She walked her fingers along his shoulders and pressed her body against his back. Her hands looped under his arms, and she started undoing the buttons of the waistcoat.
Jana climbed to her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, “I have wanted you ever since I laid my eyes on you. My dead heart wanted to possess you, and my mind tormented me with the scent of your preferred cologne and the roughness of your fingers.”
Her cool breath tickled his earlobe, and, once the last button of his waistcoat was undone, he turned around and pressed his demanding lips against hers.
Jana willingly opened up for him.
His tongue darted into her mouth, and he battled with her for dominance and ended up losing. He picked her up and moved to the bar where he sat her on the counter and settled between her legs while his fingers undid her corset. It came off, and he threw the corset over his head, eager to feel the softness of her pearlescent skin.
Jana gasped when his cool hands touched her breasts. She leaned back, her eyes closed as she nibbled on her lower lip.
Her reaction brought his excitement to life. He lowered his head to the pointed bud of her breast. He used his hands to hold it steady and sucked it into his mouth where his tongue ran circles over the perky pink nipple until it swelled. He assaulted her other breast in the same manner as Jana’s hips shifted forward, and she quickly worked her way through the buttons of his shirt.
On her third button, she gave up and an intense moan escaped her. She grasped the front of his shirt and tore it in half.
Alexander pulled away with a raised brow. “Are we partaking in the destruction of my wardrobe?”
Jana kissed his lips and ground her pelvis against his strained erection that remained trapped in his trousers. “Why do you think I have such an extensive wardrobe?”
“I do hope you will not expect anything serious between us after—” He was stopped by her fingers clamping his lips together.
“Do not ruin the fun, my love. We take pleasure tonight in each other’s company, that’s all.”
Alexander gave her a curt nod, and her hand slid from his lips to his stubbly cheek. She pulled his head down to her neck and moved her head to one side in a silent offering.
Using the tip of his tongue, he traced a long, wet line from her collarbone to her jaw on which he playfully nibbled. His hands spread her legs even further apart and then slipped into her underwear.
His deft fingers brushed her dark curls and found her centre with ease.
Jana bit into his shoulder, causing him to cry out from a mixture of pleasure and pain that mingled in the throbbing wounded area. Her fangs grazed his shoulder, scraping the sensitive flesh. At the same time, her hands unbuttoned his trousers that soon fell and allowed his erection to finally be free. Her soft hands wrapped around his length, and he sucked in a breath.
He groaned. “What is it you’re trying to do?”
“I bet your whores only take pleasure from you. So allow me teach you how it is done.” Her hand began to move up and down his shaft.
Alexander stifled a moan as he steadied himself with both arms resting on the counter. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her touch and the firm tenderness with which she was working him closer to his ultimate pleasure. When he felt he was getting too close, he tugged her hand away and pushed her to lie on the counter.
Jana raised a brow and propped herself up on her elbows. “Why did you make me stop?”
“Because I am going to return the pleasure you have given me,” he murmured, pulled her underwear off her and spread her legs before he ran his tongue over her wet core.
“Oh…” Jana drew out the word, filling it with her rapture.
His two fingers moved in and out of her molten entrance, stretching her, and his tongue circled her pearl. Minutes ticked by, and she quivered under his touch, calling out his name in barely audible purrs.
Her fingers tugged on his locks, and, with another flick of his tongue, she screamed out his name as she rode the waves of her climax.
Alexander moved her hands away then grasped her waist, pulling her closer to the edge of the counter. He positioned his shaft against her opening and, with one fleeting glance at her hooded gaze, he joined their bodies together.
Jana did not conceal her moan this time and let it out proudly. Seeing that she started moving her hips against him, his hold on her tightened, and he stilled her.
“Not yet,” he scolded.
Jana sat up and wrapped her legs around him. She ran her hand down his muscular chest, over his taut abdominal muscles, and looked at him. With a light peck on his cheek, she tried moving her hips against him, yet he kept her in place.
“Please, make love to me already,” she pleaded.
Alexander smirked, pleased. “Your wish is my command.”
He grasped her slender waist. As he claimed her mouth for another kiss, he lowered her onto the redwood and mercilessly pumped into her, picking up speed with the increase in their pleasure. He closed his eyes to enjoy the sensations that coursed through his body as well as the scent of their lovemaking mixed with the soft undertones of her herbal soap. Her core was hot like liquid lava that wrapped around him.
Jana did not remain docile for long. She joined him in moving her hips to match his pace. Her ebony hair came undone and fell around her shoulders and back. A sheen of sweat formed on her body, making the stray waves around her face damp. She was too far gone to care.
Jana’s legs tightened around him and her breath hitched before she was consumed by an orgasm. The contraction of her internal muscles massaged his length, which pushed him over his edge, and he spilled himself inside of her.
Alexander rode the shockwaves, slowly driving in and out of her until the sensations became too much to bear and he withdrew. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
“It seems…we are quite…compatible in bed,” he announced between heaving breaths.
Jana snorted. “You only notice this now? I could have ridden you into oblivion if you hadn’t been playing hard to get all this time.”
He tugged his trousers back up and secured them around his waist by quickly buttoning them. “This was a parting gift, Jana. Nothing more.”
“And I expected nothing more than an awkward peck on the lips, yet here we are: drenched in sweat and—” She glanced at his already hardening member and smirked, “—obviously ready for more.”
CHAPTER 24
London. September 12, 1892.
The night seemed darker than usual. Alexander made his way to the Council building. A sudden message had arrived from Eliza, demanding his presence. He was in two minds about attending; nonetheless, he could not defy the elder.
At a human pace, he strolled down the street, feeling the chilly wind swiping at his frock coat that encased his formal ensemble of evening attire. His polished boots almost soundlessly made contact with the cobblestones beneath them.
He reached into the breast pocket of his waistcoat and retrieved a pocket watch. He had plenty of time to get to the meeting place, so he chose this moment to study the city in depth. It was something he had little time to do while trying to establish his business or learn the language. There were too many words that meant the same thing. He found it frustrating having to memorise so many of them, especially since humans began printing the dictionary of the English language. Not all letters were printed yet. Because of that, he had to rely on his ability to pick up words here and there whilst secretly questioning their mysterious meaning.
He passed by what had to be the homes of the working class. There, ten or more humans resided in a one or two bedroom accommodation. He did his best to avoid such locations. They stank of piss and faecal matter, which strained his acute senses and made his stomach churn with disgust.
To gain the trust of few such men, he hired them to look after his pub during the day as security and cleaners. For good coin, they were willing to do almost any job and that was what Alexander needed.
&nb
sp; The air around him became still and light footsteps came from behind. He glanced over his shoulder at a shivering barefooted woman in rags. She shuffled towards him, putting more weight on her right foot.
“Spare some change, good sir?” she asked in a hoarse voice and reached out her hand, palm up.
“I do not have any on me, woman. Leave me be,” he replied sternly, eager to get away from the foul stench of dung that surrounded her.
The woman lifted her hand a little higher and bowed her head. “Please, sir, I have to feed me babes. What’ll I do with empty pockets?”
Alexander reached into his trousers pocket in search of some change. All it took was one second. His eyes left her willowy form, and he felt something sharp being plunged into his neck.
Fire exploded in his spinal cord as he clutched the back of his neck. Something solid remained there, and he plucked it out before seeing a glass syringe in his hand. His vision blurred, and he swayed on his feet. There were traces of colloidal silver left in the glass.
“Hunters…” He tried to make a run for it, but his legs were no longer under his control. The burning sensation spread further through his body, wreaking havoc on his nervous system.
Another set of heavy-booted footsteps arrived at their side.
“Don’t you die here, monster. We have questions to ask you beforehand.” The man with a gruff voice punched Alexander in the stomach.
When he bent over, he was hit on the back of his neck with the man’s elbow. Alexander’s body, heavy as lead, fell. He could do nothing but watch as they pulled out a sack that was placed over his head. A putrid smell assaulted his senses and everything went dark.
“It’s alive, see? What’d I tell you?” someone exclaimed loudly enough for Alexander’s ears to ring.
Discomfort and burning pain tormented his back while he gathered energy to lift his head. He licked his dry lips, finding that his fangs had extended. He had fed before the attack which meant that he had to be missing for two days or more. At least, he knew for certain that it was night time because of the lack of a dull headache at the back of his skull.
Past the dizzying pain, he felt his stomach squeeze and the thirst reared its head. He couldn’t control the colour of his irises, and they lit stormy-grey when he opened his eyes to take in his environment.
Thick silver chains kept him bound to a wooden chair, sucking away his strength. Two men and a woman stood by the windows, which were boarded up with planks and nailed to the brick walls with iron nails. Along the wall facing him, on the wooden racks, were knives, whips, gunpowder pistols, a few crossbows, and more chains, some of which had blood on them. And he didn’t need to be told that the blood belonged to his kind. He could smell it in the air.
Alexander turned his attention to the outside. Heavy machinery overpowered the calls of humans who were working their night shift. He had to be somewhere in the slums of East London.
“You look unhappy. Somethin’ the matter, monster?” one of the burly male hunters asked. He took off his brown bowler hat, revealing his bald head.
“Bet it shags ‘em ‘fore it eats ‘em,” the man in a stained grey shirt replied and spat on the floorboards.
Alexander chuckled. “I do spend quality time in bed with my food. Some even beg for more when I am done with them.”
The woman who acted as the beggar earlier had shed her disguise and wore a pair of man’s trousers and a navy blouse. At his words, she blushed and gasped at the same time. She couldn’t be more than thirty. And yet, here she was, wasting her life by hunting his kind. He had to admit, hunting his kind was a better paid career choice than slaving away at the textile factories.
The male hunters snarled at him.
The bald man strode over and punched Alexander in the face hard enough that the skin on his right cheek split. “Don’t talk to her! Those who whore themselves out to your kind are a menace to society.”
Blood ran down Alexander’s cheek, and he felt his skin knitting back together with a ticklish sensation. “Why am I still alive?”
The hunter slammed his fist into his face one more time, hitting the same side.
Alexander’s jaw tightened. The impact made his head spin. He blinked several times, willing his vision to return to normal. When it did, he smiled at the hunter’s red face and piercing black eyes.
“Give us the layout of the Council,” the bald hunter ordered.
Alexander snorted. So the letter he received from Eliza was fake. He was foolish to have not inquired about it. Then again, Eliza was spontaneous. Since the hunters knew about her, who knows how many vampires they had captured and killed on these premises. Fear budded in his gut as it dawned on him. This was most likely his last day. He couldn’t even say his goodbyes to his family and childe.
Is this what every vampire feels before passing? Regret?
The hunter grasped a handful of Alexander’s hair and jerked his head back into an unnatural angle. Alexander was forced to look into the man’s narrowed eyes. He heard the other two hunters murmuring something to each other and stepping away.
“Bring me the silver blades! I’ll start the questioning now,” the hunter snapped. The smile pulled his thin lips over his yellow teeth.
“Greg, you’ll kill the bugger before we get anythin’ out of ‘im,” the second man protested.
Greg glared at his companions. “Do I look like I give a damn? If it won’t talk, it’s useless to us.”
“I’d rather you let the pretty lady do the honours of stabbing me full of holes. I prefer a gentler touch you see,” Alexander retorted and winked at the woman.
Greg let out a low growl under his breath and pointed at the female hunter. “Send Marissa out of here.”
“I’ll leave.” She smirked at Alexander. “Enjoy your last hours, leech.” Marissa walked to the heavy metal door and undid the five bolts that kept it shut. She gave the other hunters one last nervous glance over her shoulder and stepped into the night.
“Hurry up and bring me the blades,” Greg hissed.
“I am shuttin’ the damned door. Gimme a minute,” his partner grumbled and pushed the bolts on the door into place. He selected three medium-sized daggers off the rack and offered the daggers with worn, leather handles to Greg.
Alexander was pleased at the relief the roots of his hair felt once the hunter’s hand separated from his head. His eyes darted to the sharp edges of the blades as Greg set them on the table three feet away from Alexander.
Light reflected off the smooth blade, and Alexander swallowed what was left of his saliva. He had never been tortured. The last time he let anyone lay a hand on him was when he was human. His broken bones may have healed and the bruises vanished, but a scar on his mind and heart stayed.
In his current situation, he could not give them what they wanted. He did not know the Council’s layout. They never let anyone roam freely around it. With that, Alexander already knew that he was dead meat before the questioning began. All that was left was to decide whether he wanted a quick death by telling them the truth or a slow and painful one by keeping the information from them. His gut told him that Greg would never provide him with option number one.
Greg moved the blade right in front of Alexander’s face. He grabbed his chin, preventing Alexander from moving away.
In the reflection of the smooth surface, Alexander saw his bulging, eyes and evident fear in them. He mentally berated himself for being such a coward in front of his enemies.
Greg smirked and pressed the blade to Alexander’s face, causing him to cry out as it burned his skin.
“You won’t be so pretty once I am done with you,” Greg whispered.
“Do you need anythin’ else?” his partner asked.
Greg shook his head. “No. This’ll do. You can take a seat and read a book or somethin’.”
The second hunter snorted. He picked up a newspaper, sat on an available chair, and unfolded the oversized sheets of paper that kept him from seeing the tortu
re Greg dispensed on Alexander.
Alexander had lost the track of time. His voice was gone, his cuts no longer healed as he bled out onto the floorboards. He ran his tongue over the dozen or so teeth he had left. Most of them were scattered on the floor like snowflakes that wouldn’t melt. If only he could feed and get some strength back, he would be able to go back to normal in a day or two, but he was trapped in an endless cycle of agony. It even hurt to breathe. One or more of his ribs had punctured his left lung.
He coughed, spitting out blood that ran down his chin and seeped into the stained remnants of his once pristine shirt.
Five heavy knocks came on the metal door and hurt Alexander’s ears. How he wished he could no longer hear. His suffering was on repeat in his mind, and soon, he knew that the sun would rise, meaning that more hunters would return to their lair and resume the torture.
“Andy, do some good and see who it is,” Greg ordered his partner from behind the table. He was shovelling bean and potato soup into his mouth, which became the only other strong scent in the room outside of blood.
Andy mumbled something under his breath and lifted himself from his seat. He shuffled to the door and asked, “Who is it?”
Marissa’s voice was muffled through the door. “Open up. It’s me.”
“Looks like Marissa is back. You can’t keep ‘er out much longer,” Andy whined.
Greg blew out a heavy sigh. “Let her in.”
Andy undid the five bolts and opened the door.
Alexander heard bones snapping beyond the door. An arm reached in, capturing Andy’s throat, and dragged him outside.
Greg muttered a cuss under his breath and ran for the weapons but not before he swiped a silver dagger from the table top. His heavy body crossed the room unexpectedly quick. He reached for a pistol when a man, no, such speed and movement only belonged to a vampire, dressed from head to toe in black entered the house and dropped the bodies of two hunters with a loud thud.
Alexander watched everything unfolding in slow motion as the hunter fired off a round at the vampire who did not bother dodging the shot that lodged in his shoulder. Instead, it seemed to make the vampire angrier. He launched at the hunter and wrestled him to the ground.
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