"Nothing in this entire heap comes close to what you already have. Maybe you could add another two rings or a necklace, or a chain or something. But it wouldn't improve your overall power much," Selene replied.
"But it would improve it. Pick me the best item that would suit me, Selene. Preferably something that would help me better use my shadows, or make them stronger."
"Nothing like that here. Maybe Gamayun can create something. That's far too arcane for ordinary enchanters," she said.
"Oh well. What now? We go back?"
"No, no! My Lord! We need to have the banquet first! They're already busy cooking and preparing everything. Please, stay a while longer!" the mayor pleaded. I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked like he was about to pull away from me, but stayed his ground. The old fart sure had nerves of steel, I thought.
"I need three or four young women with a lot of blood. I lost a lot in the battle last night, so I need to replenish," I said. "Send someone to fetch volunteers."
"My Lord! No one would dare give away his daughter to die at someone's hands!"
"Mayor, I'm not killing anyone. I'm just going to drink some of their blood. We don't mindlessly kill Humans for sustenance, or at least not on purpose. Also, tell them they'll be compensated a gold coin for their service. To be paid from your new coffers."
"Yes, my Lord. In that case, there would be no problems. Thank you for your benevolence."
I couldn't help but feel bad for the man who was trying to please me and watch out for his people at the same time. I sighed and turned to the group of soldiers who were watching our conversation go down with much interest.
"Everyone! Form up a line from shortest to tallest! Women go first, and men go second! All the women choose a weapon, then go back to the end of the line and wait for your turn to pick a single jewelry piece. The men go second picking weapons as well as jewelry," I ordered. A couple of men murmured at that, annoyed by how they killed others last night and some didn't even see battle because they were hiding at the back. "If anyone has a problem with it, you'll be left empty-handed. Simple as that. Now get to it!"
Once the spell was broken, they scurried like ants to get in line and started going around picking their loot.
"Renato? Will you stay here and serve these people and me? You'll have a home and servants, as well as standing and power. What do you think?"
"I have no interest in any of those things, Lord Ivan. But it's better to try and make a life for myself somewhere the people admire me than to start out from zero. So yes, I'll accept your offer under one condition. If you turn out to be an asshole or a bad ruler, I will come after your head."
"Good, good," I said, offering him my hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way, my man. Now, let's go to eat and drink. Many loose ends still need to be wrapped up before the day is over."
The banquet came and went. We ate and drank, blood in my case, and I felt better than ever. There was still some Humanity left inside this body, which made me happy to an extent. It was as if I had a switch that helped me turn everything off when I needed to take care of things, and then I turned it back on when something good happened. This was something I'd have to ask Tierney about when we got home.
I couldn't help but want to go back soon as possible to check on the girls and the survivors. To see if the construction was moving along on the castle. That wretched guard Captain could have attacked Bran or Rasnov in my absence for all I knew, so every moment spent here grated on the few nerves I had left. At least we'd become a lot stronger in the meanwhile so that we now had a chance at survival. The most important thing, though, was to put the hurt on Bella, the wretched Countess.
One last thing needed taking care off before we left. I needed to get to the bottom behind the portal and hiding magic. It sure would help immensely if we managed to apply the same magic to the villages around the castles.
"Any idea on the principles behind it?" I asked Freya who accompanied me.
"No. It's runes and crystals mostly, but I don't know how it works. It's similar to the cleric keep portal but much smaller and simpler. This portal isn't as sophisticated as theirs, and in more ways than one."
"I know that much already. But weren't you there when they put it up?" I asked curiously. Surely Freya must have known everything about it if she'd been here all along.
"No. This was Elizabeth Bathory's gift to Bella. She is a foreigner from another country filled with many rare Monsters, Demons, and Supernaturals. We are far behind them, I'm afraid."
I sighed, annoyed at the current situation.
"Do you think we could copy it given enough time?"
"Sure, I don't see why not. But you would need someone smart enough to understand the principals behind the creation and operation first, and only then could we try to copy it," Freya replied.
"And I know exactly who I could trust with this task."
Some twenty minutes passed before I found Selene and went back to the entrance portal. I could see she already knew what was about to happen by the way she smirked.
"So you want me to figure this all out?"
I nodded.
"I see," was all she said.
"Once you're done, you can come back to Rasnov. I won't force you, though. You can give it up to someone else, but I rather have you try to do it. Given your intellect and the new items you've acquired, I think you could do it pretty quickly."
"Oh, I've done so last night already."
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were asleep, my Lord. Why would I wake you up for something as trivial? Besides, we lack the materials to recreate it. We need a lot of minerals, precious gemstones, and light crystals to power it."
"But you know where to get the necessary items?"
She shook her head, sighed, and then shrugged.
"Yes and no. I mean, there's this really hidden town somewhere to the south of here. It would take us half a moon to get there by horse. You can find anything you want, but for a price of course."
"We have money, that's not a problem."
"No, not money. Artifacts, precious gems, ancient Vampyre blood, and similar things are used in trades there. Having you with me and draining some of your blood might get us some interesting things. If Gamayun has it in her and can do some good enchanting as I hope she can, we might have a way to trade there."
"Very well. Once the Captain's taken care off, we'll visit that town. Just you and me," I said for some strange reason. Why would I want to take her there by myself? Maybe now that she's become much stronger, her beauty was more accented? Or was I just very shallow as the girls thought, and drawn to powerful women?
"Oh? Just us? Imagine the uproar from your ladies!"
"What ladies?" Freya asked. "Does anyone even need to know?"
"Oh, I forgot you were there, my Lady," Selene said with a slight bow.
"Never mind me. I prefer to stay hidden from plain sight. After all, this big guy here failed to notice me as well."
"Are you really expecting me to notice a goddess when she wants to remain hidden?"
"You should. After all, we fucked, no?"
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"You should be able to feel my presence, Ivan. Always. You just have to concentrate on it."
I sighed and waved her off.
"If you were more approachable, I would bother getting to know you better and all those romantic things, but you tend to run off and appear whenever you want."
"How about the three of us have some fun tonight before we leave? After all, we've earned ourselves some reprieve, no?" Freya offered. "I might even let you do me as Selene watches."
"You don't have to ask me twice, my Lady," I said but then caught myself. Selene stood there with an honest to god red face, which was the only time her face wasn't as pale as the moon.
"W-w-what are you two talking about?" she stuttered. Such a strong and fierce woman brought to her knees by a mere offer of group sex. It was somewh
at ironic as I had felt the same when I was younger.
"How about we show you what we meant once the sun has set?" Freya asked as she swirled around Selene, tracing her nails across the Lich's skin. I bared my fangs at both women and sank them in their necks, one after the other. I couldn't help but get rock-hard at the mere thought of having Freya for myself again, even more if Selene was present.
"We still have some time until the sun goes down, no? It's a great time for an appetizer."
Chapter Thirty-One
Vladimir's tower held more than enough darkness for us to get comfortable, especially for the shy Selene. To my surprise, there was even a king-sized bed in a corner covered by over thirty silken sheets. I couldn't distinguish the colors quite in the dark, but most of it seemed like it was scarlet red. Not that it mattered.
I used the shadows and threw them on the ground, then proceeded to take off my clothes as the two watched from the side. Freya wasn't so shy, as she was practically naked most of the time. All she wore were her clouds of foggy darkness that swirled around her body. Selene's outfit wasn't that much more modest, as it mostly consisted of a corset and a short skirt, usually snow-white, but this time it was splattered with blood.
"I would like to remain-- is it alright if I only watch?" Selene asked but proceeded to take off what little clothing she wore. I shrugged.
"Suit yourself, my General," I replied as I lay on the silken sheets. Freya leaned down between my legs and moved her long nails across my skin, applying just enough force not to draw blood. Our eyes met before she embraced my manhood, tracing her tongue along my length. It didn't take much for me to get aroused, and that's what my girls hated. I instead loved to get down on them immediately. All the expressions of 'love' and 'affection' were lost on me.
I put my hand on her head as she took my cock in her mouth and started sucking on it. It felt just as good as all those years ago. I closed my eyes and imagined how it was back then when Bella watched us. This time it was Selene, the pale white ArcLich. Not that I cared who it was, as it only added to the sensation.
Freya's teeth pressed against my skin as her head moved along my shaft. The fog around her body dissipated and laid her bare for me to worship. There wasn't a single inch of her that wasn't perfect. The skin was pale and smooth, the lines just right, along with curves in all the right places.
I couldn't help but release a moan just before she pulled her head back and pressed her body against mine. My hands explored the canvas that was her being, something she wouldn't let me do the first time. There wasn't a single scar anywhere to be seen or a single imperfection that would mar her body.
"Do you like what you see? What you feel?" she whispered in my ear nibbling on it. A shiver ran down my spine as her hand moved down between my legs again and started moving steadily.
"I think you're the ultimate prize, goddess," I whispered back and slid my free hand down her back and entered the cleft between her legs. My fingers moved on their own in a steady rhythm as if to a tune. She arched her back and tried to move from my grasp, but I held her steady with my other hand. My fingers slid through her hair and pulled at it, but not too hard. I guessed she liked power-plays, so why not give her some?
She twisted her body around mine as let go of my cock. I bit down on her neck and drank, my eyes fogging over as if I was drunk. Freya shivered with each drop I drained from her body as if she was addicted to the act. Licking my lips clean, I turned her around and placed Freya on her stomach. Pulling back her hair again, I used my second hand to grab her right leg and spread her legs. I leaned in and pressed my tip against her wet cave and thrust it deep inside. She stirred and moaned as I started pumping uncontrollably. So many years had passed, and now I finally had her for myself again. It was almost too much for me.
"Look at Selene, my Lord," she moaned. "She's enjoying it-- quite a lot."
I turned my head to the Lich, but never losing momentum. Her long middle-finger moved over her clit, rubbing it vigorously. She was biting down on her lower lip as our eyes met, all shame gone as she decided to spread her legs wholly apart. I roamed her battered and bruised body, loving the strange feeling that washed over me. But it only served to make me even harder, even rougher.
"Are you sure-- you don't want to join us?" I offered one last time as I kept pumping my hips against Freya's ass and looked down at the pink, juicy lips she was readily showing me. The sound of flesh pounding against flesh made me want to go faster and harder, but I controlled myself. Freya was a goddess, and the way her tightness made me feel was already good enough.
She twisted her body around and slammed me back against the floor, then mounted me and started rocking her hips along my length. Her hands landed on my knees and her feet next to my chest. The moment she spread her legs for me was when I decided to become whatever she wanted me to. If I had to burn down the whole world, I would do so gladly.
"What are you-- thinking about?" she moaned as she kept moving her hips along my shaft. Freya was a beast with the stamina to last forever. But soon, Selene's hungry glare got to me. I felt my muscles contract as pressure built up inside, wanting to be released. I couldn't help but follow the movement of her finger as it dripped wet on the silk beneath her pale flesh.
"About how beautiful-- the two of you are," I growled as I released inside her, but still kept my gaze between Selene's legs. All of me cramped up as I filled Freya more than anyone before, just as Selene pulled her fingers out and pressed her knees together, hiding her pink pussy. I finally looked away, having seen enough, for today at least. Freya had a mischievous smile on her face that told me we were far from done when I looked up at her.
"Oh, really? I thought you'd done her before, but today was the first time seeing her naked?"
"Her, yeah. And boy, she didn't disappoint," I replied Freya still sat atop me and my cum lazily dripped down the insides of her thighs. "Speaking of which, I don't want a second child if it's going to end up like Vladimir," I added. She shrugged.
"Depends on the upbringing, not the genes."
"I wouldn't mind having a child if it became that powerful," Selene whispered. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her remark.
"With whom?" I asked curiously.
"You? Or anyone with real power. If it were to be born already, I would want it to have the best possible prospect."
"Now that's something I'd never expect of you, my General."
"Yeah, there's much you wouldn't expect from me, my Lord. But that's only because the other ladies were too afraid I might have at you if you don't mind me saying."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"I sure as hell don't. What about you, my Goddess?"
"I'm rather indifferent and quite proud of my capabilities with men, be it atop them or anywhere in between. What does bother me is a woman who doesn't know what she wants. You clearly have a mindset of your own and don't fall in that group," she replied quickly. "Speaking of which, the offer still stands. He's as hard as a rock," she added while sliding off me and using her hand to tug at me a couple of times.
"Oh, nothing less would do for the two of you, my ladies. Speaking of which, we have some time to spare. And as long as you don't tell anyone, I won't."
Selene's right hand shot up to her mouth. She started chewing on her long nails as her eyes shot between Freya's and mine.
"Can I taste it?" she asked, leaning on her hands and crouching toward us. Her large breasts swayed from side to side as she did so. Fresh blood rushed to my cock. "Speaking of which, this is the first time I' ve-- seen one."
"You what? How old are you little lady?" Freya asked as she crossed her arms.
"Nearly two hundred. But isn't a bit rude to that of another lady?" Selene asked flustered.
"Depends on how ladylike she is. See, I'm a couple of thousand years old. Don't you think it would be more improper to ask me my age?"
Selene sighed and laid her head on my lap as she grabbed hold of my hard rod. Her
hand was cold and stiff, just like her nipples when I pinched them. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. So, she was this sensitive?
"Say, can I ask you something private?" she whispered. Now that was something I really didn't like to hear someone say.
"Depends. If it's about my past, I rather not talk about it," I replied as I put my arm around her. She looked up at me and started moving her hand again.
"Do you mourn Vera?"
"I-- do. But the thing is that I can't be emotionally connected with everyone. Vera never wanted to become one of us, and would rather live her life out as a Human. In the end, it cost her everything."
We both sighed at the same time, then chuckled.
"So, what about the other girls? Who's your favorite?" she asked mischievously.
"You should know that already. Goddess, and then Tierney. The rest comes after those two."
"Including me?"
"I didn't even know you were mine in the first place. What's with Boris? Aren't you loyal to him first and foremost?"
"Not anymore. Ever since you allowed him to create a full pack, we've been rather distant. Not that we've ever been very close, mind you."
"I see. Now it's my turn then," I said, stroking Selene's hair. She was cold as ice, but it didn't bother me in the least. There was an absolute beauty in death and in the way she held herself. A true lady death. "How did the two of you meet? I never asked."
"Oh, and there I thought you were about to ask me about previous men," she chuckled. I shrugged but remained quiet. "Well, it was during a battle at Vojvodina, where the black market is located of which I told you about. He was bidding on a slave when I got myself into a bit of-- trouble."
"I can imagine that with those looks. Who did you piss off?" Freya asked curiously. "Or were you up for sale?"
"Really? How did you come up with that idea?" Selene asked. "Nevermind, don't. I was there to join this band that did some raids down near Belgrade. There were a lot of rich families that needed their money taken away from them, so I thought I'd join. Turned out they wanted to sell me."
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 24