by Marian Tee
And cute.
Cute and hot, and again he was tempted to do something. It was a toss-up between grinning and kissing her senseless.
Well?
His lips met in a straight line as she glared at him. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and screamed.
It was irritatingly high-pitched, making Alexandru wince. Outside the room, he heard the trolls stop talking.
“Do you think he’s hurting her? They’re gonna kill us if he hurts her bad,” one of the trolls muttered nervously.
Hearing that, Alexandru said hastily to the soul seer, Change of plans, pet. Now we have to convince them you’re enjoying sex.
Whaaaat?
If not, they’ll barge in here and then you’ll leave me no choice but to make love to you. They’re worried that I’m hurting you. They’re scared of the repercussions since they’ve been asked to keep you unharmed at all costs.
Zari tried to understand what the vampire was saying, but it was hard to concentrate when there was a very hot and intensely male body pressed against her. For the past ten minutes now, she had been doing her best not to think about the fact that something had stirred into life against the junction of her thighs. Something long, thick, and so amazingly hard.
Do it now! Or they’ll come in—
Zari let out a scream.
Alexandru’s jaw dropped. That sounded like someone had just tried to kill her. I said, make it sound like you’re enjoying my touch.
That WAS what I was trying to do!
Ah, okay. Then try it again but less like…you’re being killed?
Frowning, Zari tried again, and this time she added a little moan.
Alexandru slowly ran a hand over his face, using it to keep the fact that he was laughing his ass off hidden. This time, she had succeeded in not sounding like the next victim of Norman Bates. This time, she succeeded in sounding like a ghost.
Outside the door, the trolls were becoming more anxious, the bag of gold coins in their pocket ignored.
Ah, damn. He was left with no choice—
Zari froze when she heard the door being opened.
She looked up at the vampire, and once again he took her by surprise by closing his mouth over hers. The kiss was hot and deep, drugging her senses to the point that she had a hard time remembering this was not what she wanted. She tried to struggle against the vampire, but every movement only made his cock slide up and down against her flesh, which was slowly…getting…wet.
The realization made her whimper in dismay against his lips, a sound that only had him chuckling softly before he deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth and making her head whirl. She tried to beat his chest with her fists but when he started sucking on her tongue, her hands somehow ended up clutching his shoulders, nails digging deep in the sinewy strength of his back.
Passion was beginning to cloud his mind, but Alexandru did his best to remain alert. Slowly, he moved his hand up, brushing against the sides of the soul seer’s soft body before cupping one breast. The little whimper she did was as cute as he feared and hoped, and his cock ached even more at the sound. Knowing that all her attention would be focused on his hand on her breast, Alexandru reluctantly pulled away from their kiss to address the trolls.
“I need some privacy,” he whined even as he started kneading her breast. With his back to the trolls, the soul seer’s nudity was completely hidden from their view and only her face was visible. He needed the trolls to see the expression on her face to assure them he was not going to kill her.
“You sure giving it to her good, vampire,” one of the trolls muttered.
“I like her soft with pleasure before I start to hurt her,” he answered without looking away from the soul seer. When she glared at him at his words and opened her mouth to retort, Alexandru’s lips only curved – just before his fingers around her breast closed in on her nipple. And then he pinched, ever so gently, just enough to make the pain arousing.
Zari gasped. No man had ever touched her breast, and no man certainly had ever touched her nipple. The sensation was so shockingly intense that she forgot what she wanted to say to the vampire and ended up whimpering instead.
His fingers moved again, rubbing and pulling on her nipple, and Zari bit her lip, not wanting to make another embarrassing sound.
Even as Alexandru heard the trolls leaving and shutting the door behind them, he couldn’t make himself stop teasing the tender, sensitive flesh under him. What he was doing now had nothing to do with convincing an audience about his ability to bring a woman to an orgasm. Right now, all he cared about was the girl under him – and teaching her the real meaning of pleasure.
His cock throbbed urgently at the look on the soul seer’s face. Her eyes were hazy with desire, her cheeks flushed with pleasure. If this went on any longer, he really would fuck her now, and that just wouldn’t do.
In his mind, he called to his men. Are you in position? He had given them as much time as he could to follow the coordinates he had provided.
Yes, milord.
Thank fuck. Alexandru untied his cloak and wrapped it around the soul seer, surprising her. Stay here and do not leave this room until I come back for you. Do not trust anyone except me.
The words made Zari pull the cloak tighter around her body. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was worried about the vampire. Even though he had taken gross advantage of her body, he was still the nicest “monster” she had encountered ever since her abduction. He was, in fact, the only living creature she knew, now that her parents were…missing. She didn’t allow herself to think they were dead.
What are you planning?
There is nothing for you to worry about.
She stiffened. I’m not worried.
A sly smile flashed on his lips. I truly must teach you not to lie to me one day. Do you know that every time you lie, you only become irresistibly cute and it makes me want to fuck you even more?
Her mouth opened and closed. She had no idea what to say to that, and judging by the glint of amusement in the vampire’s green eyes, he knew it, too – and was relishing it.
His fingers twisted around her hair all of a sudden, and before she could think of pulling away, he was already moving in, taking her lips in a deep kiss. One last kiss to wish me luck.
One blink, and he was gone from her side, the sound of the door smashing against the wall the only clue about where he had gone.
Another blink, and she saw terror distorting the troll’s already-hideous faces just before they slumped to the ground, their necks twisted.
Third blink, and Zari heard everyone outside screaming.
****
Dawn had broken by the time Zari stepped out of the mining shaft, the carnage behind her a nightmarish memory she probably would never forget. The rocky walls of the tunnels had been splattered with blood, the ground littered with bodies.
When the vampire came to stand next to her, she whispered, “The other candidates? What happened to them?”
“They’re all safe, pet. You need not worry about them.”
“Are you sure?” She didn’t think she could live with herself if they had suffered because of her.
“I always speak the truth. Lying is a waste of time for me.”
She nodded, paused, and mumbled, “Zari.”
Alexandru slowly turned his head to look at her, pretending not to understand what she had said. “What’s that?”
“My name.” She swallowed and pulled the vampire’s cloak closer to her body, feeling cold and alone all of a sudden. “It’s Zari.” She glanced up at him. “What’s yours?”
“Alexandru.” Before he could say something else, one of his men approached him, kneeling in courteous greeting before speaking. Alexandru mentally winced at the show of respect. The old guard just couldn’t accept that he was no longer a part of the ruling family of Sangre.
“My lord, all the slave masters have been accounted for.”
Zari started at how the o
ther man – vampire? – addressed Alexandru. He was a nobleman vampire? Like Count Dracula?
Zari’s thoughts were so loud that even though she hadn’t meant to use the blood bond between them, Alexandru was still able to hear them. Her last thought made him cough, and he said in exasperation, I am not like Count Dracula.
When her jaw dropped, it was clear that she had also forgotten they were able to communicate mentally. This was also cute, but the way his cock instantly reacted to it was not. Alexandru rubbed his jaw grimly. He had to get rid of the soul seer as soon as possible. He didn’t like the way his body was reacting to her.
“Alexandru?”
When he turned to Zari, none of his frustration was evident on his tone as he asked, “What is it, pet?”
“My parents…” She told him what happened, doing her best to keep her voice void of emotion. If she heard herself break down just the tiniest bit, she didn’t think she’d be able to stop crying.
Alexandru carefully considered her words. If her parents had indeed drowned, then his men should have found their bodies. They had scoured the woods far and wide several times to make sure that none of the slave masters had escaped.
But if they had not drowned, where were they? Why had they not come to claim their daughter? The information he had been given about Zari’s parents were unclear. No one could say if they were her biological parents and thus full-blooded soul seers as well. But if they were, surely they should have sensed the danger hunting them down?
“Do you think there’s a way to find out…where they are?” She couldn’t make herself question whether they were alive or not. She just…couldn’t.
“I will do my best.” Alexandru expected her to ask for more reassurance, but Zari only nodded, surprising him. He cupped her chin, and when their gazes met, he felt a strange pang in his chest when he saw her blurry gray eyes.
His tone gentle, he said, “I mean it, you know. I will do my best to find out what’s happened to your parents.”
She managed a smile. “I know. You told me you don’t lie, remember?”
Ah.
The way she trusted him so even though they had just met? Cute.
The way she was doing her best to maintain a strong façade even if it was obvious she was worried about her missing parents? Cute.
Everything she did was too damn cute, and right now, it wasn’t just his cock affected by it. His whole damn world was impacted by her every word and smile.
And that was not good.
Not good at all.
“Alexandru?”
He blinked, realizing that she had been calling his name several times now. Looking around, he also realized that his men were nearly finished with cleaning up, ensuring that there was not a speck of evidence that might allow humans to discover their existence.
This particular mission was already complete in other words, so what was he still doing here? He had never lingered around this long and had certainly not spent this much time with any of the targets he had rescued.
“Alexandru?”
Damn. He had lost himself in his thoughts again. Looking down on Zari, he said gruffly, “I apologize, pet. What is it?”
Zari bit her lip, suddenly finding herself self-conscious and awkward. She had rehearsed what she intended to say over and over in her mind before calling for Alexandru. But now that she had his attention, his gorgeous green eyes focused on her completely?
A sliver of memory drifted in her mind, of Alexandru tweaking her nipple—
Fires burst on her cheeks. Oh my God, why did she have to remember that now?
Alexandru’s brow lifted when he noticed Zari blushing madly. Interesting. “What are you thinking?” She didn’t answer and was unable to meet his eyes, either. He put two and two together and from there, it was easy to deduce what was suddenly embarrassing her.
His lips curved, and he murmured wickedly, “Have you just remembered that I’ve seen your body naked, touched your breast, and played with your nip—”
Gasping, she reached out to cover his mouth, forgetting that if she did, it would mean opening her cloak and revealing her nakedness.
But Alexandru hadn’t, and he reacted swiftly, pulling her close.
She gasped again as her body slammed against his.
“Idiota. Have you forgotten you haven’t a stich of clothing under my cloak?”
She had.
But because she hated feeling like an idiot and hated even more that he had pointed out her idiocy, Zari just glared at him in response. “It’s all your fault!”
He laughed at her stubbornness, which he found ridiculously cute as well. Dammit. What was wrong with him? Why was it that every little thing this slip of a girl did was so interesting?
When Zari struggled, he let her go immediately, which she found strangely disappointing. The thought had her shaking her head mentally. God, what was wrong with her? Maybe this was all because he was the only living person she knew now and that was why she was feeling so attached to him.
“Zari?”
She scowled at him, her way of keeping her defenses up. “What?”
Did she know how cute her scowl was? He hoped not. It would be a pity if all this was a ploy to ingratiate herself to him.
“Do you have anyone I may contact? Anyone who could take you in while I search for your parents?”
She shook her head.
He had figured as much. The information provided to him had mentioned about Zari and her parents living isolated lives, trekking jungles all around the world. “In that case, I will take you to a place where you can be safe. I trust the people there completely – they will never allow any harm to befall you.”
Zari bit her lip hard.
He frowned. It was obvious she wanted to say something. “What is it?”
Looking down on her shoeless feet, she muttered, “What about you? Where are you going?”
Her emotionless tone told him that she was feeling strongly about the question, and in an instant, he realized that his little soul seer was scared. “The people I’m entrusting you with are people you can trust. I promise you that.”
Her fists clenched against her side. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I have no home, Zari. You know what I am, right?”
“A vampire.”
“Yes, and my job is to protect my race. I’m asked to go to different places and make sure that vampires who violate our laws are…eliminated.”
She shivered at the last word. It made her realize that the vampire before her had likely killed some of the creatures inside the mining shaft. The fact should have frightened her, but she strangely found it reassuring. Somehow, she knew instinctively that he would only kill not to harm…but to protect.
“There’s nothing for you to be afraid of—”
Looking up, she burst out, “Why can’t I stay with you instead?”
The words left both of them arrested. She hadn’t planned to say them, and he had never expected to hear them.
Her silver eyes were round with worry, her body taut with anxiety. It was clear how she was doing her best not to break down, and her strength both impressed and frustrated him. It was great that she was so brave, but dammit, it only made her even more attractive to him, and that was what he wasn’t comfortable with.
He sought to make a joke of her words, giving both of them an out as he said in a deliberately teasing tone, “Will you be willing to be my human pet then? Because that’s the only way I can have you with me. As a human pet and nothing else.”
Alexandru expected her to say something sharp, but instead she asked seriously, “What does a human pet do?”
The words left him stumped. She was supposed to be furious and insulted, not curious! “It means being a life source to creatures like me. It also means following my every command and calling me Master—”
Zari repeated incredulously, “Master?”
Aha! An inborn feminist. He should have known. “Yes. It’s an
unbreakable rule. I will of course give you permission to address me by my name in private—”
She said sarcastically, “Gee, thanks.”
“—but in public, it would be very offensive for otherworlders to hear you address me without respect.”
“You’re really serious?”
Alexandru said honestly, “It is the law.”
“You do know your law is antiquated, don’t you?”
He repeated, “It is the law. I am a citizen of the kingdom of Chalys, and thus I am bound to obey its rules.”
Her eyes widened. “Chalys?” Everyone knew about the kingdom of Chalys, a place where people still followed Victorian customs, from their clothing to their mode of transportation. Instead of dresses, women wore corsets and gowns, and instead of jeans, men wore britches. There were no phones, no Internet, and instead of cars, people there still rode horses and carriages.
If not for its strict policies for accepting foreign tourists, Chalys could easily have been the number one tourist attraction in the world. Instead, the kingdom remained a mystery to the outside world, with the way it clung to old traditions. But now that she knew vampires like Alexandru lived there? Its anti-technology ways made perfect sense. At least there was no way for people to ever take accidental photos of non-human creatures.
“I can see in your eyes you know the place.”
“Everyone knows about Chalys.”
“Would you want to live in Chalys?”
She almost said yes until he added, “The people I’d entrust you to live there.”
Zari looked down at that, not wanting the vampire to realize how his words hurt. He really was in a hurry to get rid of her.
Alexandru was about to speak again when a voice in his mind said, My lord, the ride for the soul seer has arrived.
And so it had.
Zari was surprised when Alexandru suddenly took her hand. “What is it?”
“Your ride’s here,” he murmured as they started to walk.
Oh.
This was really it. He had rescued her for some reason, and now he was passing her off. She had so many questions in mind but she just couldn’t ask them. She was too busy feeling betrayed that he was giving her up to people she didn’t know.