by Laura Lee
I tensed, hating how vulnerable I was right then. “How do you know what happened between Vance and me?”
“Because I’ve been keeping an eye on you. Both of you.” Maria frowned. “Even a human walking by could have heard the noises coming from inside his house over the past few days. But I would have known even if I wasn’t there. Poor Leo went through a plethora of ugly emotions. When his anger hit its highest point and immediately turned into utter despair, I realized that his feelings for you ran much deeper than I had thought. It was rather heartbreaking.” She speared me with her evil eyes. “Really, Karli, you should be ashamed of yourself; so carelessly tossing him aside to satisfy your carnal desires. Have you no heart?”
“You’re the last person who should be lecturing me on selfishness or heartlessness,” I growled.
Maria ignored my jibe and touched her lips to my inner thigh, making me squirm. “Mmmm, this is my favorite place to feed; the blood just gushes out in the height of orgasm,” she purred. “In fact, I am feeling quite famished all of a sudden. I’m going to need my strength for what I have planned with Vance later.” She gave me a wicked grin with her fangs fully extended. “Karli, you must relax. As I’m sure you know, this will be quite a pleasurable experience. You shouldn’t waste energy fighting it.”
“Fuck you,” I said.
She shrugged. “Very well, then. Have it your way.” I braced myself for what was about to happen. She dug her nails into my legs and then struck viciously, biting into my thigh. I cried out in both pleasure and pain as she tugged on my vein. Overwhelmed by the dichotomy of sensations, I hated my body for betraying me. My brain was fighting it every step of the way, but the pleasure continued to crest. Tears started falling down my face in my frustration.
Maria pulled back with blood dripping from her lips. “Oh my. You are something quite special indeed, aren’t you? I can’t remember when I’ve ever had blood this tasty.” She grabbed my other leg and punctured my skin again, sucking vigorously. Despite my best attempts to prevent it, I shamefully orgasmed multiple times, all the while thinking how much I hated Maria for doing this, and hating myself even more for feeling pleasure while this was happening. After God knows how long, my body went limp.
Maria retracted her fangs and stood up. “Oh no, my lovely creature. You cannot give up this easily. As much as I’d love to keep going, it would ruin my surprise for later.” What was that supposed to mean? Before I knew it, she bit into her wrist and shoved it against my mouth. I refused to part my lips but she pinched my nose, forcing me to gasp for air. As much as I didn’t want any part of this horrible woman inside of me, I knew that she was my only hope of regaining my strength fast enough so I could get out of here to warn Vance and find Erica. Accepting my circumstances, I gulped down as much blood as Maria would allow. “Good girl, Karli. I wouldn’t want you to miss the festivities later.” She pulled her wrist away, kissed me on the lips. “Don’t wait up,” she called over her shoulder as she walked away. “I might be out for a while. If I remember correctly, Vance is quite the stallion.” Oh God, what was she going to do?
********
The second she was out of sight, I vigorously pulled at my bindings. I had to get out of there! I tugged with all of my might but the damn things wouldn’t budge. I tried conjuring some fairy dust but couldn’t with my wrists crossed as they were. “Dammit!” I screamed.
Suddenly, a hulking man was in the room. “Really, Karli, you shouldn’t bother. The straps are infused with a binding spell. You’re not getting out no matter how much vampire blood you have ingested. Only a counter spell will help you.”
Jake. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “What has she promised you? How could you do this to Erica?”
He circled my body, trailing his hands over my most intimate places. “Maria hasn’t promised me anything. I’m helping her because I love her. She is mine and I am hers.”
“What about Erica? Are you really telling me that Maria doesn’t mind you being married to another woman?”
He looked at me like I was an idiot. “My relationship with Erica was just a means to an end. We had to find some way to infiltrate your little group so we could get the information we needed.” He smiled. “The little woman can be quite devious when she wants to be. God, she’s sexy!”
“You’re a pig,” I snapped.
Blinding pain shot through the side of my face as his fist connected with my cheek. “Shut up, bitch!” he yelled.
“Ah!” I shouted as I spat blood out of my mouth. Okay, obviously insults weren’t going to work. I had to try a different approach. I mustered up the flirtiest smile I could manage. “Look, Jake, I don’t want to fight with you. I’m sure we can make some sort of…arrangement.”
His eyed widened with interest as they appreciated my curves. “What kind of arrangement?”
“I don’t know,” I said coyly. “I’m sure we could think of something mutually…gratifying.” I had to choke back bile at the thought. “To be honest with you, Jake, I was jealous when you and Erica got together.”
He stroked my cheek. “And why is that?” he asked.
“Because I wanted you,” I lied. “From the first second I saw you, I wanted to rip your clothes off.” Okay, this was risky considering how much bulk he had over me, but if he’d just untie me I could conjure some dust.
“Really?” he asked as he pressed his muscular chest into my back. Sliding his hand under my panties he added, “And what would you and your delightfully bare pussy like to do with me?”
I had to really concentrate on not pulling away from his grubby paws as he slid one finger inside of me and began pumping it up and down. Breathlessly, I replied, “Untie me and you’ll find out.”
His fingernails bit into my hips. He seemed to be contemplating my proposal. Apparently, he and Maria had an open relationship. This was good. He removed his hand and came around to the front of my body. After licking the finger I had assumed was just inside of me, he said, “I think I’d prefer to have you restrained so I could have my way with you.”
Oh shit. Okay, not good. I tried to compose myself but he must have seen the fear flash in my eyes because his randy expression turned into a scowl. “Jake, you have to untie me so I could run my hands all over your delicious body. I promise I’ll make it worth it,” I insisted.
He pulled away from me and glared. “Nice try, you little whore. You’re lucky I promised Maria I wouldn’t fuck with you while she was gone.”
“What?” I asked. “No, Jake…really I’m being serious. Just untie me so we can get all hot and sweaty.”
He shook his head. “No way.”
“Aw, c’mon,” I whined. “Please.”
He grabbed my ass and pulled me into his denim-clad hard on. Leaning over my ear, he said, “Be careful, little girl. I could take you right here, right now if I wanted to and you couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Now shut your little lying trap before I shut it for you.”
“No, I’m not lying, Jake. Please!” I insisted. I had to get out of there. Dammit!
“Dormio!” he shouted.
Sixteen
That bastard had done it to me again. I slowly awoke from the same hazy fog as before. This time I was a bit more comfortable, tied to a chair rather than hanging from the ceiling. I stiffened when Maria’s lips touched mine. Why did she insist on kissing me so damn much?
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she sang. “I have a surprise for you.”
I glared at her. “Where’s Erica?” I asked.
Maria rolled her eyes. “You really do like to play the saint, don’t you? The first words out of your mouth are asking about the welfare of your friend.”
“Where is she?”
“Relax, your friend is fine. She is too useful to me. She not only served as bait beautifully, but I need her magic for the time being.”
“What do you want from me?”
She gestured towards the laptop that was on a rolling cart in front of us. She put he
r arm around my shoulders as she hit a few buttons on the keyboard. “Why, Karli, I just thought we could enjoy a movie together.”
“Are you fucking crazy?” I shouted.
She pouted. “Now, there’s no need for name calling.” She pressed the play button. “I just thought you’d enjoy seeing this.” She chuckled. “I know I certainly enjoyed myself.”
I looked at the screen and saw an amateur video of sorts. The camera was using night vision and was set up in a bedroom. I looked closer and noticed that it was Vance’s bedroom, and he was sleeping soundly in his bed. I gasped. “What did you do?”
“Shh,” Maria said. “Keep watching and all your questions will be answered.”
Maria walked into view, completely nude. I was sickened at the scene in front of me as she slid into the bed beside Vance. He woke up, startled. “Shh, baby, it’s me. I’m back,” she said to him.
“Maria?” He sat up and rubbed his head, looking confused.
She held his head in her hands and kissed him on the lips. “Yes, honey, it’s me. I changed my mind. I decided not to go through with it.”
“Huh?” he asked. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
She kissed him again and I turned my head away in disgust. Maria grabbed me by the chin, forcing me to look at the screen.
“Vance, honey, listen to me,” she continued. “I decided not to become a vampire. I realized that I had too much to lose. I didn’t want to give up our life together.”
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Why do I feel so funny? My head is all fuzzy.”
“Vance, don’t worry about that,” she said. “Listen to me, sweetheart. I have something important to tell you.”
“What?” he asked.
She looked right into the camera and smiled before turning back to him. “Sweetheart, I’m pregnant. You’re finally going to be a daddy.”
He sat up, more alert. He framed her face with his hands and smiled. “What did you say? Are you serious?” He sat back on his knees and starting kissing her with fervor. “Holy Christ, baby, I’m really going to be a daddy?”
I could see where this was going and I started to cry silently. Maria looked at me and smiled. “Turn it off,” I said. “I’ve seen enough.”
Her smile grew as she paused the video. “Oh no, you haven’t. The best part is coming up.” She dug her nails into my chin and turned me back towards the screen. “Keep your eyes on the screen or I swear I will drain you and your little witch friend dry,” she warned.
I cringed as she hit play again and I watched in horror as the scene played out in front of me. Vance seemed stuck in the past as if it was thirty years ago and Maria was still his wife. It wasn’t a surprise what happened next. He was thrilled that his beautiful wife not only chose him over Leo, but that she was carrying his child. His perfect world was back. All of his dreams were coming true as he passionately made love to his wife for hours. I had to sit there and watch the entire thing while my heart crumbled into pieces. Finally, when I didn’t think it was possible for me to cry anymore, she turned it off.
“How could you?” I asked her. “How could you be so cruel?”
She scoffed. “Oh, please. Like he wasn’t equally cruel to me? I wanted to come back to him after Leo made me a vampire. I begged him! I told him we could be young together forever, but he rejected me! He told me that he could never forgive me for sacrificing our child.” She rolled her eyes. “Obviously, he just wanted a baby factory, not a lifelong mate.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true. He wanted both, but he fell in love with a human so he had to play with the cards he was dealt. He would have loved you until the day you died of old age. And then your children would have lived very lengthy lives to remind him of the love that he had for you.”
She stood up and grabbed a fistful of my hair. “You bitch!” she screamed. “You think you know him so well? You think he loves you? Well, obviously not as much as you thought if someone as powerful as him couldn’t sense a little potion on my lips!” I couldn’t help it but I winced right then, fueling her fire. “Maybe the truth is that he couldn’t wait to get his hands on me so he chose to ignore it!” she continued. “He moved inside of me with so much hunger, so much raw need that it must have been building up since the day I left! He came inside of me with so much force that I almost had trouble containing him. ME…a goddamn vampire!!! He’ll never fuck you with that much passion! Ever!!”
She released her grip on me and stormed out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I tried reasoning with myself, telling myself that she was wrong, but I couldn’t see past those horrible images of them together. My time with Vance had been the best sex of my life, but he didn’t look at me the way he did her. I’d never seen him so elated; he’d touched her with so much tenderness and amazement. He may have been confused about the year, but he definitely knew what he was doing and who he was with. I didn’t know how I could ever be with him again with that knowledge. I almost wished Maria would have drained me so I wouldn’t have to feel this aching hole in my chest. I sobbed hysterically as the pictures of them continued to flash through my mind. It just hurt so goddamn much. I started hyperventilating and instead of trying to fight it, I welcomed the blackout.
*****
I don’t know how long I was out that time but I awoke to the sound of my name.
“Karli!” Vance shouted. “Karli, where are you?”
Before I had a chance to respond, Vance, Leo, and a beautiful, twenty-something brunette were bursting into the room charging towards me. Leo’s nostrils flared as his eyes were instinctively drawn to the matching bite marks on my thighs. Maria had intentionally left evidence. Bitch. His eyes flashed with rage before he composed himself.
Seeing Vance was like being stabbed in the gut. Unfortunately for me, I knew exactly what that felt like. Before he could reach me I shouted, “Vance, Erica is in here somewhere. You have to find her!”
He halted. “What?” he asked. “How do you know?”
“Just trust me!” I insisted. “Go find her.”
He cast a wary glance in Leo’s direction. “Go,” Leo said. “I’ll stay with Karli.”
Vance hesitated, but nodded his head. “Tara, you go left, I’ll go right.”
“Got it,” she replied and they were off to begin their search.
Leo took off his shirt and covered me. He nodded towards the marks. “Are you okay, my love? She drank from you?”
I looked away in shame as Erica and Vance walked into the room. Vance moved towards me in a rather territorial stance and glared at Leo. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Leo looked at me, waiting for a response. “Nothing,” I snarled.
Vance seemed taken aback by my tone. Erica cleared her throat, prompting me to look up at her. Oh Christ, she was a mess. Poor Erica must have been just as heartbroken as I was. “Are you okay, Kar?” she asked.
“Are you?” I countered.
She started bawling. “Omigod, K, I’m so sorry. I had no idea he was connected to her!”
“It’s okay, Eri,” I assured her.
“No, it’s not,” she insisted. “I should have known something was wrong. I didn’t figure it out until…until…”
“Would somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?” Vance shouted.
I looked up and noticed that Tara had joined us again. “The area is clear,” she said. “Now, ladies, could you please tell us what happened here?”
I shook my head as I pulled on my bindings. The effort was futile. “I’ll tell you what I can, but will somebody please untie me first?”
Leo tugged with his supernatural strength but couldn’t break them. “I can’t get them undone. They feel infused with something.”
“They are,” I said. “Jake said they could only be undone with a counter binding spell.”
“Jake?” Vance asked. “As in, Erica’s husband?”
“Oh, God!” Erica cried. Now she was bordering o
n hysteria.
“Nice, Vance,” I snapped.
He gave me a confused look and awkwardly tried to calm Erica. When she could speak again she said, “Karli, I can’t help you. He…he…”
Exasperated, Vance threw up his hands and muttered something in Latin. The leather straps fell away instantly. Rubbing my wrists in relief I asked, “He what, Erica?”
She looked down in shame and whispered, “He siphoned my magic.”
Seventeen
“He what?” The four of us shouted in unison.
Her cheeks reddened. “The binding spell of thirteen…the ritual I did with my sisters. It’s all gone. He not only took my heightened powers, he took all of my powers. He tricked me into coming here. We were going to do some…uh, role playing.” She blushed again. “When I got here, there was all this freaky shit set up, like a sacrificial altar or something. At first, I thought he was just being really kinky, until Maria walked in the room and he took a knife to his chest…” She held up her hand, which was caked in dried blood. “And he sliced my hand open.”
I gasped. “Omigod, Erica. Then what happened?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “The last thing I remember was the cutting…and then I woke up alone with dried blood all over my hand.”
I pulled her into my arms. “Oh, honey, I am so sorry. We’ll figure out a way to get your magic back. There’s got to be a way.”
“I don’t care about the magic. I just want to know why he did it. Why they did it.”
Vance cleared his throat. “Blood magic is some pretty powerful stuff. You don’t mess with it lightly. It can carry severe consequences.”