Initiation

by H. N. Sieverding

  "Don’t say such things around me." Brandon grabbed her roughly and made her look at him, "I’m your mate, not the Master."

  "Yes, dear…" Nicolette laughed, wrapping her arms around Brandon’s neck as she cooed in his ear, "And I love you." Looking over his shoulder, she glanced back at Christian, a giant grin on her face.

  Chapter Six

  Pargon

  After everyone had left the club, Christian and his family were sitting outside on a private balcony. Some of them were still drinking, the place now silent except for a few workers cleaning up inside. The sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars, but the lights of the city clouded all of them from view.

  Drinking Christian’s blood had a very calming effect on Addison, the pleasure so relaxing, it always put her to sleep. Now, she was sleeping in Christian’s arms, a very content expression on her face. Her head lay in his lap, one of her arms slung around his thigh as she snuggled with it like a teddy bear.

  They were sitting on one of the couches near the side of the building, Christian’s face lighting up an eerie neon green and blue from the signs above his head. He let his hand rest on Addison’s shoulders, her innocent face making her appear like an angel.

  Glancing lazily at Brandon, there was a slightly bored look in Christian’s eyes, "I’m going to Pargon for a while."

  "What?" Confused, Brandon turned to him quickly. "But why Master? Do you not like it here?"

  "I need to get away from all this…" Making a sour expression, Christian pointed up to the stars, "City life." He laid his head against the side of the building, the wind playing with some of his hair and making it dance around his head. "The House has some business for me to take care of there as well. I need to wash my hands in blood again, rid this world of some useless humans like I have been sent here to do."

  "You can do that here in Caron, too, Master." Victoria walked over and knelt in front of him. "There is much to be hunted in a town as big as this one." She placed her hand on his knee, a sweet smile on her shadowy face.

  "It’s not the same." Sighing, Christian looked back up at the sky, the bored look still in his eyes. "Everything is so easy…there is no challenge…no thrill in the hunt. The women here are constantly biting at my heels. Their willingness is becoming a great annoyance. I do not like all this easy prey. My tongue longs for the taste of fear."

  "What about Addison?" Nicolette was sitting in Brandon’s lap, her voice low as she spoke. "Are you going to leave her here while you go to Pargon? If you’re hunting for the House, I’m sure she will be in great danger there."

  "I’m not worried about such things." Christian looked down at Addison’s sleeping face and then back at Nicolette. "I left Pargon to recruit new members, but now that I have done so, there is no need for me to stay. Finding Addison concludes the business I have here." His gaze settled on Addison’s long butterfly lashes and her partially open lips. The sight of his lover sleeping was more beautiful than any Hamstein he could ever possess.

  "She is the salve that heals the restlessness in my heart, the reason I have to be grounded once again. There is no longer a need for me to search the world to find my happiness. I want to go home." Christian slowly stroked Addison’s hair, but she was so deep in sleep she didn’t even flinch. "I’d like to introduce her to some old friends in Castile. I’ve never taken a mate, so this will come as a great surprise to them. They will never expect something so—"

  Pausing, he was going to say something else, but didn’t finish his sentence. "I’m sure they will pleased with my choice."

  "But what about Addison?" Worried, Nicolette sat up straighter, her voice coming out a little faster than normal, "She still needs Victoria and I to help her learn our ways. She’s still a child. She isn’t ready to join the family in Castile yet." She waited a few seconds for Christian to answer, but when he didn’t she continued with her plea. "She doesn’t know the language. The change will be hard—"

  "What are you proposing? That I allow you to come with us and abandon your family here?" Christian narrowed her eyes on Nicolette, a slightly angry look in his eyes.

  "No Master." Nicolette frowned, "I’m sorry for questioning you."

  * * * *

  A few days after his discussion with his family, Christian got on his private jet and flew to the city of Castile in Pargon. Addison had never left her home country, so everything was a new experience for her. The plane ride, the differences in the culture, and most importantly, the awkwardness of having no idea what the people around her were saying.

  Christian spoke the language fluently, his voice sounding sexier in his native tongue. Her normal quietness emerged, and Addison grew very shy and hung on Christian’s heels. She hadn’t produced a smile all day and saying goodbye to Nicolette and Victoria was very hard and full of tears. She cried on the plane for the first few hours, Christian holding her and trying to make her feel better about the move.

  He knew she was still upset about what had happened to her sister, but she didn’t mention a single word about it and bore her grief in silence. She was dependent on him for everything now, and after experiencing the maddening feeling of starvation, she never wanted to go through that again. Even though she loved Christian, she was terrified of defying him and was trying her best to be his doting mate.

  Christian rented a car from the airport because he wanted to surprise his family living at his home in Castile. Addison looked out the window nervously as he drove up the long drive to his manor, her eyes watching the large compound get bigger and bigger the closer they got. It was beautiful on the outside—its stone walls well-maintained and as impressive as the day it was built. When they reached the manor, it was empty except for servants.

  Christian was happy to be home again, the old manor’s calm and familiar mood making him calm as well. There was a haunting feel to the air here, the mist on the endless green grasses that lay beyond the house quiet and full of mystery. The building was very old, almost everything in it priceless and antique. It gave Addison an uneasy, unwelcome feeling, and although it was beautiful, Addison did not want to call this place her home.

  Christian smiled as he gazed up at the old wooden staircase that towered in front of him as they stood in the entryway. The servants welcomed them, saying things to them that Addison couldn’t understand. She just smiled and nodded, trying not to let it show that she had no idea what they were saying.

  They both were tired, so Christian took Addison upstairs where they could relax a little after the long flight. He stopped near a bedroom and motioned for Addison to enter ahead of him.

  "Go inside. I will return shortly." He waited for her to do so before walking down the hallway and looking for one of the servants. He found a maid cleaning a nearby room and approached her, "Excuse me?"

  The maid smiled at him as he entered the room, holding an armload of fresh linens. "Yes?"

  Quickening his pace, Christian grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall, making her drop the sheets and towels in her hands. "I need your assistance."

  He smirked at her terrified expression as she frantically grabbed at his hand. She was suspended from the ground, her black Mary Jane’s kicking frantically in the empty air as they searched for grounding.

  He squeezed her neck harder, watching her struggle for breath as her body thrashed wildly under his hand. When she passed out and fell to the floor, Christian grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hall. Her limp body easily slid across the freshly polished wooden floors as Christian took her back to his room.

  He picked her up when he reached the door, carrying her in his arms and not appearing to be as rough with her as he had been earlier. He opened the door, and his eyes fell upon Addison, who was sitting on the bed looking at a book that had been sitting on the bedside table. She jumped a little when she saw him, quickly shut the volume, and placed it back on the table.

  "I have brought you some dinner, my love." He carried the woman over to Addison, plac
ing her on a couch near the bed. "Come." His face was filled with a giant grin as he held his hand out to Addison, his smile growing when he watched her stand and come over to him.

  Addison sat down next to the woman, looking at her sleeping face, which was staring at the ceiling because her head was tilted backward. Addison’s eyes lingered on her face for a few seconds before looking down at her neck and seeing the red marks from Christian’s hands.

  Christian’s hands slowly slid around Addison’s waist as he bent down next to her and held her in a loving embrace. "Eat, my love."

  He reached forward and pushed the woman’s hair away from her neck before slowly letting his hands slip from around Addison’s waist as he stood up again. He sat on the other side of the woman, his head slowly inching closer to her neck, but his eyes remaining glued on Addison’s. He was waiting for her to make the first move and to do as he had instructed.

  Addison quickly leaned her head closer to the woman and bit her. Christian smiled as he watched her for a few seconds before he leaned down and bit the other side.

  While they were feeding, Addison’s hand slowly wandered to the woman’s lap. She placed two fingers on the woman’s wrist under her thumb, feeling her pulse. Addison paused, her fangs still embedded in the woman’s neck, as she felt the rhythm disappear.

  Christian grabbed her hand and pushed it away from the woman. He slowly reached behind the woman, letting his hand pause on her back as he finished feeding. In a quick action, he shoved her forward and onto the floor, and Addison swiftly pulled her head away.

  Christian then lunged for Addison, shoving her down onto a laying position on the couch. He began to kiss her with great intensity, the high of feeding making him more aggressive than normal. Addison wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

  Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his suit jacket, a shakiness in them that normally wasn’t there. Her eyes were shut tightly, her hands reaching inside and quickly pulling it down his arms. She hurriedly undressed herself as Christian worked on his own clothes.

  There was a great tension in her muscles, a rigidness to her body that Christian could feel as he made love to her. Her lips never left his, a great hunger in them that wasn’t just a product of passion, but of neediness. She was scared and upset, and Christian’s kisses made that all go away.

  With every thrust of his body against hers, she slowly loosened up. Her hands dug into his skin as if she was hanging from the edge of a cliff, and if she let go she would plummet to her death. She needed him, begging for him to make all her pain go away and let his love overshadow all the things she was trying to forget.

  When he sank his teeth into the delicate skin behind her ear, Addison’s mouth opened wide, her head falling limply to the side as he drank from her. The feeling was powerful—Christian’s fangs more intense than the other part he had inside her, the dual pleasures making her whole body erupt into forceful quivers.

  He pulled his head from her neck, the pupils in his icy eyes showing his arousal as he briefly took in the pleasured look on her face. He wanted to feel it as well and placed a rough hand behind her head, shoving her face into his neck. Addison quickly bit him, igniting a giant grin on his devilish face.

  Her bite was rough at first, but it quickly became gentler with every passing second, until finally all Christian could feel were her lips trembling against his skin. Her head soon fell back into the pillow as she fell asleep.

  Christian moved off her and lay next to her, holding her to him tightly. He was very content as he held her naked body in his arms and gently stroked her hair. Addison was sound asleep from the taste of his blood, her once tense body limp and warm. He slowly pulled her hair away from her neck as he watched the wound from his bite disappear, her skin soon returning to its normal flawless beauty.

  One of Addison’s hands rested on his bare chest, her long slender fingers much paler in compassion to his eternally sun-kissed skin. On her finger, she wore a giant ruby ring, a present from Christian to celebrate their move back to Pargon.

  Addison was much different from Christian’s typical choice in lovers. She was fragile, her touch on his skin like the soft caress of a flower’s petal. He loved that about her. No matter how much he molded her to be a killer, that sweet look of an angel remained in her gentle eyes. Even with his own poisonous blood flowing through her, she was still pure, his own orb of light that warmed the ice surrounding his heart.

  Christian smiled when he heard loud crashes coming from the floor below. Letting out a soft chuckle, he quickly got dressed and left Addison sleep. He knew what was going on and wanted a part in it. He quickly made his way downstairs and jumped down the side of the staircase like a graceful cat. He licked his lips in anticipation, the sound of screams echoing throughout the hallways.

  Opening the door to the sitting room slowly, Christian’s eyes went to a young girl one of his vampires, Darien, had cornered on the far side of the room. She wasn’t a willing victim, and Darien was enjoying the chase and taking his supper by force.

  There were a few other men and women in the room, two other vampires cornering them before attacking. The female vampires weren’t anything like Victoria and Nicolette, they were vicious killers and delighted in the hunt as much as the male elites.

  The feeding that was taught to Addison was not anything like this. There was no magic used to put their victims in a trance, and this certainly wasn’t the calm, romanticized ritual practiced by Addison’s previous family of vampires. These vampires were sadistic killers, their intention was to strike fear in their victims.

  A frightened young woman broke free of the vampires that cornered her, running for Christian’s arms. She begged him to save her, her makeup running down her cheeks as she grabbed at his clothes in desperation.

  "I am not a savior, my dear." Her terrified expression made Christian laugh, his hand reaching down and grabbing hold of her shirt. His face filled with a giant smile as he bared his fangs, igniting an enormous scream from the woman.

  Christian grinned at his vampires, who had noticed his presence when they heard the woman’s shriek. They were very happy to see him, the sight of their Master making them become even more violent toward their targets. Christian happily joined in on the fun and chased a few unwilling preys around the room.

  Upstairs the noises woke Addison, her eyes slowly opening as she looked over to where Christian was supposed to be. When she didn’t see him, she quickly sat up in bed, covering herself with the thick black sheets. Her head was swimming, the effect of drinking Christian’s blood still making her very groggy. She was scared of the old manor, daunted by everything from the intimate lighting to the intimidating stone walls.

  Hearing a few loud screams, Addison jumped, scooting backward and almost hitting her head on the headboard. She covered her mouth so her yelp couldn’t escape, the fear showing on her tender features. She pulled her knees up to her chest, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly as she looked around the room nervously.

  She bit her lip, one of her small fangs sticking out and almost piercing her skin. Her voice came out mousey and shaky, "Christian?" Addison’s scared eyes darted around the room as it went silent again, the fire crackling in the monstrous fireplace the only sound she could hear. "Christian?"

  A crashing near the stairs made her jump again, the action getting a little too close for her to stay still. She quickly hopped out of bed and got dressed, shoving on her shoes without putting on her socks. Her long hair fell about her face in loose curls, her large blue eyes lit up by the flames. She hid under the desk, hoping Christian would come back soon.

  She remembered Nicolette telling her stories about vampire hunters in Pargon, her mind racing with thoughts of them coming and trying to kill her. She heard a few pairs of feet run down the hallway, followed by a woman’s screaming. Someone was slammed into the wall outside Addison’s room, some of the pictures shaking on their hooks.

&nb
sp; Pulling her knees to her chest, Addison whimpered a little as she shook, her teeth chattering. She could hear one of the female vampires talking to the woman and the woman’s pleas not to be killed.

  Addison now realized that it was vampires causing all that ruckus and not hunters. She grabbed a pillow and blanket, laying down under the desk because she was afraid to sleep alone in the bed. Still under the tingling spell of Christian’s blood, she soon drifted off and didn’t emerge from her hiding place until morning.

  It was scary being without Christian or Nicolette in this strange dwelling, and Addison was terrified to even take a step out of her room. She took a shower and dressed to pass the time, but soon she had built up enough courage to go look for Christian.

  Sneaking out the door as if she had something to hide, Addison slowly made her way downstairs. On the staircase, a servant was sweeping up the mess made by the vampires the previous night. A giant plant that sat on a large landing near the middle of the flight had been knocked over, it’s dirt still spilt all over the floor.

  Addison smiled at her as she paused. "Good morning." Her hand rested on the thick railing, her fingers not able to wrap fully around the monstrous piece of woodwork. The sun was up now, the large glass windows letting in the warm morning light.

  Smiling, the woman responded in Sarvonese, Christian’s native tongue. Addison had no idea what she was saying as the woman rambled on and on. The woman seemed very friendly and was greeting Addison warmly, even though they had never met.

  Her kindliness made Addison feel a little better, some of her fear disappearing. "Umm…" A little confused, Addison took out a small electronic device from her pocket that Christian had bought her to use as a translator.

  Addison typed—

  Do you know where Master Vallore is?

  Then she pushed the button on the device that said “translate into Sarvonese.” It worked, but Addison frowned because the language was hard to speak, and she had no idea how to pronounce the words. So instead, she got closer to the woman, who was watching her curiously with the same friendly smile on her face.