by Raven, T. R.
Claire kicked and bucked her hips while throwing her head from side to side to make it harder for the vampire to get a good grip on her. She was no match for the vampire in the end as he had far more stamina and strength than she. Eyes glowing red in the blackness of the front steps of the safe house he finally pinned her down using both hands. Without a hand free he was unable to grab the pendant. Grinning he leaned in to Claire’s ear and spoke to her in gravelly voice filled with triumph.
“The Fang shall be mine, and Stavros may finally return. But you don’t need to worry about that anymore, pretty thing- you’ll be long dead before his rising.” Claire shrieked in horror as the vampire moved in to bite her neck.
Suddenly the hands pinning her down and the weight on top of her disappeared. Claire sat up as fast as she could and clasped her hands around the pendant protectively.
In the weak moonlight Claire could make out two figures wrestling and snarling through the garden, tangled with one another. They were too fast for her to make sense of how the fight was unfolding but Claire knew the second figure was Nikoli. Nikoli has saved her yet again.
Claire removed a hand from the pendant to feel around the steps for the key. She breathed a sigh of relief as her fingers touched the cold metal. She struggled to her feet and managed to unlock the front door despite her shaking hands. Inside the house she collapsed in the foyer. She paused and waited for relief to flood through her but none came. She was safe from the Myrmidons now but Nikoli was still out there.
Claire forced herself back upright and made it over to a front window. She held her breath as she pushed the curtain back. Her eyes scanned the garden but saw no movement and a pregnant silence roared in her ears. A sob grew in her chest as she clung to the windowsill for support. Where was Nikoli?
She scrambled backwards away from the window as a body flew past it and landed with a meaty thud on the decorative spikes topping the wrought iron fencing. The body spasmed for a moment then lay still. In the darkness Claire could not tell if it was Nikoli or a Myrmidon. A strange noise in the house further fed her terror until she realized it was the sound of her own whimpering. She clasped her hand over her mouth as she willed herself to hold it together.
A sharp rap on the door made her cower, shaking all over.
“Claire! Claire? Can you unlock the door for me?” Nikoli called urgently.
Claire lunged to the front door and flung it open. Nikoli fell into her waiting arms, covered in blood.
“You’re okay?” he demanded, examining Claire’s neck where the Myrmidon had tried to bite her.
“I’m fine.” Claire swatted his hand away and began frantically examining Nikoli’s body. “There’s so much blood!” she sobbed. “Where are you hurt?” She ran her hands through his hair, down his back, up his sides and was just lifting up his bloodied shirt to exam his torso when he grabbed both her hands.
“I’m okay Claire, I’m fine, I’ve already healed,” he said softly. “I’m just fine. It’s you I’m worried about. Come on, let’s get some lights on so I can see if he got you.” He led her through the dark, down the hall to the kitchen and threw on the recessed lighting. He sat Claire down in the breakfast nook and grimaced at the scratches the Myrmidon had left on her neck. “I’ll be right back, just stay put,” he reassured her, squeezing her shoulder.
Nikoli returned a moment later with cotton balls, hydrogen peroxide and some gauze to clean and dress Claire’s wound. He swept back Claire’s hair and inhaled sharply when he saw just how deep the scratches were.
“That was close Claire, way too close. Another few seconds and he would’ve bitten you. He would have killed you!” Claire sucked in a deep breath as the peroxide fizzled deep in her wounds on her chest and neck.
“If he had bitten me, would I have turned?” Claire whispered.
“No Claire, of course not, to turn you’d need to ingest vampire blood yourself. You can’t turn just from being fed on.” Nikoli finished cleaning her wounds and looked her over. “They should be bandaged, but we’ll do that after we shower.” He cupped her face in his hand. “I’m so glad you’re okay Claire. I can’t stand to think I almost lost you there. Never again.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, his eyes filling with unshed tears.
Claire closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as she was overcome with relief.
“We’re both filthy,” Nikoli chided as he guided Claire to her feet and inspected her clothing. “Let’s go shower and get out of these bloody clothes. You use the Master bath, I’ll take the guest bath.” He led her upstairs to the Master suite. “I have to go dispose of the body. I’ll take it off the fence and put it in the back yard- it’ll disintegrate as soon as the sun hits it in the morning. His partner got away.” Nikoli looked disgusted. “I might’ve killed him but we both did some pretty bad damage to the other. Luckily I had just had that drink at Fogak- I healed right up. He hadn’t fed in a while, so he was slower to heal but when you screamed he took advantage of the distraction and fled.” He sighed. “I’m not going back out there after him tonight. But on a bright note, I did kill one of the Myrmidons- one down, seven left to go.”
He opened the Master closet and pulled out a plush bathrobe. “Here, you can slip into this if you like after your shower. I’ll grab our bags I dropped when I dispose of the body.” He kissed her softly on the lips and was gone.
Chapter 16
Nikoli moved the body and retrieved their things without incident. He was no longer nervous about being out on the street in the dark with Claire tucked away in the safe house. He let himself back into the house and climbed the stairs. The Master suite door was closed so he left Claire’s bag out in the hallway for her.
He went down to the guest bedroom and dropped his things on the bed. He left his ruined clothing in a pile to be thrown out later and climbed under the warm shower spray. The dried blood from numerous gashes and bites from the fight with the two Myrmidons washed away in a sea of brownish water until finally it ran clear again.
Nikoli heard the bathroom door open. He wiped the water from his eyes and stuck his head out from behind the shower curtain taking care to keep the rest of his body covered up.
“Claire? You need something?” Claire stood in her robe, her hair wet from her shower. She nodded, her eyes never leaving Nikoli’s, as she slowly united her robe and let it drop to the floor without a word. Inside she was nervous and uncertain but she gave away none of it outwardly. She was bare underneath her robe.
Nikoli’s breath caught in his throat as a naked Claire pushed back the curtain and climbed into the shower with him. “Claire?”
Claire took his face in her hands and kissed him, long and deep. Nikoli returned the kiss tentatively at first but then rose to meet Claire’s passion.
Claire broke away and reached for the loofah.
“Wash me?” she requested. “I only rinsed off in my shower, I want you to wash me please.” She wanted to take is slow, make it last. Tonight was nothing to be rushed.
Nikoli nodded, unable to speak. He soaped up the loofah and began washing her shyly. Claire grabbed the soap and then ran her lathered hands up and down Nikoli’s torso and arms. Her boldness surprised even her yet felt it natural. Nikoli was always honest with her and he deserved her honesty in return. Claire wanted to honestly express how she felt about him by giving herself to him completely.
“My hair,” she instructed, passing him the shampoo bottle. Nikoli massaged her scalp and scrubbed her hair taking great care not to allow any shampoo to fall onto the gouges the Myrmidon had left behind.
“Claire,” he said softly as he rinsed her hair. She stood completely exposed before him as the water cascaded off her flawless body. “We don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” Claire replied quietly as she grabbed the soap again and lathered up Nikoli’s back. She pressed up against him now, her slick hands kneading his strong back as they traveled down to his backside. Nikoli gasped, every muscle in his body tensed with ne
ed. She understood now what Nikoli meant when he said before he wanted to consume her completely. Claire knew she would never get enough, never tire of this man before her.
“I want to,” Claire whispered as she kissed him again. Her hands wound their way to the front of Nikoli again, across his stomach and down.
Nikoli drew her closer still, kissing her with ferocious intensity as his hands began to wander freely about her body, touching places he only dared dreamed he’d ever caress. Claire felt as if she were on fire, consumed by his touch. She moaned softly beneath his hands and his breath quickened.
“If you are sure, my beautiful Keeper, let’s rinse off and go do this properly.” He pushed Claire away gently and they both rinsed off before stepping out of the shower.
Nikoli grabbed a towel and dried Claire off slowly before wrapping her up in a dry one. He toweled himself off quickly and wrapped the towel around his waist. Claire stood watching him quietly, admiring his beautiful form. He swept her right off her feet and carried her down the hall back to the Master suite where he lay her gently down on the bed.
“My lovely Claire,” he crooned, stroking her damp hair. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
“Nikoli,” she replied breathily. “The feeling is mutual, believe me.” Nikoli looked at her quizzically and she nodded slightly.
“Are you sure Claire?”
“Yes,” she replied, reaching to unravel the towel around Nikoli’s waist as she rose up to kiss him. “Absolutely sure.”
Chapter 17
The next morning Claire woke up in the Master bedroom alone. She stretched out across the bed smiling to herself as she recalled giving herself to Nikoli. He had been so gentle, so loving. She was glad she had waited until he came along- it had been worth the wait.
She found Nikoli down in the kitchen laying out fresh pastries and fruit for breakfast. He face lit up when he saw her. He passed her a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, lovely.” He nuzzled her neck, running his hands up and down her hips. “Last night was more than I ever imagined it could be.” He trailed kisses up and down her jawline. “Any regrets?”
“Yes, just one,” Claire said quietly. Nikoli froze in place, terrified she was about to say she regretted their lovemaking. “I regret we didn’t do that sooner,” Claire smirked with a giggle.
“You!” Nikoli admonished, pressing her up against the fridge as he kissed her hard. “Don’t scare me like that! You had me going there for a moment.” He gently turned her head and brushed away her midnight curls to examine her wounds.
“Okay, these are looking better already. Those should heal up nicely, you might not even scar,” he told Claire. He smoothed her locks back into place. “I’d love to carry you back off to bed again and pick up where we left off, but we’ve got a schedule to stay on today. I ordered a car, it’ll be here in half an hour.”
“Will we be with Renka by nightfall?” Claire asked. She had no desire to be anywhere but the safe walls of a house after the sun went down. One run-in with a Myrmidon was enough for her.
Nikoli shook his head. “No, we’ll be driving all day into a remote area of Transylvania. I’ve arranged for us to stay with friends for the night, we should be able to catch up with Renka tomorrow. You have something to eat, I’m going to go get cleaned before the car arrives. And Claire?”
“Hhhmmm?” she replied through a mouth full of Danish.
“As much as I’d love the company, let me shower alone this time- we don’t have time for your shenanigans before the car comes,” Nikoli teased as Claire swatted at him playfully but missed.
When the car arrived on time half an hour later both Claire and Nikoli were ready to go. Claire shuddered involuntarily as she walked down the steps in recollection of almost having been bitten by the Myrmidon the night before. Nikoli caught her unease and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s okay,” he soothed. “They can’t come after us when the sun is up.” He opened her car door for her. “Your chariot, my lady.”
Claire slid into her seat. She was anxious to leave Budapest and looked forward to finding Renka and her Gypsies so they could be rid of the Fang and the Myrmidons once and for all.
The miles passed by quickly. Nikoli drove and Claire dozed as they sped away from the city. Claire felt herself relaxing with every mile they put between themselves and the Myrmidon that got away. She could almost, just almost, pretend she was just on a nice country drive with her boyfriend instead of on her way to meet a Gypsy Queen in order to keep a vicious vampire from rising again.
“We’ll be there soon,” Nikoli told her as he read a small roadside sign announcing the villages coming up. About twenty minutes later they pulled into a small town square lined with rustic homes. Chickens ran free through the streets while children played ball in the middle of the road. Nikoli stopped the car in front of the local grocer.
“Come on, someone should be meeting us here,” he explained. “Ah, there he is.” He pointed to a grizzled old man sitting up on a buggy, pulled by a pair of draft horses. “There’s our ride.”
Nikoli greeted the driver and helped Claire onto the buggy after throwing their bags onto the back. He climbed up next to Claire and slung his arm around her. The driver drove the buggy down a wide dirt trail behind the store and into the forest.
They rode in a comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts. Claire was growing nervous about what came next- what would Renka expect of her, to destroy the Fang? Would she be able to do it? Would Renka really even know how to destroy the Fang?
“This is good.” Nikoli broke into her thoughts. “We’ll be at the cottage shortly with plenty of light left to spare. Akos and Firenze are going to love you.” He gently grasped a curl and twirled it around his finger.
“Akos and Firenze? Are they….uh, like me?” Claire was mindful not to say ‘vampires’ just in case the driver understood any English.
“Yes, they’re like you. Though their daughter is…..like me. They know about it, in fact they sought out Renka themselves to try to reverse their daughter’s condition. I know them through John, they were friends of his and are sympathetic to our cause.”
“Did Renka cure their daughter’s condition?” Claire asked.
Nikoli shook his head. “Nothing, not even Renka’s magic, can reverse that kind of ‘condition’.”
“Would you, if you could?” Claire couldn’t help but ask.
Nikoli squirmed in his seat as he considered his answer. “I don’t know. I used to think about it a lot when I was younger. It’s impossible, so eventually I realized I was wasting my time even considering it.” He shrugged. “Now that I have you, yes, I probably.” He dropped his voice down low to keep the driver from overhearing them. “If I were human again, I could marry you, give you children, and grow old with you. I will never be able to do that.” He kissed the top of her head sadly, pulling her to lean against him as they bumped down the trail and into vast stretches of farmland.
“Oh Nikoli,” Claire sighed as she leaned against his chest “I don’t need all that. I’m just happy to be with you.”
Nikoli wrapped his other arm around her and hugged her tight. “I know Claire. We’ll just enjoy what we have together- it’s all we can do. Look, there’s the cottage.” He pointed.
Claire clapped her hands with delight. There, on the edge of the fields, sat a small cottage like something out of a fairy tale. Ivy climbed its old stone walls.
“It’s beautiful.”
“A beautiful cottage for my beautiful lady,” Nikoli answered her.
Once they arrived at the cottage Nikoli paid the driver and grabbed their things. He knocked on the thick wooden door but no one came. He opened the door and called out but no one answered him.
“Oh, they’ve left us a note.” He strode over to the big stone hearth and pulled down the note Akos and Firenze had tacked above it. Nikoli scanned the note quickly. “It says they’re out of town for a few days
, they have a lead on a herd of dairy cattle they just can’t pass up.” Nikoli grinned up at Claire. “You know what that means?”
Claire shook her head.
“It means,” Nikoli beamed, “we have the place to ourselves. Before I take full advantage of that fact, Ms. Raymond, we’ve got things to do to settle in for the night. We’ve got a few hours left before sunset, let’s make the most of it.”
Nikoli detailed for Claire what chores she was to do while he went off to bring in wood from the pile on the edge of the forest.
“That way we can get a good fire going. It gets cold out here at night, even in the summer. Are you comfortable with horses? Can you bring them in for the night?” he asked her.
“Absolutely,” Claire replied. “My grandmother used to run a ranch when she was alive, I practically grew up in the barn!”
“Excellent, that’ll make tomorrow easier- we’ll be riding out shortly after sunrise.”
“Riding out? We’re riding to Renka?”
Nikoli glanced around, teasing her again. “Unless you see a driver willing to take us, yes.”
Claire gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Okay, smart guy, we’ll see if you can keep up with me,” she said, referring to her riding ability.
“My Keeper, I fully intend to try,” Nikoli responded with a glint in his eye, not referring to horses at all. He gave Claire a firm swat on her behind before he strode off to the woodpile, the axe over his shoulder. His throaty chuckle rang in her ears long after he had gone.
An hour later Claire had turned in the horses for the night, collected the eggs from the chickens and brought in some fresh vegetables from the garden. Nikoli had filled up the indoor woodpile and had a roaring fire going in the old stone hearth. He had also started a small fire in the cooking stove for Claire. She prepared vegetable omelets for dinner using the fresh eggs, vegetables, and a block of cheese she found in the pantry.