by Renee Rose
Clarabelle picks up her dropped clutch and keys, pulls open the door, shoves her key in the ignition and, a second later, she slams the door closed. As she pulls out of the parking space, she glances at me, a look of fear in her eyes.
I turn my gaze back to Siannon. “Get this through your fucking head, Siannon! We are no longer together! I am not yours! I will not allow you to harm my submissive!”
Siannon’s eyes blaze and the powdered wig falls from her head, her fiery red hair a mess as she comes at me again. “You will not make her your submissive!”
I growl. “You have no say in what I do. Stay away from me.”
“Okay, break it up! You’re scaring the humans,” Jared, one of the club’s bouncers, hisses softly at us, breaking us apart. “You wanna fight, you take it somewhere else.”
“Don’t worry, I’m leaving! Last warning, Siannon, stay away from her.” I spin on my heel and head for my car.
“I promise you, Aaron, if I cannot have you, nobody will!” she screams across the parking lot.
Before I reach my car, Theophilus storms over to me. “What is going on out here? We are getting complaints!”
I swear. “Forgive me, Theo, it’s just that the young woman I was with this evening was accosted by Siannon. Siannon tried to kill her, but I arrived in time to stop her. I sent the young woman home, but we will return here tomorrow evening because we plan to take part in the collaring ceremony.”
Theophilus nods. “The young woman is aware of what we are, and has agreed?”
“She has.”
His gaze moves to Siannon, who is struggling to break loose from Jared’s hold. Theo moves toward her and snaps his fingers in front of her face, stopping her tantrum. “If I or anyone else here becomes aware of one more act of violence by you, Siannon, I can assure you, by King Lucius’s orders, you will lose your rights under his rule, and anyone who wishes can put you to death without repercussions. There will be no more killing of humans, or harming of humans. Do I make myself clear?” His voice is low and deep, but soft, so that no humans can overhear him.
Siannon clenches her teeth and she looks as if she wants to argue but she reluctantly backs off. “Fine,” she bites out and then walks off in the opposite direction from the club.
Theo turns back to me. “Go home. We’ll see you tomorrow evening for the ceremony.”
I nod and stride to my car, climbing in. I head home, and make it into bed just as the sun rises.
Chapter 7
I click the button on my alarm clock to turn it off and then pull the comforter over my head, blocking out the blazing sun. I’ve maybe gotten about two hours of sleep and they weren’t restful at all. My dreams were terrible; more like nightmares.
I huddle under the blankets, my mind drifting back over the evening I spent with Aaron. It was magical—dancing with him, discovering he wanted me, making love with him… but then it all got ruined. I can’t make up my mind on what I want to do about it, either. Do I still want to be his? Yes. Definitively, yes. But. I keep coming back to that but. The curvy, redheaded BUT. It mocks me in my dreams and in my thoughts.
And the BUT has a name.
Siannon.
Because of course the exotic beauty who is Aaron’s ex has an exotic name to go with her traditional Irish looks. Apparently, she has the temper to match her hair too. I had thought my own temper was bad, but I have nothing on Siannon. And to top it all off, the cherry on the proverbial sundae, she is a vampire. A blood-sucking, human-killing psychopath! And lucky me, I am now on the psycho’s to kill list!
I sigh and flip the comforter off my head. I should have asked more questions last night, but I’d been so enthralled with Aaron, I’d just agreed to everything. “Stupid,” I mutter. I should have at least asked if any of the tropes were true. Like: can he be out during the day? Do I need to worry if Siannon is going to come after me during daylight hours, or just at night? Will garlic hurt her? What about silver? A stake to the heart? Can she even be killed?
For a few minutes, I imagine myself in the role of vampire slayer, a la Buffy style, and Siannon as the easily defeated vampire. Could I do it? Plunge a stake into her heart? I frown. Probably not, and where would I get a stake from, anyway? And what if I miss? Or what if it doesn’t work? That would be bad because then Siannon would be even more pissed off at me.
Funnily enough, I don’t consider killing any other vampires, just Siannon. But for all I know, vampires kill humans all the time. Granted, I’ve known Aaron for two years, and he’s never once tried to bite me—aside from when we made love last night, but that doesn’t count—or kill me, so that leads me to think that maybe at least he doesn’t kill humans. Also, he said that the other vampires would just wipe my memory, not kill me. So, there is that.
I am so confused. I don’t know what to think or do about my agreement with Aaron to become his submissive. I didn’t ask any questions, and I should have. Still, I don’t like the idea of having my memory wiped. I enjoy my time with Aaron, and I won’t ever expose him or the others as vampires. Not that they will believe that.
“Who would even believe me?” I mutter. “They’d lock me up in the psych ward if I went to the police saying a vampire was after me!”
I glance over at the clock as my stomach starts to grumble. It is past lunchtime. With a sigh, I get out of bed, straighten it up, and then go into the bathroom. Seeing my hair, and the mess it is from the night before, I pull out the pins and then jump in the shower to wash and condition it. Once I am done, I put on my swimsuit and a sarong. Instead of wallowing in bed, I’ll go lie by the pool and soak up some sun. I make my way down to the kitchen, fix myself a sandwich and a glass of tea, then go out to the pool to eat in the gazebo.
By the time the sun starts to set, I still don’t know what I want to do. As I return into the house, I hear my phone ring that special ringtone reserved for Aaron. I stare at it for a minute before answering.
“Hello.”
“Clarabelle, are you all right?” he asks. He sounds so concerned that it breaks me.
“I don’t know.” I want to be honest with him, but I am really not sure if I am okay.
“Can we talk?”
“Yes.” I drop into a chair in my living room.
He sighs. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
I picture him running his hand through his hair in frustration, and it makes me smile a little. “Tell me how you met her. Go from there. What am I up against?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
I nod, but he can’t see me, of course, so I murmur, “Yes.”
“I met Siannon after coming here to the United States about two hundred years ago. I had come to defy my father,” he chuckles, “he never approved of the rebels here. You see, my father is the one who turned me, wanting me to follow in his footsteps, but the life he lived wasn’t one I wanted, so I left. Anyway, I met Siannon and we began a destructive relationship. I’ve broken things off with her more times than I can count. Somehow, she has always made me go back to her. Until you.”
“Me?” I squeak into the phone, surprised by his words.
“I know you don’t believe me, but it is true. I’ve never met anyone like you before. There is something about you that has drawn me in. I will not let her harm you, Clarabelle. I have wanted you for these past two years, since the moment you picked me up that first time. Looking like a wet dream in that uniform, you have tempted me and haunted my thoughts for two years, though I swore I’d never tell you.”
“Why?” I ask, wrinkling my forehead.
“Because I didn’t want to risk your life with Siannon. She has always been a jealous woman and she has harmed humans who were close to me before.”
I don’t say anything for a moment, but then ask softly, “So why now?”
“Have you ever just wanted a taste of your heart’s desire? I think I told myself that was what last night would be. Just a taste. A taste of heaven with you for one magical night, and
then I would know what it would be like. But you are more than I even dreamed you could be… you wanted me, even knowing what I was… you trusted me.”
“That was my thought too. One magical night with you, even if I had to go back to being just your occasional chauffer the next night… I could have just that one night of passion to remember. But then you offered me more. I’ve wanted you since I first met you, too,” I say, curling my feet under my bottom on the chair.
“Do you still want that? Do you still want to be mine?” he asks.
I only take a moment before answering. “I do.”
“Then get dressed, and I will pick you up in an hour.”
I blink. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“It’s just dawned on me that I’ve never seen you in anything other than your sexy uniform and the Cinderella dress,” he laughs, “how about you surprise me?”
I giggle. “All right. I’ll see you in an hour.”
I hang up the phone and head upstairs. Five minutes later, I’m flipping through my closet, looking for something that will turn Aaron on. I decide on a silver sparkly tank top that ties around the neck and leaves most of my back exposed, and a short black skirt—granted, it is one I use for ‘work’ when I drive Aaron, but as he’s said, he finds it sexy. I don’t really know what a collaring ceremony entails but I imagine it is something to do with the BDSM stuff I saw the night before in the club. With that in mind, I opt for no necklace.
I bend over and brush my hair out, gathering it and creating a high messy bun on the crown of my head. I loosen it just a tiny bit, giving it some volume, and then pull a few strands loose around my ears. Though I am not wearing a necklace, I do add some dangly faux diamond earrings.
Once my hair is done, I dust some powder on my face, add a pink gloss to my lips, and some of my favorite mascara to my lashes. I am downstairs and ready to walk out the door with ten minutes left, so I clean up my dishes and make sure the back door to the patio is locked.
The doorbell rings and I move to answer it. I peep out the window and see Aaron. I open the door with a smile. “Hi.”
“Stunning.”
“Thank you.” I blush as I move through the doorway, then close and lock it behind me with my keycode so I won’t have to carry my keys. I’m not even bringing my purse with my wallet or phone. The only person I want to speak to is already with me, so there is no need.
Aaron leads me out to his car, a sleek, black BMW M2. He opens the door and helps me in, then goes around to the driver’s side and gets in. “I thought we might spend some time together again before the ceremony,” he comments, giving me a rakish grin.
I bite my lip and nod. “I’d like that.”
We make it to the club in record time; he drives much faster than I do. He wraps an arm around me and guides me into the club, bypassing the queue, and then downstairs to a private room that he’s already got the key to.
He turns the lock on the door, and I look around the room. It is different than the one we were in before: this one has toys, some I’ve never seen or heard of before. My eyes leave them and return to him.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask softly.
He nods as he stalks closer to me.
“What… um… what does it mean to be your submissive? To belong to you?”
His brow arches. “I wondered if you knew what I meant by submissive.”
“Well?”
“It means we share blood, and you will belong to me forever.”
I swallow hard. “Would I be… like you?”
“Do you want to be?” he asks.
“Do I have to answer that now?”
He smiles and reaches for me, curling his hand around the back of my neck, he draws me close. “No, you don’t have to answer that now. For now, we’ll start with just making you mine.” He holds my head softly as he kisses me.
I love how dominant he is with me. How he makes me feel loved and cared for—protected. His lips on mine demand I open my mouth to his, and I do. Following his lead, I allow him to deepen the kiss as heat floods me, wetting my panties.
He pulls back and looks deep into my eyes. “Do you still want this? Last chance to back out, Clarabelle.”
“I do want this—you, Aaron. I want you,” I murmur, and then feel myself falling into his gaze, drifting into that same hazy trance he put me in before, and my breathing kicks up a notch.
He pulls my skirt up to my waist and lifts me into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and sliding my arms around his neck. A moment later, he is shoving my panties aside and sliding into me, his eyes never leaving mine. He presses me back up against the wall and fucks me, his cock sliding in and out of me in such a fast rhythm that I can barely keep up, and he soon has me crashing over the edge of bliss. His gaze deepens and I hold on tight as I fall further into the trance, experiencing a deeper feeling of pleasure than I ever have before.
He kisses me hard, and then kisses down my neck and finally, as I am overtaken by another orgasm, he bites me, and he comes too. I cry out in pleasure as I curl around him, holding on tight.
A moment later, he whispers, “Drink,” and slices his neck with a small blade.
Hearing the demand, I press my lips to the wound, and suck. His blood has a coppery flavor to it, but it is sweet, and even though I thought I’d hate it, I don’t. I lick my lips after getting a mouthful.
He moves from the wall to the bed and lays me down, hovering over me. I lie there, gazing up into his hypnotic eyes, still feeling like I am in a trance. Anything he says, I will do without hesitation, and I love that he can do that to me.
He snaps his fingers and I blink, then smile. I lick my lips again, tasting his blood on my tongue. My eyes stray to his neck where he made the cut, but it is gone, already healed. I move my fingers up to trace over the spot. He grabs my fingers and kisses them.
“How do you feel?” he asks.
“Good, fine, why?”
“Just making sure. We’ve got a few hours before the collaring ceremony. Would you like to go upstairs?”
I give him a wicked grin. “So long as we can come back here later.”
He chuckles. “I think I can make that happen.” He helps me up and straightens my skirt for me. “Why don’t you go on up? I’ve got to set some things up with Theophilus, but then I’ll be right there with you. Tell Alaya to put your drinks on my tab.”
I grin as I open the door. “All right. Don’t be long, okay?”
Chapter 8
I am in a whole other world as I make my way out of the private room—so much so that I don’t realize someone is speaking to me until they grab my arm.
“What are you doing down here?” a man practically growls at me.
I glance up at him, frightened. He looks like a soldier, with that close cropped hair and hard gray eyes. “I-I…” I stutter, shaking as I realize that he must be a vampire. My throat closes up and I can’t get out any more words.
The man shakes my arm. “How did you get down here?”
My hand goes to my throat; it is so tight, I can’t speak. Panicking, I look around the room and then I meet the gaze of the man who showed me and Aaron to the room the night before. Seeing me, he moves closer.
“Answer me!” The man’s voice rises angrily.
“Eldridge, why are you manhandling Mr. Blake’s submissive?” Theophilus asks softly. “Please let her go.”
Eldridge gives me a hard look, his grip loosening but not leaving me entirely. “If that is true, why is she wandering around down here by herself?”
Theophilus quirks a brow at me.
“We were in a room,” I say softly, my voice shaking, “he asked me to go upstairs, because he has some things to do down here. I… I was heading to the stairs,” I finish.
“Let her go, Eldridge, she is just doing as she was bid. I think it will be all right, I will escort her to the stairs.”
Eldridge drops my arm and I sigh in relief. He gives me one more narrow-ey
ed look, but then leaves me alone with Theophilus.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“It is best that you don’t wander around down here on your own. I will speak to Aaron about this; he should have known better than to allow you out here on your own.”
I simply nod. I won’t be forgetting it any time soon. “Thank you for the escort to the stairs.”
“My pleasure.” Theophilus grins at me. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you later for the collaring ceremony.”
I give him a jerky nod before climbing the stairs and heading straight to the bar. When the bartender comes over to me, I am still shaking.
“What can I get you, sweetheart?” he asks flirtatiously.
“Whisky, neat.” I glance up at him. “Mr. Blake said to tell Alaya to put my drink on his tab.”
“Did he now? Well then, one whisky neat coming up.” He turns and pours three fingers into a short crystal glass, then hands it to me.
I pick up the glass, throw the liquor down my throat, and set the empty glass down on the counter. “Another.”
“Don’t you think you should slow down, maybe enjoy it a little?” he says as he pours me a second.
“Nerves.” I swallow, settling my mind. “I’ll drink this one a little slower. Thanks.”
“Glad to hear it.” He winks at me and then moves down the bar to help someone else.
I hold the glass in my hand as I turn and look around the room. The encounter with Eldridge scared me. I’ll probably have bruises later from the grip he had on my arm. I sip the whisky, enjoying the flavor of it as I realize it is Aaron’s brand, Sweet Nectar. I’ve had it before, and quite enjoy it.
“You!” a woman’s voice screeches in my ear, with a distinct Irish accent.
I whirl, my eyes widening.
“I warned you to stay away from him! I’m going to kill you,” Siannon hisses. She looks very different now, with her black leather pants, and blood red top, her hair flowing in soft curls down her back.