“Jake?” Melanie moved over, so that when he turned, their faces were mere inches apart. He didn’t pull back, which was encouraging. Melanie moved closer, her eyes on his lips. Jake’s breath was soft and warm on her face, and he closed the last of the distance, pressing his lips to hers.
Melanie had been kissed before, but not like this. Jake’s touch made her forget everything else and long only to lick every inch of his skin.
They kissed for several minutes before she had to break away to catch her breath. Jake was grinning the same silly grin she was sure currently adorned her own face. He ghosted his hand down to the hem of her shirt, glancing up at her.
Melanie nodded eagerly, and he slipped his hand underneath, trailing it along her stomach before coming up to her breasts. He cupped them through the bra, but it wasn’t enough, not when his touch was waking her body in ways it hadn’t been in quite some time.
She squirmed around, eventually managing to unclip her bra and pull it off along with her top. “Here,” she breathed, guiding Jake’s head toward where she wanted it.
When his mouth enveloped one of her nipples, Melanie couldn’t help but moan at the feeling. She pressed a hand on the back of his head, forcing him to increase the pressure. She could feel Jake’s cock pressing against her thigh and managed to get a hand between them to stroke him through the fabric of his pants.
Jake broke away from her breast, gasping for breath. “Mel, if you keep doing that, I’m gonna –”
She didn’t let him finish, catching the rest of his words with a kiss, working to undo his pants. His cock sprung free, and she smiled at the feel of it in her hand, quickly working up a rhythm.
Melanie twisted slightly, shoving a hand into her own pants, fingering her clit even as she brought Jake closer and closer to climax. He was making delicious noises as he brought his mouth back to her breasts, licking and suckling in time with her movements.
Her thighs tightened, and Melanie cried out loudly as she came, her hand tensing on Jake’s cock. The added pressure did it for him too, and he was soon spurting hotly all over her hand. She went limp, grinning as she watched Jake’s eyelids drooping in the aftermath of his orgasm.
“Mel?”
“Yeah?”
“I think you need to add me to your list of suitors.”
She laughed, nestling into his side, and Jake eagerly put an arm around her. “I will do that. You know that I might still be expected to marry a prince one day, though. Remember what Rachel told us – female vampire royals have multiple husbands. Or mates, as they call themselves.”
“I know. I’ve never been in a relationship with multiple people before, but I’m not against the idea. What about you?”
“I’ve also never tried it, but it seems a cool bonus to me. Why have only one husband if you can have many? If the princes are even a fraction as sweet and devoted as Refeu is toward Rachel, I’ll be in good hands.”
“What about Mike? I saw the way you were looking at him.”
Melanie felt herself blushing. “He was so kind and patient with you for your first feeding… how could I not like him? It doesn’t hurt that he has the body of a god…” She glanced quickly up at Jake, but he simply smiled at her, seemingly unbothered by this evaluation. Her eyes roamed over the top half of Jake’s body, which was uncovered by the blanket. Mike wasn’t the only one with abs to die for.
“Still, I’m not sure. I wouldn’t want to ask him out and have him think he has to, because I’m a princess. Essa.”
“Well, you have plenty of time to figure it out. Now that that’s settled, come here. I don’t think I’m done kissing you.”
Melanie was only too happy to comply.
The next day, Mike came for Jake’s feeding, and another donor named Bethany breezed in with a huge rack of dresses. So far, Melanie had been wearing her normal clothes, but it was clear that she was expected to wear something a bit more formal for meeting the princes. Vampire royals wore a style of clothing more appropriate in previous centuries, but Melanie couldn’t deny that the outfits were beautiful.
She eventually settled on a deep blue dress with long sleeves and embroidery down the middle. It had a lot of straps and cords, but Bethany seemed to know what to do, and had her correctly strapped into the dress in no time. Jake told her she looked beautiful in it, and she felt herself blushing.
The princes were waiting in the throne room. Rachel sat on her throne, with her three mates on only slightly less ornate chairs around her. She found her gaze being drawn to the three vampires. Her mouth went dry. Had they been searching through model catalogues for these guys?
Tirin stepped forward. “Essa, please allow me to introduce you to Issas Aris Vexin, Apeo Eldan and Salin Beche.”
All three of them bowed. Apeo gave her a warm smile. Aris was staring at her so intently that Melanie found it difficult to keep his gaze. Salin seemed polite, but remote.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Melanie stepped forward, as she’d been coached, and allowed them to kiss her hand one by one. “This is Jake, my… boyfriend?” She glanced at Jake, unsure whether it was too soon to use that term, but he nodded encouragingly, and she turned back to the princes. “Please, would you join us for lunch?”
“Of course, Essa,” Salin murmured, while the other two nodded.
“The servants will show you through to your rooms.”
She waited for them to leave before glancing back at the throne. Rachel grinned and gave her a thumbs up. She’d done it right.
Lunch came soon, and the table was set with a number of delicious foods, but also with several donors sitting at the end, available for the princes should they want to feed.
Melanie didn’t know exactly how to act around royalty, especially since she was technically royalty herself. “How was your journey?” she asked Apeo politely, since he was seated closest to her.
“It went about as well as can be expected, Essa, though dodging the Bokir patrols was interesting. Don’t worry, it gave my guards practice. The lazy bastards could use it.”
Melanie found herself giggling. She’d seen Apeo’s guards, and they were far from lazy. He grinned over his shoulder, and one of his guards made a face at him, but he was smiling.
The conversation flowed easily after that. Aris was very intense; she didn’t know quite what to make of him. Salin seemed shy and withdrawn, though he could maintain a conversation flawlessly, with the air of someone who had been trained in the art of dealing with royalty his whole life.
When the princes decided to feed, Jake joined in, calling for Mike, who Melanie invited to join their lunch. None of the princes seemed upset by this. Donors were honored among vampires and had status only just below that of vampire royals.
It was still new and kind of scary, but by the end of lunch, Melanie was feeling a lot better. She definitely liked Apeo, and though she wasn’t sure about Aris and Salin, they were courteous and kind, and she knew she had nothing to fear from them.
When she and Jake returned to their rooms that evening, he sighed happily. “I think I could get used to this; you know. It’s really not so bad here.”
“You’re right. The princes seem nice, at least. What did you think?”
“I like them. I’d be happy to see you dating any one of them.”
That lifted a weight off her mind, because after today, Melanie found herself interested in seeing more of Apeo, and possibly Mike, if she could work out how to ask him without making him think it was an order.
She fell asleep in Jake’s arms, thinking of the future.
Chapter 4
Aris
Aris had thought this would be easy. He’d go to the Cherki palace, ensure that Essa was turned promptly, then leave. Of course, things couldn’t be that simple. He’d never intended to like Essa. Attraction, he’d expected – he’d seen pictures of her, after all, and she was exactly his type – but liking her as a person? He hadn’t been prepared for that.
He knew that she was
n’t entirely comfortable around him, and that was his own fault. He couldn’t help but stare at her with an intensity that he knew must be frightening. If only she would accept the change, everything would be fine. He didn’t know why she was resisting, but from the few conversations he’d heard, Melanie had no intention of allowing herself to be turned.
A knock on the door had him turning to see his most trusted guard. “Averin, come in.”
Averin did so, perching on the edge of a chair by the table in his chambers. “Issa, the others have all sent their guards home. There is no need for them within the palace. The Cherki have some of the best guards there are.”
“I know, but you know why I still need you here, at least for now.”
Averin paled slightly. “Yes, Issa. I will make up some excuse for staying.”
Aris went to sit down beside his longtime guard and friend. “I didn’t expect this. Do you think she can be convinced?”
“With time, perhaps, but how much time do we have? Are you sure you don’t want to consult the healers about this?”
So far, he and Averin were the only ones who knew about Melanie’s condition.
“No. She might not want anyone knowing. You know how people get about these things. It’s called tainted blood for a reason; people may believe she is tainted and unsuitable to be an Essa.”
“Then tell her, at least.”
“I’ve already considered it but think of how she might react. She’s determined to remain human. If I tell her that she has a deadly blood condition that will kill her unless she turns, she might just kick me out. She doesn’t want to turn. She might not believe me, and then I’d be gone, with no way to help her.”
“You are right, of course, Issa. I only hope it doesn’t come to force.”
“Me too,” he said quietly.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Averin was the only one Aris had ever confided in, the only one he trusted enough not to take it to his mother – the Assa of the Vexin bloodline – when he discovered one of the long lost Cherki heiresses.
He remembered that day as though it was yesterday…
“Issa? Are you well?”
Aris shook his head, trying to clear it. “I don’t know. I saw something, Averin.”
“What did you see?”
“I think – I think I found her. One of the Cherki daughters. It was just a coincidence. I heard screaming, and I followed the sound. She looks just like her mother, and I heard her being called Melanie.”
Averin gasped. “This is wonderful news! Come, we must alert Assa at once. She will coordinate with the Cherki guard to bring Essa to her home.”
“No!” Aris snatched his arm. “We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I saw… her guardians, they are not good people. She was crying – I think she was hungry. She went to the man in whose house she was living, but he brushed her off. He was too busy getting high. She wouldn’t stop crying, though, so he injected her with something…”
Averin stiffened. “She’d be seven years old, at a critical age… but there are many combinations of drugs. You can’t know…”
“She collapsed and started having a seizure. I was about to leap in and help, when she went limp, but for several minutes, her eyes glowed red. The red went darker, then turned to brown and went completely blank.”
Averin swayed on the spot. “Her blood has been tainted,” he whispered.
“That’s why we can’t tell anyone. If they know, they might decide she’s unfit for the transformation and kill her, even her own bloodline. Or worse, they could turn her but never respect her. Some people are superstitious about tainted blood and believe the condition isn’t cured by turning into a vampire.”
“What do you want to do, then, Issa?”
“I’ll watch her, make sure she’s safe. I’ll have to find some way of getting a message through to the Cherki without them knowing it’s me. That would raise too many questions.”
“If we’re going to protect her, then we should do the opposite,” Averin argued. “Hide her from the Cherki. As you said, having tainted blood changes everything. She’ll be safer growing up among humans. When she starts seeing symptoms, one of us can change her. Until then, we should do our best to give her a normal life.”
That was what they did. For years, Aris watched her. Melanie didn’t have an easy life, and it was hard to stop himself intervening. Several times, he did, always in secret, but for the most part, he left her to live as best she could.
Now, Aris wondered if he’d been fooling himself the whole time. For all he hadn’t expected to like Essa, he suspected that part of him had fallen in love with her years ago, watching over her as she grew. He’d thought it would be different, meeting her in person. After all, you could hardly get to know someone just by spying on them. It turned out that the real Essa was more than he’d ever expected or imagined.
It had all gone wrong when Assa Cherki was bitten. That had eventually led to the Cherki guards finding Essa, and now going through with their plans would be a lot more complicated.
“She hasn’t shown symptoms yet.” He turned a hopeful gaze to Averin. “Maybe she won’t. There are a rare few who never do.”
“Yes, but those are only one in a thousand. Best to turn her when she’s young. Remember, she’ll stay at whatever age she is when she’s turned. I doubt Essa will appreciate it if you wait for her to become old and wrinkled, if it does take that long for her to start showing symptoms.”
There was something else, though, a problem that was of his own making. The more time he spent with Essa, the more Aris started to feel like maybe he didn’t have the right to take this choice from her, that maybe he should tell her everything and let her decide.
It was a risk, though. People could become irrational about vampires, particularly when they were in danger of changing themselves, he’d seen it before. If Essa didn’t believe him, she could throw him out and become even more averse to the change, which would likely spell out her death.
The question was, was he willing to risk Essa’s life to give her a choice?
Another knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Averin opened it, and Mike, the donor, stumbled inside. “Issa, your presence has been requested in the healing ward. Essa has fallen ill.”
Aris suspected his legs would have collapsed had Averin not been beside him, subtly putting a hand under his arm. No. It was too soon. He wasn’t ready to decide yet.
“Come.” Averin gave him a little push, which broke his paralysis. Aris followed Mike at a fast walk.
“Essa requested my presence?”
“Assa asked that all the Issas are informed. It is protocol here that an Essa’s or Assa’s suitors should be kept informed of their health.”
Aris wasn’t sure that he could accurately be considered a suitor. That’s what he’d like to be, but he wasn’t sure Essa agreed. She seemed to like Apeo, but she was unsure about him and Salin. Not that he blamed her. Salin didn’t seem to want to be here at all – Aris was sure that he was only doing it out of duty to his family, trying to forge a beneficial alliance – and he had been too worried about Essa’s health to put her at ease with him.
Averin trailed him to the healing ward, while Aris tried to quell his rapidly rising worry. Maybe she just had a human ailment that could be cured with some antibiotics. Please, let it be nothing more than that…
When they got to the healing ward, he pushed a way to Melanie’s bed. He’d spent many years researching the tainted blood condition, and he knew exactly what the symptoms were.
Essa was deadly pale, but with flushed red spots on her cheeks and neck, each about the size of a quarter. She was breathing fast, and her pupils were dilated.
He exchanged a panicked look with Averin. This was it. The tainted blood was taking her. He had to decide now, or Essa would die. He couldn’t risk telling her or anyone else. She had to be turned at once and would likely die while the healers dug ou
t their textbooks on tainted blood, or while the Cherki argued about the best course of action.
He was on the point of stepping forward when Averin seized his wrist, dragging him back. Aris allowed himself to be pulled far enough away so that they could speak quietly without the others hearing.
“No, Issa, you cannot. They will kill you. Let me do it.”
“No way,” he hissed. “They won’t kill me, I’m a royal. They’ll kill you. I’m not letting you spend your life like that, not when I’m not truly in danger. They may imprison or banish me, but I’ll live, and our people will bargain me out. You, they’ll likely kill on sight the moment you do it.”
“It is my job to protect you, Issa, I cannot allow –”
“Averin, I am not making a request. This is a direct order. You will stand back. You will allow them to take me, stepping in only if they try to hurt me. Once I am in the dungeon, you will write to my family and tell them what has happened, everything except Essa’s condition; that’s for her to reveal if she wishes.”
Averin wasn’t happy, but he wouldn’t disobey a direct order. “Yes, Issa.” His eyes were oddly wet. Aris knew it wasn’t common for a vampire royal to risk themselves to save one of their guards, but Averin was more than a guard to him and they both knew it.
Assa was at Essa’s side, holding her hand. Essa was mumbling something that made no sense, probably under the control of delirium.
“What’s going on here?” Assa beckoned the head healer, Gali, forward impatiently. “What’s wrong with her? She was fine a few hours ago.”
“I do not know, Assa. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like her blood is changing, burning her from the inside…”
Essa gasped and her back arched as she writhed in pain. The red spots on her neck were spreading down her arms, and Aris knew he was out of time. He’d have to be quick.
Secret Blood Ties Page 3