands told me to stay back while they greeted the person that was running toward the castle, yelling my name.
“Queen, stay back!”
River and Ethan pulled me back from the foyer as the man made it to the entrance.
“Urgent message for the Queen!” he panted.
The man passed the rolled-up parchment to the castle hand, which was handed to me. I unrolled it, and my eyes quickly read. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. I looked up and stared into the dark eyes of River.
Epilogue
Klyn
Once I made my way across the bridge, I began counting my steps. Finding the warlock required complete concentration. As tired as I was, I worried that I might not find Kaspar at all. The ground felt soft under my feet, and the air was heavy. I could feel that a storm was on the horizon. I counted one thousand steps to the east, then fifty to the south, followed by five hundred to the east again.
Situated between a set of wide trunked trees sat a long and narrow shack. Kaspar’s place was no wider than these particular tree trunks. Not all of the trees in this forest were as wide as what Kaspar’s place hid between. But I knew that Kaspar had a particular concoction that he spread at the base of the trunks to help keep his place hidden.
Kaspar was outside in front of his shack with his back to me. He looked like he was tending to some plants.
“I sensed you were coming, my friend,” Kaspar greeted me as he turned around.
“Kaspar, it is good to see you,” I said.
“Come inside and have a seat. You are tired.”
Kaspar had an excellent ability to sense things as well as see into the immediate future. I took a seat at his table as he set an iron plate on the table along with a few small carafes.
“You have a weary mind and body, Klyn. Is there a reason you came here instead of the apothecary?”
“Kaspar, you know as well as I do that the apothecary probably has no answer for this. Octavia is experiencing something, as well. Her hearing has been affected recently, and now I am drained of energy.”
“Heightened abilities you were each blessed with when turned,” he mused while he poured some liquids from the carafes.
“I am not certain they are blessings.”
“None the less, they are yours to bear,” Kaspar grinned, and then his face grew serious. “Something dark has entered your world, my friend. What else do you come seeking?”
“Aside from trying to find out why I am so tired, I was going to ask you what your thoughts are on Octavia’s newest gentleman.”
Kaspar laughed and sat down across from me.
“You usually have a fine grasp on the young men. Do you not like what you see with this one?”
“That is the problem, Kaspar. I cannot see anything at all on him. And oddly enough, since his arrival, I have been tired.”
“That is peculiar,” he admitted and frowned. “What is the boy’s name?” Kaspar asked and began swirling his finger through the liquid.
“River Kulver,” I replied.
Kaspar froze and stared at me. I raised my eyebrow at him. I could tell that he knew of that name.
“What is it, Kaspar?”
Kaspar looked at the iron plate and assessed the fluids he moved around with his finger.
“River Kulver…he is the reason for your energy drain and Octavia’s issues. River is a hybrid. The hybrid’s presence can skew non-traditional vampire’s advanced gifts. Such as your energy, sight, and hearing.”
“He is a what?”
“A hybrid. A special vampire.” Kaspar paused long enough for me to close my mouth that was hanging open. “River Kulver is the bastard son of Lochlaan Mortas,” Kaspar’s fingers moved through the fluid on the plate. “Lochlaan had forbidden River’s mother from keeping the child. She was ordered to drown the boy. Lochlaan does not recognize the boy as his. River is not a young man. He is well over three hundred years old.”
“Wait, before you go further, I think you might be misreading. Remember, Octavia has the ring of Darick. While she is alive and wears the ring, no vampire can get onto the castle grounds, let alone into the castle. The Halo of Darick is still in place.”
Kaspar stared at me and then slowly shook his head.
“Full vampires cannot cross onto the Darick grounds. River is a hybrid. He is the only one that exists. Think of him as similar to you and Octavia. Both of you have vampire traits and characteristics, though neither of you are full vampires. River is the same.”
“Is Octavia a hybrid? Am I a hybrid?”
“No. Neither of you are from vampire lineage. You and Octavia are different than River. He is…one of a kind. For centuries there have been stories in the woods about this hybrid existing. Though, no one had seen him.”
“How did he become a hybrid thing?”
“His father had relations with someone outside of the Carpe Noctem clan.”
I wiped the perspiration from my brow and glanced at the fogged window.
“Klyn, a storm is coming.”
“I know. I can feel it. I need to get going.”
“Klyn, wait the storm out. Stay.”
“I will be fine.”
Kaspar sighed and gathered some vials with thick liquid, then thrust them in my hands.
“These should last you for a little while. Mix a tiny drop with your morning tea, and it should fend off anything that your hybrid friend might be emitting.”
“Kaspar, is he dangerous?” I asked quickly as I walked to the door.
“It was not clear. The space around River is cloudy,” Kaspar said from the doorway.
“Or foggy,” I murmured and waved to my friend.
I had so much on my mind as I began my journey back, but I tried to force myself to concentrate on the path and the number of steps that I needed to take.
Forty-four…forty-five…I cannot believe River’s father is Lochlaan Mortas…forty-nine…more so I was surprised that he had been able to get into the castle…forty…forty-one…forty-two…forty.
“Fuck!” I swore and stopped in my tracks.
I allowed myself to get distracted and lost the bloody count. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. The air was so thick and humid. I opened my eyes and turned around to see if I could see Kaspar’s place. It was gone. There was no sign of the wide trees either.
I kept walking in the direction that I thought I should be going until a quickly rolling fog came toward me. The fog grew in height as it bowled closer. Slowly, bodies emerged from the fog. I knew they were not human; Carpe Noctem.
I held my ground and waited for them to approach me. All I could think of was Octavia.
“It has been a while, Klyn,” a man with wet, slicked-back hair the color of coal stepped forward.
“Have we met?” I asked.
The group of ten or twelve laughed and looked around at one another.
“Indeed, we have. Many, many years ago. But I do not think I had very good manners last time.” He held his hand toward me. “Lochlaan Mortas,” he introduced himself.
Though I knew this was the Carpe
Noctem, I had never seen the ring leader before. This was the man responsible for the massacre and butchering the people of Drishane, including the King and Queen.
I spit on his outstretched hand. Quickly I found myself on the ground, gasping for air. My fingers tried to pry Lochlaan’s strong hands from my neck.
“I was sloppy once, Klyn. I will not be sloppy again,” he promised. “Knowing that fucking cunt is still alive has nearly driven me insane.”
Rain splattered on my face as I looked upward at the trees. I stretched my neck to try to get room to speak.
“You were sloppy more than once. River is your spawn,” I rasped.
An iron fist landed on my stomach. Surely, I was moments from death as I coughed up blood.
“River,” Lochlaan said through gritted teeth. “That boy has been dead to me! I never allowed him to be part of us because he was a pure accident. He was never supposed to live. But I did not trust him. I have had him followed just to make sure he stayed away from me. And just when I thought he served no purpose, he led me right to Princess Octavia—”
“Queen Octavia,” I coughed.
“Since you are so fucking precious to her, you are going to help me get the Royal Darick molds. If she does not comply, I will send part of your body to her,” Lochlaan said and pulled me upright.
He spoke to the others as I coughed up blood and spit it out next to where I sat. I felt even more lethargic now that I was surrounded by vampires. They were draining me of my energy.
Lochlaan placed a small wooden board in front of me with a piece of parchment. He tossed a quill at me and instructed me to write. As I slowly wrote Lochlaan’s demands and threats, I quickly thought of how I could warn her about River. I had to be discreet.
Queen Octavia,
Lochlaan Mortas intercepted me on my return to the castle. He is demanding that you hand over all of the molds and material to make Royal Darick coins. He said you have seven days to comply. Otherwise, he will deliver one part of my body to the castle each day beyond the seventh day. After I am dead, he said Carpe Noctem will bring hell to Drishane. I am only writing this per Lochlaan’s demands, and I fear this will be the last we speak. Think and see with your mind, and do not be guided by your heart. Do not come for me. Keep your four boys close. Your new one bears the mark that appeared on us. Be cautious.