Vampire Dreams Revamped (A Sons of Navarus Prequel)

by Gabrielle Bisset

  Chapter Three

  Arden spent her first full day in her new home learning from the rest of Brandon’s staff how he liked his house run. Mrs. Benson lectured her on such topics as dust and the importance of beating rugs correctly, while the older Mrs. Jandry, the cook, stood quietly cutting vegetables and preparing meals each time Arden passed through the kitchen.

  By dinnertime, she hadn’t seen him yet that day and casually inquired about his daily schedule from Mrs. Jandry.

  “Does Mr. Ridley usually stay away from the house all day?”

  Never lifting her eyes from the bread dough she was kneading, the grey haired lady replied, “The master is a night owl, to be sure. As his maid, you best become accustomed to his peculiar schedule.”

  She ate dinner with the rest of the servants, listening to the two women bicker about some Mr. Andrews and his poor treatment of his daughter, but Arden silently wondered exactly what Mrs. Jandry had meant by “peculiar schedule.” She remembered Brandon saying the maid took care of him. Did that mean turning her days and nights upside down and becoming a night owl like him? And if so, when would she sleep—in the day?

  Resolved to ask him about her concerns, she waited to see him, but by nine o’clock he was still absent and when the rest of the household retired to their rooms in the servants’ quarters, she reluctantly climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Unsure if she was expected to know of his peculiar schedule, she remained awake until ten o’clock, but found herself too sleepy by then and retired for the evening also.

  Wearing a borrowed nightgown from Mrs. Jandry's niece, Arden looked around her new quarters. The room was small, but it was cozy. Alongside the bed was a small night table, and in the corner was a dressing table very much like the one she'd had before her father's death had caused her to lose their home.

  She stared at the table, letting her mind travel back in time to when her parents still lived and cared for her. The pain of losing them, still fresh in her mind, bit at her heart, and she pushed it away, angry with herself that she let the thought in at all. They were gone, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Extinguishing the gaslight, she lay back on her bed and relaxed in the darkness. The comfort of her new bed, unlike anything she’d had for weeks, felt so wonderful beneath her tired body. Closing her eyes, she let the reality of her new situation settle into her brain. She was no longer homeless, a street urchin scorned by all who passed by and forced to sleep on the hard ground. She was what she'd been before her father's passing—a young woman who although she had no fortune was still honorable. Comforted by this, she let her mind stray to Brandon Ridley and his unusual living habits. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered if her new job of being maid to a man who never stayed home was too good to be true.

  ***

  Brandon knew by midnight all in the house would be asleep, including Arden. He remained at his desk in his study, waiting patiently as the minutes ticked away. Anxious, he tapped his knuckle on the edge of the desktop and jumped when the grandfather clock in the parlor announced midnight. The time had come. Resolved to his choice, he left his study and taking each step with care, he quietly ascended the stairs to her bedroom.

  Once inside her room, he stood with his back pressed to the door watching her. How beautiful she was in sleep! As beautiful as during waking hours. As the glow of the moon streamed in and bathed her in its soft light, he was reminded of the vision of her the night before and told himself she was a natural child of the night.

  She remained asleep, and as he watched, aroused by her peacefulness, his passions created a storm in him he struggled to control.

  So innocent, yet so desirable.

  He’d purposefully avoided her since waking, sure his need for her would be met by the response of a proper lady. No, he’d have her this way and wait for her to come to him.

  Almost timidly, as if what he might find may cause him to lose control of his desire, he peeled back the blanket and sheet to reveal her body covered only by a thin white nightgown. Mere fabric was all that stood between his desires and sweet satisfaction.

  He stopped a moment as she unconsciously recognized the change in her sleep, and when she stilled, he sat silently on the bed to study her. Her face was like that of a porcelain doll's. He stared at her skin like creamy silk and lips so perfect they resembled those of the cherubs he'd seen in paintings. Her body...whatever innocence her face possessed, her body betrayed it with the seductive curves of a woman. But she was so delicate—how would she respond to his touch?

  Struggling to restrain himself, he gently touched the soft collar of her nightgown and tugged on the white silk ribbon at her neck. Opened, it revealed a tease of what was to come. One by one, he moved down her body as he untied the ribbons that held the fabric closed, until he’d revealed her beautiful breasts and womanly figure.

  How he wanted her! That it must be like this for now he accepted, but he eagerly awaited the time when she’d choose to come to him. Resigned to having her this way, he gazed one last time at her sleeping figure, almost regretting what he was about to do to one so innocent. In a whisper, he spoke the chant that would awaken her as if in a dream.

  When she opened her eyes and gazed up at him with a knowing look, his heart pounded against his chest in fear that the enchantment hadn’t worked and she was conscious of him. But soon he saw her eyes cloud over with passion as she reached out for him and searched for his mouth with hers.

  The moment his lips touched that pouty mouth, his cock hardened. Her kiss was full and supple, not innocent at all and not what he'd expected. The feel of her tongue touching his sent his fangs shooting into position, and the need to taste her pressed painfully on him. With his fingertip, he traced a delicate ring around her pearled nipple, squeezing it softly between his thumb and finger when he'd closed the circle. Arden bit her bottom lip in desire, sending a shot of need to his stiff cock. Hypnotized, she watched as he removed his clothes with a mere thought and returned to her, his body desperate to be next to hers.

  His mouth replaced his finger on her nipple, and he tenderly sucked as she arched up toward him wanting more. Her skin tasted fresh, like a warm spring day in the country. Opening his eyes, he looked up and watched as her expression showed her delight in his touch. Like this, she was so willing and wanton, her desire meeting his. Spurred on, he let his fangs graze her skin before he bit down gently on the base of her nipple, drawing a soft moan from her throat.

  Her hands tugged at his hair, urging him to continue his sweet assault. The feel of her excited skin against his lips as he sucked aroused him more, and he yearned to have her in his mouth.

  Trailing kisses over her stomach, he stopped just above her dark triangle and inhaled the scent he’d enjoyed the night he’d rescued her.

  He knew it. She had wanted him...

  His hands slid slowly to her inner thighs and stroked the tender skin. As her legs fell open, his eyes feasted on her pink cunt and her swollen nub, moist and waiting for his mouth. Gently at first, he pressed his lips to her soft skin in the most erotic lover’s kiss. Rewarded with a keening whimper, he slid his tongue between his lips and began softly flicking her excited clitoris.

  Her fingers urged him on as they pressed into the back of his head. His tongue explored every delicious inch of her pussy, savoring the sweetness of her virginal body as it came alive under his mouth. Eager to feel her come apart beneath him, he slid a finger into her tight channel and stroked her tender flesh over the spot he knew would send her crashing into a million pieces. Over and over, he slid in and out of her, building her passion to an apex.

  Above him, he heard her excited pleas to bring her the sweet release she craved. Seconds later, as her insides began milking his finger, she exploded into his mouth. Sliding his finger out of her, he licked her juices, savoring the exquisite taste of her.

  Now his cock would enjoy what his mouth had just pleasured. As he hovered over her, he looked down into her dreamy face and ki
ssed her lips, letting her taste what he had. Leaning in, he whispered softly in her ear, “Now I’m going to fuck that delicious cunt, sweet Arden.”

  He positioned his cock at her entrance and slowly pushed into her, letting her become accustomed to his size before he began fucking her in earnest.

  “Tell me what you want, Arden.”

  Obeying his command, she pulled him tightly to her and whispered in his ear, “Fuck me. Please.”

  The sound of such raw words coming from the mouth of his very ladylike maid nearly undid him, but after a few moments, he’d calmed himself and began plunging into her.

  She met his every thrust with one of her own, at first shyly but then more passionately. With each thrust, he ached to sink his fangs into her neck, taking her blood into his body as she took him into hers. However, he’d wait for that. As he felt himself get close, he spoke to her.

  “Sweet, Arden, you feel so tight around my cock. I’m going to fill you up. Tell me you want that.”

  “Yes!”

  That one word sent him over the edge, and he shot his hot seed into her as she nursed his cock through her own orgasm. Sated, he rested on top of her and sweetly kissed her lips. She looked so beautiful as she looked up at him wearing an expression of pure satisfaction, and he so wished he could fall asleep with her in his arms. But that would have to wait until she willingly came to him. Until then, he’d take these secret moments with her.

  “Sweet dreams, Arden,” he whispered before he repeated the chant to send her back to sleep.

  Carefully, he retied her nightgown’s ribbons and tucked her into the sheet and blanket before he left to begin his night out. Hours later, after he’d taken care of the man who had chased her the night before, he drank from one of his usual women and fantasized about Arden’s sweet blood flooding his throat as he buried himself deep inside her. Then she’d truly be his.

  ***

  Arden awoke to the sound of the housekeeper’s knuckles rapping on her bedroom door. Groggily, she sat up on the edge of the bed, still exhausted after what she reasoned must have been a restless night’s sleep.

  As she worked through her day, she awaited the time she’d see her employer again. She wanted to ask about what the cook had said, but more and more as the day wore on, she simply looked forward to seeing him after almost two days absent.

  At eight o’clock her anticipation was finally eased when he called for her to bring his dinner. As she entered his dimly lit study, she hoped he would be able to help her understand just what her duties were, though he seemed entirely disinterested in her, attending to his paperwork and correspondence.

  She placed the tray down and carefully removed the plate, utensils, and his cup to a table next to his desk. All the while he made no movement to acknowledge her. Arden stood patiently beside his desk and waited. Unaccustomed to being treated like this, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and sighed. After she’d done this several times, almost without thinking, she saw him look up, his face indifferent.

  “Yes?”

  “Sir...” she hesitated. “Mr. Ridley, I was hoping I could ask you about our...arrangement.”

  Arden watched his face for any change but saw none. The charming gentleman who’d saved her just days earlier seemed to have vanished, replaced by a stranger who preferred to reply to neighbors’ letters than discuss anything with her.

  Moving his focus back to the papers on his desk, he said with an air of detachment, “Our arrangement?”

  “Yes, sir. Mrs. Jandry mentioned that I’d better get used to your schedule, and as I’m to take care of you, I’d hoped you could tell me what your schedule is.”

  Brandon looked up from his papers and stared straight ahead. “I wouldn’t get caught up in what my cook thinks you should do.”

  “Sir, how am I to take care of you if I don’t know what my responsibilities are and when I’m expected to perform them?”

  Looking at her for the first time, he said flatly, “You take care of me just fine, Miss Stephens." With that, he returned to the work in front of him.

  Arden’s exasperation rose up in her, but she remembered her place and how fortunate she'd been to be offered her position. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Ridley?”

  “No.”

  She left his study confused and irritated without any further information about what his schedule was or what was expected of her. As she entered the kitchen, she was glad to find it empty, and she slumped down into a chair, her mind tortured by his behavior.

  I’ve never met a more infuriating man! He runs hot and cold, one day saving me and providing me a position in his home, and the next he can’t even be bothered to speak to me!

  Arden waited until ten o’clock, hoping he would call her in to speak to him, but when his summons never came, she went to her room disappointed. Just as she had the night before, she fell asleep wondering just what her position in Brandon Ridley’s house entailed.

  ***

  Brandon sat in his study knowing Arden was just one floor away. It had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed to not offer her a seat next to him and enjoy a conversation as they had the night they’d met. But he couldn’t trust himself yet.

  He let his mind drift back to the night before, and in seconds his cock began to strain against the front of his pants. She’d been so open, welcoming his touch and eager for him. The thought of how she’d felt around him made the hours he’d have to wait to visit her again torture.

  Memory told him his reward for waiting would be sweet, though.

  In the meantime, he busied himself with letters and correspondence from his various businesses, but the thought of Arden was never far from his mind. For so long, he'd wished to meet someone who roused in him the feelings she did. He wanted to protect her, find pleasure in her body, explore her mind to learn everything about her. Quickly, he was falling for her.

  Once again, as the clock struck midnight, he climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Inside, he wasted little time before he’d undressed her, making sure to quietly chant his spell before to ensure she’d be awake and willing.

  As he ran his hands over her full breasts, he yearned to see her beautiful eyes, full of desire, staring up at him.

  “Open your eyes, sweet Arden.”

  Her eyes fluttered open, and he saw them clouded with passion as they’d been the night before.

  “Tell me what you want, love.”

  As she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, she whispered, “Give me what I need, Brandon.”

  The sound of his name coming from her lips as she lay waiting for him to fuck her made his cock stiffen, and he shed his clothes instantly with just a thought.

  “I wish only to please you, my sweet Arden.”

  He covered her mouth with his and slowly teased her with his tongue, flicking the tip along her lips each time he entered. She responded by sucking his tongue in a motion he wished he could feel on his cock.

  A quick swipe of his finger along her wet seam told him her body craved the same as his. Positioning himself over her, he slid into her, feeling his balls rest against her body. He heard a small moan and looked to see her with her bottom lip between her teeth, a look of pain on her face.

  “Take all of me, love. Give me all of you.”

  Cradling her face in his hands, he kissed her sweetly before he began to move in and out of her, enjoying the feel of his cock sliding against the slickness of her cunt. She wrapped her legs around him and he slid in even further. As he pumped in and out of her, he whispered in her ear, “Arden, say you’ll be mine.”

  Eagerly, she panted, “Yes, make me yours!”

  Kissing up her neck, he stopped and rested his lips over the throbbing vein whose beat matched the rhythm of his fucking. His fangs descended, and he licked his lips in anticipation of the taste of her blood on his tongue.

  “Mine.”

  His mouth clamped down on the column of her neck and his fangs pi
erced her skin, instantly delivering the delicious gift. Her blood, warm and sweet, flooded over his tongue and ran down the back of his throat, the taste more exquisite than he ever could have imagined.

  Careful to take only what wouldn’t harm her, he drank her essence slowly as he savored every drop. The feel of her giving him what he wanted most caused him to lose the last bit of control he possessed, and with one last thrust, he came inside her.

  She’d cried out as his fangs entered her and now as his orgasm brought hers, she cried out in ecstasy and dug her nails into his back. The feeling of sharing this with her took his breath away, and he sunk down on top of her, resting his head next to hers and listening to her breathe softly against his ear. When he'd recovered, he carefully closed the tiny holes he’d drunk from and moved to look down at her. She looked almost angelic, like a gift from God, and he thanked her for the gift she’d given him.

  “Sweet Arden, from this point on, you are mine. Mine to love. Mine to protect. Mine.”

  In the haze of the spell he had her under, she answered, “Yes, Brandon. Always yours.”

  Those words filled his heart with joy, even if they weren't said while she was awake, and he held her close to him. How much he yearned to speak to her, to ask her how she felt, what was in her heart. But he couldn't. Not yet. All he could have now was the closeness of holding her in his arms all night long. With her head on his chest, she lay with her cheek next to his heart. Finally, as he felt the very beginnings of the sunrise in his bones, he reluctantly released her and rose from the bed.

  The pull of her blood was strong in him now, drawing her to him and him to her. Only a few nights more and he hoped to show her his true feelings without controlling her with hypnosis.

  Chapter Four

  Arden was happy when Mrs. Benson told her Brandon had errands he required done, and as she set off to complete them, she noted the beautiful May morning. The warm breeze drifted over her skin, and the spring sun beat down, warming her face. For the first time in longer than she cared to think about, she was happy and safe, and she allowed herself to enjoy the freedom that came with the security of Brandon’s home.