"Oh yes," Addison giggled as she playfully twirled the rope around her other hand.
His fingers undid each button artfully, Christian a master tease. "You eye me like prey, my love." He slowly let his shirt fall over his shoulders, the cool fabric slipping the rest of the way down his arms and falling to the floor.
Christian looked amazing, his toned chest and perfect body like that of a god. There was an evil glow to his features, a sparkle to his icy eyes, that was intensified by the intimate lighting of the bedroom. His dark lashes and brow framed them perfectly and made their splendid color pop.
His tongue paused under one of his fangs as excitement built up within him, his hands going to unbutton his pants. His fingers paused on the zipper as he watched her stare fixate on it.
He let them linger there for a few more seconds, forcing Addison to look up at his face. "Come here." She stood up and tried to keep a firm expression, but she was having a hard time doing so. "And lay on the bed." Finally, Christian pulled down his zipper before walking toward her, his eyes never leaving hers. Addison yanked down his pants as he passed, leaving them around his ankles as he climbed into bed.
"Okay." Addison pulled the bag along with her as she joined him, straddling his hips.
"What kind of torture is this, my love?" Christian’s voice was smooth, as he spoke in a low, seductive tone that was making it hard for Addison to remain serious. He let her tie his hands to the bedposts without an ounce of resistance. "Your touch is gentle, like a kitten’s bat."
"Sometimes the greatest torture comes from the gentlest teasing." She stood.
Quickly taking off her own clothes, she stripped down to her bra and panties. She wasn’t a patient person like Christian. She was always jumping into whatever she did, and her overexcitement made Christian laugh. She was trying to be serious about the whole thing, but she couldn’t pull it off.
Jumping back onto the bed, she grabbed a knife out of the bag. She kept it sheathed as she mounted him again, a playful giggle escaping her lips.
"Ooo…" Slowly unsheathing the blade, her eyes watched the shiny, sharp metal as it was exposed. She raised her eyebrows playfully, a stream of infectious giggles escaping her lips as she looked back at Christian. "This looks dangerous."
"In your hands, it is. You know not how to use such things."
"Oh really?" Addison leaned closer to him, her body laying partially on his chest. She let the tip of the knife rest on his cheek, "Then you’re in trouble, Master."
"I do not fear you." He wrinkled his nose at her playfully, lifting his head a little and pressing his cheek up against the blade. As she felt it pierce his skin, Addison quickly pulled it back and let out a small gasp when she saw the cut on his face.
"Christian!" She quickly put the knife back into its holder and fawned over his ‘wound.’ "I didn’t mean to—"
"I’m fine, my love." Christian motioned toward the knife with his head, a small laugh escaping his smiling lips. "But you are a terrible torturess."
"I am?" A large pout filled out her bottom lip, her face twisting into a childish expression as she spoke in an overly sweet tone. She rubbed her hands up and down his chest quickly, massaging his skin as she watched the motions of her hands. "You’re disappointed in me, aren’t you?"
"Never." Christian yanked on the ropes around his hands, and they slowly fell from his wrists. Looking into her disappointed face, he cupped the sides of it with his hands, "Here. Let me give you a lesson." He sat up in bed, Addison still perched on his lap.
He picked up the knife and quickly unsheathed it, an artfulness in his fluid movement. "You had your blade too far away from my skin. You want your captive to feel the kiss of the blade and feel helpless under your hand." He swung the knife a few times between them, Addison almost falling over backward because she was afraid it would hit her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Fear is your weakness, my love. We must remedy this."
He held the blade up to his face, hiding one of his eyes from her view. The serious look in his eyes terrified her. She had seen Christian use a blade to kill, memories of watching him torture hunters with it poisoning her thoughts.
Her body was bent back slightly as she sat on him, and he could see the great fear reflected in her eyes. Her bare legs shook against his, her sweaty skin like an adhesive that glued her legs to his thighs. Her eyes opened wide as she stared, her fear paralyzing her.
"I fear nothing. That is what makes me a formidable foe. Here. Let me show you." He took her arm and held it up between them, his fingers linking in hers. "Curb your fear and keep your hand steady." Addison’s lips were slightly parted as she looked at Christian and then the blade in his hand. "Trust in the steadiness of my hand. Your trust in me will eliminate your fear."
He kissed her hand then slowly eased it down to her side. "Trust…" Christian turned the blade around and watched the light dance off its flawless surface. His intense eyes settled back on hers, and Addison’s lip trembled furiously as she looked at the blade that was slowly edging toward her neck. "In me." He pointed to his eyes, a great seriousness in his velvety voice.
Addison swallowed the lump in her throat that was choking her breath as she nodded her head quickly. Her voice came out rushed and full of fear. "I trust you, Christian."
With his eyes glued on hers, the mood suddenly turned tense. He held the blade to her neck, and Addison felt the cold kiss of the metal against her skin. It was a scratchy kiss that made her whole body want to erupt into convulsive shivers, but she held them back. Every second the blade's lips rested against her skin felt like an eternity.
He could see the tears forming in her eyes, but she didn’t flinch, her eyes staying focused entirely on him. She was being very brave, something she normally was not. This reaction pleased him, a devilish grin tainting his serious expression.
"Can you feel that?" His voice was soft, but every word took on a sharp crispness like the chill of a winter’s frost. "This is the feeling you want to give your captive. Fear." He slowly pulled the blade away, watching Addison gasp as she struggled to catch her breath.
She touched her neck, her fingers running over an invisible cut. "I am proud of you, my love, you didn’t let your fear consume you. Now you try." He took her unwilling hand and placed the knife into her palm.
Addison hesitated as she stared at the blade.
"Slow and steady." He placed a calm hand on her cheek, giving her a small kiss before pulling away. He pointed to his neck, "You could kill me, if you don’t concentrate."
"Do you trust me?" Addison’s eyes were watery, but she was holding back her tears, clutching the handle of the knife with a vice-like grip.
"Yes." He took the hand that was holding the knife, loosening her fingers' deadly grip around it. "Hold it with a firm but gentle grip. Steady hands, my love. Steady hands." Addison nodded quickly, slowly creeping toward Christian’s neck.
He could feel her fear as he watched her curiously. "Control the knife as if it were a part of you. Erase your mind of any distractions and focus on the placement of your blade." He placed a hand on her bare leg. "Conquer your fear and stay calm now, my love."
A soft laugh escaped his lips as he looked into her nervous eyes. "Feel the power you hold in your hands. Control it." Feeling a spark of confidence, Addison licked her lips as her eyes remained focused on the blade. "Now just a little bit closer… This is the spot."
Addison smiled, her confidence building as she kept the blade steady, watching it hover near her love’s skin. "Now lay down."
Christian slowly lay down, Addison following him with the blade. The mood was very tense. Addison’s breath heavy as she concentrated on not harming him. He looked at her lovingly, not an ounce of fear to be found on his face. "How does it feel?"
"I feel…" Her eyes got lost in the shiny surface of the knife that was barely kissing Christian’s skin, her mind racing as she thought about what could happen if she made a wrong move. "Powerful and… I can hear th
e tick of every second that passes."
He carefully guided the knife away from his neck and over to the bedside table. It bounced slightly as the rounded edge settled itself and struggled to lie flat on the table. "It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?"
Addison clung to Christian, a flood of tears erupting from her eyes. Her voice was a soft, fearful whisper, "No, it’s scary."
"Hush now, my love." Christian held her loosely, one of his hands slowly running down the surface of her hair. "You have passed my test."
"I did, didn't I?" Tears streamed down Addison’s reddening cheeks as she lifted her body off him so she could look into his face. She hovered over him. "I was scared, but I did it."
"Yes. Would you like to learn more?"
"Yes." Addison smiled, wiping away some of her tears that were now quickly drying on her cheeks. "Teach me."
Christian slowly pushed her up into a sitting position. He reached over and picked up the knife again. "First, you must conquer your fear of the blade…"
* * * *
"Addison." Christian pointed to the sitting room that was down the hall as he stood behind her. His hands were resting on her shoulders as he spoke softly into her ear. "I must leave you for a few hours, my love. You can stay with Josh and the others until I come back."
"Okay." Turning her head partially to the side, Addison’s face was filled with a giant smile. "I’ll wait for you."
"Remember our talk." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before wrapping his arms around her neck and leaning his head on the top of hers. "Be a good girl and introduce yourself to the other mates."
"I will." She turned around, Christian’s arms slipping from her and slowly repositioning themselves on her waist. "I’ll be good."
"Okay, okay." Darien, who was standing next to them, motioned for Christian to let go of Addison, something Christian was having a hard time doing since she came back. "Let’s get going, Master."
"Goodbye, my love." Christian gave her a small kiss before pulling away. "Now go…"
"Okay." Nodding, Addison slowly walked away from him backward. "Bye."
When he saw her hesitate, he made a shooing motion with his hands. She turned around, both vampires watching her until she disappeared into the sitting room. "Now," he looked at Darien, a smile slowly filling his devilish features. "There is something I would like to speak with you about…" Christian’s voice trailed as they walked away.
Addison peered inside, scanning the new room and all the faces within. It was a busy place and the mood was light, something that made it easier for Addison to go and speak with the others. She quickly spotted Josh, who was standing in the corner talking to some of the elites. He was much shorter than them, but his high energy made him stand out.
Ignoring him, she walked farther into the room and over to a group of women sitting on the other side. She recognized Emmie right away, not only because she was intentionally looking for her, but because she was very beautiful. The sight of her made Addison very jealous, but she tried not to show it.
Addison was wearing jeans and a zip up hoodie, something the other mates would never wear. She looked young and wasn’t all dolled up like they were and certainly didn’t look like the beautiful Mistress Vallore they were expecting.
There were a few other girls dressed similar to her sitting a few feet from Emmie and her group. They were sitting near the fireplace, all of them dressed in plain clothing and talking amongst themselves. They looked like a more interesting bunch to speak with, so Addison decided to join them.
Emmie and the other women looked over at her as she passed and because they had never met her, they had no idea who she was. Addison only looked their way briefly, trying her best to be good like she had promised Christian.
Addison took a seat on the arm of the couch, the girl next to her scooting over a little and motioning for her to sit down next to her. Addison nodded and did so as she turned to the conversation. The girls were talking about Christian’s return to the manor.
"I heard he was here, but no one has seen him." One of the women shrugged her shoulders as she spoke. "Maybe he’s still in town."
"I can’t wait to meet Mistress Vallore," another spoke up. "I heard she’s so beautiful the sight of her leaves you speechless."
Addison smiled when she heard her name, a slight awkward feeling building inside her. She decided to make conversation and lightly nudged the girl next to her’s arm. "Hi. Are you a mate or a scavenger?"
"Mate." The girl turned to her, a friendly smile on her face. "My name’s Carla. See that handsome man in the blue sport’s jacket?" She pointed to an elite talking to Josh and the others on the opposite side of the room. "That’s my husband, Nick. He’s an elite."
Addison laughed, finding the cocky smile on Carla’s face humorous. "He looks like a very nice man." Nick seemed to be a lower ranked elite like Josh. He was small like Josh and didn’t have the strong, bulky frame like Christian’s top elites. "I’m new, so I don’t know anyone here yet."
"Oh." Carla’s smile grew. "Well, welcome to the family then."
"Thank you."
Carla spoke to Addison for a while until they both got into a discussion with the others about the importance of a mate’s role in the relationship. Addison was enjoying the company of these women, and even though they didn’t know who she was, they accepted her into their circle with open arms.
Before she knew it, a few hours had passed, various people coming and going the whole time. It was a hectic place and seemed more like the lobby of a busy hotel than Christian’s other manors. People came and went, came and went, every half an hour a dozen new people came into the room.
"Gather round ladies." Clapping her hands, Emmie stood up and motioned for Addison’s group to come over to them. "It’s time to discuss the initiation process."
Carla motioned for Addison to get up and come over with her. Addison reluctantly followed.
"All right." Emmie’s perfectly painted face sported a grin as she quickly scanned the group ahead of her. "I would like all the new initiates to come forward." She motioned with her hands. Her voice was sweet but loud, her confidence bleeding through. "Come to me, my sisters." Some girls pushed past Addison and stood next to Emmie, staring up at her as if she were a celebrity or something.
"Hey." Carla pushed on Addison’s back playfully. "That’s you, right? Go on."
"No," Addison shook her head. "I’m not a new initiate."
"Oh." Carla kept up her smile before turning from Addison and focusing on what Emmie was saying. "Sorry."
Addison was going to turn around and walk away from the group, but Carla pulled on her sleeve and made her stay. Emmie began giving the new initiates the same talk Addison had gotten from Victoria and Nicolette, love and happiness in her every word. This made Addison feel really sad, her mind wandering back to her mentors, whom she missed tremendously. After the speech, they left to prepare for the ceremony.
This was an exciting time for the women, all of them dressing up in beautiful white gowns as had been tradition for hundreds of years. Addison borrowed a dress from one of them. In all the excitement, none of them asked her who or what she was, and Addison loved that feeling.
After dressing, she followed the women back into the sitting room. Addison spoke with Carla and a few of her friends, whom she seemed to be getting along with very well. All the chairs had been removed, making the room seem bigger. The elites were already in the room when the women entered and were lazily sitting on the floor talking amongst themselves.
Addison’s gaze briefly fell on Christian. She bit her smiling bottom lip as she checked out his gorgeous frame. He was sitting in the far end of the room with his elites, a tense, slightly angry expression on his face.
He was old and wise, yet didn’t look a day over thirty, every inch of his body seeming to be molded by god himself. He was dressed in a black suit, a pop of red flashing out from under it. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and a few of his top buttons were u
ndone, showing a tease of his chest. All the women’s eyes were on him, but Christian didn’t seem to notice.
Josh was standing on the edge of the circle with Nick and a few of the other omega elites. He waved at Addison when he saw her glance his way, but Nick elbowed him hard in the chest. He glanced nervously over at Christian, but Christian seemed to be in an intense conversation with Darien.
Addison sat down near the edge of the circle of women and could hardly hear what Emmie was saying to them. Instead of listening, she looked over at Christian, who was watching her curiously. Her face filled with a giant smile when their eyes met, but Christian’s face still looked stern as he motioned for her to turn around and pay attention to Emmie. She obeyed.
"…Two new sisters." Emmie was holding onto the shoulders of one of the initiates and another vampire, Belle, was holding onto the other. Both girls looked nervous as they gazed up at Emmie like she was their all-knowing mother. "Now," she scanned the thick group of women. "There are a lot of new faces in the group tonight, and there should not be. This is a private ceremony for elites, so I ask that all scavengers please leave the room."
Over half of the women stood up. They all moaned and whined a little as they slowly filtered out of the room. Carla looked over at Addison. "You’re not a scavenger?" she asked with a confused expression.
Addison smiled at her briefly as she shook her head then looked over at Emmie and Belle. Emmie lead the group over to Christian, all of the women taking a seat on the floor in front of him. Addison and Carla were sitting toward the back, the alphas of the elites taking the front seats with their mates.
Addison turned around when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She mouthed a hello to Josh as he sat down next to her. Nick stared quizzically at Addison as he whispered to Carla. He caught the very nasty glare Christian was aiming at Josh and Addison, who appeared to be flirting to the untrained eye.
Addison’s attention quickly turned to the front as she watched Christian. One initiate was sitting between Christian’s legs, her back pressing hard against his chest as she tried to get as close to him as she could.
Seed of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2) Page 14