A Taste of Twilight

by Aubrey Ross

  The room spun. Faelon held his wrist against her mouth and she struggled. Hot and bitter—they expected her to swallow blood! She shook her head. He held her firmly, pressing hard with his wrist.

  The metallic smell filled her head. She couldn’t breathe. Gasping, she parted her lips and blood filled her mouth. No! She shook and gagged as the grotesque liquid slid down her throat. Fire ignited within her chest. Her vision blurred then snapped into vivid clarity, shocking and surreal.

  Faelon pulled his wrist away and pushed her down on top of Rafe. “Hold her. She’s still resisting the effects.”

  Rafe’s arms wrapped around her as Faelon moved in her ass. She was so hot. Each firm thrust of Faelon’s cock accented the heat. Clutching the covers beside Rafe, she tried to make sense of it all. Her heart thundered in her chest, painful, demanding, but demanding what? She pressed her face against Rafe’s throat, comforted by his familiar smell.

  “Lick my skin, sweetheart,” Rafe coaxed. “Your body knows what to do.”

  Her breasts swelled against his chest and tension gathered low in her belly. She’d always been amazed when she had more than one orgasm. This was impossible.

  “Taste will trigger the rest. Lick me.”

  She stroked Rafe’s neck with the flat of her tongue and hunger slammed into her gut. He slipped his hand beneath her mouth, caressing her lips with the back of his fingers while he sliced a small opening in the side of his throat. Her mouth sealed over the wound as his hand moved to the back of her neck. She sucked in slow, deep pulls, filling her mouth with his rich, warm blood. “Yes!” Faelon pulled her hips up, sliding her cunt along Rafe’s length. He guided her back down as he pulled nearly out of her ass.

  The tension burst and her entire body trembled. He moved faster, sliding her back and forth, pulling her off one cock as he pushed her onto the other. Jessie was acutely aware of every sensation, yet everything seemed jumbled, twisting in on itself like a child’s kaleidoscope.

  “Stop or you’ll trigger the transformation.” Rafe’s voice sounded shaky and hoarse.

  She licked the blood off her lips and pushed against his chest so she could look into his eyes. The link opened suddenly, their bodies jerking with one violent start. Faelon’s savage hunger frightened her. He wanted to ravage her, conquer her in ways Rafe would never consider. Rafe took her face between his hands, his gaze warm and tender.

  Look at me, think only of me. I will never let anyone hurt you.

  They moved together, strengthening the blood bond with each thrust, each emotion transmitted across the mental link. Jessie stared into Rafe’s eyes, amazed at his control. The fullness shocked her. How was her body able to accommodate this frenzy?

  “Now!” Faelon yelled. “We must all come together.”

  Rafe clutched her hips, Faelon held her waist, and Jessie arched her back. Pleasure passed from Faelon, through Jessie, burst in Rafe then returned. They clung to each other, both men buried to the hilt as they pumped their seed into her pulsing body.

  * * * * *

  Being a vampire had its advantages. Both men turned into mist and reappeared a moment later clean and dry. Jessie glared at them and Rafe laughed. He took her by the hand and led her into the adjoining bathroom. Even though he was already clean, he joined her in the shower, insisting on scrubbing her still-tingling body.

  “When will my temporary powers manifest?” she asked as he worked shampoo through her thick hair.

  “It’s hard to say. You don’t feel any different?”

  She smiled, glad he was behind her. “I ache in places I have no business aching, but I don’t feel super strong or like I could fly.”

  “I doubt flight will develop. It’s a very rare ability.” He turned her toward him and pressed her against his body while the water rinsed the suds away. “Did Faelon hurt you? He’s usually very careful.”

  Blinking away the water and shook her head. “There was no pain, just like you promised. I thought the illusion you implanted was intense. This was…unbelievable.” They just held each other for a long time, enjoying the warm rush of the water. “Maybe a small toy.”

  “What?”

  She pushed back and smiled. “If we want to be adventurous, maybe we can get a toy.”

  He kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding over hers. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to explore all the things that please us and disregard the things that don’t.”

  “I’ve got to ask you something before I forget.”

  He chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Why do you hate reporters? You treated me like shit when you thought I was one.”

  “Private investigators aren’t much better.” He nipped her lower lip as the warm water massaged their bodies. “You said it yourself when I mentioned Etoro’s threat to expose me. For centuries it would have been his word against mine. As soon as film was invented, all that changed. He’s made a fortune turning me in to various reporters and news publications. It’s a regular pain in the ass.”

  “Then vampires can be recorded on film?”

  He laughed. “Haven’t you ever seen a Pyrite video?”

  “Good point.” A soft female giggle sounded in Jessie’s mind. “Antonelli just crawled into bed with Faelon.”

  Rafe tilted his head, his gaze moving toward the bathroom door. “You’re right, but how did you know?”

  “You didn’t hear her laugh?”

  “Nope.”

  “Apparently my abilities have started to manifest.”

  Rafe dried her off and took her back into the bedroom. Jessie wasn’t sure what to expect, but Antonelli naked and unabashedly sucking her mate’s cock was a bit shocking. Faelon caressed her hair as she swallowed his entire shaft with expert skill.

  “Shame is a human concept,” Rafe said softly. “Vampires enjoy sex.”

  Feeling particularly liberated by the recent experience, Jessie nodded toward the other couple. “Kneel behind her and make her come. She watched us perform. It’s only fair.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh yes. I want to watch you lick her pussy.”

  Rafe hesitated another minute, but Antonelli shifted position, bringing her body closer to the edge of the bed. Rafe knelt behind her and parted her dusky folds. Jessie swallowed hard. She’d watched an adult movie or two. This was completely different. Heat pooled between her thighs and her nipples tingled as Rafe licked Antonelli’s slit.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She hadn’t thought she was capable of getting turned-on again after all the orgasms she’d just had. Rafe kept his head angled so she could see his tongue. He circled Antonelli’s opening then focused on her clit. He licked, using only the tip of his tongue, so Jessie could watch him.

  Faelon cried out and thrust deep, signaling his release. “Now see what you started.” He pulled out of Antonelli’s mouth. Rafe flipped her over and pushed her legs up and back, spreading her wide for his hungry mouth.

  Faelon stalked toward Jessie, a predator’s smile parting his lips. “You learn quickly, little fledgling, but I can smell your arousal. No one goes unsatisfied in my home.”

  Antonelli said something to Rafe and he nodded. They quickly repositioned. She straddled his face and took his cock into her mouth as Faelon pushed Jessie up against the wall. Slipping to his knees in front of her, he arched his brow and lifted her leg to his shoulder. “Watch them. That’s what you wanted.” His mouth settled over her slit and her gaze drifted back to the bed. Rafe’s thick cock slid in and out of Antonelli’s mouth. He wet his middle finger in her pussy and pushed it up her ass. She made a sound…half cry, half purr.

  Faelon’s tongue teased Jessie’s folds and flicked over her clit. She couldn’t see exactly what Rafe was doing, but it didn’t matter. Sensations pulsed from Antonelli to Faelon and he passed them on to Jessie. Dizzying, intoxicating, carnal, they abandoned themselves to the pleasure. A short, sharp orgasm burst in Jessie. Faelon didn’t stop. He pulled her more fi
rmly against his mouth and began to feed.

  Rafe came in Antonelli’s mouth then wrapped his arms around her hips. The men were both feeding, Jessie realized, feasting on female passion. She cupped her breasts and watched Antonelli. The other woman rose, rocking against Rafe’s mouth, so her cum flowed more freely. She shuddered, her head thrown back, hair streaming to her hips.

  With one final lick, Faelon lowered Jessie’s leg to the floor. He turned and watched the two on the bed. “Antonelli has learned to enjoy being food for vampires.”

  “I can see that.”

  Faelon strode back to the bed. “Enough. My indulgence only extends so far.” He lifted his mate off Rafe’s face and lay down with her, wrapping his big body around her. He made one firm thrust with his hips and then fell asleep.

  Rafe crooked his finger, motioning her toward the bed. “I need to sleep too.”

  “So sleep.” She teased as she climbed onto the high mattress. He pulled her into a position identical to Faelon and Antonelli. He pressed his body against her back, slipped one arm beneath her neck and the other around her waist. Easing her thighs apart, with the same firm thrust of his hips, he impaled her with his cock.

  Stunned, Jessie stared at Antonelli. “They always sleep like this?”

  She smiled, her blue eyes shining. “As often as they can. He’ll make it worth your while when he wakes up.”

  “And I swore I wouldn’t turn groupie,” she whispered.

  Antonelli chuckled. “This isn’t about Rafe’s band and you know it. Your motives are noble and pure.”

  “Pure?” Jessie laughed. “That’s a hard word to apply to what just happened in this room.”

  “You’ll get used to it.” Antonelli moved Faelon’s hand to her breast and wiggled her bottom, no doubt bringing his cock deeper inside her. “You must remember one thing when the battle begins.”

  The battle, the reason for everything she had done today. “What’s that?”

  “Faelon has accepted that Natalie is beyond redemption, but he would rather not take her life. If there is any other way, please spare him that horror. She is still his daughter.”

  Jessie nodded and closed her eyes.

  * * * * *

  “I’m not telepathic.” Antonelli held perfectly still as Natalie pressed her blade into the delicate skin of her throat. “No one can hear us down here. Why won’t you believe me?”

  “I do believe you, but my father is incredibly attuned to what happens to you.” Natalie clutched the handle of the knife until her fingers ached. “He always has been.” So what had him so distracted? He should have sensed the danger as soon as she summoned his precious Antonelli.

  The entrance to the smugglers’ tunnel had been bricked up, but once inside, the dank passage led right to the old wine cellar. Natalie had spent half her childhood exploring these musty tunnels. Faelon had blood allies protecting the mansion, but the cellar door had been sealed by Faelon himself after he returned to the estate three hundred years before.

  A mistake that would cost him his life.

  Natalie’s biological connection to Faelon allowed her to manipulate his energy. She weakened the seal enough to enter the wine cellar without alerting the guards. This was a good plan. She wasn’t going to be flustered by a minor delay.

  Lowering the knife, Natalie shoved Antonelli into Etoro’s arms. “Bend her over that half rack and rape her. Don’t stop raping her until they run to her rescue.”

  The color drained from Etoro’s face. “I—can’t.”

  “She’s a whore! Not only does she fuck everything that gets her wet, she teaches others to enjoy her depravity. She’s a twisted slut and—”

  “I can’t force myself on a woman. I’ve tried. My dick goes limp as soon as I smell their fear.”

  Natalie shook her head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” She could compel them into a sexual frenzy, but that wouldn’t alert Faelon. His human whore lived in a state of perpetual lubrication. “You’re useless.” She sneered at Etoro. Without the element of surprise on their side, the close quarters of the wine cellar became a liability. This had to be fast and focused. She’d commanded the guards to sleep, but they wouldn’t remain incapacitated indefinitely. “Grab her by the hair. If she gets away from you, I’ll make you pay in ways you can’t imagine.”

  “Don’t threaten me. I’m not your lackey.”

  He was less than that, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Adjusting her hold on her long, lethal knife, she headed up the stairs. Guns were useless when it came to vampires. Swords worked well, but they were cumbersome.

  “Why are you doing this?” Antonelli’s shrill voice was really starting to grate.

  No sooner had they stepped out into the corridor than her father appeared in front of them, Rafe and Jessie two steps behind. Daddy had sensed her arrival after all.

  With a cop’s shrewd assessment, Jessie studied the enemy. Hate burned in Natalie’s eyes, belying her delicate appearance. The long, sharp-looking knife in her fist only added to the contrast. A tall, dark-haired man clutched Antonelli by the hair. This must be Etoro. The cramped confines of the hallway made hand-to-hand techniques difficult. They needed to lure them into the foyer.

  “Isn’t this touching?” Natalie drawled. “Come to watch us gut your whore? You might have kept her alive long past her prime, but she’s still human.”

  “Your argument is with me.” Faelon’s fists clenched and his nostrils flared. “There is no reason to hurt Antonelli.”

  “Really.” Natalie reached over and casually sliced the upper curve of Antonelli’s breast. Antonelli shrieked, writhing in Etoro’s arms. “This bitch has been enjoying my inheritance for the past three hundred years. Mother wasn’t strong enough to destroy you, but I assure you I am.”

  Faelon turned his glowing gaze on Etoro. “Turn her loose. This is not your fight.”

  Etoro’s fingers relaxed as he shook his head, battling the compulsion. Antonelli jerked out of his grasp and ran behind Faelon.

  “You fool!” Natalie yelled. “Your mind is so weak you cannot—”

  Etoro backhanded her onto the floor, knocking the knife out of her hand. “I’ve heard enough of your insults.”

  Rafe charged Natalie as she scrambled for the knife. Faelon and Jessie both lunged for Etoro. His back slammed into the wall, denting the plaster and knocking down pictures. Jessie heard Natalie scream, but she kept her eyes fixed on her target.

  “You will sleep,” Faelon commanded Etoro.

  Etoro’s eyelids drooped, but again he resisted the compulsion.

  “Take the knife and help Rafe. I can control this one.”

  Faelon has accepted that Natalie is beyond redemption, but he would rather not take her life. If there is any other way, please spare him that horror. She is still his daughter. Remembering Antonelli’s request, Jessie released her hold on Etoro and stepped back. Antonelli handed her the knife.

  Rafe and Natalie’s battle had reached the foyer. Her long nails had shredded his arms and blood ran from the corner of her mouth. She jumped shoulder-high, attempting to kick him in the face. He caught her ankle and slammed her against the marble floor.

  Decapitation, incineration or removal of the heart, Jessie could only accomplish one with Natalie’s knife. Rafe pinned Natalie to the floor, forcing her face to one side. He released a terrifying snarl and sank his fangs into her throat. He’d angled his body so Natalie’s chest was accessible, his expectation clear.

  Jessie shuddered then thought of Bellita and all the other young lives she’d stolen. Rushing to Natalie’s other side, Jessie sank the blade hilt-deep into her chest. Natalie shrieked and bucked, twisting wildly.

  “Help hold her.” Faelon knelt beside Jessie and tried to brush her hands aside.

  “You hold her,” Jessie insisted. “I’ll do it.” And she did. With frightening efficiency, Jessie removed Natalie’s heart. The skill must have been part of the blood bond. Her hands moved of their own volition.r />
  Faelon wiped his face with his sleeve, unshed tears shining in his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, and then cleared his throat, continuing in a much stronger tone. “To my knowledge no vampire has ever recovered from such a wound, but we will burn her body just in case.”

  “To your knowledge is right,” Etoro mocked. “And you don’t know nearly as much as you think.”

  Jessie threw the knife, embedding it in Etoro’s shoulder. Damn, that was cool! More blood-bond skills, no doubt.

  “I have no authority to punish you,” Faelon snarled. “Your fate is for the council to decide.” Etoro was bound securely in rope Faelon must have manifested.

  “Do you know what he’s talking about?” Rafe remained on his knees beside Natalie’s body. Had Etoro’s taunt given him pause or had the fight exhausted him?

  “He will be interrogated by the council.” Faelon looked at Jessie. “If you decide to make the transformation real, I’ll recommend you for the position.” She smiled, but his expression remained serious. “You are ideally suited for the job.”

  Four burly guards burst through the front door and Antonelli threw herself into Faelon’s arms, ending the conversation.

  Rafe took Jessie by the hand and led her away from the bloody foyer. “Wait! Where’s Dalton?” Without missing a step, they crossed to Etoro, who was still seated against the wall. Emulating the tone Faelon had used, she looked into Etoro’s defiant eyes. “Is Dalton still alive?”

  He pressed his lips together and he closed his eyes.

  “You will answer my questions or the pressure squeezing your balls will gradually increase.” She paused for a second to watch him squirm. “Is Dalton harmed?”

  “No!” He gasped and twisted his hips. “He’s a little beat up but alive. Now make it stop.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Red Lion Lodge. Stop, make it stop!”

  She deactivated the compulsion.

  Rafe whistled long and low. “Damn. You are good at that.”

  “I’ll send a car for your friend.” Amusement sparkled in Faelon’s eyes. He stood with his arm around Antonelli’s waist, her head rested on his shoulder. “Do you want him to know where you are?”