“Victoria.” I breathed her name then pulled her against me and kissed her fiercely.
She returned it as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine. I felt every inch of her curves and after ten years, I felt the need to take this woman, but she suddenly pulled herself from me and coughed.
“Throat burns,” she said hoarsely. “I’m thirsty. What is this?”
“You need to feed,” I said and took her hand. “Come, I will show you.”
We ran out of her house in a blur, but she kept up easily, and soon we found ourselves in the center of town. Very few people paid us any attention even though we came to such a sudden stop. I sniffed the air as I looked for a person for Victoria to feed off and whipped my head to the left.
“There. Come,” I said and took her hand once again.
The alleyway was dark and mostly empty except for a few women who worked the front of the local brothel. This was where they dragged men inside and gave them whatever they desired, or whatever they could afford. No one would pay attention to what happened down here. A young man stumbled out the door that blended in with the wall, still trying to buckle up his pants. I told Victoria to head to the end of the alley where it was darkest and then went to the young man. He glared at me as I blocked his path and reached out a hand for his arm.
“What are you doing? Unhand me!”
“I have a lady friend who would like to meet you,” I said. “She is your dessert for the night.”
His eyes immediately lit up and he glanced around searching for her. “Where is she?”
I motioned towards the dark end of the alley and he hurried along with me following close behind. When we reached it, Victoria pushed herself off the wall as she lifted up her skirts just a bit and her lips curled into a seductive smile. The man immediately went for her, his hands groping her body and it took everything I had, to not intervene. Instead I watched as Victoria held his face in her hands, kissing him as she pulled him closer to her. Then faster than even I could follow, she opened her mouth and bit down on his neck. The man’s yell was muffled by her other hand. She fed, draining him in mere moments and let his body fall dead to the ground.
A tiny trickle of blood slid from her lips and I went to her, licking it off as I pulled her close. “How do you feel now?”
“More,” she whispered. “I need more.”
I told her she needed to wait, but a prostitute had wandered to our end of the alley. Victoria rushed around me and grabbed the woman. She bit into her neck instantly and the woman screamed as Victoria started to feed. Others picked up the yell and I yanked Victoria off of her, took her hand, and dragged her with me in a blur back out of town. We didn’t stop running ‘til we reached a small spring amongst the jungle.
“You have to be careful,” I said. “If anyone finds out what you are, they will try to kill you.” I took in the blood covering the front of her dress. “You need to wash the blood from you and you need new clothes if we are to travel.”
Her left brow rose as her hands slowly moved up her body, over her breasts, and finally stopped at the top of her dress. In one swift movement, she ripped it clean down the middle. The fabric fell to the sides and I cursed as I stared at the pale flesh before me. Her body was as perfect as I’d imagined, full and curvy.
“Will you wash me?” she asked quietly, slowly stepping back towards the water’s edge.
Unable to find words, I nodded and began undressing. It took far too long and by the time I reached her, naked myself, I had little patience for much else. Neither did she. She reached out a hand for me and I took it then pulled her up against me. The moment our flesh touched, we were lost in the feeling of each other’s embrace. I kissed her and felt her tongue search for mine as my hands squeezed her hips and we both moved back into the warm water of the spring. It had been over ten years since I’d felt a woman and could not hold myself back from doing what I had missed for so long.
Victoria bit my neck gently and I hissed at the pleasure and pain that shot through my body. I lowered my head to her chest and kissed my way across her breast before pulling one nipple into my mouth. She groaned and squirmed against me as her hands ran through my hair.
“Bastian,” she whispered.
I grinned until I looked and saw the sudden need and lust in her eyes that was reflected back from mine. I lifted her up just enough until she could wrap her legs around my waist, then found myself buried inside of her. I groaned at the immediate feeling of bliss that passed through my body then marveled at how she moved against me. Her head tilted back, her long hair touching the surface of the water, and I moved within her. It wasn’t enough. Using her newfound strength, Victoria managed to drag us both to the water’s edge and tossed me on my back.
Eyes shining with lust, she straddled me and I cursed at the connection between us. She lowered her head and her hair shielded our faces as she kissed me deeply, still moving above me until we found ourselves gasping though there was no need to breathe. I felt myself tumbling over a cliff and taking Victoria with me.
***
Bastian heard a small crash and Catherine cursed. He turned around to make sure she was all right, but stopped at the look on her face and her heaving chest. The color in her cheeks was bright red and she looked as if she had just run across the plantation.
“Catherine? Are you alright?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, just spilled some ink is all.”
His lips curled at the corners as he made his way to the desk. “Is this too much for you?”
“No, no I just was not expecting such detail.” She lifted her face to his and he heard her breath catch as her eyes narrowed in on him. She glanced him up and down before taking a deep breath and glanced away. “What happened next? After that of course.”
Bastian moved closer to her, around the desk, and stood right beside her. “I told her what she was and invited her to join me at the plantation. She agreed and I’m afraid that ends today’s tale.”
“Great, that’s great,” Catherine said as she set down the quill and put the stopper back in the ink. “I’ll just head to bed then. Good night, Bastian.”
But when she stood, she found him standing on the other side where he had not been before. His hands found her waist and pulled her close to him. “You are tired? You do not look it.”
“I thought perhaps you would need some time to yourself this night.”
“And why is that when I could spend more of my time with you?”
Slowly he started to move with her until her back was pressed up against the wall of the library. Her eyes widened, but her hands were already moving up to his neck, pulling him closer. He felt her breasts press up against his chest with every breath she took. He wanted to rip her dress from her, much as Victoria had ripped her own that night, but he resisted. The last thing he wanted to do was scare this woman who had somehow come to care for him.
Instead, he kissed her, long and slow, letting his tongue play against hers as his hands squeezed her hips. He felt the urgency in her body, but resisted doing anything else, at least for now. There would come a time for that, but first he needed her to know the rest of his story. And then he needed to learn hers.
Chapter 6
The following day, after Catherine had returned to her room, she hadn’t slept at all. The feeling of Bastian’s lips on hers and his words still running through her mind about his and Victoria’s time in the spring had set her off balance. Feelings had started to stir within her that she had never experienced before. With Charles there had been a connection and she’d felt her heart flutter. Michael…there had simply been respect at his kindness towards her and her family.
But with Bastian, it was as if she was on fire and burning from the inside out.
She didn’t know what to think any more and every night she spent with him only left her wanting more. Catherine started to wonder how much longer she’d be able to resist him and everyt
hing he offered her.
The sun started to set so she headed downstairs to attend to her duties in his office, only to find Bastian seated at her desk, waiting for her. His appearance startled her and she almost tripped over her skirts. He rushed forward and was suddenly there to steady her.
“I am sorry. I didn’t meant to startle you,” he said quietly.
“I didn’t expect to see you yet.” She tried to right herself as she glanced at the desk behind him. “Did I do something wrong with the books?”
“No, but I am afraid there is no work for you to do this night.” He held out his arm as his eyes shone with a happiness she had yet to see in him. “Shall we continue the story?”
Remembering what last night’s story had entailed, Catherine was hesitant to place her hand on his arm, but she did it anyway and he led her down the hall to the library. For some reason when he swung open the door, Catherine was disappointed to see that it was still the same old room and nothing had changed.
“Is something the matter?”
She smiled. “No, I’m ready to get started though. Where did we leave off?” She knew perfectly well where they’d left off and wanted to kick herself for asking the question. She turned to find him smiling as his eyes glimmered in the candlelight.
“Do you want me to remind you?” The words came out slow and seductive as he moved towards her.
Catherine hurriedly moved to the desk and sat down. She heard him laugh, but didn’t acknowledge it knowing her face was already red enough. “No, I remember. What happened after you and Victoria returned to the island?”
“There were many things we did,” he started and winked as she glanced up, “but I will stick with what’s relevant.”
“I would appreciate that,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Please,” she said as she dipped her quill into the ink, “continue.”
As was his habit, he paced around the room and ran his fingers over the books as his eyes darkened. When he started to speak, Catherine moved the quill across the blank page.
“When we returned, things were peaceful for a few weeks, but Victoria grew restless with her new life and the hunger she constantly seemed to feel. I had grown accustomed to surviving off the blood of animals, but she wanted human blood and nothing else. Many nights I found her sneaking off to the slaves’ quarters and feeding. She did not kill anyone, but it was not something I wanted done.”
Catherine frowned. “Did you make her stop?”
He shrugged and moved from the shelves to the chair in front of the desk. “I tried the best I could, but it came with a cost. She swore to me she would not feed off the slaves every night, just once a month if we created more like us.” His fingers tapped the arm of the chair as his eyes narrowed. “She was bored you see.”
Catherine wanted to ask how on earth that was possible when she lived with a man like Bastian and now had the entire world open to her, but she kept her lips sealed and went on writing.
“We made a plan to turn more and after one year of careful watching of the nearby islands and those we employed, we turned ten more people into beings like us. Five women and five men, to live with us at the plantation.”
“That does not sound like a good idea,” she said before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry. It is not my place to speak.”
Instead of being angry, he laughed. “No, you are correct. It was a bad idea.”
His eyes took on the faraway look he got right before he told her something dreadful. She held the quill tightly in her grip, wondering what could be so bad, but the longer she thought about it, she realized what had to come next.
“As you can imagine, feeding twelve vampires became a problem very quickly. I tried to enforce regulations,” he said, “but they were seldom followed. Feedings took place constantly behind my back and on those I did not want touched. A few of the newly turned vampires found the blood of the younger slaves to be too delicious to pass up.” He curled his hands into fists and the arms of the chair creaked against the strain.
The quill moved quickly across the page before she turned another. “That’s awful.”
“Not as awful as what followed. There were rumors spreading amongst the slaves now, of people disappearing in the night. Fear spread and before long I realized that my number of slaves had indeed dropped.” He lowered his head and Catherine swore she heard him muttering curses. “Bernard was worried and he had a fair idea what was causing the slaves to disappear. It was what killed him in the end.”
***
I had spent much of the evening once the sun had set wandering the plantation grounds and speaking with Tula and the other overseers. They had been hesitant at first, but finally shared their concerns with me. The amount of slaves disappearing had several of the more superstitious ones speaking of voodoo and black magic.
I did my best to assure them and I think for the most part they believed me. I needed to speak with Bernard and then gather the vampires once again. If they were going to disobey my orders then they were going to have to leave the island.
But as I neared the house, I heard a scuffle and a man groan in pain. It was Bernard.
In seconds I was inside the house staring at the most horrific sight I’d ever seen. Bernard lay on the floor, all four limbs splayed out, and all the vampires including Victoria crowded around him. Blood covered their lips as they fed and I howled in rage.
“Get out! Get out now,” I yelled as I yanked them all away, throwing them towards the front doors. They scampered away from my anger, all of them except Victoria. I heard Bernard’s heart give a few final beats. “How could you?” I yelled at her.
With a contented sigh, she wiped the blood delicately from her lips. “How could I what? He was going to cause you troubles.”
I stared in disbelief at Bernard’s body. There was no bringing him back. He was dead and the light had left his eyes. “He was my friend,” I whispered. “I trusted him with my life. Why…why did you do this?”
She stood and stretched. “I told you. He was coming here to tell you to make us leave.”
“Maybe he had reason to.” I growled, the sound issuing deep within my chest. “You have been killing slaves. They think dark spirits stalk the plantation now! They are living in fear!”
“As they should be,” she snapped. “You are too kind to them all. Mortals. They are nothing to beings like us.”
I hissed as I lunged at her and slammed her up against the wall. “I made you. Remember that, Victoria, otherwise you would be a rotten corpse in the ground.” I pushed away, unable to stare at her or Bernard’s body any longer, and ran from the house.
Trees rushed by me and I found myself standing on the very same cliff from which Tula had thrown Kitt’s body off. I glared up into the night sky as thunderheads moved in off the water. I yelled. I screamed until my throat was raw and all the strength went out of me. My knees hit the dirt and I felt tears stream down my cheeks. For the first time since meeting Victoria, I regretted turning her. The sweetness in her had vanished and something else had started to emerge. I had to find a way to control her and make this work or I would have to get rid of her…
I squinted into the darkness as lightning lit the sky. There, across the bay, was a small island. I frowned as an idea started to form, a way to make everyone happy. I wiped my face and slowly made my way back to the plantation to face Victoria and bury Bernard’s body.
***
Bastian felt a pang in his chest speaking about the death of his friend. It had been so long since he’d thought about Bernard and realized he should do so more often. He took a deep breath to try and steady his suddenly raw emotions. As he looked up to see if Catherine had anything to say, he found she had turned quite pale.
“Catherine?”
“That island,” she asked so quiet if he hadn’t been a vampire he would not have heard, “is that the island Michael and the others were sent to?”
“Yes, why?�
��
She shook her head, but he knew what worried her. Maybe tomorrow night when he finally told her what happened over there, she would truly see the monster he was and never wish to speak to him again.
Chapter 7
Bastian had wanted to stop for the night, but Catherine had suddenly put a smile on her face and told him she was still ready to write more. There was plenty of time before the sun came up so he settled back in his chair after pouring them both a glass of wine, and went on with his tale. Part of it wasn’t too exciting and he glossed over many of the things that happened and stuck with what was important.
“The strongest men that we pulled from the fields were on that island for a month,” he said. “They had been instructed to build rooms and a series of buildings that would house those we brought over.”
He watched Catherine’s face carefully and saw it pale even more, but she waited for him to continue, the quill poised in the air over the page.
He took a long sip of wine before continuing. “Once the men returned to the fields, I summoned Tula to explain that Bernard had died in an accident. He did not believe me, but I was not about to tell him Bernard had been ripped apart by the other members of the household.”
***
I stood just inside the front door, ready to greet Tula when he arrived at the house. He hesitated at the bottom, but eventually made his way up. “Tula, thank you for coming to speak with me.”
He bowed his head as his eyes darted around nervously. “Of course, Master.”
“Come, we have much to discuss. I trust they informed you Bernard has died in a terrible accident?” He nodded and I went on. “Yes, well, as sad as it is, we must move on with new plans. I would like to start expanding the plantation. Before, this would have been Bernard’s duties, but now they will pass to you.”
SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire Page 6