Blood Magic

by Kira Stone

  Blood Magic

  Kira Stone

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2006 Kira Stone

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC.

  ISBN (10) 1-59596-264-6

  ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-264-5

  Formats Available:

  HTML, Adobe PDF,

  MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader

  Publisher:

  Changeling Press LLC

  PO Box 1561

  Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561

  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Chrissie Henderson

  Cover Artist: Fabiano Fabris

  This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Fabiano Fabris, for being a brat, a talented cover artist and a very dear friend (although not always in that order). Your romantic, caring, generous soul inspires me daily. Now, if only you’d admit the staggering erotic qualities of green leather…

  Chapter 1

  Looking Ahead

  Teake stripped off his traveling clothes and piled them atop a boulder on the bank of the deep pond. Quarries often turned into swimming holes as water collected in their empty craters. This one had been abandoned for some time. Nature had reclaimed a good portion of it. It would suit Teake’s purposes well.

  “Damn cold though,” he said aloud, just to see if his breath would fog. It didn’t. Thank Gaia, the Earth Mother, for small favors.

  One more task to accomplish before he jumped in the water. He scavenged among the rocks for flotsam he’d need. Four sticks of roughly equal size weren’t hard to come by. He lashed them together with long pieces of grass to form a frame about a foot square.

  The craft part complete, he swam to the center of the pond with his elementary level art project. The icy water caused his balls to shrink and hide, but he ignored the effects the environment had on his body. He ignored everything but his purpose in coming to this place. After three hundred years as a witch, he’d gotten good at blocking out distractions.

  Moonlight shone down upon the tranquil water, a natural spotlight for his performance. Teake scissored his powerful legs to stay upright and in place while he cast the spell. He breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth, drawing in the silvery moonbeams, and releasing a stream of bright energy. Each exhalation added white fire to the interior of the frame he’d assembled. Once filled, it flickered with purpose.

  “Will you honor your humble servant with a glimpse of what awaits him?”

  The wind stilled. The night ceased its evening song. Nature had heard his plea.

  The flames roared upward, then settled into a placid screen within the frame, displaying two figures engaged in a face-off. One, obviously himself, had no clothes on, not surprising since he preferred to go without whenever possible. The other man, a few inches taller although narrower at the hips and shoulders, wore leather pants and little else. His long blond hair hung down his back, floating freely with each emphatic shake of his head. His lean frame had been honed down to sculpted muscle. A few scars marred his unnaturally pale skin. Silver rings hung from his nipples. A stranger to Teake, but a very handsome one.

  His opponent balanced on the balls of his feet as he argued with Teake. The picture conveyed no sound, so Teake could only guess at the topic being debated. The opulent room wasn’t familiar to him, nor was the vampire. It was likely that the creature had some association with Kassian Grigoriv, the next in line to become lord among his kind. Perhaps Kassian himself? No, Teake didn’t think so. Too young, too impatient to be one of the old blood-drinkers normally selected for the Blood Oath.

  He watched as the screen replayed the same ten seconds of action. The vampire had eyes the color of arctic ice. Such a vibrant shade of blue. Teake watched the third and final showing, picking up one vital clue. A braided cord hung from his own wrist. A white, magical one used for ritual binding.

  A quick check assured Teake that the blond didn’t wear a similar bracelet. Fate be praised! He wasn’t prepared to take on a vampire as his Guardian. He didn’t feel prepared to take on this task at all, but he’d had little choice in the matter. His name had been called by Davina, and he knew she wouldn’t ask him lightly. So he’d agreed, out of respect for her.

  The scene ended with the vampire on the verge of motion, as if preparing to pounce on his prey. Teake kept his eyes on the frame until the ghostly white vapor dissipated completely. As if the dead sticks had suddenly been released from great stress, the wood burst apart, the shreds carried away by tiny wavelets. The spell was over. He’d learned as much as he could about the situation that awaited him in Taggart’s Bend.

  Teake swam back to shore, exhausted and numb with cold. He could start a fire, but he’d never developed an appreciation for the smell of burning things. Instead, he chose another way to warm up.

  Though the night carried with it the chill reminder of a winter not long past, Teake formed a comfortable nest out of his woolen cloak and lay down on his back. It took some dedicated attention to coax his balls into coming out of hiding. By then, his cock had stiffened and his veins throbbed with desire. He pumped his engorged shaft in a loose grip, encouraging the blood to flow faster, warming him from the inside out.

  His breathing became ragged. This wasn’t a ritual. It didn’t require extreme concentration. It didn’t even require much in the way of skill. All he had to do was relax and let his body do what it did naturally.

  Even so, it was hard to relinquish the reins of his self-control. To distract himself, Teake focused on the blond vampire from the vision. Imagining how that long hair would feel trailing over his thighs. How those strong fingers would grip his ass and pull him in deeper…

  A heavy weight settled over his hips, as if the vampire of his future vision had speared himself upon Teake’s cock. Stunned by the intense physical connection, Teake opened his eyes and found himself staring at the sexy blond. Instead of anger, the unnatural creature’s face now reflected a more tender emotion than the anger, but no less fierce in its intensity.

  Teake traced the neatly trimmed line of blond beard from ear to lips. “I don’t understand.”

  The tangible vision shrugged and started to waver. Teake grabbed the vampire by the arms. “No! Stay!”

  Again, there was a small shrug, then a pause as he waited to see what Teake would request of him next.

  Forsaking comprehension in favor of action, Teake used his strong thighs to surge deeper into his fantasy partner. The blond fell forward, his face alight with challenge. He captured Teake’s hands with his own, interlacing their fingers and pinning their joined hands in the bed of moss above Teake’s head.

  Their mouths were close, so tantalizingly close, but the blond hovered just out of reach. Teake felt like his very existence was balanced on the edge of a well-honed knife. One false move and he’d be severed from his future. One right move and he’d have his deepest desires fulfilled.

  Not knowing if what he was about to do was right or wrong, Teake said, “Kiss me.”

  The vampire glanced down at Teake’s lips and then licked his own, careful to avoid the sharp fangs peeking out. His blue gaze returned to Teake’s eyes. Moving slowly, he lowered his head and outlined Teake’s mouth with the tip of his tongue. He stopped and cocked his head, as if waiting for a ver
dict.

  “That works,” Teake answered.

  The vampire grinned and lowered his head again. This time Teake closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations washing over his body. The velvet caress of lips and tongue nibbling at his own. The cold, smooth flesh of the vampire’s chest as it brushed against his with every subtle movement. The way the vampire’s firm ass gripped his cock…

  Teake wiggled his hips, reminding his partner that they shared a far more intimate connection, but the vampire refused to act on it. He seemed to be waiting for something himself, and Teake had no clue what that might be.

  Frustrated, Teake tried to move away but that only made the blond grin wider. Teake wished he could take a swing at the creature’s proud chin, wipe the smirk off his face. However, it wasn’t wise to start something he couldn’t finish. The vampire had superior strength.

  Unless he used witchcraft…

  The winning strategy came to him in a single shaft of clarity. Teake filled his lungs with air, stretching them to capacity and beyond. He exhaled with all the power of a gale force wind. The vampire shifted his weight to compensate, clamping down around Teake’s body. His actions said louder than words that he wouldn’t be budged from his erotic perch.

  Teake groaned, his cock ready to explode from the extra-tight embrace. “Move, damn it. Let me fuck you.”

  The stranger shook his head, his long locks brushing across Teake’s lips in a contradictory caress.

  “Please,” Teake begged. “Please.”

  That proved to be the magic word. The vampire started rolling his hips, causing Teake’s cock to glide in and out of the blond’s ass in short fast strokes. Teake stretched his arms out to either side. Because their fingers were still locked together, this forced his lover to fall flat upon his chest, bringing their mouths in line again.

  Teake raised his hips, thrusting deeper, as the vampire pushed down. His partner let go of his hands to rake his nails over Teake’s side, stinging the flesh without leaving a mark. Finally free to do as he pleased, Teake wrapped his arms around the vampire’s hips, holding him tight. Their bodies ground together in frantic rhythm that had Teake teetering on the edge of climax within minutes.

  “Too soon, too soon,” he murmured through lips now numb from deep powerful kisses rather than the cold night air.

  The pale white column of marble, the blond’s own erection, scudded against Teake’s abdomen. He’d been sorely neglectful of his partner’s needs up to this point, but he vowed to make up for it. Next round.

  His partner buried his face in the crook of Teake’s neck and did… something… with his internal muscles that caused Teake to cry out in ecstasy. Orgasm tightened his balls, sending a stream of cum through his cock. The vampire continued to move, milking Teake’s shaft. The smug expression on his ghostly white face seemed to indicate that he found Teake’s release to be a mutual joy.

  This physical rush was better than any other high -- natural, chemical or spiritual -- Teake had ever experienced. He should feel raw and chapped after having man sex without so much as spit to grease the way. Instead he felt wonderful, as if Gaia had laid upon him her personal blessing.

  The vampire cuddled him briefly and then glanced over his shoulder, as if he’d heard someone call for him. He turned back to Teake, his ice-blue eyes filled with deep regret. He gave Teake one last lingering kiss before he faded like morning mist when warmed too long by the rising sun.

  With his phantom lover gone, Teake felt bereft. He’d lost something indefinably beautiful when the vampire disappeared, something he knew he might never experience again. How had one of the unnatural creatures he despised stirred up such… desire in his empty heart?

  It was far from his only question about this highly unusual occurrence. In the entire history of the vampire race, none had been able to connect telepathically to a human, not even a powerful witch, without first enduring the Blood Oath. This blond vampire wasn’t a lord among his kind, so how then was this erotic episode possible?

  At the water’s edge, Teake rinsed off the sticky white residue their interlude had left on his body and donned his clothes. He wasn’t going to find any more answers by standing here.

  It was time to go to Taggart’s Bend.

  Chapter 2

  Straight to the Heart… of the Maze

  Sebastian felt dead inside. Not a shocking revelation. After all, he was a vampire. However, there were times when the lack of a heartbeat caught him by surprise. It hadn’t happened in years. Tonight was the exception. When surrounded by so many of his undead brethren, he longed for a hint of humanity.

  He might as well hope for a summer home on the moon.

  So instead he took the only option available to him, a drug induced fantasy where warm, masculine flesh craved his touch. Odd that the powerfully built but compact partner his imagination dredged up this time wasn’t someone he knew. His erotic dreams usually involved his friends, Steven and Rani.

  His phantom lover had been someone completely different. Foreign. A stranger in a strange land, much like Sebastian himself felt at times. They’d fit together perfectly, and he’d been on the verge of his own release when Kassian had summoned him for some silly errand. The dream died a quick and, for him at least, painful death.

  His cock still ached…

  The doorbell chimed for what seemed like the thousandth time. Sebastian couldn’t begin to guess who it might be. Every vampire within hailing distance of Taggart’s Bend was already inside the home he shared with Kassian Grigoriv. The celebration of Kass’s impending elevation to lord had brought out even the most reclusive of their kind. Unless you counted the humans -- and Kassian certainly didn’t -- there was no one left to arrive.

  Still, the door wouldn’t chime on its own, so Sebastian mentally snubbed his cock’s rigid complaint and went to answer it, dreaming of the day when they’d have their own magical Houseboy to do this minor chore as Rani, Vampire Lord Rainer Allen, did. The writhing bodies slowed his progress, but he reached the foyer as the signal pealed a second time. Here, where the jubilation didn’t quite ring in his ears and the air didn’t entirely reek of sex and drugs, Sebastian waited an extra second to soak up the less frenzied atmosphere before he yanked open the door.

  The cloaked figure had its back turned, as if to walk away.

  “Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”

  The figure spun around. “A few extra moments outdoors is no hardship for me.”

  Light from the sconces to either side of the entryway cast a warm glow on the newcomer’s face. It was a good thing he was still hanging onto the door or he might have fallen over in surprise when the man from his erotic fantasy settled the hood back to reveal his face.

  Hair so long and dark that it got lost in the cowls of his cloak swept back from his broad forehead. Long exposure to sunlight deepened the laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. High cheekbones and a square jaw completed the masculine masterpiece of human flesh. Sebastian hoped the visitor would give him an excuse to find out if the rest of him was equally as drool-worthy as he recalled from his fantasy.

  “Can I help you?” Sebastian asked him.

  “My name is Teake. I believe you are expecting me.”

  The night air brushed across Sebastian’s chest, causing his pierced nipples to contract. Inside the house, where the atmosphere was humid to the point of being cloying, he didn’t need a shirt under his leather vest. Standing in front of this man, Sebastian wished he had far heavier protection against those penetrating green eyes than the tight leather pants he wore. It was as if the man could see through his skin, straight to his soul. Odd. Kassian had conditioned him to ignore such human reactions decades ago.

  Sebastian lounged against the doorframe, hiding his unease with practiced skill. “We stopped taking names after the first couple hundred. Keeping track of who wasn’t coming turned out to be much easier. Can’t say I recall your name appearing on either list.”

  “You speak of the part
y, I presume. I am here on a different matter.”

  “You picked a bad night for a house call. Try again tomorrow.” Sebastian considered that recommendation for a second, then added, “Better make it the day after.”

  “Kassian Grigoriv may feel differently once he knows I have arrived.”

  “I doubt anything you have to say will change Kass’s mind.”

  “I have been sent by Davina, Prima of the Emerald Mountain Sect, to conduct his Blood Oath.”

  An odd shiver went down Seb’s spine. This was the witch then. He’d been hoping for a few days to recover from the celebration before the ritual preparations began. Once again the universe had flipped its cosmic finger in his general direction and done what it wanted, with no consideration for his desires. One constant of his mortal life that becoming undead hadn’t changed.

  But he’d be damned -- again -- if he was going to let the universe push him around this time. Not even for a sneaky, dream invading witch who could fuck sweeter than maple sugar.

  “Not tonight,” Seb said shortly, pushing the witch back a step and shutting the door behind him. “Let’s go someplace a little less crowded until I can figure out what to do with you.”

  He set off at a brisk pace, checking only once to make sure the human was following him. One place came to mind, one place most of the vampires avoided. Seb wondered what the witch would say about it when they got there.

  “You seek to conceal my presence from Grigoriv. Why?”

  “Your safety.”

  “My diplomatic status protects me from those among your kind who wish to do me harm.”

  “You go right on thinking that,” Sebastian muttered.

  After another short silence, the witch asked, “May I know your name?”

  “Sebastian.”

  He led Teake around the back of the house and into the extensive labyrinth he’d fashioned from ancient hedges that now towered eight feet high. Though there had been a few couples loitering about the grounds, they’d been more engrossed in each other than interested in what Seb and his companion were doing. So far, so good.