Commitment in Blood

by Madeleine Oh

  “That you had the freedom of the colony and anyone traveling with you was welcome.”

  “Why leave Rand and Adlet aboard ship then?”

  “Part bloody-mindedness and part because I wanted to suss out the situation before we let Adlet loose. Several thousand vamps all lusting after his mortal blood might turn the lad’s head.”

  That she laughed at. “Might?” But… “Rand’s loosing the blood tie then?”

  “I told him to. If he’s enjoying Julius Roma’s hospitality, it’s hardly fair to force celibacy on Adlet. Especially since it will be nigh impossible, given the opportunities and how persuasive vampires can be.”

  “A wise decision. And our bond?” Did it matter either way? But she expected equal courtesy.

  “I received a clear message that our welcome rested on your being available to Julius Roma.”

  “It did, did it? We’ll see about that!” Thought he was still irresistible, did he? Well. She was long past being an impressionable twenty-something. Mind you she hadn’t forgotten Julius. He always had his own particular charm.

  “Are you refusing him, Ferda? You’ll get us all expelled and that poor corpse unplugged.”

  “I don’t think so. But it might be fun to see Julius’s face when he looks at me and realizes just how many mortal decades have passed.”

  How much fun remained to be seen. The comlink crackled to life with instructions for their approach to the landing stage. It went like clockwork. Scientists were waiting and Mildred (or Algernon) was unloaded and, after careful scrutiny, trundled off attached to a portable power source.

  “I’m Dr. Batha. We will do all we can for your client,” a tall, dark-haired, mortal woman told Ferda.

  “Client” was an odd term but Ferda was in no mood to get pedantic. “Thank you. Will you let me know when you think she or he will resuscitate?”

  “You wish to be there? Of course. I would be honored to have the heroine of Arrand in my laboratory.”

  “Heroine of Arrand” was laying it on a bit too thick. “Thank you.”

  After the meditech crew left with the cryonic unit, Ferda became aware of a murmuring outside. “Welcome to my planet, Ferda Wallace.”

  That voice! She swiveled around and met the eyes of a tall, brawny vampire, wearing a black silk poet’s shirt and a red leather kilt. He’d always been a flamboyant dresser but this was way off the scale. She thanked the vastness of the heavens that she’d changed from her serviceable drab zipsuit. “Julius! Julius Roma.”

  He bowed. Talk about putting on the act. “My dear Ferda. How wonderful to see you again. I am honored to be of assistance.”

  “You know we’re counting on your scientists, Julius.”

  “They will not fail you. I will not permit it.”

  He was as full of it as ever. And, if possible, sexier and more bed worthy. What an outfit. Mind you, she already knew what was under his kilt. Drake wasn’t precisely hyperventilating beside her but he was managing the nearest vampire equivalent. Well, he had told her she was free, hadn’t he? “Julius, may I present my fellow crew member, Drake Varna.”

  Drake got a nod. “Welcome. Your fame and reputation precede you, Drake Varna of Terra.”

  Interesting. That explained why he (and Rand, his get) went comatose by Terran dawn.

  Drake matched his nod. Just a tad lower. “I thank you for giving us refuge. Our ship is in need of repair.”

  Julius brushed that aside. “Ask what you need in hospitality’s name. Our engineers, mechanics and guest houses are at your disposal. Now, my dear Ferda, some old friends wish to renew your acquaintance.”

  Some? More than a hundred vamps waited in the outer hangar. Some faces she remembered, but they all called her by name. It was a bit over the top being hailed as the “Heroine of Arrand,” but she’d have been less than human not to enjoy the acclaim.

  Her estimate of a hundred had been way off. It was wonderful to see so many faces she remembered. She stifled the sneaking regret that Adlet and Rand hadn’t been here to witness all this fuss.

  Much to her surprise, they were there, waiting in the vestibule. They emerged from the mob, and by their looks of bewilderment, they’d heard the commotion.

  “Are you all right?” Poor Adlet sounded worried.

  “Perfectly,” Drake replied. They’d have to be deaf not to catch the tartness in his voice. “Ferda’s been catching up with some old acquaintances.”

  “That many?” Adlet asked.

  She couldn’t help it. “At my advanced age, I’ve met an awful lot of people.” Rand raised his eyebrows. She couldn’t hide her smile. Adlet’s face was a wild study. “I’m so remiss.” She turned to Julius. “Forgive me. Let me present my other crewmates, Rand Farrar and Adlet Wirram. This is Julius Roma, the Commandant of this colony.”

  And her very first vampire lover, but that she was not announcing. Although the way he kept a possessive hold on her arm pretty much announced that little detail to anyone who understood the nuances of male behavior.

  With a slight inclination of his head, Julius said, “Welcome to Damphir IV. Anyone who travels with the Heroine of Arrand is welcome on my colony.”

  That announced things loud and clear. Poor Adlet gaped, no other word for it, and his eyes all but glazed over. She was not going to look down but she’d bet anything the lad had an erection the size of a lead pipe, with all these vamps in close proximity. She understood exactly; Julius’s touch on her arm was all she needed to get her interested. She grinned at him. “Julius, we had a rather stressful voyage here. Between pirates and a stowaway.”

  “Of course.” His mouth twisted at the corner in a way she well-remembered, even after all these decades. “Come with me.”

  Keeping hold of her arm, Julius took them down a high-roofed corridor that she suspected was several feet underground, and into a vast, domed hall. “My library,” Julius announced, indicating a door to one side. “You are welcome to make use of it as you please and,” he paused to make an expansive gesture that was so utterly Julius, Ferda had to smile. “Let me offer you the hospitality of my house.” At his gesture four humans appeared. “According to your tastes and wishes.”

  There were two young women and two not quite so young men. Rand managed to smooth over his surprise. Poor old Adlet frankly stared, and Drake acknowledged the offer with a courtly bow. “Your generosity overwhelms me, Julius Roma.”

  Ferda looked at them with a slightly more critical eye. They weren’t as pale as she’d expected from a subterranean life, and appeared healthy and well fed. Much to her relief. If she’d found Julius’s bloodbonded badly cared for, she’d have given him a piece of her mind.

  “And you, young mortal,” Julius turned to Adlet, who managed to close his mouth just in time. “I offer a guide to my colony: Habram.” A slender, fair-haired vampire stepped out of the shadows. “He will be your guide. Let him know your tastes and wishes and he will see you are satisfied.” By the look on Adlet’s face, he would be very easily contented.

  “And now, my dearest Ferda, let us renew our acquaintance while we wait for a report from Dr. Batha.”

  No argument there. He was as hot as ever and didn’t seem to notice what seventy years had done to her. “Don’t forget, Julius, Adlet and I need human food.”

  “You wound me, my love, that you think me so neglectful. I have human cooks. Tell me your wishes and I will have it prepared.”

  Or have their blood? Literally? But maybe not, if the ones she’d seen so far were representative. “Well, Adlet, now’s your chance for real meat and vegetables. No more shipboard rations.”

  He grinned. Seemed the chance of real pork chops was up there with unlimited sex. Had she ever been that young? Yes, when she first met Julius.

  “Request what you want,” Julius said to Adlet before looking at the other men. “And tell my servants if your quarters lack anything.”

  As the sound of mortal footsteps faded as they went away, Julius turned her toward
a corridor to the right, and a silent servant opened a pair of double doors. He obviously intended her to be impressed, so she didn’t disappoint him. “Did you import this wood? From Terra perhaps?”

  “No, it grows on planet. The land above is rich and fertile. My servants farm and keep animals, and we have factories, laboratories and houses for all of them. It’s a healthy environment, a good life that suits humans. You will approve.”

  “Sounds like it. Can I see it?”

  “Tomorrow. I will have a servant take you where you will, and by tomorrow Dr. Batha should have your stowaway awake.” He took her hand in his, and led her across thick carpet to a grouping of velvet-covered divans. “Now. What can I offer you? Food? Drink?”

  Himself? That was a given. “Food later perhaps. For now, I’d like apple juice.” As Adlet hankered for well-cooked meat, she longed for fruit.

  “It’s coming.” The servant slipped out almost noiselessly. Learned from the vamps, she supposed. “Won’t you be seated?” He surprised her by sitting opposite. It gave her a perfect view. He was still hot, sexy and as fuck-able as a vamp could be. “It has been so long, Ferda.”

  “In human years,” she reminded him.

  “We sense the passage of time too, even if it leaves us untouched. I have not forgotten the passionate young woman who cut through my silver chains with a laser blade.”

  “Cut through more than chains.” Her hand had shaken so badly, she’d rather botched it up.

  “A laser cut heals, Ferda.” He pulled up the flowing sleeve of his shirt. “See. The scars from your cuts are long gone.”

  The laser cuts might be. She reached forward and gently touched the dark rings of proud flesh. “But the marks of those chains haven’t.”

  “They’ll never fade, but if it weren’t for you, those chains would have weakened me, and all the others, to the point of second and final death. When I look at those scars, I am forever reminded of a courageous and fervent young woman.”

  He looked up as a servant approached with a jug and poured her a glass of chilled apple juice. It was perfect, tangy, sweet and fresh. Definitely pressed from tree-grown fruit. What a rare and costly treat. She had to see the surface farms, but first… “No longer as young, Julius.”

  “But still courageous and passionate?”

  “I hope so!”

  “So do I.” His dark eyes flickered and glowed in a way she well remembered. “What else do you wish?”

  No point in stating the obvious. His vamp sense of smell had to make him aware of her arousal. Damp was not the word for her nether regions. “How about a nice hot bath?”

  “With scented water and warm towels?”

  She grinned. The servant had disappeared, no doubt to comply with some unspoken order and Julius was sitting next her. Would she ever get used to vamps doing that? Did she want to? Not if it meant missing the thrill of finding him within touching distance. She wasn’t going to be able to hold out long, and would be nuts to try.

  She rested her hand on his leather-clad thigh. His flesh was cool through the leather but firm and strong and she was tempted to check underneath all those leather pleats but since that was precisely what she bet he was hoping for, she grinned at him. “Red leather kilt? A bit much, isn’t it?”

  “No,” he replied, tracing a finger down her zipper, “and much more convenient than your intriguing outfit.”

  “Sure about that?”

  “We’ll find out.”

  Very soon, with a bit of luck.

  “My lovely Ferda,” Julius said and, fast as only a vamp moved, he shifted her onto his lap. Why waste a golden opportunity? Ferda rested her face against his chest and pressed her hand against his shirt. Real silk, no less. She’d only ever felt it once before. In a museum somewhere. “You keep silkworms up top?”

  “We have everything that could keep a vampire or human happy.”

  Maybe. Meanwhile, she ran her hand up and down his shirt front, hoping for a zip or fastening. “Julius, how the hell do you get out of this thing?”

  “When I’m ready to.”

  Smashing, but he silenced her complaint before she put it into words. He held her close, kissing her neck before trailing his tongue down to the base of her neck and up to the curve of her chin.

  His hand traced the outline of her body, stroking her legs and caressing her breasts through the soft fabric, stroking her belly with slow circles.

  That was all it took.

  She let out a moan as her body went into overdrive. Nothing, sweet bugger, nothing had changed between them. Since speech seemed a bit beyond her right now, she arched her neck to make it easier for him. He’d never been one to miss an invitation and he didn’t now. His fangs scraped very gently, teasing, promising. She whimpered, knowing he knew her needs and was playing her. She reveled in his games.

  He bit.

  His mouth fastened on her neck with the familiar vamp pressure as he sucked. Slowly, gently, he drew her blood, his lips sending wild tremors down her neck straight to her cunt. He pulled on her skin, just enough to heighten the sensation, the edge of pain sending her mind into a wild spin. She wanted more, much more. She wanted his cock deep inside. She wanted him pounding her to climax, to take her to the heights that were building inside. Her crazed whimpers and groans echoed in her ears as her mind fogged, her arousal peaked and with a cry she came, in a wild ripple of climaxes until he gently lifted his lips and she sagged into his tight embrace.

  “Did that satisfy you, my love?” he whispered in her ear.

  Took a while to get her breath back but she managed. “For now.”

  “Indeed.”

  Fast as only a vamp could move, he stood and she was halfway across the room, held tight in his arms before she realized he’d moved. He crossed the room, and another and entered a tiled room. An immense tiled room, she noticed, as he set her on her feet, thoughtfully keeping his arm around her shoulders so she didn’t tumble in a loose heap to the floor.

  Chapter Three

  “Julius!” Ferda looked around. Hadn’t she seen rooms like this in ancient texts? Floor and walls were covered with frescos and patterns made of tiny tiles. Steps led up to a pool filled with steaming, and scented, water. And a young boy was folding towels.

  That had Ferda scowling. She wasn’t that far dazed by multiple orgasms to miss this. The boy left at a gesture from Julius and she gave him the full force of her glare. “That was a child, Julius.”

  He must have caught her tone. Couldn’t have missed it really. “Yes. That’s Mellam, the son of Barm, one of my carpenters, and his partner Jadma.”

  “And you took him from them, Julius?”

  He stepped back, meeting Ferda’s accusing gaze. “You are thinking ill of me, Ferda.”

  She was indeed. Surely she was imagining this horror. To have climaxed at his kiss and then to learn…

  Julius put his finger on her lips. “Hear me out, Freda. His parents asked me to take the boy. He’s but twelve in human years, neither a scholar nor robust enough to work on the farms or take a trade. When he is older, much older, I may take him into my service. Until then, he learns.”

  “He’s not bloodbonded?”

  “No!” Clear enough that. “How could you think that of me?”

  “I did not want to, damn it, I didn’t! Not after all I knew about you. But it’s been a long time and I’ve heard of things all over the galaxy. When I saw the child…”

  “You had no trouble thinking I’d become a pervert.”

  “For crying out loud! The thought horrified me beyond measure. That was not the lover I’d remembered all these years.”

  “Better not be.”

  “You can’t deny it was a shock.”

  “I think the best way to get over that shock is if I show you what I want in a lover.”

  “Good idea.”

  Just a brush of his fingers and she was naked. Her zipsuit pooled around her legs in a mass of scarlet and she was really glad she’d skipp
ed everything underneath.

  “So, you had expectations?” His hands skimmed her breast and belly, his touch cool and confident. Very confident. They both knew exactly what they wanted and it seemed Julius wasn’t put off in the least by a bit of flab and a few wrinkles.

  “Hopes. Dreams. Some things a woman never forgets.”

  “Until they decide their lover is twisted.”

  “Just get over it, Julius! I believe you, so stop fussing and get on with…”

  Lifting her up, he put her down on a wide, satin-covered chair. He tilted her back and covered her nipple with his mouth, his teeth snagging just enough to get her going again.

  Apparently he was over being offended at her mistake.

  Good.

  She wanted him every which way and, knowing Julius, she would not be disappointed. His mouth teased her other nipple, as his hand traced circles on her belly. Her legs opened and she shut her eyes to block out everything but his touch…

  “Tell me,” Julius said, lifting his mouth and looking down at her, holding her to the chair with his hands on her shoulders. “That Drake Varna. Does he satisfy you?”

  Heavens protect her! He was jealous. What the hell did he think she’d done for the past seventy years? Embraced celibacy? “We have an amicable arrangement. I signed on for a fair wage. I offer my blood and he gives me satisfaction. He and Rand also helped relieve Praeden.”

  “I heard about that. Your offspring?”

  “Some of them and their families.”

  “Where does he bite you?”

  She wanted to sigh with irritation but restrained herself. Just. “Mostly between my legs and inner thighs.”

  “I see.” He made sure he could by spreading her legs wide and stroking the soft flesh on the inside of her thighs. It was deliberately arousing and he knew damn well what he was doing to her. “He heals you well.” He stroked the pale marks. Very pale indeed, but vamps didn’t miss much.

  “I told you, we have an amicable and mutually gratifying agreement.”