by Marian Tee
“Do you think the demon’s acting alone, or is it truly possible that one of my students is involved?”
Alexandru’s gaze returned to the two files on the desk before him. One was the girl everyone called the Madonna and whose Master was a well-respected baron. The other was a mystery and her anonymous Master even more so. Of the two, it was clear who appeared more likely a suspect. Of course, leave it to his pet to befriend that same girl as well.
“Why did you accept this girl in your school, Sir Richard?”
“She was escorted here by vampires I personally know. They are trustworthy. I would stake my life on the fact that they would never choose to serve a vampire who wasn’t.”
He had many resources at his disposal, but none of it had proven useful in unearthing any information about Rhapsody. Alexandru had a feeling whoever her Master was, it would be someone even more powerful than he was, and such beings were only a handful.
“Has her Master been informed of what’s happening?”
“Yes.” It was obviously all Sir Richard would say. “Have you come up with any possible motive for this, Lord Alexandru?”
He shook his head. “I hate to say it, but another corpse will be the only way for us to gather more clues.”
Sir Richard sighed. “I feared as much.” His fingers restlessly tapped on the armrest. “The students are getting worried, though. I need to take some kind of action. For the time being, I may have to place those two girls under house arrest.”
Alexandru nodded in understanding.
“The Madonna, of course, will only look even more pitiful. She has that kind of persona. But as for Lady Rhapsody…I am afraid this will only isolate her even more. And people who are close to her may likely be treated the same way.”
“You mean my pet.”
Sir Richard asked frankly, “Has she had a vision about the murder? Is that why she’s suddenly developed a friendship with the other student?”
Alexandru shrugged, unwilling to admit the truth, and that was that his own pet had stopped confiding her thoughts to him. He could, of course, try to read her mind, stealthily, but such a thing was beneath him. Doing so would make him seem to care too much about her thoughts, and that was not a direction he wanted to take.
When he went back to his rooms, he expected Zari not to be there. She had been avoiding him of late, and the only reason she was able to was because he had let her. Since he had come back, his pet had looked at him like being with him was an open wound. One neither of them wanted to heal.
He opened the door, and the first thing that greeted him was her scent.
“Zari?” Her name slipped past his lips, surprise evident in his voice.
She was already dressed for bed, but instead of her usual pajamas she had on a nightgown. With its high neckline, loose billowing sleeves, and ankle-length hem, it would have been extremely modest if not for the fact that it was completely transparent. Completely.
And his pet?
His wicked little pet was just naked under her nightgown.
Completely.
“Welcome back, Master.” She was seated on the floor, her knees bent, legs folded to the side.
Alexandru slowly locked the door behind him. As he walked towards her, he asked, What’s this all about, pet?
He took a seat on the couch. She immediately moved close to him, and Alexandru stiffened as her breasts, covered with such thin silk it felt almost bare, brushed against his legs, making him stiffen.
At the question, she took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself. What she was about to do was something she had read from Pet Grooming. The magazine had the silliest name, but Rhapsody had assured her it gave the most “proper” advice for a pet.
So…here…goes…
She looked up at her Master with the widest eyes possible. According to the magazine, this was supposed to make her as irresistible as a puppy.
Alexandru’s lips tightened. What in hell was she doing really? Right now, she appeared to be attempting to look like…an alien, with the way she was trying to stretch her eyeballs to incredible proportions.
He told her as much.
Zari gasped, quickly returning her eyes to normal.
“What are you doing?” He had to ask. There were few things in this world that his mind failed to comprehend, but this was definitely one of them.
She mumbled, “I was trying to look cute.”
He was stunned.
“It’s been a while, Master. Haven’t you noticed?” Zari’s voice was tremulous. “It’s been a while since you called me…that.”
Her words had the power of a nuclear bomb, quiet and precise at the way it had his heart devastated, breaking into thousands of pieces.
His pet was rubbing her eyes, trying furiously not to cry, and his heart shattered anew. “Zari…”
She looked at him.
And at that moment, it became undeniably clear.
She knew.
About Katarina.
About her being his heartkeeper.
About his heart no longer being Alexandru’s to give.
“Right now, you are that.” His voice was hoarse. “Too damn cute.” Heartbreakingly so.
“Make me feel like your pet, Master.” Because that’s all I can ever be. She felt her Master stiffen, and she wondered numbly if he had somehow managed to read her mind.
He felt so fucking helpless, the way his pet was struggling so hard not to cry. Who had told her? He smelled the scent of two people on her. The Lady Rhapsody and his rival, Lord Erou. Which one of them had told her the truth – one he had been too much of a damn coward to tell her?
“Zari…”
There was something about his voice that warned her of what he had decided. He was going to tell her about the girl who was his heart – his soul – and she didn’t think she could handle it right now.
Maybe, maybe if she was older. Maybe if she wasn’t alone anymore and it didn’t feel like he was all she had in this world.
Maybe then she could handle it.
But she wasn’t any of that.
And so Zari shook her head. “Master, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” She tried to sound lighthearted. “Are you sure you’re not going to command me?”
His head dipped low, silently acknowledging her plea. If you don’t want to talk about it now, pet, then we won’t talk about it. We will never talk about it if that’s what you want.
Out loud he asked her, “Are there any limits to what you’re willing to do, pet?” He saw her eyes light up, as if he had said something she had been hoping he would say.
“There is nothing that I’m not willing to do for you, Master.”
He would give her an A minus for that, managing to choke only on the last word. But even so, Alexandru couldn’t deny the thrill of possession that jolted through him. Vampires like him were inherently proprietary and dominant, and the words, no matter how it was delivered, were like a seductive melody to his ears.
“Are you sure, pet? Anything?”
“Anything, Master.”
Had her voice always been this throaty? The thought had him looking at her throat, and he imagined sinking his cock inside her mouth, so deep until his entire length was covered and the head of his cock would hit the back of her throat.
“Eat my cock.”
He expected her to blink in shock, to pull away or protest, but instead she wet her lips, the erotic action causing his engorged cock to try burning a hole out of his pants.
“I would love to, Master,” she whispered, “but you’ll have to teach me how to do it properly.” The words, combined with the way she looked at him under long lashes, were beyond potent.
In an instant, his clothes were on the floor and he had Zari on her knees between his legs. “Wherever you’ve learned this stuff, pet---”
The words had Zari’s eyes widening. How had he known she had practiced for this?
He bared his fangs. “Keep learning it.”
Zari felt his hands holding her head, and she let him guide her to his erection, which looked even more enormous up close. She closed her mouth over the huge sensitive head of his cock and was rewarded by the way her Master groaned.
Slowly, patiently, he taught her how to eat his cock. She learned where to lick, when to squeeze his balls, and how fast he wanted her fingers to move. She learned how much he liked it when she gripped his cock tightly like a vise, learned how biting his head ever so gently made him go out of his mind.
Soon, his hands were gripping her hair tightly, his hips jutting, his cock pushing fully inside her mouth in frantic motions. Once, he tried to pull her off but she resisted, digging her nails into his thighs to let him know this was what she wanted.
Him coming in her mouth.
“Zari.” The ragged note in his voice told her he was close, making her strive to get all of him inside her mouth. She worked hard to control her gag reflex, sensing how important it was for her Master to have the entire length of his cock warmed by her mouth.
So. Fucking. Good. The words were all Alexandru could think, his mind blown away by his pet’s unrestrained passion and desire to please him. Inch by inch, his cock was lost deeper in her mouth, and when the head of his cock hit the back of her throat---
“Zari.” The strength of his release had him throwing his head back with a groan, his cock shooting out jet after jet of come. Instead of being overwhelmed, his pet took it all, swallowing every drop, and seeing her do it had him coming even more, prolonging his orgasm until he didn’t think it would ever end.
When it was over, he watched his pet lick her lips dry, a gesture that had his semi-erect cock start to stir. She saw it, too, and her eyes widened at the sight. “Master?” The way her Master’s cock was swelling in size, bit by bit, had her gulping. Eating his cock had been an unforgettable experience, but it was tiring, too, and she didn’t think she would survive it if her Master took her now. The pleasure would just be too much.
Still, his cock grew.
“Master?”
Her panicky tone amused him. If he wasn’t feeling so spent himself, he would probably have taken her, just so he could see his pet panic even more.
“Relax, pet,” he murmured finally, taking pity on her. He patted his knee, and she immediately rested her head against it. A second later, she felt her Master’s fingers threading through her hair, stroking and massaging her scalp. It was wondrously restful, and her eyes began to drift close.
He said quietly, “You didn’t go to your classes again, did you, pet?”
She didn’t want to answer.
After a beat, he murmured, “Where have you been then?”
“With Rhapsody.”
“And?”
“I was out in the forests with…Lord Erou.”
“Ah.” The hand on her hair stopped moving for the briefest moment. “If you want me to be jealous, I am.”
She looked up at him. Was he jealous? Could he be jealous when she was only his pet and another woman held his heart?
Slowly, Alexandru said, “You’ve been looking at me like you’re always on the verge of saying something.” He paused. “Is it the contract? Do you want out?”
Zari looked away. “I’ll only leave you if you tell me to, Master.”
Gazing at her, he wondered why she felt both so close and yet so far. He said flatly, “Then you must also remember that I’m selfish. I gave you a choice in the past, pet. You chose to sign the contract and be with me. I won’t ever let you go unless you ask.”
****
Her Master was gone again when Zari woke up. It made her wonder where he spent his time, made her wonder if he ever thought of her when they were apart. The thoughts made Zari hate herself but even so, she was helpless against the doubts that crowded her heart.
This is not like you, Zari, she berated herself as she took a quick shower. You’re the girl who spent your whole life in the jungles, hunting for your own food, building shelter from twigs and leaves, and living right next to lions and tigers. It won’t be the end of the world if your Master leaves you.
But no matter what she said to herself, the words were all useless, her heart stubbornly beating only for her Master and no longer for herself.
Outside her dorm building, Zari was surprised to find Lord Erou waiting for her, looking like one of the Knights of the Round Table with his uniform and the hilt of his sword gleaming under the sunlight. Girls who walked past him all turned to give him second and third glances, longing in their eyes. She had a feeling they would have fainted dead away if Lord Erou had cared to return any one of those glances.
When she came to him, he said formally, “Good morning, Lady Zari.”
“Good morning, Lord Erou.” She belatedly remembered to curtsy, making him smile.
“Where to?”
She blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“Are you going to class then?”
“Umm…”
“I thought as much. So where are you heading then? I’m sure,” he said in a gentle teasing voice, “you’ve spent some time last night thinking of another way to get yourself in trouble.”
She reddened.
It was Erou’s turn to blink, the way she blushed so becomingly making him lose his train of thought for a moment.
“I was wondering if there was a place we could go where we’d be able to look up the Madonna’s background.”
“The library,” he answered readily. “There’s a section which only Masters can access, and it contains all the necessary information about the pets enrolled here.” At her questioning look, he explained, “It helps with the selection process when a Master’s looking for a pet.” Again, he smiled, and the friendliness of it had Zari wishing for one moment it was Lord Erou that she had fallen in love with instead. Foolish, stubborn heart. Why couldn’t it just beat for one whose own heart could still beat for her?
Inside the library, Erou’s presence was enough to have an assistant hurrying to serve them, scraping and bowing as he escorted Erou and her to one of the private offices at the back. He looked so nervous and intimidated. Zari was beginning to wonder if she really knew anything about the vampire beside her. He was always the perfect gentleman with her. It didn’t make sense, Zari unable to think of anything Erou could have done to inspire such fear.
Inside the office, Zari was stunned to find state-of-the-art servers spanning an entire wall. Since the school went by the old-fashioned name of La Scala Legaturia, which in English loosely translated to the “School of Bonds”, she had expected the rest of the school to be just as primitive, with dusty handwritten records rather than files encoded in a private database.
Erou headed to one of the computer stations and held out a seat for her. “Lady Zari?”
“Thank you,” Zari said and tried not to be too self-conscious about his nearness when Erou sat down next to her and bent forward to reach for the computer mouse.
She jerked when upon moving the mouse, his arm brushed against her breasts.
Erou flushed. “Apologies.” He hadn’t meant to cop a feel, but he was a man, too. He would not forget how soft she felt against him.
She cleared her throat. “It’s all right.” Blushing, too, she quickly turned her gaze to the screen. “Is it there?”
“Ah…yes.” This time, he was extra cautious as he moved the computer mouse. He entered his password as a potential Master to access the database and in seconds, he had retrieved the files of Miranda Donnelly.
According to the files, Miranda was a Legacy pet, which meant she had come from a fam
ily who had served vampires for generations. It was the opposite of her situation. Zari was a First Made, a pet acquired through “other” means.
She read the name of Miranda’s Master, who also happened to be a baron. “Do you know him?”
Erou nodded. “He’s a jolly fellow, carefree, the kind who spends most of his time in balls.”
“Do you mean parties?”
He shook his head. “No. I do mean ‘balls’. He’s lived in Chalys all his life.”
“Ah.” Now Zari understood. The Kingdom of Chalys was a world-famous attraction because all its people still lived according to traditional Victorian customs. Women wore corsets and gowns, men wore breeches, and people rode carriages and horses instead of cars and buses. There was no Internet, no digital gadgets, and plumbing and air-conditioning were the only modern-day technologies allowed on the land. Outside Chalys, humans believed the customs were to make the kingdom a permanent tourist attraction. What they didn’t know was that the old ways were to prevent humans from finding out that ninety-nine percent of the kingdom was made up of otherworlders.
“There’s a note on the file,” Zari remarked. “Something about her not being a native from Chalys. Does that matter?”
“For old-fashioned families like the baron’s here, yes. Legacy pets raised outside Chalys are considered…impure.”
“And the plot thickens,” she muttered. Miranda was the killer. That was a fact. But why did she kill a homeless man? She needed evidence to clear Rhapsody’s name, but her visions didn’t count since Alexandru would kill her if she ended up revealing herself as a soul seer.
“Insanity is always a possibility,” Erou suggested, his tone pensive as he scrolled down to read the rest of the file. “But I’ve talked to the guards deployed to watch her and they haven’t noticed anything strange about the girl.”
“Then maybe, whatever made her do it only happened in the past. And it has yet to happen again.” Her eyes slid back to the screen and the photo of Miranda Donnelly looked back at her. She was like Little Miss Girl Next Door, someone who wouldn’t even be able to hurt a fly. Her background was impeccable and there was nothing dysfunctional about her family.