by Sarra Cannon
“Don’t! You promised.”
He made a low moan of need and found himself begging for the first time in his life. “Please, little dove. Please.”
“No.” She whispered as her body continued to shudder around him.
He bit his own lip until it bled and she made a soft sound of distress. “Stop, Val. Don’t do that.”
He turned his head away as the last of his climax rushed through him and she stroked his hair soothingly. He leaned back and stared blankly at the side of the carriage. The need to bite and feed from Abigail was overwhelming him, and he was dangerously close to throwing her to the floor and sinking his fangs into her soft skin.
He drew in a deep breath, his hands clenched into tight fists.
“Val?” She whispered. He twitched when her fingers traced his jaw.
“Get off me, Abigail.”
She pushed away from him and huddled on the seat opposite him. Without looking at her, he said, “Go back to your friends.”
“I thought – I thought you wanted me to spend the night with you.” She whispered.
He shook his head. “No, I want you to leave.”
She hurriedly put on her clothes, her face burning and tears threatening. She grabbed her boots and her weapons. “Are you – will you keep your promise to help us?”
“Yes.” He said shortly.
“Val, what—”
From the corner of his eye he could see her reaching for him and he flinched away.
“Get out, Abigail! I’ve taken what I wanted from you – now leave!” He shouted harshly.
She made a soft sound of hurt and stumbled out of the carriage, slamming the door shut behind her.
Chapter 4
“Abigail, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Wesley. Stop worrying.” She made herself smile at him as he sat down next to her.
Violet, her face creased with anxiety, was sitting on her shoulder stroking her cheek repeatedly and Wesley smiled a little.
“I’ve never seen a pixie so attached to a human before.”
“Violet’s different.” Abigail turned and kissed the top of the pixie’s head lightly.
“Will you tell me what happened?” Wesley asked quietly.
“You know what happened.” She stared steadily at him and he flushed and looked away.
“I’ll kill him for what he did to you.”
“Stop it, Wesley. He didn’t hurt me.”
She sighed and stared into the fire, barely feeling Violet’s soft hand stroking her cheek. Val had come out of the carriage ten minutes after she did and, without looking at any of them, disappeared into the woods. Faren had stretched lazily, nodded to the humans, and followed him. That had been hours ago and they hadn’t seen either vampire since.
At Wesley’s urging, Abigail had crawled into some blankets next to the fire and tried to sleep. It was impossible. She had lain quietly for a few hours before getting up for her shift on watch.
Now, she stared at Evan and Bill’s sleeping forms and sighed deeply. She had told Val she would not ask him to bite her, but she had been surprised at how strong the urge had been to give in to his need. She wanted him to bite her, had wanted to feel his teeth sinking into her flesh, as her orgasm rushed through her.
He believed that she would give in to her urge to be bitten by him, and he had been hurt and upset that she wouldn’t let him. Still, she hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction from him and she was confused by it.
She cursed herself in her head. Val was a vampire, not a human, and while his need for her was sexual, she was a fool if she thought that’s all it was. He would always want to bite her, to drink his fill of her blood, and for that reason alone it would never work between them.
Why not? He fed from you before and you enjoyed it, remember?
That may have been true, but she had been weak and afraid then. She was different now. She didn’t need to give Val her blood in exchange for his protection. She could take care of herself.
You’re fooling yourself if you believe his protection was the only reason you let him feed from you.
She shut out the voice in her head and forced herself to pay attention to Wesley.
“We need to come up with a new plan for getting into Darius’ home.”
She frowned. “Why?”
Wesley gave her an impatient look. “Because your vampire friend isn’t coming back, Abby.”
“Yes he is.”
Wesley sighed. “No, he isn’t.” He glanced at the lightening sky. “It’s almost dawn. He won’t be back.”
“He will be.” She insisted stubbornly. “He promised to help us and he will. Trust me, Wesley.”
“How do you even know him?” Wesley asked.
“He was with the group of humans who found me when I was pulled from my world to this one. I was attacked by vampires and Val saved my life. He was injured with silver and was dying. I allowed him to feed from me.”
“You what?” Wesley shouted and she hushed him quickly as Evan snorted softly in his sleep and burrowed deeper into his blankets.
“He saved my life. I owed him a debt.”
“Are you crazy, Abby? What’s the first rule Michael taught us? Never let them bite you. You know what it does to a human.”
“Yes, I do.” She snapped.
He was giving her a look bordering on contempt and her patience snapped.
“Judge me all you want, Wesley, but Val isn’t like other vampires. He’s saved more human lives than you can imagine. He’s good.”
“There are no good vampires, Abby.”
She gave him an angry look. “You know that’s not true.”
“Jaxen is different.” Wesley replied.
“So is Val.”
“No he isn’t. Val saved your life so he could fuck you and feed from you.” Wesley grunted.
He stared at her exposed neck. “Did you ask him to bite you tonight where it would not show?”
“Fuck you, Wesley!” She hissed at him. “I told you I wouldn’t let him bite me and I didn’t. You can believe me or not. I don’t care either way.”
He stared angrily at her and then sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Abby. I just—”
He stopped as Faren, followed by Val, strolled into the camp. Violet, her body vibrating excitedly, flew from Abby’s shoulder to Val’s. She tangled herself in his hair and kissed his neck affectionately.
“Hello, bug.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of dried meat. He handed it to her and she kissed his neck again before chewing at it.
Abby stood up nervously. “Val, are—”
Ignoring her, he walked to the carriage and opened the door. He whispered something to Violet and she nodded before flying back to Abigail.
“Are you going or not, Faren?” He asked quietly.
Faren shrugged. “Why not. At the very least, there will be plenty of humans at Darius’ home to feed from.” He winked at Abigail and Wesley and followed Val into the carriage. They shut the door behind them as the sun peeked over the horizon.
Abby swallowed down the hurt she felt at Val’s refusal to acknowledge her and smiled faintly at Wesley. “Let’s wake the others and pack up. It’s at least three days to Darius’ home. We should get going.”
— —
Val followed Faren from the carriage. The sun had set but it was still light enough for him to see that Abigail was missing.
Faren glanced around the woods with dismay. “What the hell? You couldn’t have stopped in a town?”
Wesley frowned at him. “We thought it best if we kept a low profile.”
“Your low profile doesn’t keep me fed.” Faren snapped. He eyed Evan with interest and the redhead stiffened and drew his sword.
“Enough, Faren.” Val said quietly. “Remember what I told you.”
“Yes, yes, you’ll kill me if I touch the humans.” Faren waved his hand irritably at him. “But you cannot expect me to feed from wildlife ever
y night like you do.”
“Go and find a town or a village. There’s bound to be one fairly close.” Val said. “I’m sure with your good looks and charm, you’ll have no trouble finding a human to feed from.”
Wesley made a snort of disgust that Faren ignored. “Are you coming with me?”
Val shook his head and Faren rolled his eyes before turning to the humans. “Good night gentlemen. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He disappeared in a blur of movement and Val turned to the bald human.
“Where is Abigail?”
“Why?” Wesley asked.
He gave a strangled gasp as Val sped across the camp and grabbed him by the throat. He lifted the large man a few inches from the ground and shook him roughly before dropping him to the ground and kneeling on his broad chest.
Without looking behind him, he said, “Kill me, redhead, and you’ll never get into Darius’ estate.”
Evan hesitated and Wesley gave him a grim nod. He lowered his sword and took a few steps back as Val stared at Wesley.
“You should know that I killed the last human who dared to touch her. If you wish to keep your head firmly attached to your body, it would be wise of you to keep your distance from her.”
“I’m her friend.” Wesley glared at him.
“Her friend? Or her lover?” Val snarled softly.
He refused to answer and Val hissed lightly. “He was her friend as well. I did not care for the way he looked at her.”
He leaned even closer, his eyes glowing softly. “You look at her the same way.”
“Get off me.” Wesley snapped.
“Tell me where Abigail is.” Val held his hand up and Wesley watched as his fingernails lengthened into sharp points. He traced one lightly across Wesley’s throat, smiling when the big man inhaled sharply.
“Tell me, Wesley.” Val grinned at him.
“There’s a lake to the north. She and the pixie went to get water.”
“You let her go alone?” Anger crossed Val’s face and, for one bleak moment, Wesley was certain the vampire would kill him.
“She can take care of herself.” Bill spoke up.
“Can she, old man?” Val glared at him.
“She’s better with the sword than all three of us.” He said nervously. “Besides, it is only a short distance away.”
Val turned back to Wesley. “If I see you touching her, I’ll kill you. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes.” Wesley bit out.
“Good.” Val patted him lightly on the cheek and disappeared into the woods before Wesley could blink.
“Jesus.” Bill wiped a shaking hand across his forehead. “He’s going to kill us all, Wesley. We should kill him first.”
Wesley shook his head. “We need him. He’s our best shot for rescuing Michael. Besides, he won’t kill us.”
“Are you sure about that?” Evan asked quietly.
“No.” Wesley replied grimly.
— —
“There, doesn’t that feel better?”
Val stood at the edge of the tree line and watched as Abigail, sitting on a large rock that jutted out over the water, dumped a small cup of water over Violet. The little pixie was naked and soap was sluicing down her skin as Abby, wearing a towel and her skin and dark hair damp with moisture, scooped more water out of the lake and poured it over her.
“Honestly, Violet, I don’t think you’ve bathed since I last saw you.” Abby teased gently.
Violet grinned at her and flew into the air above her. She twirled, spinning faster and faster until her wings and body were a blur. Tiny droplets of water mixed with pixie dust sprinkled on to Abby and she smiled fondly at the pixie.
Violet abruptly stopped spinning and dropped onto Abby’s thigh. Her formerly wet purple hair was now dry, and it surrounded her head in a huge wind-blown halo.
Val smiled a little as Abby giggled. “Now that gives a whole new meaning to air dry.”
Violet patted her hair and preened prettily before turning and wiggling her naked ass at her. Abby laughed again.
“You have no shame, little one.” She handed Violet her dress and then suddenly whipped around, her hand reaching for something on the rock beside her. Val had moved up behind her and he blinked as he felt the dagger at his throat.
“Careful, Abigail.” He was impressed by her quickness. He thought he’d been completely silent and yet she had still heard him.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” She snapped at him as she pulled the dagger back. “I could have killed you.”
“Doubtful.” His gaze moved down her damp body. “Your towel is slipping.”
She glanced down, a hot blush rising to her face, when she realized her towel had slipped down to the top of her noticeably erect nipples. She yanked the towel up and slipped off the rock. Her clothes were lying on the ground and she picked them up, glancing back at Val.
“Turn around.”
He arched his eyebrow at her. “Don’t you think it’s a little late for modesty, Abigail?”
“Just turn around, please.” She replied.
He turned and stared at the lake. Violet, her wings fluttering lightly, hovered in front of him. She preened for him, turning to the left and the right and fluttering her eyelashes at him.
He grinned in spite of himself. “Yes, bug, you look very pretty. And you smell much better as well.”
She scowled at him and zoomed forward. He waited for her nip, the little bug had a habit of biting when she was displeased, but she only kissed him lightly on the nose before hovering in front of him again.
“You’re in a good mood.” He raised his eyebrow at her and she shrugged and darted past his shoulder.
“I’m done.” Abigail said softly.
He turned and stared her up and down. She was strapping her knife around her pant-clad thigh and she smiled when Violet pulled playfully on her damp hair.
“What I wouldn’t give for a hair dryer.” She said to Violet.
“A what?” Val asked.
“A hair dryer. It was a type of – of machine that ran on electricity. You plugged it into an outlet in the wall of your home and used it to dry your hair.”
“Electricity?” Val questioned.
She sighed. “Never mind.”
She began to braid her hair as Violet landed on her shoulder.
“Thank you for taking care of Violet. I was worried about her. I’m glad that she had you to look after her.” Abigail said softly.
He shrugged. “I tried to get rid of her. The bug refused to leave.”
Violet stuck her tongue out at him and Abigail snorted softly. “I doubt that’s true.”
She finished braiding her hair and tied the end with a thin piece of leather before picking up two large wooden buckets. She dipped them into the lake and began to carry them through the trees. Val took them from her and she gave him a nod of thanks.
“From now on, you’re not to go anywhere without me. Do you understand?” He said as they picked their way through the trees.
“I can take care of myself.” She replied.
He frowned at her irritably. “Just do as I say, Abigail.”
She shook her head. “No. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Abigail—”
“Drop it, Val. A lot has changed in the last year. I’m not the person I was before, and I don’t need yours or anyone else’s protection.”
He grunted in reply and she gave him a quick look. “Thank you for helping us.”
“It’s not going to work.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Abigail, do you honestly believe that I’ll be able to pass myself off as this Joven? Darius may have never met him but there will be someone there who has. They’ll tell Darius I am not Joven, and our little charade will be over.”
“Joven has never travelled to the east before. No one there will know him.” Abigail replied.
He sighed with irritation. “There wi
ll be someone. Your need to save this Michael has made you blind to the danger you’re deliberately putting yourself in. You and your friends will die a terrible death at the hands of this Darius. Why don’t you see that?”
“It’s worth the risk.” She said softly.
“Are you in love with this Michael? Is that why you’re so anxious to die for him?”
She laughed softly. “No, I am not in love with Michael.”
“I don’t believe you.” He said a bit petulantly.
She gave him a look of exasperation. “What is with you, Val? Why are you so sure that I’m fucking or falling in love with every human that crosses my path? First Wesley and now Michael?”
He didn’t reply and she stared moodily up at the dark sky. “Neil told me once that vampires were similar to humans, but I’ve been here long enough now to know that isn’t true. You’ve forgotten what it means to care for someone.”
He gave her a wounded look. “That’s not true. I care for you.”
She shook her head. “No, you don’t. You want my blood and nothing more.”
“You can’t possibly believe that.”
She stopped and stared gravely at him. “Why wouldn’t I believe it? Last night I would not let you bite me and what did you do? You told me to get out and wouldn’t speak to me again.”
He stared at the ground. Shame was creeping into him and he fought against it. He had nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m a vampire, Abigail. You may be doing your best to turn me into a human so you can justify your need to fuck me, but I refuse to be your lapdog. I am not some weak-willed human that you can bend to your will.”
“That isn’t what I’m trying to do.” She protested.
“Is it not? You’re more than willing to fuck me, but God forbid you should let me feed from you. You used to beg me to bite you remember? Now that you’re no longer the scared human you once were, you—”
“Fuck you, Val!” She suddenly shouted. “I saved your goddamn life remember? And if you had just left me alone, hadn’t tried to fucking seduce me, I could have resisted you until we got to Karna.”
He snorted derisively. “You were going mad. Everyone could see it. I did you a favour by continuing to feed from you, and you were more than happy to oblige me.”