by Kit Tunstall
What he’d shown her of Corsova tempted her. She cared for the people in the country already, responding to their embrace of her presence. Each time she had ventured outside the castle, it was like reuniting with old friends she had never met.
And how could she leave her father when he was about to die? He was a proud man, but he was sensitive too. Anca found his hint of vulnerability endearing, and she could sense his need to make up for what he saw as abandoning her for years, even if it had been to protect her. She loved him fiercely and wanted to be with him until the end.
On the other hand, there was her mother. She had spoken to her by phone a couple of times, and each time Katrine insisted her life was in New York now, and she didn’t want to return to Corsova. Her mother urged her to make her own decision, or as she phrased it, “the right decision,” but Anca didn’t know how she would cope alone. Katrine was healing well, but needed someone to look after her.
Also weighing heavily was her obligation to honor her birthright. It was her duty to take the Blood Oath, but she would sacrifice so much in doing so. It frightened her to know she or Demi could die, but Anca knew her father couldn’t rule forever. She yearned for more time to decide, but the blood-moon was in two days.
She didn’t have the luxury of waiting forty-six years for the next blood-moon, because of her father’s age. He didn’t look much older than his early sixties, but apparently, it was a characteristic of their kind to be visibly ageless as one grew older. The body still aged though, and death was inevitable for even the Protector of Corsova.
Most of all, there was Demi to think about. He had sworn to follow her back to New York if that was her choice, but he clearly belonged in Corsova. She already felt the connection to the land he and Ylenia had spoken of, and she couldn’t bear the thought of tearing him away from the only way of life he had ever known.
Nor could she contemplate separating from him. She loved him.
Demi stopped running, interrupting her thoughts. He hadn’t spoken to her during their journey, probably realizing she was thinking. He dropped something from his mouth and turned to her before transforming back to his true form. “Our spot,” he said with a wink.
It was, Anca realized. This was the place they had stopped during their last run, made love, and slept through most of the night. With a start, she realized it was also the place from her vision on the train. She looked up.
The night sky was a black canvas, with thousands of stars twinkling overhead. She had never seen anything like it in New York. She could hear the wind blowing softly through the trees. The lone cry of a wolf rose with haunting intensity, before others soon joined in, and their cries echoed down the mountainside. The pack was close, but she felt no fear.
Without thought, she shed her wolf-form and curled up beside Demi on a bed of rose bay. She tilted her head as his lips caressed her neck, tickling when he breathed against her skin. “Umm, that feels good.”
He cupped her breast, gently thumbing her nipple. “So does that.”
She laughed softly and touched his cheek as she shifted in his arms.
He took hold of her hand and brought it to his mouth. His tongue traced her palm and moved down.
Anca threw back her head as sensations coursed through her. She gazed upward, noting the tumescent moon was nearly full, and it had a strange pinkish cast. She looked away, but it drew her gaze again. Each time her eyes sought it, her heartbeat accelerated. She turned her head at the touch of lips against her wrist.
“Soon, it will be time,” Demi said, and his lips tickled her skin. “In two nights, the moon will be blood-red.”
“Yes.” She started to share her doubts, but her eyes widened when Demi’s teeth penetrated the skin at her wrist, finding the vein unerringly. He had never fed from her before. “Demi?” she asked in a hoarse voice as he sucked gently.
She gasped as the initial pain faded to an intense pleasure. Anca held her breath, and her eyes closed of their own volition. As his tongue slid over the wound, probing gently, she opened her eyes to slits and watched the play of emotions on Demi’s face. She could see his arousal, but more obvious was his tenderness.
As his throat worked convulsively, swallowing her blood, she unfurled and lay back on the soft bed of rose bay, closing her eyes again, absorbing the pleasure from this new form of intimacy. During the past twelve days, they had tried many things, but not this. She wondered why he had waited.
He retracted his fangs and released her wrist. “You weren’t ready,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “Part of you still doubted what you were, what we are.”
He moved up her body. Her blood smeared his lips, and Anca lifted her head to hasten the meeting of their mouths. Rather than kiss him, she traced her tongue across his lips, licking away the traces of her blood. The flavor was pungent and coppery, but with an underlying sweetness that made her yearn for more. She punctured his lower lip with her canine and licked the tiny wound as he hissed with a combination of pleasure and pain.
Demi had been sprawled beside her, but now he broke away and rolled over to straddle her. He braced his hands on the ground, bracketing her head, and leaned forward to kiss her. His cock pressed into the softness of her stomach, and her pussy flooded with desire.
Anca tilted her head, offering her neck for his possession, but he ignored the temptation. “We rarely take blood from the neck, dragostia. It’s too dangerous, even for our kind. You might not heal fast enough to prevent losing too much blood.”
His lips parted hers gently, and his tongue ventured inside to explore her moist depths. She groaned low in her throat as his tongue slid across hers. She tried to still his movements, but his tongue darted from hers to trace her teeth.
His tongue retreated, and he eased his weight down on her more fully. As Demi’s face burrowed into the bend of her neck, one of his hands squeezed her breast. He rubbed a nipple between his fingers, causing the sensitive nub to harden at his expert touch.
His other hand traveled down her side, exploring her ribs, pausing to span her waist, pat her hip, and then slide along her thigh.
Anca stiffened as he sought out her pussy. He was going too slowly. She longed to feel his cock inside her pussy, and anticipation had her gyrating her hips impatiently.
He chuckled again as he stroked her swollen pussy lips, wet with her own dew, but he didn’t venture between them.
She grunted and arched her hips, demanding without words that he fulfill his unspoken promise.
Demi’s breath was hot against her neck when he said, “So impatient.”
She tangled her hands in his hair, urging his mouth closer to her neck as she arched her hips. “Please,” she whispered. “I trust you.”
He hesitated.
“I want to,” she assured him. She found the thought of him drinking from her intoxicating and arousing. The threat of danger only added to her excitement.
“I live to serve you,” he said with a trace of gentle mockery. Seconds later, his fangs penetrated the vein at her neck at the same time his fingers slid inside her pussy and sought out her twitching clit. He found her wet and ready, and she gave voice to her passion as he fingered her with slow thrusts.
“More,” she urged, not sure if she wanted him to drink more deeply or thrust faster.
He broke away from her neck, carefully lapping up the rivulets of blood. Seconds later, he lifted his head to meet her eyes. “You’re healing.”
She nodded, feeling the wound closing as he spoke. “Take me, Demi.” Anca heard him rustling the flowers and lifted her head to see what he was doing. She watched as he ran his hand through the rose bay. “What are you doing?”
“I spat out a condom here,” he said. “I didn’t have anywhere else to carry it, and by the time we got here, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I didn’t think to notice where it dropped.” He made a low sound of triumph and held up the package. “Ah ha.”
She grinned at him and lay back with her thighs sp
read wide. It didn’t take him long to come to her, and she gasped when he joined their bodies with one hard thrust. As Demi eased himself down on top of her, Anca grasped his shoulders and arched her hips upward, taking in all of him.
She set the pace, moving fast and urgent, aching for completion. Anca took his hand and guided it to her pussy, and he immediately began to rub her clit. She closed her eyes and circled her hips slowly while thrusting against him. Soon, her pace increased again, and he matched it with the thrust of his cock and the quickness of his fingers.
Anca pressed her face against his chest as her orgasm neared. It was the most natural thing in the world to sink her fangs into the vein above his heart. As rich blood pumped into her mouth, she felt his cock spasm and pump hot fluid inside the condom. The blood trickled from her mouth, and she swallowed as fast as she could, even as her pussy contracted with an orgasm.
She crushed him against her, surprised by her own strength, as she removed her mouth from his wound. Her pussy continued spasming, and aftermath caused her limbs to quiver. As her heartbeat slowed, Anca noticed his did too, as her ear was near his heart. She took a deep breath, feeling exhaustion catch up with her. She stretched, and he rolled away, but still held her close to his side.
Anca turned onto her side to examine the wound she had made. It was already scabbing over, so she hadn’t done too much damage. “Did it hurt?”
He shrugged. “A little, but it also felt good.”
“Yes,” she said in a whisper. She trailed her fingers through his light dusting of chest hair. “I’ve decided.”
He stiffened, and a hint of wariness crept into his expression. “About the Blood Oath?”
She nodded. “I’ll do it.”
He sagged with relief, but he still asked, “Are you sure that’s what you want? There’s no going back.”
She gave him a shaky smile. “I know. I’m afraid, but I know you’ll be with me. That’s the most important thing to me.” She steeled herself, gathering her courage. “I love you, Demi.”
He exhaled harshly, and then pulled her tightly against him. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.”
She nodded, unable to speak with her face pressed against his chest. When he loosened his grip, she tilted her neck to look up at him. “I wanted to say it days ago, but it didn’t feel right until I’d decided. I didn’t want to tell you I loved you and then leave. Now that I’ve decided, I can shout it if I want to.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Go ahead. No one will hear, except maybe a few wolves.”
She felt a little embarrassed, but she raised her voice into a shout. “I, Anca Draganescu, love Nicodemus Golina.”
A plethora of howls responded to her shouted announcement. Each seemed to hold a note of approval and perhaps a little amusement. Anca grinned at him before curving herself against him and laying her head on his chest. She was at peace with her decision and content in his arms.
Chapter 13
The night of the blood-moon arrived, and Anca was more nervous than she had ever been. Helena came to assist her with the proper garb for the ceremony. She noticed the girl moved slowly and winced each time she lifted her arms. She frowned with concern as the girl winced yet again when she stood up from straightening the ankle-length hem. “Helena, are you okay?”
The girl gave her a shaky smile and smoothed a wrinkle from Anca’s white velvet robe. It was so pure a white that standing next to it gave her already-washed-out complexion an even more ghostly element. “Fine, m’lady.”
Anca continued to watch her as she laced the bodice of the robe and tied it in a neat bow. As Helena stepped back, the sleeve of her gray robe slid up, revealing long slashes. Though scabbed, they still looked terrible. She took the girl’s hand before she could draw away and pushed back the sleeve. She inhaled sharply. “My God. Who did this?”
Helena tried to tug away, and she refused to meet her eyes. “Really, it’s nothing, mistress—“
Anca stepped off the small stool she had stood on. She dropped Helena’s right arm before taking her left and pushing up the sleeve. The same wounds marred her skin. “What did this?”
Helena shook her head as her eyes darted frantically around the room.
She made her voice firm. “Tell me now.”
“But—“
“I demand you tell me.”
Tears poured down the younger girl’s face. “I-it was a wh-whip, Your Highness.” Sobs shook her frail shoulders, but she winced and pulled away when Anca patted her back.
“Take off your robe.” When she saw the instinctive way Helena covered her breasts and drew away, she hastened to reassure her. “I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to see how badly you’re injured.”
With the air of a martyr, Helena unlaced her dress as she turned around. She let the dress fall to her waist, careful to preserve her modesty.
What she saw nauseated her. Scores of whip marks crisscrossed each other. They had healed over, but Anca thought a couple of the deeper ones were infected. Tenderly, she drew the robe up her back and over the marks, holding it in place while Helena’s shaking fingers refastened her laces.
Anca turned her carefully, but she couldn’t hide the anger in her trembling voice. “Who did this to you?”
Helena’s hair hid her face and muffled her voice, but the name was still audible. “Nikia.”
Rage coursed through Anca, and without thought, she forced herself into her half-sister’s thoughts. She cried out in pain as Nikia threw her out with a violent wrench and placed a block between them. She swayed unsteadily and grasped the bedpost.
“M’lady? Are you ill?” Concern reflected from Helena’s eyes.
She shook her head and drew in a deep breath. “No. I’m not sure what happened. I think I tried to get into her thoughts, and she forced me out.”
When she had regained control, Anca took Helena’s hand and led her to the bed. She eased her down gently and reached for the box of tissues on the nightstand. “You have to tell me what happened.” She expected resistance, but there was a trace of relief in Helena’s eyes as the story poured from her.
What she heard served to stoke her anger with Nikia, but also had her crying quietly along with the younger girl cradled in her arms. When Helena’s words and tears were spent, she rocked her. “I promise you she’ll never touch you again. Once the ceremony is over, I’ll deal with Nikia.”
She sounded like a timid mouse. “How, Your Highness?”
Anca hesitated. The answer was obvious, but did she have the ability to impose a death sentence on someone? She had learned during her stay in Corsova that the American legal system was a foreign concept here. The people lived by the rule of the Protectorate, so they’d better hope it was fair. She bit her lip. “I’ll send her away.”
Helena’s shoulders sagged, and she pulled away. “Lord Nicodemus will be here soon to collect you.” She gestured to the tray she had arrived with earlier in the evening. “Ylenia said you would both need to drink this potion.”
As if her words had summoned him, there was a knock at the door. Helena rushed forward to answer it, and she curtsied to Demi as he stepped inside.
He temporarily distracted her from the problem with Nikia. Anca couldn’t resist a small sigh of pleasure as she examined Demi in the sapphire-blue robe. She wasn’t accustomed to seeing men in anything but trousers and shorts, but he didn’t look at all feminine in the flowing robe. The cut emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the narrowness of his waist. The color brought dark-blue flecks to his black eyes and caused his hair to shine more brilliantly in the light.
He approached her, pulling her from the bed and into his arms for a quick, hard kiss. “I’ve missed you.”
She bit back a giggle. “You saw me this morning, before you left my chambers.”
He grinned down at her, but the edges of his mouth trembled almost imperceptibly. He seemed nervous. “That’s too long.”
Anca didn’
t mention her own case of nerves as Helena approached with two pewter goblets of the potion Ylenia sent with her. She took one and gave the girl an encouraging smile. She thought about reassuring her again that Nikia wouldn’t hurt her anymore, but she didn’t think Helena would want Demi to know. She would tell him, but not when the girl was in hearing distance.
Demi eyed the potion with a frown. “What’s this?”
Helena’s eyes remained downcast. “I know not, m’lord. Ylenia told me to have you both drink a cup.”
He sniffed it, grimacing slightly. With a jovial smile, he clinked his goblet against Anca’s. “Cheers.”
“Bottoms up,” she said with an equally fake smile and brought the cup to her lips. It smelled foul, but tasted faintly like apricots and honey. “Not bad.” She finished the rest of it in one long drink, as Demi did the same.
He returned the cups to Helena and held out his hand.
Anca folded hers in his and took a step to join him by his side. The room started spinning, and bile rushed up the back of her throat. Her stomach heaved, and her eyes seemed weighted. She opened her mouth to alert Demi that something was wrong.
He interrupted her by uttering a single word. “Poison.” He fell heavily on the stone floor.
Anca reached for him, but her arm felt disconnected from her body. The room whirled faster, but her eyes managed to settle briefly on the serving girl.
Tears swam in Helena’s widened eyes. Her fingers were in her mouth, and she appeared to be biting down hard to keep from crying out. She pulled them away and shook her head. “It’s not poison, m’lady. Only a sleeping dram.”
“Why?” she managed to ask, as she fell beside Demi.
Helena knelt beside her, smoothing the hair off her brow. “I’m sorry, m’lady. I had no choice. I’m afraid of her.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered, knowing her half-sister was behind this. Nikia’s name echoed through Anca’s mind as she passed out.
* * * * *
She awoke lying on the bed. Anca struggled to move and found her arms bound to the bedposts. A pressure on her chest made her lift her head and look down. She frowned at the contraption. She could feel it clamped around her waist, and she was lying on it. It seemed to serve no purpose except to hold the wickedly sharp stake aimed inches from her heart.