“You look beautiful by the way,” he whispered, forcing the other words away as he stepped back to see her dress in full again. “I wanted to tell you so badly when you first walked down the aisle towards me. The love of my life, walking into my arms, to be with me.”
Her cheeks flushed and Bastian’s chest tightened. He needed her in more ways than one and his fangs sprang out. He worried after the night she had Catherine would shrink from them, but instead, she moved closer, pressing her body along his. His hands moved up to her hair, curling in its thick waves as he breathed her in, wanting nothing more than to take her and give her the wedding night she should have had with him.
Through the brave face she wore, he felt her body tremble. Tonight was not the night to make love to her. He started to pull away, but she breathed one word and all of Bastian’s sane thoughts slipped.
“Don’t.” Her grip pulled him down and her lips met his, standing on her toes to reach.
Bastian returned the kiss fiercely, swallowing her surprised cry when he lifted her up, holding her easily against him. He walked them to the bed, his bed, and laid her on it, following her down and covering her body with his. Her chest heaved, pushing the mounds of her breasts up for him run his tongue along followed by his fangs. She shivered beneath his touch and whispered his name. This night was supposed to be special for them both, not tainted with fear of an unpredictable enemy on his doorstep.
“You are driving me over the edge,” he growled in her ear as her hands ran through his hair, drawing him closer to her body.
“Good,” she whispered and Bastian felt his restraint tested again.
He wanted her, God he wanted her, but not yet. Not with Victoria so close at hand, danger lurking just outside. When he did make Catherine scream his name in passion, he did not want Victoria within hearing distance. If anything would send that woman into a killing spree, he was certain him making love to Catherine would be it. And he did not know the full extent of her plans. Being distracted was also not the way he envisioned taking Catherine beneath him for the first time. He wanted his entire focus to be on her, on them together.
He kissed along Catherine’s neck, running his fangs across her delicate skin. Her moan made him harden even more, but contented himself with kissing her languidly, his tongue delving into her mouth as her hands tightened against his jacket before she struggled to remove it from his body. He laughed and assisted, leaving him in his silk blouse. His fingers played along the ties of her skirts and bodice, needing to feel her soft skin under his palms.
“Bastian,” she said and he stopped his kisses along her bare shoulders to meet her gaze.
“Catherine?”
Her eyes were filled with passion matching his own, but uncertainty lurked beneath and he rolled to her side after one last long kiss leaving her breathless.
“What will happen tomorrow? What will she do to you?”
“I wish I knew,” he said quietly, “but I fear I cannot predict the future any more than you can. I will do my best to make her see reason and leave. She is a proud woman with a darkness even I could never have seen.” He didn’t want to frighten Catherine, but he wasn’t going to lie to her either. That was not his way.
“I don’t want this to end,” she whispered. “Whatever happens, I…I want you to know….”
She struggled for words, but Bastian knew what she felt and took her hand, pressing it against his chest. “I know, Catherine, but I swear I will not let anything happen to you.”
“What if it does?” If he had not been a vampire, he would have missed it, but he heard her, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. “If she kills you, I don’t know what I’d do, but if she kills me…if I die—”
“If she lays a hand on you,” he growled darkly, “I will rip her apart and then I will bring you back. Do you understand me? You are not allowed to leave me now.”
“You would turn me?”
“Even if you asked me not to,” he whispered, “I don’t think I could resist. You are mine, Catherine, in life and death.”
She clung to him and he pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest. He could not lose Catherine. She was the only thing keeping him from falling into the darkness he felt creeping in these past few years. If Catherine died, if he lost her, Bastian would lose the last bit of humanity he had.
And the person who killed her would wish they’d never been born.
When she finally fell asleep in his arms and he watched face as she dreamed, he was reminded of another such face before he had turned her. A peaceful face, one that had been filled with sadness but so much hope for finding joy and love again. Victoria. She had lost so much by the time Bastian turned her, the bitterness and anger took hold the moment she became what he was.
Would the same happen to Catherine? She had suffered even more than Victoria had at the hands of her captors. Seen so much bloodshed. How could it not fill her with anger and resentment?
The fear of losing her no matter what he did crushed against his chest. No, he would only turn her as a last resort, to save her. There would be no turning before then until he knew he was ready for whatever might happen afterwards. He needed to know she could handle the change before he watched her run from his life as he’d watched Victoria. He smoothed his fingers down her cheek and kissed her lips lightly in the dark. His Catherine. He would not lose her so easily.
***
Charlotte watched Mary and Rose disappear into their hut, but she did not follow. Instead, she went back to the courtyard and wandered, taking in the decorations and what remained of the feast. There was no one else about. Those that had escorted them to their hut had vanished just as quickly back into the shadows. She was utterly alone and she let the tears fall in her anger.
Catherine had won the heart of their master, but how? She was nothing, lacked the talents Charlotte knew she had. Why had he chosen her over Charlotte? It should have been her in the main house right now, her wearing the wedding dress. She hated Catherine for it, being a manipulator and tearing down all hope Charlotte had of winning her freedom through that man.
“Are you alright, child?”
Charlotte jumped at the sound of the woman’s voice and turned. She stumbled backwards over her skirts at the sight of the woman who had brought a bloodied head to the wedding. Charlotte knew their master and the others here were different, but she had not realized how so until this woman appeared. She was fierce, strong and Charlotte knew no matter what type of monsters they were, she wouldn’t be scared of them, even if a trail of blood stained the side of the woman’s mouth.
“I have seen that look before,” the woman said, moving forward slowly.
“And what look is that, mistress?”
“Please, call me Victoria,” she said and smiled, flashing her fangs.
Charlotte’s face paled, but she held her ground. She was not sure how she knew, but this woman would not hurt her. No, they were too much alike. “What look is that?” she repeated.
“Hurt and jealousy,” Victoria said. “I have felt those for years and tonight, they burn even more than ever before.”
Charlotte nodded once. She hated Catherine with every bit of her being. She had turned her back on Charlotte and the others so she could place herself in the bed of their master. “I wish she would disappear,” she whispered.
Victoria appeared before her in a blink. “Do you want revenge?”
What did she want? “I want Catherine gone for betraying me,” Charlotte said, staring into Victoria’s eyes. “I want her to suffer as I have while we’ve been on this island.”
“What would you give to have such revenge?”
Charlotte didn’t know, but Victoria’s eyes glowed red before her, trapping her in their gaze.
“Would you give up your humanity? Everything that makes you human?”
“Yes,” Charlotte said, her lips moving over the word as if it was pulled from her body.
“Will you serve me in your quest
to ruin her?”
Charlotte’s body twitched, but she spoke again, answering before her mind could catch up with what was happening to her. “Yes, I will.”
Victoria snarled and her fangs grew longer before Charlotte’s wide eyed gaze. The woman held her shoulders tightly and clamped down on Charlotte’s neck. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her mouth as this monster drained her dry.
Chapter 3
The sun rose outside the window and Catherine’s eyes opened as she sat up on the bed, exhausted and still in her wedding dress. She had fallen asleep in Bastian’s arms, pressed as close to him as she could be while her mind raced with what he’d told her.
If anything happened to her, he would not let her die, but turn her.
Could she handle being turned into a vampire, becoming what he was?
“I can hear your mind racing from over here,” Bastian’s voice said gently and she rolled over to find him standing at the window, the heavy curtain keeping out of the sun’s rays. His eyes found hers and his lips curled in a smile.
She rose and went to him, taking the hand he held out to her and sighing when his lips slanted over hers in a hungry kiss that left her chest heaving. Every fiber in her being was calling out for his touch, to never leave her again. Last night they had come close to making love, to feeling each other for the first time, but he’d held back. She saw the same worry in his eyes now as she had last night. It all came back to Victoria. Why had that woman come here in the first place? Catherine found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, possibly eternity, and now it was all threatened by his insane ex-lover.
“Until Victoria leaves the island,” he told her, “you are to remain here in my rooms. Tula and Ivette will guard you. I do not trust Victoria around you.”
“What will you be doing?”
“Until the sun sets I can do nothing,” he said and his grip tightened protectively around her, bringing her to his chest so his arms formed an unbreakable cage around her. “But I have several of my overseers gleaming what they can of her plans and why she chose now to return.”
“Will she leave if you order her to? Can’t you throw her off the cliff?”
His lips brushed her forehead as he let out a quiet chuckle and Catherine felt them tremble, despite his smile. Fear in Bastian was new to her and if he was afraid, she knew she was in trouble.
“I doubt she will, at least not easily,” he said. “You are not to worry. Nothing will happen to you.”
How can you be so sure? was what she wanted to ask, but the words faltered on her lips. He tilted her face up to his and stared longingly into her eyes and for one moment she swore he’d heard her thoughts. Emotions flickered back and forth, ones she could not even begin to read before he slowly released her and went to the door.
“You should change into something more comfortable for the heat of the day,” he said. “I will be downstairs. Ivette will remain outside the door. If you need her, just call out for her. She’ll hear you.”
She wanted to say more, but he left before she could. Catherine frowned as she stared down at her dress, partially undone from him last night. She wanted him, badly, but she knew why he waited. Victoria was too much on his mind and it wasn’t out of old love; it was out of worry of what that vampire would do if she learned Bastian had taken Catherine to his bed.
Catherine was not in her room and did not know what she would change into, but when she pulled open the wardrobe, several dresses hung beside Bastian’s clothes, made of soft, light fabrics perfect for the island climate. Careful so as not to ruin her wedding dress anymore, she slipped it off and pulled on one of the other dresses in a deep emerald color, short capped sleeves and skirts ending right at her ankles. It fit perfectly. She finished tying up the back when she heard a knock at the door, followed by Ivette’s voice. Catherine told her to enter and was greeted by a tray of fresh fruits and wine.
“You have not eaten since last night,” she said. “Bastian sent this for you.”
“Where is he?”
“Speaking with Tula and several others,” Ivette said as she joined Catherine at the table. “They are trying to find a way to force Victoria to leave, but I do not think it’s going to be that easy.”
Catherine knew as much. Victoria was not a woman to be turned away so easily from what she wanted. Bastian had told her enough to understand what drove that type of woman. “That man with them, Anton. Is he here for you?”
Ivette stiffened and Catherine regretted asking and made to apologize, but Ivette held up her hand with a sad smile. “Before, I thought Anton and I would spend our long years together, but Victoria…she changed him in ways I never thought were possible.”
“What did she do?”
“She seduced him as she did all those she turned, making them see how she saw the world and our place in it. I, like Bastian, have never left this island, but we have had dealings with vampires passing through,” she said. “According to them, our views are vastly different from many out there.”
Catherine could only imagine how well the slaves had it here, even on the other island. They were to remain there forever, but at least they were taken care of until their natural death and not hunted like animals. Drained of every last drop of blood, and their bodies discarded. That was how Victoria hunted.
“She pulled Anton from you?” Catherine asked.
Ivette blinked in answer.
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry Ivette.”
“It was a long time ago,” she said. “No matter. He was seduced by the image she presented, of the adventure that would take him around the world. I was content to remain here and stay loyal to the man who turned me.”
Catherine played with the fruit on her plate. Bastian had turned Ivette and others, she knew that, but to have him turn her…the thought of her approaching Mary and her friends, of only ever seeing her brother at night because of what she was…sent sharp shivers down her back despite the heat of the day. Ivette seemed happy as she was, the current situation notwithstanding. Catherine could be happy as well, as long as Bastian was there by her side. Wouldn’t it be for the best in the end? She was strong enough to handle it, if it meant giving Bastian peace of mind on her safety.
“What happens,” she said, barely a whisper, “when you turn?”
Ivette’s gaze flared red at her questions before she stood and turned away. “Have you asked Bastian this as well?”
“No, well we talked about it last night, but…he didn’t go into details. I only know the vague details he relayed to me from his stories.”
“For good reason,” she whispered. “It is not the most pleasant thing to witness.”
Catherine swallowed hard, but forced herself to push forward. She started this when she fell in love with a vampire and she was going to see it through, especially now with his promise of keeping her alive no matter what the cost to either of them.
“What happens, Ivette? Please tell me. I need to know in case the worst happens.”
“He would not want me telling you this, but if he has indeed said himself he will do it, then I will tell you what I can,” Ivette said with a glance towards the door. “You must be near death for it to happen. Drained of your life to the very last, your soul clinging to its mere existence.”
Catherine’s hands curled on the table top. “And then?”
Ivette flashed her fangs. “The bite drains you and then the second bite changes you, your bite, as you drink the blood of the vampire. Your body will die, but it is not an easy death. I remember convulsing violently on the floor, my human life flashing before my eyes,” she said, each word growing quieter than the last as she turned away from Catherine and her eyes flared red again. “It’s the most excruciating pain you will ever experience and then when you awaken, the burning can drive you to the edge of insanity.”
“The burning?”
Ivette kept her back to Catherine as she nodded. “The burning and the thirst for blood. I
f you are not careful, you will slaughter any who pass your way, at least for the first few days.”
“That sounds harsh,” Catherine whispered. “But it goes away. You’re able to be around humans now and not kill us like sheep.”
Ivette turned with a gentle smile. “No, no I do not feel the need to rip your throat out.”
“Then there is nothing to fear,” she said and tried to stay light about dying and being brought back as something else. Something darker, a monster she swore was only legend. “If I were turned, could I help Bastian against Victoria?”
Ivette stood before Catherine even finished asking the question and took her hands. “No and he will not risk turning you with Victoria so near and her plans unknown to us.”
“But why not? I could help.”
The bedroom door flew open and hit the wall. “No you cannot.”
Ivette lowered her eyes and stepped back from Catherine as she turned to see Bastian in the doorway, face drawn in anger and his hands clenched tightly at his sides. “Ivette, you are needed downstairs.”
Catherine didn’t even see Ivette leave, but the door was suddenly closed to the bedroom and she was gone. “Bastian, she didn’t mean anything by telling me that,” she said slowly. “I asked. I wanted to know what it was like.”
“I heard,” he said, but his eyes flared at her words.
“You told me last night, if you had to you would turn me,” she went on, refusing to stop simply because it suddenly angered him so. “I’m useless as a human. I could help you.”
Bastian stalked towards her across the room, but she did not move. When he reached her, he bent so they were at eye-level and she saw the simmering anger just below the surface of his skin, waiting to be let out. “I will not turn you unless I must,” he said. “It’s not a simple feat, Catherine and you would be in no right mind to fight against Victoria.”
Her hands went to her hips as she glared right back at him. “I would be if I fed right away. I could help you, Bastian. Why won’t you let me?”
SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire Page 11